Manalink Tournament (May) (tournament complete)

[Salbei]

Sorry dude, i was kinda angry because i didn´t get any plays and when somebody actually plays the deck he screws it up.

Analysis of game: I never got to actually make any choices all game, except for a couple times where I kept a land in hand to lessen damage. I could have mulliganed, and it is impossible to say what I would have ended up with, but given the hand the AI got, the new hand would have had to have been pretty darned good.

Game3 was an obvious mulligan
1)1 land on the opening hand,curve starts at 3.average spell cost you ~4 mana -> that alone should have been a mulligan reason.
2)2 Baneslayer Angel. in your starting hand -> thats like starting with 5 cards -> this is a definite mulligan unless you got a lotus with them - even then it is too risky.
3)2 Baneslayer Angel. by now you KNOW your playing against discard and decide to keep 2 of your main-winning options on your starting hand ... giving the AI at least 4 turns to let you discard it.Against that deck you want to draw into them unless.->obvious mulligan
4)Path to Exile is BAD early in the game. ->could be a keep at game1, but definatly not at game3.Especially when you know you are playing against 4 Mind Twist. You don´t ever want to use it unless you absolutly have to.

well thats 3 cards you don´t want on your starting hand,plus you are manascrewed from the beginning -> clear mulligan.

The idea is to keep a hand of 2 lands (or mox) and go for a turn2 or 3 mulldrifter (should net you mana) or wall of denial (should buy you time to get mana). against that deck as soon as you got a wall of reverence out its just over. keep your mana to your hand (nixathid below 6, out of rack range so the wall can heal up against it).Usually 2 walls out are enough to win - keep the additional wall of denial on your hand + lands you don´t need.Very likly hymn/mindtwist gonna get these, but you don´t care. Safe Control Magic for Hypnotic Specter or just let it get discarded.Never play more than 5 mana (2 white 2 blue 1 random)-just keep it on your hand.Eventually you will draw into either Mulldrifter, Control Magic or Baneslayer Angel to end it.One sidenote : the AI just ditches the discard plan after you got like 50 life (wall of reverence) and just discards from now on instead of playing the cards.

Rack + Nyxathid both want you to have an empty hand do not let him dictate your game being afraid of discard ->the right play is to horde pointless cards so the discard doesn´t bother you.the deck looses almost all of its punch after you stabilize at 5 cards+ (hand full of unimportant junk, lands, controll magic, path, swords,additional wall of denial, coffin)won´t make a difference if you get mindtwisted them away or not since they do almost nothing against that deck.this is a viable strategy against the deck for pretty much every other deck aswell.hand=5+ -> you win.Let the random discard get rid of unneeded cards and thats it.
Its very hard to loose the game when you play it like this.All you are looking for are wall of reverence, mulldrifter,ancestral recall,baneslayer angel - you can happily discard the rest with a smile on your face.
Played 10 games straight against it yesterday and haven´t lost a single match against it.

You´ve lost game 2 by doing the exact opposite and game 3 for keeping a bad hand.

You did what you thought as the right play and it won´t make a difference afterall since that stupid matchmaking system basicly cost me my place at the top3.
The AI won a stunning 50% of its games(4 out of 8 ),next to jatill the highest winratio and i´m not gonna make top3 with that ? This is just not right.
Feels like playing in a tournament starting at round 3 cause i got late.

[aww1979]

Well, funny enough, I agree with salbei about my deck being 'a pile of' you-know-what, and his stall deck would beat that discard deck most of the time; it just didn't on that occasion. It wasn't meant to be a super serious deck, so I wasn't offended by that, it's true the discard deck isn't that great. (heck, I even bashed my own discard deck on that video!) I was more annoyed by his accusation that I don't know how to play with his deck, or perhaps play in general, but I let that pass.

To a point, he was correct, in that I did find mistakes in the play, though less than he seemed to imply, and (I don't remember if I said any naughty words on the video, but I sure did in my mind!) I did a huge facepalm the game with the mox/mox/balance as soon as I played that Island. Salbei is definitely right to call me out on that play.

Anyway, I just played with Kakodrilo's burn deck, and here are the results:

1) yggdrasil 2-1
2) shantak 2-0
3) enigma73 2-1
4) brandon 2-1
5) stroggoi 1-2 LOSS

highlights:
Match 1: Game 1: Mulled to six. I goof by not playing Reckless Charge on my first attack (thought it was an instant :p) I end up profiting from my mistake by using the reckless charge on one of two magus to trade with a 5/4 nocturnus, though :p Removal flies around on both sides, Magus charges with 2x reckless charges. AI starts playing lots of creatures, but I've already used all my removal. Topdecked Fireblast handles one, but Kalastria Highborn triggers. I block hexmage with two blockers; first strike kills one, the other survives and kills hexmage, but again kalastria triggers. AI misplays Urge to Feed postcombat when it could have killed me playing it precombat and attacking, but succeeds in killing me the next turn anyway. 0-1
Game 2: AI plays Black Lotus early, but does -nothing- with it, which I am surprised at. The next turn it plays demigod, tough. I could Fireblast it, but I choose to take the hit so I can make the kill next turn. 1-1
Game 3: Opening hand is much better than the first two games. A turn 3 demigod scares me. I topdeck fireblast, but again I leave demigod alone, and instead save my burn to send straight to the face, for the win. 2-1
Match 2: Game 1: Two Countryside Crusher and burn quickly wipe out the AI. 1-0
Game 2: Play crusher turn 2 with black lotus, because shantak has little removal. I wasteland its first land. Crusher mills *four* lands the first mill, and I swing with an 8/8 and incinerate. Next turn repeat, and AI dead. 2-0
Match 3: Game 1: Mull down to 6. We destroy each other's lands the first several turns. Black Vise comes down. I choose not to Bolt at end of turn, even though it is the 5th card in hand, saving it for removal. I change my mind during my upkeep, but Vises process before I can cast it, so I keep it again, playing Reckless Charge instead; AI plows my Kird Ape in response, eliciting a surprised remark in the video, something like 'wow the AI did something smart! :p'. I can't draw any more mountains, but I do have one mana plays, so I maintain a 5 card hand for the next several turns by playing a one mana card each turn. A second Vise comes down, but I find a second mountain. Slith Firewalker comes down, attacking with a Mogg Fanatic. 7/7 Knight of Reliquary comes down, and I start sweating. I could throw three lightning at the knight (or two and fanatic) to kill it, but I have enough burn in hand to kill the AI if I throw it all to the face now, and the rest next turn, so I do that, since I can chump the knight with my fanatic. Tp my horror, AI plays Armageddon, and I am now cut off from playing the Incinerate in hand. If I topdeck two lands (I can chump twice, and need two to cast incinerate) or get a black lotus, or mountain+bolt, I will still win, but otherwise I'm doomed. My first draw is Wooded Foothills. So far, so good. I keep it, chump with firewalker against the 11/11 knight. I draw... Countryside Crusher. I can't incinerate, so I lose to the knight. I look back at the turn where I could have played the Bolt, but kept it when the Vise was on, and realize I probably could've won, or at least vastly increased the odds, had I done it then. At the very least, I'd have bought another turn, as I'd have had enough life to require two attacks by the knight to kill me off. 0-1
Game 2: Nice hand. I see a play where I Chain Lightning a 2/3 Tarmogoyf, but on review I am wondering why putting the chain into grave didn't make it a 3/4. Not sure if that was a bug or not; I'd have to dig into the comprehensive rules to be sure, and I'm a bit rusty these days on some of the rules-lawyer type points like that one. Anyway, I quickly get the AI to 4, but it manages Terravore 6/6 and Tarmogoyf 4/5, but I have Bolt in hand and Fanatic in play, so despite the ugly board position, I win with burn. 1-1
Game 3: I get Crusher down turn 2 with mox. It grows to 7/7 the next turn I have enough burn in hand, including a fireblast, that I kill the AI straight away when it doesn't chump block with a werebear or 3/3 knight. Turn 3 kill 2-1 match.
Match 4 Game 1: I have no idea why I kept the hand I did; in review, I'd have mulled it. Gorilla Shaman smashes Sol Ring, leaving AI with only one mountain (and Mana Flare) AI can't do much after that, and I win. 1-0
Game 2: First few turns look great for me, but then AI suddenly topdecks black lotus and plays ryusei out of nowhere. I kill it with two incinerates (and I have to sac my fanatic or lose it to ryusei's death trigger) so I lose 3 cards just to kill Ryusei. We start burninating each other, but as I have spent so much burn on Ryusei, and in the late game, Brandon's burn is better (it costs more mana but does more damage) I end up losing to a Disintegrate, but it was darn close. 1-1
Game 3: I get a good first hand and aggressively play lotus, firewalker, reckless charge, since Brandon has only bolts for first turn removal. Unfortunately, it had one ready on its turn, so I'm already down two cards. Another firewalker comes out swinging, and it gets bolted, too. I start burninating AI directly, and thanks to a topdecked fireblast, win earlier than I am expecting 2-1
Match 5: Game 1: This matchup is going to be brutal; AI has Kor Firewalker in the deck, and it plays one on turn 2. AI doesn't play any other early creatures, and I start throwing burn to the face. It gains 1 life per burn, but is still taking punishment. Dragon Fodder comes down, and the worry-o-meter goes to maximum. I draw Barbarian Ring, though, and the lightbulb comes on, as this is NOT a red damage source. I throw burn around to get threshold and Ring the firewalker! I then play an insane Chain Lightning on the last goblin token, and it gets copied a whole bunch of times. Board is clean, and when the storm clears, I have 4 life and AI has 5. I topdeck Magus of the Moon, then draw & play Mogg Fanatic, attack with Magus, AI at 3. AI draws a Lightning Bolt and stupidly throws it at me instead of the Magus, leaving me at 1 life, but enough board presence to win, regardless of the topdeck. 1-0
Game 2: The game starts out pretty good. I burn the first two creatures, and have two of my own. Skyknight comes out. I draw Barbarian Ring, and am very happy with it, knowing how it saved my ass last game. Kird Ape takes a Lightning Helix, which hurts. Gorilla Shaman charges recklessly for 4. He's bolted next turn. I am attacked by skyknight, and decide not to sac 2 mountains to fireblast it, taking 2 instead. I don't draw a removal next turn, though, and at 9 life I'm starting to get nervous, so I kill it. I draw a fetchland and use it, down to 8. A second skyknight charges out, and I get another fetch, which I don't use. I Ring the Skyknight, since I'm only at 6. AI puts blood knight out, which I handle with a topdecked fireblast, saccing 2 mountains again, unfortunately. I really don't like doing this, but it's do or die, literally. I draw Chain Lightning, which I don't dare play with all the red mana AI has. Kicked Bushwhacker hits, and I draw a bolt for it next turn. I draw Barbarian Ring, but AI plays Dragon Fodder. Not good. I can't Chain a goblin without it ending in my death, so I kill one tokein with the Ring and take 1 from the other; a blood knight is played postcombat, threatening a kill next turn. (3 attack power, 3 life left, AI 13, only chain lightning in hand) I draw Incinerate, and I think I can stall the game some more, but AI topdecks Lightning Helix and it's over. 1-1
Game 3: I get lotus and crusher first hand, but with bolts and paths in AI deck, I don't play it. I have no removal except fireblast, so when FoD comes down, I leave it alone for now. Turn 3 Crusher comes down, but he gets toasted, and I'm starting to take hits. Dragon Fodder lands, and it looks bad. I play Sliths to deter attacks, and it works to keep the 1/1s away, but removal kills one slith, and FoD attacks; I fireblast it in response to AI pumping it to 4/4. The lone Slith continues to keep the 3 goblins horde at bay, but Skyknight enters play and starts beating on me. Blood Knight comes down, and my topdeck Slith isn't enough to scare it. A second blood knight follows. I'm down to 7, and draw reckless charge, which is useless in this situation. I 'waste' reckless charge and black lotus just so I can threshold my barbarian ring on the knight, the only way I can even slow AI down. It doesn't even work, because next turn AI kicks a Bushwhacker, and I bite the bullet right there. 1-2 match, ironically *winning* the only one of the three where Kor Firewalker saw play!

http://rapidshare.com/files/388235115/k ... o.zip.html

[aww1979]

Sorry dude, i was kinda angry because i didn´t get any plays and when somebody actually plays the deck he screws it up.

Game3 was an obvious mulligan
...
well thats 3 cards you don´t want on your starting hand,plus you are manascrewed from the beginning -> clear mulligan.

Yes, game 3 should have been mulled. Whatever I'd kept, though, with the speed and amount of discard that came down, I wouldn't even have had time to get a Wall of Denial in play before dumping my entire hand to that Mind Twist, though. And other than that balance snafu in the game I won anyway, I'd hardly call my play 'screwing up', though you are welcome to call it anything you want.

Played 10 games straight against it yesterday and haven´t lost a single match against it.

You´ve lost game 2 by doing the exact opposite and game 3 for keeping a bad hand.

I can believe it. The discard deck isn't very good. However, you could have handpicked an opening hand for game 3, and the game would still have been unwinnable (other than picking a turn 1-2 lotus/baneslayer) given the cards the AI got. In game 2 I don't know what the heck you expected me to do differently, since the game was lost anyway, barring a mulligan to something completely different. You describe how to play the deck, but ignore that I played the deck as you describe, and instead criticize me for losing games that I guarantee you or anyone would have lost.

Again, if anyone finds a specific misplay that affected the losing game's outcomes, I won't count my five points. If not, deal with the legitimate loss like an adult, please. If that is not possible for you, simply request in the thread or in PMs (for any reason, or none at all) that I not score those five points, and I will comply, in the interests of satisfying you. I cannot be fairer than that without cheating the other players.

You did what you thought as the right play and it won´t make a difference afterall since that stupid matchmaking system basicly cost me my place at the top3.
The AI won a stunning 50% of its games(4 out of 8 ),next to jatill the highest winratio and i´m not gonna make top3 with that ? This is just not right.
Feels like playing in a tournament starting at round 3 cause i got late.

I haven't gone through and counted them, but once the tournament is done, we can all discuss whether the current matchmaking system is fine, or whether it should be scrapped in favour of an elimination system. When this one is complete, I'll table up some numbers like win percentages and compare them to points and see if the lists are different. I'm not expecting them to be significantly different, but I could be wrong; I haven't looked at other's results in detail. In any event, there's no point tabulating intermediate values; when the tournament ends, we can look at all the results at once and see if a problem exists, and change it if so.

[aww1979]

final 2 results from me

salbei stall:

...

match 6 vs stroggoii BR aggro: I keep a 2 land hand but Ancestral Recall saves me, allowing for a crucial Swords to Plowshares on a Piledriver and two Wall of Denial with a hand full of goodies. at one point a Disk goes reset but I have too many cards in hand to lose. Patriarch's Bidding gets back lost Goblins and Walls, I steal two Sharpshooters just for shits and giggles.

Based on your description of the game, this is cognis' deck, not stroggoi's, that you defeated in match 6, and I will count it as such, since it seems clear that's what you meant.

I only noticed this because I'm copying/pasting the results posted so far from the forum so I can work on them later.

[aww1979]

@scherbchen, I doublechecked your final tally, and my calculations show that you missed one game where the AI won with nyktorian bant, so his score should be 15, not 10. The rest of your numbers I agree with. Please doublecheck this one.

@stroggoi, salbei, kakodrilo, cognis, shantak, brandon: None of you have recorded any games yet. I know some of you said already that you would not be testing. If you are testing, a reminder that the deadline is May 26.

new rule: If a player tests some of the deck's but not all of them, to avoid giving the untested players a disadvantage, none of that tester's scores will be used in the final tally. If you are *really* crunched for time, I will accept all scores from a player, if the only one you miss is my deck (aww1979 discard) so plan to test mine last, if you think you might be squeezed for time

[scherbchen1]

erm, right. got the BR aggro right but the deck builder wrong. weird.

[Salbei]

you must be kidding me . just play a 1on1 - mulligan down to 5 and you will get a better hand than that you´ve decided to keep and just roflstomp that pile.
i would even go this far and say that 2 lands on your starting hand against that deck and you got a win.

Hand you keep:
Wall of Denial (most likly dead till at least turn4)
Swords to Plowshares (woohoo i can play that and kill everything with it)
Wall of Reverence (most likly dead till turn 5-7)
Baneslayer Angel (dead till turn 7-8)
Baneslayer Angel (dead till turn 7-8)
Path to Exile (dead card in general for the first 8 turns)
Tundra (yay i can play that too)

what did you expect out of that hand ?hoping to draw 4 lands in a row ?
Even Ancestral Recall from the top couldn´t save that one.
was almost a mulligan to 2 cards from the beginning. icing of the cake is you even knew you are playing against discard and will loose both angels turn 4 tops.
why not mulligan to 4 instead - chances are good you will have a better game with those 4 cards.

Darksteel Colossus
Darksteel Colossus
Darksteel Colossus
Darksteel Colossus
Mountain
Shock
Giant Growth

would you keep that hand ? its exactly the same.nothing in the word gonna save you when you play it.

[Brandon822]

PLaying with aww1979. Best of three.

Game 1:
Versus Enigma_Tarmogeddon. Round 1(1-0): I won at last possible time when I topdeck Mindtwist and three Racks finish him off from 8 to -1. I was at 3 facing 5/6 Tarmogoyf.
Round 2(1-1): AI plows my first turn Specter. Next turn i use Hymn at him. I face again early big(because of discard) Tarmo. My hand is full of discard and Rituals and no Racks and he Racec to victory.
Round 3(1-2): This round went exactly like round 2, but this time I got Nyxathid to chump block 6/7 Tarmo and use my last card(bolt) to kill it. I got one The Rack on play and 0 cards in hand AI has one card and Qasali Pridemage at play. Life is 14 to 4 for AI. Then he sacrifices his Qasali Pridemage to kill my The Rack, huh. AI has one land. His turn: Isamaru, Hound of Konda, I top deck Slavering Nulls. Next turn, AI got Savannah, I got Badlands I am at 5 mana. AI top decks 5/6 Tarmogoyf. I got Swamp. Next turn 4/4 Terravore and I got Dark Ritual. That's it.

Current Standings after 10 Gauntlet's:

Tarmogeddon enigma73 6+5
Swift stroggoi 0
Stall Salbei 6+5+5
Bant nyktorian 0
TinyAngryMen scherbchen 0
Zookiller jatill 0+5+5 NOT PLAYED YET
Vampire Yggdrasil 5+5
Burn Kakodrilo 4
BR Aggro Cognis 0
Monowhite JuzamJedi 10
Wweenie thedrigo 0+5 NOT PLAYED YET
BR discard aww1979 0+5+5
Tramp shantak 0 NOT PLAYED YET
redforce Brandon 0 NOT PLAYED YET

[Brandon822]

Playing with Brandon_redforce. Best of Three.

Game 1:
versus Scherbechen. Round 1(1-0): I Burn AI at 10 and then use Hidetsugu.
Round 2(1-1): AI got superfast start. Tried to Smoke it, but nothing helped.
Round 3(2-1): I burn his creatures. Then Blood Moon and next Wheel of Fortune. Both cast Dragonmaster Outcast, but I bolt his. Then dragons race to win.

Game 2:
versus Yggdrasil. Round 1(1-0): I play first turn Black Vise. Then Smoke and burn the AI. Then Wheel of Fortune. He plays 4 creatures, but I Disintegrate him.
Round 2(2-0): I Burn AI at 10 and then use Hidetsugu.

Game 3:
Versus Cognis. Round 1(1-0). Both players burns each other's creatures. Then i drew land after land and AI plays three Goblin Sharpshooters. I draw Mana Flare and wait till I get some burn spells and then I play it. AI pounds me to 8 then I drew Disintegrate and hit him with 11. Next turn Incinerate finishes him off.
Round 2(1-1): I was already sure of my win when I cast Mana Flare and burned AI to 4 and still got Disintegrate in my hand. I am at 13, AI has Goblin Piledriver at field. Then he plays another Piledriver and Goblin King and Goblin Warchief and attack by 19! I AM DEAD.
Round 3(1-2): I burn his creatures and then him, but then I draw mana after mana and don't have enough cards in graveyard to kill all his creatures with Grim Lavamancer. AI is at 10. I got 9 mana + Sol Ring, but no burn spells. AI uses two Goblin King to destroy me.

Current Standings after 11 Gauntlet's:

Tarmogeddon enigma73 6+5
Swift stroggoi 0
Stall Salbei 6+5+5
Bant nyktorian 0
TinyAngryMen scherbchen 0
Zookiller jatill 0+5+5 NOT PLAYED YET
Vampire Yggdrasil 5+5
Burn Kakodrilo 4
BR Aggro Cognis 0+5
Monowhite JuzamJedi 10
Wweenie thedrigo 0+5 NOT PLAYED YET
BR discard aww1979 0+5+5
Tramp shantak 0 NOT PLAYED YET
redforce Brandon 2

[Salbei]

Since i got a few days off i got time to play a best of 1 series with every deck.
Playing as juzamjedi:

1)Jatill
Starting the game with a 2nd turn Spectral Procession followed up by turn3 Figure of Destiny (ai swords it and a token).Oblivion Ring on the 2nd token but i drew another Spectral Procession from top and play it - just waiting for my 5th mana to go for a quick win with Baneslayer Angel (the AI should have no removal left).The following turn the AI helps me out with a path to exile so i don´t even need to draw that land ^^ Meanwhile the token army beat the enemy down to 12 while i´m at 23 with a fresh Baneslayer Angel.AI Tinkers for Inkwell, but i´m not too worried about it with my angel in play + token army.Elspeth from the top sealed the game while the fliers go all the way.
1-0

2)brandon redforce
i start the game with a turn1 Figure of Destiny and can beat for 2 before it gets disintigrated.short lack of threads (bid manaflooded with sol ring 3 lands but no threads). skullclamp from top not really helping now but its gonna be nice in the future.AI does nothing but play lands - so i guess i´m fine.
Ranger of Eos from the top ends the stalling and puts me in a very favorable position (especially with the skullclamp along).
AIs lavaspike to face doesn´t bother me - the grim lavamancer he just played could get a problem however.
I Path to exile it in my first mainphase (he was flooded anyway), and attack with the skullclamped ranger and both figures it brought for 7 damage -> ai went down to 11 life.Kitchen Finks played in my second Mainphase should seal the deal.
AI responds with smoke - but its way too late.Attack with finks + Ranger -> AI down to 4 (ranger 4/1, one figure is 4/4 aswell) its over.
2-0

3)thedrigo
strong start with turn 1 Spectral Prossession (via lotus).
AI plays nothing during its first turn, no land nothing.Token go to beatdown mode - AI at 17 and discarding Mox Diamond this time... guess thats it.Playing Kitchen Finks on to speed up the process.
AI now surprisingly starts to do something - playing+cracking lotus for white to bring a Knight of Meadowgrain into play and sword the Kitchen Finks.
4Plains, 3 token in play plus more fuel on the hand (covered with Wrath of God) against 0 lands and the Knight - looking good.
AI seem to have woken up and finally puts a Savannah into play (turn 4 ...) and casting a Figure of Destiny with it.
Attacking with my token army to bring the AI (back) to 10 life.Holding a path to Exile + Wrath + 2x Baneslayer Angel ...
A couple turns and an Elspeth later the slaughter was over.
3-0

4)scherbchen
Got a Nuts hand with Sol Ring,2 Skullclamp Finks + Figure.
Scherbchen starts with Savannah+Mox into Figure of Destiny (2/2).
I decide to Skullclamp my figure and get rewarded for it (land + swords for his figure). so now i´m able to play finks + maybe even equip it next turn.
AI plays Kavu Predator, no land drop.so i am definatly ahead.Worship from top made me even more confident that this game won´t be a loss.-> Played Finks + equipped it with a Skullclamp.
AI used Fiery Justice to burn it off (letting me net 2 cards and 2 life) while the Kavu grows but his 11/11 body got Path to Exile d before it could do any damage.Was a really surprising turn.
My Baneslayer Angel from the top got pathed aswell during the AIs turn.Also another Kavu Predator + Loam Lion are in for buisness now.Maybe its not that easy afterall.
Topdecked Spectral Procession and played it - 2 Skullclamps on the field + Worship
... this should be over.But i didn´t count the AI in ... Fiery Justice out of Nowhere emptied my board and Kavu goes nuts.
Topdecked Sword removes it (phew).A timly Kitchen Finks sacced into both Skullclamps twice created just absurd card advantage from which the AI never recovered even the Baneslayer Angels from his hand possessed no threat anymore.
I knew Skullclamp got restricted for a reason ^^ Actually had to re-check the restricted list when i saw the second.Was definatly the most exiting game of the series.
4-0

5)shantak
startinghand was a bit shacky (land sol ring 3x removal + clamp) decided to keep it anyway and getting rewarded with a turn3 elspeth (still holding the removal while 2 spark elemental beat me down to 14).
Elspeth + Skullclamp online ... 2 turns later i started to drop Baneslayer Angels each turn and that was just it.
5-0

6)Yggdrasil
Odd startinghand again. Mox Pearl Sol Ring , Baneslayer ,2 Finks , 1 Figure. My guts told me to take a mulligan but i kept it.was about to bite myself when i saw the first turn hexmage ... luckily no Dark Depths in sight and i drew a Path to Exile from the top ...gotta be lucky
Traded a Figure for a Kalastria Highborn - i know what this thing can do to you and it was worth it ^^
Second backbreaking trade the AI made was a Kitchen Finks w/o persist counter for a Vampire Nocturnis - still got that path to exile waiting for Dark Depths - Baneslayer hit the board and took it home without much resistance.
6-0

7)Tarmogeddon
The otherwise mediocore 4 land startinghand looked a lot better when i saw who i am up against ^^
AI starts aggressive with a turn 1 Black Vise... yuck! didn´t expect that to be honest.
Savanna Lion + Vise take me down to 9 (damn you Black Vise!) when i recover with a procession while holding worship + the needed land for it ...grinning.Elspeth i topdecked next turn sealed it with Worship + SKullclamp in play (Worship just saved me there).
7-0

Juzamjedi (mirror)
Pretty bad start hand (2 lands, swords, figure,worship,elspeth,path)was just enough to survive his very aggressive start.
A well timed Wrath of God from my side mixed with Skullclamp swung the game back into my favor after being manascrewed for a couple turns.Following turn i´ve played Spectral Procession and turned them into 6 cards - drew another Procession and 2 Baneslayer Angel + Elspeth to trade again with his Elspeth.Was just academic after that.
8-0

9)stroggoii
Keeping a pretty bad hand with 4 lands + Skullclamp just to draw into more land and more Skullclamp.Finally Elspeth showed up and got the carddraw engine rolling.Since most of the cards i don´t want to see are gone now it went really smooth.AI tried to Bolt down Elspeth, but it wasn´t enough.Drawing 3 cards per turn (Elspeth+Skullclamp) the AI ran out of gas while i had a constant stream of threats.Game was sealed when i played Worship at 15 life (didn´t need it at all) with a couple token on the field and a hand full of removal.
9-0

10)brandon
Nice startinghand again - Lotus into Kitchen Finks+Skullclamp turn 1, another finks on my hand + enough land to play it.
AI wasted Lightning Bolt + Incinerate on the skullclamped Finks ... drew into Spectral Procession. At that time the game was already won.Elspeth + Baneslayer Angel showed up aswell ending the game with 34 life.
10-0

[Salbei]

Playing as Brandon:

1)thedrigo
first turn Blood Moon + Smoke (Lotus+Mox). AI is not impressed an starts with a Figure of Destiny.
Had to shoot down the Figure with Char as he pumped it to 4/4 - leaving me way behind with just a Blood Moon on my hand and nothing else.Topdecked a Lavamancer but AI´s Oblivion Ring took care about it.Back to my Blood Moon and drawing into Lands (yay).AI is not impressed and plays a Paladin-en-Vec... whow i´m in trouble.Drew Disintegrate - nope, that won´t help.
AI is just rubbing salt into the wound by playing 2 Honor of the Pure, bringing me down to 12 life.Next turn he played a second Paladin en-Vec.(me 8 life - 2 4/4 protection from red while he is at 17 life).I shoot Disitegrate to his face bringing him down to 12 and scoop.
Now that was quick and dirty ...
0-1 loss

[jatill]

Salbei and aww1979:
Just accept that there is both a luck factor and a play skill factor involved here. A lot of us are going to make suboptimal plays a lot of time. It happens. This is just a friendly tournament with practically no prize, so what's the point of quibbling? Second guessing one player's play decisions is just so not the point of this tournament.

I am a very competent player, and I lost with my own deck again the discard deck in the first round. Was I happy about it? No, but it happened. Big deal. Also, my own deck knocked itself out of competition when aww tested. Again, sucks to be me, but whatever. I'm just here to haev fun and play some manalink.

[Salbei]

playing as thedrigo

1)cognis
mulligan to six (0 land). But happy with the current hand.
Figure deals 5 damage over 2 turns (ajani backup) - AI throws a damnation at turn 4 (killing figure+ wall of blossoms)... not too impressed by that play but wth.
Reveilark next turn (pumped by Ajani , holding a 2nd Ajani) sets the clock at 3 turns.
Sharpshooter doesn´t help him.I add a Figure of Destiny and pump it to 4/4 - then activate Ajani to pump both (6/5 and 5/5) and set the clock to 1.Shooter kills Ajani (i don´t care, still got one in my hand) AI plays Warchief ... well a chumpblocker ^^ and another Sharpshooter.
AI responds to my Ajani with shooting with his 2nd shooter to my face. Pumping up my dudes again with the new Ajani and ended his misery with a 9/8 Reivelark + 8/8 Figure of Destiny after pumping again with Honor the Pure + Ajani.
nice and easy.
1-0

2)scherbchen
Mulligan again - 1 land just won´t cut it. 2nd hand i got was alright
(2 Lands, Wall of Blossoms, Swords,Soltari Priest,Oblivion Ring.
AI starts on the play and whow what a start! First turn Kitchen Finks + Qasali Pridemage ...nasty!
Hmm Savannah + comes into play tapped land... hmm. i opt for the savannah to swords the finks to prevent major damage.
Ai playing Loam Lion after beating me for 2 (was attacking with Finks and i sword the finks - no Exalted trigger for you ).
Cursing at the come into play tapped Stirring Wildwood i pass the turn just to get attacked.
Draw no land again (stuck on 2 lands) and had to play Wall of Blossoms to stop the onslaught.
surprise !
I didn´t draw land from the wall either ... Icing on the cake -> AI swords the Wall of Blossoms and plays Kavu Predator ... and of course strikes for 4 again (i´m at 10 life).
No land again in my turn, but at least a Figure of Destiny (got Path to exiled) yay a 3rd land!
while i´m at 4 life the ai got Pridemage, Predator and Lion while my board is empty (savannah stirring wildwood + plains) everything i do now won´t matter .need to block 2 and remove one.With 3 mana available i could handle max 1 of the creatures.Played it correct,manascrew killed me there + a very lucky start for that deck.Even tried to bait a sac of the Pridemage with Removing the Predator (would buy me another turn) but it just attacked and it was over.
1-1 loss

[Salbei]

playing as scherbchen

1)enigma
first turn Pridemage for me - along with a solid hand.AI replies with a swords during his first turn.
I keep up the pressure with a turn 2 Scute Mob and a 2/2 Figure of Destiny (holding just 2 Swords).This should guarantee some decent damage.AI´s turn he went Black Vise (uh noes!) and a Isamaru. Emeria comes into play tapped (god i hate these lands) so figure just beats for 2,mob for 1 and sword got rid of the blocker (questionable play?).AI played Goyf -> i sword it and beat for 5 this time (me 21 AI 16). 1 Land missing for the Mob to start growing - but completly out of gas.AI just plays Werebear (don´t care ... hey that rhymes ).Got my 5th land and pray there won´t be armageddon next turn... and of course he plays it.Bear grows to 4/4 , but i´m still ahead in mana (got a mox, he doesn´t).
Thinking about trading figure for bear but just keep it back.Dual fetchland during the next turn sets me back in buisness. i trade the figure and then play a Knight of the White Orchard aka. a 2/2 dude.
His board is empty - just a Black Vise i don´t care about and a forest. while i got 2 beaters, 2 lands and a mox - looking good unless there is a goyf coming in soon.He does nothing - i beat him down to 8 and play a Figure of Destiny and pump it.Even if he plays a goyf now he has to play defensive since i´m way ahead with life.
Well it wasn´t a goyf but a Knight of the Reliquary (7/7). not too horrified as long as its the only "fat" coming soon.
Swords from the top set him back to 15 - after attack 10 (he gained 2 life).
And of course now comes the goyf ^^
I get Ranger of Eos from the top and do the math (he needs 2 swings to kill me - i won´t get a clear shot when i attack now but need the damage to kill him before he kills me).so i go for it, he blocks as expected (the knight) leaving me with a 2/2 figure, a 1/1 scute mob that won´t grow in time and a ranger of eos at 19 life while he´s got a 13/13 beatstick with trample.
He attacks as expected - setting me at 6 life.Didn´t play any creature so i pump the figure (4/4) and attack for 8 damage and thus winning the game.
was a gamble, but i would have lost either way.turns out that play with the sword worked out afterall.
1-0

2)juzamjedi
Hmm Lotus, Kavu Predator,Plains, Plateau, Mox Ruby, Loam Lion, Mox Pearl. Could be worse i guess.First turn 2 creaturs - gonna get a dual or fetchland turn 3 tops so i guess its alright.
It is a risky play i have to admit.Was very lucky with topdecking the other games.

My plans just got crushed when the AI did the good old plains into swords thing.
Turn 2 he played a Spectral Procession ... uh oh.
I draw 2 goyfs but still lack green mana (loam lion is just 1/1 aswell).
After doing the math for a while i´ve decided to trade the Lion for a token ... unless i get lucky i need to keep the flyer count low since its damage adds up fast.
He plays Kitchen Finks and attacks as expected... i seriously need green mana - AND draw a Kavu Predator :/
I´m still at 20 Life, but its gonna go down rapidly with that finks + flyers around.
After he attacked me down to 15 life he dropped a Baneslayer Angel (turn4 ).My jaw dropped.I knew its almost over now.
Drew a Figure of Destiny and pumped it to 4/4 ... well thats 3 less damage from the finks - still 7 per turn remaining from the Baneslayer Angel and the 2 Token.
AI swords my figure ... i go down to 9 and just lost all hope to recover from that.Draw another Loam Lion, but the game is over.3 lands in play, 2 moxen - but no green manasource and a hand with 2 tarmogoyfs and a kavu predator ... nothing i could do.
Saccing the Lotus for green during the first turn was the right play for the hand and situation, but overall it was completly my fault for playing that hand instead of taking a mulligan.
1-1 loss

[Brandon822]

Playing with Shantak_Tramp. Best of Three.

Game 1:
Versus Yggdrasil. Round 1(0-1): AI started with first turn Demigod of Revenge, I decided to use Berserk to it and kill it. He plays Vampire Hexmage, I play Oath of Druids. Next turn he attacks with Hexmage and two spirit tokens from my Forbidden Orchard. I am at 5. Oath brings Hellspark Elemental and I play Primal Forcemage. AI plays Urge to Feed to it and casts Bloodghast and races to Victory.
Round 2(1-1): This time AI plays first turn Vampire Nocturnus. I play Oath of Druids. He plays Kalastria Highborn. Oath brings Groundbreaker and i attack with it + Giant Growth + Berserk, he Blocks with Kalastria Highborn. AI 5, I'm at 12. He plays second Vampire Nocturnus and attacks, I'm at 5. Oath Brings another Groundbreaker and I cast two Spark Elemental and attack, he block, but dies. Close one.
Round 3(2-1): AI plays Hexmage, I bolt it. AI plays Gatekeepers and I pound him with two Elementals. Then I play Primal Forcemage and next turn Ball Lightning + Berserk. That's it.

Game 2:
Versus Juzamjedi. Round 1(1-0). AI plays two Kitchen Finks and Removes other one for 27 life. I wait so to use big attack. First I attack with 18, he's at 9. He attacks with FoD + Elspeth effect, I'm at 1, huh!. Next turn I play Groundbreaker + Blood Lust and he blocks with 1/1 FoD. He's at 0, I'm at 1.
Round 2(1-1). I get that crucial third mana too late and he races to victory.
Round 3(2-1). Oath ruled.

Game 3:
Versus Cognis. Round 1(1-0): Fast and easy win with 6/1 and 3/1 haste boys.
Round 2(2-0): Close one, but Hellspark Elemental fueled by two Forcemages bring me victory.

Game 4:
Versus Salbei_Stall. Round 1(0-1): I get AI down to 2 with elementals who run over walls, but then Baneslayer Angel hits and I don't have anymore combat tricks left and he races to easy victory.
Round 2(0-2). I had to Mulligan down to 4 to get any mana. I got Two Taiga + Black Lotus + Ball Lightning. Then i get Giant Growth and next Berserk and AI doesent't have anything, but 4 manas. I hit him again down to 2, but after that I don't have anything in my hand and he plays next turn Baneslayer Angel. Uh oh! So close both ones.

Current Standings after 12 Gauntlet's:

Tarmogeddon enigma73 6+5
Swift stroggoi 0
Stall Salbei 6+5+5+5
Bant nyktorian 0
TinyAngryMen scherbchen 0
Zookiller jatill 0+5+5 NOT PLAYED YET
Vampire Yggdrasil 5+5
Burn Kakodrilo 4
BR Aggro Cognis 5
Monowhite JuzamJedi 10
Wweenie thedrigo 0+5 NOT PLAYED YET
BR discard aww1979 0+5+5
Tramp shantak 3
redforce Brandon 2