September results (Salbei wins with Emrakul)

[Cognis]

All the people that tested the group stages tested group D and the current standings are:


Nicdanger: 28
Aswan jaguar: 23
Thedrigo: 22

[Cognis]

In about 12 hours group stage will be over and I'll announce the semi-finalists.

[Cognis]

Semifinalists:

Jatill vs Salbei
Brandon vs Nicdanger

[Brandon822]

Jatill 1 point
Salbei 1 point
Brandon 1 point
Nicdanger 1 point

As Jatill 2-1
Game 1: I draw no NO and AI wins with two SSS.
Game 2: I play third turn NO. AI plays fourth turn Emrakul, but I have enough permanents, so Progenitus survives after Emrakuls first attack to make final blow.
Game 3: Early BA makes the difference.

As Salbei 2-1
Game 1: Emrakul comes too late and AI plays Progenitus same time.
Game 2: I hardcast three SSS with Rofellos and keep BA's in control and finally win.
Game 3: I cast two Ulamog crushers and AI is helpless.
________________________________________________________________________

As Brandon vs Nicdanger 2-1

Game 1: AI gets third mana way too late. 1-0.
Game 2: AI use Grim Lavamancer very efficiently with Lightning Bolt s and destroys everything that I put out and beats me. 1-1.
Game 3: Two quick Boggart Ram-Gang and Ball Lightning finishes quickly.

As Nicdanger vs Brandon 2-1

Game 1: Two early Wasteland makes this game easy. 1-0.
Game 2: Decent hand, but I'm stuck for five turns only two lands and AI beats me. 1-1.
Game 3: Great hand Two lands, three Lightning Bolt s and two 2/2 haste boys and first draw is Grim Lavamancer. I just destroy all AIs early creatures and make steadily damage. 2-1.

[jatill]

jatill (2-0) vs Salbei
Game 1:I keep a hand with no NO, but with Liege beatdown. I topdeck NO and win. AI has NO too, but it doesn't find Progenitus.
Game 2: Basically the same as game 1.

Salbei (2-0) vs jatill
Game 1: Mull a 0-lander into a 1-lander into 2 land, Rofollow, 2 NO. Not bad for 5! Turn 3 tutor for SSS. Ai doesn't NO so I win/
Game 2: Turn 3 NO for SSS is met with BSA + Wilt Leaf, so I can't attack. I Show and Tell for Crusher and hold my breath. Ai drops an Elf. Phew. Naturally, AI sacs BSA to Annihilator.

Brandon (2-0) vs NicDanger
Game 1: I almost get overrun when FtK kills my blocker, but I topdeck Bloodbraid and win.
Game 2: Mull to 5, but Tarmogofy holds the fort until I draw 4 lands (turn 15 or so) for BBE.

NicDanger (2-0) vs Brandon
Game 1: Non-stop guys run over the AI.
Game 2: AI skips first land drop and falls too far behind.

[Shantak]

Jatill vs Salbei (AI) - 2-1 (Jatill +1 point)
1-0: AI casts Show and Tell for Ulamog's Crusher. I use it for Progenitus and win.

1-1: I had chance the chance to cast Natural Order, but had both Progenituses of the deck in my hand. AI did his own NO for Simic Sky Swallower. I die.

2-1: Third turn Progenitus.


Salbei vs Jatill (AI) - 2-0 (Salbei +2 points)
1-0: AI got a third turn Baneslayer. I soon Show and Tell Emrakul to play but AI responds with Progenitus. Now the whole lot depends on what AI sacrifices to annihilator... Baneslayer went away so I'm clear even though Prog' hits me once.

2-0: I get Sky Swallower with NO and decide against Show and Tell to keep AI from getting Progenitus to play. The Simic leviathan does its job fine.


Brandon vs Nicdanger (AI) - 2-1 (Brandon +1 point)
1-0: Wastelands give me some trouble, but Groundbreakers and a Char win in the end.

1-1: I thanks due to Countryside Crusher eating my forests and having a hand full of Groundbreakers.

2-1: AI had land problems but managed pretty well despite that.


Nicdanger vs Bradon (AI) - 1-2 (Brandon +3 points)
0-1: Nasty-huge Countryside Crusher beat me.

1-1: Rumbling Slum was the key to this win.

1-2: On the turn before I would have won, AI topdecked a Ball Lightning and rode to victory.

Brandon +4 points
Salbei +2 points
Jatill +1 point
Nicdanger +0 points

[Nicdanger]

Salbei VS Jatill AI 2-0

Game 1: Emrakul > Progenitus.
Game 2: Emrakul > Wilt-leaf crew.

Jatill > Salbei AI 2-0

Game 1: AI drops 2 early Simic Sky Swallower s and things don't look good as I have drawn an obscene amount of land and not much to cast. I topdeck a Baneslayer Angel and keep the AI from attacking thanks to it and a Wilt-leaf Liege. Eventually I draw a 2nd Baneslayer and go on offense, hard casting Progenitus the turn before I win.
Game 2: Turn 3 Baneslayer, turn 4 Baneslayer. AI drops Emrakul with Show and Tell, I drop a Wilt-leaf Liege and swing for the win on my next turn with 2 Baneslayers, Mr. Wilt-leaf, and a bunch of buffed mana dudes.

Brandon VS Nicdanger AI 2-0

Game 1: AI never draws red mana. It only plays 2 Forests and a Bramblewood Paragon all game.
Game 2: Early game is back and forth with creature trades and burn. Then the AI decides its a good idea to let an 8/8 Countryside Crusher through while at 9 life so it can save its Rumbling Slum . . .

Nicdanger VS Brandon AI 2-0

Game 1: The AI makes bad decisions like trading 3/3 Countryside Crushers for elephant tokens. Still a tough game, Grim Lavamancer and Call of the Herd for MVP.
Game 2: My opening hand has 2 Tattermunge Maniacs, 2 Lightning Bolts, a Wasteland, a fetchland, and a Grim Lavamancer. This and a Taiga I draw into is all I need to win.

Semi-final results
2 Points for everybody!

[Cognis]

Semifinals

Jatill vs Salbei 2-0
Salbei vs Jatill 2-0

Brandon vs Nicdanger 2-1
Nicdanger vs Brandon 2-0

Match 1 (Salbei AI)
Game 1: AI played Show and Tell and NO for SSS but Wilt-Leaf Liege powered army with BSA was enough to outrace the opposition.
Game 2: AI played Show and Tell for Ulamog’s Crusher but I had enough permanents and an army to win the race.

Match 2 (Jatill AI)
Game 1: Show and Tell twice for Ulamog’s Crusher destroyed the AI which didn’t respond with Progenitus.
Game 2: Turn 3, Show and Tell twice for Emrakul and Ulamog’s Crusher. AI responded with 2 BSA but to no avail.

Match 3 (Nicdanger AI)
Game 1: A quick beatdown.
Game 2: It was a race. AI was at 6 and me at 7 when the AI played Groundbreaker and attacked with Grim Lavamancer leaving me at 0.
Game 3: Another close race but this time I topdeck Ball Lightning after surviving 2 consecutive Groundbreaker and win the match while at 5.

Match 4 (Brandon AI)
Game 1: One Wasteland was enough to slow down the AI so I could finish it quickly.
Game 2: We were both short on land (2 Wasteland but because of more 1 mana drops I win easily.

@Nicdanger: I can't believe you were actually able to hard cast Progenitus, that's gotta be the first

[Aswan jaguar]

Jatill vs Salbei AI 2-0
Game 1 N.O for Progenitus.
Game 2 win with more creatures+Wilt-Leaf Liege
Salbei vs Jatill AI 2-0
Game 1 two Show and Tell in hand,turn3 Emrakul-Wilt-Leaf Liege for AI,turn4 Ulamog for me-Reliquary Knights for AI...it is over.
Game 2 Turn3 Show and Tell for Emrakul and the win,and AI chooses to put in a land!!!while it has two BSA in hand!!!next turn it casts one of them,AI could have both of them in play!!!
Brandon vs Nicdanger AI 2-0
Game1 bloodelf gives me advantage and the win.
Game2 AI plays a lot low cost creatures I defend sufficiently and attack with tramplers for the win.
Nicdanger vs Brandon 2-0 AI
Game1 wastland+Grimlavamancer prevent AI to play a 3mana in his turn,and I win.
Game2 I waste AIs Taiga,it plays only mountains,and can't stop me.

All semifinalists get 2 points so it is upon others to determine the finalists.

[Cognis]

All the players that reported the previous rounds finished the semifinals. Currently Salbei leads by 1 point and Brandon leads by 3. You can still play the semis tomorrow but I don't think the results will change.

[Cognis]

Salbei and Brandon progress to the finals.

Jatill and Nicdanger play for 3rd place.

[Shantak]

3rd place
Jatill vs Nicdanger (AI) - 2-0 (Jatill +2 points)
1-0: After some 5 turns with 3 lands, I finally get a Noble Hierarch and can cast NO for Proggy for win.

2-0: An early Progenitus and AI has no chance.

Nicdanger vs Jatill (AI) - 2-0 (Nicdanger +2 points)
1-0: AI starts with one dual land and mana dude, I with forest and a Wasteland. AI gets some more mana dudes and I try to keep him out of Natural Order range with Lightning Blots and another Wasteland. And I'll be damned, it works! AI never gets more than three mana sources while my little dudes keep attacking until I finally get him to 0 life.

2-0: This time AI has plenty of mana, but doesn't just get a Natural Order.


Finals
Salbei vs Brandon (AI) - 2-0 (Salbei +2 points)
1-0: Third turn Emrakul with Show and Tell.

2-0: Third turn Emrakul, again. Fun fact: AI put Ball Lightning in play with Show and Tell

Brandon vs Salbei (AI) - 0-2 (Salbei +5 points)
0-1: It goes well, but then AI gets third mana and repeats what I just did to him, Show and Tell for Emrakul. My attack before Emrakul swings gets AI to 2, but I have only six permanents and three Ball Lightnings in my hand. Nothing but a Black Lotus topdeck could save me, but this is the wrong format for such last minute saves.

0-2: Again, Show and Tell for His Lameness. I have two big Tarmos in play and Char in hand, I might take the game again if it wasn't for Annihilator 6. But no.

[Brandon822]

Finals

As Brandon vs Salbei 2-0 (Brandon 2 points)

Game 1: I barely win with 1 life point left. AI played Show and Tell and NO both times getting SSS. I made damage with 6/1's and two Lightning Bolt and two Char s.
Game 2: Again AI plays early Show and Tell + SSS. Then next turn sacrifices it for another SSS, lucky me. Easy win after Ball Lightning exchances with SSS. BR-G and Groundbreakers make final blows.


As Salbei vs Brandon 2-0 (Salbei 2 points)

Game 1: Second turn Emrakul with Show and Tell.
Game 2: Bit longer, SSS finishes turn six.
____________________________________________________________________________

3rd place

As Jatill vs Nicdanger - 2-0 (Jatill 2 points)

Game 1: AI plays only one forest.
Game 2: Fifth turn NO + Progenitus.

Nicdanger vs Jatill 2-0 (Nicdanger 2 points)

Game 1: Wasteland s do their thing and Grim Lavamancer eats mana creatures.
Game 2: Lightning bolts destroy two NHs and Two R-CC make damage.

[Cognis]

3rd place

Jatill vs Nicdanger 2-0
Nicdanger vs Jatill 0-2

Match 1 (Nicdanger AI)
Game 1: Turn 3 Progenitus.
Game 2: Progenitus helped but I had an army without it so it wasn’t decisive.

Match 2 (Jatill AI)
Game 1: I had to mulligan twice to get more than 1 land. I get 2 Wasteland and try to slow down the AI but it had too much lands and I had very few. I got overrun by Progenitus very quickly.
Game 2: I try destroying all the creatures AI plays and run him over, I even got it down to 1 but BSA stalled until Progenitus hit the board.

Finals

Brandon vs Salbei 2-0
Salbei vs Brandon 2-0

Match 1 (Salbei AI)
Game 1: AI played Show and Tell for Emrakul but was at 4 already so I finished the game in time.
Game 2: AI is at 2 and plays Show and Tell for SSS, I put Shivan Wurm and return Bloodbraid Elf, play Bloodbraid Elf into Ball Lightning and play Boggart Ram-Gang and go FtK.

Match 2 (Brandon AI)
Game 1: Turn 2 Emrakul.
Game 2: Emrakul, 'nuff said.

[Nicdanger]

Brandon vs Salbei AI 2-0

Game 1: AI gets an early Ulamog's Crusher, but I have enough dudes to block and kill it. A few turns later it casts NO for SSS but I win the race.
Game 2: Mana dudes get bolted and 6/1 hasted tramplers take it to the bank.

Salbei vs Brandon AI 2-0

Game 1: 5th turn Emrakul thanks to lots of card drawing dudes.
Game 2: AI has a very good draw. I however cast SoT for Emrakul on turn 2 . . .

Nicdanger vs Jatill AI 1-2

Game 1: I draw 11 land and not much else. AI struggles with no green mana, but 3 Swords, 3 Kitchen Finks and finally a Baneslayer Angel do me in.
Game 2: Kitchen Finks is the bane of my existance. Thankfully the AI never draws a Natural Order and is eventually overrun.
Game 3: TRIPLE FINKS

Jatill vs Nicdanger AI 2-0

Game 1: Turn 4 Progenitus while the AI misses a land drop.
Game 2: Progenitus > Elephant tokens.

Finals results:
Salbei - 2
Brandon - 2

3rd place results:
Jatill - 5
Nicdanger - 0