May 29th 2009- After eating 48 dollars for a taxi cab from the Seattle Airport to the Tacoma Convention Center I arrive to the tournament center. I walk up and see my friend Ben playing in a grinder. He was playing GW Tokens. That did not fair too well for him after losing in the 2nd round. He then played Faeries and then finally Cascade Swans and ended up losing in the finals of the last grinder of the night. I was not sure if I wanted to spend 20 dollars on a single elimination tournament, but I was also unsure of what to play for the tournament. I was leaning towards 5 color control or 5 color bloodbraid, but always kept thinking of getting blown out by anathemancer. The other deck that I had built on me was BW Kithkin. I have always been a fan of the Kithkin since Lorwyn Block. So I dusted off the deck without really playing any real matches and entered Flight 16. Round 1 I found myself up against Sanity Grinding. This should be a terrible matchup for me. Luckily game 1 I got the nut draw and went Stalwart, Knight, Spectral, Ajani. Game 2 saw my opponent mulligan to 3 and that was the end of that. Round 2 pairings go up and I here someone reading my name outloud. It was my friend Chuck Higgins from Indiana. After flying all the way out to the West Coast, we now find ourselves battling. Chuck was playing Elves, but he is not running Putrid Leech which is good for Kithkin. I get a pretty fast start and zealous persecution during combat messes up his board and ride to victory. Game 2 is a little more scary. He resolves a Wilt Leaf Liege and makes his dudes bigger. I had an Ajani and 2 Glorious Anthems out plus more dudes then him. I still needed him to block with the Liege for me to be able to get in for lethal. He holds back and I finally swing all in. He blocks accordingly and thinks I have Zealous Persecution,which I do, but I also have a Rustic Clachan that will get me the 1 point of damage for lethal. He scoops it up and go on our way. Rounds 3 and 4 I found myself up against BW Tokens. This matchup is all about whos dudes are larger and if they resolve a Bitterblossom. It is also very dependent on who gets the timely Zealous Persecution. I got there very easily as they were never able to get a token advantage on me. Round 5 was the finals. I was really hoping the previous round that the 5 color bloodbraid deck would win because it would be an easier matchup for me, but it was not meant to be and I found myself up against the 5 color planeswalker deck that made top 8 in Barcelona. This is the worst matchup alive. They have infinite removal and blockers in the form of plumeveil. Once Jace was active I could not keep up. I also did not have the path to exiles in my board for the grinders. So I ended up with 24 packs for my wasted time and still with only 1 bye, which was the biggest dissapointment. Having to play in the early rounds of a GP guarantee that your tie breakers will be horrendous Day 2, which could be the difference in making money or not. That night I met up with Owen, Ben, Noah, AJ, and Tommy to get some pizza and go back to the hotel.
May 30, 2009- After doing well in the grinder the night before I finally decide on playing Kithkin. Late Friday night I saw Cedric and asked what he was playing for the GP. He said he was playing something similar to Barcelona, except he was going to play blue instead of black in his list. The blue would add Meddling Mage and Negate in the board to strengthen the Swans matchup. Although the BW tokens matchup percentage goes down when losing Zealous Persecution. So here is the list that I ran:
4 Goldmeadow Stalwart
4 Figure of Destiny
4 Knight of Meadowgrain
4 Wizened Cenn
3 Meddling Mage
4 Cloudgoat Ranger
4 Spectral Procession
4 Glorious Anthem
3 Ajani Goldmane
1 Mirrorweave
2 Rustic Clachan
2 Mutavault
4 Windbrisk Heights
4 Adakar Wastes
4 Mystic Gate
9 Plains
Sideboard:
4 Negate
4 Path to Exile
3 Pithing Needle
4 Stillmoon Cavalier
I have a round 1 bye so I was going to get something to eat with the people I stayed with, but they had either 2 or 3 byes and were going to be out longer so I decided to stay and watch the first round. I watched some of my friends that traveled to the event and Ben, Chuck, and Rob all won. There seemed to be infinite Cascade Swans decks every table I looked at.
Round 2-Jeff Meadows playing Swans. I have to mulligan my opening hand and find myself with lands Meddling Mage and Figure. He opened with a Spinerock Knoll, which was gas for me because I knew I was naming Seismic Assault on my next turn. His only out was Bituminous Blast. I was able to bash with dudes and and assault his life total. He didnt sideboard, which meant he was sticking to the combo plan. I brought in 4 negate 2 path to exile and 3 pithing needle. He got a decent board position on me and started bringing beats in the form of treetop village and Bloodbraid elf. I play my 3rd windbrisk heights of the game and see a mirrorweave. I play spectral procession and a figure and pass turn. He swings in and puts me at 2. I needed to draw a creature or a pump spell to swing for lethal. I swing in activate my first heights playing Knight of Meadowgrain, my 2nd heights reveals wizened cenn, and finally my 3rd heights reveals mirrorweave which targets the cenn. He counts up the damage and has no effects I show him the rustic clachan in hand and he scoops it up. (2-0) overall 2-0
Round 3-George Blankenship playing Cascade Swans. This was starting to remind me of a PTQ in St Louis in which every round but 2 I played against TEPS. Game 1 I got a sick draw of dudes and pump spells and get there quickly. I didnt see a Mage or any blue source so he has me on mono or BW Kithkin. I side in the Needles and Negates and 2 PTE. I have to mulligan to 5. I have 2 lands 2 dudes and a needle. He lands a turn 3 assault, turn 4 bloodbraid into pulse for my needle then procedes to play swans of bryn agoll turn 5. Nice draw. Game 3 was really close. Im putting the pressure on him. He hits a timely pulse off of an elf to kill my figure. He then plays another elf and hits his assault. He then plays a deny reality on my pithing needle and attempts to combo off. I was at 19 life. It was starting to look good for me when he kept drawing infinite cards. He went into the think tank and has 2 cards in his library left. I count his graveyard and his last 2 cards have to be land which would give him 10 lands in hand. I dont think he realized he hadnt attacked yet, which is why losing this matchup was awful. In a Lebron James like fashion I deny the handshake and go on my way. (1-2 ) overall 2-1
Round 4-Michael Neward playing 5 color Bloodbraid. I was on fulltilt this round after losing to a terrible player. I had to mulligan to 5 game 1 and he followed me. I lead off with a figure. I ended up riding that figure the whole way. He never was able to get a stable manabase. Game 2 was very different. The game went later and such nightmares like Broodmate Dragon and Dragon Broodmother joined the table. I end up building a huge board trying to out token his stupid dragon. I finally have 5 more dudes then him and swing in since he tapped out for an ultimatum. I mirrorweave his dragon and get in for 20 and the win. He was pretty pissed, but that is what mirrorweave is there for. The wins you are never supposed to get. (2-0) overall 3-1
Round 5-Justin Lackey playing BW Tokens- This matchup was rather terrible for me. I knew I lost the edge when I did not play black. Both games he resolved a Bitterblossom and was able to annihilate my board with persecution. Nothing too interesting happened. (0-2) overall 3-2
At this point I really started to question why I played this deck. I made some questionable keeps up to this point and need to step up my game if I want to Day 2, which meant winning out from here.
Round 6-Jason Nugent playing 5 Color Planeswalkers. This was my revenge from the night before. I knew the matchup was bad, but tried to get there. I played a figure into a meddling mage naming wrath of god. He had the weirdest look when I played the mage. He ended up having 3 wraths in hand at the end and didnt draw another removal spell. Game 2 he mulliganed to 6 and didnt seem to confidant in his hand. I had a solid hand of creaturs and anthems. He wraths away my 2 guys and I follow it up with a spectral procession into Heights with a cloudgoat underneath. He has the fallout, but I still am able to activate heights and play the ranger and friends. The next turn I drew another anthem and swung in for the win. (2-0) overall 4-2
Round 7-John Gilmore playing Cascade Swans. I saw him playing to me the round before and know he is playing Swans. I mulligan to 6 and hit a Meddling Mage. The meddling mage bashes for 8 before he is able to be blocked. I played spectral procession and a figure. He played a swans and passed. I played mirroweave on his swans and got there for the win. As a one of I seemed to draw this card quite often. Game 2 I had 2 negates 2 wastes and dudes. I took a lot of damage off my lands, but am able to counter his main threats. He never is able to resolve an assault and my guys bash for the win. (2-0) overall 5-2
Round 8-James Fields playing Cascade Swans. Figures I would have to deal with this matchup again. The matchup isnt too bad. If I dont get there game 1, games 2 and 3 are in my favor percentage wise. This round was a nightmare. I mulliganed to 4 game 1. Lost very quickly. Game 2 I mulligan to 5 and hit 2 answers to his combo. Im able to stabilize and bash in with dudes. Game 3 I see him sideboard and he brought in the land destruction package, which Im not sure if that was the right call on his part. He lands a turn 3 crusher and it gets gigantic fast. I happen to have a path in hand and get his guy. He fails to search for a land and passes. He then procedes to draw into 4 spells and no land. Im able to bring the beats and decrease his life total to 0. (1-2) overall 6-2
Round 9- Jared Hafer playing Red Deck Wins with black. He plays a turn one figure which I match, but turn 2 he has the magma spray and pumps his guy. He then plays a ram gang and burns me out from that point. Figures I would be down a game when my deck seemed to finally be doing well. After we sideboard the judges walk up and do a midround deck check. This was my 3rd of the day. Both of us were good to go and no warnings were issued. I was on the play and had a solid hand, which my opponent had to mulligan to 5. I sided in path to exiles, while most red deck wins players will be thinking that burrenton forge tenders are coming in, which we did not even play. Game 2 was quick and he scooped it up for game 3 with plenty of time to play. We both mulligan to 6 and grind it out. The board is pretty clunked up with creatures. I played a heights and hit the cenn. I then proceded to draw an anthem. I play the anthem and spectral and pass turn. Im out of range of double fallout. He swings in leaving 3 blockers and brings me to 5. He has 3 land untapped, which I have him on flame javelin. I untap and rip a mirrorweave. I declare attacks and he sprays and incinerates a dude. I then proceed to activate my first heights and hit the cenn. He counts up and asks to goto damage. I activate my 2nd heights and play procession. He is tapped out and I reveal mirrorweave which makes my dudes super lethal. It was a very exciting game 3. (2-1) overall 7-2
With a 7-2 record I am into Day 2 of the Grand Prix. Ben also won his match to avoid elimation. AJ unfortunately had a feature matchup against Saito and lost eliminating him. 4 of the 6 peoples I stayed with made day 2 and we then went to get some food and crash for the night as day 2 started nice and early at 9am.
I will have a recap of Day 2 tomorrow night and my thoughts on the future of Kithkin in general.
Thanks for reading.
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