FNM @ Outpost 2000 & Beyond

Okay so we just got back from FNM @ Outpost 2000 & Beyond. I like that place! It’s a little more competitive then Nova (btw Nova Games closed down, it’s pretty sad news), plus they have more room to play, the people are nicer, the store owner is way cool (he’s a Bears AND Packer’s fan!), they also have comics and other games there, and there’s a McDonalds like half a block away! So out of 22-26 people, we did really well! Peter got 3rd, Blongs got 4th, and I got 5th. Peter got 2 boosters and everyone who played got a booster. But it was I who was the winner because I opened up an Elspeth, Knight-Errant! Nice! Here’s my deck:

5-Color Control

Creatures:
4 Mulldrifter
1 Nucklavee (love this card!)
1 Cloudthresher (I’m not sure if I’m going to keep this card, I’m thinking about swapping it out for an Oona. I see people play with Broodmate Dragon but I think that card is overrated. I'm also thinking about using Puppeteer Clique or a Battlegrace Angel.)

Spells:
2 Cruel Ultimatum (I played this card so many times tonight that it was crazy!)
4 Wrath of God
3 Firespout
1 Resounding Thunder (really fun card, I might swap it out for a Resounding Wave)
1 Syphon Life (this card is definitely going out, I might add another Resounding Thunder. I just need Retrace cards because I play with 27 lands because I rather get mana flood then mana screwed)
2 Bant Charm (Awesome card! Used it against Burrenton Forge-Tender and Chameleon Colossus)
4 Cryptic Command (essential!)
4 Esper Charm (another essential! I used it to draw cards AND to make my opponent to discard, which absolutely crippled them at times)
2 Sylvan Scrying (I love this card!)
1 Oona's Grace (So-and-so card because I already have 4 Mulldrifters, 4 Esper Charms, 2 Sylvan Scrying, and 2 Liliana Vess, but like I said above, I need retrace cards)
1 Necrogenesis (perfect for graveyard hate)
2 Liliana Vess (I love this card! It disrupts my opponents hand and tutors my silver bullets like Wrath, Firespout, Cryptic, Necrogenesis, Cruel Ultimatum)

Lands:
4 Reflecting Pool
2 Treetop Village
4 Vivid Creek
4 Vivid Marsh
2 Vivid Meadow
1 Seaside Citadel
1 Arcane Sanctum
1 Savage Lands
1 Jungle Shrine
1 Mystic Gate
2 Sunken Ruins
2 Cascade Bluffs
2 Flooded Grove

Sideboard:
1 Wheel of Sun and Moon (never used it, just in case I play a mill deck)
3 Jund Charm (awesome card! At times I would have 4 Wraths, 3 Firespout, & 3 Jund Charms)
2 Bant Charm
3 Negate (for the mirror match)
1 Arbiter of Knollridge (never played it, for against RDW)
1 Counterbore (never used it, for the mirror match; “I Counterbore your FOUR Cryptic CommandssSsSSSSSsss)
3 Dragon's Claw (never used it, for against RDW)
1 Reminisce (never used it, just in case I play a mill deck)

Here are my matchups! There were a lot of people so we had to play 5 rounds of swiss, 40 minutes each round. This really hurt me because my deck is super slow. I made some bad moves because I was getting crunched on time.

Match 1 vs. Ed’s U/B/R Unearth Deck (works at Games by James, really nice guy)

He got mana screwed in both games. I played Cruel Ultimatum once in both games. Necrogenesis pretty much took care of his Unearth creatures and gave me a horde of Saproling creatures. Easy win because of his mana problems.

1-0
How many times I played Cruel Ultimatum: 2

Match 2 vs. PETER KONG!!!

I won the first game and Peter won the second. We ran out of time so we decided to roll for the third game. It wouldn’t make sense for both of us to get draws so we rolled for it and he won the dice roll. I played Cruel Ultimatum once on Peter in the first game, then I played a Nucklavee and returned it to my hand, I was about to play it again but Peter just scooped.

1-1
How many times I played Cruel Ultimatum: 3

Match 3 vs. Alex’s B Unearth deck

His deck was pretty old school with Icy Manipulator, Royal Assassin, Terror, Hypnotic Specter, and a bunch of Unearth creatures. I pretty much controlled the whole game with my 4 Wraths and 3 Firespouts. I also Cruel Ultimatum’ed him twice in the first game and once in the second game. I was also able to cycle my Resounding Thunder (FUN)!

2-1
How many times I played Cruel Ultimatum: 6

Match 4 vs. Luke’s G Elf deck (all I remember was how tarred up and yellow his teeth were, it was kinda gross.)

I match up pretty well against creature heavy agro decks. Again, I controlled the board with Firespouts and Wraths. In the 2nd game I add three more Jund Charms for fun. Again I was able to set off my Cruel Ultimatum 2 times in the first game, I Nucklavee’d to return it to my hand and my opponent scooped. In the 2nd game I Cruel Ultimatum’ed twice again. I started to feel bad for him after the 3rd Cruel Ultimatum but I had to, sometimes it’s the only way I can do damage.

3-1
How many times I played Cruel Ultimatum: 10

Match 5 vs. Marc’s G Elf Bomb Deck (man this guy’s teeth were nasty! I thought the guy’s teeth before were bad but this guy’s was way worse! This guy’s teeth were yellow and black! Hygiene people! Smoking is BAD for your face!)

Again I played the same strategy, let them build up their creatures, take some damage, then wipe the board clean with Firespout and Wrath, and use Liliana Vess to disrupt their hand. It was awesome because in the first game I was able to explode Liliana Vess and take control of all of my opponent’s creatures. In one turn, I went from zero creatures to 11 creatures, all of them were my opponent’s! One was a Regal Force and another was an Elvish Visionary so I had to draw 11 cards! Oops! I totally got excited and forgot about the Regal Force. My opponent then just scooped up. I also was able to set off a Cruel Ultimatum earlier in the game. In the second game, I sideboard’ed in 3 Jund Charms and again just controlled the board. I was also able to play Cruel Ultimatum again :)

Overall Record: 4-1-0
How many times I played Cruel Ultimatum: 12

In the last FNM, I took out Cruel Ultimatum just because it slowed me down. But now after tonight, I’m leaving Cruel Ultimatum in! It was crazy that I was able to resolve it 12 times! That translates into my opponents sacrificing 12 creatures, discarding 36 cards, and losing 60 life! I in turn return 12 creatures from my graveyard back to my hand, draw 36 cards, and gain 60 life! It’s absolutely unfair when you think about it!

I wonder if I’m playing my deck right at times because there are moments where I will Cruel Ultimatum when my opponent doesn’t have any creatures or less then 3 cards in their hand. Hrm…

I’m happy for Blong! It was his first FNM, he got his official DCI card, and in the last match HE WAS PLAYING FOR 1ST PLACE! He played against a person who was using an Agro-Cruel Control deck. It had Cruel Ultimatums, Dorans, Broodmate Dragons (aka Double Dragon) and Chameleon Colossi. In the end, he lost not to those fatties or those bombs, no, he lost lost to 2/2 creatures! MULLDRIFTERS! He could not do anything against those pesky hard-casted 2/2 fliers! This person eventually went undefeated and won first. OH! AND SHE WAS A GIRL! GURL POWAH!

In two weeks, Outpost is having a Box Tournament! You pay $15. First wins a box and 2nd through 4th split a box, if a lot of people show up, then 2nd through 8th split 2 boxes! Awesome! I think I'm going!

I had fun tonight! I now like Cruel Ultimatum a lot more! I went 4-1 and my lost came from a dice roll against Peter. I also opened up an Elspeth, so yes, it was a fun night!

Now that I think about it, if I would of taken the draw with Peter, I would of got 2nd place I think. My record would have been 4-0-1, which is statistically better then 4-1-0. Blong was able to plow through the competition with his 3 borrowed Chameleon Colossi (which are mine). Blong, if you want them then lets trade! This also reminds me that Peter should of taken my 4 Figures of Destiny, 4 Windbrisk Heights, and Austere Commands. They were just sitting my car. Blong should of also taken my 2 other Cloudthresher, they were also just sitting in my car.

I miss my wife...