Jared Suekawa vs. Andrew Grahm - PTQ Honolulu (3/21/09) Finals

[Todd Ozawa]

The two players sat across from each other, talking mostly light-heartedly. Both had come a long way through to reach the final table, wielding well-selected weapons, and both seemed ready to take on the last challenge of the day. I asked them if they were going to play out the match. Andrew, focused on the invitation, immediately offered a prize-split. All the pack prizes in exchange for the invitation. After a brief review of the prize payout sheet, Jared declined the offer, electing to play it out. It was time for battle!

Jared had powered through the six Swiss rounds, topping the standings and catching people unprepared (or without early answers) as his All-In Red deck dropped huge threats (or a LOT of small ones) while his various 'red-moon' effects kept many opponents who were depending on their flexible mana-bases off their game for the crucial turns. His plan was simple - defeat the opponent before they have time to do anything about it. The deck's name, All-In Red, is quite appropriate. Needing a very consistent set of plays, the deck uses 4 copies of 10 different cards and 18 basic lands; that about as consistent as you can get!

In this match, knowing his opponent would be using a good number of nonbasic lands was encouraging for Jared, as the Magus of the Moon and Blood Moon cards could be quite devastating to Andrew's (technically) 4-color deck. Having such a steady deck, Jared was hoping to have in-hand threats his opponent just wasn't holding the answer to (Path to Exile against a Deus or a Demigod, Engineered Explosives against the token swarm, or even simple basic lands to get around the various 'moons').

Andrew was calm and cool, settling quite far away from Jared's intensely focused deck with an extremely flexible one, packing answers to almost everything. Life from the Loam decks have evolved quite a bit this season, with the versions using Conflux's new Knight of the Reliquary taking the spotlight presently. Andrew's version of this deck, with life gain, artifact removal, big threats, hand disruption, late-game power (especially through the Retrace mechanic), all woven together with the card-drawing engine of Life from the Loam, chose options and adaptability over focus and redundancy.

In the coming battle, Andrew was mentally prepared for Jared's most powerful plays. He knew that if we could just stave off the early explosive strength of Jared's deck for the key turns, he would be able to turn the game around and overpower the red deck with his superior card advantage and plethora of potent answers. He also knew that against Jared's deck, a die roll or a mulligan could be decisive.

The player's shook hands, and the match began.

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Note: I was the judge on this match and thus was not able to keep 100% complete details (opening hands, what cards were drawn when, what was discarded to each Raven's Crime, etc.). However, every play, attack, and change in life-totals is recorded.

[Todd Ozawa]

Jared Suekawa vs. Andrew Grahm - PTQ Honolulu (3/21/09) Finals

Game 1

The players tie the die roll twice before moving to a pair of six-siders to settle it. Jared won the roll, pleased, and both players kept their opening 7.

Jared started slow (for his deck, anyway), with just a mountain. Andrew played a Swamp and started the crime, hoping to reduce the combo-style options of his opponent. Jared wasn't too worried about combos yet, and proceeded to play another mountain, and a Rite of Flame put Blood Moon on the table. Andrew played Raven's Crime again, but had no other play. Jared passed his turn, and Andrew passed it back... twice.

Another Mountain for Jared was the next play, with Andrew throwing more crime out on the turn following. Jared passed his turn, and Andrew, hoping to get ahead on the board, cycled a Barren Moor, and followed with a Thoughtsieze, taking Jared's Deus of Calamity. Jared simply sent the turn back. Andrew got another land down then - a plains. Considering Andrew had only 2 Swamps and 1 Plains in his deck, these drops were a welcome sight to him, across from Jared's Blood Moon.

Jared, still unable to promote a threat, passed his turn once more. Andrew played Raven's Crime again, trying to stay just far enough ahead of Jared to keep him off any explosive plays, using his mostly ineffective non-basic lands to fuel the retrace cost (and to fuel the Knight of the Reliquary in his hand, waiting for green mana). It might have been working, as Jared pass his turn yet again. On the next turn, Andrew drew and played a Forest (one of three in his deck), and now with all 3 of his main colors available, got the Knight on the table. With 4 lands in his graveyard, it came into play as a beefy 6/6. Jared, unhappy with the direction the game was taking, could only pass his turn.

Andrew played a land, floated mana from a land, and sacrificed it with his knight to get another land, which he then used to play Worm Harvest, producing 5 tokens. Jared, staying in the game, could do little on his turn. Andrew attacked then for 12 (the first damage of the game, putting Jared at 8), and added a second Knight to the table! Drawing nothing useful, Jared passed the turn back, sticking to his play-it-out guns as Andrew attacked for the win.

Result: Andrew 1, Jared 0

[Todd Ozawa]

Jared Suekawa vs. Andrew Grahm - PTQ Honolulu (3/21/09) Finals

Game 2

Jared chose to play first, and with no mulligans, the game started on Jared's Mountain. Andrew played Windswept Heath, and used it to put a Plains into play, defending against the effect of a possible 'moon'. Jared played another Mountain, and spent some time thinking, and trying to predict what Andrew might have waiting. He then played a Chrome Mox, imprinting no card, and then another. He removed an Anaba Spirit Guide for one red mana, and then played Desperate Ritual. With 3 played spells and 4 mana, Empty the Warrens produced 8 goblin tokens - a solid turn two play for Jared.

Andrew, now knowing what he was in for this game, used a Bloodstained Mire to get an Overgrown Tomb, dropping to 16 life, and got a Tarmogoyf into play. Jared's turn had 7 of the 8 tokens attack, one of which was blocked, putting Andrew at 10. Andrew put a Swamp down, added a Jitte to the table, and passed it back. Jared put another Mountain down and attacked with 6 of his 7 remaining tokens, one of which was blocked. This put Andrew at 5.

Andrew equipped the 'goyf and attacked. Jared chose not to block, going down to 17. The Jitte got its two counters. Andrew put a Temple Garden into play tapped, and passed the turn. Jared attacked with all 5 of his tokens. Andrew removed a counter from the Jitte, going up to 7 life, before taking the 5 damage from the attack, and dropping back down to 2. On Andrew's turn, he put down an Engineered Explosives for 0 (the only one in his deck, brought in from the 'board) and activated it, consigning the tokens to oblivion. Jared, with no way to respond effectively, watched them go. Andrew's attack then put Jared at 13 and got the Jitte back up to 3 counters.

Andrew removed a counter then, going up to 4 life, and played Thoughtsieze, dropping back to 2. Jared's hand had only 2 Mountains and a Seething Song, which was discarded. Jared drew a Trinisphere, played a Mountain, and passed. Andrew attacked again, putting Jared at 9 and getting the Jitte up to 4 counters. He then put a Stomping Ground into play tapped and cycled a Tranquil Thicket. Jared drew a Chrome Mox, and passed.

The Tarmogoyf attacked again, with Andrew choosing not to activate the Jitte to make the attack potentially lethal, but getting Jared down to 5. A counter came off the Jitte to put Andrew 4 life again. He then played another Thoughtsieze (going back down to 2 life), and taking the Trinisphere from Jared's hand. He used Life from the Loam to get back the thicket, heath, and mire from his 'yard, and passed. Jared, seeing the game wind down, drew only a Desperate Ritual and passed. Andrew cycled a land at the end of that turn. He then dredged up Life from the Loam and sent the attack in again, pumping the Tarmogoyf this time, and ending the game.

Result: Andrew 2, Jared 0

[Dru]

Todd, thank you for you in-depth report, and as always, thank you for taking the the time to be our head judge.

It's been pointed out that the second thoughtseize in game two should have been played pre-combat to see if the way was clear for Jitte to pump Goyf FTW that turn. This is true. Stress does funny things to magic players.

I'm not gonna lie, of all the decks in the tournament, AIR was the deck I didn't want to see on the other side of the table. Sometimes it just does silly things on turn one that make you go =*(. The fact that Jared's list ran eight moon effects over the typical six didn't make matters any better. It was the only deck I lost to in the swiss and I was hoping that would be the last time I saw it that day. No such luck.

Game one wasn't one that I expected to win against this deck. I don't remember exactly what my opener was but I remember a basic swamp, raven's crime, barren moor, a fetchland, path to exile and ? ? After the moon came down my only option was to rip his hand as fast as I could with any non-basics off the top. The moor was cycled in hopes of hitting a basic, but any other mountain I drew turned into a raven's crime. Seeing the basic plains come down made me feel a lot more comfortable knowing that if he hit a deus or demigod it'd be sent pathing. Getting that forest off the top sealed it.

(Side note: I was put in a similar situation against Jared in game three of our first match. I had a swamp and plains on the table and about eight mountains. Luckily CoP:Red was on the board containing his double magus, deus, and SSG (Gorilla Beatdown!). I needed the forest, bad, so that if a horde of gobbos did hit the table I could punsh them away. Sitting with finks and path in hand I needed one of two things: a forest, for the punishment or a plains, into finks, pathing my finks to get the forest. The little green horde came down and I never got there.)

Game two went much better (yes I consider eight goblins on turn two much more favorable than a moon). With goyf, jitte, path and thoughtseize in my hand, I knew it was a race I could win. While the top decked explosives was nice, it wasn’t necessary with jitte online. Also, while there is only one explosives in the deck, it’s really just there to serve as punishment number three. I chose it over an actual third punishment in case I ran into any TEPS, as an out to their bloom (upkeep, bloom resolves?, KABOOM!). So gobbos went BLAM! and goyf sealed the deal. How a goyf weilds a jitte I’ll never understand.

Grats to Jared on his second place finish.

HONOLULU HERE I COME!