Pro Tour-San Diego *Top 8*

by Niels Viaene | posted at 2010-03-18 23:33:00
tagged: MTG, Magic, Magic the Gathering, Pro Tour, PT, San Diego, Belgium, Niels Viaene, Top 8, Open the Vaults, Belgian

 

February 11th

 

Marijn advised me to go to bed very late, sleep the entire flight and negate the effects of jetlag. It seemed like a decent idea so I stayed up until 3:30 am. When my alarm woke me at 6:45, it was a torture and the resulting snooze reflex almost caused me to oversleep. I hurried, grabbed all there was to grab and ran off to the train station. Xof and the Vierens were already present.

 

Upon getting on the train we received a message that the train would be rerouted, causing a 10 minute delay. We would miss our connection to the airport but since there are several each hour that wouldn't/shouldn't make much of a difference. It was at this time that I introduced André to my travel companions. André is an astronaut fanatic friend of mine and when he heard we were going to California he insisted on joining since it had always been his dream to visit Houston control. At the time I didn't have the heart to point out the geographical mistake he was making. André is a bit naive and frail; he probably wouldn’t be able to handle it.

 

I explained the situation to the others as André spent his time calculating the impact of the various delays. A decision matrix later we found ourselves on a train to the national airport, ready for action. At the check-in we met with the rest of our travelling companions and reunited as the sunny Californian seven. When we saw one item only could be taken as hand luggage I passed my backpack along to Peter, who put his in my suitcase (which is far too large...). Unfortunately for him a binder filled with cards and a long box look awfully suspicious under the scanner. The regular pattern in it hinted at explosives and he was held back, rectally investigated and deported as a terrorist. Erm, I mean they checked the bag and saw everything was fine. We were ready to go and were drafting when the following message came through the intercom:

 

Dear travelers,

There seems to be a mechanical failure in the plane, I don't know what it is but the mechanics are looking for a part but can't find it. When they find the part further information will be delivered because right now I can't say any more since I don't know what the exact problem is.

 

Not exactly the most comforting message I have gotten in my life. A little while later it was said that the part had been found in London and that they would be flying it over here.

 

Estimated delay was 4 hours. Since we only had 1 hour and 55 minutes to connect in New York, that would mean being stuck in the big fruit of a city. A short 25 minute survey revealed no new flights we could book into for the next two days. The tickets were cancelled and a new flight was booked at 6:20 AM the next day. To compensate we would receive free meals and hotel stay at the airport hotel. When she asked us how many rooms we'd need an ironic "well, there are seven of us" was taken to heart before we could protest.

 

The hotel was amazing. The luxury carpet that stretched wall-to-wall drew attention away from the mirrors and etchings that were to be found. André loved the bed and went to explore every crevice and secret compartment he could find. The muffled sounds from the personal vault gave away that the brave astronaut-to-be had encountered an obstacle he was not prepared for. A free meal and some free internet in the lobby later we went to our respective rooms, going to bed and setting the alarm clock at an unsettling 3:30 am.

 

February 12th

 

When the buzzer delivered the requested noise it was brutally reduced to its primal components with a well aimed reflex motion. Boarding went uneventfully and within 20 minutes of flying I had survived my very first commercial flight and landed in Amsterdam. A short layover had us on a plane directly to San Francisco. With the exception of some turbulence nothing happened and the only time we could peer through the cloud cover we saw the snowy caps of Greenland, a perfect world of ice and frost, without human disturbance.

 

Landing in the USA was a bit disappointing; everything seemed so familiar. I had flown thousands of miles to end up in the same world. On the air train for Oakland I saw the Golden Gate Bridge and looked forward to seeing it up close in case I did not do well at the Grand Prix. The hotel wasn't anything special but more than good enough for a bunch of guys playing cards. We went to the site to register and immediately the smaller size of an American Grand Prix drew my attention. At an expected attendance of 800 players it would be less than half the size of my previous GP.

 

After the registration we drank disgusting beers and were off to the hotel to eat and finish our decks. I decided to play BW Martyr, cutting green from a version I had played before.

 

February 13th

 

I went 4-3 with one bye and scooped to Peter in the 7th round instead of locking both of us out of Day 2 with the draw our match was ending in. Only Marijn would get to play on the second day, but he had a Top 16 finish.

 

That evening we went to a grill restaurant advised by the travel guide. Since we were a larger group they put us in the back hall of the restaurant, a room that featured a stage and a sweating oversized black woman in a white corset surrounded by people in red who were all in advanced stages of ethanol intoxication. André couldn't believe his eyes and gawked around the entire time. When a 60 something guy took the stage in an outburst of Blues and harmonica solos everyone joined the little doll in his sense of amazement. What was fabulous to some players apparently was less appreciated by the rest and our group soon split up. Too bad the vegetarian option there was limited to some crappy salad or else it would have been an all out winner.

 

February 14th

 

Valentine's Day and André was feeling lonely so I helped him hook up with a few girls after I went 1-2 drop in the San Juan PTQ. The first one, Kim, appeared to be married but agreed in helping André to find some hot chicks to score. And find them we did; after Kim, there was Shannon, another Kim then Hallory and Rachel, Marie and a girl whose name I have forgotten.

 

Nothing was close to the astronaut's liking though and I began suspecting him of having a crush on my girlfriend, the stuffed bastard.

 

After Marijn did his thing we went to an all-you-can-eat Japanese Restaurant. At that time I decided that it would be a non-vegetarian day for me and feasted on dish after dish after dish after dish of deliciousness.

 

With a stomach full of food we set out on the trip to the hotel near Yosemite National Park. Almost missing our turn we drove for about an hour through mountain land, passing abysses and cliffs. I want to thank Mark Dictus at this time for getting us there alive.

 

February 15th

 

The sequoia grove trail was selected for this day. And may I say, they are a sight to behold. Even though my shins were bleeding because I decided to walk through icecrusted snow in shorts I couldn't help but realize just how small we are on this world. I didn't eat that evening, still full from the day before and did very poorly at the evening draft. It didn't seem like it was my day.

 

February 16th

 

Since Robin felt stronger than the previous days we decided to take the somewhat more taxing Misty trails. His crippled foot had held him back the previous days but he wouldn't have anymore of it. Drugged and happy he set out on the walk past waterfalls, little streams and the purity of Nature. And again, I was struck by the beauty of everything I saw around me. André, on the other hand, was struck by the beauty of Jenny, a hikress. Sadly she had a very amicable husband so André couldn't bring up the courage to use his patented Judo chop on poor Brian.

 

That evening we went to a local Pizza place and after two of us had ordered he asked what the rest of us would be drinking. He was confused when the rest of us continued to order pizzas. When the pizzas arrived we suddenly understood his amazement. The Italian specialties we ordered covered up more table space than we occupied causing some of us to eat diagonally. Only two of us managed to finish our pizzas, but we both cheated. Robin left the crusts behind and I fed a third to André who was munching under the table. When the manager arrived with a supplementary dessert our stomachs turned. A Jacuzzi date with Mark and a draft I went 3-0 in spelled the end of the day.

 

February 17th

 

We got up a little earlier than the previous days; it was time for the road trip to San Diego. Nothing mentionable happened on the way and arriving in San Diego we went to the apartment. After a walk to explore the surroundings we went to a Ralph's to shop for some essentials, breakfast and snacks. We also took a stroll to the beach to enjoy some views.

 

February 18th

 

I don't remember what we did during the day. We went to the site pretty soon and played a draft with six Belgians and two Japanese. I did rather poorly. Afterwards we went to register. At the registry we received a sheet with some interview type questions. One of them was what my expectations of my place in the event would be and I noted "Top 100 (wishful thinking)". To be honest at that time I was just hoping to make Day 2.

 

We looked for the player's party but apparently it had already ended and the people who had been present said it wasn't anything to talk about. We then went to TGI Friday's for lunch featuring the trainee waitress Leia who hit it off with André pretty well. It was a heartbreaking goodbye.

 

February 19th

 

PRO TOUR SAN DIEGO

 

The Deck

 

4 Glacial Fortress

2 Celestial Colonnade

2 Marsh Flats

2 Terramorphic Expanse

2 Kabira Crossroads

4 Island

3 Plains

1 Swamp

 

4 Filigree Angel

4 Architects of Will

4 Glassdust Hulk

4 Sphinx of Lost Truths

1 Sharuum the Hegemon

 

4 Open the Vaults

4 Spreading Seas

3 Courier's Capsule

3 Day of Judgment

2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

2 Journey to Nowhere

2 Fieldmist Borderpost

1 Mistvein Borderpost

 

Sideboard:

4 Negate

3 Flashfreeze

2 Hindering Light

2 Journey to Nowhere

1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

1 Oblivion Ring

1 Day of Judgment

1 Sanguine Bond

 

This deck is a creation of Mark Dictus and I owe the world to him for making my first Pro Tour the way it turned out.

 

Round 1 vs Ellis Edmunds (Monored splashing Blightning)

 

Don't remember a thing, but I won.

 

Round 2 vs Patrich Chapin (UW Control)

 

G1: he won after almost half an hour, don't remember exactly how.

 

G2: He cleared the board and dropped Iona on white. I cast some Sphinxes and he didn't have a counter for the second Jace.

 

We draw.

 

Round 3 vs Gene Brumby (Grixis)

 

I don't remember anything but screwing up when I tried to Journey a Sphinx with shroud, thinking about the Mind Control interaction. He was a really nice guy and I now realize that had he called a judge for that mistake I would have received a game loss for a third warning in the 15th round.

 

Round 4 vs Taisuke Ishii (WW)

 

No memory but I win game 3 when he doesn't get land number 7 to Martial Coup. Even if it had resolved, I was on 40 and had Jace in play...

 

Round 5 vs Aras Senyuz

 

Don't remember correctly but I remember losing and thinking it was a good matchup.

 

So after the Standard Rounds I was 3-1-1, surpassing my 3-2 hopes and expectations. I felt a 2-1 in draft was possible.

 

The draft went weird, I got some awesome black cards but they quickly dried up and I ended up with the following WG deck:

 

9 Plains

8 Forest

1 Sejiri Steppe

 

2 Steppe Lynx

2 Kor Outfitter

1 Kor Firewalker

1 Kor Skyfisher

1 Oran-Rief Survivalist

1 Greenweaver Druid

1 Apex Hawks

1 Snapping Creeper

1 Mold Shambler

1 Graypelt Hunter

1 Emeria Angel

1 Kor Cartographer

1 Battle Hurda

1 Baloth Cage Trap

1 Vastwood Gorger

1 Terrastodon

 

1 Primal Bellow

1 Kitesail

1 Refraction Trap

+1 Card ???

 

I could see myself going 2-1 with the deck but I needed to push it hard to get there.

 

Round 6 William Cavaglieri RG

 

He was the other green drafter on the table. I don't remember what happened but I know I won even though his deck seemed better than mine.

 

Round 7 Shouta Yasooka UW

 

He came out of the gates quickly and overran me with flyers and his own Emeria while I got stuck on lands for two games.

 

Round 8 Owen Turtenwald B and ?

 

Don't remember a thing but I won and knew I had locked Day 2.

 

5-2-1

 

That evening we went to The Rock Bottom and enjoyed the nacho starters. The main courses and the service were a lot less impressive.

 

February 20th

 

The goal was to go 5-3 and get top 50 to qualify for PT San Juan.

 

The draft: Again I got some great black cards but ended up taking green and blue cards. Blue in particular seemed open and I ended up with the following:

 

10 Island

6 Forest

1 Turntimber Forest

 

1 Wind Zendikon

1 Gnarlid Pack

1 Halimar Excavator

1 Walking Atlas

3 Horizon Drake

1 Reckless Scholar

1 Stonework Puma

1 Umara Raptor

1 Windrider Eel

1 Merfolk Seastalkers

1 Sky Ruin Drake

1 Turntimber Ranger 

 

1 Primal Bellow

1 Adventuring Gear

1 Harrow

3 Twitch

1 Spell Contortion

1 Savage Silhouette

1 Permafrost Trap

 

This is what I played for every Game 2; I had splashed white for an extra Ally in the original deck.

 

Round 9 Nikola Vavra GR

 

G1: he gots double Grazing Gladehart into double Harrow. I milled a Hellkite Charger but Kazuul, Cliff Tyrant entered play on the opposite side and I died horribly.

 

G2 and 3: I curve out quickly and race him, winning on Permafrost Trap.

 

Round 10 Francis Cormier B

 

G3 he cast the black uncommon multikicker but I had the Spell Contortion to cantrip and draw, turning the game around and taking the match.

 

Round 11 Martin Goldman-Kirst UW

 

He played cards like Kraken Hatchling and Perimeter Captains and died in two quick games of aerial beats.

 

8-2-1

 

Just two more wins to get to top50, back to Constructed...

 

I think it was around this time the function of the mystery tables that had magically appeared in the center of the tournament hall became clear. There they were, three round tables that were put in the center of the venue all of a sudden. Warmed bows and large plates were on them, wooden boxes too. A trolley was parked in the hallway. Suddenly cake bases were revealed, and strawberries and whipped cream and blueberries and chocolate sauce. Everyone flocked to the tables, determined to make up for the crappy player's party. And make up for it we did. Wizards had redeemed themselves...

 

Round 12 Dennis Stone (Bant)

 

I won both games without much trouble as he only had a few Negates to interact with me. Sharuum shines here, winning game 2 with him having two Negates in hand. It was a bit bitter to beat a fellow teammate (Dennis is also a Belgian), but the same had happened the last three rounds in the other draft pod.

 

Round 13 Russell B. Heitzmann (Jund)

 

G1 he got a quick start and I couldn't deal with creatures, tokens and creature-lands.

 

G2 I draw 7 lands in a row at one time and die with the game turning Day of Judgment on top of my library.

 

Round 14 Owen Turtenwald ???

 

I don't remember much of the games, I think he played a WG Jank deck aka my best matchup...

 

I won easily.

 

WOOT T50 is a lock.

 

Round 15 Masaya Kitayama Jund

 

We are covered by a Japanese commentator and I beat him without difficulties. In game two he gets a Raging Ravine up to four or five counters and I chump it with Sphinxes until I go nuts.

 

Round 16 Daniel Gardner UG Jank

 

Feature Match. Read it here: http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/eventcoverage/ptsd10/fm16

 

So, 13-2-1 on my first Pro Tour reaching Top 8. I could barely contain the excitement. It felt as though my smile was reaching from one ear to another. I was shaking, had trouble breathing and felt a bit dizzy. It was (and is) amazing!

 

As tradition dictates I bought my travel companions dinner and got to know Bill Stark (aka The Honorary Belgian) a little. Afterwards he interviewed me and then we were off to the apartment where we tested some. I went 5-1 pre-board against Simon and after going 4-1 in sideboarded games I called it a night. I could and would beat this opponent and was rooting for LSV to win his Quarterfinals match. Jeroen was a far worse matchup and I would love to play the current MASTER.

 

February 21st

 

Coverage on http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/eventcoverage/ptsd10/qf1

 

In short: I got mana screwed like I never had before in three games of the four. The one game I actually got to play I won easily with a very unimpressive draw. Sometimes she really is a bitch, you know...

 

That was the story of my first Pro Tour. I apologize for the lack of detail in here but I was plagued with constant headaches and felt ill a great deal of the time. I am looking forward PT San Juan and I hope to score the three points I need for an invite to Amsterdam and will try to gun for Rookie of the Year. Next time I will stick to my good old notebook so I can keep my notes together instead of using the pad Wizards hands out!

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