“This is getting out of hand! Now, there are two of them!” – Nute Gunray
Foreward Note
This article is written by Keegan, anything in red will be from the Alex, like god dropping sick knowledge (and any links you may see).
Key
BD : Banned deck
* : started the game
Banned Decks and Game Decks
| Player | Banned | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 |
| Jeff | Krenko | Sheoldred | Pantlaza | Sythis |
| Keegan | Zur | Atla | Uril* | Atla |
| Rich | Kami | Trelessara | Atraxa | Edgar Markov* |
| Sean | Ur-Dragon | Obuun* | Locust God | Karumonix |
Game 1
Trellessara vs Atla vs Sheoldred vs Obuun
Turn 1 Sean starts this game off, everyone hits lands but Keegan was able to cast a Mana Vault.
Turn 2 Sean plays a land then casts a Rampant Growth. Jeff plays an Ancient Tomb, using it to suspend a Profane Tutor. Keegan plays a land. Rich blasts a Worldly Tutor at Keegan’s end step searching out Walking Ballista then casts an Impassioned Orator.
Turn 3 Sean plays a land and casts Obuun. Jeff plays a land, then casts a Howling Mine and a Duathi Voidwalker (classic). Keegan ramps with a Kodama’s Reach. Rich casts a Heliod, Sun Crowned (nothing to see here).
Turn 4 Sean casts Sylvan Scrying finding an Evolving Wilds. Swings Obuun at Jeff for 5 CMD damage and the 5/5 land at Rich. Profane Tutor pops for Jeff, then swings his Voidwalker at Sean for 3 damage. Sheoldred enters the battlefield. Keegan casts Terrastodon (this is where he fucked up) he blew up a land from each player, but in writing this and knowing the future the second he declared targets. He should have cleared out Rich’s lands entirely. Rich plays an Ancient Tomb, he casts Walking Ballista completing his wombo combo and then kills everyone via dice roll choice to avoid king making.
Results: Rich- 1 Sean- 2 Jeff-3 Keegan- 4
Well, that was a huge mickletit from Keegan there. Combo was face up from the previous turn. Great execution from Rich though, having the tutors in line to setup his T4 win. This is a game where not having a single blue deck at the table hurts. Rich was able to put his wincon face up T3 and no one could fight it if he had the mana. It is a painful experience to sit at the table and know you are dead next turn and your hand is all gas no interaction. But this fumble def on Keegan here, and deserves the fat 4. For me, this is the type of thing that I often cannot recover from mentally for the night, just kicking myself for executing such a poor play, interested to see if Keegan can bounce back or not.
Game 2
Atraxa vs Uril vs Pantlaza vs Locust God
Longest game on record for Mana Addicts, which has caused a four way “shot clock” to be instituted in our league.
Turn 0 Rich plays a Gemstone Cavern
Turn 1 Keegan plays a land, Rich plays a land and casts Lightning Greaves. Sean plays a land and casts a Prophetic Prism. Jeff plays a land and casts a Llanowar Elf.
Turn 2 Keegan plays a land, casts Sanctum Weaver. Rich hits a land. Sean plays a land and casts Commander Sphere and a Skullclamp. Shaffer plays a land and Cultivates.
Turn 3 Keegan plays a land into a Sol Ring and casts Uril. Rich plays a land and then an Arena Rector. Sean casts a Jace’s Archivist. And Jeff continues to ramp.
Im going to put the brakes and let’s have a chat shall we? This start is a ‘Cold War Start’. It is the end of T3 and we see some nasty action already. Rich has accelerated his mana and setting up for issues to occur. Protection for his commander and tutor face up. Keegan has setup huge future mana and his commander. Jeff is thinning and preparing to launch into space. And Sean has one of the most efficient draw engines in any token deck, plus a recurring on board wheel. Normally a single player, maybe two, blast off to start the game and they clash or the table fights a common evil. Issue here, is that everyone blasts off, creating a stalemate of sorts. Which turns into a bout of brinkmanship. The opening of it being the longest game on books makes sense with the start everyone has.
Turn 4 Keegan casts Runes of Deus onto Uril swinging at Jeff for 9/9 double strike trample landing 18 CMD damage early into the game. Rich swings his Rector at Sean convincing him to block it, he then fetches out Ugin, the Spirit Dragon and exiles all colored permanents 5cmc or lower. Then casts out Tamiyo, Field Researcher. Sean casts Jori En, Ruin Diver and Jeff casts Pantlaza and discovers Rampant Growth. Keegan Enlighten Tutors for Dryad of The Illsyian Grove.
This is a long game so I do not want too many breaks, but I need to speak on this sequence of events. Wow am I befuddled by the decision making here around the table. Firstly, Keegan beating into Jeff here is crazy work. From what has been seen, Rich is the largest issue at the table. My only guess is that Keegan was risk adverse with the rector, but putting down 16 CMD damage T4 against Atraxa is well worth it. Then Sean, what did Rich say to convince you to block the rector??? In Atraxa that is basically “Yo let me DT for free plz”. Crazy work around the table T4 here. I also want to toss out into the void, a prime example of why I think Stifle and similar effects are well worth the 1-2 slots in decks. Eating a fetchland T1 or shutting off a Hoof is well worth the deck slots. Also funny as hell to stifle Zacama’s etb lol.
Turn 5 Keegan casts Verduran Enchantress, then the Dryad to draw a card. Rich casts Atraxa but Sean Counterspells. Sean equips the skullclamp to Jori En and swings at Tamiyo, Field Researcher to kill it. Jeff casts Trumpeting Carnosaur discovering a dud Finale of Devastation and Descendants Path.
Turn 6 Keegan casts a Light-Paws, Emperor’s Voice, playing On Serra’s Wings onto it searching out Shield of the Oversoul. Rich uses Ugin again to clear the board, killing it in the process. Sean casts Peek and then Silver Scrutiny. Jeff jams 7 damage at Rich and Sean.
Turn 7 Keegan recasts Uril. Rich casts a Ghostly Prison. Sean casts a Mechanized Warfare and Jeff hidesaway with a Mosswort Bridge then swings 7 damage into Keegan.
Lifetotals: K-36 R-29 S-32 J-22
Turn 8 Keegan casts Enchantress’s Presence then Authority of the Consuls and Ancestral Mask. Swings Uril at Jeff for the kill with commander damage. Rich casts Sorin Markov and is countered by Sean’s Mana Leak (this is some diabolical work here. Getting someone with a !!!T8!!! leak is crazy. Hats off to Sean on this one, I love to see it). Sean the casts Locust God.
Turn 9 Keegan casts Replenish only getting On Serra’s Wings onto Uril. Swinging in 20 CMD damage into Rich. Rich casts a Tezzeret, Artifice Master. Sean draws some cards and makes some bugs!
Turn 10 (jesus) Keegan swings at Rich who casts Teferi’s Protection in response. Sean casts Recon Mission and swings 8 insects at Keegan.
Life totals: K-81 R-1 S-24 J:DEAD
Turn 11 Keegan casts Avacyn, Angel of Hope and is countered by Sean’s Force of Will. Uril is swung at Sean. Rich casts Rings of Brighthearth and the a Propaganda. Sean plays a late game Sol Ring and the a Niv Mizzet, the Firemind. He then uses Wheel of Fortune. Rich kills himself via City of Brass. (what)
Turn 12 Keegan casts a City of Solitude and then a Single Combat. The swings Uril into Sean clearing out his blockers.
Sean casts Temporal Mastery for it’s miracle cost gaining an extra turn. The recasts Locust god.
Extra Turn 1 he Spark Doubles his Locust God and Pulls from Tomorrow for an x of 7. All insects coming in tapped and netting Keegan life as they enter.
T13 Keegan casts a Felidar Umbra and keeps jamming Uril at Sean. Sean replays the Locust God, then casts Expropriate to take 2 extra turns. Swings 14 insects at Keegan.
Extra Turn 1 Sean casts Kefnet, the Mindful and then a Psychic Spiral milling Keegan 48 cards. Then swings 28 insects at Keegan.
Extra Turn 2 Sean casts Narset, Parter of Veils, Cyclonic Rifts and then Wheels our hands. Then swings in all of his insects for a whopping 84 damage. (Of keegans 256)
At this point, Keegan was locked up tight in the game and had no real way of getting free so he scooped as to not prolong the game even further than it already was.
Results: Sean: 1 Keegan: 2 Rich: 3 Jeff: 4
This game is bizarre to me. Essentially T16 win for Sean, but only a single board wipe amongst it all. I have confusion across the board. The Rector block was confusing, and I woulda hit Rich early on to put some pressure on the super friends deck. The ending lifegain vs. creature etb is really tough. My recommendation to Sean would be to look at adding Gamble and cards like Impact Tremors, Goblin Bombardment, and Witty Roastmaster to cook damage on board and it goes +1 damage over what Authority gains. I would also recommend consideration of a fav of mine, Cavalcade of Calamities. Also give a peep to Sulfuric Vortex and Roiling Vortex to shut off life gain.
Game 3
Edgar Markov vs Atla vs Sythis vs Karumonix
Turn 1 Rich starts off this game playing a land and casting a Duskborne Skymarcher making a 1/1 vampire token. Jeff, Keegan and Sean all hit lands.
Turn 2 Rich swings at Sean for 2 damage. Sean casts a Valley Rotcaller. Jeff casts Sythis. Keegan casts Enlightened Tutor at Jeff’s end step, tutoring a Sol Ring to the top of his deck. Keegan then cast the Sol Ring and then Martyr’s Cause.
Turn 3 Rich casts a Chrome Mox then a Tocasia’s Welcome, he then swung at Sean for 1 damage. Sean casts a Rat Colony then swings in on Rich for 1 damage. A true blood feud. Jeff casts Audacity and Ethereal Armor onto Sythis (he then looks at Keegan and says with bulging eyes, “Look at me, I am the voltron now”). Jeff jams Sythis into Keegan for 4 CMD damage. Keegan then casts Smothering Tithe.
Turn 4 Rich casts a Nighthawk Scavenger, then swings some vamps in for 2 damage on Sean. Sean casts an Urza’s Incubator but doesn’t swing! Jeff casts Alseid of Life’s Bounty, Herald of the Pantheon and Felidar Umbra allowing Keegan to make ALL of the treasures (Jeff during this sequence). Keegan cast out Atla, and a Sphere of Safety.
Turn 5 Rich casts (arguably the best vampire) Cordial Vampire but holds back attackers. Sean casts a Diabolic Intent (this art is exactly how I feel casting this mfer) finds and casts a Sol Ring. Jeff casts Open The Armory, then swings a big Sythis at Keegan, who then responds with a Teferi’s Protection. Keegan has Atla make an egg.
Turn 6 Rich casts a Null Priest of Oblivion and swings 7 damage in at Sean. Sean casts Ayara, First of Lochthwain as well as a Sword of Truth and Justice. Jeff casts Three Dreams finding Bear Umbra, Ancestral Mask and Idolized. Sythis attacks Keegan who sac’s his egg to Martyr’s Cause and effectively turns off Sythis’s damage getting a poorly timed Craterhoof (hoof just too snakey). On his turn, Keegan casts Mondrak, Glory Dominus and Linvala, Keeper of Secrets. He then swings 5 damage in at Jeff with Craterhoof (womp womp).
Turn 7 Rich casting nothing, swings 23 damage in on Sean. Sean casts Karumonix and glues the Sword of Truth and Justice to it. Jeff, putting all of his eggs (get it) into one basket casts All that Glitters and Bear Umbra onto Sythis swinging at Sean. Keegan activates Atla prior to drawing, finding a Terror of the Peaks. He then casts Triumph of the Hordes and swings board into Jeff killing him with 12 infect damage.
Life Totals: R-61 S-3 J-DEAD K-23
Turn 8 Rich moves right to combat and swings 9 damage at Sean, finishing off Sean, and 23 damage at Keegan blocks what he can but takes some damage. Keegan does some egg shenanigans getting a Zetalpa, Primal Dawn. He then casts a Blasting Station.
Turn 9 Rich casts Vampire Nocturnus swinging in a whole lot of damage, Keegan effectively holds off what he can remaining at 1 HP. Keegan and Atla start smashing up more eggs hitting a Darksteel Colossus and a Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite, using Terror of the Peaks to blast damage at Rich’s vampire lords.
Turn 10 Rich moves to combat and swings a 18/15 and a 13/11, both get blocked by various indestructible creatures on Keegan’s board. Keegan goes to the fridge, drops a few eggs and out pops a Magus of the Tabernacle and a Worldspire Worm, this time Keegan aims his Terror of the Peak damage at Rich’s Vampires. He then sacrifices the Worm to a blasting station, with 3 5/5s entering into the battlefield, he clears out the remaining vampires except for one.
He then swings 19 damage at Rich.
Life totals: R-67 K-1 S-DEAD J-DEAD
Turn 11 Rich can only pay for 1 of his vampires, sacrificing the rest. He casts a Wheel of Fortune and plays a Twilight Prophet attempting to rebuild. Magus of the Tabernacle trigger goes on the stack, Keegan is able to pay for every creature using all the treasures he gained from Rich’s Wheel of Fortune (he forgot to pay 14 mana). Keegan moves to combat swinging his entire board, effectively hitting Rich for 85 damage.
Atla loves an underdog victory.
This game gave me PTSD, I cannot write an unbiased recap on it.
Results: Keegan- 1 Rich- 2 Sean- 3 Shaffer- 4
Final overview for real tho, that lifegain deck of Rich’s is an absolute menace to society. It always makes my heart happy to see uncommon commanders just throwing untouchable blows. Game 2 was a mess lmao. Lotta question marks over my head, but a fair and square win from Sean. I would def rec adding some damage accelerators and lifegain negators to cut that clock way down. Third game was just the eggs popping off. Everyone pack your Containment Priests and Grafdigger Cages when Atla is in the mix.