A reminder: Info is updated for Dark Ascension.
Territory/Upgrades/Unlocks Info: http://www.mediafire.com/?yiozar4z41f102o
The Map of Innistrad: http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/8948/innistradmapblogpost.jpg
Kessig's attendance has been lackluster these past few weeks. Come on out Kessig!
This is also the first week I've recorded Feature Matches.
Feature Matches
Round 1: Ricky (Gavony) vs. Joseph (Stensia) on Moorland Haunt
Joseph (RBw Aggro)
Ricky (GWb Tokens)
Game 1
Our first match of the day features the recent border clashes between Stensia and Gavony. Joe wins the roll and started on the play after mulling down to 5. He laid down a plains and shipped the turn. Ricky started with a Forest and an Avacyn's Pilgrim, while Joe follows up with a Clifftop Retreat.
Ricky plays his third land, leaving mana up for an end-of-turn Midnight Haunting after Joe missed his third land drop. The two Spirits bump Joe down to 18 life. Mayor of Avabruck and Doomed Traveler come down postcombat. Joe draws his card and bricks yet again on lands. On his upkeep, Ricky missed the Mayor's transform trigger, in a hurry to swing for 7, reducing Joe to 11 life. (I realized this later on in the game as I was typing like mad.)
On the next upkeep, Ricky flips his Mayor of Avabruck to the monstrous Howlpack Alpha. Joe finally finds a land on his draw step, but with a grip full of black spells, it looks bleak for Stensia's General. His mountain comes down into play, fueling a Brimstone Volley to kill the Howlpack Alpha. On Ricky's turn, he lays an Intangible Virtue and attacks for 5 with his Spirits and Traveler. Joe looks at his card and scoops.
Ricky 1, Joseph 0
Game 2
After sharing a few laughs with the guys next to them, Joe takes the play with a Clifftop Retreat. Ricky responds with his own dual land, an Isolated Chapel. A swamp and Vampire Interloper come into play for Joe, while Ricky thinks for a moment before playing a Doomed Traveler. Joe missed no early land drops this game as he played his third and attacked Ricky down to 18 life with the Vampire. Ricky played a Mayor and attacked for 2 with the Doomed Traveler. Before damage, the Mayor ate Brimstone, so the Traveler only poked for 1 damage.
Joe played a confident Bloodline Keeper after laying in the beats with his Interloper. On Turn 4, Ricky played Mayor #2 and an Intangible Virtue. Joseph untaps and brings Ricky down to 14 with his Interloper. Then he proceeds to shoot down the Intangible Virtue with an... Urgent Exorcism! Surprise from the sideboard! On Ricky's turn, his attacking Doomed Traveler is met by a Vampire Token... that doesn't block.
Vampire Interloper and Token for Joe allow Bloodline Keeper to transform to Lord of Lineage. Pumping his other vampires for +2/+2, Joe launched an aerial assault for 8 damage. Down at a measly 6 life, Ricky played a Gavony Township and attacked for 1 with his Doomed Traveler. Joe prompted for a Township activation, but Ricky merely announced his concession. Game ended on Turn 6.
Ricky 1, Joseph 1
Game 3
As we proceeded to our Game 3, the match beside us finally finished their first game.
Joe mulliganed down to 6 cards, with Ricky on the play. Ricky started off with a Pilgrim, followed by a Doomed Traveler and a Gavony Township. Joe just played some land. On Turn 3, Ricky attacked for 2. Joe shrugged it off and played his third land, opting to keep his mana up yet again. Not understanding, Ricky laid down the beats with his two humans, taking Joe down to 16 life before passing the turn.
Joe played a land and made his first move of the game, a Stromkirk Noble. Ricky attacks with his two creatures again, this time pumped up by Gavony Township. At this point, Joe is down to 12 life. On his turn, the Noble attacked for 1 damage to gain a +1/+1 counter. Ricky attacked on his turn for 4 damage, but Joe, noticing his life was too low, knocked out the Pilgrim with a Brimstone Volley. Down to 10 life. Ricky follows up with a post-combat Geist-Honored Monk.
On the next turn, Joe tanks as he plays a swamp. After realizing he spent the Brimstone on the wrong creature, he taps 4 mana to Blasphemous Act and taps the swamp to Dead Weight the resulting Spirit Token. Ricky responds to the board wipe with a sandbagged Mayor of Avabruck and Skirsdag High Priest. Joe responds with his finisher of choice, Bloodline Keeper.
On Ricky's turn, Joe opts to take 1 damage from an unblocked Mayor of Avabruck. Ricky played an Intangible Virtue post-combat and passed the turn. Passing his own turn, Joe casts double Brimstone Volley on Ricky's turn to wipe his board. He read the Midnight Haunting in Ricky's hand from his careless attack the previous turn so the High Priest died first (I take credit for the *Midnight-Haunting-in-response-to-dying-creature-with-High-Priest-on-the-field* play). At the end of the turn, Midnight Haunting comes down from a frustrated Ricky.
Joe untapped, casted Sever the Bloodline on the Spirit Tokens and attacked with a Vampire Token. Ricky played a single Pilgrim and passed the turn back, leaving up mana for Gavony Township. At 9 life, Joe attacked Ricky in the air for 6 damage after playing an Instigator Gang. Ricky activates Township at the end of the turn. Then he passed his own turn without casting any spells. Instigator Gang transforms and with 5 vampires on the table, Joe transforms his Bloodline Keeper. During combat, the 3 Vampire Tokens without summoning sickness attack for 21 damage in the air. Ricky eats all 21 damage and falls into the negatives.
Ricky 1, Joseph 2. Match win for Stensia.
Round 2: Steve (Stensia) vs. Shane (Gavony) on Thraben
Steve (RW Aggro)
Shane (WB Tokens)
Game 1
On the play, Shane started off with an Isolated Chapel. Steve played a Champion of the Parish, while Shane casted a Skirsdag High Priest. Steve boosted his Champion with a Doomed Traveler and attacked for 2. Shane played a swamp and his own Doomed Traveler, passing the turn.
Steve falls into the tank as he contemplated his possibly critical play on Turn 3. Steve opted not to Brimstone Volley the Skirsdag High Priest. Instead, he stampeded over the Doomed Traveler with an attacking Champion before passing the turn. Shane attacked with his lone Spirit Token, which was met by a Midnight Haunting. Our players proceeded to trade Pokemons, er... I mean Spirit Tokens. Shane at 18, Steve at 19.
Steve plays his Instigator Gang on Turn 4 and attacks for 6 damage with his 3/3 Champion and 1/1 Spirit Token (Instigator Gang gave +1/+0 to the attacking creatures). Unfazed, Shane drew a card and played Slayer of the Wicked to brutally kill the Instigator Gang. The play triggered Morbid for the High Priest, so Shane tapped his creatures to spawn a 5/5 flying Demon Token.
Steve played another Champion, a Cloistered Youth and passed the turn, unable to deal with the 5/5 Demon. Shane pondered his own attack and decided to swing with his Demon and a Spirit. The Demon ate Steve's Spirit Token, which prompted a misplaced end-of-turn Brimstone Volley that killed the Demon. Shane simply made another one before passing the turn.
Steve played another Instigator Gang, pumping one of his Champions to 6/6 and the other to 3/3. He attacked with a Doomed Traveler, to trade with a Spirit Token. Shane untapped and slammed a Typhoid Rats in the face of Steve's all-ground-force. Shane then activated Thraben's special ability for 5 mana (put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control. They gain vigilance until the end of the turn.) His creatures attacked for a whopping 15 damage. Steve chump blocks with his board, taking only 3 damage.
With such a loaded board, Steve's chances are quickly diminishing. Steve fell into the tank, eventually making the same mistake, using Devil's Play on a Demon Token instead of the High Priest. Shane casts Tribute to Hunger, forcing Steve to sacrifice his lone Instigator Gang. After attacking for 10, Steve is just about out of the game. He looked at his top card and passed the turn, refusing to concede. Shane casted an end-of-turn Midnight Haunting as extra insurance to win the game.
Shane 1, Steve 0
Game 2
Steve started with a Clifftop Retreat into a Turn 2 Champion of the Parish. Shane played a Doomed Traveler and an Intangible Virtue. Steve laid down a Cloistered Youth and declined to give Shane a free Spirit Token. Shane tanked for a moment before passing on his Turn 3. Steve transformed the Youth into an Unholy Fiend before attacking for 6 damage. Shane turned his Traveler into a Spirit Token and took 3 damage. Shane attacked back for 2 with his vigilant Spirit and played a Typhoid Rats. Skirsdag High Priest came down for Shane post-combat. Steve at 17 life to Shane's 18 life.
Steve played another Champion and an Elite Inquisitor before attacking with for 3 damage with the Fiend. Shane opted to not block, attacking for 2 damage before passing his own turn with mana up. Steve plays another Cloistered Youth, upping the first Champion to a 5/5 and the other to a 3/3. Steve attacked with his Inquisitor and Fiend for 5 damage. As Steve fell into the trap, Shane casted a Midnight Haunting and chump blocked with a Spirit Token to set up his Demon spawning play. Shane fell to 12 life, but attacked back for 9 damage in the air before playing another Typhoid Rats.
On his upkeep, Steve transformed another poor Youth into an Unholy Fiend. Desperate, Steve alpha striked and forced through 3 damage. Post-combat, he wiped the board with a Blasphemous Act. But Shane was prepared with an Altar's Reap. The two cards finally gave his his 4th land. Shane happily laid down his plains and passed back the turn. Steve played a land while Shane played an end of turn Midnight Haunting. Recovered from the board sweeper, Shane played a Geist-Honored Monk and attacked for 4 damage in the air with his Intangible Virtue still in play. At 9 life, Steve concedes to Shane's relentless token beatdown.
Shane 2, Steve 0. Match win for Gavony.
Round 3: Curtis (Gavony) vs. Ben (Nephalia) on Hanweir
Curtis (GW Humans)
Ben (UB Control)
Game 1
With Ben on the play, both players mulligan down to 6 cards. Ben started with swamp and Typhoid Rats, poking for 1 damage on Turn 2. Curtis adds a Forest to his Plains and continues to take beats from the Rats. After his third land, Curtis casts Midnight Haunting to trade a Spirit for the Rats. Ben played a post-combat Bloodline Keeper.
On Curtis' Turn 4, he adds a Mayor of Avabruck to his Spirit Token. On Ben's Turn, he played a Delver of Secrets and shipped back. Curtis laid down an Elder of Laurels while Ben casted an end of turn Cackling Counterpart on his Bloodline Keeper and produced a Vampire Token. After untapping, Ben made two more Vampire Tokens and transformed the original Bloodline Keeper into Lord of Lineage. A Vampire proceeds to attack Curtis for 4 damage in the air. Ben played yet another Delver after combat and passed the turn.
Curtis played a land and passed, transforming his Mayor of Avabruck on the next upkeep. Curtis double Rebuked a Triple Vampire Token attack, chump blocking the last one with a Spirit Token. Ben declines to dissipate a Rebuke, saving it for Curtis' next Mayor of Avabruck. On Ben's upkeep, he reveals an Instant to transform his two Delvers, causing Curtis to scoop up his cards in defeat.
Ben 1, Curtis 0.
Game 2
Curtis takes the play, keeping his initial hand of 7. Curtis started with a Turn 1 Plains, Turn 2 Doomed Traveler and attacked for 1 on Turn 3. Ben played a Delver of Secrets and hoped to trigger his transformation for a couple of turns.
On Turn 3, Curtis also casted Nevermore, naming Bloodline Keeper. With a smirk, Ben reveals the only two Bloodline Keepers in his deck... in his hand. Ben drew a card on his turn after bricking on the Delver yet again. Curtis continued to attack with his Doomed Traveler, before running another Nevermore into a Dissipate. Ben finally transforms the Delver on his turn, revealing a Dissipate off the top. He attacked for 3 and played a post-combat Runechanter's Pike with mana for countermagic up.
Curtis attacked for 1 with his human and played an Elite Inquisitor to bait out a Dissipate. Ben equipped his Delver with the Pike and attacked, but was met with a Rebuke. On Curtis' turn, he cracked back for 2 after activating Gavony Township on his lone Traveler. Doomed Traveler had dealt 6 damage so far. Ben drew his card, thought carefully about his plays and passed the turn back.
Curtis plays a small Mikaeus, which is Snapcaster-Dissipated by Ben. Prepared for this occasion, he then attacked with a Doomed Traveler and activated Township to hit for 3 damage. Unfortunately, the human was eaten by a Victim of Night. Back on the offensive, Ben attached his Pike to the Snapcaster Mage and attacked for 4 damage to put Curtis down to 13.
Curt responded in kind with an Intangible Virtue and attacked for 2 damage in the air. Ben cracked back for 4 damage again, reducing Curtis to 9 life. Curtis played a Geist-Honored Monk uninterrupted and attacked back for 3 damage. Out of answers at this point, Ben played a Stitched Drake and attached the Pike to it before ending the turn. Curtis attacked with everything, causing Ben to concede.
Ben 1, Curtis 1
Game 3
Ben was on the play and started with a Typhoid Rats. Curtis answered with a Doomed Traveler. Ben played an Island and passed the turn. Curtis played a Mayor of Avabruck and attacked for 2 with the Traveler. Ben played a defensive Lantern Spirit and attacked for 1 with his Rats.
Curtis used a Fiend Hunter to lock away the Lantern Spirit in exile. Doomed Traveler attacked, trading with the Typhoid Rats. Ben untapped and Victim'ed the Fiend Hunter, getting his Lantern Spirit back and passed the turn. Without mana for countermagic to worry about, Curtis casted Nevermore, naming Dissipate.
Undaunted, Ben casted a Bloodgift Demon and passed the turn. Unable to interact profitably with the Demon, Curtis had no choice but to pass the turn back. Ben got a Bloodgift trigger while Mayor of Avabruck transformed into Howlpack Alpha. He then attacked with the Demon, eating a Spirit token for lunch. Post-combat, a Lantern Spirit comes into play for Ben. On Curtis' turn, he played a Geist-Honored Monk and attacked with a handful of tokens. Ben goes down to 9 life after the attack and 8 life after a bloodgift trigger. Ben alpha strikes for 9 damage, bouncing a blocked Lantern Spirit, which was replayed after combat. Curtis is at 12 life, while Ben is at 8.
Curtis untapped and attacked with 3 Spirits, a Wolf and the Monk. With no blue mana up, the Lantern Spirit chumps the Monk and Ben drops to 3 life. A bloodgift trigger on himself all but ends the game. Ben concedes before damage on Curtis' attack.
Curtis 2, Ben 1. Match win for Gavony.
Territory Control
Unlocks:
Stensia: WHITE! (250), Stromkirk Noble (80), Bloodline Keeper (80), Bloodgift Demon (80), Elite Inquisitor (80), Instigator Gang (80), Fiend Hunter (40), Clifftop Retreat, (25), Ghost Quarter (25)
Kessig: Mayor of Avabruck (80), Instigator Gang (80), Kruin Outlaw (80), Kessig Wolf Run (50), Full Moon's Rise (40), Reckless Waif (40),
Nephalia: GREEN! (250), Bloodgift Demon (80), Snapcaster Mage (80), Bloodline Keeper (80), Woodland Cemetery (25), Ghost Quarter (25)
Gavony: BLACK! (250), Mikaeus, the Lunarch (100), Mayor of Avabruck (80), Elite Inquisitor (80), Gavony Township (50), Nevermore (50), Fiend Hunter (40), Isolated Chapel (25)
Event 10 will be Block Constructed. Friday @ 4pm in the Dungeon. $2 Entry fee, X-1 and X-0 players receive a prize. If you don't wish to pay for the event, you won't be eligible for prizes if you place. I'd like to reiterate once again that Dark Ascension is Legal! We'll be having Feature Matches again, where I sit a match in front of me and record what happens play-by-play. I hope you enjoyed Event 9's coverage.
Also, thank you to those who came out to the Pre-Release up at Hairy Tarantula! Hope you all had fun and opened good stuff!
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