GP Atlantic City, An Unexpected Journey OR The quest to “Not be THAT guy!”

Since returning to competitive Magic in 2009-2010, I’ve been to handful of Star City and TCG grinder events.  I’ve had mixed results, ending up in the middle of the pack somewhere at each of these and dropping after I hit the magic number of 3 or 4 losses.  This past weekend was the scheduled Grand Prix in Atlantic City, NJ – an event I hadn’t planned on going to – until an impulse decision earlier in the week.  Grabbing some of card gaming crew (Bobby King and Alex Artese), we packed my car and went on adventure to the Vegas of the East Coast. 

1646 Players.  The largest tournament I’ve participated in.  Ever.  Pro players dotted the landscape, impossible to tell them apart from your standard gaming nerd, except for buttons identifying them as pros.  We even stayed with a group of “them” Friday night when we got to Jersey.  Let me put it to you this way:  Magic pros party like rock stars.  That makes them my kind of people. 

When I go to grinders, I try not to be ME.  I can be obnoxious in a tournament setting, my lack of social skills shining like a shit stain on my underwear.  This can either make people laugh or turn them off, either is fine by me, to be honest, and locally I enjoy being a “character” in the game.  But when I go out of town, I don’t want to piss the wrong person off so I always tone it down to NIL.  I withdraw and keep my mouth shut and I play my favorite game.  Instead of sarcastically annoying my opponents and those sitting around me, I try to be mellow and calm with success.  This became the theme of my Grand Prix experience.  I thrived on it – but it was also my downfall. 

 

I came with 2 decks.  My recent play has been a Bant Mid-Range creature fest with which I’ve had some success with locally.  The build is unique in some aspects and it’s the variances of the deck that have made it successful.  I also brought my venerable RDW, the deck I won Lilac House Ravnica Gameday with.  The deck has subtly changed since I won, but kept the essence of a typical RDW I will play.  After consulting with Alex, I allowed him to talk me into playing RDW, accepting his sound logic that I should play what I know and what matches my play style best.  This was the first decision of the weekend I would regret making in hindsight.  I do not fault Alex for this, as his arguments for me playing the deck were sound. 

Main Deck:
4 Ash Zealot
4 Hellrider
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Rakdos Shred-Freak
4 Stromkirk Noble
3 Thundermaw Hellkite

1 Bonfire of the Damned
3 Brimstone Volley
3 Flames of the Firebrand
2 Mizzium Mortars
3 Pillar of Flame
2 Searing Spear

3 Cavern of Souls
20 Mountain

Sideboard:
2 Bonfire of the Damned
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Mizzium Mortars
3 Smelt
2 Tormod's Crypt
2 Volcanic Strength
2 Zealous Conscripts 

A typical RDW build for me, sticking with my “old school” thought process of “MAXIMUM FIREPOWER” and not going below 12 damage spells in the main board.  This would be both a benefit and a bane through out the day.  My second regret of the day was not including my Pithing Needles in my sideboard.  That mistake would be critical during the day. 

ROUND 1:  vs. RDW (Leo Redko) 

My first GP.  My first GP match.  And my opponent is LATE.

Grumble. 

I so do not want to be THAT GUY, so I don’t call judge.  My neighboring players are getting on me for not calling judge, but I tell them – I don’t want to ruin this guy’s GP.  He shows up, and get this – HE LEAVES!  The guy sitting next me laughs and says “Time to be THAT GUY?”  

I call for the Judge.  Leo is returns, is given a first game loss. 

Leo is playing a Vexing Devil RDW build.  I didn’t see much of it.  My deck played by the numbers.  Cackler turn 1, Zealot turn 2, Flames of the firebrand turn 3, Hellrider turn 4.  Turn Hellrider sideways, win.  Poor guy dropped 2 vexing devils and a cackler the whole game. 

ROUND 2:  Vs. Peddler Rites (Jeff Miller) 

My first real match of the day wasn’t a very happy experience for me.  Jeff was confident in his deck and showed it during play.  Game 1 was all me at first, I got Jeff down to 10 life then my deck started sputtering and his started rolling.  I hate conceding with 19 life left, but I had to after the game state got out of control with a plethora of humans on board. 

Game 2 was much different.  I got Grafdigger’s Cage out on turn 1.  He fights back by going pure agro, throwing Huntmasters at me.  I manage to maintain a Hellrider with Volcanic Strength and win the game. 

Game 3.  Ugh.  I’m not going to bitch.  Take this for what it’s worth.  

I manage to control the board early and get some hits in, and then turn 5 comes.  He has 1 white source (a Clifftop Retreat) and casts Faithless Looting. AFTER casting the spell, but BEFORE he drew his cards for the spell, he realizes he made a mistake in tapping his Clifftop Retreat.  He attempts to untap it and tap instead his Rootbound Crag.  I tell Jeff I can’t allow that.  He argues he changed the mana source before he drew and it was legal.  Now I know he can’t do this.  The REL is COMPETITIVE.  Once you tap a land it’s freaking tapped.  Bottom line.  I call Judge. 

I am not faulting Amanda Stevens.  I respect Amanda.  She is a fledgling Judge and was asked upon arriving at the event to assist in officiating.  Amanda ruled that because he had not yet drawn his cards he could adjust the tapped mana sources. 

So, sticking to my guns to NOT be THAT GUY, I accept Amanda’s ruling.  This allows Jeff to cast Unburial Rites; targeting Angel of Glory’s Rise and floods the board with Huntmasters, Nightshade Peddlers and Izzet Static Casters. 

I draw my card for my turn, I’ve got some outs.  A Bonfire would be nice, I say to myself. 

I pull Grafdigger’s Cage. 

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME???? 

Scoop phase.  Handshake.  I lose my match. 

Let this serve as a lesson to all – if at any time during and Competitive REL you feel a judge has made a bad call – GO OVER THEIR HEAD AND APPEAL! 

Amanda caught up with me later in the day, admitting she had made a bad ruling.  I do not fault Amanda for this, she is still learning.  And did she ever learn from this experience.  And I learned sometimes I do have to be THAT GUY. 

I am now 1-1 going into Round 3. 

 

ROUND 3: Vs. Rakdos Zombies (Jonathan Silvestri) 

This is a quick match.  I knew all day I would have the advantage over RDW and Rakdos with my superior firepower.  It proved me right this match.  Game 1 is by the numbers.  Game 2 I win with double Hellrider on the board. 

Who’s NEXT?!?!  I’m 2-1. 

ROUND 4: Vs. Naya (Andy Tan) 

Andy is a brilliant player.  He made top 8 in the 2012 NY States tournament playing an Azorious build.  He came to the GP with Naya, a fantastic deck for the format.  We play 3 hard games. 

Game 1:  Andy’s deck sputters with land issues.  My deck plays by the numbers and I win on turn 5. 

Game 2:  My Fudge Up.  Andy’s deck rolls from the gate.  I’ve maintained a decent board state, throwing out creatures as fast as he does but he’s getting the answer every time.  During a combat exchange, he attempts to block a Stromkirk Noble with a Huntmaster.  Initially I don’t think of it, and then while he is still hemming and hawing over his block assignments, I realize he still throwing the Huntmaster in front of the Noble.  I eventually ask him if he’s passing priority, as I want to get this game moving.  He does, and when I tell him the Huntmaster can’t block the Noble, I realize he could never have assigned him as a blocker to the Noble to start.  We call judge and explain the issue at hand, feeling it would be better to have the judge handle the mess.  Andy is given a warning for essentially for not knowing his cards better and I am warned for not reminding Andy of the impossible block.  

In the end, Andy gets the win game 2. 

Game 3:  Andy starts out immediately having mana issues.  The right colors are not coming up.  My deck once again plays by the numbers.  Finally, on turn 7 I am able to swing with a Hellrider and searing Spear him for the win. 

3-1 Match record going into Round 4. 

ROUND 5:  Vs. Esper Control (Elijah Herr) 

Elijah was a fun opponent.  He came all the way from Bangor, Maine.  Game 1 goes to Elijah when I can’t deal with his board state.  Game 2 is a by the numbers win for me, again.  Game 3 I get him to 5 life, I can’t keep creatures on the board because Elijah is blowing up the board left almost every turn.  We play pass-mill for a number of turns, as he’s rocking a pair of Drown Yards on me. I’m not afraid, as I only need one of the 8 3-damage sources I run to beat him (I am holding a Pillar of Flame!).  He mills me out.  

And my earlier mistake in the day of not adding Pithing Needle to my sideboard bit me in the ass. 

3-2 going into Round 6.  I am in do or die now to make the day one cut and the day is only half over. 

ROUND 6:  Vs. Jund (Jeff Schoellkopf). 

Jeff hailed from the Reading area of PA and we had a great time playing our match.  He didn’t want to be there any more, neither did I.  Exhaustion and fatigue had taken their toll on both of us by this point.  He asked me a dozen times during our match to please win so he could go to bed.  I tried to accomodate him but things failed to work in my favor.

Game 1 I win with double Hellrider once again getting me there.  Game 2 is all Jeff as a pair of Thundermaw Hellkites win it for him.  Game 3 is in my favor until turn 6 when Jeff drops a series of Thragtusks after I had beaten him down to 3 life – and I had a Brimstone Volley in my hand but not enough mana to cast it.  He drops a Thundermaw shortly after, Rancors one of the Thragtusks and quickly overwhelms me, getting the win.   

3-3 now.  I’m exhausted and drop from the GP and enjoy my time dealing with vendors and artists. 

 

I learned much from this Grand Prix.  When choosing decks I should always go with my gut and, not what’s easiest for me to play.  Would I have had more success playing my Bant build?  No one knows.  What I do know is sometimes I do have to be THAT GUY, but now I I’ve learned a healthy balance of the 2 and I intend to project that going into the future, locally.  It makes the gaming experience more pleasurable for my opponents and myself. I need to discover a way to facilitate sleeping into my schedule when I travel out of town.  Fatigue is the #1 reason a person will make a board state mistake or keep a loose hand and I do credit some of my play errors to that.  Could I have changed what the fates had in store for me that day by playing tighter and being more aggressive? It’s possible, but the Gods of Magic randomness always seem to throw something different at you when you least expect it. 

 

Before I forget my companions for the trip, Bobby went 5-3, so did Alex – they were both playing some form of Rakdos and were in it right up to the cut, both losing in round 8.  Both had strong performances.  Note that Bobby has played Magic for only about 2 months now and did as well as a seasoned player like Alex and outshined his mentor (that’s me!).  Good job, brother. 

Until he next time I call JUDGE!

 

. . . PEACE!