The Aftermath of Game Day

     Well, it's been a week since Game Day: Magic 2015, and I've been thinking about what went right, and what went wrong.

     I played in two events this time, and ended up with disappointing 2-2 finishes in both.  So, I thought I would post up a quick run-through of what happened, mainly just to help myself think through the things I could have done differently.

The Deck

     Right now, I am playing a pretty popular deck, Boros Burn.  This is a red/white deck that uses a minimal number of creatures, and as many direct-damage type spells as possible.  It is a fast, aggressive deck that can do well against both aggro and control decks.

Saturday

Round 1: Green Devotion

     This is kind of an unusual deck, so I wasn't exactly sure what to expect.  One thing is for sure, he will be playing huge creatures, so I need to finish the game as quickly as possible.

     Game 1 was very grindy, with me only being able to get one or two points of damage past his defenses each turn.  I finally got him down to 4 life, only needing to draw one of my twelve(!) four damage spells to finish the game.  I eventually get it, by in response, he is able to cast Chord of Calling to retrieve Nylea's Disciple from his deck.  I am blindsided by the fact that he is running a lifegain card in his Main Deck rather than Sideboard.  I can't deal with the few extra life points.

     Game 2 was very similar, except I made sure to have a Skullcrack ready at all times.  In the end, I'm not fast enough and he is able to get out several mana-producing creatures and Nykthos, giving him access to almost twenty mana.  I can't keep up.

     Result: 0-2

Round 2: Naya Slivers

     Another strange deck, and another one that I haven't tested against.  Slivers are all about synergy, so I plan to keep as many of his creatures off the board as possible.

     Game 1 I didn't see much of his deck.  I don't think he played more than two cards (Predatory Sliver and Hive Stirrings) all game.  Young Pyromancer and three tokens get the job done.

     Game 2 he gets a much better draw, and is actually able to play some of his cards.  A few slivers are able to help get out Obelisk of Urd on turn four via Convoke.  Multiple 4/4 creatures are too much for me.

     Game 3 I burn every sliver in sight.  Searing Blood helps me to control his board while still dealing damage.

     Result: 2-1

Round 3: Orzhov Control

     This is a deck that I did expect to play against, and I actually have some experience against it.  Sort of.  This deck is, at the core, a variant of the Mono Black Devotion deck that ruled the tournament scene for a while.  I have played against that deck many times (usually in the hands of teammate and fellow Lingering Soul, Chris) and strategy for this round should be similar.

     Game 1 he does nothing all game except cast Thoughtseize about three times.  The fact that he is losing three life each time (two from 'Seize and one from his Caves of Koilos) means I don't have to work too hard to finish him off.

     Game 2 is about the same.  He finally manages to draw a threat, too bad it is a one-toughness Lifebane Zombie, which instantly gets Searing Blooded.

     Result: 2-0

Round 4: Naya Hexproof

     I haven't played against Naya Hexproof, but I did play plenty of games against the Bant version last Standard season.  I hate hexproof.  It is like playing a totally different game.  Against other decks, it can be difficult to get rid of their cards.  With this deck, it can be impossible.  Like, their cards just say, "You can't do that."

     Game 1 sees Bassara Tower Archer get enchanted about three times.  While I manage several chump blocks with Pyromancer tokens, I finally die to the sacrifice ability of Inferno Fist.

     Game 2 was when I pretty much gave up.  Unflinching Courage, being repeatable lifegain, is poison for my deck.  When one hits the table, and I can't fry the creature because of hexproof, there isn't much I can do.

     Result: 0-2

     Final Result: 7th.  Of my two losses, I feel worse about Round 1.  I don't know what I could have done differently in Round 4, but Round 1 could have been a win by taking more aggressive mulligans.

Sunday

 Round 1: Red Deck Wins (with black)

     This is another aggro deck, and usually a pretty good match-up for me.  They run a lot of creatures, but only small, fast ones, so my Shocks and Searing Bloods have plenty of targets.

     Game 1 is practically over when I am able to kill one of his lands (a Mutavault) with a Lightning Strike.

     Game 2 he surprises me by sideboarding in a rather large package of black removal spells like Doom Blade and Ultimate Price.  We both kill each others creatures and run out of steam at the same time.  We each have a single card in hand, mine is a land, I suspect his is as well.  I cross my fingers, draw, and... with a battle cry of "Super Secret Tech, Go!", I slam down Aggressive Mining.  By my next turn, he still has one card in hand, while I now have six.  He can't keep up.  Unfortunately, this is the only game all weekend where Mining worked out so well.

     Result: 2-0

Round 2: Red Deck Wins (with green)

     This was a pretty standard Red Deck, but with several green-mana lands, included just for Ghor-Clan Rampager.  Turned out to be worth it, since it was very hard for my deck to deal with.

     Game 1 I barely played anything all game.  I made the mistake of keeping a slow hand (at that point I didn't know what my opponent was playing), so I had no cards cheaper that three mana.  He blitzes me before I can get rolling.

     Game 2 was much closer.  He plays a Rampager as a creature, the 4/4 body making it difficult for my deck to deal with.  We traded damage a few times, both ending up in single digits.  Finally I have to chump block with my Chandra's Phoenix to survive, but he Bloodrushes a second Rampager, and shows me a third in hand, just in case.

     Result: 0-2

Round 3: Mono Black Devotion

      As I said before, I have a lot of experience playing against this deck.  I am pretty confident in my ability to handle it.

     Game 1 I lose because of a misplay.  Opponent is at 9 life, I am at 6.  He has two Desecration Demons on the board, I have nothing.  I do have Shock, Skullcrack and Stoke the Flames in hand, just enough damage to finish it.  But I only have four lands, so I will have to play one or two spells during his End Step, and then the rest on my turn.  I decide to start with the most expensive, Stoke, which forces me to tap out... he responds by casting Devour Flesh on himself, sacrificing a Demon and going up by 6 life.  If I had started off with Shock, I could have Skullcracked him to prevent it...

     Game 2 I worried too much about his three Nightveil Specters, using all of my available burn to get rid of them.  After that, I have nothing to get rid of a turn 5 Pack Rat, which soon becomes six Pack Rats.

     Result: 0-2

     Final Result: I received a bye in Round 4, but I dropped before the round was over.

Overall Thoughts

     Well, I can't blame my deck.  This is my own version, but the same core deck has shown up in GPs and even the most recent Pro Tour.  It's a good design.

     I guess I could just chalk it up to bad luck, but that doesn't give my opponents enough credit.

     It really comes down to two things.  One was taking mulligans.  Without a reliable way of getting extra cards into my hand, I was afraid to take mulligans at all.  When I did, I always kept at 6 cards, never any lower.  This led to me starting several games with unfavorable hands.

     The other thing is just practice, practice, practice.  I know how to play this game.  I know how to play this deck.  But the best plays aren't always the most obvious.  A little more practice may have helped me to see those plays beforehand, instead of in hindsight.  If there's one thing you take away from reading this report, this is it.