What to Play, What to Play?

Big tournament this weekend, right? Lots of people are coming out for this one, including yours truly. (That means me, though I’ve never been too clear on why).

This Saturday at 1 p.m. players from Cleveland to Michigan to Dayton will throw down, square off, and chug-a-lug (or something) to see whose mettle is metallic enough to run away with a Mox Sapphire like a hobo with a sweet potato pie. (Did anyone else see Dan Rather on the Daily Show’s Election Episode? Hilarious!)

November 11, 2006
Registration at noon
Tournament starts at one

Where:
127 E. Market St.
Sandusky, OH 44870
(419) 621-0282

Cost:
$20 for infinite proxies
First gets a Mox Sapphire, Second-Fourth get store credit

Gamers Lounge icon David P. Baum informed me that the prize pool will equal the collected entrance fees as long as we get at least 20 players. So that’s good stuff. Be sure to ask about the Bazaar they have under the counter next to the shotgun and the bat if you’re interested in owning a Bazaar. Or a Berserk. I’m pretty sure they have a Berserk too.

I still haven’t decided what I’m playing on Saturday, so it’s probably best to not ask.

My choices right now are UB Fish and UbaCaps, but I have a funny feeling that Oath might do really well there. Oath is still a solid gameplan and is definitely the premier deck to use women with wings and metal haltertops that barely contain their huge tracts of land, which is a plus.

Since I’m now in love with Stifle, I’d probably play something like this:

4x Force of Will
4x Remand
2x Wipe Away
3x Misdirection
3x Stifle
3x Null Rod

4x Oath of Druids
1x Akroma, Hottie with the Body
1x Razia, Busty Archangel

1x Time Walk
1x Ancestral Recall
1x Crop Rotation
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Vampiric Tutor
2x Impulse
4x Brainstorm

5x Moxen
1x Mana Crypt
1x Lotus Petal
1x Black Lotus
4x Forbidden Orchard
2x Tropical Island
2x Underground Sea
3x Island
3x Flooded Strand
2x Polluted Delta

That’s just off the top of my head, of course, so it’s pretty much untested. I probably won’t get much of a chance to test it before the weekend, either, but it looks nice on paper. Misdirection seems pretty good for making sure Oath gets through early, but Remand is a question still. It should be Mana Leak (well, Rune Snag, now) or Mana Drain, probably, but I like that Remand is a cantrip.

There’s a lot of mana, at least, and I like the addition of Stifle in triplicate. I’d like to have room for a fourth, but I’m not sure it will help that much except to keep Forbidden Orchards safe from Wasteland.

Speaking of Wasteland, I’d like to be able to get them in too, probably three of them in place of Crypt, one or two Duals, or Island. I’m not sure I want to go below the 1:1 Fetchland:Fetchable ratio, though. If I get them in there, though, I actually have a decent mana-denial plan.

The relevant question to ask regarding what to play brings up two things: What will do well against the field? and What do I, personally, feel most comfortable playing?

The answer to the first question is “I don’t know.” I’m expecting a field of Random, Stax, and Gifts, in that order. Unfortunately, Random is really hard to metagame against but usually means don’t play Fish.

The answer to the second question is, “UB Fish and UbaCaps, in that order.” UB Fish has an “all right” matchup against Stax that depends mostly on the presence of Dark Confidant, Moxen, Chain of Vapor, Null Rod, and Stifle. Plus, if Energy Flux shows up for me first turn with Black Lotus like it normally does, I usually take at least one of game two or three. UB Fish definitely has game against Gifts, but has to see Duress, Null Rod, and Stifles early. Random usually beats UB Fish, though sometimes it doesn’t. Not surprisingly, it’s random.

My skill with UbaCaps has gone up a lot since the last Gamers Lounge, tourney, and I feel like both my maindeck and sideboard have improved as well. (Except for Mishra’s Factory—that guy’s cool, but not cool enough to maindeck for me). Activating Jester’s Cap early against Gifts, combo, or Oath is usually good game, but activating it early against Random and Fish is bad. Call that one a toss-up? At least my ability to deal with Stax is better.

Meh, I don’t know.

So many insane deck choices.

And by insane I mean that my brain might not be functioning properly. Word is yet to be heard on whether it ever has.

Regardless, Magic: the Gathering will be played on Saturday, and I will be there with Magic: the Gathering cards to play. Hopefully good ones, and there’s a two in three chance that some of them will be blue.

Oh, yeah, by the way…

The next Gamers Lounge tourney will be on December 9, two weekends after Thanksgiving, and two weekends before Christmas. I don’t have a lot of information on prizes or entry fees, but I assume it will be similar to the immediate one this weekend. Right now we’ll call it Mox Mystery and $20 for infinite proxies.

Sound good? I think so.

I should also point out that there’s a tournament Thanksgiving weekend in Lorain, OH:

Sunday, November 26, 2006
Registration starts at one

Where:
The Dungeon
2367 North Ridge Road
Lorain, OH 44055

10 Proxy Vintage (Type I)
24 players - Entry Fee $15 per person
18-23 players - Entry Fee $20 per person
Additional proxies can be purchased at $1 per

Should be an enormous amount of fun. I’d definitely be there if I could, but I already have plans, unfortunately. I’m sorry to miss out on this one especially since The Dungeon and its owner Al are pretty cool. I’d give you some metagame predictions for this but I’m guessing it will be more random than the Gamers Lounge.

Boo…

Next time, though.

Anyway, remember to come out to Sandusky this Saturday and watch me win a Mox Sapphire. We’re all celebrating at Diana’s afterward.

I am, at least.