The Rise and Fall of My Magic Greatness...

Like Lad mentioned before, we got back from Pro Tour Austin last weekend and it was an awesome experience. The weekend was full of awesomeness (if Colbert can coin a word, then so can I). While there, Lad and I participated in a few Standard side tournaments and I brought the new version of my Chandra Control deck. Here is my updated list (which will change as the new metagame develops).

Maindeck
3 Chandra Ablaze
2 Sphinx of the Lost Truth
4 Bloodghast
4 Sedraxis Specter
2 Cruel Ultimatum
4 Terminate
4 Blightning
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Burst Lightning
2 Swerve
2 Volcanic Fallout

Lands
4 Crumbling Necropolis
3 Dragonskull Summit
3 Drowned Catacomb
6 Mountain
4 Island
5 Swamp

Sideboard
4 Deathmark
1 Volcanic Fallout
3 Grixis Charm
1 Cruel Ultimatum
3 Countersquall
1 Swerve
2 Rites of Replication

There were 149 people signed up in the tournament; I sat down at my table to wait for my opponent. A few minutes later, I looked up as my opponent sat down. His name was Charles Gindy (last year's US National Champion). I was nervous. Here I am, a small fish trying out a new control deck versus last year's Cruel Control National Champion.

We played....I won the roll and went first. I dropped an early swamp and passed. He played a land and passed. I dropped a drowned catacomb and played Bloodghast. He played another land and played Howling Mine. I was excited...I wasn't playing Jund and my deck does well versus most control decks...I drew my 2 cards, attacked with Bloodghast and played Blightning and he discarded a Time Warp and another spell. He played another land and Pyromancer's Acension and lightning bolted my Bloodghast. My turn...I drew my 2 cards, played a land, Lightning Bolted him, Burst Lightninged him dropping his life to 10, and then attacked with my hasted Bloodghast dropping him to 8. He followed up by Lightning Bolting me and Pyroclasming the Bloodghast. Turn 5, I drew my 2 cards, played a land, and played a Sedraxis Specter. I attacked with my recursive Bloodghast and he bolted him. I passed the turn. He played 2 more burn spells which turned his Acension on and passed the turn. I drew my 2 cards and drew a land and a Lightning Bolt. I played the land, returning the Bloodghast and attacked with both creatures dropping him to 3 and then burned him for the win. Game 1....I Win!!!

Now for Game 2. I sideboarded worthless Terminates and Volcanic Fallouts for Grixis Charm and Countersquall. He played first. He dropped an Acension on turn 2. I played my Blightning on turn 3 causing him to discard 2 burn spells and played my Sedraxis Specter on turn 4. We both stalled out at 3 lands for 2 turns. He activated his Acension on turn 5 and I bounced it back to his hand on my next turn. He followed up by drawing another land and playing 2 more Acensions (which were quickly activated over the next 2 turns). Around turn 8, he was stalled at 4 lands and I drew my 6th. I decided to play Chandra Ablaze and removed 2 counters to activate her 2nd ability to cause both players to discard their hands and draw 3 cards. He discarded another Time Warp and a burn spell (if I did not do this and if his next card was a land he could have Acensioned for 2 extra Time Warp copies). He did not draw any relevant spells, and I ended up burning him with Chandra and attacking him with Bloodghasts and Specters for the win on the next turn.

I couldn't believe it...I beat the US National Champ in a Control Mirror...This makes me the new National Champ (right?). Well it made since in my mind so I quickly took my throne....

I happily moved on to the next round and sat down to play. I lost the roll and he went first. My opponent played the dreaded Savage Land and my heart slowed to a halt as I knew what would later taker place (a turn 2 Putrid Leech, Turn 3 Sprouting Thrinax, turn 4 Bloodbraid Elf cascading into Blightning, and turn 5 Bitumous Blast cascading into another Sprouting Thrinax.) Few decks have a chance against a draw like that.

Game 2, I sideboarded in Rites of Replication to copy his creatures expecially Broodmate Dragon and Bloodbraid Elf (to do a cascade of my own) and Grixis Charm to bounce his lands and help kill his 4/4 creatures. I drew my hand and felt pretty confidant about it (I drew 3 lands, 1 Lightning Bolt, 1 Bloodghast, and 2 Terminates.) I played my tap land and passed. He played a Duress and got rid of my Lightning Bolt. I drew another land and passed. He played a land and plassed. I drew another Terminate. He played the expected Blightning and I got rid of my Bloodghast and a land. I drew a Sedraxis Specter, played it, and passed. Then came turn 4's coup d'etat....He played a land and Thought Hemmorhage naming Terminate. I revealed the 3 in my hand loosing 9 life and the rest of cards in my hand. He finished the game over the next 2 turns with double Bloodbraid Elf cascading into a burn spell and a Great Sable Stag.

It was like the Rise and Fall of Rome. I had abdicated my throne as quickly as I secured it...I am no longer the reigning ruler of Magic greatness (Damn the Man!!! Damn the Electric Fence!!! and Damn the Jund!!!)

I ended the tournament at 5-3. I beat 2 Jund Decks, RWU control, Bant Aggro, Time Warp Acension and lost to 2 Jund decks and a Bant Lotus Cobra deck (lost game 1 due to getting stuck with 3 lands through turn 6; won game 2 by Rite of Replicating a Sphinx of Lost Truth to discard 2 Bloodhasts and draw more cards including a land to bring the Bloodghasts back on the next turn; and lost game 3 for my opponent's luck in drawing all 4 of his Path to Exiles by turn 7 and removing my double Rite of Replicationed Baneslayer blockers from the game for the win.) I ended at 26th place. It wasn't 1st but it was still a blast.