Turns out karma is an actual thing, and it doesn’t involve taking damage from Swamps.

I sat down last Thursday afternoon (pre-League time being a ripe opportunity to get in games since the shop tends to have lots of folks in it, especially now that the university is done with classes for the semester) to play a game with three other Armada Games regulars Apple, Shea, and Chris. I found Apple pulling out a stack of blank paper. I asked what was going on, and he said that he knows I like having the play-by-play recorded but not necessarily doing the recording, and since I paid for the pizza we shared last week he was going to do it for me this time. The gesture caught me a little off guard, but I was certainly pleasantly surprised. Good guy, that Apple.

We’ll jump right into the play-by-play, and then at the end I’ll talk about our Kokusho testing.

The Commanders:

Apple:  Merieke Ri Berit

Me:  Karador, Ghost Chieftain

Shea:  Teneb, the Harvester

Chris:  Skullbriar, the Walking Grave

TURN 1

Apple:  Vivid Marsh.

Me:  Overgrown Tomb.

Shea:  Bojuka Bog targeting Chris (gotta target someone).

Chris:  Forest.

TURN 2

 Apple:  Evolving Wilds, grabs an Island.

Me:  Temple Garden.

Shea:  Godless Shrine.

Chris:  Swamp, Skullbriar. Attacks Apple (39).

TURN 3

Apple:  Command Tower, Merieke.

Me:  Krosan Verge, Sol Ring, Sakura-Tribe Elder.

Shea:  Command Tower, Sword of Feast and Famine.

Chris:  Maelstrom Purse targeting Merieke. Attacks Shea with Skullbriar (38). Puts a third counter on Skullbriar, drops a Swamp.

TURN 4

Apple:  Swamp, Solemn Simulacrum fetching Plains. EOT. I sacrifice Elder to find a Swamp.

Me:  Wurmcoil Engine, crack.

Shea:  Grim Backwoods, Damnation. Apple draws off of Solemn, I get two tokens.

Chris:  Explosive Vegetation to even his land count at three Forest and three Swamp.

TURN 5

Apple:  Vivid Creek, Dominating Licid. Techy.

Me:  Battle Chris with lifelink Wurmcoil token. Chris to (37), me to (42). Crack the Verge for Buschland and Bayou.

Shea:  Swamp, casts Fallen Angel.

Chris:  Beacon of Unrest targeting Solemn, fetches a Forest.

TURN 6

Apple:  Glacial Fortress, Coffin Queen.

Me:  Vault of the Archangel. The card can be a little spendy, but the life gain can be quite swingy. Cast Woodfall Primus targeting Shea’s Sword. I swing the lifelink token at Chris again, who blocks with Solemn and draws a card. Me to (45).

Shea:  Swamp. Casts Bloodgift Demon.

Chris:  Plays Asceticism then Tajuru Preserver. Drops Bojuka Bog targeting me. There isn’t too much in there yet, so it’s not that bad. At EOT, Apple taps Dominating Lucid to grab Bloodgift Demon. Shea sacs it to Angel in response.

TURN 7

Apple:  Island.

Me:  Battles Primus at Shea (32) and both tokens at Chris (31). I don’t have other expensive plays so I activate Vault, ending up at (57). Cast Saffi Eriksdotter post combat. I think about it, and it seems like it would be a better pre-combat thing to do.

Shea:  Passes without doing anything and laments not having white mana.

Chris:  Plays Woodfall Primus targeting my Vault. Fair. EOT, Apple taps Coffin Queen to get Solemn back and fetches a Plains.

TURN 8

Apple:  Untaps Coffin Queen and goes to draw a card when we point out that the creature is exiled. Drops an Island, casts Liliana Vess, Tutors for something, and passes. My guess, seeing this deck in action, is that it’s Intruder Alarm.

Me:  Everybody battles Apple’s Vess. I go to (60). I sacrifice Saffi to Woodfall Primus so it’ll come back without the persist counter and cast Wrath of God. Apple responds by tapping Queen targeting Saffi. I respond with Krosan Reclamation to shuffle it back in. Wrath resolves, my Primus comes back from Saffi and targets Chris’s Asceticism, and Chris’s comes back from persist and targets my Sol Ring.

Shea:  Plays Feed the Pack without having a creature in play.

Chris:  Casts Myojin of Night’s Reach. I say, “Really, Chris? In a game with your friends?” He smiles and nods. He battles Apple with Woodfall Primus (34).

TURN 9

Apple:  From Apple’s notes:  “I know that I have nothing in my hand and I don’t want Chris to have complete control, so I Mind Control the Myojin.” Seems like a reasonable play and threat assessment. Chris responds by taking the divinity counter off. In response Apple casts Path to Exile on Chris’s Woodfall Primus, who gets a Swamp.

Me:  Swamp. Battle Chris with Primus (25).

Shea:  Plays Rune-Scarred Demon and Tutors. At EOT, sacs the Demon to Feed the Pack and gets six 2/2 Wolves

Chris:  Riftsweeper targeting his Woodfall Primus. Plays Massacre Wurm. Shea’s Wolves and Myojin die. Shea all the way down to (11), Apple at (32).

TURN 10

Apple:  Merieke.

Me:  Battle Chris with Primus. He blocks with Massacre Wurm. Primus dies, and I go to (58). Persists back to target Feed the Pack.

Shea:  Plays Cultivate and gets a Forest, which he plays as his land for the turn after putting into play a Plains.

Chris:  Plays Skullbriar, attacks Apple (29).

TURN 11

Apple:  Rune-Scarred Demon, Tutors, gets and plays Intruder Alarm. The Merieke machine gun is online.

Me:  Battle Chris with Primus, who blocks with Skullbriar (21). I cast Acidic Slime targeting Intruder Alarm. Alarm trigger on the stack Apple taps Merieke to steal my Woodfall Primus; it resolves then the Alarm trigger resolves destroying the Primus. Slime trigger resolves, blowing up the Alarm. I was happy to take that one for the team.

Shea:  Strip Mine, casts Sun Titan targeting Sword of Feast and Famine. EOT Apple’s Merieke steals the Titan.

Chris:  Sculpting Steel copies Shea’s Sword and equips it to Skullbriar. Plays Brawn. Battles me, and I can’t block. I go to (52) and have to pitch the last card I have in hand, which is Planar Cleansing. Chris untaps his lands. Post-combat, he plays Avenger of Zendikar and gets eleven creatures but has no land drop. Equips the Sword to Avenger and passes the turn.

TURN 12

Apple:  Sun Titan battles Chris, getting back Intruder Alarm. Chris blocks with the Avenger, killing the Titan, but it’s done its job by getting back Intruder Alarm. Casts Restoration Angel targeting Rune-Scarred Demon. With Angel’s trigger on the stack, he untaps Merieke from the Alarm trigger and then responds by stealing Skullbriar with Merieke. The Demon comes back and he untaps Merieke, destroying Skullbriar. He Tutors from the Demon and passes.

Me:  Cast Sun Titan to get back Vault of the Archangel. Responding to Intruder Alarm trigger, Apple taps Merieke to steal an Avenger token, untaps, and destroys it.

Shea:  Krosan Verge.

Chris:  Gaea’s Blessing targets his Massacre Wurm, Explosive Vegetation, and Myojin. Draws no business. Attacks me with Avenger (45).

TURN 13

Apple:  Casts Austere Command naming creatures with converted mana cost of three or less and artifacts. Follows that up by casting Shadowmage Infiltrator. Drops Terramorphic Expanse, which he cracks to get a Plains.

Me:  I battle Chris with Sun Titan to get back Saffi. He blocks with Brawn, getting it exactly where he wants—into the graveyard. I cast one of my new favorites, Harvester of Souls. Apple’s note: “Sheldon draws so many cards!”

Shea:  Plays Wood Elves and pops the Verge to get a Plains and a Forest.

Chris:  Swings at me with Avenger. I block with Sun Titan, killing the Avenger and drawing myself a card. Casts Skullbriar. I assume Chris has some recursion trick for the Avenger, but I seem to be wrong.

TURN 14

Apple:  Battles Shea with Shadowmage to draw a card (10). Casts Elixir of Immortality then Merieke again.

Me:  Bojuka Bog targeting Chris, who responds with Makeshift Mannequin targeting Avenger of Zendikar—so he did have tricks. I’m not out of tricks either. I respond with flashing back Krosan Reclamation on Avenger and Tajuru Preserver (I could have chosen only one target but figured I’d be a little sociable). Krosan Reclamation has paid dividends in this game and in others as well. I intended it use it to help save stuff out of my own yard when people Bog me or crack Relic of Progenitus, but it’s served to upend other folks’ strategies as well. I’m pretty happy with how it’s turned out.

I attack Chris with Sun Titan, getting back Sol Ring and using it to activate the Vault (15), me to (51).

Shea:  Plays Solemn Simulacrum to fetches a Plains.

Chris:  Forest. Green Sun’s Zenith for eight getting Terastodon targeting Intruder Alarm, Vault of the Archangel, and Elixir of Immortality. Apple activates Elixir (34) and shuffles his graveyard into his library.

TURN 15

Apple:  Rite of Replication kicked on Rune-Scarred Demon. When no one has an answer, he searches five times, then drops a Swamp and casts Thousand-Year Elixir.

Me:  Swing Sun Titan at Chris getting back Vault; Chris blocks with Skullbriar. Chris agonizes about not being able to get rid of the damn Vault. Activate Saffi to “protect” Harvester of Souls, cast Regrowth to get Planar Cleansing and cast it. It’s time for graveyard filling. I cast Wall of Roots and Wood Elves to get Savannah.

Shea:  Karmic Guide targeting Rune-Scarred Demon, Tutors for and drops Lurking Predators then Sakura-Tribe Elder.

Chris:  Casts Prismatic Omen. Lurking Predators gets Necrotic Sliver. Skullbriar battles Apple (29).

TURN 16

Apple:  Casts Sun Titan to get back Shadowmage Infiltrator, but LPreds gets Angelic Arbiter for Shea. Casts Conjurer’s Closet. Shea’s Predators get Acidic Slime, blowing up Prismatic Omen. At EOT, Apple blinks Sun Titan to get back Intruder Alarm. Speaking of things that won’t stay dead…

Me:  I have a Karador turn. I start with Volrath’s Stronghold then cast Fracturing Gust (57). I cast Karador and use its ability to cast Karmic Guide from the yard to get back Sun Titan to get back Saffi.

Shea:  Demonic Tutor and says, “I’m going for it.” Casts Tooth and Nail, Entwined to get Kokusho, the Evening Star and Griselbrand, but drops Griselbrand and Wurmcoil Engine from his hand. If he’s looking for life gain it seems like KK is the card, but maybe he has something up his sleeve. He battles Chris with Angelic Arbiter, Rune-scarred Demon, Acidic Slime, and Necrotic Sliver, which is lethal. He sacs his Sakura-Tribe Elder for a Plains and passes.

TURN 17

Apple:  Casts Angel of Despair destroying the Angelic Arbiter. I might just buy that guy some more pizza. Casts Deadeye Navigator and soulbonds it to Angel of Despair. I consider my pizza-buying thoughts perhaps a little too hasty.

Me:  Karmic Guide tricks. With its echo on the stack I sacrifice Saffi to the Guide (drawing a card from Harvester of Souls). Karmic Guide comes back to get Acidic Slime, taking out Wurmcoil Engine. I finally draw for the turn. I drop Maze of Ith then cast Saffi from Karador. From my hand, I cast Avenger of Zendikar (thirteen 0/1 tokens) and realize that I’ve bumbled by already playing my land. I attack Apple with Sun Titan to get back Sol Ring. Apple blocks with Shadowmage Infiltrator. I cast Wall of Reverence and at EOT go to (63). I have to discard three land.

Shea:  Uses Griselbrand to draw seven cards and go to three life. Doesn’t look happy with the seven but has to do something. Strip Mines the Maze of Ith then evokes Shriekmaw blowing up Deadeye Navigator. He attacks Apple with Griselbrand and both Wurmcoil tokens. Apple blocks Griselbrand with Angel of Despair (which dies) and the lifelink token with Sun Titan, taking three and Shea going to (13). Casts Scavenging Ooze and plays Maze of Ith. It’s good to see a really active turn from Shea, since it feels like he’s been sitting on the sidelines most of this game.

TURN 18

Apple:  Casts Merieke then enchants her with Pemmin’s Aura. Sun Titan battles Shea. Titan targets Thousand-Tear Elixir and Scavenging Ooze exiles it. Eventually Wood Elves throws itself under the Titan. Casts Lightning Greaves, which Shea immediately takes out with Necrotic Sliver.

Me:  Karmic Guide’s echo triggers, and it dies without trickery. Cast Skyshroud Claim for a Forest and Murmuring Bosk. Drop Command Tower and Solemn Simulacrum to get a Plains and four landfall triggers for Avenger. Fearful a little of Griselbrand, I attack Shea for lethal with the thirteen 4/5 tokens and Apple with Sun Titan (Shea Mazes it), Acidic Slime, Avenger, and a 3/3 Beast token. Apple blocks the 3/3 with Titan and goes to (19), me to (69). Post-combat I cast Devouring Swarm.

TURN 19

Apple:  Taps Merieke to steal Saffi, then with the ability on the stack untaps Merieke with Pemmin’s Aura. (From Apple’s notes:  “At this point I realize I can’t do anything so might as well take out as many creatures as I can.“) I sac everything he targets to the Swarm, eventually leaving me with just some tokens. Apple attacks with Titan to get back Intruder Alarm. I block with Wall of Roots. Apple casts Darksteel Ingot.

Me:  Cast Bone Shredder to take out Sun Titan. Cast Return to Dust on Pemmin’s Aura and Intruder Alarm. Apple responds by using Pemmin’s Aura/Merieke to steal three 4/5 tokens. I cast Massacre Wurm, killing Merieke, then attack with everything else, killing Apple.

I’ve already gotten really fond of the Karador deck. I feel the burning desire to run it out at least once every week. It’s solid with a significant vulnerability, and it forces me to play it, which I can only imagine helps me improve my skills.

Kokusho Testing

Before I get to Kokopuffs, I’ll tell you that this week’s MVP card in the League game I played with Kresh was Essence Harvest . For only one more mana than Rite of Consumption, it basically does the same thing—and you don’t have to sacrifice the creature. The obvious downside is that if you only have one giant dude, you’ll be disappointed in the results if it gets removed; but if you have creatures, you’ll at least get some effect. I’m hoping to someday live the dream of attacking one guy for lethal with a giant Kresh (or Lord of Extinction or Hamletback Goliath), casting Essence Harvest for another kill, and then finishing off the last guy with a Fling.

In other League news, before we got going they posted the final standings from last League, where I tied for first place with Sean Argo (congrats Sean!). One of the prizes—a creative and inspired one—of finishing first is that we get to choose who we get to play with in the first round each week of this League. For me, it’s better than store credit or packs. I get to shape games with the kinds of players I like best and, perhaps even more importantly, help newer players see the format’s vision.

Obviously, if I were a power-gamer I could just play with weaker players, pile up points, and…yeah, I have no idea what I’d actually do with that, especially if one of the prizes next League is the same. It’s kind of neat that I get to play with a table of only friends when I’m of a mood or get to know some new people. I’ll probably try out some themes, like if all the Monday Night Gamers are there doing that, or a table full of people whose names begin with “S” (Sean and I can make up half that table already!), or some other such craziness. I intend to make it as much fun as I can.

On to the testing! I played six games this past week (including League games), and in only two of them did Kokusho show up. I played black decks in five of the six games (only one not having it was Ruhan). Of the 24 total decks in those games, eighteen had black and twelve had Kokusho (which includes mine). The first time we saw it was from my Thraximundar deck. It hit the field, I sacrificed it to activate Attrition, and it was promptly eaten from the graveyard.

While playing Kresh, I drew it, cast it, and it was met with Path to Exile. I also drew it while playing a game with Karador, but I had stalled on land, got way behind, and needed to cast other things (Planar Cleansing and Wrath of God) plus I was playing around Necrogenesis. The turn before I was going to play it, an opponent cast a kicked Rite of Replication targeting someone else’s Craterhoof Behemoth and did the right thing by killing me since I was the only one with board sweepers (although I did manage to nick a point by saving one of the other players with my Maze of Ith).

Armada League Chairman Michael Fortino is doing us a service by putting a questionnaire on the back page of every League score sheet asking some good questions when KK shows up in games—both what happened and how they felt about it (and whether they played differently because of it). Hopefully we’ll have some good data from that as well. It’s important to me that we evaluate both what the card does and how folks feel about it. Neither is going to be the only determining factor; I’d just like to have all the information possible.

I’m going to avoid for the moment drawing any conclusions, since the sampling here is just too small. It’s clear that Kokusho wasn’t much of a factor in the games in which it showed up. We’ll continue to see in the coming weeks how significant (or not) it is to games, especially in comparison to other Chaos Embracing cards.