I don't do many tournament reports for the simple reason that I don't go to many tournaments. But, I did get to go to one recently at the Dragon's Den in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Friendly proprietor, well lighted, clean. Worth stopping in if you are in the neighborhood.

My first goal was just to get to the tournament. I am one of the non-traditional Magic players having a wife and three kids under age 10 at home. That doesn't leave me a lot of time to go running off to tournaments sixty miles from home. And I thought that this one was a no go about noon on Friday when the daycare called and said that my youngest might be coming down with chicken pox. Sigh. So, I took the afternoon off of work, picked the little guy up, and went home. After we got home I decided that he probably didn't have the chicken pox, and I might be able to go after all.

Now, at this point, most reports include something about last minute play testing of decks with friends and last minute changes to the deck or sideboard. My story doesn't have anything like that. My lovely wife works full time, so Saturday is laundry/house cleaning/other chores day. If I was to have any chance of going to a tournament, I had to get my share done Friday. So I started the first of many loads of laundry that I would do Friday afternoon and evening. Then, I sat down to see what sort of a Type II deck I had. (Remember the wife and kids, I'd not played this deck in over a month.) Ok, green stampy. Lots of low cost echo critters (anti-Treachery), 3x Elvish Lyrists (anti-enchantment for Treachery, sneak, opposition, whatever), 3x Uktabi Orangutans (anti-artifact), 2x Creeping Mold (back up for the Lyrists and Orangutans and land destruction if needed), several enhancement spells (Giant Growth, Rancor, Invigorate), Man-Lands, Thran Quarries and Gaea's Cradles.

OK, I had a deck. Don't expect to win a tournament with it, but I should be able to win a few games and have some fun. Now for a sideboard, I was thinking about colors, not specific decks. Two more Creeping Molds just 'cause, 3x Darkest Hour (I love playing that against black after they sideboard in their Perishes) Wheels of Torture for fast decks that empty their hands, Defense Grids against those nasty blue decks, and Titania's Chosen for anti-green.

Before you flame me on my choices, I'll tell you that I would now make some very different choices. But, hindsight is 20/20.

I can't look at a deck without messing with it. I just really wanted to know about these Saber Ant critters so I took out an Albino Troll and put in an Ant. I took out an Uktabi Orangutan and put in a Caustic Wasp. I took out a Giant Growth and a Rancor for a couple of the Masques enhancement spells. I just like to try a couple of each of some of the new spells to see if I am happy or disappointed when I draw them during a game. Makes my deck a lot less consistent, but it sure is fun.

OK, that is it for deck development. Back to the laundry, picking up, grocery shopping after the kids go to bed, and to bed myself. Morning. Feed kids, help with more housework, then off to Sioux Falls to do some shopping before going to the tournament. (You don't make a trip to the local shopping Mecca without shopping. Kids always need something.)

I am delayed shopping and walk in just as the tournament is scheduled to start still eating my fast food lunch. Fortunately, the tournament takes about 15-20 minutes to get started so my lunch settles.

The quality of decks and players were all over the place. My first and third matches were against newer players with monster decks. The first green and the second red. I used Jaguars and Elves to beat them before they could get anything on the table. I talked, gently, to the Green player and suggested that he should get some Pouncing Jaguars for his deck. He has none and has only two Llanowar Elves to his name. (Oh where, oh where was that box of unsorted commons that I've been trying to give away when I needed it?) Besides, he likes his monsters and doesn't want to replace them with little critters. I suggested that pounding away for 2, 3, 4 points per turn early puts your opponent on the defensive and makes your monsters more threatening. I don't think I had an impact.

The red monster player kept me playing for 7 or 8 games because he couldn't believe his bad luck and just knew he should beat my little critter deck. I screwed up very badly in the final game we played and he won that one.

My second match was against a blue Treachery, Masticore, Powder Keg, counterspell deck. All three games started the same. I got early critters and some beat down going. He would slow me down with Powder Kegs and an occasional counterspell until he could get Masticore on the table. That stalled things a lot as I couldn't attack and he was clearing the board before he attacked. First game I couldn't draw an anti-Masticore card (having wasted my early one on one of the Powder Kegs) and lost to the Masticore. The second game proceeded pretty much the same as the first until we hit the stall stage. I did get my Saber Ants and Rushwood Elemental on the table. He Treacheried my Elemental and attacked. I blocked with a Giant Growthed Saber Ants, killed the Elemental (now a 5/5) and got 5 1/1 tokens as a bonus. The tokens provided some extra damage until he could get rid of them all. Another Giant Growth saved my Ants against a Masticore and made more tokens a couple of turns later. Tokens go in for the final points of damage. Second game to me despite drawing none of my sideboard cards.

Third game ended on time and was declared a draw.

Fourth match is against blue Opposition deck. First game I get the early critter rush and he loses a lot of life before he gets his combo on the table. He tapped me out and attacked with a Morphling and another critter to beat me. I see no Creeping Molds. I put in the two additional Creeping Molds and a couple of Defense Grids for the second game and draw none of them. Second game goes pretty much like the first.

2-1-1 is good enough for top 8 (16 person tournament) so I get to play again. Hurray. Remember, I haven't played this deck in about a month and have a thrown together sideboard, so I'm pretty happy with making top 8.

First round of top eight, match against a Sneak Attack deck. He just sits there tapping pain lands and using Demonic Consultants to look for cards. I start by putting out some early critters and attacking because I don't know what he is playing and think that maybe he is playing some sort of a black deck. The Sneak comes out and I know I am in trouble. No anti-enchantment in my hand or on the table. Crater Hellion to clear the board plus a couple of other critters and I die. Second game I side in the extra Creeping Molds and destroy the first Sneak Attack he plays. Unfortunately for me, he got a second that I failed to destroy and I go down again.

So, I go out with nothing but an afternoon of playing Magic. But, I am happy. I played reasonably well. I learned a lot about my deck so that I can improve it, and my play, for next time. And I did some trading after that netted me some cards I was missing. Overall a good day.

Michael Granaas
mgranaas@usd.edu