Hello, my name is Ben Chapman, I am a relatively unknown player from southern New Hampshire, and I was fortunate enough to win Regionals this year.

I prepared very little for this event. In fact, the deck was not finalized until the night before. I did not even have the cards until the night before. However, thanks to some friendly players at my local Friday Night Magic in Keene, NH, I found the expensive rares necessary to post a 8-0-2 record on the day, with the two draws coming in the last two rounds after a I clinched a first-seed Top 8 birth.

After testing a very janky version of BW I realized that it is a very strong archetype, outclassing control decks with powerful discard like Castigate and a full complement of Ravenous Rats and Shrieking Grotesques. The Rats/Grotesques also double as beaters and sacrificial lambs for Ghost Council of Orzhova. The other important realization came a while back while playing RW aggro, that main deck Paladin en-Vec murders all kinds of aggro decks… and when he wields Umezawa's Jitte, the game ends soon after.

Prior to the event I was planning on running a version with Loxodon Warhammers because I had traded my Jittes for Godless Shrines. I knew I wanted to play BW, and I figured I could possibly make due without the Jittes. How wrong I was, and I quickly found a place for them when an FNM local loaned me the playset (as well as the crucial sideboard Pithing Needles).

Here's a decklist of what I ended up running at Regionals. I call it Amputated BW, because it is essentially Hand in Hand without the Hands. [That's the best reasoning for a deck name I've ever heard. – Craig.]

Amputated BW A Standard deck, by Ben Chapman 1st place at a Regionals tournament in Northern New England on 2006-06-04 Print this deck!
Maindeck: Creatures 4 Dark Confidant 3 Descendant of Kiyomaro 4 Paladin en-Vec 4 Plagued Rusalka 4 Ravenous Rats 4 Shrieking Grotesque Enchantments 2 Faith's Fetters Instants 4 Mortify Legendary Artifacts 4 Umezawa's Jitte	Legendary Creatures 3 Ghost Council of Orzhova Sorceries 4 Castigate Basic Lands 5 Plains 5 Swamp Lands 4 Caves of Koilos 4 Godless Shrine 2 Orzhov Basilica	Sideboard: 3 Pithing Needle 2 Okiba-Gang Shinobi 3 Orzhov Pontiff 3 Last Gasp 2 Seize the Soul 2 Terashi's Grasp
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Some things that differ from the typical BW builds…

Maindeck Castigates

The Castigates are the defining feature of this deck, and easily the MVP. They provide a kind of disruption that matches Duress for power, at least in Standard. They annihilate control as I yoink their win condition or answers to my Jitte-enhanced threats. They also play a key role in the mirror, and even against aggro/burn decks, as I can take their Jitte before they can play it, or nab their Ghost Council of Orzhova. Versus burn, removing their best burn spell is almost preemptive life gain or counterspell, whichever way you want to look at it. The card was fantastic all day; just ask my GWB control opponent when I played it three times in the first four turns.

Maindeck Faith's Fetters

This card was huge for me all day. Most of the time it saw play my opponent would groan and say, “Who plays Fetters main?!” as it made their Meloku a subpar 2/4 flier. The reaction of my Top 8 opponent was priceless as well, as he looked over my deck list…”Fetters! What!?” While the card does have its drawbacks (mainly in the mirror where Mortify/Kami of Ancient Law make it a pretty bad life gain card) it is actually pretty good versus control as it neutralizes legendary win conditions quite well, they need to draw two more to get another to stick.

Descendant of Kiyomaro

I found this card as I was browsing MTG.com message boards for BW decks. Back when Guildpact first became legal, people were tinkering with their FNM BW decks. This card was in favor during that time because people were running the Rats/Grotesque/Cry of Contrition type BW decks. Once Hand in Hand and Ghost Husk became the alpha BW decks, Descendant basically fell to the wayside in popularity terms. However, when I decided I wanted to run the heavy discard build, Descendant looked to me like a great addition. He is awesome versus Paladin en-Vec, and absolutely dominates aggro/Burn/Wildfire. The only thing I disliked about the card was that it was the only card in the deck that was very vulnerable to Mortify, making it a huge target in the mirror. If I could bait out a Mortify on a Descendant and get a Confidant to stick, it's good times. Even vice versa; either one is a huge threat in the mirror, or in any match.

Twenty Lands

This is perhaps the reason I won Regionals this year. Running fewer lands than nearly every opponent I faced allowed me to topdeck better than my opponents in every game. While this carried some risk - it made some games tighter than they should have been, perhaps - the rewards far outweighed the risks, as each hand I drew was guaranteed to have more business than anyone I played; it was just a matter of getting it into play. Luckily the deck's curve is fairly short, but not hitting three mana is a problem, and not hitting four by turn 6 or 7 can also be a headache. The bounce lands were very important in this way, letting me get to three mana with two lands as well as allowing me to run just the twenty overall. The Limited principle that many people follow is that bounce lands let you run fewer total lands, it is curious that many people discount them in Constructed when the principle clearly applies in all cases. The only time bounce lands can be bad is if your opponent Stone Rains or bounces them; luckily, I did not run into any such cards all day. Dark Confidant also solves nearly any mana issue a deck can have, and Bob served me well all day, with Castigate protection of course.

Sideboard

Everything in the sideboard is pretty self-explanatory. I brought in Pithing Needles versus Heartbeat/Control decks. Needle won me a few critical games, naming Meloku or Windreaver. Okiba-Gang Shinobi also appeared versus control, but they only saw play once and were largely mediocre. Last Gasp/Orzhov Pontiff/Terashi's Grasp came in for the mirror/aggro decks, though Pontiff is hard to play in my build as you really need five land to get it to work correctly, and I'm probably dead if I don't get there. I would say my deck in this form is really a gamble versus aggro, though it has the tools to beat it. I was very fortunate to run into mainly control decks, and even more fortunate to draw well versus the aggro decks I did face. Finally, Seize the Soul came in for any Gruul/Simic aggro decks as it absolutely batters them, although it did not see play on the day.

Matchups

As I expected to do poorly in this event due to the lack of necessary preparation, I did not keep notes. However, I remember my opponents' decks and have faint memory of some of what transpired. I apologize to my opponents if anything turns out incorrect. Feel free to email me and let me know.

Round 1: Lenny Brassard - UWG Aggro/Control
2-0

Lenny's deck was a strange one for me as he was running White Weenie elements - Savannah Lions; Isamaru, Hound of Konda; and Umezawa's Jitte, as well as some interesting UG cards like the Trygon Predator. Yet he was also playing Wrath of God, and the obvious countermagic. The details of the match are hazy, but my removal trumped his creatures, especially once the Gasps and Pontiffs were boarded in. Jitte counters in my favor were likely a feature of this match, as they were throughout the day.

Round 2: Shaun J. Hammond - GWB Control
2-0

This was a popular deck choice on the day. This particular version was running Grave-shell Scarabs; Wrath of God; Putrefy; Mortify; Kokusho, the Evening Star; and Phyrexian Arena. This was a battle, as he frequently removed my guys via Wrath and his spot removal, but I outlasted him with Ghost Council/Jitte in Game 1. He cast Cranial Extraction and took my Ghost Councils in Game 2, but I believe I may have Castigated a Wrath, and my guys used Umezawa's Murder Machine to win quickly. This match showed how minor the effect a Cranial Extraction has on my deck. Ghost Council is really not what makes the deck win. It is a fine finisher and a great removal dodger for sure, but what really matters is an active Jitte… if my hand disruption can remove your ways of dealing with it.

Round 3: Anthony J. Alario - Tech Ghost Dad
2-0

I have better memory of this match as it was a tight one, and I probably should have been destroyed at this point. He was playing a version of Ghost Dad, complete with maindeck Pacifism, which is great on a Paladin as I would soon find out. Game 1 saw me draw an answer for everything he played; Jitte was answered with my own Jitte, and removal of all sorts took out his guys. I ended up drawing better than him due to my lower land count, and I am pretty sure I got the first active Jitte, and the win soon after.

It was clear to me that he had geared his deck for the mirror match, he even told me later that he expected a large portion of BW at the event - as had many - yet there actually weren't that many BW deck represented, and only a few that were successful.

Game 2 was a crazy one, as he plays a quick Eight-and-a-Half-Tails and a Hand of Cruelty, and starts the beat down. I Castigate, seeing hand of five Land and a Ghost Council, which is obviously yoinked. I neglected to realize how amazing the Tails is in the mirror, as it neutralized my double Mortify hand, and made me bemoan his great sideboard and matchup. While he drew very little from this point on, we were at a standstill with my Jitte on a Descendant and a Ghost Council just hanging out. Eventually he tapped out to play a Ghost Council, killing mine, as well as giving his Tails pro White and swinging, expecting the Pro White Hand to hold down the fort. He passes the turn, but I rip a Last Gasp - a card he had not seen to this point, to kill his Black Hand, and then swing with equipped Descendant, using Jitte counters to immediately kill the Tails. The game ends shortly after as we comment on my ridiculous top decking ability. I know I am favored in that department due to land counts, but still… ripping that Gasp is pretty sick.

Round 4: Jarvis Yu - GWB Control
2-1

Jarvis and I were deck checked to start the match, and we chatted about our World of Warcraft characters as he noticed my Blizzard notepad. Once the game got underway, it was clear I was up against a similar deck as the second round, though it did have its differences. Jarvis was playing Yosei, the Morning Star; Kokusho, the Evening Star; Miren, the Moaning Well; Wrath of God; Mortify; Putrefy; and Phyrexian Arena.

I took Game 1 on the back of Castigate and double Confidant. One died to Wrath, the other stuck around for a few turns to give me enough threats to overcome his answers. I lose my first game of the day as Jarvis beats my face in with Kokushos. I cannot generate enough disruption in the early game to have a chance (i.e. no Castigate). Game 3 saw no shortage of Castigates (as mentioned above): I played three in the first four turns, followed by two Ravenous Rats… The game was pretty much over at that point, as he was in top deck mode quickly.

Round 5: Keith Gallot - UBw Aggro/Control

2-0

Keith is an acquaintance of mine, as he plays at a card store in Somersworth NH. I play there when I am at school (UNH). I have played with him a few times, and he turned me on to Highlander Constructed play. I also had been conversing with him and the rest of the store gang throughout the day, comparing matches and decks. It was sad that we had to play each other, but it was bound to happen as most of the store people were doing well, with three or four undefeated players. Keith was playing a very innovative deck with Azorius Herald; Dimir Cutpurse; Jitte; Mana Leak; Remand; and a teched-out sideboard, complete with Azorius Guildmage and Castigate. The Guildmage proved decent for Keith to this point, as it dominates a lot of decks when it hits the board… but we all know by now how I like Castigate. I took Game 1 Castigating my way to a Jitte advantage. Game 2, I mulliganed down to 4 on the draw, and somehow managed to pull it out with a Swamp, Swamp, Descendant, Paladin hand!

I respect Keith a lot as a player, and felt bad to put a beat like that on him. He ended up going 4-2, and dropped out to draft back at Somersworth.

Round 6: Ryan Spring - UG Control
2-1

I recognized Ryan from various PTQs and knew he was a solid player, as he Top 8'd one of them and was 5-0 at this point. Ryan would also qualify for Nationals this day, with his UG control deck. His deck consisted of Voidslime; Mana Leak; Remand; Sensei's Divining Top; Jitte; Meloku the Clouded Mirror; Vinelasher Kudzu; Sakura-Tribe Elder; and Keiga, the Tide Star… apparently with a tech sideboard which include multiple Savage Twisters. He claimed how he had not won a single Game 1, but had gone 10-0 in post-sideboard games. The trend would end in this match, as Ryan took Game 1 with a wave of countermagic followed by a Meloku. Games 2 and 3 involved me dropping a first turn Pithing Needle on Meloku, Castigating his remaining threats/answers, dropping Faith's Fetters on Keiga, then riding my guys to victory.

Round 7: James Pirkey - UW control
2-0

James is playing what you would expect a UW control deck to play, and he too qualified for Nationals. I believe I gave him his only loss on the day. UW control really has no chance versus my deck, or versus anything running four maindeck Castigates followed up with additional discard.

In game 1 he resolves a Wrath of God, killing a Confidant/Descendant; I respond by dropping additional copies of both the following turn, and he does not have another Wrath. An active Confidant doesn't need too long to end the game versus control, and it did not need much time in this situation either. Game 2 saw me dropping a turn 1 Pithing Needle on Windreaver, then Castigate his Wrath. Eventually he is forced to tap out to play Meloku, which I promptly Fetters, and the match ends in fifteen minutes.

Control is clearly my favorite matchup with this deck, as the Castigates are usually too much, and the Rats/Grotesques really force tough decisions. Many times people will Mana Leak a Rats or Grotesque, which lets my play Bob and win.

I draw in Rounds 8 and 9, ensuring I enter the Top 8 as first seed with my 7-0-2 record. With only four invites from this event, the winners go to Nationals and the losers get a box and a pat on the back. This should be a pressure-filled situation, but I am happy with a box at this point, as I didn't expect my deck to perform as well as it has all day; anything else is gravy.

Top 8 Match: Tim J. McMath - BW Hand in Hand

I did not know another BW deck had made it this far in the tourney, as the top tables had none of them. Apparently, Tim snuck into the Top 8 playing in the lower bracketed tables recovering from an early loss. This was a huge problem for me, as I believe my worst match up is the mirror, especially when my sideboard was less than optimal. Tim's deck in particular was very bad for me, as he had a bevy of great things for the mirror, such as 2 Manriki-Gusari to win Jitte battles.

After examining each other's deck list I thought I would surely lose to his tech, and my lack of it. I was also confidant that I would need some luck, but my deck had not disappointed me thus far in that department.

I managed to take Game 1 by gaining Jitte advantage (keeping a hand with two of them), and essentially rode it to victory. Game 2 saw his sideboard destroy my face, playing turn 3 Manriki-Gusari and equipping on a Paladin while I hold two Jittes in hand. That, and his other Protection from Black creatures stomp me fairly quickly. Game 3 is a tight one, and something I won't forget for a while. I get out a quick Jitte, but stall on one Plains and four Swamps while holding Descendants/Paladins among other things that can't be played. He is beating me down with a Hand of Honor and a Paladin en-Vec, and not much else for action. I eventually get beaten down to four, dead next turn… unless of course I draw the White source finally, play a Paladin and equip the Jitte. He cannot attack next turn, and does not draw any answer, as the First Striking Paladin, soon backed by Descendants, goes to town on his guys and gives me an invite to Nationals.

This was my first big Constructed tournament as I am more of a Limited man in general, and I have not really had the cards to compete or the will to obtain them. I give most of the credit for my win to the deck and its performance. I just tried to stay out of its way as it neutered people's hands and smashed face with Jitte counters. I would also like to extend a public apology to Jim Dyke for not immediately drawing with you in the last round; it was not a class thing to do, and proves my noob status when it comes to big tournaments.

See you all at Nationals!

Ben Chapman