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Hi!
My name is Josh Cho, and I recently finished third and second in the StarCityGames.com Standard and Legacy Opens. I have been playing Magic since around Ice Age initially but really got back into the game around Lorwyn block. I have had a few money finishes at the Grand Prix level as well as some cashes at the SCG Open Series. What I am probably best known for is my ability to photo bomb. Before we get to the report, here are a few examples of my recent work from StarCityGames.com Open: Pittsburgh.
That's about as close as I've come to actually obtaining a trophy. But let's backtrack to the event.
The story began on Friday night when I met up with Drew Levin and Jarvis “JARVIS CHRIST!” Yu at Drew's home just outside the city. Together we made our way into DC to meet up with Gerry Thompson, Kaitlin, and Patrick Chapin at The Melting Pot. A murderer's row of a dinner party (and one Jarvis) to say the least. As we sat down to order, Patrick announced that he had had four meals that day and was interested in splitting an entrée with someone at the table. I had had a late lunch that day so I immediately took him up on the offer.
After looking over the menu and confirming that both of us were on the Mono-Meat plan, we decided to split the 9-ounce sirloin entrée. When the waitress came to take our orders, she said to Patrick and me that our meal would be much too small for the both of us. Without missing a beat, Chapin stated that we were both swimsuit models and had to watch our figures for a shoot tomorrow. She tilted her head to the side and looked at me quizzically. Eager to help, I quickly let her know that I was the before picture and Patrick was the after picture. Head tilt to the other side, this time directed towards Patrick, she said, “But how are you going to turn an Asian man into a white man?” Just your standard bet, raise, re-raise, quietly muck.
The idea of Hovermyr was invented while we waited for our dessert to arrive. Neither Gerry nor I could figure out a card that we liked over Invisible Stalker and Merfolk Looter in U/W Delver. Out came the patented GerryT Notebook™. Together, we came up with stellar hits such as Oculus, Mortarpod, and Signal Pest. None of these options looked very attractive to say the least. I suggested Mikaeus, the Lunarch, which we adopted into our list. I felt that Mikaeus would be more impactful than Looter. It would help us negate being board swept by Curse of Death's Hold, Slagstorm, and Whipflare, all of which could give our deck fits, while also providing a solid body by himself.
After agonizing for a while for the 60th card in the deck, Patrick suggested Hovermyr. To say that we were going deep at that point would be an understatement. In my mind, I immediately placed the ever-vigilant Myr into the same mental trash bin as Doc Oculus. At first, we were coming up with the more ridiculous situations that Hovermyr would be good in. It doesn't have a Throat to Go for! Survives Whipflare all by himself! He looks so cute floating in the air like that!
Then the practical applications came up. It could poke the opponent for one damage a turn and stay back to block 1/1 Spirit Tokens. Being an artifact creature, it could provide you with the ability to block protection from white creatures, i.e. a Spirit token with a Sword of War and Peace equipped. And if you ever got the chance to attach your own Sword onto it…
Unfortunately, we came to realize that there would be no way that we could find this unknown common at the dealer booth, and who would put Hovermyr in their trade binders at a large event? Disappointed, we settled on putting one Revoke Existence in the main deck. As the night drew to a close, we parted ways with Patrick, and headed back to Drew's for the night.
After too few hours of sleep, I found myself at the tournament site the next morning. Eager to battle, I scribbled out the decklist onto my registration form. Just as I finished writing out the sideboard, Gerry ran up to me and uttered the most beautiful words I had ever heard. “Patrick found Hovermyrs; are you in?” I am not usually one for signs, but when else would I get the opportunity to register Hovermyr at an actual event? I snap-accepted and together, Gerry and I registered the following list.
| U/W Delver A Standard deck, by Josh Cho 3rd place at a StarCityGames.com Standard Open tournament in Washington, District of Columbia, United States on 2012-01-22 | ||
Artifacts 3 Sword of War and Peace Artifact Creatures 1 Hovermyr 2 Spellskite Creatures 4 Delver of Secrets 4 Snapcaster Mage Instants 3 Gut Shot 4 Mana Leak 2 Midnight Haunting 3 Vapor Snag |
Legendary Creatures 4 Geist of Saint Traft 1 Mikaeus, the Lunarch Sorceries 4 Gitaxian Probe 4 Ponder Basic Lands 9 Island 1 Plains Lands 4 Glacial Fortress 3 Moorland Haunt 4 Seachrome Coast | 2 Sword of Feast and Famine 1 Spellskite 2 Oblivion Ring 2 Dissipate 1 Midnight Haunting 1 Mutagenic Growth 2 Negate 2 Revoke Existence 2 Timely Reinforcements |
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| Download this deck in Apprentice format! |
Download this deck in Magic Online Text format! | |
The deck and sideboard played really well. In the main, I would like to find room for the fourth Gut Shot for the mirror match, possibly by swapping out a Haunting or a Vapor Snag. The sideboard changes that I would make would be to remove the Timely Reinforcements and one Revoke Existence and change them to one more Mutagenic Growth and two Divine Offerings. The Timely Reinforcements were never really relevant in any of the matches that I played.
An interesting note on the tournament itself was the presence of 5-Hour Energy Girls with their abundance of free samples. I am normally a Red Bull man, but even I could not turn down free energy boosters. By the end of Round 6, I was running on about 20 Hours of Energy. Not something that I would recommend, but it was true that I did not feel the crashing effects like from a normal caffeine rush.
My notes from the event have been lost, so I do apologize if I get any of names incorrect from memory. Here is the round-by-round review of the Standard Open.
Rd. 1 – Troy Wright 2-0 Win
Rd. 2 – Owen Reed 2-1 Win
Rd. 3 – Eric Alatis 2-0 Win
Rd. 4- Ted Felicetti 2-0 Win
Rd. 5- Charles Gindy 2-1 Win
Rd. 6 – Chris Jordan 2-0 Win
Rd. 7 – Javier Arevalo 1-2 Loss
Rd. 8 – Tim Kowalski 2-1 Win
Rd. 9 – James Upton 2-0
Rd. 10 – Todd Anderson 0-0-1 ID
For a while, it looked like Gerry and I were on a collision course with destiny. I'm sure that the Mayans had the 75-card Hovermyr-ror match in mind when they decided that 2012 would be the end of the world. Unfortunately, or fortunately if you were worried about the subsequent Armageddon, this did not come to pass. There was also the awkward moment where, instead of Gerry and Chapin breaking the format with Hovermyr with me being the barnacle attached, I was the lone idiot in the Top 8 with a Hovermyr hanging out in my deckbox.
That is not to say that Hovermyr did not do a lot of cool things for me this tournament. By my count, there were at least five games that Hovermyr singlehandedly won for me. Hovermyr was so good for me that it won me a match even after I had sideboarded him out. Allow me to explain.
In Game 1 against an opponent playing G/B Ramp featuring both Primeval and Grave Titans, I was able to lay down a turn 2 Hovermyr. A few turns passed with the ever-vigilant Myr pecking my opponent for one point of damage a turn; I resolved my Mikaeus. The writing was on the wall after I countered the next two Titans that my opponent attempted to resolve. I quickly boarded out my Hovermyr, Sword of War and Peace, and Gut Shots for the Dissipates, Sword of Feast and Famine, Revoke Existences, and Oblivion Rings. I knew that if my opponent ever resolved an unanswered Curse of Death's Hold, I would be in a world of hurt.
After I won game 2, I desideboarded and filled out the match slip, thankful to have bested one of the worse matchups that U/W Delver has. I looked up to see my opponent reviewing his sideboard options, and I noticed that he hadn't taken any Curse of Death's Hold from the deck that he presented me for Game 2. I showed him the useless Revokes that I had boarded in against him and asked if he even had any Curses in his sideboard. His response was, “I do; I just saw your turn 2 Hovermyr and turn 6 Mikaeus, and I thought that you were something completely different.” His answer was exactly the reason that I wanted to play cards like Hovermyr in the first place. #BanHovermyr! Playing Hovermyr also led to sweet Facebook posts like this.
When the Top 8 profile sheets were handed out, there was no question as to what the MVP of the deck was going to be.
Top 8
Javier Arevalo 2-0 Win
Game 1 was won off the back of an early flipped Delver and Geist equipped with a Sword of War and Peace. In my mind, the match was decided on turn 2 when he Mana Leaked my Hovermyr (fist pump!), allowing me to resolve Geist and Sword on the following two turns. Even in death, Hovermyr brought value.
Game 2 was pretty uninteresting as I nut drew him again. One of the strengths of this deck is that it leads to draws like turn 1 Delver, turn 2 flip Delver, cast Hovermyr, turn 3 Sword or Geist. I know my limitations as a player, and being able to play a deck with unbeatable starts like the ones I had in this match is a big draw for me.
Top 4
Michael Rooks
Game 1 I landed an early Hovermyr against his awkward draw of double Mortarpod, Nexus, and Mountain. After Probing, I saw that he had three Chandra's Phoenix in hand. I then laid a Geist of Saint Traft to begin applying the beats. He never really drew out of his start, and on the fifth turn, I had out Geist, Hovermyr, and dropped my fifth land and a Sword of War and Peace. I moved to equip the Myr with Sword, which he quickly double pinged with his Mortarpod tokens. At that point, it would be academic, as I would just equip Geist to Sword, and I won very easily after that.
Game 2 was where my biggest punt of the tournament happened. The board was pretty even when I Pondered into Sword, Geist, and Delver. I thought that I put Sword on top but drew for my Ponder and saw Geist. With five mana in play, including four untapped, I made the second consecutive mistake. I should have just passed the turn with the Negate he knew about, drawn my Sword, and won easily from there. Instead, I compounded my mistake by dropping Geist with no counter backup. Slagstorm would wipe my board, but then I would just draw SoWaP and start attaching it to tokens to win. Unfortunately, he had Slagstorm and Surgical Extraction on Geist of Saint Traft to blow me out, getting rid of all my Geists as well as shuffling away my Sword on top of the library.
In game 3 I kept a fairly slow hand and ultimately died to two Inkmoth Nexuses.
My opponent, Michael Rooks, played very well in games 2 and 3. Combined with how I misplayed in a game that I had all but locked up, it led to me throwing away a very winnable match. Still, I can't be too upset with my finish. Hovermyr took me all the way to the Top 4, and it was karmic justice for me to lose because I sided him out. All jokes aside, this match taught me to focus much more, especially in games where I am significantly ahead. I was definitely guilty of thinking too far ahead, not reviewing my Ponder placement, and giving my opponent the opportunity to blow me out with his Slagstorm and Surgical. Not the best way to exit a tournament, but it did leave me with a hunger to finish better.
The best part about losing in the SCG Standard Open is that it goes right into the Legacy Open. I would not have the time to feel down about my misplay because there was a lot more work to be done.
Immediately after my departure from the Standard Open, I was tasked with hunting down cards to complete the decklist that you see below. I will be completely honest with you about my inexperience with Legacy. The “testing” that took place for this Legacy event consisted of me trying to get some sleep after dinner, with Gerry trying to explain cards like Nimble Mongoose and Stifle to me.
Gerry: “1/1 Hexproof, Threshold +2/+2. Stifle - counter target activated or triggered ability. Pay attention these cards are important!”
Me: “Zzzzzzzz…..”
At the end of the tournament, my inexperience would come back to punish me in the finals. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Here's the list!
| RUG Tempo A Legacy deck, by Joshua Cho 2nd place at a StarCityGames.com Legacy Open tournament in Washington, District of Columbia, United States on 2012-01-22 | ||
Creatures 4 Delver of Secrets 3 Nimble Mongoose 2 Snapcaster Mage 4 Tarmogoyf |
Instants 4 Brainstorm 3 Daze 2 Dismember 4 Force of Will 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Spell Snare 4 Stifle Sorceries 4 Ponder Lands 4 Misty Rainforest 4 Scalding Tarn 3 Tropical Island 3 Volcanic Island 4 Wasteland | 1 Ancient Grudge 2 Price of Progress 2 Red Elemental Blast 3 Spell Pierce 4 Submerge 3 Surgical Extraction |
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| Download this deck in Apprentice format! |
Download this deck in Magic Online Text format! | |
I would actually recommend the Hatfield's version of this deck much more than the one that I played. Mine was put together at the last minute, while their version was much better tuned for this tournament. The mirror match quickly devolves into an attrition-based match, where having a single Sensei's Divining Top allows you to either dig deeper to find threats or answer your opponent's threats. Having the option to board into a Counterbalance/Top deck is also very powerful, locking out many of your opponents. I played against it twice in the tournament, and it felt superior in every way possible.
Here is their list, piloted to the Top 8 by Calosso Fuentes.
| RUG Tempo A Legacy deck, by Calosso Fuentes 7th place at a StarCityGames.com Legacy Open tournament in Washington, District of Columbia, United States on 2012-01-22 | ||
Artifacts 1 Sensei's Divining Top Creatures 4 Delver of Secrets 3 Nimble Mongoose 3 Snapcaster Mage 4 Tarmogoyf Instants 4 Brainstorm 3 Daze 2 Dismember 4 Force of Will 4 Lightning Bolt 2 Spell Snare 3 Stifle |
Sorceries 4 Ponder Basic Lands 1 Island Lands 4 Flooded Strand 4 Misty Rainforest 3 Tropical Island 3 Volcanic Island 4 Wasteland | 2 Sensei's Divining Top 3 Counterbalance 2 Ancient Grudge 2 Pyroblast 3 Submerge 3 Surgical Extraction |
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| Download this deck in Apprentice format! |
Download this deck in Magic Online Text format! | |
Rd. 1 Justin Lo 2-0 Win
Rd. 2. Steve Rubin – 2-1 Win
Rd. 3 Jeffrey Kieper – 2-1 Win
Rd. 4 Eric Gosse – 2- 0 Win
Rd. 5 Jesse Hatfield – 1-2 Loss
Rd. 6 Michael Keller 2-0 Win
Rd. 7 Richard Hubbard 2-1 Win
Rd. 8 Daryl Ayers 1-1-1 Draw
Rd. 9 Michael Baraniecki Win 2-1
Top 8
Calosso Fuentes R/U/G Delver mirror (with Top and Counterbalance)
In Game 1 it looks like a have it locked up, but the board eventually bogs down to a point where I have a Thresholded Mongoose against a flipped Delver. He lands a Top, which digs him to two Delvers that are easily flipped for lethal.
Game 2 I snap-keep my hand on the play while Calosso mulligans to six. Jokingly, I start the “FIVE, FIVE, FIVE” chant that gains momentum with those watching the match. He obliges with another mulligan. Knowing that the Hatfield's build of R/U/G Delver is much better suited for the mirror, I lead into another chant, “FOUR, FOUR, FOUR!” There is obviously no justice in the world because he mulligans again. No chanting this time, as he blind keeps on four. Calosso, not one to give up easily, plays masterfully. If he had one more card in his hand, or if I had played even more poorly, there is no way that I would have won that game. Big props to Calosso for this game, turning what should have been a blowout on my side into a hard-fought game.
Game 3 was uninteresting as I drew an early Mongoose into flipped Delver into Tarmogoyf that he just could not battle back from.
Top 4
I'm paired against all-around good guy Ali Aintrazi. He offers the scoop to allow me to level up, which I gladly accept. Thanks again, Ali!
Finals
Here is the link to the coverage provided by StarCityGames.com.
http://www.starcitygames.com/events/coverage/finals_austin_yost_vs_josh_cho.html
Just as quickly as the round began, it was over. I definitely alternated between being too aggressive and too defensive in both games. I had the opportunity to save three points of damage by throwing away a Nimble Mongoose to his Keldon Marauders but didn't. Sometimes it's best to treat your creature as just a Healing Salve. I have nothing but praise for Austin. He was definitely prepared for this event, and his experience with the deck allowed him to roll me in two very quick games. It does sting a bit though. In two separate tournaments, I had managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
Looking back on this event, I know that I was very fortunate for the run that I had. I played okay, but I know that I left wins on the table. I'm thankful for all the people who lent me cards for this event; I could not have done it without you. Major thanks to GerryT and Patrick Chapin for innovating Hovermyr. I would not have done nearly as well without that little guy carrying me to victory. I do hope that I can be better prepared at the next event, both with getting plenty of sleep and with more knowledge about the formats. Before I sign off, I would like to leave you with a couple words of advice.
Figure out what you want to get out of this wonderful game that we all share. Whether you want to be the next Pro Tour Champion, a feared SCG Open End Boss, a Judge, or a value grinder on the trading floors, there is plenty of room for all of that within this game. Personally, I have often said that the games themselves are the least interesting aspect of a StarCityGames.com Open weekend. I come to these events with the main priority of having the best time possible. The stories, the dinners, the laughs between rounds, seeing old friends from across the globe, this is what draws me in. The game can only become a grind if you let it. I will not trivialize Magic by saying, “It's just a game!” It is not. We would not collectively spend countless hours or money reading, testing, playing, and traveling to events for “just a game.” Just make sure that you are getting what you want out of Magic, so that you are not depending on a money finish to make sure that you have a good time.
Now is a great time to be playing Magic: The Gathering. Between Grand Prix and the expanded schedule for the 2012 StarCityGames.com Open Series, it is very possible to play competitive level Magic just about every weekend. Between my work schedule and family life, I will not be able to attend every single SCG Open, but I can pick and choose from the ones that I can attend (www.mtgmom.com is the best schedule out there!). I know that I am not where I want to be yet, skill-wise, but the opportunity is there for both you and me to gain the experience necessary to succeed.
On Friday nights, you can usually find me in Gainesville, VA battling at Comics & Gaming. I will be attending the Prerelease for Dark Ascension in Roanoke this weekend and will surely be sleeving up some sweet brews for the first Post-DA Standard and Legacy tournaments at the StarCityGames.com Richmond Opens! If you see me at any of these places, feel free to come up and say hi. I would love to get your feedback on the decks that I played as well as this article.
Thank you very much for reading this article. I look forward to this upcoming year and all the sweet stories that it will bring.
Josh Cho
