It was a bright and cold morning on Saturday, May 3^rd. I awoke at 4:30 a.m. and prepared to run the gauntlet. The night before, I had driven down to Green Bay to play in Friday Night Magic; I ran my Mono Black Control and ended up placing pretty well. I am very comfortable playing the deck, and have been doing so since Torment entered the Standard environment. However, I was still not sure that I wanted to take MBC to Regionals.

In hindsight, I should have played it.

Still undecided at 5:15, I packed up my cards and headed for Green Bay. Forty-five minutes later, I pulled up at the shop. We loaded up the cars and hit the road. On the ride down I decided to run a deck similar to one run by Chris Clapton at the English Nationals. I call it"Monastery Control", but at the tournament I heard it referred to as"Bulletproof Monk"; I prefer the former.

My car, perhaps due to my knowledge of Milwaukee (or perhaps due to my semi-lead foot), made it to the tourney at about 8:40, only ten minutes after registration had begun and far ahead of our compatriots from Green Bay. After trading for the remaining cards I would need (mainly four Polluted Deltas) I sat down to build the deck. The main point of the deck is to stall the game until you get a Riftstone Portal into your graveyard. Once you have achieved this, you continue to try to control the board; now, however, you have access to Wrath of God and the variety of your sideboard via Cunning Wish. Also, once you have a Riftstone Portal in the yard, your main kill condition (Nantuko Monastery) becomes active. Well, here is what I finally came up with:

Spells (36):
4 Innocent Blood
4 Smother
2 Chainer's Edict
4 Force Spike
4 Standstill
4 Counterspell
3 Circular Logic
2 Wrath of God
3 Cunning Wish
3 Compulsion
2 Deep Analysis
1 Haunting Echoes

Land (24):
4 Nantuko Monastery
4 Riftstone Portal
4 Polluted Delta
4 Underground River
2 Lonely Sandbar
1 Cephalid Coliseum
1 Swamp
4 Island

Sideboard (15)
1 Haunting Echoes
2 Wrath of God
1 Circular Logic
1 Ray of Revelation
1 Unsummon
1 Envelop
1 Seedtime
1 Coffin Purge
1 Ghastly Demise
1 Disenchant
1 Alter Reality
1 Renewed Faith
1 Grip of Amnesia
1 Hibernation

After registering the deck, I had about ten minuets until the start of the tournament. I used this time to catch my breath and familiarize myself with the deck. Right around 10, 00 the first-round pairings were up. There were an astounding 442 people playing.

My first round, I was paired up against a guy named Allen (I didn't take down anyone's last name. I sincerely apologize.). He was playing a solid B/R version of Reanimator.

The first game, he Reanimated a Petravark, taking three of my land. Sadly, he left me a black, so he lost his Petravark to an Innocent Blood the next turn. A few turns later I played a Haunting Echoes and it resolved, leaving him with a lot of land and few threats left. My active Nantuko Monastery swung for the kill over the next four turns.

Sideboard in one Haunting Echoes, out one Wrath of God.

Game two was similar to game one, except that he didn't resolve anything except for a few Burning Wishes. I resolved a Haunting Echoes. I only had to beat him to ten before he conceded this game.

Games 2-0
Matches 1-0

Round two was not quite as smooth. I was thoroughly trounced by a guy named Rick who played standard Green/White beatdown. I was able to stall him for a number of turns in the first game, but I never drew a Riftstone Portal. He eventually beat me down with an Anurid Brushhopper.

Sideboard in two Wrath of Gods, out one Deep Analysis and one Haunting Echoes.

Game two went worse. I was able to kill an early Wild Mongrel and an Anurid Brushhopper, but he resolved a Phantom Nomad and an Elephant Guide. His next turn he played another Guide and swung for eight. By the time I was able to Wish for an Unsummon and play it, I was down to two and he played both the Phantom Nomads and another Wild Mongrel.

Games 2-2
Matches 1-1

Round three was one of my most enjoyable matches. I played against a nice guy named Ben, from Steven's Point. He was probably playing one of the best U/G decks there.

Game one went back and forth, with killing a creature and him playing another. Eventually, he got me playing catch-up and I went under.

Sideboard in 1 Wrath of God, out 1 Deep Analysis.

Game two was much better. I quickly got control, killing a Basking Rootwalla and playing Standstill. He eventually broke the Standstill; I Countered, and then Echoed. I then proceeded to swing for the win.

Game three was good; we played until time was called. I countered an Arrogant Wurm and Echoed. He responded by flashing his Krosan Reclamation on two of his own cards. I was at four when I passed the turn to him. His deck was pretty thin, so he really only had whatever he had in his hand... Too bad it was a Basking Rootwalla.

Games 3-4
Matches 1-2

Round four was as close to the mirror as I got to play; his name was Xue, and his deck was Psychatog. I went on to win both this game and the second.

Games 5-4
Matches 2-2

Round five, I played a younger guy named Jeff. He was playing a version of U/G with no Circular Logics and maindecked Moment's Peaces. Game one, I Force Spiked his Careful Study and then laid a Standstill. He didn't break it for about twenty turns, so I was able to fill my graveyard nicely; I think he was under the impression that I would run out of cards before he did. I informed him that because I went first, he would be the first one to run out. Then he broke the Standstill and I countered his Arrogant Wurm. I countered and killed everything he could play and then swung for the kill.

Game two, I killed a few early creatures and countered some big ones, swinging all the while.

Games 7-4
Matches 3-2

Round six, I once again played against U/G. This one was better than the last, but not as good as Ben's. I got really lousy draws and didn't put up much of a fight.

Games 7-6
Matches 3-3

Round Seven, I played my first game against Wake. The pilot's name was Eric, and the games were long and boring. Game one, I got rid of his Mirari's Wakes, but his Mirari tore me up. Game two was the opposite.

Games 7-8
Matches 3-4

In round eight, I was swarmed by Chris's W/G/R madness deck. There were just too many threats too early.

Games 7-10
Matches 3-5

Round nine was fun; I played a pleasant fellow named Sai and his Windborn Muse/Worship/Mobilization deck. It was kind of a silly deck. It never got any real pressure going, so I sort of just relaxed these through.

Games 9-10
Matches 4-5

This was it. If I could win this one, I would have a tied record. Game one was a smooth. Rick was playing some type of black zombie beatdown. It didn't have the synergy of Cabal Cemetery, nor the massive power of MBC... But it was good enough. Game two, he brought the Oversold Cemeteries out of the board and proceeded to wreck me with them. Game three was similar.

Games 10-12
Matches 4-6

Overall, the tournament was a blast. It was my first large-scale tournament and it went well, considering I hadn't even owned - let alone played! - most of the cards in my deck. I got a lot of good trading done and met some neat people, and I had fun playing my deck. I will have to do this again... Maybe in that prerelease in Chicago...

Peace,
Will