Hi, my name is Joel DeAngelo and I have been playing Magic since early 1994. I took a few years off after Ice Age, during which I got married. I got back into play Magic Just before Masques was released. Since then, I've made two Provincial Top 8s (including this year as champ) several PTQ Top 8s and two Regional Top 8s.

Well, Regionals has come and gone here in Halifax. The worst deck (according to most) came out on top again in! That's right, Beasts won it for me yet again, making it the second trophy the deck has collected for me this year and the second invite to Nationals for the archetype. Here's the deck I used:

Beasts
4 Electrostatic Bolt
4 Shock
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Vine Trellis
3 Viridian Shaman
4 Krosan Warchief
4 Ravenous Baloth
3 Pulse of the Tangle
3 Molder Slug
3 Tephraderm
9 Forest
7 Mountain
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Contested Cliffs

Sideboard
3 Blood Moon
4 Sulfuric Vortex
4 Starstorm
4 Naturalize

This is my original build with minor changes in the sideboard (when I build"bad" decks I build them right the first time). Big changes from Provincials are as follows: I cut Hunted Wumpus, Thoughtbound Primoc, Hystrodon, and Pyrite Spellbomb. I needed to make room for the Viridian Shamans and Electrobolt in the main, since Affinity is a massive portion of the metagame. Since so many other decks are running Electrobolt, Hystrodon had to go. A morph guy early is just plain dead, so Pulse of the Tangle took his place. Blood Moon is last minute change to help beat Tooth and Nail and I shouldn't need Contested Cliffs in that match. As it turned out, I never used either the Blood Moon or Sulfuric Vortex, since I never played Tooth or W/x. Naturalize or Starstorm were used every round however.

We had sixty-eight people show up this year for Regionals, which to some in larger areas a cake walk, but for us in the Maritimes, it's almost a record. Since the Maritime regional was split four years ago (seventy in attendance last time it was combined) the numbers have been rising. We only get four slots now but for the combined Maritimes we are probably over one hundred fifty people competing for the 8 slots, which is on par with the rest of Canada. The addition of PTQ's and Pre-releases in the past few years have help boost the Magic community in our little part of the country.

Round 1 - Shawn Carew - Ravager Affinity
I won the roll and dropped a first turn Birds of Paradise, followed by a turn 2 Pulse of the Tangle token. I got a hit in before Shawn chumped it with a Frogmite. I Shocked his Disciple of the Vault, Electrobolted his Ravager, but got held off by a Myr Enforcer. A Myr Enforcer showed up, but I had a Viridian Shaman for it. Another Pulse of the Tangle token joined my first one, along with a Tephraderm. I dropped a Contested Cliffs, Cliffed the Myr Enforcer, and smashed in with the team. He scooped during my next attack phase.

I sided in 4 Naturalize and sided out 4 Shock, since Shock doesn't kill all the guys on their team, while Naturalize is more effective with the bigger guys.

Shawn puts out a turn 1 Arcbound Worker and passes the turn. I drop a Birds of Paradise and said go. Shawn drops some Welding Jars, Ornithopter, Frogmite, and a Myr Enforcer. It was land, go for me. I take the beating and on my next turn I cast a Ravenous Baloth. I chump block the Myr Enforcer and gain some life. My next turn I cast Molder Slug. I take some beats and Cliffs a guy and start swinging. I pull an Electrobolt off the top, and use it on his freshly cast Disciple of the Vault. I draw a Naturalize to go with the Contested Cliffs to remove the last of the blockers, and help lock him under the Molder Slug. The Molder Slug goes the rest of the way. Yeah! Big Green guys.

Round 2 - Allen Reynolds - Goblin Bidding
I won the roll, played a forest, said go. Allen dropped Mountain and Skirk Prospector. I played a land and passed the turn. Allen played a land, sacced the Skirk Prospector for a Red, played a Goblin Warchief, swung, and said go. I didn't draw a third land, so I Bolted the Chief and said go. My opponent missed a land drop as well and passed it back to me. I drew a Forest and cast a Pulse of the Tangle. Allen missed a land drop again and put out a Goblin Sledder. I miss my land drop, but I got a Contested Cliffs at least, so I Cliffs the Goblin Sledder and swing in for three. Allen gets puts out a Goblin Piledriver and passes it back. I swing in for three more, play a Wooded Foothills to get me a second Forest and drop a Ravenous Baloth. A land and a Goblin Sharpshooter materialize out of nowhere. I Shock the Sharpshooter and swing. Allen passes the turn after casting a Goblin Sledder, but when I put out Tephraderm he scoops.

Game 2, I side in four Starstorm for the three Viridian Shaman and a Tephraderm. Allen drops a turn 1 Goblin Sledder. I play land, go. Allen hits me for one and passes it back. I drop a land and a Vine Trellis. Allen has land and a Goblin Warchief. I block the Goblin Warchief. On my turn, I cast a Ravenous Baloth. Allen swings with his guys and I block the Goblin Warchief. After Damage he Bolts the Ravenous Baloth so I gain some life. He puts out a Skullclamp and clamps his guy. I drop a Viridian Shaman on the Skullclamp and say go. On my next turn, I swing in and the cast a Krosan Warchief. Allen plays a land and casts Siege-Gang Commander. I had been holding a Contested Cliffs in my hand, so I drop it and swing in with my guys. He takes it. I Cliffs the Siege-Gang Commander and regenerate my Krosan Warchief. Allen drops a Skirk Prospector and another Siege-Gang Commander. To make a long story short, he gets his Clamp going, draws another Siege-Gang and I lose.

Game 3 I play land and a Birds of Paradise. Allen drops a Skullclamp. I drop a Viridian Shaman on the Clamp. I eventually get up to twenty-eight life, finally take the time to cast the Starstorm I had in my hand the whole time, and follow that up with a Tephraderm. Game over. Tephraderm can do that.

Round 3 - Joseph Hurley - Cemetery Cloud
I figured out real fast what Joe was playing when I saw a Forest followed by a Swamp. I Bolted and Shocked a Birds of Paradise and two morph guys, then I cast a Pulse of the Tangle and Joe played a Viridian Shaman to chump block, destroying his own Chrome Mox. I knew from play testing that I had to over commit hard to beat the Death Cloud and hope he didn't draw a Bane of the Living. We traded Ravenous Baloths, and I drew a third. Joe drew a third Bane of the Living, err rather a morph guy, to buy some time. I tried to Cliffs it, so in response it morphed, and I gained some more life. I finally top decked a Tephraderm, and he was more than enough to finish the game.

Game 2 I am not positive what I sided, but I think it was 2 Electrobolt and 2 Viridian Shaman for 4 Naturalize. The Electrobolt is not as good, since it can't go to the dome, and I was getting Naturalize for the Oversold Cemetery and could handle Skullclamp with it as well. He got a third-turn Ravenous Baloth and I followed suit. No Contested Cliffs for me yet, so we traded damage with me casting a Pulse of the Tangle. I'm holding two Naturalize and a Pulse of the Tangle when he Death Clouds for three, killing all my land, creatures, and hand, and leaving him with a Chrome Mox and a land. I draw a Birds of Paradise, and then a Forest so I can cast the Birds of Paradise. I then draw into a Pulse of the Tangle, followed by a second land, and start putting the beats on. I get a hit in, and the Joe drops a Oversold Cemetery. Oh where are the Naturalizes? I draw into a Molder Slug, while Joe starts recurring Ravenous Baloth. I got him down to two because of a City of Brass and my Contested Cliffs, but didn't get a Shock before he started gaining life. Then Joe gets back a Bane of the Living and starts to fog, and soon he's got enough land to kill my guys and its game over.

Game 3 was all about over extending. I drew two Birds of Paradise, one Vine Trellis, two Tephraderm, a Ravenous Baloth, and a Molder Slug. I also had a Forest and a Contested Cliffs. I think I had only four lands the whole game. While Joe drew two Ravenous Baloth, I had the Contested Cliffs and a Molder Slug, and just pounded him. I was putting out as many guys as I could to keep one guy ahead of a Death Cloud. The second Tephraderm sealed the deal. Hmm Tephraderm is the man for me!

Round 4 - Adam Comeau - Ravager Affinity
After the match, I was kinda surprised to play Adam in the 3-0 bracket. It was much more surprising to me that Adam went 5-1-1 in the swiss, and made top 8, as he didn't know his deck at all. He just picked it up from a friend and showed up to play. That will tell you the power of Ravager Affinity. To illustrate, Adam played a Glimmervoid, Welding Jar, and a Skullclamp. I had went first and went land, Birds of Paradise. I play Viridian Shaman and target the Skullclamp. He lets the Skullclamp go. Hmmm. Adam then plays a land and drops an Arcbound Ravager. I play a Krosan Warchief and Shock the Ravager. He lets it die. Hmmm. Now I'm really confused. Adam Shrapnel Blasts the Krosan Warchief. Good for him that he did, because I had a Molder Slug in hand. I have to say"go," since I had only four mana, so Adam plays another Ravager, which I Bolt at the end of his turn. Adam lets it die. Man, what's going on? I miss another land drop, and Adam puts out a Disciple of the Vault, a Frogmite, and double Myr Enforcer. I finally draw the fourth land and put out the Molder Slug. I block one of the Myr Enforcers and Adam doesn't make me lose life with the Disciple of the Vault... sweet. A Ravenous Baloth shows up, and after blocking and sacing to the second Shrapnel Blast, I manage to live at four life saccing the Ravenous Baloth to live. When I draw a Contested Cliffs the next turn, Molder Slug finishes the game.

Game 2 after the standard side boarding of 4 Shock for 4 Naturalize Adam gets a turn 2 Ravager, hits me for one, and puts out a second Ravager. I get a turn 3 Pulse of the Tangle token. Adam plays Frogmite, Frogmite, and Myr Enforcer, gets point of damage in and moves the Modular counters to the other Ravager. I take a pain from Wooded Foothills and put out a Tephraderm. I block an Myr Enforcer and the Ravager gets bigger. Then I cast Molder Slug and attack with Tephraderm. Adam block with his Ravager and sacs to make it big (it was up to seven tokens). After damage was on the stack, he sacced two more lands to try and save the Ravager... but it doesn't work that way, since it took eleven damage. I even let him go back and redecide if he wanted to sac the two lands, and he still messed it up. I rip the second Molder Slug off the top to totally wipe his board.

Round 5 - Chris Folk - Mono-Red Goblins
I hate playing Folk in the swiss. I always lose to him in the swiss, and smash him in top8. Never fails. Game 1, I Paris down into a land and a Vine Trellis and never draw the second land.

In comes 4 Starstorm for 3 Viridian Shaman and a Tephraderm. I have a Forest and a Contested Cliffs for land and two Birds of Paradise, Starstorm. Molder Slug, and a Tephraderm for guys. I keep and play out a Birds of Paradise, which gets Bolted. Chris passes the turn after playing a land. I still don't get land number three, but I put out a Birds of Paradise. Folk puts out a Goblin Sharpshooter. I my third land (another Contested Cliffs), which I play. Now I have the choice, Tephraderm or Molder Slug. I make a mistake and chose the Slug because of GG. I don't think Starstorming my own Birds of Paradise was a good option. Chris drops a Goblin Warchief and passes the turn back after shooting down my Birds. I drop a Forest and swing for four. Chris untaps, drops a second Goblin Sharpshooter and a Sparksmith, and puts me right out of the game. The Tephraderm would have kept me in, because it would have killed the goblins damaging it. I never see a Red mana.

Round 6 - Nathan Buchanan - Mono-Red Goblins
Nathan wants me to draw, but I'm like,"No way, I got to get in one more win." I Viridian Shaman away a Skullclamp, get out a Krosan Warchief and Contested Cliffs. I then cast Pulse of the Tangle, and keep the board clear of goblins with the token and the Contested Cliffs, and keep swinging. I do the standard sideboard for goblins and lose game 2 miserably. I had a Ravenous Baloth and Pulse of the Tangle and Contested Cliffs, but that doesn't stand up to triple Clickslither and double Siege-Gang Commander. Game 3 Nathan had a Clickslither and a few early guys, and I had a Krosan Warchief and two Molder Slugs. I managed to kill the Clickslither and then Nathan got a Siege-Gang Commander. I just Starstormed the board and the Molder Slugs went the rest of the way.

Round 7 Joel Parson Mono Red Goblins
We drew. Earlier in the day before the tournament, Parson asked me if I had a Goblin Sharpshooter for trade. I said, I could but I would gouge the hell out of him for it. I told him $15. He counts his money and has $7.75. Right about then a friend of his comes along and says he has a foil FNM Krosan Warchief. Cool... shineys! I told Parsons I would trade the Shooter for $7, the foil and a rare from his binder. Parsons traded a Wooded Foothills for the foil Chief, and I got a Leonin Abunas to finish off the trade. That's one expensive Goblin Sharpshooter. I asked Parson if he was happy with his investment which he replied very happy,"hell yes! I made back even with other trades I made today!" It's all good.

Top8
Phil Samms - Mono Red Goblins
Chris Folk- Mono Red Goblins
Tim Percell - Ravager Affinity
Joel DeAngelo (Me) - Beasts
Adam Comeau - Ravager Affinity
Joel Parsons - Mono Red Goblins
Dan Macglocland - Ravager Affinity
Peter Menzies - G/W Control

Our metagame was like 75% aggro. I had figured it would be that way and that's why I chose to play Beasts.

I get pair with Adam Comeau again. Heh Heh. He scoops, because he's not gonna go to nationals anyway, so I split my prize with him for being a good sport.

For the semi-finals I get paired with Phil Samms. He's got the invite and doesn't care about the trophy and drops and goes to the crib. I never do props, but props got out to Phil. I finally qualified, went 5-0-2 in the swiss, and get a concession for both the quarters and the semis. Phil has been years at trying to qualify for the PT. He did Q at two PTQ's, but couldn't get cheap enough flights. He has made top8 at a grinder, only to get luck sacked out, so congrats to Phil.

To make a long story short, I win in the finals, and get to be Regionals champion.

Thanks,
Joel DeAngelo