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This match pairs off two New England area players: Vintage star Rich Shay with Gifts Belcher and Pro Tour Top 8 competitor and everyone's favorite PT Nice Guy, Chad Ellis with Goblins.
Rich: "So how did you guys prepare for this anyway?"
Chad: "Well, I have a new game coming out soon, my daughter is fifteen months now, and I needed to prepare for London, so I really just thought up a deck that I thought would be fun and went with that. My rounds so far were surprisingly interactive."
Chad won the die roll 1,000,014 to Rich's uh, 9 or something. Both of them kept their opening hands and Chad led off Mountain, Skirk Prospector. Rich played a Flooded Strand (for Underground Sea) and then a Mox Emerald, which Chad needed to read. Rich cast a Demonic Tutor (Chad: "Judge! All of my opponent's cards are a million times better than mine!) before ending his turn.
Chad: "I have to admit, I'm going to be embarrassed by my next turn."
Which meant that he played a Mogg Fanatic and an Aether Vial ("Your Mox only makes one mana, but my Vial could make a billion mana!") after attacking for one with the Prospector. Shay played a Volcanic Island and Tinker'ed away his Mox, but Chad sacrificed the Prospector to counter the Tinker. Ellis' next turn had him up his Vial to one counter and attacked Rich down to 17 before playing a Goblin Piledriver. Rich played a Snow-Covered Island on his turn and cast Brainstorm and then a Time Walk. On the Legacy turn, he played a Flooded Strand. At the end of Rich's Time Walk turn, Chad Vial'ed out a Goblin Lackey, and then on his turn he upped the Vial to two counters and then smashed Rich for 7 (down to 10), but didn't have any Goblins to play with the Lackey.
At the end of Chad's turn, Rich cast Gifts Ungiven for Yawgmoth's Will, Black Lotus, Mana Crypt, and Recoup. First off, Chad put the Will into Rich's graveyard. The next decision was to figure out how to maximize the amount of mana that Rich would need in order to Recoup the Will. Forcing Rich to flash back the Recoup would take 7 mana, but he would give Rich 5 mana through the Lotus and the Crypt for a net payment of 2 mana. Chad eventually settled on giving him Recoup and Mana Crypt, which was a net of 3 mana. Rich played his Crypt and then a Mana Vault and cast Recoup targeting his Will. In response, Chad activated his Aether Vial, putting Meddling Mage naming Yawgmoth's Will into play. Rich's jaw dropped, until Chad said "Just kidding!" and Rich went about his Will, replaying his Mox, Lotus, Brainstorm, Tinker (sacricing Mana Crypt, getting Goblin Charbelcher), Flooded Strand (for Volcanic Island), Time Walk, and then finally Demonic Tutor for the concession (as he would then get the Mana Severance for the win on his Time Walk Legacy).
Shay 1 - Ellis 0
Between games, Rich only sideboarded a few cards in and out, while Chad had a pile of cards which he was considering. Chad of course chose to play first in game two. Both players kept their hands, and Chad started off this game with City of Traitors into a proxy Sphere of Resistance (?!?). Rich played out a Library of Alexandria passed back. Chad tapped his City and then played out a Mountain in order to cast Goblin Piledriver. Rich drew off the Library at the end of Ellis' turn and then played an Underground Sea then a Mana Crypt. Ellis attacked for just one with the Piledriver and then played out a Mountain and a Goblin Lackey, which Rich had to answer for. Shay won the flip on his Mana Crypt and played a Volcanic Island and cleared the board with Pyroclasm. Chad played a third Mountain and passed the turn after Rich drew a card. Rich lost the flip on the Crypt this time and after playing a Snow-Covered Island, cast a proxied The Abyss.
I completely forgot how awkward it sounds when you have to write out "a The Abyss". Chad played yet another Mountain, but played nothing else. Rich lost the flip again, going to 13 (Chad: "I wonder if I'll deck you or Crypt out first") and drew another LoA card before playing out a Tolarian Academy and Mox Ruby. Chad went to take out a pair of Rich's Moxes with Rack and Ruin EOT, but Rich had the Force of Will. Chad had no play on his turn, but Rich played an EOT Brainstorm. Rich won the flip on his Crypt this time and played out some more mana, this time a Flooded Strand and Black Lotus. Rich tapped a ton of mana in order to hardcast Darksteel Colossus, even though Tinker has been in his hand the entire game.
Rich: "It has synergy with Abyss!"
Chad: "For that much mana, you could've Entwined Tooth and Nail, which I could've Forked and gotten uh, two Siege-Gang Commanders..."
Chad had a measly Mogg Fanatic on his turn. Rich attacked and Chad blocked (Rich: "I have no idea how trample works and I understand that this is why it's not in Eighth Edition, so uh, put as much damage as I'm allowed to on you.") and took the one from the Mogg Fanatic. Rich cast the Tinker, which was in his hand all game, in order to get rid of the Mana Crypt, but just as he predicted, Chad played the Red Elemental Blast.
Chad Cheatyfaced out the Goblin Matron and Kiki-Jiki that were in his hand (Rich: "Drain one and Force the other!" which, Chad just picked up and tossed in Rich's graveyard) and with obviously no outs, Chad gave Rich a hug and Knut gave Rich a Chad's Embrace shirt. This means that now Rich will walk around all day wearing the shirt (it even has a little Yawgatog on it!), pretending that he's now Chad.
-JP Meyer
