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For this semifinal, we have yet another Canadian mirror match. Olszewski just came off a match with fellow countryman Richard Mattiuzzo, whilst Rosu has been waiting for a while and is rested and refreshed for the game ahead.

Rosu won the roll and opted to go first. Neither player took a mulligan, and Rosu led with a Black Lotus and Island. He sacrificed the Lotus for three White mana, played a pair of Cloud of Faeries and then played a Meddling Mage that he set to Gifts Ungiven.

Olszewski started off his first turn with an Island and a Mox Sapphire that he used to play a Sol Ring. He used his Island and Sol Ring to cast Thirst for Knowledge to which he discarded a Mox Emerald. Rosu played a Strip Mine on his turn, and then attacked for four. After his attack he used his Strip Mine on Olszewski's Island.

Olszewski kicked off his turn with a Brainstorm, which he followed up with a Mox Jet, and a Polluted Delta that he sacrificed to get a Volcanic Island. For his next move he cast a Skeletal Scrying for three, removing an Island, Polluted Delta, and Thirst for Knowledge from the game, leaving a Mox Emerald and Brainstorm in his graveyard and then passed the turn.

Rosu attacked and then passed the turn with no land drop. Olszewski played a second Volcanic Island on his turn and then cast Tinker, sacrificing his Mox Sapphire. Rosu responded with a Force of Will that was met with a Force of Will from Olszewski. The Tinker resolved and brought a Darksteel Colossus into play and then passed the turn.

Facing down an 11/11, what do you do? Rosu went with attacking with his two Clouds and was unable to do anything else, missing another land drop.

Olszewski's turn started with a swing for eleven followed by a Duress that took a Daze from Rosu's hand. Olszewski cast a Cunning Wish, which he used to take a Lava Dart from his sideboard then used it to take out both of Rosu's Cloud of Faeries, cutting his offensive force in half. Rosu mustered one more attack with his Meddling Mage before conceding in the face of the oncoming Darksteel Colossus.

Olzewski 1 - Rosu 0

Both players sideboard in silence. The head judge came over and presented each player with a copy of the game Succession, a board game produced and distributed by Your Move Games. I played a demo of it myself at GenCon last year and enjoyed it quite a bit. The players scarcely noticed, far too immersed in their sideboarding to think about free board games, and understandably so.

The players were kind enough to show me their sideboarding. They boarded as follows:

In: 2 Rack and Ruin, 2 Red Elemental Blast, 2 Engineered Explosives, 3 Old Man of the Sea, a Pyroclasm

Out: A pair of Phyrexian Furnaces, Thirst for Knowledge, Fact or Fiction, Vampiric Tutor, Mystical Tutor, Recoup, Burning Wish, Mana Drain, and a Gifts Ungiven

In: 2 Control Magic, 2 Swords to Plowshares, and 4 Chalice of the Void

Out: 2 Old Man of the Sea, 2 Seal of Cleansing, 3 Null Rod, and a Ninja of the Deep Hours

Olszewski: "Whoever plays second wins 51% of the time, you know."

Rosu: "I'll play first."

Olszewski: "Are you sure? That Tinker? I got it only because I was on the draw..."

I don't think he changed Rosu's mind.

Rosu kept his hand as did Olszewski. Rosu led with an Island and passed with no other play. Olszewski led with a Mox Sapphire and a Volcanic Island and then cast Time Walk. On his next turn, Olszewski used a Polluted Delta to grab a Swamp, which let him cast a Demonic Tutor. After Rosu cut Olszewski's deck, he passed the turn.

Rosu started off with a Mishra's Factory and a Faerie Conclave. After untapping the lands he cast a Standstill, but Olszewski had the Red Elemental Blast for it.

Olszewski cast Ancestral Recall to begin his turn that met no opposition from Rosu. He played an Underground Sea and passed the turn. Rosu played a Wasteland and took a moment to go over his options. He eventually decided to use his wasteland on Olszewski's Volcanic Island, then activated his Mishra's Factory and attacked for three.

Olszewski's next turn began with a Brainstorm and then a Duress. Rosu showed a Mishra's Factory, a pair of Meddling Mages, and a Crucible of Worlds. After taking the Crucible from Rosu's hand, Olszewski played an Island along with a Mox Emerald and then ended his turn. Rosu played his Mishra's Factory and attacked with his Cloud of Faeries and his first Mishra's Factory, using his new Factory to pump up the attacking one. Olszewski's next turn consisted of a land drop before passing his turn.

Rosu dropped a second Island on his turn and attacked with both of his Mishra's Factories. Before damage went on the stack, Olszewski cast Rebuild, which returned both of Rosu's Mishra's Factories, granting him a huge advantage in tempo. Olszewski did nothing of consequence on his next turn, and then passed it to Rosu. Rosu started his turn with a Flooded Strand, which he sacrificed to get a Tundra. With his newfound source of White mana, Rosu attempted to play a Meddling Mage that met a Force of Will from Olszewski. Olszewski again drew and said go. Rosu dropped one of his Mishra's Factories, attacked for one with his Cloud of Faeries and then tried to cast his other Meddling Mage that was also met with a Force of Will. Olszewski began his turn with a Sol Ring cast off of Mox Emerald, and then cast Yawgmoth's Will which presented him with a wide range of options. He started off by casting Ancestral Recall and then Time Walk, then followed those up with a Tolarian Academy. Olszewski cast a Brainstorm, and then played a Duress that took a freshly drawn Swords to Plowshares from Rosu's hand, clearing the path for a future Darksteel Colossus.

On Olszewski's next turn he cast a Brainstorm, then played Tinker, sacrificing his Mox Sapphire to put Darksteel Colossus in to play. Rosu finally got a turn and was only able to drop a Mishra's Factory before passing the turn. Olszewski swung with his Colossus, dropping Rosu to eight. Rosu activated his two Mishra's Factories on his turn and Olszewski dropped the elbow by playing a Rack and Ruin, targeting the two attacking Factories. This left the road wide open for Olszewski to attack with his Darksteel Colossus for the win.

Olszewski 2 - Rosu 0