[Fedoras of Salvation] - White Knights ITT

[windstrider]

James, that self-analysis is seriously and profoundly insightful...thanks for that.

Well, I have to say...while I did not get to play in Game Day today (pattern=band parent), today was the kind of day that makes it okay.

My son's band marched in championship competition at the University of Central Missouri--the wind was biting cold and played hell with the color guards (trying to spin/toss flags in high winds just sucks) and thus with all of the bands visually. Our band kids managed though to take their division which put them in finals tonight. They took the field tonight and blew the walls out of the stadium; the place absolutely erupted after their performance, which was hands down the best show they have put on this year. They swept the event with a 91+
score, the highest that's been handed out at the event in years, and to top it off my son's percussion section took outstanding percussion (the only section award) with a 96! It was one of those parent moments that will stick with me forever.

Then to top it off, the percussionists informed me tonight as we were loading up and I was snagging pizza for them before it was scarfed (the front ensemble is always the last done because they have to load their big mallet instruments, gongs and stationary bass drums) that I am now "Daddy Trapp", their official surrogate parent. Call me silly if you will, but those kids brought tears to my eyes.

And thinking my day was complete...I then got a text from my daughter that was full of all the excitement that only a teen can generate. They had their final performance of their musical tonight (which I was down about missing), and after the show the faculty director pulled my girl and another aside. She asked them to co-direct the spring play because of
their outstanding leadership during the musical (they were both chorus members but were really active in getting people on track in rehearsals all season). The girl was utterly ecstatic, and I couldn't be more thrilled for her.

tl;dr, being a parent means having to often accept that you can't do what you want and still give your kids the support they deserve. But every once in a while the universe reaches out and reminds you why you are making the sacrifices you are and how very much said choices mean to the young folks who are looking up to you. Bottom line, a very emotionally-charged and humbling day...perspective can come in pretty amazing ways.

I offer up a very heartfelt and well-deserved congratulations to you, my friend. You are an inspiration as a parent.

[Link]

I hope to be at least half a good a man as photo one day, thanks for the story.

[dpaine88]

I think this is where I want to be after playing in the 5k

[deck]
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Firefist Striker
4 Ash Zealot
3 Boros Reckoner
3 Fanatic of Mogis
4 Chandra's Phoenix

4 Lightning Strike
4 Magma Jet

20 Mountain
2 Mutavault
[/deck]

The 60th card is up in the area if I want the 4th Ash Zealot, Reckoner or Fanatic. Reckoner would require 21 Mountain though.

Really just want to flood the board against these doom blade decks and even Mono Blue Devotion. Yet it still has some late game reach with Fanatic and plenty of devotion for it against non-doom blade decks.

I know most like Shock, but I like Magma Jet when I am not running Ghor House for BTE as it gives you something to BTE into and not feel like wasted burn.

[Solemn10]

Got second place at game day with a black twist to pyrored. Feels good to win games after trying to home brew jund since rotation.

[Nuwen]

One of our LGS friends will likely be able to ID into the top 8 @ GP Louisville playing G/R devo, which is pretty exciting. The team pledged to buy a rape travel van if one of them takes the cake at this event.

[Calamity]

I was talking with a local esper control player and he disagreed with me that Chandra, Pyromaster is the best card in the format

I 2-0'd him first round of FNM with Chandra in pyroboros and it wasn't close. He was pretty mad.

[Link]

Gruul aggro squeezing into the top 8!

BOOM SATYR

[LP, of the Fires]

Lot of name players in this GP top 8. I recognize everyone but two of the people. Hoping Huey Jensen wins because he's a master. Watching him play is a delight.

[Alex]

So Ham, now that I went back and watched the footage and actually paid attention to the game that was going on instead of watching The Breakfast Club on my other monitor, I now realize how puntirific that recording was. Oops.

[DarthStabber]

So I arrived late and took a game loss, and I just finished round 2 after utterly decimating a "life gain" deck that failed to gain even one life in either game. It doesn't help that the first game he goldfished so hard I actually pulled off the turn4 win.

[Link]

LP I owe you a punch in the face for liking this damn orzhov deck

goddamn from precinct captain making chumps every turn to desecration demons to "Lolnow dealwith elspeth" pile of goodstuffs 8 doomblades a turn

[hamfactorial]

So Ham, now that I went back and watched the footage and actually paid attention to the game that was going on instead of watching The Breakfast Club on my other monitor, I now realize how puntirific that recording was. Oops.

Indeed, my punts were quite informative

[DarthStabber]

Round 3 v. 'Walkerless gruul. He durdles hard both games, mocks my satyrs and gets his teeth kicked in. Only damage I took was one from elvish mystic game one, and 4 from having satyr mortar'd. Before that I solo'd the hydra on hard mode.

[zemanjaski]

I like players who call me dumb because I'm playing red and they're playing the deck with the really bad red matchup.

Yeah, I'm the dumb one.

[Khaospawn]

Z, stop being dumb!

[hamfactorial]

Being dumb is perfectly fine when done under the guise of "control"

[Khaospawn]

+1

[DarthStabber]

Just roflstomped esper control. 2nd game goes satyr, shredfreak, hammer, fanatic, dead.

List
[Deck]
critters
4 firedrinker satyr
4 rakdos cackler
4 firefist striker
4 ash zealot
4 rakdos shred-freak
4 chandra's phoenix
3 fanatic of mogis

Spells
2 hammer of purphoros
4 lightning strike
4 magma jet

Lands
2 mutavault
21 mountain

Sideboard
2 mindsparker
4 boros reckoner
1 mountain
3 flames of the firebrand
3 mizzium mortars
2 peak eruption
[/deck]

Every match so far 2-0, in like 5 minutes with plenty of time to go out for a smoke.

[zemanjaski]

I'm not above a 30 minute power nap between matches.

[Nuwen]

I'm not above a 30 minute power nap between matches.

This is why I don't get the stereotype 'control = r smrt.' No intelligent person wants to exhaust himself halfway through a tournament when a different approach lets you recoup, relax, refocus instead.

[Khaospawn]

Mono Black Devo taking down GP Louisville...

[Helios]

Monoblack piloted by BBD wins GP Louisville. Still no decklist, because this coverage is shite.

[NerdBoyWonder]

Gameday 2-0 right now. Beat Dega with double burning earth on board and Assemble . Beat UB mill also. 2 more matches to go.

[Khaospawn]

Monoblack piloted by BBD wins GP Louisville. Still no decklist, because this coverage is shite.

It's got like, Swamps and shit in it...

[Helios]

Looks to be the same 50 Shades of Gray list, -4 Lifebane +4 Nightveil Spectre

[zemanjaski]

Yay for MBC. Even more of it on MODO now...

*devious grin*

[rcwraspy]

Monoblack piloted by BBD wins GP Louisville. Still no decklist, because this coverage is shite.

It's got like, Swamps and shit in it...

that don't make no sense.

[LP, of the Fires]

[deck]Manasinks that kill you:
4 Stormbreath Dragon
3 Purphoros, God of the Forge

I heard you like board stall:
4 Boros Reckoner
4 Fanatic of Mogis

Cohesive Beatdown:
4 Firefist Striker
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Ash Zealot

Lolcontrol:
2 Hammer of Purphoros
2 Mistcutter Hydra
1 Chandra, Pyromaster
3 Domri Rade

Cast's Shit:
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
12 Mountain
4 Stomping Ground
1 Gruul Guildgate
4 Temple of Abandon

Sideboard:
2 Mizzium Mortars
2 Xenagos, the Reveler
2 Mistcutter Hydra
1 Chandra, Pyromaster
4 Frostburn Weird
2 Chandra's Phoenix
2 Skylasher[/deck]

Playing Some iteration of this at SCG LA. 12 2-drops lets me put pressure on the infinite doom blade decks, I lol at control, Boros reckoner buys you time against the green decks to go over the top of them, and mistcutter/lasher is the much appreciated hate for the Devotion Blue decks. Might be soft to more aggressive decks by
the nature of having some inconsistent draws, but I play boros reckoner and have weirds in the board so when Nykthos doesn't interfere with my curve, I should be golden.

[Link]

I really think 1-drops are the way to go against this mono black meta game

nuwen almost went 3-0 against mono black decks in a daily with our budget rakdos just off the back of shred freaks, cacklers, spike jesters. and heroes.

Cards without haste aren't the best, though maybe the red god gives you enough reach against them?

[Link]

also you don't want skylasher against mono blue, I think you want gruul charm.

I'm serious

[Yarpus]

Skylasher is kinda meh. He just doesn't do anything relevant. Gruul Charm? Counters Domestication, kills fliers and makes you capable of swinging into ground army.

[Nuwen]

The guy who DID beat me needed 2 sideboard games, both featuring triple DD draws into 2x Dark Betrayal + Merchant x2 to do it. And even in game 3, I had 3 discrete draw steps to hit any of act of treason, lightning strike, magma jet to win. Not bad out odds on his crazy powerful opener, good curve, and multiple sideboard cards.

[Link]

what Yarpus said. I've been playing the MU a lot lately, and while I don't have reckoners or Purphoros, I know that the things that DO kill you are nightveil spectres and 2/3 cloudfin raptors-> overload cyclonic rift for lethal once you've gotten low.

If you can gruul charm 2-1 at a key turn, turn off devotion, get aggressive, and stay about 17+ life the MU is really not a problem because the rest of their cards are 1/3s and 2/2s

[DroppinSuga]

Do any of our members live in Pittsburgh?

[Valdarith]

I have actually put my head down on my playmat after a quick 2-0 right in front of my opponent. No shame in my game.

[LP, of the Fires]

Against my deck, it's correct to side out judges familiar and often cloudfin raptors so while gruul charm is SWEET tech that I will inform my friends about, it's actually not doing much for me I don't think. I'll consider it though, thanks.

Would be sweet for them to swing at me and for me to charm my reckoner back and wreck their board state.

[LP, of the Fires]

I really think 1-drops are the way to go against this mono black meta game

nuwen almost went 3-0 against mono black decks in a daily with our budget rakdos just off the back of shred freaks, cacklers, spike jesters. and heroes.

Cards without haste aren't the best, though maybe the red god gives you enough reach against them?

It's quite possible that I end up playing just a low-curve sligh deck, and if I do, it will feature young pyromancer and maindeck boros charm

[NerdBoyWonder]

3-0 against Selesbos. We were 1-1 round 3 nut drAw land with 3 dragons, land and Boros reckoner. Extend hand.

[TubeHunter]

I went to 3 gamedays with a bastard version of pyrored (I have 1 saytr and no pheonixs lol)

I went 3-2 lost in top 8 to U/B master of waves
Second was a 3-2 lost out on breakers
Third i went 3-1-1 and lost in top 8 to U/W control.

Not bad for my awful version of the deck.

[DroppinSuga]

Suck it Ravens.