Greetings AZMagicPlayers! My name is Jon Kornacki, and this past weekend afforded us one of the infinitely rare opportunity, as Arizonans, to play local PTQs on back to back weekends, with Standard in Tucson following Modern in Flagstaff. I was lucky enough to bring it home the last weekend, as a number of you have already congratulated me, and I’ve been at it long enough not only to comfortably refer to my journey as The Grind, but also to be pretty familiar with the highs and lows of PTQ life. It’s one of the tastier lessons that this magical mistress has ever done me the good fortune of leaving me: that being in the Top 2 of a PTQ is one of the finer feelings around…while losing that fateful match, putting you right back in the Swiss with a clean slate for the next PTQ, is a bitter pill for even the most hardened players to swallow. But you get used to it.
At the risk of spoiling the ending, I did not repeat my first place finish on back to back weekends (didn’t that ship sail the day after the PTQ when Joe Pinkley’s article went up on this site?), and it’s an easy question for a number of my friends, and acquaintances alike to ask what happened, how could I do so poorly? Well, many of you have seen my shrug, smile, and simple contend that it happens. I’m not Dusty Ochoa-good, winning two PTQs in a row, but I’ve long since been forged and sculpted in such a way that you can believe I played just as well this Saturday as I did last, and that I’ll be playing even better by the time I get to the Pro Tour I did mise a qualification to.
For starters, the list I sleeved up for Standard, a deck I thoroughly enjoyed despite the fact that it was nothing compared to the perfectly-fitting glove of my modern deck:
As may be evident by this point, I prefer a more walker-oriented control deck than most. This list is inspired, in part, by Gerard Fabiano’s recent Star City Games Top 4 list. Things I missed included another copy of Augur of Bolas, as in many matchups the 1/3 body is the difference between the grindy, winnable game that I love, and a quick loss. Also I think I would run the full 12 dual lands in a future variation…my day saw too many buddy-land draws, that I feel I should warn you are punished by a timely Thalia a pretty disproportionate amount of the time. The creatures were all really unspectacular, the planeswalkers all awesome.
I’ve been wanting to jam the underrated little Jace in a list for a while now: He has a distinct cost advantage for fighting the ever popular big Jace, whilst providing oft overlooked card advantage that will meanwhile bury a control opponent in slightly less blistering fashion than the aforementioned big Jace, but bury them nonetheless. All the while giving you an out against Assemble the Legion and other popular creature rushes involving Lingering Souls or other dorks. The Merciless Eviction over Planar Cleansing also proved to be spectacular…the trade-offs for losing a catch-all in Planar Cleansing include being easier on the mana (get that Plains out of this deck), allowing free-er use of your own non-creature permanents, as well as exiling effected permanents, for a Terminus-like effect(but better) against opponents with an intention to regenerate, undie, or reanimate the affected creatures.
My sideboard, as can be observed, has no dedicated graveyard removal for the daily Standard witch hunt of reanimator. I’d tested against the deck pretty thoroughly, and didn’t think it would be near as popular as it had been in the weeks prior, and had faith in my ability to win a fair game against them regardless. The Pack Rat was something I’ve tested a few times, and like it against removal light/slower strategies, especially since most decks are liable to have even less ways to just kill one of my guys post-board, since I have so few. And as a few of you may remember from RtR limited, Pack Rat has some pretty bonkers damage potential left unchecked. Other than that, the Fettergeists were the most impressive card in my sideboard, just holding up like the brick houses that they are.
The aggressive curve of removal was what made me comfortable with the deck in general, with planeswalkers capable of punishing a variety of different board states from different styles of decks.
Round 1 – Joey Felipe, BW Zombies
I was on the play, as Joey took a mulligan. As the game progressed. Joey, who I know from our West Phoenix home of Manawerx, mentioned that it wasn’t a matchup he’d done a whole lot of losing in the past, but some of my less orthodox card choices proved invaluable, namely Merciless Eviction in the first game to get around some Blood Artist triggers. Jace, Liliana, and, eventually, Tamiyo wrapped up the game.
Game two saw him take another mulligan, but with an aggressive, punishing start. My Fettergeist met with his Orzhov Charm, while he telegraphed a Restoration Angel that might have given me fits were it left unaccounted for. I was able to bide my time with Sphinx’s for 3, peeling me into a pair of Azorious Charms and a Snapcaster Mage, which gave my planeswalkers time to secure the game, slowing him down with a Jace, and eventually ultimating a Tamiyo, one turn later than I should have, as I made a rudimentary mistake of forgetting to tick up a turn when I had the game well in hand and a million things to do.
1-0
Round 2- Mike, Junk Tokens
I once again won the roll, as we both started off with 6 cards. I had an early game Augur of Bolas into Azorious Charm, to compete with a completely unaggressive start. I got a Liliana ticking up, getting a look at maindeck inclusions of Geralf’s Messenger, Garruk Relentless, Rancor, and eventually his entire deck, as my win condition wound up being ultimate my Jace into a new Jace and a Vorapede.
Game two saw only me taking a mulligan, and stalling on two lands, while he committed Deathrite Shaman, Geralf’s Messenger, and Restoration Angel in short order to put me out of it. Game three, we were lower on time than I think either of us proffered given the nature of my deck, but we both did everything we could to apply pressure quickly and smoothly, despite his unfamiliarity with Deathrite Shamans virtual inability to interact with Think Twice for much value(he had to call a judge to specify). He traded his Rancor around multiple Lingering Souls tokens, his Deathrite Shaman, and Restoration Angel, while sneaking in a Witchbane Orb. I used my removal spells to provide the most life possible against his pair of Rancors, and found an opportunity to stick a Sorin, Lord of Innistrad, which provided a couple of Emblems and beaters in short order to finish the match, even though it did mean I had to pay mana for my Fettergeist.
2-0
Round 3- Jason, UWR Flash
I was again blessed with the die roll, while my opponent was cursed with a double mulligan, a real gift given my distaste of this matchups game one. I made a Jace that I didn’t think was super good against him game one, but since he was already down on cards, I just +1’d for several turns, while he tried to keep it in check with a Searing Spear, and a Snapcaster Mage that met with a counter. The only threat he had that hit the table was a Restoration Angel, but my Liliana forced him to bounce it and give up any hold on the board, enabling me to put him out of his misery with Sphinx’s Revelation.
Game two was a long, drawn-out affair, during which I used my cards to prevent every possible path to victory, or even a single damage, he had against me. I had achieved complete control, and assembled two Drownyards in play to end the match, but started slowrolling in order to leave up Snapcaster + Psychic Strike, lest he be able to resolve an instant speed threat of some kind, Drowning him only once per turn. As I milled his final cards, he went for the Psychic Spiral in his hand, for which I elected to let it resolve, and try and Snapcaster my own Psychic Spiral on my upkeep, but he had the Counterflux to punish pretty much whatever line I took.
Game three I had a Duress to protect my turn three Liliana of the Veil, a planeswalker I’m always happy to grind down an opponent with. The Duress revealed a slow, clunky hand, ill-fit for fighting the Liliana, with a pair of Sphinx’s Revelations(one of a few different reasons my list only had 3). I earned the concession with a Liliana ultimate that was well-defended.
3-0
Round 4-Nick G, R/G planeswalkers
I again won the roll, but my luck changed handily with a mulligan against an aggressive Gruul draw, Arbor Elf into Gyre Sage, Burning-Tree Emmisary, and Ghor-Clan Rampager to put the nail in my coffin despite an Ambushviper Mage.
Game two I was again on the mulligan, and quickly down on life, but my cards started trading favorable, starting with Liliana, which ate a guy before dying to Searing Spear (I always feel in good shape as the control player when they dispatch Liliana before allowing me to tick her back up). Fettergeist holds down the fort, and goes value-town against his green Walkers (Domri Rade, Garruk Relentless, and Garruk Primal Hunter) once I am able to make it to a later stage in the game and play more of my spells. He has a last ditch Thundermaw Hellkite, but by then I’ve got the life to spare. Game three, and my Fettergeist proves not near good enough on the draw, outclassed by a board of Strangleroot Geist, Burning-Tree Emissary, and Flinthoof Boar, when he has the Ghor-Clan Rampager to break my block. My first Supreme Verdict does wonders to reduce his board to beatable, but so comes the turn he finds land number four for Hellrider, and I’ve found my first loss of the day.
3-1
Round 5- Ikaika, Jund Aggro
Game one I am able to interact pretty favorably against his bad cards for the matchup, notably Abrupt Decay and Dreadbore. As is the case in this game, they find targets, but are so far off of his central game plan that the time proves far more valuable for me. His pair of Rakdos Cacklers do a good creature impression with a pair of Ghor-Clan Rampagers, but the game goes late enough for me to Sphinx’s for 5 when my Restoration Angel gets his guy.
Game two, I play to a pretty timely turn four Supreme Verdict on the draw, against Experiment One, Burning-Tree Emissary, Flinthoof Boar, and Rakdos Cackler, only to find a sideboarded Golgari Charm staring across the table at me. Game three saw me on the mulligan, attempting to defend with an Augur of Bolas, finding Sphinx’s Revelation, but dying to Ultimate Price. I flailed, Drownyarding myself to try and dig for Think Twice, or something to pair favorably with my Snapcaster Mage, but a pair of late Azorious Charms were all I found to deal with his pair of Falkenrath Aristocrats.,which were not near good enough, since he was still playing four-drops.
3-2
Round 6- Brian, Bant Speaker
For the first time of the day, I am on the draw, and find a mulligan into a heavy buddy-land draw with no dual. Meanwhile, my opponent crushes me with exactly: Avacyn’s Pilgrim, into Farseek, into Garruk, Primal Hunter, into Thragtusk.
Game two, I play an early game involving Liliana of the Veil, while he appears light on blue mana. I get to run out a Syncopate and a Psychic Strike, on Garruk Relentless, and Thragtusk, respectively, before finding my Pack Rat, which swiftly takes him from 18 to 12 to dead.
Game three, I have an early Duress to take his Detention Sphere, but he has another ramp heavy draw with Thragtusk and Restoration Angel, cutting my work out for me. I make a game out of Pack Rat, threatening to bash through for enough damage to humble even the most absurd finite life total, only to see a drawn copy of Angel of Serenity put me out of the match. He made the mistake of removing the actual Pack Rat copy, but I was unable to find the removal to try and fight through it anyway.
3-3
Round 7- Pedro, Bant Beats
Pedro was on the play, and had a pair of mana dorks into a Loxodon Smiter for beats. He saved it from a Supreme Verdict with a Simic Charm, but I applied more pressure to remove it, stalling his pressure on my life total, and resolved a Sphinx’s, which eventually drew me into three planswalkers when he was gassed out.
Game two he slaughtered me, making good on my contention that Thalia always shows up against control decks on the draw with buddy-land draws. 2 copies of Thalia and 2 copies of Loxodon Smiter, to be exact.
Game three, he committed a Rest in Peace to the board early, trading a pretty crucial part of his early game plan for a pretty marginal slice out of my late game plan. This is the kind of matchup where my late game plan is to still be alive, and although his Centaur Healer paired with 2 copies of Restoration Angel to gain him nine life, it was again the Pack Rat, along with a few well-timed removal spells, that had the day. His top card after the fact was Detention Sphere, but I think a lot of the damage was done.
4-3
Round 8- Donald, Human Reanimator
Donald took a mulligan on the draw, but started out with a Cavern of Souls that was pretty good at embarrassing my keep. He assembled with haste a combination of Undercity Informer, Huntmaster of the Fells, Angel of Glories Rise, and Unburial Rites…I knew my topdecked Merciless Eviction was one of my only paths to victory, and it showed up, but just a little late to be relevant, as he was able to hold up mana to sacrifice his creatures, and combo-ed me out easily.
Game two was much of the same, perhaps quite fitting for my refusal to put graveyard hate in my sideboard(although I did take a mulligan). Human reanimator, of the reanimator decks I did expect, was not as much on my radar, which was reflected in my testing, as I had more practice against more Cavern-light junk builds.
4-4
Although some might find my 4-4 follow up performance as a disappointment, realistically it is merely the continuation of a much longer journey, educational, as well as integral to my development, and more long term goals involving success on the Pro Tour. As it stands, I got to spend the day in an awesome store, witnessing the beginning of the Grind for my young friend Justin, winning a few packs from his first of many PTQs, as well as the fruition of so many terrible brews for my dear friend and champion of this particular event. At last count, I’ve played more than 40 of these events in my life, and have very recently been so lucky as to win my third. In short, it’s a few too many events to place too much discomfort in the fact that I didn’t win one of them. In reality, I didn’t win a whole lot of em, and you really have to put in that time to appreciate the payoff, that is, the opportunity to escalate to the next level.
AZMagicplayers, I thank you, humbly, for your time on this possibly anticlimactic adventure. I would like to express sympathy to any of you dear friends finding themselves disappointed with my performance, or your own, and just ask that you trust that the coming weeks leading up to the next PTQ, as well as PT San Diego, will be spent diligently testing, sadly to say like never before. My game has evolved to trying to capitalize on these opportunities’ full potential, and that’s definitely my intention for any of you cool people who decide it’s worth the time to follow.
Mad props to Leon for driving, and Justin and Joe for doing what no one thought you had it in you to do.