Khaatim and I drove up Friday morning at 8am from SV to make it up before the mini-masters started at noon. We wanted to get some lunch before and didn't know what traffic would be like. Turns out we got there at 10:45am - easy peasy.
Across from the Sheraton was an awesome homemade soup and sandwich shop called Muntean's. Like eight homemade soups every day. Hungarian style. Fantastically delicious!
Mini-masters was a free event for registered players and you got a booster to start. Add some lands (like 2 of each) and play. I opened Purphoros and got him out both games, so I was on to round two. Then I opened Curse of the Swine in the 2nd pack. So I dropped green and smoothed out the mana. Won round 2 and then opened the Ageless Sphinx. Rolling the sweet bombs! I didn't get the Sphinx out, but Purph did work. My fourth pack rare was Nykthos (bummer) and I lost that round. But 4 packs for free ain't bad!
Checked into the hotel and then went to the Rubicon Brewery with Ryan and Spencer. Got the Denkel Bock and Pomegranate Cider. So good! Checked into the hotel and then in for the Foiled Again draft event. Everyone gets one foil for playing and then another for every win. Built a RG deck with Anthousa, 2 Asps, 2 Time to Feed, 2 Cyclops and 2 Rages and went 2-1.
Unfortunately, they miscalculated how many players would sign up and they ran out of foils. Really? How does THAT happen? So they gave packs as prizes, but I really wanted the foils. My one for playing was Ghor-Clan Rampager and it was sweet. Just wanted more!
Later that night, we found Shawn and went to a place called Burgers and Brews. What a beer list they had! They were out of the Lambac I wanted, so I chose Pliny the Elder. It was like a shaved rabbit.... smooth and hoppy.
The next morning was game day, so we got a good breakfast at the Capitol Garage, behind the convention hall. Really good jalepeno biscuits and gravy! Spencer got the pulled pork scramble, which was incredible too. Off to the GP to crack packs and get passed greatness. With my 2 byes, I only had to go 5-2 for Day Two. How hard could that be?
I opened the following highlights: Master of Waves, Ageless Sphinx, Fleecemane, 2 Gods Willing, 2 Wingsteeds, Erebos' Whip, Mistcutter, Relevant Hunter, Daxos, 2 Akoran Hops, 2 Sentries.
Sweet pool, right? UW flyers? Splash green for Misty and Fleecy? Sadly, I had to pass it away...
Here's what I got:
Mistcutter
2 LB Elders
2 Gods Willing
Horizon Chimera
Favored Hoplite
The white Ordeal
Stoneshock Giant
Time to Feed
Staunch Warrior
Gray Merchant
Insatiable Harpy
Cyclops...
That's it. That was the significant cards. So bad... unbelievable!!
I cobbled together a GW deck with some red, but I knew I would need some serious help to get Day Two. Like a bye and a few no show opponents. And opponent's mana screw. I had Ryan and Greg look at my deck and they couldn't believe the badness either. Then said I should side into just GW aggro. So I sleeved up the 10 others and prepared for battle.
Our crew was Spencer, Jason, Ryan, Russell, Khaatim and Greg. We even saw Shawn, Conor, Boland, Nathan, Marina and Reuben from Mythic there too. The Santa Cruz connection was strong.
Rounds 1 & 2 = byes (yay)
Round 3 vs. Kevin
My deck actually beat someone. It curved well into the SS Giant and he didn't put up much resistance. Was I overreacting? I still sided into GW aggro and won that game as well. 3-0!
Round 4 vs. Arthur
Bestow-heavy UW deck with Hopeful, Nimbus, Observant and the white Emissary. All on a Wingsteed. No chance. Same slaughter game two but with a Battle Priest and Aquarius Form. No removal or bounce can make for quick games! 3-1
Round 5 vs. Kurtis
Aggro RW deck with burn and pumps. Split first two games, then down to the wire in game 3. I had a 6/7 Hoplite to his 3/3 Minotaur and 3/4 Adept with Spear out. At 3 life, I swung in but should have stayed back. He had enough life to take the 6 and he got me next turn. I was hoping he'd block and I'd take out a threat. I was showing pump for the win, but he didn't bite. 3-2
Round 6 vs. Sky (does this mean he'd play flyers?)
He was RBG with Polukranos, which he bestowed twice in the first game. A 10/10 first striker trampler? Concede. Got him second game with my GW aggro attacks. But game three, I was stuck on 2 mana - should have mulled - and he rolled into the Gorgon and the green legend again... so Po-lucky!
So that was it. 3-3 is no chance for Day Two. There I sat, broken-hearted...
But Ryan, Marina and Nathan made it - congrats! Jason got so close, but lost in round 9.
I've been there and it sucks. Work all day until the last "win and in" match. Rough!
The crew rolled out for a Thai food dinner and we brought some back for the players.
All hail Greg as the credit card game winner! More drinks and hi jinx later that night.
SacTown has some cool places to eat and drink all around downtown. Check out the Dive Bar indoor aquarium above the bar...
Day Two is for drafting and Ryan got into a pod with Owen T. Two-time GP winner Owen T. You'll have to ask him for the deets, but after 2 drafts (including playing Marina in the last match), he finished in the money at 55th. Cheers, Ryan!
Here's a goofy, over-sized card:
Thanks, SacTown for a fun GP!
Props: The Sheraton Hotel for being a block down from the Convention Hall.
Muntean's soups!
Ryan finishing in the money.
Broken oranges!
Slops: They ran out of foils... really?
My GP sealed pool.
The Shady Lady's bouncers.
No comments:
Post a Comment