Grand Prix Vegas 2015 Part Deux

Day two.
Day two.
Day two!

So happy the house we rented had a functioning coffee maker and we had the grounds. An English muffin with raspberry spread eaten, I was ready to hit the hall. Greg drove Conor and I to get to the players meeting at 9am.

I had drafted MM2015 only a few times before, but I knew most of the cards from their first time around. One good thing about being a long-time player. Greg asked me if I planned to force any archetype and my answer was just to see the cards and what was being passed.

We got our seats and filled out the required tax form. C'mon big money! Then we moved to our pod tables (Kiki-Jiki) and there was a slip of paper showing where to sit. Not as much chit-chat as yesterday since things were serious now. Pre-opened, stamped cards were bundled up at each seat. A few more announcements, then we were off. When I first made Day two before, I was put off by the countdown method of drafting. Now I knew what to expect and actually welcomed the structure.

First pick first pack was Etched Champion. Not a bomb, but a solid card in Artifacts. I had been frustrated playing against it yesterday (what do you mean I can't target it?). Next pick was a foil Qumulox... so pretty. The Blinkmoth third pick made me feel great about going artifacts. An Enforcer a few cards later sealed the deal.

5 seconds.... draft!

Pack two had another Enforcer, Glint Hawk, Glassdust and Rusted Relic. All solid for my deck. A Repel and Bauble also made the deck. Pack three had three Darksteel Citadels that made silently squeal. How many is too many? Answer: not enough! Another Glassdust and two Frogmites rounded it out. I was looking at a strong deck.

16 dudes: 2 Frogmites, Gust-Skimmer, Somber Hover, 2 Enforcers, Qlox, Servitor, Cathodion, Etchy, 2 Glassdusts, GHawk, Relic, Fae Mech and Ether Knight.

4 spells: Sunlance, Narcolepsy, Repel and Apostle's Blessing.

3 more artifacts: Bauble, Copper Carapace, Kitesail

3 Darksteel Citadels + Blinkmoth Nexus

10th round paired me with Laurence playing White. I only saw he play two plains as he got land screwed. He was able to play a Raise The Alarm before my metal guys got him. Next game, he mulled to 6 and got stuck on two lands again. My cards curved and that was that,

Next round I played a guy named Jayce. No kidding! He was GB and played a Necroskitter and a Ripper. I played Qumulox and an Enforcer, then made it fly with the Kite. Game two went longer and he put up a fight with a Creakwood Liege and Blood Vampire. He sac'd three guys to the Vampire, but I Repelled it. My flyers got in there again.

Curt was my next opponent playing BUG with tokens and pump and counters. I got him game one, but he came back strong with Overwhelming Stampede for exacties. Last game was slow for me and he hit Bestial Menace + Stampede again. Ouch.

2-1 in the first draft and feeling good. Conor went 1-2, but still felt good since there was another draft coming up. Two free drafts is such value. We got some Nathan's dogs and fries for lunch. Also, checked a vendor's buylist for the sweet rares.

The next draft for me was a trainwreck. I opened a Stampede and Hikari. Having been just stomped by the Stampede, that's what I took. Then a Tribal Flames followed by a Hellkite. Okay, RG. A Phoenix and Scatter made me feel okay, but I saw a bunch of white spirits going around. Next pack had another Hellkite, so I was dealing double dragons. Got some Rampant Growths and a DS Knight. 5 colors? Last pack I was passed another Stampede - was it a sign? Only a Rioters and an Igniter stood out after that. Here's the mess:

I was in three colors, which made the Flames and Rioters better, but getting to 5 for the Phoenix and Knight were a longshot. I should have gone straight RG.

My first opponent was the one I passed all the spirits too. Great. I mulled to 6 and watched his Thieves of Hope go to work. He drafted well whereas my deck lurched along. The Hikari finished me off. Game two I got out a Hellkite, but he Bone Splintered it and spirited me away.

Next round was against Tom running RBG, who curved out into Ashenmoor Gouger. I got stuck on three lands and two Storm Berserkers joined his side and got me. I actually won game two where I had the burn at the right time and Stampeded in. Game three was a lesson in the Spike Elder plus Soulbright combo. For 6 mana, you get 8 mana to feed the goblin. Put a Brute Force on it and it's game over.

I needed this last round to place in the money. Robert stood in my way with a UW deck, flyers and equipment. His Skyhunter equipped a Sickleslicer and I had no burn. I rallied in game two since he flooded out and my dragon got there. Game three was more of his equipped flyers and my burn was no where to be seen. Sigh.

All the guys were rooting for us all day and suggested the Wynn buffet for food. So worth it. Got my just desserts.

Make no mistake - GPLV was monumental. The day two was the icing on the cake. Finished at 265 and they paid out to 230. It's my third day two, however, so I feel I'm moving in the right direction. Hopefully, the Las Vegas GPs are a regular addition to the schedule. Do yourself a favor and start planning for the next one. So much fun!

Saw a planeswalker!

Minutes before Alex fell asleep watching Conor combo out.

GP Vegas 2015 Day One

Vee-vah Las Vaygas!
Once again friends, into the land of cheap (and not so cheap) buffets and free drinks. Also, a little gathering of Magicians from the world over. It's time for GP Vegas Modern Masters 2015!

The troops, led by our fearless leader Greg, were arriving on the Thursday and Friday before the event. Greg found the best house ever with a pool, basketball court and many beds/couches. Lots of deflated basketballs too. Tom Brady must have stayed there before us.

Yeah, GPLV was big. 7500+ players big. But staying focused and playing mistake-free Magic was still the same. They split the horde into two separate GPs. And each GP into four sections named after famous Magic cards. I was in Iona with matching white tablecloths.

Ryan, Conor and I were surprised we each had a bye - running hot! They gave out long storage boxes with the playmat, packs, scorepads, etc. inside. No sleeves this time. We opened packs, registered and then passed to a neighbor. That was what we played. My deck:

Wayfarer's Bauble & Sphere of Suns for fixing.
Arrest, O-Ring, Sunlance, Nameless Inversion and Blinding Souleater for removal.
2 Fortifys for pumping.
Scatter, 3 Raise Alarms, 2 K's Preds, 2 Dread Drones, and Bestial Menace for tokens.
Both Lieges (Creakwood and Wilt-Leaf) - stoked!
Pelakka Wurm, Spellskite and Conclave Phalanx for good measure.

So, starting on round 2, I lost to an Algae Gharial (amazing vs. me), but won the next. Ugh. Round 4 was against a five-color deck with Overwhelming Stampede and Comet Storm. And a bunch of good artifacts. I took a game, but he crushed me in his wins and I was 2-2.

It was a pain to run over and meet up with the guys between rounds to check in. We met up at the prize wall in the middle. Almost everyone was doing better than 2-2. Conor, who said his deck was terrible and wouldn't win a round, was 4-0. Must be nice!

I shrugged and buckled down. I knew my deck had some wins in it. Just focus on each round, each game. Make tokens, use the removal, pump with Fortify and Lieges. How hard is that?

I went on to win all the rest of my rounds that day. Day two with 7-2!

Most opponents were more than two colors, which makes sense. The set is arranged for multicolor goodness. So many great cards. I didn't see any Karns or Elesh Norns, but survived a Wildfire and Prime Time. My little 0/1s and 1/1s got there as they swarmed in. Several games were won on exacties.

Through it all, I stayed calm and as relaxed as possible. I scarfed a Cliff bar and peanuts and drank my water. Didn't look at the time, since I tried to focus on my deck and side-boarding options for each kind of deck. It was 100+ degrees outside, but I stayed cool and calm.

Conor made Day two going 8-1. The gang was stoked for us and we found a Thai place near the house to chow-down. We had agreed the players with the best records picked the sleep spots. I turned in early for some quality sleep. Day two started at 9am sharp!

Read more in GP Vegas part deux!