2008 ND State Champion Corey Baumeister
Congratulations to Corey for becoming the first player to ever repeat as North Dakota State Champion, and to do so in back to back years. Corey has definitely made a name for himself since winning States last year, and we look forward to following his performance and Worlds this year.
We apologize for lack of video highlights on this website. The camera we used has a unique file format that has taken some time to convert into something we can edit and post. We will get it up as soon as we possibly can.
Here are the tournament reports that were submitted for our contest. Thanks to everyone who sent them in. They give a great perspective on your States experiences. We will be announcing the winner of the booster box at FNM this week.
RICK CUMMINGS
So it's that time of year... the post-States (or Champs, if you're not from around here) wrap-up. I'm proud to announce that this year I piloted a deck that was capable enough, and my play was tight enough, that I made a Top 4 showing in the North Dakota tournament, held at Paradox Comics-n-Cards in Fargo. I could probably bore you with stories of the road trip (or not, I had to walk a block and a half from door to door) or tell you amusing anecdotes about my lunch experiences (didn't have any fun, just stuffed a six-piece McNuggs and a double chee in betwixt rounds) but neither of those are particularly Magic-related. And you, you demanding bastards, want Results! And Lists! Well, okay, if you're demanding, I'm delivering.
My initial plan for the tournament was to play some sort of GW Little Kid list, with a nifty Reveillark twist. It looked something like this:
4 Gaddock Teeg
4 Kitchen Finks
4 Shield of the Oversoul
4 Qasali Ambusher (note: how the hell do you pronounce that with no 'u'?)
3 Reveillark
2 Windborn Muse
2 Oversoul of Dusk
4 Sigil Blessing
3 Wrath of God
other incidental white control cards and lands
The problem? This deck sucks. And not on a "well, maybe a tweak here or there will fix it" manner, either. It flat-out sucks. It's a shining example of what looks good on paper is terrible in practice. Most of the creatures are good enough on their own, and get pretty ridiculous with Shield. But in the face of efficient beatdown, lifegain, removal, and countermagic in the current meta (plus Cruel Ultimatum), this deck is simply bad. So I put it to sleep. I had a small service and buried it in the backyard, like any good pet deck.
So then what? Well, I've made the claim already that I think Reveillark is the best deck in Standard right now, so I decided to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak. I shelled out for a set of Reveillark, a set of Reflecting Pool (which I luckily found on Star City Games' site with two days left and shipped with the miracle of Two-Day Air) and some hot pieces of tech, borrowed some important sideboard cards, and sleeved up the following 75:
UWb Reveillark
Standard
by Rick Cummings
4 Mulldrifter
4 Knight of Meadowgrain
4 Stillmoon Cavalier
3 Sower of Temptation
3 Reveillark
4 Cryptic Command
4 Esper Charm
3 Makeshift Mannequin
3 Wrath of God
3 Condemn
4 Reflecting Pool
4 Vivid Creek
2 Vivid Meadow
2 Vivid Marsh
2 Arcane Sanctum
3 Adarkar Wastes
1 Caves of Koilos
2 Mystic Gate
1 Fetid Heath
2 Island
1 Swamp
1 Plains
Sideboard:
2 Pithing Needle
1 Wrath of God
1 Sower of Temptation
3 Negate
2 Wispmare
2 Oblivion Ring
4 Fulminator Mage
First, card choice thoery. The point of playing the Reveillark deck is to maximize every drop of potential out of your creatures by being able to bring them back repeatedly. Hence my inclusion of Knight of Meadowgrain and Stillmoon Cavalier.
Meadowgrain came in over Finks due to a very convincing article by Bennie Smith on Star City Games. The idea is this: Finks nets you, in the average game, 4-6 life. Meadowgrain usually deals 2 damage and gains you at least 4 life just it's first appearance. And then it comes back with Reveillark. Finks? Not so much on the Lark action. If you want your Finks back, you need to burn a Makeshift Mannequin on it. A Mannequin that I assure you would usually be a 3-for-1 if you cast it on Reveillark instead.
Stillmoon Cavalier was my hot tech for the deck. It stops Kithkin cold. It blocks all sorts of nasty black dudes. It jumps up and blocks Demigod of Revenge AND Reveillark. It pumps. It does everything you want and more. Oh, and it comes back with Reveillark. There were more than a few games that I Wrathed away the board, brought back two Cavaliers with my newly-dead Reveillark, and then beat down with pumped Cavaliers.
As far as support cards, Patrick Chapin is of the opinion that there's no reason to not run four Cryptic Commands if you can cast them. I think it's entirely true. In fact, I think you're at a disadvantage if you don't. Four Esper Charms equal so much card advantage that it's downright scary. (Think about it this way: its worst use is to 1-for-1 with Bitterblossom.) 3-ofs on the rest of the cards seemed about perfect, plus running a fourth Wrath in the side helps stem the tide of Little White Dorks.
The mana is really where I got nervous with this deck. Admittedly, it has to play a Vivid-Pool base to play the triple-mana Command, double-mana Sower, Cavalier, Knight, Wrath, and Fulminator Mage. I wanted something functional, though, so I could reliably cast a turn-two Knight of Meadowgrain or Negate. So no more than 10 comes-into-play-tapped lands. I think people probably would have played more filter lands than I did (I only played three), but I honestly think the random occurance of not being able to use them on turn two is enough of a liability with only three. Going for more is greedy.
The sideboard was built to fend off planeswalkers, manlands, weenie rushes, and Faeires, mostly, with the Fulminators for 5-Color Ultimatum and other Lark matchups. Some of this worked, and some didn't.
I cant't take much credit for the deck, as most of it is tried-and-true Lark tech, but I credit my younger brother, Randall, for showing me that not all Lark decks have to be THE Lark deck. His build had Tidehollow Scullers and Shriekmaws and all sorts of tricky stuff. Knight of Meadowgrain, again, was a Bennie Smith theft. But I take full credit for the Stillmoon Cavalier tech. I think it was the all-star of the deck (well, behind Lark and Mulldrifter and Cryptic Command.) Just remember when you're building Reveillark that the main goal is to maximize your card usage. Playing Kitchen Finks and Rhox War Monk are solid choices, but they have three power. You can't bring them back with Reveillark, and I assure you that this makes a huge difference in combat math and removal choices. When you have a Cavalier, a Mulldrifter, and a Knight in the graveyard your opponent will usually think twice about even Condemning your Reveillark. When you, comparitively, have a Tidehollow Sculler, a Mulldrifter, and a Finks in the yard, it's a no-brainer. Anything you can do to get your opponent to make a mistake is a good idea, I think. Except when you're playing Browbeat. That card is terrible in 98% of decks. Man.
Anyway, to get to the tournament results! I'll be covering highlights mostly, as Lark is a deck that likes to go to time and I therefore couldn't take super-detailed notes.
Round 1 - Paul with UW Merfolk
This round was all about the Sower of Temptation. Game one I Sowered his turn-two Sygg, River Guide, and his next drop... Wake Thrasher. I pretty much won on the back of his own Merfolk. Game two I sided in Pithing Needle, which I dropped naming Sygg, to keep him from giving his dudes pro-whatever-I'm-trying to do. Unfortunately, this game came down to a counter war over my Sower, and I lost the counter war. Two Cancels vs. one Cryptic... I lose. Game three I Sowered his Wake Thrasher again, but he played Harpoon Sniper(!) and I was forced to deal with it or lose the game. I don't remember exactly what I did with it, but I think it involved a Cryptic Command.
1-0
Round 2 - Brandon with Mono-Red
Brandon was my brother's first-round opponent. Which means, yes, my brother lost first round with his Reveillark build. But do not fret, for I revenged him in round two. Oh boy, I love revenging!* Game one I condemned two Demigods (take THAT, play trigger!) and then Sowered, alternately, his Figure of Destiny and Taurean Mauler. Game two Brandon mulls to five (not so good on the play, and then gets land screwed. He tried to Shard Volley my in-play Reveillark when he finally got some land, but I Cryptic Commanded it. He then did it again, which I let resolve to take him to two land and two cards, which I Esper Charmed away after bringing back two random dorks to finish the job. Revenge! (Note: I don't exactly remember the order that events transpired in this match, but the events themselves, I'm pretty sure, happened. I also remember an attempt to Unwilling Recruit my Reveillark. I Cryptic Commanded that, too.)
2-0
Round 3 - Chris with Faeries
This was my first feature match, and it was a great matchup. Chris and I both played an exceedingly tight game, albeit a little slow. I eked out a 42-minute win first game, and Chris won game two in extra turns. No game three. I don't recall any particularly standout plays, but I've been told I made some good ones. I only remember some trades and the fact that I blew up his Bitterblossoms in both games.
2-0-1
Round 4 - Lance with Elementals
Lance is a very tight and good player from, I think, Bismarck. The problem with Lance's deck for me is the exceedingly dumb combination of Nameless Inversion, maindeck Fulminator Mages, and Horde of Notions. Somehow in game one I squeaked a win out of the face of a zillion Mages destroying my manabase. Replaying Mulldrifters and Reveillarks with Horde is pretty neat. Oh, and Nameless Inversion and Crib Swap. Game two was more of the same, except I couldn't get a win out. Game three I brought in Pithing Needle for either Horde or Fulminator Mage. He used his Harbinger to search up a Mage, so I ended up naming that for the Needle, and then tried really hard to keep him off Horde recursion. Eventually he had played a metric tonne of elementals, and I Wrathed the board, and waited for him to make the next move. He Harbingers up a Cloudthresher, and then plays it... and then I Sower it. Game over.
3-0-1
Round 5 - Reigning Champ Corey Baumeister with Faeries
At this point I was in a position to win one of the next two rounds and get into Top 8. Corey is a good player, having played in PT: Hollywood this past year and put up a respectible finish. Oh, and he won States last year. And he's playing Faeries. Looks like this might be my loss. And it was. Game one I got run over by Bitterblossom tokens backed up by a triple Cryptic Command hand that he flashed with about two turns left until I actually died. I scooped. Game two I mulled and then got manaflooded. Helpless to stop the Faerie onslaught, I lost.
3-1-1
Round 6 - David with White Weenie (mostly Kithkin)
I played David the week previous and FNM with my brother's 'Lark build. So I had some familiarity with his particular WW build. This was a win-and-in match... whoever won this match made Top 8, and whoever didn't went home. This, too, was a feature match, as the top three tables drew into finals. I honestly don't remember a lot of this match. It was very tense, very back-and-forth. I know I Wrathed in a couple of clutch places, and I'm pretty sure I Cryptic Commanded to tap his dudes and draw at least once to buy myself some time. In the end, it came down to turns game 3, when I double Esper charmed to wipe out his hand and force him into topdeck mode. He had to play any creatures to block and have a chance to live... and I Sowered said blocker to swing in for the win. Top 8!
4-1-1
Top 8 - Brandon H. with Kithkin Backlash
The Top 8 consisted of 2 Faeries (one of which being Corey B.), 2 Mono-Red, BG Elves, one other deck (Faeries?), and Brandon and me. By some twist of fate both Mono-Red decks were paired together and both Faeries decks were paired together. Brandon--and others--expressed their disappointment that the matchups were different there. As it was, we sat down for our game. Game one I sowered some dudes and beat down. Game two I got stuck by an Oversoul of Dusk because Brandon had a Painter's Servant on the board naming blue. My only out was Wrath... and I didn't draw it. Game three was more of the same from game one, except Brandon got extremely mana flooded and only drew one red source. So I just Sowered some dudes. I seem to have lost my notes from this round, but I'm pretty sure he Backlashed me down to 1 or 2 or something on the last turn, just to do it. But his loss was imminent, so it was more a joke than anything. We had a good laugh, and I congratulated Brandon on a good run to Top 8 (4-0-2) and expressed sadness that we couldn't have had a more interactive game. And then I got ready for Top 4!
5-1-1
Top 4 - Corey K. with Elves
I get the impression that Corey is a force in the Bismarck scene, if not for his play, then definitely for his passion for the game. He and store owner/T.O. Rich Early had a lengthy conversation about the state of Bismarck Magic before we began. Corey seems like a really good guy. I was worried about his deck, though. It was packing... well, it was Elves. Llanowar, Perfect, Colossus, Treetop Villiage, and Garruk Wildspeaker. Sometimes it just randomly donks out a win. Sometimes it does that twice in a row. That's pretty much what happened to me. I managed to get Pithing Needles set on Treetop and Chameleon Colossus, but it was too late. Furthermore, I had a really bad block with my Stillmoon Cavalier (block the lord, idiot!) that cost me game two. Had I made that block, we would have gone to game 3, and I could have maybe pulled a win. As it was, Corey went on to the finals... the All-Corey Finals! I went home with half a box and my Top 8 playmat, and a heaping pile of points.
5-2-1
I had a lot of fun at this tournament. And for the $200 I spent on getting the rest of my deck together, I got a decent turn on the investment, plus I now have cards that will likely be going in decks for years to come. If you had fun playing at your States, TELL WIZARDS! The best way to keep the tourneys we love is to show WotC that we love our tourneys!
Since this is likely my last big tournament at Paradox, I'd like to thank Rich Early, Brian Hellevang, Jon Swenson, and Alex Early at the store for putting up with crap, helping me out with my play, and being supportive of everyone that plays Magic in the store. The atmosphere and demeanor of the whole store is a testament to the dedication to all us Midwestern geeks. I said last time, and I'll say it again, Paradox will forever be my yardstick by which all other stores are measured.
Thanks also to my brother Randy, Alex Rivard, Adam Carico, Brad Nelson, Matt Costello, Bill Lies, and Derek Nelson for the help, the testing, the cards, the support, and the inspiration to keep playing a game that I constantly want to quit because I suck (even if I don't really all that much). I'll miss playing with y'all when I'm in Fort Wayne, and I guess we'll just have to get into MTGO.**
*We love us some Ralph Wiggum.
**Or not.
RANDALL CUMMINGS
Going into states this year was an interesting prospect. I had never played in a states tournament before, and so I just had to take advice from others as to what to expect. The general consensus was that aggro is played a lot because it is easier to play and it’s best in an open and unknown format. While the standard metagame wasn’t set in stone going into states, many speculated the big 3 decks to be Faeries, Kithkin, and 5 Color Control. There were, however, a whole slew of other possible decks, ranging from Reveillark to Sarkhan Vol to Quillspike to Red, Bant, Sligh, Mana Ramp, and so on.
I chose to play Lark. The match ups against the big 3 are at least manageable, with Faeries being the worst of them. I had a fairly aggressive main deck, running Finks and Dorans, with some other goodies like Tidehollow Scullers, Shriekmaws, and Makeshift Mannequins.
Round 1
I was paired up against a somewhat unconventional red deck. Notable cards I saw that I didn’t expect were Thunderblust, Spitting Earth, and Taurean Mauler. Game 1 started off with a Mogg Fanatic and a Pair of Ram-Gangs from my opponent. I held him off as well as I could, chumping with a Doran and a couple of Mulldrifters. A Sower came down for me to steal his 5/5 Taurean Mauler, which died the next turn. An evoked Lark brought back a Sower and Doran, and the game was over soon after that.
Game 2 found me digging for a forth land for around 5 turns. A Thunderblust came down and swung in when I had no defense, and that coupled with another hastey duder and a pair of Shard Volleys had us moving to game 3.
Game 3 was worse that game 2, since I Mulled to a five card had with nothing too spectacular in it, and again got stuck on 3 land. Surprised, my opponent doesn’t play much for the first 5 or so turns of the game, so I have some time to dig. I ended up playing a Finks around turn 6, which he took right away with an Unwilling Recruit. X was equal to 3. I thought about condemning my own finks for a moment, but decided it a bad idea because I needed to start killing him. The next turn I dropped a Reveillark, which also got stolen, this time X was equal to 4. That plus some early damage from a Fanatic and a Flame Javelin put me to exactly zero. Guess I Shoulda Condemned the Finks?
Round 2
There isn’t really much to talk about here. I was playing against Kithkin, a match I expected to see a lot of, and knew it came down to me fending off the early assault and stabilizing with a Wrath or Lark. Game 1 he had a pretty nutty draw. I tried to Sower but he Unmade it from under a Windbrisk. My Wrath was followed by Cloudgoat Ranger and Cenn, and I died quickly.
Game 2 was even more of a blow out, I mulled to five again and never hit 4 mana. Wrath and Sower aren’t very good when they can’t be played apparently…the little white men soon overwhelmed me, taking away any chance I thought I might have to finish high in the tourney.
So just like that, I was done. My first states didn’t go so well, but that’s Magic! I decided I could use my newly found free time to watch some of the matches that were happening around me. I still had a lot of friends to cheer on and there was a lot of fun and excitement to be had! I tried my best to stay away from the feature matches to get some reports on some other stuff that was going on, but that also meant covering some of the same people and decks multiple times. I got increasingly difficult as the tourney got farther along, as top tables started to draw.
Round 3 – Rick C. with Lark and Chris D. with Faeries
Game 1 Rick keeps 7 while Chris Mulls to 6. The game begins with a turn 2 Bitterblossom from Chris, which gets blown up with an Esper Charm. Jace joins up with Chris, Mutavault enters the Red Zone, bringing Rick to 18. A Stillmoon and Lark get countered, and the first real action Rick sees is a Reveillark, which he Mannequined in response to a Mistbind Clique during his upkeep. The Clique runs into Lark, and Rick now has Drifter and Stillmoon from his graveyard. After some trading of creatures, a Wrath clears the board and resets. Two Mutavualts attack, Mannequin brings back another Lark to block, and a Scion comes down to make it a trade. Rick gets two Mulldrifters outta the deal…not too bad! The Drifters get in the Red Zone and another one joins the team post-combat. Chris holds off a little longer with an agony warp and a Cryptic, but scoops his cards up when he runs out of answers for the impending doom.
Game 2 Starts of with a Jace from Chris which meets a negate from Rick. A second Jace makes it into play. Rick plays a Stillmoon, which gets killed by an Infest. Blossom also comes down for Chris. An evoked Wispmare takes out the Blossom, and another Stillmoon shows its headless body. A mid-combat Mistbind comes down to save a faerie conclave, and Jace keeps Chris in card adavantage. Chris plays another Blossom, which Rick attempts to Cryptic Command, only to see a Cryptic from Chris. Rick attempts to stabilize with Sower on Mistbind, but Agony Warp thwarts his plans. Another Agony Warp clears blockers and Chris soon has the game.
Time in the round is called and it ends in a draw. Fantastic match guys! This match was featured by Paradox and there should be a link to it on the website, so take a look!
Round 4 - Cody B with Mono Red and Cory K with B/G Elves
Game 1 is led off with a Mogg Fanatic from Cody and a Thoughtseize from Cory, which steals a Goblin Assault out of Cody’s hand. Stigma lasher swings, and an Incinerate kills a Mutavault that is trying to block. Ram-Gang joins the assault party. Vanquisher tries to hold everyone off but a Hell’s Thunder comes in to finish the job.
Game 2 starts with a Thoughtseize taking a Figure of Destiny. Turn 2 Vanquisher is met with a Turn 2 Incinerate. Civic Wayfinder digs up a swamp for Cory, while Goblin Assault starts pumping out attackers for Cody. Garruk sits down next to Cory to help out and brings a 3/3 beast along with him. Cody makes a Ram-gang and swings with a token as well. The Gang and the beast bounce off each other, and a Fanatic joins the mix. Cory makes a token generator of his own in Bitterblossom, and Garruk calls another beast for support. A Flame Javelin kills the beast, and a goblin token finishes off Garruk. Another Goblin Assault hits play for Cody, and soon Cory is overwhelmed with attackers.
Cody B wins the match 2-0.
Round 5 – Rick C with Lark and Corey B with Faeries
Game 1 Corey is on the play and keeps his 7. Rick goes to 6. Turn 2 sees a Bitterblossom from Corey and a Knight of Meadowgrain from Rick. An evoked Mulldrifter digs for answers to the blossom, and Jace comes down to bring Corey some card advantage of his own. Mistbind Clique gets countered by Cryptic Command, which draws Rick a card. Corey attacks Rick down to 12 with tokens and a Mutavault. Rick attempts to destroy Blossom with an Esper Charm, but Spellstudder protects it. Corey flashes Rick his 3 Cryptic Command, and Rick scoops up his cards while trying to pick his jaw back up off the table.
Game 2 starts with a Knight of Meadowgrain, which gets killed by Terror. A Thoughteize from Corey takes a Mulldrifer, and they play draw-go for a couple of turns. Thoughtseize number 2, with a little counter protection, takes Wispmare from Rick, leaving him with a grip full of lands. A Vendillion Clique joins the Mutavault beat squad, and a Mind Shatter takes the rest of Rick’s hand. A Last Ditch Cryptic from Rick to fend off lethal damage meets a Cryptic from Corey, and the game is over.
Corey B wins the match 2-0.
By now, all the top players have drawn into the top 8, and most everyone knows whether or not they are going to make it in. At this point, I thought about watching some of the lower tables to see what other kinds of decks were floating around, but I really wanted to watch my brother. Not only because it was going to be a good matchup, Kithkin Vs Lark, but because the winner of the game would make top 8. And, well, he’s my brother!
Round 6 - Rick C with Lark and David S with Kithkin.
Game 1, both Players keep their opening seven, with David on the play. He opens with an Akrasan squire. Next comes a Figure of Destiny, but no second land. Figure gets pumped next turn and Rick falls to 15. Rick makes a couple of Stillmoon Cavaliers to fend of the attacks. Turn five David sees his second land drop and plays a Knight of Meadowgrain. David attempts to play a Loxodon Warhammer, but not wanting to have to deal with a 5/2 First Strike, Trampling, Double Life-Linker, Rick counter/draws off a Cryptic Command. Still more dudes from David elicits a Wrath of God from Rick, resetting the board state. Another Squire from David is answered with a Lark from Rick. Lark trys to do some combat damage, but is Unmade, bringing two Stillmoon Cavaliers back for Rick. A hardcast Drifter nets Rick 2 more cards. Rick puts on the pressure with his team, countering anything David tries to do, and the game is over soon.
Game 2 has David on the play, and he makes a Figure of Destiny on turn 1. Turn 2 brings a Knight of Meadowgrain for David. Rick has a Knight of his own, and they bounce off each other next turn, netting both players 2 life. Cavalier joins David’s team. A Pithing Needle from Rick names the still 1/1 Figure of Destiny, but David Oblivion Rings the Needle next turn and swings for 4. An Esper Charm acts as a Mind Rot and steals the rest of David’s hand of Akrasan Squire and Knight of the White Orchid. Figure is pumped to a 4/4 and Rick falls to 11. Rick finally makes a dude in the form of Reveillark. On David’s turn, he stares at the board position. 5 land in play, a Figure at 4/4, and a Stillmoon Cavalier. After a little bit, he decides to pump his Stillmoon to a 4/1 and send him in. No block from Rick. Lark number 2 joins the mix, and Lark number 1 brings David to 16. Figure of Destiny cracks back, and Rick falls to 3. Stillmoon jumps up to take out an attacking Lark, and then Rick clears the board with Wrath. David makes a Figure of Destiny, which becomes a 4/4 right away. The next turn David sees his sixth land and Figure becomes 8/8 flying, first strike, steal your first born, kick you in the nuts, eat your last piece of pizza, and slap you for thinking you had a chance (yeah, he’s that good), and the game is over.
Match is tied at 1-1.
Game 3 with Rick on the play has him Mull to 5, while his opponent keeps 7. David makes a Squire, while Rick’s first play is a Knight of Meadowgrain. David has a Knight of his own, and once again they simply trade in combat. Rick uses Esper Charm in card draw mode to dig into his deck, while David nets himself a Plains with Knight of the White Orchid. Another Knight of the White Orchid fetches another Plains, and after combat David enchants Rick with Wheel of Sun and Moon. Sower of Temptation from Rick steals the Squire, making the attacks from David less potent. David gives Rick a taste of his own medicine and play a Reveillark. The pair of Knights attack Rick down to 9. Another Sower from Rick tempts the new Lark to switch sides, and a Pithing Needle insures Warhammer will not blow him out of the game. After asking the judge who would control the Lark trigger if it died, David attacks with his two Knights. One gets eaten by the Lark, the other connects, bringing Rick to 7. A wrath clears the board and Lark brings back a Mulldrifter and Knight of Meadowgrain for Rick. Both players spend a few turns developing their boards again, both playing off the top of their decks. Time in the round is called, and a Stillmoon Cavalier that is fending off lethal damage for David is taken by a top decked Sower, and Rick wins the match on the fifth and final turn of extra turns.
Rick wins 2-1 to earn a spot in the top 8. Nice job! This match was also featured by Paradox, so take a look on the site for a link.
So far the tourney has been a blast for me, even though I went 0-2 drop. It’s always great to see magic played at its best, and we definitely got to see some amazing games so far. For all of those not fortunate enough to make it to the end of the tourney, side event were being held to keep everyone playing! It was nice to have a tournament filled with people from all over the state. New faces are always welcome to me, and it’s great to compete for the bragging rights of best player in North Dakota. On to the top 8!
The players and decks that made it in are as follows: Cody B. playing Mono Red, Brandon H. playing Kithkin Backlash, Ryan G. with Faeries, Mike W. with Faeries, Cory K. playing B/G Elves, Rick C. playing Lark, Corey B. playing Faeries, and Bill L. with Mono Red. Round 1 of top 8 sees Red vs Red, Faeries vs Faeries, Lark vs Kithin, and Faeries vs Elves.
Top 8 Quarter-Finals Mike W. with Faeries and Cory K. with B/G Elves
Game 1 has Mike on the play with both players keeping their opening 7 cards. First play of the game is a Llanowar Elves, followed by a Bitterblossom from Mike. Turn 2 Civic Wayfinder grabs a Swamp for Cory. A Thoughtseize from Mike reveals Swamp, Vanquisher, Llanowar Elves, Imperious Perfect, Nameless Inversion, and Mind Shatter. Mike takes the Shatter. Perfect comes down for Cory and the other elves on the table swing in for 5. Blossom takes Mike down to 11 and Mike passes the turn. Civic Wayfinder finds his way into the Red Zone, and then finds himself staring down a mid-combat Mistbind Clique. The Clique kills the Wayfinder and an Inversion finishes off the 4/4 flying Mana Short. Sower steals Imperious Perfect after a couple of tokens start picking at Cory’s life. Garruk comes to Cory’s aid, a beast pops out, and a Vanquisher sees play as well. Mikes team splits up to deal some damage to Cory and kill Garruk in the same combat step, and then Mike calls a Planeswalker of his own to give him a little card advantage. Cory lays a Treetop Village and enters combat with his beast and Vanquisher. A double block of token and Perfect kill the Vanquisher, and a 3/3 Mutavualt takes out the beast. A Mistbind Clique during Cory’s upkeep and a Cryptic to slow Cory down a turn ends the game. Mike is up 1-0.
Game 2 starts with a Thoughtseize taking a Mistbind Clique out of Mike’s hand. Mike plays Bitterblossom on turn 2. Civic Wayfinder finds a Swamp, and the next turn Perfect joins the team, letting Civic Swing for 3. Mike attempts to Agony Warp the Wayfinder but Cory has a Gutteral Response. Mike animates Mutavault and swings with it and a token. Cory attacks back, bringing Mike to 13, and a post combat Mind Shatter for 2 takes Spellstudder Sprite and Flashfreeze out of Mike’s hand. Mike makes a Warhammer. Attacks on Cory’s turn bring Mike to 10, and then Cory hardcasts a Vanquisher to join in the fun. Warhammer equips to a token and there is an 8 point life swing. Cory is at 10 and Mike is at 13. Civic and Vanquisher attack, a token gets in the way and Mike falls back to 10. Another 8 point swing with the Hammer Faerie brings life totals to Cory-6 and Mike-13. A Vendillion Clique after Cory draw meets a response of a hardcast Cloudthresher. Spellstudder tries to counter the elemental, but Cory points out that the V-Clique is not in play yet, meaning the Faerie count was only 5. Thresher resolves and all the flyers on the table die. Having nothing left, Mike scoops up for game 3.
Game 3 again starts off with a Thoughtseize from Cory, which takes a Vendillion Clique and leaves a Spellstudder, Remove Soul, and land in Mikes hand. After a couple turns of Draw-Land-Go, Cory activates a Treeptop Village to get some damage in. Agony Warp Kills the ape before it can connect. Remove soul stops a Vanquisher from ever seeing play, but the next turn Cory turns the tables and plays a Bitterblossom of his own. Wayfinder grabs a forest, and the next turn is attacking alongside a token and a Treetop. Vendillion flashes into play to take out the Treetop, and rips an Imperious Perfect out of Cory’s hand at the same time. A Mind Shatter for 1 gets countered. The next turn Garruk shows up again, protected by a guttural response, and untaps two lands to allow a Mutavault to attack. Mike draws his card for the turn and says go. Garruk has a few things to say that involve a lot of big trampling dudes, and Mike extends his hand in the face of lethal damage. Cory wins the match 2-1 and moves on to the semi-finals.
Corey B wins the Faerie Mirror vs Ryan G. Rick advances over Brandon H and Kithkin Backlash, and Bill L. takes the Red Mirror over Cody B, which was Paradox’s feature match for this round.
Top 8 Semi-Finals Rick C. with Reveillark vs Cory K. with B/G Elves
Game 1 has Cory on the play, with both keeping their opening hands. Cory gets off to a super fast start with mana elf turn one, Perfect turn two, and Colossus turn three. Cory swings for 14 damage on turn 4, bringing Rick to 4. Wrath of God blows up all the dudes on the board. Cory gets in next turn with a Mutavault, bringing Rick down to 2. Rick casts Lark to hold down the fort. A thoughtseize from Cory takes a Wrath out of Rick’s hand and is followed up by a Wren’s Run Vanquisher. Knight of Meadowgrain comes to Rick’s defense, but is killed at EoT, leaving too few blockers for Rick to stay alive. Cory is up 1-0
Game 2 has Rick on the play. Rick keeps his 7, but Cory doesn’t like what he sees and throws them back for a fresh 6. Satisfied, the game begins. Cory leads with Llanowar Elves once again, with a Thoughtsieze on turn 2. Rick reveals Fulminator Mage, Reveillark, Makeshift Mannequin, Wrath of God, and Stillmoon Cavalier. Cory takes the annoying headless horseman and passes the turn. Fulminator Mage destroys the Llanowar Wastes Cory used to cast Thoughtseize. Civic Wayfinder grabs a swamp for Cory, and a Mannequined Mage blows up another Wastes. Wrath clears the board, which is followed by an Imperious Perfect from Cory, which is followed by a Lark from Rick. Colossus hits play for Cory, but is named with Pithing Needle the next turn. Cryptic taps Cory’s team before he can attack, and another Wayfinder joins the party. Rick attacks Cory down to 9 life and play Stillmoon Cavalier. The crack-back takes Rick down to 9 as well. Lark attacks Cory to 5, Fulminator comes down to chump block, and a Needle names Treetop Village. Eyeblight’s Ending at EoT gets the Mage out of the way, but not before he can destroy a Gilt-Leaf Palace. Cory’s attack next turn proves to be too much for Rick, and the game is over. Cory wins the match 2-0.
Finals Defending States Champ Corey B with B/U Faeries vs Cory K with B/G Elves
This is North Dakota’s very first All Corey Finals! What a treat! (to avoid confusion, I am going to refer to the players as “Elves” and “Faeries”)
Game 1 sees both players mulligan down to 6 cards. The first play of the game from Elves gets countered by Spellstudder, and the air beats begin. Elves cast a Vanquisher turn 4 and a Civic Wayfinder turn 5. Faeries tap out to call their Queen, Oona, but she is soon taken care of with Eyeblight’s. Around turn 8, Elves adds another Treetop to their list of lands, bringing them up to 3 Mutavaults and 2 Treetops.
“OK, I get it! You’ve got MANLANDS!!” the defending champ yells, waving his arms up in the air. Laughter from the crowd ensues…
Elves make a Bitterblossom to try and help the incoming air damage, but it’s a little too slow. Faeries put on as much pressure as they can, and Elves end up dying to their own Bitterblossom.
Game 2 starts with a triple Thoughtseize from Elves, taking a Cryptic Command and 2 Shriekmaw out of the Faerie’s arsenal. A few manland beats bring Elves down to 11, and a Vendillion Clique and a Mistbind Clique are more than enough to fly over the Elves ground forces unmolested to end the game.
Corey Baumeister wins North Dakota State Champs for his second year in a row! Congratulations buddy! The Finals should be up on the website somewhere, so take a look!
With that, States ’08 was over. While I was sad I wasn’t as successful as a few of my friends, I was happy to see my brother top 4 and Corey add another mark to his W column, which I’m sure he has hidden somewhere. Also, another friend from my play group, Adam Carico, finished in a super respectable 9th place…again. Keep it up man! The night was not over, however, as there was still Magic to be played! The Cube had us drafting long into the night, and many a sick play was had. Thanks for the Mind Twists Rick, and the 11 copies of Empty the Warrens were great too…Jerk. I also heard Jace got to go ultimate in one game, which is just…funny. Thanks to Brain for letting us in on his Sweet Cube-age, as it is always a blast.
After a good 16 hours of Magic, it was time to go home. Time well spent, as always. Now, the question is, what do I play at FNM next week?
RYAN GUSTAFSON
Faeries in the States Top 8
The list:
4 Cryptic Command
3 Remove Soul
2 Persuasion
4 Terror
3 Thoughtseize
4 Bitterblossom
3 Jace Beleren
4 Mistbind Clique
3 Spellstutter Sprite
3 Vendilion Clique
2 Shriekmaw
5 Island
4 Mutavault
4 Faerie Conclave
1 Swamp
1 Vivid Marsh
3 Underground River
4 Secluded Glen
3 Sunken Ruins
SB
2 Mind Shatter
2 Glen Elendra Archmage
2 Negate
3 Flashfreeze
1 Remove Soul
3 Deathmark
2 Shriekmaw
A few notes on the decklist:
I don’t have much experience with Faeries and built the thing fairly last minute. The land is obviously goofy – there should be 4 Underground Rivers, 4 Sunken Ruins, and just 4 Islands with no Vivid Marshes.
Additionally, I would strongly consider playing Agony Warp over Terror in the main deck because of the number of red decks in the area.
The sideboard worked alright, but it was a bit heavy on the creature removal. A fourth Jace Beleren for the control matches would have been nice.
Once nice thing about the deck was how easy the sideboard was to use. Against agro decks, Jace Beleren and Thoughtseize would come out for some combination of Shriekmaw, Remove Soul, Deathmark, or Flashfreeze.
Against control, the Terrors, Persuasions, and possibly Remove Souls came out for the Mind Shatters, Archmages, and Negates. Fairly simple with broad possibilities against different decks, which is nice, because sideboarding in an unknown format can make or break the chances of doing well over the course of the day.
Round 1 (0-0)
Lance Gehring played Elementals.dec, with Fulminator Mages, Nameless Inversions, Mulldrifters, Smokebraiders, Cloudthreshers, Reveillarks, Harbingers, the works.
Game one went quickly – he went first stuck on three mana while I went Bitterblossom twice and Mistbind Clique twice. He played two Fulminator Mages, but they didn’t do much.
Game two was a lot longer and took about half an hour. He Smokebraidered early, then Harbingered for Cloudthresher. I had a Bitterblossom going early and started pumping out the tokens, getting in hits here and there as I built up my army. He went through all four Mulldrifters this game and stuck a Reveilark, which I worked hard not to let die. By the end of the game, he’d also drawn a total of three Smokebraiders, but a combination of faeries and tokens let me Cryptic him and tap him out for the win.
Round 2 (1-0)
Mike Weeks won the die roll and Thoughtseized me for my Bitterblossom, then I took one of his two Scion of Oonas with my own Thoughtseize. He drew a Bitterblossom first, however, and won the game with the tokens and his Scion of Oonas.
Game two also went quickly. I went first and Thoughseized his Bitterblossom, but then he topdecked another one. The rest of his hand, a Mistbind Clique and Remove Soul, along with something else I can’t recall and two lands, really benefited from the draw and he went on to win the game when I didn’t draw any gas to get back into it.
Round 3 (1-1)
David Schloegel had Kithkins. I don’t have many notes for game one, but I lost after getting stomped by Figures and Elspeth.
Game two went my way. A Bitterblossom died, but I had another to start getting tokens. He didn’t draw much gas past his opener, which, after Thoughtseizing, was Figure, two Knight of Meadowgrain, Unmake, Oblivion Ring, Wrath of God, and Oversoul of Dusk. I played around the removal and Cryptic Commanded a few times to give my 1/1 fliers a chance to win the game.
Game three was scary. He was on the play and I didn’t have a Bitterblossom. I remember I drew a ton of removal (sideboarded Deathmarks, Shriekmaws, etc.) to hold off the horde and slowly wore him down to win it. He was stuck with a few Wraths in his hand, which I don’t think is a good idea against Faeries.
Round 4 (2-1)
Brock Azure! Brock was also playing Kithkin and the games went the same way. Game one I dropped a Bitterblossom and wore him down on cards – Thoughtseize showed a hand of Plains, Goldmeadow Stalwart, Windbrisk Heights, Goldmeadow Stalwart, Unmake, Burrenton Forge-Tender, and Figure of Destiny. I took the Figure, then fought to keep him off three creatures. A few big hits from a Mistbind and the game was over.
Game two he won decisively. I kept a double Bitterblossom hand, but he kept a double Wistmare hand and then dropped at least one creature every turn till I died, exactly how Kithkin wants to play against Faeries.
Game three my removal came in force. I ended the game with a Terror, a Deathmark, and a Shriekmaw in hand, plus many, many Bitterblossom tokens.
Round 5 (3-1)
Bill Lies played mono red with Figure of Destiny, Demigod, and the regular burn and creatures. I beat him 2-1, dropping an early Bitterblossom both games. Game one I Persuasioned a Demigod, which really turned the tables (something I did the previous night as well when we played).
Game two he had a few early Mogg Fanatics, which are very brutal against Faeries. I was never really able to get into the game, despite a Bitterblossom, and he was able to burn me out.
Game three I had another Bitterblossom early. This time, I was able to start getting in lots of damage and drew removal to handle his creatures. Ashenmoore Gouger is scary, since Terror and Shriekmaw don’t hit it, and is a good reason to play Agony Warp if you expect lots of red decks.
Round 6 (4-1) ID
Top 8
I played against Corey Baumeister, who went on to win the tournament. The games were quick and brutal: trading Bitterblossoms, trading Counterspells, and trading damage. I was never really able to catch up to Corey in game 2 despite playing the first Bitterblossom, but he drew some good cards at the right time to seal the deal. Plus, he knew enough to take Vendilion Clique out in the mirror. A lot of people say the mirror match with Faeries is a coin flip, and while I agree to a point, there’s also play skill. States was the second constructed tournament I’d played since mid-September, so I didn’t feel too bad about losing to Corey, who’s been playing Faeries since the deck’s been viable.
It was also interesting to play Corey because we were the only two players to make top 8 last year (he beat me in the top 4), and obviously he’s the first player to ever win two States Champs in a row. Good job, Corey!
BRIAN WEBER
Prologue
This past weekend, I was able to attend that which I had been waiting some time for, the return of Magic States. But it could be said that this almost didn't happen.
Late Wednesday night we got to enjoy the winter wonderland that is a blizzard. This continued through Thursday, even closing down the interstate that night, and better yet, my office was closed that night with pay. I did a little happy dance in that regards, since I was paid eight hours of pay for an hour's worth of work. But there was one question that was left on my mind waking up on Friday morning.
"Is I-94 going to be safe enough to drive on this evening?"
Well, to be honest, that wasn't the first thing that came to mind. The first thing I was wondering about was why my throat was so sore, and why my nose was stuffed. Didn't take me very long to realized I had been blessed with a cold. And it was a pretty bad one at that. Time to start downing Day-Quill.
Now I wasn't sure that it was going to be safe enough driving to Fargo that evening. But luckily there was small group of players from Dickinson that were also driving over to States earlier in the afternoon. So I was able to use them as a guinea pigs to test the roads. Come time for me to depart, I called them up by cell phone and asked how the roads were?
The report I got wasn't too bad. According to them there were a few good spots of ice between Steele and Jamestown, but outside of that it wasn't too bad. So I made my decision to go.
Unfortunately I was going by myself. My step-son Ryan, who usually tags along with me to States, was going to go, but he was also ill, and didn't want to leave home the way he was feeling.
But in regards to the weather, I'm starting to think the Magic States here in North Dakota is cursed. I've attempted to go four times, and this is how each one has been affected.
1: On drive back between Bismarck and Dickinson, we got caught in a blizzard with white-out conditions. The road was also totally covered so I was unable to see it. I was driving by the little white 10th of a mile reflectors on the side of the road. Oh, and I would say that visibility most of the time was down to 3/50ths of a mile. So I couldn't see the next marker by the time I passed the one I was driving by.
2: Snow falling with a strong winds causing large snow drifts closed down I-94 between Bismarck and Fargo the evening I was planning on heading out. So I was unable to attend.
3: Wow! Beautiful weather. Nothing eventful.
4: For this year's States, read beginning of blog.
My drive over to Fargo this time was not too bad. There were some patches of ice I slowed down for, and some patches of snow also. But I made it there safe and sound, and it didn't take too much longer than it normally does for me to drive over there.
So I checked into my hotel. Laid down for bed, and proceeded to...
...spend the night thinking about what the hell I was going to play.
You can guess that I was not well rested the next morning. Hell, the players from Dickinson I saw at States the next morning asked me if I was alright just by looking at me. Sure do miss being younger and not needing a full night's sleep.
But that night I was swapping between whether to play my Burn deck that I had been working on for this event, or to go with my Kithkin deck that I enjoy playing. By the time I had signed up for the event, I had decided on going with the Burn deck. By registration, I had decided to go with the following deck.
13 Mountain
4 Ghitu Encampment
3 Karplusan Forest
3 Fire-Lit Thicket
4 Mogg Fanatic
3 Figure of Destiny
3 Stigma Lasher
4 Hell's Thunder
4 Boggart Ram-Gang
4 Shard Volley
3 Lash Out
4 Incinerate
4 Firespout
4 Flame Javelin
And a sideboard of...
3 Vexing Shusher
2 Pyroclasm
3 Everlasting Torment
3 Unwilling Recruit
2 Manabarbs
2 Wild Ricochet
Body
Now for how my matches went. I'm not one to give the ins and outs of every play, so if you're looking for that, you'll unfortunately be disappointed.
My first match was against a control deck, a Bant Control deck from the looks of it. Our first game didn't provide too much excitement. I was playing threats and we wasn't able to provide enough answers. So he fell while I was still at 20 life.
Game two was a bit more exciting, but this game was defined by the Stigma Lasher I hit him with on turn three, because his very next play was a Rhox War Monk that he hit me with the next three turns, leading to 9 life he was not able to gain. With me building up too many creatures, he decided to Wrath of God to clear both of our boards. After this I stuck a Manabarbs, and with him being at a fairly low life total, we was unable to really play counters for the last of my burn and an Unearthed Hell's Thunder. I won the match, sitting at 2 life myself.
Match Record 1-0
My second match was against another burn deck, but one running Raging Goblins and Spark Elementals. Game one was a race, with each of us trading back and forth and burning off each other's creatures when we could. I won this game off a winning clash of Lash Out and then attacking for the win.
The second game will haunt me for some time to come. Again we were racing, and again I won a clash for three damage. I had no creatures on the board and he had an attacker that just put me at one life while he was at the same. Off the top of my library came a Stigma Lasher that was doing me no good since he could unearth a Hell's Thunder. I played the Lasher and about two seconds after putting him on the board I realized I could have just activated a Ghitu Encampment I had out and attacked for the win, since he had no cards in hand. Grrr.
The rubber match was uneventful with my creatures were getting burned up and I was unable to burn off enough of his. So to say, I died.
Match record 1-1
The third match of the evening was against another player from Dickinson, Joe. Sitting down he was saying he should just concede the match against me. For some reason, most players in town seem to have a defeatist attitude when it comes to playing me, expecting to lose. A lot of times it works out for me since they'll make more mistakes that help me. My response here was that he should play, he might win. And win he did. You know, this is only the third time I've played Joe in a tournament, and two of the times he's beaten me, so I've informed him he's not allowed to have a defeatist attitude when playing against me.
Anyways, he was playing something of his own concoction, a white/black deck with a lot of lifelinkers and lots of removal. Game one he was able to remove my creatures and I was unable to get rid of his fast enough. I had gotten him down to 1 life before he finished me.
The next game was just the opposite. I was burning his creatures, and he was unable to remove mine fast enough with me swinging for the win.
The decider was disheartening. He was able to get a little lifelinker out that hit me five times, getting him up to 25 life, and with me no way to remove it at two mana. I eventually got my mana and was able to start pulling back into this one. But with a Liliana Vess threatening to go ultimate, I had to spend precious attacks getting her back down in counters so I could go back to dealing with him. I managed to get him down to five life before succumbing to his creatures.
Match Record 1-2
This forth round was against another Bantish Control deck. Game one was another lopsided affair with me running him over before he could really get set up for anything.
Game two was a bit more eventful on his end. I got off to another fast start, but soon thereafter he got down Doran, The Explorer and Mr. Pancake Flipper himself, Rhox War Monk. But he wasn't attacking with the Pancake Flipper with my two Mogg Fanatics in play, being good Lifelink blockers. Our last turns were draw-go. I did eventually play a Vexing Shusher, and the next turn playing a Shard Volley for the win, with 6 mana up to prevent a counterspell. Although, he did point out that for some time I had a Hell's Thunder in my graveyard I could have used to kill him that I had just completely blanked out about. Another mistake on my part for the day, but one that didn't cost me a match.
Match Record 2-2
This match was against a Kithkin Deck that turned into a White Weenie deck with just about as many Protection from Red creatures he could sideboard in standard. He was hating Red as bad as one could, and I, unfortunately, was playing Red.
Game one was looking good, until he got down an Oversoul of Dusk and then attached a Loxodon Warhammer to it, swinging for 8 damage and gaining the same amount of life. I know I had no answer in my deck to deal with this, and conceded.
Our next game was probably the most tricky game of the tournament for me. He brought in that sideboard's worth of Prop Red was threatening me with it. I got down a quick Manabarbs, but his next turn was a Runed Halo naming "Manabarbs". Luckily my next turn was Everlasting Torment to stop the Halo's shenanigans. I after some more plays from each of us and Manabarbs damage, we were both at five life. While there I played a Mogg Fanatic which put me at four. I then had to tap a Karplusan Forest, putting me at three life and two more mountains. With the Manabarbs triggers on the stack, which would have killed me, I cast a Flame Javelin at him and sacrificed my goblin, killing him before my own enchantment killed me.
Our last round was looking good for me, since I had gotten him down to 3 life while I was still at 12. But unfortunately he got his Warhammer back out and was swinging for 7 damage and 7 life. The writing was on the wall, and I had no way to deal with his big guy.
Match Record 2-3
I decided to play out my final match, and ended up being paired against another Dickinson player, Brandon. He was playing a red deck as well, but he had access to Demigod of Revenge and was playing a set of four. But I never did see them played out against me. Also, Brandon is a pretty vocal and emotional player, and by this time he was at a 1-3-1 record and was none too happy. Also, the "local player" defeatist attitude kicked in and so he was upset to be playing me, because in his eyes he was already at 1-4-1. Game one was fast on my part since he was short on mana. I won with 15 life.
What turned out to be our final game was more of a race. Well, in a way. He was getting more creatures than me and was spending my burn to get them off the board before I was ran over. I had gotten him down to six live with a Shard Volley in hand, but no creatures left on my side, and he hit me for five damage, putting me at four life. Off the top of my deck came another Shard Volley, and I pitched them both at this face (figuratively) for the win.
And with his hand being thrown down on the table, he stomped off to, well, to pout really. He came back in about five minutes to sign the match slip, and collect his deck.
Match Record 3-3
Well, it was another mediocre year at States for me, an identical record as the year before. But this year I made some key mistakes that cost me having a better record. Last year I wouldn't say I had any glaring mistakes, just a poor deck, so that deck deserved a 3-3 record. This year, I deserved the 3-3 record.
The two mistakes I really realized that I made that were big. In game two of my second match was overlooking attacking with my Ghitu Encampment for the win. That one has already been chronicled.
What I feel to be my second big mistake was my sideboarding for the Kithkin match in round 5. I sided out my Firespouts and a Shard Volley for the Manabarbs and Everlasting Torments. During game three, it dawned on me that I should have kept in my mass removal and took out my Lash Outs, because I wasn't going to be able to target Protection from Red creatures anyways. At least with the board sweepers, I could kill Prop Red critters if I had an Everlasting Torment out, which would have been more helpful.
Epilogue
So after our wonderful tournament, the group of us from Dickinson went to Olive Garden to celebrate our mediocre-ness over some good breadsticks and Italian food. I myself enjoyed the "Tour of Italy", which is a treat I really enjoy.
You know, I do miss living in a more populated area. I don't like large cities, but I do like living somewhere that is populated enough to have better options for eating out. Other than fast food, the only place I go to here in town is Country Kitchen. I'm not too impressed with the Perkins we have in town, and Sanford's can go out of business for all I care. Actually, I wish they would and then have Dickinson get something like Olive Garden, or I would enjoy a Red Robin. Oh well.
Also, I would like more people to play against on a regular basis and more tournament options other than Friday Night Magic.
Anyways, we spent a couple of hours at Olive Garden and then I had to drive back home. The other's were spending the night in Fargo, but I had to work the next morning, and needed to get back home.
The roads home were in a much better condition. There were only a couple of issues I ran into getting back. One was a bad fog between Bismarck and Dickinson. The second was some short lengths of 2x4s that must have fallen off of someone's vehicle on the interstate that I ran over. I was worried about getting a flat if they had nails in them. But so far my tires are still inflated.
Also, I enjoyed my cold during the entire trip. I was thinking my nose was out to get me.
So that's it for my blog on my States experience. Hopefully I learn my lessons and improve next year at this event, or any other premier events the upcoming year. I unfortunately don't think I'll be attending many tournaments till the first of the year since I'm tapped out on time off from work, and I work during FNM.
Here's hoping for a much improved 2009 Magic season for me and those I travel with to premier events.