Cube Draft #2 Tournament Report

For the second time in as many tournaments, we only had 3 participants. So again, we did a 3-way tournament. It was a "winner-take-all" event, as we were late enough starting and couldn't afford to drag out a second or third game at the place we decided to go for lunch.

Tiffanie drafted a U/W control deck featuring 3 Planeswalkers, including the ever-lovely Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Ajani Goldmane. Counterspells (including hard counters like Mana Drain to soft counters like Mana Leak) and strong defenders helped with keeping the board under control.

Wayne drafted a Naya-flavored Aggro deck with an Isochron Scepter + Orim's Chant lock possible. Most of the rest seemed to be a beatdown featuring efficient creatures like Tarmogoyf and Giant Solifuge and cheap powerups like Umezawa's Jitte helped to fuel his aggro advances.

I drafted a B/R aggro/burn deck featuring Ob Nixilis, the Fallen for a Lightning Bolt to a player per turn and trying Abyssal Persecutor for the first time for me. A slight recursion sub-theme (via Bloodghast and Corpse Dance), evasion (via the Persecutor, Ob Nixilis [in a way], and minor splashes for Lightning Angel), and 


The game starts off slow for Wayne. Tiff and I are building up our forces, Tiff with her Ajani leading the way and me with Ob Nixilis.

At one point still early in the game, Wayne says he's taking a gamble and shows us the payoff...

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The best multi-player negotiating tool EVAH!!

Now the wheeling and dealing is on!

As Tiff keeps making deals to not be hit by the ScepterChant combo, her Ajani builds up to 6 counters and she gets a 24/24 Avatar token off his ultimate. Tiff keeps gaining 2 life, I keep landfalling for 3 against Wayne (twice in one turn due to a misplayed Powder Keg on Wayne's part). Some counters come off Ajani while attacking, just to see them start back on. I try to keep pace, at one point getting Ob Nixilis back out from a kicked Corpse Dance to hit her Ajani for 3. But with Wayne casting Pulse of the Fields each turn and Tiff Instant-Casting Rout after my attack, my work's quickly made worthless. A few turns later I lose out from one of Tiff's attacks.

Now the game really gets going!

Tiff drops a Jace, the Mind Sculptor and starts going to town getting him built up and always choosing to look at the top of her library. A Nevinyrral's Disk when Wayne was tapped out ended any potential Scepter locks.

Meanwhile, Wayne starts running and gets Giant Solifuge out with Umezawa's Jitte...but the Jitte can't equip it because of Solifuge's Shroud! The Solifuge gets in for one good hit against Tiff. Wayne next turn tries to drop a Marshal's Anthem to get back one of his big creatures, but it's met with Tiff's Force Spike while Wayne had no mana. Wayne later tries an Enlisted Wurm, only to have it met by an Exclude and no immediate help off the Wurm's cascade (remember, even if the card with Cascade gets countered, the Cascade is a separate trigger that happens when you cast the spell with Cascade).


A Transcendent Master lands with no problems for Tiff as Wayne has no mana with which to respond. She immediately pumps 6 mana into the Master, turning it from an even 3/3 for 3 to a 6/6 Lifelink threat for a total of 9 mana. She has a Lightning Greaves but chooses not to use it.

Next turn, Wayne gets Tarmogoyf back thanks to a Regrowth and equips Umezawa's Jitte to it.

But it's too late for Wayne.

Tiff pumps another 6 mana into Transcendent Master, now making it a 9/9 indestructible lifelink creature. Even if Tarmogoyf attacks as an 8/9 and the Jitte gets 2 counters, he'd need 9 eventually to take out the Master.

A few turns later, Master wins the game for Tiff!


So from the 3 of us, and anyone who's reading this blog, what do you think was the MVP for Tiff? Was it one of Wayne's misplays? Did she make an awesome play? Did any one card contribute heavily to her win, or was it a combination of factors from all players? Leave your comments here!

Remember we have a free play day this weekend, so I'll probably use it to show off Archenemy in preparation for our Planechase/Archenemy free-for-all tournament next weekend. Please come by and enjoy some Archenemy craziness!

Until then, take care!