Round 1 - Mono-Green Elves (2-0)
This one was kind of a bye, my opponent wasn't great, but this was also a very frustrating match as he played very slow and refused to concede when I had him locked out.
Game 1 (W):
I mulled to 5 on the play. He kept 7. I kept a hand of Arbor Elf, Utopia Sprawl, Primal Command, and 2 Forests. Led on an elf, opponent played their own, then I played sprawl and drew a Wurmcoil Engine. He played more mana and passed. I cast the engine and then the next turn found an Elderscale Wurm off the command, and cast it next turn. Knowing my mono-green opponent likely didn't have a main deck Walking Ballista, I knew that it just won me the game. My opponent said No I want to play it out, and proceeded to waste 35 minutes of both of our time with no way to answer it, before eventually dying to Hornet Queen + Craterhoof Behemoth.
Game 2 (W):
He mulled to 5 and I had an explosive start, which ended in my hittting him for over 150 damage off a Finale of Devastation for 10 getting Craterhoof Behemoth on turn 6.
Round 2 - Ilharg's Vengeance (2-0)
Game 1 - I mulled to 6 and kept a good hand with 2 lands, Arbor Elf, Utopia Sprawl,Karn, and another card that I can't remember. He proceeded to pre-game a Gemstone Caverns. I went land, arbor. He went land, Faithless Looting discard an Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, exiled a Simian Spirit Guide, and Goryo's Vengeance'd to get it backing, hitting me to 5. He had blown his load though and I managed to hit land drops and cast Karn, the Great Creator, getting an Ensnaring Bridge, giving him no way to attack through anymore. He eventually scooped knowing he couldn't win.
Game 2 - I mulled again and kept a hand with ramp and a Finale of Devastation to go get Scavenging Ooze. He used Abrade on my early mana, and I managed to drop an Ooze and make it big enough to dodge his removal. Got into a position where Ooze was bigger than his stuff, and won the game.
Round 3 - Vizier Druid Combo (2-0)
Game 1- He was on the play, he played some mana but had no druid on 2. I went turn 1 Arbor Elf into turn 2 sprawl. Turn 3 I played a Karn with 6 mana, found Sorcerous Spyglass and cast it naming Devoted Druid. He Eladamri's Called, and realized he had no answers in his deck. My stuff eventually was bigger than his stuff and I won the game with a Craterhoof Behemoth.
Game 2 - He played a Giver of Runes on 1 and a Devoted Druid on 2. He didin't find Vizier of Remedies for a few turns and I managed to grind him out. I made a mistake at 1 point and played a Karn, went and got Mycosynth Lattice with mana to play it, but realized I couldn't protect Karn afterward. I changed it up and played Hornet Queen knowing it would force him to use his Giver of Runes to kill Karn, opening up his Devoted Druid to my Dismember. It ended up not costing me the game, but it very well could have.
I split in round 4 and came home to write this. My mono-green brew that I expected to 0-2 drop with ended up at 3-0, 6-0, and against 2 good decks with good pilots to boot. I think it really shows just how powerful this deck can actually be, and I'm excited to tweak and test the deck going forward.
Take Away:
Karn, the Great Creator is one messed up magic card. Playing it on turn 2 or even 3 before your opponent has had a chance to develop their board is insane, and makes it a must kill or they lose. It also gives you a chance to win match-ups that are unfavourable by attacking on a different axis than you normally could. A timely Ensnaring Bridge against humans, or a Damping Sphere against storm, or a Grafdigger's Cage against dredge is huge game, especially game 1 where their answers just don't exist. It is a must watch card and I know it will make a big impact in modern, allowing a diverse amount of decks.
