Two straight successful FNM runs by this deck. Last week's will be hazy, but I can be lazy about these updates.
5/9: 4-1 overall; knocked out in Top 8
Rd 1 Boros Burn: W 2-1
I dropped game 1 after he used back-to-back Skullcrack, the second of which thwarted my attempt to Devour Flesh my way out of the situation. In games 2 and 3, my constant life gain between DRS, Scooze, and Courser proved to be too much and he ran out of gas as Dreg Mangler brought some extra muscle off the sideboard.
Rd 2 American Control: W 2-1
I dropped game 1 again, this time after blowing out his hand with Rakdos's Return after he tapped out for Assemble the Legion, and I had a Golgari Charm in hand. However, he topdecked a Keranos, God of Storms and proceeded to get a Sphinx's Revelation a couple turns later to turn the tide. My sideboard full of hasty creatures came back with a vengeance, and once again, Dreg Mangler was an all-star in game 3 as two of them provided early heat before Scavenging onto DRS and a Demon to finish him off.
Rd 3 MUD: W 2-0
This was the new-look MUD deck that's full of 1-drop flyers and Hall of Triumph. In game 1, I had 2 Abrupt Decays for his 2 halls, and proceeded to wipe his board with Golgari Charm after he had me down on life. Scooze then came in and ate his little corpses for a blowout. In game 2, he had to mull to 4 and basically did nothing, so I got a cheap win, though I'm pretty sure my sideboard wraths give me a great matchup anyways.
Rd 4 Selesnya Aggro: W 2-0
Neither game here was particularly close, and my opponent even acknowledged that he had never been picked apart in this manner. Scavenging Ooze basically ruled the roost in this matchup. The highlight of the match came when I was able to bait him into Bestowing his [[Boon Satyr]- his last card in hand- onto his Voice of Resurgence to kill my Desecration Demon while he had nothing else but Soldier of the Pantheon out. I followed up with a Mizzium Mortars to the Satyr and another Golgari Charm to wipe his token and Soldier, and Scooze cleaned up the mess.
Rd 5 & 6: Friendly draws
Top 8 Golgari Dredge L 0-2
This was a weird loss because I would figure I have a great matchup here thanks to DRS and Scooze. However, I kept a retarded slow hand in game 1 and got run out of town by a pack of Boon Satyrs, then in game 2 I drew no removal and got demolished by a Nemesis of Mortals and Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord. I'll be interested to see how this matchup turns out if I see it again in the future.
5/16/14 5-1 overall, Top 4 split
Rd 1 American Control: W 2-1
In game 1, we traded blows killing each other's goodies before I was able to get Desecration Demon going and regenerate with Golgari Charm after a Supreme Verdict. In game 2, he was able to burn away my early threats, then use Sphinx's Revelation to buy more time and cards before AEtherling mopped up. In game 3, a Pain Seer and Dreg Mangler did tons of early work, then a Mistcutter Hydra and Rakdos's Return finished him off.
Rd 2 Esper Control: L 2-1
I took game 1 again as an early Pain Seer provided major card advantage, and Rakdos's Return put him in topdeck mode fairly early. He came back to take game 2 thanks to Obzedat, Ghost Council draining my life and keeping him alive. In game 3, he was able to hold me off with Elspeth, Sun's Champion, and I was unable to find an answer before she ult'ed.
Rd 3 Esper Control W 2-1
This time, I dropped game 1 after a slow start and multiple Sphinx's Revelations from my opponent, and actually scooped before he found a win con since the round was over halfway over at that point. In game 2, Pain Seer and Satyr Nyx-Smith combined to give me tons of answers and a huge board presence that he couldn't handle. In game 3, he missed his 4th land drop, and once again the Nyx-Smith did some serious work, forcing him to Verdict once he found the 4th land and clearing a path for Mistcutter Hydra.
Rd 4 Rakdos Aggro W 2-1
Weenie aggro decks seem to be cake for this deck, and like my 2 matchups last week, this one wasn't really that close. In game 1, a Courser and Scooze held him off with some major life gain. In game 2, Scooze again did work as I baited a Doom Blade revealed from Thoughtseize with my Courser before letting Scooze go to work, and a Drown in Sorrow slammed the door on his pair of Chandra's Phoenix, which were munched up by Scooze before any burning shenanigans could happen.
Rd 5 Esper Control (again), W 2-0
Game 1 was a grind-fest, as I put him on his heels with an early Rakdos's Return and didn't give him the time to use Sphinx's Revelation to its full potential. Game 2 was more of a blowout as Pain Seer, Dreg Mangler, and Mistcutter Hydra provided a relentless attack, and a Rakdos's Return finished him off after he Sphinxed to survive a combat phase.
Rd 6 friendly draw
Top 8 Naya Mid, W 2-1
In game 1, he totally lucked out after Rakdos's Return destroyed his hand and he had no board presence. His first topdeck was Xenagos, the Reveler, which promptly ate a Dreadborem and he then topdecked Elspeth, Sun's Champion, which locked down my Desecration Demon. Game 2 looked to be taking a similar route after I again blew up his hand and he topdecked another Elspeth, but I was able to use Drown in Sorrow to clear out his Soldiers and get Elspeth down to 4 loyalty, keeping the Rakdos's Return on top of the deck with some Reaper of the Wilds Scry-ing. He must have figured I had a Dreadbore or Hero's Downfall on top, since he minus'ed Elspeth to destroy my Reaper, and I Returned his hand and walker; had he plus'ed I would not have had enough mana. Desecration Demon proceeded to mop up. In game 3, I once again blew up his hand with a Return after using a Downfall to thwart his turn 5 Stormbreath Dragon, then was able to win with ease by laying down threats while his answers sat in the graveyard.
