Ultimate Boros Guild Challenge Round 1 Results

Deck Challenges

Dallie

8 October 2013

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Round 1 of the Ultimate Boros Guild Challenge!

My Mother of Runes always used to say "Better late than never", so that's the motto I've been repeating to myself with increasing desperation, during the time I have had to put this challenge off.

So rejoice! The first round of the matches is out, and you can read all about the results below! I had to play these matches as Best-of-1, and whilst I know that it makes luck a much larger factor, I had to do it, due to time issues.

Worry not, from on on, matches will be in Best-of-3, and will have a description for each game!

Read them all, or scroll down to your match, do what you like, but here is the

Results of round 1

Cdawg44 (The Perfect Legion) (0) versus exarkun809 (Challenge Accepted, Boros) (1)

Cdawg44 got down a couple of early Boros Elites followed up with a T3 a Viashino Firstblade. Before he swung though, exarkun809 brought down a Lightning Helix on an elite, which almost nullified the swing.
After that, Cdawg44 had a few turns of very unfortunate draws. He did throw down a Wojek Halberdiers but that quickly ate an Arrows of Justice. exarkun809 stuck an Assemble the Legion, and then on the following turn wiped Cdawg44's board with an overloaded Mizzium Mortars.

Drawing nothing (litterally, all four) but Legion's Initiative, the tokens quickly dropped Cdawg44s lifetotal to zero.

KingSorin (The Boros Guild Challenge) (1) versus mossflower (Mossflower's Boros Challenge) (0)

KingSorin had a fairly aggresive start, however his Boros Recruit was dealt with by a Seal of Fire from mossflower.
He played an Agrus Kos, Wojek Veteran, which met an Arrest, then a Firemane Avenger, which received a Faith's Fetters. mossflower set up an Assemble the Legion and started draining away at KingSorin's life total, with the extort of a Blind Obedience.

A single Legion Loyalist founds its place on KingSorin's side of the table, unable to attack due to the ever growing army of tokens. mossflower only had Legion tokens to deal damage for him, as he drew land after land.
When KingSorin topdecked, played, and on mossflowers turn, activated a Legion's Initiative, he was swinging for 13 trampling, first striking, unblockable damage the following turn. Firemane Avenger put an even bigger difference in the life totals, and double overloaded Dynacharges ended the game in KingSorin's favour.

cronney (The BROros and Aurelia) (0) versus Arrzarr (Order in the ranks) (1)

cronney played first, and applied real pressure getting Arrzarr down to 6 life, before he could stabilize.

However, a Sphere of Safety on top of his Blind Obedience meant that by turn 5, cronney could only hit with a single creature, and when he followed it up with another Sphere of Safety turn 6, cronney couldn't attack at all. Drawing and playing a second Blind Obedience meant that Arrzarr drained two life with any spell played, and even more when he drew into 2 copies of Seal of Fire.

For the rest of the game, cronney amassed creatures, that couldn't atttack. After 8 turns of extorting, cronney's lifetotal finally bowed down, and Arrzarr could emerge victorious.

Narwek (the-legion-of-boros-02-07-13-1) (0) versus Nox.LD (legion-of-might) (1)

Narwek got stuck on 3 land, whilst Nox.LD threw down a pair of Truefire Paladins and a Boros Reckoner.
Whilst Narwek had applied minor beats early in the game, through a pair of Legion Loyalists and two Frenzied Goblins, he was losing on board position.

A Blind Obedience kept him in the game, but when the paladin and Reckoner received a Guildscorn Ward each, not even the two consecutive Lightning Helix's that Narwek drew, could keep him in the game for more than a few turns.

zaddos (Sunhome again) (0) versus numa529 (Boros Control) (1)

numa529 has a very interesting deck, that utilizes Sunforger to deal massive damage with Guttersnipe. Whenever

Equipped to the bird token from a Seller of Songbirds, he could bash in over zaddos's two Torpid Moloch's, then fetch up a Boros Charm play it to the face, and then equip it again, fetching up a Lightning Helix for game.

piedok (boros-aggro-what-is-that) (1) versus Lambiest (Boros Challenge 2013) (0)

piedok was on the clock from the start. A Legion Loyalist followed up by a Legion's Initiative (which was sacrificed to a Soul Tithe in order to play Boros Reckoner), meant that Lambiest was bashing in hard. The Reckoner however, ate a Lightning Helix, the turn it came into play.

Drawing and playing two Flame-Kin Zealot's, soon brought piedok's life total dangerously low, and when some light shone, as he drew his seventh land for Hour of Reckoning, Lambiest, denied it with a Boros Charm. The next attack brought piedok to 1 life, but a topdecked Angel of Serenity, cleared the board for piedok.

Agrus Kos, Wojek Veteran and Firemane Avenger, Lambiest's next two plays, were each met with a Luminate Primordial, and even though it upped his health, he was taking a beating from the angel and Avatars.

A top-decked Foundry Street Denizen didn't help, as the unblocked Angel of Serenity gained double strike from piedok's own Boros Charm, and swung for exactly lethal.

Rewdog (iron-fist-of-the-legion) (1) versus SereneFirehead1 (march-of-the-legion-03-07-13-1) (0)

SereneFirehead1 started of with a Legion Loyalist, a Boros Elite and then a Skyknight Legionnaire, which met a Condemn on it's attack. Whilst Rewdog got down an early Assemble the Legion (thanks to Boros Signet's), it looked like SereneFirehead1 could outrace him, thanks to a Boros Reckoner. However Rewdog disposed of the Reckoner with a Lightning Helix, and on his turn wiped the 1 drops with an overloaded Street Spasm.

As SereneFirehead1 rebuilt his board with another Skyknight Legionnaire and a Firemane Avenger, Rewdog continued to amass tokens, and when he hit 8 mana, he dropped Razia, Boros Archangel, with ten tokens to support it.

SereneFirehead1 had to block it, and lost both his creatures in the process, and sat at 1 life. He untapped to a Plains and conceded the game.

Riceeman (Twisted Firestarter) (1) versus anewsome (TURN EM SIDEWAYS!!) (0)

Riceeman had a very aggresive early game with a Boros Elite into a Gore-House Chainwalker, then a Viashino Firstblade. anewsome had attacked on a superior board with his Boros Reckoner, equipped with a Madcap Skills and a pair of Skyknight Legionnaire

However when Riceeman untapped, he dropped a Flame-Kin Zealot, and hit for 10 damage. Being on 6 life, and not being able to deal lethal this turn, anewsome had to keep back his blockers and pass the turn. Riceeman then untapped and played two Lightning Helix's to the face.

toastytoast (Boros Challenge) (0) versus GureiSeion (UGC: While the Legion's Away) (1)

GureiSeion played the heavy control game, setting up a few Soul Tithe's forcing toastytoast to sacrifice some speed. toastytoast had a Boros Elite, a Firefist Striker and a Skyknight Legionnaire, which in unison held down the opposing Boros Reckoner, and dropped GureiSeion's life total slowly.

However, a Lightning Helix on the Striker and a Faith's Fetters on the Legionnaire, ended those shenanigans. GureiSeion drew and played a Sunhome Enforcer and was slowly getting back his life. Not being dangerously low, toastytoast took a few hits, and retaliated with a Boros Recruit, and an Ash Zealot, though they also met their demise by another Faith's Fetter and a Lightning Helix, respectively.

Being stuck on three mana, meant that toastytoast couldn't play his Tajic, Blade of the Legion nor could he play his Warleader's Helix.

As GureiSeion untapped with two Boros Reckoner's on the field, he topdecked a Kindle the Carnage, played it, discarding first a Boros Garrison, for zero damage, then an Angel of Serenity for 14, and game.

Lavan (rtr-block-boros-1) (1) versus JHermy (Boros by JHermy) (0)

Lavan threw down a Legion Loyalist, followed up by a Legion's Initiative, and started hitting. With only 3 drops (Boros Reckoner and Frontline Medic) in his opening hand (which had been mulliganed), JHermy had to sit on his hands for a few turns. Being on the play meant, that Lavan had time to get down a Blind Obedience before JHermy could play any creatures, and thus he could get in even more damage.

The Assemble the Legion came in a bit too late, as Lavan had already gotten down both Tajic, Blade of the Legion (a 3/3 thanks to Legion's Initiative) and Gideon, Champion of Justice, he continued to hit hard, and ended the game with Madcap Skills onto Tajic. JHermy chumped the 6/3 indestructible creature for a turn, but due to his tokens coming in tapped, he succumbed to lethal the following turn.

Drawing solely land, did not help either.

psychoza (Storm the Front) (1) versus CanadianSamurai (samurais-legion) (0)

In psychoza's deck description, a note is made about a Fencing Ace with Madcap Skills on it being "pretty good". This is exactly how he opened the game, and Canadian Samurai had to throw both his Boros Reckoner and Legion Loyalist in front of it, to avoid taking 8 per turn.

psychoza therefore avoided the usual 2-for-1 that comes with reckoner, and instead made it a 3-for-2, having his Boros Recruit taken out himself by the Reckoner.

Skyknight Legionnaire came down for Canadian Samurai and then Firemane Avenger and it seemed like he had a chance at stabilizing, but Lightning Helix times two from psychoza cleared the board for his critters (another Boros Recruit and a Boros Guildmage) to drag down CanadianSamurai's life total, 3 points at a time.

DEREKGALLEN (MADCAP HYSTERIA) (1) versus KnightLife (Tajic's Command) (0)

KnightLife got was stuck on, first two, then three land, and never hit another. Meanwhile, DEREKGALLEN had plenty of land, and many things to spend it on. An Aurelia's Fury completely wiped KnightLife's board, and with a Flame-Kin Zealot he slowly ticked away at his life total.

When KnightLife hit his third land and stuck a Viashino Firstblade to block, the path was wide open for DEREKGALLEN to first Lightning Helix, then untap and Boros Charm away Knight Life's last life points.

tomtom9112 (TomTom Boros Wins) (0) versus 8bitJesus (security-detail-boros-challenge) (1)

8bitJesus was on a clock from the start, but a few welldeployed removal pieces, namely Lightning Helix and a Warleader's Helix kept him in the game, although he was swerving around 8 life with an empty board against 2 Boros Recruits, a Viashino Firstblade and a Court Street Denizen.

An overloaded Mizzium Mortars cleared the field, and he set up the Sunforger + Lobber Crew combo. tomtom9112 had a Lightning Helix in hard, but that won't get you there, against the 4 toughness defender.

Holding and waiting for enough creatures to have a chance at keeping them on the field, he could sit and watch as 8bitJesus threw a spell at him each turn (alongside with 2 pings from the Lobber Crew). When tomtom9112 finally had a pair of creatures down, and a Lightning Helix in hand, to slow the bleeding, 8bitJesus overloaded another Mizzium Mortars and on his next turn, fetched up two Boros Charms to the face for game.

Darkness1835 (Boros Guild Challenge) (1) versus APPLE01DOJ (boros-the-suckiest-of-all-guilds-1) (0)

APPLE01DOJ swarmed creatures, and during the long (and grindy) match put out no less than 13 of his total 20 creatures. Darkness1835 sifted through just as many removal spells and Seal of Fires.

Multiple copies of Sunforger from darknes1835 meant that any creature he could get down was bound to become a threat, but having just 12 creatures (that can attack) total, meant that any non-defender ate a removal spell from APPLE01DOJ.

However dual Order of the Stars naming respectively Red and White, locked down the board. As APPLE01DOJ's removal spells ran out, Darkness1835 stuck a Boros Reckoner, and equipped it with three Sunforgers, and swung twice over two turns for game.

dcarpntr (dcarpntrs-ultimate-boros) (1) versus AzrielBarakiel (boros-deck-idea) (0)

dcarpntr had an unrelenting stream of creatures, and once he got the Sunforger synergy out, he was hitting hard, and fast. AzrielBarakiel's Gideon, Champion of Justice almost made it for AzrielBarakiel, when it swung with as an 8/8 against a tapped down board and coupled with a Boros Charm, but the unattach from sunforger gave enough life for dcarpntr to make it through the followup from another Boros Charm.

His trio of Frontline Medic's, one with the buff from Sunforger bashed through, and fetching up another Lightning Helix meant that he was out of range of AzrielBarakiel's burn spells, until the moment where the latter hit 0 on the lifecounter.

Carpediem (my-ravnican-legion) (0) versus LittleBlueHero (Swiftblade Initiative) (1)

LittleBlueHero had a Boros Swiftblade enchanted by a Madcap Skills, which hit for 8 on turn 3, and would have hit for 10 on turn 4 (due to a Legion's Initiative.

Carpediem's league of Boros Recruit, Skynight Legionnaire and a Firefist Striker held it off,but didn't do anything to kill the monstrosity. Another Skyknight came down for Carpediem, whilst LittleBlueHero hooked up another Boros Swiftblade with a Madcap Skills.

He swung with both, and one got through, hitting for 10 damage, putting Carpediem at 2 life. Carpediem played a Firemane Avenger, and passed the turn, into LittleBlueHero's draw, which was a Lightning Helix, that was sent to the face, for game.

Supersun (Boros Bull****) (1) versus NeoHazard (Boros Beating) (0)

A turn one Order of the Stars meant that it was near impossible for NeoHazard to get through any damage. Anything he would play was matched or over-matched by the reigning Golgari champion Supersun.

Supersun had a board of Order of the Stars, Boros Reckoner, Tajic, Blade of the Legion and Fencing Ace On the side, sat a Boros Keyrune, which saw most play as a mana rock.
On the opposing side of the table sat Boros Guildmage, Boros Swiftblade, Sunhome Enforcer and a Boros Reckoner. Neither side could attack, since that would mean a two-for-one off due to the reckoners staring each other down, putting them in a disadvantageous situation.

When Supersun topdecked a Master Warcraft it seemed as though he could break through and kill the opposing board almost completely, but a Boros Charm from NeoHazard meant that it was Supersun who lost creatures in the combat phase.

However, NeoHazard was drawing nothing but land, and when Supersun finally hit 6 mana, he could drop the pair of Angelic Skirmishers he had in hand, and soar over the defence, whilst lifelinking.

An alpha strike against NeoHazard broke the defenses and won Supersun the game.

DukeNicky (The Legion's Battle Cry) (0) versus TheLameSauce (Concerted Boros) (1)

A quick Order of the Stars for TheLameSauce clogged the board pretty well, though his Boros Swiftblade and Boros Recruit couldn't do much to stop the attacks coming from DukeNicky who had an Ash Zealot and two Boros Elites in play.

Boros Reckoners came down on both sides, and locked up the game, but it was TheLameSauce who threw down another Boros Reckoner and a Courier Hawk to start squeezing in damage. Due to early aggression however, TheLameSauce was sitting at very little life, and a Blind Obedience meant that each spell DukeNicky cast, could whittle ever so slowly away at TheLameSauce's life total.

A Lightning Helix brought TheLameSauce up to an acceptable life total, and he then played a Concerted Effort. Vigilant, flying, double-striking, protection from red, Minotaur Wizards, as DukeNicky learned, are scary and the duo closed the game very swiftly.

Dberg101 (boros march) (0) versus adaptivesnapjaw (Boros Aggro ) (1)

adaptivesnapjaw had an excellent start, and despite having his Boros Elite and Legion Loyalist wiped on turn 2, by an overloaded Electrickery, he continued to spew creatures. Apart from another Elecktrickery, dberg101 didn't draw into any removal. He had a pair of Guttersnipes and a Boros Reckoner down, but couldn't bot favourably due to an active Frontline Medic. When adaptivesnapjaw stuck a Firemane Avenger he could attack head on without worrying about his life.

Shot after shot, dberg101 lost his creatures, and then the match.

TheGreatBooster (ravnica-revisited-the-legion) (0) versus Droxium (boros-challenge-deck) (1)

TheGreatBooster only has 21 land in his deck, and whilst he had plenty of two drops in his opening hand, it just wasn't enough against Droxium's more finely tuned aggro machine.

A pair of Boros Reckoners, a Firemane Avenger and a Legion Loyalist quickly closed the gap, shooting TheGreatBoosters Wojek Halberdiers one at a time.
TheGreatBooster tried to buy time with a couple of one drops, and a Lightning Helix but there was no land in sight, and most of his hand never saw play.

CaveShinobi (Righteous Rushin') (1) versus tempest (tempests-ravnica-boros-deck-submission) (0)

Clever combat tricks through Boros Charm from both sides stalled out the board, but with CaveShinobi having a slightly higher life total, due to a more aggressive start, and having the only flier on the board Skyknight Legionnaire, tempest could do nothing but take two each turn.

With two Wojek Halberdiers and a Boros Elite on top of the Legionnaire, it was hard for tempest to counterattack, as he was staring down lethal. An Order of the Stars came down, but it couldn't stop the flier who made life so troublesome for tempest, and turn by turn he was gnawed at until his life total finally reached zero.

MTG_Player (Boros Challenge Submission) (0) versus sewellius (Sunforged Fury) (1)

sewellius played hard control, and with an early blocker in Order of the Stars he had time to build up 6 mana for an overloaded Mizzium Mortars which wiped the opposing field, which had a Boros Reckoner, Boros Elite and a Truefire Paladin. MTG_Player rebuilt his board with two Wojek Halbardiers, and a Firemane Avenger, though those met their demise in a hardcast Angel of Serenity.

sewellius also managed to get down an Armory Guard, and equipped it with Sunforger, making it a 6/5 vigilant beast, attacking each turn, then unattaching, and tutoring up a Warleader's Helix to the dome. It didn't take many turns of this, before MTG_Player had to call it a game and scoop up his cards.

lorddeox (Boros Skirmishers) (1) versus Hellogoodbye2yu (Pure Aggro) (0)

The two-drops from lorddeox were pouring out, and the utility from Truefire Paladin and Sunhome Guildmage put him in the lead. A well timed overload on a Mizzium Mortars brought Hellogoodbye2yu back in the game, but Act of Treason is rather terrible against an army of two drops.

A Blind Obedience from lorddeox, put shackles on the opposing aggro-play, and several Lightning Helixs (Helii?) cleared the way for lorddeox's utility creatures. Sunhome Guildmage coupled with a Martial Glory and it's own ability, and the game was over, due to all Hellogoodbye2yu's creatures coming into play tapped.

Thrandir (boros-assembled) (0) versus EpicureanHorn (Boros Control) (1)

Thrandir had his first creature, a Daring Skyjek killed by Electrickery, and the rest of his drops met the same fate in one way or another. A look through EpicureanHorn's graveyard revealed multiple Mizzium Mortars, a Mugging, a Lightning Helix and an Aurelia's Fury.

The same number of creatures was in Thrandir's bin, and he was well out of steam, spending several Boros Charm's to protect his only creature, a Firemane Avenger, though that too, fell when EpicureanHorn drew his third Mizzium Mortar.

Whilst all this was going on, EpicureanHorn had dropped an Assemble the Legion and three turns later, he could swing with 6 tokens, and cast a Boros Charm to the face for game.

Jimhawk (the-tactics-of-war) (1) versus IronHead (Boros Deck Wins (challenge deck)) (0)

IronHead threw down a heavy aggro game with a Legion Loyalist into Truefire Paladin into Precinct Captain and then a Firemane Avenger. Meanwhile Jimhawk was building up mana acceleration with dual Boros Signets, A targeted Aurelia's Fury was to take out the competition before the attack, but IronHead had the Boros Charm at the ready.

Jimhawk then on his turn overloaded a Mizzium Mortars, once again wanting to wipe the field. IronHead didn't have the Charm this time around, and he was left with nothing on board but land. IronHead tried to rebuild with a Sunhome Guildmage and a Precinct Captain, but Jimhawk slammed down an Angel of Serenity exiling everything.

On the next turn he swung, and then played a Blazing Archon, the death blow to IronHead's deck; nothing in his deck compares to it in size. A Legion's Initiative for his draw meant, that he could do nothing but sit back and pass the turn. Jimhawk drew a Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion, played it, activated it, and swung for exactly lethal.

Heloed (soroboros-1) (1) versus ninjadude159 (The Boros Legion) (0)

Heloed halted any attempts at early aggro with a turn 2 Blind Obedience and a Turn 3 Order of the Stars. ninjadude159 had down a Boros Reckoner, a Boros Elite, and a Skynight Legionnaire, which in unison snuck in damage here and there.

However Heloed had a trick up his sleeve; against a tapped out ninjadude159, he played a Flaring Flame-Kin and enchanted it with an Ethereal Armor. His Seal of Fire meant that the Flame-Kin was a 7/7 trampler, and he was able to put the pressure back on ninjadude159.

ninjadude159 drew a Lightning Helix, and passed the turn. On Heloed's attack, he played a Boros Fury-Shield, dealing 7 damage to an already semi-low Heloed. He attempted to follow it up with Lightning Helix, but Heloed has his own Lightning Helix, to even out the life totals.

Post-combat, Heloed killed off the Boros Elite with a Mizzium Mortars, meaning that ninjadude159 could only hit him for 2 on the following turn (the Skyknight Legionnaire soaring over the 0/1 Defender).

Heloed finally sealed the game with a hit (and a Devouring Light on the blocking Boros Reckoner, then sacrificed his Seal of Fire, and cast a freshly drawn Lightning Helix to the face for game.

killroy726 (The Boros Brigade) versus BYE!

killroy726 advances to the next round.

That's it for this time! Congratulations to everyone who advanced to Round 2! As I mentioned, I enlisted some help, so the next rounds should be out shortly (in part due to me not having to play out 26 matches).

Stay in school, play magic, eat your veggies, and take care until the next issue of the Ultimate Boros Guild Challenge!

//Dallie