I finally did it. I won a RCQ to qualify for The Regional Championship at SCG Con in Washinton DC this October. The entire situation is still kind of surreal to me, and I feel like I still shouldn't have won. Luck was on my side that day, and I'll take the win. I played really well, but still not perfectly. I've been telling people that I didn't make any mistakes that were costly enough to make me lose - but I definitely made mistakes. This will be part of my gameplay improving process as I prepare for the RC in DC in October, as the competition will likely be much less forgiving. I used an updated list of the Waste Not Deck that I previously did an article for, and the deck is feeling incredible. The list is pretty much set in stone for now, and the only changes I would make would be based on card availability. I would like to add one more Sunken Citadel to the main deck, and one more Ashiok to the sideboard. Today, I'll go over my Top 8 matchups particularly, and I will examine some game play, and how I managed to beat a couple of decks I maybe shouldn't have been able to beat.
Top 8 Gameplay
In the quarterfinals, I played against Gruul Prowess. This was a pretty good matchup for me, given the fact that deck has tons of spot removal, and multiple edict effects that can play around their protection spells. I also had to hope that I didn't draw three Thoughtseize. In game one, I was able to deal with their creatures, and they honestly didn't pop off too much with buffing their creatures to the point where I was too concerned with my life total. I was able to resolve a Sheoldred, the Apocalypse on curve, and it basically felt like I took over the game after that. In game two, I definitely fell behind due to them having a Lovestruck Beast that was basically eating up any creature that I threw in front of it. I did not resolve a Sheoldred this game, and ended up losing. In game three, it was very similar to game one where I dealt with their early creatures, and then resolved a Sheoldred on curve, then the opponent ended up conceding as I took over the game, and they were top decking. Biggest takeaway from this matchup: Keep a Sheoldred on the board for long enough, and you will win a lot of games.
In the semifinals, I played against a cheeky combo deck that I had lost to at a previous RCQ. I knew what to play around, having lost to it before, so I knew when to leave up mana, and what cards to worry about. I won the first game because their deck revolves around using Agatha's Soul Cauldron to give a creature the ability to make infinite mana with Grinning Ignus, then venture into the dungeon enough to drain my life total to zero. Thankfully in game one, the opponent did not find their Cauldron, and I was able to beat them down with a Sheoldred, and a Hostile Investigator and we went to game two. For game two, I boarded in Cling to Dust, and Unlicensed Hearse. I also brought in an Ashiok. Our main focus here was graveyard hate - especially at instant speed. In game two, the opponent was able to find a Cauldron, then really make the game go on for a long time because they were able to continually recast creatures from the grave with Emry. This allowed them to have a chump blocker every time, and gain life when Haywire Mite left the battlefield. Thankfully, I had a Hostile Investigator and a Sheoldred on the board for the majority of this game again, and the Sheoldred staying on the board proved to be too much. This one was a little tougher, however, because they found two Grinning Ignus, so I had to constantly hold up mana for Cling to Dust. This definitely caused me to take off a lot of turns, and we kind of ended up in this game of chicken where we were waiting until I had an extra four mana to escape Cling to Dust from my graveyard before I could cast any other spells. Equally, I ended up having to Thoughtseize a Duress out of my own hand because the opponent started off turn zero with a Leyline of Sanctity. That was another reason that this game went forever. I ended up winning with Sheoldred triggers, as my opponent could no longer maintain enough life gain to outpace my pressure. I did this all off of a mulligan to five. I almost just scooped after being on five cards and seing the Leyline, but I didn't want to give up a free win, so I played it out, and I was glad that I did!
In the finals, I played against a friend who was playing Niv to Light. That deck is supposed to have a good matchup against me, and the removal that it has is virtually perfect. It is one of the few decks in the format that can amass more value than mine, and somehow I was able to win, but it did take all three games this time. I also beat them in round two of the event, so I went into the finals thinking that there was NO way that I beat Niv twice in the same day, but I wasn't going to fold just because of the odds not being in my favor. Game one we were able to keep the opponent top decking, and get a good bit of value from Waste Not. Kaervek, The Punisher also allowed us to re-cast many spells from our grave that kept their hand empty, and board clean. This allowed me to keep a Sheoldred on the board with Kaervek, and they were able to be the beat down that we needed to win game one. In game two, it was a little different. The opponent was able to cast Bring to Light and resolve a Tybalt, then take our Sheoldred. This is something that usually means it's the end, and it effectively was. I wasn't able to gain enough of an advantage on the draw in this game. In game three, it was more similar to game one, but the opponent had some better top decks that caused the game to go longer. I had a Sheoldred on the board for a while, but what ultimately won it for me was chaining two Invoke Despairs off of the draws that the first one got me. The opponent not having a way to attack my hand allowed me to resolve the spell on consecutive turns, and since the opponent did not have a Tybalt on the board as a planeswalker to sacrifice, I was able to win. For this matchup, I brought in both Invoke Despair, a Blot Out, and traded a Thoughtseize for a Duress. I also brough in Ashiok, because one of their Niv creatures allow them to cast spells from the grave, not to mention it also shuts off Bring to Light. While I was incredibly fortunate to draw well and get the wins that I did, I do believe that I played well overall, and that I played to my outs, which is just about all we can do as players.
Cards that Shined
This card is an absolute powerhouse in both pioneer and standard. It provides so much value. Who would have thought that a three for one would be a good magic card???
As I stated Earlier in the article, keeping a Sheoldred on the board for long enough is enough to win games, and in this tournament, it was what I needed to have on the board at the right time to be a huge difference-maker in my matchups.
If you have followed me as a creator for long enough, you know that this is my favorite card. It is an absolute bomb, and the fact that it is even good in an eternal format just shows how relevant it is, and how scared of it people are. The deck only allows me to play it in the sideboard, however, and it is admittedly not good in every matchup.
Obviously, cards like Waste Not, Go Blank, and Liliana of the Veil were good, but these are staples in the Waste Not deck, so they are expected to perform well.
This is the first major tournament I have ever won, and I hope it to be the first of many. Thank you to those who have followed me along this journey, and this recap, and I will catch you next time!
