PTQ Amsterdam report Gravesend 5-8th :-(

[James Mills]

Hello everyone, 

I thought I would do a little PTQ report for the even that happened at Gravesend this past weekend. 

I really wanted to play U/W control in this tournament because I figured that there would be a lot of Jund decks around. Unfortunately Dan decided to play a U/W version that ran a million walls so I had to settle with Jund. The list I used was pretty stock the only thing I would mention is the list had 3 Broodmate Dragons and 3 Siege Gang Commanders I though this was a few too many 5 drops considering I had a Sarkhan, the Mad as a new addition. I decided to cut one of the Commanders and a lightning bolt for 2 Terminates and the decision pleased me all day. 

Round 1 - Gary Lynch (Jund)

Oh dear - I end up playing my inebriated counterpart in the first match which I am slightly worried about because I know his main deck is tuned to beat Jund. 

Game 1 I have Leech and 2 Bloodbraid Elf in hand and he is stuck on 3 lands. I take it down after creating too much pressure. 

Game 2 He has a much better hand and ruin blasts me off a bloodbraid elf which I'm not best pleased about - I die shortly after. 

Game 3 is a woeful affair for my good friend Gary and I get the dream start on the play of Rampant Growth into Ruinblaster w/ kicker then finish him off with a Bloodbraid Elf into Ruinblaster. Nice. Deck!

1-0 

Round 2 - Mark (Grixis) 

So I'm sat opposite who I recognise from PTQ's before but never really speak too who is playing a rather interesting deck that features Abyssal Persecutor, Sedraxis Spectre and other such goodies. 

Game 1 he got Junded - Putrid Leech into Thrinax into Bloodbraid cascade into blightning finishing him off with a Broodmate Dragon. 

Game 2 I keep a very land heavy had with blightning and bloodbraid. I draw more land which I am happy to pitch from his two blightnings that he casts and I finally land a leech from the bloodbraid and thrynax that start to do some work. He kills the Elf and leech and starts racing me with Persecutor but can't kill it. I cast another bloodbraid and hit Ruinblaster but didn't leave R up to kill one of his man lands! It matters not however because I draw more guys and put more pressure on and killed him. He bemoans the fact that in testing he is always able to kill his Persecutor. I advise him that drawing better would solve his problems. 

2-0

Round 3 - Simon O'Keef (Open the Vaults)

Game 1 was another famous Jund start. Leech into Blightning and then a bloodbraid into another Leech saw this game ending very quickly until Day of Judgement ruins my day. However Simon is looking a bit land light and I cast a Broodmate Dragon. I use an upside down card that says Lotus Cobra on it as a dragon token and the Judge comes over to investigate. I am bemused by his idiotic ramblings about how an upside down card with stuff written on it could be conceived as 'foul play'. Anyway - broodmate gets there and we shuffle up for the next game.

Game 2 I start a bit slower with Leech as being my only play - the reason was I kept a hand with thought haemorrhage in it and cast it naming Open the Vaults. Simon shows me two and takes 6 then 4 from the leech. Good times! I finish Simon off my casting Sarkhan, the Mad and turning the leech into a dragon. Raaaaaaaaaaa!!!

3-0

Round 4 - Zuul (Conscription Mythic) 

Game 1 is quite comfortable for me I play my early guys and he ramps to a Baneslayer Angel which I promptly kill. Then I apply more pressure and finally Zuul scoops them up with lethal on the board. I ask when we are shuffling up for game two if this was a good match up for him. He replies by saying he wins post board. Yikes! 

Game 2 he starts off with a Rhox War Monk which is bad for me as I don't have a kill spell. I get back into the game with a Commander and manage to kill off some of his guys - I follow with another one to kill his last threat which is planning on killing me. Zuul then plays a Sovereigns of New Alara which I have to kill but in doing so leaves me open for Zuul to finish me off with man lands. 

Game 3 he mulligans to 5 and I have 2 blightnings in hand. he ramps into Baneslayer that I kill then he plays another Baneslayer that I also kill (terminate FTW!) and while doing that wreck Zuuls hand. Then I play a Siege Gang Commander and next turn throw them at him.

4-0

Round 5 - A chap called Tim (Jund)

ID

4-0-1

Round 6 - Adam Barnett (U/W control)

ID

4-0-2

Gotta love those 6 round tournaments! :D

Quarter finals - Adam Barnett (U/W control)

Jeeze what a beating this match was. The only deck I didn't want to face in the top 8 and I get it in the QF's. 

Game 1 I mull to 6 saw a bad hand but thought there is no way I can go to 5 against this deck and kept. Didn't see black land until turn 4 and got crushed. 

Game 2 He hit me with spreading seas when I keep a slow hand and proceeded to take me apart from there. It was a complete blow out. Never mind hopefully my 10th PTQ top 8 will be the lucky one!!! 

   

[Thomas David Baker]

Nice. Well done on getting close.

[Gary Lynch]

Dont know his list but the guy playing Persecutor in his Jund list took the whole thing down.

[Zulkifli Ismail]

No worries mills, I did avenge you by beating Adam Barnett after that. :P no thanks to what you did to me in swiss rounds i guess.

And gary, he won because I did not play the finals. Tbh tho, it couldve prolly gone either way as I was playing the conscription version which is prolly weaker against jund (compared to mythic).

[Gary Lynch]

Always makes me sad to hear someone get to the finals and scoop :(

Guess thats cause i have never been there.

Zulkifli Ismail said:

No worries mills, I did avenge you by beating Adam Barnett after that. :P no thanks to what you did to me in swiss rounds i guess.

And gary, he won because I did not play the finals. Tbh tho, it couldve prolly gone either way as I was playing the conscription version which is prolly weaker against jund (compared to mythic).

[Thomas David Baker]

How come you didn't play the final? Already Q'ed? Can't go?

[Zulkifli Ismail]

Well it wasnt part of the plan initially. But when I got to the finals, my travel partner told me to check if they do flights from outside europe because during pro tour amsterdam I will be back in malaysia. Apparently they dont fly you from anywhere in the world and only from UK airports. And they dont offer monetary remunerations in lieu of flights if you are not able to take that flight. Flights from Malaysia to Amsterdam will cost about 500+ quid return.. :( thats why I didnt play the finals in the end.

Felt bad for Simon O'keffe afterwards as he was 9th and felt like I stole the spot from him. In my defence, I really did not know they have that restriction in place. Oh well..

[Amar Dattani]

I'm pretty sure that is a change of policy as they used to offer flights from anywhere in the world to the PT a few years ago.
That's a real shame as mythic usually has a decent jund matchup.


Zulkifli Ismail said:

Well it wasnt part of the plan initially. But when I got to the finals, my travel partner told me to check if they do flights from outside europe because during pro tour amsterdam I will be back in malaysia. Apparently they dont fly you from anywhere in the world and only from UK airports. And they dont offer monetary remunerations in lieu of flights if you are not able to take that flight. Flights from Malaysia to Amsterdam will cost about 500+ quid return.. :( thats why I didnt play the finals in the end.

[James Mills]

Except when you play against Mills Jund!

Amar Dattani said:

I'm pretty sure that is a change of policy as they used to offer flights from anywhere in the world to the PT a few years ago.
That's a real shame as mythic usually has a decent jund matchup.


Zulkifli Ismail said:

Well it wasnt part of the plan initially. But when I got to the finals, my travel partner told me to check if they do flights from outside europe because during pro tour amsterdam I will be back in malaysia. Apparently they dont fly you from anywhere in the world and only from UK airports. And they dont offer monetary remunerations in lieu of flights if you are not able to take that flight. Flights from Malaysia to Amsterdam will cost about 500+ quid return.. :( thats why I didnt play the finals in the end.