GP San Diego

[Amar Dattani]

Tom Baker ended day one 8-1 due to the Sick Combo of butcher cleaver plus invisible stalker. 

Richard Bland also made day 2.

 

http://www.wizards.com/magic/magazine/article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/even...

 

Best of luck in the draft!

[Peter Dun]

gogo tom :D

[James Mills]

Baker 2-1'd the first draft! COME ON BAKER!!!!

[Paul Hodgson]

Sweet!

[Peter Dun]

Tom went 0-3 in last draft.... to finish outside the money :(

Richard did t8 though....

[Peter Dun]

the commentary on the coverage isn't really very neutral :P

[Amar Dattani]

Tom - just out of top 64 by breakers, bad luck dude :(
Congrats to Richard on his finals appearance. 

[Ben Titmarsh]

Wow that's unlucky.  Still a great performance that you can be proud of Tom.  Plus don't forget all those PLANESWALKER POINTS!

[James Mills]

You gotta be down with kids Ben. They are PWP's

Ben Titmarsh said:

Wow that's unlucky.  Still a great performance that you can be proud of Tom.  Plus don't forget all those PLANESWALKER POINTS!

[Thomas David Baker]

It was 1-2 in the second draft (my last round was a bye, of all things), not 0-3  My tiebreakers were bad as I didn't have first-three-round byes like most of the other folks with 11 wins.  Kenny Oberg made 33rd with the same record as me.

 

My Day 1 deck was pretty fun.  The bombiest cards were Stalker + Cleaver with 2xBonds, but it was basically just a triumph of synergy.  Even when Stalker or Cleaver showed up without the other they were very strong and I won plenty of games without either.  Double Mausoleum Guard, Thraben Sentry, Stalker, Cleaver, Chainmail Hauberk, Silver-Inlaid Dagger, Moment of Heroism, Elder Cathar, Midnight Haunting - there was always stuff to be doing and Spirit tokens to equip.  And then I just stole a bunch of games with Stalker + one of the three equipment.  I played U for only 4 cards, and B for only 2 (including Evil Twin in both numbers).  In the only match I lost I actually kept a one-lander on the play in g2.  Plains, Spectral Rider, Invisible Stalker, Butcher's Cleaver Midnight Haunting and 2 other cards.  That was probably stupid, but honestly that combination is so ridiculously hard to disrupt or race even turn 5 or so that I'm still not sure it was a bad keep.

 

Closest match was round 9 against Alex Bertoncini.  Game 3 he is on 2, he flashback Geistflames me to 3 with Creepy Doll in play.  I have no creatures and no Island (Into the Maw of Hell) and only Evil Twin in hand.  He makes Kessig Wolf and attacks me down to 2 with the Doll.  He has no cards in hand.  I draw the Island and make Evil Twin naming Creepy Doll (!), he considers suiciding the Wolf to put me to 1 for some time then decides against, he draws and plays Battleground Geist, I draw and play Geistcatcher's Rig, he makes Armored Skaab, I draw and play Battleground Geist, he has no play and swing with the Geist for the win.  The next day he was still claiming that he had misplayed earlier in that game, should have won, and was quitting Magic in disgust with himself with that match as the final straw quite loudly to anyone who would listen.  I consider that a feather in my cap :)

 

I got off a couple of spectacular wins in the first draft on Day 2.  Particular good was being on 8 life with opponent having a Vampire Interloper I can't kill and a Typhoid Rats on both sides.  He is on 18.  I make Rage Thrower.  He attacks me to 5 (no blocks) and makes Evil Twin naming Rage Thrower.  I'm fucked, right?   Wrong.  Traitorous Blood your Rage Thrower, attack for 9 (including my Rats), Rolling Temblor for 6 triggers (4xRats, 2xRage Throwers) for a total of 21 damage in the turn :)  I had double Rager Thrower, double Temblor and Devil's Play and I'm not sure I won a game with any other cards.  Worst game was 2-for-1-ing Deranged Assistant and Gastaf Shepherd with Temblor and having him go Mauler, Stitched Drake, Travel Preparations over the next three turns.  I didn't win that one.

 

Second Draft I had 2xUndead Alchemist, Murder of Crows, Olivia Voldaren (red splash) and some Zombies.  I ran away with m1g1 but was mana screwed in the next 2 (my opponent actually apologized as I crushed him in our only fair game and this was win-out-to-top-8/16).  Then I ran up against a Burning Vengeance deck that played 5 Burning Vengeance across the three games.  There's nothing sadder than looking at a hand of Murder of Crows, Undead Alchemist, Olivia Voldaren with 5 mana (all the right colors) on the table and then conceding.  He had 2xBurning Vengeance on the table and several flashbackable spells including Rolling Temblor in the graveyard :(

 

I had a lot of fun and if nothing else it stopped me spending hundreds of dollars on single elimination side events :)

 

[Kieran Symington]

He must have known who you were. I always did this when you used to beat me.

Thomas David Baker said:

The next day he was still claiming that he had misplayed earlier in that game, should have won, and was quitting Magic in disgust with himself with that match as the final straw quite loudly to anyone who would listen.

[James Mills]

I guess Alex is not used to people just scooping to him.

[Thomas David Baker]

It didn't help that I had played terribly in g1, tapping the wrong mana and generally punting every turn ... I was relieved to make day 2 and had stopped concentrating.  Then I woke up to myself for g2 and 3 but of course he was left with the impression he had lost to the guy that was as bad as I played in g1.  I mean, I'm pretty bad in the first place so when I play sloppy too ...

 

It was self-deprecating and good-humored "I'm quitting Magic" for the most part rather than him being a dick about it.

Kieran Symington said:

He must have known who you were. I always did this when you used to beat me.