Pro Tour San Diego

[Thomas David Baker]

I hung out with Geoff (Fletcher, Games Club alumni) and his New Zealand crew at GP Oakland and he showed me his secret Standard tech. It wasn't that secret as they used it to win two boxes in the Standard queues side events on the Sunday :) They're running Bant with a one-of Basilisk Collar, Vapor Snare in the sideboard, Emeria Angel in the main and they can do some fun things with Knight of the Reliquary and Sejiri Steppe/other lands.

Anyway, he's Q'ed for San Diego (which is why he was over) and has won his first round. Although his country is down as New Zealand on the coverage as that's where he Q'ed from :(

Dan Gardner, Dan Prosek, Stephen Murray and Matteo Orsini-Jones won their first rounds, too. John Randle and Andrew Edwards lost. I don't think I actually know Dan P, Stephen or Andrew but they are marked with an "[ENG]" so I'm rooting for them anyway :)

I'm also following my favorite gravy trainers PV (won) and Olivier (lost, playing TurboFog).

I have a stinking cold and I'm lying in bed. I wish this was on ggslive!

[stevie_b]

Quite an interesting top 8 -

3 jundies but all slightly diff builds,

1 boss naya which I still can't work out with all these random numbers - 1 elsepth, 1 path 3 bolt???

1 mono red

1 esper/open the vaults which seemed to have no trouble with dan g - prob need some jund charms which none of the jundies have - could be a dark horse.

1 mono White weeenie - too pedestrian and shouldn't get past the quarters.

1 wbg "junk" - seems quite a solid deck - really just wg splash black for pulse and identity crisis from the board which with no counterspells in the top 8 would be amazing - also won't have to meet the on fire lsv until the final - my tip to win.

Other peoples predictions and views on top 8 (no stupid wu sit there do nothing control and only 2 jaces) and tom any idea how to watch the top 8 on the iPhone??

[Thomas David Baker]

Is it best of 5 or best of 3?

LSV (Boss Naya) 3 - 1 Canis (Mono R)
Gortzen (Jund) 2 - 3 Viaene (Filigree Vaults)
Grafensteiner (Bant) 3 - 2 Wescoe (White Weenie)
Boggemes (Jund) 2 - 3 Ikawa (Jund)

Love the Filigree Vaults deck. And no counterspells in Top 8 (except his own) means he just needs to get to Open the Vaults. Although that's 6 mana and he only has TWO pieces of spot removal and wraths. Hmm.

[Thomas David Baker]

Wow. LSV goes to 1 twice but wins 3-0. Little bit of psychological trickery in Game 3 when Kanis was thinking and thinking about his potentially lethal Hell's Thunder or whether he should do something else and LSV says in a depressed tone: "Do you have the Hell's Thunder?" "I have the Hell's Thunder" says Kanis and plays it immediately. And LSV Paths it. Cheeky.

[Thomas David Baker]

Viane loses to mana three times. Pulse on Borderpost in Game 3 means it wasn't just down to his draws but it pretty much was - boring. 3-1 to Goertzen.

[Kieran Symington]

Really liked Viane's deck. Especially the sideboard Sanguine Bond. Genius! Shame he's out.

Thomas David Baker said:

Viane loses to mana three times. Pulse on Borderpost in Game 3 means it wasn't just down to his draws but it pretty much was - boring. 3-1 to Gortzen.

[Thomas David Baker]

Oh, Grafensteiner is "Junk" not "Bant" and is going to lose ...

[Dan Barrett]

Who is this Steve Bernstein guy?

[Thomas David Baker]

LSV with dominant board position. Goertzen double blocks Scute Mob with Sprouting Thrinax and Bloodbraid Elf. "I'm going to assign all the damage to Bloodbraid Elf". Awesome moves ...

[stevie_b]

isn't he that guy who starts fights all the time and has to be banned for 6 months because of his thuggish and agressive nature?

Dan Barrett said:

Who is this Steve Bernstein guy?

[Thomas David Baker]

Are we talking about Cage Fighter Steve Bernstein? I hear he Top 8-ed the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

[Thomas David Baker]

LSV loses 3-1. Mana mana mana. Snore snore snore.

[Dan Barrett]

Jund on Jund final = me turning coverage off. I don't want to see the coin flipping contest