Ah, New Orleans. What better setting could you ask for a Pro Tour? Now if only I could qualify.
FLASHBACK: Grand Prix New Orleans: January 2001
Last year, Steve Horowitz was the first person in our group to actually get on the Tour. He qualified to PT:Chicago and I decided to accompany him since I had the money to spend and since I had never been to a tournament that big. It was definitely an experience! I got to see snow fall and see all the big name players. And aside from a few regrets, (AAAAGH I MISSED THE LAST PUMPKIN CONCERT AAAAGH) it was completely worth the trip.
Steve scrubbed out of the PT so he played in the Grand Prix trial for New Orleans. When Steve won the three byes for New Orleans I knew another "magic" trip was in short order. My sister goes to school in New Orleans so I thought it would be great to visit my sister and play Magic. Of course I was a bit bummed to find out the tourny took place in January when my sister would be back home for Winter Break! So I ended up saying bye to my sister at home and flew to New Orleans for the GP.
Steve rode a bus there with UM who were headed to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl. I however had to take a flight from Miami to CLEVELAND to New Orleans to get there. That's going to be the last time I get Steve to pick the flight! The hassle was all worth it though.
New Orleans was the perfect environment for Magic. You could tell that every one was having the time of their lives. With the convention center being a short walk away from the French Quarter, the location was perfect for pre-gaming binge drinking. Not that I was drinking much, but there were many intoxicated players registering for the tournament, including Steve.
I did OK that tournament, having great luck and getting a great sealed deck. The worst mistake I made all day was playing slowly my first match and eventually drawing that match when I should have won. I did get to beat Andrew (...Andrew PACIFICO). Man did that guy have a terrible sealed deck! The draw put me in a bad position and I wasn't able to make day two, but my limited rating jumped to 1800! Steve, fueled by the three byes he won in Chicago, pulled a Deadly Insect and went 6-1.
Day 2 I went with our friend Joel to watch an IMAX movie since I was out of the tournament. Steve unfortunately went "Wall of Air" and ended out of the money. He was bummed that he had fallen off the tour so quickly and pulled such a lousy performance Day 2. Oh well, sad day!
So Regionals comes and we all fail to qualify. Then Steve goes to Nationals, and fails to qualify. So while he's there, he teams with some people for some PT:New York qualifiers. He fails again. Another qualifier comes and he decides to team with his scrubby friends Eugene Charron and Ernie Millares for the heck of it. SOME HOW WE QUALIFY! AMAZING!
WE ARE GOING TO THE PRO TOUR! How can this be? We are so BAD and WE have the chance to win $60,000. We a slight chance. OK no chance. But if SOMEHOW we make top 10, we Q for the upcoming PT:New Orleans. Still, our chances are not very good. We will have to try our best because trying to qualify at PTQ's sucks.
So we decide to go the Orlando for the qualifier for New Orleans since we need all the opportunities we can get to stay on the Tour. Eugene stays home with the kids but I head out with Steve, Jason and Nick to have some Invasion Block Constructed fun.
This is my tournament report from the PTQ that took place last Saturday, August 18, 2001.
After a long drive with everyone asking me if I knew where I was going every five minutes, we arrived at our luxurious resort accomidations courtesy of Priceline.com. This place was sweet. We got a room with a king bed and bunk beds. We met up with David Irvine and Zak, who wanted to sleep in our room on some cots they brought with them. The plan was to sleep at a hotel the night before so we were well rested for the tournament the next day. Of course we ended up going to sleep at 2AM.
We got up EXTRA early the next day because Jason's JABRONI ass wanted to sell cards. He wasn't even planning on playing in the tournament and he wanted to take advantage of all the people who needed cards for their decks. I scrounge up the last few cards I need for my deck and register. I tell Steve something like "I never scrub out at qualifiers. I never go 0-2 drop"
Here is my deck list (card for card the deck Ben Stark qualified with at worlds):
4 Blurred Mongoose
4 Kavu Titan
4 Gaea's Skyfolk
4 Mystic Snake
4 Exclude
4 Repulse
4 Fact or Fiction
4 Fire/Ice
4 Urza's Rage
4 Shivan Reef
4 Shivan Oasis
4 Yavimaya Coast
6 Island
6 Forest
Sideboard:
3 Dodecopod
4 Jungle Barrier
4 Gainsay
4 Flametongue Kavu
ROUND 1: James Alfe playing U/W/b No-Mar
I am playing the little kid from the Realms with the dad that always eggs him on. However, I don't have to put up with the old guy's ragged voice this round. I roll a 3. He rolls a 20. He chooses to play first.
Game 1:
He plays a Meddling Mage which I fire. I play a Skyfolk and an unkicked titan. I beat him down but things stablelize. I Fact or Fiction 3 times. He Fact or Fictions and I Mystic Snake. On turn 12 I say URZA'S RAGE WITH DA KICKA. I side in Gainsay.
Game 2:
We stall out after I do little damage to him. I eliminate his blockers but he FOF's 3 times starts laying Meddling Mages and names Rage, Gaea's Skyfolk and Mystic Snake. Then he lays a Teferi's Moat, then a Voice of All. The old guy even shows up and says "HEY! MOAT! THAT'S GREAT SONNY" or some crap like that. I need a Fire or a Repulse to get rid of a Meddling Mage so I can Rage him out but I draw one too late and it gets Absorbed. My hand at the end is 2 Rage, 2 Mystic Snake, 2 Gaea's Skyfolk. Sad day. I am scared of the Moat, but more afraid of the fact that this kid top decks three Medlling Mages and 3 Absorbs. I side in Dodecopod and Flametongue Kavu.
Game 3:
I decide to play first. I have two lands in hand but they are a Forest and an Island so I should be OK so I say "I'll keep". When I look again at my hand I notice I have:
1 Dodecopod
2 Flametongue Kavu
2 Fact or Fiction
1 Forest
1 Island
All my stuff costs four. OOPS!
I lay a land. He lays a land.
I draw Dodecopod (ACK) and lay my other land.
He lays a Spectral Lynx (ACK)!
I draw an Urza's Rage. He drops ANOTHER LYNX!
I draw Island, lay it but STILL CANNOT CAST ANYTHING.
He beats me to death before I can cast a spell.
Oh well.
"WAY TO GO SONNY!"
1-2-0 games
0-1-0 matches
My friends all laugh at me as they all win their first round.
Round 2: Scott Kerr playing U/W/b No-Mar
Game 1:
This game goes long. I beat him down quickly but he Absorbs himself out of Rage range. I have two rage and lots of land so I start laying them down. When I have 11 land he says ANGEL WITH DA KICKA. I never draw a repulse and I lose. In goes Gainsay.
Game 2:
I look and my hand. I have:
2 Islands
Shivan Reef
Blurred Mongoose
Kavu Titan
Mystic Snake
Fire/Ice
I keep! I figured that if I drew 1 of the 10 green mana in my deck I would be OK especially when I could cycle Fire/Ice.
I drop Island.
He drops Coastal Tower.
I drop Island and draw a Fact or Fiction.
He drops a land and Stormscape Apprentice.
I cycle Fire/Ice and draw a Repulse
I drop Shivan Reef after drawing an Fire/Ice.
He attacks for 1 and drops a land.
I cycle Fire/Ice and draw Mystic Snake.
I draw ISLAND and play it.
He plays a land and beats me down for 1.
I Fact or Fiction. I turn over:
Gaea's Skyfolk
Mystic Snake
Gainsay
Fact or Fiction
SHIVAN REEF
I take a FoF and Gainsay.
I draw pointless green card.
He lays a land and beats me down for 1.
I draw a ANOTHER POINTLESS GREEN CARD!
He lays a land and beats me down for 1.
At EOT I repulse the apprentice for a card.
NOTHING.
I draw NOTHING.
I say go.
He drops a land and plays the apprentice.
I Exclude for a card: ISLAND.
He plays ANGEL WITH THE KICKER! DOH! HE HAS 7 LANDS!
I draw Island, Island, Forest and DIE.
1-4-0 games
0-2-0 matches
0-2 DROP!
DRAFT TIME!
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