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 Coggie 1, encore
Ok, I have no idea why I played the deck, but I did. I built it for fun, knowing it was worse than Turboland, which is what most people probably expected of me. I even expected it of myself. If I didn’t play that, I would have guessed that I’d play Fiends. But, I’m so unpredictable, I can’t predict myself, I suppose. Nonetheless, the results I got were reliable - netting me first place and half a box. For starters, here’s the decklist:
Main:
2 Cognivore
4 Accumulated Knowledge
4 Brainstorm
4 Counterspell
3 Fact or Fiction
3 Forbid
3 Force Spike
2 Intuition
1 Krosan Reclamation
2 Living Wish
1 Mana Leak
4 Oath of Druids
3 Pernicious Deed
2 Forest
7 Island
4 Polluted Delta
1 Swamp
4 Treetop Village
2 Underground River
4 Yavimaya Coast
Sideboard:
2 Dust Bowl
2 Perish
2 Gilded Drake
2 Masticore
2 Naturalize
2 Palinchron
2 Powder Keg
1 Pernicious Deed
I’m perfectly happy with the main deck, but the board is somewhat sketchy. The last Deed isn’t needed, and I didn’t side a lot of the cards, but well, what works, works.
Round 1 - > “Chaos” Chris Colwell
Hmm, I know he’s playing MBC, my least favorite block of all time…oh, wait, Mono-Black Control, well, that’s a different story indeed. I doubt it can be a great matchup for him, but I wonder if he’d be able to trigger my oath very well.
Game 1: Turns out the oath didn’t really matter, as Treetop Village is a major threat for him. I draw the “Treetop-Go” hand and just counter his threats, two Corrupts and a Soul burn to be exact. Just as I run out of counters, he runs out of life, thanks to my Wished up Palinchron.
Game 2: Yeah, I’m sorry Chris. He triggers oath and a Coggie swallows him whole…not much more to say - terrible matchup for him, especially without drawing the discard.
Round 2: Robert Luken
He’s playing Reanimator, which can beat me. I sit and pray as I shuffle.
Game 1: He Duresses me…then Cabal Therapy…then Cabal Therapy…I’m left with a treetop and lands in hand…grr. I smack him down to 12, but the asshole exhumes his Phantom Nishoba. I get an oath just to stop the bleeding at a hazy 2 life. He keeps walking his Nish-Nish into my Cognivore and gains an assload of life. He was at 40. Then he makes a move. I have Brainstormed a Living Wish on top of my Library. He sacs the Nish to a Cabal Therapy and nabs something inconsequential from my hand. He then Reanimates my Cognivore, and Exhumes his own Nishoba again. Ok…So, I untap, Wish for Drake and take back my own Cognivore. I cast Deed, and pray he doesn’t draw an Edict or something else gay. He doesn’t, and I blow the deed, sending his Phantom to the other dimension, and my Drake back to my graveyard. I swing for 46, and pack my cards for game two.
Game 2: I sideboard out one Coggie and a Deed for two Gilded Drakes, changing my strategy. He gets to then go first and begins with a first turn Planar Void. My eyes get wider, and I wonder why such a gay-ass strategy could work when he’s playing Reanimator. He had no way of knowing that I would side out one of my Deeds, and suddenly Oath was very bad. Oh well…it’s easy enough for me to be an asshole and draw one of the Deeds, eventually blowing up his Void. I get oath, stopping his creatures. Treetops do the job nicely.
Round 3: Destan Hoots
Destan decided to go to work for awhile, so, I play Destan “Bye” Hoots. But he was playing Rock anyway, which I kick the $hit out of.
Round 4: Scott Pepmeyer
Scott is playing Tog, and doing remarkably well. He’s got my Upheaval in the deck, so how could he do poorly? I know this could be a bad match for me, but I hope for my skill to pull me out this time.
Game 1: The first game, I miss three land drops in the first four turns…but I still win. I just got out of trouble, and got to Oath up a Coggie, and steal his Tog with Gilded Drake.
Game 2: I side in two drakes and take out a Living Wish. Eventually, I get Oath out and he casts Tog. I Oath up a Coggie, which dies to edicts, as does another one in the same fashion, but his Tog isn’t lethal, so I keep Oathing; I get Drake and take his Tog. But he Smothers it. That means the only creatures left in my deck is a Gilded Drake. I don’t want to just trade Drakes, so I Krosan Reclaimation a Coggie back into my library, along with a Counterspell. That was my biggest mistake, I should have gotten Brainstorm. I Oath, and get Drake, with like five cards left in my library. I draw…Cognivore. I don’t have enough lands to cast it, and he can trade with my threats. I’d draw out, so I concede. Dammit, I hate it when I know I could play better than that.
Round 5: Eric Hoffman
He’s playing Tog. I convince him that he doesn’t want to play me, and we split, comme usual.
I end up in first by tie-breakers, and Eric and I split a box. The difference is I don’t profit from them, they’re going to the Invitational this summer. I also nab four Player of the Year points. All in all, a good day. Twenty people is awesome, and one of the non-regulars T4’d, which is also interesting. Looking back, I’d have played Tog if I wanted to win, but I’m an asshole and did anyway :D.
Props - >
Myself, for being an asshole.
Everyone, for showing up.
Casey’s, for being generous with the prize, as usual.
Andrew, for donating packs to the Invitational.
Chaos Chris, for the ride to Peoria to see The Matrix: Reloaded.
The Matrix: Reloaded, for being full of symbolic goodness.
Slops - >
Everyone, for not picking up after themselves.
Eric, ‘cause I think it’s funny when he gets Slops.
The Matrix, for having too much rave, and too much Smith.
Myself, for not being able to think of more Slops.
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