DAY ONE

Lent a few cards, and played a few practice games with Daniel, who was running a Temur Deck. First time I've played against it, so pre-sideboard I get rolled by some explosive starts. Mystic->Rattleclaw->Sagu Mauler. Setessian Tactics + Polukranos. Pretty nasty on the recieving end. Quickly down a can of V before the Swiss rounds.

Swiss Rounds
=========================================================

Round One
2-0 vs Abzan Midrange (Elias)
One of the boogeymen of Khans Standard it seems. Never playtested against the Midrange version, but I got rolled by the Aggro variant. It seemed to do pretty well on the previous standard night, so I was a tad tentative going up against him.

Game One: I managed to end up on the play, start slow rolling out a few early guys before pumping them up. Managed to get 2-1 one'ed without protection, but managed to get gas off Ordeal of Thassa. Realising that I was able to avoid Caryatids and Coursers, he lands a Siege Rhino and we end up racing. He miscalculates the life I had (1 more above lethal) compared to the damage he had on board, and scoops as I would've able to swing with an unblockable the next turn. He gained tonnes of life from the Coursers and Caryatids throughout that game.

Game Two: Some pretty even exchanges, but I manage to keep up protection for his removal. I drew and scried heavily for the protection I was after. I manage to win by about a turn.

Record: 1-0

Round Two
2-1 vs Temur (Daniel)
Oh boy, recalling the practice games we had that morning, I was already thinking this was an auto-lose.

Game One: On draw (I think), I manage to slam down two Ordeals of Heliod and a Seeker of the Way prowess trigger to end up on 52 life. The life bought some time, but I didn't manage to find enough evasion. He wittles me down about 6-8 life at a time before swinging in for about 26.

Game Two: I start some early beats, before spreading ordeals between a Hero of Iroas and Battlewise Hoplite. With 5 mana open, I didn't anticipate the Surrak he lands to kill the hero. I manage to enchant the Hoplite with flying, and trigger the ordeal before we start racing. He gets me onto one life when I decide to tank damage from all his creatures but the Surrak, with a pro-green Hero of Iroas to chump it. Landing a Eidolon of Countless Battles wins me that game. He remarks that he sideboarded out Arbor Colossuses, and should've cast a Elvish mystic pre-combat to swing with (He had Temur Ascendency out). From this line, I couldn't have used the Mana Confluence to save my Hero of Iroas or at the very least potentially kill myself by accident from my own land.

Game Three: Hard to remember this particular one, but despite being on the draw I get ordeals and evasion firing off to win me that game.

Record: 2-0

Round Three
Draw vs Mono-Red (Kavish)
I under false impression it was 3 rounds (two people signed up late), however a 2-0-1 record was likely a lock in. With this, we both decide to ID and get some food. We chat a bit about the sort of decks we played today and in the past.

Record: 2-0-1

Round Four
Draw vs Abzan Aggro (Geoff)
With the standings posted, I was surprised to see I was at the top (I tell you, this never happens). The top 6 was locked in, so Geoff and I decide to draw as well. The last spots for Top 8 were being duked it out that round. I chug a can of Red Bull before the Top 8.

Record: 2-0-2

Top 8 Play-offs
=========================================================

Quarter-Finals
2-0 vs Jund (Nathan)
I remember him playing Aristocrats back in the INN-RTR days when I first started playing Standard, but didn't see him much for RTR-THR (Can't blame him, it got really stale till M15 hit). He was intending to borrow a fetchland off me the weekend before, but didn't end up going. So this was the first time I've gotten to play against him, and he was a pretty experienced player. I steeled myself for the matchup.

Game One: As I was higher in the swiss standings, I decide to go on the play. I don't think he was expecting my particular deck type, but I manage to enact my beatdown game plan. Protection manages to keep my tempo going as I slow roll it. Aqueous Form managed to bypass his Stormbreath Dragon to get the win.

Game Two: I manage to fire off a Stratus Walk and Ordeal to get things going. His last chance with Murderous Cut gets deflected by a God's Willing.

Semi-Finals
2-1 vs Abzan Midrange (Elias)
I was pretty sure Elias had probably figured out some good ways to disrupt my game plan by then, so despite my earlier win in the Swiss, this also looked to be pretty tough.

Game One: I was higher in the Swiss standings as well, so I manage to fire off some Ordeals and get some gas. The game goes pretty similar to the first game in the Swiss, and ended pretty quickly.

Game Two: From memory, some early discard gives him some information, and manages to slow me down a bit. I manage to get some gas to contest, but beats from Courser into Wingmate Roc finishes me within a few turns.

Game Three: On the play. First hand, one land. Second hand, earliest creature is a 3 drop. Mulled to five, Two land (one of them a temple), Hero of Iroas (I think), Stratus Walk and Brimaz. Short of a couple of cards, but workable. Scry, and find the 3rd land. Watching his board was a tapped land, followed by another tapped land on the 2nd turn. Taking a deep breath from being two cards behind, I go all in on suiting up the Hero with the Ordeal of Thassa and Stratus Walk. Dig into a land + God's Willing. Opponent attempts a Hero's Downfall on the Hoplite, which I manage to protect. With him on 10 as I untap he asks "Do you have lethal?". I look at the Aqueous Form I drew earlier, I pump the Hero into a 6/6 and swing with him and Brimaz+Token. Afterwards, he reveals the End Hostilities he had in hand. I still had a couple of creatures in hand, but that was won by the skin of my teeth.

Finals
1-2 vs Temur (Daniel)
After the Swiss, I felt the matchup was pretty doable, just need to enact the same gameplan and add more power post-sideboard (Fabled Heroes).

Game One: Pretty unprecedented start. Drop Favored Hoplite. Hero of Iroas. Brimaz. Battlewise and another Hero of Iroas. Drop another two creatures after that, all the while beating against Elvish and Rattleclaw Mystics. Dumped nearly half the deck's creatures that game, and not a single spell to pump. Pretty ridiculous game.

Game Two: Early on I get 2 for 1'ed by a Magma Jet, trying to buff up a Battlewise Hoplite. It slows me down a bit, but I still manage to get the ball running while on the draw. However I get stuck on lacking evasion, and trying to get the last points of damage in. Nylea's Disciple puts him up to 17. It gets the point where I can either Aqueous Form or Bestow Eidolon of Countless Battles, but not both on a Fabled Hero. A morph creature stops me from using God's Willing to get through either. I get over run the next turn. One of the observers noticed how crashed out I was, which was probably the after effect of the two energy drinks.

Game Three: The decider. Open up a decent hand, 2 land, 2 heroic creatures and some enchantments. An early Stratus Walk has me facing a Arbor Colossus the next turn (which the Aqueous Form in my hand wouldn't have cared about). I forget it has reach as I run a 5/5 Hoplite into it. But hey, at least I got gas right? I stare down a Polukranos and some other fatties a few turns later. Well shit.

Afterwards, a friend of mine who was watching the game remarked that I shouldn't have scried a land away in the second game, which would've allowed me to cast both Aqueous Form and Eidolon on the Fabled Hero. Couldn't remember what other mistakes I did on the 3rd game, but apart from suiciding the Hoplite, there were probably a few others too. It was the 3rd Game Day finals in a row I had gotten to so far, and my win record for those has been less than stellar.

Throw central.

I knew one of the best store regulars was attending the next day, and I thought some of those who played would also be returning. If the competition was just as fierce on Sunday, I didn't rate my chances that highly.