Guest Article : Heathy goes to PTQ Leicester

By Ben Heath

Hey guys, this is the first of many, i hope, guest articles to be hosted on the TLM blog. Thanks go to Ben for taking time to write for the blog. If you want to write an article for the blog, feel free, simply send it to ss07jm@leeds.ac.uk. Similarly, if you would like an article to cover a particular area/format of magic, then send an email to the above address. After all, the blog is here for you, the reader(s, hopefully!).

Jim

Greetings from planet Heathy.

Today, Sunday 22nd March, was the last chance for British players to go to PT Honolulu, the PTQs coming to Leicester for the last leg of the Extended PTQ season. After a mildly successful time in Birmingham, Jim and I decided to head to Leicester and hope for some better luck over there. Jim was playing his trusty Fae deck whilst I was playing Doran Rock, deck list below. We were joined by Paul Wray (zoo), Craig Stephenson (TEPS) and Andy Devine (loam zoo...I think).

Anyways, without further ado, here’s how I got on...

Round 1

First up for me was the loam deck. Good match up for me, as the cards in both graveyards help me power up goyfs when needed. Any threats generated by him were dealt with well.
Won 2-0.

Round 2

Up against wizards with artifacts. If there is one moment which stands out as the worst moment of today, this was it. Game 1, opponent on 6 life, Tarmogoyf and Thoughtseize in hand. Use Thoughtseize to reveal a Chalice of the Void and Spell Snare. Easy choice, Spell Snare, right? Wrong. I took Chalice of The Void. I lost that game, and it was mine for the taking. Game 2 went much better, dealing with Vedalken Shackles with my opponent on 3 life. Dealt the lethal damage with 2 minutes of the round to play. Didn’t bother with Round 3. Drew 1-1. 4 points. That one mistake proved to be my undoing for the entire night.

Round 3

Next up was zoo. Another easy matchup, outraced my opponent in Game 1, but Game 2 was a different story. Lots of shock lands and Thoughtseizes makes Ben a very sad panda, and in no time I was on 7 life with my opponent on 18. Two Loxodon Hierarchs and a Doran later, and I was on 7 points after three rounds.
Won 2-0. 7 points.

Round 4

Feeling confident after three rounds and only one glaring error, my hopes of my first PTQ Top 8 were smashed by another wizards matchup. Vedalken Shackles, controlling Doran, were my undoing in both games, despite boarding in Kataki, War’s Wage, I didn’t see it at all. I happily admit to being outplayed in this match, but deep down I knew that my night would end after Round 6.
Lost 2-0. 7 points.

Round 5

Next was the type of deck that is my least favourite to play against, which is the combo deck. This one was Swans, but unfortunately for my opponent I had answers left, right and centre. Game 1 I Doran’d him into submission, in Game 2 his Swans met my friends Thoughtseize, Path to Exile and Putrefy. Turned out later that Putrefying my opponent’s Chrome Mox in Game 1 was vital, as he would have been able to have casted Firespout twice, completely wiping my board.
Won 2-0. 10 points.

Round 6

Going into Round 6 I was in 11th place, with strong tiebreakers, a good win against an opponent who was also doing well (which is what I was expecting) would have stood me in great stead. I therefore don’t quite understand why I was paired up with Andy Devine in Round 6, who was down in 20th place. With me on 10 points and Andy on 9 points, we eventually decided that Andy would concede to me to boost my chances of getting into the Top 8, but we played anyway. I won Game 1 after Thoughtseizing all his threats before Goyfing him into submission. Game 2 was when I made my second major mistake of the night, and as a result thoroughly deserved to lose (attacking with a far too weak 2/3 Tarmogoyf into another Tarmogoyf and a 3/3 Wild Nacatl...d’oh). Game 3 I unfortunately got mana-flooded and was pretty disappointed to be actually lose the matchup as I thought it was a pretty good match up for me, but as far as the tournament was concerned I won 2-1 and was on 13 points...honest...

I ended up in 10th place with 13 points, a mere 4% on tiebreakers away from 6th place, who was also on 13 points. Although gutted not to make it, I had a good time, and won some pretty awesome cards in the boosters I won, thanks especially to Andy for letting me win the final round, even though it was all in vain (thanks dude). Thanks to Jim as well for the lift. Now I’m off to celebrate with my mates and get absolutely rat-arsed, later!

Heathy

Deck List

2 Chrome Mox,
4 Thoughtseize,
4 Birds of Paradise,
3 Path to Exile,
4 Tidehollow Sculler,
4 Tarmogoyf,
4 Dark Confident,
2 Umezawa’s Jitte,
4 Doran,
2 Kitchen Finks,
3 Putrefy,
2 Oblivion Ring,
2 Loxodon Heirarch.
4 Windswept Heath,
3 Treetop Village,
2 Overgrown Tomb,
2 Godless Shrine,
2 Temple Garden,
2 Ghost Quarter,
2 Swamp,
1 Plains,
1 Polluted Delta,
1 Bloodstained Mire

Sideboard
4 Bitterblossom,
2 Kitchen Finks,
2 Gaddock Teeg,
2 Ethersworn Canonist,
1 Path to Exile,
1 Tormod’s Crypt,
1 Relic of Progenitus,
2 Kataki, War’s Wage.