Overdriven! 58

Excuses, Excuses!

I had to relocate suddenly on 3/16, with just that much notice. At this time, I do not yet have net or phone at my new digs. I can use the free WiFi at Tim Hortons during the day, and have made tentative arrangements to run my events from a friend’s house. Blarg.

Meanwhile, thanks to Riddles* cleaning out his collection, I have also come into possession of 7 fat pack boxes full of paper cards. These are almost all commons, with a smattering of uncommons, and a single rare (Blazing Specter), from recent blocks.

(*Riddles is part of a paper playgroup I’ve started hanging out with IRL.)

As you can see from Sunday thru Tuesday’s lack of me being online, this didn’t work out well. Since I had no net, and no phone, I couldn’t work either. Or check my email. Or call my wife. Blarg.

I spent those days quietly raging and seething in my room, watching reruns of downloaded TV shows and building/playing cheap paper decks.

I built a MBC deck with Contaminated Ground and Ghost Quarter. After a few games, no one wanted to play against it. Next, I built a GB Defender Ramp(Overgrown Battlement and Gatecreeper Vine) into Ulamog’s Crusher, using Mold Shambler, Acidic Slime, and black spot removal for control. Again, after a few games no one wanted to play against it. So I built a RG hasty bears with Madcap Skills It did ok, as well. At least it wasn’t hated.

For the next go ’round, I built a Simic Evolve with R splash for Lightning Bolt. Volt Charge, Thrummingbird, and Tezzeret’s Gambit are there for proliferate. Too slow, but shows fun.

In addition, I also made a BW Exalted (Ok if it comes out right), a UB Ninja Bounce (Meh!), and a cheap RDW.

Next, I want to try a BR thing with 4 Kiln Fiend, and Hellfire Mongrel, and using black sorceries (hand disruption) and instants(spot removal) to pump the Fiend. I also want to build a Naya Midrange Aggro.

In the meantime, still no net or phone. My submission deadline is three days away, and I don’t have a single new deck written up. I think I can get to Timmy’s tomorrow.

Sucks to be me.

flash forward

And here it is, Easter weekend. There’s still no net/phone here. I can’t access my own funds to pay the deposit to have it installed until my debit card arrives. My debit card is due “any day”, but there’s no mail service over the 4-day Easter weekend.

I can’t manage to keep my meta files updated. I did find time at Timmy’s last week to update about a week’s worth of results, but it’s in no way up to date.

My submission deadline was yesterday, but I missed it. I might get to someplace I can send it from, I might not. They may accept this one late, they may not. I don’t know. I didn’t get a Standardization article in last week, either.

I’ve “missed” 2 weeks of work. I mean, I can half-ass work from Timmy’s and a pay phone, but that doesn’t cut it. Not by a long shot.

The buddy with whom I made arrangements to run events flaked on me big time, and I’m not able to run my events until I get net here.

After over 2 years over solidly running events, and over a year of breaking down the Modern meta, I feel as though I’m letting you guys down. I also feel that my own good name is being dragged through the mud by fate, and I’m helpless to do anything about it. All it takes is one prolonged flustercluck like the past two weeks, and the coming week (weeks?), to ruin any reputation I may have built up over the past few years.

Easter Sunday

Know that while you’re reading this
My soul is out there in the abyss
A consuming conflagration
Of helpless rage and frustration
Seething alone within my room
Gnawing on the bones of my doom
Angel’s one-year anniversary
Has become a glass of asparagus pee
Stinking swill that won’t go away
Knowing people will want to play
Knowing people are waiting to read
While progress moves at glacial speed

GP San Diego

As usual, a Modern GP fell on the weekend after my submission deadline. As promised, here is a timewarpy disjointed ramble two weeks later when it’s old hat.

What blew my mind was Jacob Kory’s Glass Cannon deck. This deck has shown up from time to time in the Dailies, and has put in a few PTQ appearances, as well. The Cannon works by blasting Griselbrand out of the graveyard using Goryo’s Vengeance, and swinging. Then, before your second main phase, use Griselbrands draw ability to draw 7, 14, or 21 cards, hope to draw into double Fury of the Horde to swing twice more.

Cory’s self-proclaimed intent was to take this Turn 2 killer to the top, and try to make Griselbrand into Griselbanned. This was the game we saw in the live coverage:

T1: U, tap, exile Simian Spirit Guide for R, cast Pentad Prism for Sunburst 2.

T2:

• Crack fetch, R, tap R, Faithless Looting, 2 Griselbrand to the graveyard.
• Tap Pentad Prism for UB, Goryo’s Vengeance on Griselbrand, which resolves.
• Opponent casts Path to Exile targeting Griselbrand.
• In response to Path, Cory drew 7 cards, tapped the U, exiled Simian Spirit Guide, and cast Izzet Charm, countering Path.
• Attack for 7.
• Draw 14 cards.
• Cast [card]Fury of the Horde[card] using alternate casting cost for another combat step.
• Attack for 7.
• Cast [card]Fury of the Horde[card] using alternate casting cost for another combat step.
• Attack for 7.

It was, for lack of a better word, awesome. A haiku in my notes:

Demons from the grave
Suicidal bargaining
Another man dies

It was also right about this time when I was informed that I had to move. Now. So my notes from the GP cease.

So there you have it. GP Interruptus. Non carborundum illegitimi.