Magic-League Coverage: 7/10/2009 Post-M10 Standard Trial Finals

Written by neosystems on July 10, 2009

Zapgaze vs. Bob-Dole

The two competitors are playing decks which take advantage of one of the most exciting Magic 2010 cards – Honor of the Pure (1W, Enchantment. White creatures you control get +1/+1). Bob-Dole chose to utilize this card in his Kithkin deck – one of the most anticipated applications of the new card. Zapgaze chose to take a more innovative approach, and ran this card as a four-of in a Black-White tokens deck. With this card competing with another popular enchantment, Zapgaze interestingly chose not to run a single copy of Bitterblossom.

Game 1:
Zapgaze made the first move of the game with a Tidehollow Sculler. Bob-Dole’s revealed cards gave away his strategy, and his opponent took note. Zapgaze mused, “White weenie…interesting…” as he deprived Bob-Dole of an Honor of the Pure. Bob-Dole played a Knight of Meadowgrain and passed. Zapgaze then played Spectral Procession, which gave him three 1/1 tokens. Bob-Dole simply passed and Zapgaze used this as an opportunity to see what his opponent was up to as he played a second Tidehollow Sculler. This time, the Sculler stole Ajani Goldmane from Bob-Dole’s hand. Zapgaze wrote down the rest of the contents of Bob-Dole’s hand and smashed in for three with his tokens (20 – 17).

Bob-Dole had a Spectral Procession of his own. As he put his tokens into play, he shook his head and mumbled, “I am so dead”. Zapgaze agreed as he flashed a Zealous Persecution. On his turn, Zapgaze played a Kitchen Finks (22-17), and dropped the Zealous Persecution on the table, killing all of Bob-Dole’s tokens, and rendering both of his Tidehollow Scullers unkillable by the Knight of Meadowgrain. Zapgaze came in for twelve, and Bob-Dole’s life total plummeted (22 – 5). Certain that the game was over at this point, Zapgaze crumpled up his notes and tossed them over his shoulder. Bob-Dole, out of Kithkin, was forced to pay full price for his Goldmeadow Stalwart, just to keep him alive.

Zapgaze’s next turn was huge, as he attacked with all of his creatures. Bob-Dole blocked both Tidehollow Scullers, hoping to gain some traction in this game. When the dust settled, the Scullers had died, along with the Goldmeadow Stalwart, and Bob-Dole was hanging on by a thread of life (22 – 1). Zapgaze immediately flipped a Cloudgoat Ranger off of his Windbrisk Heights, which prompted the concession.

Zapgaze: 1

Bob-Dole: 0
Between games Zapgaze noted, “I don’t think it was possible for me to get a better hand”.
Game 2:
Bob-Dole chose to play and was forced to mulligan to six. Zapgaze kept his hand of seven, and they were off. Zapgaze’s first play was a Tidehollow Sculler. He promptly went for the Stillmoon Cavalier he saw as it was capable of stopping every creature in his deck. Bob-Dole’s first play was Spectral Procession which netted him three 1/1 tokens. Zapgaze was ready for this, as he promptly dropped a Stillmoon Cavalier of his own onto the battlefield, ready to pick off the tokens. Bob-Dole attacked with his three tokens (17 – 20) and flipped up a Path to Exile (targeting the Sculler) off of his hideaway land, getting back his Stillmoon Cavalier and leaving his opponent with only a basic land to show for it. Zapgaze had an Ajani Goldmane on his turn which he used to pump his Stillmoon Cavalier, getting in for three (17 – 17). Bob-Dole tried to come in with all of his tokens, as Stillmoon Cavalier tried to pick off one of them. The deflection powers of Harm’s Way took care of Ajani Goldmane, leaving Zapgaze without a Planeswalker and Bob-Dole with only two tokens. After combat, he played his own Stillmoon Cavalier and passed the turn.
Zapgaze played Honor of the Pure and attacked for four with his Stillmoon Cavalier (17 – 13). A post-combat Murderous Redcap destroyed a second token, and it was Bob-Dole’s turn once again. On his turn, he played Ajani Goldmane, and pumped all of his creatures, and came in for five (12 – 13). An attack from Zapgaze’s Stillmoon Cavalier sent Ajani to the graveyard while his post-combat Cloudgoat Ranger gave him a nice four-for-one. Bob-Dole attacked with his Cavalier once more, sending Zapgaze into single digits (9 – 13). Before he passed the turn, he played a Figure of Destiny and a Wizened Cenn, hoping to salvage the game.
Zapgaze played a Tidehollow Sculler, taking away a Cloudgoat Ranger from his opponent. He then sent in his army of creatures, all of which connected with Bob-Dole’s life total (9 – 3). Just to seal the game, Zapgaze then flipped another Tidehollow Sculler from his Windbrisk Heights, leaving his opponent with zero cards in hand. Bob-Dole, unable to find a way to get back into the game, conceded.

Zapgaze: 2

Bob-Dole: 0

After the game, Zapgaze noted that Bob-Dole’s deck had an unfavorable matchup against his revamped black-white tokens deck.

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