MTG GB Nationals 2011

Here we are, finally on site at GB Nationals supporting our newly opened local store and venue, The Scythe and Teacup Gamer Cafe, and ready to fight for the title of National Champion... 

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Team Teacup?

Well that went well. Despite making use of every possible opportunity to research the developing trends in Standard, I began my testing the week before Nationals with a very undecided mindset. With minimal time to test, I settled on UB Control, but the specifics of the deck were very uncertain. I felt relatively comfortable with a list very similar to that piloted by Ali Aintrazi to seize the title at US Nationals, but I was far from certain that I’d be able to compete with the deck in the traditionally aggressive UK metagame. 

As a member of our group was attempting to grind in, a clear read of the meta could be established at the LCQ, allowing an estimation to be made as to which decks would likely see most play in the main event itself. Combo in the form of Twin as well as Red Deck Wins were quite heavily represented, as is expected of an LCQ, but those types of decks always decrease in numbers in the main event itself. UB Control however appeared to be very popular, making it a strong bet for seeing heavy play the next day. At this point I made the choice to bite the bullet and adapt my deck to work as Tezzeret Control, utilizing Torpor Orb and the ability to push with animated artifacts to fight off the expected metagame. 

And so the morning of Nationals arrives, and I ready myself for the long day that awaits. The player meeting eventually starts, and my nerves are kicking in. As I started my first match, doubt began to creep in as I faced Valakut. Despite landing an early Torpor Orb, Primeval Titan swings through as I fail to find removal, and despair starts to take over. Game 2 lasted a bit longer, as I controlled the board and slowly pushed through with Inkmoth Nexus. He readies the kill whilst sitting on five poison counters. All I need to do is find a Tezzeret to win, yet I fail to see anything beyond a land. He continues to make a mistake in his turn, failing to pull off the kill, and yet again I see nothing but land off the top of the deck. The second round pairs me against Valakut yet again, and despite solid controlling starts I manage to hit mana floods, followed by Titans and Terastadon crashing through with ease. 

Disheartened, I sat down for round 3 hoping for one of the many, many control decks I could see around me during the previous rounds. Alas, I am paired against Splinter Twin, which proceeds to beat me violently whilst Torpor Orbs prove powerless without backing of any kind. And so, on a stellar record of 0-3, I decided to drop and claim my two free drafts to hopefully recoup some of my losses from the weekend. Despite rare drafting when able(a Chandra in each draft...), my solid draft decks resulted in losses nonetheless. During the second day I decided to try my hand at the Legacy GP with a strong Team America build, but even that resulted in failure as I lose to NO RUG and draw against Enchantress and Stifle-naught. 

And so Nationals has proven a success for me in nothing more than a disheartening experience. Though I understand that I sorely lacked the time necessary to gain the experience needed to succeed, I could never have predicted that the weekend would result in a total of zero match wins across three utterly different formats. 

But if I were ever to let such losses get to me, I wouldn’t be playing Magic today. I have had my moment of painful humility and am determined to prepare for the future. With Modern developing into a deep yet innovative format, I intend to slowly work on the format and develop my skills so that I can play a better game than ever before. The Spring PTQ season will undoubtedly be played through the Modern format, and I intend to succeed this time on skill rather than luck. In order to develop I cannot work alone, and thanks to our new local venue it is time to truly begin working as team to take on the competitive scene. But more on that will follow soon enough, and thanks for reading.