Magic Jon ? Dark Ascension Game Day

As everyone who reads this should know by now, I am terrible at standard Magic. So, it should come to no surprise that my least favorite event of the release season is the dreaded Game Day. However, I always manage to suck it up and stick it out, and our Dark Ascension Game Day was no different.

Thankfully, the MTG Event Decks for this Game Day were both quite fun, if not extremely effective in today?s standard environment. I choose to go with the Birth Pod deck ?Spiraling Doom,? forsaking the other deck?s twin Inkmoth Nexuses. As per the norm, I souped up the little sucker with some Mythical power. My final deck looked like this:

Main Deck

• Young Wolf x 4
• Hex Parasite x 1
• Strangleroot Geist x 4
• Viridian Emissary x 4
• Phyrexian Rager x 1
• Predator Ooze x 1
• Viridian Corrupter x 1
• Wakedancer x 1
• Skinrender x 3
• Solemn Simulacrum x 1
• Morkrut Banshee x 1
• Acidic Slime x1
• Bloodgift Demon x 1
• Vorapede x 1
• Grave Titan x 1
• Reaper from the Abyss x 1
• Moldgraf Monstrosity x 1
• Doomblade x 3
• Diabolic Tutor x 2
• Birthing Pod x 2
• Forest x 14
• Swamp x 8
• Evolving Wilds x 2
• Grim Backwoods x 1

Side Board

• Distress x x 4
• Autumn?s Veil x 3
• Despise x 1
• Beast Within x 1
• Dismember x 1
• Perilous Myr x 1
• Wakedancer x 1
• Gravedigger x 1
• Entomber Exarch x 1
• Acid Web Spider x 1

I didn?t mess with the side board much. I found that it was fairly useless as it was, and I, being both lazy and poor at side boarding, didn?t make an effort to make it more effective. Every match I would side board in the Distresses and Despise, but, as if to add insult to injury, I didn?t draw the cards even once throughout the day.

It was a small mercy that the day was rather short. Much to the store?s chagrin we only had about 16 people attend the event. Roughly half as many as had come out for the Innistrad Game Day. Nevertheless, we (and by that I mean I) proudly soldiered on.

It turns out that Green Black Pod is not the best archetype in today?s environment. In round one I was thoroughly stomped in two games by the Spirit Deck that is making the rounds. It was simply too fast with too many fliers. He didn?t even have to side board against me. I had a bit of a clever play in the second game sacking my Dungeon Geisted Vorapede, unlocking him, and fetching my Reaper. However, he simply Vapor Snagged him, crushing my hopes and my dreams.

Then, in the second match, I was against a Mono-Red deck. I won in three games. It wasn?t very eventful. I lost the second game due to keeping a greedy hand and getting burned out. But I came back in the third. It was my only victory of the day.

In game three I was against and awkward flashback S?ance deck. It did not end well for me. The main reason? Phantasmal Image. That card synergizes with Undying in a very annoying way. When you clone an Undying creature with Image and the Image dies, it hits the graveyard, gets the +1/+1 counter, then comes back, but when it comes back it gets to copy a new creature. It?s very bothersome to be beaten with cloned Strangleroot Geists and Vorapedes. I tried my best but his creatures were more persistent than my own. As it turns out recursion with Blade Splicers is good. Oh well, life is pain as I often say.

I had no hope of winning my last match of the day. I was against a perfectly curving Human deck. Two words: Mirran Crusader. Yeah, nothing my deck could do about that guy. I tried putting in my Distresses and Despise, but Thalia quickly put an end to that plan. I lost in two extremely short games.

My take away from the day is that Green/Black Undying Pod, while outrageously fun to play, is pretty ineffectual in the current format. It could have just been my list, or for that fact me, but I feel like the archetype just can?t deal with bouncing clones, Mirran Crusaders, and Sword of Feast and Famine. Either way, despite how it may sound, I had a great time. Pods are extremely fun to run since you have access to a whole kit full of creatures that you can bring out seemingly at will. I would highly recommend the deck to anyone looking for a fun casual experience.

To round out today?s forlorn article I shall bestow upon you the top two decks from the tournament, neither which have Delver of Secrets strangely enough.

?

First Place Daniel Recupido

Main Deck

• Chandra?s Phoenix x 4
• Grim Lavamancer x 4
• Stromkirk Noble x 4
• Stormblood Berserker x 4
• Spikeshot Elder x 1
• Shrine of Burning Rage x 4
• Incinerate x 4
• Faithless Looting x 3
• Gut Shot x 3
• Brimstone Valley x 3
• Arc Trail x 3
• Devil?s Play x 1
• Mountain x 22

Side Board

• Volt Charge x 4
• Phyrexian Metamorph x 3
• Reckless Waif x 3
• Forge Devil x 2
• Tunnel Ignus x 1
• Runechanter?s Pike x 1
• Spikeshot Elder x 1

?

Second Place Ryan Ziegler

Main Deck

• Doomed Traveler x 4
• Champion of the Parish x 4
• Fiend Hunter x 4
• Gideon?s Lawkeeper x 3
• Leonin Relic-warder x 3
• Thalia, Gaurdian of Threben x 3
• Geist of Saint Traft x 3
• Mirran Crusader x 3
• Hero of Bladehold x 2
• Honor of the Pure x 4
• Oblivion Ring x 3
• Sword of War and Peace x 1
• Plains x 10
• Seachrome Coast x 4
• Glacial Fortress x 4
• Moorland Haunt x 4
• Island x 1

Side Board

• Corrosive Gale x 4
• Timely Reinforcements x 3
• Angelic Destiny x 2
• Mana Leak x 2
• Dismember x 1
• Celestial Purge x 1
• Ratchet Bomb x 1
• Phyrexian Metamorph x 1

Share on Facebook

Share on Facebook

Source: http://gamepreservestores.com/blog/2012/03/06/magic-jon-dark-ascension-game-day/

tcu football westminster bonnaroo 2012 lineup twisted metal sea lion si swimsuit 2012 westminster dog show