Grand Prix Atlanta - Day 0

Despite terrible weather and flight delays, I get into Atlanta, checked in, and at the site just in time to jump into the first flight. Turns out there were no less than three big pros in the tournament in Player of the Year frontrunner Shuhei Nakamura, Australian national champion Aaron Nicastri, and the old Deadguy pro Chris Pikula. Just great.

The pool I opened in the first pool was pretty good that I stretched to four colors. I end up losing the first round in two because both games his Hell's Thunder was good for 10 thanks to Court Archers. I didn't think I made any mistakes.

The next pool is maybe not as powerful, but I kept it to three colors: RGW with Obelisk of Jund for my Resounding Thunder. I won the first round against an old pro because he was late and got a Game Loss and then got blown out Game 2.

The second round I played against a Georgia Tech student. I scooped up game 1 after about 40 minutes, and then blow him out game 2 as time expires. The way it works now is we play five turns of Game 3, then check the life totals to determine the winner. So I take out my 3 Rakeclaw Gargantuan and put in Behemoth's Herald, Goblin Mountaineer, Angelsong, Soul's Grace (the one that gains life), and some other card. He has to mulligan to 5 on the play, hopes that I don't have a turn 1 play, but drop a Goblin Mountaineer. After his turn 3, I win because the score is 19-20. Pretty darn funny.

Third round I win in two. Fourth round I get stuck on two with my 6 and get blown out, then blow him out game two. Game three I have to mulligan to 5, but I nearly stabilize and try to do the little things to keep me in the game. With me at 7, he has a Skeletal Kathari, Vithian Stinger, and Court Archers, and I have a Rakeclaw Gargantuan and a Sigiled Paladin. I am at 7, and he attacks. I decide I need to Soul's Fire to not die, so I run it out after his attacks choosing my Rakeclaw to hit his Kathari to make him at least sac a guy. For whatever reason, I did not specify that Exalted was on the stack. I think I thought he was had 8 mana and could cycle Resounding Roar, making my timing irrelevant, but that was not the case. He does have Resounding Roar and I die to lethal damage because I was extremely lazy. I decided not to push it, and talking to L3 judge Tony Mayer, it would be implied that I let the trigger resolve. Probably my one mistake the entire day. Ugh so close to three byes just to be careless and throw it away.

I felt really really good about how I was playing. I was very relaxed, like I didn't want it as badly as I have in the past. I just focused on playing correctly, which is what I was telling people about how I was doing: I felt I was playing correctly. Hopefully I will keep it going tomorrow and make a strong run, because judging by today, the mini-break from Magic is helping me.

Alright, no more jinxing this, time for bed, got a big day tomorrow.