The top four tables intentionally drew, with a clump of players at 10 points. Ian Kendall was sitting at 7 points paired down against Josh Searl with 6 points, so Ian is playing for a chance to steal a spot in the top 8 on tiebreakers.
Josh started with 5 cards and played a Caves of Koilos. He missed his second and third land drops while Ian accelerated with Tower of Abundance into a turn 3 Kitchen Finks to go to 22. Josh found his second land and Terrored Ian’s Kitchen Finks on his attack step. Ian played another Kitchen Finks and passed. Josh missed again but had a second Terror to finish off the smaller Kitchen Finks. The score was 26-14 in Ian’s favor.
Josh found a third land and played his own Kitchen Finks to go to 16, but was Shriekmawed by Ian, and as a 2/1 chumped Ian’s 3/2 Kitchen Finks. On his next attack step, the third Terror finished off Kitchen Finks #2 once and for all. Ian played his third Finks to go to 30. Josh continued to take pain to cast spells, this time off of Spectral Procession.
Maelstrom Pulse dealt with the Spirit tokens and Ian beat for 6 with Finks and Shriekmaw. Josh found Reflecting Pool for land #4 and took pain again to play Tidehollow Sculler, revealing Banefire x2, Broodmate Dragon, and Lavalanche. He took Lavalanche and bemoaned being slow rolled. Ian drew and flopped another Lavalanche.
Josh: “Did you draw that?”
Ian: “No, I cheated!”
Ian leads 1-0.
For game 2, Josh kept 7 and decided to predict how many cards his opponent would start the game with.
Josh: “Uh oh, I smell the mulligan to 5 on the other side.”
Ian: “I’m gonna mulligan, hopefully just to 6. If I mulligan to 5, you’ll know it’s just because I’m being nice.”
Ian mulliganed and then, as predicted, mulliganed again. Josh rooted for the mulligan to 4, but Ian kept 5.
Josh lead off with a Vivid Meadow and Vivd Marsh while Ian lead with a Fire-Lit Thicket and a topdecked Treetop Village (with a wipe of his brow in relief). Josh played a turn 3 Kitchen Finks and Ian indicated another topdecked Treetop Village.
Josh beat for 3 and passed, while Ian played his own Finks, but missed his fourth land. Josh attacked and the two Finks got smaller. In his second main, Josh played a Murderous Redcap to finish off Ian’s Finks, and laid a Windbrisk Heights for his fifth land. Ian missed land but played Fertile Ground on his Treetop Village.
Josh beat for 4 to put Ian to 17, then played Bitterblossom for his next turn. With a Forest off the top providing five potential mana for Ian, he went into the tank, and tapped four mana for Chameleon Colossus and passed.
Josh made a Token and played a Path to Exile on the 4/4 Shapeshifter and beat for 4 to put Ian to 13. On Ian’s turn, he played a land, made a Garruk Wildspeaker, untapped two lands and tapped 5 mana to play Primal Command to bounce Windbrisk Heights and gain 7 life to go back to 20. Windbrisk Heights came back down, and Josh attacked to take down Garruk and beat for 1 with a Faerie token.
Ian played a tri-land and played Broodmate Dragon and passed. Josh Terrored the Dragon token at end step, and then beat with his team of Redcap, Kitchen Finks and two Tokens into the Broodmate Dragon, which blocked Kitchen Finks. Josh then played Siege-Gang Commander and sacked a Goblin to finish off the Dragon and passed. Ian played Infest the next turn to wipe the board and have Redcap ping him, then Ian beat with Treetop Village. Josh attacked and then played Spectral Procession. The score was 17-13 in Josh’s favor.
Ian played another land and beat with 2 Treetop Villages. The Spirit tokens ganged up to block the Treetop Village with Fertile Ground on it and took 3, and Josh wondered if that was a bad idea to trade Spectral Procession for the man-land and acceleration. Josh beat for 2 with Redcap and a Token, played a land and passed to make the score 13-11 in his own favor. Ian beat back with Treetop to put him to 10. Josh lost 1 and beat for 3 and then activated Windbrisk Heights to reveal a Spectral Procession and passed.
Ian was now staring down 7 1/1’s (three Spirits, three Faeries, and Murderous Redcap). He Maelstrom Pulsed the Spirit Tokens and beat for three again with Treetop Village and passed. After Josh’s next Bitterblossom trigger, the score was 8-5, now in Ian’s favor, who had no cards in hand. Josh played another Windbrisk Heights. He only attacked with 1 Faerie token, leaving back 3 and Redcap.
Ian drew and beat with Treetop Village and traded with Redcap and two Faeries. His draw was another Treetop Village to replace it. Josh made another Faerie to go to 4 and had to leave his team of three back. Ian put Trace of Abundance on Treetop Village in case of removal, attacked and took out his team, and passed. Josh played a land after going to 3 and passed. Ian passed his turn and Josh went to 2, attacked for 1 to 6, and passed. Ian played a land and passed. Needing a topdeck, Josh went to 1 and drew and revelaed a hand of Path to Exile and Bitterblossom. Only able to attack for 2 and with Ian at 6, Josh was dead on his next upkeep.
RESULT: Ian wins in two, and will have to cross his fingers to not end up in ninth place.
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