A Casual PTQ (My First Time)

[Teflon_Jeff]

This thread is for the discussion of my latest article, A Casual PTQ (My First Time). We would be grateful if you would let us know what you think, but please keep your comments on topic.

[QmunkE]

Seems like keeping Dark Confidant alive isn't good - you've pointed out earlier in the article that your deck doesn't tend to flood, so you draw gas most of the time anyhow. Letting your opponent draw extra cards, regardless of the fact they deal him 1/2 damage, seems bad. You're just letting him draw more Goyfs/Apes etc to make your clock worse. If he would draw spell-land-spell-land, instead he's drawn gas and lands. Two lands on top of his deck? He takes 0 from Bob and isn't getting flooded.

Good effort to write an article on your first PTQ though! Good luck in the future, I hope you manage to attend more, competitive Magic events can be great fun.

PS this article is filed under "Standard (Type 2)" when it is quite clearly Extended

[VestDan]

Whoops! Fixed the format filing!

* VestDan is an idiot sometimes.

[Fatguy Poolshark]

Thanks for the tournament report. NICE for your first PTQ(you never said it i think so im assuming here). I do agree though killing the bob was the right play as him drawing twice the cards of you meant he should be able to pull more damage than you. BUT your amount of cards in play meant you could have won it with a few decent top decks compared to him. *shrugs* not sure.

[Atomic Requiem]

Your approach to Dark Confidant is probably the most controversial. However, especially in the BR matchup, I have to believe that leaving him alive is a mistake. As has been pointed out, this usually helps clear up extra lands, often for no damage. I don't really want to bother doing the math with his deck list, but I'm guessing the average damage on a bob reveal is like 1.5 or something silly like that.

Plus he gets to beat for 2 (since you're not going to block and kill the confidant) every turn along with whatever burn he drew.

However, I do congratulate you on trying something different and following through with it.

Good report.
*AR*

[plichtas]

Going 4-2 and placing 14th is awesome. I am wondering how many people were in the event. I see you are from Idaho and see there was a Boise event on 3-15. Was that the one you went to? It didn't list it on the top 8 report on wizards site thought were they list the number of people. My local PTQ was 8 Rounds so I am wondering how many were in your event.

[MadMageQc]

Some thoughts on red beatdown decks VS decks with Dark Confidant :

This is a very interesting issue. Usually, I think the decision of killing Bob or not comes down to how early in the game it is. If that Bob is played turn 2-3, always burn him out, because then the player has enough life to safely get a lot of card advantage, and you don't want that. Depending on the deck, that CA will quite possibly give him control over you and allow him to stabilize, or outrace you if he's any lucky to draw more good aggro cards than you while not losing much life. If the Bob gets played later, when the player is already under 15, then it depends if you think what you have in hand and on the board is enough to finish the guy with a little help from Bob, and it is quite often the right decision to let him live. However, in a matchup where the Bob player also is red aggro, I think you need to kill Bob a little more often and up to a little later in the game, because it's a race, and Bob can easily win aggro races trough double fuel.

Anyway, a red beatdown deck always has the upper hand against Bob. The red player can usually either kill Bob right away for as much mana or less than he costs, or let him live for him to kill his controller, depending on the situation. Giving such a fun choice to your opponent is never a good thing, and that's why I always side out Bob against red. That RGb player should have, IMO. He sure was lucky, but you should have killed his Bob, too, if you ask me.

[Teflon_Jeff]

Originally Posted by plichtas

Going 4-2 and placing 14th is awesome. I am wondering how many people were in the event. I see you are from Idaho and see there was a Boise event on 3-15. Was that the one you went to? It didn't list it on the top 8 report on wizards site thought were they list the number of people. My local PTQ was 8 Rounds so I am wondering how many were in your event.

Yes, I was in the Boise PTQ. If I recall, we had somewhere in the upper 50's for turnout. 57 seems to stick in my mind.

Originally Posted by MadMageQc

Some thoughts on red beatdown decks VS decks with Dark Confidant :

This is a very interesting issue. Usually, I think the decision of killing Bob or not comes down to how early in the game it is. If that Bob is played turn 2-3, always burn him out, because then the player has enough life to safely get a lot of card advantage, and you don't want that. Depending on the deck, that CA will quite possibly give him control over you and allow him to stabilize, or outrace you if he's any lucky to draw more good aggro cards than you while not losing much life. If the Bob gets played later, when the player is already under 15, then it depends if you think what you have in hand and on the board is enough to finish the guy with a little help from Bob, and it is quite often the right decision to let him live. However, in a matchup where the Bob player also is red aggro, I think you need to kill Bob a little more often and up to a little later in the game, because it's a race, and Bob can easily win aggro races trough double fuel.

Anyway, a red beatdown deck always has the upper hand against Bob. The red player can usually either kill Bob right away for as much mana or less than he costs, or let him live for him to kill his controller, depending on the situation. Giving such a fun choice to your opponent is never a good thing, and that's why I always side out Bob against red. That RGb player should have, IMO. He sure was lucky, but you should have killed his Bob, too, if you ask me.

Yeah, I've definitely learned about the Bob. I won't say I'm convinced I should Kill Bob, but I will say it's no longer an absolute one way or the other. I think in the last game, I should have killed him sooner. However, if it's late game, and anything decent can get me the win, I think it is worth the risk. Of course, I'm a risky kind of guy [insert dramatic music here]

[VestDan]

Bob's not good to try to race against. Sure, he damages his controller, but... obviously lands don't hurt, but say he draws his controller a tarfire? 1 damage to him, 2 to you... they're still ahead. Especially in a creature-light deck like this, where Bob himself is swinging for 2 as well... If you had more defense, perhaps. PERHAPS... but I'd still only let him live if the opponent is at really low life.

But you know what? You did well at the tourney, and you learned something. You'll definitely play better around Bob in the future, and that's valuable in and of itself.

[Teflon_Jeff]

Yeah, it was definitely a learning experience. Considering I prefer Standard, it was definitely a new one to me. I had always run Bob with Top.

[SIPP]

Sweet Write up! Thanks!

[magicwidow]

Good read, thanks!

[LordHumungus]

Going 4-2 and placing 14th in your first PTQ is phenomenal, especially when you had to sub for not having all the cards. I'm always a fan of seeing the suboptimal overachieve.

[glurman]

Nice job, sounds like you had a lot of fun, and you did pretty well considering the sacrifices you had to make for your deck. Although I do feel that you made a mistake with the Confidants. There's a REASON that the guy's sacrificing life for cards- it's a worthwhile tradeoff- see: Necropotence, Yawgmoth's Bargain. I would never let the guy double his draws for an extra three points of burn, if even that. Half the time it's only for one, or if it's a land, he thins his deck and takes no damage at all. Kill that sucker ASAP. It's way more dangerous to you than Tarmogoyf.

[Weaver]

Great work! in both the tourney and in the article.

ive been to 2 PTQ's and i placed withing the top 16 once and did crappy the second time.

its a great learning experience, and its fun to play people who are equal or better in skill than you.

I hope to see you in a PT some day

-Weaver-