JSS QT
Name: Rich Herbert (AKA:
Cartman)
Place:
Tourtment: JSS
QT
Place:
2nd!
Deck: Balancing
Tings
People:
50
Hey
everyone,
My name is Rich Herbert(AKA:
Cartman). This is my first tournament report, so I apologize if I drone on
endlessly and bore you all. For the past 2 months, I have been testing for the
JSS QTs me being 14 and all. I saw this thing called Balancing Tings (Brent, you
kick ass man and you're one cool kid along with Ian B. You guys rule! (see
title)) who both built this deck, and now I am friends with. About a week after
Brent won
I arrived at like
Goodstuff.Dec
4 Nimble Mongoose 4 Terravore 4 Obliterate 4 Fact or Fiction 4 Balancing Act 4 Timberland Ruins 4 Geothermal Crevice 4 Ancient Spring 4 Irrigation Ditch
Sideboard:
3 Disenchant 3 Dodecapod 3 Blurred Mongoose 3 Memory Lapse 3 Moment's Peace
Well, that's the deck. Parings
were announced to go up and I went to go sit down for the 1st
round.
Rd 1: Big kid with Hippo and
Moat
Wow, I didn't think many people
played Hippo, Teferi's Moat and Enforcers main deck. Guess I was wrong. I
though this would be an easy match, and I got the combo off, but when he floated
2 Blue, instead of Terravore, I dropped a Mongoose. I stall on some lands and
get some beats in. I have a Syncopate and my Sulfur Vent out with an I. Ditch
tapped. He draws his 6th land and drops Moat. Wow, that's kind of bad
isn't it? Judge informs me of 30 minutes left, and because I couldn't draw the
Obliterate and Act to combo in one turn or any more Chants when I had 1
Syncopate left in the deck, I scoped for time reasons.
In come all Lapses, Disenchant
and Mongooses.
Game two he gets some early
peeks and sees my Godly drawl. He couldn't believe it. He drew sacred grounds,
but it went away fast with Disenchant. I called the judge and asked him if I
cast Act would Grounds trigger? I didn't think it would, but it seems that it
does. I still don't see how, but I Disenchanted it. But my hand kept getting
better. By turn 8 he was done and we were shuffling for the 3rd and
final game. Wow, I can draw Godly 2 games in a row. This game was the same as
last. My hand just was amazing from the get go. 2 acts, 4 lands and a syncopate.
I then drew Chant, Chant, Obliterate, FoF, disenchant and land. I won that game
easily. Moat can be
scary.
Matches:
1-0
Games:
2-1
Ok, before I go on, I have to
actually share something personal about me. I have a chronic stomach problem and
what it does is puts me in BAD stomach pains and aches. It tears me up and makes
it hard to concentrate and do things because I can't concentrate. Round two, as
I sat down and introduced myself it kicked in. Not mildly, but very badly and
made me very uncomfortable the whole match. I even took a 10 minute time
out(didn't know there was such a ting, but thanks JJ for understanding and Adam
Dale for being such a cool judge!)
Rd 2: JJ playing
ToG
JJ is cool, he has Qed before.
He was playing ToG. Could be bad. Game 1 he is stuck on 3 lands for literally 10
turns. But guess what? I DRAW NO COMBO PIECES! He hits 4 lands, taps out for
Lobo. I sync it. I draw, ACT! But I have a feeling he has more Lobo's and Act
burning for 6. Ouch. He scoops 2 turns later when he draws no more lands.
In
between the game 1 and 2 I explain my condition and he says You can get a time
out and a Judge will sit here and make sure nothing happens. I asked if there
was anything that would happen as a result and the Judge(Adam Dale) said we get
extra time. I gladly took it and stepped out for a drink and air. I return 10
minutes and Sideup.
In come Lapses, Dodecapod(he
recoiled many times on 3 lands though), 2 Peace and
Mongooses.
He tap out for turn 3 ToG, and
I cast act floating 2 green. He was really tired and not thinking and didn't
discard cards to ToG and I cast Blurred. 3 turns later with him having no lands
again, TerraTing hits and he scoops. Sorry man, would have been better with
lands for ya I bet.
Matches:2-0
Games:
4-1
After Rd 2 my ride takes me to
7-11 and I get some Advil and some water. Take some pills and hurry back. I
would end up taking more later because the pains got worse which I almost
dropped because of.
Rd 3: Robert Greenhouse.
Red/Green Beats.
Game 1 He burns me out in
response to my combo (stupid no chant!!!) and I loose. Oh yea, on turn 4, he
volcanic hammered me(he has a Q. Dryad out) and shocks me 2 times. I took like
12 on turn 4. Not good.
In come Lapse, 2 Peace,
Mongooses
Game two he gets slowness draws
and I get combo draws. I comboed 3 times because he was recovering sooooooo
fast. I won though. Game 3 is exactly like game 1, he bashes, but I bash back
before turn 4. I draw 2 lands and they were only Ruins. He wins. Nice deck Rob
and great match dude.
Match:
2-1
Games:
5-3
After this I got a little
worried because it was only 6 rounds. This means I needed to go 2-0-1 to make it
in, and looking at the people ahead of my table, I saw quite a few red/green.
After this match I talked to Brent and watched him mise like a pro. God that kid
is good.
Rd 4: Guy playing
Red/Green/Black with Plague Spitters and Terminates out the yang.
Ok, I saw a turn 1 duress
take away FoF and a turn 3 Spitter leaving him taped out for me to do my
goodness. An Act and a Goose. 5 Turns later I had Terravore and he topdecks a
Terminate and next turn a Plague Spitter. Somehow the Goose died, and I comboed
again. But, low and behold, he has a Terminate for my Terravore. Eventually he
doesn't draw lands and TerraTing does some goodness.
In come Lapses, Moment's Peace
and BLURRED MOONGOOSE! NO TERMINATE FOR YOU!
Well in game 2 he casts early
Plague Spitters and of course the turn before I'm about to cast Blurred. Thank
God I didn't cast it before that. I have 2 Mongooses in hand and FoF pulls up an
Act. A few turns later I'm going to go for it. I cast Act floating 4 Green and 2
Blue(I have Lapse incase of anything really bad) and he floats 3 red and 2
black. He thinks I'm going to cast 2 TerraTings. Boy was he surprised when I
dropped 2 Blurred Mongooses. He Flame Bursts me which I Lapse. He says Wow, 2
terminates do nothing against them! I'll burn for 2 now. I ride the Gooses to
the win. Nice deck dude and good games. It was close for a while.
Matches:
3-1
Games:
7-3
Rd 5: Enforcer guy (probably my
best match there)
This guy played my friend in second round (Mike Santone who
also played Tings with Fire/Ice SB and no Mongooses cause he couldn't find any)
and Mike lost to him. I was sitting on the Enforcer guy's side and was peeking
over at his playing because I knew for some reason that I might have to play him
soon. Sure enough we meet up in Rd 5.
Game one he gets in some Peeks on turn 3 4 and 5. For some reason he decides after seeing the combo in my hand that he should cast an Enforcer. I had a Syncopate but let it go. All he had open were 4 lands and I had a Chant and Syncopate. I Chant him during my main phase which he fights to a loss (Snake, Sync for uno) and I go on to add 7 mana casting Act and TerraTing dropping an Arch Dig and Sacing it for a Nimbly. I kinda won there
In comes Lapses, Mongooses (I
saw some Aether Burst in FoF's) and like 2 Peace.
Game two he drops turn 2 Sacred
Grounds and I didn't side in Disenchant. 2 meddling mages later naming
Obliterate and Act I was in trouble. I would have to cast Act 2 times, getting
both through to have a shot, but Chris Pikula kind of caused that plan to not
work. I enter my scoop phase.
Out come Moment's Peace and
something else for 3 Disenchants.
Wow, game 3. I said to myself that no
matter what I wouldn't scoop. I would go for it all.
What do you know? Turn 3 Sacred
Grounds with a disrupt is a little good. Ok, I have Disenchants in so it's ok.
Funny thing. When he cast that my hand was 2 Acts, 1 TerraTing, 2 Obliterate a
chant and an Lapse. I had out 2 spheres and 2 lands taped with a Vent which I
saced to Lapse. I was going to win next turn. Boo! Ok, Grounds isn't that bad. I
was waiting on a Disenchant and kept playing Lands because I figured that
somehow I can still win this. He has out a Chris Pikula naming Repulse (which of
course was in my hand.) and was slowly eating at my life. For some reason he
plays a Mystic Snake during his main phase leaving him with like 6-8 lands open
and 5 cards in hand. I see an opening with my hand of 1 Chant, 2 Act, 1 Blurred
Mongoose, 1 Terravore and 2 Lapses. I draw, CHANT! WHOHOO!!! Sac a land to cast
Chant. Counter. Cast chant? He lets it go through. I can win I realize. I sac
all my lands. As I do this a crowd starts to gather. I write down for him al
swing. He scoops in amazement that he lost to me. Everyone is talking about me
now and how I won. The judge comes over and announces that time is up and to
fill out the match slip. Good game man. You scared me to death there. I couldn't
find a Disenchant and drawling the extra Chant was a Topdeck and a
half.
Matches:
4-1
Games:
9-4
I am now in 6th
place and have to play a friend for the next round who is playing Tings. Not
Mike, but someone who is playing Tings because of me. At the Prerelease he lost
to me playing this and loved it so much that he built it the night before. Here's his Sideboard. (He
couldn't find anything for it.) 12 MOUNTAINS AND 3
AURA BLAST!! He beat the whole field without a SB.
One problem. We're at table 4,
he's in 9th place with not the greatest Tiebreakers. The table next
to us (8th and 2nd place players) decided to play it.
Being as this is happening this means that me and my friend can ID in. The table
next to us that is playing, the looser doesn't make it in and that means my
friend slides in at the #8 spot. The top 2 tables draw, and seeing that they are
playing it out, we also draw.
Rd: 6 (I can't remember your
name even though you signed my Act sorry man) Playing Tings from Net. (Brent's
version)
ID! I'm now in no matter
what!
Matches:
Games:
Here's what happens to the game
next to us. Carson (or Eric) is in 2nd place and Greg is in
8th. Carson (or Eric) is up one game to none. (1-0) and Greg is at 8
life. Carson (or Eric) draws, taps 12 lands and casts Rage with kicker. Now
originally they were going to draw which is why my friend and I did not play it
out. Greg goes, In response you want to draw??? HE ACCEPTS!!! IN RESPONSE TO
RAGE HE DREW! GREG WAS DEAD AND OUT OF T8! And Judges were told of it and didn't
even ask them if this was true or anything. I can't believe that they let this
happen. I immedently found my friend, and being as I explained everything to him
and how he would make it in because of Greg and Carson (or Eric) playing it out
and how in response to Rage with Kicker they drew. I felt really bad because I
told him he would be in and he wasn't now. He understood and said that he would
feel better if I won. I gave him my Tings listing for the next JSS QT and my
T8 looks like this (the best
that I remember, not in the order of 1-8 though) Tings
(ME!) 4
red/green 1 ToG 1
Red/White/Blue 1 Tempo Opposition
(red/green/blue creature Opposition) T8: Eric playing Tempo/
Creature Opposition. I play Opposition man. Mike is
sitting next to me to see how I do since he's playing the same deck as me and
also sitting next to me is the other friend who should be playing next to me.
The guy who didn't get in T8 because of the Draw in response. He wants to see my
SB and how I SB with it so he knows. My opponent, his name is Eric
and mine is Cartman. Heh. Like me, he has a Cartman statue thing, but mine is
plastic and his is plush. We both put them out at the same time at opposites of
each other. Kinda cool. We talk for a while and we finally get the show on the
road. I win the roll and he asks me if I'm playing Tings. I never tell my
opponent what I am playing as they now know how to play. I lie, and he believes
me. I go 1st. I get a
Godly hand which has everything I need to win against Blue. 2 Acts, Obliterate,
Terravore and 3 lands. Next draw is FoF and then a land. He taps out turn 4 for
Opposition thinking I'm NOT playing Tings. I thank him and he looks puzzled as I
show him the combo and drop an 8/8 TerraTing. He scoops. He asks me why I lied
and I said Element of surprise my friend. You truly thought I wasn't playing
Tings and played differently because of It didn't you? He responds, Yea
Cartman. If I knew you were playing this I would have not tapped out at all on
turn 4 Me, Exactly, you would have played differently and I wouldn't be a game
up like I am now now would I? He chuckles and Mike pats me on the back. My
friend laughs and says that I'm deceitful. I reply Maybe so, but I won didn't
I? Eric laughs. In come Lapses, Mongooses,
Disenchant and 2 Peaces. I get a hand of 5 lands, a
sphere and an Act. He Paris's (is that right?) down to 5. But he accidentally
draws 6. I call a Judge, and since he was supposed to be at only 5 he has to go
to 4. Eric is upset and I apologize and he understands. He kept no lands. I don't want to win this way. I draw Terravore for my draw and know that I won
now. All I needed was the creature. I play some lands and chant him on 2 Lands
sacing my lands for 7 (disrupt protection) he lets it go and I combo. He
discards some cards and Terravore is a 10/10. He draws a land. Burst could be in
his hand I fear now with a land. I swing for 10 and I play an Arch Dig at upkeep
which he diverts to me and shows 3 Burst and no land off the draw. Scoop Phase
for him. I again say I'm sorry for calling the Judge and getting him involved.
He shows me what his hand was at 5. 2 lands, BoP, Wild Mongrel and a FoF. Could
he have been good he says in which I nod. Sorry I won like that Eric, really. I
wan
T4: Red/Blue/White deck,
Control Patriotism. Wow, I get to play Counters. I
had a godly hand, everything except creature. He also doesn't know what
I'm
playing and he has Qed before so didn't care. I lied when he asked me about
Tings and he made the mistake of Eric the round before. Turn 7 Lightning Angel
meets a Repulse and a next turn Act and TerraTing. He was a little land screwed
and only had 4 lands for the past turns but I couldn't draw a Creature. Repulse
netted me a Terravore. He became an 11/11 and meat by a scoop phase for the
control player. "One more game to go" I calmly
say as Mike and my friend shake their heads at me. They can't believe my
Topdecking. In come Lapses, Mongooses (He
Fof'ed into some Aether Bursts but no lands, plus the Goose is good against
blue) and 2 Peace. Game two is over before it
starts. I get another godly hand with obliterates, FoF's, lands and a chant. He
looks good for a while until he runs out of lands in turn 7 again. I chant him,
cast Obliterate and Terravore. He scoops and says Good job. Tings is murder
against my deck. I'll see you in I QUALIFIED!!!
WHOHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! I couldn't believe it! Brent and Ian were money drafting
and I walked over and thanked them so much for making this deck and they were
happy to see that Tings won again. But there's one match left.
It's red/green vs. red/green. It doesn't matter to me now that I
Qed. Finals: Rob (from rd.3)
Let me put it this way. He
bashed me many ways over. I comboed and he recovered so fast and for some reason
I didn't draw anymore lands. Rob beat me 2-0. Final
standings: Red/green (Rob
Greenhouse) Final info for
me: Matches: Games: I got a box of Torment and
everyone came up to me and said their congrats. People in
All in all it was a good day! I
still don't see how Sacred Grounds triggers off Balancing Act, but
that's what
the Judges said and I'll trust them. Props: Troy: for taking
me Any site that posts
this! Slops: Paz, this is Cartman saying I'm
out and thanks for reading. SEE SOME OF YA IN FLORDIA MAY31-JUNE1!
Congrats Robert Greenhouse. 2
people Qed who hadn't before. A good JSS QT.
Tings! (ME! Rich
Herbert)
Red/white/blue
Red/green (Allan
Jackson)
Red/green
Tempo Opposition
(Eric)
Red/Green
ToG (Greg
Swan)
Mike: for playtesting. You'll
do better man.
Steve Strock: for teaching me
so much and for being a good partner. Serve our country with pride in the Navy
man. Come see me in
My Mom: for giving birth to me
and giving me money and being supportive
Brent and Ian: For making this
deck! You are the men as the title says! Brent, when I see you again, return my WoG!
All my opponents: Being good
spots and good games
Matt Brooks: For trading me
some cards I needed for this deck
Dream Wizards in
Jason Jones: Also teaching me
many things
Anyone who thinks
this deck still sucks.
My stomach for almost making me
drop out of the Tourtment
School for being
hard
If you want to contact me email
me at: rich416_417@yahoo.com
IM me:
BigRich316420
ICQ#:
119895237