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G/W Jank
Tournament Report
By Matthew Hudson
Gravesend, Kent, UK
13/05/01
18 Players

So the monthly Gravesend Type 2 has come and gone. With 7th edition now
legal, and the results of National championships appearing on the web over
the past few weeks, I was in a total quandary on what to play.

The 'Incoming' deck that I played last month was a viable possibility, until
I realised that I didn't really have enough ways of dealing with the U/G
Opposition decks that had shown up at a tournament the weekend before hand.

So on Thursday night I sat down with James McCafferty (James, if you are
reading this sorry if I spelt your name wrong!!) and tried to figure out
what to play.

Now I could have played Fires, counter rebel or a rogue deck we had been
working but for the following reasons: (1) Fires and CR are boring
(2) The Rogue deck is being kept back until after the UK nationals as once
of the local players here (Gavin Brammer) wishes to play it in Birmingham.

So then what to play. Okay time for something new(ish) again. Although 6th
Edition has gone from T2 environment, there are still a few regenerating
green creatures left in. The rebels are still here until Odyssey arrives. So
then my decision was made. G/W Jank.

The deck I played is below

G/W Jank

4 Thornscape Apprentice

4 Charging Troll
3 Noble Panther
2 Fleetfoot Panther
1 Sabertooth Nishoba
4 Armadillo Cloak

4 Wax/Wane

2 Lin Sivvi, Defiant Hero
2 Ramosian Lieutenant
2 Defiant Falcon
3 Defiant Vanguard
3 Parallax Wave

4 Elfhame Palace
4 Brushland
2 Rith's Grove
7 Forest
10 Plains

Sideboard

1 Rebel Informer
2 Aura Mutation
1 Lightbringer
3 Tangle Wire
1 Lawbringer
2 Sunscape Battlemage
4 Llanowar Knight
1 Nightwing Glider

So I was prepared. That is to say that I had all the commons and some of the
uncommons and one or two rares. James, luckily, had the spares I needed to
build the deck with. Sorted. A bit of practice on Saturday night against
Fires (easy win) and Opposition (hard win, followed by several stupid
losses) and I was ready to play on Sunday.

I arrived at The Three Daws pub (bar if you are in the US of A) to discover
that there would be 18 players, five rounds of swiss and a cut to the top 4.
Also there would be a Rochester Draft starting at the beginning of round 4
for those who wanted to drop out then, instead of the usual booster draft at
the end on the five rounds.

Before I start the report I would like to apologise to two of my opponents,
as I lost some of my notes and I can't remember your names.

Round 1- ??? Skies

I win the dice role and go first

Game 1: Turn 1 I cast an Apprentice. This does 15 points of damage on it's
own as everything else gets counter, Spiketailed Hatchling'ed away or
Washout white. I eventually lose to a pair of Air Elementals.

Game 2:Turn 2 I cast a Falcon, and soon have a Rebel chain on the go.
Basically I over extended myself and got mugged by a Washout.

Note to self, when playing Skies make sure that you only play out enough
threats to win!

Games 0-2; Rounds 0-1

Not the start I had been looking for but not to bad, as I now drop down
(again, for the second tourney running) to the bottom half of the draw.

Round 2- ??? Pure White rebels.

I lose the dice roll, but oppenent wants to draw, so I go first.

Game 1: Turn 1 out comes an Apprentice. Turn 2 equals second apprentice and
tap down his sergeant during his upkeep. This lets me win as I soon play out
a Cloaked Charging Troll. I Wax an Apprentice for the win.

Game 2: I sideboarded in the Informer for a Vanguard, but I don't get the
chance to play it . I lose quickly to the chain.

Game 3: I leave the deck the same and hope for the win. This game came down
to the wire. It resolved around my Informer returning his Lin Sivvi to his
deck at the end of his turn went he had tapped out. I then hard cast my Lin
Sivvi from my hand, bulit up my Rebels and attacked two turns later for the
win. I was helped out by the fact that I could keep his Sky Marshalls tapped
down with my Apprentices and Parallax Wave held off his Vanguards and
Gliders.

Games 3-3; Rounds 1-1; Points 3 -1


Round 3- Steve- Fires.

Okay, the deck mine was designed to beat.

Game1: I wax his turn 2 Fires,  cast a Defiant Vanguard which kills his
blastoderm. I then play the Troll and cloak it next turn. This stops his
turn 6 Shivan Wurm dead, as I gain 5 life a turn and lose two to the trample
damage, for a net gain of 3 life. Eventually two cloaked trolls and a
cloaked noble Panther win the game.

Game 2: The Rebel chain kicks in with Lin Sivvi returning Vanguards every
turn, due to the mana swamp I have. I cast a Wave on turn 4, which stops the
three burst tokens he creates next turn.
Eventually the trolls turn up for the win.

Games 5-3; Rounds 2-1; Points 6 +1

Now I must make the decision. Do I drop and play the draft or carry
on.Stupidly I decided that if I can win the last two matches I can top 4.

Round 4- John with StaticOrb, Rising Waters and Waterspout Elemental
maddnes!

I win the roll and go first.

Game 1: I lose to a pair of Elementals. Everything I play is countered.
Can't get past the counters. I did get a troll through at one stage, but my
mana gets locked down by Rising Waters and he can't block fliers. Plus I'm
drawing 4 cards a turn due to John's three Howling Mines.

Game 2: In come the Tangle Wires I forgot I had in my sideboard and the Aura
Mutations.whoooops! Anyway this evens things up. John's mana gets locked up
due to his own Rising Waters. I mutate it at the end of his turn. Untap
everything and cloak up a troll I had in play that goes all the way.

Game 3: John panicks a bit when he sees the Lieutenant. It was the first
rebel I had played during the matches. I look in a strong positon at the end
of turn 6. John can't find a washout. He will die at the end of turn 7. He
untaps and plays an Elemental, with the kicker. Oh, well. I have two turns.
Draw lots of cards and get as many threats as possible out and attack,
knowing that he will have to block or die on the next turn. He plays
collective restraint Oh, well. John's next turn also produces another
Elemetal. Next turn is a Static Orb and a Rising Waters. I lose three turns
latter to the Elemaentals.

Games 6-5; Matches 2-2; points 6 +0

I can't top 4 now. I look longly at the Rochester Draft and prepare to play
the fianl round.

Round 5 - Shaun with U/B Discard.

I win the dice roll and play.

Game 1: I lose to the turn 3 Doomsday Spectre when my hand is full of 3/3
regenerators and life gaining cloaks and I can't find the extra white mana I
need to play a Wave.

Game 2: In comes the Nightwing Glider and Lightbringer. The glider gets
cloaked and wins the game.

Game 3: See above. Only this time the Trolls lumber in for some fun and
games.

Games 8-6; Matches 3-2; Points 9+1

Overall the days matches were quite fun. James, I think, won the tournament
with his Rebels, as he was 15 +7 going in to the top 4.(I don't actually
know who won as I had to leave to do some decorating with my fiancee).

The deck itself was running fine against anything that didn't play fliers. I
made some stupid play mistakes over the course of the day, espically with
the Tangle Wire from the sideboard. Also I kept forgetting that Charging
Troll doesn't tap to attack. Live and learn I suppose.

Comments are welcome to my mail box below.

Later

Matthew Hudson
matth116@hotmail.com

P.S. After the English Nationals in a couple of weeks, I'll write up the
Rogue deck I have been working on with James and Gavin and send it in to the
Pojo. That's assuming that Gavin does well with it.