UPDC 1.16 (and 1.15, 1.14, and 1.13) Report

UPDC 1.13 - 1.16 - The Field

- First place
- Second place
- Top 4
- Top 8

WU (6)
Aggro-Control -

UB (19)
Looter Madness -
Aggro-Control -
UB Control -

BR (4)
Br Madness -

RG (8)
Jungle Storm -
Stormless Suspend -

GW (3)
G/W Aggro -
Kavu Convocation -
Saprolings -

WB (2)
Rebels -

UR (13)
Aggro-Control -
Burnt Storm (combo) -
U/R/w Control -
Shambler Blink -

BG (3)
Fungal Teachings -

RW (8)
Regular Aggro -
R/W Sliver Aggro -
Boros Blink -

GU (0)

W (3)
Mono-White Blink -
White Weenie -

U (1)
Blue Beats -

B (2)
Mostly Black Madness -

BRG (1)
Sliver Storm -

RGW (4)
Sliver Zoo -

WUR (1)
French Slivers -

GWB (3)
Thallids -

RGWU (6)
Sliver Frenzy -

UBRG (1)
GUBr Aggro-Control -

WUBRG (1)
Five-Color Slivers -

---

UPDC 1.16 -- TOP 8
--------------------------------
karakusk - U/R Burnt Storm
Cecilia Jupe - Mono-White Blink
--------------------------------
hokusai22 - Mono-Blue Beats
tubnor - GWB Thallids
--------------------------------
Temeraire - RG Jungle Storm
Carinon - UBr Looter Madness
--------------------------------
redleg - GWB Thallids
shtm - BGur Fungal Teachings
--------------------------------

What flavor do you prefer for your token creatures? Tokens represented at each of the four quarterfinals tables, spread across four archetypes (GWB Thallids, BGur Fungal Teachings, RG Jungle Storm, and UR Burnt Storm). I had just finished telling kaityson36 (who didn't play in the event and arrived near the end) how smoothly and quickly everything was going, and then I realized that we were in for a long and epic Clash of the Tokens for the playoffs.

But, by time the semifinals rolled around, more than half the token decks had been crushed, and all that remained to see was whether white or blue was better on its own, and whether goblins or saprolings were the better token. Turns out that white beats blue, and saps beat goblins.

In the finals, a mana-screwed game 2 was all that kept Cecilia Jupe's suspended beatsticks from sweeping redleg entirely. His slow start, coupled with the prevalence of flying threats in Jupe's build, heralded an early bedtime for the sap-slinger.

Jupe has taken his Mono-White Blink deck to two 1st-place finishes this season in UPDC, both in the TS block format. Perhaps we should pay a bit more attention to the archetype?

MONO-WHITE BLINK
Cecilia Jupe, UPDC 1.16, 1st Place

2 Island
14 Plains
4 Amrou Scout
4 Aven Riftwatcher
4 Blade of the Sixth Pride
3 Fortify
4 Ivory Giant
4 Knight of Sursi
4 Momentary Blink
4 Shade of Trokair
4 Temporal Isolation
4 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Whitemane Lion
1 Zealot il-Vec

Sideboard
3 Cloudchaser Kestrel
3 Dawn Charm
3 Sidewinder Sliver
4 Sunlance
2 Zealot il-Vec

In the words of Jupe himself:

"Once again, I lose round 1 to saps, then win the rest, including defeating saps in the finals. This deck is really strong, especially if you get the suspend draw.

Round 1 Tubnor - Saprolings
I mulligan game 1, keep 4 lands 2 spells, draw a bunch of lands. Same game 2. Not a good matchup anyway.
0-1

Round 2 idoru - UW Reality acid
His deck was too slow to handle all my creatures. Blink and whitemane lion kept his acids from being real effective, and ivory giant kept his guys from blocking.
1-1

Round 3 Frenzy1 - UB Madness
This was a good match. Game 1 he gets 2 looters and a trespasser, and psychotic episodes my best card. I cant keep up in the damage race because the guys i draw are whitemane lions. Game 2 i sunlance his looter, and he is forced to pay full price for his gorgons. The loss of tempo does him in. Game 3 i keep a 1 land hand and suspend guys on the first 4 turns before drawing another land. This is good enough, as he didnt draw any madness outlets.
2-1

I make top 8 in eighth place on the 3rd breaker. so close!

Quarter finals Karakusk - UR Storm
Game 1 ends up stalling as i dont draw any fliers, but have lots of guys to clog the ground. He plays empty the warrens to stop them, and we sit for a while. I get him down to 14, and i just need to draw ivory giant for the win. Several turns go by, and he plays another warrens to get 20 or so tokens. I am at 26 from riftwatchers so im not immediately dead. He is at 8 by now from some riftwatcher attacks, but my fliers are all dead now. He attacks with everyone, i block to stay alive including rift bolt, the only burn he had left. He plays a looter and another warrens to have 6 blocks i think. I had temporal isolation, and then drew another one and played on two of his blockers. I attacked with everyone, and he only had enough blockers to block 4 guys, so 4 others got through for 8. Game 2 he has lots of removal, and i try to race, but the turn i win with shade he had gone to bounce it. Game 3 i have a good suspend draw, and some lions and blinks for his removal, and win with shades.

Semifinals hokusai22 - Mono blue aggro
This was my favorite deck of the tournament. I didnt think mono blue was viable in block, but i think hokusai proved that it is. Game 1 is a really close race, but he makes a bad attack and leaves himself open to a shade attack for the win. Game 2 he gets me to 3 before i take control with rebel engine for zealots and riftwatchers.

Finals redleg - Saprolings
Game 1 i mulligan to 6 and keep 5 lands and ivory giant. I know i have to get lucky to beat saps, and lucky i got. I drew another giant, he didnt have black mana, i drew amrou scout and searched up a flier, and by the time 2nd giant game into play, i drew fortify for 18 damage, while he only had some walls and 4/4s in play. Game 2 i get crushed like i should as i stall on 2 lands, and he has deathspore thallid and lots of saps. Game 3 i sunlance his early essence warden, play a flier and have to use dawn charm to save it. Once again, 2 ivory giants help get through enough damage to take him to 2, when he plays deathspore thallid. I rip sunlance off the top, and he cant make enough blocks.

Just to be clear, this deck shouldnt beat saps, yet i have won against it in the finals twice now. must be nice (it is).

GGs all, thanks to polyjak for hosting, ill see you next week."

You mean, as long as we get a temporary sub host you'll see us next week, right?

I'll be back in two weeks. Meanwhile, somebody helm 1.17 please?