Jan Ang, the higher seeded
player, opts to play first. Both players shuffled their respective decks then
offered the other to add to the randomization of their cards. After seeing their
opening hands, both settle with their starting seven.
Game
1
Both players used their opening
turns to play scry lands, fixing their mana and draws. On Michael's
following turn, he attempts a Jace, Vryn's Prodigy. It met Silumgar's Scorn. On
Mr. Ang's turn however, he resolves Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver and wasted no time
exiling the top three cards of Michael's deck. A second Jace from Michael
sticks.
Mr. Ang missed his fourth land drop
and simply passed the turn after Ashiok had done his milling, still exiling
non-creatures. Michael, on his turn, loots with Jace, then points a Wild Slash
at Ashiok, lowering its loyalty by two. During his end step, Mr. Ang attempts
to hand Jace his Hero's Downfall but Michael's Jace kept standing with a
Valorous Stance.
Untapping and drawing for his turn,
Mr. Ang upticks his Ashiok to exile yet another trio of non-creature cards. A
follow-up Thoughtseize sees a Mantis Rider, Roast, Stoke the Flames, and
Elspeth, Sun's Champion. Mantis Rider hits the bin together with Jace as Jan
Ang made Vryn's Prodigy pay the Ultimate Price. Michael, still with only three
lands too, drew for his turn and passed. Ashiok, on his next '+2' activation,
got to exile a Soulfire Grand Master. Then another draw-go turn for the Jeskai
player, now with four lands on his side. An end of turn Dig Through Time
Prompted a Stoke the Flames at Ashiok, which was still at a healthy 5 loyalty
counters.
Ashiok went to 3 loyalty and
animated the exiled Soulfire Grand Master for Jan Ang, only to be Roasted on the
following turn. Next in line for Ashiok's nightmare weaving is Jace, Vryn'sProdigy. Michael tried a Stormbreath Dragon but the spell got Dissolved. The
nightmare weaving has long been hard at work, as now it was Jace that got
animated under Jan Ang's control.
Michael finally stuck a non-land
permanent on board in the form of a Soulfire Grand Master, then pointed a MagmaSpray at Jace. Mr. Ang responded with a Foul-Tongue Invocation which cleared
the board of creatures again. Another creature went to the twilight zone of
Ashiok: a Mantis Rider. A sixth land for Michael finally opened the chance for
him to successfully cast Elspeth, Sun's Champion, if only Silumgar's Scorn
wasn't on his opponent hand at the time.
With Michael tapped out and with no
cards in hand, Mr. Ang brought in Silumgar, the Drifting Death himself. Mantis Rider came out of the exile zone to join the battlefield and punch three
damage. A Lightning Strike finally ended the Nightmare Weaver. Alas, the
following swing was enough to make Michael go look to his sideboard for game 2. Jan
Ang Takes Game 1.
 |
| Jan Ang, focused in controlling his games. Photo by Johann Guasch |
Game
2
Both players started out the game
with their own copies of Jace, Vryn's Prodigy, though the earlier Jace of
Michael stuck long enough to become the Telepath Unbound. It was joined by a
Soulfire Grand Master. Jan removed the Grand Master on his turn. Quite some
draw-go turns passed, and Jace grew to 9 loyalty.
Jan broke the ice by tapping out to
cast a Dig Through Time at end of Michael's turn, which got Negated. No problem
for Jan as he untapped to cast a main phase Dig Through Time again, which
resolves. He then Thoughtseizes Michael's own copy of the eight-mana instant. The
other cards he saw were two Mastery of the Unseen and an Elspeth, Sun'sChampion.
With enough loyalty, Michael
activated Jace, Telepath Unbound's ultimate. He now had an emblem that put onto
Jan Ang's graveyard the top five cards of his library every time he casts a
spell, successful or not. Upon casting Mastery of the Unseen, a slew of cards
went down the bin. And another five after the second Mastery was put on the
stack.
 |
| Michael Joseph Villano, intent on milling out a rubber match. Photo by Johann Guasch |
Jan did get to advance his board
position with Dragonlord Ojutai, and a Silumgar's Scorn secured its presence
longer after countering Michael's Elspeth, Sun's Champion. The Dragonlord swung
for four, then anticipated a card.
Jan tapped six mana for Silumgar, the Drifting Death. Michael attempts to
survive with a dragon of his own, a Stormbreath, but it met Silumgar's Scorn. A
wild slash milled another five cards.
Jan spent no time wasting with his
turn back and swooped in with both dragons, taking a seven-damage chunk out of
Michael's life total. Michael looked to the top of his library for an answer, and
there was none. Michael extends his hand! Jan Ang moves to the Finals!
Jan Ang
6 Creatures4 Dragonlord Ojutai
2 Silumgar, the Drifting Death
27 Spells
4 Thoughtseize
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
1 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
3 Heroes Downfall
2 Bile Blight
2 Foul Tongue Invocation
1 Ultimate Price
4 Silumgar's Scorn
2 Dissolve
2 Crux of Fate
1 Languish
4 Dig Through Time
27 Lands
4 Temple of Deceit
4 Temple of Enlightenment
4 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
4 Dismal Backwater
2 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
1 Urborg, Town of Yawgmoth
2 Caves of Koilos
3 Island
2 Swamp
15 Sideboard
3 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy / Jace, Telepath Unbound
2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
2 Foul Tongue Invocation
2 Drown in Sorrow
1 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
1 Dragonlord's Prerogative
1 Languish
1 Perilous Vault
1 Orbs of Warding
1 Dragonlord SilumgarDeck 2
Michael Villano
15 Creatures2 Harbringer of Tides
3 Soulfire Grandmaster
4 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy / Jace, Telepath Unbound
4 Mantis Rider
2 Stormbreath Dragon
20 Spells
1 Magma Spray
1 Roast
2 Wild Slash
3 Valorous Stance
3 Lightning Strike
1 Jeskai Charm
2 Stoke the Flames
3 Ojutai's Command
1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
3 Dig Through Time
25 Lands
2 Battlefield Forge
4 Shivan Reef
3 Temple of Epiphany
3 Temple of Triumph
4 Flooded Strand
4 Mystic Monastery
1 Mountain
2 Plains
2 Island
15 Sideboard
3 Arashin Cleric
2 Tragic Arrogance
2 Negate
2 Disdainful Stroke
2 Master of the Unseen
1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1 Glare of Heresy
1 Revoke Existence
1 Rending Volley
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