Fires

<p align=justify> Julian Doyle `Greven` House <br> Big O`s Collectables <br> London, KY <br> Sept 1, 2001 <br><br> The night before, I felt like a disgrace to my team, scrubbing and not even making it to the top 8. I saw today as a chance to redeem myself. As I came in the door to the shop, I was prepared with my Dromar-go build. I sat around and discussed `tech` with Paul of all people, although I felt like I was talking to a child. Neither of my teammates showed up, which was somewhat dissappointing. Paul came prepared with Prison and we decided that with since the field was sure to be feeled with creature decks (it`s scrub-saturday) to run Wraths and a few extra Routs. Bobby, whom I have been happy to see perform well lately, ran 4 of each. About 15 minutes before the tourney began, I felt a burning feeling inside, like the feeling I got when playing sligh or suicide black in the old days. My mood converted from the cooling control of Dromar-go to slapping together a Fires deck. I had just gotten the last few cards for it the night before. Fires is strong, Fires is some good. So I figured I`d show these boys the meaning of beatdown.<br><br> 4x Fires of Yavimaya - of course<br> 4x Birds of Paradise<br> 4x Blastoderm<br> 3x Skizzik<br> 4x Saproling Burst - simply ungodly<br> 1x Kavu Titan<br> 2x Shivan Wurm - MVP, should`ve been 3 or 4<br> 2x Thornscape Battlemage<br> 4x Flametongue Kavu - lots of critters around<br> 2x Chimeric Idol - against wrath<br> 4x Urza`s Rage - had to try`em out :)<br> 2x Ghitu Fire<br><br> 4x Rishidan Port<br> 4 Karplusan Forest<br> 7x Mountain<br> 11x Forest<br> (going by my 24-land-in-every-deck rule haha!)<br><br> Sideboard<br><br> 3x Yavimaya Barbarian - completely useless<br> 1x Obliterate - in case things get out of hand, more or less for fun<br> 2x Tangle - mmm some good<br> 3x Kavu Chameleon - never saw play<br> 2x Chimeric Idol<br> 4x Hull Breach - Static Orb, Bridge, whatever<br><br> Round 1: John and typical mono-green scrubbage<br><br> Match 1: He drops a few elves and some silly green critters I didn`t know were eve reprinted. Shivan Wurm and Saproling Burst make it a simple victory. Didn`t even need fires. <br><br> Match 2: He doesn`t have a sideboard, as I expected. I side in Tangles. This game was more interesting as he claims to have the `god draw` and pops out a Thorn Elemental rather quickly, I was somewhat worried. My draw was sub-optimal with no fires or birds. Eventually I get out both Shivan Wurms and a Burst. At one point he was tapped out and swung with a regenerating guy, I blocked and John said `I payed for regen`. `How?` I asked firmly and slightly angered. He looked down and put it in his graveyard. I knew he was one of those guys playing Fog, I simply knew it. So i swung with a lone Shivan Wurm and guess what.. Fog. He comes at me with the Elemental.. ouch. Next time he taps out for the big swing. `26 damage, you`re dead,`<br><br> he speaks with assurance. Tangle.. swing with 2 Wurms and 2 Bursts hehe. Little punk. <br><br> 1-0 <br><br> Round 2: Aaron and Skies <br><br> Match 1: I like Skies but Aaron doesn`t play it so well. I don`t agree that Terry Street should be building all his decks for him and not explaining things, it just confuses the lad. Aaron`s a good guy and has learned to be more calm about the game. He also let me eat his breadsticks when I was starved. Anyway, he get`s a Spiketail Hatchling, which doesnt survive long to a held-off Flametongue. He counters my Blastoderm and I retort by Raging his Airship. <br><br> Match 2: Again Flametongue makes use on a Thieving Magpie and I swing with Fires on board. Rushing River sends back Saproling Burst when I attack and he drops a Fat Mohti on his turn. But on my turn, he concedes at seeing 2 Sap Bursts. <br><br> 2-0 <br><br> Round 3: Craig and Rebels <br><br> Match 1: This kid couldn`t have been older than 12, but was more experienced than most of the players present. I am all-too familiar with the rebel chain and I refused to let it start, dropping a Flametongue Kavu to kill the first and Battlemage on the second. He disenchants my fires and gets a few more non-searching rebels. My power rein came to a stop when he plays a pro-red Voice of All... until I drew a Ghitu Fire. <br><br> Match 2: Same routine with the rebels, this time he uses Parallax Wave to stop my horde. I get 2 Saproling Bursts out, one is entirely waved and the other Disenchanted. This time he makes a pro-green Voice. I follow up with 2 Skizzik and a Shivan Wurm. Smack! <br><br> 3-0 <br><br> Round 4: Paul `Gremlin` Acra and his version of Prison <br><br> I will sum up the round with Paul claiming to be mana screwed both games and naming red with Teferi`s Moat. I felt kind of sorry for Paul. I side in Hull Breaches but never needed them. <br><br> 4-0 <br><br> Top 8: Donavan and Machine Head <br><br> Match 1: He gets an early game Blazing Spectre and hits me a few times. I discard land, and Flametongue that damn thing. He shocks in response, but I point out the effect still goes on the stack. My Skizzik is raged and another terminated. I get frustrated with his murdering and eventually get a Blastoderm for the win. On a sidenote, he tried to use his awesome Backlash tech on the Blasto. I about passed out with laughter. <br><br> Match 2: I get a Blasto and he asks me if Void would work on it. He does so and also gets the Flametongue in my hand, leaving me with just a mountain. I keep drawing land, with a fires and bird on board. He gets a 2 Blazing Spectres in play, but I draw Saproling Burst just in time. Ghitu Fire for the win. <br><br> 5-0 <br><br> Top 4: Craig (again) <br><br> Match 1: I get the perfect draw for Fires--Bird, Fires, Blasto, Burst. I love it when that happens. <br><br> Match 2: Unfortunately this hand was the opposite of the last one. He gets 2 Parallax Waves on my critters and gets mounts a humongous chain of rebels, with Lin Sivvi leading the army. I congratulate Craig on mopping the floor with my ass. He seemed happy that I gave him such respect. <br><br> Match 3: I flametongue Lin Sivvi at first chance. Again Parallax Wave soaks up my critters, but it`s not enough to stop 2 Blastoderms. After the match, I again congratulate him on his performance of the day and showed him he can search for rebels at the end of his opponents turn :) <br><br> 6-0 <br><br> Finals: William `Hindu` Helton, B/G beatdown, and his cute little woman <br><br> Match 1: Hindu had complained about a Fires deck being present after the first round of the tourney. Despite his occasional whines, he gets a second turn Spiritmonger (aka my Daddy) with an elf and Dark Ritual. Having no way to even slow it down with my crappy hand, I scooped. <br><br> Match 2: We both paris, me with one forest, which was otherwise perfect. Ignoring Barry`s words from the night before, I peak at the top 2 cards.. a mountain and a Port (doh!). My new hand was rather decent. Bird, Fires, Flametongue. Soon after I draw a Sap Burst. I only saw a Penumbra Bobcat and a couple elves on his side, obviously a fast game. <br><br> Match 3: Elvish Lyrist is dropped, no way to kill it. My burst in hand is useless. I get a few Blastos on board and finish him off. No mongers.. yay! <br><br> 7-0 <br><br> I was the only Fires deck in the entire tourney, despite the huge amounts of critter decks. I left with my debt paid to Big O and some Invasion packs with my store credit and rushed to be at my girlfriend`s by 8:30. <br><br> Props <br><br> Bobby - for kicking ass and being one of the nicest guys I`ve ever met. <br><br> Big O - running the best collectable shop in SE Kentucky and creating a friendly play environment. <br><br> Craig - the boy has good potential, I think I`ll teach him the skills he needs <br><br> Slops <br><br> Cheaters - especially the lesser experienced players who try to cheat people with more skills. <br><br> Hacker - for oversleeping (just kidding teammate). <br><br> Saproling Burst - for annoying me with 3 or 4 in hand. <br><br> Until next time.<br> `Greven` House - juliandh@earthlink.net<br> Team Wet Panties<br>