CoolStuffGames Championship

Thanks to all the players who participated in the CoolStuffGames Championship in July. This season’s championship was Magic 2010 sealed with a cut to the top 8 draft. Forrest Mead came out on the top and won his chance to join Josh Martinez in our $1000.00 end of year draft! The top 8 competitors were:

1st Place: Forrest Mead
2nd Place: Ricky Calarco
3rd/4th Place: Sterling Schroeder and Jimmy Bishop
5th-8th Place: Joe Leigh, Zach Efland, David Sharfman, and Mike Minyon

Coverage
Zach Efland’s top 8 draft.
Pack 1 Pick 1: Siege-Gang Commander was windmilled.
Pick 2: Stampeding Rhino over Act of Treason and Phantom Warrior
Pick 3: Giant Growth over White Knight and Razorfoot Griffon
Pick 4: Centaur Courser over Merfolk Looter
Pick 5: Divination over Windstorm
Pick 6: Oakenform over Fog, Palace Guard, or Coat of Arms
Pick 7: Llanowar Elves
Pick 8: Horned Turtle over Flashfreeze
Pick 9: Sage Owl over Mold Adder and Naturalize
Pick 10: Mist Leopard
Pick 11: Rampant Growth
Pick 12: Yawning Fissure
Pick 13: Wurm’s Tooth
Pick 14: Spellbook

Pack 2
Pick 1: Craw Wurm over Sunpetal Grove, Wind Drake, and Whispersilk Cloak
Pick 2: Overrun over Might of Oaks and Craw Wurm
Pick 3: Cudgel Troll over Borderland Ranger and Wind Drake
Pick 4: Elvish Visionary over Runeclaw Bear and Terramorphic Expanse
Pick 5: Wall of Frost over Oakenform and Coral Merfolk
Pick 6: Safe Passage over Divine Verdict and Enormous Baloth
Pick 7: Diabolic Tutor
Pick 8: Levitation over Naturalize
Pick 9: Siege Mastodon over Oakenform
Pick 10: Lightning Elemental over Serpent of the Endless Sea
Pick 11: Kindled Fury
Pick 12: Acolyte of Xathrid
Pick 13: Shatter
Pick 14: Firebreathing

Pack 3
Pick 1: Acidic Slime over Giant Growth, Craw Wurm, and Phantom Warrior
Pick 2: Howl of the Night Pack over Negate and Unsummon
Pick 3: Prized Unicorn over Rampant Growth and Divination
Pick 4: Acidic Slime over Horned Turtle
Pick 5: Horned Turtle
Pick 6: Giant Spider over Ponder
Pick 7: Deathmark
Pick 8: Flashfreeze over Siege Mostodon
Pick 9: Essence Scatter
Pick 10: Unsummon over Flashfreeze
Pick 11: Wall of Bone
Pick 12: Regenerate
Pick 13: Burst of Speed
Pick 14: Tome Scour

Top 4 Match

Sterling Schroeder vs. Ricky Calarco

Game 1
Sterling won the die roll and chose to play first. He also led the action with a turn 2 Merfolk Looter. Ricky countered with a Child of Night. Sterling looted, discarded a Siege Mostodon, and passed the turn. The Child got in there for 2 and Assassinate ended the Looter’s career. Score: 18-22. Another blank turn for Sterling led to Child bashing again. Ricky played a Gorgon Flail after the attack. Score: 16-24. Sterling found his 2nd creature in Soul Warden. Ricky equipped the Flail and Child battled for 3. Sterling started to get in there with Soul Warden and played a Mind Control on the Child after combat. Ricky answered with a Wall of Bone and tossed the Flail on it. Sterling landed a Phantom Warrior and passed back the turn. After no play from Ricky, Sterling got in for 2 with his Phantom Warrior and attempted an Illusionary Servant that was met with an Essence Scatter. Ricky murdered the Warrior with an Assassinate, and landed a Child of Night on his following turn. The 2 Childs traded on the following turn, and Ricky attempted a Gravedigger. It met Cancel and this is where the game became very boring. Ricky played a Rod of Ruin and let the pinging begin. Soul Warden fell first, then we saw EOT pings for the next several turns. Finally, after quite a few turns of nothing Sterling played a Planar Cleansing. Ricky regenerated his Wall and Drudge Skeleton. (Which was the only play in the last 7 turns.) Ricky battled for 1 with the Skeleton and played a Zombie Goliath. Score: 13-24. Sterling answered with a Palace Guard and a Veteran Armorsmith. Ricky attempted a Sleep but it was Negated. The big Zombie rushed into combat and was chumped by the Palace Guard. Ricky landed another Goliath after combat. The 2nd Goliath met an Ice Cage. Xanthrid Demon and Warpath Ghoul came down for Ricky on the following turn. A Goliath was sacrificed first and Sterling went to 8. There was nothing on the next 3 turns but a sacked Goliath, Ghoul, and Skeleton to finish off Sterling.

Ricky 1, Sterling 0

Game 2
Sterling again chose to play and attempted a Veteran Armorsmith on turn 2. It met the Essence Scatter and Ricky followed up with Warpath Ghoul. After nothing from Sterling Ricky battled for 3 and played a Vampire Aristocrat. Score: 17-20. Sterling tried to catch ujp and played a Razorfoot Griffon. Ricky quickly slammed Weakness on it and sent in the team. The Griffon sacrificed itself in front of the Ghoul. Score: 15-20. Ricky had Divination and a Vampire Aristocrat after the attack. Sterling Pacified one Aristocrat and Ice Caged the other. The Ghoul again got in for 3 and a Zombie Goliath joined Ricky’s team. Sterling had a Siege Mostodon to try and get in the game. After spending awhile in the tank, Ricky plays his Xanthrid Demon. Score: 9-20. After nothing from Sterling, Ricky goes into the tank during his upkeep. His board is Vampire Aristocrat(Ice Cage), Vampire Aristocrat(Pacifism), Zombie Goliath, Warpath Ghoul, and Xanthrid Demon. He can sack his entire team to an Aristocrat and win with a burn for 10, but something as simple as an Unsummon would leave him crippled. He finally sacks an Aristocrat that was Pacisifismed. Score:7-20. During Ricky’s next upkeep, he tries to sack an assortment of creatures to his Aristocrat. He is told that Ice Cage prevents this play. On a side note: what is it called when its 4th and 20 on your own 15 yard line? I can’t remember the name of the play that you would run. Anyways, Ricky sacks a Zombie Goliath to put Sterling to 3. A sacked Ghoul on the next turn ensured the victory.

Ricky 2, Sterling 0

Finals

Forrest Mead vs. Ricky Calarco

Forrest won the die roll and chose to play. He had turn 2 Drudge Skeleton that was countered with a Merfolk Looter from Ricky. Forrest Consume Spirited the Looter for 1 and bashed for 1 with the Skeleton. Ricky answered with a Vampire Aristocrat. Forrest played a Kellinore Bat and passes. Ricky played another Aristocrat on his turn. Forrest’s Bat got in there for 2 and was join by a Dread Warlock. Ricky played a Wall of Bone and passed. The bat bashed again and was joined by another Drudge Skeleton. Ricky had a Zombie Goliath and passed. The Bat got in there again for Forrest. Score: 13-21. Ricky tried to catch up with Assassinate on the bat and a Drudge Skeleton of his own. A few turns passed and then Ricky landed a Warpath Ghoul. Forrest attempted a Looming Shade and it was Essence Scattered. Ricky consumed the Warlock for 2 and sent in his team. Forrest cast Tendrils of Corruption on Zombie Goliath that was sacked to the Aristocrat. Both of Forrest’s Skeletons jumped in front of the 2/2 Aristocrat and got the trade. Score 15-11. Forrest replenished his battlefield with a Black Knight. Ricky passed back to Forrest who played a Cemetary Reaper. Ricky played Divination that dug into Sleep and Forrest had no answer.

Ricky -1, Forrest – 0

Ricky boarded Weakness in and a Zombie Goliath out.

Game 2
Forrest chose to play again and led the charge with a turn 2 Drudge Skeleton. On the following turn it bashed for 1 and Looming Shade had its Essence Scattered. Again nothing from Ricky and the Skeleton bashed again. Bog Wraith joined the battlefield for Forrest. Ricky had only a Rod of Ruin for his turn. Drudge Skeleton was pumped with Unholy Strength and Forrest’s team battled for 6. Score: 12-20. The Wraith was Assassinated. The Skeleton came back in for 3. Mind Shatter for 3 left Ricky with only a land in his hand. Ricky drew a Skeleton of his own and played it. It was Tendrils of Corruption-ed from Forrest and another bash for 3. A Gravedigger from Ricky found a Zombie Goliath. It would seem Forrest was out of gas and passed the turn. Ricky played a Gorgon Flail and the Skeleton picked it up. Forrest found a Bat. Ricky pinged the Bat on his turn and was done. Forrest again had nothing and Ricky played his Zombie Goliath. Forrest tapped all of his mana to Consume Ricky for 6 and that was the game.

Ricky 1, Forrest 1

Ricky side-boarded in a Mind Rot.

Game 3
Ricky chose to play and led the action with a Child of Night. It battled the next turn and Ricky Signed in Blood after combat. Forrest had a Vampire Aristocrat. The Child picked up a Gorgon Flail and went into battle. It traded with Forrest’s Aristocrat. Forrest landed a Gravedigger that found his Aristocrat. Ricky answered with Zombie Goliath. Forrest had Consume Spirit ready for the Goliath. Ricky played a Skeleton and it picked up the Flail. Forrest played a Bat and a Mind Rot. Ricky had a Merfolk Looter. The bat flew in for 2 and Aristocrat rejoined the team. Ricky looted and thought for a while before discarding a Xanthrid Demon. Looter was Assassinated and the Bat smashed for another 2. The bat got in 2 more times before we saw a Bog Wraith meet Essence Scatter. The Bat got back in again and Disentomb found a Bog Wraith that was played. The Wraith and Bat got in for 5. Ricky had a Gravedigger to get back the demon. Forrest’s team again slammed for 5. The demon came down for Ricky. It me Tendrils of Corruption and Forrest finished the game with his bat and Wraith.

Congratulations to Forrest Mead, the July Season Champion!