Round Five
coming soon...
Round Seven
Round Eight
Quarterfinals
Semi-finals
Finals
ROUND FIVE - Kenny York vs. Chris Otwell
coverage by Djinn
"Denver vs. Colorado Springs Iron Cage Match"
Both extremely popular players in the Front Range Community, Chris claims his fame with the online "Road Warrior Otwell" podcast, while the former pro and 2000 State Champion Kenny York is known around the community as the "Mad Doctor" for his ability to craft innovative and effective left field creations in his "laboratory". Both are 2-2 and fighting official elimination as 3 losses will send the player home.
Otwell - "As long as you're not playing Faeries, I feel okay."
Kenny: truly epic lulz
Die Roll - Chris rolls 6, Kenny 3.
GAME ONE
Chris decides he wants to be on the play, and decides to throw it back. Chris then looks at 3 cards and says he'll keep before looking at the other 3 cards. Perhaps taking a queue from Agent Smith? Kenny keeps his hand.
Chris leads with a Caves of Koilos. Kenny lays a Reflecting Pool and ships the turn. Chris lays a Pool of his own and Kenny lays a Mystic Gate resulting in Courier's Capsule.
Chris plays a Mystic Gate of his own and casts Loxodon Warhammer. Kenny responds by laying a Cascade Bluffs followed by a Jace Beleren. Kenny draws a card off of Jace and passes the turn. Chris rolls a Sunken Ruins and runs out a Soul Snuffers. Kenny draws a card, and then another with Jace, leaving Jace with only one loyalty counter left while laying a Vivid Marsh.
Chris attacks Jace with Soul Snuffers and Jace meets the graveyard. Chris plays a Vivid Creek and casts Soul Snuffers #2. Kenny lays a Vivid Meadow tapped and passes. Chris then equips the Soul Snuffers with the hammer and attacks with team. K taps his land, stating he's going to float a blue and casts Jund Charm teaming Chris' board. Kenny then pops the capsule for two cards during Chris' EOT. Kenny then draws for the turn.
Note that capsule in the bin…
We later find that Kenny didn't have the right mana to cast Jund Charm, let alone enough afterwards to pop the Courier's Capsule. Josh, the judge that was called to assess the infraction, confers with the Head Judge Luke to see how this bit of confusion should be ruled. Josh determines that there were two game infractions - one for not having the mana to cast Jund Charm and subsequently, not having the mana afterwards to pop capsule resulting in a warning for the first infraction and a game loss for the second. It's at this point we understand that Kenny is a full on practitioner of nubbery.
Kenny York - 0 Chris Otwell - 1
Sideboarding
Chris - "So from what I saw, which wasn't a whole lot, I have to assume you're playing a Toast Variant?"
Kenny - "Heh".
GAME TWO
Kenny chooses to play first and keeps his opening seven. Chris mulls down to 6.
Kenny leads with a Vivid Marsh and Chris lays an Arcane Sanctum. Vivid Meadow finds the board for Kenny, while Chris plays a Fetid Heath tapping immediately for Tidehollow Sculler. Kenny reveals his hand: Firespout, Fulminator Mage, Condemn, and two land. Chris chooses the Condemn.
Kenny plays the Fulminator Mage and waxes Arcane Sanctum. Chris lays an Underground River and attacks with TS. Kenny rips Fulminator Mage #2 and waxes the Underground River. Chris draws a Vivid Marsh and lays it, attacking with the Sculler.
Kenny draws and goes in the tank. He plays Firespout, roasting the ground and getting Condemn back in his hand. Chris draws and lays a Caves of Koilos, and passes the turn.
Kenny tests the waters here by casting a Jace. It resolves, and he draws a card. Chris plays a Sunken Ruins and evokes mulldrifter. Kenny draws, then draws again with Jace, and then taps out to play Ajani Vengeant. Ajani freezes Otwell's Vivid deck and then it's passed back to Chris.
Chris plays an Adarkar Wastes, taps out to cast Profane Command to deal two to Kenny and to bring back Tidehollow Sculler. It resolves, Sculler comes into play taking a Cryptic Command. Kenny then uptaps, draws, then exhausts Jace for one more card. He let his poker face slip here slightly as it's clear he loves the card he just drew. He shoots Sculler with Ajani getting his Cryptic Command back and then passes the turn.
A crowd begins to gather around, as they see that both players seem to be running some rather unconventional and interesting decks.
Chris draws, taps out to play full price Shriekmaw targeting nothing. Kenny plays an EOT Esper Charm to draw two cards, followed by a second EOT Esper Charm to make Chris lose two cards. Kenny then casts Tezzeret, using his ability immediately to put a Rings of Brighthearth into play while freezing Chris' Sunken Ruins with Ajani.
The crowd inches in closer - some in anticipation of what's about to happen, and others simply trying to read what Ring of Brighthearth does.
Chris - "It puts the Ring right into play?"
Kenny - "Uh-huh."
Otwell's Shriekmaw attacks Ajani, Kenny protects the planeswalker with a Condemn resulting in a Negate from Chris, and Ajani hits the graveyard. Kenny draws a card and untaps two artifacts to add loyalty to Tezzeret. He then casts a Fulminator Mage, and proceeds to sacrifice the mage and copy the ability with Ring leaving Chris with only 3 land and a Shriekmaw in play.
Predictably, Chris' shriekmaw attacks and kills the powerful Tezzeret. Kenny then plays the angry Ajani and shoots Otwell's Shriekmaw AND Chris, by activating the Ring. Chris draws a card and plays Loxodon Warhammer.
Kenny activates Ajani twice and freezes TWO of Chris' lands with the Ring. Otwell draws a card and says go. Kenny draws a card, lays a land, and repeats the double freeze effect. Otwell draws and says go. Kenny plays Jace, draws TWO cards with an activation from the Ring and freezes two land. Kenny then licks the back of one of his cards and plasters it on his forehead. Chris looks up and sees Kenny showing a Cryptic Command on his head, enabling Chris to hit the concede button.
Kenny York - 1 Chris Otwell - 1
GAME THREE
Chris on the play keeps. Kenny on the draw keeps. Chris lays a Faerie conclave met with a Vivid Meadow from Kenny. Chris then plays an Underground River and casts a Ravenous Rats resulting in Kenny pitching a Jund Charm to the yard. Kenny lays a land and throws it back to Chris who attacks with both the conclave and the rats, resulting in a Condemn for the manland from the Mad Doctor.
Kenny plays capsule while Chris attacks with rats and evokes a Mulldrifter. Kenny then runs out Ajani tapping down Chris' land. The rats attacks Ajani, keeping the loyalty down.
Kenny plays an EOT Esper Charm that results in a Negate from Otwell. Kenny smirks and elects to pop the Courier's Capsule for some fresh cards. Kenny freezes Chris' land again and plays another Courier's Capsule.
Chris plays a River Kelpie while Kenny digs for even more cards with an EOT Esper Charm. Kenny roasts the floor with a Firespout, Kelpie persists drawing Chris a card, and Kenny elects to shoot the Kelpie with Ajani.
Chris taps six mana, playing a Tidehollow Sculler to take a Cryptic Command, followed by a Soul Snuffer.
"Wow, I should have done that the other way around."
"Yep."
Kenny pops the capsule for more cards during Otwell's EOT and proceeds to play both a Ring of Brighthearth and a Fulminator Mage. Chris sticks a Loxodon Warhammer, makes the Soul Snuffer pick it up and swings in dispatching the Ajani. Kenny untaps, and casts the mighty Cruel Ultimatum.
Things are looking grim for Chris, but he stays in the fight. On his turn he attaches the hammer to his Sculler and swings. Kenny resolves an Ajani and a Fulminator Mage, while landing two Lightning Helix effects - one at the Sculler and one at Otwell. Chris casts his second Ravenous Rats, and Kenny elects to Cryptic Command the spell.
Turns are called. Life Totals: Kenny - 18, Chris - 19
Turn 1 - Chris lays a Faerie Conclave and passes the turn.
Turn 2 - Kenny attacks with both Mages bringing Chris down to 15. He then plays Tezzeret and uses the untap two artifacts ability to add loyalty, followed by freezing Chris' faerie conclave.
Turn 3 - Chris lays a land, and passes the turn.
Turn 4 - Kenny asks "No cards in hand?" while Chris holds up ten fingers. "Well, I think I gotcha.". Kenny uses Tezzeret's final ability to make the Ring a 5/5, swings with the Ring and both Fulminator Mages, and throws two "Lightning Helix" for exactly 15 points of damage.
Kenny York - 2 Chris Otwell - 1