Fatal Four-Man at Salt-Monster's house

So Tuesday Night the Captain and I go over to Soly's (Salt-monster) for a four-man, our fourth being Matt Freiwald. Seating is randomized and looks like Soly to my left, MF to my right, and the Captain across from me. I end up first picking a Boggart Ram-Gang meanwhile, MF to my right is trainwrecking. His decision was between a Windbrisk Raptors or a Flame Javalin, you can see his conundrum. I develop a grin on my face as I am passed a Javalin to go with my Ram-Gang I start seeing some good black-red hybrid cards and scoop them up. I end up with 2 Fists of the Demigod which speed up games and make for unfair blocks. My second packI am graced with a Din of the Fireherd to top out my curve and give me a late game bomb.

My decklist looked like this:


1 Manaforge Cinder
1 Scuzzback Scrapper
1 Sickle Ripper
1 Power of Fire
1 Blight Sickle
2 Fists of the demigod
1 Puncture Bolt
1 Flame Javalin
1 Boggart Ram-Gang
2 Tattermunge Duo
1 Lurebound Scarecrow
1 Corrosive Mentor
1 Boggart Arsonists
2 Sootwalkers
1 Cultbrand Cinder
1 Kulrath Knight
1 Gloomlance
1 Grief Tyrant
1 Rattleblaze Scarecrow
1 Din of the Fireherd
9 Mountain
8 Swamp

The rest of my pool:

1 Wooded Bastion
1 Tyrannize
1 Pyre Charger
1 Rite of Consumption
1 Fate Transfer
1 Scar
1 Hungry Spriggan
1 Gravelgill Axeshark
1 Tatterkite
1 Boggart Arsonists
1 Zealous Guardian
1 Elsewhere Flask
1 Bloodshed Fever
1 Torture
1 Intimidator Initiate
1 Inescapeable Brute
1 Aphotic Wisps
1 Mudbrawler Cohort
2 Manamorphose
2 Torpor Dust

Round 1-I played MF with U/W
His deck was slower and tried to be more controlling, He had a Windbrisk Raptor but never saw it against me.

Game 1-I open with a turn one cinder followed by a fists to make him a 3/3 first strike, wither followed the next turn by a Ram-Gang. Things aren't good when you are at eleven by your third turn. he almost gets me with a Scrapbasket wearing Steel of the Godhead I manage to put a -1/-1 counter on it with Corrosive Mentor wielding the Power of Fire to only take 4 and put me to 1. I untap and rip Flame Javalin like a Champ. I all in with team which is Grief Tyrant, Cultbrand Cinder with Fists, Manaforge Cinder with Fists and Corrosive Mentor he blocks Tyrant and Cultbrand to only take 4, I play Sootwalkers and Kill his only dude (Scrapbasket) and sit with team ready to bring the pain next turn. Game 2-He drew nothing but land, I drew only mountains as mana sources Holding Gloomlance and a Sickle Ripper who wants to join the fray. I did still curve out playing Scuzzy turn 1 followed by Ram-Gang Turn 3 and Sootwalkers turn 4. I eventually hit my Manaforge Cinder to give me some black mana and seal the deal.

Round 2- Soly with U/B
His deck was also slower and tried to be more controlling.

I curved out purfectly against him as well, Cinder turn 1 Puncture bolt on his turn 2 play Eot, and Ram-Gang (wtf is this card stuck to my hand) turn 3. Sootwalkers soon to follow. He drops the U/B Hill Giant and I Javalin it so I keep my Ram-Gang. He was stuck on 2 land until turn 5, while I curved out. Game 2 He draws nothing but land and drops Isleback Spawn to try and stop the bleeding from my Corrosive Mentor wielding a Blight Sickle, Grief Tyrant, Rattleblaze Scarecrow, and Manaforge Cinder. He has 8 lands and taps 3 swamps to cast Beseech the Queen, He is one short of getting and casting Corrupt and Gloomlance was uncastable that turn due to him only having 4 swamps in play. He gets a creature and I kill him next turn with Din of the Fireherd in hand and only 7 lands in play.

Round 3-The Captain with G/W
His deck was more aggro with strong white removal and Windbrisk Raptor

Game-1 I play Turn 1 Manaforge Cinder Turn 2 I punture Bolt his Spawnwrith Eot, turn 3 I play Ram-Gang and bash (are you sick of seeing this yet). he untaps tries to tell me than my play was Illegal (I played Ram-Gang off of a swamp and 2 mountains) I kindly ask him to read Manaforge Cinder and he then understand's and continues his play of Wildslayer Elves which is followed by a remark of "I have to pay 4 for mine and it doesn't have haste." He next turn trades Wildslayer for Ram-Gang. I get it a few turns later by putting him to 4 and having Flame Javalin Snide remark also follows this. Game-2 I could not deal with a Windbrisk Raptor with 2 outs left in my deck (Gloomlance and Din of the Fireherd) Game-3 I struggle to get to four lands having 2 and 2 I casted Flame javalin for four to kill one of his threats but he has the upper hand pretty much to whole game, due to my inability to cast threats.

After rounds the records look like this:
Me 2-1
Captain 2-1
MF 2-1
Salmonster 0-3

I beat MF, MF beat Captain and Captain beat me. nice. circle jerk

we roll off and I take first, captain takes second, MF takes third, and Soly was fourth

I first pick a Wooded Bastion the only money opened and end up snaging the 2 foils lands as well.

By the way I looked at Wooded Bastion and was reminded of Gilt-leaf Palace. I compared the two and they are a warped mirror image of one another. See also Wanderwine Hub with Sunken Ruins, Auntie's Hovel with Fire-Lit Thicket, Ancient Amphitheater with Graven Cairns, and Rustic Clachan and Mystic Gate (this picture is a bit different but by the same artist).

As stated before B/R aggro is strong but does need some direct damage/removal. Fists of the demigod is absolutely rediculous on a 1 or 2 drop black-red dude, and although I had Din of the Fireherd I never casted it :( Red is good especially when you are the only person drafting it. MF did snag 2 puncture bolts from me so my deck could have been more absurd.

Until next time,
Hot Sauce (Tabasco)

P.S. I would like to point out that this blog has produced more material in the form of posts in 4 month's of 2008 than all of Last year (2007). Nice Job guys keep up the great work!