R/G Blitz
Nick la Monaco

4 Grim Lavamancer
4 Basking Rootwalla
4 Yavimaya Barbarian
4 Wild Mongrel
4 Raging Kavu
4 Call of the Herd
4 Flametongue Kavu
4 Firebolt
4 Urza's Rage
2 Reckless Charge
1 Keldon Necropolis

3 Mossfire Valley
4 Karplusan Forest
4 Barbarian Ring
4 Mountain
6 Forest

SB: 4 Jade Leech
SB: 4 Fiery Temper
SB: 2 Reckless Charge
SB: 2 Shivan Wurm
SB: 2 Spellbane Centaur
SB: 1 Hull Breach


U/W/r Worship (pre-torment)
Nick La Monaco

4 Galina's Knight
4 Meddling Mage
4 Voice of All
2 Flametongue Kavu
1 Iridescent Angel
4 Counterspell
4 Absorb
4 Repulse
4 Fire/Ice
3 Worship
2 Disrupt
2 Urza's rage
2 Adarkar Wastes
4 Shivan Reef
4 Battlefield Forge
4 Coastal Tower
4 Plains
5 Island


"Big Black (green)"
Created by Scott Lesser and playtesting by Dan McDonald

3 Spiritmonger

4 Duress
4 Rampant Growth
4 Harrow
4 Chainer's Edict
4 Mutilate
4 Pernicious Deed
3 Mind Sludge
2 Haunting Echoes
1 Insidious Dreams
1 Skeletal Scrying
4 Corrupt
8 Forest
15 Swamp


Tournament Report
JSS Qualifier at The Only Game in Town in Somerville, NJ
Nick La Monaco
Top 8

Well, this is my second, and probably last JSS I'll ever be at, aside
from possibly going to the next two at Comics Plus. The environment this time was just two decks - R/G and Atog. Well, there was also Enforcer-Go, but only one of them, and of the course the thirty or so scrub-builds of various piles. I decided to play a Counter-Worship type deck that matched up well against just about everything out there, except Atog smashes my face badly, and if I don't draw Worship against R/G (and they don't draw a Necropolis) I also get my face smashed. But I figured with so many R/G decks aiming to beat Psychatog (and they do), I'd have a better chance of making T8.

The deck is pretty simple, just maindecked answers to anything. I had
been testing for a while, and done horrible against Atog. In testing, I had severely beaten R/G, but that was innacurate AND wrong, since some hadn't even run Necropolis. However, my main problem in that matchup was that their bears were way better than mine.

I Played:

U/W/r "I Don't Have A ****in' Name"

4 Voice of All
4 Galina's Knight
4 Meddling Mage
2 Flametongue Kavu
1 Iridescent Angel

4 Counterspell
4 Absorb
4 Repulse
4 Fire/Ice
3 Worship
2 Disrupt
2 Urza's Rage

2 Skycloud Expanse
4 Coastal Tower
4 Battlefield Forge
4 Shivan Reef
4 Plains
5 Island

SB: 4 Gainsay
SB: 4 Hibernation
SB: 2 Divert
SB: 2 Aura Blast
SB: 2 Urza's Rage
SB: 1 Flametongue Kavu

I would like everyone who can to check out my webpage, http://teammtgnews.tripod.com , to help grow our already fairly large archive of articles, decks, and of course, tournament reports.Now for the matches:


Round 1: vs. Some kid packing a U/B/r Psychatog deck.

Game 1: As soon I see Salt Marsh, I think I'm screwed. But either A) He doesn't know what he's doing, or B) His deck is bad, since he lets a Worship resolve and soon after an Iridescent Angel. Someone please tell me how the hell a control deck with four cards in hand lets an Iridescent Angel enter play...

Game 2: This time I just drop a Meddler and a Galina's Knight, and go in for the kill.I'm 1-0 in matches, 2-0 in games.

Round 2: vs. A Balancing Tings deck.

Game 1: He gets the "god hand" and pulls the Obliterate/Terravore Combo on turn 6. I was out of counters so I couldn't stop the Terravore. It's over quick that time.

Game 2: This time he pulls the Obliterate/Terravore combo on his 7th turn. But I float UUW for an Absorb, and stop the Terravore. I had stashed 2 lands in hand and drew a 3rd, so I recovered quickly and went in for the kill with a pair of Galina's Knights.

Game 3: This time he uses 3 of his Fire/Ice's Icing down my lands early on. BIG mistake, since I proceed to drop a pair of Meddling Mages naming Balancing Act and Obliterate. I keep counter backup for his last Fire/Ice, and win the game. I bet he wishes he didn't use up those Fire/Ices.

I'm 2-0 in matches, 4-1 in games.

Round 3:vs. A U/W Opposition Deck

Game 1: I just elimante a Mystic Pentinent and a Merfolk Looter with a Fire, and FTK and two Galina's Knights take the game.

Game 2: See Game 1.

I'm 3-0 in matches, 6-1 in games.

Round 4: vs. Max Tietze (AKA Details Master) playing U/B Psychatog.

This round we were paired, then repaired, then repaired AGAIN! Damn DCIreporter!

Game 1: I manage to slip through a Meddling Mage second turn, but it's
bounced and from there on I manage to force through some other stuff, which just gets bounced until his Psychatog swings for 22. Ouch.

Game 2: This time it's Mage beats, along with a forced Galina's Knight I get him down to 4 life, and I have a Galina's Knight and Meddling Mage on the table with a lone Fire/Ice in hand. He's got a Psychatog and a graveyard as high as my deck :-) as well as 3-4 cards in hand. I'm at 11. I attack with both and try to tap his Psychatog as a last ditch effort (or I could've burned him, I could've won with either way) but he counters it, blocks, goes down to 2, and wins next turn.

I'm 3-1 in matches, 6-3 in games.

Round 5: vs. Steve Nagy playing Psychatog.

This round is a must-win, since if I don't I'll get paired down, and then have **** breakers, which isn't good for drawing into T8 :-( .

Game 1: I call his bluff on a second turn Meddling Mage while he has an Island open, and he hits play naming Atog. Next turn I go to drop a Galina's Knight, with Disrupt backup, but he's too good to fall for it and Counterspells it rather than Undermine. I eventually beat him down low enough, since I forced through a second and named AEther Burst, noticing he wasn't packing repulse, and an un-kickered Rage seals the game.

Game 2: This time I get a Mage out and stall out Atog, but it's a while before I can stash 3 counters and an EOT Ice that taps more than the Salt Marsh I targeted (he used an Undermine) and I manage to pull out a Pro-Blue Voice of All. Hime and my Mage stall his Atog (my Mage was bounced then forced through again) and Nightscape Familiar until I get a 12th land and Kickered Rage him for the win.

I'm 4-1 in matches, 8-3 in games.

Round 6: vs. Scott McIsaac playing R/G Beats
We decide to intentionally draw, which is good, since in our fun game he hands me my ass in a total of like 15 minutes!

I finish 4-1-1 in matches, 8-3 in games. With an 80% win rating and Breakers somewhere in the 70's.

Top 8:

Round 1: vs. Chris Czechy (excuse the spelling) packing R/G Beats

Game 1: We both get the usual, my pair of Galina's Knights hold off a Skizzik and a Raging Kavu. But he has like 10 damage on the table, without pumps. The Mongrels are eating me away, and if I don't draw Worship quick it's all over. I never draw it and he smashes me.

Game 2: The first few turns are identical to Game 1, but this time I draw Worship. He's got 2 Mongrels and a Yavimaya Barbarian, and I'm with a Galina's Knight, Meddling Mage, and a Voice of All : Red. He draws a Necropolis but only has 4 lands, one short of activating it. I manage to take him down to seven life, but he draws a fifth land. He blows up the Voice of All, next turn the Galina's Knight heads to the graveyard, and next turn goes the Meddler. He attacks for like 15 with me at 1.

So I finish T8, and take home my second Foil City and a quarter box of
Torment. Not bad, and overall I was happy that I piloted a no-frills deck to T8.

No Props/Slops, I HATE them...

Until next time,
Nick La Monaco
Spilinga@aol.com
AIM name: Spilinga -OR- Spilinga2