SCG Invitational June 8, 2019

I qualified for the SCG Invitational with my top 4 finish with BW Tokens in March (link). The SCG Invi format is 4 rounds of Standard followed by 4 rounds of Modern on each of two days, with players 5-3 or better on day 1 making day 2. On the back of BW Tokens in Modern, I finished day 1 3-1 after going 2-2 in Standard to make day 2. I went 4-4 overall in Standard with a stock Mono-Red list, albeit with 2 Fight with Fires in the board. I got smashed by Esper Hero all weekend. I went 5-3 with Tokens to finish 93rd out of 474 overall. I don’t have much more to say about Standard, so I’ll provide my BW Tokens report.

I made one change to my Tokens list: I took out the Lost Legacy from the sideboard and put in Ashiok, Dream Render.

Round 5 – BW Dispalcer – Win 2-1

After going 2-2 in Standard, I know I need BW Tokens to carry me to a 3-1 record to make day 2. I’m hoping for none of the hardships from the last Classic!

I’m excited when my opponent plays a turn 1 Shambling Vent. Could it be the first time in competitive play since GP Pitt in 2015 that I’m playing the mirror? Not so fast. I IOK him to see a lot of cards that kill me – notably Eldrazi Displacer and Thalia. I take Displacer and lose to pure gas on his part. Game 3 is pretty epic. He was land light and he decided to use his Ghost Quarter with Arbiter out. This gave me a window of a few turns to try to develop a better board presence and while his deck let him down (no more lands), mine didn’t and I escape a rough start to the Modern portion of the tournament.

Round 6 – Dredge – Win 2-1

Yes! Finally a great matchup! Game 1 I get blown out with an explosive start, but games 2 and 3 go much better. Game 3, though, takes forever, and ends with me playing Ashiok for the first time and milling him out!

Round 7 – Humans – Loss 0-2

Humans isn’t a great matchup, but it’s close to 50-50. Game 1 I get run over by pure gas. Game 2 brought an interesting question. I turn one IOK to see one land, noble hierarch, and higher costed spells. I gamble on the hierarch. My opponent doesn’t miss a land drop his first 4 turns and I just lose.

Round 8 – Mono-Red Phoenix – Win 2-1

Well, here it is. At my first Invitational, a win and in for day 2. My opponent is a streamer and has a decent cheering section for the match. Game 1 I’m in a tough spot – after mulling to 6, a second Bitterblossom is on the top of my deck. Since I have no idea what she’s playing, I keep it on top. She plays a turn one swiftspear and it’s not even close. Wow. I’m facing a matchup I literally have never lost for my win-and-in and I’m already down a game. I’m in a good frame of mind, however, reminding myself I literally have never lost to this matchup online or in person and I would take being down a game to this deck versus being up a game versus so many others. Game 2 my turn 2 Auriok is just lights-out, and the insanity of how easy it was for her to win game 1 replicates for me as this isn’t a game, either. It’s just another walk in the park. Game 3 I start to get nervous. I’m on the draw and have to mulligan. I forget my 6, but I remember it’s not good. No Aurioks or interaction, but a solid keep of tokens. My opponent keeps 7. I tank and finally decide this 6 is better than a random 5, and that I have a better chance of winning with this hand than that random 5, though I’m not happy about this at all. Turn 1 she drops swiftspear. Turn 1 I draw Path to Exile. Wow. So lucky. I prevent 4 or 5 damage on turn 2. She has no other one-drop follow-up. Either turn 3 or turn 4 I draw Auriok Champion. My deck really bailed itself out after the mulliganing fiasco. Once Auriok Champion arrives, the game is over. My opponent has lots of cards, but Auriok Champion is just lights-out versus her deck. If Mono-Red Phoenix isn’t BW Tokens’ best matchup, it’s right up there.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Auriok Champion is the reason to play this deck. Sure, it’s TERRIBLE in our bad matchups, but those matchups are terrible any way you look at them. A mono-white Tokens list or more aggro-heavy list will win more versus Tron and combo, but those versions sacrifice points against the red decks. Auriok Champion enabled me to make day 2 and I just haven’t seen non-Auriok Champion (or really any other) BW Tokens lists doing well at large tabletop tournaments (with the exception of this gem: List).

Round 13 – Izzet Phoenix – Win 2-1

After going 2-2 again in Standard, I know I need another solid Modern finish to cash this tournament. It’s refreshing to play against the nicest opponent ever this round. Game 1 I get lucky that he is stuck with 2 Ascensions and not much else. Game 3 is long and epic and vindicates my belief that Izzet Phoenix, while on-paper a very poor matchup for me (I think 33%), is more likely closer to 50-50. After infinity turns where we trade resources in the air, I finally break through for a lethal attack. Another 3-1 in Modern is looking very doable!

Round 14 – Tron – Loss 0-2

No, not Tron! Making matters worse is that both games, my opponent stumbled, never had an early Tron, and these were games I needed to win. Game 1 the turn before he dies, my opponent natural draws his needed Tron land. Game 2 is going great. I correctly take Ugin with my turn 1 Duress. I have all the stuff – Stony Silence, more disruption, some tokens, but the problem is – I can’t kill my opponent fast enough. Just like game 1, the turn before he’s going to die, he draws his second (and last copy) Ugin! That’s game.

Round 15 – BG Rock – Loss 1-2

I’m very happy to see this deck, knowing I absolutely need to win my last two matches to have a chance to cash, though even if I win out, it’s unlikely I make top 64. The matchup is very disheartening, as it’s usually very very good. Game 2 I simply cannot kill a Tireless Tracker while my opponent plays multiple Engineered Explosives. Game 3 it’s the same thing – he draws lots of hate, gets infinity clues with Tracker, and after a top-deck war just gets there.

Round 16 – Concession – Won 1-0

After my opponent doesn’t show up initially, he kindly hustles over to sign the slip so I don’t have to wait 10 minutes before getting the pity win.

Overall, I was happy that Tokens went 3-1 day 1 to take me to Day 2. 1-2 on day 2 wasn’t awesome. The matchups, with the exception of Tron, were pretty good. My opponents also had great starts (notably Humans, Dredge, and Mono-Red Phoenix), and I was lucky to play great matchups to win so many game 3s day 1. Losing to Tron when I could have won and BG, a great matchup, really hurt. It was great to see Mono-Red Phoenix at the most important match of the day, and I can only hope Mono-Red Phoenix rises to prey on Tron, combo, and other bigger decks that the Tokens midrange plan has problems with.