On May 20, 2019, I played in the Star City Games Modern Classic in Syracuse. I ran the same BW Tokens list I ran at the last Syracuse classic, where I finished 4th: List.
This time the tournament didn’t go so well.
Round 1 – UW Control – Loss 0-2
Game 1 I’m on the play and my opponent spells snares my t2 Bitterblossom. That was the game right there. He plays new Narset and Teferi to stabilize at 6 life. Game 2 I likely punted, though I can’t be sure of the outcome. My opponent is at 2 life with big Teferi out against my single 1/1 Spirit. He’s got no cards in hand. Instead of killing Teferi, I put him to one, thinking I have to fade two draw steps either way. This is clearly a mistake, as the two choices were: give my opponent 2 draws steps with Teferi still in play or give my opponent 2 draw steps without Teferi in play. I went on to lose that game as my opponent top-decked an answer.
Round 2 – Merfolk – Win 2-1
Another tough matchup. Game 3 was pretty epic – I should have lost, but my opponent missed the Elemental tokens triggers from an Image copying a Master already in play. Engineered Explosives and Sorin were instrumental in winning a long game after that.
Round 3 – Souls Sisters – Win 1-0
This match went about how I expected it to, though my drawing more lands than I ever have in game 2 didn’t help. For maybe the first time ever, I removed all searchable lands from my deck and promptly drew an Arid Mesa. We went to turns and my opponent conceded a game that I’m sure I eventually would have won. Kaya was great here.
Round 4 – Grishoalbrand – Loss 0-2
My opponent admits he has insane draws, but this is what I’m expecting in a few months when the London Mulligan starts up. Game 1 is yet another testament to problems with discard. After discarding his only Goryo’s Vengeance in hand game 1, he simply drew another one soon after to win. Game 2 Kaya’s Guile would likely have saved me. On my turn 3, with a Griselbrand in his yard, I play my third land and sigh at the Path and Kaya (planeswalker in my hand). If I play Kaya, I’m dead to a Goryo’s in response. If I hold up Path, at least I have a fighting chance. I hold up Path, he has the Goryo’s, I path the Griselbrand, but he Through the Breaches in the new Wurm to attack me for 21.
Round 5 – BG Rock – Won 2-0
Not much to say here, things went as expected.
Round 6- Tron – Loss 0-2
This one was textbook. I got blown out. No chance. Ironically, my friend, with whom I had a discussion on the drive up about how I beat a resolved Ugin (my answer was Secure the Wastes), walks up to our match just as his Ugin resolves. I have tons of land in play and I’m ready to draw the Secure, but my opponent is at 60 life off Engines so it’s pretty anticlimactic.
Round 7 – Tron – Loss 0-2
Word on the street was this deck was on the downswing, but it seems it’s everywhere and with it being so highly represented at the last Pro Tour AND the London mulligan arriving soon, I don’t think it’s going anywhere. These are tough times for Tokens! Game 2 is the set-up I want: Stony Silence. However, I draw 0 token-producers the entire game and after infinity turns, I don’t win a game that actually should have gone my way.
After going 8-2-1 at the last Classic in March, this 3-4 result is pretty disappointing. I played 2 good matchups (winning both), and 5 poor ones (winning one). Playing Tron twice was pretty awful, and with the London Mulligan approaching, times are not looking good in the competitive tabletop Modern metagame for the deck.