So following the smash success “Shadowmoor limited so far” in which I caught a lot of flack for repping Helm of the Ghastlord, I have decided to write the followup article Shards of Alara limited so far! I have done more sealed deck tournaments than drafts so some of what I’m telling you may be a little off point but please bear with me.

My PTQ Kyoto experience is likely a unique one that I figure would be somewhat wasted if not recorded in the tomes of history. In light of this, the following article will attempt to relate the events that transpired on October 11, 2008.

After Dave Herder trounced me in a couple games of Chess a few weeks ago, we’ve had continuing communications on various topics that I’ve been ruminating over for the past while.

This tournament trip started out in the aftermath off Gavin Verhey’s win in Vancouver. We had been considering it since it was posted early in the summer, but we had to ride out our first post-Josh Layne metagame PTQ in Van to decide if we wanted to go.

Josh reports on the Berlin PTQ in Vancouver in pictures and video clips.

It’s game 3. You’ve just spent your last card to counter your opponent’s last card. You have a small board advantage, but it’s definitely a topdeck war. You draw. Please, please, please be a good card….. it’s a land.

Keep Fighting! You lose game 1 and start shuffling up for game 2. A sinking feeling in your stomach; is it all going to end here? But this is a pretty good result… No, reject that hint of resignment – Keep… Fighting!

I’ve decided I’m an expert at SSS draft. I’ve fallen 30 points on modo down to a tidy 1806, and yes I said fallen. Some people might interpret this as being BAD at a draft format… which may be true.

When an attempted all-in in Hollywood was failed I have decided on skipping regionals (obv) and attempting a take down in Grand Prix Indy. My red deck was my demise in Hollywood as I was playing a very aggressive r/g deck in a field full of Kitchen Finks and Primal Commands maindeck and Faeries decks with 4 Bottle Gnomes in the board, all the time – every time.

So it’s Monday afternoon and I, Nelson, am at the key board. Nick is at my left, pulling out the crumpled receipt-size slips of paper on which he recorded life totals. I will now attempt to cranial extract the story of Nick’s rise to power.