Doomsday Log

Been testing out Doomsday and it has not been easy.
Doomsday is hard to play because there are so many possible variations of what is going on and any misstep ends the game right there and then.

In terms of deckbuilding, I'm not sure if my current call of running 3 very different win routes is correct. As much as the cards currently do not outright clash with each other (apart from Emrakul) since they components can be cycled (the reanimation spell and the faerie), there is a time factor that goes into using 2 mana to cycle.
There are more linear decks that focus on the exact kill route but those have the problem of having to be able to bash through the specific hate for them.
The main contention between the various kill conditions is actually LED which forces you to drop any counter protection.
I also have not figured out the right protection to use between discard and counters, not to mention that I have lesser of each now as well since I have more slots dedicated to going off.

I'm also not firm on how I aggressive I want to be with the cantrips because I cannot ascertain how fast I need to go off when I go off. Playing in a "when I can play" way makes each individual cantrip much less powerful since I usually get back 2 of the 3 cards that I see instead of 1 of the 3.

Do I go for upkeep top activation?
Do I keep a petal as the only mana producer?
Do I turn 1 Ponder?
Do I turn 1 Brainstorm?
Do I turn 1 Ponder or Brainstorm?

The sequencing of lands is also very questionable now since these decisions can clog up potential plays later on and make the player trip over.

Do I search for basic Island? Underground Sea? Volcanic Island?

So this whole bulk of "setup for doomsday" sequencing and playing needs to be firmed up which I would need time to build up and familiarize. I currently also need a greater understanding of which kill I should go for out of the 3 and how to integrate the sideboard into the deck post sb.
What to include in the sb is also another problem itself since I do not have a full understanding of the deck and its various matchups yet.

There are some additional points I need to take note as well:
-Being at 1 life pre-Doomsday is the same as being at 0.
-Emrakul on the same turn needs 1 more card in hand to go Isle+Faerie
-Sensei's Top + turn 1 kill setup requires 1 more mana since the first LED gives U already.
-On MTGO there is a need to keep looking at the library count to visualize what's left in the deck and I need to get the best plan before I click on the first card for Doomsday since I do not get to reselect.

As of now, I should be just about 20% tapping into the full potential of the deck.
It does not help that I usually test at night when I'm all worn out from work.
This is a very human factor when it comes to this deck as I would need to build up the mental capacity to go through more than 10 rounds of it in a day and in a fatigued state as well. I could do that for most control decks right now since I'm adept at the mid-late game but I can't say the same for the early game requirements that this deck has, especially when it is this unforgiving. I suppose I will have to take in the stress of playing in a tournament setting and just keep throwing it at myself to build up some resistance towards it,
It was quite difficult yesterday as I had trouble getting to sleep on the previous night and I was honestly very tired throughout the day even before starting round 1 at 10pm.
Hopefully I can make a judgment by the end of the year so that I can prepare more definitively for GP Kyoto in April.

Legacy Doomsday 3-1

Last night, I put together a Doomsday deck after getting 3 Doomsday (had 1 sad white bordered one), 1 Meditate and 1 Ill-Gotten Gains. I have the core of a storm deck irl less 2x Lion's Eye Diamond so together with my existing cards, I could more or less assemble a playable deck of some sort (with a bad mana base since I do not own 2x Volcanic Island or any Badlands/Bayou).

The deck is a mesh of the known kill conditions that it commonly runs, having the storm kill, the Emrakul kill and the Lab Maniac kill available post Doomsday.
The white bordered Doomsday looked ugly so I decided to play 2x Burning Wish and put it into the SB. (HAHAHA)

I faced RUG round 1, losing game 1 to not being able to figure out how to win from BB and top.
I won game 2 after going for the Lab maniac kill with protection.
Game 3, my setup was attacked with Spell pierce, Stifle on fetchland, Wasteland etc.

Round 2, I faced Shardless (bant).
Game 1, I cast Doomsday, set up Sheldock Isle + Emrakul and Lab Maniac + double Gitaxian Probe.
He dropped a Karakas to bounce the Emrakul, I cast Lab Maniac, and double probed for the win.
Game 2, he had a mediocre hand but I had to Force of Will a Meddling Mage. I saw that he had creature removals so I opted for the storm kill.

Round 3, I faced the Veteran Explorer deck.
I let him Cabal Therapy me to get the 2 basic lands. Eventually, I stormed for the win.
Game 2, I went for a turn 2 Doomsday after I Diverted a Cabal Therapy to see a clear hand. I did the Lab Maniac kill.

Round 4, I faced D&T. I went for a turn 1 Doomsday and opted to go for the Lab Maniac kill. I was vulnerable to Swords to Plowshares the whole time. He dropped Thalia so I could no longer do the 2 mana kill and had to hardcast Lab Maniac. I safely untapped and Mental Noted for the win.
Game 2, I played slowly, casting Toxic Deluge to clear the threats. I eventually used the storm engine to win at storm 10. Would have been lacking one if he had left W up for Swords to Plowshares.

I liked how the deck just won out of nowhere. I'm looking forward to preparing and testing it online.

I won a True-Name Nemesis for my finish.

Boom//Bust on doubles

The weekend has been rather eventful for me.

I went 4-2 in the MOCS qualifiers, losing the last round to a URW delver deck that went double Wasteland, double True-Name Nemesis and double Lightning Bolt (after I Toxic Deluged for 1 going down to 6). At least I got a Show and Tell for my trouble.

As for the big real life Legacy tournament, I went 0-3 drop, possibly the worst results I have had thus far.

Round 1 vs the Gravecrawler deck.

I lost game 1 when I eventually ran out of cards against Cabal Therapy and tokens.

Game 2, we got into a long game and I stabilized with Jace in play and the Punishing Fire combo.

In game 3, his turn 1 Faithless Looting threw in 2x Bloodghast. I played a turn 1 Deathrite Shaman and he dropped Pithing Needle naming it and cast a Gravecrawler. To make things worse, he dropped 2x Blood Artist and made it impossible for me to come back.

Round 2 vs Painter
Game 1, I get hit by a Blood Moon with an Island and Swamp in play but not much I can actually do. An Ensnaring Bridge on the other side stops me from attacking with Snapcaster Mage and he assembles the Painter combo eventually.

Game 2, I misplay and opt to Force of Will instead of putting down an Engineered Explosives for 2. The painter combo comes down with Pyroblast backup and I lose.

Round 3 vs Shardless BUG

Game 1, I run out of business cards after Jace gets Force of Willed.
Game 2, we get into a long attrition game and I manage to cast Intuition for the Marit Lage kill to close it.
Game 3, I misplay Snapcaster by playing it a little too early to get Brainstorm instead of getting Intuition later on despite having thought of that route, Eventually, the game drags out and Shardless Agent into Ancestral Vision, Shardless Agent into Tarmogoyf puts enough pressure on the game with nothing significant on my side other than a True Name Nemesis, ending with a Disfigure on my Creeping Tar Pit ready to block a goyf.

So now, this chapter of Legacy has closed for me. I am looking to work towards 2015's GP Kyoto (Legacy). I will probably test some other strategies over the next few months.

3-0-1 Legacy

Yesterday, I made my way to a new shop that has a very good Legacy payout.
It seems like they figured out that they would do 4 rounds, and an additional match if tied for 1st place.
The payout is very good versus the entry.
For $10, top gets Delta/Wasteland, second gets Mire, third/forth is a True-Name/commander deck or something along that line.

I took my deck which is about 2 cards off my online list (lacking a third Underground Sea and a Misty Rainforest) and tried to find 2x blue elemental blast / trading post but could not find either.
(I suspect trading post can be used vs Jund since they don't have a way to kill it)
I stuck to the Nylea's Bow that I had in my 15th slot.

I learnt from this tournament that I have the option to play 1-0 and drag out a draw in order to win.
It's something that I have long forgotten so it's a good lesson learnt before the 7 Sept tournament.
Online, we're just trying to close on the clock. In real life, drawing is a tournament option (as much as I loathe it).

I won Shardless BUG, UWR delver, Miracles (1-1, but I was let up with a split) and we did a 4 way split among the 3 3-0s and my 3rd round opponent who was paired with one of the 3-0s. We all drew to lock in the top 3 spots. I wanted Wasteland so I ended up having to fork out $50 for our split since we counted $160 - $40 each and valued Wasteland at $90.

Preparing for 7 Sept

Over the past week, I did not manage to get into even one VMA constructed qualifier that fired.
It only needed 17 people to go off but people are aggressively boycotting the format.
I cannot fathom the reason. Even Classic had people in the past for something with such a alluring payout.
I was quite down over the weekend, having played in the VMA limited champs and getting blown out in 4 games over 2 players to Parallex Wave. It was 3am and I just gave up at 2-2. I would probably not make it even if I won all the way from there and some packs would not make up for the lack of sleep.
Then it came upon me that I would have this late night issue over the next few weeks (not anymore) and I was quite demoralized by it. The events I was looking forward to were going to be very taxing for me.
IF I had qualified for the VMA constructed champs, I would have had to stay up and probably end up skipping a 10km run I am scheduled for.
Also, if I make it into the Legacy MOCS, it means staying through the night and continuing into the day for the IRL Legacy tournament which I expect to be about 7 rounds. I expect the MOCS to be about 8-9 rounds. I am not sure I am able to handle that physically. Part of me wants to just skip the MOCS as it is much less taxing to play in a normal timing than at 11pm till maybe 7am?

In any case, I am still practicing my 4c control deck and trying to find a way to shore up my worst matchup, burn. I am considering having 2x Blue Elemental Blast in the SB for it. I've been thinking and nothing clicks. I did play Shardless BUG a few days back with double Chill in the SB but I understand that the fundamental difference is that BUG is able to close the game whereas mine is much slower. I need to think of which is the second card to make space for the second BEB/Hydroblast.

I have lost quite a few games to burn and it goes against my wanting of having a game vs everything. I just can't stomach auto-losing to anything but that would mean respecting it more. 2 is as much I can go and is the minimal amount of respect required.

Last night I lost to Burn and Storm, won D&T and Miracles. Gonna try playing at a high EV tournament tonight at a new shop. I hope that 2x blue elemental blast is going to be the right way to go and that I would have to adjust how it interacts with the other matchups (storm? miracles? jund? etc)

Legacy IRL

Last night was MTGO downtime. So I went to a real life shop to keep myself prepared for real life tournaments. Unlike online, there is so many things that needs to be done like shuffling, maintaining of sleeves, keeping track of life, graveyard, board state, hand size, opponent's state, your own state, rulings, missed triggers etc.

I collected my preordered Jace pop figure at a toy shop after registering and went for dinner.

Round 1 vs Shardless bug
Game 1, I lose to being out volumed to cascade with a Volrath's Stronghold in play preventing me from wanting to kill the Shardless Agent.
Game 2, an early loam lock wins the game.
Game 3, I get stuck for more than 10 turns (Ancestral Vision suspended and resolved twice) without my 3rd land. I keep getting Deathrite Shaman which died each time.

0-1

Round 2 vs D&T
Game 1, my opponent has no vial so we go into a very slow game and I come out with Jace Liliana.
Game 2 was not too different. Just very mid-game plays without anything too shocking that I could not handle. (Unlike that Cataclysm from the day prior)

1-1

Round 3 vs burn

Game 1, I lose to double Goblin Guide (1 would have been ok).
Game 2, I stabilize at 5 life Jace and Liliana and Brainstorm on an Isochron Scepter, voraciously digging for counters and answer and I get there with True Name Nemesis.
Game 3, I almost come back but have to make a choice as to how I want to deal with Grim Lavamancer as I had lands, counterspell and force of will. I drew an abrupt decay next turn -_-". I got to 4 life with a Deathrite Shaman but he drew Fireblast.

1-2

Round 4 vs BUG Delver

Game 1, I resolve Jace and go to town.
Game 2, we get into a very long game with everything dying and being discarded.
I eventually get True Name Nemesis (which he has no outs against), dealt with his flipped delver and faced a 1/1 delver. I just turned sideways every turn and won with Deathrite adding to the clock.

2-2

Road to MOCS 2014 Day 20 (16 QP)

Yesterday, I had my final attempt to qualify for the VMA limited championship (would not be possible anymore).

I was elated to open a foil Force of Will but my pool was not impressive.

In the end, I came up with a BW deck that beats with shadow guys and fliers. After submission I considered a weaker but more mid-game build with blue green. 

Round 1 was easy. I outraced with shadow creatures.

1-0

I saw that his deck had many small guys so I swapped into UG which had fatter dudes. He had Skullclamp but was mana screwed.

2-0

I killed my opponent with his own Kezzerdrix by wiping the board with Famine. =)

3-0

I was glad to go 3-0 but I lost round 4 with a hand full of lands. Zzz

3-1

In the final round, I faced a BW deck similar to mine. He had the new Desolation Angel in game 1 but I had done enough damage to just Famine for the win.
Game 2, my shadow creatures applied pressure and his fliers could not keep up. He had Death Grasp for my griffin but I had Death Grasp at him to add more clock. 

4-1

With this, I qualify for the MOCS qualifiers and the VMA limited championship. Step one of my world domination plan is complete!

In the last round of the qualifier, I joined a Legacy DE.

Round 1, I faced dredge.
I almost win game 1 on the back of Deathrite Shaman and Snapcaster Mage blocking zombie tokens but I lacked the removal required to survive the few zombies.

Game 2, Deathrite Shaman plus Surgical Extraction controlled the pace of the game until another Deathrite Shaman joined the fun.
Game 3, I kept a hand that had some chance with counters and removals but my opponent had quad cabal therapy to just nice hit my answers out of my hand.

0-1

Round 2, I faced Reanimator.
I lost game 1 when my opponent reanimated Iona naming black. I did not find Jace or Far/Away.

Game 2, I had Deathrite Shaman to mess the board but he used Show and Tell to put Inkwell Leviathan down. He attacked into Jace so I had enough life to Toxic Deluge for 11 to kill my own Deathrite Shaman and the Leciathan. I came back with Jace and Liliana, plus Deathrite and Creeping Tar Pit.

Game 3, he Exhumed and I had surgical extraction for Grave Titan and he got an Elesh Norn. Since it wasn't much of a clock, I Intuitioned for Dark Depths combo and he could not do much from there.

1-1

Round 3, I face Death and Taxes. I won game 1 with him having no Vials out and getting into a dominating position with planeswalkers.
I swiftly lose game 2 to not having any lands.
Game 3, I was almost dead after a Cataclysm but I managed to draw lands at just the right points in time to survive and make a comeback.

2-1

Round 4, I had a bye. Whee~ Free win and everything!

So this week I end up with +3 QPs (all from last night) and I'm set up for the MOCS qualifier and the VMA limited champs. Hopefully I would manage to do well in the VMA limited champs (go top2 and get the foily playset) and get a shot at getting 35 QPs to enter the MOCS tournament straight. =/