Holiday Magic

So I played in a small tournament today in Hachinohe.
There were 5 rounds, cut to Top 4.
Today, there were many monoblack decks!

Round 1 - Helm-Line

I assumed my opponent was playing Eldrazi because he isn’t a regular player.
New players here usually play Pox or Eldrazi.

Game 1, I keep Underground Sea, Polluted Delta, Gitaxian Probe, Ponder, Ponder, Duress, Duress.
The opponent starts with Turn 0 Leyline of the Void.
I cast Duress.
I see Swamp, Swamp, Swamp, Dark Ritual, Night’s Whisper, Helm of Obedience.
I take the Helm, and next turn I kill him because my draws were good.
I decide to kill him with Maniac because I think he might not recognize I am a Storm deck.
(W)

-1 Gitaxian Probe
+Cruel Bargain

Game 2, my opponent mulligans to six.
I keep Swamp, Volcanic Island, Polluted Delta, Gitaxian Probe, Brainstorm, Dark Ritual, Dark Ritual.
The opponent starts with Turn 0 Leyline, Turn 1 Dark Ritual, Night’s Whisper.
I draw Doomsday for my turn and cast Gitaxian Probe,.
I see Wasteland, Wastely, Night’s Whisper, Exhume.
I draw a Sensei’s Divining Top, so I cast it.
Next turn he’s dead.
(W)

1-0

Round 2 - Pox Reanimator

Game 1, I keep Island, Polluted Delta, Gitaxian Probe, Gitaxian Probe, Gitaxian Probe, Ponder, Brainstorm.
The opponent starts with Turn 1 Dark Ritual, Liliana of the Veil.
The game continued for a few turns, Liliana plus Hymn to Tourach was too much.
I lose to Entomb (Griselbrand) + Reanimate.
(L)

-1 Gitaxian Probe
+Cruel Bargain

Game 2, my opponent mulligans to five.
I mulligan to six.
My seven card hand was Swamp, Sensei’s Divining Top, Ponder, Duress, Ideas Unbound, Burning Wish, Doomsday.
I keep Flooded Strand, Chromatic Sphere, Ponder, Brainstorm, Doomsday, Doomsday.
The opponent starts with Wasteland, go.
I draw Dark Ritual, fetch for Island, play Chromatic Sphere.
The opponent plays Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth, and casts Thoughtseize taking Dark Ritual.
My next turn I cast Duress; the opponent casts Entomb and his hand has no targets.
Luckily, the opponent has no reanimation.
A few turns later, I cast Doomsday with Island, Island, Swamp. (Thanks, Urborg!)
This is the situation:

The opponent’s battlefield:
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Lake of the Dead
Swamp
Wasteland
Ratchet Bomb (0 counters)

The opponent’s hand:
No cards

My battlefield:
Island
Island
Swamp
Chromatic Sphere

My hand:
Sensei’s Divining Top
Burning Wish

Ratchet Bomb is normally a countermeasure for for LED and Goblin Tokens.
So, I attempt to make a pile without using LED.

I make:
Cruel Bargain
Lotus Petal
Underground Sea
Dark Ritual
Laboratory Maniac

The opponent is afraid of the Chromatic Sphere than LED, so he adds a counter to Ratchet Bomb.
Next turn, he draws Massacre Wurm.
I lose to Lake of the Dead sacrificing Urborg to get black mana.
In hindsight, I should have just made a normal pile.
(L)

1-1

Round 3 - Grixis Delver

There’s a pair of twins who come to the store. One plays Miracles, one plays Delver. I never remember who is who.

Game 1, my opponent mulligans to six.
I keep Flooded Strand, LED, LED, Brainstorm, Duress, Duress, Dark Ritual.
I start with Flooded Strand, go.
The opponent starts with Volcanic Island, Delver of Secrets.
I don’t draw a land next turn.
The opponent’s next turn, he casts Brainstorm in his upkeep.
Delver transforms, showing Ponder.
I cast Brainstorm because this game is not going to get better with time.
The opponent Dazes my spell, and that’s the end of the game.
(L)

-1 Gitaxian Probe, Laboratory Maniac
+1 Tropical Island, Cruel Bargain

Game 2, my opponent mulligans to six.
I keep Polluted Delta, LED, Chromatic Sphere, Gitaxian Probe, Dark Ritual, Dark Ritual, Dark Ritual.
This seems risky...
One land was a problem last game, but mulligans against Delver are bad.
I win this game because my Dark Rituals trade for a Daze and a Spell Pierce (targeting Sensei’s Divining Top.
The opponent had Force of Will and no blue cards on my combo turn.
(W)

Game 3, I mulligan to six.
My seven card hand has no lands.
I keep Polluted Delta, Ponder, Ponder, Burning Wish, Burning Wish, Doomsday.
My opponent starts with Gitaxian Probe, Underground Sea...
I think I am dead because I expect Cabal Therapy.
He just plays Delver of Secrets.
The opponent does eventually find a Cabal Therapy, but not before I find Brainstorm.
I win this game because my Brainstorm was very good.
(W)

2-1

Round 4 - Show and Tell

I was deceived by my opponent.
I don’t know if my Japanese is bad, or if I was lied to, haha.
The opponent normally plays Delver, and talked about Delver...
Naturally, I thought he was playing Delver.

Game 1, I keep Underground Sea, Polluted Delta, Gitaxian Probe, Brainstorm, Duress, Duress, Duress.
My opponent starts with Volcanic, go.
I draw Cabal Therapy for the turn.
Yuck, this is too many discard spells against Delver...
I cast Gitaxian Probe.
I see Scalding Tarn, Gitaxian Probe, Brainstorm, Griselbrand, Omniscience, Emrakul.
Discard is great!!!
I underestimate my opponent.
(This is bad habit of mine; I often lose to my own arrogance.)
The opponent isn’t a Show and Tell player normally.
My plan is to cast Cabal Therapy; my opponent will respond with Brainstorm to hide cards.
Then, I will name Emrakul to make him shuffle the hidden cards.
However...players here never shuffle their hand after casting Brainstorm.
I see my opponent returned Emrakul and a new card to his library, so I name Omniscience.
...I have three Duress in hand. This was a HUGE mistake.
I should have named Griselbrand.
(Really, I should have cast Duress on Turn 1.)
After Cabal Therapy, I see Polluted Delta, Scalding Tarn, Gitaxian Probe, Cunning Wish, Griselbrand.
I cast two Duress next turn.
It doesn’t matter: Turn 1 Brainstorm found Show and Tell, and hid it.
I played badly and I look stupid.
(L)

-Chromatic Sphere, 1 Gitaixan Probe, Rain of Filth
+Shelldock Isle, Cruel Bargain, Emrakul

Game 2, I mulligan to five.
My seven card hand was Swamp, LED, LED, Sensei’s Divining Top, Gitaxian Probe, Brainstorm, Dark Ritual.
(I think my notes must be wrong--I would only need Doomsday to win...)
My six card hand had no lands.
I keep Flooded Strand, Lotus Petal, Sensei’s Divining Top, Brainstorm, Burning Wish.
My Turn 1 Top is countered by Force of Will. I draw Brainstorm on my next turn.
My Brainstorm is countered Pyroblast.
The opponent casts Show and Tell next turn.
I use Lotus Petal to cast Brainstorm, and hope to find Emrakul...no luck.
My opponent puts Omniscience in play.
He has no spells for three turns...
It doesn’t matter because I have no cards.
(L)

2-2

Round 5 - White Eldrazi

I know what my opponent is playing. I have given up hope.

Game 1, I keep LED, Lotus Petal, Sensei’s Divining Top, Ponder, Burning Wish, Laboratory Maniac, Doomsday.
This hand is a Turn 1 kill if I draw Dark Ritual.
If I don’t draw Dark Ritual, my draw step + Ponder show me 5 cards, so I can look for land.
The opponent starts with Lotus Petal, Lotus Petal, Plains, Thalia, Guardian of Thraben.
...What? Lotus Petal + Thalia is a bad mix, I think.
I draw my next card, it isn’t a land.
I concede.
(L)

-1 Island, Misty Rainforest, LED, Chromatic Sphere, 1 Gitaxian Probe, 2 Cabal Therapy, Rain of Filth
+Shelldock Isle, 2 Tropical Island, 4 Abrupt Decay, Emrakul

I removed 2 Cabal Therapy because Lotus Petal + Thalia means a strange deck.
Strange deck = more difficult Cabal Therapy
Also, I should have removed the third Cabal Therapy instead of LED.
Your only hope is to be fast, so you need LED.

Game 2, I keep Underground Sea, Volcanic Island, Polluted Delta, Polluted Delta, Gitaxian Probe, Dark Ritual, Laboratory Maniac.
I have no excuse for having kept this hand.
I cast Gitaxian Probe.
I see Plains, Plains, Ancient Tomb, Caves of Koilos, Endless One, Warping Wail, Ethersworn Canonist.
I made a mistake this game.
I thought the Endless One was a second Warping Wail.
As a result, I cast a Duress to discard a nonexistent counterspell.
It didn’t matter, I never found Burning Wish nor Doomsday this game.
(L)

2-3

My results were appropriate.
I made big mistakes.
So, I must practice seriously more.

Many players from this area plan to go to GP Chiba.
Let’s practice together!