The Road to Chiba: GPT #2

Last weekend, I went to a Grand Prix Trial in Shizukuishi.
This time, I played a new deck!

Chalice of the Void is usually very popular in my metagame.
Chalice is difficult for Doomsday to defeat.
I searched for a deck that isn’t weak against Chalice.
But...I am very bad at combat math, so using normal creatures is a bad idea.
Finally, I found Dark Depths.

This was my deck.
4 Verdant Catacombs (新緑の地下墓地)
3 Bayou
1 Snow-Covered Swamp (冠雪の沼)
1 Snow-Covered Forest (冠雪の森)
1 Bojuka Bog (ボジューカの沼)
4 Dark Depths (暗黒の深部)
1 Ghost Quarter (幽霊街)
1 Sejiri Steppe (セジーリのステップ)
4 Thespian’s Stage (演劇の舞台)
3 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth (ヨーグモスの墳墓、アーボーグ)

4 Lotus Petal (水蓮の花びら)
3 Expedition Map (探検の地図)
3 Pithing Needle (真髄の針)
2 Duress (強迫)
2 Inquisition of Kozilek (コジレックの審問)
4 Thoughtseize (思考囲い)
4 Crop Rotation (輪作)
4 Vampire Hexmage (吸血鬼の呪詛術士)
4 Sylvan Scrying (森の占術)
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
3 Not of this World (この世界にあらず)

Sideboard
1 Ancient Tomb (古えの墳墓)
1 Karakas (カラカス)
4 Chalice of the Void (虚空の杯)
1 Pithing Needle (真髄の針)
4 Surgical Extraction (外科的摘出)
4 Abrupt Decay (突然の衰微)

Dark Depths is a combo deck that is not weak against anti-combo cards.
Wasteland is a problem, but I play Pithing Needle and Crop Rotation.

There is another reason I chose this deck.
To play Magic well, information and experience are the most important.
More information and experience = better decisions.
Often, I choose strange decks because opponents cannot prepare for them.
When opponents make bad decisions, it is easier to win.
I will always take Doomsday to new places because no one knows me...
However, I always play Doomsday in this area.
Everyone has experience against it, and I have taught players how to beat it.
I am not a strong Magic player, so surprise is the best weapon I have.
It worked very well. My opponents saw my cards and thought "This is the Land deck."
Anti-graveyard cards hurt the Land deck, but they do not hurt me.
Elvish Spirit Guide surprised many opponents, making early Marit Lage!

Here is my report.
This deck isn’t Doomsday, so I didn’t take notes.

Round 1 - Eldrazi
Game 1, I make Marit Lage quickly. (W)
Game 2, I can make Marit Lage on Turn 2, but my opponent has Wasteland and I die quickly. (L)
Game 3, I die on Turn 3 to many Eldrazi before I can make Marit Lage. (L)

So...I changed my deck, but I still can’t win against Eldrazi. Shit.

Round 2 - Bye

Round 3 - Affinity
Game 1, I die on Turn 3 to many Robots before I can attack with Marit Lage. (L)
Ornithopter is a flying blocker, and a problem.
(At that time, I had already lost to fast damage twice, so I heavily regretted my deck choice.)
Game 2, I make Marit Lage quickly. (W)
I made a mistake. I used Ghost Quarter on a useless land.
My opponent drew Blinkmoth Nexus next turn. I forgot about that card.
Game 3, I make Marit Lage quickly. (W)
My opponent has Echoing Truth, but no blue mana. I am lucky.

Round 4 - Miracles
Game 1, my opponent taps Karakas and his white lands to cast Entreat the Angels on draw step.
Elvish Spirit Guide makes a surprise Marit Lage, and Sejiri Steppe gives Pro: White (W)
Game 2, I cast Pithing Needle and name Sensei’s Divining Top.
My opponent had a weak hand and with Top, he couldn’t fix his hand.
2 Not of this World protected Marit Lage. (W)

Round 5 - Shardless BUG
We intentionally draw.
My opponent is terrified of my deck.
However, I am terrified of Wasteland.

I am in the Top 8, at 4th Place!

Quarterfinals - Bant
This match is very quick (I’m sorry!)
I win 2-0.

Semifinals - Lands
I play against my friend.
Game 1, he uses Manabond and puts Dark Depths in play.
I already have Thespian’s Stage, so I copy Dark Depths. (W)
Game 2, I Surgical Extraction Wasteland, and play Pithing Needle on Maze of Ith. (W)

Finals - Eldrazi
My opponent already has byes, so we split.

I won the byes!
...I was planning to travel to Sendai and Yamagata for more GPTs...
I have saved myself a lot of money on travel, haha.
I was regretting my deck choice in Round 3, but that was the last time I lost that day.

I also played in Hachinohe on Sunday.
Because I won on Saturday, I decided to play a fun deck.
I chose my friend’s Instant High Tide deck.
The deck wasn’t very good; I lost every match.
But that’s okay, because I have byes!

Until the GP, I will practice Doomsday very hard.
Last time, my results were 0-3, drop.
This time, I want to reach Day 2!