I had a good time playing Magic in Berlin last spring so I immediately started planning a trip to the Czech Republic when I heard about the Prague Open. The decision to attend was even easier when I found out that several friends from Finland were also planning to join the tournament. This time I was able to travel by myself, but unfortunately, I couldn’t leave work early enough to catch Friday’s last flight, so Saturday 6 am flight it was.
I left home at 3 am and got a couple more hours of sleep on the plane. I landed in Prague at 7:30 am local time, giving me plenty of time to find a good breakfast spot and walk around the Old Town. I then found my way to the tournament site and was in awe: nice and chill beer garden. And one could even get food and drinks anytime during the tournament!
I decided not to reinvent the wheel for my deck choice and played my trustworthy Lands and Scapeshift mash-up. Since Berlin, I’ve been iterating the deck and have continued to do well with it whenever I have brought it to our weeklies.
Here is my decklist for the event:
https://moxfield.com/decks/8Pbfxb3WTUemuUP0H9W0Bw
Icetill Explorer was the only new card I wanted to test. It replaced Ramunap Excavator for the tournament. I was worried that four mana would be too much, but the card has felt fine whenever I have seen it. Definitely will continue testing the card.
Another card I feel is worth mentioning is Force of Vigor. I play it mostly as an efficient answer to Oath of Druids, Survival of the Fittest, Blood Moon and Back to Basics but it usually has quite good uses in almost any matchup and it’s rarely a completely dead draw. I recommend testing the card in your green decks.
Match 1 – vs Jund
https://mtgtop8.com/event?e=72677&d=751387&f=HIGH
I’m on the play and keep a hand with shaky mana. Opponent starts with Ragavan. I have no removal. The monkey connects and exiles Stock Up, which is immediately cast.
I fetch for a surveil land and see Path to Exile. I have Endurance and Leyline Binding in hand. I do have lands but lack both two green or basic land types. Drawing a land to fix these problems would be much better than the instant so I bin the spell. I draw my next card and miss.
I still get to cast Intuition. I do it in my main phase as I have read the matchup completely wrong. I thought a secret lair Swamp is an Island and I’m playing against counterspells. I find Uro, Life from the Loam and Wasteland. I get the land. But when the opponent plays Keen-Eyed Curator and removes the Loam I realize my mistake.
I draw a good land yet I still lack two green mana. I remove the Raccoon with 3-mana Leyline Binding. Opponent finds Thoughtseize and Inquisition of Kozilek. Endurance and some other good spell are taken and I’m out of gas. I draw yet another land, my second green. Unfortunately it enters tapped and Uro’s escape is delayed for a turn. Opponent just keeps adding creatures to the board.
Uro finally escapes and Field of the Dead makes a zombie at the same time. I’m close to stabilizing, but the opponent has a Spitting Dilophosaurus and a Questing Beast to push through enough damage for me to die.
G2
Opponent starts with a discard spell but has no pressure to back it up. I have all the time to play ramp spells and cantrips. Turn 5 Primeval Titan finds Field of the Dead and ends the game soon after.
G3
We both mulligan into sketchy sixes. Turn 1 Thoughtseize reveals Tamiyo, Lightning Bolt and Aftermath Analyst. I have no blue mana available and after a long consideration opponent takes the Lightning Bolt. I deploy Analyst as a blocker and opponent answers with Dauthi Voidwalker. Miracle Terminus removes both. We then keep both drawing bad and playing draw-go, until on turn 5 the opponent Demonic Tutors for Magus of the Moon. I can’t cast any spells now and die soon after.
1–2 (0–1)
Match 2 – vs 5C Scapeshift
Opponent plays turn 2 Wrenn and Six and starts looping a fetchland. I play ramp spells and an Expedition Map. Turn 4 Brightglass Gearhulk resolves, finding Tamiyo. I play the moonfolk immediately. Opponent has a removal spell for both and I continue with Omnath.
Omnath connects a few times before the opponent gets Field of the Dead active. I draw Mystical Tutor. Expedition Map finds me a Mistrise Village and I set up an uncounterable Scapeshift for the kill.
G2
Opponent keeps a better hand and starts with Baleful Strix and Leovold. On turn 3 I Intuition for Uro, Loam, and Wasteland. I recur Wasteland a couple of times and my Lightning Bolt kills Leovold. Now the opponent is color screwed, can’t play any spells and concedes.
2–0 (1–1)
Match 3 – vs Oath Lands
G1
Opponent starts with Ghost Vacuum, and counters my turn 2 Farseek. I use Prismatic Ending to deal with his Oko. Turn 4, the opponent just plays a tapped land and passes. End of turn my Intuition resolves, I find Witch Enchanter, Sowing Mycospawn, and Brightglass Gearhulk — I get the Witch.
I untap and play Minsc & Boo, still no other counterspell. The Witch is now used as a land. The opponent Mystical Tutors for Crop Rotation, which finds Karakas. Hamster is dealt with, but now I play Primeval Titan, finding Field of the Dead and Wasteland. Opponent plays Oath of Druids, but concedes rather than waits to see what it provides as I attack for 10 and find my own Karakas.
G2
Opponent opens with Mox Diamond, discarding Dark Depths. His surveil land mills Thespian’s Stage. My turn 3 Uro ramps me and pushes my life total over 20.
The opponent has Glacierwood Siege and plays Stage from the grave. I have Endurance, Get Lost, and Terminus in hand and pass with 5 mana. On upkeep, I cast Endurance, but the opponent has a counterspell. I then use Get Lost to destroy the Siege. Unfortunately, the opponent has a Sevinne’s Reclamation and returns Dark Depths, but he doesn’t have enough mana to combo immediately.
I escape Uro and pass. Prismatic Ending deals with my giant, and opponent passes with the combo ready. I answer with Minsc & Boo, Crucible of Worlds and Zuran Orb. End of turn, Marit Lage enters the play.
Opponent Wargates for Oko and Zuran Orb turns into an elk. I take 20. Boo and the Elk kill Oko and I fling the hamster to the opponent’s face to draw 4. I get lucky and draw both Fastbond and Enlightened Tutor. Terminus clears Marit Lage and puts Orb back into my deck.
Opponent flashbacks Sevinne’s Reclamation and returns Oko] and Siege. On my upkeep Enlightened Tutor finds the Zuran Orb and I kill the opponent with my own combo.
2–0 (2–1)
Match 4 – vs Jund Aggro
G1
Opponent starts with a Wildfire Wickerfolk and Hexdrinker. I play a ramp spell and turn 3 Minsc & Boo and a 4/4 hamster stop the aggression. I shoot the hamster at Hexdrinker and Bring to Light for Titania. Titania lives through a turn cycle, so I Wargate for Zuran Orb and opponent concedes.
G2
I keep a risky slow hand with Oko and decent 4-drops. Turns out, the opponent is playing the aggro version of Jund. Thoughtseize takes Oko and then the opponent just keeps playing creatures. I don’t draw anything to play before turn 4. Sowing Mycospawn is my only spell of the game. The opponent has a removal spell and now I’m too far behind to stabilize anymore so I concede to save time.
G3
Opponent is mana-screwed with one land and Elves of Deep Shadow. I have Scapeshift in hand, so I just need to survive and dodge a discard spell. I Demonic Tutor for Uro to ramp and gain some life. The opponent has an Emperor of Bones to deal with the giant.
Finally the opponent finds a land and casts Screaming Nemesis. I take a hit once and then have Endurance and Haywire Mite to block. Revitalizing Repast is used as a combat trick when Endurance blocks the Nemesis. Hardcast Terminus clears the board, and thanks to Elves of Deep Shadow, the opponent is down to 18. So when I hit 7 lands, my Scapeshift is lethal.
2–1 (3–1)
Match 5 – vs UR Tempo
https://mtgtop8.com/event?e=72677&d=751388&f=HIGH
G1
I start with Quandrix Apprentice, which is immediately removed with Stomp. Turn 3 neither of us plays anything. On turn 4 I cast Sowing Mycospawn, finding Mistrise Village. Mana Drain counters the eldrazi and the extra mana is used for Bonecrusher Giant and Young Pyromancer while leaving counter mana up. I play some uncounterable removal spells but can’t find any real action. The opponent has cantrips to make a couple of elementals.
Eventually the opponent finds an Ethereal Forager, which I remove with Get Lost at the beginning of combat. Opponent starts immediately using Map tokens and forgets to attack with his other creatures. Then he casts Portent and forgets to draw.
Opponent’s mistakes end up not mattering, as one of the explores revealed Magus of the Moon. When the wizard is cast I basically lose on the spot.
G2
Opponent plays turn 2 Winter Moon. I have a Plains and find a Forest with Expedition Map. I also draw enough other lands to keep casting my spells.
The opponent continues with a Slickshot Show-Off. He casts all his spells before attacking and I get the chance to block and trade with an Endurance. Now the opponent is tapped out and I resolve Brightglass Gearhulk, finding Haywire Mite and Tamiyo. Opponent continues the pressure with Sprite Dragon. Tamiyo ends up chump blocking and Mite removes the Winter Moon.
And when I start believing in stabilizing and winning the damage race, the opponent suddenly plays Price of Progress for 10 and I die to the dragon attacking.
0–2 (3–2)
Match 6 – vs Abzan Survival
https://www.topdecked.com/decks/abzan-survival/454ee4dd-98d4-4e58-95a5-141024ce2456
G1
The opponent has turn 2 Survival of the Fittest. I remove it immediately with Leyline Binding. After the enchantment, the opponent plays no relevant spells or has any pressure. I use Bring to Light for Titania as a ramp spell and then Scapeshift for 21 damage.
G2
I think I have a good start, Tamiyo into Farseek into Minsc & Boo. Unfortunately I draw no interaction. The opponent yet again has Survival, he tutors for Samwise Gamgee, Cauldron Familiar, and Carrion Feeder. I can’t do anything to stop the combo and the hamster aggro isn’t fast enough.
G3
The opponent keeps a one-lander with Aether Vial. I open with Quandrix Apprentice. They vial in Guide of Souls, play Cauldron Familiar and miss a land. I cast cantrips and Apprentice finds me more lands.
Opponent attacks with the cat. I block and they vial in Orcish Bowmasters, killing the Apprentice. I play Crucible of Worlds and pass with Path to Exile ready. Vialed Skyclave Apparition eats my Crucible and I remove the Bowmaster end of turn. I play The One Ring and draw nothing relevant. Opponent now finds his third land and Aether Vial brings Brightglass Gearhulk to the table. He finds Ocelot Pride and Haywire Mite and plays both. Mite removes the Ring and Guide of Souls attacks just to grow.
I fail to draw Terminus. The opponent attacks everything and to my surprise, it’s exactly lethal damage.
1–2 (3–3)
Final Thoughts
All in all, my results were nothing special. I lost a couple of games to powerful non-basic land hate — something that’s expected once in a while when playing a Lands deck.
Nevertheless, the trip was a blast. I was happy to see that so many people from different countries had come to play Highlander and everyone I met was very friendly. The tournament itself ran very smoothly. Finally, the venue was one of the best I’ve ever been to at a Magic tournament.
Big Thanks to the organizers — I hope I’ll someday get to visit Prague again for another Highlander tournament! Děkuji!
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