Mathew Kelly (1) vs Attila Fur (5)
Live from Anime Hypercubed in Camrose
Game 1:
Mathew as first seed enjoys the play throughout the top 8, and has a strong start in by leading off with an Attune with Aether from a Botanical Sanctum into an Attune with Aether for a Mountain. Attila responds with a Spirebluff Canal and settles in for a longer game.
Mathew spends the next turn playing a tapped Lumbering Falls, and Attila continues to pass turns while playing lands. Mathew plays a second Attune, getting him closer to the crucial 6 energy.
Mathew passes turn 4 with a Marvel and Negate in his hand declining to play his Marvel without the requisite 6 energy. When turn 5 comes around, Mathew casts the Marvel which is quickly met with a Disallow.
Mathew then attacks for 3 using the Lumbering Falls and appears to be flooding out. Attila replies with a 5 mana Pull from Tomorrow, and seems to be ready to play the longer game. The next turn after Mathew passes, Attila throws out a Glimmer of Genius, and after another pass from Mathew he plays a second.
Attila cycles a Censor that seems less effective now that neither player has missed a land drop, however Attila has drawn several more cards and finds a Wandering Fumerole to potentially answer the Lumbering Falls.
The posturing now begins for a longer counter war, and Mathew renews his pressure from the Lumbering Falls, which is met by a Torrential Gearhulk. The Gearhulk falls quickly to a Harnessed Lightning, however Attila again draw a pair of cards. It seems that Mathew needs this Lumbering Falls to go the distance.
The Wandering Fumerole manages to trade with the unchecked Lumbering Falls, and a turn later that seems to hold true.
A Glimmer of Genius offers a chance for Mathew to start to pull back in the card race, but is met by a Negate from Attila out of his well stocked hand.
A second Wandering Fumerole is played and ends up trading with a Harnessed Lightning
Yet another Glimmer of Genius hits for Attila, and Attila starts to go to discard, albeit discarding a pair of seemingly useless Magma Sprays
Mathew starts to play running Woodweaver’s Puzzleknots, and soon reaches 35 life. Finally Attila seems to has found a threat that sticks as he casts a Torrential Gearhulk into Glimmer of Genius that goes unanswered that seems to signal an (eventual) conclusion.
This time Attila discards a pair of Harnessed Lightnings, and Mathew casts the 4th Woodweaver’s Puzzleknot, now getting up back up to 34 life, extending the game yet another turn.
Attila plays a Hieroglyphic Illumination as a change of pace, discarding a land this time as the Torrential Gearhulk slowly chips away at the large buffer of life that Mathew has given himself
Mathew continues to play land, as the player exclaim that Mathew has finally fallen below 20 life.
A second Gearhulk hits the board, and at this point one has to wonder how many Glimmers of Genius one has to show before it just becomes Genius.
Attila closes out the game in 2 short turns and Mathew’s 14 lands can’t slow the torrent of damage coming his way.
Attila wins game 1
Between games the players maintain the jovial atmosphere as they discuss the logistics of a “make out party”, which seems like it may happen in international waters.
Game 2:
Mathew chooses the play again in game 2 and keeps a hand with an Attune with Aether, Tireless Tracker, and Chandra Flamecaller, which seems like it may work out for him as Attila mulligans to 4.
Attila plays a pair of lands, missing his 3rd land as a Tireless Tracker enters play and creates a clue. Attila casts a Magma Spray to stem the bleeding, but isn’t prepared for the Tireless Tracker that follows. Mathew begins to sacrifice clues and attack, and Attila finds his 3rd land but no immediate answer to the Tracker. Mathew’s hand seems to be fairly stocked as he throws a Glimmer of Genius into a Negate while holding Chandra Flamecaller, Torrential Gearhulk, Ulamog the Ceaseless Hunger, Negate, and lands to spare.
A second Glimmer of Genius is cast the next turn which resolves, and this game seems like it may come to a quick conclusion.
Two turns later, the tracker comes in for the 5th time and ends the game in short order.
Mathew wins game 2, match 1-1
Game 3:
Attila plays a land while Mathew starts up with another Forest into Attune with Aether. Attila plays another land and passes while Mathew plays a Woodweaver’s Puzzleknot. Attila plays a 3rd land and passes while a Rogue Refiner joins his board. This one does not go unanswered as Attila quickly sends it to exile with a Magma Spray.
Mathew passes his turn 4 and Attila attempts a Glimmer of Genius. Mathew uses the opportunity to resolve his own Glimmer, and Attila passes his next turn. This time Attila uses a Hieroglyphic Illuminations to draw 2, then discards on his turn.
Mathew continues to make his land drops, and next turn when Attila goes for his draw 2 of choice (Hieroglyphic Illuminations) Mathew uses the opportunity to resolve a Torrential Gearhulk and Glimmer of Genius of his own. The Gearhulk is met with a Harnessed Lightning, and when Mathew follows up with a Rogue Refiner it goes unanswered.
Both players now seem content to draw cards as a pair of Glimmer’s are fired off both ways, and the Rogue Refiner meets a Magma Spray and the game seems relatively even as both players are passing turns with 7 cards in hand.
Attila seems to break serve by playing a Kefnet, however Mathew seems to have a great answer in World Breaker. When the Essence Scatter comes out from Attila, it seems very likely this Kefnet will be doing a lot of damage this game.
After Attila plays another land and passes, Mathew plays a second World Breaker and exiles another land. Attila is still able to play a 6th land, and a 7th the turn after as a Tireless Tracker and Chandra Flamecaller meet a pair of counterspells, preventing Kefnet from being a factor for now. A turn later a second Flamecaller comes down and attacks for 7 and Attila can only pay 4 mana and draw.
The next turn Attila is able to activate again, and after picking up a land, then activating again on his turn he is suddenly back up to 7 cards despite being at 3 so recently, and the Kefnet is able to take out the Chandra before she can do significant damage to Attila’s life total.
A Tireless Tracker comes down to give Mathew a stronger presence and on a clue Trigger a Magma Spray leads to a counter war where both players throw out a pair of Negates / Dispels, but ultimately the Tracker is exiled and it seems that Attila has been able to stabilize.
Or at least it seemed that way until Ulamog is cast and threatens to exile the Kefnet and a land. Attila’s reactive Glimmer is met with a Dispel which is immediately Censored. As Attila scrys and draws he laments choosing the Dispel over the Ulamog itself a it seems the 10/10 indestructible attacker that exiles 20 cards on attack may be difficult to deal with.
A Torrential Gearhulk comes down the next turn and draws a pair of cards, but Attila has neither the life total or the library to deal with the Ceaseless Hunger and Mathew advances to the finals as the two discuss how neither player was happy with how they played the Ulamog turn.
Mathew Kelly wins 2-1