I have always considered myself to be a decent magic player; Decent, but not good. I have always considered myself an “FNM Superstar”, that guy who could pretty easily dominate an FNM or local tournament if I set my mind to it. With one PTQ top 4, (http://mtgontario.com/index.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=5596&highlight=) I never had any delusions of grandeur. That being said, I DO consider myself to be an above average deck builder. Many decks that I have built or tuned have gone on to do very well on a higher level. I’ve even had the pleasure to work with some great pro’s as a play tester and deck builder (Every group has one).
With all that being said, I haven’t played “competitive” magic in about 3 years. With the opening of my store (OMG! Games and Collectibles) playing has fallen by the wayside. Yes I had decks, and yes I played, but not at the level I had in the past, and to be honest my heart really wasn’t into it the same way. I’d play in an event here and their to even out the brackets, but I’d rarely play anything that would be even considered rogue good. That all changed about 3 months ago.
My local players (shout out to Terry Steier, Dave Neganiwina, Joe Salmon, Jimmy Ferreira, Adam Leber, Mike Sitko and EVEN Paul Switzer) started getting ready for the release of Rise of the Eldrazi. The group was feverishly starting to construct decks for the new standard environment, and as the local storeowner, I was trying to help build (and supply cards) for decks. Being back around deck building and seeing the excitement brewing really got my creative juices flowing. Helping come up with creative and new ideas with the soon to be released cards got the competitive fires restarted. It got me thinking and playing and looking at cards again not just as a storeowner, but also as a player. With that, it looked like I was on an adventure again.

Now I know that everyone has their own way of looking at “new decks” and I am no different. “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it”: I always look back before looking forward. In a metagame that was CURRENTLY dominated by JUND, what worked? I looked back through the decks that were made to beat Jund, and I finally came across Matt Mealing’s TRAP deck from regional championships last year. Why couldn’t this work again? Why couldn’t this deck be tweaked to be great again? Next, I started looking at the decks that were out there that were performing (and that were about to get a boost from ROE) to see what worked and what didn’t. As the weeks went on we started to see decks like Super friends (Walkers), U/W TAPOUT, Grixis Control and Kenji Tsumura’s Poly Deck start to push to the top of qualifiers and events worldwide. The Trap deck would have to morph itself into more than just an agro deck with a twist. It would have to become a toolbox that could deal with a myriad of different outs and answers for every occasion. The list finally settled 4 days before the event, and it looked like a dog’s breakfast.

Moustache Rides Trap (or MR T For short)
4 x Noble Hierarch
3 x Birds of Paradise
4 x Knight of Reliquary
4 x Harrow
3 x Negate
3 x Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 x Gideon Jura
4 x Summoners Trap
2 x Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
1 x Ulamog, The Infinite Gyre
2 x Kederekt Leviathan
2 x Iona, Shield of Emeria
3 x Baneslayer Angel
7 x Forest
4 x Plains
4 x Island
1 x Stirring Wildwood
4 x Misty Rainforest
1 x Marsh Flats
1 x Verdant Catacombs
2 x Sumpetal Grove
1 x Sejiri Steppe

SB:
4 x Flash Freeze
4 x Meddling Mage
2 x Oblivion Ring
3 x Day of Judgement
2 x Telemin Performance

Explaining some Card Choices:
Kederekt Leviathan: Lets call out the elephant in the room right now. This card seems SOOOO bad, but its INCREDIBLY good. Infact, I don’t honestly know why it hasn’t seem more sideboard play for decks like TAPOUT. It bounces Planeswalkers, its wraths tokens, it UNEARTHS and swings almost unopposed for a fast 5 damage, and at end of turn it can devastate just about any board state. Oh yeah, it also frees up things that have been Oblivion ringed. This card is a HOUSE. Doesn’t make it good, but it’s a house.

Emrakul: This should be obvious. An end of turn Emrakul usually spells game.

Ulamog: In retrospect, I think I would swap this out for another Gideon Jura. I usually ended up siding this card out, so having another playable would have been nice.

Harrow: Yes I know that LOTUS COBRA can be strictly better. Yes I know that I’m playing in a format with LOTS of counters. So why play it? Well, no one else is so it’s the perfect time to play it. Also, with so many turn 1 “Birds” effects, turn two Harrows usually came with them having no mana for a counter. Lastly, in many cases I was able to play out triple green or Green / White mana and get them to play into a negate of my own with a well-timed Harrow.

Meddling Mage: He hasn’t seen much love since he was reprinted. With so many decks waiting on “one card wins” like polymorph, and decks relying on card advantage to get their answers (like fishing for 1 or 2 of Day of Judgement, into the Roil or Martial Coup), Meddling Mage seems like a card that can really shut down decks.

With my deck now finished and ready, I went about the task of getting back into the “mindset” of being a Competitive magic player. I wont go into detail, but If your ever preparing for an event, I HIGHLY recommend reading Next Level Magic by Patrick Chapin. Though you (and I) may not always agree with WHAT he’s saying, the meaning and the thinking behind it is VERY good, and can really make a difference in your play. I would especially recommend his section on “HOW TO MULLIGAN”, and Jedi Mind Tricks. I also read a great article on ChannelFireball.com about how to be decisive not only in deck construction, but in playing (http://strategy.channelfireball.com/featured-articles/in-development-decisive-deck-design/). I really found the part on OODA loops a really great trick for not missing activations and keeping your play tighter. Also, taking detailed notes on your match (whether for a report or just to keep you on track) is never a bad idea. In more than one instance during the tournament I used them to determine proper life totals, land plays and generally keeping people honest.

NOW, on to the event.

After getting a good 7 hours sleep, we set out for the venue and arrived with plenty of time to relax. It was really great to see a lot of old friends and players who come to my store on a regular basis. I don’t often get to see people outside of the store, and it was nice to stretch my legs for a bit.

Round 1: Paul R playing Polymorph.

Now before we even began Duncan came over to let me know that (like an idiot) I had forgotten to double check my deck list, and I had miss registered it. I felt dumb (as it was Summoner’s Traps that I had forgotten), but I decided that I wouldn’t let it “Tilt” me, and that I was just going to win. Paul was a really awesome guy, and while we shuffled up he mused that it’s happened to him a couple of times.
G2: We both shuffled up and went onto game two without boarding. A turn 1 birds and a turn 2 harrow birds allowed me to Trap into an Emrakul at the End of turn 5 for the win.
G3: I FINALLY get to board, and it’s a doozie. –3 Baneslayer, -1 Ulamog, -1 Knight, -1 Steppe, +4 Meddling Mage, +2 Telemin Performance. I am able to drop a turn 1 birds and a turn 2 harrow into a turn 2 meddling mage calling Polymorph. A turn 4 trap reveals a knight, and a turn 5 Jace into Meddling Mage calling Into the Roil seals it. I beat with the knight and mages for two turns, and he concedes.

Round 2: Nelson Leung playing GW Eldrazi Tokens

G1: Nelson came out of the gate very quickly with a turn 3 Garruk and a turn 4 Eldrazi Monument, but I was able to come out just as fast with a turn 3 Jace and a turn 5 Trap into Emrakul. Even though he was able to block my attack, the sacking of 6 permanents left him with no mana. Jace bounced one of his creatures, and the monument ate another, leaving him with nothing.
G2: And Explosive start for Nelson left me at 9 after the first 5 turns. Even a Trap into Iona couldn’t save me, as an eldrazi monument let him sale through for the win.
G3: Never happened. We had just started to shuffle up for game 3 when time was called. After we both mulliganed we decided to draw.

Round 3: Lucas A playing Time Sieve

G1: Remember those Jedi Mind Trix? Yeah, I had one in this game, but not entirely intentionally. Lucas had started out relatively well with a couple border posts and was playing a Kalidastone. When he played it he just naturally assumed that he’d draw his card…. except I had a counter in hand. Before I can stop him from drawing (so I can decide if I want to counter it) he draws it into his hand. At this point I was still had a few jitters, and I needed a chance to think about this spell. I also needed to make sure that I was holding my opponent to a competitive style of play. I call for a judge and wait for him to come over. He’s forced to back it up and let me decide if I’m going to counter the spell. The extra time gives me a second to collect my nerves and think about all the games I’ve played against this deck to realise that I SHOULDN’T COUNTER THIS SPELL. I let it resolve, and my opponent lets me know that (even though this is the 3rd round) he’s already gotten 4 warnings for sloppy play. This one really puts him on TILT and he never recovers. I rap into Emrakul at the end of turn 5, and he scoops.
G2: Board out: -3 baneslayers, -1 Ulamog, +4 Meddling Mage. Lucas is still rattled, and I feel bad for it. It wasn’t intentional to fry his brain, but it happened, and I can’t let the opportunity to drive home a round win go by. I hit a turn 2 meddling mage calling Time Sieve, and a turn 3 Jace yields a turn 4 knight with negate backup, and an end of turn 5 trap into Emrakul.

Round 4:Kurt Africa playing 4-colour Allies
Before we begin I call the judge because his sleeves are two different patterns (one is dull black, and one is shiny black). He gets a warning, but isn’t forged to de-sleeve. I even ask that his sideboard be fixed for a 3rd type of sleeves because of the advantage that is available but the judge doesn’t do it. He tells him to fix it after the round. Sigh.
I would recount both games but not much happened. Whether it’s the information gained off the obviously marked cards, or if he just flat-out outplayed me, he uses Kabina Evangel and Bala Ged to destroy my hand and give all his guys pro color. He mopped the floor with me in 2 games.

Round 5: Mark Playing GWU Polymorph.
G1: For the record, this was one of the 3 best games of Magic I have ever played. The one of the other two came in this event, and the third was beating Steve Tomik in a total of 5 turns over two games in my only PTQ top 4 playing Combo Goblins. I started out with a Noble Hierarch into a turn 2 knight, but a see beyond and a Jace kept him digging for answers. An end of turn 7 Iona met a main deck path to exile. I was able to negate a new Jace, but a poly into Iona calling blue seemed to have me beat…until I trapped AGAIN into an Emrakul. Turn 8 I swung in killing his Iona and eating 6 other permanents. Too bad for me on his turn Gideon comes down and kills Emrakul (and shuffling my traps back into my deck). I swing into Gideon with my Knight, but Gideon survives, and kills the knight too. And Espeth joins Marks team, and though I’m able to get him to 1, its looking bleak. A top-decked Kederekt Leviathan is able to stabilize the board, but the planeswalkers are able to come back down and a path keeps Kederekt from coming back. Its all but over except for ANOTHER top-deck Leviathan. This one gets countered, but it sets up an unearth and an Iona to lock him out of the game. The game took 52 minutes and was incredible.

Round 6: Nathan Jones playing Naya
G1: This game saw my WORST trap of the day, fighting off a turn 4 Raging Ravine attack with a Birds of Paradise. Luckily a turn 5 Jace sets up a turn 7 Attack step Emrakul to block his now 9/9 Raging Ravine (with the help of Hierarchs). A swing on my turn ends it.
G2: Board out: -3 Negate, +3 Day of Judgement. This game is determined by a turn 2 Basilisk Collar and a turn 5 cunning sparkmage. I am able to trap into a Baneslayer, but his removal is good enough for anything I have.
G3: This game is forgettable. Not because I lost, and not because I did anything amazing, its because we had gone to time. We started in the 5 turns, and with me only getting two turns my End of turn 4 Emrakul with him having only a land and a birds in play is for nothing. We are going to draw, and there is nothing I can do about it. I ask Nathan for the Concession, stating that there is no reason for us both to get knocked out, but he believes that two draws can still make it since last year some x-2’s made it. I try to show him the math that shows that x-2 is still a higher point total than x-1-2, but he just wants to take the draw. I know I’m probably out, but I am going to play it out and let fate do the rest.

Round 7: Charlie Chan playing Eldrazi Green

G1: First, I’d like to say that I ALWAYS love playing Charlie Chan. He’s a top-notch player in my books, and I always learn from watching him. He’s also been a really friendly and generally great guy to me, so I am really looking forward to this match. This game is lightning fast. I am able to ramp into a turn 3 AND turn 5 Baneslayer Angel, and I still have enough mana left to negate his overrun to win (he had 11 creatures on the table on turn 4 – Noble Heirarch, Tree Speaker, Elvish Visionary, Bestial Menace Tokens x 3, Kozilek’s Preditar, Nest invader and 3 Eldrazi token.) Baneslayer angels get there again!
G2: Board out 3 Knight of Releiquary, board in 3 Day of Judgement. Not quite the same game as game one. I have a very slow start out of a promising hand (turn 3 Jace), and he ends up overrunning with 9 creatures on turn 4. Between games I muse that my son Patrick (who is 14 years old) built that exact same deck, minus the overruns. I hate losing to it too.
G3: Board out –1 Ulamog, -1 negate, -1 Night of Reliquary, Board in +3 Flash Freeze. This is that other game I was talking about earlier (AKA in the Top 3 I’ve ever played). I am able to ramp up into a turn 4 Jace with backup Flash freeze mana (which I use), but Charlie still has 8 creatures on the same turn. His pressure sees me drop to just 6 life with 12 creatures to my 0. Its actually amusing that at the end of that turn Charlie chuckles and lets me know that he usually has a pretty good game against Mythic. I smile and untap; playing the plains I’ve been slow rolling. With just 2 cards left in his hand I put my plan to work. “Day of Judgement” I call. “What? Wow…I didn’t see THAT coming,” says Charlie. I smile again knowing that he’s not about to see any of what is about to follow coming. He ships another Leatherback Baloth to the field and makes it a 5/6 with a reef. A swing later and I’m at 1 life. A Baneslayer chump blocks me to 6, and a trapped one brings me back to 6 two turns later. Charlie then runs out the team adding a Treespeaker and a Khalani Garden both Reefed. A Jace on my side of the field finds me a SECOND Day of Judgement. Charlie seems unphased as he runs another Khalani Garden and another Treespeaker out with an elvish Visionary. It’s too bad that Jace nets me a 3RD DAY of Judgement. Jace gets down to one counter keeping him off attacking just long enough for me to hard cast Iona. Charlie takes the time to do the math, but he sees that not even an Eldrazi Monument can save him. He extends his hand in concession. This game was EPIC and a ton of fun.

Round 8: Nathan Kellar playing U/W TAPOUT
Before we started this round Nathan asked if I wanted to concede to him since he was at 16 points (and might top Cool. At this point I’ve done the math and I know that unless the top tables all draw that we’re both out. I think about it for a minute, and I can see that all the other tables are playing, so I decide to play it out. If we’re both out, might as well play it out and just split whatever prizes we get (which he agrees to).

G1: Game one I have Misty Rainforest, 2 x Heirarch, Negate, Harrow, Jace and Trap in my opening hand. Knowing the match up I decide to keep and go for it. Sometimes knowing the match up works against you however. Remembering that the TAPOUT deck doesn’t run counters I run straight into a Negate on my turn two Harrow. I never see another land.
G2: If I’m going down, I’m going down fighting. Board out -3 Baneslayer, Board in +3 Meddling Mage. This game is a quick one. Since he things I’m playing Mythic (like most do), be boards for it. I am able to ramp into an end of turn 3 Trap for Emrakul, and the game is over.
G3: Last round, don’t hold anything back right? Board out –3 Negate, -1 Gideon, -1 Meddling mage, +3 Baneslayer, +2 Telemin Performance. This one SEEMS slow, with me carefully harrowing into 5 mana at the end of turn 3. Turn 4 I untap and cast Performance. It goes 15 cards deep netting me a Wall of Omens, and milling 2 Gideon Juras and 2 Elspeth. The land I draw off the wall lets me cast a turn 5 Performance (from my opening hand), netting me another 24 cards from his library and a Sphinx of Jwar Isle. He paths his own Wall of Omens to mana fix into a turn 7 All is dust. Too much damage has been done though, as looking through his grave I can see almost all of his removal. A Gideon strolls onto my side and is met with an oblivion ring, but it doesn’t really matter. At the end of his next turn I’m able to trap into a Kederekt Leviathan, freeing Gideon to swing on my turn for 11 (putting him to 3). Another All is dust clears the board, but he knows its over as I can untap and unearth the Leviathan for the win.

At the end of the day I sit with 5 wins, 2 draws and a loss looking in from the outside. The draws put me out as I sit just two points out of Qualifying. However, I can’t really complain as I’ve had a great day and played some amazing games with some great people.

As for the deck, the only difference in what I played to what I’d play now is just –1 Ulamog for +1 Gideon. That guy is a HOUSE.

Props:
Sammy T: I know not everyone likes him, but he is (pound for pound) one of the best players in Ontario. It was some of his suggestions at our WPN Qualifier that helped shape the final version of this deck.
Duncan, Edwin and the Judge Crew: For running a tight and FAST event…Even if you DID give me a game loss for being stupid.
Charlie Chan and Mark (my 5th round polymorph opponent) for some incredible games.

Slops:
People who play decks with two difference types of sleeves and get away with it even though the judge SHOULD make him fix it.
Me: for drawing AGAIN! In the last two big events I’ve drawn 5 times. That’s at least 1 to many in my opinion.