Eldritch Moon Game Day

Eldritch Moon Game Day

Written by Jared Meeks


Eldritch Moon was the fourth Game Day that I've been able to attend. I consider myself a good player, but not as polished as many in our club. I make mistakes and end up learning the hard way: making Top 8 only to be short-lived and knocked out in the first round.

I recently took a break from Standard to dive into Modern, but always enjoyed playing Game Day.

I also wanted to use one of the new cards in the format: Spell Queller!

Blue/White is a colour combination that I love, and this is a do-it-all card. Flash? Check. Removal? Check. Evasion? Check. What better way to play this card than with a host of supporting Spirits and Archangel Avacyn at the top of my curve.

Here's the deck I registered:



This is a strong tempo deck due to cheap, evasive flyers. An early Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit can get big enough to put your opponent on a short clock.

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Round One – Green Black Delerium

Aside from my opponent turning on Delirium by turn four in both games, I stayed ahead by resolving the cheap fliers, and stopping a Mindwrack Demon from resolving with Spell Queller.

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Round Two – Red Green Ramp

I felt favored to win if I could be fast enough, and hold onto Spell Queller for the sweepers.

I took game one with the speed of my creatures before my opponent could resolve an Eldrazi big enough to take over.

In game two, my opponent sideboards out the high-costed Eldrazi in favor of low-costed burn and Dragonlord Atarka. They smoked all my threats early, and a misplay of me not countering Dragonlord Atarka with Summary Dismissal led to my first loss of the day.

Game three turns out intense, coming right down to it. After chipping away at him all game, he was down to only 2 life, and managed to resolve a five-damage Kozilek's Return into World Breaker. I'm now at 17 life to his 2, with a Rattlechains in hand, staring down a huge Eldrazi with Reach. He chooses to attack me, leaving himself open for a flashed in Rattlechains on his end step, which swings for lethal damage and takes the match.

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Round Three – Red Green Werewolves

I feel this deck could be fast enough to keep up, but lacks ways to interact with my creatures.

Game one, I was just able to stay ahead. No interaction with my fliers ends the game.

Game two, my opponent mulligans to 5, and is forced to keep a one-land hand. They didn’t draw into any more until the game was over, resulting in a quick 2-0 victory.

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Round Four – Mirror Match

I wasn't expecting a mirror. I was finding out first hand how hard it is to play against Spirits and Spell Queller, in particular. I was able to stay one step ahead of my opponent by playing everything I needed on-curve. My opponent didn't make any mistakes, but just couldn't gain ground. Kudos to her, and the great games.

The fourth round is taken 2-0.

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Round Five – White Black Angel Control

I feel that this is my worst match-up. Our first game results in missed opportunities on both sides, and I make a few critical mistakes, getting sweeped by Languish, resulting in a loss.

Game two, I draw better: speed and Spell Queller, which I eventually get around my opponent’s removal. I take game two.

Unfortunately, due to the pace of the first two games, we go to turns. Neither of us could close out the game.

The fifth round is a draw.

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Making the Cut to Top 8

After five rounds, I sit on top of the leaderboard, with my son in second. If the stars align, there could be a father vs. son finals.

Top 8 consisted of a Green Black Delirium, White Red Humans, Esper Tree, Green Black Emerg, Red Green Ramp, a pair of Black White Angels and me on Spirits.

The quarterfinals panned out as:

  • Blue White Spirits vs. Green Black Emerg
  • White Red Humans vs. Esper Tree
  • White Black Angels vs. Red Green Ramp
  • Green Black Delirium vs. White Black Angels
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Quarterfinals

The quarterfinals go quickly, with Spirits defeating Emerg, Angels defeating Delirium, and Humans beating Esper.

The Ramp versus Angels match-up, in my opinion, was the best of the day, with it going to game three. The resolution of an Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger into Emrakul, the Promised End resulted in a devastating close of the match. There wasn't a better match that day that I had played or watched, in my opinion.

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Semifinals

In the semifinals, I was matched against the Red Green Ramp, and my son played Humans vs. Black White Angels. In both games I played against Ramp, I got optimal draws.

I close out the semifinals 2-0, and watch as the Angels sweep away the Humans with their mass removal package in the other semifinal.

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Finals

The finals would be my Spirits versus the Angel control deck I played in the last round of Swiss.

Game Day - Finals - Game 1

Game one was a hard fought battle in which I felt in control. I did make a mistake: attempting to end the game with a Sorin, Grim Nemesis in play. Getting my opponent to 1 life was as close as I could come, and I eventually lost to the card advantage from the Planeswalker.

In game two, I was able to keep ahead of the removal and beat my opponent down for the win.

Game Day - Finals - Game 3

Game three was similar to game one: frustrating removal and Planeswalkers. I was able to punch through the threats presented, and with my opponent looking at Rattlechains, a Selfless Spirit, and a Spell Queller with 6 life, he made a bad judgement call: conceding the game and scooping, thinking that Languish was no good.

It’s unknown, had the card in his hand resolved, if he would have gone on to win that game, or if the Selfless Spirit and Rattlechains I was holding on to would have been able to get those final bits of damage in.

I take the match as a result, 2-1.

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Conclusion

All in all, it was an excellent day of Magic.

It's bittersweet winning, having a club that plays so close with one another. Seeing my son, who has played in every Game Day since Dragons of Tarkir, in the Top 4 is just awesome. The friends that I played against are also the group I play with regularly, and I thank the guys who let me use their cards to win.

Now, I look forward to many more games, sitting around my table, trying to convince everyone to take out Peter first!

Game Day - Winner


Written by Jared Meeks

Edited by Jeremy Hughes


Eldritch Moon Game Day took place at the Fort Frances Public Library Technology Centre as part of the Public Library Players League on August 13th, 2016.

23 Players participated, playing 5 rounds of Swiss, followed by a cut to single-elimination Top 8.

Official Wizards of the Coast prize support was provided by The GameShelf in Thunder Bay.


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Deck Lists - Top 8

Game Day - Eldritch Moon


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