Round 1: vs America Control

I won the die roll and he mulled down to 4 cards.  I actually didn't see much and didn't see what he was playing.  I took the first game pretty quickly.  I boarded in the Eidolons and just figured he was going to bring in removal or burn.  In game 2, I just had a great hand.  Turn 1 Rakdos Cackler, turn 2 Ash Zealot, and then turn 3 with a Burning-Tree Emissary and a Hall of Triumph.  He never saw what he was looking for.  I go off thinking that it's going to be a great day sitting 1-0.

Round 2: vs Mono-black Aggro

I'm on the play game 1.  Once I see the swamp and the 1 drop, I know it's going to be rough.  We get to an even board state and he swings with everything to bring me to two.  I put down a 2nd Rabblemaster and the extra goblin token gives me the win.  In the 2nd game, I rush towards the finish, but forget about his Mutavaults and overextend, ending up in a loss.  Game 3 goes a lot like game 1.  It's a crowded board and I decide not to swing, but he drops a Mogis Marauder and the intimidate gets him through to the win.  I'm at 1-1, realizing that it's not going to be easy today.

Round 3: vs BUG Control

In game 1, he gets 2 Coursers on the board and then drops a Jace, AoT.  I play some of it out to see what else he's got.  Game 2, he's got a lot of removal and I play a Rabblemaster right into a Dissolve and it's all downhill from there.  At 1-2, I start thinking that it's going to be a long day.

Round 4: vs Mono-blue Aggro

This was actually the first Mono-blue Aggro deck that I've played against.  He won the die roll and just played an island.  He then proceeds to play a Tidebinder Mage his next three turns.  I boarded in Magma Spray, Boros Reckoner, and my other Hall of Triumph.  I have a quick opening hand, playing 2 BTE's on turn 2 and a Hall of Triumph on turn 3.  In game 3, he's stuck on 2 Islands.  All he does is play Turn to Frog, which just delays the inevitable.  I'm at 2-2, feeling a lot better.

Round 5: vs Jund Monsters

Another deck that I haven't really seen or play against.  The deck seemed to run a lot of hate for Rabble Red, running Anger of the Gods in the main board.  In game 1, I got him down to three, but then he cleared the board with Anger of the Gods.  I didn't see the burn to get me there.  Game 2 goes a lot more favorably.  I don't empty out and finish the game with a Stoke the Flames for the win.  In game 3, he gets two coursers out and that's all she wrote.  Sitting at 2-3, I decide with the next loss that I'm cutting and going to go do a side event instead of wasting my time.

Round 6: vs Mono-black Devotion

I didn't actually get to see what he was playing.  In game 1 he had a turn 1 Thoughtseize, taking my Lightning Strike.  The next three lands he played were Mutavaults, which he was forced to activate to block, which I got over with a Rubblebelt Maaka.  I took the game pretty quickly.  In game 2, I had a turn 2 Ash Zealot out and never found his removal.  I go 3-3, feeling a lot more relieved.   I actually start thinking that I can finish the tournament with a positive win-loss ratio.

Round 7: vs America Control

I win game 1 without much interaction.  I haven't played against it before, but I figured that Eidolons and Skullcracks were good to board in.  In the second game, I was able to burn through for the win.

Round 8: vs UW Control

This is a deck that I have played against and understand pretty well what I have to do.  I took game one pretty quickly.  In game 2, I managed to bait him into blocking with his ram into a Rubblebelt Maaka and kept the Skullcrack I had in my opening hand to stop his Sphinx's Revelation.  My opponent was a little rude after this match, but I guess not everyone's going to be a good sport about things.

Round 9: vs Boros Burn

He was on the play and dropped a Temple of Triumph turn 1, I figured he was running burn.  Game 1 went my way pretty quickly, luckily having Hall of Triumph in my opening hand.  Game 2 was a lot closer, but he did a lot of damage to himself with painlands.  It ended up him being at 4 while I was at 6, but I finally drew the Eidolon and that was all wrote.  I finally feel good.  I got through a tough match-up and had a real chance of making top 64.

Round 10: vs RG Monsters

Game 1 went my way in the standard fashion.  He didn't see a Courser or any mana dorks.  I board in Boros Reckoner and Mizzium Mortars.  In game 2, I get him down to 5, but don't see a way out.  In game 3, I see so much pump.  He blocks and didn't see it coming.  He draws dirt in his last two turns and I'm able to put it away for the win.

Match 1 vs Boros Burn:

The first game went pretty quickly.  I had a great opening hand, sitting on two Burning-Tree Emissaries.  I draw a third one on turn 2 and put them all down on the board with my turn 1 Foundry Street Denizen going to 4/1.  He burns down some of my creatures but I took the game on turn 4.  I board out all my Firedrinker Satyrs and Foundry Street Denizens, putting in 4 Eidolon of the Great Revel, Searing Blood, and Magma Spray.  In game 2, I get his Young Pyromancer with a Searing Blood and then put an Eidolon on the board that he's forced to deal with.  He ends up not seeing any of his sideboard and I take the game.  I misplayed at the end though.  I brought in a second Burning-Tree Emissary, but didn't use it to convoke for Stoke the Flames, leaving me with only one attacker and the opponent down to 3 life.  It didn't matter enough since I was so far ahead, but it was the kind of sloppy play that I need to stay away from.

Match 2 vs Mono-White Aggro

When she dropped her second plains in game 1, I didn't really know what to expect.  It ended up being an aggro deck that powered up her using Ethereal Armor and some other spells.  I was pretty unfamiliar with what it could do and wasn't sure if she had nothing in her hand, so I tapped out all my creatures to attack her bringing her down enough to finish her on the next turn.  She then manages to get her creature powerful enough to do lethal and I'm sitting there stunned.  I board in Searing Blood, Magma Spray, and Mizzium Mortars hoping to bring down her creatures before they come in.  In games 2 and 3, the game works out in my favor and she doesn't have enough land/cards to make it happen for her.

Match 3 G/u Devotion

I take game one pretty quickly.  A courser is dropped, but I'm able to get around it.  In game two, I keep a 1 land hand.  I figured I have two 1-drops, Burning-Tree Emissary, and a Titan's Strength.  I guessed that I'd be able to swing on turn 2 with a Rakdos Cackler, play the Titan's Strength, and scry to see if the land is there or not.  I knew it was risky but I felt that I could play it.  The Rakdos Cackler ended up getting hit with a Cyclonic Rift and I couldn't scry.  The game's all downhill from there.  In the third game, I brought a Rabble Master out on turn 3 and it was all there for me.  I think that I may have made a mistake by not tapping out some of the goblin tokens for a Stoke the Flames, but it wouldn't have affected the outcome of this match either way.

Match 4 vs Junk

This was another deck I was unsure about.  I didn't really understand what he was trying to do at first and ended giving up game 1 after he stabilized the board at 2 life with 2 Coursers and a Blood Baron.  I board in the Eidolon of the Great Revel, Skullcracks, and 2 Mizzium Mortars, taking out Foundry Street Denizens, Lightning Strike and 2 Rakdos Cacklers.  The next two games, I race him.  The Eidolon of the Great Revel draws out his removal early and I take the games when he can't find what he needs.

Match 5 vs Selesnya Aggro

This is probably the hardest match-up of the night.  In game one, I straight up lost to Voice of Resurgence.  I board in the Magma Spray and Searing Blood.  In game 2, it comes down to the wire.  I have 7 life left and she's at 6.  I put myself in a position where I can swing lethal next turn, but tap out for it, thinking she can't do 7.  She ends up swinging for 5 and I say, "No blocks."  She then says she does 5 damage.  When I write down my life total in my notes she realizes that I'm at two and realizes that she could have played the Selesnya Charm for lethal.  I don't say anything at this point , but she says that we were past the damage point and that she misplayed.  I would have been okay letting her play it, since I didn't think we were past that point, but I just let her decide it on her own.  I took the game next turn and then beat her in the third game after she mulliganed to 5.  I felt a little guilty after it all, but a win's a win.

In the end, it felt good being a winner.  I know that I'm getting better, but I'm still making a few mistakes and need to play tighter.  Here are the few things that I need to work on:

 Making sure that I pay tighter

Calculating damage that I'm doing so I'm not overextending, especially against other decks

I need to be more aggressive with my mulligans against control decks

Making sure that I'm convoking with the right creatures and that I'm doing it after the goblin tokens come in from Rabblemaster

Match 1 vs Gb Devotion

This was a little bit of a grudge match since it was the same guy who eliminated me from a top 4 finish the week before.  Anyway, the first game I'm on the draw.  He hits Elvish Mystic on turn 1 while I play a Rakdos Cackler.  Turn 2 he plays a Courser of Kruphix.  On my turn I play a 2nd mountain and tap one for a Legion Loyalist.  I swing with both and he blocks the Loyalist with the Courser but I catch him with a Rubblebelt Maaka.  After that, he's behind on his curve I flood the board for a win.  I board in Mizzium Mortars, Skullcrack and Seismic Stomp.  I take out Foundry Street Denizen and two Burning-Tree Emissaries.

Game 2 goes much the same way.  Firefist Strike is holding off his blocks.  He stabilizes the board turn 5 with 7 life and Polukranos hits the board.  I play a Lightning Strike on my turn 5 and hold off attacking.  He draws dirt and I topdeck a Seismic Stomp to get past everything for the win.

Match 2 vs Esper Control/Mill(?)

I won the first game straight-forwardly with creatures.  I made a minor misplay by not swinging with one of my creatures one turn, but it was too late in the game for it to matter.  After that, I board out Foundry Street Denizen for Eidolon of the Great Revel.  I also take out some pump for Mizzium Mortars.  The 2nd game went the same way.  He had a wall up but I brought it down with a Mizzium Mortars after a block.  For the rest of the game he doesn't have what he's looking for and I plow through.

Match 3 vs White Weenie

I haven't seen a mono-white deck since I've started playing so I didn't know what to expect when I saw what it was.  I took game 1 really quick.  He played a few creatures but I burned them down and my creatures swing to the face.  Game 2, I bring him down to 8, but then he drops two Fiendslayer Paladins and I can't do anything about them so he eventually takes the win.  Game 3, I'm finally on the play.  I bring down his life total pretty fast but then he manages to stabilize the board with a Brimaz, but I burn his other creatures.  I put down a second Rabblemaster on the board and my tokens with some burn become too much for him.

Match 4 vs Bw Control

This match was against one of the more competitive players at the shop.   Anyway, first game and he's on the draw.  I make a huge misplay by emptying out my hand looking to finish next turn, but straight into a Supreme Verdict.  He finishes me off with Elspeth tokens.  While ruminating my poor decision making, I take out Foundry Street Denizen and two Ash Zealots for Skullcrack and Eidolon of the Great Revel.

Game 2 goes a lot better.  I get him down to 7.  He has blockers up and cracks an Elixir of Immortality, but it's not enough after getting Rabblemaster on the board.  Game 3, I don't make any changes.  I have a great hand with two mountains, two Ash Zealots, a Burning-Tree Emmissary and a Firefist Striker and a Rakdos Cackler.  It's too much for him too quickly and he doesn't draw an answer.

Match 5 vs Jund Constellation

To be honest, I've never seen or heard of a constellation deck.  I had no idea what I was doing against it or what to sideboard in.  I took the first game with no surprises, but I can't handle his board.  He's got a lot of removal that wrecks me and I can't get past the Caryatid after that.  The last two games go to him with me being unable to put any real pressure on him.