Hello!
Last Friday I won a Mox Emerald at the 7 Point Highlander side event at the ANZ Super Series Regional Championships;
For me it was the main event as I had a friend's wedding on Saturday, congratulations Caity & Kyle!
Glenn Doyle, the tournament organiser is a founding member of the points committee and has held a huge Friday Highlander each RC, adding 3 major 7PH events to the calendar, which has been fantastic.
On Friday we had 88 players, not as spectacular as this year's 198 player 7PH National Championships but considering this side event was held on a working day, it was a great showing.
DECK CHOICE - GOBLINS
No brilliant metagame decision or innovations here. I was up until 1:30am the two nights prior trying to get my Jund Survival of the Fittest brew to tournament level but I failed. I had an untested deck, half a sideboard plan and a sleep defecit.
My mates Brooksey and Brayden offered to pick me up on the way to the venue in the morning, which I was and am very grateful for because I'm currently in a moonboot from a sporting injury. As is custom we hit up one of Melbourne's many great cafe's for breakfast, True North. "Large latte and a reuben thanks". I was awkwardly fumbling around with my crutches and longbox of half sleeved cards at the table until Brayden, another Goblin afficionado, cleared his throat and bene gesserit commanded "just play Goblins dude", and so I did.
I initially built Goblins in mid 2018 with verve from the printing of Squee, the Immortal in Dominaria. I wanted to go infinite with Food Chain + Goblin Recruiter into Goblin Ringleader into Squee, etc. I took that build to the following CanCon and did poorly.
There was new hope for the deck to come; During the pandemic in July 2020, Conspicuous Snoop and Muxus, Goblin Grandee were printed, taking the deck to a whole nother level. My first big result was winning an Underground Sea between lockdowns at Maze of Fitzroy's 'Moxing Day' weekend in Dec 2020 . A few months later I wrote a primer on this blog and Kokey helped me port it onto the 7PH website.
Since then the number of goblin players has grown to a small warren and a steady trickle of new goblins have been printed, culminating to the list I ran on Friday:
Moxfield link: LUKE MULCAHY GOBLINS ANZ SS Fri 08-03-2024
THE TOURNAMENT
I hobble out of the cafe on my crutches. Brooksey needs to move his car and offers me a lift, "nah, the venue's just over there, I'll be right thanks". He leaves. I'm very wrong. We're actually a couple blocks downhill from the venue and it's 30°C at 10am. Bit of exercise to get the blood pumping I guess!
Brooksey navigates traffic, finds a park and still beats us to the venue. When we arrive he's checking the vendors for a Nuka-Cola Vending Machine for his food deck. Adding a little hype to the tournament, the Fallout set was release that day, which made it legal for the tournament and only available in sealed precon$. $houtout to Violet Lou top8'ing with a sweet RW 8point list featuring Pre-War Formalwear.
I knew there was a chance I would freak out and not want to play the new brew. I had Goblins prepared in my bag. I didn't really need any reps as I'd recently run it at CanCon, where Gobby Gang members Brayden and Tyrone came 8th and 9th respectfully, earning our beloved Goblin Recruiter +1 point from the Murders at Karlov Manor points update, along with +1 Mana Crypt. I had already updated the list for the new points so I was ready to submit.
88 players, 7 rounds. 6 hours sleep. 1 coffee. 5 years of Goblin prep.
ROUND 1 - Sean on Umoon.
Due to my 'debilitating' broken foot I was allocated a fixed table for the tournament, which is a thoughtful feature of the tournament software. I have to say, friends and strangers all, have been so courteous these past couple months getting the fuck out my way. It's been very heartwarming.
Anyway, I get to my table and Brandon Owen is sitting there. He's not Sean. I sit down anyway and we start to catch, as it's been a long time since we've played. But then Sean comes over, "errr I think you're at the wrong table Brandon, you IDIOT!", except in very polite and respectful Sean words, not the ones I just wrote.
Sean and I had some great games and chats at the last two Sydney RC's. Super friendly guy. He's a doctor, so doesn't have the time to go deep on Highlander, but enjoys it a lot. "Ohhh stickers, you just tell me what they do when it matters".
Game1 I'm on the play and keep a Goblin Lackey hand, but first I cast Once Upon a Time and choose Muxus (this is basically how my tournament goes all day). Lackey resolves but Sean has Horned Loch-Whale - Sean is running Liam's Umoon list from his CanCon top8 (Shoutout to Browny for killing it with the purest control list in years) - I bottom the Lackey as I figure it's more likely I reach 6 lands for Muxus than the Lackey connecting on turn 4. Sean isn't able to keep a counter for the eventual Muxus and it takes the game.
Game2 Sean Mana Drains my turn 2 play and slams Jace, the Mind Sculptor turn 3. I untap and cast Choke, which resolves. Jace drews about 7 extra cards but never finds the bounce for Choke. 1-0
ROUND 2 - Malcolm on Esper Control
Malcolm's from Tassie. Always great to see Tassie 7PH players. Game1 he has Force of Negation for my Mana Crypt and then he Archmage's Charm's my Stalactite Stalker saccing it to kill my Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin. He then flooded out and my threats kept coming. Couldn't believe I won that game.
Game2 was crazy, we both have about 8 lands, I was out of cards and he has a flipped Jace and a Teferi, Time Raveler going to work. He bottoms my draw step with Vendilion Clique, which draws me into Goblin Chainwhirler. Despite that value I'm still way behind but next turn I draw For the Ancestors and he doesn't have the counterspell. It draws me 3 goblins, then 4 goblins the following turn. I've had Ancient Tomb the whole game and am down to 6 life. He has a Celestial Colonnade (colon aid) along with the two planeswalkers and Thing in the Ice. Another strike of luck, I draw Choke and lay it face down (my trap card) next to my 6 known faceup goblins in hand. I chump attack into Colonnade. He activates and blocks, my goblin goes to the bin but I activate my trap card and take the win. 2-0
ROUND 3 - Pavlov's Brandon on UW Control
Ok we're playing for real this time. Brandon has a sweet list that featuring Terminus and Triumph of Saint Katherine. I know this because I extracted them from his deck with Earwig Squad, flipping the casket and dancing on the Martyred Lady.
I don't remember any other details from this match, I must've been getting control matchup blur. Something, something, Choke.
ROUND 4 - Hannah on GBx Natural Order
From Brizzy, Hannah has cool style with matching Priests of Titania mat, dress, complimentary colour sleeves, alters and cute matching dice bag. I dig it. I got the Goblin team shirt (thanks Brayden), the goblin playmat. Goblins Vs Elves. We representin'
Game1 Hannah Natural Orders Atraxa on turn 3 finding Wasteland. My lands are Taiga + City of Traitors. Logically I believe Hannah will waste the Taiga next turn, but the Atraxa is going to be difficult to beat without doing something powerful so I decide to Goblin Recruiter setting up Mind Goblin into Muxus. To Hannah's credit she wastes the Taiga rather than the City and I scoop.
I don't remember game2.
Game3 she has a fast double manadork start and an Elvish Reclaimer, which i know from game1 can find Wasteland. I decide to go for another Recruiter pile which is weak to Wasteland but not as obviously as Game1. Hannah has a tough decision an opts for more pressure with Minsc and Boo rather than searching for the tapped Wasteland, and I combo off just in time. Tight. 4-0
ROUND 5 - Angus on Saga Jund
Angus has been grinding and honing Jund at Wednesday weeklies at Plenty of Games. He's ran traditional Jund in the past. This is the first time I've seen his sweet 8point Urza's Saga version.
Game1 is super grindy and fun, I tanked a lot over decisions. My play speed is not acceptable but Angus is too nice to call me up on it. He ends up winning game1 and we only have 20 mins left. I'm rushing from here on.
Game2 I get a quick recruiter into Muxus with 10 mins left.
Game3 gets grindy and it's his Urza's Saga + Currency Converter Vs my For the Ancestors. I only hit 2 Goblins on the flashback of For the Ancestors and there's not enough gas to take the win before the end of turn5 of turns. I knew I took more than my share of the clock so I concede. Angus has been working hard on Jund for ages so it was great to see him top8, especially with 8points. 4-1
ROUND 6 - Violet
Another win-and-in. Violet is on a mission to find tier1 8point decks so that her friends and others can afford to play, which is absolutely commendable.
She's running RW good dudes with ETB's + an equipment package, making special use of Pre-War Formalwear.
Game2 I curve Stalactite Stalker into Zoyowa, Lava-Tongue. Vi evokes Fury to wipe them but next turn I have Pyrokinesis to wipe her board of Thraben Inspector + fresh Ragavan and Mother of Runes. She has no gas and now I'm 5-1 with an ID into top8.
What a weekend! Huge thanks to Glenn Doyle for organising, all staff, judges and standby judges working long hours. Cody for the iced latte and Saher for the mind blowing falafel from Half Moon in Coburg. Thanks to the Gobby Gang for chat nonsense, the committee, Brooksey and Sweeney for the lifts and everyone else throughout the weekend.
ROUND 7 - Cody, a.k.a. Codi on ~~~a mystery deck~~~ ;)
ID. Cody is ecstatic that his gambit of borrowing Thom Bot's bots has more than paid off. He's undefeated in his first ever tournament with the deck, which is pretty unreal and a testament to he and Thom.
More than a decade of office monkey work has made me addicted to caffeine and I propose that he, Angus and I take a stroll to the only coffee place open at 3pm on a Friday in Coburg, Al Alamy's. I'm on the crutches and it's 32°C but I need me drugs. Al Alamy's is a classic, with old middle eastern men smoking on chairs out front on a perenial basis. Inside is a supermarket of middle eastern products and a pizza oven. "Two iced lattes please", we say. "errrr talk to..." *waves hand yonder*. We turn around to a man "I just cleaned the machine, but ok". I did that thing where you order 'takeaway' without thinking and then realise it would've been much better to eat/drink on location, but then you have to leave because it's too embrassing to then take a table (normally I'm all about eating in, less waste!).
By the way, carrying drinks on crutches is impossible. Angus offers to carry my shame takeaway coffee in my shame plastic cup. Speaking of waste...
*Begins rant*
I don't think that offering free water in plastic bottles is the best solution. I understand it comes from good will, ensuring no one gets dehydrated. BUT! There's taps right there! I think providing an easy spot where water bottles can be refilled, is the way to go, not encouraging plastic waste (says the guy who loves to draft in paper). Anyway, Limmy says it best:
/end rant.On our stroll back to the venue we're heckled from a beer garden by Sam, Alec and Simon. They offer for us to join but we each got a mox to win!
I think the organisers are announcing Modern LCQ #19(?) as we walk in. All the staff are busy so there's no fanfair announcing the top8. Here's the final standings from a discord post by...you guessed it, Graham:
respectively:
UR Prowess
Canberra Lutri Grixis
8pt Saga Jund
Bots
UR Prowess
Goblins
UR Prowess
8pt RW midrange
So Violet got there after all, which is cool. I'm always glad to see brewing payoff.
A judge corals us to a line of tables. 1 Vs 8, 2 Vs 7, etc. I'm paired against:
QUARTER FINALS - Angus on Saga Jund (rematch!)
Game1 on the play Angus opens up turn1 Saga into Sol Ring + Currency Converter and Shadowspear; I know I won't have enough time to combo, so I take Boggart Harbinger off my Once Upon a Time planning to search for Goblin Trashmaster, but I make an oversight and realise too late that I don't have the second red for Trashmaster, so I have to try set up Mind Goblin into combo. I try chump blocking to buy time but he has Sheoldred + Reanimate on my Sling-Gang Lieutenant to burn me out.
Games2 and 3 I can't remember... funny how the losses stick with you more.
SEMIS - JLS on Lutri Grixis
JLS recently moved to Melbourne from Tassie and I like to think that everyone here trying to lift their game to catch him. He has been on an amazing run qualifying for multiple pro tours (including the upcoming Seattle because he top8'd the main event the day after this tournament!). This is going to be a tough match.
Game1 I run out a few goblins to soak up disruption and then I resolve Goblin Recruiter. I'm on a high life total now but Grixis is basically all disruption and I only have 3 lands, one of which is Ancient Tomb, and JLS has Ledger Shredder. Stacking this Recruiter pile is going to be a delicate balance between forcing JLS to use his disruption Vs comboing before Ledger Shredder/Ancient Tomb kill me.
I go into the tank. I know the top8 is untimed so I'm not thinking about speed. I should've known but it turns out 'untimed' doesn't mean you can play slow, and I get a warranted slow play warning. At this point I'm still mid Recruiter piling and am scared of getting a game loss from a second warning, so I rush the pile and I end up putting too many low ball threats before the mana + Muxus. The Ledger Shredder kills me in time easily.
Game2 is crazy. After the early game he is ahead on board but I've filled my hand thanks to Goblin Ringleader. He has an unflipped Fable, the shaman token and a Baleful Strix, and he takes the turn off to buy Lutri. At the time this seems suss to me. It feels like he has a sweeper but that doesn't make sense when he has 3 creatures plus a flipped Fable next turn. I go with my gut and drop my more expendible threats. Enough to beat his creatures but not scoop to a sweeper. Turns out he had bought Lutri to copy Pyrokinesis, which wiped my whole board and left all this creatures in play. I was further behind than expected and had to get lucky with Grenzo, Dungeon Warden. I drop Grenzo next turn and start flippin'. On the 5th activation I flip Recruiter to setup the kill, and I win the turn before he would kill me. Later he said he just needed any red spell from 4 cards, to evoke and copy Fury for the win. Unlucky!
Game 3 I have the dream hand. Turn1 Choke off Mana Crypt, locking down his Underground Sea. JLS puts up a fight using Gush to psuedo untap his islands, but he doesn't find Badlands or a fetch for it, or an answer to the Choke and the tempo loss is too much.
Note to self: as angelic as judges are, they too need sleep like the rest of us. Try to play at a regular speed in top8!
Despite my slow play, the other semi final is only in game 1, so I have some time to size up my potential opponents, Adam and Henry both on UR Prowess.
They have super close games as you'd expect from the mirror.
One game literally comes down to die rolls as they both have Maddening Hex.
At one point Adam makes an attack and didn't realise prowess triggers don't need to be announced until they matter.
Henry ripped a Vapor Snag on the last draw of his Treasure Cruise to bounce a lethal Ledger Shredder.
Good games and Henry is my finals opponent.
They each finished above me in swiss, so I was going second no matter what.
It's also a bad matchup for Goblins. I have no removal or blockers for Sprite Dragon, Stormwing Entity or Murktide Regent, all of which can kill me before Muxus comes down. Goblins' also struggle against Grim Lavamancer and Dreadhorde Arcanist, due to lack of removal.
The only thing I have going for me is experience.
FINALS - Henry on UR Prowess
The judge lays the Emerald next to our playmats, "no, don't put it there!" Henry jokes and says it'll make him nervous. He is a little shaky game1 and his luck isn't helping. Delver doesn't flip for several turns and his Light Up the Stage hits Mental Misstep + land. I have a steady stream of goblins from turn and I get there. Felt a little lucky to take this one. This could really be happening...
Game2 I side in my Go for the Throat, Choke and Molten Disaster for Earwig Squad, Goblin Trashmaster and Krenko, Tin Street Kingpin.
He starts with a Grim Lavamancer, which I have no answer for and leaves the Goblin Lackey stranded in my hand. The floor is lava for my Goblins, but for now Henry has no pressure. I drop Boggart Harbinger into the lava to put Goblin Recruiter on top. Henry has a great answer in Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer, to exile Boggart Harbinger from the top of my library. This was a key moment in the match, Henry doesn't seem shaky at all now. He neglects to cast the Harbinger for himself but instead drops Stormwing Entity. I drop a goblin into the lava to buy time and take a hit from the Stormwing and Ragavan, which flips land. I rip Molten Collapse and have a longshot plan of killing the Lavamancer so that next turn I can give Goblin Lackey haste with Goblin Chieftain and drop Muxus for the win. This was a bad plan though as the almost anything thwarts it and the Stormwing probably just races me anyway. He has the answer and we're onto game3.
During sideboarding I lose my cool. I got so trounced by that Grim Lavamancer that I decide I want more removal and I force Fury and Pyrokinesis into the deck, cutting totally fine Goblins and going against my sideboard plan. A classic case of fearing the worst. Prowess only needs one threat to win the game and often those threats can get beyond 4 toughness. I think bringing in burn spells was a mistake. I must stay vigilant!
Game3 I mulligan, uh oh. But there it is, Mana Crypt. 5 points in one card. I've done it...but I look closer at my hand and it's actually very risky. My only goblins are Broadside Bombardiers and Moria Marauders. The rest are lands. UR Prowess plays a lot of burn. But, it's Mana Crypt and I've already mulliganed, gotta keep.
I can't remember the sequencing but Bombardiers hits a couple times and throws Mana Crypt at a dude before Henry burns it and casts Stormwing Entity to block my Moria Marauders.
On turn4 I untap and at this point all I have is lands and the Moria Marauders. I rip...Squee, Dubious Monarch, drop City of Traitors, cast Squee with two untapped lands remaining and swing into the Stormwing with 3 Gobbies. He naturally blocks the Moria Marauders and I get two triggers, which nets me Warren Instigator.
Henry untaps and passes with 4 mana.
From here Henry is too far behind to race with Stormwing and he just draws lands and Squee keeps coming back.
We shake hands and it's done. Mox Emerald baby! Unbelievable.
CONCLUSION
I drew Mana Crypt, Ancient Tomb, Goblin Recruiter and Choke, a lot throughtout the day. Everything just went my way. I was super keen for a celebration but it was 10:30pm and everyone else had a Regional Championships to play the next day. My uber driving probably assumed I was on drugs I was so happy.
When you're working on a deck it's hard to know whether you're banging your head against a wall or whether you need be more persistent. There's something very Gobliny about banging your head against the wall though...
All the little percentages you gain from practice, sideboard planning, knowledge of other decks, sleeping well, eating well, staying hydrated, all add up. And then when a day comes along where the luck is there, you take all those gained percentages and convert the luck into a win. Or you play bad, prep bad and get even luckier :P
Strategically Goblins is a risky deck at the moment due to the popularity of Fury.
Goblins has a bad combo matchup but the average player is not interested in combo.
All that said, Goblins can beat anything with fast mana hands, brutal sideboard cards or an unblocked Goblin Lackey. I think you really gotta love Goblins to push through the days where the aforementioned cheesey wins don't come.
REST OF THE WEEKEND
Wedding next day was great. Huge thanks to Sweeney for driving me. The power cut out at the venue halfway through the reception and the backup generator they arranged caught fire! Chaos.
I came back for the smaller 3round Highlander on Sunday, this time with the Jund Survival brew featuring Mox Emerald, which got Molten Collapsed the first time I cast it haha.
The 3rounds finished at the perfect time for me to witness Sam become Conspicuous Snoop whilst we watched fellow Gobby Ganger Tyrone judge the finals of the main event and Jim Wilks take it down and become Australia's representative at the next World Championships. Huge congrats Jim! Also congrats Riley, JLS, Guides and Basser on the qualifications!
I'm pumped for the next Regional Championships: Highlander and Main Event.
If anyone's mad enough to have a Mox Jet as 1st prize in the future, I will be there!
See you on the glorious field of battle,
Mulch.
