GP Birmingham: Abbie’s Story

I too attended GP Birmingham, but unlike James in his articles I had no intentions in playing the main event. On Friday we travelled early. I was tired and travel sick and struggling to eat. I saw lots of community members with their shirts but I couldn’t bring myself to say “Hi.” By the end of the evening I felt a tad better but still wasn’t in the mood for eating much. Despite feeling unwell I did have a successful Friday getting myself tix…

I then found myself thinking, do I play the main event or do I continue to grind side events? After watching James battle with the idea of changing his deck list last minute at 9pm on the Friday I signed up for the main event.

Saturday came and with very little sleep we headed over to the venue first thing. Travel sickness lingered and still I couldn’t eat. Pre game anxiety took over my senses and I questioned “Why do I do this to myself?”

With Eldrazi tron freshly built in my bag I headed on over to my first match.

Round One 2-0

GW Death and Taxes.

I am begging that the games end quickly as I feel really nauseous, but my opponent attempts to slow my game and I make a few mistakes and the games draw out. My opponent draws terribly and and can’t deal with the board as I go wide. I take the win at 2-0. The final game has my board with a Reality Smasher wearing a Basilisk Collar and the life swings take up the full life pad. Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger pops off the top and the round is mine.

Round Two 0-2

U Tron

I play against a very new player with a very efficient deck, I find it hard to deal with Myr Battlesphere and all the little Myrs. He does Mindslaver me multiple times in situations where he just taps my lands and passes my turn, he does miss the opportunity to Ghost Quarter my own land and look at my library, but it had no effect on the game really. I get totally smashed by Myrs and I have a little chat with him about interactions he can do or missed during the game that he should take with him into the next rounds.

Round Three 0-2

Elves

There were just so many of them!

I accept defeat. It is likely this GP will go the same way GP Manchester went for me last year….

We bump into each other on the Saturday, Elves are forgiven.

Round Four 2-1

UW Enchantments

My opponent has travelled all the way from Paris with cards I can not read, he throws down oppressive Enchantments whilst I build myself a board of eldrazi. I throw down an All is Dust and the game is mine a couple turns later. I have no idea how to Sideboard, I take out the two Dismember and put in two Surgical Extraction and from there I don’t think any of my cards are good or bad in the match up. Game two he flips an Entreat the Angels and I don’t have enough mana to cast All is dust again. Game three he gets down two Leyline of Sanctity from his opening hand which protects him from Walking Ballista, and Thought-knot Seer I later realise.  I get a Chalice of the void on 2, I then get another one on 3 and shut him out of most of his game, I have him down to 1 with have a Walking Ballista… If only I could ping through the Leyline. The next turn we shake hands.

Round Five 1-2

GW Death and Taxes

I draw terribly, I mull and keep questionable hands, I never get Tron or I never get threats. Death and Taxes did what it was supposed to do. I desperately want these games to end, my energy is almost gone, I have a power nap at the table, I still feel sick. “Why am I doing this?”

Round Six 2-1

UR Storm

My energy is back, kind of, I’m still sleepy but far less likely to throw up. Storm? I don’t know what to do against storm. I’ve forgotten their win con, luckily I don’t see it game one. Game two I miss play terribly, I cast a Surgical Extraction on her graveyard far too late, I kind of disrupt what’s happening but she gets their in the end, I watch it all unfold as she casts spell after spell, almost down to the last of the floating mana, Empty the Warrens, wincon noted. Game three, Relic of Progenitus, Graphdiggers Cage, Chalice of the void on 2, Chalice on 4 who needs Thought-knot seer, and our Eldrazi push through. I’m still in. I have a new found interest in storm.

Round Seven 2-0

Slivers

Probably the best game I played all day. I recognised his name, I mention that I don’t think we played yesterday he says “You would remember if we played yesterday!” Oh god… He plays out a Cavern of Souls naming Slivers “What did you say?” Yes Slivers… I play an Urza’s Tower and he knows what is up! I build up my board, he builds up his, I draw into an All is Dust. Game two. I play an Eldrazi Temple, turn two I play another Temple and get a Thought-Knot Seer, Lots of slivers in hand and Fulminator Mage, he looks heart broken, suggests I take the Manaweft Sliver. Nope. I then play a Chalice on 2 which is apparently bad for Slivers… We have a good laugh and he shakes my hand and we have plenty of time to chill. We talk about the Tron decks and I mention how originally I had built GR Tron but over the past year have moved over to colourless which between us confirm is the purest form of Eldrazi.

Round Eight 0-2

Eldrazi Tron – The Mirror Match

Dreading the mirror match as it all comes down to the draws. I can tell you now that the draws are not good. A Pitiful show from me and my mulligans. I’m out of day two, I’m ready for sleep but with one game left I power on.

Round Nine 2-0

Green Stompy

I sit down at the match and my opponent mentions how upset he is to have lost against Tron so much today, I keep a straight face as we prepare to play. Back to my routes my opponent plays a forest and a mana dork – Noble Hierarch – at first I actually think he must be on Bant Eldrazi but I was incorrect. His face drops as I play an Urza’s Power Plant and I apologise profusely that mine of all decks should be the last one he plays. I would say we had great fun, I can 100% say I really enjoyed my last game, the stress was lifted from me. No more fighting for day two and this was clearly a favourable match up and I was drawing really well. I mention how much I love Big Stompy dudes as I exile them and horrible things like that and then preach about the beautiful world of Tron. I give him the promo Endbringers from my deck and insist that he should do it! I casually write down the website on his score pad and tell him to contact me once he’s built the deck.

I end the event 5-4 finding myself 815th out of 1743, I AM ABOVE AVERAGE! Overall I had a great time at the Main Event. Hopefully I can find a way to shake the anxiety and general travel sickness I get on the way to events. I end up spending most of my games shaking, feeling constantly nauseous, drinking copious amounts of water and feeling hungry but unable to swallow my food which does ruin the experience for me. On the Sunday I was outrageously tired despite getting a lot more sleep, puffy eyed and still unable to eat.

I got the pleasure of awkwardly walking up to Vincent, Pleasant Kenobi and getting my banefires signed and then near to the end of the day jumping into one of Orcs Head Jordans Vlogs after doing some hardcore trading at the vendors. I plan to meet up with community members again at Liverpool, I can’t wait! I won’t be playing the main event because Sealed… but side events! And Vincent said something about “Minicube” which hes insisting is a thing…

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