WTF: The Hiatus Return Edition

Welcome to another edition of the War Torn Front unofficial blog page. This blog is a source of information for events not only concerning War Torn Front, but other shops in the area. I am your returning host, Brandon, and boy do I have some updates to give out. This week, I will cover the first WTF Invitational, The TCGPlayer Silver Event, new events being scheduled at War Torn Front, and close out with an EDH Play-by-Play.

WTF has been busy these last two weeks with two events aimed at all you Standard players. First, The 1st War Torn Front Invitational fired off. Unfortunately, we only had 8 people show up. This is pretty disappointing showing for a shop willing to ship out cash prizes and Modern Masters packs. If you guys want events like this to continue, you have to show the support. However, for the 8 people who did show up, there was a Modern Masters draft. After a single elimination draft, Josh Hickman and Chester Moon stood tall as the first two participants in the Modern Masters August draft for a box. Congratulations to both of them. The next day, Sunday June 23rd, Krier's held a Standard event for a box from the Return to Ravnica Block. 30 players descended to do battle, but only one walked away with a box. Congratulations to Navdeep Singh for taking it down with America, because Fuck yea! Moving on, WTF held a TCGPlayer Silver event this past weekend. Jason Reed took the event down after 18 competitors showed up to duke it out for cash, product, and TCGPlayer points.Sunday, Krier's played host to a Modern tournament for a FTV: Realms. At the top of the heap came one Chia Lee, who scored a victory and picked up the FTV.

Again, it has never been a better time to be a Magic  player at War Torn Front or here in the Valley. So If you need more Standard action this week, come down for the 2nd WTF Invitational starting at Noon with a $25 entry fee, and a chance to win cash and a free entry to a Modern Masters draft for a box of Modern Masters. If you looking for some more casual oriented events, come by Krier's this Sunday for EDH action. Yours truly will be there, if not playing recording games for future EDH play-by-plays and EDH articles, so come on down and have some fun.

War Torn Front has been in a rut with Tuesdays these last few weeks. As many of you may not be aware, Tuesdays tend to be Open Play days due to the lack of Legacy players showing up. However, Tuesdays are about to change. Starting soon, Tuesdays will play host to Casual Fight Nights. While details are still sketchy, watch for Placido Galvin and War Torn Front to make the official announcements regarding video game fight nights. In addition, I will be running a D20 Tabletop game called Mutants and Masterminds starting this week. If you have been curious about Tabletop, come on by and take a look.

One last piece of news before I leave you with the EDH play-by-play. These last two weeks, Thor Barerra, Matt Woods, Skott Jacobson, and Myself have been sequestered away working on something special for the community. With most of the leg work done, I feel I can safely announce it here. A podcast is in the works for War Torn Front and MTG Nor Cal. Right now, the podcast is called From The Front Line, or Live from the Front. We have recorded two episodes and are currently working on editing these pieces along with finding hosting. Once they are ready, I will announce where you can find them.

And Now: The EDH play-by-play
Players:  Matt Woods: Sen Triplets  (M)
              David Myers (Taco): Rafiq of the Many.  (T)
              Harold Stancliff: Horde of Notions.  (H)  
              Dave Murzi: Merieke Ri Berit (D)

Turn 1: Matt leads with Glacial Fortress.
            Taco plays Hinterland Harbor.
            Dave plays Academy Ruins.
            Harold plays a Plains.

Turn 2: Matt plays Command Tower and casts Orzhov Signet.
            Taco plays Temple Garden tapped.
            Dave plays Riptide Laboratory and casts Dimir Signet.
            Harold plays Rupture Spire, using his Plains to pay for it.

Turn 3: Matt taps out and plays Nim Deathmantle and plays Dimir Aqueduct, bouncing his Command Tower.
           Taco plays Glacial Fortress and passes.
           Dave plays Darksteel Citadel and passes.
           Harold plays a Mountain and casts Chromatic Lantern.

Turn 4: Matt replays his Command Tower and casts Tamiyo, the Moon Sage. Using her uptick Matt targets Harold's Rupture Spire.
            Taco plays an Island and casts Rafiq of the Many. At the end of Taco's turn Dave casts Fact or Fiction targeting Taco. Dave is takes a pile consisting of Keiga, the Tide Star, Polluted Delta, and Swords to Plowshares.
            Dave takes his turn and plays Polluted Delta, plays a Chrome Mox imprinting Swords to Plowshares, cracks the Delta, losing 1 life, for an Underground Sea, and casts Merieke Ri Berit. He then casts Thousand-Year Elixir. He then activates Merieke and takes Rafiq
            Harold plays a Plains and casts a Rakdos Signet.

Turn 5: Matt plays a Swamp, uses Tamiyo to tap Harold's Chromatic Lantern, and then casts Ethersworn Adjudicator.
            Taco plays a Plains and casts Archon of Justice.
            Dave plays an Island and transmutes Tolaria West for a Mana Crypt and plays it. He then attacks Harold with Rafiq for 8 general damage. He then activated Thousand-Year Elixir to untap Merieke, saccing Rafiq and using Merieke to steal Ethersworn Adjudicator.
             Harold passes the turn with no play.

Turn 6: Matt activates Tamiyo targeting Harold's Chromatic Lantern, then plays Gilded Lotus.
            Taco plays an Island and attacks Tamiyo for 4 with Archon of Justice. He then Krosan Grips Dave's Chrome Mox and then uses Bant Charm on Merieke. Ethersworn Adjudicator blows up to Merieke's leaves play effect.
            Dave takes 3 damage from his Mana Crypt and plays Bribery on Matt, getting a Consecrated Sphinx. At the end of Dave's turn, Harold plays Unmake on the Consecrated Sphinx.
            Harold simply plays Maelstrom Nexus and passes.

Turn 7: Matt uses Tamiyo to tap Taco's Archon of Justice and plays Sphinx of the Steel Wind.
            Taco plays Swiftfoot Boots and equips them to Archon of Justice
            Dave takes 3 for his Mana Crypt, and plays a morph.
            Harold plays a Mirror Entity and cascades into Dimir Signet.

Turn 8: Tamiyo taps the morph and Matt casts Enigma Sphinx cascading into Azorius Signet. Matt sends Sphinx of the Steel Wind into Taco for 6. Matt gains 6 life.
            Taco attacks Matt with Archon of Justice which Matt blocks with Enigma Sphinx. Using Archon's death trigger, Taco exiles Sphinx of the Steel Wind. Taco then plays Seedborn Muse. At the end of Taco's turn Dave flips his morph face up revealing Vesuvan Shapeshifter. He copies Taco's Seedborn Muse and uses Thousand-Year Elixir to untap the Vesuvan Shapeshifter.
            Dave plays Mindslaver and passes the turn.
            Harold plays Rugged Prairie, then casts Lignify on Dave's Vesuvan Shapeshifter, cascading into Elixir of Immortality. He then plays Oblivion Ring targeting Mindslaver. Dave responds to this and cracks the Mindslaver taking Matt's next turn.

Turn 9: Dave as Matt plays a Plains and casts Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre. Using Ulamog's cast trigger to blow up Lignify. Taco responds and casts Mystic Snake to counter Ulamog.
            Taco plays Rafiq and equips Swiftfoot Boots to Rafiq, plays an Island and attacks Dave with Rafiq for 8 general damage.
            Dave turns Vesuvan Shapeshifter facedown on his upkeep, plays a Marsh Flats and cracks it, losing 1 life, for a Tundra. He then turns Vesuvan Shapeshifter faceup to copy Rafiq, killing both the Shapeshifter and Rafiq. Dave then plays Sakashima the Impostor and copies Taco's Seedborn Muse.
            Harold plays Cruel Ultimatum targeting Dave, cascading into Amulet of Vigor. Dave responds by playing Cryptic Command countering the Cruel Ultimatum and bouncing Mirror Entity. Harold plays a Flamekin Harbinger and passes.

Turn 10: Matt uses Tamiyo to tap Chromatic Lantern, and plays Yosei, the Morning Star
             Taco plays Soul of the Harvest, equips Swiftfoot Boots and bashes Dave for 6. At the end of the turn Dave returns Sakishima to his hand.
             Dave plays Mana Vault and casts Time Stretch. On his 1st extra turn, he takes 4 from his Mana Vault and Mana Crypt, Casts Acquire on Matt for Magister Sphinx putting Taco to 10 life. He then plays Sakishima the Imposter to copy Magister Sphinx putting Harold to 10 life. On his 2nd extra turn, Dave attacks Taco for 10 killing him. He then casts Keiga, the Tide Star.
             Harold casts Shriekmaw, cascading into Wrath of God. In response to Wrath of God, Dave bounces Sakishima back to his hand. Matt uses Nim Deathmantle to return Yosei to play after the Wrath of God. Yosei's death trigger goes to Dave. Keiga's death trigger takes Matt's Yosei. Harold finishes his turn by playing Explosive Vegetation.

Turn 11: Matt casts Obzedat's Aid returning Magister Sphinx putting Dave to 10 life. He then uses Tamiyo to tap Harold's Elixir, which Harold responds and sacs the artifact to gain 5 life and reshuffle.
              Dave takes 1 for his Mana Vault and plays Vesuva on Dimir Aqueduct, returning his Darksteel Citadel. He then bashes Harold with Yosei for 7.
              Harold plays Bringer of the Blue Dawn cascading into Bloom Tender. He then plays Horde of Notions and bashes Dave for 5 general.

Turn 12: Matt uses Tamiyo to tap Mana Crypt and crashes into Harold with Magister Sphinx for 5. He then equips Nim Deathmantle to Magister Sphinx.
              Dave pays for Mana Vault on his upkeep and kills Harold by attacking him with Yosei for 5. Dave then plays Sakishima copying Magister Sphinx putting Matt to 10 life.

Turn 13: Matt uses Tamiyo to tap Sakishima and attacks Dave with Magister Sphinx. Dave responds by playing Venser, Shaper Savant to bounce Magister Sphinx and untaps Sakishima with Thousand-Year Elixir Matt then plays Phyrexian Metamorph copying Yosei. The two dragons die and both players use their triggers on each other. Matt responds and uses Nim Deathmantle to bring back Yosei and Phyrexian Metamorph as Yosei. These two new triggers go to Dave making him skip a total of 3 untap steps. Dave realizing that he would take 3 from his Mana Vault and have to deal with 3 triggers of Mana Crypt concedes. .

Well, that is all for this week loyal fans. If you are interested in more EDH writing, let me know in the comments section here or on Facebook.Until Next Week, This is Brandon live From the Front!