Red Bull VI Recap, Advice from A Pro & The Real Victories

Another Red Bull Untapped International Qualifier is in the books, and though I set out to make day two, I finished with a 3-5 record. Despite not reaching my goal, it was generally a really good experience with some valuable takeaways. I’ll briefly breakdown the matches, key lines of play and a fortunate interaction I had with a Pro.

Preparation & The Sultai Matchup

The week leading up to the event wasn’t my strongest. I began preparations on Wednesday, which ended up being a very poor day on the ladder. I was more or less locked in on Temur Adventures, though I knew that it generally doesn’t have a good Sultai matchup. More often than not, Sultai is able to beat up the Temur player’s hand in the early game and in key spots midgame.

While Temur can sometimes play a long game against Sultai, Temur still needs to be able to avoid doing so by applying as much early pressure as possible. Unfortunately, there’s almost always a turn 4 or 5 Extinction Event, and Temur usually doesn’t have the luxury of being able to wish in countermagic in time. If you board in a Negate or Disdainful Stroke, the chances of you drawing them in your opening hand are unlikely, and even then, you run the risk of having them plucked by Agonizing Remorse or Thought Erasure.

Despite the bad Sultai matchup, I decided to go with Adventures considering my familiarity with the deck and just how strong it is overall. I also felt that it was generally favored against aggro decks. As you’ll see later, this wasn’t the case for me in Red Bull VI.

I didn’t have as much time to ladder on Thursday, but was able to go 4-0 in all of my matches. Friday was a different story, and panned out much like Wednesday. I went 5-6 before I stopped tracking my matches. At 11:00 PM I realized that I still hadn’t worked out, and I took 90 minutes or so to get it in, knowing that I’d feel bad about missing it.

Wound up from an hour and a half of pushups, squats and situps, I stayed up until about 4:00 AM experimenting with different cards in the flex slots of Adventures. I tried Questing Beast and The Royal Scions, looking for something to give me some added power. I settled on following the crowd and adding in two maindeck Aether Gust, but I still kept one Uro in the main. I knew staying up this late was a mistake, but I did it anyway, considering it would be some time before I’d be tired enough to nod off. Here’s the list I submitted:

Tournament Day

I woke up around 10:15 AM feeling somewhat rested and pleasantly sore, giving me enough time to get some breakfast together. Ultimately, I felt great considering that I was getting ready to play an open tournament from the comfort of my home. I completed my work out the night before, I had a fresh pot of french press ready and a weekend ahead of me. I was psyched.

On a side note, gratitude is invaluable, and reflecting on what you’re grateful for and excited about prior to a tournament can do wonders for positioning your mind for optimal gameplay. Besides, the fact that you’re getting ready to play a tournament means you already have so much you have to be grateful for.

12:00 PM came and first round pairings went up. Here’s how the matches went.

Round 1 - UW Control. Feeling mentally fresh, energized and focused on playing my best, I did just that this round. Knowing that my opponent was running four board wipes in the maindeck, I realized that I’d have to strike a balance between applying pressure and not over-committing to the board. I followed through on my game plan, stepping on the gas in Game 1 with a turn 1 Innkeeper, followed by Stomp and Bonecrusher beats on turns 2-6. I played through two Shatter the Sky, rebuilt my board and was able to wish for Disdainful Stroke to hold off a potential Dream Trawler.

In Game 2 I played tight and patiently again. With one Innkeeper on the board, I had to sandbag the second one with an opposing Blast Zone on the battlefield. I eventually got there with an Escape to the Wilds that i wished in, plus two clovers and a stomp to finish. Win, 2-0

Round 2 - Temur Flash. After a quick win in Game 1, I misidentified my role in Game 2 and took too many beats from (2) 2/2 Hydroid Krasis. With my opponent at 4 life and me at 2, I cast Aether Gust on the first Krasis, which resolved. I then moved to Petty Theft the second one, which was immediately countered, giving my opponent the game 2 win. Very poor sequencing and failing to plan ahead. Game 3 wasn’t particularly close. I stumbled on mana for a turn, and my opponent never ran short on resources. A great example of why it’s so important to remain playing tight when up a game. Loss, 1-2

**Round 3 - Mono Red. This is generally a more favorable matchup for Temur, and I drew enough Bonecrusher Giant, Brazen Borrower and Fae of Wishes to take Game 1. In Game 2 I was very much against the ropes, but I was able to escape a late Uro to stabilize just enough and take that game as well. Win, 2-0.

After the match, my opponent was a total sportsman and said GG. He also began providing me with some helpful constructive criticism on my gameplay in Game 2. I hadn’t noticed my opponent’s name at first, as I try not to focus on who I’m playing. That’s when I realized I just finished a match against Christoffer Larsen, one of the most accomplished pros in the game. Here’s the play we discussed.

On my second to last turn, I had 7 lands, an Uro on the battlefield and I was under 5 life. He had roughly four creatures on the battlefield, which I could have easily addressed by wishing in a Storm’s Wrath. I knew I would turn Uro sideways for the life gain that turn, but rather than attack first to try to dig for an 8th land (which would have enabled me to cast Granted and wish in a Storm’s Wrath), I cast a Lucky Clover in my first main phase to support the Petty Theft and Stomp I had access to.

As Christoffer argued, the much more optimal line of play is to do nothing in the first main phase and swing with Uro to gain information. I could have drawn an 8th untapped land off of the Uro trigger to execute the Storm’s Wrath line, but by casting the Lucky Clover in my first main phase (which there was really NO reason to do at that specific time), I effectively limited my options. As I tell people all the time, Magic is a game of acting with the most information while doing your best to hide information from your opponent. This was a clear example of me not practicing what I preach.

It’s easy to overlook the fallacy in this type of line, especially when you’ve won. While I don’t personally know Christoffer, I know that he didn’t reach more than a dozen Pro Tours by deviating from best practices and allowing sloppy play.

While a post-game chat may not seem like a big deal, this interaction gave me a first-hand glimpse into the way a professional thinks and acts, on so many levels. Talking with Christoffer, it’s clear to see that he’s wired to constantly look for areas to improve on. I imagine that this quality is a product of his journey and his never-ending commitment to constant improvement. It’s one of the primary reasons for his continued success in MTG.

One last thing to note about this interaction - being the true professional that he is, Christoffer took advantage of the opportunity to help another player improve, even after a loss - and I couldn’t be more appreciate of his help and advice.

If you see an opportunity to help a less experienced player improve, do it. If it’s someone you don’t know, ask them if they’re open to advice, and share it with them if they’re receptive to it.

And if someone offers you a critique on your gameplay, always, always, always listen and try to understand the player’s perspective. Even if you’re not getting the advice from a pro, that person could still have some super valuable guidance to share that can make a positive impact on your gameplay.

Round 4 - Izzet Aggro. After decisively winning Game 1, I could have mulliganed more aggressively in games 2 and 3. Considering that I had decent hands with adequate lands and Lucky Clover, I decided to keep 7 in both games. Ultimately, I wasn’t able to draw the interaction I needed to keep up. In Game 3 I needed a Petty Theft and an Island to bounce my opponent’s two creatures to survive. Fortunately, I hit the Petty Theft off of an Escape to the Wilds, but unfortunately hit a Forest and a Mountain. Loss, 1-2.

Round 5 - Temur Elementals. This match game down to the wire. After losing Game 1 handily, I took a quick Game 2. Game 3 is where everything got interesting. Mid-game I was able to wish in a Storm’s Wrath, which I used to clear my opponent’s two Leafkin Druid and a 4/4 Krasis. Doing so helped me hold off Genesis Ultimatum for a while. The game came down to me casting multiple Lucky Clover and wishing in a majority of my sideboard, including Ugin, Mass Manipulation, Disdainful Stroke, Negate, Expansion/Explosion and Soul-Guide Lantern.

My glaring mistake in this match was allowing my opponent to put a Genesis Ultimatum on top of his deck off of a Cavalier of Thorns death trigger. I needed to sacrifice Soul-Guide Lantern with this ability on the stack, and I didn’t. A late 4pt. Explosion helped me refuel my hand and wish in more cards, which was followed by a late Mass Manipulation. I won with 3 minutes left on my timer. Hats off to my opponent for being a total sportsman and giving me an emphatic GG after the match. Win 2-1.

Round 6 - Mono Black. It wasn’t until the end of Game 1 when I finally hit red mana. I was at two life at that point and was able to clear away an opposing Tymaret (with Demonic Embrace) and Gutterbones. I was close to stabilizing before my opponent closed the game with Demonic Embrace on a Kitesail Freebooter. I had no interaction. In Game 3 I failed to draw sufficient interaction, The only interaction I had left by the end of the game was a Domri’s Ambush (boarded in, not wished), which doesn’t play well with Bonecrusher Giant. My opponent was able to secure a quick win. Had I kept a less risky hand in Game 1, the match might have swung in my favor. Loss 1-2.

Round 7 - UW Control. Playing for a winning record, I did not draw well at all. Mulled to five in G1, mulled to 6 in G2. Nothing much to note here. Loss 0-2.

Round 8. I mistakenly thought that there were only 7 rounds and closed Melee after the seventh round. Whoops! Little did I know that I was leaving an 8th opponent waiting. I can’t stand when opponents leave you hanging without dropping, and I feel bad for giving someone that experience. Loss.

While Red Bull VI didn’t go how I wanted it to, I’m directly responsible for the outcome. Between staying up until 4AM the night before, locking in a deck I knew wasn’t well-positioned against the best deck, not mulliganing well and walking away before the tournament was over, I simply didn’t make the most of this opportunity.

However, I’m super grateful for having had the opportunity to play in a free tournament for cash prizes. Additionally, being able to play against one of the best players in the world and receive advice from him was absolutely priceless. Despite ending with a losing record, that experience alone made this tournament an important step forward for me.

And finally, I’m even more grateful for having an understanding and super supportive wife who is cool with me playing Magic all day on a Saturday. Rachel is consistently supportive of me pursuing my goals in this game, and she truly is both the catalyst and the inspiration that fuels my greater pursuit of Mythic.

The Mythic Mindset would not exist without her influence on my life, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have her in my life, for countless reasons.

Thanks for reading.