Magic Lunch #2

Derek and I squared off over lunch yesterday with 3 games of Zen (see my previous "Magic Lunch" for an explanation) with 7 card ante.

My first opener is shown here and I've lucked my way into the amazingness that is a 4/4 lifelink beating down turn 2. In other formats this fragile 'combo' could easily catch a Lightning Bolt or Swords to Plowshares, but in the randomness that is Zen, this is more than quite good!

(You could say that if Derek doesn't have an answer my 4/4 will Nip him into o'Gwillion.) heh heh heh

Nip Gwillion + Edge of Divinity is a lethal combination that has even seen play in some constructed formats. While fragile and susceptible to the 2-card-blowouts that dude+aura are so famous for; it was featured in "Orzhov Aggro" Pauper decks on Magic Online, and I even played against it in Wednesday night Legacy at Games by James a couple weeks back (though I wouldn't recommend that!)

After some turns Derek draws an answer to the Gwyllion in the form of Vampire Nighthawk - absolutely devastating in this format usually, by the way. Unfortunately, he's a little too attached to his Vamp and won't make the trade on my 4/4 (Twilight fanatic perhaps?)

He plays Naya Battlemage as another potential answer for Gwyl, but it's offline and he's low on life so he tries to trade it for my 3/2 Scrapbasket. If I were him I'd have traded the vamp for the 4/4 long ago and been in a good position to keep the battlemage alive and online next turn. But the way things played out he makes a bunch of blocks and I just Unnerving Assault for complete Derek-destruction: giving my entire team +1/0 and his -1/0. He's toast and it's onto game two. 1-0

My game 2 opener is pretty awesome as I'm always glad to see a land that can produce 3 mana. Note that the Island is actually a Forest (lacked Forests when putting this Zen deck together and haven't swapped 'em yet) so I actually have all 5 colors available - and in this format that's often all it takes!

Usually in Zen whoever draws the correct lands to play the majority of their cards will win. You might think this makes for a worthless format - but with the new mulligan rules we added you'll usually end up with something of a playable hand more often than not. And usually you'll even have several worthwhile decisions to make with all of these random cards, so I tend to think that playing this format can actually help you improve your game play.

I end up playing nearly all of my cards and whenever Derek thinks he has an answer I blow it out of the water with a better card. Pictured you'll see my team consisting of 4 1/1 Cenn's Enlistment tokens (retrace is pretty broken here) and a Tattermunge Duo against Derek's lone Meditant. He's already low on life at this point and my team of 5 is enough to get him in a couple turns even if he's killing some of my soldiers along the way. The game ends quickly. 2-0

Game 3 opens ok as any 3rd land allows me to play two semi-potent spells: Stonybrook Schoolmaster & Ethersworn Shieldmate.

My Shieldmate makes a surprise blowout on his Elite Duelist and I'm feeling confident until he follows with Aven Trooper, Knight of the Skyward Eye, Adventuring Gear and Bant Battlemage. I never get my red mana for Puncture Blast, and while I draw into an Oblivion Ring it's too little too late and I'm wrecked. 2-1

Each game's Ante (Derek Left, Me Right):