The 0-4 Fiasco (aka You Can't Just Write About the Good Days)

[NOTE: non-Magic-playing people should not bother reading further...it gets super-nerdy, super-fast.]

Before I begin my report, let me just state for the record that I blame my entire Saturday M12 Pre-release experience on Angry Birds Seasons: Summer Pignic, which I used to determine my fate. Level 18 was released Saturday morning and, after Myles informed me that he would be leaving for Heavy Support Games in half an hour to play the sealed pre-release event, I told myself that I would only go if I could 3-star the level with enough time left over to shower and get ready. As you can probably tell, I 3-starred that shit like a mo-fo, and held to my word, so we were off to play some M12.

I've actually been looking forward to M12 for a while now - pretty much since Scars of Mirrodin, since I hate all things infect, and I have a soft spot for the core sets (as I'm sure most beginners have). I had been keeping an eye on the spoilers, and made sure I knew how the new mechanics (hexproof and bloodthirst) worked. My only dread was that I would have no choice but to play a planeswalker, which I have disliked since their first incarnation in Lorwyn. 

So what happens to me? Why, I open a Gideon, of course, and paired with Angelic Destiny and Serra Angel, I feel like I'm committed to white.

Then, when I take a look at my red cards, I feel like there's no point in looking at the rest of my pool (which I didn't - apparently I had a really good blue rare...Visions of something-or-other??). Anyway, I had TWO Fireballs (one was shiny!!!), an Incinerate, and an Act of Treason. Done and done. Myles walked by, noticed I had two Chandra's Outrage and suggested that I play them, too. Taking his advice, I adjusted my lands and was all set to go...looks good, doesn't it? I mean, I felt like I had a decent chance with these cards. Boy was I wrong!

There's no point in going into any sort of detail about my matches. I lost all four that I played...I managed to win a game in two of them, but a combination of bad draws, bad luck, and bad playing (so many mistakes!!!) kept me winless in my last five matches. But, as a beginner, the real value of going to these store events (besides opening enough money to pay for the event...the only good thing that came outta that Gideon) is the way it accelerates my learning curve. Here are the main take-home lessons of the day:

1. If you mulligan a 5-land hand, then get a 1-land hand, you probably should mull again...there's no shame in that. But, really, just keep the 5-land hand.
2. Do NOT kill your own Gideon to destroy target tapped creature that can regenerate, ESPECIALLY when your opponent has the land to regen. Seems simple enough, but I learned that lesson the very, very hard way...it smarts a bit more because I eventually had him down to one life in Game 3, but drew land after land after land, and finally lost to a massive Overrun that dealt 23 damage, killing me instantly. The next two cards on top of my deck? Fireball-Fireball. *sigh*
3. If you have a creature that becomes a 4/4 flyer when you control a Griffin, don't attack with that Griffin if it can be blocked and killed. :(
4. If you can Fireball to kill a Grave Titan (6/6) check to see if you could just Fireball to kill your opponent instead. I ended up winning that game anyway, but it took me about 4 extra turns to do so.
5. It's cool to make all your opponent's creatures attack Gideon next turn, but sometimes it's easier to just make him a 6/6 that can block and kill anything coming his way. Games could have ended faster this way, too. [NOTE: Myles just told me that Gideon can't block...see? I have NO idea how to play him. ARGH!!! I think my opponent must have said I should have attacked with him...my bad!]
6. If you have the mana to equip (with nothing else to save it for) then you probably should...especially when the equipment makes your creature hexproof, and ESPECIALLY especially when that creature is a 4/4 flyer.
7. There ain't nuthin' you can do if you're mana-screwed, so don't let it bother you.
8. Have fun...oddly enough, my horribly embarrassing losing record did not prevent me from having a good time. My opponents were all pretty nice people, willing to offer me tips (after beating me, of course), and were generally impressed with my deck, which made me feel better about making the choices I did when building it. 

A skilled player most certainly would have fared better with my deck, but a skilled player I am not. I was a bit disappointed though, only because I thought a core set would be a bit easier for me to play. I don't think the new mechanics are too complex, but I was unprepared for the creatures and spells that I faced. Soon, the set will be released and I will get more practice, and Myles will be playing M12 on MTGO (Magic: The Gathering Online) so I will also learn through osmosis. 

Hopefully I'll be able to pull out at least one win next time...