Robin Wouters reports: PTQ Portland Zemst

Outpost Players travel the country and beyond to qualify for the upcoming Pro Tour events. One of our regulars, Robin Wouters reports from the PTQ Portland in sunny Zemst. AND he has a question for all of you.

 

"I woke up with Magic by Coldplay on my alarm clock and started the day in the right mood (ok I know this song isn't about the Magic we love and play, but hey)!  Took my bike and met up with Mark Dictus, went to Chris van den Wouwer's place, switched from bike to car and Chris drove us to the PTQ site in Zemst.  I hoped I would be writing this about how I won the PTQ, but after ending 83 out of 155 players, and having won only 3 rounds out of 8, I didn't make a notable performance.

 

So instead i'm just going to leave you with the pool of cards I had to work with.  As it is often the case in sealed deck it's not only the pool of cards you get, but the deck you make out of it what dictates the result you end up with. This is what seperates the great limited deckbuilders from the good (and the rest), they can get a mediocre pool and still make the best deck possible out of it.  And I think this pool could have done a little better than what I did with it (but maybe still no top 8 pool).  I made a Blue-Red deck but most of the time I sided the Red out for Black after a tip from Marijn Lybaert. But a White-Black deck was also something I thought about during deck construction.

 

In the top 8 was Nicolas Vanderhallen and Chris van den Wouwer (yes I know, my chauffeur performed better than me... he wil be flayed for this) both from team Belgic Magic, also known as 'the yellow gang' (you can find out more about Belgic Magic on Facebook).  But unfortunately they both stranded int the quarter finals.

 

Without further ado, here's the pool:

 

ARTIFACT:

 

Bronze Sable
Guardian of Meletis
Opaline Unicorn
Springleaf Drum

 

WHITE:

 

Battlewise Valor
Cavalry Pegasus
Chained to the Rocks
Gods Willing
Hopefull Eidolon
Leonin Snarecaster
Scholar of Athreos x2
Traveling Philosopher
Yoked Ox
Excoriate
Ghostblade Eidolon
Great Hart
Hold at Bay
Nyxborn Shieldmate
Ornihtarch
Revoke Existence
Sunbond

BLUE:
Benthic Giant
Dissolve
Fate Foretold
Griptide
Horizon Scholar
Mnemonic Wall
Prognostic Sphinx
Sea God's Revenge
Sealock Monster
Arbiter of the Ideal
Chorus of the Tides x2
Crypsis
Kraken of the Straits
Nullify
Nyxborn Triton x2
Whelming Wave

BLACK:
 Agent of the Fates
Blood-Toll Harpy
Felhide Minotaur
March of the Returned
Mogis's Marauder
Pharika's Cure
Returned Centaur
Bile Blight
 Forlorn Pseudamma
Forsaken Drifters
Grisly Transformation x2
Marshmist Titan
Nyxborn Eidolon
Warchanter of Mogis

 

RED:

 

Flamespeaker Adept
Messenger's Speed
Peak Eruption
Rage of Purphoros
Satyr Rambler
Stoneshock Giant
Bolt of Keranos
Cyclops of One-Eyed Pass
Fall of the Hammer x2
Rise to the Challenge
Scouring Sands
Searing Blood

 

GREEN:

 

Feral Invocation x2
Nessian Courser
Satyr Hedonist
Savage Surge
 Staunch-Hearted Warrior
Charging Badger
Culling Mark
Hunter's Prowess
Mortal's Resolve
Nyxborn Wolf
Pheres-Band Raiders
Setessan Oathsworn
Setassan Starbreaker
Satyr Wayfinder

 

GOLD:

 

Shipwreck Singer

 

All in all I had a fun day playing MTG and seeing a lot of familiar faces. This also is a big part of the game, meeting new people and seeing the regulars again every other tournament. I'm looking forward to see what you make out of this, so feel free to share which deck you would have made out of this pool."