0-3, 0-6

After some adjustments to Starve (the Pox deck) I went back in, feeling like I was better prepared for what awaited!

Spoiler: It didn't matter.

Match 1

Vs Branson on mono-W Death & Taxes.

Game 1: I kept a mana heavy hand and…drew more lands. While my Hymn was successful and more lands meant his Rishadan Port wasn't doing much, I couldn’t follow it up with a strong play and I failed to make a Tombstaker block vs a Lion Sash, trading for the biggest creature on the board. That one is on me: I did some faulty math and didn't value the Sash like I should have.

Game 2: I had a stronger hand-the Stromgald Crusaders are good, y’all-but I couldn’t draw a removal spell to save my life. Unable to respond to a Stoneforge Mystic activation, I failed to activate Ratchet Bomb the first turn it came out. That meant I ended up activating it at two instead of three, losing my own board. Then I was soon run over by a Kaldera Incompleat. 

Match 2
Vs Ryan on Jeskai controlish

Game 1: Young Pyromancer got online and that was going to be the end of it.

Game 2: Got a Leyline out and killed the first Pyromancer but I couldn’t make my creatures stick after that. With a Monastery Mentor out, I was facing down 5 tokens but couldn’t resolve a Ratchet Bomb and that was that. 

Match 3
Vs Trevor on Burn

Game 1: Goblin Guides came out, did their thing and I couldn’t remove them. Never got a draw off of them either.

Game 2; on one land, he burned me out and I mounted no pressure. Roiling Vortex was topdecked when I was at one life. The turn after I had played Vault Skirge. 

Sigh.

So that is some bad beats, right? There was one mistake I could identify but everything else just felt like the deck wasn't doing anything. 

I have won one game out of thirteen. That's not a good run. That is actively bad. 

On the upside, my first two opponent's were reasonably friendly and the last one was just quiet. So I didn't have a bad time. But I think I am going to have to rethink how I'm approaching this event. I clearly need to do something more objectively consistent or powerful.