A Curious Journey Americas Open Rounds Recap by @CasterBoulevard
If you missed the open rounds for any reason or just want to relive all the action starting from round 4 onward, then I’ve got you covered with this written recap of the A Curious Journey Seasonal tournament.
Round 4 - FakeHero vs Ddkong340
(Viego / Pantheon/Yuumi / BANNED: Star Spring) vs (Kindred/Lux / Darkness / BANNED: Viego)
While I’m sure someone was disappointed they didn’t get to see the Star Spring play, in game 1 we got a different kind of treat as Ddkong340 opened the series and the day with a modern spin on Cithria Matron.
FakeHero opener: Yuumi, Brightsteel Protector, Zenith Blade, Single Combat, Saga Seeker
With a phenomenal opening hand Fake started with his foot on the gas, poking in with Saga Seeker on the first round and following it up with a Brightsteel Protector to begin the stream of Fated procs. Deciding a 5 damage open attack on turn 3 wasn’t enough, he decided to attach Yuumi to Saga Seeker. Ddkong cast Remembrance, summoning Swiftwing Lancer. Fake took the attack with just his 5/6 Seeker, knocking his opponent down to 14. Ddkong took the initiative on the next turn, summoning Kindred and attacking Brightsteel Protector with their Lancer, hoping to full clear the board with Kindred’s ability. Instead, Fake thwarted the play with Single Combat, trading his Brightsteel for Kindred.
With the attack token back to Fake and no spell mana banked for Ddkong, he played Zenith Blade on his Seeker. The 1 drop grew to a 9/11, running over the barrier on Ddkong’s freshly played Lux and dropping them to 10. Things took a different direction on the following turn, as Ddkong used Vengeance to clear out the Seeker and generated a Final Spark. Fake played a Wounded Whiteflame, used Chain Vest to defend from the Spark, and attached it with Yuumi before losing it to the Lancer. With his tempo utterly destroyed it was going to take some time before Fake could assemble another threat, and with Lux still sitting on Ddkong’s field it was going to be a difficult task as well.
Fake used Zenith Blade and Yuumi on his Mountain Goat, but when he went to combat, a Lux’s Prismatic Barrier stopped any damage from coming through, and a 2nd Lux’s Prismatic Barrier generated a Final Spark to finish off the Goat. Fake summoned 2 Saga Seeker and passed. Kindred hit the board for Ddkong, and pushed through an uncontested 4 damage as Fake assigned his buffs to a Seeker. The Seeker tried to push some return damage on the following turn after growing to an 8/9 with Overwhelm, but Ddkong used their 6th champion, Kindred’s Spirit Journey, to kill the Seeker and resummon it, this time at its base 1/2. This also generated a Final Spark thanks to a Go Hard from the previous turn, allowing Ddkong to wipe out both Seekers. Fake was still holding out hope for a Pantheon top deck to bail him out, but it all ended on the next turn when Ddkong threw down Cithria, Lady of Clouds, doubling the power of all their units and giving them challenger to pull the blockers out of the way and finish off Fake’s last 12 nexus health.
DDkong340 1-0
There’s a reason Cithria has a Seasonal title, and if FakeHero wants to keep his hopes for one alive, he’s going to have to 2-0 Darkness to move on with a solid record.
FakeHero opener: Pale Cascade, Sharpsight, Cataclysm, Golden Aegis, Mountain Goat
Fake’s poor opener was somewhat salvaged by a Saga Seeker draw on turn 2, which he empowered with a Pale Cascade to push 3 damage. Turn 3 was passed by both players without action, and on Fake’s 2nd attack turn he played a Mountain Goat, which prompted a Veigar from Ddkong. Fake attacked with both units, losing his Goat to Conchologist, then cast the Gem on his Seeker to get it to 4 attack before casting Cataclysm to put it in the arena with Veigar, who was promptly bopped. Ddkong took the 50/50 with Mist’s Call, and hit the jackpot as Veigar returned to the battlefield. Ddkong offered an open pass, which Fake shut down by attaching Yuumi to his Seeker. The turn rolled to Fake who sent in an open attack with his Seeker, shut down by Veigar’s Event Horizon. He developed a few more units and passed over to Ddkong.
Ddkong summoned Twisted Catalyzer, and Fake responded with Pantheon. Ddkong fired off their first Darkness of the game, sending 5 damage at Fake’s giant Seeker. With Ddkong down to 5 mana, Fake played Golden Aegis on his Seeker, leveling Pantheon who rolled Fury, Challenger, Impact, Lifesteal, and Spell Shield. He challenged Veigar with Pantheon and sent in the rest of his units to present lethal damage. Ddkong lined up a block and used Stress Defense to defend Veigar, but it was countered by Sharpsight. Ddkong’s board was cleared, and with Fake’s still very much intact he was easily able to win it on the open on the following turn.
FakeHero 1-1
Ok, that was a little fast Fake, but can you pull it off a 2nd time? You won’t have the explosive power of Pantheon at your disposal, no - this time you’ll have to out grind the Darkness if you want to win.
FakeHero opener: Merciless Hunter, Vile Feast, Viego, Rite of Calling, Ancient Hourglass
We’re going to skip ahead to the action here, which starts on turn 5.
Ddkong cast Go Hard on Merciless Hunter, and with priority back to Fake he challenged the opposing champion with his own and sent in the rest of his units. Veigo was transformed by Minimorph, leaving Veigar at 1 health to be finished off with Vile Feast. To end the turn Fake sacrificed his Spiderling to Rite of Calling, securing another Veigo.
On turn 6 Fake lost his Minitee to Darkness, then both players redeveloped their champions and passed. With Hourglass and Rite of Negation in hand Fake was looking very confident to win the game that turn as he summoned another Camavoran Soldier summoning another Encroaching Mist as a 2/2. Ddkong threw a Pokey Stick at Merciless Hunter, drawing a card but summoning another Mist for Fake, putting Veigo up to 8 attack and both mists at 3/3. He full sent his attackers, getting a block onto a Soldier, a Vile Feast onto his other Soldier, and a Stress Defense on Viego to put Ddkong at 8 health when all was said and done. Fake played Spirit Leech on his surviving Soldier, then sacrificed his Leech to Rite of Calling, leveling his on field Viego and tutoring another copy. Veigo killed Veigar at the start of the round, and after a little back and forth from both players, Fake cast Ancient Hourglass on his Viego, allowing him to summon his in hand Veigo. At the next round start he killed a unit and sent in all of his attackers for lethal against no Fearsome blockers with a Rite of Negation to ensure victory.
FakeHero 2-1
Round 5 - Prodigy vs PASS KING
(Sun Disc / Ziggs/Taliyah / BANNED: Viego) vs (Ekko/Zilean / Ziggs/Taliyah / BANNED: Afaelios)
Prodigy has been at the forefront of Shurima Viego since the start of patch 3.6, so it’s not surprising to see it banned here. He’s still a very well-practiced triple Shurima player, so I’d be worried if I were PASS KING and needed to win 2 Shurima mirrors to advance.
Prodigy opener: Pokey Stick, Herald of the Magus, Rock Hopper, Ancient Preparations, Ancient Preparations
The early game consisted of a little back and forth amongst the setup from both players, with PASS KING getting down an Ancient Preparations, Preservarium, Inventive Chemist (died to Pokey Stick), and an Endless Devout that ate up a Roiling Sands, while Prodigy has played both Ancient Preparation and a Rock Hopper, putting both players at 3 landmarks destroyed on round 4. Prodigy chose not to block the Devout that turn, but fired off an Unraveled Earth before taking us to turn 5 where he summoned a Devout of his own into a Hexplosive Minefield. He sacrificed one of his Clocklings to KING’s Devout, and pushed 5 damage to even out each nexus at 15.
KING’s hand seemed to start to falter, and after a rather awkward sequence of plays from a tempo perspective, Prodigy’s board was clear enough for him to summon a leveled Ziggs with 2 landmarks in play and only 8 nexus health for the opponent. KING summoned a Herald of the Magus, and we went into what was likely to be their last attack turn as they took 5 damage between their Magus summon and the Scrappy Bomb countdown completion. They summoned a Ziggs, and Prodigy summoned a Herald of the Magus. KING’s Ziggs attack was blocked by Prodigy’s Ziggs, which was immediately replaced by the 2nd copy in hand. PASS KING then cast 2 copies of Ancient Hourglass to stasis their Restored Devout and Herald, leaving them with no mana to defend from Prodigy blasting their Ziggs remaining health point with a Rite of the Arcane, prompting the surrender.
Prodigy 1-0
With the Ziggs/Taliyah mirror in the bag, the mental edge was certainly with Prodigy coming out of game 1. But can he go against the stats and beat Ziggs/Taliyah with Sun Disc?
Prodigy opener: Rock Hopper, Ancient Preparations, Rite of Calling, Treasure Seeker, Azir
Prodigy’s Buried Sun Disc plopped down onto the battlefield, followed by Ancient Preparations to predict Soothsayer.
With PASS KING having the first action on turn 4 and knowing there was Rock Hopper in the opposing deck, Prodigy couldn’t afford to wait any longer to summon Soothsayer. He took a light trade-in combat and sat back, content to wait out his Ascension progress.
Both players continued to focus on their own strategy, with PASS KING developing Ziggs and some landmarks while Prodigy used Golden Ambassador to fetch Xerath. Ziggs leveled shortly after coming down, and PASS KING sent it solo into combat, which just gave Prodigy more space to play landmarks as he played Preservarium and Ancient Preparations, which would level his Xerath once both countdowns completed. He overwrote one of his units with Azir to progress his level up to 12/13, and ended the turn. On turn 7 he took an open attack with his Golden Ambassador to summon a Sand Soldier and level up Azir, putting him on course for a turn 8 Ascension. PASS KING summoned Taliyah and duplicated his Sarcophagus, which gave Prodigy enough of a window to summon Xerath to let him witness the death of the landmarks that would level him. PASS KING cast Ancient Hourglass on Taliyah, and as we moved into the next turn about 10 different things happened.
The end result of all the round 8 triggers was that PASS KING was left with 2 Restored Devout and Taliyah after having dealt 6 damage to the nexus. Prodigy had level 3 Azir and Xerath, 2 additional units, and had drawn 2 cards from the Emperor’s Deck on top of killing Ziggs with Xerath’s ability. From there, PASS KING mounted as much offense as they could, but 2 Emperor’s Guard made for quite the wall. On Prodigy’s turn he used Shimmering Mirage to summon a 2nd Xerath, followed by General’s Palace to rip apart the defenses of PASS KING. With PASS KING going down to 5 at the start of their turn since they had no unit for Xerath to kill, and with the attack token on the side of both players thanks to Palace, there was nothing PASS KING could do to stop the inevitable.
Prodigy 2-0
We checked in with crowd favorite Aikado in a round where their signature Shellfolk deck was banned, and so they’d have to pick up 2 Demacia wins against control.
(Scouts / Pantheon/Yuumi / BANNED: Ezreal/Viktor Shellfolk) vs (TLC / Darkness / BANNED: Sentinel Control)
Aikado opener: Durand Sculptor, Petricite Broadwing, Genevieve Elmheart, Vanguard Sergeant, Brightsteel Protector
Avalanche was used to clear out Durand Sculptor after she buffed Vanguard Sergeant, and the next turn Vengeance was used without hesitation to kill a Miss Fortune. Aikado still snuck through a Fleetfeather Tracker, allowing him to knock Atimu down to 13 on turn 4 despite their best efforts. With no mana banked on the following turn, Atimu played Blighted Ravine, poised to clear the board. Aikado wasn’t having it and summoned Vanguard Sergeant, and then cast Shield of Durand on his other Sergeant to carry them both into the next turn, where he summoned Genevieve Elmheart. Atimu summoned a Kindly Tavernkeeper to go all the way back up to 18, and Aikado decided the risk was worthwhile to use his Scout attack. Tavernkeeper went down, and Atimu cast another Avalanche to leave Aikado with a single 4/4 Sergeant which he used to knock them back down to 14.
Atimu summoned Trundle and Aikado summoned a plethora of units, ending the turn with 4 in total. Aikado opened the 8th turn of the game with a summoning of Petricite Broadwing, getting a soft pass from Atimu with Ice Pillar to level Trundle. Aikado pulled the trigger on a For Demacia! to look for a decisive finish on the first game, and Atimu agreed it should be a decisive end - and cast The Ruination. Both boards disappeared, leaving Aikado with just a Vanguard Sergeant and For Demacia! in hand. Atimu summoned Commander Ledros, forcing Aikado to play and block with his 3rd Sergeant. He developed Quinn as well, and drew and played Island Navigator on the following turn. Atimu walled up with Trundle, and cast Vile Feast onto Navori Bladescout in response to For Demacia! That combined with a timely Flash Freeze to invalidate Valor’s efforts to kill Ledros created too big a barrier for Aikado to push through, and he surrendered on the following turn.
WZG Atimu 1-0
With an absolutely brutal game 1 in the books, the 2021 Worlds top 8 competitor was going to have to 2-0 Darkness to advance. We saw FakeHero do it earlier, could Aikado follow suit?
Aikado opener: Miss Fortune, Durand Sculptor, Penitent Squire, Cithria the Bold, Ranger’s Resolve
Despite opening a 1 and 2 drop, Aikado elected to open pass the first two turns of the game. His Durand Sculptor on turn 3 was met with a Vile Feast and Pokey Stick, which were both countered by Ranger’s Resolve. Aikado followed up with Penitent Squire, attacking with both units to put Atimu to 16. Atimu summoned Veigar and Aikado played Tattered Banner and Miss Fortune, and when the turn rolled over to Aikado he slammed an open attack with Miss Fortune challenging the opposing champion. Atimu was able to save his unit with Wallop, and was looking to end the turn without further issue. Aikado, with only 5 unit mana and a lot of spells in hand, decided he really didn’t want to float 7 mana. With Miss Fortune stunned for the round any rally was low value, so he cast Shield of Durand on his Miss Fortune and passed.
A 4 damage Darkness killed Sculptor, and both players ran out their bombs; Cithria the Bold for Aikado and Senna for Atimu. The turn passed after that, with Aikado holding an important mana lead at 10 to 8 going into his attack turn with a 1/4 leveled up Miss Fortune and 2 copies of Golden Aegis. He open attacked, once again using Miss Fortune to challenge Veigar. Senna traded with the Squire, and Darkness plus a Go Hard were used to take out Cithria. Aikado chose to let her die, not using the Sharpsight in his hand to preserve mana to summon Quinn and still have mana for his Golden Aegis. Atimu used Mist’s Call to revive Veigar, but hit the surrender button when Aikado used his Aegis.
Aikado 1-1
Halfway there…
Aikado opener: Pale Cascade, Sharpsight, Mountain Goat, Wounded Whiteflame, Zenith Blade
I once again implore you to join me on turn 4, where Darkness has summoned its 3rd consecutive turn 4 Veigar on camera. Aikado took a pass on turn 4 after using Zenith Blade in order to delay the Veigar for a turn, and when Runeterra’s shortest champion touched down Aikado summoned a Wounded Whiteflame and cycled a Pale Cascade. He suited it up with a Zenith Blade on the following turn, giving Atimu a window to slip in a Twisted Catalyzer, before heading into combat with Broadwing challenging Veigar. Atimu cast Veigar’s Event Horizon, threatening to stun Whiteflame and Broadwing. Aikado cast Pale Cascade and Sharpsight on his Broadwing, turning it into a 3/8 and taking care of 2 Vegiar in one turn.
Atimu summoned Senna, Aikado attached Yuumi to his ever-growing Whiteflame. We then went to Aikado’s attack turn with both players on a full 11 mana for the turn, and he kicked things off with a Pantheon. Atimu passed, so Aikado used a Gem on Pantheon to level him up, rolling Quick Attack, Tough, Fury, Augment, and Impact. He then attacked with his 3 units, challenging Senna with Broadwing. Atimu hit the Whiteflame with a Minimorph, then cast a 4 damage Darkness onto the Broadwing. Atimu fell to 9, the Minitee survived at 3 health thanks to Yuumi, and Pantheon lived to keep staring down Senna. Senna was sent in for an open attack, which Aikado blocked with his Tough Pantheon. Atimu cast Darkness on him, which Aikado countered with Sharpsight, a plan Atimu got the best of thanks to Stress Defense. Aikado replaced his Pantheon, this time amassing Quick Attack, Fury, Impact, Lifesteal, Fearsome, and Augment.
Before going into combat, Aikado cast his last Zenith Blade onto his Minitee. Atimu didn’t respond so Aikado sent in the cavalry, which prompted a Fast speed Ruination to clear the board, followed by a Mist’s Call to revive Senna. Aikado summoned a Whiteflame and cycled a Pale with it, ending his attack turn there. Atimu finally got down a Stilted Robemaker, putting Darkness at 4 damage and 2 mana. Aikado gave his Whiteflame barrier with Brighteel Protector, then summoned Saga Seeker. Atimu went to combat, lining up a Darkness on Brightsteel. Aikado took the block, and lost his Whiteflame to a combination of Darkness, Pokey Stick, and Senna’s quick attack. With Atimu down to 1 mana Aikado summoned his final Pantheon with a myriad of keywords, importantly Tough, Elusive, Regeneration, and Spellshield. He then handed his champion a Yuumi and ended the turn. His open attack was thwarted by a Withering Mists and Wallop, leaving his champion exposed, but the turn ended without further action. Atimu summoned a Stilted Robemaker and sent it into combat solo, which Aikado happily blocked with his Tough, Regeneration, Fury Pantheon. Atimu then…ended the turn.
Aikado’s open attack was again Wallop’d, but this time Atimu followed it up with a Rekindler to summon a 2nd Senna. Aikado once again sent in his massive Pantheon as a blocker but was met with a Minimorph, losing his last copy of the namesake champion. From there, with no Zenith Blade and no more Pantheons, Atimu was able to grind out the Yuumi empowered units Aikado threw down turn after turn with relative ease until eventually they were able to summon yet another Senna and clean up the game after a few grueling turns.
WZG Atimu 2-1
Round 7 Infinipatrons vs ROAG
(Afaelios / Sivir/Akshan / BANNED: Zilean/Ekko) vs (Pirates / Bandle Burn / BANNED: Spiders)
Again the broadcast catches a player with a signature deck only to have that deck ripped away from them. ROAG is on the first triple aggro lineup we’ve seen all day, how will it stand up to the meta boogeyman Afaelios?
Infinipatrons opener: Gleaming Lantern, Pokey Stick, Pokey Stick, Assistant Librarian, Fae Sprout
Infinipatrons was able to shoot a Legion Saboteur with a Pokey Stick pre-combat, leaving only a Precious Pet to make contact with the nexus. Infini drew and summoned a Yordle Squire off the Stick, yielding a Tiny Spear. On the following turn he summoned Gleaming Lantern, using the discount to play an Assistant Librarian. ROAG summoned a Legion Saboteur and Conchologist, blocking the Lantern with the Conchologist. ROAG took the open attack the next turn, leading to a block onto the Saboteur and a Pokey Stick onto the Pet, leaving Infinipatrons at 17 after the turn 4 attack. He attached a Rainbow Fish to his Librarian, and ROAG summoned a Teenydactyl which transformed into Terrordactyl at round end.
Infini fell to 16 and cast Fae Sprout, finding and summoning Tasty Faefolk. ROAG summoned Gnar, and threw it in front of the Faefolk as a blocker. Infini used Pale Cascade but ROAG countered with Pokey Stick, letting them generate a Pokey with Gnar while Infini drew a spell with his elusive Librarian. ROAG flooded the board with low to the ground units while Infini used another Fae Sprout to find and summon a Blastcone Seedling and Aphelios, grabbing a Gravitum which he used on Terrordactyl. ROAG responded with Pokey onto Lantern, then attacked with all available units, losing all of them while Infinis' board stayed intact. With ROAG at 15 nexus health and their Terrordactyl still under the effect of Gravitum, Infini used all 7 of his mana to attach a Papercraft Dragon onto his Blastcone and equip it with an Infernum to get a 2nd threat to match his 7/2 elusive Librarian. He hit quite the speed bump however as ROAG revealed their Conchologist pull was Wallop, and they stunned the Blastcone in response. They then used Lightning Rush on a Legion Rearguard to finish off the Librarian, seriously delaying Infinis’ victory.
Or so they thought, as ROAG’s ever-dwindling card count paired with Infinis’ relatively high nexus health meant that they weren’t able to push through significant enough damage on the following turn as Infini leveled Aphelios. Infini then moved into their turn with a Severum for their double attack Blastcone Seedling, prompting the surrender from ROAG.
Infinipatrons 1-0
ROAG was likely looking to 2-0 the Sivir/Akshan anyway, so this is where the real game begins.
Infinipatrons opener: The Absolver, Treasure Seeker, Sharpsight, Petricite Broadwing, Petricite Broadwing
Both players opened very low to the ground hands, a situation that actually let Infini get an early life lead thanks to Petricite Broadwing outstatting all of ROAG’s 2/1s. ROAG took the full open-attack and Infini responded with a full block, using Sharpsight to ensure he would have two surviving 1 health Broadwings. ROAG had no response, and Infini fell to 14 to match his opponent. He ended the round by summoning a Teenydactyl, which transformed and caused Infini to take 2 damage at round start alongside the Scrappy Bomb.
Infini cast a Waking Sands and attempted to use Concerted Strike to kill the Terrordactyl, but ROAG was able to save it with Lightning Rush. He summoned Ziggs, and Infini attacked with his Sandstone Charger, making the life totals 9 to 10 with Infini having the slight advantage.
ROAG summoned Gnar which prompted the 2nd Waking Sands from Infini, who blocked Gnar with his Broadwing. Gnar didn’t generate a Pokey Stick, giving Infini perfect information that ROAG’s 2 card hand was Pokey Stick and Terrordactyl. He cast Cataclysm to pull Gnar and Sandstone Charger into the arena, prompting the reduced cost Pokey onto the Broadwing which traded for a Shaped Stone. ROAG drew a card, then lost his Gnar but generated another Pokey Stick. Infini drew and summoned Sivir, sneaking in 5 damage to get ROAG down to 4 while they resummoned Terrordactyl and pinged it with an Imperial Demolitionist.
ROAG took an open attack the next turn at Infini’s 7 health nexus, and Infini left the Ziggs unblocked to fall down to 2. ROAG summoned Conchologist, manifesting a casting a Noxian Fervor. Infini cast Rite of Negation, which ROAG countered with a 2nd Fervor to end the game.
ROAG 1-1
With the Bandle Burn win secured, ROAG has 1 win with arguably the best aggro deck in the game from continuing on toward the top 32 as we approach the end of the day.
Infinipatrons opener: Cataclysm, Akshan, Akshan, Petricite Broadwing, Shaped Stone
ROAG had the attack token on 2, and used it to its fullest potential by attacking with a Legion Rearguard backed by 2 on bench Crackshot Corsair into Infini’s Akshan that he chose not to block with. Infini summoned a Broadwing and picked off a Corsair, letting ROAG develop a post combat Miss Fortune. He took the turn 4 open attack, and Infini used Shaped Stone to let his Akshan trade with Miss Fortune and let his Broadwing die under Rearguard, and still fell to 12 for his troubles. He summoned his Akshan alongside his 2nd Broadwing while ROAG developed a couple of units, including an Imperial Demolitionist to knock Infini down to 10.
On the following turn, Infini summoned Vekauran Bruiser, but was shut down by a Twisted Fate Gold Card. He finished off the final Corsair with his Broadwing and passed the turn, but not before ROAG slipped in his 3rd Crackshot Corsair. ROAG sent in all 5 units for their open attack, prompting Infini to block the 3 strongest and use a combination of Shield of Durand and Sharpsight to keep his entire board alive. ROAG summoned Marai Warden, and the turn rolled over.
Infinipatrons summoned Sivir and Treasure Seeker, getting a Miss Fortune to the board from ROAG. Infini went all in, pre-committing both halves of an Absolver to present lethal. Broadwing was forced to pull the Mourned summoned off Marai, allowing ROAG to set up blocks that let them live at 1 and maintain Miss Fortune and Crackshot Corsair. Post combat ROAG cast their last card - Miss Fortune’s Make It Rain and tagged the nexus to bring Infini into Decimate range. Infini cast Fount of Power and drew Rite of Negation before ending the turn. ROAG went for an open attack that Infini blocked, falling to 2. The turn passed back over and Infinipatrons took a similar open attack, this one getting a surrender from his opponent.
Infinipatrons 2-0
Round 8 Kevor24 vs LucasFG100
(Scouts / Afaelios / BANNED: Tristana/Teemo Fae) vs (Scouts / Feel The Rush / BANNED: Pantheon/Yuumi)
We check in with our resident Rank 1 player from not only this season, but the last one as well. Kevor was unable to find his way into the top at the Magic Misadventure Seasonal but has another chance here, and kicks things off with a Scouts mirror,
Kevor's opener: Quinn, Miss Fortune, Vanguard Sergeant, Petricite Broadwing, Sharpsight
Lucas was able to quickly pull ahead in this Scouts mirror, using Miss Fortune and Perticite Broadwing to freely kill Kevor’s damaged Broadwing and knock him down to 14 on turn 3. Kevor played and attacked with his own Miss Fortune which Lucas dared not to block, then developed a Vanguard Sergeant to Lucas’ Island Navigator. The following Scout attack cost Kevor his Sergeant, and despite a Brightsteel Protector’s best efforts Kevor still had to use Sharpsight to protect his own Miss Fortune from the opposing Broadwing. Kevor developed a post-combat Broadwing and Lucas cast Golden Aegis on his Miss Fortune, giving her barrier and leveling her up on the next attack. Kevor fell down to 1, and the nightmare turn 5 finally ended and the turn rolled over to Kevor, who summoned his Genevieve Elmheart before prompt dying to a well aimed Miss Fortune’s Make It Rain.
LucasFG100 1-0
If Kevor wants to keep his top 32 hopes alive, he’s going to have to 2-0 Feel the Rush, the most popular ladder deck for a majority of patch 3.6 until Shurima Viego took over in the last few days. Has his grind to rank 1 properly prepared him for this?
Kevor opener: Yordle Squire, Assistant Librarian, Papercraft Dragon, Fae Sprout, Fae Sprout
Kevor started the third turn of the game with an Assistant Librarian staring down a Spiderling trying to figure out how to draw a spell from his deck. He found the answer by casting Tiny Shield onto his Librarian and summoning a 2nd copy, letting the smaller one connect with the nexus before being wiped away by a post combat Avalanche. Turn 4 came and went with Kevor summoning a Fizz, and on the 5th turn, he attached a Papercraft Dragon to it. He went to combat and Lucas still had no response, falling down to 6 nexus health and letting Kevor draw a spell. Lucas then cast Voices of the Old Ones, drawing 3 cards and gaining 2 mana gems.
Lucas summoned It That Stares, which Kevor circumnavigated by casting Pale Cascade on his Fizz, putting his two units at 4 health thanks to a Guiding Touch the previous turn. Extinguishing Ray resolved and Kevor’s units each fell to 1 as he fell to 12 from the attack. With Lucas tapped out, Kevor threw down a Grandfather Fae and his Hungry Owlcat, setting up for an open attack that he immediately went into while casting Pokey Stick on the enemy nexus to give Fizz elusive. Lucas cast Vengeance on Fizz, which Kevor countered with Fae Sprout, prompting a surrender.
Kevor24 1-1
Taking a mental break from the Scouts after the snowbally mirror in game 1 seems to have worked for Kevor, but he still has to pick up a win with it to get the W. Was that game long enough to reset his mental?
Kevor opener: Penitent Squire, Durand Sculptor, Sharpsight, Vanguard Sergeant, Fleetfeather Tracker
Kevor spent the entire early game slugging through a series of Avalanches, Vile Feasts, and a Blighted Ravine all keeping him from developing a board in time for the turn 6 Cithria the Bold, leading to a Three Sisters Flash Freeze to even prevent her from killing Trundle. Kevor took a Trundle hit on the following turn and tried to take advantage of the fact that Lucas was only on 7 mana. He summoned Fleetfeather Tracker, and Lucas played Faces of the Old Ones. Kevor summoned Durand Sculptor, and lost it and his Tracker to The Box. He cast both of his Brightsteel Protector and moved to his attack turn.
Seeing that an open attack would leave his opponent at 2, Kevor decided his best bet to keep his Seasonal hopes alive was to cast For Demacia!. Lucas responded not with The Ruination, but with Ice Pillar to level his Trundle. Kevor challenged Trundle with Cithria again, and with the rest of his board gaining Fearsome, there were no blockers available for Lucas, who cast a Withering Wail to go back up to 17 nexus health before taking 21 to the face.
Kevor 24 2-1
Round 9 Infinipatrons vs SantaTCG
(Afaelios / Zilean/Ekko / BANNED: Sivir/Akshan) vs (Plunder / Viego / BANNED: Pantheon/Yuumi)
In the final round of the day we check back in with Infinipatrons as they play for their win and in for what could be their 2nd Seasonal top cut in a row. Zilean/Ekko made it through the ban phase this time, so now it’s all up to Infinipatrons.
Infinipatrons opener: Fizz, Conchologist, Grandfather Fae, Apehlios, Gleaming Lantern
Infini once again found himself on the receiving end of a pair of Crackshot Corsair, but this time instead of a Miss Fortune to round things out it was a Black Market Merchant and Jagged Butcher. With a Fizz already on the field, Infini developed a Gleaming Lantern and Grandfather Fae. With first action on turn 4, Infini used his Fae discount to summon a Hungry Owlcat. Santa cast Make It Rain but it went a little stray and targeted Fizz, allowing Infini to cast Guiding Touch to counter it. He then grabbed a Calibrum with Aphelios, and Santa tried their luck with Make It Rain again, this time hitting Owlcat, Aphelios, and Lantern. Fizz poked Santa’s nexus, and they played a 3rd Corsair before ending the turn.
Jagged Butcher traded with an Owlcat, and Infini took 3 damage from the Corsairs. He sent Calibrum at Black Market Merchant, which Santa immediately replaced with a 2nd copy. Infini attached his Lantern with Rainbow Fish, and the turn rolled over. Infini cast Fae Sprout to find Quick Quill, attached it to Fizz, and followed that up with a Severum. He then attacked with Lantern, Fizz, and Aphelios who he cast Playful Trickster on - presenting 10 elusive damage with a rally on the stack. Santa, with barely any cards in hand, surrendered.
Infinipatrons 1-0
Infinipatrons picks up an explosive win with Afaelios, and now has 2 chances on his signature Zilean/Ekko to advance to the top 32.
Infinipatrons opener: Ancient Preparation, Ancient Preparations, Ekko, Scrying Sands, Fallen Feline
Infinipatrons did his best to keep the plunder procs under control in the early game, using a Scrying Sands to deny a unit damage rather than saving his unit, but to no avail. That turn Santa cast Parrrley on the nexus, and cast Make It Rain on the next turn, getting a trade and progressing his champions. On the bright side Infini was able to level Ekko on turn 4, using another Scyring Sands to level the champion and get a free Time Trick all in one go - which is good given that his hand was down to a single Time Trick otherwise. He grabbed a backup Ekko off Time Trick and passed, with 2 cards in hand to Santa’s 3 on turn 4. Infini opened with an Ekko attack uncontested but got his nexus damaged still by Tusk Speaker. His Time Trick yielded Chronobreak and Hexite Crystal, and after a few minor developments, the turn ended.
Santa opened with a Sejuani to frostbite and vulnerable Ekko for the round, prompting a Time Trick into Voice of the Risen from Infini, which he summoned. With some attack back on Ekko he generated a Time Trick while dying, giving Infini a 2nd copy of Voice of the Risen while Sejuani leveled. With the attack token back to Infinipatrons, he summoned another Ekko. Santa played a blocker, and Infini full sent his 5 attackers backed by the power boost of Voice. Infini was unable to bait out Sejuani’s ability, instead losing Voice to Monster Harpoon. He lost everything except for Ekko and cast Time Trick, grabbing Quicksand and casting Chronobreak. Once it resolved Santa tossed out a Make It Rain, dancing around 4 mediocre targets to ping the nexus as well as kill Fallen Feline. The turn ended without a second combat.
Santa summoned Zap Sprayfin, and then cast Parrrley to finish off a Clockling tagged by Make It Rain, frostbiting the board. Infini passed with 8 mana up, and Santa chose to pass back instead of going to combat. Infinipatrons played a 2nd Voice and went to combat, sending in every unit available with a Chronobreak on backup. Santa used Warning Shot to frostbite the board, and then lined up a few blockers that were lost to Hexite Crystal. Santa followed up with a Black Market Merchant and Infini finished off Sejuani with Mystic Shot. The turn ended and moved to Santa. He summoned a nabbed Dropboarder and Infinipatrons cast Parallel Convergence.
Infinipatrons 2-0
Congratulations to all the top 32 competitors! We’ll check back with them this Saturday at twitch.tv/legendsofruneterra but in the meantime keep your eye out for additional content coming out about the top 32 competitors and the decks the brought!
