The two math guys sat down to an intense conversation about undergrad studies before getting into their first match of the event. Would Ross and Sneak and Show combo off before Caleb and Storm could count to 10?
Game 1
Both players threw away their opening hands and Ross went to down to five as Caleb was happy with his six-card hand. Ross started the game with a Gitaxian+Probe seeing a hand full of fast mana, but no pay off spells and only one cantrip in Ponder. After Ross drew his card he played a Mistry Rainforest and passed while Caleb immediately fired off his Ponder from a Volcanic+Island, electing to shuffle away the top three cards.
Ross started his second turn with a Lotus+Petal and sacrificed it to play Brainstorm. Ross put back his two cards and passed the turn without a play and Caleb simply added a Polluted+Delta to his board before passing back. Ross fetched up a Volcanic+Island to clear the top of his deck and went digging again with another Brainstorm. Ross put back two cards and played another Lotus+Petal and a City+of+Traitors, which let him play Show+and+Tell. Caleb had no responses and no card to put in play, but Ross had an Emrakul.
Ross passed and Caleb declared it was time for "YOLO strategies." Caleb started with a Dark+Ritual and three Lotus+Petals allowing him to play Dark+Petition for Ad+Nauseam.
"This isn't YOLO, you're at 19 life. I'm like 90 percent to die here," Ross said.
Caleb's flipped cards until he was at 6 life, revealing Tendrils+of+Agony, Infernal+Tutor, some rituals and cantrips, along with a land that let him play Dark+Ritual to start the chain he needed to loop into Cabal+Ritual, Duress, and finally Tendrils for lethal.
Caleb 1, Ross 0
Game 2
Both players kept their openers this game and Ross again started with Gitaxian+Probe, seeing a mix of everything on the other side of the table. Ross dropped a Scalding+Tarn and passed, so Caleb went for a Gitaxian+Probe of his own, seeing Sneak+Attack, Emrakul, Force+of+Will, Spell+Pierce, Lotus+Petal, and a fetch land. Caleb opted to crack his fetch, getting Tropical+Island and deployed Xantid+Swarm. Ross tanked before letting it resolve, untapped, and played another Tarn before passing the turn.
Caleb sent in his Swarm and played a Ponder before fetching an Underground+Sea and pointed Cabal+Therapy at Ross, naming "Sneak Attack," hitting the lone copy of the enchantment. Ross took a draw, but had no play and shipped the turn back to Caleb, who attacked with the Swarm and played a Dark+Ritual and started keeping track of storm. Caleb then pointed a Therapy at himself, naming Duress, into Cabal+Ritual into Lotus+Petal and played the last card in his hand, Infernal+Tutor. Caleb selected Past+in+Flames and played it, sacrificing his Petal for red. From there, Caleb played Cabal+Ritual, Dark+Ritual, Infernal+Tutor, and had just enough mana to play Tendrils+of+Agony for the win.
Caleb 2, Ross 0
