Buckle up because this is going to be a fast one! Tom and Jon are battling for a bye on Day 2 and each are playing extremely fast decks. Will Tom and Zoo join his testing partners, Brad and Todd, with a bye on Sunday, or will Jon burn him out first?
Game 1
Jon cracks a smile as the action heats up.
Jon started by going to 18 with a Goblin+Guide that entered the battlefield tapped and attacking, giving Tom a Stomping+Ground off the trigger. Tom had Wild+Nacatl off the Stomping+Ground, but Jon played a Monastery+Swiftspear and killed the cat with a Lightning+Bolt to attack for four more. Tom fetched up a Mountain to play Eidolon+of+the+Great+Revel and passed the turn back to Jon.
Jon played another Swiftspear and a Lava+Spike and sent his creatures into the red zone and Tom out the Eidolon on the Guide and fell to 4. Tom, with his back to the wall already, deployed a defensive Goblin+Guide and Monastery+Swiftspear after playing an Arid+Mesa. Jon pointed a Rift+Bolt at Tom and attacked, forcing Tom to chump both Swiftspears to get another turn. But the extra draw step didn't matter as Tom picked up his lands after glancing at his next card.
Jon 1, Tom 0
Game 2
Tom stays focused in Game 2.
Tom, on a mulligan to six, got things started with a Kird+Ape off a Stomping+Ground while Jon went Mountain into Monastery+Swiftspear. Tom fetched up an untapped Sacred+Foundry and played a Swiftspear of his own before pointing a Lightning+Bolt at Jon's, but Jon saved it with a Mutagenic+Growth for the price of two life. Tom paused before attacking, but still sent in his creatures and Jon decided to trade the Swiftspear for the Ape and take two.
Jon fetched a Stomping+Ground and played another Swiftspear and hit Tom with a Lava+Spike before getting in for two more. Tom considered his options but decided on playing a Wooded+Foothills and passed the turn. Jon played an Arid+Mesa and attacked so Tom blocked, leading to Jon and Tom playing Atarka's Commands to keep their creatures in play. Tom untapped and killed the opposing Swiftspear with Lightning Helix and got in for two, putting the pressure back on Jon.
Jon played a tapped Sacred+Foundry and passed, only to take a point from Tom's Swiftspear. Tom played a Wild+Nacatl and passed as Jon dropped Tom to 6 with a Boros+Charm at the end of the turn. Tom took a draw and shrugged his shoulders and sent in two Swiftspears and his Nacatl, putting Jon to 1 after no actions. Jon found a Goblin+Guide and attacked for two but just had another land in hand as he was only looking for information on the Guide reveal.
Jon 1, Tom 1
Game 3
Both players kept their openers in the deciding game and Jon led with an Arid+Mesa, but no play while Tom fetched a Sacred+Foundry and played a Monastery+Swiftspear to get in for one. Jon fetched a Foundry of his own at the end of the turn, going to 18, untapped, and shocked himself for a Stomping+Ground to hit Tom with a Lava+Spike and suspend a Rift+Bolt. Tom paused for a moment before fetching an untapped Stomping+Ground and attacked with his Swiftspear and added a Grim+Lavamancer and Wild+Nacatl to his board. Jon hit Tom for three with the Bolt, dropping him to 8, and passed.
Tom played a Bloodstained+Mire and shoved his team into the red zone to drop Jon to 11. Jon went for an end of turn Boros+Charm and Tom responded with a lightning Helix.
"Hope I'm not dead," Tom said.
"Come on … land!" Jon said as he untapped.
The top of Jon's deck delivered as it was a land and he fetched the Mountain to allow him to deal Tom seven with a Boros+Charm and Lightning+Bolt to take the match.
Jon 2, Tom 1
