Helgafell

Near town, but like being on a different planet. We went Thursday to one hike and little climb. We went back Saturday for a climb across the way.  On Sunday, we stopped by to picnic at the trail head on the way to the airport.  I guess you could say this is our place.

Punksafn

Friday the 13th - April 2018

Jamming a bit with the proprietor at The Icelandic Punk Rock Museum.

Not posting a bunch of pics because it needs to be experienced.  It's not huge, but all of the space is used.  Once upon a time it was a public toilet, now it is not. The conversion to a museum was done without losing the notion of the space's history. 

Iceland for Spring Break

This is a short and sweet photo collection and notes about some of the trip I took to Iceland the past week.

Jamming with the proprietor at The Iceland Punk Rock Museum

Hotel room view of the marina

The Phallological Museum

View from Helgafell 

PBJs in the rain on Helgafell

Hofdi House

The fish and chips live up to the rep

Catholic church soccer pitch

The proprietor of the Punk Rock Museum

Iceland National Soccer Stadium

View from not the Space Needle

View of Helgafell from nearby peak

Grand Prix Seattle

Grand Prix Seattle

Standard Main Event

Magic The Gathering

Channel Fireball

WSCTC - Seattle, WA 

April 7, 2018

I decided to sign up and play in a Standard Main Event with an aggro G/W cat tribal deck.  Realistically, it was not likely to do well.  I hoped to not go 0-8 and mostly wanted to win at least two rounds, because trying to put together a good standard deck and the money involved with all the banhammer stuff this year regarding energy and whatnot gave me the thought that playing something no one else would be playing might give me an edge in a lot of game ones.

In the end ... 1-7 with the win coming in the first round and then 7 consecutive brutal losses, mostly in third games when I often had a win condition and still lost.  No one was playing what I was playing and my deck generated a lot of conversations.  I am glad I played.  I am glad I worked at this deck.  It does have a GP win.  But winning that first round match made the long hours of constantly coming close and getting eliminated from making the second day kind of harsh. 

I really learned a lot about the game and this deck though.  My sideboard approach became much more strategic, although there were a number of cards in the sideboard that never seemed right to bring in. I made plays that caught players by surprise with this deck.  The testing I did on Thursday in the Turbo section helped me a bit there too.  Winning a lot of first games is nice, but not winning those game threes is brutal when it keeps happening even when you prepared for it.  Not getting that second win was actually surprising because it just seemed so close so often. Playing that third game in round four was essentially a $10k game to stay alive and it meant I had to decide to keep playing four more rounds for pride and points or not.  Not winning does not mean that was the wrong choice.

Place 1369/1502

Submitted Decklist:

4 Adorned Pouncer

4 Metallic Mimic

4 Pride Sovereign

3 Prowling Serpopard

4 Regal Caracal

4 Sacred Cat

2 Watchers of the Dead

1 Huatli, Radiant Champion

2 Anointed Procession

4 Blossoming Defense

1 Enter the Unknown

2 Heroic Intervention

1 Path of Discovery

1 Radiant Destiny

1 Shapers' Sanctuary

5 Forest

9 Plains

4 Scattered Groves

4 Sunpetal Grove

Sideboard:

2 Anointed Procession

3 Appeal // Authority

1 Gideon of the Trials

1 Gideon, Martial Paragon

2 Mirage Mirror

1 Oath of Ajani

1 Oketra's Monument

1 Rhonas's Monument

1 Vanquisher's Banner

2 Watchers of the Dead

I have now played in two Grand Prix Main Events in the past year in Las Vegas and Seattle.  The Las Vegas was Standard Limited Sealed and Seattle was Standard Constructed.  The two promo cards for entrance are above.