"Theros Pre-Release:Aki's Reminder"

"Theros Pre-Release:Aki's Reminder"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr.

The Theros Pre-release in my book was a really great one.I attended the one run by Mindstorm games in Padi's point SM North on a rainy Sunday. I learned a lot of things and was able to play weeks after my board exams. I only won one pack in the entire 4 rounds but it was a very satisfying tournament nonetheless.

Eventual 4-0 man Marco Serafica Sweeped me with a White/Green deck that abused Bestow on Centaur Battlemaster and White's flying creatures. As much as I hate losing in the first rounds I got to hand it to the guy for having a really well built deck.

My second match with the 12 year old Aki Manaloto was the reason I enjoyed this Pre-release so much. This kid had style  , skill and humility. 

Running a Red/ Green deck with Polis Crusher and Titan of the Eternal Flame as Mid-Late range threats and Akroan Crusader and Leafcrown Dryad as early threats , I was able to beat him in our first game with a  Bestowed Creature Equipped with a Prowlers Helm and suddenly pumped with a Feral Invocation.

The 2nd game saw me going to town with a Mix of Akroan Crusader  , it's tokens and Satyr Hedonists in the early goings. I was able to reduce his life to 2 and then it got interesting. He was able to cast the PR card for Blue , The Shipbreaker Kraken. He was able to make it Monstrous , tapped all my creatures and swung for 10. Another swing and I was dead. It got more interesting.

We took so much time in the 2nd game that there was only 10 minutes left before the round ends. 

This 3rd match would see us both mulligan to 4 cards. I was at a disadvantage this time around as I found that I would not be able to summon creatures so easily. Aki on the other hand was able to summon a Prescient Chimera , I was able to dispatch it with a Time to Feed on my Polis Crusher. The succeeding turns were deadly as Aki showed me that he had 3 of these flying Chimeras. He cast 2 and kept on swinging for the win.

It was a very exciting match for me . we were laughing as we mulled. We were kidding and we were talking about deck ideas. He was asking questions and told me that he read some of my articles. I was all about ready to quit playing Pre-releases all together because after After Avacyn Restored I have not been winning anything or getting things in my pack that made my heart pound.

The match with this 12 year old kid reminded me of how much I was missing the point. Yes , it might have been about the cards or winning but it is about always being curious , about always being hungry to win and accepting loss when it rears its ugly head.It was about being happy just being there. I finished 1-3 in the Theros PR but I don't think I could totally stop playing in them now. As older players we sometimes think that we are just the one's who could offer a lesson to the new players.Sometimes its the new ones who teach us more. Thanks for reminding me Aki.