Team TOGIT has had an interesting day. A few, like Antonino De Rosa, were in. Some, like Craig Krempels and Adam Horvath, were out. Two players were in a final round elimination match. Gerard Fabiano and Osyp Lebedowicz were on the fringe. Gerard would qualify, and Osyp needed to win here to qualify as well. It was a near-exact mirror match, and he'd need to pull out a miracle if he wanted a chance at Day 2.

 

Osyp said during the match, “Kai (Budde) told me that Dirk Hein is the best Magic player who doesn't play Magic any more . . . ” Dirk was working towards joining a German swarm into Day 2. It was an international dogfight, covered by myself and a German correspondent on opposite sides, our home champions facing off, each of us excited by this match between two strong, multi-game strategists.

 

Osyp won the toss and took the odds, and the hounds were released . . . literally.

Turn 1

 

Dirk mulliganned. Osyp played Boliver Trask, fetching a Sentinel Mark V. “I am bold!” He called out.

 

Dirk muttered, “That's a good hand, that's a very good hand . . . ”

 

Osyp flipped a Mojoverse, using it on an attacking Boliver, and it was Lebedowicz 50, Hein 48.

 

Turn 2

 

The mirror began, with a double Hounds of Ahab recruit. Dirk flipped a Mojoverse to even that up as well. Dirk attacked Boliver with his Hounds and used his Mojoverse on the Hounds. Osyp's Hounds followed up with an attack on Dirk's (44-46).

 

Turn 3

 

Again, a mirror recruit, with a Sentinel Mark II on both sides.

 

Osyp team attacked Dirk's Mark II with his Mark II and Boliver.

 

“Same deck card for card, right?” Osyp quipped.

 

Dirk replied, “Maybe . . . I cut Micro-Sentinels.”

 

Osyp, unconvinced, replied, “Thanks . . . I think.”

 

Dirk played Acrobatic Dodge and powered up with a Mark II, giving his defender a nice, juicy 8 DEF. Osyp powered-up as well. Dirk's Mark II stunned, and Dirk stunned Osyp's Boliver (41-45).

 

Osyp attacked with his Hounds to KO Dirk's Mark II, setting up for a Hounds lock. With Sentinels, however, a Hounds lock is never guaranteed, although if Dirk did drop Micro-Sentinels from his build, one of the better ways to eliminate the Hounds threat was gone.

 

Dirk used his Hounds, with a Mojoverse activation, to pounce on Osyp's Mark II, and the game was über-close, at Hein 39, Lebedowicz 41.

 

Turn 4

Mirror, mirror on the wall, which Mark V will destroy them all? A double Mark V recruit, and the game was tight. With elimination on the line, each player was going to need to be on the top of his game to qualify.

 

Dirk attacked Osyp's Mark V with his, using Mojoverse (39-37).

 

Osyp passed, then flipped two Micro-Sentinels in the recovery phase.

 

Turn 5

During the draw phase, Dirk's Hounds of Ahab was KO'd.

 

Osyp played Nimrod, as did Dirk. Osyp had his Nimrod in front of his Mark II, with his Mark V in support and his Hounds hidden. Dirk's Nimrod was in front of his Mark V.

 

Osyp team attacked with his Mark II and Mark V on Dirk's Nimrod. Dirk removed Nimrod's counter and stunned Osyp's Mark V (39-33). Osyp next attacked Dirk's Mark V with Nimrod (35-33), and then flipped anotherMicro-Sentinels.

 

Turn 6

 

Dirk's Mark V was KO'd during the draw phase.

 

Dirk recruited Bastion behind Nimrod. Osyp missed Bastion and had to recruit a boosted Sentinel Mark V. He put his Mark II in front of Nimrod, and his boosted Mark V in front of his non-boosted Mark V.

 

Dirk attacked Osyp's non-boosted Mark V with Nimrod. (35-29)

 

He then sent his Bastion into the boosted Mark V, flipping a Nasty Surprise and pumping it using Bastion's power and discarding a Nimrod. One Overload later, it was Hein 35, Lebedowicz 25.

 

Dirk's Bastion readied, and he attacked Osyp's Nimrod, using Mojoverse.While Osyp removed Nimrod's counter, he still took breakthrough. (35-20)

 

Osyp recovered his boosted Mark V, and a game that had seemed dramatically in Osyp's favor was now shifting.

 

Turn 7

 

Dirk's Nimrod was KO'd during the draw phase due to the triple-Micros, and that evened the game out once again.

 

Osyp used Genosha, then recruited Bastion. He put his Mark II in front of Nimrod and his boosted Mark V in front of Bastion. Osyp had threeMicro-Sentinels but had missed two straight drops! It was hard to tell whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

 

Dirk recruited Magneto, Master of Magnetism. It was Osyp's initiative, which gave him a clear advantage, but he had to finish Dirk off now, or Dirk was likely going to cremate him come Turn 8.

 

Osyp triple-attacked Magneto with his Mark II, boosted Mark V, and Nimrod. Magneto stunned Nimrod, and Dirk couldn't save Mags. It was Hein 28, Lebedowicz 15. Then Osyp sent Bastion into Dirk's Bastion with Mojoverse.

 

Osyp quipped, “I top-decked Bastion with Genosha. I was thinking about conceding until I saw Genosha . . . I almost conceded last turn”

 

Dirk, with a smirk, retorted “Well you should have conceded last turn!”

 

Dirk pumped his Bastion and Osyp pumped his as well, each discarding a Mark II. Osyp's Genosha gave him a clear hand advantage, and Dirk's Bastion took the stun. (21-15).

 

Then Osyp's hidden Hounds attacked Dirk directly. Dirk mixed his two stunned drops 3-card Monte style and beckoned for Osyp to pick one. Osyp started to lift the edge of the front one and Dirk called out, “Hey! No peeking!” Osyp selected the Magneto, Dirk having to check and see which card it was, and Mags hit the KO'd pile. Initiative or not, it would be a hard road for Dirk now.

 

Turn 8

 

Dirk passed his recruit with only one card in hand. Osyp played a boosted Mark V and had several cards left. Osyp put them all in his support row (Mark II - Nimrod - boosted Mark V - boosted Mark V) with Bastion in front of the Nimrod.

 

Dirk sent Bastion into Bastion with Mojoverse. Osyp pumped with two Mark Vs, and Dirk countered by pumping with a Bastion from hand. Osyp had another character to pump his Bastion, and Dirk solemnly scooped, vowing to revenge himself in the $10K. Osyp would join several TOGIT teammates in Day 2.