Player: Kirk Dennison
For background on the decks I used in other years in which I placed at nationals, view these threads:
20072010Background:After playing a Besieging the City combo for 2 years at nationals with an aggregate record of 8-2 with it in nationals tournament play I knew that it would be ill-advised to run it again at the national level. I did run it at regionals to throw smoke to the wind of what I was actually brewing.
I actually developed 2 ideas that I was confident in and had trouble picking which was my main deck.
Result: 3rd place, (5-1), 15 pts, +10 LS1st Deck: Reuben's Torn Clothes (2-1)(7-5 win against Josh Randolph, 7-2 loss against Tim Maly, 7-3 win against Tyler Stevens)
Cards in Deck: 112 (43/43/26)
NEUTRAL: 26
Lost Souls: 15
Lost Soul (punisher) x2
Lost Soul (1st round)
Lost Soul (anti-ignore) x2
Lost Soul (can't be prevented) x2
Lost Soul (female only) x2
Lost Soul (N.T. only) x2
Lost Soul (revealer) x2
Lost Soul (shame) x2
Artifacts: 9
Blue Tassels
Book of the Law x2
Lampstand of the Sanctuary
Priestly Crown
Stone Pillar at Bethel x2
Unholy Writ x2
Sites: 2
Promised Land x2
GOOD: 43
Lamb Dominants: 4
Angel of the Lord (G)
Guardian of Your Souls
New Jerusalem
Son of God
Fortresses: 4
Storehouse
Wall of Protection
Zerubbabel's Temple x2
Covenants: 3
I am Salvation x2
Covenant of Palestine
Heroes: 16
Jehoram the Priest x2
Angel at Shur (promo)
Angel of God
Captain of the Host (wa) x2
Agur x2
Benjamin x2
Jacob (FoOF) x3
Tribal Elder x3
Hero Enhancements: 16
Gathering of Angels x3
Abraham's Servant to Ur x2
Answer to Prayer x2
Jacob Buries the Foreign gods x2
Obedience of Noah x2
Reuben's Torn Clothes x5
EVIL: 43
Grim Reaper Dominants: 3
Burial
Christian Martyr
Destruction of Nehushtan
Fortresses: 3
Gates of Jerusalem
Kingdoms of the World (P)
The Darkness
Curses: 5
Captured Ark x3
Unknown Nation x2
Evil Characters: 16
Abner (k)
Athaliah
Complainers x2
Covenant Breakers
Esau (Pat)
Haman (promo)
King Ahaziah
King Jehoram
King Zedekiah x2
The Jeering Youths
Unclean Spirit
Uzzah x2
King Rehoboam (k)
Evil Enhancements: 16
Crucify Him
Dungeon of Malchiah x3
Gibeonite Trickery x5
Haman's Plot x4
Shimei's Malicious Curse x3
1st Deck Commentary:I actually built 2 copies of this deck to check along with my 3rd deck for Haman's Plot abuse. I made a change the week before nationals to add Gabriel (k) x2 into the deck and I removed some enhancement and something else for him. I don't recall what the exact change was but I think Jake Buries x1 went out along with something else. I remembered Clift playing Sin in the Camp at regionals and I wanted to tech against that deck. Little did I know that Gabe was piloting that deck (to the eventual first place finish). I figured Tyler or someone else from MN might play it.
I only ripped 1 or 2 plots in my 3 games with this deck. First card out was a copy of Gabriel (k).
Strategy revolved around Tribal Elder/Jake/Captain or Jake + RTC in the early game. In the late game my win strategy was gathering Agur or Jehoram and placing RTC on Jake before banding to Angel at Shur or Angel or God. Infinite recursion due to Book of the Law, which was protected due to Lampstand (and even if they DoN'd 1 I had another), and Christian Martyr/Unholy Writ wouldn't stop my rescue due to RTC applying to all Genesis heroes, and Angel at Shur and Angel of God being Genesis angels.
King Rehoboam was there to play Jake Buries on Benjamin in a side battle if my opponent had a Golden Calf which would stall my end game recursion.
The deck worked beautifully in game 1 at nationals but I hit the deck's worst draw in any game against Tim Maly in game 2, not drawing enough evil to thwart his Garden Tomb. I switched to my 2nd deck after that loss. However, in the final match I switch back to my main deck as I was leery of ANB reset and Sin in the Camp as possible decks in my final game. Little did I know Tyler was playing ANB reset and Gabe was playing Sin in the Camp. I didn't ask around so I honestly had no idea what they were really playing. I just heard they were playing great decks.
Tyler was in 5-0 and had beaten Gabe head-to-head, Gabe was 4-1 with the best differential, and I was 4-1. In the final round I grabbed an early Jake/Captain and beat down Tyler's FBN deck even after a reset or two. My win knocked Tyler into 2nd (Gabe taking first beating John Earley) and I took 3rd.