Game Analysis - ZNR Premier #60

ZNR 60 - Game 1 (Win vs UG Kicker on Play)
MVP: Expedition Skulker

• Opening Hand/Turn 1. 4 lands, though only one swamp and 3 black cards. 2 Expedition Skulkers + Blood Beckoning. Not perfect but we can do things early
• Turn 2. Skulker. Oooh Nullpriest draw. 
• Turn 3. If we have a choice, we should bring out Skulker to help with DT and who knows if we'll need the Nullpriest for graveyard retrieval. Though an argument could be made to get Nullpriest down to get lifelink and OP probably doesn't have more than one creature coming down. And I have Blood Beckoning in hand. At a minimum if I was playing Skulker I should have played pre-combat tp get DT just in case.  
• Turn 4. Not sure why I cast Nullpriest pre-combat. I need to really stop this from happening. It doesn't do anything pre-combat. Happy to trade one of the Skulkers for Brute, given that I have an Expert in my hand. And I can always Blood Beckoning it back. 
• Turn 5. I do want to bring out the creatures pre-combat now to get the DT bonus from the Rogue, but I want to bring out Bug-Catcher first to get as much of the Expert looking at their hand as possible. Get rid of the potential kicker big creature. 
• Turn 6. OP is stalled on land, push pedal to metal with the Blood Beckoning in hand. Nice to bring those creatures back in hand. 
• OP Turn 6. If I were OP and didn't have land, I would have cast the Reclaim the Waste. They are just stuck on land and at most I have two damage coming next turn without a trick. I would have kickered the Reclaim the Waste. 
• Turn 7. They're just currently screwed on not getting mana. I think Mana Drain is a perfect time to remove options if they start drawing lands. Also losing 1 life is important at this stage. They kept the Diviner but discarded Alliance. During game time, I was like wait what? Then I realize they don't have black mana. Now I'm perplexed by the turn before to attack for 4 and not go fetch 2 basic lands. Don't need to attack. 
• Turn 8. I can unload my entire hand but I'll start with Expert so I can get DT on Skulker. Kept Bug-Catcher back because Sneaking Guide is coming. Yum. 

I think OP didn't make the best plays and gave me opportunity to just keep pushing. 

ZNR 60 - Game 2 (Win vs UG Kicker on Draw)
MVP: My Deck not drawing lands/swamps

• Opening Hand/Turn 1. 2 Mountains but I have Bug-Catcher and Roil Eruption and at least one mana for the Molten Blast. Just need to draw a swamp in the first 4 turns and I draw first. Should be okay
• Turn 2. Bug-Catcher, let's go. 
• Turn 3. Coralhelm Chronicler needs to be removed. Nice to get the mountain to cast the Molten Blast. Save the Roil Eruption for a bigger creature/kicker/face
• Turn 4. Vine Gecko, target for the Roil Eruption and I can bring out the Sneaking Guide as well. Just need a swamp to get going. My creatures don't scare him enough to bubble snare. 
• Turn 5. Might as well attack and hope to get a swamp to help stabilize.
• Turn 6. Canopy Baloth is a threat from OP. Rockslide Sorcerer would be so useful if we could let the Skulker on the board, as it would be able to block the Baloth. Though it would probably get snared. 
• OP Turn 6. Get rid of my board to stay alive. I guess I could have kept the rogue so if i drew a swamp, i could bring out the Skulker to block (or get bubble snared). 
• Turn 7. Does not look good for the home team because I really needed to draw a Blood-Priest

7 cards in hand that I cannot get on turn 7. Sigh. Drew one land over 7 turns and not one was a swamp. Just one of those games. 

• ZNR Game 3 (Win vs WB Clerics on Draw)
• MVP: Malakir Blood-Priest
• Opening Hand/Turn 1. 3 lands, Mountain and Swamp. Expedition Skulker. Feed The Swarm/Cinderclasm for backup. Good but not great opening. Teeterpeak Ambusher - not a bad draw
• Turn 2. Swamp is good. Let's start the board.
• OP Turn 3. Where are the cards for OP, for white/black? 
• Turn 3. Ambusher will let Blood-Priest get 3 damage in. The pause when attacking I find out later is for the Practiced Tactics which isn't useful if there are no creatures on board. 
• Turn 4. I think we keep up the pressure and remove a 3/3 on board. I can at least double spell this turn. 
• Turn 5. I think it's time to see what's in their hand. I only great one choice really. Interesting they chose to cast the Subtle Strike and not the Vanquish the Weak that I am going to remove from their hand. Play the 2nd Predation as land so I can cast the Spellcraft next turn. 
• Turn 6. Let's take out the bigger Blight-Priest. I did not attack due to the Practiced Tactics. 
• OP Turn 6. Thanks for the card but that's another body on the board for OP.
• Turn 7. Okay, can't play both Rockslide Sorcerer and Bug-Catcher. So let's get the Sorcerer on board. OP got me in a defensive mode.
• OP Turn 8. Glad he just did 2 more damage to themselves. I know I can do 4 with the Blood-Priest in hand and I can get a pretty wide board. 
• Turn 9. Expedition Champion is a good card for me at this stage. 
• OP Turn 10. Skitter sneak, darn, it's a 4 toughness creature. 
• Turn 10. Oh nice top deck of the blood beckoning to be able to bring back the first Blood-Priest for lethal. Oh yeah sorcerer can help here with the ping as well. 

Nice play by me I think - I don't see anywhere I would have played differently besides not putting the Ambusher down before combat. But otherwise, good removal and blood beckoning to get the full party priest back. 

ZNR 60 - Game 4 (Loss vs WB Party on Play)
MVP: OP's Orah, Skyclave Hierophant

• Opening Hand/Turn 1. Not happy to be on the play with a 2 mountain, 4 black cards, and a 4 cmc red card. If those two mountains were swamps, This would be a very good starting hand. If I was on draw, I think I might keep this hand and pray. Mulligan -> 2+2 on lands and not great cards. This will have to do. 
• Turn 2. Molten Blast draw is eh, don't love it, but if I have to deal with a creature on the other side.
• Turn 3. Okay. Cleric of Life's Bond needs to be dealt with, and since I can't cast anything besides Molten Blast. Molten Blast it'll have to be.
• Turn 4. Okay, sorcerer or Scorch Rider. With all that untapped mana, I wonder if OP has some removal. Vanquish could definitely be in the range. I don't cast Sorcerer to protect it. Rider can start smashing for 4 as well. 
• Turn 5. Uh oh, 3/3 lifelink with ability. This is a threat I need to get rid of. I can possibly Rage here or even trade 1-1. Okay Sorcerer time. In hindsight, I should hold back so I can block Orah. Lifelink gives a 6 point swing, while Scorch is only 4. 
• Turn 6. Why do I keep attacking when I had such a non optimal start. Bug Catcher to build the board.
• OP Turn 6. Rage for the combat trick. It actually worked. But of course their Life's Bond comes back. And there comes the Shepherd of Heroes. Look at all that life gain. 
• Turn 7. Which do I feed the swarm. Attack first. Happy to trade off flying Shepherd of Heroes for Scorch Rider. Clear their board and feel good, though OP has 4 cards in hand. Put Scorch Rider back in my hand. 
• Turn 8.. Probably should have brought out Rider instead of Expert for bigger creatures and mana efficiency with 4 cards in their hand. They'll get to keep 2. I debated which to discard. I think the Emeria's Captain (flying 2/2 at least) is the right card to throw away for my party deck. Not sure how I feel about this attack by me. I think I need to develop my board at this stage, given it's turn 8. 
• OP Turn 8. Blood beckoning kicked for OP - this does not look good here. 
• Turn 9. Too aggressive given state of things, so I think should have held back. 
• Turn 10. Land. No help. And Lifelink 3/3 back on table. Sigh.
• Turn 11. Just too far behind after they bring out Shepherd of Heroes and I draw a Sneaking Guide. This deck needs to go fast. 
• Turn 12. Just not good. 

Should I have kept the initial hand and prayed for a swamp? Should I have mulliganed again. I think the right thing would have been to mulligan again. I need 2 drop creatures to make this deck work. 

ZNR 60 Game 5 (Loss vs BG Counters on Draw)
MVP: Nissa Zendikon

• Opening Hand/Turn 1: Good starting curve with Sneaking Guide, Grotag Bug-Catcher, Expedition Champion. Swamp would be nice. Would have played the Predation as land first if it wasn't for Sneaking Guide. 
• Turn 2. Grotag Bug-Catcher. Not much I can do about Gloomhunter. 
• Turn 3. Expedition Champion and keep Sneaking Guide there for Rogue
• Turn 4. Wish I had a swamp to have played on Turn 3. Would have cast the Predation here. This is a no-op turn sadly. Not sure why I made Grotag bug-catcher unblockable. Wonder if I would have rather lost the Bug-Catcher instead of Expedition Champion.
• Turn 5. Feeling good about Acquisition Expert and Roil Eruption. I think Hornbeetle is a bigger threat given its a counters deck. Zendikon seems more manageable. 
• Turn 6. Wish we drew more than just lands here. Decide to keep Expert back to chump block. 
• Turn 7. Teeterpeak in hindsight not a bad card, as it can buff to 5/3 - block either of their creatures. Should have made bug-catcher unblockable and attacked. Missed an attack. Teeterpeak can take the Survivor. 
• OP Turn 8. Can't block here with Teeterpeak, but can next turn. 
• Turn 8. I missed that Teeterpeak can buff to block Zendikon. Just noticed Bala-Ged Recovery is nice card to get back when creature dies. Not great trade but reasonable. 
• OP Turn 9. Should have blocked with Teeterpeak pumped. Just missed it. 
• Turn 10. Oh it wouldn't have made a difference with the top deck OP got. 

With this deck, there was some things I learned about curve, mulligan, and really understanding your cards.