Feature Match - Semifinals: Jason D'Mellow vs. Michael Carney

On the other side of the bracket, the top two players in the spring standings squared off. Michael Carney's Heavy Metal deck advanced by beating John's green/white ramp deck 2-1 in one quarterfinal. Jason D'Mellow's road with Elves was much tougher, narrowly winning a grinding, marathon 3-game match over Skye Kutner's red/blue/green aggro deck - a match whose game 1 was still going when the other three quarterfinal matches were already over! Jason had won his meeting with Michael fairly comfortably in the Swiss, but after talking to Michael during the dinner break, he believed he had a better sideboarding option that he hadn't considered during their first meeting, and he thought that could tip the rematch in his favor.

Jason cleaned up the die roll after Michael led with a 1, and chose to play first. Both players were satisfied with their opening hands and I soon found out why, as they both started strong. Jason led with a Llanowar Elf, while Michael cast both Memnite and Springleaf Drum. Jason had a turn two Elvish Archdruid, but Michael cut into his hand with a Tidehollow Sculler, taking Nissa Revane from Jason's hand.

On his third turn, Jason looked to set up an advantage in combat by casting Llanowar Elves #2 and Asceticism, the unorthodox enchantment from Scars of Mirrodin that had played a huge part in Jason's quarterfinal win against Skye's giant Lorescale Coatls. However, Michael looked to circumvent combat by casting a Thopter foundry. The foundry stopped Jason cold, and he had no plays on his next turn.

At the end of the turn, Michael turned his Memnite into a Thopter, gaining a life point (20-21) and giving him a clear path of attack, which he took on the following turn (19-21). He then cast Trinket Mage, fetching up another Memnite and casting it. Jason played a dangerous permanent of his own: Ezuri, Renegade leader. Michael turned his newest Memnite into a Thopter (19-22).

Michael then turned both his Thopters sideways (17-22), then casting a Ranger of Eos to find two more Memnites, which he cast along with an Ornithopter, leaving him with lots of fodder for Thopter Foundry. Jason cast Joraga Treespeaker and leveled it to 3 and passed the turn. Yet another Memnite grew wings (17-23), and the three thopters cracked into the red zone yet again (14-23). Steel Overseer and Court Homunculus from Michael suddenly made his clock much faster.

Jason had to act soon, and set up a potentially big following turn with a Fauna Shaman, passing the turn. Michael turned his last two zero-cost artifacts into Thopters (14-25), and after a Steel Overseer activation, his Thopters put Jason down to his last turn (4-25). Or so we thought. Jason counted up his mana, finding exactly 16. He used one to activate Fauna Shaman, discarding an Arbor Elf and searching up Emrakul, the I Win Lols. He then cast Emrakul and took an extra turn.

Still, Emrakul wouldn't be enough to stop the onslaught of Thopters. However, Jason drew Nissa Revane off the top of his library, and used it to gain 12 life off of his Elves (16-25). Emrakul then attacked, and Michael sacrificed 2 lands, Springleaf Drum, Trinket Mage, Ranger of Eos, and Steel Overseer to the annihilator trigger. He then took the hit (16-10) and used his last lands to make Tidehollow Sculler, Court Homunculous, and the Foundry itself into Thopters (16-13), fortunate that his opponent failed to use Ezuri's Overrun ability to threaten lethal damage. However, upon drawing his card, he realized that if there were a potential path to victory, it would have involved not sacrificing the Steel Overseer, and he promptly scooped up his cards.

Jason D'Mellow 1, Michael Carney 0

Both players kept their opening hands for game 2, and Michael chose to play first. However, he had an uncharacteristic first turn of "Darkslick Shores, go," and Jason had the first play again with Llanowar Elves. Michael used Marsh Flats to find a second land (20-19), and then cast Steel Overseer and Memnite before passing the turn. To Michael's chagrin, Jason had a second-turn Elvish Archdruid for the second time in the match and apparently the fourth time in four games they had played on the day.

Michael took the offensive, casting his deck's most powerful card, Tempered Steel, then activating his Steel Overseer's ability and attacking for 4 with his Memnite (16-19). However, Jason had access to tons of mana, and spent his third turn casting Llanowar Elves, Arbor Elf, and a kicked Mold Shambler to destroy Tempered Steel. Michael had a replacement for his lost enchantment and played a Court Homunculus after another Marsh Flats activation (16-18). He then used his Steel Overseer again and attacked with his 5/5 Memnite (11-18).

Jason stabilized on his next turn, casting Nissa Revane and searching his deck for Nissa's Chosen with Revane's first ability. He then cast the mighty Relic Crush, a 5-mana double-Naturalize from Worldwake that most decks dismiss as too expensive. However, it worked wonders for the Elf deck, destroying Steel Overseer and Court Homunculous, and leaving Michael with a suddenly unexciting side of the table.

Michael tried to deal with Nissa, attacking her with the Memnite, but it traded with Nissa's Chosen after a double block with the Chosen and Mold Shambler. Michael played another Court Homunculus and passed. Jason continued applying pressure, casting another kicked Mold Shambler, and the second Tempered Steel met the same fate as the first one. "Wow, it's like mono-green control," Hunter commented, as he was observing the match after advancing to the finals with a 2-0 win over Jordan in the other semifinal.

Jason then cast a second Archdruid and attacked with his three 3/3 mana-producing Elves (11-9). Michael knew he was way behind, and after checking his top card, he conceded, searching through his deck and showing his opponent the three Ethersworn Canonists that maybe could have slowed the Elf onslaught if he had drawn one.

Jason D'Mellow 2, Michael Carney 0