FM - Quarterfinals: Kevin Hoover vs. Liz DiGangi

Both Kevin and Liz posted 3-1 records, earning them a place in the quarterfinals. Kevin was wielding a mono-black control deck that was effective at trading life for cards and then recovering the life with lifelink creatures. Liz was piloting Jund, the grinding black-red-green midrange deck focused around incremental card advantage and the cascade mechanic.

Liz won the roll and elected to play first, but had to take a mulligan to 6. Kevin kept his opener. Liz had the first nonland play in a turn 2 Putrid Leech, while Kevin summoned a Nantuko Shade. Liz applied some fast pressure with a hasty Boggart Ram-Gang, sending both of her creatures into the red zone. Liz pumped her Leech, and Kevin declined to make any blocks (13-18). Kevin then looked to stabilize with a Vampire Nighthawk, leaving his shade back to block.

Liz had other plans, however, disposing of the Nighthawk with a Maelstrom Pulse and repeating her attack from the last turn. Kevin had to protect his life points, and chose to block the Leech with Nantuko Shade. Liz pumped her Leech to allow it to survive combat (10-16). On his next turn, Kevin attacked Liz's hand with a Duress, but whiffed after the Jund mage revealed only three creatures in hand.

Liz then cast a second Boggart Ram Gang and attacked with her team. Kevin disposed of the Leech with Go for the Throat, but took the rest (4-16). However, he managed to clean the field on his turn with a Black's Sun Zenith for 3. Liz drew yet another Ram Gang on her turn, casting it and attacking, putting Kevin to the brink (1-16). Kevin killed the Ram-Gang with another Zenith, but Liz peeled a Lightning Bolt, sending us to game 2.

Liz DiGangi 1, Kevin Hoover 0

Kevin chose to play first and kept his seven again, while Liz needed a mulligan. After two turns of land-go, Kevin cast a Duress on turn 3, taking Blightning. Liz cast a Putrid Leech on her third turn. Kevin continued attacking Liz outside the battlefield, casting Sadistic Sacrament on his next turn, exiling Stillmoon Cavalier, Great Sable Stag, and Sword of Feast and Famine from her library.

Liz, however, still had cards in her hand to play, summoning Bloodbraid Elf and cascading into a Blightning (17-20). Kevin discarded Grave Titan and Phyrexian Rager. She then pumped her Leech hand attacked with it and the Bloodbraid Elf (10-18). Kevin took a Lightning Bolt with another Duress, and then played a Phyrexian Rager (9-18).

Liz cleared it out of the way with a Maelstrom Pulse and repeated her previous attack, pumping the Putrid Leech again (2-16). Kevin was down to his last chance. He drew his card and conceded, revealing two Wurmcoil Engines that he lacked the mana to cast.

Liz DiGangi 2, Kevin Hoover 0