On Solidarity and not so Solitary

With the wonderful Mid-semester Break from BCC this last week, I managed to take a Saturday off from work and play in a Legacy tournament. I haven't actually ever managed to play in a Legacy tournament before, but way back when we were all planning a trip to play in a Grand Prix or something along the lines and we proxied up some of the archetypes we might see to play test the decks we built. It was at that time I first played Solidarity, and fell in love with it. After we were done with the proxy decks, I saved Solidarity, slowly replacing the proxys until finally it was completed in Philadelphia. But I never actually played it until this past weekend in a real tournament, and while I didn't do win or place incredibly well I still had a great time with it. I actually did better then I expected to...

Solidarity

//Spells

2 Brain Freeze
4 Brainstorm
2 Cryptic Command
3 Cunning Wish
2 Flash of Insight
4 Force of Will
4 High Tide
4 Impulse
3 Meditate
4 Opt
3 Remand
4 Reset
3 Turnabout

//Lands

12 Island
4 Flooded Strand
2 Polluted Delta

//Sideboard

1 Chain of Vapor
1 Deflection
2 Disrupt
1 Evacuation
1 Mana Short
1 Remand
1 Stifle
1 Stroke of Genius
1 Train of Thought
1 Turnabout
2 Twincast
2 Wipe Away

Arguably I fumbled a bit on the sideboard, I ended up sleeping in and not going through my collection with enough time to spare, leading to some mishaps such as Train of Thought...

My matches were relativity simple, most of them I either managed to go off or I didn't...

Match 1 - Threshold
Game 1 we both mulled down to 6, he drops a bunch of critters which I wish + evacuate after he empties his hand before going off on his next turn.
1-0
Game 2 he gets mana boned against me, allowing me to build up enough lands to hardcast fows on his disruption vs me, I go off pretty smoothly from there
2-0

[1-0]

Match 2 - Merfolk
I may have been able to win this if I though straight, although the player I played against was pretty good and at the very least top 8'd. My first game he ended up Fowing one of my resets, which I wasn't ready for and the second game he managed to counter most of my shenaigans as well. If my sideboard and mind had been better prepared I may have been able to pull out a win here. Merfolk are going to be tricky for me for a while...

[1-1]

Match 3 - Elves
The first game I managed to go off without a problem, although if I hadn't of managed the turn I did he would have had lethal damage on me, part of the fun of playing Solidarity I suppose! The next game he managed to overwhelm me with his creatures a tad too fast, although the Choke he dropped was mucho unnecessary. And finally game 3 I managed to counter any shenanigans he played against me, it was a good time!

[2-1]

Match 4 - Cephalid Breakfast
I probablly played this match too defensivly, and at the wrong spots. But it happens I suppose, I am rather confident in the future I will be able to win this match up a tad more. Although it was pretty cool the second round of our match I managed to win with just 3 cards, Reset + Brain Freeze + Brain Freeze hehe

[2-2]

Match 5 - Elves (Again)
This deck actually looked like the same elf deck I used to run back in the day, my casual janky elf deck and for more irony points was piolted by someone else named Travis! I did lose the first round though as a result of my inability to draw any of my engine, the rest of the match was cake.

[3-2]

Match 6 - Really not sure XD

The deck had Tarms in it... I remember that much, and I came close to going off the first game but couldn't draw a brain freeze for the life of me... was very lame sauce. The second game I got smacked around on a bad draw... boy do I hate bad draws...

[3-3]

22nd place out of 40 something people isn't terrible, especially in my mind because of the fact that I haven't previously run this deck in anything serious. I think with more playtime I could win some of the matches I lost, even though the deck is relatively unplayed now a days. It was very satisfying though, people routing for me because I was the solidarity guy...

My life is pretty brilliant right now. Me and Kelly are finally together, which is something I have wanted for a long time. I am generally a very cheerful individual, with some depression buried beneath my cheerful visage. But I am definitely happy now, honestly happy. This is also the first of my few relationships I have been in love with, honestly in love with. I haven't felt the level of feelings I do for Kelly as I have for anyone in the past. Arguably many of the people I have been interested in over the years, or have been interested in me I compared to her... I should have done things differently a long time ago, but in the end it worked out to the now. So I suppose the ends justify the means to some extent.

Of course we have our differences, she prefers Pepsi and I prefer Coke, but that is something we can work on.

I am glad my first run in with fruit on the bottom yogurt didn't ruin it for me.

A Solidarity not so Solitary Travy

I don’t want to fight
Every single night
Everything I want is in your eyes

You and me go back
To places I don’t know to care
The spoils of all I got were left for scraps.

Don’t let me say this,
but you’re no worse than me,
It’s crazy

We are the real, if real ever was, and just because
We are the real, they feel we have enough,
We are the real, ‘cause someone gave us up

I want to be there when you’re happy
I want to love you when you’re sad

Can’t stand the morning rain?
Get out I'll take your place then
Can’t stand the blazing sun?
Then close your eyes you’ll see
The angel dust

I don’t want to be
Anything believed
A million watts of sound can’t compare

Come along you’ll see the world
The pulse ripples, the crowd unfurls
The current starts to flow and then you're on

Oh it’s white hot soul they want,
to sing for

We are the real, if real ever was, and just because
We are the ruin of every living soul
We are surreal, ‘cause someone gave us up.

Don’t break this oath!
I want to love you when you’re happy,
Don’t break this oath!
I want to be there when you’re sad,
Freeze-frame the pouring rain.

We are the real, as real as any ghost,
So easy now,
We are the real, in every living soul
Oh don't they know

Can’t stand the blazing sun?
Can’t stand the morning rain?
Oh get out I'll take your place again.

I don’t want to be alone
Oh I don’t want to be alone
I don’t want to be alone at all

If it’s a white hot soul they want
then a black heart they’ll get.