Prerelease day starts just like any other. Wake up. Let loose the attack chihuahuas on the world. Who show their usual contempt and utter disregard for the world by emptying their bladders on the scattered remains of long departed post and waste disposal persons. Bath. Coffee and choc chip brioche, while watching tv. The mornings visual entertainment was the second season of The Punisher on Netflix.

At an appropriate stopping point in the current episode, pause, dig out my clothes and get dressed.

Count out fifteen of each land type. Find forty sleeves plus some spares. Although, either or both of these steps often get forgotten. Only later to be remembered once at The Hobbit Hole. But today I’m lucid and remember both.

Pack a small bag with dice, battery extender and cables, plus the remembered lands and sleeves. Put in a small bottle of hand sanitiser. Stuff cheese and onion sarnies into hoodie pocket. Select play mat to use for the day. I decide on the following one.

Then hit the road.

I remember to pick the cat litter for mum’s cat up on the way out of Wisbech. I don’t have to worry about finishing in time to buy it now. I mentally give myself a pat on the back for that. It removes a source of stress and distraction while playing later on.

The drive from Wisbech to Chatteris is uneventful. I arrive in good time. I see friends already there and say hello. Money exchanges hand between myself and the store.

While waiting I mingle and chat with my friends.

So far the morning leading up to the Prerelease is as perfect as I could want.

In the dying minutes before the official start the prerelease kit for each guild are handed out. Naturally I had already said I was having Simic.

11am we are given the go ahead to open our prerelease kits and start building our forty card decks based on the cards inside.

I like sealed events like this and the Magic League. They are great levellers for new and old players. It’s all about the luck of opening the pack, and your ability to build a deck.

My promo in the kit was Zegana, Utopian Speaker.

Looking at my cards I decide to stick with my guild and build a Simic deck for the tournament.

Round 1 – Thomas S (Rakdos or Gruul)

Despite the final result of this match up, the games were pretty close. My undoing in the second game was Mirror March. My opponent had a run of six heads before I conceded. That was six copies of the creature he’d just played (can’t remember which, it was a 2/2 or 2/3 something like that power wise). I had no way stopping that much damage swinging in and killing me.

Result: Loss 2-0

Round 2 – H (Rakdos)

This was an easy win. My opponent was a young girl newish to MtG, more intent on interacting with her none playing friend who was there, and a boy they had invited to the shop, who was turning up any second while we were playing.

It didn’t help that she kept a starting hand with high cost cards in our first game that she was unable to cast. The second game wasn’t much better for her with the added distraction already discussed.

Her deck needed work I thought. So I left her getting help from the on duty store expert, who also happened to be running the Prerelease.

Result: Win 2-0

Round 3 – Nathan Hall (not sure of guild)

This round started off well with me doing my thing and getting the win. Second game Nathan pulled it back and had a reasonably comfortable win. The deciding game I went into feeling confident. Nathan had gone down to five cards. I was going first. But still despite me having that early card advantage, I ended up losing.

Result: Loss 2-1

Round 4 – N (Azorius)

The final round saw me against the elder sister of the young girl I had beaten in round. two.

I took the first game comfortably, and lost the second game. In our decider it was in the end an easy win. Although I was made to work for it.

You could see the difference between the two sisters. This one was more into playing MtG. A lot more focused.

You won’t see this too often but I kind of felt a little guilty about my two victories. I must have been feeling ill or something.

Result: Win 2-1

Overall record 2-2

During the final round everyone was given two participation booster packs from Ravnica Allegiance.

Final position 13th out of 24

Naturally I’m not going to list all the cards from six booster packs here. It makes sense only to share with you the deck that I built.

The other nice thing about sealed events like this that I didn’t mention earlier, is that you play cards you probably wouldn’t in a constructed format.

The star card for me was wilderness reclamation. Being able to untap your lands at the end of your turn is massive. Especially with blue counter spells in your hand. I think the games I won were the ones that was out early.

I liked the Adapt mechanic. Being able to beef up a creature is nice. Plus there are cards that interact, or do something if you have creatures out with +1/+1 counters on. The only drawback for me is that you can only use Adapt once on a creature.

So here is my Simic deck that I built.

Creatures:12

1 Saruli Caretaker
2 Faerie Duelist
1 Growth-Chamber Guardian
1 Aeromunculus
2 Coral Commando
1 Gatebreaker Ram
1 Steeple Creeper
1 Sylvan Brushstrider
1 Zegana, Utopian Speaker
1 Scuttlegator

Spells:15

1 Incubation // Incongruity
1 Open the Gates
1 Stony Strength
1 Applied Biomancy
1 Essence Capture
1 Growth Spiral
2 Quench
1 Slimebind
1 Sagittars’ Volley
2 Simic Locket
1 Thought Collapse
1 Wilderness Reclamation
1 Biogenic Upgrade

Lands:13

5 Forest
1 Gateway Plaza
5 Island
2 Simic Guildgate