The story begins after the banning of Grief

 by Mama Wizzy and the subsequent testing of new decks: while everyone was finding their footing, I started to realize that Amulet (my trusty deck from time immemorial), with a few adjustments, didn't have many negative matchups.

I wasn't even supposed to participate in this event due to a prior engagement, but a week before the tournament, I started thinking it would be a shame to miss this weekend entirely, especially given the favorable meta... So I rescheduled my commitment, found a travel companion, and we decided to go anyway and return the same evening!

Choosing the deck was quite simple. I've played Amulet since the days of Summer Bloom, I really enjoy playing it, and it has given me several satisfactions, despite periods when it was completely out of meta.

"Unfortunately, Amulet is not science. Amulet is religion."

The meta seemed quite clear to me, so I decided to aggressively modify my sideboard against specific matchups (Boros, UB, Jeskai), at the expense of other meta decks I believed would be played less (for example, Storm, a very strong deck but equally difficult to play optimally). This read proved correct; in hindsight, I only wished I had the fourth copy of Boseiju, Who Endures in the sideboard.

But enough talk, let's get to the tournament report!

Ancona, 7 am, I get dressed hastily and grab my slippers instead of shoes—I'M NOT GOING TO TOP 8, NO ONE WILL NOTICE. Two hours of driving await me, during which I'll enter the decklist by copying it from an old list and modifying the different cards, from memory, OF COURSE. I've been playing this deck for years, so I'm not afraid of the remote possibility of mixing up the large quantity of single-copy lands the deck plays, and I certainly won't double-check them, trusting the list I copied them from.

We arrived at the venue perfectly on time, had breakfast, and the games began:

ROUND 1: Boros Energy 2-0

I read my opponent's name, it sounds familiar...

It was a guy from my area; we played in the same tournament the week before, so each of us knew the other's deck.

I feel favored against Boros; I just need to be careful not to get checkmated by Blood Moon.

Game 1, I aggressively mulliganed for a hand that would kill him quickly, and it worked.

My sideboard is quite aggressive: 4 Pyroclasm and 3 Dismember.

Post-side, it lasted a few more turns, but the story seemed already written after the first well-placed Pyroclasm.

well placed.

1-0

ROUND 2: Eldrazi 2-0

This is a matchup where I'm heavily favored even without using sideboard slots; I just need to execute my plan and close out the game as quickly as possible.

The games were carbon copies of each other.

I aggressively mulliganed (I guess you'll read that a lot today) looking for a hand that would kill him quickly; Boseiju, Who Endures was a key card in the match, as it wreaked havoc on their Tron lands and disrupted their plans.

The guy was playing a BG list with only one basic land; my Boseiju, Who Endures were practically Sinkholes.

Very quick win.

2-0

ROUND 3: Analyst Amulet 0-2

Another opponent from Marche for me; I know him personally but not well enough to remember what deck he usually plays.

Unfortunately, he remembers what I play.

G1, I kept a good hand but not fast enough for this kind of game. His hand was much stronger than mine, and the game ended quickly.

G2, I had a reasonably fast hand, armed with Boseiju, Who Endures. I will cast that Boseiju, Who Endures during my turn, targeting an Urza's Saga

with two counters. He will draw Amulet and kill me.

2-1

ROUND 4: UB Frogtide 2-1

No sooner had I lost a game than I found myself in the limbo of Blue players, who, despite not having positive matchups, don't give up and come to cast their weak cantrips.

I know the matchup perfectly, and I feel favored (albeit slightly).

My luck is that they don't establish a dangerous clock immediately (as UR did); my misfortune is Harbinger of the Seas, which sends us AFK while our opponent beats us down playing alone.

Game 1, he starts, turn 3 Harbinger of the Seas from which we will never recover. Very long sideboarding for us, in which we add Endurance, Bojuka Bog, Dismember, Ent, and Defense Grid (4, because we really want to win this matchup), and we minimize cards that don't impact the game. The strategy for facing this deck is to exploit the larger amount of mana to cast more spells in the same turn than he can counter, without excessively compromising his resources. If Defense Grid

hits the table, the game is almost won.

And that's exactly how Game 2 goes; my opponent couldn't handle all the threats, and the situation was quickly resolved.

Game 3, the turning point of the game is on turn 3, when he taps all his mana for Harbinger of the Seas, but I have one mana open and Dismember, then I play a turn where he is tapped out, and to prevent my spells from resolving he will have to severely compromise his resources. The game will still last a few more turns due to my conservative play choices, but everything will go as it should.

3-1

ROUND 5: Ruby Storm 2-0

What I hoped would never happen.

A matchup where we are terribly disadvantaged: each of us plays our own game, and the chances of his finishing before ours are very, very high.

Game 1, I start (which is crucial), mulligan a couple of times, and keep a very strong hand. Urza's Saga on turn one, Mycosynth Garden on turn two. My opponent knows it will be his last turn, tries to force a combo (and gets VERY close) but fails to close it out that turn, and I win the game. Deliberate sideboarding to try not to be totally passive in the game: in come Endurance, Bojuka Bog, and Dismember.

Game 2: I keep a 6-card hand with a turn-two combo, my opponent keeps an equally strong hand. Fortunately for us, his Reckless Impulse only reveal lands and useless duds, giving us the crucial turn we need to close it out.

4-1

ROUND 6: Zoo 2-0

Very favorable matchup.

I sit down and do monstrous things, horribly fast.

5-1

ROUND 7: Jeskai Control 2-1

Here I start to feel the fatigue and regret not going to bed early the night before.

A hard-fought matchup, but I know how to play it and feel slightly favored.

As against UB, it's very important to hold cards in hand and reveal them only at the correct moment, to prevent Wrath of the Skies from destroying crucial pieces for our combo.

Game 1, it lasts very little. I'm unfocused, I make a stupid mistake and mess up the order of spells to cast; I won't be able to pay a green pact and concede on turn 3. A great start that could have compromised my morale, as well as the game. Sideboard: the trusty Defense Grid

, and some graveyard hate.

Game 2 was equally fast; my threats were constant, his answers less so.

Game 3, an interminable match, with a couple of game interruptions that grant us 15 additional minutes. We still use all our available time and reach turns, where I manage to close out the game (also due to a gameplay error by my opponent), thus avoiding a draw that would have benefited no one.

6-1

The whole room was waiting for us; an instant after finishing the match, I saw players looking for their tables, and I immediately had to start playing again.

ROUND 8: Eldrazi Tron 2-1

We started shuffling, I was visibly struggling from the previous game, I would have liked to stop for a moment but it wasn't possible. Right at that moment, the Judge arrived and announced a deck check. A godsend! I could stop for 10 minutes to recover and refocus.

I go to the bathroom, drink an energy drink, and as I return to the table, I see the judge talking to my opponent. Unfortunately for me, he had his deck in hand, but not mine. I don't even sit down; I already understand. They take me to the judges' table and announce that I confused 2 lands (Golgari Rot Farm and Mirrorpool), so I will receive a game loss and we will start playing with my opponent ahead by one game. Ahead by one game but with a very unfavorable matchup—when I see a Tron land, the smile returns to my face.

Game 2, fast and undisturbed combo.

Game 3, I stall by attacking his mana base and kill him on the first turn he doesn't protect himself with The One Ring.

7-1

It's time to ruin everything.

ROUND 9: Jeskai Control ID

We're about to play for a Top 8 spot, "but wouldn't it be better to play it in an hour, fresh and rested, against someone else?"

My opponent agrees with me, intentional draw, and we postpone our fate until the next round.

7-1-1

However long we could delay, the moment to play for everything had arrived.

ROUND 10: Eldrazi 2-0

Games with little to tell; he tries to gather the necessary mana to cast his spells, I aggressively mulligan to prevent him from getting there.

In less than 10 minutes, I was at the bar buying a round of Spritz.

Incredible tournament, perfect organization (as always), judges always available and professional. 4Season is now a certainty, and it's always a pleasure to participate.

As a well-known friend of mine always says (sorry Mengu, I'm stealing your line): "Life is what happens between one 4Seasons and the next."

I would like to thank everyone who participated in this celebration, and among them:

My friend Diego “Della Fresca” Duranti, who despite the last-minute organization, accompanied me on this journey and endured all my modesty during the return trip (Because I’m not just incredibly strong, I’m also enormously modest).

Kamma, Brutti, Mengu, Pivo, and the other friends from a thousand dinners at Mulino Bruciato (let's face it, the REAL main event).

All the guys from Circolo Lovecraft in Ancona, many of whom actively cheered for my opponents, giving me the right motivation to win!

To the friends at Metagame.it, for their interest and for allowing me to write this report.

To all those who spent time reading this report: You are the best!

A warm greeting to all, and one last piece of advice: Choose your footwear wisely, you never know when it might be your turn to win!