“Turn 1 Tomb Raider Furnace, that's what the deck does”

Hey everyone! I'm Dario from the Lega Pauper Reggio Emilia and Team Bidoni, as well as a member of the Metagame Staff. I'm the one who designs the playmats and tokens for our league's events. I recently reached Top 4 at Paupergeddon Summer 2026 with Mono Red Rally (the Axe version).

Alright, where do I begin?!

As I mentioned, I chose the deck after Lillo Aldegheri, aka seasonofmists, did well with it in Bologna. If I recall correctly, he missed top 8 only on tiebreakers, but it might be a huge steal. The deck has a simple play pattern, is linear, and games are quick. All things I considered very important for a long and demanding tournament like Geddon, especially since I missed the last two and I'm not used to playing for so long. I looked for a deck that would allow me breaks between matches, so the choice was quite simple.

As I said, I chose the same 60 cards Aldegheri beat me with in our League's Top 8, then I adapted the sideboard to my liking. As I mentioned, the deck is damn fast; the longest match of the Swiss rounds had me getting up from the table with 15 minutes still on the clock.

“He's an axe-wielding gnome” [cit.]

Mono Red Rally

{R}
by Boniburini, Dario
trophy 3 of 1086 | Paupergeddon Summer 2026 Main Event
calendar_check July 11, 2026
info Deck value: from $124.40
Esamina search
Maindeck, 60 cards
Creature (20)
4 x  Burning-Tree Emissary
$0.24
4 x  Clockwork Percussionist
$0.24
4 x  Goblin Bushwhacker
$2.34
4 x  Goblin Tomb Raider
$0.36
4 x  Voldaren Epicure
$0.28
Instant (8)
4 x  Galvanic Blast
$2.99
4 x  Lightning Bolt
$1.08
Sorcery (10)
4 x  Rally at the Hornburg
$0.61
3 x  Reckless Impulse
$1.68
2 x  Chain Lightning
$0.34
1 x  Wrenn's Resolve
$2.10
Artifact (4)
4 x  Inventor's Axe
$0.16
Land (18)
14 x  Mountain
$0.11
4 x  Great Furnace
$2.08
Sideboard (15)
4 x  Cast into the Fire
$1.27
4 x  Pyroblast
$9.58
3 x  Relic of Progenitus
$6.59
3 x  Tectonic Hazard
$0.31
1 x  Flaring Pain
$2.80

Decklist Analysis

I chose the version with axes instead of the classic one with Experimental Synthesizer because I valued aggression over resilience in grindy games. If the game drags on, you're already in a bad spot, and it means something went wrong earlier.

This deck perfectly embodies the phrase “Live fast, die young”: you need to maximize damage dealt early in the game, when opponents tend to take setup turns, then finish them off with a couple of blasts when their life totals are low. The deck isn't built for long, grindy games, but for early aggression, and the axes help immensely with that.

Incidentally, on Thursday evening, I almost had second thoughts and was about to list the classic Rally version with Synths; but I held back, and in the end, it worked out well: I didn't miss them at all.

Just to clear up any doubts, the split between Reckless Impulse and Wrenn's Resolve is just because that's what I had available; those were the cards I owned, and those were the ones I played. If you watched the stream, you would have noticed the mismatched deck and the cards in "magned by dogs" condition.

I had also considered Gingerbrute instead of Chain Lightning, but not having much time to test, I preferred to stick with the tried and true. I think the Brutes are very synergistic with the axes (also considering the results of Mono R Equipment), but then you're much more vulnerable to board wipes, and without 10 direct damage spells, you risk coming up a couple of damage short.

Sideboard Choices

  • Flaring Pain: I preferred it over the third Relic of Progenitus because I feared the popularity of Naya Gates. Prismatic Strands is almost a death sentence for this deck (much more so than for Madness), given that we win almost exclusively through the combat phase.
  • Cast into the Fire:  Played as a 4-of for artifact matchups, with the goal of attacking their manabase. The plan is to leave them without a color and disrupt their land drops while we keep hitting. I preferred it over Smash to Smithereens because, in addition to hitting artifact lands, it's much more flexible and I could cycle it against creature decks like Elves or in the mirror. Overall, I expected enough Affinity and Jund (maybe not a combined 18% of the field), so in hindsight, I should have included even more artifact interaction.
  • Relic of Progenitus : Last summer I played without graveyard hate, accepting losses to Spy Combo. Sure enough, I lost a win&in to both Spy and Rakdos Madness (damn Sneaky Sneakers, they come back worse than Romero's zombies!). This year I wanted the Relics: a solid 3-of, great for cycling even against decks with Tolarian Terror.
  • Tectonic Hazard: Included in the last 3 slots (the poor man's End the Festivities) to remove any cats or other annoying blockers.

I don't perfectly remember every single turn, but I'll do my best. So, without further ado, let's put on our skis and start the slalom!

The Tournament: Day 1

Round 1 | Grixis Affinity vs Augusto Bonilauri (LP Milano)

  • Game 1: I win the die roll, first success of the tournament. I should have kept a one-mountain hand with two Goblin Tomb Raider and a Voldaren Epicure. I started T1 Epicure, T2 Tomb Raider, T3 Tomb Raider. My opponent died before being able to put up any relevant resistance.
  • Side In: 4 Cast into the Fire
  • Side Out: 2 Rally at the Hornburg, 2 Reckless Impulse
  • Game 2: I started aggressively with Great Furnace into Goblin Tomb Raider (you'll read this many more times; I'll put the starting hand statistics at the end), followed by 5 damage on turn 2. My opponent cleared the board with Krark-Clan Shaman, and I had to rebuild. We spent a couple of turns where I only had a 1/1, while he played Utrom Monitor and started attacking me, forcing a race. At that point, I saw Cast into the Fire, and since he was on 4 lands with only an untapped Dimir artifact land, I decided to remove one of his lands. He used black mana to cast Reckoner's Bargain on Utrom Monitor and gain some life. From that moment on, he never saw black mana, while I emptied my hand accumulated in previous turns, closing the game in a couple of rounds. Accepted.

Result: 2-0 | Score: 1-0

Round 2 | Mono R Madness (with Kessig Flamebreather) vs Alessandro Cecconi

  • Game 1: Second match and second die roll won, lucky. I kept a greedy one-land hand with Great Furnace that played Goblin Tomb Raider on turn one and saw the second land immediately after. He started Mountain-go. I saw the second land, so I played Burning-Tree Emissary followed by another 1-drop. From that moment on, I hit him for 5 damage per turn until victory.
  • Side In: 3 Tectonic Hazard, 3 Relic of Progenitus
  • Side Out: 4 Inventor's Axe, 2 Chain Lightning
  • Game 2: I removed the Chain Lightning because he could copy them with open mana (giving him a blast didn't seem like a good idea). Axes aren't great against his removals either. I sided in hate for Sneaky Sneakers, but in hindsight, it wasn't the correct choice. Talking to my opponent, he explained that they remove them because they don't work well against Rally. In retrospect, the correct side-in was probably just 2 or 3 Tectonic Hazard instead of Chain Lightning to remove blockers. In G2, I kept another one-land hand with Voldaren Epicure on T1, followed by Tomb Raider on turn 2. I found the second land fairly quickly, allowing me to apply pressure to the board. He tried to slow me down by removing my biggest creatures and playing blockers, but I always had the blast ready. In the end, he managed to get me down to 5 life, but I closed the game the next turn. After the match, my opponent confirmed he had removed the Sneakers, so my siding wasn't 100% correct. Axed.

Result: 2-0 | Score: 2-0

Round 3 | Jeskai Ephemerate vs Yuvyuv03

  • Game 1: Guess what? Another die roll won, followed by turn 1 Great Furnace into Goblin Tomb Raider. In a couple of turns, I brought him down to 8, but a Union of the Third Path brought him back up to 13. After that, he couldn't find a board wipe, allowing me to close the game quickly.
  • Side In: 4 Pyroblast, 3 Relic of Progenitus
  • Side Out: 3 Reckless Impulse, 2 Chain Lightning, 1 Lightning Bolt, 1 Wrenn's Resolve
  • Game 2: I started quite slowly, giving him time to stabilize the board with Skred and Hydroblast, allowing him to attack with Mulldrifter. Ultimately, a Breath Weapon followed by a protected Murmuring Mystic closed the game in his favor. Despite all this, I still managed to get him down to 6, putting him in double-blast range.
  • Sideboard: No changes.
  • Game 3: I kept another 7-card hand with 1 land, T1 Great Furnace into Goblin Tomb Raider, and a whopping 3 Pyroblast in hand. I started attacking him very early, putting pressure on his life total. He tried to stabilize by removing my pieces from the board, but I drew like a dragon, and there was practically no game. He was also quite short on mana, so when he tapped out for a Mystic, I closed the match. At that moment, I had a massive brain fart: I drew a lethal Goblin Tomb Raider but risked throwing the game. It took me 30 seconds to realize that the Pyroblast I had in hand needed to be cast to remove the Mystic (his only blocker), then play a quick Tomb Raider followed by a Bolt to the face. Axed.

Result: 2-1 | Score: 3-0

Round 4 | Mono Red Madness vs Lorenzo (aka duskreven)

  • Game 1: I win the die roll, he mulligans to 5. I keep a very strong hand that forces him to concede on his third turn. I think he was playing the Moxite version of Madness, but I'm not 100% sure.
  • Side In: 3 Tectonic Hazard, 3 Relic of Progenitus
  • Side Out: 4 Inventor's Axe, 2 Chain Lightning
  • Game 2: The sideboard plan was suboptimal again because he also decided to remove the Sneakers. He started, but couldn't keep the board because I had a hand full of burn spells. I kept attacking him for 3 damage per turn until he reached 0. In this G2, I only lost 2 life: definitely not a very contested game. Axed.

Result: 2-0 | Score: 4-0

Round 5 | Pinger Tron vs Illontra

  • Game 1: Another match, another die roll won. At this point, I realize that the holy card of Saint Watcher (protector of mulligans) is working wonders and my luck is incredible. Throughout the tournament, I kept it on the life counter (it's visible in the upper left during the semifinal). This game wasn't very contested: from him, I only saw 2 Tron pieces, 1 Candy Trail, and 2 maps. I think it's some kind of Monster Tron, which is a bad matchup for Rally but still winnable with fast starts.
  • Side In: 4 Cast into the Fire
  • Side Out: 4 Reckless Impulse
  • Game 2: I kept a hand with 2 lands and no 1-drop. I played Burning-Tree Emissary followed by Rally at the Hornburg on turn 2 and started applying pressure. I immediately realized I had sided incorrectly (or at least hadn't understood what deck I was up against), because in G2 he started with Island into Conduit Pylons. He stabilized with Breath Weapon and Moment's Peace protected by Hydroblast. I conceded a lost game: he was at high life, I had 0 creatures and 0 cards in hand.
  • Side In: 1 Flaring Pain
  • Side Out: 1 Cast into the Fire
  • Game 3: Going into G3, I'm not particularly scared of Hydroblasts; the only thing to do is apply pressure, trying to dodge turn three Tron. Once again, I started Great Furnace into Goblin Tomb Raider, followed by Rally on turn 2. The next turn, I hit him for 9 damage thanks to a kicked Goblin Bushwhacker, bringing him to 5. He tapped out for a board wipe, but I had Voldaren Epicure and a charged Galvanic Blast in hand. Axed.

Result: 2-0 | Score: 5-0

Round 6 | Jeskai Ephemerate vs Martin Rabiller (from Savoy)

  • Game 1: I'm quite nervous at the start of this match: it's the first one that can secure me Day 2. Last year I lost two matches in a row to qualify, so I'm determined not to give up. I lose the die roll, bad. I keep a one-land hand, Epicure on turn one and turn 2 Tomb Raider. He kills my goblin with Skred, but in the meantime, I managed to cast an Inventor's Axe. The axe-wielding vampire stays on the field long enough to bring him low; then I step on the gas: double Galvanic Blast to the face with opponent at 8, and we go to G2.
  • Side In: 4 Pyroblast, 3 Relic of Progenitus
  • Side Out: 3 Reckless Impulse, 2 Chain Lightning, 1 Lightning Bolt, 1 Wrenn's Resolve
  • Game 2: This was probably the longest game of the weekend: we started with 40 minutes on the clock and finished with 15. I kept another one-lander that played an artifact on turn one and Tomb Raider on turn two, developing very well. The game was pure attrition: he had removals for all my important pieces and stalled the board first with Augur of Bolas and then with a protected Murmuring Mystic. Throughout the game, he drew a lot thanks to the Mulldrifter and Ephemerate synergy, starting to hit with flying creatures while the ground board was stalled. Despite all this, I still managed to get him down to 2 life thanks to an Axe-equipped Epicure, despite his Union of the Third Path for 4 life. At that point, I tried to accumulate resources, remaining patient. I had 2 charged Galvanic Blasts and a Lightning Bolt in hand, and I knew he had 2 Ephemerate, 1 Counterspell, and 4 unknown cards. I was sure one card was an Island, as two turns before he had cycled Lórien Revealed for a basic Island on my end step, then drew on his turn and played the freshly drawn card directly (another Island). In the end, I started with Epicure to bring him to 1; he responded with a counter. With Counterspell on the stack, I responded with Galvanic Blast to the face, which he countered with Hydroblast. I responded with the second Galvanic Blast to the face, he cast Ephemerate on Augur to search for an answer; I responded with Lightning Bolt to the face, and he cast the second Ephemerate on the same Augur. We let the Ephemerate on Augur resolve, which revealed the second Union: he gained 4 life and went to 6. The Lightning Bolt resolved, and he went back to 3, the first Ephemerate fizzled because it lost its target, and the initial Galvanic Blast killed him. He had 3 counters on top of his deck. Unlucky for him.
  • Axed.
  • At this point, I secured Day 2, which was my primary goal for the tournament. I feel completely in tune with the deck and have a good understanding of the format because I prepared well, even though I had very little testing behind me. I'm thrilled with the results so far. But why stop here?!

Result: 2-0 | Score: 6-0

Round 7 | Golgari Gardens vs Paolo Rollo

  • Game 1: I lose the second die roll in a row, so I appeal to Saint Watcher and he answers. At this point in the tournament, I'm at Table 1. Being already qualified for Day 2, I feel no pressure and play with a clear mind. I keep a 7-card hand with Great Furnace into Goblin Tomb Raider (thanks Saint Watcher). I start aggressively, and he can't keep up. His Lembas only prolongs the game by one turn.
  • Side In: 2 Tectonic Hazard
  • Side Out: 2 Reckless Impulse
  • Game 2: I start again with Great Furnace into Tomb Raider, followed by 4 damage on turn 2. He manages to find the right answers to my board, and a Weather the Storm for a massive 15 life closes the game in his favor.
  • Sideboard: No changes.
  • Game 3: I open a strong hand, again with T1 Great Furnace into Tomb Raider, followed by an axe and a lot of pressure. He manages to stabilize momentarily with Crypt Rats, but his life total is too low, and I manage to close it out quickly. Axed.

Result: 2-1 | Score: 7-0

Round 8 | Jund Wildfire vs Alessandro Perrone

  • Game 1: At this point in the tournament, I feel confident: I'm at table one and feel unbeatable. This round brings a humbling experience that brings me back down to earth. I open a very strong hand with Burning-Tree Emissary followed by Rally on turn two. I bring him to 12 on turn 3, but he manages to clear the board with Krark-Clan Shaman followed by Writhing Chrysalis. In G1, I see that he plays Toxin Analysis in the maindeck: this surprises me because it had been out of lists lately, and I immediately recognize that the match will be much harder than expected.
  • Side In: 2 Chain Lightning, 2 Rally at the Hornburg
  • Side Out: 4 Cast into the Fire
  • Game 2: In G2, I also kept a very strong hand, but it lost badly to a Shaman on turn 3. He untapped on T3 at 7 life, played Shaman, and gained life with Toxin Analysis. From here, we continued to play for a bit longer, but I didn't draw anything relevant while he maintained control. At the end of Game 2, my opponent gave me my new favorite food token: a Pasticciotto token. If you're reading this, thank you very much, I love it!

Result: 0-2 | Score: 7-1

This loss helps me stay focused for Day 2. In the evening, I adjust my sideboarding a bit with my travel companions, although in reality, we focus more on the Selesnya Helmet choices of a teammate, who also qualified. Changing perspective on another deck helps me not overthink my own.

The Tournament: Day 2

Round 9 | Elves vs Marco94 (Lega Pauper Pisa)

  • Game 1: I keep a 7-card hand with lots of burn spells, while he mulligans to 6. I start by attacking and shooting his pieces: the goal is to keep his board as empty as possible. This strategy works perfectly and brings me home the first game.
  • Side In: 3 Tectonic Hazard, 4 Cast into the Fire
  • Side Out: 1 Burning-Tree Emissary, 1 Rally at the Hornburg, 1 Goblin Bushwhacker, 3 Reckless Impulse, 1 Wrenn's Resolve
  • Game 2: I keep a hand with excellent aggression and 2 Tectonic Hazard. He tries to play Timberwatch Elf to stop me, but I clear the board and close the game quite quickly. Axed.

Result: 2-0 | Score: 8-1

Round 10 | Naya Gates vs Alessandro Mazzi

  • Game 1: I kept to 6, he mulliganed to 5. I only now realize this was my first mulligan of the entire tournament! I was on the draw, but he played tapped gate into tapped gate into tapped gate: a decidedly too slow start to stem my race. He saw neither Basilisk Gate nor Prismatic Strands in this game, so I managed to take it home thanks to the Axes.
  • Side In: 1 Flaring Pain, 3 Tectonic Hazard
  • Side Out: 3 Reckless Impulse, 1 Wrenn's Resolve
  • Game 2: Going into G2, I'm confident, even though this matchup remains one of the most difficult for Rally. Once again, I had a slow T1 that still led to 3 damage on turn 2 and 5+ damage in subsequent turns. I put so much pressure that on one turn he was forced to cast double Strands (one on red and one on white) to survive. For sideboarding, I considered cutting some pieces from the Go-wide strategy to make room for some Relic of Progenitus; I don't know if it's correct, but in the end, I didn't do it for fear of slowing the deck down too much. Axed.

Result: 2-0 | Score: 9-1

Round 11 | Mono Red Madness (Moxite version) vs Pietro Bragioto

  • Game 1: I knew Pietro played Madness because he had faced a friend of mine the day before. He's much better at playing than I am, so I knew I had to be extremely careful and give my all to win. I lost the die roll but started Great Furnace into Goblin Tomb Raider, making him sigh audibly. We both knew it was a favorable matchup for my deck. The first game was incredibly fast: I had lethal on turn 5, but he managed to kill me on his turn 5 with Kiln Fiend, Fireblast, and Lava Dart from the graveyard, all in response to my removal on the Alchemist with Grab the Prize dealing 2+2 damage on the stack. After this game, we had a deck check, so we took the opportunity to chat a bit about upcoming events, like PauperFog on July 26th. Pietro is super friendly, and it was a real pleasure to chat with him.
  • Side In: 2 Tectonic Hazard
  • Side Out: 2 Chain Lightning
  • Game 2: After talking to my Madness opponents on Day 1, I decided to change my sideboarding approach. If Sneakers are out, there's less need for graveyard hate and less need for board wipes for small blockers; however, Chains are terrible in the matchup, so something still has to come in. Okay, this game I have a devilish hand: Burning-Tree Emissary plus Rally on turn two. If I remember correctly, he untapped on his turn 2 at 13 life. The game flew by quickly, and we went straight to G3. Side note: he still got me down to 11 life, so it was a tighter game than it seemed. I had to stay super focused.
  • Sideboard: No changes.
  • Game 3: I kept a very promising one-lander with almost only 1-mana cards and a Burning-Tree Emissary, thinking that if I drew a land in the first two turns, I'd be golden. Needless to say, I drew Mountain on T2 and Rally on T3, filling the board with pieces. I managed to close quickly, helped by the fact that Pietro missed a land drop. At the end of the game, a friend who was watching told me Pietro had Searing Blaze in hand but no lands to activate landfall and resolve my Burning-Tree. Axed.

Result: 2-1 | Score: 10-1

Round 12 | White Weenie vs Giovanni Favetta

  • Game 1: At this point in the tournament, we're at the first win&in for Top 8. He's at 11-0 and has only lost 3 games throughout the tournament so far. There's no getting around it: it's a terrible matchup for Rally. His creatures pair very well with mine, they cost little, and have more toughness than mine. Despite this, I feel very confident. The first game is crazy: he's on the play but never sees Prismatic Strands. I, on the other hand, draw like a dragon. I don't remember the game perfectly because I was extremely focused, but we had about ten people watching us, so maybe someone else will remember the exact plays. I only remember keeping a hand with Tomb Raider and 2 Goblin Bushwhacker. During the game, I filled the board with little creatures, removing his bigger ones. I closed the game by playing Bushwhacker for four turns in a row, topdecking the ones I didn't have in hand. Pure madness.
  • Side In: 1 Flaring Pain, 3 Tectonic Hazard
  • Side Out: 2 Rally at the Hornburg, 2 Reckless Impulse
  • Game 2: Going into G2, my opponent admitted to being a bit tilted by my luck in the first game. I completely understood: I sequenced well, but the deck clearly decided I had to win. In the second game, I started with 4 damage on turn two, but he began filling the board with creatures bigger than mine, starting a counter-race protected by Strands. I had no chance, and we went to G3.
  • Sideboarding: No changes.
  • Game 3: I started very aggressively, bringing him to 9 life on turn three with Burning-Tree Emissary, Rally, and Bushwhacker. I dealt him a couple more damage, but he started gaining life with Lunarch Veteran. I tried to stay in the game, but he gained too much life. He also had Prismatic Strands in the graveyard to fog every relevant attack. Maybe I could have played better, but he always had the right answer at the right time, like Ramosian Rally in response to my Tectonic Hazard.

Result: 1-2 | Score: 10-2

Round 13 | Mono U Terror vs Ilsantone

  • Game 1: I'm practically backed into a corner. Another loss would mean saying goodbye to my Top 8 chances, so I start the match quite nervous. I win the die roll and start with Great Furnace into Goblin Tomb Raider. When he plays Island-go, I calm down a bit: almost all blue matchups are favorable or fairly even. My hand is very strong; I deal him another 8 damage on turn 2, and the first game ends quickly.
  • Side In: 4 Pyroblast, 3 Relic of Progenitus
  • Side Out: 2 Chain Lightning, 1 Lightning Bolt, 3 Reckless Impulse, 1 Wrenn's
  • Game 2: I keep a weird hand with too many lands, Epicure, and a Relic. This vampire deals a whopping 7 damage to the opponent while the Relic keeps the graveyard clean. Throughout the game, I see 3 Relics, forcing him to pay a full 7 mana for the first Tolarian Terror. I remain patient after his first serpent, holding my burn spells in hand and waiting for the right moment to cast them. When he gets me down to 5 life, I decide to go for it. He has 2 mana open and only 2 cards in hand. I'm lucky: he has Dispel and Envelop, so I manage to sneak through by casting 3 burn spells. Only one more match left for Top 8. Axed.

Result: 2-0 | Score: 11-2

Round 14 | Spy Combo vs Nicola Cordeschi (aka Il Fritto)

  • Game 1: Before the game, we do some math, and neither of us is sure about making Top 8. With an intentional draw, one of us would definitely be out of Top 8, so we have to play. I win the die roll and start with Great Furnace into Tomb Raider on turn one. He mulliganed to 5 or 6, I don't remember exactly, but the turning point of the game comes when he mills his Swamp with Winding Way. From that moment on, I try to attack his mana sources while maintaining constant pressure on the board. At this point, I'm just one game away from Top 8, but Spy is a terrible matchup.
  • Side In: 3 Relic of Progenitus
  • Side Out: 1 Reckless Impulse, 1 Rally at the Hornburg, 1 Goblin Bushwhacker
  • Game 2: I keep a functional hand that executes my game plan, but he fills the board with blockers and gains life with Nylea's Disciple. This buys him enough time, and my board state becomes so concerning that he's forced to attempt the combo with still one land in his deck. Unfortunately for me, it works. The land is very deep, and in the meantime, he mills 2 Dread Return and 2 Gigants with 8 creatures on board; I decide to concede.
  • Side In: 3 Tectonic Hazard
  • Side Out: 3 Reckless Impulse
  • Game 3: In G2, I noticed he plays a lot of 1/1s, so I decide to bring in the wraths to disrupt his blocks. I start fast with a Burning-Tree Emissary followed by Relic on turn 3. I draw incredibly well, finding the right answer at the right time (like the Axe drawn directly off Relic). I manage his board with burn spells while a Goblin Bushwhacker closes out the game. Top 8 reached!

Nicola is a great person, and it was a pleasure playing against him. It's no surprise he's a legend in the Italian Pauper scene. With this victory, I secured second place in the Swiss rounds, behind only Giovanni Favetta (the White Weenie opponent). This detail is very important because it guarantees me to start on the play in the next round and the one after that if I win. Lucky. Axed. 

 Result: 2-1 | Score: 12-2

The Top 8

“Ua, ui, ue, luck comes to me. Ui, ue, ua luck comes here. Ua, ue, ui luck doesn't go there”

Quarterfinals | Cycling Storm vs Francesco Redaelli

This is my first streamed match since last year, but strangely, I don't feel nervous. This run has been absurd, and I don't intend to stop here. My friends helped me with the propitiatory ritual of Count Fantozzi: we've been joking about it for two days.

  • Game 1: OTP (On The Play) I keep to 7 while my opponent goes to 6, so far so good. I have a very strong hand: Great Furnace into Tomb Raider on turn one, followed by Burning-Tree Emissary into Rally on turn 2. He has to try to combo on turn 2 with only one land on the field. Looking back at the game, I realized how close I came to losing, but my plan was to put him in a position to attempt the combo with very few resources, very little mana, and very little life.
  • Side In: 3 Relic of Progenitus
  • Side Out: 2 Chain Lightning, 1 Wrenn's Resolve
  • Game 2: I mulligan to 6 with Great Furnace, Tomb Raider, double Burning-Tree Emissary, Relic, and Axe. Turn 1 I play land into Tomb Raider and hit for 2; followed by double BTE, Relic, and Axe that bring the opponent to 14. I activate Relic in his upkeep with only creatures in the graveyard. This causes him to expend cards and mana in an uncomfortable spot. He tries to combo that turn but fizzles again. Unlucky for him. Francesco is a great Cycling Storm player. When he tried to combo, I was very worried because he came really close to closing it out. I was impressed by his speed in decisions and clean execution; despite this, he was also Axed.

Result: 2-0 | Score: 13-2

Semifinals | Jund Wildfire vs Jan Plachy

  • Game 1: As soon as I saw his decklist, I immediately thought I was in trouble. He plays 2 Toxin Analysis in the main deck and Pulse of Murasa, so it's purely a matter of speed. I have to kill him before he sees those cards, otherwise it's almost certainly GG for him. I try to close the game quickly, bringing him to 5 life, even though an early Shaman had cleared my board. His Pulse, which brought back Shaman, putting him back to 11, virtually closed the game. Everything that happened after wasn't too relevant.
  • Side In: 4 Cast into the Fire
  • Side Out: 2 Reckless Impulse, 2 Rally at the Hornburg
  • Game 2: I kept a strong hand with a creature on T1, followed by T2 Burning-Tree Emissary plus Cast into the Fire which exiled his Drossforge Bridge. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to win: he drew the lands he needed followed by the perfect answers to all my plays. Throughout all this, I couldn't turn the game around. I don't remember the end of the match very well, but I remember that if he had gotten greedy and attacked with everything, I could have stolen it with a lethal swing back from Tomb Raider, BTE, and Bushwhacker. However, he remained extremely careful and didn't give me any openings. Unlucky.

Result: 0-2 | Score: 13-3

Talking to my opponent during the match, he confessed that Rally seemed like a very easy matchup for him, especially in G1. For my part, I lost to two Junds this weekend, so I completely agree with him. We Rally players can steal wins by removing opposing lands with Cast, or thanks to extremely fast hands capable of punishing his slow starts. He also told me that the games were incredible and that he had never drawn so well in the entire tournament. He played and drew better than me, so his was a well-deserved victory.

Conclusions

After all, I'm really happy with my result. My goal was to make Day 2, and I made it all the way to the semifinals! I was very lucky throughout the tournament, mulliganing very little and starting games with Great Furnace into Goblin Tomb Raider for a remarkable 13 out of 38 total games (decidedly more than the statistical 14%).

I think the axe is an excellent addition to the deck. In the tournament, I won at least 3 games thanks to Inventor's Axe, and the most important one was undoubtedly G3 of the win&in against Spy Combo.

I would like to thank all my opponents: they were all super friendly and kind. A special thanks goes to Il Fritto, with whom I played the win∈ sorry for that final topdeck, but I drew like a dragon throughout the tournament! Joking with friends, we said I was blessed by the Magic Messiah.

Last but not least, a big thank you to Lorenzo Aldegheri who introduced me to this list by playing it at PauperRagù and beating me in our league's Top 8.

Actually, that was a lie: the biggest thanks goes to my teammates from Team Bidoni and Lega Pauper Reggio Emilia, who supported me all weekend and during testing sessions. So thanks to Fiakka (who couldn't be there), Gabri, Gando, Lollo, Pietro, Tazzo, and all of LPRE.

See you at PauperFog!