I was playing elves. G1 I kept a slow hand, excited that it had my one-of copy of Cloudthresher, which I assumed would just wreck Bant Company. But When Reflector Mage bounced my Llanowar Elves and I topdecked another one, that set me back two turns and really put me on the back foot. By the time I was able to try and play the mana dorks again, Collected Company into Spell Queller and Tireless Tracker just added too much pressure (along with a Sylvan Advocate and Reflector Mage that had already been whittling down my life total.) A Primal Command bought me a turn, but with Avacyn flashed in endstep, the writing was on the wall. Turn 6, his one-of Declaration in Stone removed a blocker and I lost.

G2: We both mull to 6. On turn 3 I play Ranger of Eos to search for Heritage Druid and Nettle Sentinel. He leaves mana untapped and says go, and I sense Spell Queller, so I start playing everything other than Heritage Druid. On turn 5, I play Heritage Druid into his Spell Queller, but then I am able to play the Elvish Archdruid I just drew. The following turn when he attacks with big Sylvan Advocates, I flash in Cloudthresher and kill one. Cloudthresher buys me time, and I Primal Command to find Mirror Entity. I still have only 3 lands but this time I have mana elves. He finds a reflector mage to bounce my Archdruid, but when I replay it eventually, he has no Spell Queller. The following turn I play mirror entity and attack with 7 creatures that can all become at least 7/7 creatures, thanks to the 7 mana from Archdruid, and since he’s at 9 life he has to block all but one and loses his team, and I win next turn.

G3: After sideboarding, I add more Cloudthreshers, but he adds more fight spells and some counterspells. He gets turn 2 Sylvan Advocate. I play Devoted Druid. Turn three, when I try to untap Devoted Druid for extra mana, he uses Dromoka’s Command in response to kill it. Ok, so instead I play Elvish Archdruid. Turn 4 I play Nettle Sentinel which he grabs with Spell Queller, then I play 2 Elvish Visionaries. Turn 5 he attacks for 6 damage and kills off my Archdruid after combat with another Dromoka’s Command. I could have blocked with a visionary but I had a hideaway land with a Regal Force under it, so I really wanted to attack with 3 creatures next turn. After turn 6 I’m at 3 life, so I have to play Primal Command, but he has Clash of Wills from the sideboard. I lose with Cloudthresher in hand but I’m at 1 life and can’t play it.

G4: I decide to side in Great Sable Stag since I’m on the play and see if I can add some pressure to his life total. Probably a bad decision since Dromoka’s Command still kills it. I do get a Stag in my opening hand, but he soon has Sylvan Advocate, Tireless Tracker with 3 clues, and he never misses a land drop. Dromoka’s Command kills the stag, Reflector Mage bounces an Archdruid – soon I’m at 8 life with Heritage Druid and two other elves. I decide on a line where if Regal Force stays on the board I will just barely stay alive and then I can Primal Command after, but he has Dec in Stone for the Regal Force and I’m dead.

Bant Company wins 3-1. I never really got an explosive hand with the mana ramping. The one game that went long went to Elves, which makes sense, but all the interruption combined with average or slow hands just kept combo elves from doing degenerate things.