Zvi Mowshowitz (USA) vs. Terry Tsang (Canada)
In round twelve, Canadian Terry Tsang met Zvi Mowshowitz. Tsang was playing a red and blue Academy-deck with Processors and Colossus, while Zvi, who had been a member of the Mogg Squad testing group, played the Fluctuator/Stroke deck.Tsang mulliganed once, as his first hand was very slow, too slow against a deck like the one Zvi was playing. His second hand was better; first, he played a Tolarian Academy, then he got out a turn two Voltaic Key, and turn four, he Tinkered for a Phyrexian Colossus.
Mowshowitz cast a turn two Thran Turbine, and in his upkeep, he used the mana to cycle. Then, he cast a Fluctuator, and waited.
Tsang started Colossus beatdown, and cast a Temporal Aperture and a Worn Powerstone. Meanwhile, Mowshowitz found a Voltaic Key, and he also Stroke of Geniused himself for two and cycled, wasting Academies to get more mana. Eventually, he drew a Lingering Mirage, enchanted Tsang's Academy and cast his own.
Mowshowitz was getting low on life, though, and Tsang untapped his Colossus and tried to finish him off. Unfortunately, Mowshowitz had a Rescind, and Tsang had to re-cast the Colossus and wait another turn.
That turn would never come. Mowshowitz cast a Voltaic Key, Stroked for four, cast a Grim Monolith, cast a Frantic Search, cycled a Lingering Mirage, cast a Cloud of Faeries, Stroked for ten, cycled tons of cards, cast a Frantic Search, cycled more, cast a Thran Turbine, cast a Frantic Search, cast a Grim Monolith, cast a Voltaic Key, cast a Fluctuator - and finally, he showed Tsang the Palinchron and the Stroke to win game one.
Mowshowitz 1 - Tsang 0
Tsang went first in the second game as well, but this time, he got a pretty slow start. He played land, among them a turn one Academy, and cycled some spells, but he didn't cast anything before in turn four, when he cast a Grim Monolith.
Mowshowitz didn't exactly get a speed start either. He cast a turn one Thran Turbine, and during his upkeeps, he used the mana to cycle. Finally, he found a Rescind, bounced Tsang's Academy back to his hand and played his own.
But Tsang wanted an Academy, so he Confiscated it. Mowshowitz cycled a bit more, while Tsang cast a Ring of Gix, but then Mowshowitz Rescinded the Academy once more and re-cast it, playing a few more artifacts as well.
But the battle for the Academy was far from over. Tsang had a new Confiscate, and the Academy changed owner yet again. That didn't help much, though. Mowshowitz had drawn what he needed to draw. He cast a lot of artifacts, Rescinded the Academy and re-played it, gained a lot of mana by casting the his "free spells" and after drawing every card in his library but one, he could finally show Tsang the Palinchron and the Stroke.
Mowshowitz 2 - Tsang 0