Calvo's Destiny:
- Enrico Russo
- Mauro Corti
- Massimo Guarino
Last Minute:
- Piero Lombardi
- Umberto Bosco
- Andrea Marongio
Calvo's Destiny is a team of fabled Italian trash-talkers that always seem to create a hilarious game to watch. As the round progressed a few Italian played wandered to the Feature Match area to see what all the racket was about. It was an extremely funny round to follow both for the public and the players.
Game 1
Mauro opened with a Sunscape Familiar, Tower Drake and Aurora Griffin but Umberto made up for lost time with a kicked Probe, losing two lands while his opponent lost an Aurora Griffin and Spirit Weaver. Corti then played his last card in hand: a Glimmering Angel.
With his opponents' hand empty Bosco played a Hunting Drake that he traded for the Tower Drake, to the sound of Enrico's songs about the status of his game facing the very young Piero, who despite being only thirteen is still a very solid Limited player.
Umberto used an Exotic Curse and a Volcanic Imp to slow down the incoming Blue and White flying army but soon found himself with only an Attendant facing an Aurora Griffin that could kill him in three attacks. Bosco played a Probe with kicker that Mauro countered with a Prohibit after consulting a judge over a doubt about the casting cost of a kicked Probe (which is three since the kicker does not count towards the total cost of the spell).
Despite being denied his card-drawing spell Umberto still found a second Exotic Curse to get rid of the Griffin leaving his Attendant to face a simple Sunscape Familiar. After a few turns of Draw-Go (in Italian) Corti played a Samite Pilgrim and Umberto a Shoreline Raider and tried to add a 4/2 flying Tek that Mauro tried to Exclude but Umberto was ready to counter with a Spite/Malice, despite having to sacrifice his Attendant to do win the counter war.
With the game slowing down Mauro played a Sunscape Apprentice and Bosco a Ravenous Rats, that removed a Strength of Unity. To replenish his hand Mauro played a Reviving Vapors taking a Silver Drake over a Plains and a Sawtooth Loon while Enrico "Calvo" Russo sang a sad song about how the young Piero had demolish him on the first game.
Meanwhile the Drake was now in play and Enrico's only answer was a Vodalian Zombie. With both players at such a low life (Mauro - 7, Umberto - 4) every move had to be carefully considered. Corti played a Lashknife Barrier and Umberto a Goham Djinn while he assured his opponent that he would really like to draw a Mountain and that he did indeed have Red cards in his deck.
The long periods of deliberation were filled with Enrico's load comments and constant singing. Meanwhile in the Massimo-Andrea match a creature lock with stack intervention forced them to call a judge to solve a doubt.
Corti finally seemed to have victory in his grasp when he played a Glimmering Angel and attacked with his Silver Drake. Bosco was forced to throw the Tek into a desperate block (due to Green mana enabling Corti to pump the Drake for the final point of damage and the damage prevention of the Samite Pilgrim). Still Umberto could not find a source of Red mana to play the Shivan Emissary, Strafe or Breath of Darigaaz that he was holding and was forced to conceded.
- Enrico Russo 0-2 Piero Lombardi
- Mauro Corti 1-0 Umberto Bosco
- Massimo Guarino 0-0 Andrea Marongio
Game 2
With Massimo and Andrea locked in almost total silence and Piero's young voice trying to fight the torrent of sound that Enrico Russo produced the middle table started shuffling for the second game.
Corti again came out flying with a Spirit Weaver, Sunscape Apprentice and a Samite Pilgrim. Bosco was again in trouble when he couldn't find a fourth land and was forced to cast Probe without kicker. He did find a Mountain and played a kicked Breath of Darigaaz while Enrico sang his final song after losing the second game.
The Breath killed the Apprentice, Weaver and Pilgrim setting Mauro's offense back to a single Tower Drake. The Drake did find a playing pal in a kicked Faerie Squadron and Umberto's Volcano Imp got Excluded to keep leave them alone. With his back against the wall Umberto Bosco was dealt another crushing blow when Mauro played a Silver Drake, strangely bouncing the Squadron and replaying it without kicker!
Umberto's 4/2, flying, first-striking Tek was all that he could muster. Mauro smelled the blood and played a Sawtooth Loon bouncing the confused, and small, Squadron. That Squadron, replayed, gained a Strength of Unity and despite a new blocker, Hunting Drake, Bosco couldn't do nothing apart from conceding.
- Enrico Russo 0-2 Piero Lombardi
- Mauro Corti 2-0 Umberto Bosco
- Massimo Guarino 1-0 Andrea Marongio
With all hanging on the Guarino-Marongo game, Calvo's Destiny wasn't too hopeful about their hopes. Andrea had a Kavu Aggressor with a Sinister Strength and despite Massimo's efforts the 6/3 monster seemed ready to deal the final blow. Massimo's first Duskwalker tried to block the Aggressor only to be taken down by an Explosive Growth.
Andrea played a Serpentine Kavu and sent both in. An Agonizing Demise killed the Kavu and a second Duskwalker took one for the team killing the pumped Aggressor. For a second the game held on the brink of balancing but a Pouncing Kavu from Andrea was too much for Massimo, already with little breathing room, to handle.
- Enrico Russo 0-2 Piero Lombardi
- Mauro Corti 2-0 Umberto Bosco
- Massimo Guarino 1-1 Andrea Marongio
Massimo vs. Andrea game 3
After long deliberation Guarino kept his hand. On his second turn Andrea dropped a bomb: Meteor Storm. They played Draw-Go for a while and Massimo played a Phyrexian Slayer. Andrea played a kicked Pouncing Kavu and then tried to give it a Sinister Strength. That would have been a great play but Massimo was ready and sacrificed the Slayer to play a Death Bomb.
Again they lapsed into Draw-Go mode until Andrea played a Voracious Cobra. Guarino finally found a creature, Rage Weaver, but it who didn't seem eager to block the Cobra. The Weaver was then joined by a kicked Duskwalker. Marongio tried to kill the Duskwalker with a unkicked Magma Burst but Massimo used another Death Bomb to kill the Cobra and again turn a problem into a solution.
One of the two Soul Burns Andrea was holding bought Massimo in range of double Meteor Storm. And that was his ugly fate on the following turn when Andrea tapped eight mana to use the shotgun twice.
Final Result
- Enrico Russo 0-2 Piero Lombardi
- Mauro Corti 2-0 Umberto Bosco
- Massimo Guarino 1-2 Andrea Marongio
- Last Minute 2-1 Calvo's Destiny