by Corey Burkhart

If you’re looking for a Top 16 matchup worthy of any Final, this is a good place to start. Tim Rivera has a Darkmoon Faire Championship and North American Continental Championship to his name, and he’s representing his home town of Las Vegas with the Horde Priest Suncaller Haruh.  His opponent, Brad Watson is also one of the best players in the world. US National Champion in 2007, three time Worlds 3^rd place finisher, multiple Darkmoon Faire Champion, and current VIP, he’s put his trust in Grand Crusader rush this weekend and been handsomely rewarded.

The players began the match joking about mulligans, with Tim instantly throwing his seven back for a new set on the play, Brad keeping his opener. Tim led the action off with Seeds of Their Demise and passed. Brad matched his quest, but one-upped Tim with Rosalyne von Erantor to start the damage.

“I just want to beat Tim Rivera, I’ll forfeit other prizes,” Brad commented as Tim contemplated his Seeds Delve. He placed both on bottom, then played his Devout Aurastone Hammer with a sly grin, prompting a groan and Delve from Brad. Brad swung in with Rosalyne, rowed another copy of Seeds, and used Trade Prince Gallywix for some acceleration of his own, dropping Telor Sunsurge.

Tim needed to respond. The board was getting out of control, and a single Grand Crusader could pose a serious threat to his Priest’s health total. Tim ran out an Obsidian Drudge and a Bronze Warden to heal his hero back to full health, but it left him vulnerable. Brad drew his card and went big, Stashing Cairne, Earthmother’s Chosen, and playing Grand Crusader. His small army became a wrecking machine, Rosalyne crushing the Bronze Warden, Telor Sunsurge taking down the Obsidian Drudge, and Gallywix sending 5 damage straight at Suncaller Haruh.

Tim readied up, Stashed a Cairne of his own, then dropped Parexia, Herald of the Shadows. Brad discarded Edwin VanCleef and Dagax the Butcher. Brad took a look at the board, wondering if killing off Parexia was better than just attacking Tim all out with his party of four allies, eventually deciding to send Gallywix into the Priest ally. His remaining allies all went to Tim’s hero. Dagax the Butcher upped the ante, and Bottled Light on the next turn was enough to put the nail in Tim Rivera’s coffin.

Brad Watson – 1, Tim Rivera – 0

Tim would be going first in the second game, and he seemed happy with a hand that featured a Hammer and two copies of Edwin VanCleef. Brad took the speed of Tim’s decision as the sign of a very powerful hand, and didn’t look happy about his own hand. He reluctantly kept, and we were off!

Tim dropped a face-down resource turn 1, rather than Stash his Cairne, and Brad followed up with Rosalyne von Erantor. A Stashed Sava’gin the Reckless hit Rosalyne, and Tim followed that piece of luck up with a Devout Aurastone Hammer, an awesome start for his deck. Brad played a Faceless Sapper, but a revealed Bottled Light denied him Enrage and four points of damage. A turn three Edwin VanCleef followed for Tim, and things were looking grim for Brad. He played Grand Crusader, sending the Sapper into the Suncaller. Tim was nowhere near done, and used Dispel Magic to rid Brad of his powerful Protection Talent. Edwin swung down into Brad’s Faceless Sapper, and the Defias Thugs went for Rohashu.

Brad had no board after turn three, was facing down a Devout Aurastone Hammer, and an opposing Edwin VanCleef, and decided playing his own was the answer. Tim quickly sent Edwin into Edwin and played Power Word: Barrier for something of a blowout. Tim Stashed Sava’gin the Reckless, hitting one of Brad’s Thugs, then slammed down Cairne, Earthmother’s Chosen.

Brad’s retort was Trade Prince Gallywix and a Bottled Light for his Faceless Sapper, which revealed an ally this time, trading for Tim’s Edwin before cracking the Bottle for a second Sapper attack, this time on Cairne. Each player was running low on cards, Brad had two left in his hand, while Tim had three of his own. Tim used his last ally token and an attack with his Devout Aurastone Hammer to kill Brad’s Trade Prince Gallywix, then sent Cairne in for 6 points of damage on Roshashu.

Forced into another tough spot, Brad went into the tank. He could use his hero flip to finish off the Cairne, Earthmother’s Chosen, but that left him with no board facing down Tim’s hand full of giant Horde allies.

“I think I’m done with this game,” joked Brad. Would Tim flash him a hand full of gas to draw the concession?

“I just have three Mazu’kons that I didn’t want to play,” Tim responded.

The two friends hadn’t stopped joking with one another the entire game despite the intensity of the game, and during the middle of all of it, Brad used his hero flip to rid himself of the Cairne, Earthmother’s Chosen. Tim quickly slammed an Amani Dragonhawk onto the table, turning off all opposing ally powers, as Brad proudly played Rosalyne von Erantor and a Bottled Light to resurrect more one and two cost allies that Tim promptly wiped with a Gnash. Brad scooped up everything else, sending the players to the rubber match.

Brad Watson - 1, Tim Rivera - 1

The talk died down very slightly in between the second and third game until Tim commented on how he was preparing to not draw a Devout Aurastone Hammer, his key card to defeat Brad when the rush deck was on the play. The two players drew their hands, Brad thought for a while, and kept his hand. Tim then went into the tank, he knew he needed a very powerful hand to beat Brad’s explosive draws, and he determined that the first one wasn’t going to do it.

“Are you ready for the pain!?” Brad hollered as Tim shuffled up his mulligan, as he repeated his opener from the two prior games of Rosalyne von Erantor.

Tim called out, “One time, dealer,” as he used his stashed Sava’gin the Reckless, but Sava’gin was determined not to be so predictable, firing two points at Rohashu. Brad sent Rosalyne into Suncaller Haruh, but a Power Word: Barrier came down to preserve the Tauren’s health. Brad popped the Barrier by rowing Kor’kron Vanguard, playing Trade Prince Gallywix, and readying the Vanguard to allow for a one-point hero attack. Tim slammed his lucky talisman, Devout Aurastone Hammer, for the third time in this match to a, “how lucky,” from Brad. Brad seemed content with his own luck, however, as he played Grand Crusader, moving the damage totals to five on Brad and ten on Tim.

Tim had a Stash effect in hand for his Hammer, allowing him to play a five cost ally this turn, but he didn’t have anything to drop. He allowed Brad to ready up, but used a Dispel Magic to eliminate Grand Crusader when Brad attacked with his two allies. Brad followed it up with Edwin VanCleef, adding 7 ATK to the board and putting Tim in a precarious position. Tim finally managed to level the board, flipping his hero and dropping Gnash to clear out Rosalyne, Gallywix and the Defias Thugs.

Brad had just an Edwin VanCleef in play, but Tim only had 16 health remaining to work with. Three attacks from Edwin and an attack with a Kor’kron Vanguard powered Roshashu would do it. Edwin attacked Tim, putting damage at 5 on Brad to 21 on Tim, and Brad shuffled his three cards back and forth, trying to find the best way to deal the last 11 points of damage. He was fearful of Parexia, Herald of the Shadows forcing him to discard his hand, but he also had to be afraid of losing his entire party to a second Gnash. Brad decided on a play, and Bottled Light hit the table, resurrecting a Trade Prince Gallywix, who he used to allow him to play a Faceless Sapper which revealed Seeds of Their Demise on top. Brad went for the jugular, hoping for no second Gnash, and popped his bottle to resurrect Rosalyne.

Tim then ran Gnash into Edwin before following up with Cairne, Earthmother’s Chosen, and a Bronze Warden healing three damage from his hero. Now in a much less dominating position, Brad searched for a way to attack with as many allies as possible through the War Stomp effect of Tim’s Tauren beatstick. Faceless Sapper took down the Bronze Warden, and Brad used Seeds of Their Demise to Delve one to the top and one to the bottom before attacking with the rest of his team. He used his hero to finish off Gnash, going to 12 damage, and Rosalyne went in for four with a Trade Prince Gallywix readying Kor’kron Vanguard.

Tim asked for a location, hoping for Shadowfang Keep, which would kill Brad with the help of the Mazu’kon in his hand, but the deck served up another option in Vanessa VanCleef. Tim used Cairne, Earthmother’s Chosen to kill off the Trade Prince, and Mazu’kon came down to finish off Brad’s last Horde ally, leaving him with just a damaged Faceless Sapper. Brad decided he was going to play for the win, and end of turn used his flip to deal three to Tim, taking him to 25. There was only one ally that could do the job, but it was there! Dagax the Butcher dropped into play, earning a handshake from Tim, and a place in the Quarter-Finals!

Brad Watson, defeats Tim Rivera, 2 – 1!