Feature Match Round 9: Masahiko Morita vs. Min-Su Kim

Keita Mori

Masahiko Morita

Kim has chosen to play Machinehead today. After losing his last match to Goro Matsuo, he needs to win this match to keep his chances of making Top 8 alive. By the same measure, Masahiko Morita, having posted a second-place finish at GP Yokohama as a member of Team Poor Shark, is also looking for his first title. Both players sat down with a serious look on their faces and began shuffling. The winner would be within reach of the Top 8. The loser would remain simply "a good player."

Game 1

Although Morita took the lead in game one with a Thornscape Familiar, Kim proactively dealt with a threat by Duressing an Urza's Rage out of Morita's hand. Ignoring the repeated attacks of the Familiar, Kim attempted to blunt Morita's development by Terminating a Birds of Paradise, then dropped a kicked Skizzik. Board advantage swung back to Morita when he played a Flametongue Kavu, killing the Skizzik. Morita's next attack brought Kim down to 11 life. Kim made a Skizzik, hoping to trade with the Kavu, but an Urza's Rage shattered those hopes. At 4 life after Morita's attack, Kim scooped, shaking his head at his poor draws.

Game 2

Min-Su Kim

Siding out 2 Disenchants for a Rith and another Flametongue, Morita took control of the second game nearly as quickly as the first. Kim was only able to produce two permanents (a Plague Spitter and a Phyrexian Scuta) in 14 turns of play before going down underneath a Blastoderm's attack.

Result: Morita 2-0