Game 13

Game Summary

Wort Goblin Shenanigans kept a functional opening seven built around Mogg Fanatic, Skullclamp, Hexing Squelcher, and Goblin Assassin. Wort won the opening roll and used Skullclamp to convert Mogg Fanatic into two cards on Turn 2, then established Wort, Boggart Auntie and began assembling a sacrifice package with Skirk Prospector, Goblin Bombardment, and Three Tree City.

Bring Out Your Dead paid five life to cast The Reaper, King No More on Turn 3 and place a -1/-1 counter on Hexing Squelcher. Wickerbough Elder followed, giving Gavvin repeatable artifact and enchantment removal. When Maha, Its Feathers Night entered, Wort sacrificed the marked Squelcher to Goblin Bombardment; The Reaper returned it under Gavvin’s control as an unmarked creature. Wickerbough Elder subsequently destroyed Goblin Bombardment and Staff of Domination, preventing Wort’s sacrifice and artifact engines from developing.

Harbinger of Night then began placing -1/-1 counters on every creature. Wort and Goblin Assassin blocked Maha and Wickerbough Elder during the first major attack, trading creatures that were unlikely to survive another Harbinger trigger while limiting the damage to three from The Reaper. Wort attempted to rebuild with Frogtosser Banneret, but Harbinger killed it and The Reaper briefly returned it under Gavvin’s control. Night of Souls’ Betrayal then reduced it to zero toughness without a counter, sending it back to Wort’s graveyard.

Maha and Night of Souls’ Betrayal formed the decisive lock. Maha set each opposing creature’s base toughness to 1, while Night supplied a continuous -1/-1, making Wort, Boggart Mob, Siege-Gang Commander, and the rest of the available creature hand effectively uncastable. Wort drew Mountain, Siege-Gang Commander, and Blood Crypt instead of removal, a tutor, a wheel, or Living Death. Maha, Wickerbough Elder, and The Reaper steadily reduced Wort to 10 life.

At the end of Wort’s Turn 10, Gavvin cast Beast Within targeting his own Night of Souls’ Betrayal. The enchantment had already prevented Wort from rebuilding, and destroying it now created a 3/3 Beast while removing a restriction that no longer mattered. The Beast increased Gavvin’s available attack from eight to eleven damage. Bring Out Your Dead therefore won on Turn 10 through the combination of the established lock and lethal combat.

Key Moments

• Wort kept its opening seven and won the opening roll 8-5.
• Mogg Fanatic was equipped with Skullclamp on Turn 2, dying immediately and drawing Goblin Bombardment and Sword of the Paruns.
• Hexing Squelcher taxed The Reaper’s activated ability, forcing Gavvin to pay two additional life when placing the first -1/-1 counter.
• Wort was cast on Turn 4 after an initially proposed Hexing Squelcher attack was withdrawn.
• Wort’s Turn 5 developed Skirk Prospector, Goblin Bombardment, Mogg Fanatic, and Three Tree City naming Goblin.
• Maha’s arrival prompted Wort to sacrifice the marked Hexing Squelcher. The Reaper returned it under Gavvin’s control as a new creature without the counter.
• Goblin Assassin forced both players to sacrifice a creature when both coin flips came up tails.
• Wickerbough Elder destroyed Goblin Bombardment on Turn 6 and Staff of Domination on Turn 7.
• Wort and Goblin Assassin blocked Maha and Wickerbough Elder, allowing only The Reaper’s three commander damage through. Neither blocker died with a -1/-1 counter, so The Reaper did not return them.
• Harbinger of Night killed Frogtosser Banneret. The Reaper returned it under Gavvin’s control, but Night of Souls’ Betrayal subsequently killed it without a counter.
• Maha plus Night of Souls’ Betrayal prevented Wort from maintaining creatures and converted several later draws into functional blanks.
• Obelisk Spider added incidental life drain when Gavvin placed additional -1/-1 counters.
• Wort reached Turn 10 at 10 life with no creatures and no supported escape line in hand.
• Beast Within targeting Gavvin’s own Night of Souls’ Betrayal converted the spent lock piece into the final 3/3 attacker needed for lethal combat.

Game Context

The AI pilot in this game was ChatGPT 5.5. This was only recognized after the match, so the live game and immediate postgame discussion did not account for the model difference. The result should therefore be attributed to GPT-5.5 when comparing AI piloting across Grand Round Robin games.

The Wort pilot made several execution and bookkeeping errors. These included incorrect mana and casting-cost readings, an attempted attack into an obvious Reaper block that was rewound, and repeated confusion over which deaths could trigger The Reaper. The two clearest strategic errors were Goblin Bombardment activations that dealt one nonlethal damage to The Reaper and Maha instead of reducing Gavvin’s life total. Those points did not appear sufficient to change the recorded result, but spending them for no lasting effect reduced Wort’s available reach.

Wort also became highly passive after the Maha/Night lock formed. Declining to cast creatures that would immediately die was reasonable, but the pilot largely accepted the combat clock while waiting for a tutor, wheel, Living Death, or direct answer. No clearly supported alternate line overturns the result, but the game should not be summarized solely as poor draws: Bring Out Your Dead established an effective lock and maintained the better position, while GPT-5.5’s execution errors further reduced Wort’s chances.