So Many Insane Plays – The Battle for the Best Deck in Vintage History

A little over five years ago I ran a tournament of the best decks from Vintage Past, to see which deck was truly the best deck in Vintage history. The only criteria for competing is that the deck could no longer be legal, some component must be currently restricted, and the decklist had to have actually appeared in a Vintage tournament.

The project created much commotion and interest. At the time, Burning Wish and Lion’s Eye Diamond had just been restricted, and Gush not too long before that. People were eager to see Academy decks square up against GroAtog, and Trix face Balance-Rack. I couldn’t find a Vintage Jar deck, but I did find several Vintage Academy lists.

My article report, The Banned Plays Again, has all of the highlights from the tournament. Here are the results:

Deck	Long	GroAtog	BBS	Trix	Academy	Balance/Rack
Long (5-0)	X	2-0	2-1	2-1	2-0	2-0
GroAtog (4-1)	0-2	X	2-1	2-1	2-1	2-0
BBS (3-2)	1-2	1-2	X	2-1	2-1	2-0
Trix (2-3)	1-2	1-2	1-2	X	2-1	2-0
Academy (1-4)	0-2	1-2	0-2	1-2	X	2-0
Balance/Rack (0-5)	0-2	0-2	0-2	0-2	2-0	X

The results were surprising. Most predicted that Academy would crush the tournament. Academy ended up 1-4. In the end, the tournament results fell in reverse chronological order. The most recently ‘banned’ decks performed best. The oldest decks performed the worst.

Ever since, I’ve received requests to hold another “Battle of the Banned Decks” tournament, to see what would happen. Every year, I’ve thought about doing it, but never got around to it.

Until now.

In the five years since I last ran this experiment, many cards have come in and left the Vintage format. In 2005, Trinisphere was restricted. In 2007, Gifts Ungiven was restricted. Last year, Flash, Gush, Merchant Scroll, Ponder, and Brainstorm were all restricted. Most recently, Thirst For Knowledge has been restricted. However, there are some decks from Vintage past that I won’t be running this time around. The Balance deck was hopelessly outdated. The Academy decks were pathetic as well. I won’t be running those decks this time. There is no chance that the Academy deck could actually take a match from any of the more recent competitors.

The Competitors

1. Tezzeret

The newest addition to the ranks of banned Vintage decks. This archetype dominated Vintage from November, 2008 through June, 2009. As a result, the DCI restricted Thirst For Knowledge.

Tezzeret Control is similar to Meandeck Gifts, a modern big Blue Mana Drain deck.

2) Flash

The removal of power-errata on Flash in the spring of 2007 brought Flash back into use. The printing of Future Sight’s Pact of Negation and Summoner’s Pact gave this deck a huge boost. And the printing of Reveillark in Morningtide in early 2008 gave it yet another one. Flash was restricted in June 2008. Merchant Scroll, Brainstorm and Ponder were also restricted, mostly on account of the next deck.

3) GroAtog

This deck first dominated Vintage in the Spring of 2003, and the DCI first restricted Gush in June 2003. The DCI unrestricted Gush in 2007, and GroAtog once again dominated Vintage until the printing of Lorwyn, and then the metagame cycled repeatedly, but GroAtog continued to be one of the best decks in the format until the DCI re-restricted Gush in June 2008, along with three other cards designed to neuter the Gush-bond engine.

4) Meandeck Gifts

Plus some as-yet undecided cards in the sideboard.

Gifts Ungiven was restricted in June 2007. This deck, which I created, won the Vintage Championship in 2006.

5) TriniStax

Mishra’s Workshop fueled Trinisphere decks proliferated Vintage from the time of Trinisphere’s printing in February 2004 until it was restricted a year later in March, 2005. Trinisphere decks only became top performers when Crucible of Worlds was also printed in Fifth Dawn, and half of the 2005 Vintage Championship had 4 Trinispheres.

6) Burning Academy

This deck only became publicized in the Fall of 2003, and was quickly addressed by the DCI before it had an opportunity to do much in the metagame. In December 2003, the DCI restricted both Burning Wish and Lion’s Eye Diamond.

7) Accelerated Blue

This deck, also known as BBS, dominated Vintage shortly after the time of Fact or Fiction’s printing in 2000 until Fact or Fiction was restricted in December 2001.

…

Tezzeret versus BBS

Game 1:

Tezzeret opened game 1 with Library and went broken before BBS was able to Force through a Fact or Fiction.

Game 2:

This was a real battle. BBS resolved turn 1 Fact or Fiction and Forced Tezzeret’s turn 1 Thirst. But Tezzeret also resolved a Fact or Fiction in response to BBS’s next Fact. BBS was able to keep a Tezzeret off the table, twice, but Tezzeret topdecked Ancestral and drew into Yawg Will and won.

BBS versus Flash

Game 1:

There was a tense moment at the beginning where BBS had to hold up counter-magic to not lose. BBS is the control deck in this match. But once that moment passed, BBS took over, Facting into more Facts, assembling an impenetrable counter-wall.

Game 2:

BBS has turn 1 Lotus, Mox, Island, Time Walk, to play another Island and hold up Leak and Drain. However, Flash had turn 1 Ancestral resolve, turn 2 Flash with double Pact of Negation, just enough to win.

Game 3:

BBS assembles the impenetrable counterwall. However, Flash finds Boseiju and manages to play it without BBS getting Back to Basics down. Boseiju protects Tinker for Darksteel Colossus and Flash wins.

Trinistax versus Hulk Flash

Game 1:

Flash Forces turn 2 Trinisphere and wins on turn 2 through Sphere of Resistance.

Game 2:

Stax has turn 1 Trinisphere, turn 2 Choke and Sphere of Resistance. Flash plays Islands and Fetchlands, but doesn’t have Protean Hulk to win. Five turns later, after playing two more lands, it finds the Hulk, but Stax breaks up the combo with Swords to Plowshares

Game 3:

Flash wins on Turn 1: Lotus, Brainstorm, Flash with Protean Hulk.

BBS versus TriniStax

Game 1:

This game is a pitched battle. Trinistax starts with turn 1 Smokestack, but BBS manages to make many land drops and sneak in Back to Basics. BBS keeps Stax from playing more permanents with counterspells. Eventually, Smokestack wipes out both boards, Back to Basics included. An Ancestral Recall helps Stax recover quickly, but BBS only needs an Island and a Mox to play a bunch of spells, and another Island to play almost every other one. Back to Basics comes down again and takes over. BBS finds a Morphling, drops it and wins the game.

Game 2:

Stax opens game 2 with turn 1 Trinisphere. BBS kept a land heavy hand, but there is nothing it can do about turn 2 Choke and Smokestack. Stax wins.

Game 3:

BBS Forces turn 1 Trinisphere, but Choke sticks. Powder Keg deals with Smokestack, but BBS can’t seem to find countermagic on time and Stax locks out the game and eventually wins.

Trinistax versus Tezzeret

Game 1:

Tezzeret plays Tropical Island, Mana Crypt, Thirst for Knowledge and casts Duress off of a Mox Jet. An explosive start. Smokestack is countered, as is a Gorilla Shaman, but Tinker for Karn resolves, and a Sphere and Karn beat down for the win.

Game 2:

Tezzeret assembles the Time Vault combo early on, Forcing Smokestack, even though Stax was able to Balance.

Game 3:

Stax plays turn 1 Sphere of Resistance. It is met with Library, which Stax Strip Mines. Gorilla Shaman wipes Tezzeret’s Moxen out, but Tezzeret is able to Drain a Trinisphere which allows it to play Demonic Tutor for Time Vault to win the game.

Flash versus Tezzeret

Game 1:

Flash plays turn 1 Merchant Scroll for Flash off of a Mox and an Island, Lotus Petal, remove Elvish Spirit Guide from game, play Flash into Protean Hulk and win on turn 1. Tezzeret did not have Force, but it did have Ancestral Recall, Mox Jet and Thoughtseize in its opening hand.

Game 2:

Flash Forces turn 1 Duress, and attempts a turn 1 Flash, which is Forced. A Mystical Tutor finds another Flash before Tezzeret can draw a second Blue spell to pitch to Force or play a fifth mana source to hard cast it.

BBS versus GroAtog

Game 1:

BBS Misdirects Ancestral Recall, but Quirion Dryad resolved. BBS cannot find a Keg, and the Dryad grows about 2 power per turn until BBS is dead.

Game 2:

A counter-war leaves both sides in topdeck mode. A Powder Keg keeps Dryad at bay, but a Yawgmoth’s Will into Fastbond fuels Tendrils for the win.

GroAtog versus Flash

Game 1:

Flash has turn 1 Brainstorm, Black Lotus, Scroll for Ancestral, which is Forced. GroAtog plays Thoughtseize, taking Scroll. GroAtog takes over from there.

Game 2:

Flash manages to Force through a Tinker, but GroAtog tutors up Echoing Truth and bounces Darksteel Colossus, but not before it swung for 11. Carrion Feeder and Mogg Fanatic dealt the rest of the damage, along with Thoughtseizes. A Quirion Dryad is just a turn too late.

Game 3:

GroAtog has turn 1 Thoughtseize, taking Merchant Scroll. GroAtog Ponders into Fastbond on turn 2. Flash tries turn 2 Flash, which is Forced. GroAtog plays Fastbond and Gush on turn 3, and Gushes twice more to hardcast Leyline, and then win the following turn with Scroll for fourth Gush, Ancestral Recall, and Demonic Tutor for Yawg Will.

Long.dec versus Flash

Game 1:

Long won the match roll and won on turn 1.

Flash mulliganed. Long’s opening hand:

Tolarian Academy
Ancestral Recall
Black Lotus
Dark Ritual
Mana Crypt
Memory Jar
Gemstone Mine

Ancestral resolved, as did Jar into Tendrils for the win.

Game 2:

Turn 1 Windfall is Forced. Flash wins on turn 2.

Game 3:

Long.dec mulligans to 6, plays Time Walk, Timetwister, but is Forced. Flash plays turn 1 Duress taking Burning Wish. Long plays Duress, taking a Brainstorm. Flash plays Brainstorm into Demonic Tutor, and turn 3 Demonic leads to turn 4 victory. Long topdecked two lands.

Flash versus Meandeck Gifts

Game 1:

Gifts had turn 1 Island, Sol Ring with Force in hand. Flash plays turn 1 Brainstorm. Gifts has turn 2 Gifts for a nice package of Drain, Force, Misdirection, and Merchant Scroll, a no-win for Flash. Flash can’t punch it through on turn 2, and Gifts takes over. Eventually, Gifts plays another Gifts, this time with Yawg Will and Recoup in the equation, with Mana Crypt and Time Walk. Tinker found Darksteel Colossus and two Time Walk turns later, the game ends.

Game 2:

Turn 1, Mox Jet, Mana Crypt, Island, Demonic Tutor for Flash = turn 1 win.

Game 3:

Gifts led with turn 1 Mox, Academy, Lotus, Scroll for Ancestral and play it and Time Walk. Turn 1 Ponder is countered with Red Elemental Blast, as is turn 2 Flash. Gifts drops Tormod’s Crypt and a Brainstorm reveals yet another Pyroblast and a Gifts. The Tormod’s Crypt prevents Flash from winning the next turn (with Pact of Negation) and Gifts for Recoup, Yawgmoth’s Will, Mana Crypt, and Mana Vault ends the game.

GroAtog versus Tezzeret

Game 1:

The early game is a Duress war. Tezzeret nabs Ancestral Recall with a Duress, and GroAtog nabs countermagic with Duresses. Then, Gush begins to generate card advantage and a Dryad sticks, grows and wins.

Game 2:

Tezzeret Duressed away a Duress, but GroAtog drew a Force of Will on its turn to Force Tezzeret’s turn 2 Thirst. GroAtog had to Force a Tezzeret, but it was able to Misdirect a topdecked Ancestral Recall, and the game ended shortly thereafter. Tezzeret fired off Fact or Fiction, but GroAtog had already set up a Yawgmoth’s Will which ended the game.

GroAtog versus Meandeck Gifts

Game 1:

Meandeck Gifts Merchant Scrolled for Ancestral Recall, Misdirected a Thoughtseize, and then resolved Ancestral and Misdirected another. However, Gifts drew badly off the ACalls, and had to Recoup a Merchant Scroll for business, finding Yawgmoth’s Will. The Yawg Will only allowed it to replay Ancestral, Mystical Tutor again, and set up a Tinker for DSC. By that point, two Dryads were already on the table. From there, it was a pure race that GAT won by a single turn.

Game 2:

Meandeck Gifts got the garbage draw of drawing into DSC, Recoup, and Tendrils. GroAtog went wild with Fastbond and Gush and won via Yawg Will and a giant Dryad.

Tezzeret Control versus Meandeck Gifts

Game 1:

This game was decided by the deck that went first. Tezzeret’s opening hand was:

Black Lotus
Mox Ruby
Mana Vault
Thirst For Knowledge
Thirst For Knowledge
Duress
Relic of Progenitus

Meandeck Gifts opening hand was:

Force of Will
Fact or Fiction
Merchant Scroll
Lotus Petal
Mana Vault
Mox Jet
Flooded Strand

Tezzeret went first, fired off a Thirst, which was Forced. The second one resolved, found Duress, and nabbed Gifts only relevant spell. Tezzeret topdeck Ancestral, which drew into Misdirection. Gifts also topdecked Ancestral, but it’s Ancestral was Misdirected. Tezzeret tutored for Yawg Will and won.

Game 2:

Tezzeret drops its whole hand on turn one with Academy. Meandeck Gifts mulliganed to 6 on the play. Tezzeret was able to fire off an early Ancestral with Force backup. Gifts Fact or Fiction was countered. Gifts managed to whittle away at Tezzeret, but a Relic of Progenitus wiped out much of its graveyard and Tormod’s Crypt took Tendrils and Tinker. Gifts had to hardcast Colossus, but Tezzeret topdecked Tezzeret and won.

TriniStax versus GroAtog

Game 1:

Turn 1 Sphere of Resistance with Wasteland and Strip Mine and Balance was just too much.

Game 2:

GAT protects Dryad with Force. Choke, Chains and Crucible all resolve though. Dryad goes all the way.

Game 3:

Hurkyl’s Recall into Fastbond combo wins the game.

Tezzeret versus Long

Game 1:

Tezzeret won the die roll and played first. A Mox, Sol Ring, Duress took Brainstorm, leaving Long with mana. Burning Wish found Meltdown, which wiped the board. Tezzeret topdecked Demonic Tutor for Ancestral and found Time Vault and Trinket Mage, which assembled Time Vault combo a turn before Long would win.

Game 2:

Turn 1 Xantid Swarm (Forced), turn 2 Necro.

Game 3:

Tezzeret led with Ancestral into Mox, Relic. Long led with turn 1 Mind’s Desire for 5 and won on turn 1.

Meandeck Gifts versus Long

Game 1:

Long won the roll and led with turn 1, Lion’s Eye Diamond, City of Brass, Dark Ritual, Lotus Petal, Timetwister into Mox Ruby, Ancestral Recall, Brainstorm, Burning Wish, Black Lotus, Vampiric Tutor. Ancestral Recall resolved, which saw Chromatic Sphere, Necropotence, and another Lion’s Eye Diamond. Suffice to say, Long won.

Game 2:

Long mulliganed to 6. Meandeck Gifts opened with Lotus, land, Scroll for Force, Scroll for Ancestral. Long opened with, Mox, Sol Ring, land, Time Walk. Duress the Force, Wheel of Fortune, Lotus Petal, Xantid Swarm (Forced). Meandeck Gifts played Tormod’s Crypt and Scrolled for Force. Long played Duress, Demonic Tutor, Ritual, Yawgmoth’s Bargain and won.

Long versus Trinistax

Game 1:

Long won the die roll and played:

Lion’s Eye Diamond, Lion’s Eye Diamond, City of Brass, Mox Jet, Duress away Trinisphere, pass.

Stax led with Sphere of Resistance. Long played Mystical Tutor for Demonic Consultation.

It untapped and cast Dark Ritual, Consult, respond by breaking the LEDs for BBBBBB to find Yawgmoth’s Bargain. Bargain is the 7th card down. Long draws a bunch of cards, plays land, Mox, Mox, Mana Crypt, Mana Vault and passes.

Stax plays a second Sphere. Long plays Vampiric Tutor for Tendrils, casts 3 Dark Rituals, and plays a Tendrils for 8. Long plays Academy, LED, Burning Wish for Tendrils and win.

Game 2:

Stax opens with Lotus, Mox, Mox, Wasteland, Sphere, Sphere. Stax plays another Sphere of Resistance on turn two and a Trinisphere on turn four.

Game 3:

Long’s opening hand:

Wheel of Fortune, Tinker, Mox Jet, Mox Ruby, Gemstone Mine, City of Brass, Underground Sea

Stax had turn 1 Trinisphere. Long drew into Black Lotus and Ancestral, which found Demonic Consultation, Lion’s Eye Diamond, and Tendrils. Mana Vault, Gemstone Mine, Chromatic Sphere and Demonic Consultation found Burning Wish for Yawgmoth’s Will for the win.

Long versus BBS

Game 1:

Mind’s Desire trumps BBS’s countermagic.

Game 2:

A counterwall is erected, and two Morphlings swing in for a quick kill.

Game 3:

Turn 1 Duress sees a hand full of countermagic. Turn 2 Tinker finds Memory Jar. Turn 3 break Lion’s Eye Diamond and then Jar is more than enough to win through two counterspells.

Meandeck Gifts versus Trinistax

Game 1:

This game is a back and forth, with Scrolls finding Forces and Ancestral. Meandeck Gifts finds DSC and has Drain to protect it from Stax swords.

Game 2:

Turn 1 Sphere if Forced, turn 2 Choke resolves. That’s pretty much it.

Game 3:

Turn 1 Shaman is Mana Drained, but Trinisphere resolves. A Rack and Ruin hits Trinisphere, and Mystical Tutor for Tinker finds Darksteel Colossus. Balance is Mana Drained and Gifts wins.

Meandeck Gifts versus BBS

Game 1:

BBS is able to stop the first onslaught of Ancestral and Gifts and Force, with Mana Leak and double Force. It’s then able to wipe the board of Moxen with Keg. However, BBS and Gifts both topdeck counterspells, but Gifts is able to pull ahead while BBS is forced to play Aggro-Morphling. A final Gifts allows Recoup Yawg Will and Gifts wins.

Game 2:

Turn 1 Tinker for DSC with Pyroblast and Misdirection protection = BBS loses.

Long versus GroAtog

GroAtog won the Match Roll, and elects to play first.

This is GroAtog opening hand:

Black Lotus, Force of Will, Gush, Thoughtseize, Polluted Delta, Flooded Strand, Fastbond.

On the other hand, Long.dec draws:

Mox Ruby, Lion’s Eye Diamond, Lion’s Eye Diamond, Lion’s Eye Diamond, Tolarian Academy, Burning Wish, Ancestral Recall.

Both hands are bonkers!

This looks like a very likely turn 1 win if Long was on the play. It could fire off Ancestral, allow it to be countered, then Burning Wish into victory.

Turn 1:

GroAtog played Delta, Tropical Island, and cast Fastbond. It then played Polluted Delta, and found Underground Sea to cast Thoughtseize.

If it takes Ancestral, the Long player may try to play Burning Wish and walk into Force.

GAT takes Ancestral.

Should GAT play Gush or pass? If we play Gush, we can hardcast Force, at a bare minimum.

Gat plays Gush and draws: Mox Emerald and Duress.

GAT replays the Sea and the Trop, then plays Mox Emerald and plays Duress taking Burning Wish.

Long: Long draws Brainstorm for the turn.

Long needs to rebuild a bit. It plays Mox Ruby and Academy and 2 LEDs and plays Brainstorm, seeing:

Brainstorm, Windfall, and Mox Emerald.

Long puts back Windfall and Brainstorm and passes the turn.

Turn 2:

GAT: draws Mox Jet, plays it, and passes the turn.

Long: Draws Brainstorm.

Turn 3:

GAT: draws Tendrils and passes

Long: draws Windfall.

Long taps Academy to play Brainstorm. Long plays Windfall, but GAT Forces by hardcasting Force of Will.

Turn 4:

GAT: draws Polluted Delta, plays it, and passes.

Long: Draws a Lion’s Eye Diamond, and passes.

End of turn, GAT breaks Delta for Trop.

Turn 5:

GroAtog draws Thoughtseize, and play its, taking an LED, seeing another LED in hand.
GAT is a 12.

Long: draw Dark Ritual

Turn 6:

GAT: draws Underground Sea, plays it and passes.

Long: draws another Dark Ritual, pass.

Turn 7:

GAT: Draws Gush and plays it, drawing Quirion Dryad and Thoughtseize. GAT plays Dryad, Thoughtseize and Tendrils, going to 17 life with a 3/3 Dryad.

Long: Draws Tendrils of Agony.

Turn 8:

GAT draws Flooded Strand. Attack with Dryad for 3, sending Long.dec to 9.

Long: draws Mana Vault

Turn 9:

GAT draws Underground Sea.

Attack for 3. Long is at 6.

Long: draws Mox Jet

Turn 10:

GAT draws Ancestral Recall, and draws into Force, Misdirection, and another fetchland
Attack with Dryad for 4. Long is at 2.

Long is just about toast…

When it rips Mind’s Desire!

Here’s the situation:

Mox Jet, Dark Ritual, Mana Vault, Lion’s Eye Diamond, Mind’s Desire reveals enough spells to storm out with Tendrils, easily. Long takes the first game.

Game 2:

GroAtog opened with double Duress and Scroll for Ancestral. Unfortunately, Long topdecked Necro, which was Forced pitching Ancestral. Both decks were completely spent for two turns, but the turn that GAT drew Scroll and Scrolled for Mystical to Mystical for Yawg Will, Long drew Bargain and played it. That was all she wrote.

Conclusion

…	Tezzeret	Flash	GroAtog	Gifts	Stax	Long	BBS
Tezzeret	X	Flash	GroAtog	Tezzeret	Tezzeret	Long	Tezzeret
Flash	Flash	X	GroAtog	Gifts	Flash	Flash	Flash
GroAtog	GroAtog	GroAtog	X	GroAtog	GroAtog	Long	GroAtog
Gifts	Tezzeret	Gifts	GroAtog	X	Gifts	Long	Gifts
Stax	Tezzeret	Flash	GroAtog	Gifts	X	Long	Stax
Long	Long	Flash	Long	Long	Long	X	Long
BBS	Tezzeret	Flash	GroAtog	Gifts	Stax	Long	X

Final records:

GroAtog: 5-1
Long: 5-1
Flash: 4-2
Tezzeret: 3-3
Gifts: 3-3
Stax: 1-5
BBS: 0-6

Flash proved quite strong, only losing twice. Flash got beaten by GroAtog, a nightmare matchup on account of 8 Duress effects and 4 Leylines post-board, and by Meandeck Gifts, which has 4 Red Elemental Blast effects post board, in addition to the graveyard hate it was running. Long lost to Flash, but beat GroAtog. Meandeck Gifts and Tezzeret put up the same record. TriniStax, the third oldest archetype, showed its age, only beating BBS. It could have won other matches, but things didn’t go its way. If I were to replay this tournament, I would expect a number of different results. Many of these matches were very swingy, and I felt as if most of them could have gone the other way at any time.

It would be fun to play again some day.

Until next time…

Stephen Menendian