So Many Insane Plays – Taking It To The Top With Tezzeret *1st*

One by one they arrived, without notice or announcement, at the Soldiery. This was the staging ground. From across the Ohio valley, they came to test their skills, to match wits, to see where they stood. Many were old and experienced; others were young and curious. Some would fall short, and some would find glory.

Here’s what I sleeved up:

This is a powerful Vintage control deck. It features Dark Confidant and Sensei’s Divining Top as a draw engine to generate card advantage. It uses countermagic like Mana Drain and Force of Will to maintain control over the game. A variety of cards like Darkblast, Chain of Vapor, Lighting Bolt, and Sower of Temptation buy time and slow the creature rush. It wins by Tinkering for Inkwell Leviathan or by using tutors to assemble the Time Vault and Voltaic Key combo. Normally, the deck uses the Planeswalker Tezzeret, but this particular list doesn’t feature the archetype’s namesake. For more information on my card selection process, read the final part of this article.

Round 1: 2008 Vintage Champion, Paul Mastriano with Iona Oath

This is what Paul played:

Paul and I are accustomed to facing each other, but not in the first round. We knew we had to battle. We understood that battling gave us both the best chance of making Top 8. Experienced mages, we were business-like about it.

Game 1:

I won the die roll, and was happy to see:

Dark Confidant
Sensei’s Divining Top
Underground Sea
Polluted Delta
Chain of Vapor
Time Walk
Yawgmoth’s Will

This hand features the sequence of: Turn 1 Top, Turn 2 Bob, and Turn 3 Time Walk. The Time Walk will generate two additional cards and another land drop. From there, I should have enough or nearly card advantage and selection to set up and protect a lethal Yawgmoth’s Will, which is already in hand. This plan is even more insidious because I’m on the play, which means it will face less resistance.

Paul announces that he’ll keep his hand, but I sense little confidence in his decision.

Turn 1:

I lead with Polluted Delta, which I sacrifice for Island.

I wasn’t sure what Paul was playing. We had a conversation earlier in the week about likely deck choices, but I couldn’t recall the details. I subconsciously put him on The Deck. I fetched out the Wasteland-resilient Island to begin my assault.

I play Top, pause for dramatic effect, and pass the turn.

Paul wastes no time. He plays an off-color Mox, then another, and then Tropical Island. Ever the showman, Paul flaunts his jewelry. At the same time he appears focused, but relaxed.

Then, unexpectedly, with three mana available, Paul passed the turn. I expected Paul to play something. But nothing happened.

Turn 2:

As planned, I deploy Underground Sea and, with some apprehension, cast Dark Confidant. This was the weak link in my plan. If he counters Dark Confidant, Time Walk loses its potential, and the devastating, power play of Yawgmoth’s Will must be postponed. Paul acknowledges my creature, and assents. I pass the turn.

Paul whispers a prayer, then draws from his library. He plays a basic Forest, and after a moment’s contemplation, draws mana from each of his mana sources to power Gifts Ungiven.

I bluff countermagic, arching my neck and jutting my jaw in feigned discomfort, then let it resolve.

Paul picks up his library and begins setting cards face down, one at a time, quickly at first, and then more deliberately. With this fourth choice, he lays a card down, picked it back up and selected another. Then, he passed his library to me, and flipped over these four cards:

Black Lotus, Ancestral Recall, Oath of Druids, and Mana Crypt.

I considered the situation.

Paul is a great Vintage mind, and a tricky Blue mage. He has amazing insight into the format and the interactions within it. I couldn’t discount the possibility of a trap. He probably had me pegged. Giving Paul Black Lotus was as risky as giving him Ancestral Recall or Oath of Druids.

I resolved to give Paul Mana Crypt, but the question was: what to pair it with? Ancestral, Black Lotus, or Oath?

My initial thought was to give him Mana Crypt and Ancestral Recall. I’d untap and draw two cards, and then Time Walk and draw two more. That should be enough to either stop his Ancestral Recall or neutralize it.

But the more thought I gave it, the greedier I became. I deduced that Paul probably doesn’t have Oath of Druids in hand, or else he would have played it. If I give him Black Lotus, I don’t have to fear Oath this turn. The main risk, then, is that he has Yawgmoth’s Will in hand.

Let’s assume that Paul has Yawgmoth’s Will already in hand. That would explain his Gifts choices. He’ll play Lotus and Mana Crypt, cast Will, replay Lotus, but will be limited to either Green or Blue mana (plus two Black floating from Lotus the first time). If he plays Oath, I can bounce it with Chain of Vapor in my Time Walk turn. He’ll replay Oath, and I can Yawgmoth’s Will, and either bounce it again or combo with Time Vault and Voltaic Key, if I can assemble them.

So, I gave him Lotus and Mana Crypt, two of the most powerful mana accelerants in the game. Paul played Mana Crypt and Lotus and cast Yawgmoth’s Will. I shouldn’t have been surprised.

Paul fooled me. Realizing this, I had no choice but to bottle my chagrin, and refocus on Paul’s dilemma:

After playing Lotus, Mana Crypt, and Yawgmoth’s Will, Paul could play Oath of Druids, and pass the turn. Or, he could replay the Lotus, generate BBUUU and cast both Ancestral Recall and/or Gifts Ungiven. The problem was that he had no more Green mana sources in his deck that he could play this turn to cast Oath. Lotus would be exiled. Mox Emerald was in play. And he already made his land drop this turn, his second.

Paul tensed, trying to figure out how aggressive to be. Questions like this in large part define Vintage. It’s a question without a clear answer, but every bit of experience comes to bear.

My friend and sometime test partner Joe Bushman is a hyper-aggressive Blue mage. He would very likely play Gifts and Ancestral, knowing that this would create both the card advantage and other resources he needs to win. In fact, without knowing the contents of my hand, I probably would have done the same.

Paul is a generally aggressive player, a player who cut his teeth with Vintage combo. But he took the conservative option. He played Oath. And, to be honest, I was somewhat relieved.

Turn 3:

Dark Confidant presented me with Imperial Seal. Bingo. My minion had done his job admirably.

Now I could Time Walk, draw two more cards, play Imperial Seal for Lotus, activate Top to draw it, and Yawgmoth’s Will to replay Lotus, Polluted Delta, Time Walk, Imperial Seal, and anything that passed through my grip.

I attacked for 2, and played Time Walk. This was the decisive play of the game. If Time Walk resolves, I likely win. Time Walk is a power play that sets up the killing blow with Yawgmoth’s Will.

Paul had the situation under control. He cast Force of Will on my Time Walk. Desperate, I spun the Top, drawing the top card of my library, but it was not Force of Will. I sighed, and passed the turn.

In his upkeep, Paul used Oath of Druids to bring forth a monster: Iona, Shield of Emeria. This creature would prevent me from playing Blue spells for the rest of the game.

Turn 4:

Bob found me a Mox, and I played Imperial Seal, but Paul played Spell Pierce. Dear lord. He had Force and Spell Pierce.

I scooped and we moved onto the next game.

Recap:

T1:
Me: Island, Sensei’s Divining Top
Paul: Mox Emerald, Mox Ruby, Tropical Island

T2:
Me: Underground Sea, Dark Confidant
Him: Forest, Gifts Ungiven, Mana Crypt, Black Lotus, Yawgmoth’s Will, Oath of Druids.

T3:
Me: Time Walk meeting Force of Will
Him: Oath up Iona

T4: Imperial Seal meeting Spell Pierce

Sideboarding:

I sideboarded in three Greater Gargadon, my anti-Oath technology, both Red Elemental Blasts, and the Pyroblast. Greater Gargadon’s chief function is to buy time. It gives me the window (a rather large one) to assemble my combo.

I also brought in two Leyline of the Void and a Mindbreak Trap. Leyline of the Void seemed useful at neutralizing Paul’s flashback spells, and could actually win games by denying him the ability to refill his library at a critical moment. Paul lost a game with Oath last summer because his creature was the last card in his library.

To deny him the ability to Oath with ease, I cut all four Dark Confidant. Then I cut two Islands, a Swamp, Lightning Bolt, and a Sower of Temptation. I kept in one Sower rather than bring in a third Leyline to keep my Blue count high, and for the off-chance he Oathed up something other than Iona, something I could steal.

Game 2:

My opening hand was:

Library of Alexandria
Misty Rainforest
Polluted Delta
Volcanic Island
Underground Sea
Mana Drain
Sower of Temptation

Turn 1:

I love the Library hand in modern Vintage. Library is deadly since Brainstorm was restricted. Decks develop more slowly, in general. I played turn 1 Library and passed the turn.

Paul played a land and passed the turn.

Turn 2:

I drew another land, and activated Library, drawing Scalding Tarn. I played Scalding Tarn and passed the turn.

On my endstep, Paul played Mystical Tutor and found Ancestral Recall. He untapped, fired off Ancestral, and then played Pithing Needle, naming Library of Alexandria! Paul’s Pithing Needle is here generally for Greater Gargadon, but it’s a versatile card and can be used to answer several problems.

Thus began many turns Draw, Go.

My hand was full of lands. But Paul couldn’t find an Oath. He played an Impulse, and then another, but nothing came of it. I played lands, and then a Leyline of the Void.

In that time, I drew Black Lotus, and Mana Crypt and considered playing the Inkwell Leviathan I had drawn. Then I pulled Mindbreak Trap. My hand had Mindbreak Trap, Force of Will, and Sower of Temptation. I could Trap anything he played, and protect it with Force. Or, I could try to resolve Inkwell Leviathan. I decided to go for it. If I could resolve Inkwell, I could win. My Inky could win before he could, even if he could Oath.

I played Inkwell, but he Drained it. I tried a Force, but suddenly, being tapped out, all of his Spell Pierces came online. I regretted the play. I could have sat back with Mindbreak Trap and Force and plenty of free mana, maintaining control over the game, evading his Spell Pierces with my excessive mana supply. Despite countering my Leviathan, he did nothing with the mana.

Shortly afterward, Paul managed to find an Oath, but I found Greater Gargadon, and began counting down. The standoff continued. Every threat had been answered, every tactic checked. He answered my Library, countered my monster, and I answered his Oath. Something had to give.

Paul found a Pithing Needle for my Gargadon. I had only one option: I sacrificed a batch of excess permanents to bring the Gargadon into play on my turn. The Gargadon came into play, and I attacked Paul to 6 life. Paul had inflicted five points of damage to himself, and the Gargadon took him to 6 from 15. My Gargadon put Paul on the defensive.

Predictably, Paul Oathed up Iona. When I swung with Gargadon again, he was forced to block, and trade. However, Iona was exiled by Leyline.

Paul used Forbidden Orchard on my endstep to generate a token creature. This allowed him to activate Oath again. He Oathed up Progenitus. The problem was that it was the third to last card in his deck. Since I was at 15 life, Paul would have need two attack steps to win before running out of cards in his library. After drawing a card for the turn, Paul only had one card left in his library; not enough to prevent him from decking. I quickly drew and passed the turn. Paul drew, just to see if he knew what the final card of his library was, and scooped.

Leyline of the Void ended up allowing me to win that game. Incidentally, Paul indicated that he knew the position of the Progenitus in his library, since he set it there with a mid-game Impulse.

This means that Paul miscued when he Oathed the second time. He should have waited until he could find a shuffle effect. Even great Vintage players make mistakes, as we both did in this match so far.

Recap:

Me: Library of Alexandria
Him: Underground Sea
Me: Scalding Tarn
Him: Pithing Needle
Draw, Go for Many Turns
Me: Inkwell Leviathan meeting Mana Drain meeting Force of Will meeting Spell Pierce
Paul: Oath
of Druids
Me: Suspend Greater Gargadon
Paul: Pithing Needle
Me: Resolve Gargadon
Paul: Oath up Iona
Me: Attack with Gargadon
Paul: Oath up Progenitus and deck.

Game 3:

We had very little time. Paul remained upbeat. “We have plenty of time,” he said. And, of course, I knew what he meant: he had plenty of time to win.

My opening hand was slow and controlling, again:

Underground Sea
Scalding Tarn
Volcanic Island
Leyline of the Void
Force of Will
Gifts Ungiven
Greater Gargadon

Paul was on the play.

I dropped Leyline before the game began.

Turn 1:

Paul opened with Forbidden Orchard, which he tapped to play Thoughtseize.

I did not wish to Force his Thoughtseize, but if he had Oath of Druids on turn 2 and a counterspell, he probably wins the game. If he doesn’t though, Gifts gives me my best chance of winning. I was torn, but I didn’t have time to think about it. We had just a few minutes left in the match.

I Forced Thoughtseize, pitching Gifts.

I regret doing so. He’d probably take my Greater Gargadon, and I’d be able to counter his Oath, if he had one. On the other hand, Greater Gargadon means that I don’t need to Force his Oath. He won’t be able to activate it at all.

Then, I drew another Greater Gargadon on my first turn, and my regret turned to anguish.

I suspended a Gargadon, and passed the turn.

Turn 2:

Paul played a land and passed the turn.

I played another land, and passed the turn back.

Turn 3:

Paul played Vamp on my endstep, and then played Pithing Needle on his turn.

But it was all for naught…

We were out of time, and a few turns later, out of turns as well.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of misconceptions about Vintage. There are old ones, like the myth that Vintage games are all about turn 1 kills (which is ridiculous). And there are new ones, like the claim that Time Vault makes the format random and too luck-based.

The truth is that Vintage, like Legacy until recently, is merely widely misunderstood. A player who is unfamiliar with the format is at disadvantage, as they are in every format. But the perceived power level of the card pool creates the impression that Vintage is merely about broken cards. What is missed is the fact that every broken card has an answer. Vintage is (like every format) the dance of threat and solution. What’s more, the answers are cheaper and more efficient than the threats. Every Yawgmoth’s Will has to contend with Tormod’s Crypt, Leyline of the Void, and Bojuka Bog. Time Vault has to contend with cards like Null Rod, Qasali Pridemage, and Pithing Needle. Every Tinker target has to contend with cards like Swords to Plowshares, Balance or Diabolic Edict.

The problem is that people who don’t understand Vintage, people who aren’t familiar with either the card pool or the common interactions in the format, will get blown out. I suspect it’s easier for people who don’t understand the format to dismiss it as ‘silly,’ ‘broken,’ or ‘unskillful.’ Yet, nothing could be further from the truth.

Each of the games that Paul and I completed was decided by in-game decisions (in this case, mistakes by both of us). Our individual card and archetype choices are what gave us the opportunity to win those games. Moreover, it wasn’t surprising to observers that Paul and I unintentionally drew our match. The last time that Paul and I played each other in a Vintage tournament was the final swiss round of the 2008 Vintage championship, with the winner advancing to the Top 8. That match also lasted the full 60 (yes, 60) minutes and 3 additional turns. Evenly matched, well-prepared players understand that winning in Vintage is more of a marathon rather than a sprint, despite the reputation to the contrary. I only wish more players could appreciate this fact.

Round 2: Preston Cordy with Tezzeret Control

Preston and I exchanged greetings and began our match. Preston won the match roll, but I felt lucky to draw:

Island
Polluted Delta
Mana Crypt
Ponder
Merchant Scroll
Demonic Tutor
Chain of Vapor

This was an intriguing hand, with at least three possible turn 1 plays, and multiple sequences of plays.

Turn 1:

Preston played a Beta Volcanic Island and passed the turn.

I drew Time Vault. I reconsidered my options. I could Merchant Scroll and find Force of Will or Ancestral Recall. I could Demonic Tutor for Black Lotus and Scroll for Ancestral, and Ponder as well this turn. Or, I could just Ponder and play Time Vault. Then, next turn I could Demonic Tutor and Merchant Scroll.

Option three seemed the most appealing because I could win the game on turn 2 with counterspell protection generated by Merchant Scroll for Force of Will. I played Ponder, and I saw Force of Will, Mox Ruby, and a Misty Rainforest. I popped the Force into my hand and passed the turn.

Turn 2:

Preston played an Underground Sea and passed the turn.

I rolled for Mana Crypt: no damage.

I drew the Misty Rainforest, realizing that I put the cards back in the wrong order. I played a land and cast Demonic Tutor for Voltaic Key. He tried to Mana Drain me, but I Forced his Drain. I found Voltaic Key, which I played and activated. Preston scooped, perhaps prematurely since I had Mana Crypt in play.

Game 2:

I sideboarded in all three Red Blasts and Mindbreak Trap for Lightning Bolt, Swamp and 2 Islands.

Preston opened with Ancestral Recall. I attempted a Force of Will, but that met his own. I answered as best I could with turn 1 Dark Confidant. That play, in turn, was met with Mystical Tutor for… Darkblast.

He played a Dark Confidant of his own, which I was able to Drain, but that was about as far as I got in this game. With each turn that passed I could feel the game slipping away. I tried to use Sensei’s Divining Top to create virtual card advantage, but he overwhelmed me by having a fat grip to my empty or nearly empty hand, and eventually I scooped.

Game 3:

My opening hand was spicy:

Mox Sapphire
Underground Sea
Dark Confidant
Darkblast
Force of Will
Mana Drain
Tinker

I led with an excited Mox Sapphire, Underground Sea, Dark Confidant.

I was amused when Preston opened with the exact same sequence:

Mox Sapphire, Underground Sea, Dark Confidant.

Turn 2:

My Bob revealed another Bob. I drew a land. Instead of playing the second Bob, however, I played Darkblast on his Bob. This way, I’d also have mana to play Mana Drain, with Force of Will as a second counter-backup. With his Dark Confidant out of the way, mine could generate card advantage and deal damage.

I played this way for one reason: I wanted to play to give him no outs. The only thing I was concerned about was him having Tinker and Force of Will backup. So, I held up Drain with Force so as to cover for that possibility.

Instead, he played Mana Crypt, Mox, and a land and cast Tezzeret.

I thought about it… what do I do here?

If I let Tezzeret resolve, and he tutors up Time Vault, I can attack the Tezzeret and kill it on my turn. Or he could tutor Voltaic Key. In that case, I’d attack Tezzeret with Bob, reducing it to 1 loyalty counter, and preventing him from being able to find Time Vault on the following turn. A turn later I’d be able to kill it.

I preferred attacking Preston with Dark Confidant, and I didn’t want to have to deal with Time Vault being on the table, so I Mana Drained Tezzeret. Preston had Force. I Forced his Force, pitching Tinker. I imagine that few of you would have done that!

I played a second Bob, but was fortunate to draw another Force of Will. That Force kept me safe until I could get sufficiently far ahead that Preston had no chance of getting back in the game before my pair of Confidants killed him.

Round 3: Gilberto with Mono Red Workshop Aggro

Gilberto won the die roll.

My opening hand was:

Force of Will
Force of Will
Mana Drain
Mana Drain
Underground Sea
Polluted Delta
Dark Confidant

I had no idea what Gilberto was playing, and there was no chance that I would mulligan this hand without more information. It’s turn 2 Bob or Drain, with plenty of protection. It’s one of those hands that, against most decks, you send a silent prayer of gratitude to the mana gods.

Gilberto won the die roll.

Turn 1:

He played turn 1 Ancient Tomb, Mox Pearl, and cast Sphere of Resistance. His mana was the equivalent of Mishra’s Workshop, but with an expiration date.

Considering my land situation, I did not want Sphere to resolve and slow my progression towards turn 2 Bob. Sphere is not merely a nuisance or a pebble in your shoe, it’s an oppressive force. It had to be stopped. I Forced it.

Then, Gilberto played Black Lotus and cast Juggernaut. The fun never ends in Vintage. I counter a Sphere and get hit by a turn 1 five-power creature!

I Forced it, pitching Drain. He was surprised to see me Force twice.

On my first turn, I drew Chain of Vapor, and played Delta into Island, and passed.

Turn 2:

Gilberto drew dead on his second turn, but I played Dark Confidant, as planned. I drew a Volcanic Island on the turn.

Turn 3:

Gilberto played Mountain and cast Goblin Welder.

Bobby revealed Top, the complement to his powerful ability, which I played. I drew Sower of Temptation for the turn, but I didn’t have a fourth mana to play it. I had Chain of Vapor, and debated what to do with it. If I Chained the Welder, he could copy the effect to my Bob. That’s the price of efficiency.

I ordered Bobby to attack. I was curious if Gilberto would block. But of course he didn’t. I Chained the Welder. Then, I activated Top’s peek ability and saw Black Lotus. I debated what to do. If he topdecked a Sphere next turn, Lotus would cost two mana, and Sower would cost 5, and I wouldn’t be able to play it. So I activated Top, drew the Lotus, played it and passed the turn.

Turn 4:

I expected Gilberto to replay the Welder. Defying expectations, he played Gorilla Shaman, and ate my Black Lotus. Munch, munch. Then, to make matters worse, he Wastelanded one of my dual lands.

But I had Bob. Top popped back into my hand, and I drew a Mana Drain.

Gilberto played Goblin Welder and then, a turn later, Solemn Simulacrum. I Drained the Simulacrum, untapped and played Sower on his Welder. Gilberto was stunned. But he wasn’t out of the game yet. He tapped his Welder to bring in Juggernaut. Then, on his turn he cast Null Rod to prevent me from manipulating my library to reduce my life totals with Bob. Then, he attacked me with Juggernaut, sending me from 17 to 12. I untapped and Welded out his Juggernaut. Then, he played another Goblin Welder.

I drew Imperial Seal, which I used to find another Sower of Temptation. I Welded out Null Rod so that I could top and play her, which is what I did. He gave me one last attack, but my stolen Welders took control and eventually won the game.

Game 2:

Gilberto mulliganed to 5.

My hand was:
Mana Crypt, Top, 5 land

Gilberto played turn 1 Ancient Tomb and a Mox.

I drew Time Walk on my turn, and played Mana Crypt, Time Walk, and Top. I used the Top to accumulate a bunch of counterspells in my hand. The Mana Crypt damage began to accumulate, and I couldn’t find a bounce spell or a tutor to deal with it. However, Gilberto played Juggernaut, which allowed me to play Sower and steal something. I took his Juggernaut and used it to win the game.

Round 4: Rob with Oath

We took our seats, and although it wasn’t mentioned, we both knew that the winner of this match would advance to Top 8. I won the die roll.

I had no idea what Rob was playing. The only thing I knew was that he was a fast talker, and seemed like a sharp guy.

Game 1:

I fanned open:

Underground Sea
Sensei’s Divining Top
Mana Drain
Mana Drain
Mana Drain
Dark Confidant
Chain of Vapor

Assume, as I did, that you don’t know what your opponent is playing, and that you are on the play. This hand looks mediocre, at best. But what was redeeming was that it had Bob, and Drain to protect it once in play. A few good manipulated draws, particularly a land and a Force, and I imagined this hand could turn golden. Still, it may be too much wishful thinking. I kept it. Would I do it again?

I have no idea. That hand is difficult to evaluate. I think a crucial difference between this hand and a hand like this in a different Tezzeret list is the amount of land I run. Most Tezzeret lists have 15 lands. I have 17. I have a better chance of seeing a land, and a basic in particular, not just off my natural draws, but in my top three cards. Still, it’s a risky keep on so many levels. I’m very interested to see whether you would have kept this hand or not.

Turn 1:

I played Underground Sea and Sensei’s Top.

I could only roll my eyes when Rob played turn 1 Ancestral Recall, targeting himself.

Must (be nice).

Turn 2:

I nearly activated Top on my upkeep to increase my chances of drawing a land, but I decided against it. Here was my thought process:

This was a gutsy hand to keep. The risks were very high. Rob just raised the stakes by playing turn 1 Ancestral. If I don’t get a turn 1 Bob down here, chances are I’ll never recover. If I use the Top on turn one to find a land, I won’t be able to play Bob until the following turn, and I’ll be a turn behind getting Drain online. Not to mention, if this is the mirror, this is my best chance at resolving Bob, and hoping to gain some measure of card parity. All in all, my best (perhaps only) shot at winning was to topdeck a land here and play Bob. Failing to draw a land, I could always then activate Top and try to find a land, and I’d be no worse off (well, almost).

The mana gods smiled upon me and I drew an Island. I played Dark Confidant, and passed the turn.

Then Rob showed his true colors. He played Oath of Druids. I sighed, mentally preparing myself for a long match, or the possibility that I’d lose and have to play the next round.

Turn 3:

But, as you know, I had Chain of Vapor in hand. Again, I didn’t Top, and Bobby found me another land (and I drew Time Vault). I attacked with Bob, and then played Chain on his Oath. Rob thought for a moment, and cast Force of Will. Reminding myself, once more, how powerful Mana Drain is, licking my chops, I played it, targeting his Force. He returned Oath to his hand, and I passed the turn.

Rob replayed the Oath and passed the turn.

Turn 4:

I untapped and Bobby flipped Gifts Ungiven, then I drew a land for the turn. I tapped my Island and played Gifts, with two mana floating. He didn’t know I had a land or Time Vault in hand. Both of these facts would be crucial to my advantage here.

Gifts resolved, and I quickly rifled through my library looking at potential Gifts targets. I settled on these four cards:

Vampiric Tutor
Tinker
Black Lotus
Yawgmoth’s Will

As soon as he clearly stated that I could have Vampiric Tutor and Black Lotus, I told him that I win.

I played Time Vault, and Vamped for Key. I activated Top to draw it, and then I tapped my third land to play the Key, and played the land in my hand to activate it.

We shuffled up for game 2.

Game 2:

My opening hand was:

Tolarian Academy
Polluted Delta
Greater Gargadon
Force of Will
Hurkyl’s Recall
Gifts Ungiven
Mindbreak Trap

Consider this hand. Its main feature is Greater Gargadon, my tactical sideboard answer to Oath, and the means to suspend the Gargadon. But it’s slow in mana production and board development. However, the Gargadon should buy me infinite time, in Vintage terms. And Force and Mindbreak Trap will help me stop Pithing Needle, or any other counter-tactic.

Consider the situation. I’m up a game. I’m not the player under time pressure. I don’t need a quick win to maximize my chances of winning this match. In fact, I don’t even need another win. A draw will result in a match win for me. While this hand is far from perfect in some abstract sense, in the context of the match this hand is tactically ideal. Chances are good that Rob will play aggressively, both to capitalize on the fact that he gets to play first, and to give himself a chance to win the match. A slow game where both players assumed the control role would make it very difficult for him to win this match. My hand lent itself to the control role, and has the tools to stop an aggressive power start.

I kept it.

Rob opened the game by dropping a Mox Ruby onto the table. He then played a basic Island next to his Mox. He tapped the Island and played Ancestral Recall. This was the second consecutive game that Rob had opened with Ancestral. But I could hardly believe my good fortune.

I played Force of Will, pitching Gifts Ungiven. He played Misdirection. And I burst out laughing, playing Mindbreak Trap, exiling his spells on the stack. Rob shook his head in disbelief, immediately aware of his error:

He shouldn’t have played Mox Ruby. He was perhaps bluffing a Red Elemental Blast, but he walked right into my Mindbreak Trap. Rob only had two cards left in his hand. He was demoralized and, very soon, defeated.

Round 5: ID

Quarter Finals: Preston Cordy

In the quarter finals I was paired with Preston Cordy, my round 2 opponent. This match was the longest quarter final match played, so I have no post-match notes. We split the first two games in about 20 minutes. The third game, on the other hand, was an endurance test. There were multiple points in the game where I believed I was going to lose, only to miraculously recover. A crowd had gathered, and watched in silent amazement at the to and fro, as each topdeck presented a new opportunity to break the stalemate. Eventually, I emerged in what was the best game I played in the entire tournament. I only wish it had been recorded for analysis.

Semi-Finals: Greg Price with Staxless Stax

I knew what Greg was playing. I enjoyed viewing the better part of his round 5 match, against a UGW Fish pilot. Greg won the first game. And although his opponent mulliganed to 3 in the second game, the Fish pilot ended up winning that game on the back of two Goyfs. The Fish pilot blew the third game through mana mismanagement (a very common Vintage error). He played Mox Emerald, and with Spell Pierce in hand, then used a turn 1 Misty Rainforest to find a Forest, which he used to cast Noble Hierarch. Greg was able to play Tinker, which the Fish pilot could have Spell Pierced had he played the Hierarch off the Emerald, and kept the Rainforest up to fetch a Blue mana source.

My deck’s inflated manabase and Rack and Ruin sideboard meant that this was a matchup I was looking forward to playing.

Game 1:

My opening hand was:

Time Walk
Imperial Seal
Mox Emerald
Polluted Delta
Volcanic Island
Mana Drain
Gifts Ungiven

Turn 1:

I led with turn 1 Time Walk off a Mox and the Volcanic Island. That allowed me to delay a critical decision on whether to hold up Mana Drain or tutor for something with Imperial Seal. I hoped that the mighty Time Walk cantrip draw might induce me into one line of play or the other. I drew another land, so I decided to Imperial Seal for Tinker.

Greg played a Wasteland, but didn’t use it.

Turn 2:

That allowed me to play turn 2 Tinker, sacrificing my Mox, to find Inkwell Leviathan. Now, I thought, I only need one more turn take control of the game long enough to win.

Greg played City of Brass, and tapped both the City and the Wasteland, for what I thought was going to be Demonic Tutor. Instead, he cast Balance!

Balance was the one card I feared in this situation, but I thought he’d have to do some work to find it. Greg was fortunate enough to have it in his opening hand. I don’t mind getting my Tinker target Balanced away, but I’d at least like to get some damage in first, and force my opponent to expend some of their resources addressing it.

I only had two cards left in my hand: Gifts Ungiven and Mana Drain, so Greg had to discard four cards, a hodgepodge of Stax jank.

Turn 3:

I drew a land, and held Drain up.

Greg had a plan. He dropped Tinker on the table, moments after playing a Mox. If that resolved, he’d blow up my lands with Sundering Titan. I played Mana Drain, countering his Tinker.

Turn 4:

With three colorless in my mana pool from Mana Drain, I played Gifts Ungiven. I presented Black Lotus, Demonic Tutor, Dark Confidant, and Ancestral Recall.

I had an Underground Sea in play, and another in my hand.

I constructed the pile around Black Lotus and Demonic Tutor. Black Lotus and Demonic Tutor allows me to Yawgmoth’s Will explosively. The Black Lotus in this pile, whether it goes to the graveyard or my hand, is what makes Yawgmoth’s Will a threat. This makes it very difficult for him to give me any pile with Demonic Tutor.

He also won’t want to me have both Ancestral Recall and Dark Confidant, as those two cards will generate tremendous card advantage. He’ll likely have to split the two card advantage spells and pair one with Black Lotus.

He’s already used Balance, so Dark Confidant is a huge threat here. That’s probably why he gave me Ancestral Recall and Black Lotus. I fired off the Ancestral, and it drew me into Dark Confidant, which I promptly played. I had Ponder and Force of Will in hand.

Greg went to play Crucible of Worlds, which I normally wouldn’t be concerned with, except that all of my lands were dual lands. I Forced it, pitching Ponder. That was the last threat that came close to resolving. I Darkblasted his Goblin Welder a few turns later, and Greg scooped.

Recap:

Turn 1:
Me: Volcanic Island, Mox Emerald, Time Walk, Polluted Delta into Underground Sea, Imperial Seal
Him: Wasteland

Turn 2:
Me: Tinker
Him: Balance

Turn 3:
Me: Pass
Him: Tinker meeting Mana Drain

Turn 4:
Me: Gifts Ungiven, Ancestral Recall, Black Lotus, Dark Confidant.
Him: Crucible of Worlds meeting Force of Will

Sideboarding:

I sideboarded in two Rack and Ruin for a Sower of Temptation and something I don’t remember.

Game 2:

My opening hand was:

Inkwell Leviathan
Mana Drain
Lightning Bolt
Volcanic Island
Underground Sea
Mox Jet
Time Vault

I’m very interested to see the poll results of this question. Even now I’m not sure what the best course of action is in this situation. Inkwell Leviathan is obviously a big reason to mulligan this hand. While there is plenty of mana, and all of my colors, the dual lands are not stable sources of mana against a deck like Stax. On the other hand, this hand has Mox Jet, which is on-color and can backup my Underground Sea, in case it is Wastelanded. Mana Drain may be the best reason to keep this hand. It also has Lightning Bolt to deal with a quick Welder or Gorilla Shaman. But the biggest question mark, and the possible tiebreaker, is the presence of Time Vault.

What is the value of having Time Vault in one’s opening hand? That’s the question this hand poses. Time Vault turns every tutor into a potentially game-winning play or line of play. But is it worth keeping this hand because of Time Vault? I don’t know.

Turn 1:

Greg begins the game with Mishra’s Workshop and Powder Keg! Keg is an answer, not only to Time Vault, but to Dark Confidant. It can also attack my manabase at the same time. It’s a versatile card.

I drew Sol Ring, and decided to go just about all in. I played Underground Sea, Mox Jet, and Sol Ring.

Turn 2:

Greg played Tolarian Academy, and cast Chalice of the Void set at 2! I have Time Vault and Mana Drain in hand. With that play, he shut out the two best cards in my hand.

On cue, I drew Dark Confidant for my turn.

Turn 3+:

Greg played Wasteland. My notes don’t tell what happens next, but I believe that Greg used the Keg on my Sol Ring, and Wastelanded my land.

What I do know is that on turn 5 Greg played Goblin Welder. My hand, at this point was almost entirely 2c spells, except that I had drawn Sower of Temptation. However, I only had three mana available. I topdecked an Island, which allowed me to play the Sower, stealing his Welder.

That was the critical play of the game. On turn six, I untapped with Goblin Welder now unsick, and passed the turn. On his endstep, I Welded out Chalice for Powder Keg. He immediately used the Chalice to take out my Mox Jet, and his Mox Pearl and Sapphire. I played Library of Alexandria.

At this point, my hand was:

Inkwell Leviathan
Force of Will
Mana Drain
Lightning Bolt
Time Vault

Yawgmoth’s Will

Suffice to say, I won this game. The rest of the game was me Draining something large enough to make a nice-sized Yawgmoth’s Will.

Recap:

Turn 1:
Him: Mishra’s Workshop, Powder Keg
Me: Underground Sea, Mox Jet, Sol Ring

Turn 2:
Him: Tolarian Academy, Chalice of the Void @2
Me: Volcanic Island

Turn 3:
Him: Wasteland
Me: Pass

Turn 4:
Him: Keg my Sol Ring. Wasteland my Volcanic Island.
Me: a mana source

Turn 5:
Him: Goblin Welder
Me: Island, Sower of Temptation

The Finals: Gus Schade with Tezzeret

Two years ago I began organizing what has become the largest bimonthly Legacy tournament in the U.S., the Meandeck Opens. Gus was part of a large Legacy contingent from the Akron/Wadsworth, Ohio area. Gus was memorable for his amazing altered-art cards and creative, yet strong, Legacy deck choices. I knew from his deck choices in Legacy that Gus would like Vintage. After a long time prodding, I finally convinced him to play. Gus slipped into the top 8 as the 8th seed. I watched Gus’s semi-finals match and was impressed with his skills. He narrowly defeated a Reanimator deck teched out to beat Tezzeret.

Gus was mentally exhausted from his semi-finals match, but in the interest of getting the most experience out of this tournament, I requested that we play out the match.

Here’s what Gus was playing:

Game 1:

My opening hand:

Mox Ruby
Mox Jet
Underground Sea
Island
Tinker
Sower of Temptation
Mana Drain

Turn 1:

Gus opened with Island, go.

I drew Dark Confidant on my turn, but decided to throw out a turn one Tinker rather than run my Dark Confidant out there.

I played Mox, Mox, Land, Tinker, which resolved. I found Inkwell Leviathan, and passed the turn. Gus announced Mystical Tutor on my endstep. I expected him to find Hurkyl’s Recall. I was a little bit perplexed and concerned when he selected Ancestral Recall instead.

Turn 2:

Gus fired off Ancestral Recall, and then Thoughtseized me taking Mana Drain.

I attacked for 7, played Bob and passed the turn.

Turn 3:

Then the mystery was revealed. Gus played Vampiric Tutor, a third land, Mox, Mana Vault, Time Vault, and Tinker for Voltaic Key. I looked at my top card and scooped.

I sideboarded in three Red Elemental Blasts/Pyroblast and Mindbreak Trap for Sower of Temptation, Swamp, an Island, and I believe a Chain of Vapor.

Game 2:

This turned out to be the longest game I played of the entire tournament, and was well over 30 minutes long. I have no notes of the game, but what was remarkable about this game was the fact that Gus managed to play almost every relevant spell in his deck. He used Tinker, Yawgmoth’s Will, Ancestral Recall, and Time Vault. Despite resolving every single one of these spells, I managed to prevent him from winning. Part of the reason was my Mindbreak Trap, which couldn’t counter his Yawgmoth’s Will, but hit his first post-Will play, Ancestral Recall. Our mini-counter-war over Will (Drain, Drain) tied up enough of his colored mana, that with Ancestral countered, he couldn’t really get much out of it. Then, my Darkblast was actually the biggest threat, as it kept him off Bob. And my own Dark Confidant, before he killed it with Fire/Ice, sent him to 5 life. That meant that his own Bobs were a liability, and an unreliable win condition.

I had taken away all of his strategic options, but I had to execute my game plan in the face of resistance. I had Lightning Bolt in hand, but I needed to deal two more damage to him. He played a Dark Confidant, but I didn’t want to take a chance on it, and I Darkblasted it. I had Voltaic Key in play, and I topdecked Time Vault. But he had Mana Drain for it. Then, I topdecked Imperial Seal, and considered my options. I decided to play it, and go for Yawgmoth’s Will rather than Tinker. Yawgmoth’s Will trumps Red Elemental Blast. Yawgmoth’s Will offered me the best chance of winning now, but I still had three Dark Confidants and Tinker in my library, just in case he was able to counter Yawgmoth’s Will. Gus drew a card, and passed the turn. I played Yawgmoth’s Will, and it resolved. He showed me his Red Elemental Blast. I played a dozen spells from my graveyard and handily won.

At this point, it was about 10:10pm, and the Vikings-Saints NFC title game was heading to overtime. It was late, I had to work the next day, and we both needed to eat dinner. After playing a grueling, hour plus-long match, we both agreed to draw the third game and split the match. I made it home to watch the last 10 minutes of the disappointing Vikings-Saints game.

There is nothing in Magic I enjoy more than playing Vintage tournaments. And, if it weren’t for real-world obligations, I could probably play Vintage matches for as long as I could remain awake. Every match is a thrill ride, not just a puzzle. Every time you shuffle up for a Vintage match, you realize that anything can happen. It’s an adrenaline rush, and intellectually stimulating. What beats that?

…

There are so many excellent deck choices in Vintage: Noble Fish, Tezzeret, TPS, Iona Oath, The Deck… How did I settle on a deck choice, and on this particular list? I was very interested in playing TPS with Sadistic Sacrament, but I hadn’t had any time to test it out. TPS split a recent Midwestern tournament, so I was enthusiastic about playing with Dark Rituals again. But work on Legacy and other commitments consumed all of my time. In fact, it wasn’t even until the night before the tournament, around 3am, that I even began putting my deck together. My girlfriend and I got back from the club, and a few White Castles later, I booted up Word, and started working through my five-step process. Since Tezzeret was the last deck I played in Vintage, as a default, I decided to play Tezzeret again.

Step 1:
Identify the expected metagame. Draw up a list, in order, of the archetypes you expect to face. One way to do this is to simply break down your entire metagame.

Step 2:
Build a version of the deck designed to beat each of the major archetypes in the metagame.

Step 3:
Begin to build a composite list by synthesizing your decklists. First, put into a “composite” list all of the unanimous card choices or all of the cards that showed up in every version of the deck. Then, include all the cards that made it into this list in a majority of your decklists.

Step 4:
Choose a tiebreaker to select the rest of your decklist by matchup importance. In doing so, be sure to give greater weight to some decklists you expect to face in the Top 8 despite their frequency in the metagame as a whole. Also, when choosing among final cards, make sure that you give some weight to the fact that you want internal synergies.

Step 5:
Build your sideboard to fill gaps and address matchup weaknesses. Use cards that showed up in Step 2 here. Make sure you have functional sideboard plans. You don’t want to go into a tournament with more sideboard cards for a match than you have the capacity to sideboard in.

…

Step 1:
Identify the expected metagame. Draw up a list, in order, of the archetypes you expect to face. One way to do this is to simply break down your entire metagame.

As I did two months ago, I used Vintage metagame data, tweaked with a bit of local knowledge, to predict the metagame for this tournament. Based upon the November-December Vintage tournament data, which I report next week, here is what I expected to be the four most popular decks:

1) Fish
2) Tezzeret
3) Dredge
4) Workshop Aggro

Step 2:
Build a version of the deck designed to beat each of the major archetypes in the metagame.

A) Anti-Fish Tezzeret

3 Sower of Temptation
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Tinker
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Time Vault
1 Voltaic Key
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
4 Dark Confidant
2 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Imperial Seal
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
1 Darkblast
2 Lightning Bolt
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Swamp
4 Island
4 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Misty Rainforest
3 Volcanic Island
2 Underground Sea
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet

The bulk of this list was taken from the anti-Fish Tez list I designed the last time I ran through this 5-step process, which was documented here. However, I made a few tweaks. Most obviously, Lightning Bolt struck me as better than Repeal. I added Hurkyl’s Recall because it answers multiple Null Rods.

B) Anti-Tez Tezzeret

1 Tinker
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Time Vault
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Voltaic Key
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
2 Intuition
4 Accumulated Knowledge
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Thirst For Knowledge
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Fact or Fiction
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
2 Red Elemental Blast
1 Pyroblast
1 Misdirection
1 Rebuild
1 Library of Alexandria
4 Underground Sea
4 Volcanic Island
2 Polluted Delta
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Misty Rainforest
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl

This list was also taken from my previous use of this five-step process.

C) Anti-Dredge Tezzeret

4 Leyline of the Void
4 Yixlid Jailer
4 Force of Will
4 Spell Pierce
3 Pithing Needle
2 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Time Vault
1 Voltaic Key
1 Tinker
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Imperial Seal
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Echoing Truth
1 Timetwister
4 Underground Sea
3 Underground River
7 Fetchlands
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl

This list was a bit tricky to devise. The emphasis is clearly on stopping them from dredging. But there is a secondary tier of cards that are included to protect the ‘stoppers.’ Spell Pierce is superior to Mana Drain because of its efficiency, and the lack of a drawback against mana-lite Dredge.

D) Anti-Workshop Aggro

4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
2 Sower of Temptation
3 Rack and Ruin
1 Tinker
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Time Vault
1 Voltaic Key
4 Dark Confidant
2 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Darkblast
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Swamp
1 Mountain
3 Island
4 Polluted Delta
3 Scalding Tarn
2 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mana Vault

If it weren’t for the tremendous value of Dark Confidant, I would be running a ton of basics and ‘quad-laser’ Sower of Temptation. However, Dark Confidant’s ability to defeat Spheres and generate mana through card advantage is too good to pass up. Lightning Bolt gets the nod here over Fire/Ice, on account of the higher overall mana curve in this deck, and more importantly, the good number of high casting cost flips thanks to Rack and Ruin and Sowers.

3:
Begin to build a composite list by synthesizing your decklists. First, put into a “composite” list all of the unanimous card choices or all of the cards that showed up in every version of the deck. Then, include all the cards that made it into this list in a majority of your decklists.

Unanimous Choices (these cards showed up in all four lists in Step 2):

1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ponder
1 Time Vault
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Voltaic Key
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
4 Force of Will

In 3 of 4 Lists:

4 Mana Drain

In 2 of 4 lists:

1 Darkblast
1 Imperial Seal
2 Top
4 Dark Confidant
1 Inkwell Leviathan (and 1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind)
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Lightning Bolt
2 Sower of Temptation
1 Hurkyl”s Recall

Step 4:
Choose a tiebreaker to select the rest of your decklist by matchup importance. In doing so, be sure to give greater weight to some decklists you expect to face in the Top 8 despite their frequency in the metagame as a whole. Also, when choosing among final cards, make sure that you give some weight to the fact that you want internal synergies.

25 mana (no Mana Vault)
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ponder
1 Time Vault
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Voltaic Key
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
1 Darkblast
1 Imperial Seal
2 Top
4 Dark Confidant
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Lightning Bolt
2 Sower of Temptation
1 Hurkyl”s Recall

That’s 59 cards, which leaves me with one open slot.

Here are the 4 cards I considered for the 60th card slot:

1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Tezzeret
1 Mana Vault
1 Misdirection

Because I felt it was the strongest card, the most generally useful, and best against the four matchups I expected to see the most, I selected Gifts Ungiven.

I have to admit some surprise in seeing Lightning Bolt in the composite decklist. If I were building this deck using any method other than this 5-step method, I find it difficult to believe that I’d be running Lightning Bolt. Bolt isn’t even a card I think is that good in other formats. It’s slow for Vintage. The only reason it made this composite was because it made two of my Step 2 lists. That said, Bolt may actually turn out to be one of the best answers to Lodestone Golem now that Worldwake is here.

Step 5:
Build your sideboard to fill gaps and address matchup weaknesses. Use cards that showed up in Step 2 here. Make sure you have functional sideboard plans. You don’t want to go into a tournament with more sideboard cards for a match than you have the capacity to sideboard in.

First of all, beyond the decks listed in Step 1, there are a few other archetypes that I knew I’d need to be prepared for, like Oath and storm combo.

This is the sideboard I settled on:

2 Red Elemental Blast
1 Pyroblast
Primarily for the Tezzeret matchup

2 Rack and Ruin
For Workshop Aggro and Stax

3 Greater Gargadon
For Oath

4 Leyline of the Void
2 Yixlid Jailer
For Dredge

1 Mindbreak Trap
For Storm combo

Then, I sketched out some quick sideboard plans:

Tezzeret: + 3 Red Elemental Blast and 1 Mindbreak Trap; – 2 Island/Swamp, -1 Chain of Vapor, – 1 Lightning Bolt

Workshop Aggro: + 2 Rack and Ruin; – 1 Chain of Vapor, – 1 Imperial Seal

Fish: Depends on the colors.

Dredge: + 3 Reb, + 4 Leyline + 2 Jailer; – 4 Bobs, Bolt, Darkblast, Sowers, and 1 chain

Oath: + 3 Greater Gargadon, + 3 Rebs, + Mindbreak Trap; – 4 Dark Confidant, – 1 Darkblast, – 1 Lightning Bolt, – 1 Sower of Temptation

TPS: + 1 Mindbreak Trap, + 2 Red Elemental Blast; – 1 Swamp, – 1 Island, – 1 Chain of Vapor.

Until next time…

Stephen Menendian