Disclaimer – This article is very longwinded. In fact, it’s probably one of the longest articles I’ve ever written. The main reason for this is because it’s not just one article, but several that I didn’t really feel were strong enough on their own. Think of this more as the Voltron of Magic articles. Now granted, I might’ve made more money posting all of these separately, but I doubt it would’ve been as much fun. For those of you who were actually looking for an article on Legacy, keep scrolling down until you see a large picture of the crime fighting duo of Sheldon Menery and his boy Friday — End Disclaimer
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I’ve probably played less Magic this summer than I ever have in the past. I really don’t think it’s because of a lack of interest, because I still enjoy playing, I just don’t enjoy playing Limited. With no Constructed events on the horizon, Wizards pretty much relegated me to sitting on the sidelines. Since I attended very few events this summer, I also had very little to write about. I tried to write an article here and there, but I never was able to finish them.
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The Black Perspective: A Nationals Report
I was really excited about competing in Nationals this year because I hadn’t played Constructed in a while and was growing anxious. I had played a lot of games on MTGO to prepare for the event, and decided to switch from Tron to Ghazi-Glare in the last minute. I hadn’t done any Coldsnap drafts prior to the event, and it is on good record that I am one of the worst RGD Limited players on Earth, so I was counting on doing well in Constructed.
I ended up going 4-3 in both formats, and although Antonio made Top 8 with the deck and Gabe Walls was one round away, I guess it was not such a great choice after all. I really don’t know what else to say. How long is this report anyway… God, I’m only on two paragraphs. Maybe if I use a larger font? Screw this, this is pointless.
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At which I point I would return to watching television. Sadly, because I record programs like the Gilmore Girls and Laguna Beach, my TiVo thinks I’m gay. This resulted in my DVR recording programs like Bridezilla on the WE network and the coming of age film “Ice Princess” starring Michelle Trachtenberg. While I admit to watching the latter, I had tons of worthless television recorded. With Veronica Mars hours away, I decided to give writing another try. Maybe a Q&A would be the ticket; after all, there were plenty of issues to discuss…
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Ask Joe Black
Dear Osyp,
How do you feel about the recent suspension of Olivier Ruel from Magic? Also, have you given any thought into taking over his Ask the Pro column on MagictheGathering.com?
Yours Truly,
Benedict Klauser
Dear Benedict,
“When I shuffle, I look down to see what my hands are doing. I am not trying to look at the cards.” — Olivier Ruel
“When I shuffle, I naturally look down to make sure I don’t drop any of the cards, that doesn’t mean I’m cheating.” — Casey McCarrell
Personally, I really like Olivier, I think he’s a very nice guy and he was always a blast to hang out with at the Invitational events. Professionally, I couldn’t be happier he is not allowed to play for a while. That doesn’t mean I think he’s a cheater… it means I think he’s very good. I don’t hang out with Olivier enough on the PT for his absence to affect me in any way. But he is one of the toughest players to play against, and getting a break from losing to him for six months is a welcomed vacation.
As far as the Ask The Pro column is concerned, I did in fact ask if I could throw my hat in the ring for that position. Sadly this was the response I received from Wizards…
Dear Osyp,
We are pleased to hear of your interest in the Ask the Pro column. Sadly, we do not feel you have enough experience answering questions at this time. Thank you again for your interest and be sure to check out “Wild Trips with Cantrips” this week on Serious Fun.
Sincerely,
Ted Knutson
I suppose I should be thankful for such a prompt response.
Sincerely,
Osyp “Joe Black” Lebedowicz
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I was all but ready to submit a week of dailies, but Talen Lee and his Fine Art of Doing Yourself beat me to the punch. Dejected, I gave up on the project altogether.
I then thought, “Just because I didn’t do well in a tournament, that doesn’t mean I can’t write a tournament report! Why don’t I just pick someone who did do well in a tournament and write a report for them?”
The man I chose to write for was the hottest player on the planet at that moment in time, Maximilian Bracht. You might ask why you would go through the trouble of writing a report for someone without discussing it with them first, or even bothering to get any details of their performance. I’ve always felt that details simply get in the way of a good story. So without further ado…
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A Champions Tale: The Maximilian Bracht Story
By Maximilian Bracht Osyp Lebedowicz
Hello all! My name is Maximilian Bracht, and for those of you who have been living under a rock the past few months, I am the German National Champion. I am new to this site, but hopefully you’ll be reading more of my articles in the future. Let me give you some information about myself and my credentials, so that you know when I talk, you should listen.
I am seventeen years old and live in Regensburg, Germany. I am from a humble background and began playing Magic ten years ago. I quickly made a name for myself at my local gaming shops, and my desire to win grew rapidly. I started to become known as the hottest player to come out of Germany since Stephen Friendorff. Hahaha! But seriously, I started to win PTQs, and was ready to make a name for myself outside of Germany. The Grand Prix circuit was good to me, as I made several GP Top 8s and Top 16 finishes. London was my first strong performance on the Pro Tour level, but I think I really broke out at Pro Tour: Honolulu, where I piloted my revolutionary Heartbeat deck all of the way to a sixth-place finish.
Many players began to copy my decklist and play it during the Team Standard seasons. And while I feel no one can play the deck as well as I can, my deck is fairly idiot-proof, and many players qualified with my creation. This made me even more famous and I started to achieve the level of success I felt I deserved. Because I generally play quirky and innovative decks, people sometimes refer to me as the next Pierre Canali, and despite opinion to the contrary, I do consider that a compliment.
Now let’s discuss the tournament I won, German National Championships. I had done an extensive amount of testing for this tournament prior to the event. I already considered myself pretty strong at RGD draft, so I was not worried about that. No one really understood how to draft the format, and continued to ignore aggressive strategies, and did not draft one-drops early, so I knew I would do well there. I began to draft Coldsnap locally, and I found the format to be very strong. I think most people feel the format is weak, but I think they simply don’t understand it, and as a result do poorly and resort to criticizing it. I quickly figured out that Green was the strongest color and began to win most of the local drafts. I was confident most people would not realize the strength of Green going into the draft, and even if they did they probably would not know how to draft it properly. I always see people take Aurochs over better cards like Sound the Call, which is a mistake. Sound the Call can get very insane very quickly, and it usually comes around very late. I also don’t like many high-end drops in my Green deck, going for a more aggressive strategy with many two- and three-drops, and the curve topping out at four.
Being confident in both Limited formats, it was time to focus on my true strength: Constructed. Standard is a very good format right now, and Magic Online made it very easy to test. All of the decks from American and Canadian Nationals seemed terrible, and the French decks were a joke. So yet again, I was forced to take it upon myself to reinvent the format and create something new and innovative. Ever since I was a little kid and my mother showed me a movie called “Beverley Hills Ninja,” I had always loved Ninjas. In fact, for the longest time I had actually wanted to be a ninja; however my father, a steelworker from Düsseldorf, would not stand for such frivolities and quickly put an end to that dream. Nevertheless, Ninjas always were at the back of my mind and I continued to find ways to incorporate them into my life. Last year, I built a deck around Ninja of the Deep Hours that went on to win the tournament. I was determined to do the same this year.
My associate Andre Muller had gone 7-1 at Regionals with a deck that featured Ninja of the Deep Hours and Erayo. However, the rest of the list was terrible. I needed to make about twenty or so changes to make the deck a strong contender. I began to play the deck online, and after winning many 8-mans and Premiere Events I was convinced the deck was the best deck. Here’s my list for reference.
Creatures (19)
- 4 Ninja of the Deep Hours
- 3 Higure, the Still Wind
- 4 Birds of Paradise
- 4 Ornithopter
- 4 Erayo, Soratami Ascendant
Lands (11)
Spells (30)
Sideboard
I crush most control decks and have a strong matchup against beatdown after sideboard. My only bad matchup is Solar Flare, but I had no reason to believe that deck would be popular at all. With all of my testing done, I felt confident going into the event.
My first three rounds of Standard went as expected; I played against two Magnivore decks and one Solar Flare deck, going 2-1. Erayo is simply too good against the control decks, even if you don’t flip it very early. It will usually be too disruptive in combination with your other cards. While Solar Flare isn’t the best matchup, I feel like I should’ve won my round 3 match. My opponent got a fairly good draw both games, and I had to mulligan both games. Mulligans are very bad for this deck, and you almost always want to keep your seven cards even if it only contains one land.
My RGD draft went exactly as I had planned it. I drafted a very aggressive Green/White deck that featured several Skarrgan Pt-Skulks and three Thrives. Thrive is one of the most underrated cards in the format, and it is also critical in my archetype, so I was very happy with how the draft went.
I managed to go 3-1, and once again I should’ve been 4-0. The round I lost involved a mulligan and being on the draw both times I lost. If my deck is on the draw it’s a lot harder to beat a decent deck. However, I can usually punish the mediocre decks even if I’m not on the play. One of my matches during the draft was covered on MagictheGathering.com. The reporter did a good job of noting some of the better insults I laid on my opponent…
After this game, Maximilian showed me the Simic Initiates he didn’t even play. He further intimidated Andreas by mentioning how he’d like to draw his Selesnya Guildmage, and how he’ll tell his grandsons about how strong the packs were.
You see, Magic is more than just playing perfect technically; there is a mental aspect to the game as well. When I first began playing, my mental game was adequate, but over time I feel like I have been able to talk my opponents out of making correct plays or simply intimidating them enough to make them nervous and play worse.
The reporter did write some things I felt were inappropriate. I did not appreciate the blatant lie in the coverage where the reporter insinuated that I made a mistake.
Maximilian confused a Skarrgan Pit-Skulk with Simic Initiate, and dropped an un-pumped Pit-Skulk and Silhana Ledgewalker.
That was simply untrue; I did not “confuse” a Pit-Skulk with a Simic Initiate. I purposely played the Pit-Skulk un-pumped to “confuse” my opponent. This way he would be under the impression that I had a second Pit-Skulk in my hand and would play more cautiously. For all of the coverage writers out there, here’s a piece of advice. When covering the match of a top player, look at the play behind the play to get a clear indication of what is going on.
I was somewhat disappointed going into Day 2 with a mere 5-2 record, but there is luck involved in this game, so you have to just accept it and move on.
We Germans work hard, but we also play hard. After Day 1, a group of us went out to dinner at a seafood restaurant. As I was enjoying a delicious piece of fish I noticed an attractive group of girls at a nearby table staring at us. It seems they were a group of American girls in Germany on holiday, looking for a good time. Luckily for them, they found me. Always willing to oblige a lovely lady, I and some of the other players decided to take the girls to a local tavern and treat them to some strong German stout. The girls quickly became inebriated and started to make fools of themselves. Rather than take advantage of the situation, I chose to leave and try my luck at a nearby bar. I was sitting at the bar and had moved from lager to whisky. It was at this moment I noticed an extremely attractive woman sitting at the other end of the bar. I made my way over to her, introduced myself, and offered her a drink. Rather than answer, she grabbed the glass out of my hand and took a sip. “You know, I only drink whiskey when I am looking to get drunk.” She then proceeded to finish my drink.
I now knew this night would be worthy of Maximilian Bracht.
Day 2 was a blur for me, partly because I was still thinking about the previous night’s activities and partly because I was winning fast and often. I quickly found myself a lock for Top 8 with two rounds left. I was looking ahead and trying to focus on what I would need to do to finally break the Top 8 curse and win an event.
Once the Top 8 was announced, I was very pleased with the quality of players involved. I was confident that Germany would have a strong National team this year, led by yours truly.
The Top 8 was handled fairly well in the coverage so I won’t go into too much detail. I won my quarterfinals because my opponent couldn’t attend Worlds and conceded. In the quarterfinals my opponent mulliganed to four cards and then three cards in games 4 and 5, allowing me to win quite easily. In the finals I was paired against my best matchup by far — Vore – allowing me to beat Amiel Tenenbaum in three straight games.
So the German National team is set, and I am its captain, as expected. I am fairly confident that we will take home the title for Germany this year. The American team seems weak at best, and the Japanese team, with the exception of Mori, seems inexperienced. As of right now, if I were a betting man, I would bet on Germany to win it all.
Thank you for reading, and I look forward to hearing your positive feedback in the forums. Look forward to more articles from me in the future!
Maximilian Bracht
German National Champion
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Sadly, once again my attempts were foiled, this time by my good editor and English National Champion Craig Stevenson. Craig felt that it would be somewhat irresponsible to post this report without Maximilian’s permission, which of course, we did not get.
“Alright Osyp, lets get on with it” — Level 7 Pimp Sheldon Menery
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So after weeks of effort, I had nothing to show for it or any further motivation to write something fresh and new.
Then, about a week ago, my good friend and Knight in Brown armor Ashok Chitturi came to my rescue. He informed me that there was this Legacy tournament in Connecticut being held the weekend of Grand Prix: Phoenix. It was being run by Ray Robillard, who organizes the Waterbury open, a very popular Vintage tournament also in Connecticut. Ashok mentioned that Ray usually runs good events and the prize payout and turnout should be considerable. This news got me really excited, because even though I didn’t know much about Legacy, I really wanted to play sixty card decks again. So I quickly reserved my spot in his Bronco and started to examine the format.
Wizards does not run many Legacy events, so there were only two main events I looked at to get an idea of what people might play and what was good: the Legacy event held at German Nationals, and the Legacy Championships held at GenCon. Of the two events, the Legacy Championships seemed to have much better decklists. The maindeck that caught my eye was the combo deck known as Iggy Pop. I had known about this deck prior to Grand Prix: Philadelphia. However, it had received some much needed help in the form of Leyline of the Void and Infernal Tutor. For those unfamiliar with the deck, it is a combo deck that uses Ill-Gotten Gains to either Mind Twist your opponent or recur Ritual effects several times to get your storm count high enough to win with a lethal Tendrils of Agony.
Since I only had a week to prepare, I knew I wouldn’t be able to figure out the format well enough to build my own creation, so my best strategy was to just go with the deck that seemed most powerful… and that was Iggy Pop. Being a degenerate combo deck, you’re usually playing against yourself anyway, so testing on apprentice was very useful. I tested a standard list that Ashok gave me, and since I didn’t own any cards, I really couldn’t make any changes. This is the list I played…
Lands (16)
Spells (44)
- 3 Tendrils of Agony
- 4 Brainstorm
- 4 Cabal Ritual
- 4 Mystical Tutor
- 4 Dark Ritual
- 4 Intuition
- 1 Echoing Truth
- 4 Ill-Gotten Gains
- 4 Lotus Petal
- 4 Lion's Eye Diamond
- 4 Leyline of the Void
- 4 Infernal Tutor
Sideboard
The maindeck was awesome for me. The sideboard was another story, but we’ll get into that a little later.
Besides Ashok, Chad Kastelton Steel was also in attendance. In between discussing the format, Chad would tell us how he and his girlfriend have a list of possibilities for a threesome. We spent a fair amount of time arguing the stupidity of leaving Jessica Alba off the list but including Mariska Hargitay. The argument got so heated that we actually needed to conference in Chad’s girlfriend on speakerphone. Considering it was 8am, she was not pleased. The format discussions were much more productive. It seemed to me that there were only three decks worth playing: Goblins, Threshold, and Iggy Pop. All of the other decks in the format seemed much weaker than those three, and I wasn’t afraid of facing them. One deck I though might prove solid would be a Counterbalance control deck, something similar to Mori’s National winning deck. However, like I said I had very little time to do any testing, so it was just an idea.
We arrive at the tournament site an hour ahead of the start time. The area was devoid of any good restaurants or much activity at all, but it was Connecticut after all so I wasn’t expecting much. The store itself was quite nice, and had plenty of space to accommodate over two hundred players. A little over one hundred players showed up to play, so there was plenty of leg room and no one felt cramped.
Round 1: Nick Rowalka — U/G/w Threshold
This deck is probably the safest choice for anyone who wants to play Legacy but doesn’t know much about the format. It is very consistent and plays Force of Will, which is the best card in the format. There are a variety of different splashes people might incorporate into the deck, but the most popular color by far seemed to be White. Both Swords to Plowshares and Meddling Mage prove to be much too useful to be ignored. Jotun Grunt is also a welcomed addition from Coldsnap that not only works well in the mirror, but is also a significant threat against Iggy Pop.
In game 1 I mulliganed to six and kept a hand of five lands and one Lotus Petal on the draw. A miserable hand to be sure, but I was confident it would only get worse if I went any lower. Besides, with almost a third of the land in my deck in hand, I was sure I would draw nothing but gas for the next few turns. That is precisely what happened… I drew into Intuition and Brainstorm and eventually managed to use a Cabal Pit to handle his Meddling Mage.
In game 2 I managed to Brainstorm into two Defense Grids and was able to get the second to stick after getting the first one Dazed. After that it was just a couple of turns before I was able to go off with Gains.
Round 2: Dominic Lordabucci — U/G/w Threshold
Wonderful. This time around I was not able to defeat the sheer number of permission he drew. Both games were a beating involving Dazes, Force of Wills, and Meddling Mages. I really didn’t even come close to winning, despite the fact that he failed to attack with a Nimble Mongoose three turns in a row.
Round 3: John Lafferny — G/W Confinement
G/W Confinement is not a popular Legacy deck. John had recently just gotten back into Magic and only had a few cards to play with. With the help of his friends he was able to piece together this creation that would probably be better suited in an Extended environment. Needless to say, these games were not close.
Round 4: Rob Costella – W/U/b beatdown
Rob was playing an aggro control deck that ran Ninja of the Deep Hours; Isamaru, Hound of Konda; Dark Confidant; and the traditional assortment of permission. The permission is the only thing that concerns me, what he attacks me with is largely irrelevant.
Game 1 he gets a Dark Confidant on-line quickly which helps him draw into enough permission to halt any attempts I make at going off.
Games 2 and 3 are all about Defense Grid. They allow me to go off a turn before his second Jotun Grunt would’ve consumed my entire yard.
Round 5: Adam Banelko — U/G/w Threshold
This round went worse for me than round 2 because Adam knew exactly how to play the matchup, and he was able to lock me out of game 1 with a combination of two Meddling Mages and a Pithing Needle on Cabal Pit. Game 2 was just a matter of him drawing enough permission to stop any attempts I made to win the game.
So now I’m 3-2 and decide to just play the last two rounds to try and get some prize and get a better feel for the deck.
Round 6: Ben Kowal — B/u Reanimator
He mulliganed twice in game 1, so I was able to win fairly easily. I only see a Polluted Delta and an Underground Sea, so I’m not sure what he was playing, but I assumed it was some form of control and boarded in my Defense Grids.
I finally manage to get a Leyline of the Void in my opening hand in game 2, and he winces painfully. I try and cast a Defense Grid on turn 2, and am surprised that it resolved so easily. He untaps and casts a Careful Study discarding a land and a Petradon. Oh… well, that’s not what I expected. Once I realize what he’s playing, I win the following turn.
Round 7: Matt Monelly — U/G/w/b Threshold
Terrific.
In game 1 I am on the play and get the nut draw. I have the opportunity to win on turn 1 and think about it for a second. If he has a Force of Will I lose, but if he doesn’t I win. One out of four outs is good enough for me, and I go for it… and win.
In game 2 I have a Defense Grid in play, but he has two Meddling Mages that are whittling away at my life total and making it difficult for me to go off. I basically have one turn to draw either a Cabal Ritual, Dark Ritual or Lion’s Eye Diamond to go off, when he only has one mana up and is not able to disrupt me at all. I draw a blank and have to set up the kill for the following turn. He untaps his lands, attacks, and ships the turn back to me. He has three mana up, so if he has the Force of Will he can slip it under the Defense Grid. I don’t have any other choice but to go for it though, and he has the Force this time around.
Game 3 was an interesting affair. We both mulligan to six and my opener isn’t too stellar, but it does contain the one Tomb of Urami I boarded in. He casts Brainstorm and Portent on turns 1 and 2, and I can tell he’s just digging for lands, so there’s a chance he’ll miss his turn 3 drop. I play my Tomb and cast Intuition main phase. He lets it resolve and I search up three Lion’s Eye Diamonds. He untaps and plays a Jotun Grunt and passes the turn back to me. He missed his third land drop, so I’m guessing based on how turns 1 and 2 went, he probably has at least a Daze or Force in hand, in all likelihood both. I am pretty sure any attempt I make at going off this turn would be pointless, so I just play the Lion’s Eye Diamond and pass the turn back to him. He removes two Diamonds and attacks with his Grunt. At this point I figure all of his Plows are probably sitting in his sideboard, and if I’m right about his hand, than this is the best play for me to make. So I go for it, I sacrifice the Diamond, empty my hand, activate the Tomb, and block his Grunt. He seems caught off guard and buries his Grunt. His only play left is to play a Nimble Mongoose. After several turns of me attacking and him casting cantrips, I am finally able to take the 5/5 flyer all the way to victory.
I’m not quite sure what to say about this current Legacy format. Threshold, Iggy Pop, and Goblins seem like the only three decks that are worth playing. I saw one player play a U/B/W Counterbalance deck that featured Trinket Mage and Dark Confidant that looked very interesting, but his record was pretty bad so I’m not sure what to make of it.
As far as Iggy Pop is concerned, I personally feel like it is the most powerful deck in the format. Your only tough matchup is Threshold, but the entire burden is really on them. They need to draw their Dazes and their Force of Wills to stand a chance. If this happens in game 1 and they also have a Meddling Mage on Tendrils of Agony then you probably won’t win. If you are prepared for them after sideboard, I think you will still win regardless of their draw. Adam, my round 5 opponent, mentioned Xantid Swarm to me. This card was played at the Legacy championships and it immediately seemed better than Defense Grid. There were many games I lost to Threshold simply because I was not able to sneak a Grid under a Daze. The Swarm is cheaper and easier to play, and the only drawback is that you are slightly more vulnerable to Wasteland, but I did not even face a Wasteland all day so I’m not too concerned by that. The other card he mentioned that I also felt like I needed all day was Massacre. There were at least three times that a Massacre would’ve helped me immensely and Echoing Truth was just not good enough. I always wanted a combination of both.
This is the sideboard I would’ve played, had I owned any of the cards:
4 Xantid Swarm
1 Massacre
1 Tomb of Urami
4 Pithing Needle
2 Echoing Truth
1 Chain of Vapor
2 Quicken
And I would alter the manabase to include some Green mana:
4 Polluted Delta
4 Flooded Strand
1 Cabal Pit
1 Swamp
1 Bayou
1 Tropical Island
2 Underground Sea
2 Island
This deck is one of the hardest I’ve ever had to play, so I think that’s one of the reasons it isn’t played much. The strength of this deck is certainly not reflected in its numbers at events. Like I said, your only tough matchup is Threshold, and while that is the most popular deck in the format, you have such a great matchup against everything else that I still think this deck has to be your top choice. All of the cards that people bring in to stop you, like Tormod’s Crypt and Jotun Grunt, are largely irrelevant. The only card that ever mattered to me was Force of Will, and to a lesser extent Daze.
Sideboarding is very difficult because your core is so focused. I haven’t tested this deck as much as some people, but what I did was take out some pieces of the combo. I know that sounds awkward, but my thinking was that since my opponent was going to be bringing in those hateful cards, I would need to sacrifice some speed for versatility. The deck plays so many good search cards that you can make that sacrifice without fundamentally weakening the deck. Taking out one Intuition, Tutor, Ill-Gotten Gains, Lion’s Eye Diamond, and Lotus Petal will reduce your chances of going off on turn 1 and 2 significantly, but you need cards like Xantid Swarm and Pithing Needle in certain matchups, and you have to make that sacrifice. Trying to go off on turn 2 against a Blue deck is very risky if you’re not protected. You’re better off sacrificing the speed to make sure you can go off when you want to. You also don’t really want Pithing Needle against Threshold. This is tough because they are in all likelihood bringing in the Crypt against you. Unfortunately, you cannot afford to take out any more cards in that matchup, and the Swarms are more vital than the Needles. If they bring in Crypts and actually play one against you, you can still easily go off with Tendrils if you have a Swarm in play. The Needles are mainly against a deck like Goblins. A hyper-aggressive deck like Goblins could easily bring in Crypt against you, and having a Needle there would be crucial in allowing you to go off in time. It also shuts down Aether Vial, which is an added bonus.
There are very few cards that you actually want in your sideboard because like I said earlier, the hate is limited and largely ineffective against you, so you won’t be boarding in much against a large portion of the field. The Tomb comes in against many decks so I was considering just playing it main, but since I increased the number of non-basics in the deck already and still had room in the sideboard, I felt like it could stay there.
I ended up finishing seventeenth in the tournament and won myself a sweet RGD draft set, which I plan on retiring on. I must say that Ray Robillard ran an excellent event, and I definitely would like to attend more in the future. The rounds went smoothly and everything was done in a timely manner. He offered a free tournament to those who dropped from the main, where the prize was a play set of Force of Wills. And he even ran Magic Trivia during the Top 8 of the event for teams of three, and everyone got prizes. My team did quite poorly – last place I believe – getting beat down by questions like…
“What is the first card to feature ‘In your graveyard’, or ‘in play’ triggered ability?”
“What card features this flavor text? ‘Two muffins are baking in an oven. One muffin says to the other muffin, “it’s getting hot in here, huh?” The other muffin says, “Aagh, a talking muffin!”’”
“Name the only creature besides Mistform Ultimus with a dog creature type?”
“What was the only Guildmage to retain its abilities from playtesting to creation?”
To conclude, I would just like to make a plea to Wizards of the Coast. Even though some people at this event lived as far away as Virginia, everyone seemed to know each other. The Vintage and Legacy community are much more organized and devoted than Wizards gives them credit for, and it’s a shame there aren’t more events that can cater to this very loyal group of people. It seemed like the majority of the people there weren’t there just to try and win a piece of Power or forty dual lands, they legitimately loved the format and really enjoyed playing it. If this many people can care for a format as this community does, it seems like the least Wizards could do is offer more than one tournament a year for them to compete in.
That is all
Osyp “Joe Black” Lebedowicz