With the Invitational over, I have a newfound respect for this tournament series. Not only is this the highest EV tournament in existence right now, but it also was a ton of fun to play in. This week I am going to talk about lessons learned from the event and my experience in general.
Going into the Event
Going into the event, I had an arrangement with Drew Levin. We felt we were each skilled in one of the formats played at the Invitational but not in the other. So we agreed that I would bring a list for Standard, and he would prepare for Legacy. This was a great weight off my shoulders; I didn’t have a clue what Legacy deck to play!
I chose U/W Delver for my end of the bargain. U/W Delver has been one of the most powerful decks in the format for some time now and was going to be a great choice for the environment I expected. There are so many random decks in this format, but they all have one thing in common: they all want to get on the board as fast as possible. Even the control decks have been leaning towards cards like Lingering Souls and Liliana of the Veil. This would mean that Delver was well positioned if built correctly.
This is the list I took to battle.
Creatures (15)
Lands (21)
Spells (24)
There’s nothing too special in this list except for the game plan post-sideboard. The plan game 1 is to just be a normal Delver deck. After sideboard, though, the deck slows down enough to play some haymakers in response to other people’s sideboard plans. An additional land is appropriate to add because all the sideboard cards cost more than those in the main.
I miscalculated the event, however. By the second four-set of Standard rounds, the cream had fully risen to the top. Only the best players in the room had a chance of making Top 8, and all of them were playing some version of Delver. I prepared against the average field where every deck would be represented, but that obviously wasn’t the case. Everyone just played Delver because the edge was to be gained in Legacy, given that there were more rounds of it overall.
Drew at least had an amazing version of RUG Delver that got me to a record of 10- 2 before going back to Standard. I then ran into three Delver decks in a row that all seemed to have more slots dedicated to the mirror match. This cost me three rounds in a row, and I missed Top 8 to get 9th.
The biggest lesson to learn from all of this is to be prepared for how the Invitational works. It was sixteen rounds and had fewer than 160 players. You have to play over 10% of the field, which has never happened at a professional-level event to my knowledge. This meant the best players would have leeway to make it to the final rounds of the event and still have a chance to make Top 8. As a result, it’s impossible to win without beating the best the tournament has to offer.
Choosing decks with this information in mind is crucial. I put too many cards in my sideboard for all of the random matches like Zombies, when almost no one was playing that in the last segment of Standard. I knew I made a mistake not having more cards for the mirror match when I found out the best players were playing it. At least I know this for next time.
Legacy Portion
The most fun that came from this event, surprisingly, was playing Legacy. Drew brewed up this spicy RUG Delver variant that did wonders for me all weekend.
Creatures (12)
Lands (19)
Spells (29)
- 4 Brainstorm
- 4 Lightning Bolt
- 3 Force of Will
- 2 Chain Lightning
- 3 Daze
- 3 Spell Snare
- 4 Ponder
- 4 Spell Pierce
- 2 Thought Scour
Sideboard
Drew was spot on with the metagame. He added a nineteenth land and  cut Stifle for Spell Pierces, which were amazing all weekend. All of my opponents tended to play around Stifle when I would have mana open but never saw this counterspell coming. Spell Pierce is where I want to be in this format until something drastically changes.
While Legacy was never on my mind much before, this format is actually a blast, and this deck makes me want to play more. Playing the Invitational made me realize this; I knew almost nothing about Legacy and was scared everyone would run me over.
I started off 2-2 with the deck, losing to decent players and beating the weaker ones that I faced. I don’t think I made any blatant misplays on Day 1, but that’s just the hurdle of not knowing the format that well. I knew that I was at a disadvantage going into this format, since so many of the SCG grinders know this format very well. I decided going into Day 2 that I would just have to play with confidence.
Confidence is very important when playing Magic. No matter if your line is correct or not, you have to have faith in it until the match is over. It’s much better for you to find play mistakes after the match and just trust in your skills while the games are actually taking place. This helps you follow the line of plays you initially thought would win you the game.
The best example of this was how I used my Brainstorms. All of the articles that I’ve read on the format talk about how almost everyone plays this card incorrectly. Instead of trying to find the "correct" times to use this spell, I instead just used it when I thought it would be the most powerful. I don’t know if I should play it during my upkeep on turn 2 with Delver of Secrets in play, but I almost always did it. My line of thinking was that the more I try to outplay my more technically proficient opponents, the more times I would fall on my face. I was aggressive with my cards and tried to force variance up a notch and hoped luck was on my side.
I really needed this line of thinking when Day 2 started. I ended up facing and beating a murders row of opponents (Gerry Thompson, Todd Anderson, and Drew Levin). Now these guys have played hundreds of more matches of Legacy than I have, so I truly believe I got lucky, but I also played in a way to let that work in my favor. My last opponent on the day was Max Tietze, and my favorite story from the event comes from our match.
It was in game 2 in an almost impossible matchup. Max was playing Maverick splashing for Punishing Fires. I was down a game and losing board position fast. Max had three lands (one untapped), a 2/2 Scavenging Ooze, and a Stoneforge Mystic. I had a Delver of Secrets that was flipped and a Tarmogoyf that was a 3/4 but with only one creature in the graveyard. This Tarmogoyf was not going to do a whole lot this game, and I didn’t know how good Max was at the time (multiple Grand Prix Top 8s in the last couple months). Instead of just attacking for three and ending my turn I tried the classic chump attack, attacking with both. Max would easily be able to activate his Ooze and eat my Goyf if he wanted to, as I didn’t have a trick.
Max didn’t bite and took the five damage after activating his Ooze, but it didn’t stop there. Max said, "Take 5," and I responded with, "Isn’t it six?" Max gave me the weirdest look, and then I said, " Oh yeah, it’s five." I wasn’t trying to get Max for the extra damage but trying to make him think that I didn’t know how the Ooze worked. Maybe it would cause him to underestimate me or assume I was bluffing when I wasn’t. Maybe it would make him tilt. However, I found out he was too good for that. I’ll try not to pull that one again on Mr. Tietze!
All in all I had a blast playing in the Invitational. This was a very well-run event, and I’m proud to work for a company that puts on that good of a show. I’m now in a location that will let me play in more Opens, so I’ll even have byes the next time the Invitational rolls around. I think most of you should get out there and take a swing at winning this title. There isn’t a tournament out there that has a higher estimated value than the one I just played last weekend.
Delver Moving Forward
Moving on, I think the best deck to play is still Delver; I’m just not sure which version of the deck. Both Yuuya Watanabe and Gerry Thompson have different takes on the deck than the version I played in the event, and I don’t know if either of them are better yet. Yuuya’s version still relies on the powerful Geist of Saint Traft to win most of its games, which I like. Sword of War and Peace has been losing a bit of power recently.
The other thing that I like about his list is the absence of Probe. I haven’t had the guts to cut this card, but the logic says the card shouldn’t make the cut. So many decks nowadays are so aggressive that it’s very difficult to change your line of play even if you know what’s in their hand. One more power added to a Runechanter’s Pike isn’t worth two life in most scenarios.
Gerry’s take on the archetype is something I’m working on right now since I want to learn it up and down.
Creatures (11)
Lands (22)
Spells (27)
Gerry wrote about this deck yesterday, so I won’t go into too much detail about how the deck operates. Make sure to check out his article if it’s something that interests you. The biggest detail I want to touch on is if this deck is better than the Geist versions.
Gerry’s willing to give up on raw power to have more control in the late game. Intangible Virtue is a very powerful card if given enough time to set up a board state. I think this deck is better positioned to take down the aggressive decks in the format, but I’m scared to face off against U/B Control, Esper Control, or Pod variants. The reason is that this deck can’t just win a game with a Geist of Saint Traft, an equipment, and a few instants.
Losing these easy wins is something I don’t think this archetype can afford. I’m going to give this deck a chance and possibly even run it in the MOCS if I’m not happy with Yuuya’s version. All I know is I’m going to be casting Seachrome Coast and Delver of Secrets for a very long time. I’ll write about my findings next week if you guys want me to, but something tells me that there’s too much talk about Delver already. Just let me know in the comments.
I’m finally moved in and settled here in Roanoke. It feels good to be off the road, and I’m ready to get started on producing some amazing content for you guys. Gerry and I have some new fun things in the works already, and it should only get better. I can’t wait to see you guys next week!