Archive for the ‘Vintage’ Category

Today is one of those days that you feel like a part of yourself has died. Well, it actually didn’t die alone, someone killed it. Yes, today the new Banned and Restricted list was published and Mystical Tutor has been banned in Legacy.

I’ve been playing combo decks that included Mystical Tutor for, at least, 5 years. Without Mystical Tutor the DCI just killed two archetypes in a shot: ANT and Reanimator. I haven’t read the explanations on why they banned Mystical Tutor (honestly I don’t care as I lost all my respect for the DCI long time ago) but I can assume the GP Madrid final has something to do with it.

The official June 18th 2010 Banned & Restricted List announcement reads as it follows:

With this announcement, I can say “bye bye” to my most fetish deck of all times:

So now, with the exception of Belcher, combo is dead in Legacy. Belcher… enough said. You can expect the new Legacy to be a totally aggro format (Zoo, Goyfs, Merfolks, Goblins, etc…), combined with Control and Agro-Control decks.

I don’t even feel like talking about the DCI doing nothing with Vintage. Vintage clearly needs some adjustments, and this was the most awaited list for many players. With Time Vault being über broken/timmy/stupid 2 card combo and MUD being the strongest deck of the format thanks to the über doped Juggernaut called Lodestone Golem, we’ll have to suffer 3 more months without any changes.

Welcome to the Goyf 2.0 era in Legacy!

Yesterday afternoon, I was taking some pictures of my deck (Dark Jace UBR) when my friend Arnau passed me a link with a picture to his deck. Lately he got some of my stuff, and I got some from him. It’s always nice to have a close partner to share/trade pimp with! Can you find the differences between both decks?

Arnau’s Dark Tezz deck!

My Dark Jace UBR!

So, here we are with the second game of this awesome finals between Guillem Ragull (Repeal Tendrils) and Israel Muñoz (Blue Workshops). It took a little more time than I expected but I’m sure it was worth the wait! Hope you guys enjoy the video.

Remember you can find the decklists and an amazing metagame breakdown + analysis here.

Stay tunned to watch the final match!

I know I’m a bit delayed on the publishing of the 2 remaining videos from the finals! I’ve been loaded with work during the past 10 days or so and I haven’t had a day off in the past 2 weeks, so it’s been impossible to find the forces to sit down in front of the computer and spend some hours editing. I’ll promise I’ll release them soon, but just a little bit more patient please! (It also doesn’t help that I’ve been chosen for the Starcraft II beta ). Anyways, on the mean time, here you’ll find the lists from the Top8 players:

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1st – Israel Muñoz – Mono Blue Shop Aggro

3 Ancient Tomb
6 Island
4 Mishra’s Workshop
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
3 Wasteland
4 Esperzoa
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Master of Etherium
2 Triskelion
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Chalice of the Void
1 In the Eye of Chaos
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
3 Smokestack
1 Sol Ring
4 Sphere of Resistance
4 Tangle Wire
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Trinisphere

Sideboard:
2 Duplicant
3 Crucible of Worlds
3 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 In the Eye of Chaos
2 Pithing Needle
3 Relic of Progenitus

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2nd – Guillem Ragull – Drain Tendrils

3 Flooded Strand
2 Island
1 Library of Alexandria
2 Polluted Delta
1 Tolarian Academy
3 Underground Sea
3 Volcanic Island
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Black Lotus
1 Brainstorm
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Fact or Fiction
2 Fire // Ice
4 Force of Will
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Gush
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
4 Mana Drain
1 Mana Vault
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mind’s Desire
1 Misdirection
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Rebuild
4 Repeal
2 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Sol Ring
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Time Walk
1 Timetwister
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Yawgmoth’s Will

Sideboard:
1 Yixlid Jailer
2 Empty the Warrens
2 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Pyroblast
4 Ravenous Trap
1 Red Elemental Blast
3 Thoughtseize
1 Tormod’s Crypt

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Top 4 – Víctor de la Cruz – Oath

1 Bojuka Bog
1 Flooded Strand
4 Forbidden Orchard
1 Island
1 Misty Rainforest
2 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
4 Tropical Island
1 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Progenitus
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Brainstorm
1 Crop Rotation
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Echoing Truth
4 Force of Will
1 Gaea’s Blessing
4 Impulse
1 Krosan Grip
1 Lat-Nam’s Legacy
1 Lim-Dûl’s Vault
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mindbreak Trap
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Mystical Tutor
2 Null Rod
4 Oath of Druids
1 Ponder
1 Rebuild
1 Regrowth
1 Show and Tell
2 Spell Pierce
2 Stifle
1 Time Walk
1 Vampiric Tutor

Sideboard:
2 Energy Flux
3 Firespout
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
3 Pithing Needle
3 Ravenous Trap
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Tormod’s Crypt

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Top 4 (1st unpowered, 1st budget) – Marc Bertolín – TarmoBurn

1 Arid Mesa
4 Bloodstained Mire
3 Mountain
2 Plateau
3 Taiga
3 Wasteland
2 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
3 Grim Lavamancer
4 Kird Ape
4 Qasali Pridemage
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Chain Lightning
2 Fireblast
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Magma Jet
3 Price of Progress
2 Sylvan Library

Sideboard:
2 Ancient Grudge
3 Path to Exile
3 Pithing Needle
2 Pyroblast
2 Red Elemental Blast
3 Tormod’s Crypt

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Top 8 – Arnau Rovira – Tezzeret Control

3 Island
1 Library of Alexandria
2 Polluted Delta
4 Scalding Tarn
1 Tolarian Academy
3 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island
3 Dark Confidant
1 Gorilla Shaman
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Black Lotus
1 Brainstorm
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Echoing Truth
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Fire // Ice
4 Force of Will
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Mana Crypt
4 Mana Drain
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Misdirection
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Rebuild
1 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Sol Ring
3 Spell Pierce
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Time Vault
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Voltaic Key
1 Yawgmoth’s Will

Sideboard:
1 Mountain
2 Ingot Chewer
2 Sower of Temptation
1 Darkblast
2 Deathmark
2 Duress
1 Extirpate
2 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Pithing Needle
1 Tormod’s Crypt

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Top 8 – Rubén Godino – Food Chain Goblins

1 Forest
7 Mountain
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Strip Mine
2 Taiga
4 Wasteland
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Gempalm Incinerator
1 Goblin Chieftain
4 Goblin Lackey
3 Goblin Matron
4 Goblin Piledriver
4 Goblin Recruiter
4 Goblin Ringleader
1 Goblin Sharpshooter
3 Goblin Warchief
2 Siege-Gang Commander
2 Skirk Prospector
2 Chrome Mox
4 Food Chain
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring

Sideboard:
2 Krosan Grip
1 Naturalize
3 Pithing Needle
2 Pyroblast
2 Red Elemental Blast
3 Smash to Smithereens
2 Tormod’s Crypt

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Top 8 – Carles Miñón – Tezzeret Slaverless

1 Flooded Strand
3 Island
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Mountain
1 Polluted Delta
2 Scalding Tarn
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
2 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island
2 Goblin Welder
1 Gorilla Shaman
1 Magus of the Moon
1 Sundering Titan
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Black Lotus
1 Brainstorm
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Fire // Ice
4 Force of Will
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Intuition
1 Mana Crypt
3 Mana Drain
1 Mana Vault
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Misdirection
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Rebuild
2 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Sol Ring
3 Spell Snare
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Time Vault
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Voltaic Key
1 Yawgmoth’s Will

Sideboard:
1 Gorilla Shaman
1 Ingot Chewer
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
3 Claws of Gix
1 Duress
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
2 Lightning Bolt
1 Pyroblast
2 Red Elemental Blast
2 Relic of Progenitus

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Top 8 – Xavier Hurtado – MUD

4 Ancient Tomb
2 City of Traitors
1 Ghost Quarter
3 Mishra’s Factory
4 Mishra’s Workshop
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Wasteland
2 Duplicant
4 Lodestone Golem
2 Razormane Masticore
1 Black Lotus
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Crucible of Worlds
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
3 Null Rod
2 Sculpting Steel
2 Smokestack
1 Sol Ring
4 Sphere of Resistance
4 Tangle Wire
1 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Trinisphere

Sideboard:
2 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Razormane Masticore
3 Damping Matrix
3 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Thorn of Amethyst
2 Tormod’s Crypt

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Thanks to Roger Riera again for being so devoted to our league and giving us the lists and analysis every month! Here you have the charts and numbers of the past LCV tournament:

General information:

• Players: 54
• Average points: 9,5
• Unpowered players: 9 (16,7% from total)
• Average points by Unpowered players: 9,4

Top 8 new cards:

• Arid Mesa
• Bojuka Bog
• Deathmark
• Goblin Chieftain
• Kird Ape
• Magma Jet
• Muddle the Mixture
• Price of Progress
• Smash to Smithereens
• Sylvan Library
• Wild Nacatl

Deck breakdown and average points by archetype:

15 Drain decks (28,3% from metagame, 3/8 from Top
— 3 Drain Tendrils: 12; F
— 3 Remora Tendrils: 8,3
— 2 Tezzeret Control: 11,5; T8
— 2 Remora Tezzeret: 8
— 1 Tezzeret Slaverless: 16; T8
— 1 Oath: 9
— 1 U/B/W Bomberman: 7
— 1 The Deck: 3
— 1 U/B/R Painters: 3
14 Null Rod decks (26,4% from metagame)
— 9 Noble Fish: 7,7
— 2 U/W Fish: 9
— 1 Merfolks: 9
— 1 Monoblack: 6
— 1 R/B Goblins: 0
10 other archetypes (18,9% from metagame, 3/8 from Top
— 3 Oath: 14,7; T4
— 1 TarmoBurn: 20; T4
— 1 Food Chain Goblins: 16; T8
— 1 Control Confidant: 13
— 1 Wizards: 10
— 1 Naya Zoo: 9
— 1 TezzCast: 6
— 1 Dark Depths Elves: 3
9 Workshop decks (17,0% from metagame, 2/8 from Top
— 4 MUD: 12,5; T8
— 1 Mono Blue Shop Aggro: 24; C
— 1 MUD Domination: 10
— 1 Tezzeret Transmuter: 9
— 1 Uba Stacks: 9
— 1 Black Vised MUD: 6
4 Ichorid decks (7,5% from metagame)
— 3 Mana Ichorid: 11
— 1 Manaless Ichorid: 6
1 Ritual deck (1,9% from metagame)
— 1 The Perfect Storm: 7

Unpowered Deck breakdown and average points by archetype:

1 TarmoBurn: 20, T4
1 Food Chain Goblins: 16, T8
1 Mana Ichorid: 12
1 Wizards: 10
1 Merfolks: 9
1 Naya Zoo: 9
1 Manaless Ichorid: 6
1 Dark Depths Elves: 3
1 R/B Goblins: 0

Charts:

1 – Deck breakdown (Inner ring: Top8, Outer ring: Tournament Total)

2 -Archetype’s monthly evolution

3 – Top8 Archetype’s monthly evolution

Most played cards:

Top 10 lands:
101 Wasteland
86 Island
62 Flooded Strand
62 Underground Sea
57 Misty Rainforest
50 Polluted Delta
45 Tropical Island
37 Tundra
36 Mishra’s Workshop
31 Ancient Tomb

Top 10 creatures:
43 Qasali Pridemage
40 Dark Confidant
36 Noble Hierarch
35 Tarmogoyf
34 Lodestone Golem
31 Cold-Eyed Selkie
22 Meddling Mage
16 Bloodghast
16 Golgari Grave-Troll
16 Narcomoeba
16 Stinkweed Imp

Top 10 non-creature spells:
136 Force of Will
63 Spell Pierce
60 Null Rod
55 Mana Drain
42 Chalice of the Void
41 Mox Sapphire
40 Mox Pearl
37 Mox Emerald
37 Daze
36 Black Lotus

Top 10 sideboards:
49 Tormod’s Crypt
47 Pithing Needle
32 Relic of Progenitus
27 Hurkyl’s Recall
23 Ravenous Trap
22 Red Elemental Blast
20 Nature’s Claim
19 Tarmogoyf
17 Sower of Temptation
17 Energy Flux
17 Wheel of Sun and Moon

Top 10 lands used on most decks:
Island on 32
Strip Mine on 29
Wastelandon  28
Flooded Strand on 27
Tolarian Academy on 27
Underground Sea on 22
Polluted Delta on 21
Misty Rainforest on 20
Tropical Island on 20
Forest on 14

Top 10 creatures used on most decks:
Tarmogoyf on 15
Qasali Pridemage on 11
Dark Confidant on 11
Sower of Temptation on 11
Yixlid Jailer on 11
Cold-Eye Selkie on 10
Noble Hierarch on 9
Lodestone Golem on 9
Meddling Mage on 9
Duplicant on 9

Top 10 non-creature spells used on most decks:
Mox Sapphire on 41
Mox Pearl on 40
Mox Emerald on 37
Black Lotus on 36
Force of Will on 35
Ancestral Recall on 34
Time Walk on 32
Brainstorm on 31
Mana Crypt on 30
Sol Ring on 30

Cards that appear at least 5 times at Top8 decks:
Mana Crypt, 6 copies on 6 decks
Mox Pearl, 6 copies on 6 decks
Mox Sapphire, 6 copies on 6 decks
Sol Ring, 6 copies on 6 decks
Tormod’s Crypt, 0 Copies (+10 SB) on 6 decks
Island, 15 copies on 5 decks
Ancestral Recall, 5 copies on 5 decks
Mox Emerald, 5 copies on 5 decks
Mox Jet, 5 copies on 5 decks
Mox Ruby, 5 copies on 5 decks
Time Walk, 5 copies on  5 decks
Tolarian Academy, 5 copies on 5 decks
Hurkyl’s Recall, 1 copy (+7 SB) on 5 decks
Pithing Needle, 0 copies (+12 SB)on  5 decks

Filippo Lietti, aka TroppoRicco, is one of those guys who deserves a special mention among the spanish MtG scene. Besides of being a top dealer, he loves to promote the game and travels anywhere in Spain/Europe to play and sell. Well, nowadays Filippo is going to open a new online store and to celebrate it, he’s organized this AMAZING tournament:

Additional information:

• Both tournaments are sanctioned and cost 30€ each.
• Saturday = Legacy.
• Sunday = Vintage.
• For further information, pre-registering and questions, please send a mail to mtgbarato@gmail.com

View Larger Map

I’ll keep updating with news, side events schedule, etc… etc…

Are you going to miss this HUGE event?

The two best performers of the tournament finally meet up at the finals. We’ve seen Guillem being able to defeat MUD (Xavier Hurtado) in the quarterfinals. Will he be able to take Israel’s Blue Workshops? Discover it by yourself! Enjoy the first video of this awesome final:

Stay tunned for some more hardcore action between Guillem and Israel!

This is the second game from the semifinals between Guillem and Marc. Vintage VS Legacy! Do you think the zoo player will be able to defeat Guillem and force a 3rd game? Watch it yourself!

LCV6 April 2010 Top4 Guillem Ragull VS Marc Bertolín G2

More videos comming soon! Stay tunned and enjoy the fun!

So, we’ve moved onto the semifinals! Guillem now is facing a Legacy player who came to try his luck in Vintage with his zoo deck. The video has the same features than the last one from quarterfinals: HD quality, subtitles, music, etc… Hope you guys enjoy it!

LCV6 April 2010 Top4 Guillem Ragull VS Marc Bertolín G1

Do you guys think Marc will be able to win Guillem on game 2? Stay tuned and you’ll know the answer!

This is the third game from the quarterfinals between Guillem Ragull and Xavier Hurtado at last LCV6 tournament in Berga. This game is shorter but intense!

Feel free to comment the games!

Tomorrow I’ll start with the games from the semifinals. Again, stay tuned!

This is the second game from the quarterfinals between Guillem Ragull and Xavier Hurtado at last LCV6 tournament in Berga. This time I uploaded the video in HD quality and added some subtitles to it to make it easier for you to follow. Hope you guys enjoy it!

LCV6 #4 Top8 – Guillem Ragull VS Xavi Hurtado G2

I should have the 3rd game ready for tomorrow. So, stay tunned!

I managed to record videos from the last Catalan Vintage League (LCV) in Berga. I’m doing some tests with the editing so I’d love to hear the suggestions, etc…

LCV6 #4 Top8 – Guillem Ragull VS Xavi Hurtado G1

I can advance you that Guillem reached the finals but lost to Israel Muñoz (to whom I lost as well in the swiss…).

As far as I can remember, in the top8 there were: 2 Workshops (1 MUD, 1 Blue Shops), 2 Tezzeret (1 Remora/Confidant, 1 with Welders), 1 Repeal Tendrils, 1 Zoo, 1 Iona/15-15 Oath, 1 Food-Chain Goblins.

The winner list was using Master of Etherium and Esperzoa main deck, as well as In the Eye of Chaos!

The Catalan Vintage League (LCV) will stop tomorrow by Berga (100km +or- north from Barcelona). Gerard Siles has prepared a wonderful Vintage party with the following prizes:

LCV6 – April 24th 2010

Where: Alberg de Berga, C/ Vila de Casserres, nº5. Berga, 08600 (Barcelona)
Sign in from 9 to 10 am
Tournament fee: 15€

Prizes:

• Winner – Mox Emerald + Mox Ruby
• Finalist – Mox Pearl
• 3rd – Depending on the turn out (Mana Drain o dual lands)
• 4th -  Depending on the turn out (Mana Drain o dual lands)
• 5th to 8th – 1 Dual or boosters, depending on the turn out.

Prizes are firm, regardless of assitance.

SIDE EVENT Rise of Eldrazi Launch party:

From 4pm there will be RoE booster drafts going on.

<hr>

Lately I’ve been testing hard and it seems like I’ve finally found a deck I like to play. JaceCast has performed excellent during my testing and proved to be a solid contender in the actual metagame. This is how the deck looks like:

The only changes I’ve made are on the sideboard: -1 Darkblast, -1 Diabolic Edict, +1 Claws of Gix, +1 Sundering Titan

So, last Wednesday I got to play 12 games against Iona Oath with a more than acceptable 6-6 result on games, (3-3 on rounds). We played 6 full rounds, as it would be in tournament. Claws of Gix rocked! Most of the games I lost weren’t due to his Oath, it was actually against Vault/Key…

Then I got to play against Remora Tendrils. Same list that has performed excellent in the last LCV tournaments with Top8′s from Alex Delgado and Rubén González (decklists here and here). Surprisingly, I managed to win 6-1 with absolutely no real opposition. JaceCast was so superior to Remora Tendrils that he couldn’t do much to stop me.

But I also tested the deck against the new MUD deck featuring Lodestone Golem and, even more surprisingly, it performed lot better than expected. Played 3 full rounds against Roger Riera and the results were: 2-0, 1-2, 2-0 for a total game score of 5-2. Null Rod wasn’t really an issue if you manage to play one or two Master of Etherium. Masters are lot bigger than Golems, so they end up blocking. On top of that if we add that we play 4 Spell Pierce + 4 Force of Will we can actually stop their early game quite well. If we manage to get the 4th producer, then the game is over.

And finally I tested JaceCast against Dark Tezzeret and “The Deck”, with even or slightly positive results against them.

So, I feel pretty confidant about the deck, the card choices and my possibilities. I didn’t get to try the deck against Noble Fish, but I’m pretty sure it’s not a very good match up. I guess I’ll have to protect my masters from his Swords and try Tinker for Leviathan asap. Adding Sower of Temptation and Pithing Needle from the sideboard will make games 2 and 3 lot easier.  Dispel has proved to be a real MVP against fish from other player’s experiences, as it protects all your bombs and can counter their bouncer/swords.

I’ll be probably recording the Top8 games on video, and if I get the time to edit them, I’ll upload them!

Wish me luck

Lately I’ve been tinkering ideas around Jace, the Mind Sculptor in order to abuse the amazing raw power of this card.

My first idea was to build a control deck capable of defeating MUD and Fish efficiently. To achieve that goal I had to understand that the key turns at those matchups are 0, 1 and 2. Blue has plenty of good cards but not all of them are made to win games at the early game. Cards like Gifts Ungiven, Fact or Fiction or even Tinker are pretty bad on your opening hand. The idea I had in mind was to minimize the dead draws in order to maximize the efficiency of your cards.

The first approach looked like this:

This list has a very strong mana base and the amount of plays you can do on your first turns is insane. Except from Force of Will, Inkwell Leviathan, Yawgmoth’s Will, Tinker and Jace, the Mind Sculptor, the rest of the deck has a CMC of 2 or less. This list reflects exactly what I had in mind: it’s awesome at the early game, it performs well at the mid game, but loses gas at the late game due to the lack of big bombs.

Then I thought: How could I improve the deck? If Dark Jace’s strengths were the early and mid games, then I should focus on those stages, and a card came to my mind: Mystic Remora. Remora plays as an excellent complement to this strategy and makes your opponent’s choices lot harder. I cut the Tinker/Robot plan and opted for the 4th Spell Snare since it’s incredibly good when playing controlish. Spell Pierce it’s incredibly good if you play aggressively but Dark Jace isn’t really like that.

So, the second list I put together looked like this:

I added a Mind Twist and Imperial Seal, and swapped Darkblast for Diabolic Edict. Mind Twist proved to be a very strong card at the mid/late game. I had the feeling that I needed a 2nd Jace in that deck, since every time it resolved equaled to win the game. It’s just plain awesome combined with Dark Confidant or Mystic Remora. With this deck I really felt having the control of the games, similar to playing Landstill in Legacy. The only change I would make now to that list main deck is -1 Imperial Seal + 1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor.

The last deck I’ve tested, and I have to admit with surprisingly awesome results, is a total different deck. Well, its core it’s the same, but instead of playing control, you have to play aggro. The idea behind this new deck is to abuse, literally, the power of Mystic Remora while dropping bombs one after another.

Let me show you the list:

As you can see, JaceCast’s main deck is extremely aggressive. No bouncers, no Mana Drains and bombs, lots of bombs. Master of Etherium proved to be incredibly effective against Fish and Golems. It’s easily an early 5/5 when it comes alone and once you drop the 2nd Master you’re just giving your opponent one turn to kill you. You hit for 7 the turn you cast the 2nd Master, and then hit for 14 the next turn. If you combine them with the disruption/pressuring elements of the deck, such as Spell Pierce or Mystic Remora, it gives the feeling that you are playing a very solid deck.

The real problem of this deck is Null Rod, even though Master of Etherium solves somehow that issue. At the testing sessions, I had problems against Oath with Null Rod, because I couldn’t land my Master of Etherium.

All in all, JaceCast is a deck extremely fun to play with, that can easily surprise your opponents.

By the way, tomorrow I’m going to Zaragoza to meet Dan Frazier! Can’t wait to get my cards signed/altered!

The 12th – 13th – 14th of March took place in Firenze (Italy) a huge eternal event: The DDAY 3. 170 players gathered for each of the Legacy and Vintage tournaments to fight for the glory!

Quarterfinals:

• Zerbino VS Ciuccatosti -> Zerbino (2-0)
• Mastini VS Sanz -> Mastini (2-0)
• Hernandez VS Baruffaldi -> Hernandez (2-1)
• Ronzo VS Ceconi-> Ronzo(2-1)

Semifinals:

• Zerbino VS Mastini -> Zerbino (2-0)
• Ronzo VS Hernandez -> Ronzo (2-1)

Final:

• Ronzoi VS Zerbino -> Ronzoi (2-1)

The following are the lists from the Top8 of the Vintage event:

RONZO GIAMPIERO – Winner of DDAY 3

4x Sphere of Resistance
4x Thorn of Amethyst
1x Trinisphere
4x Lodestone Golem
3x Karn, Silver Golem
3x Triskelion
4x Metalworker
4x Chalice of the Void
4x Tangle Wire
1x Mox Emerald
1x Mox Jet
1x Mox Sapphire
1x Mox Ruby
1x Mox Pearl
1x Black Lotus
1x Sol Ring
1x Mana Crypt
1x Mana Vault
2x Sword of Fire and Ice
4x Mishra’s Workshop
4x Ancient Tomb
2x City of Traitors
1x Tolarian Academy
1x Strip Mine
2x Mishra’s Factory
4x Wasteland

SIDE

3x Razormane Masticore
2x Crucible of Worlds
3x Relic of Progenitus
2x Duplicant
2x Sculpting Steel
2x Tormod’s Crypt
1x Platinum Angel

PIERLUIGI ZERBINO – Finalist of DDAY 3

1x Swamp
2x Island
4x Underground Sea
4x Polluted Delta
2x Flooded Strand
1x Tolarian Acaemy
1x Mox Jet
1x Mox Sapphire
1x Mox Emerald
1x Mox Ruby
1x Mox Pearl
1x Sol Ring
1x Mana Vault
1x Lotus Petal
1x Mana Crypt
1x Black Lotus
4x Dark Ritual
4x Duress
3x Dark Confidant
2x Tendrils of Agony
1x Vampiric Tutor
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Necropotence
1x Yawgmoth’s Will
1x Yawgmoth’s Bargain
4x Force of Will
3x Repeal
1x Chain of Vapor
1x Hurkyll’s Recall
1x Brainstorm
1x Ponder
1x Gift’s Ungiven
1x Ancestral Recall
1x Time Walk
1x Timetiwster
1x Mistical Tutor
1x Sensei’s Divining Top
1x Mind’s Desire
1x Merchant Scroll

SIDE

2x Annul
2x Pithing Needle
2x Hurkyll’s Recall
1x Ravenous Trap
1x Deathmark
2x Massacre
2x Spell Pierce
1x Tinker
1x Tormod’s Crypt
1x Sundering Titan

Rest of the decks:

RICARDO SANZ DE ARINO

3x Tezzeret the Seeker
4x Mana Drain
4x Force of Will
1x Ancestral Recall
1x Time Walk
1x Mox Jet
1x Mox Sapphire
1x Mox Bury
1x Mox Emerald
1x Mox Pearl
1x Sol Ring
1x Mana Vault
1x Mana Crypt
1x Time Vault
1x Hurkyll’s Recall
1x Rebuild
1x Echoing Truth
1x Voltaic Key
1x Sensei’s Divining Top
1x Tinker
1x Brainstorm
7x Island
1x Library of Alexandria
2x Underground Sea
1x Mystical Tutor
1x Tolarian Academy
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Vampiric Tutor
1x Yawgmoth’s Will
1x Darksteel Colossus
2x Misty Rainforest
2x Polluted Delta
1x Scalding Tarn
4x Spell Pierce
1x Mindbreak Trap
1x Merchant Scroll
1x Gift Ungiven
1x Fact or Fiction
1x Thirst for Knowledge
1x Black Lotus

SIDE

1x Razormane Masticore
2x Sower of Temptation
1x Darkblast
3x Spell Snare
2x Hurkyl’s Recall
2x Ravenous Trap
1x Yixilid Jailer
1x Tormod’s Crypt
1x Vendilion Clique
1x Trinisphere

ALESSANDRO CECCONI

4x Noble Hyerarch
4x Cold-Eyed Selkie
4x Quasali Pridemage
3x Tarmogoyf
3x Trygon Predator
1x Brainstorm
1x Ancestral Recall
4x Force of Will
3x Daze
3x Spell Pierce
1x Chain of Vapor
1x Echoing Truth
1x Mystical Tutor
1x Misdirection
1x Regrowth
1x Time Walk
3x Null Rod
1x Black Lotus
1x Mox Sapphire
1x Mox Emerald
1x Mox Pearl
1x Misty Rainforest
2x Flooded Strand
2x Polluted Delta
3x Tundra
3x Tropical Island
1x Island
1x Strip Mine
4x Wasteland

SIDE

1x Energy Flux
1x Hurkyll’s Recall
1x Curfew
2x Umezawa’s Jitte
3x Wheel of sun and Moon
1x Tarmogoyf
3x Kataki,War’s Wage
3x Ethersworn Canonist

BENITO HERNANDEZ ALVAREZ

4x Misty Rainforest
1x Scalding Tarn
7x Island
2x Underground Sea
1x Tropical Island
1x Library of Alexandria
1x Black Lotus
1x Mox Emerald
1x Mox Pearl
1x Mox Jet
1x Mox Sapphire
1x Mox Ruby
1x Sol Ring
1x Mana Crypt
4x Force of Will
4x Mana Drain
4x Mindbreak Trap
3x Meditate
3x Vendilion Clique
4x Mistic Remora
1x Ancestral Recall
1x Time Walk
1x Tinker
4x Repeal
1x Hurkill’s Recall
1x Mystical Tutor
1x Brainstorm
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Vampiric Tutor
1x Yawgmoth’s Will
1x Sphinx of the Steel Wind

SIDE

4x Tarmogoyf
1x Razormane Masticore
1x Tormod’s Crypt
3x Ravenous Trap
1x Yixilid Jailer
2x Hurkyll’s Recall
2x Sower of Temptation
1x Forest

LUCA BARUFFALDI

4x Mishra’s Workshop
4x Ancient Tomb
2x City of Traitors
4x Wasteland
1x Strip Mine
1x Tolarian Academy
1x Mishra’s Factory
1x Sol Ring
1x Mana Vault
1x Mana Crypt
1x Mox Jet
1x Mox Ruby
1x Mox Emerald
1x Mox Pearl
4x Metalworker
4x Lodestone Golem
3x Triskelion
2x Karn, Silver Golem
1x Razormane Masticore
1x Trinisphere
4x Sphere of Resistance
4x Tangle Wire
4x Chalice of the Void
3x Crucible of Worlds
4x Smokestack
1x Thorn of Amethyst
1x Ghost Quarter

SIDE

3x Duplicant
1x Razormane Masticore
2x Thorn of Amethyst
3x Relic of Progenitus
3x Ravenous Trap
2x Powder Keg
1x The Tabernacle at Pendrell’s Vale

PAOLO CIUCCATOSTI

2x Windswept heath
3x Verdant catacombs
2x Savannah
2x Bayou
2x Scrubland
1x Plains
1x Forest
1x Swamp
4x Wasteland
1x Strip mine
1x Mox pearl
1x Mox Emerald
1x Mox Jet
1x Lotus Petal
4x Dark Confidant
4x Tarmogoyf
3x Gaddock Teeg
3x Aven mindcensor
3x Ethersworn canonist
3x Qasali pridemage
3x Elvish spirit guide
3x Duress
3x Thoughtseize
1x Demonic tutor
1x Vampiric tutor
2x Sword to plowshares
2x Diabolic edict
3x Null Rod

SIDE

2x Choke
2x Engineered plague
1x Darkblast
2x Tormod’s crypt
2x Umezawa’s jitte
4x Nature’s claim
2x Extirpate

STEFANO MASTINI

4x Underground Sea
3x Polluted Delta
2x Flooded Strand
2x Swamp
2x Island
1x Tolarian Academy
1x Black Lotus
1x Mox Jet
1x Mox Ruby
1x Mox Emerald
1x Mox Sapphire
1x Mox Pearl
1x Lotus Petal
1x Sol Ring
1x Mana Vault
1x Mana Crypt
4x Dark Ritual
3x Dark Confidant
4x Duress
4x Force of Will
2x Tendrils of Agony
1x Necropotence
1x Yawgmoth’s Will
1x Yawgmoth’s Bargain
1x Impulse
1x Time Walk
1x Timetwister
1x Ancestral Recall
1x Hurkyll’s Recall
1x Chain of Vapor
1x Merchant Scroll
1x Mind’s Desire
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Mystical Tutor
1x Vampiric Tutor
1x Bainstorm
1x Ponder
1x Night’s Wispers
1x Sensei’s Divining Top
1x Gift’s Ungiven
1x Repeal

SIDE

1x Sundering Titan
1x Inkwell Leviathan
1x Tinker
2x Massacre
2x Pithing Needle
1x Tormod’s Crypt
2x Hurkyll’s Recall
3x Mistic Remora
1x Darkblast
1x Echoing Truth

If you are a Vintage player you should know by now that the Catalan Vintage League, aka LCV, is probably the biggest Vintage league in the world. During the past 5 years, the LCV has done nothing but grow. This is a thing that we’ve been really proud of, as we’ve proven how solid a community can be year after year. We’ve never allowed the use of proxies and that has never turned against us.

Last Saturday the folks who organized the LCV6 March Tournament in Igualada made an excellent effort to organize one of the nicest tournaments I’ve been around lately. Excellent prizes, good place to play, legacy side event, good menu for lunch and more. All their efforts were rewarded with the pretty low participation of 52 players.

We were used to have 70 to 90 players per tournament during the past years, but 52 seems to be the best we can do so far this year.

So, why is the participation at Vintage tournaments dropping?

The answer to that question is actually one of the hot topics being discussed in many forums. I’m not the one that has the exact answer and solution to the problem, but I do have my own opinion and I believe some things need to change as soon as possible.

First of all, I believe that the format sucks. Why is that? Well, no matter where you looked last Saturday that all you would be able to contemplate was Fish, MUD, Tezzeret & Confidants. (Of course there were few rogue decks and few Oath & Dredge players around).

Fish is too fast and too powerful. The “Selkie” deck has great elements of disruption while being able to put you a decent clock thanks to the new Exalted mechanic. The release of cards like Spell Pierce has improved their strategy to slow you down combined with others like Daze, Null Rod or Wasteland.

MUD is overpowered thanks to Lodestone Golem. You can’t stop a first turn Golem unless you have Force of Will. Sure you can pack your main deck with cards like Ancient Grudge, Hurkyl’s Recall, Lightning Bolt or Ingot Chewer, but none will actually save your ass efficiently against Lodestone Golem. If you actually manage to survive the 1st turn Golem, then get ready for what’s coming after it.

Saturday, Joe Gallego won the tournament with MUD.

Then we find Time Vault/Voltaic Key/Tezzeret the Seeker as the 3rd contender to the throne. This archetype can’t compete with the previously mentioned ones unless they get good hands. Control decks can’t really control the games anymore. The amount of restricted spells combined with the lack of drawing abilities to find answers makes it really hard for players to rely on this strategy. I’m not saying that Tezzeret decks aren’t good, all I’m saying is that you need lots of good hands in order to succeed in a tournament like the LCV. Mana Drain isn’t what it used to be. There are games that you’d probably win if you reach the second turn. Problem is that, nowadays, being able to cast a turn 2 Mana Drain is almost impossible.

When asking around to other players what’s their opinion about Vintage now, they all agree that Vintage sucks and that it needs a wash. I do agree that we need something fixed to make Vintage funny to play again. We are losing players that are actually bored of this format and prefer to play Legacy.

The obvious call is to review the banned and restricted list.

If the rumors are right and they print this:

---

Eldrazi´s Temple
Land
Tap: Add one coloress to your mana pool.
Tap: Add two coloress to your mana pool. Use this mana only to cast coloress spells.

---

With that card printed MUD needs something restricted. The cards that come to my mind that could be restricted are:

• Mishra’s Workshop
• Wasteland
• Null Rod

Restricting Mishra’s Workshop wouldn’t be such a problem as they’d replace those 3 slots probably with the new land. Still, there should be a cut on the amount of x2 x3 mana producers if you don’t want to have consistently first turn menaces landing the board.

Restricting Wasteland would allow the control/combo players to be able to consistently get the third producer and cast answers to golems/spheres (Hurkyl’s Recall or Ancient Grudge). By restricting Wasteland, we also reduce the power of Fish.

Restricting Null Rod alone would mostly hurt fish and allow control/combo players to fight against them in better conditions.

What else should be done? Well, we can’t just simply make MUD and fish worse when we have a 2 card colorless combo that wins for four mana. So…

Banning Time Vault in Vintage is safe if the previously mentioned restrictions take place. Without 4 Null Rod, 4 Wasteland and 4 Mishra’s Workshop I believe the right call would be to ban Time Vault. We need to slow down the format by not abusing the stupidly good cards.

We saw Brainstorm, Gush, Ponder, Merchant Scroll and Flash being restricted all at the same time. That made a HUGE change to the format. We adapted and we learned how to play under the new circumstances. I believe now is the right time for another big change if we want Vintage to be more appealing to the players, specially the ones coming from Legacy, that will probably try Vintage some day.

This Friday the new Banned and Restricted list should be announced and I hope something changes, else we shouldn’t expect nothing but the fall of Vintage. Which makes me sad.

(I know, I know! The poster rocks!)

On the other hand, I think the problem isn’t just about restricting or banning some cards. I believe Wizards of the Coast should actually do something bigger in favor of Vintage. I’m not asking for a Vintage GP (although that would actually rock and gather more players than some standard GP’s…), but they should find the way to organize the Vintage tournaments around the world on a similar level than other formats. If Standard gets PTQ’s, GP’s, PT’s, etc…, Extended gets PTQ’s, GP’s, etc…, Legacy gets GPT’s & GP’s, why Vintage get no official tournaments?

Of course it’s hard to have Vintage as a competitive format, but I’m not asking for that exactly. I’m asking for a better organization of the Vintage events. C’mon! They’ve got great minds working at WotC, and I’m sure they could come up with something! We’ll have to wait few days and see what happens…

Regarding my performance at the tournament, I did pretty bad even though I had a deck prepared to beat MUD and Fish. My pairings went like this:

Round 1: 0-2 VS David Carbó playing  BWG Fish

Round 2: 0-2 VS Ramón Romero playing Faeries Fish

Round 3: 2-0 VS Juan Espinosa playing Noble Fish

Round 4: 2-0 VS Leticia Sevilla playing BG Dark Depths

Round 5: 1-1 VS Lluís Perea playing UB Tezzeret (featuring Thada Adel, Acquisitor on SB…)

Round 6: 0-2 VS Arnau Rovira playing Dark Tezzeret (Got killed G1 on first turn with FoW back up, and G2 second turn…)

The Top8 players and decks were:

• Tomas Winand (Iona Oath) vs Àlex Delgado (Dark Remora)
• Joe Gallego (MUD) vs Narcís Mir (URB Tezzeret)
• Rubén González (Dark Remora) vs Omar Nieto (Wizards Fish)
• Angel Gorriana (Tezzeret) vs unknown player (Dredge)

I don’t know how the semifinals went, but I can tell you that Joe Gallego won the tournament. So congratz to him!

This Saturday I’m going to play the LCV (Catalan Vintage League), finally! The guys from Igualada have prepared an excellent tournament with an awesome prize support, so I couldn’t fail to their effort. I hope the turnout of the tournament goes as they expected!

I expect a metagame with tones of Golem MUDS and Fish (Noble and UW), some Tezzeret decks (Dark Tezz, MUC, URB, etc…), some Storm Combo (Nauseam and DT), some rogue decks and few Dredge players.

For that, and with the precious help from Jason, I’ve build up this deck:

TP Chewer attack! v1.0, 13th March 2010. By Jordi Amat

Main deck:

2 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta
4 Volcanic Island
2 Underground Sea
3 Island
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring

(24 producers)

1 Inkwell Leviathan
2 Sower of Temptation
3 Ingot Chewer

(6 creatures)

4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
3 Spell Pierce
1 Tinker
1 Voltaic Key
1 Time Vault
2 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Time Walk
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Yawgmoth’s will
1 Fire/Ice
1 Lighting Bolt

(30 Business spells)

Sideboard:

3 Ravenous Trap
1 Extirpate
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Greater Gargadon
1 Claws of Gix
2 Duress
1 Razormane Masticore
1 Sundering Titan
2 Rack and Ruin
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Trickbind

A visual view of the deck:

(sorry for the bad quality… iPhone camera ain’t the best to do this type of pics and I was too lazy to scan the deck)

The deck is designed to have good match ups against Noble and MUD. According to Jason, Ingot Chewer is the best main deck answer against MUD while it works also great against many other decks like fish, dredge, or even at the mirror. The fish match we got it well covered maindeck also, as we are playing 2 Sower of Temptation, 1 Lighting Bolt, Fire/Ice and Tinker + Inkwell Leviathan.

The rest of the deck is designed to be solid. No Library of Alexandria to avoid suspicious hands and to be able to have a first turn Spell Pierce or a turn 2 Mana Drain. The 4 Volcanic Island allow me to play without having to worry for the red sources against MUD or Fish. I can easily lose one or two volcanics and the deck will still be able to cast Ingot Chewer, Lighting Bolt, etc…

Anyways, I’m not going to unveil all the secrets and reasons behind the card choices now. If the deck turns out to be competitive, I might write a longer article about it. So far, I’ll be testing it today and playing it tomorrow.

If you want to follow my performance at LCV tomorrow, you can follow me at Twitter (@piZZero). And on Monday I’ll hopefully have the report of the tournament finished. So, stay tunned!

Vintage players have either grown to love or hate the card Gush, and the effect that it had on the metagame over the past half decade during the times when it was allowed to be played. When Gush (and Brainstorm, Flash, Merchant Scroll, and Ponder) landed on the Restricted List again on June 1 2008 many people were saddened by the news, as the “Gush Metagame” was one full of interaction, excitement, many interesting deckbuilding ideas, and of course the broken plays that Vintage players are accustomed to.

In January 2010 the Team ICBM Vintage extraordinaire tournament organizer and Vintage arms dealer Ben Carp decided to take matters into his own hands. He announced that in March there would be an ICBM Retro Vintage Open tournament using the old Restricted List and card pool, with the following rules to mimic the metagame from early 2008:
1. Gush, Brainstorm, Flash, Merchant Scroll, and Ponder are unrestricted. Gifts Ungiven is still restricted. Shahrazad is legal and unrestricted.
2. Time Spiral, Personal Tutor, Dream Halls, Mox Diamond, and Chrome Mox are still restricted.
3. The “M10 rules update” is NOT in effect. This means:
3a. Combat damage stacks.
3b. Tokens are “owned” by whoever controlled the effect that created them.
3c. Mana burn exists.
3d. No more simultaneous mulligans
3f. Wishes fetch RFG’d cards as well as SB cards.
4. All errata updates after July 2008 are NOT in effect. This means:
4a. Illusionary Mask works the old way.
4b. Oath does not target.
4c. Time Vault/Voltaic Key does NOT work.
5. Cards printed after Shadowmoor are not allowed. This includes Eventide, Alara Block, M10, Zendikar, and Worldwake.

Many locals were very excited about this, as the Key-Vault era has grown stale to a lot of people, and they enjoyed the Gush era. Deckbuilding strategy and technology is constantly changing and adapting, so it would be very interesting to see how the deckbuilding of today matches up with the metagame from nearly two years ago. Would the GushBond engine (Gush + Merchant Scroll + Fastbond) dominate, or would new technology and ideas trump the decks of yesteryear?

The tournament was hosted today at Milwaukee Magic Cards and Games in Milwaukee, WI (USA). Turnout was unfortunately only 11 people (to play for MOX SAPPHIRE!!), but it was a star-studded field with many of the Midwest’s best Vintage players, and a number of recognizable names. There were many different deck types represented, as most of the players seemingly had their own idea of how to trump the metagame.

After four rounds of Swiss the following gentlemen and scholars were left standing with the best record to square off in the Top 4 for the rights to own a nice piece of Power 9:
1) Ben Carp, playing DEEZ Noughts
1) Mike Solymossy, playing Tropical Storm
3) Jeremy Seroogy, playing Reveillark Flash
4) James King, playing GushBond Tyrant Oath

In the semi-finals Jeremy Seroogy took down Mike Solymossy in three closely contested games, and in the other bracket James King narrowly edged Ben Carp in an epic three game set. Seroogy then went on to best James King in the finals in three games, making Jeremy Seroogy and Reveillark Flash the winner of the first ICBM Retro Vintage Open!

We’ve provided the complete decklists from all 11 competitors below, so check out the technology. As Stephen Q. Mendendian would say, “That’s Gush, Boys!”

DEEZ Noughts, by Ben Carp aka Broodstar3000
Business (36)
4 Force of Will
4 Thoughtseize
2 Spell Snare
4 Stifle
1 Echoing Truth
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
4 Phyrexian Dreadnought
4 Dark Confidant
2 Dimir Cutpurse
2 Illusionary Mask
1 Engineered Explosives

Mana Sources (24)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Lotus Petal
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
4 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
4 Underground Sea
1 Watery Grave
1 Island
1 Swamp

Sideboard (15)
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Duress
1 Pithing Needle
2 Trygon Predator
1 Sealof Primordium
2 Sower of Temptation
1 Control Magic
2 Mystic Remora

Trinket Nought, by Ryan DuBois
Business (37)
4 Force of Will
1 Duress
3 Thoughtseize
4 Stifle
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
4 Dark Confidant
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Trinket Mage
1 Phyrexian Dreadnought
1 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Aether Spellbomb
1 Engineered Explosives

Mana Sources (23)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Academy Ruins
1 Strip Mine
3 Wasteland
4 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
4 Underground Sea
1 Tropical Island
1 Bayou
1 Island

Sideboard (15)
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Duress
1 Pithing Needle
2 Trygon Predator
1 Sealof Primordium
2 Sower of Temptation
1 Control Magic
2 Mystic Remora

Confidant Remora, by Jason Jaco
Business (39)
4 Force of Will
4 Duress
2 Thoughtseize
3 Spell Snare
2 Mana Drain
1 Echoing Truth
1 Repeal
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Brainstorm
3 Mystic Remora
1 Time Walk
2 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Dark Confidant
1 Gorilla Shaman
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Tinker
1 Sundering Titan

Mana Sources (21)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
2 Underground Sea
3 Volcanic Island
2 Island
1 Swamp

Sideboard A (15)
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Helm of Obedience
1 Darkblast
3 Threads of Disloyalty
3 Ingot Chewer
2 Magus of the Moon
1 Gaea’s Blessing

Jones Mind Trap (aka Dredge), by Tom Jones
Business (47)
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Unmask
4 Bazaar of Baghdad
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
3 Careful Study
1 Life From the Loam
3 Darkblast
4 Golgari Grave Troll
4 Stinkweed Imp
3 Ichorid
4 Narcomoeba
4 Bridge From Below
2 Dread Return
1 Angel of Despair
4 Serum Powder

Mana Sources (13)
1 Mox Sapphire
4 Cephalid Coliseum
4 City of Brass
4 Gemstone Mine

Sideboard (15)
4 Leyline of the Void
4 Oath of Druids
1 Gaea’s Blessing
1 Akroma, Angel of Wrath
1 Sundering Titan
4 Forbidden Orchard

Tropical Storm, by Jake Kempfer
Business (38)
4 Force of Will
1 Misdirection
4 Duress
1 Thoughtseize
1 Chain of Vapor
4 Gush
4 Brainstorm
3 Ponder
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Timetwister
1 Necropotence
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Merchant Scroll
1 Fastbond
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
2 Doomsday
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Research and Development

Mana Sources (22)
4 Dark Ritual
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Lotus Petal
4 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
4 Underground Sea
1 Tropical Island
3 Island

Sideboard (15)
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Extirpate
3 Xantid Swarm
1 Thoughtseize
2 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Echoing Truth
1 Threads of Disloyalty
1 Swamp

GushBond Tyrant Oath, by James King
Business (38)
4 Force of Will
3 Thoughtseize
1 Chain of Vapor
4 Gush
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
1 Time Walk
3 Merchant Scroll
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Fastbond
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
4 Oath of Druids
2 Tidespout Tyrant
1 Krosan Reclamation
1 Brain Freeze
1 Flash of Insight

Mana Sources (22)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Lotus Petal
4 Forbidden Orchard
3 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
2 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
2 Volcanic Island
1 Island

Sideboard (15)
1 Blazing Archon
1 Darksteel Colossus
2 Extirpate
1 Pyroblast
1 Ray of Revelation
1 Red Elemental Blast
2 Trickbind
1 Pyroclasm
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Tinker
1 Pithing Needle
2 Tormod’s Crypt

BrianDemars.dec (aka Confidant GAT), by Jimmy McCarthy
Business (39)
4 Force of Will
2 Duress
3 Thoughtseize
1 Echoing Truth
4 Gush
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Brainstorm
2 Ponder
1 Time Walk
1 Mystical Tutor
4 Merchant Scroll
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Fastbond
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
4 Dark Confidant
3 Quirion Dryad
1 Tendrils of Agony

Mana Sources (21)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Lotus Petal
4 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
3 Underground Sea
3 Tropical Island
2 Island

Sideboard (15)
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Extirpate
1 Tormod’s Crypt
2 Oxidize
3 Seal of Primordium
2 Smother
2 Uktabi Oragutan

Reveillark Flash, by Jeremy Seroogy
Business (40)
4 Force of Will
1 Misdirection
4 Pact of Negation
2 Duress
1 Chain of Vapor
3 Summoner’s Pact
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Merchant Scroll
4 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Flash
4 Protean Hulk
1 Reveillark
1 Body Double
1 Mogg Fanatic
1 Carrion Feeder
1 Body Snatcher

Mana Sources (20)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
4 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
3 Underground Sea
1 Tundra
2 Island

Sideboard (15)
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Engineered Explosives
1 Tinker
1 Platinum Angel
3 Trickbind
2 Duress
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Echoing Truth

Tropical Storm, by Mike Solymossy
Business (38)
4 Force of Will
1 Misdirection
1 Pact of Negation
4 Duress
1 Thoughtseize
1 Chain of Vapor
4 Gush
4 Brainstorm
3 Ponder
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Timetwister
1 Necropotence
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
3 Merchant Scroll
1 Fastbond
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
2 Doomsday
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Research and Development

Mana Sources (22)
4 Dark Ritual
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Lotus Petal
4 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
4 Underground Sea
1 Tropical Island
3 Island

Sideboard (15)
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Extirpate
3 Xantid Swarm
1 Thoughtseize
2 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Threads of Disloyalty
1 Swamp

Sliver Flash, by Shawn Brook Williams
Business (40)
4 Force of Will
4 Pact of Negation
1 Chain of Vapor
3 Summoner’s Pact
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Imperial Seal
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Merchant Scroll
4 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Street Wraith
4 Flash
4 Protean Hulk
4 Virulent Sliver
1 Heart Sliver
1 Elvish Spirit Guide

Mana Sources (20)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Lotus Petal
3 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
3 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
1 Volcanic Island
1 Island

Sideboard (15)
4 Dark Confidant
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Threads of Disloyalty
2 Echoing Truth
1 Tropical Island
1 Time Walk

TinkerGush, by Derek Wochinski
Business (38)
4 Force of Will
2 Misdirection
3 Duress
2 Thoughtseize
2 Spell Snare
1 Echoing Truth
4 Gush
4 Brainstorm
3 Mystic Remora
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
3 Merchant Scroll
1 Fastbond
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Tinker
1 Darksteel Colossus

Mana Sources (22)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
3 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
2 Island

Sideboard (15)
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Engineered Explosives
2 Phyrexian Dreadnought
2 Trickbind
3 Smother
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Spell Snare

Chapter 3: The rise of the golems.

So it’s finally Sunday, our last day in Madrid, and we are heading again to the GP with brand new objectives. I still need to visit Mark Poole to get some stuff signed & altered, and I’m planning on conquering the Vintage side event that starts at 9 am.

So, before we move with the Vintage tournament, let’s get in the mood:

IF you are a STAXX (my ass) player please click play on the following youtube video. If you aren’t, move on to the next one!

So if you ain’t listening the previous video, then you deserve some real good shit! How about one of the coolest Justice videos?

The deck I’m playing at the tournament is a mix between the list JACO passed me the night before and the cards I brought to Madrid. There’s a thing I loved about his list: 3 main deck “fuck-your-golem” Ingot Chewer. He also had a couple of the new Jace there, but I wasn’t gonna pay the 240€ (120€/each) that the Asian_foil_cards were asking for. So in the end, this is what I played:

TP Golem my ass! by Jordi Amat

4 Force of Will
3 Mana Drain
3 Spell Pierce
2 Duress
3 Ingot Chewer
3 Repeal
1 Lighting Bolt
1 Fire/Ice
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Brainstorm
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Tinker
1 Sundering Titan
1 Gorilla Shaman
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Yawmoght’s Will
1 Time Vault
1 Voltaic Key
2 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
3 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
3 Volcanic Island
3 Underground Sea
2 Island
1 Snow-Covered Island
1 Swamp
1 Tolarian Academy

Sideboard:
3 Ravenous Trap
1 Extirpate
1 Darkblast
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
2 Pyroblast
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Duress
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Greater Gargadon
1 Claws of Gix
2 Hurkyl’s Recall

I’m not 100% satisfied with the decklist tho. I’ll scan my new version of the deck and post it tomorrow or the day past. So, let’s move on with the rounds!

Round 1: Roger Subirana with UW Fish

Meh! First round and I get paired with a well known player from the LCV. I know him a bit and I know he’s playing UW fish usually.

I start controlling the first game thanks to my Lighting Bolt, that killed his Ninja of the deep hours. Later on, my Gorilla Shaman manages to eat a Null Rod and my Sower of Temptation controls another Ninja. Despite all the advantage I manage to obtain, i get totally mana flooded and I can’t get to stop his Jötun Grunt. He finds a Swords to Plowshares that exiles my Sower and returns his Ninja, and it’s GG.

Game 2 I open with Polluted and pass turn. He goes for Tundra + Sage of Epytir, and I get it REB’ed. It’s super important to stop 1st turn Sage if you don’t want him to go 2nd turn Ninja. I had Mana Drain up for turn 2 but he finds Wasteland for my Volcanic. Then I’m there with 1 Island, 2 Off Color Moxen and Sensei’s Divining Top. He plays Kataki, the war’s edge and his first Meddling Mage, naming Tinker. I find Sower of Temptation with my Top, and play it protected. With it, I control his Meddling Mage, but again, he has Swords to Plowshares. He’s beating my ass hard and I can’t find any answers on time.

0-2 | 0 points | 0 wins 2 losses

Round 2: Guillem Ragull with Drain Tendrils (?)

Meh! (again). Second round and I get paired with my ex-team mate Guillem. Guillem is right now one of the strongest players from the LCV. He’s playtesting a lot more than me and he knows the business quite well.

I have a strong control hand with Spell Pierce, Duress, Mana Drain, Ingot Chewer, 2 lands and Fact or Fiction. He opens the game with Tolarian Academy + Mox Emerald. I think for a while to see what my 1st movement should be. I decide that the best opening would be Fetchland for Underground Sea + Duress. He plays only 1 Brainstorm to avoid my play. But there he goes, he plays Brainstorm in response and hides Mana Drain + Gifts Ungiven (correct me if I’m wrong). I take Vampiric Tutor from his hand. Next turn he plays land and passes.

Obviously my Duress opening was the wrong choice. I should have played Ingot Chewer to his mox. Then on turn 2, he would have had 1 land, and his play would have been Vampiric, which would have got with Spell Pierce. Anyways, let’s keep moving.

I Try to play Ingot Chewer to his Mox and he casts Mana Drain I play Spell Pierce but he plays Force of Will. He draws his Gifts Unviven and with 5 mana he finds enough business spells to leave me out of the game.

Game 2 I mulligan to 6 and he mulligans to 5. There’s some Duress played by each of us. In the end, I manage to play an eot Fact or Fiction followed by a Tezzeret with protection.

Game 3 is kind of raw He mulligans to 5 again, plays Underground and pass turn. I begin with Land + Mox Sapphire + Sensei’s Divining Top with Spell Pierce in hand. He plays Island and pass turn. I find another Mox with Sensei’s Divining Top and on my turn I play another land + another Mox and cast Tinker, he tries to Mana Drain, but I Spell Pierce it. Sundering Titan hits the board and he scoops.

2-1 | 3 points | 2 wins 3 losses

Round 3: Bagus Bender with Bomberman

Bagus isn’t exactly what I’d call a “fast” player. He took his time on every single play of this round. To that let’s add the fact that he plays with Sensei’s Divining Top and we got the right formula to tie the round.

Game 1 I’m in control of the game, even though he’s got a Trinket Mage that is beating me down badly. I manage to kill his Trinket Mage when I’m down to 4 with my Lighting Bolt. He’s got Sensei’s Divining Top and Black Lotus in play. It shouldn’t take him long before he finds Auriok Salvagers. On my last chance to win the game, I cast Fact or Fiction that brings me Mystical and Vampiric Tutor. Both tutors works for me, as I’m killing him via Yawgmoth’s will the next turn. Well, there wasn’t any “next turn” for me as he finds the Auriok and goes off.

Game 2 is getting long and complicated. He’s played 2 Pithing Needle naming Time Vault and Voltaic Key (name Tezzeret next time… plzkkthx!). He’s beating me again with a Trinket Mage. When I’m down to 4 (again) they call “Time’s up” so I have to work some Magic! I dunno how I did it exactly but I remember being able to play Tezzeret, untap 2 artifacts and play Time Walk after a Yawgmoth’s Will. Then I attacked and GG.

1-1 | 4 points | 3 wins 4 losses

Round 4: Magin Calvo with Welder Staxx.

I can’t believe how I lost game 1. I opened with Island and pass turn. He went Workshop + Sphere of Resistance which I got with Spell Pierce. I play fetchland and pass turn with Mana Drain, Spell Pierce and Brainstorm. He plays a 2nd Workshop and starts with another Sphere of Resistance. I cast another Spell Pierce to which he attempts to pay the 2 extra with his other Workshop. I tell him that’s not possible. Anyways, he does nothing else, so I cast Brainstorm but I find no third land A third land would have been lovely as I got 1 Ingot Chewer in hand and the Mana Drain! On his third turn the fest starts to go on. Smokestack + Tangle Wire. I got the Smokestack with the Mana Drain. I can’t kill the Tangle with my Chewer coz I know there’s no land coming due to Brainstorm. So I have to get tapped and pass turn. He topdecks Strip Mine and I scoop

Game 2 I first turn kill him with Tolarian, Sol Ring, 2 Moxen, Voltaic Key and Tezzeret!

Game 3 is what I call “HELL”. He opens with Mountain + Goblin Welder. Then another Goblin Welder, and then ANOTHER Goblin Welder. I get to counter 1 Sphere of Resistance with Spell Pierce and manage to counter 2 more artifacts he plays. So, all he can do is beat me with his 3 welders… LAME! When he finally manages to resolve his artifacts, I start to get trapped due to his Tangle Wire and Smokestack. I cast Ingot Chewer targeting his Smokestack and he doesn’t put Sphere of resistance in response with Goblin Welder. Chewer resolves I pass turn and then he tries to rectify the play. I say “Dude, no”. Then on his upkeep he forgets to remove a counter from Tangle Wire and to tap anything. He draws a card and plays Mox Emerald. Then I call the judge because everything that happened in few secs there. I was hoping the judge would call that as a game loss due to him having extra information from the draw, being able to change what he tapped out of Tangle Wire. It was probably my only chance of winning there but the judge just went back few steps and he actually changed what he tapped with Tangle Wire. I call the judge again telling him that that wasn’t what he initially tapped after I told him that he missed his upkeep phase. The judge was again very permissive and he just got a warning. Anyways, I found Tinker out of nowhere and plays it for Sphinx of the Steel Wind. They call “Time’s up” and we ain’t given extra time for what happened before, so my Sphinx if missing a turn to just finish the game. LAME!

1-1 | 5 points | 4 wins 5 losses

Round 5: Michael Twoun with Aggro MUD.

On game 1 I have 2 Ingot Chewer in hand and 2 fetchlands. Open with first turn fetchland + Mox and he goes with Workshop + Mox + Golem. No problem! I go fetchland again, then crack for Volcanic and cast Chewer to his Golem. He’s so surprised of my main deck Chewer that he asks the judge if I’m really playing those maindeck. The judge actually performs a deckcheck on me and he finds out I’m right. He gives Michael a warning (only?) we keep going. No extra time given neither, even after being deckcheck! I manage to resolve my other Ingot Chewer kill a Karn, Silver Golem and my Chewer kills him.

Before starting game 2, I know I need to slow down a bit because there’s not a lot of time left. But, I can’t compete at all when he opens with first turn Golem again! I Force of Will his Golem, then I play Island, Mox Emerald and Sensei’s Divining Top. He plays a second Golem, I look with Top and there’s nothing worth in there. I play my second land with Mana Drain and Gifts Ungiven in hand. He plays nothing else in the game and swings me 4 times with the Golem for the Win. The last time he attacked we were already on the extra turns

1-1 | 6 points | 5 wins 6 losses

After round 5 I lost my interest on keep playing due to judges and my deck being unable to finish games fast.

I took some pictures of the vintage tournament. Here there’s the slideshow:

After the Vintage tournament there was still lot to do! I needed to get some cards re-signed and altered and I had to close the deal with Angelo for the Yawgmoth’s Will. We sit down with Menor and Angelo in a table and meanwhile I start a “Play Vintage with ante” event. I get only one victim whose promo Umezawa’s Jitte ended up in my binder Some pics of the games with ante:

So, I finally close the deal with Angelo. And get my brand new Yawgmoth’s Will altered by Ron Spencer and Terese Nielsen.

Now some pimp we had around with Angelo

This “Will” will have a new owner pretty soon, right Miguel?

This Gorilla was once mine, but was included in the trade for the Yawgmoth’s Will.

I also have one of those Islands, but mine is double signed

My Islands! I got the altered one from Antonio, and then I got them re-signed ^^

Best Island EVER! Property of Comeback.

Now that I mention Francesco, aka Comeback, when he showed me his Ancestral Recall altered by Mark Poole, I felt the need to rush back to see Mr. Mark Poole and get my cards altered the same way! I didn’t have much time left as we were soon heading back home. 20€ were needed to convince a friendly guy in the queue to accept my Library + Ancestral. I also gave him 50€ extra (just in case) to give to Mr. Poole to get my alterations done. This is the result!

In the end the 50€ weren’t needed as he made it with markers instead of paint (as he originally did with Francesco’s Ancestral). I have to admit, it’s the best alteration idea I’ve seen on any Ancestral or Library of Alexandria. There’s LOTS of Ancestrals altered after GP Madrid, but like this, there’s only 2: Francesco’s and mine.

So, it’s about time to finish this EPIC report of this EPIC weekend in Madrid. I’m not gonna end it with the typical PROS and CONS because I’m so freaking satisfied with everything that I’ve done. Of course I could have done better in the tournaments, but in the end, Magic is just a game folks!

Part I of the GP Madrid Epic Report can be found here.
Part II of the GP Madrid Epic Report can be found here.

Following our discourse on the potential Breaking of the Reserved List, the community and Wizards of the Coast seemingly need to contemplate a solution to the spiraling cost of older cards if Wizards’ feels that these prices are too high and would prevent a legitimate barrier of entry for newer players. If Wizards’ is going to respect the spirit of the Reserved List and not undermine it dramatically using the foil/premium loophole, what can be done to increase supply and thus lower prices on key Legacy staples? I would suggest that the first thing to do is to look at what cards are priced high, and look at those that are not on the Reserved List that could safely be reprinted without breaking the Reserved List.

So what are considered some Legacy staples that are not on the Reserved List that could theoretically be printed in future sets with little or no repercussion? There are quite a few cards considered staples that have risen to relatively high prices very quickly, so ignoring cards that have already been reprinted let’s look at some cards that I believe could all be reprinted in upcoming sets and aren’t too powerful for the current Standard and Extended constructed environments.
Force of Will – aside from Jace, the Mind Sculptor, Blue is relatively weak in Standard and Extended, and including Force of Will in a normal set as either an uncommon or rare would drastically increase the supply and reduce the price from about $35 to $5-10
Wasteland – with apologies to Ghost Quarter and Tectonic Edge, there isn’t very good land destruction available to mages right now in Standard and Extended, and by reprinting this as an uncommon the price would drop from the current $18 price tag down to about $2-3 (where it used to be for years), and would also help keep the overpowered Thopter Depths deck in check in Extended
Tarmogoyf – this beast is currently in the $65-70 range and isn’t even legal in Standard currently (when it was it tipped the scales at about $30)! It’s certainly not too broken for any constructed format, and as it was unveiled in Future Sight, the reasoning behind reprinting it could be that Future Sight was merely a preview of what was to come (more Tarmogoyfs, yippee!)
Orim’s Chant – while often decent and sometimes above average, Chant was never broken in Standard and Extended, and reprinting this would drop the price from about $14 to $5
Argothian Enchantress – certainly a powerful card, nothing about Enchantress would break Standard or Extended, but the price would certainly drop considerably if this $12 staple was reprinted
Exploration – currently hovering around $15, this would be powerful in conjunction with Life From the Loam in Extended, and could potentially be awesome with some kind of Landfall cards (which would actually make for a very interesting deck, but I wonder why we haven’t seen any of these interactions in Legacy if they had serious merit). Neither of these interactions would probably wouldn’t be format defining, and reprinting this Legacy staple would drop it to around the $3-5 mark I’d predict
Chain Lightning – if Lightning Bolt, Incinerate, and Lightning Helix are fine in Standard and Extended, I think it would be safe to say that Chain Lightning would also be safe (hopefully once something else rotated out), and reprinting this as an uncommon would drop this $10 staple into the $2 neighborhood
Imperial Recruiter – along the lines of Ranger of Eos, this card would be very fair in Standard and Extended, and reprinting it as a rare would probably drop the price from its current $120 price tag to about $5-10
Imperial Seal – Vampiric Tutor was not a problem when it was legal in Standard and Extended for the longest time, and a sorcery speed one would fit very well in today’s constructed environments. Reprinting this would admittedly do nothing for Legacy as it is banned there, but it would drop the price from $200+ currently to around $15, and would be a huge boon for Vintage players
Entomb – the unbanning of this Legacy bomb and recent success have driven this staple to around $30 and counting. This would not be too strong for Standard and Extended, and reprinting this in a future set would probably drop the price back down to around the $3-5 mark it sat at for quite some time prior to it’s unbanning for Legacy
Ancient Tomb – this could provide a useful but not broken accelerant in Standard and Extended, and reprinting this as an uncommon would drop the price from $5 to $1-2 moving forward

Reprinting all of the aforementioned cards fits would drop prices of these cards considerably, and I don’t believe any of them would be too powerful for Standard or Extended. That being said, here are a handful of cards that probably are too powerful for those constructed formats, but could be reprinted in a different way to ensure they are never in Standard or Constructed.
Loyal Retainers – this would probably be too good in the same Standard or Extended format where Entomb is legal (along with Iona), so I would lean towards making this Portal 3 Kingdoms uncommon a Friday Night Magic foil, which would heartily increase the supply and dramatically reduce the price, while keeping it out of those constructed formats
Price of Progress – I get the sense that the game’s designers have been trending towards getting people to play multicolored and rainbow decks in constructed formats, and with all of the other burn spells available right now in Standard and Extended I think this would be too good, so giving it out as a Friday Night Magic card instead would create foil copies of it and satiate the market demand
Dark Depths – having 20/20 indestructables crawling around Extended seems to be ok, but this would most likely be too powerful for Standard, so reprinting this as a Friday Night Magic foil would create plenty of copies, while reducing the price of this from $23 to about $5-10 in short order
Grindstone – having the Painter’s Servant and Grindstone combo running around a format like Extended would be too powerful and consistent, so reprinting Grindstone as a Judge foil instead would increase the supply enough to probably drop Tempest copies from $18 down to about the $6-8 range

So, what about all of the other awesome cards that are in Legacy that have high price tags? Running through Stephen Mendendian’s nice article The Complete Legacy Checklist, here are the main cards with a significant price tag that the Reserved List would preclude Wizards’ from printing:
Underground Sea
Tropical Island
Tundra
Volcanic Island
Scrubland
Bayou
Savannah
Taiga
Badlands
Plateau
Tabernacle at the Pendrell Vale
City of Traitors
Gaea’s Cradle
Undiscovered Paradise
Lion’s Eye Diamond
Mox Diamond
Moat

That’s only about 17 relevant cards with a significant price tag for the format that fall on the Reserved List. There are handful of other smaller cards that are on the Reserved List (such as Humility, Cursed Scroll, Volrath’s Stronghold) that don’t see too much play and can generally be had for $5-10, but these are relatively affordable already so their isn’t much necessity in reprinting them. Many of cards above are Dual Lands that are integral to the format, but by most people’s best guesses and calculations there are around 340,000-360,000 copies of each Dual Land in existence, which I believe is more than enough to support a burgeoning Legacy population. That’s a full playset for nearly 90,000 players as it currently stands. Yes, I know that some people are holding on to more than a playset, just like some people are holding on to 150 Force of Wills. Magic was intended to be a collectible card game as we all know, and these things come with the territory.

The entrance cost has already been paid by a great number of players who wanted to jump into the Legacy format with the announcement of the two Legacy format Grand Prixs in 2010 and the continuing StarCityGames $5K Legacy series, and these are the primary reasons prices for certain cards have climbed so rapidly. Grand Prix Madrid 2010 just set the Magic tournament record with 2220 participants, and Grand Prix Columbus 2010 will probably clock in with around 1000-1400 participants. But after most players have already jumped in it appears many prices have leveled off. Cards like Tarmogoyf have already kind of hit that threshold and have begun cooling a little bit, but that doesn’t mean other cards won’t gradually rise or occasionally spike like they do for other constructed formats when some new deck tech is found. But is a $29 Savannah or $40 Tropical Island really a terrible thing, especially in the face of $45 mythic rares like Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Baneslayer Angel that are commonly played in Standard? Is it a terrible thing to have a collectible card that you know will not be reprinted, and won’t rotate out of a format every two years and lose 85% of its street value (like most Standard cards)?

Every single card does not have to be affordable, nor has it been for about the last 10-12 years once more and more people started playing Magic. By slowly reprinting a large number of staples that are not on the Reserved List, Wizards’ can dramatically reduce prices for those staples while simultaneously lowering the barrier of entry to Eternal formats for a great many players. Doing this would allow for more player interest in older formats while avoiding a perversion of the original intent of the Official Reprint Policy.

Please let us know what you think in the comments section below. Thanks for reading!

Over the past couple of months there has been much consternation and discussion in online forums and articles discussing the rise of prices in older Magic cards. There has also been much discussion lately of the Reserved List on the Official Reprint Policy.

In Stephen Menendian’s recent article Visiting Wizards, Reprints, and the Reserved List he posits that “You could print a million new Underground Seas in M11, and Alpha and Beta Underground Seas would probably not budge in their value or collectability. In fact, they might become more valuable!” Frankly, more asinine words and a conclusion based on many unaccounted for factors have rarely been written. The basic laws of economics tell us that if demand is relatively even and supply increases, price will naturally go down. Time and time again, history has shown us that when cards are reprinted (and supply is increased) they lose value.

When the original Chronicles set was released Magic players and collectors alike were taken aback and shocked. A “collectible card game” was reissuing some of the game’s most sought after and expensive cards, setting an alarming precedent. Cards like the Elder Dragons (Chromium, Nicol Bolas, Palladia-Mors, etc.) from Legends dropped from $30-40 to $5-10 within weeks. Legends printings of these cards can currently be had for $1-5 each, and Chronicles and Timeshifted copies can be had for $.25 to $1. Carrion Ants (from Legends) was a $30 card (based largely on collectibility and not the amount of them being played) dropped to $2 in a matter of weeks. Today a Legends copy of Carrion Ants is about $1 and the Chronicles reprint versions are about $.25 each. Erhnam Djinn was once considered the little brother of Juzam Djinn, as was once worth about $35-40 for an Arabian Knights copy. After it was reprinted in Chronicles the value dropped considerably, with today’s prices ringing in at $5-10 for an Arabian Knights original, and a Chronicles reprint clocking in at a mere $.25.

Psionic Blast was originally printed in Alpha/Beta/Unlimited and for a long time was a very sought after item, typically priced at $30-40 for Alpha/Beta copies and $18-25 for Unlimited copies. After it was reprinted in Time Spiral’s Timeshifted subset those same original copies are now selling for $15-25 for Alpha/Beta and about $4-5 for Unlimited, while Timeshifted copies can readily be had for $1 each.

Pithing Needle, which Stephen himself has reviewed in prior articles and is intimately familiar with, used to be a $15 card (this price, and all others I’ll talk about here are what I’ll refer to as the “street value,” or how much they can regularly be had for on eBay/MOTL/etc.). Pithing Needle was originally printed in Saviors of Kamigawa, and demand has always been steady but not overwhelming. I would argue that demand is about the same today as when it was originally printed and is played a moderate amount in many constructed formats. When it was reprinted in Tenth Edition the value dropped to around $9, and it has once again been reprinted in Magic 2010 (M10) and the value has dropped to an astonishing $3 or less. Demand has stayed roughly the same, yet the supply has dramatically increased, leading to a dramatic reduction in price.

For quite some time Meddling Mage remained valued at $10-14, even when it’s popularity and playability waned in Standard and Extended. It was rotating out of Extended finally as part of the Invasion-Prophecy-Apocalypse block and started to slightly fall in price to around $9, but it was then reprinted in Alara Reborn. So what happened to the price? Well, naturally since the supply doubled and the demand remained about the same the prices came crashing down. Meddling Mage from Invasion can now readily be had for about $5-6 and Alara Reborn copies go for about $4.

I could continue to cite example after example of where reprints have crippled the value of original printings, but I think if you’ve ever picked up (and understood) an economic textbook or spent time seriously buying and selling Magic cards, you probably get the picture. To suggest that reprints of cards like Dual Lands and Power 9 wouldn’t cripple the value of the original printings is either an uneducated, disingenuous, or intellectually dishonest point of view.

Another issue that Stephen ignores in his quoting of prices for Alpha/Beta/Unlimited/Revised/10th Edition/M10 for cards like Shivan Dragon and Birds of Paradise is the fact that there is a major drop off from Alpha/Beta to everything else, including Unlimited. As my teammate Jason Pare pointed out to me, you can’t have a serious discussion about reprinting cards like the Power 9 without looking at the fact that roughly 82% of the Power 9 that are in existence are not Alpha/Beta, but Unlimited. You know, the same Unlimited that Stephen shows in his chart amongst all of other printings that represents a small percentage of the total pool in his Shivan Dragon and Birds of Paradise examples. If Power 9 were reprinted the value of these would drop like a rock, decimating the value of 82% of the Power 9 overnight. The set collectors will still want their Alpha/Beta Power 9, but most other people would gravitate towards a cheaper and also black-bordered foil version for a fraction of the price. This migration would also signal a reduction in the price of Alpha/Beta copies for this very reason, albeit not as devastating as the huge loss Unlimited owners would see.

Part of the reason the Power 9 has increased to dramatic prices is because aside from the fact that they are some of the most powerful and rarest cards, they have never been reprinted and are currently never slated to be reprinted according to Wizards’ own published Reserved List Policy. They have essentially become Vintage Gold because the consumer has placed faith in the manufacturer that a set number of these exist (solidifying their rarity and collectibility), and because of this they can be viewed as a valid investment vehicle. Without this assurance from the manufacturer they would not be worth nearly as much.

The function of the Reserved List is to assuage fears of players and collectors that their collectible card game will actually maintain some semblance of collectibility. Wizards’ formally acknowledged the giant mistake they had made by printing Chronicles and created the Reserve List as a response to grant the consumer some basic protections. It represents a contract with the customer meaning “we (the manufacturer) will not violate your consumer confidence in us.” This contract with consumers was necessary following the backlash and departure of players following the release of Chronicles. By altering policy and breaking the Reserve List and changing course, Wizards of the Coast would have lied to their customers for the past ten years and effectively reduced any incentive to consider Magic cards any sort of investment or an actual collectible card game, as it has always been marketed as. To this end the Reserve List is accomplishing exactly what it was created to do.

In the past few years Wizards’ has exploited a loophole in the Official Reprint Policy that states that “All policies described in this document apply only to non-premium, tournament-legal Magic cards. Wizards of the Coast has and may continue to print special versions of cards not meant for regular game play, such as oversized cards.” They have designated foil cards as premium cards to fit the bill and to create a loophole to essentially allow them to reprint whatever they want (see: Phrexian Negator, Phyrexian Dreadnought, Intuition, Survival of the Fittest, Karn, Silver Golem, Yawgmoth’s Will, etc.). But looking at the wording of the revised Reprint Policy it says “All policies described in this document apply only to non-premium, tournament-legal Magic cards. Wizards of the Coast has and may continue to print special versions of cards not meant for regular game play, such as oversized cards.” Does this sound to you like their original intent with that exception was to print foil cards used for tournament play and as a mechanism to reprint hard to find cards to increase market supply? I don’t think so. The original intent appears to simply allow them to reprint things like the oversized cards they used to print, or box-toppers, or promotional items, or things of that nature that would not be used for tournaments and by actual players. But by designating foils as premium they have created a loophole with which they can twist the Official Reprint Policy and effectively negate the entire thing.

By using a loophole to reprint cards on the Reserved List and simply designate them as ‘premium,’ Wizards’ is shaking customer confidence, and the outcry by many players can be heard on whatever message board you fancy. But the biggest outcry is the unspoken one, by players who believe that Wizards’ will do the right thing and respect the Reserved List, which is their contract to the consumer. This outcry will not truly be heard until the point when we see the Reserved List being violated in a notable way. Creating something like From the Vault: [Underground Sea and a bunch of other Restricted List goodies], and then following it up with a bunch of other similar boxed foil sets would create a terrible precedent and would achieve the same thing as just reprinting cards in a modern edition. The same could be said for creating all foil (i.e. premium) booster packs full of Reserved List cards. This would decimate the consumer confidence that the Magic brand has achieved, and I believe would lead to the departure of a significant number of players. Many people drawn to games are smart, and they can probably tell when something is going the way of the Dodo bird, or is in the process of jumping the shark.

So if cards like Dual Lands and others are rapidly rising with the increase interest in Legacy, what can be done to offset this and make Legacy more palatable to the wallet? Check out our next article in this series,

Grand Prix Madrid is coming soon, very soon! At this point, no one  doubts about this tournament being the most important event on eternal this year.

Europe has a huge tradition of playing Vintage and Legacy. Tournaments like the Eurovino, Bazaar of Moxen, UAL Power9 Series, DDAY, etc… had proven to be successful at gathering eternal players from all around the continent. Those tournaments had turnouts between 100 and 400 players. Some (standard) GPs hardly get better turnouts than some of the previously mentioned tournaments. I believe, GP Madrid is going to set a new participation record on any eternal tournament ever done.

GP Madrid is an excellent movement by WotC. They knew in advance than placing a Legacy GP in Spain would be a total blast. They made the small mistake of placing it in Madrid instead of Barcelona, but we can forgive them about that. Spain is a well connected with the rest of the world. The east american coast is just 6-7h by plain from Madrid. Biggest cities in Europe are about 2h away as well.  All in all, it seems to me that WotC is experimenting the impact of an eternal format in the professional scene. They couldn’t have chosen a better moment, a better place.

Spanish players are motivated and excited about the GP. The eternal communities in Spain are all moving to Madrid to play this event. There’s no reason to not show up there unless you can’t really make it. Traveling to and sleeping in Madrid isn’t expensive at all. You can sleep 2 nights and go by plain there for less than 100€ from almost any point of the country.

Personally, I’m also very excited about this event. I know I haven’t playtested a lot, but I feel confident about my 75 card choice. I’ve played combo for years already, and no matter what pro is sitting in front of me, that I’ll go for the win. I trust in myself and in my deck, as it is probably one of the most competitive decks at the moment.

Of course, to win a Grand Prix you need more than a deck. You need to stay calmed and focused, you need to play well during many rounds, you can’t make lots of mistakes/misplays, and of course, you need a bit of luck.

I always liked how Mike Flores uses this illustration to express a state of mind of a winner player:

Believe in yourself, believe in your luck & believe your deck.

While being totally sure what and how to play in Legacy, something different happens to me with Vintage. If my performance at the GP aren’t as I expected, there’s a very interesting Vintage tournament I’d like to play on Sunday.

http://www.team-pataners.com/gp-madrid-vintage-side-event-info/

I’m not certain about what decks are the decks to beat in Vintage at the moment. I love playing control, but decks like Tezzeret start to lose power against some other archetypes such as Noble Fish and the Golem Aggro Staxx.

Shall I…

… play Confidants?

… play Spell Snare?

… play Spell Pierce?

… play DSC, Sphinx or Leviathan?

… play red or green for SB?

… play none, 1 or 2 Tezzerets MD?

… play Misdirection?

And these are just a few of the questions I get while building a control deck. If I start thinking of building a combo deck, then I’d get even more.

People say that Spell Pierce are good. People say that Tarmogoyfs are good. People say, people say.

I can’t say what’s the right thing to play because I haven’t played enough lately. I would have loved to play every Vintage tournament held lately, but my work has made it impossible for me to attend to most of them. Anyways, no matter what 75 cards I sleeve (if I play that Vintage side event), I’m sure it’s not going to be good enough. Not good enough, because there’s no deck capable of not losing stupidly against Time Vault + Voltaic Key in the early game. Some times, you have an excellent hand with Force of Will, 2 lands, Mana Drain + some bussiness spells, and you get owned by first turn time vault + key with FoW backup from them. Ok, it’s a 2 card combo, and he got lucky… but dude, your hand was fucking awesome and you still lose without being able to play a fucking turn.

Two years ago, when Time Vault wasn’t working as it is right now, I was 100% sure of my deck being able to defeat ANY deck in the format. I was playing Gifts Tendrils and had great success with that deck. I knew what to play, how to play and when to play it. Now I’m a bit lost as the format is a bit random, luck depending and less skilled based. Of course skill counts, but when they Vault/Key you first turn, there’s nothing much you can do rather than Force of Will.

I hope we get some changes to the restricted/banned Vintage list in June. I hope they fix the problem, and I also hope they finally print some good business spells for the control players. All we do now is watch how all blue cards get restricted while awesome creatures and artifacts are printed collection after collection.

To end this post, I’d like to tell you guys that I’ll try to update the blog during this weekend with news about the GP. I probably will be broadcasting some games (you’ll find that at the top menu labels – “live TV“) live from there.

Stay tuned and wish me luck!

I really hope I’m not playing this tournament! That would mean I’d be playing day 2 of the Legacy GP Madrid. On the other hand, it’s an AWESOME tournament that, in case of epic FAIL at the GP, i’ll be attending for sure.

It’s been a while since my last Vintage tournament appearance. It was December’s LCV4 in Lloret de Mar. There I managed to top8 with a pretty solid UB Tezzeret Control deck. Well, I gotta admit that I’ve played zero Vintage games since then. Work is keeping me too busy to be able to meet with my buddies to play-test at all, but from time to time I have the chance to sneak into one of the small vintage tournaments that are held at La Màquina del Temps (shop who organizes LCV and LCL).

Today was a rainy Sunday and my girlfriend was busy meeting some friend for a coffee, so, I decided it was a good time to show up and play some vintage! Opened my binders and check what I could play with the hope of finding something new and original to have some fun. Saw my AK’s and those led me to my gorgeous playset of Thoughtcast Foil Japanese. Man, I had an idea!

Tezzcast Reloaded, by Jordi Amat
As a non-competitive deck for a competitive tournament.

4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will
1 Thirst for Knowledge
4 Thoughtcast
1 Tinker
2 Misdirection
2 Tezzeret the Seeker
2 Sower of Temptation
1 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
2 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Voltaic Key
1 Time Vault
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Vault
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Ruby
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Inkwell Leviathan
3 Underground Sea
2 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta
4 Seat of the Synod
2 Island
1 Snow-Covered Island

Sideboard:
2 Spell Snare
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Rebuild
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Extirpate
1 Yixlid Jailer
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Pithing Needle
2 Sperzoa
4 Master of Etherium

While searching my Thoughtcasts I met Master of Etherium and Sperzoa, and convinced myself of playing them to fight the fishy metagame that I would probably find at the shop.

Maindeck is a simplified version of the Tezzcast deck that has been played around here and there. I wanted to make it slightly more solid to improve the matchup against Fish, so I decided to make it plain blue/black. No red nor green to support. But I said I was expecting a heavy Fish metagame, so, how would I combat Null Rod then? I wouldn’t! Instead, I transformed my deck into a more aggro-control version substituting the combo parts for creatures. (Notice as well the 2 main deck Sower of Temptation).

17:30 at the shop. Only 8 people showed up (understandable) so I actually knew I was gonna Top8 xDDDD We are playing 3 straight rounds of swiss, no top4. That equals home for dinner which is also nice!

Round 1: Xavier Muntada with UW Fish

Game 1: He mulligans, and land passes. I open with Island + Mox + Mana Vault. He casts Spell Pierce to which I answer with Ancestral Recall. I see Force of Will but I don’t care about the Mana Vault anymore, since I got my 2nd land and had Tinker + FoW back up for turn 2. He shows me Swords to Plowshares and we move onto game 2.

In: 4 Master of Etherium, 2 Sperzoa, 2 Spell Snare, 1 Hurkyl’s Recall

Out: 2 Tezzeret the Seeker, 1 Time Vault, 1 Voltaic Key, 2 Misdirection, 1 Gifts Ungiven, 1 Fact or Fiction, 1 Thirst for Knowledge

Game 2: He opens with Ancestral Recall to which I draw myself thanks to Misdirection. I resolve a Master of Etherium but I can’t find myself more than 1 artifact. The 2/2 ends up dead blocked by a Kataki, war’s edge. I remember I actually had ALL my lands in game and I just needed to draw something usefull to finish the game. He recovered just in time and I couldn’t make it.

Game 3: A fast 5/5 Master of Etherium followed by a 5/4 flying Sperzoa finished the game for me. They actually worked as intended!

2-1 | 3 Points

Round 2: Eduard Castro with Steel City Vault

Game 1: I play land go. He opens with Goblin Welder and I play Brainstorm in response. I see force of Will and a Mana Drain. I decide to Force of Will the Goblin. I play my 2nd land and pass. He casts something and I drain it. I cast my Willfull Fiction out of the extra mana from Mana Drain and win him few turns after.

In: 1 Tormod’s Crypt, 1 Pithing Needle, 1 Extirpate

Out: 2 Sower of Temptation, 1 Snow-Covered Island

Game 2: He plays land and passes. I go with something like: Land, Mox and Pithing Needle (naming Goblin Welder). He doesn’t find any relevant bombs while I do thanks to a couple of Thoughtcast.

2-0 | 6 Points

Round 3: Roger Lladó with TPS

Game 1: He mulligans to 5. Opens with Ancestral Recall and I actually Misdirection it. Let’s move to game 2.

In: Tormod’s Crypt, 1 Extirpate, 2 Spell Snare

Out: 2 Sower of Temptation, 1 Snow-Covered Island, 1 Hurkyl’s Recall

Game 2: I start UBER strong and develop my game a lot thanks to Time Walk and a couple of Thoughcasts. He Extirpate my Force of Will and from that point I lose gas. He manages to gather 8 storm for a lethal Tendrils with me being unable to find answers (Mana Drain) with Sensei’s Divining Top in play and 2 fetchlands…

Game 3: I don’t remember it at all. All I know is that he was gonna launch his attack when he Extirpates my Force of Wills, poor him, I had 2 or 3 Mana Drain in hand + Misdirection. So that delayed his plans while me, being 100% at topdeck, summoned the power of Mr. Yawgmoth’s via Vampiric Tutor for the win!

2-1 | 9 Points

So I actually had some fun, won and I brought home 10 boosters from Zendikar. My girlfriend opened them (as usual) with some luck actually: 2 fetchlands!

Regarding the deck, I think it’s pretty solid but I’m not sure about it. I mean, how would it perform against Oath, MUD or other heavy played decks at LCV. Against Control and Fish it worked really well, but it certainly lacks answers against Ionaa or MUD.

Next week I’ll play the 1st tournament of LCV. I’ll be broadcasting some games live from there. Stay tunned to my USTREAM channel!

Estos son los anuncios a sendos torneos de Junio correspondientes a la LCV y a la LCL:

LCV Junio – Badalona

Fecha: 14/06/2009 – DOMINGO! UEEEEEE
Hora: 09:00
Lugar: Asociación de vecinos Sant Mori C/ Antigua de Valencia Nº 60, junto Parque de las Palmeras
Inscripción: 15€
Formato: Vintage

Premios:
1º- Mox Ruby
2º- Por confirmar
3º- Por confirmar
4º- Por confirmar
Del 5º al 8ª: 6 sobres

1º-Clas.sin pack: Mana Drain
2º- Clas. Sin pack: Por confirmar

LCL Junio – Berga

Fecha: 20/06/2009
Hora: 09:00
Lugar: Berga;Alberg de Berga, Crta. de Caserres nº8(Davant de Jaloguing Berga).
Inscripcion: 10
Formato: Legacy

Premios:
1r Classif: Segons la participació:
- Fins a 76 jugadors: 2 Duals en Borde Negre + 2 Duals de Revised
- De 77 a 80 Jugadors: 3 Duals en Borde Negre + 1 Dual de Revised
- 81 ó més jugadors: 4 Duals de Borde Negre

2n Classif: 4 Duals
3r y 4t Classif: 2 duals
del 5è al 8è Classif: 8 sobres

1r Classificat Junior: 1 Dual + sobres
2n Classificat Junior: 1 fechland + sobres

[ratings]

Lo prometido es deuda, y aquí va el report del torneo que se celebró el pasado sábado en Cabrera de Mar correspondiente a la Liga Catalana de Vintage.

La expedición, con Tudurí, Filippo, Txep i Guillem, zarpa con 30 minutos de retraso por culpa de Tudurí que se durmió. Guillem, como siempre, rabia un poco y propone dejarle, pero yo prefiero esperar unos minutillos más ya que es feo no esperarle y Cabrera no estaba tan lejos.

Llegamos a Cabrera y vemos a mucha gente en la puerta, aparcamos justo delante y justo a tiempo para inscribirnos. Finalmente 70 jugadores, que no está nada mal ya que el torneo se anunció con muy poco tiempo de antelación y se celebraba en un fin de semana algo atípico (normalmente se celebran el 3º o 4º fin de semana de cada mes).

La baraja que jugué ya la conocéis, la TP Tezzcast que os posteé hace unos días. En lugar del DSC opté por el Inkwell Leviathan, y en lugar del Gifts, por el 2º Trompo, tal y como ya había dicho anteriormente. Y del sideboard sólo cambié las 2 Pithing Needle por 2 Duress, ya que creí que habría más decks de combo y combo/control de lo habitual. (Efectivamente acerté )

El torneo lo empiezo contra uno de los mejores y miembro del Jack Drain’s, Miquel Alcoriza.

R1: Miquel Alcoriza con Tezzeret Control

La primera partida es la típica partida entre Alcoriza y un servidor, donde ninguno de los 2 hace absolutamente nada durante 6-7 turnos y nos limitamos a bajar tierras, robar y go. Tras estos turnos, mi mano era: Ancestral, FoW, Misdirection, Mana Drain, Thirst for Knowledge, Tezzeret, Hurkyl’s Recall. Miquel, finalmente decide romper el hielo y juega un Ancestral en mi eot. Yo en respuesta juego el mio, le cae Drain. Yo amago mi Misdi y mi Drain, y juego a lo débil, con un FoW (pitching Hurkyl’s) a su Drain. Me juega Force of Will a mi Force of Will, a lo que intento cazar esos 5 manás con mi Mana Drain. PERO, Miquel me enchufa un Spell Snare muy maligno a mi Drain. En respuesta a ese Snare, juego el Misdi (Pitching Tezzeret y no Thirst) a su Ancestral, pero Miquel me juega otro Force of Will!!! En la mesa de la izquierda teníamos a Broadcast y a Ávalos flipándolo con nuestra partida y con un Stack de 9 cartas. Finalmente Miquel resuelve su Ancestra, roba 3, destapa y tiene 1 maná del Drain que usa para jugar Thirst for Knowledge. Yo intento jugar el mio en respuesta pero me lo contrarresta.

Mis siguientes topdecks son pésimos, mientras que los suyos son normales-buenos. Termino concediendo cuando me junta su Vault borde blanco ( xD ) con Voltaic.

Cara a la segunda partida sabía que tenía que salir muchísimo más agresivo si quería tener opciones. Su baraja tiene más elementos de control que la mía, con lo que al mid-late game tengo las de perder. Hubiera forzado mulligans si hubiera sido necesario, pero me quedé una manó de 7 espectacular. Salgo con Seat of the Synod, Mox, Mana Vault, juego Thirst for Knowledge, descartando de una Crypta, el TFK además, me trae un Thoughtcast y un Sapphire Bajo Sapphire, y me robo 2 más. ¡Ale 2 Thoughtcasts más! Le doy turno y miquel sale de Fetchland para Underground y Trompo. En mi turno 2, juego los 2 Thoughtcasts que me traen el 4º que también puedo jugar. Tengo la mano llena de counters y el Tezzeret. Miquel mira en el Upkeep a la busca de la 2ª tierra (aparentemente), y me baja una Tolaria y un Mox, teniendo así UU abierto para un posible Drain. Mi Topdeck, no podía ser otro para acabar con el atraco, que la Tolaria. Le hago un Tolaria Strip, bajo un Trompo y le doy turno. Miquel no encuentra tierra y da turno. Finalmente 2-3 turnos más tarde le combo con el Tezzeret sin ningún counter de por medio aunque intentó jugarme un repeal a mi Vault que resolvió, pero que volví a bajar.

En la tercera partida opté por seguir el mismo plan de la segunda. Mulligan a algo explosivo para intentar no llegar al mid-late game. Mi mano de 7 tiene Seat of th synod, Mana Crypt, Time Vault, Thoughtcast, FoW, Mox, Trompo… Sale él de tierra vas, y yo procedo a salir de Seat, Mana Cryp, Trompo (se lo piensa), Mox Sapphire, con el Seat juego el Thoughtcast, que me contrarresta con su Pyroblast. con el maná que me queda, bajo Time Vault que se resuelve. 2 turnos más tardes Topdeckeo el Tezzeret y se lo bajo (anteriormente había robado carta azul para el FoW). No me lo contrarresta y me concede.

Como siempre contra Miquel, partidas super intensas que requieren de mucho ingenio para adivinar por donde atacar para poder ganar. Esta vez, lo de intentar atracar rápido a Miquel funcionó a la perfección La última vez que lo intenté, jugaba yo Gush Tinker y perdí la final (Vídeos: Game1, Game2, Game3 part1, Game3 part2).

2-1, 3 puntos, 1-0-0 (2-1)

R2: Pedro García con Transmuter Control

Me acordaba de Pedro porque no hacía mucho habíamos ido a Berga con Tudurí a jugar el torneo que organizaba Siles (con victoria de Tudurí) y él también estaba allí. Además, ya jugué contra él y contra su baraja, con lo que algo de ventaja tenía. Bueno, la misma que él sobre mi, ya que también sabía que jugaba yo

La primera partida la pierdo ya que me cuela un Triskelion super tempranero que inutiliza mi plan de victoria, que pasaba por el Tezzeret que tenía en mano. El Triskelion termina la faena tras juntarse con un Weldercillo.

La segunda partida creo recordar que le bajo mi Tezzeret de turno 2, a lo que concede.

Y la tercera partida es la típica partida que yo hubiera perdido de no ser de los errores de Pedro. La cosa se alarga infinito, el tiene un Welder en mesa que lo deja ahí un buen ratillo mirando las musarañas por si tengo intenciones de combar. Una Tormod’s mia me salva el culo pq me estoy oliendo su thirst con mega robot en mano y eso no era bueeeeeno. Meto otra Tormod’s en mesa, que curiosamente me daría la partida por permitirme petar mi cementerio. ¿Cómorr?? Ahora os lo cuento.

Resulta que Pedro tenía una Remora en mesa desde hace mil, yo un trompillo con el que urgar un poco en la biblioteca. Mi mano era decentilla, con Counter’s, y con el Time Vault. Me faltaba la segunda pieza para combar. El problema ahora reside que nos cantan turnos, con lo que únicamente me daría la victoria un hipotético Tezzeret.

Decido tirarme a combar, ya que perder no puedo perder (pq con su welder no me va a matar), lo que pasa es que Pedro se olvida de robar con su Remora 4 cartas que corresponden a un Thirst mio, un Thoughtcast, un Loto y un Mox. Me viene la Yawgmoth’s Will, un Time Walk. La jugada clave es cuando le bajo el Time Vault, y me olvido de petar la tormod’s mia en respuesta (de hecho, podía haberla petado 1º y luego bajar el Vault xDD). Total, que SUERTE que se lió una guerrilla de counters, y pude responder petando mi cementerio en respuesta para eliminar el otro artefacto que había. Finalmente el Time Vault no se resuelve y quedó ahí todo solito en el cementerio. Juego mi Time Walk (a todo esto que él no roba con la remora unas 4-5 cartas) y me la juego a: Yawgmoth’s en el siguiente turno, para jugar el Vault + miro 3 con trompo y fetchland para mirar 3 más y así encontrar el Tezzeret.

Miro con el Trompo, viene caspa, peto fetchland, vuelvo a mirar, viene Brainstorm. Cambio, juego Brainstorm, rejuego Trompo. Juego mi Yawgmoth’s, meto el Time Vault, juego el Brainstorm y miro con el Trompo para en la 3ª y última carta encontrar el Tezzeret. Lo bajo con mi mega Tolaria (daba 10 o 12 manás), Pongo contador para destapar el Vault y otro artefacto. Me doy turno extra (que ya era el 4º) y le ataco con mi horda de 10-12 artefactos en un alpha strike de 50-60 de daño xDDD

Conclusión: Si juegas Rémoras, úsalas.

2-1, 6 puntos, 2-0-0 (4-2)

R3: Rubén González con Drain Tendrils feat. Dark Confidant

Pues na, en 3 rondas me toca contra 2 de los mejores jugadores de la liga, sino los mejores. Antes de explicar la ronda me gustaría felicitar a Rubén por que finalmente ha conseguido ganar un torneo de la LCV. Realmente se lo merecía y tanto esfuerzo se ha visto recompensado.

La idea de cómo afrontar esta ronda estaba bastante clara. Intentar atracarle rápido en los primeros turnos tal y como hice contra Miquel.

En la primera partida, sale Rubén de tierra + Trompo. Esta salida es bastante complicada de analizar ya que puede que se haya quedado la mano por el Trompo y en su segundo turno tener el Drain o poder buscar el FoW, o puede que sea un cañón con Trompo y FoW. Sin embargo, yo me decanto más por la primera opción ya que tanto Rubén como Miquel, juegan muy conservadores y le dan un valor extraordinario al Trompo, quedándose la mayoría de manos (yo he visto manos de Miquel de 6 productores + trompo y quedársela).

Total, que le apalizo tal y como describe Rubén en el blog del Jack Drain’s:

En la primera me mete una paliza de campeonato, de primer turno ancestral en el segundo Thoughcasts y sed, así que en el tercer turno no tiene mas remedio que combarme.

La segunda partida empieza con Mulligan a 6 por mi parte, para intentar encontrar alguna bomba con la que meter presión. Rubén sale de Confidant de turno 1 y Duress si no recuerdo mal. Analicemos: Confidant de turno 1 y Duress. Yo mulligan a 6, que se convierte en 5. Él Confidant. MAAAAAAAALO

El Confidant, un Demonic (a Tendrils) y un Gifts le dan la partida sin demasiada complicación.

La tercera partida me quedo una mano de Tolaria, Pétalo, Drain, Thirst, Thoughtcast, Pyroblast y Fact. Es una mano bastante “risky” por el hecho de que no tengo el tercer productor, pero tengo Drain o Pyro de turno 1 por si Rubén se lanza a combar a lo loco (que yo no soy el único que hace salidas atraco, eh? xD). Por desgracia mía, Rubén vuelve a salir de Duress (yo creo que juega 6 xD) y me saca el Drain. Yo no encuentro la 2ª tierra o artefacto en los próximos 2 turnos. Además, durante 3 turnos, mi Lotus Petal se ve subiendo y bajando por los 3 Repeals que me enchufa. Demasiada ventaja de cartas y landrops que le dan el tempo de la partida. Finalmente me comba sin que yo pueda hacer demasiado

¡Bien jugado Rubén!

1-2, 6 puntos, 2-1-0 (5-4)

R4: Toni Garcia aka Safriquicut con Manaless

Toni es el ganador del último torneo de LCV y del torneo del 1 de mayo en Berga. 2 Moxes en 1 mes no está nada mal la verdad.

La primera partida, hago Mulligan a 5 para poder hacer Tinker a Calamar de turno 1 saliendo yo. Me comba en el turno 2 con Street Wraith en mi eot, dragando 6, etc…

La segunda partida hago otro mulligan a 5 para encontrar Yixlid o Tormod’s. Salgo de Loto + Sol Ring + x2 Yixlid, sin tierra y sin nada más. Concede ya que no se había puesto los Contagion.

La tercera partida no hago Mulligan ya que tengo esta mano: Volcanic, Underground, Lotus Petal, Yixlid Jailer, Pyroclasm, Ingot Chewer, Force of Will. Sale él sin ningún Mulligan: Bazaar, robo 2, descarto troll, puente e imp. Chalice de 0. Vaaaaamos!

Obviamente ya no puedo salir de Yixlid de turno 1 La de turno me robo un FoW. Bajo la Volcanic y le doy turno. No quiero pertarle el Chalice con el Ingot ahora pq si en el siguiente turno cae algun puente, puedo petarlo igualmente y bajar el Yixlid con la Underground y el pétalo. Bueno, OTRA VEZ en mi eot Street Wraith dragando 6, tirando 2 amebas y dos terapia. Vengaaaaa Boys! Draga en el upkeep, Draga la Draw, me juega terapia, le tiro el FoW (pitching FoW), me juega la 2ª terapia y dice… “Mystical Tutor” :O casi! Me juega la 3ª terapia y nombra… “Ingot Chewer”! Me da turno, bajo mi Yixlid Jailer. Toni tiene exactamente 2 cartas en la mano. ¿Cuáles son? CONTAGION y CARTA NEGRA.

Recojo, concedo y me voy.

1-2, 6 puntos, 2-2-0 (6-6)

R5: Roger Riera aka gRR!! con TPS

Siempre es un honor y un placer jugar contra Roger. Personalmente me parece una persona excepcional, además de un cachondo de la vida!

En la primera partida me curte a Duress (3 sino recuerdo mal), y me juega una Yawgmoth’s Will. Le concedo para no perder tiempo (Roger jugando combo es aún más lento que Guillem o Galito jugando Remoras xDD).

La segunda partida tengo Tinker de mano, sin protección alguna. Lo juego de turno 1 y se resuelve. Meto el calamar y Roger poco puede hacer con sus 2 Duress para frenarme.

En la tercera partida Roger tiene una mano MUY espectacular, pero yo tengo una mano realmente cargada de counters. Sale él de tierra vas. Y yo lo hago de tierra + Sapphire + Ruby, con lo que tengo: Drain y Pyro además del FoW y carta azul En su turno 2 se tira a combar: Ancestral –> Pyroblast, Mana Vault, Ritual, Ritual, Bargain –> Mana Drain. Yawgmoth’s Will ¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿¿??????????? A Roger le queda una carta en la mano, 0 maná en el Pool. Me miro a Roger y veo que dice “Merda”. Le pregunto a Roger si está seguro Total que dejo que se resuelva, coje la Yawgmoth’s y la pone en la zona de removidas y dice “vas!”. Con los 6 manás del Drain a la Bargain le bajo el Calamar que tenía en la mano y me concede.

Moraleja: PISCINAZO RULZ!

2-1, 9 puntos, 3-2-0 (8-7)

R6: Francisco Ávalos con Dredge

Miquel, Rubén, Safriquicut y Ávalos. ¿Alguien puede pedir más? Me estoy montando mi All Stars y yo sin saberlo

La primera partida poco que contar: “Bazaar, drago, drago, drago y en tu cara me cago.” – Abraham Ureña

La segunda partida salgo de Tormod’s de turno 1 y Yixlid de turno 2 a lo que recoge.

Y la tercera partida no dista tanto de la segunda. Yo Mulligan a 6 y Ávalos a 4. Sale él de Bazaar, draw, go. Y yo Yixlid de turno 1. Le cae un Contagio. ¡No pasa nada! Tengo otro en la mano y un Ancestral me traería el 3º Le acabo matando al beat down con los 2 Yixlid Jailer ^^

Ávalos no me ganó pq no tubo la suerte de Safriquicut Suerte que, por otro lado, yo si que tube.

2-1, 12 puntos, 4-2-0 (10-8)

R7: Ramón Romero con UW Fish

Ramón es un conocido jugador de Fish de la LCV. Analicemos el avantmatch: Yo juego un deck lleno de cacharros y él juega 4 Null Rod. Yo juego un deck sin básicas y él juega 4 Wastelands y una Stripmine. Mmmm hay que forzar la máquina si quiero ganar a Ramón.

La primera partida me quedo la siguiente mano tras Mulligan a 6: Loto + Mox + Trompo + Tinker + Thirst + Drain. Vaaamos allá! Si tiene FoW, vamos a mirar que me cuenta el Sideboard, sino, pues el Calamar le obligará a meter hurkyl’s y demás historias Efectivamente, mi Tinker se resuelve y me quedo en mesa con el trompillo y el calamar, sin tierras. Ramón tenía Tierra + Sabio, Wasteland, Null Rod y Daze en su mano inicial. Vamos que por poco no me voy al hoyo xD

La segunda partida es más standard aunque consigo esquivar sus wastelands gracias a los moxes que me robo. Si me llega a bajar un Null Rod hubiera concedido, pero no fue así. Finalmente, estando yo a 3 de vida y muriéndome al siguiente turno (Ninja + 2 Mother of Runes), encontré una Tolaria que me permitió bajar el Tezzeret, buscar el Vault, jugar mi Time Walk, y combar. UFFFF

2-1, 15 puntos, 5-2-0 (12-9)

Finalmente creo que terminé 10º o 11º, que no está nada mal dado el escaso testing que hago ahora y el poco tiempo que le dedico al juego.

PROPS:

• A toda la gente de Cabrera y su organización por montar un evento tan cojonudo.
• A Raül Rabionet por llevar el torneo con tanta soltura, clase y alegría.
• A Fillipo por hacer Top8 con su Monoblack HATERA HASTA LA MUERTE!
• A Rubén por ganar el torneo.
• A todos en general por el buen rollo y las risas!

SLOPS:

• Perder las opciones de entrar al top en la ronda 4 contra Toni y su manaless. Creo que voy a crear un nuevo grupo del Facebook que se llame: “Yo también odio a Ichorid”