Hey man.. sorry to see you having said issues. Sucks when shit happens to cool people, heh.

Sad to see you go, but as someone who went this way before, I can say I understand.

Hit me with a PM or AIM or something. We should get together when you've got some time.

-John

Probably about time I did this...

Name: John L.
Age: 19
Loc: Birmingham, Michigan... the real OC  :lol:

I started in Tempest, quit at Masques block, and picked the game up again at Legions. I started playing Type One when Tog left Type 2... so I guess that was around the 8th release. I've owned a couple power cards, and have won a couple mid sized Vintage tournaments, but I don't play much anymore. I've devoted a lot of time to extended this season, and got 10th at the last Detroit PTQ. I'm very good at draft and decent at sealed. Type One is the format I enjoy the most though, especially when I get to proxy power and play combo. I don't really care if I'm winning as long as I'm playing combo or Tog   . Hopefully, I'll complete my set of power when my financial situation picks up, which should be by the end of summer. I also collect German cards... I have like 1000+ from various sets.

I play on MWS sometimes... PM me if you want a game or hit me on the AIM MasenkoJTK.

-John

In no particular order:

Nightmare before Christmas
Natural Born Killers
Goodfellas
Scarface
Jackie Brown
Resevoir Dogs
Pulp Fiction
Casino
Donnie Brasco
Secret Window (great ending)
Jeepers Creepers

Anime:

Cowboy Bebop
08th MS Team
End of Eva (I don't like the series but this movie is so screwed up)

I think I am the only person I know who hates Princess Mononoke...

I do have a thing for the crappy original SciFi channel movies like Sabretooth and Chupacabra: Dark Seas... They suck but are amusing nonetheless.

I haven't seen anything in theaters lately, but I caught about an hour of Cursed when I went to the City Club last night (Bootlegs 4L).  It looked pretty good... the werewolves looked very CG but Christina Ricci rocks my world. I just might go see the rest of that. Elektra was also on a TV there, but it wasn't too good from what I saw.

I won't get into this, because it will cause ranting, but I thought the Butterfly Effect SUCKED. Worst. Movie. Evar.

Dog Soldiers was amusing as hell though.

-John

@NCM: I have to smack you.

@Denney: Dude, I don't know what French girls you're thinking about, but I seem to remember three h0t French exchange students from my senior year @ high school... definately no beards there, bro.

@Mixing Mike: Word.

@Brittany: The French are cool in general. Food's good, the dance music I've heard is pretty insane, girls are friendly, and the language is h0t. I wish I remembered more of my high school French classes... Oh well. C'est la vie.

-John

http://www.trollandtoad.com/p118521.html

Are those the Gunmetals everyone is talking about? I use them on occasion, but I really don't like how thin they are.

I like DragonShield Fusion and Purple, but any color is good. Ultra Pro Pink for my draft decks    If the sleeves would just match between packs, I would use them on my deck... Pink sleevs 4L.

-John

Just to make it clear, Root Maze isn't an autowin vs. Dragon. They can still draw the game through one, and their Duresses and even sideboard Ray of Revelations can deal with the Maze. It's decent hate, but it is far from an autowin.

-John

The phrase "Epstein's Mother" is from the American TV show "Welcome Back, Kotter", I believe. I forget actually which years the show ran, but it's rather old.

Great article. I like the deck and am going to start bringing into my testing group... It seems like a nice surprise to play at an American tournament.

-John

Superjoint Ritual is sooo gooooood...

Good things about 2004: Getting power (5/10), graduating High School, not dying in Kalamazoo, getting my tournament match record vs. EITD to even (2-2), quitting Everquest, and not dying in general.

Some bad things: Not going to enough concerts ( I missed Metallica, Offspring, Alice Cooper, Godsmack and countless others...), doing poorly first semester at college, and not getting ANY New Year's Eve  

In 2005, I would like to go to far more concerts and big events, get out to at least ONE Waterbury, not die, and aid EITD in his quest to annoy JDizzle.

-John

@xrobx: The first brainstorm doesn't always find Oath... Gibbons are a big threat, especially if there's a 'clamp on them. And about the Colossus idea, that is a very poor plan. You can race Oath, so why give that up? Yes, Oath can just win, but so can R/G. Skullclamp sucks if they give you a token EOT, which happens a lot. Sometimes it'll buy you a turn, but that doesn't matter, because you can no longer race them... and why DSC, anyway? Oath's beats fly, and bounce comes in from the wishboard. Echoing Truth is a versitile answer, and one that there's no reason not to play. Also, why Artifact Mutation?

Diceman is right in saying that Elvish Lyrist is good. A turn slow, but definately hot. Problem with that is, it's weaker against other decks than a different creature that would go in that slot. However, if you expect lots of Oath, it sounds solid. Then again, do you guys see lots of Oath? I'm the only one I know of in my area, and the deck seems like it's not seeing much play. Is it out in force enough to worry about?

-John

Oath plays lots of wastes... Maze isn't great. It stalls for a few turns, but against R/G, Wastelands just chill out waiting for something juicy to take out... I don't like wasting Taiga's myself, as R/G still runs decent off few lands, while Oath likes mana to cast and defend Oath, draw cards, etc.

Blood Moon is alright... But Oath runs Wish and at least four basics, sometimes more. I feel that it just doesn't do enough.

Incoming bad suggestion: Duplicant?  :shock:  He costs six, but he'll tank that Akroma any day. He's expensive, but he *may* be testable.

I still think the best plan is to try and race, which you can do if Oath has a slow hand... Hidden Gibbons are especially nasty against Oath and should be considered for that matchup. Turn one Gibbons means that I have to force it or turn it one with my Brainstorm... and I really want to do neither of these.

I would still say that the match isn't as bad as some think. Test it a lot and you'll see what I mean.

-John

As an Oath player who has tested this matchup, I thought I'd chime in with what I've seen.

Nick is right in saying that R/G can race Oath. Kird Ape gets nasty very fast. Rancored Boas get nastier. If the R/G player plays Skullclamp, which is fairly good combined with the wasting of the Orchard, then things turn to shit real fast for me. I should also add that my main draw spell is Skeletal Scrying (normally we have a meta full of combo & control, heh), so R/G can make scrying painful very fast. However, R/G flat out loses to turn two Oath with backup. I'd say the matchup is even-ish, depending on the competency of the player. waSP is correct in his assessment of the "average" R/G player's skills. Case in point, my opponent would have won the match certainly if he was a little bit better. I don't mean to insult anyone here, I've played Nick before in a tournament and I know him to be a rock solid player who knows his deck.

Regarding Bridge, Oath plays Cunning Wish, or at least it should. Oxidize seems good. Stick with beats. No wrong threats, only wrong answers, and believe me, an Oath sb is full of wrong answers to this deck if you can avoid the early Oath of Doom.

If anyone would like the list of the R/G I play against, please PM me.

-John

Hehe, dead animals are tech...

I once traded a not so mint Ancestral Recall and a DCI 'Tog for a double signed Recall with UFO's drawn on it. It's freakin awesome.

So I should have a Chinese Foil Mind's Desire coming in the mail soon... =) Go eBay!

Think 30-ish bills is a decent deal for one?

-John

Mint Recall for 250 half a year ago was pretty good... Yes, EITD owns that now... Course, the two moxen I got for it weren't too shabby.

330 for an Alpha Sapphire which was turned into 450 to pay for car bills wasn't too bad either.

I don't really get too many insane deals, I just seem to have a habit of making 100-ish bucks off every piece of power I buy and sell...

Oh, wait... mint Workshop for 40 =)... That was actually h0t.

On the subject of pimp stuff aquired from me, I still have those damn Guru lands... hehe.

-John

Regarding directions, make sure you know where you are going, and approximately how long it takes to get there. Hell, if you can and the place isn't too far, make a practice drive there. Showing up late to a tournament and having five-ish minutes to sleeve up and register definately screws up your day.

I'm always a nice guy to my opponents. Unless someone is a serious jerk to me, I'll let them replay an obvious mistake.

Remember, play to have fun. If you're playing just to win, get bad luck and start 0-2, then you'll be pissed the rest of the day. If you're playing for fun, then you'll likely be in a better mood, and may be one of those x-2's that Top 8's. When you lose, don't be too pissed. I hate to make an obvious jab at T2 players, but the level of both maturity and general friendly-ness (great scientific term there) is much higher in Vintage than at the Type 2's I've been to.

-John

Agreed, Aether Spellbomb doesn't work well vs. Pristine Angel. Spawning Pit seems a little tougher to work around, luckily, I haven't seen Workshops around lately.

Also, I've had a couple matches (one DeathLong and one Aluren  :shock: )
that were absolutely retarded because both of us were playing Orchards. JDizzle can back me on this; those matches are just nutty.

I've been thinking about Intuition a lot lately. I've got a single copy in my build atm... Do you think that multiple Intuitions have any merit? I find them great for grabbing Oath or Orchard, or an Instant speed FoW tutor.

Do you find Chalice enough to stop combo? I've been bringing in Platinum, too, but it doesn't seem like enough. Any thoughts?

John

DragonShield Purple or KMC Super Blue...

I have used Gunmetals on occasion, they work pretty well, but don't shuffle as well as the Dragonshields. Plus, Purple 'Shields look damn hot.

John

That plan sounds pretty good. After some more Dragon play, Platinum is indeed what works. I hadn't thought of Ray in my own sideboard, even after a lengthy discussion with EITD about it and throwing several into the SB of my friend's Dragon deck.   Oh well, in one goes.

My only remaining issue with this deck is concerning its future. How long do you think the deck will remain viable? I know currently its definately teir 1, but with the recent exposure this deck has gotten, could the hate pile up and cause it to be unplayable? I'd like to get your thoughts on this.

John

I definately agree that mulliganing correctly is a huge part of this deck. The difference between my scrubbing @ Kzoo and my much better play two days later was definately due to a LOT more practice with the deck. I do have a question, though. EITD and I were talking about sideboarding for Dragon... Any suggestions? I have been in the past taking out the two MB creatures for the single Plat Angel in the side. It works, but it is slow as hell. Is there something better that I'm just overlooking??

John

After some serious playing with the deck, I've made a couple of changes to it, the most significant being cutting the Daze and replacing them with Aether Spellbomb  :shock:  It's been treating me great. Dragon has to play around it, it makes Tog irritated, it's great in the Oath Mirror, and generally saves my ass in random matches. Worst case, it cycles, which is never bad. I also threw a single Intuition in, and it is an amazing complement to DT. It can grab Oath, Orchard, Waste, and a bunch of other stuff.

Your call on cutting Iridescent from the SB was definately correct; I haven't found a need for two non-Swords-able creatures, though I must say Pristine is the bomb.

That's all for now

John

Yes, I did get the God Draw game one and close to it game two, so the first match could've been luck. I did, however, beat both Josh and Mark with Tog and Slaver respectively, so I don't know if I have that much luck with me. Maybe Oath is decent after all  

Hope to see everyone at Pandemonium next Monday

John

I ran BHWC Oath, or Oath w/ Black, and I was playing Chris round one when he went NUTS with Desire for 11 then Yawg's for Desire for 23  :shock:  I got owned.... HARD.

But it was still awesome.

John

What a tournament! The thing was well run and a blast to play in. I ran BHWC Oath with a slightly different mana base, swapping the LoA for the fourth Delta. I won't post a list or a report, as I ran into Tendrils combo the first two rounds while my deck decided to give me FoW but no blue cards...    Ah well, the tourney was still awesome, and everyone should go next time.

John

This probably going to be locked for lack of discussion, but I will offer some quick points:

1) Cloud of Faeries is pretty bad in this deck. Sure, he's a free 1/1 most of the time, but those slots are probably better used as something that will either help you control the game or beat your opponent faster.

2) No Mana Drain? You may have a reason for this, but I think that you should consider it if you want to play this deck. Draining into an Extraction or Twist, for example, is fairly strong.

3) Shadowmage needs to go. Ophidian is used because he can be drained into easily. Shadowmage needs two colors early, which can be problematic.

That's all I'm going to say for now, as though there are multiple issues I have with this deck, I feel that the next post is going to be a Moderator lockifying this post.

Anyway, hope I helped a little.

John

5 proxy, too... You always forget that, hehe

John

the TO is @ work right now, so I'll post...

5 proxy included in entry fee, with $1 extra per proxy for each beyond five.

John

Here is deck breakdown as far as i know, maybe the rest can fill in some gaps...

2 FCG
1 U/G Oath
2 R/G Beats
1 Sligh
1 Ankh Sligh
3 Dragon Combo
1 Rector Trix
1 Iso-Keeper (i think)
1 U/G Oath
1 GAT
1 other random red deck (RDW?) I dunno, Russ played it...
1 Crushing Chamber
1 Parfait  
2+ U/R Fish
1 TPS
and there may have been another R/G and a U/G Fish, but my memory is kinda hazy... Anyone else have better stats? I know this wasn't it...

John

Tournament was a blast. I split playing Rector Trix, with only a pearl and emerald as my power... Go budget hehe. I won't clutter the thread with a list... Anyone who wants it, throw me a PM. All I'll say about it here was that I ran Tinker/Colossus as alternate kill for Fish, etc., and it was bloody amazing. Iron Giant ownz.

Anyways, a brief report on matches:

Round one: Russ with something red...

Game 1: I mull to six and go first turn Tinker for Colossus... He concedes before he gets a turn =(

I side in a couple BEB's as he dropped a mountain while shuffling...

Game 2: First turn Black Vise drops me to about 12 before I tutor up the Tinker and beat down his board of Mountains and Monkeys.

1-0 (yay)

Round two: Scott (Raptor) with budget BUG D4rgon

Scott is a close friend that I regret having to play, but them's the breaks.

Game one: I Duress and Therapy him a fair amount, leaving his hand emtpy and mine quite full of counters and tutors. Soon I grab Colossus and beat him down.

I side in usual D4rgon hate, bringing in Tornod's Crypts and Seals of Cleansing  

Game two: We toss Duresses back and forth for a while, but he draws nothing while I grab myself a Bargain. He concedes when I drop Crypt and a Seal and show multiple FoW

2-0

Round three: Bob with FCG

Bob is cool and his deck is mad foiled. I am scared.

Game one: I ward off his early Goblins and drop a Rector which gets Bargain. From there, I combo off without too much trouble.

In come the BEBs...

Game two: He overruns me, and though I get another Bargain, I don't draw enough and succumb to the beats.

Game three: He is color screwed and drops Wastelands and Artifact mana. Sensing an opening, I tutor up Tinker and grab Iron Giant, who swings for the win in two turns.

3-0

Round four: Jay with something like Iso-Keeper...

We ID

Round five: Sean with MAD foil Ankh Sligh

We ID

At 3-0-2, I am fourth seed after the Swiss. Awesome.

Top 8: Nick with metagamed R/G

Nick is cool and his deck is also incredibly pimp. He complains about having to face Rector with R/G... I'm actually worried about facing him, heh..

Game one: He drops some Kird Apes, I drop a Rector. I Force a Boa and try to go off. I find an Illusions and two life and Donate/Seal for the win.

In come the BEBs...

Game two: I get murdered. Two Root Mazes followed by Null Rod and FOUR strip/wastes send me packing to game three.

Game three: I have a much better hand for this match, and go Turn one Rector. I get Bargain next turn, and its over.

I breathe a sigh of relief and turn to watch EITD and Razer51 duke it out. It was intense and mad fun to watch. EITD wins and I have to play him. *gulp*

I've played him twice in previous tournaments, one with Gay/R and once with U/G Madness, and his D4rgon has stomped me both times. Oh well, here goes...

Semis: Ben (EITD) with D4rgon

Game one: We throw disruption back and forth for a while, he has a Swarm while I have a Bargain but am at low life and am not finding usefulness. Eventually, he pitches a Dragon and tries to draw. I draw a couple cards, realize I can't do anything, and say ok.

In comes the hate: 4 Negators, 2 Crypts, 1 Seal, 1 Echoing Truth... maybe I have a chance...

Game two: We disrupt eachother again but I drop my hate faster. I counter his threats and Negators go all the way.

I should note at this point that we were both playing very technically and carefully, announcing every phase and each priority pass. We were having a blast doing so, much to the dismay of the spectators (including my GF, who really wanted to leave). At some point during this game, Ben asked me if I had "any lurid acts to perform on his upkeep." At this point, play had to be delayed because I was laughing so hard. Greatest Game evar.

Game three: More of game two. My disruption and hate gets to him, and he draws nothing. In the end, Negator and Rector go for the win while I seal his last ditch animate on a Verdant Force.

Revenge    Ben was, as always, mad cool to play against and this match was the highlight of the tournament. Thanks for an awesome round.

Finals (yay): Sean with his Sligh

We split, he takes the LoA, and I take cash and the packs to cover my expenses for the weekend (Scrubbing out of a $20 entry T2 really hurts).

F Con was awesomely fun, and I'm definately going next year.

Props/Slops time!

Props:
Everyone I played. You all were awesome.
Foundation Games, for holding a decent Con
My GF, for not killing me after and 8+ hour tournament
Team Gone Fishin' and its entourage, you guys rocked.
the Okemos Burger King, for being awesome
Razer51, for being generally cool and for awesome Judgin'

Slops:
That little red haired kid who would not stop offering to buy cards even after being told several hundred times not to. I worked for a dealer, and we lost huge money setting up, and here's this kid, buying cards FOR MORE than what my boss was selling them for... Christ.

Oh, and the annoying Type 2 players... God I love Type One...

Well, thanks to all who came... There should be a Mox tournament in the Detroit area soon... I'll post info as to when/where...

Peace all

John

Yay, looks like I'll have some healthy competition. I'm going and at least two of my crew are coming with. It's gonna be hot.

Also, for anyone who doesn't know, Okemos is like, 10mins or less east-ish of Lansings, perfectly accessible by I96.

Hope to see y'all there

John

Heh, I forgot about the Landstill turning black for edicts... and the fact that he brought crypts with him... Still, for how much the T.O. was raving about Dragon owning everyone in the face, one would have thought there would have been many more players ph34ring the DARgon.

And yes, you did play me first round   . The BEB wasn't meant for you actually, it was for the FCG I never got to play.  

Hope you owned at Pandemonium. One of these days I'm going to have to take a crew up there. It sounds like it's a blast  

John

That tournament was the hotness, even though I scrubbed out playing borrowed U/G Madness. Mad congrats on the bazaar! Nice to see Dragon win again. I gotta say, even though Dragon was really expected to make a huge showing, NOBODY packed hate... Not even me. Forgetting Tornod's Crypts at home = not tech   . Actually, I stand corrected. The 11 year old kid who Stomped (literally) most of the good players (namely, J-Dizzle and myself) was packing hate. Revenge for madness  

For all those interested, there will be another tournament in the upcoming months. It could be as soon as something like three weeks. The prize will be a card of similar if not better quality. These tournaments are really awesome, there's an A&W a couple buildings down and a candy store right next to it. Awesomeness. Thanks to all who came out, and to those who couldn't, hope to see you next time!