Did you even look at his deck list? it has fetches, dual lands and sideboard mana.  Making it similar to the mana base of a fish deck...  He can easily get 4 mana games 2/3.

Hey Tom, it ain't strixin' if you got it.  Congrats to the top 8!

You are correct.  However, in order to find U/W Landstill's match % in a top 8, it has to be there right? That was my point.  Sorry for not explaining it properly.  Just stating that it seems to almost always be the U/R or U/R/x that is out performing the U/W.

Edit: Also why would you play a deck that is "known" that you have never seen win an event?  Seems like setting yourself up for some fail.  Or nut hands all day.  I see no middle ground.

There are plenty of ways to turn 1 a Thalia without a Black Lotus.  Lotus Petal, Moxen, Spirit Guides, they all exist.  Now it can be end of discussion.

Just for argument's sake, the meta game that will be making up roughly half of Vintage Champs this year hasn't shown a U/W Landstill list winning an event in it as far back as I can remember.  U/R/x on the other hand is a force in the meta. 

And for the actual topic of this thread:

A G/W Hate Bears list can be made without Lotus with no problems.  You can replace it with a number of utility lands and not worry about rolling out those Stony Silences with a deck that doesn't want to be stuck with cards in hand.  It can be very well tuned for the meta that you expect and I have played it both ways and you don't need the lotus.  Oh and a monkey can pilot it! 

In a creature heavy meta that Vintage currently has, a sorcery speed steal spell is not even close to playable.  Yes it says 'permanent' on it but 2 of 3 of your examples were creature problems. And if you steal a tapped time vault, how are you going to untap it?  And if it's untapped they will just tap in response, no?  If you need to play a bad 1 of, play Act of Aggression.  It does the same thing 75% of the time and its instant speed if you need it. 

Here is a link to the playmat for first!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10100241751255729&set=a.568764554499.2114218.38811013&type=1&theater

We can have them for you Mike.  Let me know how many packs you need before Tuesday!    

@ Wagner, You are absolutely correct.  My comment however was directed towards him personally as I know him and he plays at my store. I was advising him to do something that I feel would help him in the grand scheme of things instead of him wasting his time and money.  Obviously the game needs innovation.  Next time I will send him a text or something. 

Keeping with the topic however,
Matt I found this list for you that is something like what Lance was saying.
http://www.morphling.de/top8decks.php?id=1582

It still has slash panthers but they can be replaced.

I just spit Soda when I read that last one Gottshall. Slash Panthers are being put to sleep. I agree with Nick though for the changes, i'm not a fan of the swords in Stax.  And currently, you are going to want an easy way to deal with flyers.  Lots of Trygons and Delvers running around these days.  If you don't like Dismembers, then maybe Razormane, Triskelion, or Hellkite.

OR (now this might be a bit crazy of an idea) you could take a deck that has been tested and tuned and use that. Martello Shops is a great deck.  Nick's Espresso list is a great deck. These lists are very easy to find.  Copy/Paste/Practice.  Instead of constantly buying and selling your stuff, get the cards to play 3 Shops lists, have them all sleeved the same, and that way you can pick and choose depending on the current Meta.

Not exactly sure why you think you are going to break the format with your Omen Machine or Ankh of Mishra ideas.  If it was going to work, it would have been done by someone already. (And don't say it works on Cockatrice...)

The Food Guy has been closed since February Glackin.  Sorry!  We do have a lot more snacks now that we have a space twice the size, however it is not even close to a replacement. 

In this order:

1. Shawn Griffiths       - How is the defending champ not an auto-include?
2. Mark Hornung       
3. Josh Potucek
4. Matt Elias
5. Rob Edwards

I watched that match streaming Vito, was pretty brutal for ya haha.

you are correct... it IS better main decked.

I feel like a deck with this many legends could possibly use Survival of the Fittest.  Just a thought. You don't have to wait a turn to use it like Fauna Shaman.  It works better with Teeg than GSZ does.  Gets you whatever you need instead of sitting on that 2nd legend copy.  I also feel like 4 Thrun is too many in this list. 

We also have acquired another Artists of Magic limited edition signed playmat for a door prize.

I love A1.  (TPG LOVE)

Also he is 100% correct.  In any given Vintage event, a chalice at 2 basically ruins your day.  And more likely than not you are going to see that happen.

If you read the quote you quoted Storm it clearly says that I in fact DID NOT get a stony silence on board.

And if a deck that is main decking 4 engineered explosives beat me game one, do you think it is a good idea to BOARD OUT the silences?
Also, the artifact hate in my deck wasn't good against it b/c he never played it in a position he would have to have it sit.  Only played it when he had the sac mana open.
I'm pretty sure that I am completely right in my decision to keep the stony in game 2...  Not sure about your logic in any of this... It's pretty cut and dry.

I was never able to get a stony on board. The deck had so many counters. And he always had the mana to pop the explosives right away or he didn't drop it.  Very tough to deal with.

@ Nick Since you love German Cards, check out this alter of Blightsteel I just did for myself by German Surrealist Max Ernst!  I wanted a German version for this but could not find one before my next SCG Event.


I know you said you dont like most alters, but since I do it for a semi-living I have to at least try!  =)

Just got 2nd at a 22 man event with this list:


Second – Brandon Brown
“Cat Jesus Beatdown”

4 Elvish Spirit Guide
3 Mental Misstep
3 Tarmogoyf
1 Noxious Revival
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
1 Black Lotus
4 Path to Exile
3 Stony Silence
2 Beast Within
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Qasali Pridemage
2 Gaddock Teeg
1 Scavenging Ooze
2 Nature’s Claim
4 Kataki, War’s Wage
4 Wasteland
3 Horizon Canopy
4 Forest
3 Plains
3 Savannah
1 Strip Mine
2 Ghost Quarter

SB:
3 Ravenous Trap
4 Surgical Extraction
1 Mindbreak Trap
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Dismember
4 Leonin Arbiter

I got completely hosed in the final to a good player playing Landstill w/ Engineered Explosives x4 main.

After playing I would take out the Scavenging Ooze for the 4th Tarmogoyf, and turn the 2 beast withins into 1 more Noxious Revival and 1 Green Sun's Zenith.

The deck played solid all day. 
Here is the link to the tourney report:

http://www.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=43851.0

Thanks to Josh for that ass kicking in the finals... =p  Engineered Explosives is a house currently.  I had a lot of fun though. 
Thanks to everyone that came out to our Bad Weather Open.  We appreciate it and hope you had an awesome time too!

Ryan,

Still depressing, not 95*.  We froze the AC unit that week haha.  And the food place assured me he would be open.  As far as women, all the college girls are back for class this weekend so maybe , just maybe you'll see some females other than the granny mall walkers... =) 

I'm feeling an overestimation on the snowfall... considering it was supposed to snow 3 hours ago and hasn't...

This is my list.  I since have taken out the Tangle Wires and i've gone to 3 main deck Null rods.  I then Added a 3rd Jester's Cap and 2 Duplicant in the sideboard, removing a Pithing Needle as well.  This deck has been very consistent for me.  It is a deck that if you know how to mulligan you can get great, consistent results.  At my last tourney I actually tried 3 Gut Shot in the side and found them to be quite useful but just not good enough over other options.  Hope this helps.

The Columbia Mall! Where the magic happens... and that's about it!

So who is winning this Mox Ruby?!  I made a new deck so probably not me.

We also acquired a playmat signed by Daarken that will accompany the Mox Ruby for first!!! Certificate of authenticity included.   Door prize of a Blightsteel Colossus altered card will also be handed out!  Come out for this fun event!
 

*Door prize may be a different altered card of equal or greater value/playability.

Yes we do!  And actually we are open 3-9 m-f.  You can find us on Facebook!  Just search The Players Guild.  The shop is in the Columbia Mall.  We do FNM, Super FNM, Monthly modern, Monthly Vintage, Sealed League, Commander, Ascension, drafts and standard.


On a Vintage note, 11/26 I will be giving out a full art altered Japanese Blightsteel as a door prize.  I sold one of these at SCG Baltimore for 50$.  Very nice door prize if you don't have a foil one!

To thank you all for coming out to our September event,  I am also providing first place in October with a hand painted japanese Black Lotus replica.  There will also be a full art altered Blightsteel Colossus as a door prize.  If that isn't your thing, my alters sell for a decent amount these days so you come out ahead regardless!  Anyway,  this is my way of saying thank you for supporting Shawn and I and our recently acquired retail location.  We have come a long long way since June, and your continued support is greatly appreciated. 

I will be posting photos of the cards as soon as my commission pile is cleared and I can complete them.
If you would like a preview Modflyalters.blogspot.com has most of my SCG Open work as well as some commissions.

Thank you again,

Brandon
The Players Guild
Bloomsburg, PA