610-277-7251 is the phone number for the store that the event will be held at.  Someone else has already given you the address and directions.  I suggest if you have questions or need directions, you call the store.

Why in the world wouldn't we?  People have a full month to make new decks.  Just because it isn't a popular set of restrictions doesn't mean we shouldn't use it.

Philip Stanton used to do cardwise breakdown of the Vintage metagame on a monthly basis over at SCG, but I think he has long since stopped; much of the information to compile your own list is available at Morphling.DE.


There's often primer threads in either this forum or the Open forum that explain deck choices and, sometimes, even rationales for why the deck has evolved in the direction it has.


I can only speak for myself, but I have found that I am finding myself in one of two places:
 a) Short on mana, as Mono-R Workshop Aggro drops one of their 8 or 9 Sphere effects to lock me out of the game.
 b) Short on targets, as if the Mono-R deck has threats but no disruption, they're in a relatively poor position (as the format seems rather heavily geared towards combo at the moment) and as such, I'd rather have a threat than a reactive spell to deal with their mostly-unproblematic artifacts.

And I am also of the opinion that Rack and Ruin's heyday was during the Trinisphere Era.  When all your spells had to at least cost three, you may as well play the three-mana artifact kill spell and get the most out of it; with Trinisphere restricted, you often get essentially the same (and sometimes more) use out of an Ancient Grudge, as the artifact kill can be spread out over multiple turns, doesn't require a second artifact in order to use, and works even if you've pitched it to the bin for some reason.

Oh, and (at least in the Philadelphia meta), Stax seems to be mostly missing from the meta -- whether that's because it's inferior to other strategies, or because people locally just choose not to play it, it simply hasn't been in any position of dominance locally for a while.

Good luck!

I think I'm either missing part of the story here, or you got lucky.  You freezed him for six and the sixth card was DSC.  Did you also hit the Tinker?  Because if all you hit was the DSC, then he needn't have scooped.  Rule 419.9a states that (barring self-replacement effect) if two or more replacement effects attempt to modify the way an event (going to the graveyard) affects an object (DSC) or player, the affected object's controller (he) chooses one to apply.  Then the other effect applies if appropriate.  However, as he could apply the DSC replacement effect first and the Leyline's second, the Leyline could have no effect.

So if you freezed 5 useless cards and the DSC just got shuffled back in, he'd probably resolve the DT getting Tinker, then Tinker for Colossus, leaving him at 3 cards in library -- or two if he needed the extra turn in there.  Then he passes the turn, it comes back to him, and he'll have either two cards or one card in library.  Swinging in for 11.  Then he draws for next turn, and ends up with either one or zero cards left in library.  Swing for another 11.

I might be wrong, but I'd think that Deez Naughts would get creamed by decks playing 4x Tin Street Hooligan.

Just to be comprehensive, here's the link to Mike's next tournament.

Hope to see you all there, without Flash decks! 

An interesting thing to note, though, is the metagame breakdown.  There was an overwhelming presence of aggro decks, and a higher-than-usual turnout for decks that'd fall more under "combo" than anything.  It felt like there was no control decks there whatsoever.  It, no doubt, had an effect on the Top 8 results.

Sorry for the delay in posting lists, but I got confused about the T8 standings.  It turns out that I had just confused the two Justins in my list.  First prize was a Mox Jet, second was Bazaar.  It was 35 players, 6 rounds, cut to top 8.

1st - Jeremy Beaver (TTS+Doomsday+Gush)
2nd - Juan Sanchez (Flash, Reveillark)
3rd-4th - Ryan Glackin (RG Beats)
3rd-4th - Justin Navickas (Gush Storm)
5th-8th - Justin Morford (Flash, Reveillark)
5th-8th - Jason Jones (Flash, Reveillark)
5th-8th - Mark Weiner (RG Beats)
5th-8th - Paul Mastriano (Flash, Reveillark)

And the meta breakdown is as follows:
6 Flash (Reveillark)
5 Tyrant Oath
3 Long-ish Variants (1 w/ Desire, 1 w/ Gifts, 1 Normal)
2 Empty Gush
2 Tropical Storm (1 w/ Doomsday, 1 w/o)
2 Bomberman
2 UWB Fish
3 Red Workshop Aggro
3 RG Beats
2 Control/Welder (1 Comboish, 1 Chalices)
1 Ichorid
1 RB Goblins
1 UBG Fish
1 RB Burn
1 Suicide Black



And finally, the top 8 lists:


Jeremy Beaver – Doomsday TTS?  I dunno. – 1st
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Volcanic Island
2 Island
2 Tropical Island
3 Underground Sea
2 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta
1 Mana Crypt
1 Black Lotus
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Imperial Seal
1 Doomsday
1 Necropotence
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Regrowth
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Fastbond
2 Misdirection
3 Merchant Scroll
4 Gush
4 Force of Will
4 Brainstorm
4 Dark Ritual
4 Duress
SB
1 Sundering Titan
1 Jester’s Cap
1 Tinker
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
2 Red Elemental Blast
2 Energy Flux
3 Tarmogoyf
4 Leyline of the Void


Juan Sanchez – Flash (Reveillark) – 2nd
3 Flooded Strand
2 Tropical Island
2 Underground Sea
3 Polluted Delta
3 Island
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Reveillark
1 Mogg Fanatic
4 Protean Hulk
1 Misdirection
1 Chain of Vapor
3 Merchant Scroll
4 Brainstorm
4 Pact of Negation
2 Ponder
1 Carrion Feeder
2 Thoughtseize
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Body Snatcher
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Body Double
1 Lotus Petal
1 Vampiric Tutor
2 Summoner’s Pact
4 Force of Will
4 Flash
1 Time Walk
SB
1 Echoing Truth
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
2 Trickbind
4 Reverent Silence
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Tinker
1 Platinum Angel
1 Darksteel Colossus


Ryan Glackin – RG Beats – 3rd/4th
4 Kird Ape
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Magus of the Moon
4 Mogg Fanatic
4 Seal of Fire
2 Stingscourger
4 Tin Street Hooligan
4 Skyshroud Elite
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Aether Vial
1 Black Lotus
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Ruby
3 Skullclamp
1 Forest
2 Mountain
1 Strip Mine
4 Taiga
2 Wasteland
2 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
SB
3 Ancient Grudge
3 Pyroclasm
4 Pyrostatic Pillar
1 Stingscourger
4 Seal of Primordium


Justin Navickas – Gush Storm – 3rd/4th
3 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
1 Library of Alexandria
2 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
1 Volcanic Island
1 Island
1 Snow-Covered Island
1 Darksteel Colossus
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Black Lotus
4 Brainstorm
4 Duress
1 Echoing Truth
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Fastbond
4 Force of Will
4 Gush
4 Mana Drain
4 Merchant Scroll
2 Misdirection
5 Moxes
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Regrowth
SB
4 Annul
2 Blue Elemental Blast
3 Extirpate
2 Fire/Ice
1 Spawning Pit
3 Trygon Predator


Justin Morford – Flash (Reveillark) – 5th/8th
1 Mogg Fanatic
1 Reveillark
1 Body Double
1 Body Snatcher
1 Carrion Feeder
4 Flash
4 Protean Hulk
4 Brainstorm
4 Merchant Scroll
2 Sensei’s Divining Top
4 Pact of Negation
2 Summoner’s Pact
4 Force of Will
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
3 Thoughtseize
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
1 Black Lotus
3 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta
2 Underground Sea
1 Island
2 Tropical Island
SB
4 Leyline of the Void
3 Reverant Silence
2 Stifle
2 Rebuild
1 Thoughtseize
3 Extirpate


Jason Jones – Flash (Reveillark) – 5th/8th
4 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
3 Island
2 Tropical Island
2 Underground Sea
1 Black Lotus
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
4 Flash
4 Protean Hulk
2 Summoner’s Pact
1 Mogg Fanatic
1 Carrion Feeder
1 Body Double
1 Body Snatcher
1 Reveillark
4 Brainstorm
4 Merchant Scroll
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
4 Force of Will
4 Pact of Negation
2 Duress
1 Misdirection
SB
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
2 Rebuild
2 Stifle
2 Reverant Silence
1 Tinker
1 Sundering Titan
1 Platinum Angel


Mark Weiner – RG Beats – 5th/8th
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Bloodstained Mire
4 Taiga
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
2 Mountain
1 Forest
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Gorilla Shaman
4 Kird Ape
4 Magus of the Moon
4 Tin Street Hooligan
3 Tarmogoyf
4 Mogg Fanatic
2 Artifact Mutation
4 Magma Jet
3 Red Elemental Blast
1 Pyroblast
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Lotus Petal
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
SB
3 Root Maze
4 Tormod’s Crypt
4 Simian Spirit Guide
2 Pyroblast
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Artifact Mutation


Paul Mastriano – Flash (Reveillark) – 5th/8th
1 Reveillark
1 Carrion Feeder
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Mogg Fanatic
1 Ponder
1 Body Snatcher
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Body Double
1 Vampiric Tutor
4 Protean Hulk
4 Force of Will
4 Merchant Scroll
4 Brainstorm
4 Flash
4 Pact of Negation
2 Summoner’s Pact
3 Thoughtseize
1 Sensei’s Divinig Top
1 Chain of Vapor
4 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
5 Moxen
1 Mana Crypt
1 Black Lotus
2 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
1 Island
SB
3 Reverant Silence
3 Yixlid Jailer
2 Pithing Needle
2 Rebuild
2 Stifle
2 Extirpate
1 Thoughtseize

I have the lists and a metagame breakdown, but the placement (like who got 1st and such) seems to be wrong, so I've held off posting it until I get more information.  I plan to have it in the next few days.

However, here's the meta breakdown for the event.  I may be wrong, because I'm trying to figure out the archetypes from the list, but here's what I came up with:
6 Flash (Reveillark)
5 Tyrant Oath
4 Long Variants (1 Doomsday-Gush, 1 Desire, 1 Gifts)
3 Red Workshop Aggro
3 RG Beats
2 Control/Welder (1 Comboish, 1 Chalices)
2 Bomberman
2 UWB Fish
2 Empty Gush
1 Ichorid
1 RB Goblins
1 UBG Fish
1 RB Burn
1 Suicide Black
1 Tropical Storm

No, I think that the $500 goes to cover the fact that he lost money on the last two or three tournaments before this one.

Basically, it's a build of Oath that seeks to Oath out their Salvager and combo out with a Lotus or LED in the graveyard... you can read more about it here: "A Better Creature Set for Oath" -- TheManaDrain Forums

Ok, here's how I understand it... the definition in the glossary for Morph says,

Had we discussed the Top before?  For some reason, that strikes me as being fantastic in your deck.

Concerning Mongrels 5 & 6, (a) How often would you suggest that you have threshold?  Do you get threshold reasonably fast with your fetches and such, or is it gradual? (b) What percentage of your opponents are playing islands?  Are those your easy or hard matchups?

I really think the Mutations should be in the sideboard generally, as I'm not 100% sure they're good in the majority of your matchups (at least in our local meta).  If you want a list for Waterbury, I might suggest including them.

I think the two cards in the maindeck should be Daze, since they have more of a psychological impact than Stifle does, if played in Game 1.  Sideboard could certainly produce Stifles for games 2 and 3 if the need arises.  I also think you should run 3 AEther Vial, as they really screw up opponents' math.

I agree that adding Wastelands would mean dropping a full color, and I don't think dropping a color just for Wastelands seems like you're gaining at all.

Overall, I like the direction that the deck is moving in.  I also think there's been some interesting discussion that could lead to other good decklists (like Madness-Clamp).

I think Jacob Orlove is referring to the fact that you can always just play sorcery-speed stuff in your second main phase so the Pristine Angel will be untapped to block.

I agree, Tinker/Colossus does seem wasted in your deck.  Did the addition of the Lotus affect anything at all?  I think 4 maindeck Aether Vials may be best, as it does slightly decrease your threat density but does allow some nifty tricks.

I think you should run Wasteland.  I also would put the basking rootwallas back in, they seem like they're pretty good in your deck.

Khahan, they do allow (nine) proxies.

While I can't speak for the original poster, I believe the reasoning is that, as an aggro-control deck in a local meta filled largely with control, producing a high level of small, obnoxious threats and forcing your opponent to deal with them is the most effective strategy.  Therefore, rather than simply using Skullclamp as a combo engine where he wants the creature to die instantly, he's using it to deter an opponent from removing a clamped creature, and giving himself more cards when his opponent does answer.


He isn't play AEther Vial either.  From what I saw, it looked like he had enough card draw in his deck as it was... whenever he was in a major bind (minus the game where he mulliganed to 4 against me), he was able to dig out of it.


With the addition of Aquamoeba, Circular Logic, and Arrogant Wurm, you've pretty much got the entire madness base there.  However, in doing so, you would probably end up cutting Kird Apes, which drops the number of red cards in your deck to 2 Lavamancer, 2 Fire/Ice, 2 Mutation, 2 Welder (SB), which I'm not sure is a great enough commitment to justify the third color.
At what point do you think the deck would degenerate into a bad U/G/r madness deck?  Is the madness deck going to benefit significantly from Clamp?  Perhaps the best route would be to scrap the red, and build a U/G madness deck with Clamp, and see what benefits/problems that has.
Certainly seems like it'd be interesting to play around with...

I have to say, Wayne, you did amazingly well with your deck, and you just had some poor luck in the finals (my topdecked Tinker for Sundering Titan was definitely what the doctor ordered).  I don't think you made any play mistakes, and your deck provided some very interesting challenges on my side of the table.

Did you side in Goblin Welder against me (CS)?  Your own Goblin Welders could have potentially hurt me (since both targets need to be legal on resolution for my own Welder to take effect).  You never saw Mutation, which is probably a good thing for me!


I can definitely say that Land Grant was a huge penalty since you were trying to play aggro-control.  The information I gained just by remembering the cards you had was a huge advantage for me.


I see that you didn't play against the GAT player at the tournament, who ended up giving me serious problems with Pernicious Deed.  How do you think your deck would fare against Deed?  I see your low mana curve, which makes me wonder if your deck would be resilient enough to recover from a Deed for 2-3.  (Obviously, you'd try to Daze/Force the Deed, but that's not necessarily going to keep it off the table)

General thoughts:
- I know you've tinkered around with it a little bit, mostly in other decks, but how do you think Glimpse of Nature would play out in your deck?  I think the extra card draw could really start to power out a big swing, but I'm not sure how much mana that could require.
- I'm glad to see you run the Serendib Efreets, I absolutely adore them.  Were the big bodies as good as I imagine they might have been, or was their mana cost too prohibitive?
- I understand that you were having problems controlling the board, but your removal base doesn't seem to be too bad.  How about adding some Aquamoebas (clamp as-well-as-or-better, still agressive) and Fiery Temper (seems like it'd be good with another madness outlet in the deck), removing Kird Apes (harder to clamp, you said) and a Land Grant (sometimes too disadvantageous)?