To me Vintage is one card closer to its "Highlander" doom: another blue draw spell joins the restricted list...

...Enter "Restricted Blue", the (near) future of control decks:

// Lands...
// Mana artifacts...
// Usual protection suite: FoW, Drain (if available) and maybe some discard...
...
// "Standard" draw engine:
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
1 Sensei's Divining Top // it's only matter of time...
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Intuition // soon to be restricted, I'm putting myself ahead with the list!
4 Accumulated Knowledge // I hope this is beyond restriction!
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Gush
...
// Assorted broken cards...
// Some bounce...
...
// A random win condition

Once upon a time there were multiple options to play control decks:
- Hulk Smash and its kind who abused INTUITION-AK who was synergic with tog;
- Control Slaver with THIRST FOR KNOWKLEDGE  who was synergic with Welder and the big artifacts;
- Gifts with Merchant and GIFTS UNGIVEN who was better suited to win by Storm or Tinker-Colossus;
- Grow decks with GUSH who was synergic with Dryads and tog and less dependent on Drain;
plus some tier-2 decks like Bomberman who mixed draw engine and win condition in unusual ways.

Now, it's a pity that DCI cannot bring those 4 engines (Intuition-AK/Thirst/Gifts/Gush) on equal foot by well thought out restrictions/unrestrictions.
Without Ponder, Brainstorm and Merchant in 4x, I think that it's possible to simply have Intuition, Thirst, Gifts and Gush happily in 4x and see what happens.

I may be wrong but I frown at the idea that a single draw engine composed entirely by restricted cards would be the best one!

AS you may see, I don't think other colors would be helped by those unrestrictions... Wizards tries very hard to have more decks avalailable beyond control-combo, but I think they are only reducing the options among control-combo without strenghtening the other colors.
Let's face it: blue is beyond control in vintage, so let people have some choice *at least* among blue-based decks!

Greistal

So it's a meta that balances itself out somehow...

Thirst beats non-control decks, but Intuition/AK (and Remora) beat Thirst... And Intuition/AK balances itself in the mirror (not to mention that, according to you, other decks beat Intuition/AK).

I don't see a problem here...

Of course I would prefer a meta where several draw engines are available and every deck plays what fits better its playstyle and win condition.
Something like:
Thirst --> Slaver, Tezzeret, Bomberman
Intuition/AK --> Oath, "metagame anti-control control"
Gifts --> Gifts ("Storm control")
Gush --> Grow
Fact or Fiction --> monoblue
...

They are all control and control-combo decks but with many differences between them!
Maybe unrestrictions could better serve that purpose?

Greistal

Or, you may want to consider this list, who took third place at Annecy (351 people) and who is considered in Italy the most up-to-date control-combo version.

It plays Time Vault and Key but not Tezzeret; moreover, it uses Intuition/AK and only 2 Thirsts... Restricting Thirst would not damage this deck at all! 

(By the way, another strong Italian player made top8 in that tournament with a nearly identical list; I think that one used 1 Tezzeret, however.)

// Player: Tebaldo
// Name: Slow Knowledge Gift
// Tournament: Bazaar of Moxen 3 (351 players)
// Date: 03-May-2009
// Place: 3rd

4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
1 Misdirection
4 Accumulated Knowledge
2 Intuition
2 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Regrowth
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Transmute Artifact
1 Voltaic Key
1 Time Vault
1 Tinker
1 Inkwell Leviathan
2 Repeal
1 Rebuild
1 Tendrils of Agony

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

// Sideboard
SB: 3 Duress
SB: 3 Tarmogoyf
SB: 3 Yixlid Jailer
SB: 2 Trygon Predator
SB: 2 Pithing Needle
SB: 1 Sundering Titan
SB: 1 Hurkyl's Recall

Yesterday, I went to a 39 people tournament with a more traditional approach to Tezzeret (2 Tezzs, Thirsts, Colossus, red and no Tendrils).
I met two players with this version and I must say that it's very strong; I did 3 control mirrors in 6 turns (the 3rd one being Oath) and I had lots of fun, even if I made only 3-3.

I love control mirrors!
Greistal

This new wording about when you are supposed to untap Time Vault generated a rule question yesterday, as two friends of mine were playing in a control mirror.

Player A has a tapped Time Vault in play.
Player B passes the turn leaving mana open to counter or to play a draw spell in opponent EOT.
Player A announces at the beginning of turn that he will untap Time Vault and skip the turn.
As we see the rules, player B cannot use his mana to play his draw spell anytime before his next untap step, so that his mana open is wasted.

If it works that way (I would like a confirmation though), Time Vault may be nice to have in a control mirror!

Greistal

Tournament operator was on vacation. 
Top8 is out there: http://www.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=36116.new#new

Enjoy,
Greistal

Top8 decklists are out...

According to http://www.tipo1.it/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8201, they are:

1 - Agnoletti Andrea Aka Flegias - Manaless
4 Leyline of the void
4 Chalice Of The Void
3 Unmask
4 Cabal Terapy
4 Narcomeba
4 Ichorid
3 Dread Return
1 River Kelpie
1 Flame-Kin Zealot
1 Darkblast
4 Bridge From Below
4 Golgari Grave Troll
4 Stinkweed Imp
4 Serum Powder
4 Golgari Thug
2 Dryad Arbor
4 Bazaar of Baghdad
1 Angel of Despair
2 Windswept Heath
1 Bayou
1 Ancestral Chosen
60
SIDE
2 Windswept Heath
2 Tropical Island
3 Chain of Vapor
2 Emerald Charm
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Contagion
1 Sickening Soal
2 Reverent Silence

2 - Gesiot Giovanni - Goblin
4 Goblin Piledriver
4 Goblin Lackey
1 Earwing Squad
3 Aether Vial
4 Goblin Warchief
4 Goblin Matron
2 Gempalm Incinerator
4 Goblin Ringleader
1 Goblin Goon
1 Goblin Vandal
4 Mogg Fanatic
1 Goblin Archaeologist
1 Skirk Prospector
1 Goblin Sharpshooter
1 Stingscourger
3 Simian Spirit Guide
1 Lotus Petal
4 Badlands
4 Bloodstained Mire
2 Wooded Foothills
4 Wasteland
1 Strip
1 Goblin Burrows
4 Mountain
60
SIDE
4 Extirpate
3 Earwing Squad
3 Festering Goblin
2 Rack And Ruin
1 Clickslither
2 Red Elemental Blast

3 - Valerio Pisoni Aka Vale - Ichorid
4 Leyline of the void
4 Chalice Of The Void
4 Unmask
4 Cabal Terapy
4 Narcomeba
4 Ichorid
2 Dread Return
3 Pietrifield Field
1 Strip Mine
1 Darkblast
4 Bridge From Below
4 Golgari Grave Troll
4 Stinkweed Imp
4 Serum Powder
4 Golgari Thug
4 Bazaar of Baghdad
1 Angel of Despair
4 City of Brass
60
SIDE
3 Wispmare
3 Ingot Chewer
4 Chain of Vapor
4 Gemstone Mine
1 Darkblast

4 - Sanchez Ramon - Bomberman
4 Tundra
4 Island
3 Flooded Strand
2 Polluted Delta
1 Plains
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Trinket Mage
4 Mana Drain
2 Spell Snare
4 Force of Will
4 Thirst of Knowledge
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Brainstorm
3 Repeal
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Pithing Needle
3 Aven Mindcensor
3 Auriok Salvagers
2 Sensei's Divinig Top
1 Aether Spellbomb
60
SIDE
2 Trickbind
1 Serenity
3 Rule of Law
1 Chalice of The void
2 Seal of Cleasing
3 Swords to Plowshares
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Pithing Needle

5 - Nicholas Baxter Aka pdL - FishStorm.Deck
1 Flooded Strand
4 Polluted Delta
3 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island
1 Island
1 Snow Covered Island
1 Strip Mine
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Saphhire
1 Mox Ruby
3 Wasteland
1 Mox Jet
1 Mana Crypt
1 Lotus Petal
1 Black Lotus
3 Gorilla Shaman
4 Dark Confidant
3 Trinket Mage
1 Phyrexian Dreadnought
4 Force of Will
4 Stifle
2 Spell Snare
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Empty The Warrens
1 Rebuild
1 Echoing Truth
1 Brainstorm
1 Extirpate
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Tormod's Crypt
2 Toughsize
1 Fire/Ice
61
SIDE
4 Red Elemental Blast
2 Viashino Heretic
1 Extirpate
2 Duress
1 Pithing Needle
2 Umezawa's Jitte
1 Fire/Ice
2 Annul

6 - Pecorone Flavio - Control Slaver
2 Underground Sea
3 Volcanic Island
3 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
3 Island
1 Tolarian Academy

1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
1 Brainstorm
1 Misdirection
3 Strategic Planning
4 Thirst of Knowledge
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Mindslaver
1 Rebuild
1 Empty The Warrens
1 Tinker
1 Triskelavus
3 Goblin Welder
1 Fire/Ice
1 Repeal
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sundering Titan
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Demonic Tutor
61
SIDE
1 Pyroclasm
1 Jester's Cap
2 Rack And Ruin
4 Leyline of The Void
3 Red Elemental Blast
2 Pithing Needle
1 Fire/Ice
1 Platinium Angel

7 - Giacon Maicol Aka Mich85 - Long
1 Island
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Badland
4 Polluted Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire
3 Underground Sea
1 Swamp
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
4 Dark Ritual
2 Cabal Ritual
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Lotus Petal
2 Grim Tutor
3 Duress
1 Necropotence
4 Force of Will
1 Tinker
1 Brainstorm
2 Impulse
1 Yawgmot's Bargain
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Darksteel Colossus
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Ponder
1 Windfall
1 Whell of Fortune
1 Memory Jar
1 Tendril's od Agony
1 Timetwister
1 Empty The Warrens
1 Hurkyl's Recall
60
SIDE
2 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Rebuild
1 Echoing Truth
1 Darkblast
2 Pithing Needle
3 bitterblossom
2 Extirpate
2 Isola
1 Palude

8 - David Besso - Besso's Solution
1 Snow-Covered Island
3 volcanic Island
3 Tropical Island
2 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta
2 Mutavault
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Black Lotus
4 Chalice of The Void
4 Ninja of The deep Hours
2 Standstill
1 Misdirection
4 Spellstutter Spirite
4 Cursecatcher
4 Force of Will
3 Daze
1 Brainstorm
2 Cloud of Faeries
1 Time Walk
1 Ancstral Recall
1 Sage of Epythyr
3 Gorilla Shaman
1 Tarmogoyf
1 Deglamer
60
SIDE
2 Energy Flux
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Ingot Chewer
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Pyroblast
3 Tarmogoyf
4 Tormod's Crypt

If something is still in Italian, feel free to edit my post with the correct translations.

Greistal

Yes, "Fiala Eterea" is the Italian name of "Æther Vial".

7th place's Maicol Giacon played Long, according to http://www.tipo1.it/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8034:

// Maindeck
4 Polluted Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire
3 Underground Sea
1 Badlands
1 Island
1 Swamp
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Lotus Petal
4 Dark Ritual
2 Cabal Ritual
2 Grim Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 VampiricTutor
1 Tinker
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Yawgmoth's Bargain
1 Necropotence
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Ancestrall Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
2 Impulse
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Timetwister
1 Windfall
1 Memory Jar
1 Time Walk
4 Force of Will
3 Duress
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Darksteel Colossus

// Sideboard
3 Bitterblossom
2 Island
1 Swamp
2 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Rebuild
1 Echoing Truth
1 Darkblast
2 Extirpate
2 Pithing Needle

Sixth after the Swiss, he lost to Ichorid on the first turn of top8 brackets (quarterfinal).

Greistal

Unofficial results, I'm also waiting for the official results and lists.

315 players, 9 turns

After the Swiss:

1 Baxter, Nicholas 25 pts.
2 Gesiot, Giovanni 24 pts.
3 Pisoni, Valerio 23 pts.
4 Pecorone, Flavio 22 pts.
5 Agnoletti, Andrea 22 pts.
6 Giacon, Maicol 22 pts.
7 Besso, David 22 pts.
8 Sanchez, Ramon 22 pts.
---
9 Egelhof, Timm-Tobias 22 pts.
10 Neri, Sauro 22 pts.
11 Cheon, Paul 21pts.
[...]
18 Scott-Vargas, Luis 21 pts.
[...]
34 Williams, David 18 pts.
[...]
74 Chapin, Patrick 15 pts.

Based on the scattered news from the tournament, the top8 brackets and the decks played should be:

Baxter (URB)
-------------------------------------> ???
Sanchez (Bomberman)
                           -------------------------------------> Agnoletti
Pecorone (Strategic Slaver)
-------------------------------------> Agnoletti
Agnoletti (Ichorid)

Gesiot (Goblin)
-------------------------------------> Gesiot
Besso ("Fish" URG)
                           -------------------------------------> Gesiot
Pisoni (Ichorid)
-------------------------------------> Pisoni
Giacon (Pitch Long)

Split in the final.

Lots of Ichorid :/

Greistal

Mmmh... I find way more "unnatural" for Magic the existence of a strong deck who does not use mana.
But maybe it's just me.

Greistal

It does stop Gaea's Blessing, according to Laurie Cheers:


For the same reason, it does stop Krosan Tusker's cycling trigger.

Greistal

I already posted this on StarCityGames, but I see rbuehler posting here, so I will reply here also.

I really dislike when WotC "over-errata" the cards.
To me, errata should be kept to the minimum necessary to avoid the card being degenerate, by preserving every other use of the card.

Another example is Waylay. If you want to avoid the degenerate use of the card, simply add a "Don't play during EOT" clause.
Instead, they added a "Play only during combat" clause that stops a lot of other non-degenerate tricks such as playing it in your 1st Main Phase and enchanting the tokens with some Haste-granting aura.

To me the cards had other uses beyond the degenerate combo that were better preserved! For instance using it once in your opponent EOT with a Stasis or a Smokestack in play... Hell, I even played it in sideboard against Stax!

Now the card is useless.

Please, Wizards, try to save most of the uses for a card when issuing an errata!
Greistal

I'm pretty sure it does not work that way: the turn you skip is always the next, so if you tap again the Time Vault that extra turn is the one skipped.
Of course I may be wrong, I'm not even a judge, but I looked for that ruling in the past.

Is there a judge that can explain this better?... I mean another, by respect to the one of the tournament!

Greistal

Hi!
I'm the one that played the "partly-Uba" 5c-stax who took 85th place at the Doomsday. Maybe I can help explaining Italian meta.

Of course, being sanctioned, Italian meta contains a lot of unpowered decks. The amount of unpowered varies from tournament to tournament but it's between 30% and 60%, with 40-50% being the norm. The remaining decks are generally fully powered or missing at most one-two pieces of power as the prize structure rewards unpowered decks with additional prizes.
For instance, the winner of the Doomsday took a beta Black Lotus, while the best unpowered took an unlimited Lotus... And he could as well be 30th in the whole tournament! This prize structure makes unappealing playing with only one or two pieces of power; for instance, a former student of mine owns an Ancestral Recall but rarely plays it in a tournament: he plays it only if he manages to borrow the missing pieces.

I refrain from calling those unpowered decks "aggro", however. Aggro is dead in Vintage and Italian meta is no different.
70-80% of those unpowered decks take one of those forms:
- Fish, Ur or Uw, who is aggro-control (the Uw version is more widespread now that everyone is packing Tinker-Colossus as their main win condition);
- Dragon, GB or UB or even UBr, who is combo;
- Nat-Stacker, monobrown, who is a prison deck.

Take as an example this list, that is considered pretty "standard" for an unpowered Nat-Stacker:

// Lock components (18)
4 Smokestack
4 Tangle Wire
4 Sphere of Resistence
4 Chailce of the Void
2 Crucible of Worlds

// Creatures (15)
4 Arcbound Ravager
4 Myr Retriever
3 Metalworker
2 Karn, Silver Golem
2 Triskelion

// Draw (3)
3 Skullclamp

// Mana (24)
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Grim Monolith
4 Mishra's Workshop
4 Ancient Tomb
2 City of Traitors
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Mishra's Factory
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine

// SIDEBOARD (15)
3 Tormod's Crypt
3 Defense Grid
2 Culling Scales
2 Pithing Needle
2 Razormane Masticore
2 Duplicant
1 Crucible of Worlds

While it plays creatures - and can go in aggro mode - the deck at its core is a still a prison deck! The deck performs very well as it can win and even "go broken" against whichever opponent. Think about it that way... How much better is a Chalice for zero in this deck than in a fully powered one?
I was not surprised to see such a deck in Doomsday's top8... Just sleeve it and play a few games!

Yes, there are "random" decks and the Doomsday was no different... I played a Shahrazad deck in the second turn!
But if you see many unpowered decks in the top reports (people who did well at the tournament writes reports), it's because those unpowered decks are well built and played.

I Hope this helps understanding Italian meta!
Greistal

Since the list is only 56 cards I think that some Welder is missing...


In our non-proxy environment there are several unpowered decks that pack every sort of hate. To the point that some of your worst matchups are often unpowered and you have to devote a few slots to fight hate permanents such as Null Rod, Chalice, Meddling Mage, Choke, Root Maze, Kataki War's Wage, Serenity, True Believer, etc.
Those slots are in the sideboard but you need to be able to play them even in the first game.

Cunning Wish allows you to play them without cluttering your maindeck with anti-hate cards. If you don't need those answers you can just grab a draw spell from your sideboard, or something that has been removed (or that you removed for this purpose).

Greistal

I tried a list similar to the one proposed: plenty of tutors + the Gifts suite (Gifts, Recoup, Burning Wish), but I was not able to give up to the Cunning Wishes maindeck, so I played two of them (I used to play three of them, but tutors enabled me to play only two).
My sideboard is light on graveyard hate, what ended up as a problem against a Zombie Infestation deck in my last tournament sunday in Turin, Italy (I ended up 12th). I would really like to squeeze in a Tormod's Crypt in my sideboard.

If anyone is interested this was my list:

// Maindeck (60)
// Lands (15)
    2  Polluted Delta
    2  Flooded Strand
    3  Volcanic Island
    3  Underground Sea
    3  Island
    1  Tolarian Academy
    1  Library of Alexandria

// Creatures (6)
    3  Goblin Welder
    1  Triskelion
    1  Pentavus
    1  Darksteel Colossus

// Spells (39)
    1  Mindslaver
    1  Recoup
    1  Burning Wish
    2  Cunning Wish
    4  Mana Drain
    4  Force of Will
    1  Gifts Ungiven
    4  Thirst for Knowledge
    1  Tinker
    1  Time Walk
    1  Ancestral Recall
    4  Brainstorm
    1  Mystical Tutor
    1  Vampiric Tutor
    1  Imperial Seal
    1  Demonic Tutor
    1  Yawgmoth's Will
    1  Black Lotus
    1  Mox Pearl
    1  Mox Sapphire
    1  Mox Jet
    1  Mox Ruby
    1  Mox Emerald
    1  Mana Crypt
    1  Sol Ring
    1  Mana Vault
 
// Sideboard (15)
SB: 2  Red Elemental Blast
SB: 1  Pyroblast
SB: 1  Firestorm
SB: 2  Rack and Ruin
SB: 1  Pyroclasm
SB: 1  Fire/Ice
SB: 1  Hurkyl's Recall
SB: 1  Echoing Truth
SB: 1  Rushing River
SB: 1  Fact or Fiction
SB: 1  Misdirection
SB: 1  Coffin Purge
SB: 1  Tendrils of Agony

Be aware that Italy's tournaments are not proxy, so Gorilla Shaman does not shine like it does in United States. Cunning Wishes are better.
IMHO, with the Gifts suite and three colors Colossus is better than Titan.

Bye,
Greistal

...and what about using Kobolds instead of Faeries (or in addition to them)?
I would also play Skullclamp in such a deck!

Bye,
Greistal

We have many storm combo in the form of TPS who is played by many top players and regularly find its way to top8.

In fact - in my build - I had also Chalices in side.

My friend, who top8-ed with the build above, was paired with 1 TPS and won 2-1.
Keep in mind that Jester's Cap is strong against Italy's TPS recent U/B and U/B/g versions who only play three win condition (sometimes with a single Cunning Wish for Brain Freeze as a forth) and no Burning or Death Wish.

Against TPS we've found Sphere of Resistance to be better than we thought initially. While in theory they can go "Land, Mox, Mox, Mox," in reality they have many difficulties going off under it, and must bounce it.
This makes SoR somehow similar to Trinisphere. A plus, by respect to Trinisphere, is that Rebuild costs 4 under SoR and that SoR is not dead in multiples.

Also we found that a non-artifact lock component is required. I used to sideboard Rule of Law, but we now use Chains of Mephistopheles.
Maindecking them is a metagame call, like Kevin said, but it was right in that Blue-based metagame (less artifacts after Trinisphere restriction).

@Clown of Tresserhorn:
I find Wire useful also against counter decks. They must counter it unless they accept to be unable to use their precious Mana Drains for the next few turns.

@Vegeta2711:
My friend lost the final against an Italian version of Bird Shit called Pink Shit. To be sincere he was very unlucky, drawing almost every mana source in the first match and a weak hand on the second.
I still think that if the match would be played another 10 times he would win at least 7 of them. His sideboard is especially suited to handle blue and creatures.

Greistal

In the meanwhile, I've played a version of 5C-Stax in a 126 people Italian TAL tournament going 5-2. A friend of mine piloted a slightly different build to second place.

Here's what he played:

// Lands (20)
    4 Wasteland
    1 Strip Mine
    4 Mishra's Workshop
    1 Tolarian Academy
    4 Gemstone Mine
    4 City of Brass
    2 Mirrodin's Core

// Artifact Mana (8)
    1 Sol Ring
    1 Mana Crypt
    1 Mox Emerald
    1 Mox Ruby
    1 Mox Pearl
    1 Mox Sapphire
    1 Mox Jet
    1 Black Lotus

// Creatures (8)
    4 Goblin Welder
    1 Karn, Silver Golem
    2 Triskelion
    1 Sundering Titan

// Colored Spells (9)
    1 Vampiric Tutor
    1 Demonic Tutor
    1 Balance
    1 Ancestral Recall
    1 Tinker
    3 Chains of Mephistopheles
    1 Seal of Cleansing

// Artifact Lock (15)
    4 Smokestack
    3 Tangle Wire
    3 Crucible of Worlds
    1 Trinisphere
    4 Sphere of Resistance

// Sideboard (15)
SB: 2 Fire/Ice
SB: 4 Swords to Plowshares
SB: 2 Seal of Cleansing
SB: 2 Rack and Ruin
SB: 2 Jester's Cap
SB: 3 Choke

The deck requires more colored mana that he found in Mirrodin's Core. I did not play them with a more traditional build, but I did not top8.

Bye,
Greistal