Not many details yet.   But there will also be an old school side event. 

It hasn't really been firing unfortunately.  I'm thinking about trying to get something more like quarterly for bigger prizes to drive some attendance.

Played this last month and had a blast!  Took it down with TPS. 

I should be going regularly and have a few spare decks.  If anyone is interested let me know and I can loan you something.

How's this going?  I'm moving to Houston in a few weeks!

I'll jump on a random team with you guys!

Also had a great time even though I scrubbed out hard!  Looking forward to the next one!

I had fun!  But I was also 4-0 so it's tough not to.

The last one was Landstill.  And yeah top 4 was all shops. 

Is this gonna happen on April 3rd? If so I'll be there!

> In what circumstance and what deck would you be playing that would want this more than Mentor, considering the on switch is exactly the same.

I agree, this is tough.  The only thing I can think of is that it could come down earlier than Mentor so some of your early Preordain, Moxen, Gitaxian Probe and the like will trigger it.  Also the 1 mana CC is a little easier to get into play vs Workshops. 

These seem more like fringe benefits and corner cases though.  Mentor is just much more powerful when it hits the board.  It could be played alongside it though too. 

edit: The only other minor thing I can think of is that this would be playable in combination with Balance where the Mentor has much less synergy.  You can use the Balance as a Wrath and then come through with your beater. 

Ahh man.  I can't make the 20th.

Is this happening on Friday?  I've got some shit to do in Boston this weekend anyway so I'll be there if it is!

This was a great event last time!  I'll be there!

Mana Crypt?  With a Tundra it's another way to get a T1 Mentor out.  Could be a good addition to the mana package. 

I also agree that the Young Pyromancers might be too much.  3 is almost certainly too much.  You really only need one of these guys to stick, so I'd rather carry extra activation spells like another Preordain and possibly Gitaxian Probe. 

1 main deck Dack Fayden might be worth a look too.  His looting effect can help you get rid of non-triggering spells, and he's a bomb against shops (which I'd imagine can be a tough matchup for you). 

I'm thinking of coming down from CT for this.  Anyone interested in carpooling?  Not feeling that drive alone. 

I voted from CT and would attend.  Doesn't seem like too bad of a drive for me.  Since you didn't specify I'd only be able to make weekend ones and probably inconsistently. 

I don't think I can make it this time unfortunately.  I'll likely be there in March though!  I'm sure you guys won't miss having another Shops deck in the room though.

How many people usually make these?  I can't make this Saturday (got Pats tickets!!) but I want to make some in the future.  It's just kinda a long drive from Northern CT.

Had a great time at this!  Hoping to make more in the future even though it's a bit of a ride for me.  Nothing like playing sanctioned Vintage though. 

Also agreed about the buzz, quite a few drafters wandered in and were watching us.  My favorite was one one unexpecting kid who had wandered in let out an audible "Holy Shit!" when I dropped 2 Moxen out of my opening hand.  I think he had thought we were drafters too.

Yeah I don't board out my Spheres against Delver either.  Lots of times Delver gets stuck on 1-2 lands and a Sphere or two can keep them silent for awhile while they dig for land. 

> If there wasn't enough reason to play white over green in delver builds here you go.  Lateral and horizontal growth in the same card.  The only thing possibly limiting it is its mana cost.


That's exactly what I was thinking for it too.  WUR Delver could be pretty sweet.  Or maybe even make it UW and bring in Stongeforge Mystic?

Thanks for the insight!  I think you swayed a few of my card choices. 

Also this part is deliciously evil:

>  The 1-2 punch against those guys is Metamorph them, then Dupe them, swing in for the kill.

I hadn't thought of that one yet.  So far I've found the Duplicant just incredibly useful though.  I find myself getting it with the Forgemaster more than half the time I activate it. 

> How bout this as a test, for 8 mana is this card better than Sundering Titan or Platinum Emperion? Keep in mind both of those are artifacts that power themselves out with metal worker, work better with Lightning greaves or volt key which you will likely be using in that list, and likely work better with sphere effects that you could run with them.

Also keep in mind that since it's not an artifact you can't cast it with Mishra's Workshop or fetch it with a Forgemaster.  It also doesn't get under Thorns of Amethyst.

I agree for the most part with Mike's analysis here.  The Angler seems cool, but I don't see where it's successful in Vintage.  I might grab some for my mono-black deck, but that's a just for fun deck anyway.

Soulflayer I find pretty powerful and intriguing, but just don't see a shell for it in Vintage.  I could see it being played in a Legacy Reanimator build though.  It can get around Grafdiggers cage and sort of act as a reanimation spell. 

The Sage I seems pretty weak.  It's a full two turns slower than than Monastery Swiftspear which is a border line Vintage card already and I don't see the card draw making up for that.

Roland,

Thanks for the write up!  I'm just getting into shops running a very similar build (but a very different sideboard) and I've quickly fallen in love with it.  Mind if I pick your brain a little?

1.  Why are you running 3 Spheres and 4 Thorns?  I would have cut the Thorn first as I figure it leaves me vulnerable more vulnerable to Ingot Chewer and Delver.  Is it just so you can drop your creatures more easily?

2.  Why no Grafdiggers in the sideboard?  I've found them to be the most useful card in there.  What's your plan against Oath?  Also I had been planning to cut the LotVs, but was thinking Relic of Progenitus instead of Tormod's Crypt.  I figured the additional mana cost of the Relics were outweighed by the card draw. 

Here's the list I most recently ran.

1 x Black Lotus
1 x Mana Crypt
1 x Mox Emerald
1 x Mox Jet
1 x Mox Pearl
1 x Mox Ruby
1 x Mox Sapphire
4 x Chalice of the Void
1 x Sol Ring
4 x Sphere of Resistance
4 x Phyrexian Revoker
4 x Thorn of Amethyst
1 x Trinisphere
4 x Tangle Wire
3 x Phyrexian Metamorph
4 x Lodestone Golem
4 x Kuldotha Forgemaster
1 x Duplicant
1 x Steel Hellkite
1 x Sundering Titan
1 x Strip Mine
1 x Tolarian Academy
4 x Ancient Tomb
3 x Mishra's Factory
4 x Mishra's Workshop
4 x Wasteland

SB:
4 Grafdiggers Cage
4 Leyline of the Void 
2 Ratchet Bomb 
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Witchbane Orb
2 Crucible of Worlds

I was planning on retooling the SB to:
4 Grafdiggers Cage
3 Relic of Progenitus
1 Ghost Quarter
2 Dismember
2 Crucible of Worlds
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Triskelion
1 Duplicant

Any pointers you could give me would be much appreciated!

I could definitely make the 2nd too!  And my buddy who lives down the road would probably come too.

I'd love to!  I can't find anyplace that runs Vintage in CT.  I'd love to try to get something going.

Hey everyone!  I'm Ben.  I live in Northwest CT.  I played local Type I stuff for awhile in the late '90s/early 2000s, but quit in high school.  I decided to pick it back up this July.  I'm disappointed that Suicide Black isn't a thing anymore so my Nantuko Shades and Sinkholes are gonna keep collecting dust, but I've picked up Mishra's Workshop and am trying to get used to it.  So far I find it to be a fun deck.

Awesome!  I'll be able to make some of these! 

Now about getting all the proxies out of my deck...

Awesome!  My buddy and I are gonna come up.  How strict are you guys with the proxies though?  Is marker on a basic land cool?