Type One, I love this format!
Carl Van Leathem was holding his 7th Sanctioned Vintage Extravaganza on Sunday (03/25/07) at his store Black and Gold Sports
http://www.blackgoldsports.com/ in Littleton, Co. It’s a nice store and perfect for holding tournaments, lots of room to play, drinks and snacks readily available and a strict policy of no drinks allowed on the tables, which is fantastic, who wants Mountain Dew flavored power?
The Colorado Crew was almost in full force, missing only one member, Josh.
I have been playing Grim Long consistently for the last few months and combo variants off and on for the last year or so. The sheer strength of the deck and utter brokenness factor are too good to pass up and once again, I break out the Rituals for this event.
* Of note sleep deprivation and Vicodin (no I’m not a druggie, per say, I tore my ACL in half) have contributed to the over all accuracy or lack thereof of this report.
Here is the version of Grim Long I played:
Tutors3 Grim Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Imperial Seal
1 Burning Wish
1 Tinker
Disruption 4 Duress
Utility 1 Time Walk
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Regrowth
1 Chain of vapor
Draw 1 Yawgmoth's Bargain
1 Mind's Desire
1 Time Twister
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Windfall
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Memory Jar
1 Necropotance
4 Brainstorm
Win 1 Tendrils of Agony
Mana4 Dark Ritual
2 Cabal Ritual
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
1 Lotus Petal
2 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Gemstone Mine
4 City of Brass
1 Tolarian Academy
2 Underground Sea
Side Board:
1 Balance
1 Hull Breach
1 Tendril’s of Agony
2 Empty the Warrens
1 Hurkyls' Recall
1 Rebuild
2 Elvish Spirit Guide
3 Xantid Swarm
1 Platinum Angel
2 Tormod's Crypt
Round One:
Heather Gable - My Beautiful Bride. Colorado Crew and the cutest woman I know.
Affinity
Man, I drive for an hour and end up playing my wife; I can do this at home. We call Carl out for always pairing the Colorado Crew up so we are forced to knock each other out. He feels embarrassed for being caught in the act and re-pairs the whole tournament due to this.
Okay so in reality one of the deck registrations was missed and the re-pairings go up. I end up a table away from my bride.
Round One B.
Jason
Control Slaver
Game One:
He wins the roll and is on the play, he opens up with a blue dual and passes. On my first turn I go for broke and drop CoB, Sapphire, Pearl, Simian Spirit Guide x2 and Time Twister which he promptly FoWs. I Vampiric Tutor for Wheel of Fortune, mana burn and pass the turn. He does nothing of consequence and passes. I Wheel into the win and end up casting Tendrils with a storm count of 12.
Z – 20, 19 CoB, 18 Burn, 16 VT, 15 CoB
J – 20, 19 FoW, -5 ToA
SB: ? I can’t recall if/how I boarded this match.
Game Two:
I mulligan down to 6, he keeps his grip.
I believe he opens with another blue dual and passes. I drop City of Brass, pitch Simian Spirit Guide Sol Ring tap both and cast Wheel of Fortune, he Force of Wills again! I brainstorm into Yawgmoth’s Bargain and play a Gemstone Mine then pass. Turn three I Dark Ritual, off CoB, use the Sol Ring and Mine to play Bargain. It resolves. My life is 17 I draw 13 card taking me to 4 leaving enough life to Grim Tutor. I don’t recall the specifics (this involved the usual Rituals, Moxen, Lotus, Tutors, Duress, Yawmoths Will etc…) but end up with a storm of 30 and at one point Imperial Seal for a key card and draw it going to 1 life and win from there.
Z – 20, 19 CoB, 18 CoB, 17 CoB, 13 Bargain, 8 Bargain, 5 Bargain, 4 Bargain, 2 IS, 1 Bargain
J – 19 FoW, -41 ToA
Round Two
Travis Spero, Vintage World Champion, Colorado Crew, Double Drain of the Mana Drain, DJ and I think he saved a baby from a burning building, once.
Gifts
Game One:
Trav wins the roll and mulls to 6 then plays a fetch land. I lay CoB and Mana Crypt but don’t have much gas and therefore Windfall for five not much in my new hand besides Tinker. Travis plays a land and passes. I Tinker into Mana Drain and Trav converts this into Gifts Ungiven Y.Will, Lotus, VT, MT I give him the tutors and he goes off shortly afterwards.
Z 20, 19 CoB, 16 Crypt, 15 CoB, 14 CoB, -0 ToA
T 20, 19 Fetch
SB: + 2 ESG – 2 SSG; + 3 Xantid Swarm – 1 Necro, Mystical Tutor, Time Walk
Game Two:
I mull to 6, Trav down to 5.
I open with Duress, GT, C. Rit, CoB, CoB, Mana Crypt. I Duress seeing FoW, Time Walk, Demonic Tutor, Tendrils and a land. I take the FoW and pass. He plays a land and passes back. I decide to cripple his hand by playing a land and Crypt and plan to Grim Tutor for Duress to seal the deal and win the top deck war before he can pull any shenanigans. I Duress and see another FoW I pull this. Trav plays another land and passes. I lose the Crypt roll and draw a Duress! I fire it off pull the Demonic Tutor and pass. Trav is slow rolling this game, I believe he pays another land and passes. I rip Grim tutor cast it and he Mana Drains… I pass and Travis uses the mana to Gifts for the win. Looking back I should not have GT for that duress and played more aggressively. Things could have been different. In addition The last Duress I played, I had the mana to cast Memory Jar vs. the Duress looking back that would have been the correct call.
Z- 20, 19 CoB, 18 CoB, 15 GT, 12 Crypt, 11 CoB, 8 Crypt, 0ish ToA
T- 20
Round Three
Jim Gaffney – Colorado Crew, Godot of TMD
Dredge
Game One:
He wins the roll and mulls to 6, I keep my 7.
Jim plays a turn 0 Leyline. On the play he drops Bazaar draws two and discard some dredgers. I Vampiric Tutor off a CoB for a Time Twister. Jim Dredges,. I cast Sapphire, Ritual, Twister, back floating draw 7 then Ritual, Cabal Ritual, Land, Sol Ring, 3 black 2 colorless and a gemstone mine untapped. Cast Ancestral Recall into ToA and jank. Cast GT for Lotus and Tendrils for the win.
SB: +2 Tormod’s Crypt; + 1 Platinum Angel, +1 Empty the Warrens
Z – 20, 19 CoB, 17 VT, 16 CoB, 13 GT
J – 20, 0 ToA
Game Two I keep my 7, Jim mulls to 6 plays a turn 0 Leyling and a turn one CotV plus Bazzar. Dredges. Draw and am stuck w/ moxen in hand, play a Mine and pass. Jim brings Ichorid back, dredges plays a Bazzar, Dredges, and passes. I Imperial Seal off my Mine for Chain of Vapor and am tapped out, Jim Dredges, Dread Returns his Ghoul and Swings for more than enough.
Z- 20, 17 Ichorid, 15 I.S. less than 0 Sutured Ghoul
J – 20
Game Three
I’m on the play and keep, Jim mulls to 6.
Turn 0 – Leyline of the Void
I play CoB, Tormods Crypt and pass, cast Ancestral during Jim’s upkeep he plays Bazaar and Dredges. Turn Two I play Wheel of Fortune Mine and Mana Vault and Grim Tutor for Lotus then burn for two. Jim Dredges some. Turn Three involves Rituals, Crypting Jim’s Grave, Lotus, Demonic Tutor and Yawgmoth’s Will.
Z – 20, 19 CoB, 16 GT, 14 Mana Vault, 13 Vault
J – 20, 0 ToA
Round Four
Anthony
Control Storm Combo w/ dark Confidant.
I win my first roll of the day! I also keep my 7 as does Anthony.
I open with a Lotus Petal, Ancestral, He FoW’s, I then play Tolarian Academy and Mana Crypt then Time Twister and pass. Anthony uses the legendary rule and kills both Academies plays some moxen and a Dark Confidant. I play CoB and Brainstorm. Anthony Swings w/ Bob and plays a land. I GT for Lotus (w/ Demonic Tutor in hand) and pass. Anthony Swings w/ Bob and plays Ancestral lays a land. I take 3 from the Crypt and Duress away a Mana Drain then combo out w/ Lotus, Rit, DT, Yawg Will etc…
Z- 20, 19 CoB, 17 Bob, 16 CoB, 13 GT, 11 Bob, 8 Crypt, 7 CoB
A – 19 FoW, 18 Fetch
No sideboard.
Game Two
We both keep.
Anthony Plays an Underground Sea and passes. I play Underground Sea and Imperial Seal which is FOW’d. I play Mana Crypt, Simian Spirit Guide x 2 Wheel of fortune and burn. He VT EoT, then plays a land and Dark Confidant. I lose the roll and take damage from the Crypt. I can Grim Tutor and risk getting it countered this turn or bait w/ Ancestral. I bait and he FoW’s. I pass he take 1 point from the Confidant. Casts ritual, Pedal, land, Mox, gets his storm up to 5 tutors with exactly 3 black floating and plays Y.Will he then plays ritual from the grave, I ask with what mana? And he goes white as he realizes his math was off and hast to use the petal from the gave for the Rit, he eventually plays VT again and is not able to go off. I combo out the next turn FTW.
Z – 20, 18 IS, 17 Burn, 14 Crypt, 11 Crypt, 9 Bob, 7 Bob
A – 20, 19 Fetch, 18 FoW, 16 VT, 15 FoW, 15 Bob, 13 VT, 12 Burn -0 ToA
At this point I am 3-1 there were 24 players so 5 rounds then cut to the top eight. I am looking forward to a draw and doing some trading before the next round. Standings are posted. I’m in 7th place, pairings are posted and of course I am paired down, boo!
Round Five:
Christopher
Bobomberman
Chris is 2-2-1 with only seven points a draw does not guarantee top eight at all so we are playing it out. Trav walks by and says to avenge his loss in the swiss as Chris took him down, I guarantee the victory.
I loss the roll and mull to 6. He keeps.
Chris plays Underground Sea and passes. I play CoB, Brainstorm and pass, he VT EOT.
Next he Waste’s my City. I play a Sea and Duress taking…? He plays a Fetch land and passes. I Ritual, Ritual, GT, Lotus, Yawg Will, replay it all get ToA and win.
Z – 20, 19 CoB, 16 GT
C – 20, 18 VT, 17 Fetch -0 ToA
No sideboard
Game Two:
I keep my Grip, he mulls to 6.
He plays a Dual and passes. I play CoB, Duress seeing 2 Island, Wasteland, Kitaki Wars wage, and a Flooded Strand.
He plays a land and Kitaki.
I Play something like U. Sea, Black Lotus , Mana Crypt, Dark Ritual, Ancestral Recall, Windfall for 5, Sol Ring, Rit, C. Rit, Grim Tutor, Burning Wish, ToA.
Z – 20, 19 CoB, 18 CoB, 15 GT
C – 20, -0 ToA
I kept my word and avenged Trav’s lose. The Top Eight is called and I am in second place.
Here are the standings (okay I’m only listing top 9 of 24):
1. Carl Van Laethum 12 pts. Stax
2. Zach Gable 12 pts. Grim Long
3. Lou Christopher 11 pts. Colorado Gains
4. Travis Spero 10 pts. Mean Deck Gifts
5. Brennen Cook 10 pts. Dredge
6. Scott Limoges 10 pts. Ritual Gifts
7. Leo Rubio 10 pts. Goblins
8. Chris Holl 10 pts. Control Slaver
9. Bob Yu 9 pts. Mean Deck Gifts
Top Eight
Leo Rubio
Goblins
Game One:
I am on the play and mull to 5, having no idea that Leo is playing! He mulls to 6.
Turn One I Duress and see Pile Driver x 2, War Chief, Fanatic, Plateau, Shock Land Plateau. He plays Fanatic and passes. I Ancestral and pass, He plays Shock land and Pile Driver and swings. I play Lotus Petal and Demonic Tutor for Burning Wish. He plays Warchief and swings. I Burning Wish for Balance. He plays Pile driver and kills me.
Sideboard:
- 4 Duress, + 1 Balance, + 2 EtW, + 1 Platinum Angel
Game Two:
I am on the play and Mull to 6, he Mulls to 4.
I play a land and pass. He does the same.
I play a land, Dark Ritual, Grim Tutor, Black Lotus, Duress, SSG, DT, Y.Will, Lotus, Ritual, Empty the Warrens storm 9. Pass, Swing, pass, Swing win.
Game Three:
We both keep our opening grip.
He is on the play and plays a land then passes.
I play a Mine and VT.
He plays another land and a Pile Driver.
I go off on turn two with Ritual, Lotus, Demonic Tutor, LED, Yagmoth’s Will in response crack the LED for black, discard EtW, ToA and Mind’s Desire. Play LED, Lotus, Ritual, DT, Mana Crypt ToA for the win.
Leo is a bit upset that I went off on turn two on both of my wins and says he didn’t think I would do it so fast, he shows me his Orim’s Chant that he was holding whist tapped out. Thems the breaks.
Zach Gable CC (Grim Long) def. Leo Rubio (Goblins)
Lou Christopher CC (Colo. Gains) def. Scott Limoges CC (Ritual Gifts)
Travis Spero CC (Mean Deck Gifts) def. Brennen Cook (Dredge)
Chris Holl (Slaver) def. Carl Van Laethem (Stax)
Top 4
I play Lou and Trav plays Chris. The Colorado Crew took 3 of the top four spots and we all agree to a 4 way spilt. The Crew and I all promptly head over to a little dive sports bar across from the mall for beer and burgers to celebrate.
A few quick notes re: the deck. I made a few small changes:
- 1 Xantid Swarm – 2 Elvish Spirit Guides + 1 Burning Wish + 2 Simian Spirit Guides and – 1 Forbidden Orchard + 1 Gemstone Mine.
Over all I was very happy with the Simian Spirit Guide and Burning Wish main deck. It was nice to have the extra utility and additional win condition not to mention the red mana for Wheel.
I did deplete all the counters off the Gemstone Mines a couple of times but it never was a problem and I was happy not to have the Orchard tokens beating me down all day.
Lion’s Eye Diamond was HUGE and I would recommend it to anyone considering the deck.
For a full list of Top Eight deck lists please see the Black and Gold Sports Web Site
http://www.blackgoldsports.com/7th%20Vintage%20Extravaganza.htm Props:
The entire Colorado Crew - Heather, Scott, Trav, Bob, Lou and Jim. Good Times.
Carl - Great venue, another excellent tournament. Thank you.
Brennen good job on the top eight.
Slops:
Josh - What is this work before Magic? Come on man!
Jim – You left too early, you coulda stuck around for beers.
The guy with the hat that was supposed to trade with me and left… weak.
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). What time do you guys play at on Thursdays? 
proxies. Feel free to promote this event at Hobby Town, you know we do the same from you. 
). 
