Hey all,

My friend is currently trying to trade up from a basic Forest from 4th Edition, to an Alpha or Beta Black Lotus.  He is basing his idea from the guy that has/has been trying to trade up from a red paperclip to getting a house (?).  Currently, he has come very far, the collection for his cause having an approximate value of $550.  Once he gets the Black Lotus, he will auction it off, and donate the proceeds to St. Jude's Children Hospital. 

His website, containing the cards he currently has for it and his contact information, can be found here:  http://onebasicforest.blogspot.com

Duress, hands down.  It can't be Misdirectioned, and can figure out if you need to waste that 2 life to pull a more prominent threat, such as Protean Hulk, or Meddling Mage, etc...

Personally, I think that Thoughtseize, while being extremely powerful in some key matchups and other formats, somewhat lacks in most decks in Vintage.  The lifeloss is key here, as everyone has pointed out, it fuels combos more largely.  I could see it being run as a 2-of accompaniment to a set of Duresses in GAT, but never taking the place of.  In a deck such as Fish, it may take the place of Duress, or be just the same 4/2 split.  Really, it boils down to a metagame decision.  It's strong against Flash, and Fish, but against almost every other deck, it is a Duress that you have to pay 2 life for. 

What: 2nd Annual Twin Ports Con
When: November 2-4, 2007
Where: Robin Goodfellow. 23 N. Lake Avenue, Duluth, MN
Website: www<dot>tpgconvention<dot>com

Events:

Friday (November 2nd, 2007):

1. Type 2 Entry fee: $10 Prizes: Lorwyn Boosters, based on the number of entries. Start time: 6 P.M.

2. Lorwyn Booster Draft Entry fee: TBA Prizes: Lorwyn Boosters Following Type 2.

Saturday (November 3rd, 2007):

3. Magic Main Event: 10* Proxy type 1 (players will have the option of purchasing up to 5 more proxies, for a total of 15, for $1 each.) Entry fee: $25 1st Prize: BETA MOX SAPPHIRE 2nd Prize: 4x Force of Will First and second prizes guaranteed. Others based on attendance. Start time: 11 A.M. Registration beginning at 10 A.M.

4. 5 Color Worlds Qualifier Entry fee: $10 Start time: following the main event Prizes: Franky, Chaos Orb, TBA
Saturday/Sunday (November 3rd or 4th, 2007)

5. Un-Draft: Unhinged, Unhinged, Unglued booster draft. Entry fee: $10. Prizes: Unhinged/Lorwyn boosters Start time: Midnight, Nov. 3rd.

6. Lorwyn Drafts as there is interest. Entry TBA Prizes: Lorwyn Boosters


Non-Magic events include:

Heroclix, Warhammer, Bloodbowl, Roleplaying , and more!

For more information or to preregister, email combogamer@yahoo<dot>com

I agree.  Any opening hand with Duress in it and being able to play it on turn one in vintage is great.  If nothing else, you go: fetch a Underground Sea, play Duress, pass the turn, next turn: draw, and, depending on what you draw and what they play,  Mystical Tutor on their EOT for an Ancestral Recall, then get it through with MisD/whatever you draw.  Remember, you don't need your draw to be a land, it can be any mana-producing card.

wow this is an extremely clever list! in fact, if flash gets restricted, i may end up testing with this.

I've tested against goblins between matches at FNM last week, the latest build, most explosive, etc. etc. and I lost twice to it in 10 games.  Somehow, I don't think I'm underestimating goblins.
The high # of mana sources works quite well, especially to help ensure that you combo off ASAP.

The SB hasn't really been the result of hours upon hours of testing, it just came with the deck (my friend figured that this would be perfect to get me into some vintage, and he was right). A Chain of Vapor in the MD will most likely turn into a Revered Silence, since within my test group i have goblins with MD Leyline, Sui-Black with MD Leyline, <insert deck here> with MD Leyline. Truly, the only matchup I haven't tested against is probably the hardest one for any deck right now, and that's GAT.

Currently, after SB, PoN is a free counter, if I side in the Tinker/Plat. Angel, and the Predator is sometimes good against Oath (I haven't tested it much against it, but you can usually just counter Oath, so the Predators are looking more and more like they're getting cut in favor of possibly Sudden Death, R&D, or something better).

Alright, that's too bad then. lol...Anyways, what answers does Sui-Black and Goblins have? If i can remember right Goblins can go with pitching a red card and dealing 4 damage as chosen (can't remember the name right now), and Sui-Black might be able to go 1st turn swamp Dark Rit, Hymn, and possibly Extripate if they Hymn a combo piece. I've been playing around with Research//Development in the SB, just in case that happens, and the Goblins answer can be easily countered, although I've also been considering a Winged Sliver to fly over opposing fields of Goblins. But, here's my list as of now.

// Lands
   2  Flooded Strand
   1  Island
   2  Polluted Delta
   4  Tropical Island
   4  Underground Sea
// Creatures
   1  Elvish Spirit Guide
   1  Heart Sliver
   4  Protean Hulk
   4  Virulent Sliver
// Spells
   1  Ancestral Recall
   1  Black Lotus
   4  Brainstorm
   2  Chain of Vapor
   1  Demonic Tutor
   4  Flash
   4  Force of Will
   1  Lotus Petal
   1  Mana Crypt
   3  Merchant Scroll
   1  Mox Emerald
   1  Mox Jet
   1  Mox Pearl
   1  Mox Ruby
   1  Mox Sapphire
   1  Mystical Tutor
   4  Pact of Negation
   3  Summoner's Pact
   1  Time Walk
   1  Vampiric Tutor
// Sideboard
SB: 2  Seal of Primordium
SB: 3  Trygon Predator
SB: 1  Echoing Truth
SB: 1  Krosan Grip
SB: 1  Tinker
SB: 4  Leyline of the Void

I'm not sure if there's any threads open about this new particular Flash variant, but one of my good friends taught me the tech of Slivers in Flash. (Here's a hint, they become hasty and swing for 20 Poison, all with a total CC of 6!!) It frees up many slots dedicated to all the pieces of Kiki-Jiki Flash, only needing 5 cards for the kill.  This leaves tons of room for more counters/draw, and is more consistent.  More combo pieces = more of a chance to have too many of them in your hand.  I've tested both versions extensively, and a Hulk Flash deck that runs Slivers instead of Kiki-Jiki, Carrion Feeder, Karmic Guide and Body Snatcher, is much, much more consistent.


I'll post my list if someone can figure out the Slivers needed!!

Well, I've been looking around for some place to start off, and I guess here's the place.

My name is Brandt, and I have a problem.....I'm addicted to the cardboard crack that is Magic: the Gathering.
It all started about a year and a half ago, I'd buy a booster here and there, and then eventually I caught myself buying power singles, such as Rav duals and the like. I was just recently shown the light that is Vintage, and it is good. My playgroup and I started testing Type 1 decks a few weeks ago, and I was hooked harder then any other format.

Um, I think this is pretty good for now, thanks for listening!