As I will officially be here this time I would like to invite anyone that has a Peasant Highlander deck to bring it!

For those that don't know what the format is:
http://www.peasanthighlander.com/Rules.html

I'm not really sure about the whole metagame for the event. I do know that I played grow for my last 3 matches before splitting with Paul. That and Tez in some form seemed to be the most popular. I know that there was also a dredge deck and shop but I don't think the top 8 is missing anything important. As for a play by play I didn't really keep track other than a few of the major plays against the grow team.
Dead on board and I rip a brainstorm into TV/Key
My opp. Dies to his own bobs. 6 life revealing daze and tendrils. I then went on to win the deciding game to make the finals. These were a great couple of games and props to my opponent for being a great sport.

Also round 1 against Josh Morford was great. Game 2 he was able to win out from under a first turn Trinisphere with Ad Naus Tendrils.

For those of you that have one, bring your Peasant Highlander Deck.

Twaun, I hope you bring something a little better this time around!

Next time you have a thought keep it to yourself.

Finally another Pittsburgh event. It has been way to long since I played competitive vintage. It really is nice to play in this environment. The place is really clean.

I will certainly be supporting the Maize and Blue at Saturday's event.
Steve, didn't you go to Ohio University? I'm fairly confident that OU is a completely different school than "the" Ohio State University.
I have no idea about your law school though so shed some light or did you just grow up a fan?

Actually maybe I will make it  and have the win condition be goblin game!

And Steve it is a shame that you won't be there. It would be fitting if you were beaten by someone wearing a Michigan jersey.

What a perfect time to break out this list. I'm not sure how it kills yet though.
4 Leyline of the Void
4 Pithing Needle
4 Tormod's Crypt
4 Relic of Progentis
4 Yixlid Jailer
Xx Swamps

I've been toying around with different builds of this and I think that a UW verion could be doable.
4 Master of Etherium
4 Thirst For Knowledge
4 Frogmite
3 Ethersworn Canonist
3 Cranial Plating
4 Force of Will
4 Thoughtcast
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
1 Tinker
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Balance
1 Darksteel Colossus
4 Ancient Den
4 Seat of the Synod
1 Tolarian Academy
5 Mox
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Mana Crypt
2 Island
1 Plains
3 Flooded Strand

I hadn't really thought about the SB much but there are certainly enough blue cards to support FoW.

It also goes against the typical ravager/disciple kill in favor of a more controlling game plan and winning with either the master or just the small beats of canonist and frogmite.

I also wanted to fit Tinker in there which I like to use as an auto include in any blue deck. Still not sure how good it is just yet in here as I haven't tested it out fully.

"This weekend" was actually intended to point to the weekend of the tournament and not "this coming weekend".
I can see the misunderstanding though. And you know very well that I'm not looking forward to this coming weekend as you and I both have to work.

I can't wait for this weekend. If the same thing happens that did last time prize support is going to be incredible. Certainly going to be a spectacle with Smoke and Guns next door!
This really should be a good time. Certainly one of the best venue's that I have played in.

It is ok. You did loan me the massacre that sat in my hand for 26 turns in our second match. I won't completely let you off the hook though. You can just pay for my share of gas next time!

Wish that I would have been able to make this one. I heard the prize support was great. Does anyone have a tournament write up or a general break down of the meta? I would also like to hear how the Finals went down if anyone cares to write it up.

I feel like this is moving away from the original idea which to me seems like a good idea. Now it seems that it has become an affinity build with sensei-sensei as an alternate win condition.
I also think that cranial plating is not a win more card. It is a win card. Something that gives a creature at least +7 can speed up the clock by at least a turn or 2 which is extremely important in vintage when you opponent can rip just the card they need in order to win that extra turn you gave them. In this deck with all artifacts it almost becomes a Time Walk for 3 colorless mana.

Surprisingly I noticed this after I picked my icon!
What a wonderful idea. Especially since my dad had prostate cancer.

I just wish that they would have had the foresight to actually produce them in foreign languages. These are a really good way to introduce new players and I really feel that overseas markets are where it is going to happen at this point. Plus that fact or fiction is going to stand out like a sore thumb in my all Italian deck but that art is so much better.

Playing for my first top 8 at a MDO. I had an active crucible and played thirst for knowledge at the end of my opponents turn. I had Academy, and Island, and a fetch already in hand. I ended up pitching Mystical Tutor and Fact or Fiction or something like that. During that same game I also countered a Yawg Will when I had a Tormod's Crypt on the board. I still won the game but it took a lot longer than it should have.
*Jitters*

Also at worlds this past year it was my second tournament and I was paired against ichorid my first round. He won the roll.
Turn 1 (him): Bazaar (activate)
Turn 1 (me): Lay Strip Mine. Pass.
Turn 2: Activate on Upkeep proceed to win.

Not sure if that was correct but he did get another activation because I passed the turn. 

Leyline of Singularity also does not stop Flash. Well it doesn't stop the Reveillark kill at least. That deck needs 2 mana. That is it. Leyline would only stop that deck if the opening hand was Sapphire - Sapphire. In that matchup you would be better off holding the leyline for force of will and why on earth would you ever want to hard cast that junky enchantment.

In my case it was a little bit of not wanting to give away everything and just plain not remembering.

Anyway the tournament was fun and I was really glad that we were able to split so I could get home earlier than 1am. I would certainly do another one as it was close and well run.

Will here and this is my first tournament report by request.

Well I did not really take the greatest of notes (none in fact) so most of this will be from memory. Sorry for the lack of actual plays, mistakes, or decision trees. Unfortunately I have tweaked the SB multiple times since this tournament so I can’t really give the whole list. I do know that my Ichorid package has stayed:
1 Tormod’s Crypt
2 Yixlid Jailer
1 Trinisphere
3 Pithing Needle

I really like these cards as they don't just stop Ichorid. 90% of them are good for other match-ups as well. It seemed to do the trick. I’ll get to that with my round 4 opponent.

Round 1 – Steve Menendian with TPS

He wrote a really good write up of this match so mine won’t even be close since he had pretty clear knowledge of my hand the entire time thanks to duress. My opening hand was:
Force of Will
Force of Will
Island
Mox Emerald
Mystical Tutor
Echoing Truth
Tinker

I won on the back of tinkered Colossus hitting both of his lands. Game 2 he just could not find a Tendrils and died to mana burn after getting more storm than he ever could have needed. We talked about this pretty extensively after the match and there were just so many different lines of play that it just felt like there could have been a better way to play it without killing himself.  I was repaid for my luck in my next match. What goes around comes around…

1-0
Round 2 – CJ’s Mono Blue stompy
This just is not a good match-up for me. He swamped me with card draw. I seem to remember him getting A. Call both games in the first 2-3 turns. I lost to Sea Drakes never really seeing any business.

1-1
Round 3 – Ellis with Keeper
Ellis rode with us in the car from Pittsburgh and him and I talked at length about which way to take the deck. He ended up playing the older version of my deck that utilized what we referred to as MegaZord. It is the 3 card combo of Crucible of Worlds, Fastbond, and Zuran Orb. I felt that this was a bit fragile and kind of clunky although he did say he was able to assemble it a couple of times. This was the most frustrating game of magic that I have ever played. Knowing his entire deck I completely over-thought every play. I ended up winning game 1 with Triskelion and a ‘Goyf overwhelming him with better card draw and digging power. Impulse is far greater than Strategic Planning in this deck.

Game 2 was the stalemate of the century as we both were able to play Sundering Titan and I managed to bounce my own Mana Crypt to stay alive and push the match to turns taking the win. I think I took about 12 damage from my crypt in 5 turns while he took none. I should have taken him to a craps table after the way he was rolling the dice this game.

2-1
Round 4 - ??? playing Ichorid
Ichorid does what it does game 1 and rolled over me.

Game 2 I sided in my whole package and was lucky enough to open with this hand:
Polluted Delta
Pithing Needle
Tinker
Mox Emerald
Mana Crypt
Regrowth
Island
Here is how it went down. Fetch for Underground sea, play mox, play Pithing Needle naming Bazaar, Tinker (Crypt -> Trinisphere). Go. I think he just passed. I dropped my island and played the Yixlid jailer that I had just drawn. That pretty much ended things. I did manage to find Yawgmoth’s Will eventually and Tinker for Triskelion just in case though : ) About midway through this game he confessed that he did not have any artifact hate.

Game 3 we ended up drawing to turns. Shuffling Ichorid just takes forever…..I would have won this one as well but I just could not get anything big enough to really kill him in the time that we had. He went down to 4 cards that didn’t have a Bazaar. I think he showed his hand and it was 2 Nacromoeba and city of brass and bayou to play them for blockers. His plan at that point was just to stall it out since he could not deal with the hate.

2-1-1
Round 4 - ??? Belcher
I played my opponent at Worlds in Chicago a few months ago and we talked about it while we shuffled up. I was playing goblins and game 1 managed to get a turn 1 Lackey that stuck and managed to win that one despite his turn 1 Trinisphere in response. He also managed to get the sphere turn 1 in both game 2 and 3 as well. It was crazy.
Anyway, game 1 he managed to just “go off” after winning the die roll. I could not manage to find a Force of Will in the top 14 cards (He played Wheel of Fortune).

Game 2 it was payback time. Turn 1 Tinker into Trinisphere. I can’t really remember what I won with but I don’t think he ever really got to play a spell.

Game 3 was much of the same except I managed to get a Pithing Needle on Charbelcher. Again can’t remember what I won with but it could only be Goyf or Sundering Titan as I think I sided out the Triskelion for this one.

3-1-1 On to the top 8

Mark Trogdon
This is the 4th time that I have played Mark in the only 5 tournaments that I have been to. He beat me in my first ever Vintage game but ever since it has been one sided. I don’t think he has taken a game from me. Sorry, Mark.

He hates my deck and it is not a favorable match up. In both games I managed to out draw and out counter him.  Game 2 I had a turn 1 Tinker for Crucible with Strip Mine in hand. He did manage to provide some pressure early with a Dark Confidant that was being very nice to him with Moxen and Lands then decided to slap in the face with a FoW the turn after I was able to get Sundering Titan into play. I was able to resolve Ancestral Recall and Yawgmoth’s Will in both games and Time Walked into the Top 4 after a saucy Impulse out of the yard.

In the end, we decided to split the prize since most of us had to get home for work or school. I'm glad that I didn't have to play any of the Oath SBs that were out there since I feel that is unfavorable. My top 4 opponent was my round 4 opponent so I think I had the upper hand in games 2 and 3 but still a risky match. Thanks for splitting.

Impulse was an all-star and Ellis agreed that it was better than the Strategic Plannings that he was running. Impulse is also just a bit cheaper. : )

I was going to name it P.M.S. or the Paul Mastriano Special because of his help with this particular build on the ride out but in the end I'm still searching for the right Urban Dictionary entry. Sorry again about the lack of a true sideboard but I think that those are the only cards that have stayed the same. I think there was a Massacre in there and maybe a Hurkyll's Recall or Rebuild. Sorry : (

Figures that I would have to post right under another Will. I played mostly casual for a really long time and also was in Beta for MTGO when it was still free. It was much better that way. Then I started working with the current Vintage World Champion and he convinced me to try out Vintage. At first, I was reluctant to because of the initial cost to the format but all in all it has not been horrible. My alias in is spite of the three people that convinced me to come back to the game that I have gotten out of 3 different times.
I just started playing competitive Magic and have really enjoyed it. I am mostly joining for the tournament reports since most of my deck building occurs in the multiple hours that I waste at work talking about decks and everything else magic with Paul and Brian.