3CB #97 Results and Discussion/3CB Tournament #98

[Godder]

I'd like to congratulate Illissius and Technogeek as the winners of 3CB Tournament #97! Trinisphere/Upwelling/Sacred Ground was something different and got lots of entries, but was totally dominated by the Leylines of the Void and Singularity and Karakas. Next time we have one of these, Leylines and Karakas are banned! In any case, now it's back to normal.

3CB Tournament #97 Banned list:

Balance
Pox
Smallpox
Show and Tell
Channel
Mishra's Workshop
City of Traitors
Ancient Tomb
Mishra's Factory
Treetop Village
Any deck that can force the opponent to discard more than one card in a turn
Any deck that can goldfish on turn 1
Any deck that can't win if the opposition does nothing e.g. Mishra's Workshop, Trinisphere, Wheel of Torture (aka The Mise Prize)
Cards from Unglued/Unhinged

Decks:

1   Andrewpate   -   Sacred Ground Sucks   -   Strip Mine   Hollow Trees   Kodama of the North Tree
2   Elric   -   Chrono Legends   -   Karakas   Chronosavant   Leyline of Singularity
3   Godder   -   Burn!   -   Mountain   Blinkmoth Nexus   Fanning the Flames
4   Franz Ferdinand   -   Ban Me   -   Swamp   Blinkmoth Nexus   Coercion
5   Yare   -   Servitude.dec   -   Island   Control Magic   Indentured Djinn
6   Franz Ferdinand   -   Me Too!   -   Karakas   Akroma, Angel of Wrath   Leyline of Singularity
7   Technogeek5000   -   Yet Another Balance Deck   -   Plains   Restore Balance   Shade of Trokair
8   Tragedy   -   Puzzles and Sticks   -   Maze of Ith   Azorius Chancery   Ith, High Arcanist
9   Technogeek5000   -   T.E.C.H.   -   Leyline of the Void   Strip Mine   Urza's Factory
10   Yare   -   Draingel   -   Island   Mana Drain   Platinum Angel
11   Elric   -   Cthulhu Waits   -   Snow-Covered Island   Energy Field   Dark Depths
12   Tragedy   -   Ghosts Don't Like You   -   Hokori Dust Drinker   Karakas   Leyline of Singularity
13   ReAnimator   -   Storm Nexus   -   Ice Storm   Blinkmoth Nexus   Pendelhaven
14   Illissius   -   Harbinger of Change   -   Leyline of the Void   Strip Mine   Urza's Factory
15   TheOldMan   -   Prolly er1 is going to play this but watever   -   Karakas   Leyline of Singularity   Juggernaut
16   ReAnimator   -   LandStill   -   Energy Field   Blinkmoth Nexus   Faerie Conclave
17   Illissius   -   Obviously   -   Leyline of Singularity   Karakas   Mangara of Corondor
18   TheOldMan   -   Lands One More Time   -   Maze of Ith   Maze of Ith   Urza's Factory
19   Darkenslight   -   No name   -   Tropical Island   Life from the Loam   Faerie Conclave

Results:

      1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   0   1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9  Total  Position
1|   X   2   6   0   2   0   2   6   0   0   6   6   6   0   6   6   0   0   6   54   4
2|   2   X   6   6   0   2   6   2   0   6   2   2   6   0   2   2   2   2   6   54   4
3|   0   0   X   2   6   0   6   6   0   0   2   6   6   0   6   2   0   6   6   54   4
4|   6   0   2   X   6   2   2   1   0   6   6   2   3   0   2   2   2   0   2   44   11
5|   2   6   0   0   X   0   0   2   0   4   2   0   6   0   2   2   0   0   6   32   16
6|   6   2   6   2   6   X   2   2   0   2   2   2   6   0   2   2   2   2   6   52   7
7|   2   0   0   2   6   2   X   2   0   0   2   2   6   0   2   6   2   6   6   46   10
8|   0   2   0   4   2   2   2   X   0   2   2   2   6   0   2   2   0   0   6   34   13
9|   6   6   6   6   6   6   6   6   X   6   6   6   6   2   6   6   6   6   6   104   1
0|   6   0   6   0   1   2   6   2   0   X   6   2   6   0   2   2   1   2   6   50   8
1|   0   2   2   0   2   2   2   2   0   0   X   2   0   0   2   2   0   2   6   26   17
2|   0   2   0   2   6   2   2   2   0   2   2   X   6   0   2   0   2   2   6   38   12
3|   0   0   0   3   0   0   0   0   0   0   6   0   X   0   0   2   0   0   6   17   18
4|   6   6   6   6   6   6   6   6   2   6   6   6   6   X   6   6   6   6   6   104   1
5|   0   2   0   2   2   2   2   2   0   2   2   2   6   0   X   0   2   2   6   34   13
6|   0   2   2   2   2   2   0   2   0   2   2   6   2   0   6   X   0   2   2   34   13
7|   6   2   6   2   6   2   2   6   0   4   6   2   6   0   2   6   X   6   6   70   3
8|   6   2   0   6   6   2   0   6   0   2   2   2   6   0   2   2   0   X   6   50   8
9|   0   0   0   2   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   0   2   0   0   X   4   19

An interesting format had some interesting innovations, but, as expected, manlands were everywhere. I totally missed how awesome Leylines are in this format, so my apologies for that and the delay in getting this one done.

For next time: Back to normal! We have a banned list again, and note the "decks that can produce more than 2 mana on turn 1" rule, which bans Black Lotus (among other ideas like City of Traitors + Moxen). Also, Future Sight is legal!

Banned list:

Mesmeric Fiend
Nezumi Shortfang
Blackmail
Coercion
Cabal Therapy
Abandon Hope
Pulse of the Dross
Nullstone Gargoyle
Null Chamber
Form of the Dragon
The Rack
Ghost Quarter
Strip Mine
Wasteland
Balance
Restore Balance
Pox
Smallpox
Misguided Rage
Glacial Chasm
Mind Swords
Any deck that can force the opponent to discard more than one card in a turn
Any deck that can goldfish on turn 1
Any deck that produce more than 2 mana on turn 1
Any deck that can't win if the opposition does nothing e.g. Mishra's Workshop, Trinisphere, Wheel of Torture (aka The Mise Prize)
Cards from Unglued/Unhinged

3-Card Blind (3CB) is a very unique game. With thanks to Zoneseek, the rules are as follows:

• Your deck comprises 3 cards, all of which start in your hand.
• The library starts at 0 cards and you have no sideboard (Wishes fetch nothing).
• Random effects always go in your opponent's favour.
• All hands are revealed, so you always make the best possible play.
• You don't lose as a result of not being able to draw a card. If cards are put into your library, you draw normally.
• Other than the aforementioned, normal Magic rules apply.
• Decks are played against each other deck twice by the Moderator, once going first, once going second. For each win, you score 3. For each draw, you score 1. For each loss, you score 0.
• While it may seem obvious, decks may not use cards from the 3CB Banned List. Illegal decks and decks with illegal cards will be rejected.

To make an entry, PM your deck to Godder in the following format:

Subject: 3CB Tournament #98 Entry
Deck Name
Card #1
Card #2
Card #3

Optional Deck discussion, random sucking up, etc.

Entries close May 5. Players may enter up to two decks, but I reserve the right to restrict entries to one deck per player if sufficient entries are received, so please designate your preferred deck. This is particularly important given my current work commitments, as my deck limit is lower than it otherwise would be.

[Elric]

Congrats to Illissius and Technogeek for that amazing deck.  I did get to play Dark Depths for the first time (to my knowledge) that it's ever been played in 3CB! 

On specific matchups for my deck #2:
I think I should 6-0 both deck 1 and deck 5. 
Against deck 1, he can't kill me before I can drop Chronosavant, even when going first.  From there, I'm perfectly willing to trade because Chronosavant comes back from the graveyard.  So he can't attack.  I can build up a ton of mana, attack with Chronosavant, bounce it after combat, and replay it. 
Against deck 5, Karakas can bounce Chronosavant after he Control Magics it.  Indentured Djinn only comes down every 3 turns.  So it won't be hard to win in the long run. 

[Illissius]

I'm surprised to be the only one to have put Mangara in his Karakas deck... there were multiple 3(and 4)CBs previously where that combination was tried, along with Starke of Rath in pre-Mangara times. And so many Karakas decks! Makes me very glad I opted for Factory rather than Urami as the win condition in my other Leyline deck, especially since the Maze of Ith decks also materialized.

Cthulhu Waits and the deck with both Ith and his Maze are awesome. It also amuses me highly that NorthTree.dec tied for fourth, even though it was running a storage land and a Strip Mine (sans Leyline) in a format codefined by Upwelling and Sacred Ground -- probably due to all of the Karaki running around.

About the (Upwelling/Trinisphere) banned list, for next time: To the best of my knowledge, Sacred Ground works even for forced sacrifices; do the Poxen still deserve to be on the list, given this? And if we use the no multiple discards per turn rule, Mind Swords should probably be on there, just for consistency. Doesn't this rule also make having the Balances on list redundant (in both formats)?

[ReAnimator]

Wait, ... what there was a Sacred Ground as well????

I totally missed that, I thought it was just Upwelling/3sphere. 

[technogeek5000]

I wonder how barren glory is going to affect the format, i can gaurentee that alteast one person will be chuckling when the results come back(no its not me).

So if i would change the banned list here is what i would do.

- Pulse of the dross
+ Barren glory
+ Restore balance( whoops just found it on there)

[Illissius]

I wonder how barren glory is going to affect the format, i can gaurentee that alteast one person will be chuckling when the results come back(no its not me).

So if i would change the banned list here is what i would do.

- Pulse of the dross
+ Barren glory
+ Restore balance( whoops just found it on there)

Lotus, Lotus, Glory is already banned by the two mana rule. You could still play Icatian Store, Barren Glory, Claws of Gix, but I'm not sure you want to. (Otherwise, yes, if/when we remove the rule, Barren Glory should be headed straight to the banned list, do not pass go, do not collect $200.)

What makes you think of Pulse of the Dross as less onerous than Coercion? I'm not sure how good they are if you can't play them first turn (my guess: not very), but they should enter and leave the list together (along with Abandon Hope), I think. Misguided Rage might also be less amazing if you can't play it with Lotus and Scavenger.

[Godder]

If people really think Coercion and co are safe on turn 2, I could unban them. I'm not really worried, but didn't want to shake up a returning format lots straight away . Abandon Hope is good with Nether Spirit, but maybe that's not a serious concern when you can't play it on turn 1.

I already have the first Barren Glory "combo" deck, but it doesn't win until turn 5, so I'm not overly concerned. Masknought is faster, so I don't think we have to worry too much (yet). If Lotus was unbanned, Barren Glory would be among the first cards added to the list, however.

[technogeek5000]

Wait so you cant even use a deck that makes more then 2 mana on the first turn?!?!

[Godder]

Not for this one - this is using a less is more approach. That way, I can change the rules later to change things around, helping to keep interest high(er).

Also, what (potentially) breaks Balance and Pox (and their cousins) is how they can be Mind Twist, Wrath of God and Armageddon in the one card, for not much mana. In larger formats, their effect is mitigated (especially that of Pox & co.), but not so much in 3CB.

[Illissius]

Also, what (potentially) breaks Balance and Pox (and their cousins) is how they can be Mind Twist, Wrath of God and Armageddon in the one card, for not much mana. In larger formats, their effect is mitigated (especially that of Pox & co.), but not so much in 3CB.

If you're replying to me here (and I don't see that anyone else has mentioned Balance and Pox, so I suppose so), my question was whether Balance being a Mind Twist doesn't disqualify it automatically, without having to ban it explicitly; and whether Pox not being an Armageddon in the Upwelling/Sacred Ground format makes it fair enough to legalise.

[Godder]

It's not just the discard but also the creature-kill, so to avoid the "neutralise everything" effect of Pox and Smallpox, best play is often to do nothing. If both sides do nothing, you have a draw. To avoid lots of draws, I just ban them . Trinisphere/Upwelling/Sacred Ground doesn't really affect that much, because Pox & co still do their thing at the same relative speed as normal formats.