I'm currently in Florida on vacation, but this cafe has WiFi so I'm posting the details saved on my laptop. A full report will follow when I return. I was amazed that 8 distinct archetypes made up the Top 8. Please forgive the lack of info, but I had to post this as I found it so interesting.
And I'm back. Vacation was great
(some pics here), and I have been itching to get the results posted. 29 of New England's best battled it out, and in the end many of the biggest names found themselves on the outside looking in. The Top 8 did have more than it's share of tournament veterans, but it also had some newer players as well. Both of the local players made the Top 8, showing that the best of Gateway Comics can hang with the best in New England. The Top 8 was as diverse as it gets, with 8 different decks. Flash, Ichorid, GAT, Mono Red Workshop Aggro, UWB Fish, Bomberman, Tyrant Oath and Gush Naughts all had made it to the elimination rounds. While the diversity of the Top 8 was incredible, I also found the results to be fascinating for a Vintage event. Nearly every match up in the Top 8 was composed of nightmare match ups.
Top 8Bomberman vs Fish- Bomberman has historically been thought of as one of the worst match ups for fish. Salvager's huge butt makes it difficult to swing past. Basics make Wasteland less than impressive. Trinket Mage is at it's best here, and EE makes trying to overrun the the board a huge risk.
Ichorid vs Flash - Ichorid is what many people consider to be Flash's worst match up. Ichorid has all the tools to wreck Flash. With Maindeck leyline, the ability to create blockers to stop the combo right through counters, and a very fast clock, the Flash player has to win quickly. Cabal Therapy turns tutoring with Merchant Scroll into a dicey play, even with Force back up. The play of that really showed just how brutal this match up could be happened in Game 1. Winning the roll, the Ichorid player passed the turn into a turn 1 Flash. 3 Virulent Slivers and a Heart Sliver headed into the red zone, only to have a Street Wraith cycled in response. With a Narcomoeba to chump a Virulent Sliver, the 9 poison counters stared on as an army of Zombies, with their can do attitudes, turned certain defeat into a win.
GAT vs Gush Naughts - GAT is the strongest aggro control deck, and it typically eats other aggro control for breakfast. While this match up was not as statistically loopsided as many of the others, it's the kind of match you hope for as a GAT player. Another Gush deck that is not quite as resilient, this is similar to the good results GAT yields vs Gush Tendrils.
Tyrant Oath vs Workshop Aggro - This is the worst case Oath scenario for the Shop Aggro player. 1G spells that end the game are scary enough for decks that run no counters, but the fact that Tyrant can handle any artifacts on the board makes it even worse.
Top 4 Bomberman vs Ichorid - Bomberman has often been called Ichorid's worst match up, and this showed why. With maindeck Extirpate over Tormod's, the interaction was just too much. Ichorid preys off decks that can't even interact game one, and Bomberman has not only the cards to slow/contain Ichorid, but it has the ability to tutor the cards up while furthering it's gameplan.
Oath vs GAT - This is one of those match ups where you just GAT has to play either control or combo. Either stop Oath from hitting, or make it irrelevant as you combo out after it hits. Aggro does not do so well vs Oath, and with Goyf becoming the rage, many more GAT players will be falling victim to this deck. The strength of Goyf is the ability to run him out there, and vs Oath that is often a liability. GAT isn't the huge underdog here, but it's much more losable than most other U based decks.
3rd-4thIchorid vs GAT - The biggest selling point for Ichorid is how it can be a GAT killer, and it showed that strength here. Even game two, where Sideboard Hate showed up in abundance was dangerously close.
FinalsBomberman vs Oath - This match up wasn't as interesting because of the intricacies of how the decks face each other, but how they face the rest of the field. Neither deck has truly horrible match ups, and in a varied Top 8, that proved to be a huge asset. While other decks got paired vs nightmares, you'd be hard-pressed to come up with truly terrible match ups for either. One has to wonder if, with the huge variety of decks succeeding in today's meta, if this is going to be a trend we see continue.
1st Oliver Beaumont - Bomberman wins a Mox Sapphire4 Island
4 Flooded Strand
1 Tolarian Academy
3 Tundra
1 Plains
1 Underground Sea
1 Polluted Delta
4 Trinket Mage
3 Auriok Salvagers
1 Lotus Petal
1 Black Lotus
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet
4 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sensei's Divining Top
2 Aether Spellbomb
4 Mana Drain
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Misdirection
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Chain of Vapor
2 Ponder
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
2 Extirpate
4 Leyline of Singularity
2 Sower of Tempation
3 Energy Flux
2 Seal of Cleansing
4 Aven Mindcensor
2nd Jeremiah Rudolph - Tyrant Oath wins a Signed English Mana Drain4 Forbidden Orchard
3 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta
3 Tropical Island
2 Underground Sea
1 Island
2 Tidespout Tyrant
1 Triskelivus
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Krosan Reclamation
1 Flash of Insight
1 Tinker
3 Misdirection
4 Oath of Druids
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Brainstorm
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Force of Will
1 Mystical Tutor
3 Ponder
1 Show and Tell
2 Merchant Scroll
4 Gush
1 Fastbond
1 Island
1 Tormod's Crypt
4 Oxidize
1 Blazing Archon
1 Sundering Titan
1 Platinum Angel
3 Pithing Needle
3 Duress
3rd Rob Rogers - Ichorid wins a Playset of 4x Force of Will4 Bazaar of Baghdad
4 Dryad Arbor
2 Bayou
2 Wooded Foothill
4 Leyline of the Void
4 Bridge from Below
4 Serum Powder
4 Street Wraith
4 Narcomoeba
2 Cephalid Sage
2 Flame-kin Zealot
4 Ichorid
4 Golgari Grave-Troll
4 Stinkweed Imp
4 Golgari Thug
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Dread Returns
4 Contagion
4 Reverent Silence
3 Emerald Charm
3 Ancient Grudge
1 Riftstone Portal
4th Stefan Ellsworth - GAT wins an Alpha Sol Ring1 Echoing Truth
4 Brainstorm
4 Gush
3 Ponder
4 Force of Will
4 Duress
4 Merchant Scroll
2 Mana Drain
1 Berserk
2 Psychatog
3 Tarmogoyf
1 Time Walk
1 Fastbond
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Fire/Ice
2 Tropical Island
3 Underground Sea
2 Island
1 Volcanic Island
3 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Black Lotus
1 Misdirection
4 Energy Flux
2 Red Elemental Blast
1 Pyroblast
2 Yixlid Jailer
2 Pithing Needle
2 Pyroclasm
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Volcanic Island
5th Dave Feinstein- UWB Fish chooses an Underground Sea4 Dark Confidant
4 Meddling Mage
3 Jotun Grunt
2 Kataki, War's Wage
3 Null Rod
4 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
3 Daze
3 Swords to Plowshares
3 Duress
1 Thoughtseize
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
2 Stifle
4 Tundra
3 Underground Sea
3 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta
1 Island
3 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Echoing Truth
2 Threads of Disloyalty
2 Pithing Needle
4 Leyline of the Void
4 Seal of Cleansing
Rodney - Gush Noughts chooses a Sea Drake3 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
3 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
1 Volcanic Island
2 Snow Covered Island
3 Trinket Mage
2 Phyrexian Dreadnought
4 Stifle
4 Force of Will
4 Gush
3 Brainstorm
4 Merchant Scroll
3 Duress
3 Misdirection
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Fastbond
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Echoing Truth
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Black Lotus
1 Time Walk
3 Pyroblast
2 Trygon Predator
3 Yixlid Jailer
1 Duress
1 Snuff out
2 Pithing Needle
2 Phyrexian Dreadnought
1 Engineered Explosives
7th Elijah Hannon - Flash choose a Tundra4 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
4 Flooded Strand
2 Polluted Delta
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Lotus Petal
1 Elvish Spirit Guide
3 Protean Hulk
3 Summoner's Pact
4 Flash
4 Force of Will
4 Pact of Negation
4 Brainstorm
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Imperial Seal
2 Merchant Scroll
4 Virulent Sliver
1 Heart Sliver
4 Street Wraith
3 Chain of Vapor
3 Reverent Silence
1 Platinum Angel
1 Tinker
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Island
1 Krosan Grip
1 Rebuild
8th - Scott Blumenthal Mono Red Workshop Aggro chooses a Bayou6 Mountain
4 Wasteland
4 Mishra's Workshop
2 Ancient Tomb
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Strip Mine
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mana Vault
1 Mana Crypt
1 Trinisphere
4 Thorn of Amethyst
4 Sphere of Resistance
4 Juggernaut
4 Solemn Simulacrum
4 Goblin Welder
3 Magus of the Moon
3 Triskelion
4 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sol Ring
2 Chalice of the Void
4 Pyrostatic Pillar
3 Viashino Heretic
3 Stingscourger
3 Mogg Fanatic
2 Duplicant
Congratulations to everyone who made Top 8, and especially Oliver Beaumont for winning in such a difficult field.
The spoils of war. Players who place 5th-8th choose one card from the top rows, or two from the bottom rows.
The Mishra's Workhop proxies were well received, and I saw quite a bit of trading during the day. Stefan Ellsworth won the pre-registration Foil Mishra's Workshop, and promptly traded it for a Foil Merchant Scroll. All this for a door prize that doesn't take away from the prize pool! I truly enjoy the process of making the proxies, and I'm thrilled to see players using and trading them so frequently. When I observe the matches during the day, it is very rewarding to see all my hard work has improved the clarity of proxies and creates a better tournament environment.
Everyone receives an ELD Proxy for participating. These do not count towards the proxy limit at Myriad or any of my events.
Congratulations to Mike Bergeron for winning the best deck name contest. Despite the fact that there was no contest, or prize, Mike's deck name easily won.
Ron Paul Fact #412.3: Ron Paul has never passed priority. I'm certain that everyone who reads a deckname like that is on step closer towards returning freedom to America.
And some picks from throught the day.
