Playing in The Dutch Vintage 3rd Edition
After fooling around with a couple of decks, I still had to choose (and build) myself a deck come tournament day.
Tournament day:I arrived at about 9.30 and the tournament starts at 11.00 so I've got some time left over to build a deck. My entire team was there already and after setting everything up It was about 10.00 and I started to build my deck.
The night before I settled on a list and I'm looking through my binders for everything I need when the first people enter the room and registration starts.
Here's the list I decided on playing:
Cerebral Assassin:Manabase:4x Bazaar of Baghdad
4x City of Brass
4x Gemstone Mine
1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1x Seat of Synod
1x Strip Mine
1x Tolarian Academy
Creatures:4x Goblin Welder
3x Squee, Goblin Nabob
2x Sundering Titan
1x Triskelion
1x Eternal Withness
1x Worldgorger Dragon
1x Platinum Angel
Disruption:3x Thoughtseize
1x Darkblast
Tutor:3x Intuition
1x Tinker
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Entomb
1x Vampiric Tutor
Draw:1x Ancestral Recall
Manafixing:1x Black Lotus
1x Mox Emerald
1x Mox Jet
1x Mox Pearl
1x Mox Ruby
1x Mox Sapphire
1x Mana Crypt
1x Mana Vault
1x Sol Ring
Reanimate:3x Animate Dead
1x Necromancy
1x Reanimate
Multifunctional:1x Life from the Loam
1x Memory Jar
1x Possessed Portal
1x Time Walk
1x Tormod's Crypt
I expected to see lots of combo and I got a tip from one of my teammates to play Nullstone Gargoyle to improve that match up a little.
Also with the preregistration a couple of Belgian players entered, this can mean only one thing: Where going to see some workshop decks.
I start filling out slots against Fish,Ichorid and Oath. So I end up with the following sideboard:
The Sideboard3x Orim's Chant (Aggro, Combo)
3x Ray of Revelation (Oath,Dragon)
2x Tormod's Crypt (Oath,Dragon,Ichorid)
2x Ancient Grudge (Workshop decks,Mirror)
2x Echoing Truth (Random Utility)
1x Razormane Masticore (Fish, Aggro)
1x Nullstone Gargoyle (Combo)
1x Krosan Grip (Random Utility)
So I've got about 5 minutes until registration closes, did this in record time !
I've taken almost no notes except starting hands life-total's and some sideboard choices but I'll try and give as good as an explanation about the games as I remember.
First Round: Pim Wilgenburg W/B ControlI've played Pim before and he's a really nice guy we chat a little while preparing for our round to start.
Game 1:He wins the dice roll and begins with a tundra and a mox and passes the turn. My turn starts and I draw a Mox Ruby,
My opening hand is:
Demonic Tutor
Bazaar
Welder
City of Brass
Thoughtseize
Animate Dead
Intuition
So the mox ruby is a welcome addition. I drop the bazaar, Ruby and play the Welder and pass the turn.
His turn starts and he drops another land taps out and he plays: Aven Mindcensor..
Ah crap I think to myself, I still need to get used to not playing with FoW's.. (turn one CoB,Mox followed by Thoughtseize or DT for lotus and casting Intuition for some assassins would have been a better play) Well this is just a minor setback and nothings lost.
So during my turn I draw a card and it's a Gemstone mine, I play the mine and cast Thoughtseize, he forces and I pas the turn with nothing relevant to welder or tutor up.
We play a couple of turns like this with him beating down with his 2 mindcensors and forcing anything relevant.
So In a last ditch effort I cast Demonic Tutor and look at the top 4 cards and find myself a trike which I can almost hardcast so I take it hoping for the extra manasource to arrive in time. (I was at 5 mana)
I start digging for the extra manasource with my bazaar and he keeps beating (he had only 2 censors for beats) I cast another thoughtseize taking nothing because he only has 2 land, so I'm down from 3 to 1 life and the Trike is the only thing that can keep me in this game if It hits the board so I bazaar and get my manasource... City of Brass.... I scoop and where going for game 2.
My Boarding plan:Out:
Dragon
Witness
Reanimate
In:
Razormane
2 Echoing Truth's.
The dragon combo is to hard to pull off against his Swords,Fow's and bounce so I board it out. The reanimate gets cut because the lifeloss of this deck got to me last turn.
Game 2:This is actually a replay of game one with him also getting Confidant for faster beats. I eventually get back into this game and get a Titan and Welder (which got removed with StP but I dropped another) on the board while he's down to 1 confidant (I'm at 3 life) 2 lands some moxen and 1 card in his hand. He declares his attack with the confidant and I block with my titan thinking good riddance to that nuisance.... His confidant dies and he taps down 2 land and plays... Balance... so I lose my creatures, hand and 3 of my lands not being able to welder anything into play because the welder was still sick. My turn starts and I grab a land and pass the turn. He topdecks a mindcensor and is able to cast it. During my turn I grab a Jar but without the mana to cast it I'm as good as dead so I scoop again.
I can't believe I fell for the “I attack in a last effort” trick.. He says that he was trying to play a little mind game which worked out for him and I compliment him on a game well played.
0-2-0
Second Round: Pierre Stephany with Grim LongSo I'm getting the hang of the deck and not playing force (and that third cup of coffee helped wake me up to) With some play errors costing me the first round I'm determined not to repeat them. I look at the pairings and see a name I don't recognize so we sit down and I ask where he's from.
He responds in English that he's from Brussels and only speaks French or English so we settle on speaking English because my French is shitty.
Game 1:I win the die roll and keep my hand with:
Bazaar
Lotus
Tinker
Mox Ruby
Welder
CoB
Thoughtseize
He mulls down to 4 cards and we start the game. I play lotus, Ruby, Cob and tap to cast thoughtseize I see a land 2 rituals and a DT so I take the DT leaving him in topdeck mode and with the knowledge that he's playing some sort of storm deck or MBC which I'm not afraid of handling. I pas the turn he draws, drops his land and passes. Ah nice, no insane topdeck. So I decided to go for the Tinker-Portal. I tap the ruby for Red playing welder, Sac the Lotus for blue play the tinker (sacking the Ruby) for portal. He see's this and scoops.
My boarding plan:Out:
Reanimate
Darkblast
Memory Jar
Necromancy
In:
3 Orim's Chant
1 Nullstone Gargoyle
The lifeloss from the reanimate could be a factor so it goes, the darkblast is useless and giving him 7 new cards with the jar seems to be more in his favor then mine, the necromancy I cut because I don't feel I need that much reanimation. I had a feeling that he was playing some sort of storm and not MBC so I take the risk and board in 3 Chants and the Gargoyle (let's see if this thing really works against storm)
Game 2:My opening hand:
Lotus (second time in a row)
Tinker (second time in a row)
Mox Ruby
Welder
Thoughtseize
2 Animate dead
So this is a bit of a risk but I decided if I survive the first turn I could get a Platz out and then I would be able to take it from there. I like a little risk now and again.
He starts the game going insane with ritual casting a grim tutor and a memory jar which he activates and I feel a bit stupid holding my hand, because now I know that he's playing Grim Long and he could be able to kill me right then and there. He couldn't achieve critical mass so he plays a tendrils for 14 damage then passes the turn. (after a draw seven was played I feel so lucky not getting killed turn 1)
So I'm down to 6 but because of his memory jar there now are 2 squee's a portal and a Gargoyle in my graveyard. (thanks for that ! Haha) I drop Ruby, lotus getting it in my opening hand for the second game in a row but with no other mana sources I was taking a bit of a risk. I tap the mox and play the welder casting tinker sacking the ruby grabbing Platz. During the next turn he Tries to get some sort of bounce but he doesn't find anything and passes the turn.
During my turn I topdeck a mox play it and welder the portal into play, followed with next turn Gargoyle he scoops knowing that he's never getting back into this game.
After the match we chat a little about the hour and a half he has driven to visit our tournament (which I take as an extreme compliment being one of the organisers)
2-2-0
Third Round: Sybrand Everts playing u/w control with slaverI get paired against a teammate, this sucks because drawing at this point gets us both nothing so we got to play it out.
We both know what the other is playing and that this match is in my favor if I get a early assassin on the board.
Game 1:He wins the dice roll and mull's to 4 cards not getting any land every time. He finally keeps and we start out.
He plays a land and passes the turn. I play a bazaar and a ruby (getting this mox a lot in my opening hand so maybe I'm lucky today) tap the ruby for a welder and bazaar putting a titan a squee and a CoB in my grave. He plays nothing and on turn 2 I welder my titan and he scoops knowing he's never going to get back into this.
My boarding plan:Out:
Darkblast
Witness
Dragon
thoughtseize
In:
3 Ray of Revelation
1 Nullstone Gargoyle
I know he plays Mystic Remora and that this is a huge tempo advantage for him so i want to get rid of the thing asap if it hits play. I board in the gargoyle because forcing him to play a spell before he can counter makes it harder for him to counter my threat's and knowing him he's going to go after the Gargoyle when it hits play (he's so predictable) so I try a little mind game.
Game 2:He mulls 1 time and then keeps. We start off with some thoughtseizes and forces and he finally gets a tundra an island and a fetch in play and I get a welder that sticks around. I grab a mox and welder a titan into play destroying his manabase after that he gets beaten down with a 7/10 (not being able to cast the STP he drew)
I didn't like playing against a teammate but these things happen, we both gave our all and the outcome is clear. A nice match as always.
4-2-0
Fourth round: Baptist Mathijs StaxI lose the dice roll and we both keep.
My opening hand was:
Bazaar
CoB
Welder
Intuition
Mox Sapphire
Thoughtseize
Animate dead
he starts and drops a workshop and 2 moxen for turn 1 sphere's of Resistance and Thorn of Amethyst... after that he starts bringing up the threats while I struggle to get anything into play. I lose to Karn beats.
My boarding plan:Out:
Darkblast
Reanimate
Necromancy
Tormod's crypt
In:
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Echoing Truth
Game 2:I start with a turn 1 mox, CoB, welder and he starts with turn 1 Workshop, Sphere of resistance. (damn you stax!) I draw a bazaar and drop a Portal, Squee, Trisk in my grave and welder the portal into play. During his turn he plays 2 tormod's crypts sacking one to remove my graveyard from the game and now I've got to sac my portal to itself or risk losing my hand without a way to get back into this. After this it's all downhill with him casting sphere's and threat's and me not getting back into it.
4-4-0
The next 2 rounds I didn't even write down so here's a short about those:
Forgot to write down your name (sorry!) Deez Naughts Game 1: turn 1 Dreadnaught I lose to beats
Game 2: turn 3 painter / grindstone mill's my deck
4-6-0
Arjen Ruiterkamp with Dawn of the deadI Know Arjen because he plays in Hengelo, he and his brother (Gerwin) are really nice guys so I sit down with the idea of playing a nice match.
Game 1: we play a long game of draw go and some threat's with him finally winning with goyf and zombie token beats
Game 2: with only 15 minutes to play we start and he beats me to death with confidant, goyfs and tokens before I could do anything relevant.
4-8-0
With this score I end up on place 21 with 39 people in the tournament. I don't have a bad feeling about this seeing as I just built the deck and made some error's overall I've had a fun day playing. Everybody got something with top 8 getting:
1 - Mox Sapphire
2 - Manadrain
3 - Dual + boosters
4 - Dual + boosters
5 - Dual + boosters
6 - Dual + boosters
7 - Dual + boosters
8 - Dual + boosters
The rest all get a couple of Japanese boosters.
Props:All my opponents for being extremely nice and fun to play against
The Nullstone gargoyle for being a little secret tech
Rudy Meijer for the great price support
Slops:The food running out half way through the tournament
I'll post photo's of the event on
www.themanacrypt.nl and top 8 decklists and such on both the manadrain and manacrypt.
I know I didn't finish that high but I really wanted to share my tournament results with you guys and give an impression about the deck, the meta and our tournament.
Edit: I tried to correct everything and improve the information in some places.
