Pitch Long @ Myriad Games (August 16th 2008)

It was my first vintage tournament- my team (I use this term loosely) and I piled into my car at 7am and started the trek to Myriad Games in Salem New Hampshire. I decided to stick with the Pitch Long deck. Before I give the briefing, let me first give some props to Myriad Games for being a sweet venue.

From the “Myriad Games Mana Cookie” to the free Cube side event (with prizes), Myriad did an awesome job of making new player feel welcome. The tournament was well structured, the card pricing was reasonable, and you could even order lunch at registration to be delivered to you during the tournament. It was worth the 3 hour drive and I recommend them for future events. Here is the deck I ran:

Pitch Long

Land:
1 Bloodstained Mire
2 Island
4 Polluted Delta
2 Swamp
3 Underground Sea

Artifacts:
1 Black Lotus
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Memory Jar
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring

Creatures:
1 Darksteel Colossus

Enchantments:
1 Yawgmoth's Bargain

Spells:
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
2 Cabal Ritual
1 Chain of Vapor
4 Dark Ritual
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Duress
1 Fact or Fiction
4 Force of Will
1 Gifts Ungiven
3 Grim Tutor
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Misdirection
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Necropotence
1 Ponder
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Time Walk
1 Timetwister
1 Tinker
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Echoing Truth

Sideboard:
2 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Hymn to Tourach
1 Massacre
3 Phyrexian Negator
1 Rebuild
2 Tormod's Crypt
4 Yixlid Jailer

Ok, I didn’t take notes during the games, I was having a hard enough time just making my plays and not looking like a total newb. So this is my record and some highlights to the best of my recollection.

Round1 Vrs. Storm- Empty The Warrens
Game 1 : I took a seat at my first game and shook my opponents hand while I introduced myself (he was a nice guy). I lost the roll and he was on the play. Turn one. He played a mox, a manamorphose, then it was a blur 10 spells later he dropped an “Empty the Warrens” and made 22 guys. He smiles and said, “Welcome to vintage!” I drew and passed the turn for my beating.

Game 2 : I dropped a 1st turn Necropotence while gripping Force support. My opponent commented, “Wow the exact opposite of last game.” I played out my Moxen and passed the turn. I won on my second turn with tendrils after a careful (and probably painful to watch) series of plays..

Game 3 : He stormed for 3 on turn 1 and dropped 6 dudes. I dug for some business or an Echoing Truth with no luck. The turn 1 mini –warrens was a great move on his part.

(0-1)

Round 2 Vrs. Elves
Game 1 : The guy got an auto loss for not listing his deck correctly on the deck list. I felt bad for the guy – That’s the worst way to get a loss.

Game 2 : He mulled to 6 and kept. He played a Wirewood Lodge and passed the turn. I played a Duress to see a hand full of elves and no mana sources (ouch), he only had two Duress targets. I don’t remember what they were but I took the Door of Destinies. I took my time with this match and ended up winning with tendrils a couple turns later before he could drop another green source.

(1-1)

Round 3 Vrs. Welder /Belcher
Game 1 : I won the roll and lead off with a Duress, I distinctly remember this hand because that when I knew I would loose the game.

Empty the Warrens
Goblin Charbelcher
Tinder Wall
Seething Song
Rite of Flame
Land Grant
Manamorphose

I took the Goblin Charbelcher. Looking at it now I might have taken the Warrens, Let him ramp and then Forced the Charbelcher. I dropped some Moxen and passed the turn. He played Land Grant. I Forced it. I was trying to keep him out of mana until I can Duress the threat in his hand or win. No such luck. He drew an Elvish Spirit Guide on his turn two and went off.

Game 2 : This game started off with a Leyline of the Void. I went first, I played some junk. The only think I remember is what the board looked like when I tinkered. Him: Goblin Charbelcher, Vexing Shusher, and Leyline of the Void. Me: Mana. Thanks to the Leyline I was able to Tinker for a Colossus and not have it “Weldered”. I beat in for the win.

Game 3 : I don’t remember this game. Just that I won.

(2-1)

Round 4 Vrs. Fish
I don’t remember these games either. It was against a cool guy named Paul. I believe that I swept both games (I could be wrong). It was an early Colossus in the first game that ended it. I do remember that in the second game- I encountered the first “Insane Play” of my vintage career. I had a big turn, I dropped a Yawgmoth’s Bargin and attempted to storm out I was at 7 life and with an Isamaru on the other side of the field I decided to stop and Tinker for a Colossus. I played a Time Walk and hit with the Colossus. Here was my hand from what I can remember:

Fact of Fiction
Force of Will
Hurkyl’s Recall
Chain of Vapors
Some Black Card
Dark Ritual

Paul untapped, drew and swung with the Isamaru.Then he played a Swords to Plowshares on my Colossus, I pitched the Hurkyl’s Recall and Forced his Swords, he then pitched a Force of Will to Force my Force. I was in trouble. I drew three cards off the Bargin – No force. I played a Dark Ritual and played the Fact of Fiction off the ritual and another blue source. I revealed 1, 2, 3(No Force), 4, 5 (BLAM! There it was Force of Will the fifth card). He put the Force in one pile and the other junk in another. I picked up the Force and Forced his Force. I untapped and swung with the Colossus for the win.

(3-1)

Round 5 Vrs. Control Slaver
This was it. If I won here I would go to Top 8. I was already very happy with my 3 wins for the day, but I would be lying if I said that I didn’t want to win.

Games 1/2 : I don’t remember these games. I won one and he won one. I remember seeing the nastiness of Mana Drain.

Game 3 : We both played until he tapped out for a Mindslaver. I played an Echoing Truth on the Mindslaver and then played Timetwister (Effectively shuffling the Slaver back into his deck). I seen some business and won (I don’t remember how I did it).

(4-1)

Top 8 Vers Oliver- Painter

Game 1 : This was a pretty quick game, he dropped an early Grindstone and after some counter wars he drops a painter and ends it.

Game 2 : I Force of Will a Painter’s Servant then Necro into a Tinker into a Colossus. After a Mini-Tendrils I swing with the Colossus for the win.

Game 3 : My opponent drops an early Thorn Of Amethyst ( I wasn’t too worried. I figured that I could play around it- It proved much more difficult than I thought it would.). I played a land into a Mox into a Lotus. We play pass of a while he drops a Sphere of Resistance and a Grindstone - I play more mana and a Memory Jar but still did not see much action. I cracked the Jar and played out the contents (putting a Time Twister aside for after.)- more mana and a Time Walk (which I played). On my Time Walk Turn I played the Time Twister (because I drew into junk). I played a Necropotence out of the twister and drew down to 2 Life and passed the turn. Oliver is grinding himself looking for a Painter’s Servant. I played some junk and did a Mini-Tendrils for a storm of 4. I drew a new 7 and left myself at 3 Life. My opponent gets a painter and plays it then grinds me. I play a land and pass then do the same all while getting punched buy a painters servant (trying to get the mana to cast Colossus- I must have miss counted because I when I played the Colossus I had an extra mana). I played the Colossus at one life and I had lethal on the board and my opponent grinded himself looking for the second Painter. He forgot that it would completely grind his deck but thanks to Academy Ruins he was able to move a Painter to the top of his “Library” then he plays it. I swing down and he throws a Servant in front putting him at 3 life. He swung with the lone Servant for 1 point of damage.

That game was the perfect way to end my first vintage tournament. It will go into the books as one of the best games of Magic that I ever played. It was a good way to loose- by such a narrow margin in such an entertaining and interesting game.

(4-2) 6th Place