Jan 2012 NEV @ Top Deck Games, TO Report, Metagame breakdown, and more!

[Iron_Chef]

First of all, I want to extend a big thank you to all of the players that decided to come sling some Vintage cards at Top Deck Games this past Saturday.  Sorry it took me so long to get this report out to you, but owning a store has redefined the word "busy" to me.  I can't put it into words how excited I am about the NEV Series.  It is the first step to bigger and better things.  With sixty-two players in attendance this past Saturday, I can certainly see it has a ton of people excited about Vintage.  For those of you who aren't familiar with the Northeast Vintage Series (NEV Series for short) more information can be found about it here.  The next event is this Saturday, at Brother's Grim, in Selden, NY.  The tournament announcement can be found here.  Nick Detwiler is really taking advantage of the room that Brother's Grim offers, and is running a ton of great events all weekend long.  This is an event that you should attend!  Enough of me talking.  Here's how the tournament went!



Metagame Breakdown

Gro	6%
Demon Oath	5%
Sun Titan Dredge	4%
Noble Fish	4%
Gush Control	3%
Delver	3%
Landstill	3%
Red Stax	3%
Jace Control	3%
Dark Times	3%
Painter	2%
Esspresso Stax	2%
Minus 6	2%
GG Oath	2%
TPS	2%
ANT	2%
East Coast Wins	2%
TDG SnapClamp	1%
SS Gansanity	1%
GWSx	1%
Elephant Oath	1%
Shop Aggro	1%
TurboTez	1%
Christmas Beatings	1%
Forino Sui Black	1%
MUD	1%
Oath Reanimator	1%
Bomberman	1%

            

And here is how the Top 8 played out.

Top 8
Joshua Butker (Esspresso Stax) defeated Mark Hornung (SnapClamp)
Josh Rhoades (Demon Oath) defeated Colin Doyle (Painter)
Jake Gans (Gro) defeated Paul Mastriano (Demon Oath)
Greg Fenton (Demon Oath) defeated Joel Lim (Snapcaster Gush)

And the Top 4.
Joshua Butker defeated Josh Rhoades
Jake Gans defeated Greg Fenton

And the Finals.
Joshua Butker defeated Jake Gans
Josh is the winner of the first NEV Series event, earning 12 NEV Points and getting halfway to earning an invite to the NEV Championship!  Oh, and he got a Mox Pearl AND other cards for his trouble.

1st Place: Josh Butker playing “Stax Just Lost” (aka Esspresso Stax)
Maindeck:
4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Ancient Tomb
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
3 Mishra’s Factory
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
4 Sphere of Resistance
2 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Trinisphere
4 Lodestone Golem
2 Karn, Silver Golem
3 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Smokestack
3 Crucible of Worlds
4 Tangle Wire
4 Serum Powder

Sideboard:
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Pithing Needle
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
2 Duplicant
3 Dismember
3 Surgical Extraction

2nd Place: Jake Gans playing “SS More powerful then Superman, Spiderman, and the Incredible Hulk Combined” (aka Gro)
Maindeck:
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Dark Confidant
1 Trygon Predator
4 Mystic Remora
4 Gush
4 Force of Will
3 Mental Misstep
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
1 Blightsteel Colossus
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Polluted Delta
1 Island
1 Snow-Covered Island
2 Tropical Island
3 Underground Sea
1 Brainstorm
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Flusterstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Fastbond
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Preordain
1 Ponder
1 Time Walk
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Tinker
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Yawgmoth’s Will

Sideboard:
1 Forest
3 Yixlid Jailer
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Flusterstorm
2 Trygon Predator
3 Nature’s Claim
1 Dismember

3rd Place: Greg Fenton playing “Kenny Jackson Oath”
Maindeck:
5 Moxen
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Lotus Petal
2 Island
2 Tropical Island
3 Underground Sea
2 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
4 Forbidden Orchard
1 Volcanic Island
1 Strip Mine
1 Voltaic Key
1 Time Vault
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Time Walk
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Gaea’s Blessing
1 Noxious Revival
4 Force of Will
3 Mental Misstep
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Preordain
2 Thoughtseize
4 Oath of Druids
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
3 Rune-Scarred Demon

Sideboard:
1 Flusterstorm
1 Nature’s Claim
2 Red Elemental Blast
1 Pyroblast
1 Echoing Truth
1 Firespout
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Ancient Grudge
2 Ravenous Trap
4 Leyline of the Void

4th Place: Josh Rhoades playing “Demon Oath”
Maindeck:
4 Forbidden Orchard
4 Underground Sea
3 Tropical Island
3 Misty Rainforest
1 Tolarian Academy
2 Island
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Lotus Petal
1 Voltaic Key
1 Time Vault
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
2 Preordain
2 Spell Pierce
2 Mental Misstep
2 Flusterstorm
3 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Sensei’s Divining Top
4 Oath of Druids
1 Gaea’s Blessing
3 Rune-Scarred Demon

Sideboard:
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Steel Sabotage
2 Mindbreak Trap
1 Ravenous Trap
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Mental Misstep
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Echoing Truth
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Forest

5th Place:  Colin Doyle playing “UBR Painter”
5 Moxen
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
3 Island
3 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Time Walk
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Force of Will
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Mana Drain
3 Dark Confidant
3 Painter’s Servant
2 Trinket Mage
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Grindstone
2 Red Elemental Blast
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Pyroblast
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Flusterstorm
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Mountain
1 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Tinker
1 Thirst for Knowledge

Sideboard:
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Lightning Bolt
4 Ingot Chewer
1 Pithing Needle
1 Tormod’s Crypt
2 Mental Misstep

6th Place: Mark Hornung playing “Snapclamp”
Maindeck:
4 Dark Confidant
4 Force of Will
3 Mental Misstep
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
1 Blightsteel Colossus
2 Misty Rainforest
4 Polluted Delta
2 Island
1 Snow-Covered Swamp
3 Underground Sea
1 Brainstorm
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
2 Flusterstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Mana Crypt
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Riptide Laboratory
1 Senei’s Divining Top
1 Voltaic Key
1 Time Vault
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Skullclamp
2 Mana Drain
3 Snapcaster Mage
2 Trinket Mage

Sideboard:
3 Thoughtseize
2 Hurkyl’s Recall
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Energy Flux
2 Sower of Temptation

7th Place: Paul Mastriano playing “Demon Oath”
Maindeck:
5 Moxen
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Island
3 Tropical Island
3 Underground Sea
1 Polluted Delta
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Forbidden Orchard
1 Voltaic Key
1 Time Vault
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Time Walk
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Force of Will
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Preordain
2 Thoughtseize
4 Oath of Druids
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
2 Rune-Scarred Demon
1 Memory’s Journey
1 Flusterstorm
1 Fastbond
1 Misdirection
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
4 Gush

Sideboard:
1 Flusterstorm
3 Nature’s Claim
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Claws of Gix
2 Dismember
2 Yixlid Jailer
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria

8th Place: Joel Lim playing “Snapcaster Gush”
Maindeck:
5 Moxen
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
2 Island
2 Tropical Island
2 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Scalding Tarn
1 Voltaic Key
1 Time Vault
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Time Walk
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Force of Will
2 Mental Misstep
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Preordain
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Fastbond
1 Sensei’s Diving Top
4 Gush
1 Nature’s Claim
2 Mana Drain
1 Tinker
1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Imperial Seal
1 Tolarian Academy
2 Snapcaster Mage
2 Spell Pierce
1 Ponder
1 Hurkyl’s Recall

Sideboard:
1 Nature’s Claim
2 Red Elemental Blast
1 Echoing Truth
2 Yxlid Jailer
1 Pithing Needle
2 Dismember
2 Ingot Chewer
4 Leyline of the Void

Great job guys!  I'll add some pictures once I get them from the guy who took them.

I edited Greg Fenton's deck name to the proper name - Prospero

[Samoht]

My first time on Standstill, played Hornung for top 8 in the final round. Wish we had like 4 more people and a 7th round, but them is the breaks.

Round 1: John Jones on Turbo Tezz
Game 1: I have an early Standstill, but he has turn 2 Tezz with Force back up. Oh well.
Game 2: I have 2 Standstill's pop, and I let him stick a Tezz. He already has Key. He then -2's  for Time Vault, and in response to the Key I Hurkyl's him. Then I Mindbreak Trap out his Time Vault when he goes to replay it. He concedes from there, as I show him Tinker + Time Walk.
Game 3: He as turn 2 Tezz, I have Force. I drop Standstill, and luckily hit another Force for his second Tezz.

Round 2: Brad Granberry on BUG Delver/Goyf Gush
Game 1: This is a long elaborate game, and the libraries are stacked in a way that Brad has the advantage. Next to nothing I could do about it.
Game 2: I keep a tough hand, with lots of disruption but no colored mana. He plays into my disruption but has more mana than he could ever need. Oh well.

Round 3: Mike Egan on TPS
Game 1: I comment how he's on Gush Storm, but it turns out he's actually on Rituals. He casts a big Tendrils and I Mindbreak Trap. Yeah awkward Main Deck cards.
Game 2; He has the worst possible hand for how my deck is set up. Every card he plays is specifically beaten by a card that I have. It was quite absurd.

Round 4: Random Remora Gush guy with offensive T-Shirt
Game 1: Island Lotus Goyf Goyf go. I try as hard as I can, but Standstill isn't so good when facing Goyfs.
Game 2: My opponent has me at 11 life. I have Island Fetchland in play. He has Goyf Goyf Trygon + 1 in hand, and his board is lethal. My hand is Brainstorm Time Walk Lotus Vampiric + 2 bad cards. I can only win this game through a Blightsteel Colossus. I need two extra turns or a Jace to deal with the Trygon. I choose to crack the Fetchland first, and then Vampiric for Tinker. I lose some value on waiting to brainstorm, but do reduce my library by two cards before digging for the artifact which is more important than putting bad cards in hand away. I draw the Tinker and then cast Brainstorm. I am super rewarded because I get Mishra's Factory + Mox Sapphire, which was the perfect cards to get me the win. I play the Sapphire and Tinker into Blightsteel, and then Time Walk. I can swing with impunity because I have the blocker in the Factory.
Game 3: I Waste and Strip his lands. Then proceed to lock it up with Standstills.

Round 5: Yu on Noble Fish  (Asks me if I want to concede to him to save myself the trouble. I tell him he's more than welcome to if he likes.)
Game 1: He has too many Goyf's too fast and locks me out.
Game 2: He is my hero here. I lose without him misplaying. I lead with Lotus Factory Standstill, with Drain in hand to protect it. He lets it in and runs out a turn one Meddling Mage, naming Mana Drain. I draw 2 off the Standstill. Sigh. He ships back and I play a land and send it back. He plays Goyf and beats with the Mage. Next turn he plays Pridemage, and swings with both. Unfortunately for him I drew Snapcaster and Block the Meddling Mage. His next turn he casts another Pridemage, which I instantly Mana Drain. The Jace in my hand is now live, and I have mana to activate a Factory and block his Pridemage. So I have to then bounce Goyf twice, draining it on its way back in. I then spike a Yawgmowth's Will and use the Black Lotus to cast Time Walk, Factory from the yard and Standstill while Jace cleared his board. Game was over at this point.
Game 3: He mulls, I don't. He goes Lotus Mox Mox Aven Mindcensor. I go Island Ancestral Recall. Then I Merchant Scroll and my Brainstorm is obv top 4. Then I Brainstorm for Volcanic Island and Lightning Bolt his Mindcensor. Then I crack 2 fetches and Mystical Tutor for the other Bolt. Then I Bolt his Meddling Mage naming Jace, play Jace and win. Like a baws.

Round 6: Mark Hornung on Skullclamp Control (his brew)
Game 1: Mark's hand is better than mine and I can't find the pieces I need.
Game 2: We both mulligan but his hand has a Ancestral. I have to Mystical to get back in. I stick Jace and fateseal him. See he has Jace on top with no blue mana and let him have it. He proceeds to play an Island, casts Bob and Time Walk. Then he Demonics for Black Lotus to kill Jace with his own. From there he wins off the back of Bob.

4-2 and squeaking into 16th place for that extra QP and some credit. The game 2's in rounds 4 and 5 show me the value of play skill in magic. I took one game, and my opponent gave me the other. I'm not sure if I gave Mark game 2 by letting him have Jace. If I fateseal it to the bottom the dynamic of the game changes a bit. His two card hand was nuts, and he ripped well on top of it.

[Prospero]

Awesome report. For what it's worth, the name of Greg Fenton's Oath deck is actually 'Kenny Jackson Oath'.

Edit: I edited Fenton's deck name to the proper name.  I hope you don't mind.

[cvarosky80]

Round 4: Random Remora Gush guy with offensive T-Shirt
Game 1: Island Lotus Goyf Goyf go. I try as hard as I can, but Standstill isn't so good when facing Goyfs.
Game 2: My opponent has me at 11 life. I have Island Fetchland in play. He has Goyf Goyf Trygon + 1 in hand, and his board is lethal. My hand is Brainstorm Time Walk Lotus Vampiric + 2 bad cards. I can only win this game through a Blightsteel Colossus. I need two extra turns or a Jace to deal with the Trygon. I choose to crack the Fetchland first, and then Vampiric for Tinker. I lose some value on waiting to brainstorm, but do reduce my library by two cards before digging for the artifact which is more important than putting bad cards in hand away. I draw the Tinker and then cast Brainstorm. I am super rewarded because I get Mishra's Factory + Mox Sapphire, which was the perfect cards to get me the win. I play the Sapphire and Tinker into Blightsteel, and then Time Walk. I can swing with impunity because I have the blocker in the Factory.
Game 3: I Waste and Strip his lands. Then proceed to lock it up with Standstills.

Come on, that was NOT an offensive t-shirt! It was clever! No profanity. No nudity. No gross imagery. Just a clever play on words.

Game 2 was certainly one of the most interesting bad beats I've ever had in a tourney. The card I had in my hand was a Forest, which I had sideboarded in, taking out a Hurkyl's Recall for that land (Game 1 ended before I could figure out if I was playing against Landstill with or without Tinker, so being a game up, I took a chance and took out the Hurk's for the extra land), so sitting there with that stupid Forest in my hand while you pulled out the win was definitely demoralizing and embarrassing for me, but it certainly was fun to watch you dig to find a way to win while saying when you went to cast Tinker, "Aaaannnnnddddd here comes the Flusterstorm....." and then take one of the biggest sighs of relief I have ever seen when I didn't drop the boomstick on your Tinker.....Stupid Forest.....Anyways, very nice report, and I look forward to facing you again.

Sincerely,
Random Remora Gush Guy (Chris)

[mikekilljoy]

That was a great tourney. Can't wait for the next one.

[Samoht]

Round 4: Random Remora Gush guy with offensive T-Shirt
Game 1: Island Lotus Goyf Goyf go. I try as hard as I can, but Standstill isn't so good when facing Goyfs.
Game 2: My opponent has me at 11 life. I have Island Fetchland in play. He has Goyf Goyf Trygon + 1 in hand, and his board is lethal. My hand is Brainstorm Time Walk Lotus Vampiric + 2 bad cards. I can only win this game through a Blightsteel Colossus. I need two extra turns or a Jace to deal with the Trygon. I choose to crack the Fetchland first, and then Vampiric for Tinker. I lose some value on waiting to brainstorm, but do reduce my library by two cards before digging for the artifact which is more important than putting bad cards in hand away. I draw the Tinker and then cast Brainstorm. I am super rewarded because I get Mishra's Factory + Mox Sapphire, which was the perfect cards to get me the win. I play the Sapphire and Tinker into Blightsteel, and then Time Walk. I can swing with impunity because I have the blocker in the Factory.
Game 3: I Waste and Strip his lands. Then proceed to lock it up with Standstills.

Come on, that was NOT an offensive t-shirt! It was clever! No profanity. No nudity. No gross imagery. Just a clever play on words.

Game 2 was certainly one of the most interesting bad beats I've ever had in a tourney. The card I had in my hand was a Forest, which I had sideboarded in, taking out a Hurkyl's Recall for that land (Game 1 ended before I could figure out if I was playing against Landstill with or without Tinker, so being a game up, I took a chance and took out the Hurk's for the extra land), so sitting there with that stupid Forest in my hand while you pulled out the win was definitely demoralizing and embarrassing for me, but it certainly was fun to watch you dig to find a way to win while saying when you went to cast Tinker, "Aaaannnnnddddd here comes the Flusterstorm....." and then take one of the biggest sighs of relief I have ever seen when I didn't drop the boomstick on your Tinker.....Stupid Forest.....Anyways, very nice report, and I look forward to facing you again.

Sincerely,
Random Remora Gush Guy (Chris)

Several people that I know commented on it, and mentioned it as a barrier to female involvement to Magic events. It wasn't the worst shirt I've ever seen, but it was certainly edgy.

[V is for Vintage]

lol kind of funny that the only female that played at the event drove down with Chris and I 

[Yukon Cornelius]

Speaking on behalf of 100% of the females in attendance at the event (Spoiler alert-just me lol) I didn't mind his shirt at all. Many things cause barriers for female Magic players, but I assure you, corny t-shirts are not one of them