1st Place, TCG Bronze Event 4/11

Hello all and thank you for reading. For all who attended this event, I appreciate the drives you made down, and the efforts you put into your lists and knowledge prior to the event. I can honestly say that this event was one of the best events I've played in a while. Not necessarily because of the great format (which it is), but because the class of people that Vintage tournaments bring. We call this the gentleman's format for a reason.

I originally wanted to play "Mentor Control" and decided to switch about a week ago. With this being the first un-proxied event that I know of in Central Indiana, I really didn't know what the format was going to be like so I figured the best all around deck would be an "Oath" Variant. The two variants below were the final two after deliberating I decided to choose from.

Rick Shay's "Fenton Oath"
http://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-online/vintage-super-league-season-2-decklists#Shay

Kai Budde's "omni Oath"
http://magic.wizards.com/en/MTGO/articles/archive/vintage-super-league-season-2-decklists-2015-02-25

After much debate between a couple friends and I, I felt omniscience was a win more. The "Shops" decks landing a lock piece against us put us so far behind if we were on the Show and Tell Plan and makes far more cards dead draws. I also know that Dig Through Time is a very potent card, but 4 of them is just too many. I finally decided on "Fenton Oath" but wanted to make a few changes.

List

Lands (15)

4x Misty Rainforest
1x Polluted Delta
2x Underground Sea
2x Island
2x Tropical Island
4x Forbidden Orchard

Creatures (3)

3x Griselbrand

Spells (42)

2x Abrupt Decay
2x Thoughtseize
3x Preordain
3x Mental Misstep
4x Force of Will
2x Flusterstorm
4x Oath of Druids
3x Show and Tell
1x Mox Sapphire
1x Mox Ruby
1x Mox Jet
1x Mox Emerald
1x Mox Pearl
1x Black Lotus
1x Time Walk
1x Ancestral Recall
1x Misdirection
1x Yawgmoth's Will
1x Mana Crypt
1x Demonic Tutor
1x Brainstorm
1x Dig Through Time
1x Memories Journey
1x Voltaic Key
1x Time Vault
1x Ponder
1x Vampiric Tutor

Sideboard

1x Swan Song
2x Nihil Spellbomb
1x Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1x Massacre
4x Nature's Claim
2x Pithing Needle
1x Hurkyl's Recall
1x Forest
2x Abrupt Decay

Below are the exact changes from Shays list and after the event if i felt they were correct.

MD
-1 misdirection
-1 mental misstep
-1 Preordain

+2 Abrupt Decay (assumed more shops, correct)
+1 Ponder (preordain would have been better)

SB
-2 abrupt decay (in main deck)
-1 Strip Mine (didnt feel it was really necessary)

+1 elesh norn, wanted another oath target for the bear decks that wiped them, also beats mentor, and dredge
+1 Massacre (same reason above)
+1 Swan Song, really nothing in the board for blue match ups

Correct?

Elesh Norn 100%
Massacre, if i would have drawn it
swan song, no killed me

Round 1 (1-0 matches, 2-0 in games)

Mentor Control UWR piloted by Aaron Katz

Game 1

Very controlling opener. 2 major plays that decided the game. He recalls, I misdirection, he forces, I flusterstorm, he is forced to misstep his own recall. Following, I SNT in a Griselbrand, he gets pathed. he casts a mentor, i decay.Untap rip land, hard cast gbeezy number two that was in hand, then assemble vault/key.

Game 2

SIDEBOARDING +1 abrupt decay +1 Elesh Norn, -1 ponder -1 griselbrand

Same recall situation as the game before. I hard cast elesh norn the following turn with help from a lotus.

Round 2 (1-1 matches, 2-2 in games)

Martello Shops

Game 1

On the draw. Sphere, Sphere, crucible, stripmine. Not really much else to say .

Game 2

SIDEBOARDING -2 thoughtseize, -1 forbidden orchard, -3 mental misstep, -2 flusterstorm, -1 misdirection, -1 ponder, +4 natures claim, +2 abrupt decay, +2 pithing needle, +1 forest, +1hurkyl's recall

This game I blew my Hurkyl's a couple turns too early, he rebuilt too fast. Unfortunately, I didnt draw relevant spells, just artifact destruction and was overran with factories.

Round 3 (1-2 in matches 3-4 in games)

gush Tendrils?/tinker

Game 1

I SNT in a Griselbrand. Unfortunately, he had his Blightsteel Collosus in Hand. However, I drew 14 hit time walk then on next turn vault keyed for the win.

Game 2

SIDEBOARDING -2 abrupt decay, -1 ponder +2 Nihil Spellbomb +1 Swan Song

I kept 2 orchards force, tutor, recall, brainstorm, vampiric. He had more counters, I died to my own spirits and a swan token.

Game 3

I thoughtseized, he misstepped. He drew into a demonic tutor and tinkered with force back up.

Round 4 (2-2 in matches 5-4 in games)

White Trash

Game 1

turn 3ed oath, he landed a spirit of the labarynth turn before, had to hold out for an aburpt decay ftw

Game 2

SIDEBOARDING +1 elesh norn +2 Abrupt Decay +1 natures claim, -2 flusterstorm -1 misdirection -1 mental misstep

turn 1 oath into a elesh norn with force back up.

TOP 8ED and in 7th. I would be on the draw the rest of the tournament because of poor seed. Actually, the only die roll i actually won was in round four. Oh well, we were off to the races.

Quarter Finals(3-2 in matches 7-4 in games)

Dredge Chris Sowder

Game 1

He didnt hit a dredger, i landed an oath on 1 with an orchard into vault/key.

SIDEBOARDING +2 nihil Spellbomb +2 pithing needle +1 elesh norn, -2 abrupt decay -2 thoughtseize -1 mental misstep

Game 2

I turn 1 a spellbomb, then a needle on bazaar, he kills both and draw into needle 2, oath in an Elesh Norn. I win.

Semi Finals (4-2 in matches 9-5 in games)

Jordan on Metalworker shops

SIDEBOARD -2 thoughtseize, -1 forbidden orchard, -3 mental misstep, -2 flusterstorm, -1 misdirection, -1 ponder, +4 natures claim, +2 abrupt decay, +2 pithing needle, +1 forest, +1hurkyl's recall

Game 1

I oath in griselbrand at 12 life. Then Drew 7. He had 2 cards in hand and staff of domination/worker on field, already played land, couldn't get to enough mana to demonic into time walk. The only hope I had was he wouldn't have 3 artifacts in hand on his turn to go infy and kill me. I passed and hoped he drew land. He drew an artifact.

Game 2

I turn 1 oath with an orchard on the field. I won this game in case you're curious.

Game 3

He Trinisphered without a Workshop on turn 1. I almost scoop on the spot, but decided to play it out. Jordan didn't have anything relevant for a while and after I finally hit 3 mana, he let my Needle resolve on his Strip Mine. Eventually I drew a show and tell and won the game after we traded beats with wurmcoil on his side, and Griselbrand on mine. I won by nature's claiming his wurmcoil and it only got him to 7 life instead of the 9 he needed to be at.

Finals (5-2 in matches, 11-5 in games)

Martello Shops Mike

Game 1

Turn 2 SNT'D in Griselbrand and won

SIDEBOARD -2 thoughtseize, -1 forbidden orchard, -3 mental misstep, -2 flusterstorm, -1 misdirection, +4 natures claim, +2 abrupt decay, +1 pithing needle, +1 forest, +1 hurkyl's recall, -1 force of will

Game 2

He lands turn 1 forgemaster, I land turn 1 oath.

He hardcasts Wurmcoil on his next turn. With oath trigger on stack, I natures claim his forgemaster so i don't get a duplicant shoved on me. Mike tanks for a bit and then forgemasters into revoker on Griselbrand. I oath into Griselbrand, draw decay, and pass turn. The next turn he attacks with wurmcoil, I block and trade. He main 2's a Lodestone Golem. I oath into Griselbrand, draw land, lay it and pass. he attacks with the wurm tokens and I block the 3/3, before damage he attempts dismember and I nature's claim in response. I'm at 26 and draw 14 cards eventually, hit enough mana sources to vault/key and win.

As I said above, it was a great day. Met some very cool people, was able to hang out with one of my closest buddies, and made some new ones as well. Plus I won a time vault that I no longer have to borrow (last piece i've been missing). Any questions, please feel free to ask.

Thanks for reading!