Ophie Romps His Way to Top 8: Vintage Worlds Top 8 Report

[Smmenen]

More than one hundred and fifty players came to Gencon to win an amazing piece of artwork and a sweet trophy. More importantly, they came to take their shot at the mantle of Vintage World Champion, but none of them were prepared to handle the return of Mono-Blue.   

http://www.starcitygames.com/php/news/expandnews.php?Article=8027

[Magi]

Awesome report!

I had several similar experiences when I played a 98% carbon copy of your deck a week after you released it.

Regarding Oath of Druids: I played a game where my opponent managed to resolve an early Oath. I then realized that there was nothing I could do about that. Thank goodness I didn't have a Phid in play when he did, because I think I would have lost. I ended up just sitting there and countering anything which looked like a threat, and eventually won by decking him.

This had come up in Mean Deck testing sessions: do you blow the Moxen to stop Welder, or suck up one turn of brokenness and kill the Welder next turn with Powder Keg? I chose the former and it was extremely perilous. I had to counter every artifact he played.

I find that killing Welder is better. If you just kill the moxen, there are a lot of other spells you have to counter versus just countering Welders and their slightly higher costed threats. Of course, this is assuming there is nothing dangerous sitting in his graveyard which could possibly hit play next turn.

Here was another play mistake. I should have used the fetchland - because this happens to me all the time. If you don't break the fetchland, you will draw junk - not because of statistics, but because you made the wrong play. You have to break fetchlands ASAP.

I have been doing that for a long time now. When I was playing, I had some people ask me why I wasn't doing it at eot. Unless you're running Brainstorm or have some shuffle effects in hand, ASAP is the best time to pop a fetch.

The second reason Mono-Blue worked so well for me is the psychology behind the deck.

I had people telling their friends after I beat them in the tourney that I was running 20+ counterspells, which people started to take into consideration. I decided not to correct them. It may have appeared that I had 20+ counters total, but that was simply the engine at work. It's all about the poker face.



After playing it at the tournament, and getting some advice from your thread, I decided on trying out this build(which is still a 985 copy of your deck):

Maindeck://
4x Force of Will
4x Mana Drain
4x Mana Leak
1x Misdirection
1x Counterspell
1x Capsize

4x Impulse
1x Ancestral Recall
1x Timewalk
3x Back to Basics
4x Ophidian
2x Morphling
3x Powder Keg

1x Black Lotus
5x Moxen
1x Sol Ring
1x LoA
1x Strip Mine
4x Wasteland
6x Fetchland
8x Island

SB://
4x Energy Flux
4x Control Magic
3x Propaganda
3x Blue Elemental Blast
1x OPEN

I decided on Capsize maindeck as a sort of "random answer". I played a few games with it on Friday, and it was alright. I started eot counterwars with it bouncing Disks, stalled for a while by bouncing fat.  I also managed to bounce a Titan back to my opponents hand after he welded it into play, and he couldn't resolve another discard outlet. I haven't run into it yet, but I think Capsize is also a good answer against things like Oath and Chalice for 2. I'll have to wait to play against more decks, which won't be until the pre-release.

Also, Control Magic is one of the most absolute underrated cards played today. I tell people I'm using it and I get one of several responses:

- HAHAHAHA!
- Why not use Treachery? (because it's 1 turn slower)
- What is Control Magic?



Overall awesome report, and I hope to help boost this archetype even more, because I think it's well equipped to deal with the new changes developing.

I don't even remember why it went out of fashion in the first place. Anyone care to shed some light on that? I think it was around the time the early TnT builds started emerging, but I'm not sure on that.

Again, great report. Keep up with your awesome deckbuilding.

EDIT: Almost forgot to mention, I added another Fetch. I had some trouble getting UU up and running.

[Gabethebabe]

Excellent read!

It didn´t have phrases like "This is the most important article I´ve ever written" or "This is the most perfect deck I´ve ever designed" so that makes it even more excellent.

I still think you have to splash G and W into monoblue so that you can side in Noble Panter in the mirror match.

[thorme]

Great report Steve!  You had an amazingly successful weekend, and it was a pleasure playing you.

Strip Mine 4L  


Also, as you imply, it has been several years since I played mono-u, and I was no doubt out-of-practice.  I always tend to revert back to the good 'ole aggro plan:  Lay out threats and force you to deal with them, knowing that if I give you even a turn or 2 of respite, my game may well be over.

[Mr. Channel-Fireball]

Mono Blue became unfashionable with the restriction of Fact or Fiction, then again when a certain green creature for 1G was printed.  TnT also helped a smidgeon.

The theory behind the deck is solid enough, I think, to make it a contender despite what most metagames look like; although it's not a recommended archetype if you expect a solid field of aggro--unless you can properly plan your sb against this aggro, as steve did with control magic/energy flux.  Despite these hosers, a first turn threat every game can only be avoided for so long, including a repeated threat with practically every card thereafter.  Which is why I like Vedalken Shackles as a possible main deck card.  (now if I only had playtested before the actual tournament)

[Smmenen]

Great report Steve!  You had an amazingly successful weekend, and it was a pleasure playing you.

Strip Mine 4L  


Also, as you imply, it has been several years since I played mono-u, and I was no doubt out-of-practice.  I always tend to revert back to the good 'ole aggro plan:  Lay out threats and force you to deal with them, knowing that if I give you even a turn or 2 of respite, my game may well be over.

Just in case it wasn't clear from my report, David striped my Island immediately in game two.