[Announcement] August 28 Pittsburgh PA for a Sapphire

[LoA]

According to this the tournament is sold out at 53 people.  I'm not quite sure how 53 people works for pairings, but I'm going to give them a call and see if I can squeeze in--if there's some update, I'll post it here.

EDIT: I just got off the phone with the store.  If you don't already have a seat reserved, don't go (and for God's sake, don't drive a long distance to play).  As of 10:45 on Tuesday morning they are "sold out."  It sounds like they rented a larger room since they realized their store was going to be too small but didn't rent a large enough room for the demand.  Prize structure, according to the guy I spoke with, is UL Mox Sapphire, BB Wheel of Fortune (not sure if it's Beta or FBB), and then block packs.  There are Force of Wills for those who place under 14 (?).  I add the question mark just because that seems strange, but hey, so does a tournament selling out days beforehand.

[MuzzonoAmi]

That was as of last night around 11 or 12. We got in touch with all the local (non-TMD) people and were able to build up a crowd. If you didn't pre-reg, there's no more room, though there is some space left at the store for people to play type 2.

[Hyperion]

WHAT???

If the preregistration deadline is the 26th how can he close out people NOW?

And what is the point at capping the number of players? And WTF is with selling out at 53 players? This is completely inane.

I was going to preregister this afternoon but looks like I'm out of luck so I guess I won't be going . Honestly, this guy is the worst TO I've ever seen. He cancelled then restarted the tournament like twice in the past week, won't nail down a prize structure despite the ridiculous $25 entrance fee, and closes registration two days before the deadline.

[Kowal]

Yeah, I determined I'm not going when I heard about the pricetag.  I refuse to support a TO that wants that much of my money for anything short of a lotus event.

$25 is reserved for Waterbury level events, or places in New Jersey where Ashok pays my entrance so I can win a lotus.

[LoA]

Personally, I'm pretty bitter about this too since I missed the pre-reg that ends in a few days.  Maybe I'm spoiled by the Waterbury scene.

However, since I'm new to the city and really want a Type 1 movement here, I'll hope that a few positive things will happen from all this.

1. The TO will recognize his mistakes and not make them again.  I'm sure there's a decent learning curve for tournaments of this size.  I got burned, but 50-some people will get to play (as opposed to 40-some if they hadn't rented the hall at the last minute).

2. The TO will recognize the need for better prize support, now that he can gauge attendance and not worry about giving a Mox away for free.

3. The TO will see the potential profit from having tournaments on a regular basis.

4. I'll give the TO the benefit of the doubt and assume the sell out has to do with the city's fire marshal more than it does any other reason.  Still, he needs to get a bigger place.

Honestly, if these things don't happen by the next tournament (I'd rather wait a few more weeks and have a better tournament than have the next one rushed and plagued by the same issues), then I'll be hard pressed to make the trip out to Munhall/W. Mifflin.

[MuzzonoAmi]

Honestly, I'm just as bitter. I was counting on this as an opportunity to actually meet some TMD people  - something I've been unable to do as of yet. I don't think I'll be attending this guy's next tournament unless he plans on doing some better planning and organization. On the positive side, I'm going to consider taking the reins on the next one and making sure that things work out well instead of being confusing and shitty as hell.

[LoA]

As the week went on I kept hearing stranger and stranger things about this tournament--anyone actually attend?  And if so, how did it go?

[Dr. Sylvan]

And more importantly, with 53 reg slots, were there 50 people in attendance?! (Decklists somethingsomething decklists.)

[MuzzonoAmi]

The TO has the lists, I'll see what I can do. There were indeed 53 people at one of the lamest tournies I've ever been to.  While this guy wants to do another event in November, I've already made it clear that I'm running things this time and that the mistakes made there (like running 2x elim) won't be made again.

[Dr. Sylvan]

From:     MuzzonoAmi
To:    Dr. Sylvan
Posted:    Wed Sep 01, 2004 10:37 pm
Subject:    T8 - Pittsburgh

1st Place: [TPS]
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Underground Sea
4 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
1 Library of Alexandria
2 Island
2 Swamp
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mox Pearl
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mana Vault
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Yawgmoth's Bargain
1 Lotus Petal
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Chain of Vapor
4 Duress
4 Dark Ritual
1 Mystical Tutor
2 Tendrils of Agony
4 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
1 Cunning Wish
1 Rebuild
1 Time Walk
1 Mind's Desire
1 Necropotence
1 Timetwister
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Windfall
1 Time Spiral

Sideboard
1 Stifle
1 Brain Freeze
1 Echoing Truth
3 Misdirection
3 Blue Elemental Blast
2 Rebuild
1 Skeletal Scrying
1 Coffin Purge
1 Ebony Charm
1 Hurkyl's Recall

2nd Place [7/10 Split]

4 Goblin Welder
2 Triskelion
4 Sundering Titan
1 Duplicant
4 Chalice of the Void
1 Tinker
4 Brainstorm
4 Thirst of Knowledge
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Shattering Pulse
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Timetwister
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Memory Jar
4 Gilded Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Mana Crypt
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
4 Mishra's Workshop
4 Shivan Reef
2 Glimmervoid
2 City of Brass
2 Ancient Tomb
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Tolarian Academy

3rd Place [4c Control]

4 Flooded Strand
3 Tundra
3 Underground Sea
2 City of Brass
2 Volcanic Island
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
4 Brainstorm
3 Cunning Wish
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Fact or Fiction
3 Skeletal Scrying
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Mind Twist
1 Time Walk
2 Crucible of Worlds
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Fire/Ice
1 Balance
1 Gorilla Shaman
2 Exalted Angel
1 Decree of Justice

Sideboard:
3 Red Elemental Blast
3 Flametogue Kavu
2 Rack and Ruin
2 Swords to Plowshares
1 Disenchant
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Blue Elemental Blast
1 Gush



4th Place [MonoBlue]

8 Island
3 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
1 Library of Alexandria
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
5 Moxen
1 Black Lotus
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
4 Mana Leak
2 Prohibit
1 Counterspell
4 Ophidian
4 Accumulated Knowledge
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
3 Powder Keg
2 Morphling
4 Back to Basics

Sideboard
4 Blue Elemental Blast
4 Energy Flux
4 Propaganda
3 Chalice of the Void


5th Place: [U/G Madness] - ME!

4 Tropical Island
4 Forest
4 Island
3 Elvish Spirit Guide
2 Polluted Delta
2 Windswept Heath
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
1 Sol Ring
4 Careful Study
4 Brainstorm
3 Deep Analysis
2 Quiet Speculation
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Leak
4 Basking Rootwalla
4 Wild Mongrel
4 Arrogant Wurm
3 Roar of the Wurm
2 Werebear

Sideboard
3 Blue Elemental Blast
3 Energy Flux
3 Back to Basics
2 Ray of Revelation
2 Null Rod
2 Mystic Remora

6th Place [Control Slaver]
4 Goblin Welder
4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will
4 Brainstorm
4 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Fact or Fiction
2 Duress
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Will
2 Mindslaver
1 Pentavus
1 Sundering Titan
1 Platinum Angel
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
4 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
4 Volcanic Island
3 Underground Sea
2 Darksteel Citadel
4 Island

Sideboard
4 Blue Elemental Blast
3 Flametongue Kavu
3 Red Elemental Blast
3 Duress
2 Mogg Salvage



7th Place [U/R Fish]

1 Mox Sapphire
3 Null Rod
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Cloud of Fairies
4 Curiosity
3 Daze
2 Thalakos Seer
4 Force of Will
4 Spiketail Hatchling
4 Standstill
1 Time Walk
2 Gorilla Shaman
4 Grim Lavamancer
2 Fairie Conclave
2 Flooded Strand
3 Island
4 Mishra's Factory
3 Polluted Delta
1 Strip Mine
4 Volcanic Island
4 Wasteland


Sideboard:
3 Red Elemental Blast
1 Duplicant
2 Viashino Heretic
2 Blue Elemental Blast
4 Trinisphere
3 Rack and Ruin

8th Place [Dragon]
4 Force of Will
3 Stifle
3 Xantid Swarm
4 Squee, Goblin Nabob
3 Worldgorger Dragon
1 Ambassador Laquatus
3 Animate Dead
2 Dance of the Dead
3 Necromancy
2 Cunning Wish
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Entomb
1 Crop Rotation
2 Intuition
2 Deep Analysis
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
4 Bazaar of Baghdad
4 Underground Sea
4 Polluted Delta
1 Bayou
2 Tropical Island
1 Island
1 Swamp
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt

Sideboard:
1 Xantid Swarm
2 Sliver Queen
2 Pernicious Deed
2 Naturalize
1 Stroke of Genius
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Stifle
1 Rebuild
1 Coffin Purge
1 Tranquil Domain
1 Blue Elemental Blast
1 Hurkyl's Recall

[Jacob Orlove]

Can you count those if this was double elim and not swiss?

Congrats on 5th, Shannon!

[Hyperion]

That's a stronger T8 than I would have predicted...I guess the whole proxy thing does help . I've been told by the locals that there really aren't that many powered players here.

Of course, you would have seen LoA and I in the T8 had we not been tardy on trying to preregister a mere two days before the Thursday deadline....

I'll add to that, nice job Ami  

[MuzzonoAmi]

Of course. I think the TO is trying to organize another event. I'll be sure to post it on TMD ASAP, and make sure that I take the reins as far as making things line up with conventional tournies better.

[Razvan]

Of course Shannon was higher placed than the dude with control slaver in 6th... he was running 5 Duress, after all...

Either way, congrats, a very nice Top 8 "metagame", and very nice decks throughout...