Tournament Results and the Impact of Hulk Flash

[The Cisco Kid]

So I decided to use the resources at hand both here and at the Source to compile tournament results from this past weekend (post-Hulk Flash), and the weekend before it's discovery to the entire Legacy-playing world. If anyone has any additional information they'd like to share, PM me or post it here. Anyway, it's a valuable tool for metagaming, in any case.

4-28/9
Kaddy’s (Top 8, 55 players):  [1/2]Belcher, [1/2]Survival, [3]UWB Landstill, [4]Polar Express, Goblins, UGR Thresh, UGW Thresh, 43Land.dec

GPT Blue Bell (Top 8, 25 players): [1-4]Boros Deck Wins, [1-4]BHWC Landstill, [1-4]Rec-Sur, [1-4]Iggy Pop, Goblins, GR Belcher, CRET Belcher, B/W Disruption

GPT Saint Louis (Top 4, 9 players): [1]Trinket Angels, [2]BWHC Landstill, Stompy, Boros Deck Wins

Dragon’s Lair (Top 8, 32 players): [1]Death and Taxes, [2]UW Fish, [3-4]Angel Stax, [3/4]Three Deuce, Pox, Golden Grahams, White Weenie, UG Madness

GPT Louisville (Top 8, 31 players): [1]Golden Grahams, [2]Goblins, [3/4]UG Loam, [3/4]Landstill, Golden Grahams, B/W Disruption, Thresh, Sligh

GPT Roanoke (Top 8, 15 players): [1]RG Beats, [2]Affinity, [3]Iggy Pop, [4]UWR Pyroclasm

GPT New York (Top 8, 23 players): [1/2]Gro, [1/2]TES, [3/4]MWC, [3/4]Belcher, UB Tog, UG Madness, Rec-Sur, , Zoo

GPT Columbus (Top 8, 26 players): [1]Goblins, [2]B/W Disruption, [3/4]Goblins, [3/4]Rock, Rifter, Counter Sliver, Thresh, Affinity

5 Goblins (8.9%)
4 Belcher (7.1%)
4 Landstill
4 Thresh
3 Golden Grahams (5.4%)
3 Landstill
3 Survival
3 BW Disruption
2 UG Madness (3.6%)
2 Boros Deck Wins
2 Iggy Pop
2 Affinity
Polar Express (1.8%)
43 Land.dec
Stompy
Trinket Angels
Pox
Death and Taxes
Fish
White Weenie
Angel Stax
Three Deuce
Sligh
UG Loam
RG Beats
UWR Pyroclasm
UB Tog
MWC
TES
Gro
Zoo
Rock
Rifter
Counter Sliver

56/216 players

5-5/6
Meandeck Open (Top 8, 29 players): [1/2]Hulk Flash, [1/2]UWB Fish, 6 Unknown

Sandusky FoW (Top 3, 9 players): [1]Hulk Flash, [2]Hulk Flash, [3]Iggy Pop

Austin Mox (Top 8, 16 players): [1]Survival, [2]Hulk Flash, [3/4] Belcher, [3/4]UB Tog, Hulk Flash, Hulk Flash, Belcher, Unknown

GPT Rochester (Top 8, 25 people): [1] Blue Skies (Fish), [2]Aluren, [3/4]Belcher, [3/4]Thresh, Goblins, 43Land.dec, Hulk Flash, Belcher

GPT Richmond (Top 8, 25 playes): [1]Hulk Flash, [2]Belcher, [3/4]Solidarity, [3/4]Red Death, Loam, Hulk Flash, Rock-ish, UGw Thresh

GPT Pittsburgh (Top 8, 36 players): [1/2] Thresh, [1/2] Goblins, [3/4] Counter Slivers, [3/4] Landstill, Hulk Flash, Hulk Flash, Fish, Unknown

11 Hulk Flash (31.4%)
5 Belcher (14.3%)
3 Thresh (8.6%)
2 Fish (5.7%)
2 Goblins
Iggy Pop (2.9%)
UB Tog
Aluren
43 Land.dec
Loam
Red Death
Rock
Landstill
Solidarity
Sea Stompy
Counter Slivers
Survival
8 Unknown

35 (Known)/140 players

[erictehfatz0r]

I think this sudden influx of the deck is just a product of it being overhyped. While being a good deck, I don't believe it will be as popular in the coming weeks leading up to the Grand Prix. I just think that people wanted to try the deck out, and I think that after the influx of hate directed at it, the numbers will drop and those dedicated to playing the deck will keep playing it.

I smell a Flavor of the Week deck.

[warwizard87]

wow it seams belcher is making a impact as well.

[Smmenen]

Here are some trial results from Columbus: http://www.professional-events.com/decks/WotC/GPTColumbus07/GPTColumbus042907.htm

[Caboose]

Don't let the number of Threshold in the Top 8 fool you. All of those were me, I believe. Nobody seems to play Thresh anymore 

[GrandpaBelcher]

This is really how bad the format is.  This is the true impact of Flash.  Mark Trogdon is playing Islands!

The other three Horsemen are saddling their horses as we speak...

That's from the Meandeck Legacy tournament this past weekend.  There were four Flash decks and one split for the finals.  I didn't see any goblins there, but I think there was one goblins, one mono-red burn, and two affinity.  In other words, there was almost no dedicated aggro.  Out of 27 players.  Actually, I didn't even see any other combo decks.

Flash as a deck isn't unbeatable, but it does turn the whole format on its ear as people try to guess how much it will be played.  More than half of the decks at the tournament were gunning for Flash almost specifically.  I had 24 cards for it post-board.  What the final ratios--deckwise and strategywise--will be at the GP seem like anyone's guess at this point.

[Tash]

This is really how bad the format is.  This is the true impact of Flash.  Mark Trogdon is playing Islands!

The other three Horsemen are saddling their horses as we speak...

Yeah. That's pretty bad. I don't know Trogdon at all, but I am familiar with his deck of choice.

Hell, I can't play my deck of choice because I seriously have no way to beat it game one.

I think the only decks you can play that can have a hope of beating Hulk Flash are the ones that have FoW, or the ones that have Leyline maindeck. Belcher might have a chance too just because it has the chance to combo turn one too, but that's about it.

[warwizard87]

This is really how bad the format is.  This is the true impact of Flash.  Mark Trogdon is playing Islands!

is it just me or does mark look unhappy there, then agien every event i have gone to that he was there he played mountains in some form.

BTW what deck is he playing is mark playign LANDSTILL@@

[Tin_Mox5831]

Yes, Mark was playing a Landstill variant. It was pretty cool, but the best part of the whole tournament was Mark's repeated and very loud outbursts of "Stupid frickin' Flash Deck!". The best part is that he wasn't even playing against it, he was just pissed about tapping Islands apparently.

Good times. 

Later,
Dave

[Parcher]

Speaking of the Bizzaro world that Flash has created; Tom Smart, (yes of "Smart Goblins") a Mountains player if there ever was one, just won a GPT with of all things, frickin' BHWC Landstill.

The whole world's coming to an end.

[GrandpaBelcher]

Yes, Mark was playing a Landstill variant. It was pretty cool, but the best part of the whole tournament was Mark's repeated and very loud outbursts of "Stupid frickin' Flash Deck!". The best part is that he wasn't even playing against it, he was just pissed about tapping Islands apparently.

He wasn't pissed at tapping Islands (he's actually done it before--he played MUC at a Vintage tournament once), he was pissed that he had metagamed against Flash and then had to play other people who had metagamed against it.  Most of the people at that tournament were there to beat Flash and just ended up butting heads.  He felt like all the preparation he (and others) had made was wasted every time they played against a non-Flash deck.

For the record, he played mono-red Burn in Cincinnati.

[Tin_Mox5831]

Damn, it appears as though I forgot my Smiley. I knew what he actually meant, I thought it was freaking hilarious nonetheless.

Later,
Dave