New York Northeast Vintage II

[Prospero]

The second New York Northeast Vintage tournament is in the books and Tom Dixon is our winner!


The Complete Metagame Breakdown:


Drains:

U/W/R Salvagers Combo: 1
GRO: 2
Elias GRO: 2
3 Decks, 1 Box: 1
BUG Control: 2
BUG Fish: 1
Landstill: 1
Control Slaver: 1

Workshops:

Forgemaster MUD: 1
Aggro MUD: 1
Espresso Stax: 4
Mono Red Shops: 2


Bazaars:

Cagebreaker Dredge: 3
Dredge: 1

Rituals:

TPS: 2


Top Eight Pairings and Results:


Raffaele Forino vs. Dave Gans – Forino wins
Scott Hughes vs. David A. – Hughes wins
Tom Dixon vs. Chris Hanson – Dixon wins
Jake Gans vs. Josh Butker – Gans wins


Top Four Pairings and Results:


Raffaele Forino vs. Scott Hughes – Forino wins
Tom Dixon vs. Jake Gans – Dixon wins


Finals:


Tom Dixon vs. Raffaele Forino – Dixon wins

Congratulations to Tom Dixon, Raf Forino and all of my top eight competitors!


Top Eight Decklists

1st – Tom Dixon
BUG Control

4 Force of Will
2 Mental Misstep
1 Flusterstorm
1 Mana Drain
1 Mindbreak Trap
4 Gush
1 Fire//Ice
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Preordain
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Yawgmowth's Will
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Tarmogoyf
1 Scavaging Ooze
1 Trygon Predator
1 Blightsteel Colossus
2 Jace, the Mindsculptor
1 Fastbond
3 Mystic Remora
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
1 Voltaic Key
1 Time Vault
2 Island
3 Tropical Island
2 Underground Sea
1 Volcanic Island
1 Library of Alexandria
2 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn

SB:

4 Leyline of the Void
2 Ravenous Trap
1 Flusterstorm
3 Ingot Chewer
2 Sower of Temptation
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Volcanic Island
1 Trygon Predator

2nd – Raffaele Forino
Martello Shops

4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Wasteland
2 Mishra’s Factory
2 Rishadan Port
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Thorn of Amethyst
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Sphere of Resistance
4 Tangle Wire
4 Kuldotha Forgemaster
1 Duplicant
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Sundering Titan
3 Phyrexian Metamorph
3 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Trinisphere
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Vault
1 Mana Crypt

SB:

4 Tormod’s Crypt
2 Crucible of Worlds
2 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Witchbane Orb
2 Duplicant
1 Platinum Angel
3 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale

3rd – Scott Hughes
Mono Red Shops

1 Black Lotus
1 Karn, the Silver Golem
4 Lodestone Golem
1 Mana Crypt
1 Memory Jar
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Opal
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Phyrexian Revoker
2 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Sol Ring
3 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
1 Tangle Wire
4 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Trinisphere
4 Goblin Welder
4 Magus of the Moon
2 Ancient Tomb
1 City of Traitors
4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Mountain
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Wasteland

SB:

2 Duplicant
4 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Razormane Masticore
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Triskelion
1 Shattering Spree
2 Viashino Heretic

4th - Jake Gans
Elias GRO + Tendrils

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

SB:

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

5th – Chris Hanson
MUD Aggro

4 Mishra’s Factory
4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Wasteland
4 Ancient Tomb
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Strip Mine
1 City of Traitors
4 Sphere of Resistance
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Tangle Wire
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Thorn of Amethyst
2 Batterskull
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Trinisphere
3 Null Rod

SB:

2 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
3 Duplicant
2 Dismember
3 Grafdigger’s Cage
3 Tormod’s Crypt
2 Crucible of Worlds

6th – Joshua Butker
Espresso Stax

4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
4 Ancient Tomb
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Mishra’s Factory
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
4 Sphere of Resistance
2 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Trinisphere
4 Tangle Wire
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Smokestack
3 Crucible of Worlds
4 Lodestone Golem
2 Karn, Silver Golem
4 Serum Powder
3 Phyrexian Metamorph

SB:

4 Leyline of the Void
3 Surgical Extraction
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Pithing Needle
2 Dismember
2 Batterskull
1 Phyrexian Metamorph

7th – David Gans
Jace-less Dredge

4 Bloodghast
4 Narcomoeba
3 Ichorid
1 Flame-Kin Zealot
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Sphinx of Lost Truths
2 Golgari Thug
4 Stinkweed Imp
4 Golgari Grave-Troll
1 Chain of Vaopr
1 Darkblast
3 Mental Misstep
3 Nature’s Claim
4 Cabal Therapy
3 Dread Return
4 Bridge from Below
1 Black Lotus
4 Serum Powder
4 Bazaar of Baghdad
3 City of Brass
4 Undiscovered Paradise
1 Dakmor Salvage

SB:

2 Petrified Field
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
3 Ingot Chewer
1 Nature’s Claim
1 Mental Misstep
1 Firestorm
2 Chain of Vapor

8th – David Ata
BUG Fish

1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Tinker
1 Time Walk
1 Ponder
3 Preordain
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Demonic Tutor
3 Underground Sea
3 Tropical Island
1 Tolarian Academy
2 Polluted Delta
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Island
1 Forest
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
3 Mental Misstep
4 Force of Will
2 Flusterstorm
1 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
3 Trygon Predator
3 Tarmogoyf
4 Dark Confidant
1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Time Vault
1 Voltaic Key
1 Sol Ring
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mana Crypt
1 Black Lotus

SB:

2 Sower of Temptation
2 Dismember
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Flusterstorm
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Yixlid Jailer
3 Nature’s Claim


9th Place Prize:


9th place was won by Long Island’s own Mike Lapine.  I left the 9th place prize at my apartment, but I can promise him that he has some very bad rares coming his way…


Conclusion:


There were issues with this event, the two most salient of which were scheduling and last minute dropouts.  I know of 12 players, off the top of my head, who for various reasons were unable to make the tournament (who had intended upon it.)  If this event wasn’t scheduled one week after the Grudge Match I firmly believe that we would have had a much stronger turnout.  Coss and I have spoken, we won’t be doing events on back to back weekends anymore.  I ran a 90 man Grudge Match at Brothers Grim and I averaged 45 players for the first six months of 2011, which was the highest average attendance (to my knowledge) of U.S. Vintage tournaments over that period.  There are issues, but they’re being corrected, and I hope to see you at a New York Northeast Vintage event in the near future.

My sincere thanks to Nick Coss and Mike Noble, for dealing at the event, to Brian Paskoff, for being an awesome judge in addition to a great guy, and to all the staff of Brothers Grim; Frank, Gil, Steve, Dave, I don’t know how I’d successfully run Vintage events without you guys.  Most of all though, I’d like to offer my thanks to you, the players, who made the trip up to sling some cards with friends.

I hope to see you all on March 24th!

[rpf5029]

Three Tabernacles?  Oh my.  I can never play these pretty shop decks under ten proxy.  :'(

[Samoht]

Three Tabernacles?  Oh my.  I can never play these pretty shop decks under ten proxy.  :'(

If you want to play Shops tell me what your proxies are and I can help a bit. I'm assuming 6 artifacts and 4 lands are in the equation, in addition to the Tabs. Although I'm not sure how happy I'd be feeding the Workshop monster...

[A.-1.]

Nick, I feel really bad that I haven't been to Selden in ages. I'm in a really awkward part of Pennsylvania where I'm out of the way for anyone to carpool with, and one New York event costs about as much as two Bloomsburgs for me. *Le sigh*

Grats to that top eight that looks absolutely brutal to get through.

Tom, I have no idea what Fisher is talking about. First off, he would never play Shops. Hell would have to freeze over before that. Second, he owns the six artifacts.

[Kameli0n]

I don't know Rob, I do remember my top 4 match up against Fisher at the last nyse lotus event I played in where he played two card monte... so technically, hell froze over at least once already.

[Prospero]

Grats to that top eight that looks absolutely brutal to get through.

That top 8 was quite talented, but I think the big story of the day has to be the return of the Godfather of Shops, Raf Forino.  Just to clear this up for those who didn't know; Forino put his deck down after GenCon, spent time with family and the New York Giants and then came back, with virtually no testing in six months to make the finals of his first event.  He put together a new deck, played against a solid field, went through a bunch of ringers, and was one more match win away from taking home first place.
 
Beyond that, I saw some of the wins that he had on the day and I can tell you, they were brutally unfair.  The heir to Espresso has been unveiled. 

[rpf5029]

I don't know Rob, I do remember my top 4 match up against Fisher at the last nyse lotus event I played in where he played two card monte... so technically, hell froze over at least once already.

Heh.  As much as I enjoy this, it really, really doesn't count. 

Tom,

Thanks for the offer.  I do have the six artifacts -- I don't have Wastes, Ports, Tabernacles, Mazes (in other lists), only three Smokestacks -- nickel and dime stuff, mostly, but ones that I have yet to acquire.  (Doesn't help that SOMEONE'S getting my only two Wastelands at the end of March.)  But Rob's right:  I just want to have the option to play Shops, not that I necessarily want to play it.  Who would ever want to feed that Workshop monster?  *Wrong thread to say that in*   

So, Rob, you're vindicated. 

Nick,

Please give my regards and congratulations to Don Forino when next you see him.   

It's great to hear of him doing well.  Vintage has a disproportionate amount of good people (compared to other formats), and those Forinos are among the best of the best.  I hope I get to test my wits against Raff, Vinny, and, of course, yourself sometime soon.