Top 8 Meandeck Open 3.18.12

[CHA1N5]

The Top 4 split, so the results are presented in T4/T8 order:

MEAN DECK OPEN VINTAGE TOP 8 DECK LISTS 3/18/2012

Steve Menendian
4 Doomsday
4 Gush
4 Preordain
4 Force of Will
3 Trygon Predator
3 Flusterstorm
1 Duress
1 Thoughtseize
1 Laboratory Maniac
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Ponder
1 Brainstorm
1 Imperial Seal
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Fastbond
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
4 Mental Misstep
1 Merchant Scroll
4 Polluted Delta
3 Misty Rainforest
4 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
1 Island
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ancestral Recall

Sideboard:
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Yixlid Jailor
3 Xantid Swarm
2 Steel Sabotage
1 Mox Ruby
1 Sol Ring
1 Trygon Predator
1 Massacre

Edwin Nieves
4 Serum Powder
4 Leyline of the Void
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Narcomoeba
4 Bloodghast
3 Chain of Vapor
4 Golgari Grave Troll
4 Stinkweed Imp
4 Bridge From Below
3 Golgari Thug
3 Ichorid
1 Elesh Norn
1 Flame-Kin Zealot
3 Dread Return
4 City of Brass
4 Undiscovered Paradise
2 Dakmor Salvage
4 Bazaar of Bagdad

Sideboard:
4 Wispmare
4 Ingot Chewer
1 Ancient Grudge
3 Contagion
1 Blazing Archon
1 Elesh Norn
1 Chain of Vapor


Andrew Morrow
4 Thorn of Amethyst
2 Crucible of Worlds
4 Chalice of the Void
1 Wurmcoil Engine
2 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Sol Ring
2 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Tangle Wire
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Ruby
1 Trinisphere
2 Steel Hellkite
1 Myr Battlesphere
1 Mox Sapphire
4 Metal Worker
3 Smokestack
1 Mox Jet
4 Lodestone Golem
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mana Vault
1 Mox Pearl
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Mishra's Workshop
1 Ghost Quarter
2 City of Traitors
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine

Sideboard:
3 Sphere of Resistance
2 Duplicant
2 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Pithing Needle
4 Relic of Progenitus


James Grendell
1 Karn Silver Golem
1 Precursor Golem
1 Razormane Masticore
1 Slash Panther
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Trinisphere
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Black Lotus
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Tangle Wire
2 Crucible of Worlds
2 Null Rod
4 Thorn of Amethyst
4 Sphere of Resistance
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Wasteland
4 Mishra's Factory
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Mishra's Workshop

Sideboard: (sic)
2 Dismember
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Witchbane Orb
3 Precursor Golem
2 Razormane Masticore
1 Batterskull

Jon Johnson
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
3 Swords to Plowshares
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Brainstorm
3 Mental Misstep
2 Flusterstorm
3 Daze
2 Grafdigger's Cage
3 Stony Silence
4 Force of Will
3 Quasali Pridemage
3 Trygon Predator
4 Noble Hierarch
3 Geist of Saint Traft
2 Cold-Eyed Selkie
1 Island
1 Forest
3 Tundra
4 Tropical Island
1 Scalding Tarn
4 Misty Rainforest
3 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine

Sideboard:
1 Sword to Plowshare
2 Kataki, War's Wage
2 Nature's Claim
1 Trygon Predator
2 Umezawa's Jitte
2 Threads of Disloyalty
1 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Ravenous Trap

Jerry Yang
4 City of Brass
4 Undiscovered Paradise
2 Dakmor Salvage
2 Petrified Field
1 Riftstone Portal
4 Bazaar of Bagdad
4 Serum Powder
4 Golgari-Grave Troll
4 Stinkweed Imp
2 Golgari Thug
4 Bloodghast
4 Narcomoeba
3 Ichorid
4 Bridge From Below
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Chain of Vapor
2 Darkblast

Sideboard:
4 Ingot Chewer
4 Nature's Claim
3 Whispmare
2 Chain of Vapor
2 Darkblast

John Chudzik
1 Sol Ring
4 Force of Will
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
4 Dark Confidant
4 Polluted Delta
1 Snow-Covered Swamp
3 Underground Sea
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Mox Emerald
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Brainstorm
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Ancestral Recall
3 Tropical Island
3 Thoughtseize
1 Time Walk
2 Snow-Covered Island
1 Mox Ruby
2 Mana Drain
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
3 Trygon Predator
1 Voltaic Key
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Time Vault
1 Mana Crypt
2 Spell Pierce
2 Mental Misstep
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Yawgmoth's Will
2 Misty Rainforest
1 Mox Pearl
1 Black Lotus
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Mox Jet
1 Tinker
1 Sensei's Divining Top

Sideboard:
1 Deathmark
2 Nature's Claim
2 Leyline of the Void
4 Tarmogoyf
1 Thada Adel, Inquisitor
1 Smother
1 Yixilid Jailor
2 Tormod's Crypt

Riley Curran
4 Nettle Sentinel
4 Heritage Druid
3 Birchlore Ranger
2 Wirewood Symbiote
2 Priest of Titania
2 Llanowar Elves
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Quirion Ranger
1 Mirror Entity
1 Viridian Shaman
1 Regal Force
3 Elvish Visionary
2 Chord of Calling
1 Time Twister
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
4 Skull Clamp
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Dryad Arbor
2 Bayou
2 Savannah
2 Tropical Island
2 Forest
4 Misty Rainforest
2 Verdant Catacomb

Sideboard:
3 Seal of Primordium
1 Seeds of Innocence
1 Viridian Corrupter
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Yixilid Jailer

[Kiriyuu]

Menendian's Plunder is actually a ponder right?

I spent about 30 seconds reading the gather for plunder and was "What can this *possibly* be for? ~_~

[CHA1N5]

Menendian's Plunder is actually a ponder right?

I spent about 30 seconds reading the gather for plunder and was "What can this *possibly* be for? ~_~

That's correct: fixed.

[Cruel Ultimatum]

Im suprised steve is playing so many trygons when they are at their weakest against shops at the moment.

[Smmenen]

#Kevinfail as tournament reporter.  

[Kymagicplayer]

Why are Trygon's weak?

[voltron00x]

Generally speaking, the field is prepared for Trygons, between Metamorph, Maze of Ith, and Dismember.  That doesn't make them bad, but they're not the slam-dunk they used to be.

I would say the exception is Noble Fish, as it plays Exalted creaures as well as Wastelands & Strip Mine, so is able to get good use out of Trygon.

[Onslaught]

Metamorph on Trygon was annoying enough already, but I really groan whenever Workshops drops a Maze of Ith against me. Back to Ancient Grudges...

[Oath of Happy]

No Time Walk in Steve's list?

[Ufactor]

@Smmenen: Could you say a few words about the disruption package?  It seems like you get to resolve whatever, whenever you want.  Was there any point where you felt like it was overkill?  Thanks!

[Tobi]

Missing card trivia open:

Menendian SB is missing one card
Grendell SB has 16 cards
Chudzik SB misses one card
Curran MD misses 8 cards

 

--> http://www.morphling.de/top8decks.php?id=1577

[warr]

@Smmenen: Could you say a few words about the disruption package?  It seems like you get to resolve whatever, whenever you want.  Was there any point where you felt like it was overkill?  Thanks!

Smmenen doesn't always offer up a lot of free tech but if you dig through the podcast he did after he debuted the deck at Waterbury last October, there is a lot of talk about options for countermagic in Vintage which covers why the disruption package is so effective.  There is also a very basic primer covering certain basic DDay piles for those who are unfamiliar with the deck.

It's about 1:15 long but it worth the listen and sometimes you gotta work for the free tech.

http://www.mtgcast.com/?p=21171

Edit: Forgot the link.

[Smmenen]

@Smmenen: Could you say a few words about the disruption package?  It seems like you get to resolve whatever, whenever you want.  Was there any point where you felt like it was overkill?  Thanks!

Smmenen doesn't always offer up a lot of free tech but if you dig through the podcast he did after he debuted the deck at Waterbury last October, there is a lot of talk about options for countermagic in Vintage which covers why the disruption package is so effective.  There is also a very basic primer covering certain basic DDay piles for those who are unfamiliar with the deck.
It's about 1:15 long but it worth the listen and sometimes you gotta work for the free tech.

http://www.mtgcast.com/?p=21171

Edit: Forgot the link.

Ha!  If you click that link, the page tells you when the Doomsday discussion begins.   It starts at 48:15.   Just fast forward and listen to the next 15 minutes -- it's a good primer on the Dday.   I listened to it for the first time in 6 months just now.

I never felt like my disruption package was overkill.   In fact, I often wished I had 4 Flusterstorm.  The only reason I haven't been running 4 Flusterstorm/4 Mental Misstep is because I don't have enough anti-Shop cards to sideboard in for those slots!

A few months ago I watched a European (I think it might have been Spanish) video on my deck, and the person presenting it actually did a very poor job of explaining the Dday piles.  They had no idea what they were talking about...

[warr]

Yup, that's why I linked to the page with the podcast and TOC on it.  I think the section with the counterspell discussions talked about the various applications of Misstep and Flusterstrorm and was therefore relevant to the DDay deck as well.  It's still a little more work than just reading a primer but worth the effort since the insights apply to almost any Vintage deck.

Question for Stephen: I noticed the full set of Trygon Predators in your list.  What do you think of the Predators in light of Brian Demar's article that mentions shops have adapted to them?  Just the best answer available for for what is probably your hardest matchup?

[Smmenen]

I think that misses the point.  I have a suite of spells that addresses the answers to Trygon Predator.  I run a bunch of Steel Sabotage and Hurkyls.  Even more in my post-tourney list, which -- sorry, i'm not posting.

[forests failed you]

Yup, that's why I linked to the page with the podcast and TOC on it.  I think the section with the counterspell discussions talked about the various applications of Misstep and Flusterstrorm and was therefore relevant to the DDay deck as well.  It's still a little more work than just reading a primer but worth the effort since the insights apply to almost any Vintage deck.

Question for Stephen: I noticed the full set of Trygon Predators in your list.  What do you think of the Predators in light of Brian Demar's article that mentions shops have adapted to them?  Just the best answer available for for what is probably your hardest matchup?

Specifically, I said that Shops are very good at beating Trygon out of the more typical big blue style decks -- I said that the decks with Trygon Predator that ARE doing well are atypical from the sort of stock Gush or Key Vault spell decks.  I specifically mentioned Steve's deck was one of these different decks with Trygon that performed well recently.

My point was that just slamming a Trygon is probably not good enough to simply beat the good shop decks all by itself.  You need a Trygon + something else:  Hurkyls Recall, Nature's Claim, Swords to Plowshares, Ancient Grudge, etc.  Its the same way that just slamming a leyline doesn't necessarily mean you just beat Dredge anymore; you need a leyline plus a way to protect it or a Leyline and a Jailer to start pulling ahead and making it so they can't win.  Same goes for Trygon, they can beat a Trygon if thats all you've got, but not a Trygon plus something else.