[Premium Article] History of Vintage: 1997

[Smmenen]

http://www.eternalcentral.com/?p=3667

Blurb:

Stephen Menendian has uncovered a treasure trove of lost decklists and forgotten history as he explores the trends, experiences, and metagame of Type I in 1997, the fifth year of Magic. Whether you are a student of the history of the game, a fan of the early years of Magic, or simply curious about the early years of Vintage, this article is not to be missed. With fifteen tournament winning and high-performing decklists and in-depth analysis, this article is perfect for those who want to relive 1997, as the first age of Type I Magic draws to a close.

Learn how new printings and design innovations from Visions to Tempest transformed the Type I metagame and affected the Banned & Restricted List. Finally, Stephen magnificently deconstructs the six Schools of Magic that emerged in the year early years of the game, and continue to persist today. Do not miss this 31+ page epic covering a pivotal year in the history of Type I/Vintage.

**

Key points:

* 15 decklists from the era
* A very cool table at the end summarizing the 6 Schools of Vintage
* See what won the 1997 Type I Championship
* Learn which cards from Visions, Weatherlight and Tempest mattered most when they were printed
* Learn the Type I metagame and understand its evolution.  

I dug up and uncovered some really cool stuff.   Hope you enjoy.   This has been a true labor of love, but has taken far more time and energy than I'll ever get back for it.  

EDIT: For the real history of Magic nerds among you, I left a bunch of tidbits and info in the endnotes.  

Also, the entire series so far can be seen here : http://www.eternalcentral.com/?tag=history-of-vintage

[PeAcH]

As a young Vintage player I used to buy The Duelist and InQuest as my sources of MTG information at that time. I enjoy bringing back the memories of all this era reflected through history, anecdotes, epic battles, and real decklists (some born and tuned to fight successful other ones).

The amount of time and research not only investigating through many sources but also weaving them together to achieve a great results provides a fine product with a level of quality that keeps raising.

Well played!

[Smmenen]

Thank you very much Guilliem.   

This history, once uncovered, practically writes itself.  I don't have to bend or distort facts into a coherent narrative.  The narrative emerges naturally -- all I haven to do is remove the stone to uncover it. 

It's actually incredible.   And, since I didn't play Magic from 1996-2000, I have no first hand knowledge of these events and trends.   I'm literally learning by interview, digging up tournament reports, magazines, old books and so much more. 

I really hope people give this series a chance.  I'm pouring everything I have into it, and I'm committing to seeing this project through.   The lessons are so interesting and so profound that every Vintage player -- nay, every Magic player, should be interesting in learning them. 

If you are on the fence about the other chapters, read 1997 and see what you think.  I promise you won't be disappointed!

1997 turned out probably the best of all of the chapters so far, even though I'm very proud of 1995. 

[John Cox]

This was a very interesting time for magic, after horrible sets like the dark fallen empires and homelands (these seemed to echo each other) wizards put out some amazing stuff. This was a great time to play magic.

[Smmenen]

I hope that my chapter illuminates these trends and illustrates their relationship to modern Vintage through the evolution of Type 1.  I think this Chapter is the best yet in terms of narrative, substantive detail, and great decks.  

These decks are great fun to play as well.  I hope they provide a foundation and enduring reference for people interested in playing older iterations of the format.

I hope people continue to follow along.  It's going to read extremely well once all the chapters are out! I already finished 1998 so it should be published mid-March.  We are past the quarter mark!  

[brianpk80]

Stephen, that was a great early morning read.  As a teenager, I used to absorb MtG constantly and there was no shortage of food for thought; many of the details faded over time, but your chronicling was so thorough that they returned vividly.  I saw many things I forgot I had forgotten like the Mirage/Visions connection to a very early set design and the existence of Wand of Denial.  Since I used to think about the game in class all the time and build decks in notebooks, seeing all of that information from that era was like reading and old journal--very nostalgic and personal.  I second the person who requested a physical copy.  I'd want it on my bookshelf, in hard copy.  I think it would also make a great Christmas gift for some of the younger relatives I have who are heavily into Magic.  

An observation I had at the end when you wrote about Hahn's six schools was that the Zoo school is the one that has vanished.  Then I thought, "But isn't that Delver?"  

[Smmenen]

Stephen, that was a great early morning read.  As a teenager, I used to absorb MtG constantly and there was no shortage of food for thought; many of the details faded over time, but your chronicling was so thorough that they returned vividly.  I saw many things I forgot I had forgotten like the Mirage/Visions connection to a very early set design and the existence of Wand of Denial.  Since I used to think about the game in class all the time and build decks in notebooks, seeing all of that information from that era was like reading and old journal--very nostalgic and personal.

1997 is new history for me (I quit in 1996), so I'm glad that I was able to evoke those sentiments and memories in you!  I hope other people who are like you feel the same way, and people like me learn this history for the first time!  

 I second the person who requested a physical copy.  I'd want it on my bookshelf, in hard copy.  I think it would also make a great Christmas gift for some of the younger relatives I have who are heavily into Magic.  

You can always just print and bound the chapters once they are all finished

An observation I had at the end when you wrote about Hahn's six schools was that the Zoo school is the one that has vanished.  Then I thought, "But isn't that Delver?"  

I didn't quite say which School had disappeared (and you'll note that only 2 of those schools where Hahn's original schools), but I think Delver fits more into the Comer school.  I guess I can evaluate that once I get to 2012

[brianpk80]

1997 is new history for me (I quit in 1996), so I'm glad that I was able to evoke those sentiments and memories in you!  I hope other people who are like you feel the same way, and people like me learn this history for the first time!  

It was a great year.  There had been an overwhelming sense that Wizards decided never again to print good cards; this was fostered by Fallen Empires, Homelands, and Mirage, which barring a few exceptions consisted of overcosted junk.  That sense began to dissipate beginning with Visions, and more with Weatherlight, and then even more with Tempest.  The format needed that kind of infusion because players were growing bored.     

I second the person who requested a physical copy.  I'd want it on my bookshelf, in hard copy.  I think it would also make a great Christmas gift for some of the younger relatives I have who are heavily into Magic.  

You can always just print and bound the chapters once they are all finished

I suppose that's true, but a work of this nature calls for a dignified presentation.  I really like it so far.  FWIW, if you do compile everything and have a chance to edit, there were one or two typos I noticed, but they didn't detract and it would be rude for me to point them out without solicitation. 

I didn't quite say which School had disappeared (and you'll note that only 2 of those schools where Hahn's original schools), but I think Delver fits more into the Comer school.  I guess I can evaluate that once I get to 2012

Yes, the Hahn school set the foundation for discussion and then segued into a different framework of six; I saw that.  I gathered the one that disappeared was Zoo, although it wasn't stated it explicitly.  Delvers & Tarmogoyfs remind me of Serendibs & Ernhams.   

[Smmenen]

1997 is new history for me (I quit in 1996), so I'm glad that I was able to evoke those sentiments and memories in you!  I hope other people who are like you feel the same way, and people like me learn this history for the first time!  

It was a great year.  There had been an overwhelming sense that Wizards decided never again to print good cards; this was fostered by Fallen Empires, Homelands, and Mirage, which barring a few exceptions consisted of overcosted junk.  That sense began to dissipate beginning with Visions, and more with Weatherlight, and then even more with Tempest.  The format needed that kind of infusion because players were growing bored.    

Tempest is clearly a ratcheting up of the power level in the game -- no question.  Weatherlight sets a trajectory that spikes very high in 1998.  It's utterly amazing how far the pendulum swung the other way by the time Urza's Saga is released in 1998.   It's simply beyond me how Wizards thought the cards in Urza's Saga would not be problematic.

I think you'll enjoy the next chapter very much.

I second the person who requested a physical copy.  I'd want it on my bookshelf, in hard copy.  I think it would also make a great Christmas gift for some of the younger relatives I have who are heavily into Magic.  

You can always just print and bound the chapters once they are all finished

I suppose that's true, but a work of this nature calls for a dignified presentation.  I really like it so far.  FWIW, if you do compile everything and have a chance to edit, there were one or two typos I noticed, but they didn't detract and it would be rude for me to point them out without solicitation.  

If you see typos, send a note to the editor.

I don't want to commit to a compilation when I can't even promise that I'll complete every chapter.  I may get tired half way through this project, or I may sense a decline in reader interest.  I hope not, and I plan to continue through, but one can't predict the future.  

At the moment, my plan is to publish chapters from 1993-2012 with a potential summary chapter or summary section on the evolution of the Schools of Vintage described at the end of this chapter.  But that means I won't be finished until sometime early in 2014(!), if I stick to current schedule of one chapter a month (which is my plan).   So, that's a long way away to be concretely planning for.  

I have already gone back and made revisions to every published chapter so far to correct for typos or to update content.  In fact, I sent Jaco an edit to 1994 to inculde Granville Wright's Explosion deck, and we already had revisions to include Mark Chalice's The Machine.  

I really hope, though, that as this series progresses, it gains more visibility in the wider Magic community.  It is my intention that this is my most enduring work of authorship/scholarship in Magic.  I hope people outside of Vintage read this.

One of the subversive purposes (from the point of view of Wizards, I suppose) of this work is to actually enhance the visibility AND appreciation of Vintage by tethering it to the early history of the game, showing how the format that evolved in the very early years continues to exist today.  I had originally intended for this to be a book to be published to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the game, but I couldn't realize that vision in a reasonable way... 

I didn't quite say which School had disappeared (and you'll note that only 2 of those schools where Hahn's original schools), but I think Delver fits more into the Comer school.  I guess I can evaluate that once I get to 2012

Yes, the Hahn school set the foundation for discussion and then segued into a different framework of six; I saw that.  I gathered the one that disappeared was Zoo, although it wasn't stated it explicitly.  Delvers & Tarmogoyfs remind me of Serendibs & Ernhams.    

For sure, but they just as easily remind me of Dryads, Wearbear and Gaea's Skyfolk in Alan Comer's MIracle Grow: https://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=sideboard/strategy/sb20020124b

The Zoo and Comer schools have significant areas of overlap, as illustrated by the principle described in the table at the end, but I still view them as distinct in at least one key respect: the Zoo deck emphasizes burn to generate tempo whereas the Comer school emphasizes free countermagic.  

[brianpk80]

Tempest is clearly a ratcheting up of the power level in the game -- no question.  Weatherlight sets a trajectory that spikes very high in 1998.  It's utterly amazing how far the pendulum swung the other way by the time Urza's Saga is released in 1998.  

Visions was a significant step up from Mirage and trajectory's origins can be seen there as well.  It had a lot of interesting cards that seemed to have untapped potential: Sands of Time, Teferi's Puzzlebox, Equipoise, Zhalfrin Crusader, Rainbow Efreet, and more.  The weaker ones weren't so clearly mundane and overcosted as the majority of Mirage cards. 

It's simply beyond me how Wizards thought the cards in Urza's Saga would not be problematic.

Agreed.  When Urza's Saga was released, I remember people thinking that the cards couldn't really be that broken simply because it's Wizards and they don't print broken cards anymore.  Despite the power creep of the previous 18 months, new cards were still instinctively disdained (an undying phenomenon).  It took a few weeks before Tolarian Academy had its explosion in price and prominence.  I remember trading for them at $2-3.50 very early on. 

The restrictions that followed really screwed up people's collections, and the 6E rules that nerfed Mirror Kill were insult to injury.  I stopped playing for a while then. 

I don't want to commit to a compilation when I can't even promise that I'll complete every chapter.  I may get tired half way through this project, or I may sense a decline in reader interest.  I hope not, and I plan to continue through, but one can't predict the future.  

Understandable.  Could some years be lumped together?  1999-2001, the "neverending hangover." 

I really hope, though, that as this series progresses, it gains more visibility in the wider Magic community.  It is my intention that this is my most enduring work of authorship/scholarship in Magic.  I hope people outside of Vintage read this.

I was thinking it would make a good gift to younger relatives who play Standard and Modern exclusively.  They have all the embedded stereotypes about Vintage but show sparks of interest when they hear about Rogue decks and Fish decks. 
 

One of the subversive purposes (from the point of view of Wizards, I suppose) of this work is to actually enhance the visibility AND appreciation of Vintage by tethering it to the early history of the game, showing how the format that evolved in the very early years continues to exist today.  I had originally intended for this to be a book to be published to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the game, but I couldn't realize that vision in a reasonable way... 

You can always release later editions as well, annually or biannually.  It's a smart project.  I hope you finish it.   

[John Cox]

Just on the bound copy idea. This is very easy to put into a blurb book, the hardest part is getting it in a pdf and well laid out. These can be sold by who ever holds the copyright from the blurb store for a set price. You can have them printed out for a fee and the copyright holder can sell them in person too. The quality is great.

[Smmenen]

I don't want to commit to a compilation when I can't even promise that I'll complete every chapter.  I may get tired half way through this project, or I may sense a decline in reader interest.  I hope not, and I plan to continue through, but one can't predict the future.  

Understandable.  Could some years be lumped together?  1999-2001, the "neverending hangover." 

There is just too much content for those chapters to be lumped together.  These chapters will be shorter than 1997 (1998 is only about 20 pages -- although that's a good thing.  I actually wanted each chapter to be 20 pages when I started this project so that I'd have a 300 page book).

I really hope, though, that as this series progresses, it gains more visibility in the wider Magic community.  It is my intention that this is my most enduring work of authorship/scholarship in Magic.  I hope people outside of Vintage read this.

I was thinking it would make a good gift to younger relatives who play Standard and Modern exclusively.  They have all the embedded stereotypes about Vintage but show sparks of interest when they hear about Rogue decks and Fish decks. 

I hope, though, that people embrace the format in all its features if they can come to appreciate the ways in which modern cards simply serve the same function and purpose as other cards.  Instead of Mirror Unvierse kill, control decks now use Time Vault.  Instead of Tome, people use Jace.  Instead of Morphling, we have Blightsteel, etc. 

By the end of this book, it's impossible for players not to have a firm grasp of Vintage.

In fact, I would surmise that, in many respects (such as metagame, strategic understanding, etc) non-Vintage players who read this entire book will probably have a better grasp of the format than Vintage players who haven't.

One of the subversive purposes (from the point of view of Wizards, I suppose) of this work is to actually enhance the visibility AND appreciation of Vintage by tethering it to the early history of the game, showing how the format that evolved in the very early years continues to exist today.  I had originally intended for this to be a book to be published to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the game, but I couldn't realize that vision in a reasonable way... 

You can always release later editions as well, annually or biannually.  It's a smart project.  I hope you finish it.   

Indeed. Even if I don't update the book periodically, I hope that this 20 year history will be useful for future magic and Vintage players years and decades from now. 

[BaronSengir]

Just finished this chapter and I really don't have any criticism. I'm really enjoying the series so far and am anxious as we come closer to when I started playing, 2000.

[Smmenen]

That's the goal!   I'm glad you are enjoying the ride!