[Premium Article] History of Vintage: 1999!

[Smmenen]

Sorry for the long wait everyone!  I hope you find it worth it!  I should have 2000 up in less than 3 weeks.  

http://www.eternalcentral.com/?p=3958

Blurb:

1999 was a year of great highs and dark lows for the slowly evolving Type I format as the remainder of Urza block tidal waved through the format. Watch as Keeper, Combo, and Necro compete on the Magic Invitational stage. Observe the sweeping restrictions that rocked the Type I format in 1999, and read about how players felt about and reacted to them. Learn the real story behind Magic’s only ever emergency banning. See what changes Brian Weissman made to The Deck following Urza block. Learn about the enigmatic yet subtly powerful Mercadian Masques expansion. Stephen Menendian paints a vivid and unforgettable portrait of a format at the precipice of the millennium and great change. Stephen’s penetrating insight delves behind the facts, decklists, and results to reveal the hidden relationships in an unforgettable year in the History of Vintage.

Click the link to read the free teaser!

As always, let me know what you think!

The entire series is available here: http://www.eternalcentral.com/?tag=history-of-vintage

[CorwinB]

Another great read, as usual. I wish there were more tournaments analysed in it than just the Invitational, but I suspect recorded material on tournaments held at that time must be hard to obtain...

[Smmenen]

It's true that 1999 had fewer tournament results than even the earliest years of the game for our favorite format.  The Type I championship had faded away, and there is no record of the results from Andon's Andcon that year.    1999 also had so many rapid changes that this is not all bad.  We get to see the format clearly before Legacy and clearly after the huge wave of restrictions. 

2000 has alot more tournament results to look at.  Not only were there TWO Invitationals with Type I as a featured format, but we see a huge transition to online tournaments and the German Dulman is up and running with 60+ player events by July, 2000. 

2000 is really a turning point in the history of the format in that we see growth and expansion again. 

[Smmenen]

I just finished writing 2000, so folks better get caught up!    I know a bunch of you have this article, even if you haven't read it yet.  Time to read it!  As always, please let me know what you think!