Can Con 2014: Australian Vintage

[shrewarmies]

On Monday 28th January 2014, not only was it the public holiday for Australia day but it was the third and final day for CanCon 2014. CanCon is an annual pilgrimage for many of Australia’s Magic population. Located within driving/flying distance of many of the major centres for magic in Australia, CanCon often draws hundreds of players. CanCon 2014 was no exception, with a PTQ, GPT and heaps of other events including the trifecta of Australian Highlander, Legacy and Vintage. A huge thank you must go out to Glenn Doyle and the team at The Games Capital for organising such a successful event. The same is in order for Nathan Brewer and his team of Judges for making sure everything ran smoothly. Because CanCon is so varied in the players it draws, it is one of the more prestigious events on the Australian calendar.

But let’s get to the important details. We had 17 players for the Sanctioned Vintage event on Monday. The event was smaller than I expected but it was both Sanctioned and on day 3 of a pretty big Con so it was not terribly surprising that we did not break 20 which was what I had hoped for.

The field was made up of mostly experienced players; many of the stalwarts of Australian Vintage were there with people representing all of the major states. Naturally there were a high number of Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney players which was expected.
At the end of the day, everything looked brown. MUD decks absolutely dominated this event with all 5 players who sleeved up Mishra’s Workshops heading into the top 8 playoffs, even sealing up the entirety of the top 4. Espresso staxs however was the deck to take out the whole tournament defeating its more aggressively oriented cousin in a gruelling game 3 that left the espresso player on 1 life for over 15 turns.

Well done to everyone who came out and played. It was a fantastic day and I hope to see everyone again at MASTERS and again next year.

When all was said and done, the final standings were:
1) Joshua Butler – Espresso Stax
2) James McKay – Aggro MUD
3) Patty Robertson – Terra Nova
4) Robert Bartlett – Espresso Stax
5)Thomas Ribet – Affinity (Undefeated in Swiss)
6) Christopher Turner – U/R Pyromancer
7) Aloysius Landrigan – Grixis Control
8) Isaac Egan – Grixis Control

9) Jacob Dunn – Grixis Control
10) Liam Prasad – GWS Tendrils
11) Leslie Jones – BUG Control
12) Lachlan Saunders – Steel City Vault
13) Thomas Stoddart – BUG Control
14) Graham King – Strixis Control
15)
16)
17) Fion Cullen – 4c Humans
 That breaks the metagme down into:

Workshops – 5
Prison – 2
2 Espresso

Aggro – 3
Affinity
Terra Nova
Big Mana Aggro

Blue Based Control – 7 
3 Grixis Control
U/R Pyromancer
2 BUG Control
Strixis Control

Fish – 1
4 Colour Humans

Combo – 2
Steel City Vault
GWS Tendrils

Bazaars – 2
2 Dredge
 

Our Winning Decklists:

1) Joshua Butler – Espresso Stax
Lands (18)
4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Mishra’s Factory
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy

Artifacts (32)
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt

4 Serum Powder
4 Sphere of Resistance
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Tangle Wire
4 Smokestack
3 Crucible of Worlds
1 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Trinisphere

Creatures (10)
4 Lodestone Golem
3 Phyrexian Revoker
2 Karn, Silver Golem
1 Duplicant

Sideboard (15)
4 Leyline of the Void
4 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Razormane Masticore
1 Maze of Ith
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrall Vale

2) James McKay – Aggro MUD
Lands (19)
4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Mishra’s Factory
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
1 City of Traitors

Artifacts (25)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring

4 Tangle Wire
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Thorn of Amethyst
3 Sphere of Resistance
1 Trinisphere
1 Batterskull

Creatures (16)
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Wurmcoil Engine
4 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Phyrexian Metamorp

Sideboard (15)
3 Ratchet Bomb
3 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Dismember
2 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Duplicant
1 Tormod’s Crypt

3) Patty Robertson – Terra Nova
Lands (19)
4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Mishra’s Factory
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Wasteland
1 Mutavault
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy

Artefacts (25)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt

4 Chalice of the Void
4 Sphere of Resistance
4 Thorn of Amethyst
4 Tangle Wire
1 Trinisphere

Creatures (16)
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Porcelain Legionnaire
3 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Karn, Silver Golem

Sideboard (15)
4 Grafdigger’s Cage
3 Crucible of Worlds
3 Relic of Progenitus
1 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Duplicant
2 Dismember

4) Robert Bartlett – Espresso Stax (Staff Stax)
Lands (19)
4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Wasteland
2 Mishra’s Factory
2 Buried Ruin
1 City of Traitors
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy

Artefacts (31)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring

4 Chalice of the Void
4 Smokestack
4 Sphere of Resistance
4 Tangle Wire
3 Staff of Nin
2 Crucible of Worlds
1 Trinisphere

Creatures (10)
4 Lodestone Golem
2 Phyrexian Metamorph
2 Karn, Silvergolem
2 Phyrexian Revoker

Sideboard(15)
4 Grafdigger’s Cage
4 Null Rod
4 Tormod’s Crypt
3 Wurmcoil Engine

5)Thomas Ribet – Affinity
Lands (13)
4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Ancient Tomb
2 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Gaea’s Cradle

Artefacts (24)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring

4 Skullclamp
2 Cranial Plating
4 Grafdigger’s Cage
4 Tangle Wire
1 Memory Jar

Creatures (23)
4 Arcbound Ravager
4 Memnite
4 Signal Pest
4 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Lodestone Golem
2 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Karn, Silver Golem

Sideboard (15)
3 Witchbane Orb
3 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Tormod’s Crypt
2 Ravenous Trap
3 Wurmcoil Engine
2 Dismember
1 Wasteland

6) Christopher Turner – U/R Pyromancer
Lands (17)
3 Island
1 Mountain
1 Tropical Island
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Scalding Tarn
4 Volcanic Island
2 Wasteland

Artefacts (3)
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring

Creatures (8)
4 Young Pyromancer
2 True Name Nemesis
2 Snapcaster Mage

Planeswalkers (2)
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

Instants (22)
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Brainstorm
2 Flusterstorm
4 Force of Will
4 Gush
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Mana Drain
3 Mental Misstep

Sorceries (7)
1 Gitxian Probe
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Ponder
3 Preordain
1 Time Walk

Sideboard (15)
1 Forest
2 Nature’s Claim
1 Flusterstorm
3 Ingot Chewer
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Red Elemental Blast
3 Tormod’s Crypt

7) Aloysius Landrigan – Grixis Control
Lands (16)
4 Polluted Delta
3 Scalding Tarn
2 Island
2 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island
1 Swamp
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Tolarian Academy

Artefacts (10)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Voltaic Key
1 Time Vault

Creatures (7)
4 Dark Confidant
2 Snapcaster Mage
1 Myr Battlesphere

Planeswalkers (3)
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

Instants (17)
2 Lightning Bolt
1 Vampiric Tutor
4 Force of Will
2 Spell Snare
2 Mana Drain
2 Mental Misstep
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Mystical Tutor

Sorceries (6)
1 Dreadbore
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Merchant Scroll

Sideboard (15)
4 Grafdigger’s Cage
3 Yixlid Jailer
3 Ingot Chewer
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Mountain
1 Srip Mine
1 Vandalblast
1 Toxic Deluge

8) Isaac Egan – Grixis Control
Lands (16)
4 Polluted Delta
4 Scalding Tarn
1 Island
2 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island
1 Swamp
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Tolarian Academy

Artefacts (10)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Voltaic Key
1 Time Vault

Creatures (7)
4 Dark Confidant
2 Snapcaster Mage
1 Myr Battlesphere

Planeswalkers (3)
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

Instants (17)
2 Lightning Bolt
1 Vampiric Tutor
4 Force of Will
2 Spell Snare
2 Mana Drain
2 Mental Misstep
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Mystical Tutor

Sorceries (6)
1 Dreadbore
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Merchant Scroll

Sideboard (15)
4 Grafdigger’s Cage
3 Yixlid Jailer
3 Ingot Chewer
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Mountain
1 Srip Mine
1 Vandalblast
1 Toxic Deluge
Once again, I would love to hank all the players who came out for this event. It was an absolute blast. Thank you to Glenn Doyle, the team at The Games Capital, Nathan Brewer and Co and everybody involved in running Can Con.

Funniest Moment of the day.

Patty- Judge my opponent has done something illegal….
Judge- ok, Warning to Thomas.
Thomas- eugh ok
Patty- Judge – my opponent just taped his Sol Ring that has been revokered
Judge- warning two for Thomas
Thomas- Swing for 8
Patty – I Concede.

[wiley]

All dem shops, so pretty!  Congrats Josh.

[KIP_NZ]

Congrats again on the win Josh.

Just out of interest, what was the Razormane for? I really like your MB but a couple of your SB choices have me scratching my head? I'm guessing the single Tabernacle was an availability issue? (I like 2 or even 3)

[shrewarmies]

Just out of interest, what was the Razormane for? I really like your MB but a couple of your SB choices have me scratching my head? I'm guessing the single Tabernacle was an availability issue? (I like 2 or even 3)

I really like Razormane, he is an absolute beast in many situations, especially the MUD mirror. The lightning bolt effect is really good at killing most threats from your opponent (Metalworker, Lodestone, Revoker etc) and unlike lightning bolt is not completely dead against Wurmcoil Engine as you can bolt it and then they have to weigh up the benefits of blocking your guy and you slicing their Wurm in two due to first strike. He can also handle multiple threats and survive due to the combination of Bolt and first strike 5 damage. He is also easier to cast vs creature decks (where he also shines); decks like white trash can give you a bit of a hard time reaching six mana due to their nine strip effects.  He is not always in the deck and you never want to draw more than one but he has some serious upside when he his play in certain scenarios.

Plus he is an out to Trygon Predator whom this deck is seriously weak to.

I only had access to only one Tabernacle but I have never really ran more than the one. It's a nice card to have and complements Tangle Wire really well at slowing your opponents down but having to or three risks having multiple in an otherwise good hand which I don't really like. It does not have a Trinisphere like effect in that you are willing to draw the dead ones because getting the live ones down is so important. I like to think it complements the man denial aspects rather than battling the creatures as such. Thats what I bring the Wurmcoils/Razormane and Mazes for.