Bring Your Own Block #1

Negator and myself are running a brief "Bring Your Own Block (BYOB)"
tournament amongst ourselves. Excluding the original five sets (because they are not part of a block) and Mirrodin/Darksteel (incomplete block), we conveniently ended up with twenty-four remaining sets, for a total of eight decks built from Ice Age Block, Mirage Block, Tempest Block, Urza Block, Masques Block, Invasion Block, Odyssey Block and Onslaught Block. The decks were randomly selected by teaming up a first set, second set, and third set. For those not familiar with this concept, what this means is that Ice Age (a first set of a block) could never be paired with Mirage (another first set of a block), but Ice Age could be paired with Torment (a second set) and Alliances (a third set). The only pairing requirements are that each "block" end up with a first set, a second set, and a third set. We ended up with:

1. Ice Age/Torment/Alliances (ITA)

2. Mirage/Homelands/Scourge (MHS)

3. Tempest/Nemesis/Judgment (TNJ)

4. Urza's Saga/Urza's Legacy/Apocalypse (UUA)

5. Mercadian Masques/Visions/Exodus (MVE)

6. Invasion/Legions/Prophecy (ILP)

7. Odyssey/Planeshift/Weatherlight (OPW)

8. Onslaught/Stronghold/Urza's Destiny (OSU)

The only deckbuilding rule is that each set in a "block" must be represented by at least four cards. The goal is to get each set at least minimally involved and to add an extra challenge to deckbuilding. The only cards that we banned were Tolarian Academy, Tinker, and Memory Jar, along with all those other outrageous blue and artifact cards from Urza Block, since Urza's Saga ended up teamed with Urza's Legacy. Other than that, we let 'em play rough and tumble, no holds barred. Even Yawgmoth's Will and Necropotence were allowed. I'll have the results up once we've completed the tournament. I've assigned each deck a three-letter abbreviation, so that I can write out the decklists and results in a quick and efficient manner.

DECKLISTS:

1. ITA

4 Faceless Butcher
4 Icequake
4 Rancid Earth
4 Knight of Stromgald
4 Nantuko Shade
4 Mesmeric Fiend
4 Contagion
4 Necropotence
4 Demonic Consultation
4 Dark Ritual
20 Swamp

2. MHS

4 Eternal Dragon
2 Abbey Gargoyles
4 Dawn Elemental
4 Serrated Arrows
4 Decree of Justice
4 Wing Shards
4 Pacifism
4 Silver Knight
4 Marble Diamond
4 Temple of the False God
22 Plains

3. TNJ

4 Mirari's Wake
3 Intuition
3 Crush of Wurms
4 Accumulated Knowledge
4 Harrow
4 Rampant Growth
4 Capsize
4 Counterspell
4 Seal of Removal
4 Krosan Verge
4 Reflecting Pool
2 Plains
7 Forest
9 Island

4. UUA

4 Death Grasp
4 Phyrexian Arena
4 Gerrard's Verdict
4 Skittering Skirge
4 Vindicate
4 Duress
4 Yawgmoth's Will
4 Spectral Lynx
4 Dark Ritual
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Forbidding Watchtower
4 Plains
12 Swamp

5. MVE

4 Vine Trellis
4 Spike Weaver
4 Nekrataal
2 Squee, Goblin Nabob
4 River Boa
4 Vampiric Tutor
4 Recurring Nightmare
4 Survival of the Fittest
4 Wood Elves
1 Thrashing Wumpus
1 Thopter Squadron
1 Tidal Kraken
12 Forest
11 Swamp

6. ILP

3 Void
4 Skizzik
4 Ghitu Fire
4 Urza's Rage
4 Blazing Specter
4 Chimeric Idol
4 Chilling Apparition
4 Ravenous Rats
4 Withered Wretch
4 Urborg Volcano
9 Mountain
12 Swamp

7. OPW

4 Shivan Wurm
4 Lava Hounds
4 Flametongue Kavu
4 Thornscape Battlemage
4 Thornscape Familiar
4 Call of the Herd
4 Werebear
4 Wild Mongrel
4 Firebolt
4 Mossfire Valley
10 Mountain
10 Forest

8. OSU

4 Akroma's Vengeance
4 Exalted Angel
3 Silvos, Rogue Elemental
4 Masticore
4 Ravenous Baloth
4 Spike Feeder
4 Yavimaya Elder
4 Wall of Blossoms
4 Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
4 Windswept Heath
8 Plains
13 Forest