TMD OPEN IV(Waterbury) Official Info Thread

[iamfishman]

Well...even though I didn't think I could up the prize support without going to $25 I pulled some strings and produced the following.  I think you will all be pleasantly surprised(I am really psyched about the 9-16 place prizes).

Saturday, September 11, 2004
Courtyard by Marriott
63 Grand St.
Waterbury, Ct. 06702

MAIN EVENT -  THE MANA DRAIN OPEN 4 (Waterbury)
$20 Entry Fee
Registration 10:00 - 11:00 am.
Tourney Starts at 11:00 am.
Format - Type One with TEN proxies
DOPENESS FACTOR: Equal to the sum of the first 5 numbers that are both perfect squares and perfect cubes
1st Prize - UNLIMITED BLACK LOTUS, PLUS free admission and ROUND 1 BYE into the next MANA DRAIN OPEN, PLUS entry into the yearly Tournament of Champions.
2nd Prize - UNLIMITED MOX SAPPHIRE
3rd Prize - UNLIMITED MOX RUBY
4th Prize - UNLIMITED MOX EMERALD
5th Prize - UNLIMITED MOX PEARL
6th Prize- UNLIMITED TIMETWISTER
7th Prize - LIBRARY OF ALEXANDRIA
8th Prize - LIBRARY OF ALEXANDRIA
9th - 16th Prize - OFFICIAL TMD OPEN PLAY MAT
17th-32nd Prize - 2 Boosters
33rd Prize - Goblin Game
2 highest age 15 and under non-top 8 prize - Windsweapt Heath
3 Last Place Prizes - Foil Lord of Atlantis
Oddest Deck/Card Choice: TBD
First to beat previous champion(Jason Zheng): 4 Xantid Swarm
Play of the day contest: Tropical Island
Magic trivia game: Grab Bags (may contain Visions Vampric Tutor, BB Oriental Swords to Plowshares, Su-Chi, Trinisphere, Windsweapt Heath, Xantid Swarm)
50 Mystery Rare Raffle: 50 Rares (includes BB Maze of Ith, Mana Vault, Tainted Pact, Hurkyl’s Recall, Shadowmage Infiltrator, Blurred Mongoose, Burning Wish, Sacred Mesa)
10 Other Daily Random Raffles: TBD (All sorts of rare and foil goodies)

THAT'S RIGHT...MORE PRIZES THEN YOU CAN SHAKE A STICK AT(Well...Even if it is a really big stick)

Questions comments concerns, please feel free to contact me at iamfishman@hotmail.com, via AIM at PLIKEY, PM ME, or by phone (860) 489-6160.

Thanks,
Ray

[Jacob Orlove]

I might as well get these questions out of the way:

Prize?
Entry Fee?
# of Proxies?
Starting Time?

I won't say exactly what rumors I've heard about the prizes, since I don't want to put potentially conflicting information in this thread, but what I heard sounded great.

So, anyway, I'll definitely be coming to this. It'll be my first real tournament since the last waterbury, actually. Everyone else should come too, since these are the best tournaments ever.

[iamfishman]

updated

[theorigamist]

@iamfishman: I'm not sure if I'll be able to go to this, but if I can, I demand an origami show down.

[Purple Hat]

Ray,
How is it that Waterbury keeps getting better?  It just doesn't make sense.  Great job.  These are by far the best tournaments around and they only show signs of improving.

Hale

[Kerz]

These are the best tournaments, ever.

I rest my case.


I'll be there.

[wuaffiliate]

I wish i could make it, last time was the bombz0rz.

[Robert the Swordsman]

I wish i could make it, last time was the bombz0rz.

I know what you mean.

I won't be able to make it, but good luck to all who go.

These are the best tournaments there are.

[CrazyCarl]

I'll be there

Also, I think it would be cool in the future to make the prize for beating the previous winner 4x of one of the cards in their deck(like in this case 4 piledrivers or something of the sort).

[iamfishman]

I'll be there

Also, I think it would be cool in the future to make the prize for beating the previous winner 4x of one of the cards in their deck(like in this case 4 piledrivers or something of the sort).

That's a really good idea.  I think I will start doing that.  I just hope Jeff Anand doesn't win this event with his all foiled and pimped out Highlander deck.  I might have a hard time giving out 4 Foil Asian Miscut Pack Crimped Signed Misprinted Masticores.

[iamfishman]

I have had requests to up the proxy limit of my events.
I don't like to change things after they are announced unless there is an overwhelming desire to do so.

What do you guys think?
Should it be 5 proxies?
Should it be 10 proxies?
Should it be 5 proxies + $1 for each additional proxy?

Let's hear your opinions.

[theorigamist]

I like the 5 proxy + $1 each for more idea.

[Kerz]

Seconded.

[Smmenen]

I think the 5 proxy rule plus $1 more for each additional is a GREAT idea.  I think this would be the perfect test for that idea as well.

Otherwise, I'd say 10.  But god, please please please don't just do 5.

Steve

[Kowal]

I'm voting for 5 plus a dollar too.

[Ric_Flair]

I just got a camcorder.  I could do match coverage!  Now lets hope my new job won't tax my Saturdays.  PLEASE. PLEASE. PLEASE.

[jpmeyer]

5+$1 too.

[Bulls on Parade]

I'm liking the 5 +$1 per extra as well. It seems like everyone favors that, even players who can build any deck without the additional proxies, but you don't need me to tell you that.
If you do it at your next tournament, it probably won't take long to catch on in the rest of New England. I know I suggested it to the owner of the Cape Cod store quite a while ago when kl0wn? originally posted the idea and he showed a little interest because there would be some extra money in it.

Maybe if you designed a prize structure assuming no one needed proxies beyond the allotted five, and gave the money from said additional proxies to charity?

[ctthespian]

Looks like I'm in the minority on this but I say stick to 5 proxies only.  I have my reasons for my stand (and don't want to start a war in this thread) at 5 and I don't want to support a standard that if implemented at Waterbury will ripple through New England.

If people can pay $1 per extra proxy I want to be able to pay $5 for a round 1 bye since I don't need them.  

[Purple Hat]

I like 5 +1 dollar as well.  I can build whatever I want frequently without proxies (stupid bazaar of baghdad being out of my reach) but I really like not feeling guilty for beating random scrubs just based on the raw power I sat down with and he didn't.

Hale

[Smmenen]

I must disagree with CThespian.

I think this is a GREAT idea becuase of one reason: there can be no metagame distortion based upon the number of proxies.  Even despite the inherent NE bias, control and aggro-control are much easier to build in a five proxy environment.  Permitting more than 5 proxies will allow MUCH more Workshops!! Which is a GREAT thing.

[Sextiger]

Five proxies +1 Dollar for each additional proxy is a great idea and a quick way to make a few extra bucks for prizes.  At our last local power tourney, we changed it to 10 proxies, as a result workshop decks became a large portion of the decks played. With only 5 proxies at our previous tourney, most people were stuck to playing madness or goblins.

[iamfishman]

Well...we had a lot of people vote for 5 proxies +$1 per.
That being said...I still don't think I will do that, opting for something else instead.  Here is a little background of my rational.

Waterbury, though it has become the biggest type one event evar, never had that goal in mind.  I set up the first Waterburys, as I was starting to get discouraged with the PTQ and Grand Prix scene.  I would go to these tournaments filled with corupt judges, sinister people, money grubbin TO's, where the average player could have no fun as the room was filled with pompous pricks whose heads were taking up all the table space.  I wanted to create an enviroment where there was little to no negativity(do I sound like an idealistic hippie or what), where everyone was there to have a good time.  

Also, I felt that prize distribution for most events was poorly seeded, only rewarding the same top 8 players(who were usually the same people over and over again).  I like events where you could keep the cost low and provide as much for that cost TO AS MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE as possible.
I therefore enjoy doing things like the trivia contest, and prizes down to top 32, etc.

I want Waterbury to be just as much for the little guy as the competitive player.  Sure...we can have a very competitive 32 person tourney full of Jeff Anands, Carl Winters, and Steve M.s, (obligatory shout outs)but then we would just have round 7 and 8 of a PTQ again.  Its EVERYONE including the more casual or newer players that makes Waterbury what it is.  Lets not forget that.

Ok...all that lecturing being said.  I griped alot with the idea of raising the entry to even $20(despite SCGs $30). It was a tough cal because I was looking at it from the point of view of the average local casual player who really make Waterburys the largest out there and I would hate to lose them to that admission increase.

As such, what would 5 proxies + $1 per really do?  Well...It would widen the gap between competitive and casual players because competitive players may have to pay 1 or 2 extra dollars, or none at all, but the newer/casual player has to pay an additional $10+ to have all the proxies they need to play any deck they wish.  This $10+ is ABOVE AND BEYOND the $5 increase which already affects the casual player more than anyone else to begin with.

Accordingly, I don't want to raise the entry fee anymore than I have to(for fear of becoming like a Grand Prix priced event), so I have decided at this point to simply make the event 10 proxy instead of five, with no additional cost.  This change has been reflected in the initial post.

Thank you for your time.
Ray

[Jacob Orlove]

What about giving an additional prize to the highest non-t16 finisher who used no proxies? Maybe one of those playmats?

[iamfishman]

What about giving an additional prize to the highest non-t16 finisher who used no proxies? Maybe one of those playmats?

That is a DAMN good idea Mr. Orlove.  I am strongly considering it.  We will call it the "CtThespian/Samite Healer Award"

[Bulls on Parade]

So pumped for this awesome tournament.. all the Cape Cod guys are going which I don't think has even happened at a Cape Cod tournament.

[iamfishman]

###UPDATE###

Those 9-16th place prize playmats have gotten quite desireable.

While at Gencon...I met many many artists on Sunday, and asked them to sign each of the eight playmats that I will be giving away as prizes.

This means that each playmat now features an autograph from ALL 17 of the following artists!!!

Jeff Easley
LA Williams
Ed Beard Jr.
Mark Zug
Jeff Menges
April Lee
Scott Fisher
D. Alexander Gregory
Arnie Swekel
Ben Thompson
Bradley Williams
John Matson
Mark Poole
Rebecca Guay
Susan Van Camp
Chippy
Brian Snoody

If I do say so...these things look awesome.  Best part is...you won't even have to worry about losing one to a Team Shortbus Member, because...as quoted from this weekend

"Our team doesn't come in at only 9-16th"
     - Shortbus Member

[kl0wn]

I have seen said playmats. They are indeed the sex.

Of course, if I were to win one, I'd have to fashion it into some sort of loincloth so that I could wear it as opposed to playing Magic on it.

[nataz]

Of course, if I were to win one, I'd have to fashion it into some sort of loincloth so that I could wear it as opposed to playing Magic on it.

you are my new hero.

P.S.

not that it makes a huge difference or anything, but a bunch of us from the frozen wasteland that is the north (Maine) will be making the trip down.

[iamfishman]

The full color flyer is now online...link to it for a quick easy to read reference.

http://moobius.com/iamfishman/AA%20MAGIC%20FLYER19.ppt

And thanks to Moobius for the upload.