[Article] Top Vintage decklists and info Version 1.1

[yespuhyren]

I wrote this article for a few hours last night, then a few more this morning.  Knutson said he really liked it, but I actually had to submit it to be posted.

It is good so far, with good responses from mtgontario.com, and I figure that input and comments from some of the TMD'ers, and hopefully some of the bigger names like Smennen, Orlove, Kowal, and the rest, I can make this article much better

Check it out anyways,

http://ca.geocities.com/pilarskijics4m/index.htm

[The Atog Lord]

Your entry under Control Slaver refers only to the Intuition builds of the deck. While including those builds is perfectly fine, you may wish also to link to my Control Slaver primer.

[yespuhyren]

Thanks for the tip, and I will include it for tomorrow or saturday.

What do you think about the rest of it though?  Is it a good start?  Anything I should change?

LMK, I'm open to all feedback

[arj]

Very nice work.

Good to see almost all decks in one place. Maybe posting several lists for some decks would be appropriate like with tog where you have 3c and 4c versions.

[yespuhyren]

Thats the plan, I just need people to point them out where there should be, and if possible even link sometime, as I had trouble finding some of the decklists

Jason

[Revvik]

4c Tog: http://www.themanadrain.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=20733&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=150 Smmenen's post, further down.  If you're looking for lists that have posted results, very few people are ballsy enough to show up to a tournament with the Teeth from an irrational fear of Mindslaver  

3-color versions are common enough to find (UBr, that is, since UBg seems to have fallen by the wayside)

[ChaosTheory]

Very nice.

The only thing I can say has already been said. Maybe put more diffrent versions of some of the decks, but other than that, you are now T3H M4N!

[yespuhyren]

Added 4c Tog, 3c Tog with green, Iso-Keeper, Metalworker Affinity, Sui Black,

NOW VERSION 1.2

[Dr. Sylvan]

Is your goal to make a comprehensive set of archetypes for reference? I ask because I just emailed an SCG Decks To Beat update to Pete yesterday, and the way I treat that list is as a selective group of the most playable/successful/defining decks around. Your list has a bunch that have only appeared once or twice, or haven't appeared for a few months. You've added a bunch of information like good/bad matchups, and that can obviously be a whole article by itself, but knowing your focus would help everyone make suggestions. So are you shooting for (a) comprehensiveness, (b) selectivity, (c) North American relevance, (d) specifically Canadian relevance, (e) something else?

It's always good to see how someone else approaches these things; helps keep me from becoming too set in my ways. :-)

[yespuhyren]

First of all, i just want to mention I added navigation for the keeper decks and the tog decks for anyone who was having trouble

@drsylvan.

The point of this was basically to make a comprehensive list of lots of the viable decks, and its mostly just so people can take a look through the different types of decks available, and see what the types of matchups are good and aren't good

It is helpful for people who know what decks are heavily played in their metagame, and this can help them find a deck, whether considered Tier 1 or Tier 2 or 3, and have some idea of how the matchups could go

As a sidenote, I haven't yet had time to add a category for "Other" decks, which will be done either today or tomorrow.  It will contain

GAT
Vengeur Masque
Reanimator
Parfait
Salvagers
Auri-Oath

and any other decks people can give me that they'd like to see decklists for.

Matchup analysis will start sometime next week hopefully, as it will take a VERY long time.  I will see how many people's input I can get, as people currently playing the decks would save me SOOO much time by letting me know

-good matchups
-bad matchups
-sideboard strategies
-any other useful info

Once again, anyone with any info can just email me at

jasonpilarski@rogers.com

and you WILL be added to the credits.  If i forget, remind me.  If i forget twice, you can pick ANY one of my friends and kick them in the nuts.  My treat

Hope everyone enjoyed so far,

Jason

[Dr. Sylvan]

This Dulmen is actually a great resource for some decks you don't have, then.

1. Reanimator
2. Vengeur Masque
3. Welder-MUD
7. Salvagers

Since you've got Sui and WW listed, I'm guessing you're not averse to more bad decks if they at least show up, so here's a Castricum with some real winners.

1. Draco Explosion
2. Highlander Control
3. Transmute-Chi aka The Tinker Deck
8. KoboldClamp

Hopefully that helps.

EDIT: You editted in mentions of a bunch of these while I dug them up.

[yespuhyren]

Thanks for your help, I'll start adding them right now, and should be done in about 30-40 mins(navigation and stuff will take time for new categories)

Version 1.3 coming up  

Also tinker deck is already in the workshop section as transmute

[yespuhyren]

Version 1.3 is up, Dr. Sylvan has been added to credits

Several Errors in 1.3 corrected

[Whatever Works]

Might be worth adding Brassman's Severence-Belcher list (that runs Gift's Ungiven)... It has put up good results and multiple top 8's...

[JuJu]

It helps that the deck is good too . Recoup 4L

[yespuhyren]

I have heard a lot about the deck.  If anyone knows where I can find a deck list, let me know, and I'll update the list.  Also, if any other people want to post their own decks, I'd be happy to make a section for that too.

[Zelyon]

Thank you.

Your site is an awesome resource, far more indepth with a lot more archeatypes and variations covered than in SC's list.

Two things you're missing is a U/R/W Fish list (retains strength against both Aggro and Combo) and a current U/R Fish list. Almost none of the current lists run Voidmage Prodigy or 2 Fairie Conclaves.

To help you out, here are more current variations...

Mana Base

4 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
4 Volcanic Island
2 Island
1 Library of Alexandria
4 Mishra's Factory
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby

Creatures

4 Cloud of Faeries
4 Spiketail Hatchling
4 Grim Lavamancer
2 Ninja of the Deep Hours

Draw

4 Curiosity
4 Standstill

Disruption/Counter

4 Force of Will
3 Daze
1 Misdirection
1 Stifle
3 Null Rod
1 Crucible of Worlds

That is so easy to discover that it suggests conspicuousness or little need for perspicacity in the observer.

1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk

Sideboard

4 Red Elemental Blast
3 Blue Elemental Blast
4 Annul
4 Energy Flux

Fish is pretty good now. Trinisphere restriction helps things a bit. Null Rod is useful again. 5/3s are less common. So 4 Energy Flux and 4 Annul help you have a solid matchup against Workshop decks of all flavor and Annul works wonders against Oath and other combo decks.

All Fish needs now is some way to deal with combo. Being able to play 4 Meddling Mage and Swords help out in this area.

So for a URW variant...

Mana Base

4 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
2 Volcanic Island
2 Tundra
1 Island
1 Library of Alexandria
4 Mishra's Factory
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl

Creatures

4 Cloud of Faeries
4 Spiketail Hatchling
3 Grim Lavamancer
3 Meddling Mage

Draw

4 Curiosity
4 Standstill

Disruption/Counter

4 Force of Will
3 Daze
1 Misdirection
1 Stifle
3 Null Rod
2 Swords to Plowshore

That is so easy to discover that it suggests conspicuousness or little need for perspicacity in the observer.

1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk

Sideboard

4 Red Elemental Blast
2 Annul
2 Energy Flux
2 Disenchant
1 Swords to Plowshore
1 Stifle
1 Blue Elemental Blast  
1 Rack and Ruin
1 Crucible of Worlds

[yespuhyren]

Might be worth adding Brassman's Severence-Belcher list (that runs Gift's Ungiven)... It has put up good results and multiple top 8's...

I realized I did in fact have a list, it is under Gifts Ungiven Belcher, its in the belcher section, 5.5, in dark ritual decks.

NOW

Version 1.4 - Added New U/R fish list and U/R/W fish list, and longdeath list, Replenish list, added link to Zherbus' new article about 4cC, Zelyon added to credits

[sa17dk]

Maybe it's just me, but I think a while ago I saw some Rector Trix/Tendrils decks make top 8. Perhaps they came back because of the rise in control, which I believe Rector decks had a decent/good matchup against. With Control Slaver as one of the top decks, would a Rector decklist be too horrible to include in the article/page?

[LotusHead]

MoxPearl and LotusHead (me)  both won (or tied for 1st) to win a Mox Pearl with Salvager builds.

That other build only took 7th.  All three builds are quite different due to Salvagers being so new.

I am not saying that any one of the three builds are better, but the two Oath/Salvagers builds took home the prize.  Keep the European version and one or both of MoxPearl or my build.  Oath build and Trinket Mage builds are different.  Mine has the Trinket Mage build embedded in it's sideboard.

(still amazed at Salvager decks getting any recognition.)

Great Article so far!  So far, it looks like the most comprehensive decklist ever. Great job.

[yespuhyren]

will add rector/trix if i can find it

Version 1.5 now, added marco's B/W control sent to me VIA pm

[yespuhyren]

DON'T BE SHY TO PM OR EMAIL ME DECKS PLEASE

the more you send me the more will go in, as due to school and a recent car accident I have my hands full, and don't have as much time to go decklist hunting

any deck that you send me can be put into the list, as long as it isn't some terrible deck.  If it can put up numbers provenly, then send it over

[Nefarias]

Brian Phelon
7th Place
Playing Rector Trix

4 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
3 Underground Sea
2 Scrubland
1 Tundra
1 Tolarian Academy
7 SoLoMoxen
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
4 Dark Ritual
1 Lotus Petal
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Force of Will
1 Rushing River
3 Illusions of Grandeur
2 Donate
4 Academy Rector
1 Yawgmoth's Bargain
1 Necropotence
1 Future Sight
1 Timetwister
1 Yawgmoth's Will
4 Brainstorm
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall

Sideboard:
2 Serenity
1 Abeyance
3 Damping Matrix
3 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Darksteel Colossus
2 Seal of Cleansing
1 Balance
1 Form of the Dragon
1 Tinker

[serracollector]

Well, I do not know if its still is currently a "good" deck for the meta, but there have been several posts in the Vintage Forum on it for a while:

R/G Beatz

here is my link where I got first place in a Vintage Tourney with it.  I am sure there are other's out there.  Honestly I think it's better than fish (and possibly cheaper too)  Damn FOW being $15-$25.

http://www.themanadrain.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=18970&highlight=

Your welcome.  If your gonna have WW and Sui you gotta have R/G Beatz.  :lol:

SC

[Eastman]

Wow, this is really awesome - great work.

[PemsAura]

This is an excellent site and resource.  The only decks that I didn't see on the list were the fish variant wtf/r and the storm combo variant of oath.
Great job.

[yespuhyren]

I don't know where the wtf/r decklist and storm oath decklist is.

I did add

R/G beatz, AuriOath, and U/G/B oath though

[Shaman]

First of all, great work!

If you want to add a new control list to your comprehensive collection, here you are a Landstill deck (UWR) that is doing really well in Italy in the actual metagame. The deck is piloted by Danilo "Benga" Benvenuti.


1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
3 Island
3 Tundra
3 Volcanic Island
2 Flooded Strand
4 Polluted Delta
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
4 Standstill
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Brainstorm
4 Mana Drain
3 Mana Leak
2 Misdirection
4 Force of Will
2 Chain of Vapor
2 Fire/Ice
2 Engineered Explosives
2 Crucible of Worlds
3 Decree of Justice

SIDEBOARD

3 Arcane Laboratory
2 Swords to Plowshares
1 Engineered Explosives
3 Rack and Ruin
1 Pyroblast
3 Chalice of the Void
2 Red Elemental Blast

[BigMac]

I am not sure if this is the oath storm deck that was meant earlier but in this threat is at fifth place the oath tendrils deck i piloted to that particular top 8.

http://www.themanadrain.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=21565

It is nice to be able to actually switch to a different deck so people have no clue what to expect. As for bad and good matchups, you can really look at plain oath and plain TPS for that. As you will choose whatever you have the best matchup with. If you have questions about this you can off course PM me.

With regards
Marco

[Bram]

Nice job! Certainly very useful for reference.

A small remark:

Transmute Deck List

1st and 2nd place, 1st is Marco Kiewit, 2nd is Bram something, Bram on TMD

It's Bram Verhees (meaning that if you married me, you would be Jason Verhees which is practically Jason Voorhees. How svg.) Oh, and Marco Kiewit is BigMac on TMD.

Also, you might want to include the Welder trick in the tricks list / card choices bit for that deck. And by that I mean that you can transmute away something crappy like a Mox, searching for a really expensive artifact that you can never pay the difference for. This simply means it gets put in the 'yard, from where you can Welder it in play (as Matt once put it, Transmute functions somewhat like an entob for artifacts). This may be very useful occasionally.