3CB #87 Results and Discussion/3CB Tournament #88

[Godder]

I'd like to congratulate Reanimator and Combo_Dude as the joint winners of 3CB Tournament #87! A good turnout this time around. Trinisphere was a monster this week, with all the Suspend cards being played. As a side note, two decks were submitted with banned cards (Form of the Dragon and Cabal Therapy) - please check the banned list before sending your entry in!

Banned list:

Form of the Dragon
Mesmeric Fiend
Nezumi Shortfang
Blackmail
Ghost Quarter
Cabal Therapy
Abandon Hope
Nullstone Gargoyle
Coercion
Strip Mine
Wasteland
The Rack
Balance
Meddling Mage
Pulse of the Dross
Leonin Squire
Show and Tell
Misguided Rage
Abandon Hope
Glacial Chasm
Pox
Mind Swords
All cards banned/not legal in Vintage (including Unglued and Unhinged)
Any deck that can force the discard of more than one card per turn
Any deck that can goldfish on turn 1
Any deck that can't win if the opposition does nothing e.g. Mishra's Workshop, Trinisphere, Wheel of Torture (aka The Mise Prize, given out to decks that score lots of 2-2 draws)

Decks:

Reanimator   -   Half a Brick of Kung-Fu   -   Hickory Woodlot   Naturalize   Tempting Wurm
Franz Ferdinand   -   The Solution   -   Gemstone Mine   Durkwood Baloth   Restore Balance
Cross   -   Bridge Deck   -   Mishra's Workshop   Ensnaring Bridge   Scalding Tongs
Godder   -   The Rock and his Millions   -   Peat Bog   Deathspore Thallid   Deathspore Thallid
Andrewpate   -   Cuts on the barn you're with   -   Tropical Island   Force Spike   Skyshroud Cutter
Atog Lord   -   Mid-Autumn Festival Surprise   -   Black Lotus   Angel of Despair   Hypergenesis (Mise Prize)
Parallax   -   Mono-Black Control   -   Bottomless Vault   Evil Presence   Visara, the Dreadful
Illissius   -   Rakdos<3   -   Karakas   Aether Vial   Mangara of Corondor
Naphtali   -   Must beat Smallpox   -   Mox Sapphire   Sea's Claim   Viscerid Deepwalker
Combo_dude   -   <3Sphere   -   Mishra's Workshop   Steel Golem   Trinisphere
Cross   -   Fallen Empires   -   Scrublands   Icatian Javelineers   Duress
Illissius   -   LED PENS   -   Lion's Eye Diamond   Psychotic Episode   Nether Spirit
Franz Ferdinand   -   Time Spiral Legal, eh?   -   Saprazzan Skerry   Errant Ephemeron   Energy Field
Scrappy Kid   -   Variola vera   -   Peat Bog   Nether Spirit   Smallpox
Reanimator   -   <3Sphere   -   Mishra's Workshop   Steel Golem   Trinisphere

Results:

      1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   0   1   2   3   4   5  Total Position
1|   X   2   6   2   0   2   0   2   0   6   6   2   6   2   6   42   5
2|   2   X   0   6   6   6   6   6   0   0   6   2   0   2   0   42   5
3|   0   6   X   6   1   2   6   0   2   6   4   6   2   4   6   51   3
4|   2   0   0   X   6   2   3   3   0   0   6   6   2   2   0   32   10
5|   6   0   4   0   X   6   0   3   3   0   2   3   2   6   0   35   8
6|   2   0   2   2   0   X   2   2   2   1   0   2   2   0   1   18   14
7|   6   0   0   3   6   2   X   2   0   0   6   6   2   2   0   35   8
8|   2   0   6   3   3   2   2   X   2   3   3   6   6   0   3   41   7
9|   6   6   2   6   3   2   6   2   X   0   3   2   6   6   0   50   4
0|   6   6   0   6   6   4   6   3   6   X   6   4   6   6   2   67   1
1|   0   0   1   0   2   6   0   3   3   0   X   3   0   6   0   24   13
2|   2   2   0   0   3   2   0   0   2   1   3   X   0   2   1   18   14
3|   0   6   2   2   2   2   2   0   0   0   6   6   X   2   0   30   11
4|   2   2   1   2   0   6   2   6   0   0   0   2   2   X   0   25   12
5|   6   6   0   6   6   4   6   3   6   2   6   4   6   6   X   67   1

With Suspend being a big part of 3CB, Restore Balance and Trinisphere are currently on the watch list. Restore Balance is difficult to calculate and strong, and Trinisphere mauls Suspend decks in general. Amusingly, the two Trinisphere decks were almost afterthoughts, but sometimes intuition trumps active thought. Smallpox has been banned because in 3CB, it's just like Pox (aside from the loss of life), which means rather a lot in a 3 card game... We also had a mise prize, as the best play for most decks was to do nothing against Angel of Despair, thus forcing it to destroy itself. Since that was a bad play, best play usually involved both players doing nothing.

For next week: Same Again.

Banned list:

Form of the Dragon
Mesmeric Fiend
Nezumi Shortfang
Blackmail
Ghost Quarter
Cabal Therapy
Abandon Hope
Nullstone Gargoyle
Coercion
Strip Mine
Wasteland
The Rack
Balance
Meddling Mage
Pulse of the Dross
Leonin Squire
Show and Tell
Misguided Rage
Abandon Hope
Glacial Chasm
Pox
Mind Swords
Smallpox <- new addition!
All cards banned/not legal in Vintage (including Unglued and Unhinged)
Any deck that can force the discard of more than one card per turn
Any deck that can goldfish on turn 1
Any deck that can't win if the opposition does nothing e.g. Mishra's Workshop, Trinisphere, Wheel of Torture (aka The Mise Prize, given out to decks that score lots of 2-2 draws)

3-Card Blind (3CB) is a very unique game. With thanks to Zoneseek, the rules are as follows:

• Your deck comprises 3 cards, all of which start in your hand.
• The library starts at 0 cards and you have no sideboard (Wishes fetch nothing).
• Random effects always go in your opponent's favour.
• All hands are revealed, so you always make the best possible play.
• You don't lose as a result of not being able to draw a card. If cards are put into your library, you draw normally.
• Other than the aforementioned, normal Magic rules apply.
• Decks are played against each other deck twice by the Moderator, once going first, once going second. For each win, you score 3. For each draw, you score 1. For each loss, you score 0.
• While it may seem obvious, decks may not use cards from the 3CB Banned List. Illegal decks will be rejected, and illegal cards will be replaced by basic land cards.

To make an entry, PM your deck to Godder in the following format:

Subject: 3CB Tournament #88 Entry or 3CB Tournament#88 Revision
Deck Name
Card #1
Card #2
Card #3

Optional Deck discussion, random sucking up, etc.

Entries close October 28. Players may enter up to two decks, but I reserve the right to restrict entries to one deck per player is sufficient entries are received, so please designate your preferred deck, just in case. My apologies for a slightly longer tournament this week, but I came back from my honeymoon and was promptly sick, delaying the last one a bit, and we have a long weekend coming up in NZ, so I have set the finishing date for the following weekend.

[Cross]

Think you forgot to add the results, even though they sound interesting.

[Godder]

I swear I don't know what happened there - I originally spent a good ten minutes sorting out the post, and yet, when I drop by to update it today, I somehow accidentally deleted the results and decks just before saving the post last night...

[The Atog Lord]

Oops. I didn't realize that getting out an Angel of Despair like that would lead to her killing herself. I originally submitted a deck involving Cabal Therapy, and when told that wasn't allowed, I quickly made up another deck to submit. I guess I didn't think that one through too well.

[Franz Ferdinand]

#2 Me (Mine, Baloth, Balance)
vs.
#9 (Mox Sapphire, Sea's Claim, Viscerid Deepwalker)
Current: 0-6
Suggested: 6-0

I don't even need to play Balance. I just drop Baloth into Suspend and that will kill him just as soon, as he can't outrace it.

vs.
#13 (Me. Skerry, Ephemeron, Field)
Current: 2-2
Suggested: 6-0
If Me#2 plays the Field, I just tap Mine after suspending my two threats so that his Skerry will be pitched, sending Field to the graveyard, and Baloth can outrun Ephemeron.

The ten extra points puts me in 3rd, I think.

#13 (Skerry, Ephemeron, Field)
vs.
#5 (Trop, Sky Cutter, Spike)
Current: 2-2
Suggested: 6-0
Ephemeron comes down on turn 6. Even on the play, it still outraces his Cutter because of the lifegain (though I think it does either way). I simply don't play Field, and when Ephemeron comes out of Suspend, I have the mana to pay for Spike.

[Naphtali]

9 vs 2
I agree with Franz should be 0-6 for 9

IMO Restore Balance is at least as bad as Smallpox, and the only person who played smallpox finished 12th.

[Godder]

Restore Balance is worth watching, but because it only equalizes, it can often be played around, especially since most decks only run one land and creature anyway.

Smallpox (+ Nether Spirit), is guaranteed to at least play Ravenous Rats (with Spirit being a substantial improvement!), and the nature of the card often forces opposing decks to do nothing until it has been cast to minimise the disruption, since going Land, Creature, go, walks into Smallpox (sac land, sac creature, discard card in hand) wiping their board and hand out, leaving nothing. Consequently, Smallpox often plays as a mise deck - although it has a way to win, it's more common that games result either in Spirit staring down a bigger creature for a draw, or both decks unable to do anything for fear of losing.

As a side note, the Smallpox deck listed here would likely have done better if the Bog was replaced by a Lotus, since I can see at least 6 points it would have gained.

I'll recheck the results, since the suggestions look pretty convincing .

[andrewpate]

Should've stuck with my guns.  My Tongs deck took 3rd again this week, just with someone else behind it 

[Cross]

Well I have played bridge/shop for awhile your twist just made it better.

The deck does better when no one is playing scepter, obviously, so the right meta makes it good.

[Scrappy Kid]

As a side note, the Smallpox deck listed here would likely have done better if the Bog was replaced by a Lotus, since I can see at least 6 points it would have gained.

Yeah, I had to submit my deck at the last minute, made a impulsive decision to play Smallpox, and then forget I could play Black Lotus.

I should have stuck with my original instinct - which was to play Trinisphere.

[andrewpate]

Ugh, I feel like an idiot.  I just realized that I added wrong and Viscerid Deepwalker actually goldfishes 2 turns faster than Skyshroud Cutter, which would have been enough to beat the Evil Presence deck and tie for 7th.  Anyone who plays Force Spike in the future should definitely make the change.

[Godder]

Suspend has the flaw that it gets horribly mauled by Trinisphere, so Cutter isn't all bad. I thought it was an interesting twist on an old favorite (Tropical Island, Thallid, Daze), personally.

[parallax]

Suspend has the flaw that it gets horribly mauled by Trinisphere, so Cutter isn't all bad. I thought it was an interesting twist on an old favorite (Tropical Island, Thallid, Daze), personally.

Also, suspend forces you to tap out once, although I suppose Daze could easily substitute for Force Spike.

[Illissius]

Mental note: Next time, read the card before putting it in your deck.

[parallax]

Any deck that can force the discard of more than one card per turn.

Is there going to be a special exception for Restore Balance? It violates the letter, but not the spirit of this rule.

[Godder]

Restore Balance doesn't force the discard of more than one card in a turn, because the player has 5 turns to play out as much of their hand as possible. Storage land decks risk getting hosed, but otherwise, it's not an issue.

[Franz Ferdinand]

I really think Restore Balance deserves banning--I banned it on Magic-League after only one round of legality (I was already planning on banning it and Smallpox, but I wanted to make sure). This round was basically why I banned Restore Balance and Smallpox. Admittedly, though, our rounds are normally without Lotus, so I guess the format is slower.

[The Atog Lord]

My take on the banned list is somewhat different. Since I've started playing in this format, I've wondered what would happen were we to do away with the banned list. Does a deck win on its first turn? Then two such decks will only win half of their games against one another. Does a deck do something that seems overpowered? Then the metagame will adapt and adjust. I realize that I am a complete n00b in 3cb, but I wonder at the huge number of banned cards. It seems that no matter what the decks are, there will be a metagame that adapts to them. For example, there is now talk of banning Small Pox though that strategy failed to even do well here. So while one or the other card in theory seems abusive, there are still options for handling those cards. Though, of course, perhaps I'm wrong and missing some uber-win strategy.

[Franz Ferdinand]

Lotus, Smallpox, something, can be way too good. Kaesh (from my round) played Corpulent Corpse ftw. Smallpox is just as bad as Pox (which is banned) and is 1 mana cheaper.

[combo_dude]

TAL: It's similar to regular Magic - you unban everything and all the decks win (or become unassailable) on turn one. So they all go 3-3 with each other. Not a lot of fun. It may be possible to make the list smaller, but I really think some cards are just too abusive. For example, I don't think there is a single deck that can beat Lotus-Balance-The Rack when that deck is on the play; any deck that is at least 3-3 with everything is just a bit pointless.

Adam

[Elric]

My take on the banned list is somewhat different. Since I've started playing in this format, I've wondered what would happen were we to do away with the banned list. Does a deck win on its first turn?

We did this tournament once.  It was interesting to do once.  The "best deck" is Black Lotus, Balance, The Rack.  At the time, there wasn't a single deck in 3CB that could beat it when going second (probably still isn't one- best you can do is draw).  However, a Dodecapod, Lotus, Glowrider/Mesmeric Fiend deck will 4-1 that deck (since it draws when going second and wins when going first).  So the question when preparing (if you saw the Balance deck) was: how many other people will see and play Balance?  I ended up playing one of the Dodecapod decks.  Most people didn't see the Balance deck, but some people saw it and played the Dodecapod decks, while others played the Balance deck.  As a result, the eventual winner was Black Lotus-Show and Tell-Form of the Dragon.  If we had tried this format again, though, it would have been pretty dumb.

[Naphtali]

I thought Pox was only banned because it was such a mize deck and was annoying to calculate.

[Godder]

We're not far away from the cut-off date for this, and I have next to no decks, so a few more would be excellent (but check the ban list!).

If people want to try 3CB with a smaller banned list, reply with some ideas in here and we can give it a shot. I'm considering dropping Show and Tell, since Form of the Dragon is currently banned, and DSC is no worse than MaskNought, but if anyone can think of anything else nasty, let me know (I'm not concerned with creatures since most of them can be answered either with StoP or a bigger creature).

Pox isn't difficult to calculate in 3CB, but it does suffer from often being a mise deck, as well as playing like Balance going second, so Pox decks usually get to go first, regardless of who is actually on the play.

[Illissius]

We could try a format sans Lotus a couple of times, just for variety.