I’m a Vintage player by heart. I love extended and standard, but I’m a vintage player. I used to like legacy, but that all changed after GP: Lille (I went like 1-3), and I never played the format again. But we have a series of tourney’s in Holland, which most of the time are just vintage tourneys, but now they organized a legacy tourney. Now that sucked, because I was #1 in their competition (getting extra prizes at the end of the year), and I didn’t knew anything about legacy. After some scouting I really liked Nassif’s Confinement list, so I simply played his list (I tweaked it a little, fitting in Nantuko Monasteries) to a 4-0-2 finish. I was really unimpressed with the deck, and I knew I didn’t want to play it again. I did, however, really liked Confinements and really really liked Life from the Loam..
Now some time ago, we made this very cool list for Vintage, playing with Life from the Loams, Terravores and Bazaars. A friend and team member of mine, Ronald Groenstege, started playing with basically that deck, only making it legacy legal. Now it was basically a port from the extended deck Aggro Loam, which is/was the best deck. We tweaked it around al little, because I wanted to play it at the Open Dutch Champs which was in 1 week.
We bought and borrowed extra copies of cards in the deck, because we couldn’t both play it. I met with Ronald on Sunday morning in Eindhoven, giving him his copy of the deck. This is the list we played:
The Dutch Connection’s ‘TerraGeddon’
// Creatures
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Werebear
4 Terravore
4 Wild Mongrel
3 Eternal Witness
1 Genesis
// Spells
4 Armageddon
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Life from the Loam
3 Solitary Confinement
// Lands
4 Tranquil Thicket
2 Secluded Steppe
1 Nantuko Monastery
3 Wasteland
4 Windswept Heath
3 Forest
1 Plains
4 Savannah
3 Wooded Foothills
// Sideboard
4 Tivadar’s Crusade
4 Null Rod
3 Krosan Grip
2 Loxodon Hierarch
2 Last Breath
The deck is a force. It features a maindeck hardlock with Confinement-Loam/Genesis, which a lot of decks simply can’t beat game 1. I think I won 4 or 5 game ones simply by dropping a Confinement with a Life and a cycleland. I boarded them out in almost every matchup, because they get so much worse game 2, but that doesn’t matter because their Disenchants become useless. The fact that you can simply win by Wastelanding every turn is also very good. I expected a lot of Goblins, since that is the best deck, so I packed 4 Crusades. The plan was to win game 1 by dropping a Confinement, and win game 3 because you have 4 onesided WoG’s. A funny fact was that you almost can’t win a game 2 when you are on the draw, because the Crusade is to slow. The Null Rods are here to fight Crypt and Combo. The Grip is amazing, because it removes Crypts, Deeds and Crucibles. Last Breath was our amazing tech, because it simply is STP 5-6, which also removes Meddling Mage naming Life from the Loam.
The attendance was 132 players, and that meant 8 rounds of Swiss with a cut to top 8. Prices for top 16.
On to the report:
Round 1: Niels? playing Angel Stompy
Game 1: A really close game, because I thought he was playing mono white stompy or something (I see only plains). I have a Terravore and a Werebear out and play Armageddon, and he plows the ‘Vore in response. I still have the Bear and I ride it to victory.
I board Hierarchs and Last Breaths for 3 Confinements and a Armageddon I think.
Game 2: Shit. I didn’t realize he played Angel Stompy, because I didn’t see any Tombs or Jittes game 1. This game he has a turn 2 Jitte which just wins the game for him.
I board in Grips and Rods.
Game 3 goes to time, because he gets me very low, but I dredge Genesis and start recurring Terravores. He morphes a creature with 3 lands and a Jitte in play, and I play a second 8/8 ‘Vore. He doesn’t draw a 4th land to unmorph his Angel and I take the game in turn 3 of the extra time.
2-1, 1-0
Ronald won his match 2-0.
Round 2: Rik playing RW Goblins
We introduce and I tell him I know he’s playing Goblins. I didn’t see him play in round 1 or something, but I just know. He looks at me funny and simply shuffles up.
Game 1: He mulligans to 5 (And I ask him ‘no turn 1 Lackeys?) and opens up with.. a Mogg Fanatic. We both start laughing. He kills my Elf and I have a Mongrel. He makes sure he doesn’t attack into it because I am Loaming every turn. I see he has maindeck Disenchants thanks to his Ringleader, so I can’t just drop Confinement and win. I plow some of his creatures with the help of a pair of Eternal Witnesses and win with a 18/18 Terravore, which is actually bigger than a Piley..
In come the Crusades, Hierarchs and Last Breaths, out go the ‘Geddons, 1 Werebear and 3 Confinements
Game 2: He has a turn 1 Lackey and I have the Elf to block it, but he kills it with a Fanatic. Warchief Ringleader Piledriver bla bla bla. He kills me on turn 5, with no Crusades for me.
Game 3: I think I plowed 4 times and removed his entire board 3 times. This was thanks to a Genesis and some Witnesses that kept dying because I blocked with them. The match went to time, but I don’t care because 20/20 Terravores only take a single turn. I said VoreS, because I had 2. 3 mana 20/20 guys are pretty good, I hear.
2-1, 2-0
Round 3: Bas playing.. RG Goblins!
Game 1: I win the roll and have a Mongrel to answer his Lackey. I make more blockers, and eventually attack with the Mongrel when he is outtapped (3 lands, one Taiga). I want to write down damage but I can tell he wants to play a card in his hand, but eventually does not. This makes me believe he has Pyrokinesis maindeck and no Naturalizes. The next turn I drop Confinement with a Cycleland and a Loam, and he scoops.
In come the Crusades, Hierarchs and Last Breaths, out go the ‘Geddons, 1 Werebear and 3 Confinements (again).
Game 2: He has a turn 1 Lackey that is unanswered. He then plays a lot of Goblins, and I have 3 lands and a Tivadar’s Crusade but he keeps tapping one of them with his Port. I don’t draw another land or a Loam, so I can’t play Crusade. I lost that game a turn later with Matron-Piley-Piley action.
Game 3: My notes say that his life total went 20-24-26-28-30-7-0. This was due to multiple Swords and Last Breaths, keeping him very low on Goblins. And when he tried to make a comeback, I simply played a Tivadar’s Crusade and attacked with a 23/23 Terravore. While this didn’t kill him, the next swing did and he scoops up his cards.
2-1, 3-0
Ronald is now 1-1-1.
Round 4: Marco (a German) with Confidant-Affinity.
Game 1: He keeps a hand with no artifact land, just two Nexuses. He attacks with them a few times before I get a Confinement out, and he just scoops.
I board 4 Null Rods, 3 Krosan Grip and 2 Last Breath for 4 Armageddon and 5 ‘other’ cards. I have no idea which they were.
Game 2: He kills me on turn 4 with double Disciple + Plating and Ravager. I didn’t draw a StP or a Rod.
Game 3: I make blockers, Sword some creatures (with the help of a Witness) and eventually get out a 12/12 ‘Vore. He blocks and tries to double Shrapnel Blast it, but he forgets that the Terravore counts the lands in ALL graveyards, so he 4-for-0’d himself. I win that game.
2-1, 4-0
It’s going good so far
Round 5: Wim Helder with 4c Landstill
I know Wim from other (vintage) tourneys, so we are not too tensed. I know he is playing 4c Landstill because someone told me, and because I know he kills with manland I am very confident with my Wastelands and Life from the Loams.
Game 1: I open up with a couple of werebears, which quickly become 4/4 with a little help from a LftL when he is outtapped. I attack him for 12 with the Bears and a Monestary, and he pops a Deed for the Bears. The Monestary gets in once more before getting plowed, and I Armageddon all lands while keeping an Elf and a Land. I soon dredge a Genesis into the biggest Terravore I had all day, which wins the game for me. I believe it was over 30/30..
I SB 3 Krosan Grips and 2 Hierarchs (Regenerate if he has a Deed) for 3 Confinements and 2 Plows or something.
Game 2: I can’t lose this matchup. I really can’t. This game was more of the same, only my Elf did 9 damage to him. He Plows a 17/17 Terravore, putting me on 35 life. Now I REALLY can’t lose. I Grip a Crucible when he casts it and attack his mana for the win. He only played a single Basic Land, hehe.
2-0, 5-0
This feels really good. I have to win one of my last 3 matches in order to t8.
Round 6: ??? (a German) with UGR Thresh.
Game 1: He gets out Nimble Mongoose and quickly makes it 3/3. My Mongrels and Werebears keep getting Burned or countered, but I dredge a Genesis and bait with a Werebear like 3 times. Counter, Counter, till his hand is empty. He drew a lot with Predict tricks, but I guessed correctly that he didn’t have another counter. I went for the Confinement and he just scooped.
I board very very wrong. I kept him really low on lands and mana, so I just thought he played 4c Thresh. I boarded Rods and Last Breaths, which where awful because he played with.. Loaming Shaman.
Game 2: I draw like 3 of my (dead) SB cards. I lose the game to double Burning-Tree Shaman, double Werebear and a Loaming Shaman that makes my Bears really small.
I board the Hierarchs and the Confinements back in (for the Loaming Shaman).
We shuffle up and suddenly he starts caring about my sleeves. Rather than just cutting, he pileshuffles my deck and notes that 2 of my sleeves look a little different. We call over a judge, and after some time he calls me over. He tells me that the sleeves were indeed different, and that they contain my 2 Hierarchs.. I get a matchloss for this. Now that REALLY sucks, because I would SO have won the match in game 3. I go on tilt, because the round is long over and I have to go buy different sleeves. I run to the dealer and buy sleeves. I get back and.. the sleeves are CLEAR. Shit shit shit! I run back and make the switch between the clear and the dark sleeves, and when I run back there are like 5 of my good friends sitting ready to sleeve the deck for me. They do this in like 1 minute. Thank you guys very much for this, it really meant a lot to me.
The pairings are up, and while I still am a bit on tilt, I walk to my table only to play.. against Mark!
*MATCHLOSS*, 5-1
Round 7: Mark with Salvager/Gamekeeper.
Game 1: I know Mark, I know what he is playing, and it sucks we have to play each other. I win the roll and open up with an Elf. I realize I have to resolve an Armageddon and kill him really fast. I play a turn 2 Mongrel, and in my upkeep I discard a Life, dredge it, discard it again, play a Terravore and discard some lands to the Mongrel. I can kill him next turn, with double dredge the Loam, but it doesn’t help because he rituals into a Salvager with a LED and a Chromatic Star on the table..
I Side 4 Null Rods and 2 Last Breaths for 3 Confinements and 3 Werebear?
Game 2: I open up with an Elf, and he nukes my entire hand with multiple Duress and Therapies. I have a Life, so I start dredging and cycling. I get out a Null Rod, which hurt him a lot. I nuke all his lands with a ‘Geddon and then play a Nantoku Monastery and start bashing a turn later. I waste all the lands I can, but by cycling basics he finds a living wish for a Wasteland which gives him one more turn.. But I draw another Armageddon and he scoops to Llanowar Elves beatdown. He tells me he had 4 Rituals in hand..
Okay, so getting a Null Rod out is my main objective in this matchup. Next is nuking his lands. I have to keep Swords online, so he can’t randomly combo out on me, so I have 6 in the deck.
Game 3: He opens with a Duress and takes one of my Null Rods. The other one sticks. I start wasting his lands, and eventually he Wishes for a Viridian Shaman. I play my ‘Geddon at that point. A few turns later I Witness into another Null Rod, and the Witness and a Mongrel go all the way.
2-1, 6-1
I’m in! It really sucks I had to play against Mark, but at least I’m in!
Round 8: Christian "Windux" Wilczek (a German) with 3c Hanni Fish.
We I.D.
My dad goes for a Kabab run, and me and a friend of mine do some more testing against Affinity since that deck is most probably in the t8 as well. I can’t lose if I just resolve a Confinement.
Oh, and Ronald went 4-2-2. He lost 2 games because he only played 2 Basic land and 8 Cycleland, which is bad. He got Wasteland-locked..
Now something happens.. The t8 is announced, and Mark is in! Good news.
We go to the hotel where we are going to play the T8 because the location we played the Swiss is closing.. We have about 45 minutes, so some friends of mine had decided to draft. I chat with some other top-8’ers, when the head judge comes with some bad news. Due to an computer error or something, they had the wrong results. The number 8 isn’t Mark, it’s actually the guy they told he finished in 9th place.. Unfortunately, he has already left and we didn’t have his number. So what they did was to give Mark the prices the #8 would receive, but not let him play t8. This also meant that Patrick, the guy with the land destruction deck, got a bye in the T8.
The t8 was:
1 4c Landstill (Wim, my round 5 opponent, with only a single loss in the Swiss)
1 TerraGeddon
1 3c Hanni Fish
1 (Small) Pox
1 RW Goblins
1 Green Landdestruction
1 Affinity
1 Mono Black, this was the guy that had left.
And I had to play against.. Wim!
Top 8 – Quarters – Wim with 4c Landstill
I can’t lose this matchup.
Now I see his deck, I see there are 3 Sacred Grounds in his SB. I should be more careful with my Krosan Grips..
Game 1: I can’t lose this matchup. Damn. I am on the play and I draw the godhand: Fetch, Cycleland, Elf, Life, Wasteland, Werebear, Terravore. I can’t lose this matchup. I waste all his lands, drop a big Bear and eventually ride a Vore to victory. Once again, it becomes like 20/20. Still not a bad deal, for 3 mana.
I SB the usual: out go the Confinements and 2 Plows, in go the Hierarchs (in proper sleeves, that is) and the Grips.
Game 2: I can’t find a Wasteland with my LftL, so he gets out some lands. I bait a little with creatures, and when he FoW’s my LftL, I play an Armageddon. It resolves and I dredge Life into.. Wasteland. I can’t lose this matchup!
I can’t remember how I killed him. But I knew I did..
2-0, 7-1-1
Top 4 – Semi’s – Christian "Windux" Wilczek (German) with 3c Hanni Fish
Game 1: He gets the goddraw: turn 1 Mother of Runes, turn 2 Mage naming Life from the Loam, turn 3 Mage naming armageddon, turn 4 Confindant and Grunt. I have a Swords, but I can’t play it because of the Mother. I draw a Eternal Witness, and attempt to Plow the Mother, play Witness getting back StP, but the Witness gets countered.. I trashtalk the living fuck out of this match, and even the judge is trashtalking with me.. Christian: “I cast a Grunt”, Me & the tablejudge: “In soviet Russia..” He completely loses focus, or so it seems. I predict exactly what he has in hand, (“because I play poker”), and when I do this for the 10th time or so, he actually puts his glasses on the table because he thinks I can see the cards in the reflection or something, it was hilarious. It was like, “I’m walking straight into your Daze, but I have to because you also have a Counterspell you can cast next turn..” and he’d have exactly that.. “You are going to reveal FoW with Confidant”, and he did exactly that.. Anyways, I lost this game.
I SB Hierarchs and Last Breaths for 3 Confinements and 1 Werebear I think.
Game 2: I cast some Plows and attack his manabase, because he only plays like 17 lands. He stalls on lands, and while I keep Loaming I attack him with a Terravore and a Werebear. He plows the ‘Vore, but eventually dies to the Bear.
Game 3: He mulligans to 5. He starts with a Serum Visions, putting both cards on the bottom. I waste his land. He plays another Visions, keeping both cards on top. I play a Fetch. He plays a Mage naming Life, but I plow it. I then cast a Mongrel. He draws and says go. I waste his land, removing his countermana and Life my Fetch and 2 Wastes back. Eventually I resolve a very big Terravore and a couple of Werebears, while he only has an Engineered Explosives for 1, which can kill my Elf but nothing more.. I win.
2-1, 8-1-1
Finals: Rudie playing with 8Pox.dec
Game 1: we where both going into the matchup thinking it would be very hard for me to win. He had 8 Poxes, 4 Innocent Blood, Wastelands of his own, and 4 Spinning Darkness, 4 Funeral Charm and 4 Infest SB. Game 1, I get slaughtered. Unreal. I don’t know how to play the matchup, so I open with land-Elf. He smallpoxes them away. I try another land, and he simply plays a ‘real’ Pox. He discards a Nether Spirit and Wastelands my only land. I die soon afterwards..
I board Last Breaths and Null rods for 4 Armageddons. He kills with the Spirit and the 3 mana artifact that can become 3/3 if you tap all your lands, so removing his creatures felt like a good plan. I thought I also boarded in some Krosan Grips..
Game 2: I’m getting the hang of it. Rather than opening with an Elf, I keep it in hand and simply play my Cycleland. He Poxes them, but I don’t care. I get Hymn’ed, and he took my LftL. I play another land, and dredge Life to play it. I waste his Mishra’s Factory, but he still has the Spirit. It gets me down to 5 life, and I cast Terravore. I attack with it, and he uses Cabal Pit on it. He goes down to just 2, draws for his turn and scoops.
Game 3: Same thing as before. I open with Cycleland, which he destroys, but I make sure I keep at least 2 more lands in hand. I cast Life, which gets me my lands back, trying to keep up. He has one big turn in which he throws down his entire hand, playing Poxes and Discard, keeping him with only 2 lands and a Nether Spirit. I just Plow the Spirit, at which point I know I won the game since he has nothing and I have 3 creatures in hand. I dredge back my Life and play a big Terravore and my Elf, which I kept in hand. He draws and.. scoops!
I am the winnar!
I get this amazing trophy that has 4 DCI promo’s in it, a Foil Regrowth and storecredit for winning. My friends made some pictures, but because Rudie was so big and I am so small, I stood on a chair.
It was an amazing tourney. Suddenly I actually like Legacy!
Props:
- My friends. The whole weekend was amazing. Great hanging with you guys.
- The judges. Great tourney, too bad about the matchloss and the 8th/9th spot..
- My opponents. Almost everybody was very nice and it was great playing against you.
- Ronald Groenstege. We made a great deck, Ronnie
- Kebab!
Slops:
- Matchlosses. I should check my sleeves. My fault.
- The food was expensive as hell!
This was my report. Don’t mind the grammar, I typed it in a hurry, because my exam week begins tomorrow.. Thanks for reading!
Greetz,
Hugo van Dijke
