Announcement Thread:
http://www.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=35112.0The Cary Cup #1 - 20 Proxy Vintage - 1/26/08 - Cary, NC at the Sports Zone
What is the Cary Cup? A 2008 Vintage Magic series in Cary, NC. At the conclusion of each event, the "winner" of that event will have his/her name inscribed on the Cary Cup. I say "winner" because if there is a split... the highest ranked splitter after swiss will be the "winner." No exceptions (as in working out who is the "winner" in the split). Additionally, I will personally put $1 in the Cary Cup for each person who attends each Cary Cup event before the final one. The money from ALL previous Cary Cup events will remain in the Cary Cup until the LAST event (tba), at which point the winner of the last Cary Cup event gets the first place prize for that event, the actual Cary Cup with his/her name on it as the overall winner AND all of the money inside of it. Finally, any person with their name inscribed on the Cary Cup gets FREE entry to ALL subsequent Cary Cup events.
Here is the Cary Cup:
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TO ReportWe had 22 people show up for the first event! Thank you to everyone from in state and especially out of state who made the trip.
The metagame breakdown was as follows:
6 GAT
3 Deez Noughts
3 Ichorid
2 MonoR Stax
2 SuperLong
1 Gush Tendrils
1 Drain Tendrils
1 5C Stax
1 Flash
1 Tyrant Oath
1 Keeper
The prizes were slightly modified due to less than 25 people, but we played for good stuff still…
1st: Recall
2nd: 2x FOW
3rd: 1x FOW
4th: 1x FOW
5th-8th: 1 pick each from prize pool
Here were the standings after 5 rounds of swiss:
1st: Bert Kyle (Ichorid) – 11 points
2nd: Darien Elderfield (Gush Tendrils) – 11 points
3rd: Eric Becker (GAT) – 11 points
4th: Adam O'Brien (MonoR Stax) – 10 points
5th: Cody Vinci (Drain Tendrils) – 10 points
6th: Eddie Davenport (Deez Noughts) – 10 points
7th: George Goanos (Deez Noughts) – 10 points
8th: Ben Arredondo (Flash) – 9 points
Top 8:
Bert Kyle (Ichorid) defeats Ben Arredondo (Flash) in 2 games
Cody Vinci (Drain Tendrils) has Adam O'Brien (MonoR Stax) concede to him
Darien Elderfield (Gush Tendrils) defeats George Goanos (Deez Noughts) in 2 games
Eric Becker (GAT) defeats Eddie Davenport (Deez Noughts) in 2 games
Top 4:
Cody Vinci (Drain Tendrils) defeats Bert Kyle (Ichorid) in 3 games
Darien Elderfield (Gush Tendrils) defeats Eric Becker (GAT) in 3 games
Finals:
Cody Vinci (Drain Tendrils) defeats Darien Elderfield (Gush Tendrils) in 3 games
Final results were:
1st place: Cody Vinci (Drain Tendrils) – Ancestral Recall
2nd place: Darien Elderfield (Gush Tendrils) – 2x FOW
3rd/4th place: Bert Kyle (Ichorid) – 1x FOW
3rd/4th place: Eric Becker (GAT) – 1x FOW
5th-8th place: Adam O'Brien (MonoR Stax) – Foil Engineered Explosives
5th-8th place: Eddie Davenport (Deez Noughts) – Foil Thirst for Knowledge
5th-8th place: George Goanos (Deez Noughts) – Dark Confidant
5th-8th place: Ben Arredondo (Flash) – Foil Rebuild
Top 8 Decklists:
1st place: Cody Vinci (Drain Tendrils)
3 Flooded Strand
4 Island
2 Polluted Delta
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Underground Sea
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Brainstorm
4 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Skeletal Scrying
1 Fact or Fiction
4 Accumulated Knowledge
2 Intuition
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Chain of Vapor
2 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Rebuild
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
2 Tendrils of Agony
1 Time Walk
1 Yawgmoth's Will
Sideboard
4 Leyline of the Void
3 Pithing Needle
1 Echoing Truth
1 Darkblast
1 Tinker
1 Darksteel Colossus
4 Thoughtseize
2nd place: Darien Elderfield (Gush Tendrils)
3 Polluted Delta
3 Flooded Strand
3 Underground Sea
1 Volcanic Island
1 Tropical Island
3 Island
1 Black Lotus
5 Mox
1 Darksteel Colossus
1 Tinker
1 Time Walk
1 Tendrils
1 Yawg’s Will
1 Fastbond
4 Duress
4 FOW
2 Misdirection
3 Mana Drain
1 Echoing Truth
4 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Gush
1 Fact or Fiction
4 Merchant Scroll
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Imperial Seal
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Regrowth
Sideboard
4 Energy Flux
3 REB
2 Pithing Needle
3 Threads of Disloyalty
2 Pyroclasm
1 Fire//Ice
3rd/4th place: Bert Kyle (Ichorid)
Draw Stuff:
4 Bazaar of Baghdad
4 Serum Powder
3 Petrified Field
Dredgers:
4 Golgari Grave-Troll
4 Stinkweed Imp
4 Golgari Thug
1 Darkbast
Beaters:
4 Bridge from Below
4 Ichorid
4 Narcomoeba
Free Disruption:
4 Leyline of the Void
4 Unmask
4 Chalice of the Void
Flashback Stuff:
4 Cabal Therapy
2 Dread Return
2 Ancestor's Chosen
Mana:
4 City of Brass
Sideboard:
4 Gemstone Mine
4 Chain of Vapor
4 Emerald Charm
2 Wax/Wane
1 Darkblast
3rd/4th place: Eric Becker (GAT)
1 Black Lotus
4 Flooded Strand
4 Polluted Delta
1 Island
3 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
1 Volcanic Island
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
4 Ponder
4 Gush
4 Brainstorm
4 FOW
2 Misdirection
4 Duress
1 Thoughtseize
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Fastbond
4 Merchant Scroll
1 Empty the Warrens
4 Dryad
1 Time Walk
1 Recall
1 Echoing Truth
1 Fire//Ice
Sideboard
3 Gofy
2 REB
1 Pyroblast
4 Energy Flux
2 Yixlid Jailer
3 Pithing Needle
5th-8th place: Adam O'Brien (MonoR Stax)
Maindeck:
Artifacts
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
4 Sphere Of Resistance
4 Tangle Wire
4 Thorn Of Amethyst
1 Trinisphere
1 Crucible of Worlds
Artifact Creatures
2 Duplicant
3 Juggernaut
4 Solemn Simulacrum
Creatures
3 Goblin Welder
3 Gorilla Shaman
4 Magus Of The Moon
Legendary Artifacts
3 Umezawa's Jitte
Basic Lands
6 Mountain
Lands
4 Mishra's Workshop
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
Legendary Lands
1 Tolarian Academy
Sideboard
1 Razormane Masticore
2 Triskelion
4 Leyline Of The Void
2 Pyroblast
4 Rack And Ruin
2 Red Elemental Blast
5th-8th place: Eddie Davenport (Deez Noughts)
4 Stifle
4 FOW
4 Brainstorm
4 Thoughtseize
3 Illusionary Mask
2 Spell Snare
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Echoing Truth
4 Dark Confidant
4 Phyrexian Dreadnought
3 Dimir Cutpurse
4 Underground Sea
4 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
2 Island
1 Swamp
1 Strip Mine
3 Wasteland
5 Mox
1 Black Lotus
Sideboard
2 Threads of Disloyalty
2 Engineered Explosives
1 Darkblast
2 Pithing Needle
4 Leyline of the Void
3 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Wipe Away
5th-8th place: George Goanos (Deez Noughts)
1 Strip Mine
1 Island
4 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
3 Wasteland
4 Underground Sea
1 Tropical Island
1 Academy Ruins
1 Bayou
3 Trinket Mage
4 Tarmogoyf
1 Phyrexian Dreadnought
4 Dark Confidant
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Black Lotus
5 Mox
1 Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Duress
4 Stifle
4 Brainstorm
1 Mystical Tutor
3 Thoughtseize
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Sensei’s Top
1 Tormod’s Crypt
4 FOW
1 AEther Spellbomb
Sideboard
2 Sword of Fire and Ice
2 Sword of Light and Shadow
2 Threads of Disloyalty
3 Trygon Predator
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Pithing Needle
5th-8th place: Ben Arredondo (Flash)
3 Summoner’s Pact
4 FOW
3 Pact of Negation
4 Brainstorm
3 Daze
4 Flash
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Demonic Tutor
2 Merchant Scroll
2 Ponder
1 ESG
2 Flooded Strand
2 Tropical Island
2 Polluted Delta
3 Underground Sea
Sideboard
3 Leyline of the Void
2 Stifle
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Tinker
1 Darksteel Colossus
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Echoing Truth
1 Brain Freeze
Look for the next Cary Cup event in the near future!
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Player Report I think I’ve changed my mind about if I want to keep playing magic 5 times in the last year. I haven’t actually tested in close to a year, and I had no plans on doing well this tourney. I considered myself on the way out… just trying to get rid of my collection and hang out with some old friends a couple of more times. I was sure I would scrub out, which is fine since I could help make the tourney run smoother for the people playing. I wasn’t going to mentally quit or anything, and as always I tried my best to win. But considering my lack of any preparation and insane Friday night, I really only had one choice: my old pal Drain Tendrils.
So, Friday night, a good friend of mine had a “black light toga party” at his house. Although this magic tourney was planned out well before that, this is my last semester of college, and who knows how many black light toga parties I’ll be able to go to the rest of my life. So, I was definitely going to that. Then there was the Cary Cup… I didn’t really want to go, but being the TO and all, I had to. It’s not that I didn’t want to play Vintage, I’d just rather sleep in at times.
So, here I am Friday night, trying to have a good time… but there’s something else on my mind… (not really)
A few shots, more Irish carbombs than I can count and a shirtless jog around the neighborhood later… it was bed time… at 7 AM. I think it may have occurred to me at some point that I may need to wake up in time for the tourney… and my alarm miraculously went off at 10:30 AM. About 4 snoozes later I was up and ready to help clean up the house from last night. We decide to make a trip to Bojangles for breakfast, and I request a pit stop at my apartment so I can begin thinking about Vintage. I run upstairs, grab the Cary Cup, frantically try to start MWS…5….4….3…..2…..1…. NO I DON’T WANT TO REGISTER! I look for the Drain Tendrils deck I have saved there, hit print, grab my cards and I’m gone. I call my teammate Chris Coppola on the way to Bojangles to pick him up, but he apparently had more fun than me the night before and took a pass. The Bojangles traffic is backed up onto the street, and now I realize I’m completely screwed. It’s about 12 PM and I need food before I can go. I find a parking spot after 10 mins and then join the line extending out the door. I get my food, and I'm gone in a few mins… then I’m finally out the door ready to go. If you know me, I’m at every tourney I run a good 2+ hours before it starts. Now I’m hoping to just get there before it starts. I manage to get there around 12:30 and start registering people. I feel like complete shit and keep leaving important things (my phone, the list of people registered) in random places. I seriously consider not even playing and just taking it easy, but my competitive spirit won’t let me. I seek some sideboard advice from Bert and keep my MWS Drain Tendrils maindeck the same. At around 1:30, round 1 begins.
Needless to say, no notes were taken.
Round 1: Garrett Wiley w/ Ichorid
Game 1- He mulls a few times, which makes me happy. He starts with bazaar. That makes me sad. I hate Ichorid. I now officially hate Vintage (Ichorid does that to me when I play it). From my past experiences, if my Ichorid opponent starts with bazaar and some dredgers the first turn, I should scoop. I want to try to win the match, and all my 3 game Ichorid matches have taken way too long. Unless I have the nuts, there’s no point in playing.
Game 2- Garrett tells me he has a 59 card deck and can’t find the other card. I appreciate his honesty, and it shows what a stand up guy he is. The judge playing in the tourney makes a ruling and gives him a game loss. He shortly after finds his card on the floor on the other side of the room from shuffling it earlier.
+4 Leyline, +3 Needle, +Tinker, + DSC
Game 3- I start with a Leyline and drop a turn 1 or 2 Pithing Needle or something like that. He can’t do much and I am able to Intution for Lotus, Petal and Chain of Vapor EOT and then Vamp for Will for an easy kill.
Matches: 1-0
Games: 2-1
Round 2: Bryson Bonton w/ 5c Stax
Game 1- This is a very long game that takes over 30 mins. His lock pieces include Chalice of the Void, 3x Tangle Wire, Crucible of Worlds plus Wasteland and Goblin Welder. He is amazed that I fetch out 4 basics. His locks are less than impressive against Drain Tendrils, and I am able to use my surplus of draw spells nearly every turn in response to Wire or at EOT. I set up a Will after an EOT hurkyl’s that can easily produce a 2x Tendrils kill of 100+, and I start to set that up. I have Tendrils in my yard, so it’s obvious that I won. He is somewhat new to Vintage and does not scoop. I take that to mean that he may have Trickkbind or something, so I want to make sure I have access to both copies of my Tendrils. After 5-10 mins of my Will, he realizes he loses and scoops.
+2 Neddle, +Darkblast, +Tinker, +DSC
Game 2- Nothing too exciting here. He starts with Leyline of the Void. I would like to win this game, but a draw is just as good so I’m not in a rush to play aggressive if I don’t need to. Needle is key here as I am able to Needle his Mishra’s Factory and draw the game out. We go to time and 5 turns later still nothing has happened. He makes a comment that he would have won if we didn’t go to time. He ended up with 1 card in hand, and I had the win in my hand if I wanted it. I don’t mean to be a jerk, but I could have won on the spot if I wanted to think a little.
Matches: 2-0
Games: 3-1-1
Round 3: Bert Kyle w/ Ichroid
This is from Bert’s report (his perspective)
Game 1- I open with Leyline and Cody just concedes because he wants a win and knows this matchup can be slow post board.
Game 2- Cody mulls to 1 trying to find hate (he ran 4 Leyline and 4 Needle). His one card is a Needle but it is Therapied before he finds mana and I win easily. It turns out that against my advice Cody dropped his Needle count to three at the last minute. While I would like to encourage all future opponents to do this, I generally encourage my teammates to run a full set of Leylines and Needles post board if they expect to beat Ichorid.
Matches: 2-1
Games: 3-3-1
Round 4: AJ Fields w/ GAT
Game 1- I am able to pull ahead early and win the card advantage war off Fact or Fiction. AJ, however, gets down a Dryad. I hit more lands than I would have liked, but I’m able to Chain of Vapor his dude. I’m taking lots of Crypt damage and I don’t have much action in my hand. He Duresses out a Hurykl’s Recall over an AK for 1, which turns out to be the winner for him. I draw some cards and he has a lethal kill if I lose to crypt. I can do a really weak Tendrils or hope I win the flip and draw a combo enabler. I opt for the latter. I do win the flip and draw nothing good. I’m forced into a mini Tendrils to keep me alive one more turn. The last Crypt flip doesn’t matter because I’m above 3, and I rip a Recall off the top. Two lands and a Drain later I lose.
+1 Tinker, +1 Darksteel Colossus, +4 Thoughtseize, +1 Echoing Truth
Game 2- I get an early AK for 3 and 4 and set up an easy Will > Tendrils that he scoops to. I think I also resolved 3 Thoughtseize.
Game 3- This is a really tight game and lots of fun. I really enjoy matches like these and by this point in the day I remember why I love Vintage so much. The winner makes top 8, and it’s a matchup I enjoy playing.
AJ gets down a Dryad and eventually ramps up to 5. I’m doing my normal draw stuff off a FoF, AK for 3 and maybe a Thirst or 2. I still have 3 turns left but need to act fast. It’s AJ’s turn and he Duresses me. I have a Bainstorm in hand and end up with Mystical Tutor, Demonic Tutor and Yawgmoth’s Will before I need to put 2 back. I put back Will and then DT on top. He is showing mana for REB and may have Drain or FOW in hand. The good news is he only has like 2 cards at this point. He takes Mystical by default and passes. The only relevant card in my hand is DT. I can DT now and lose Will. I put him on 1 counter, so I need to get 2 threats. DT for Lotus into Will next turn just won’t cut it. DT for Tinker now shuffles away my Will. I want two must counter cards and so I just pass the turn. He swings, and I have 2 turns left. I untap and draw Will. I now have DT and Will in hand. I have the kill easily if he doesn’t have a counter but even a REB will mess up my Will kill because I needed the Brainstorm in my yard. I Demonic for Tinker and cast it. He REBS. I still have one turn left and Will. He swings again and passes. I draw a land and cast Will. The kill was somewhat easy, but I am set on Tinkering for Lotus and then DTing for Tendrils. That was like 1 storm short. I change my thinking and realize all I need to do is DT for Lotus and then Mystical for Tendrils and Brainstorm into it. I do that and win.
Matches: 3-1
Games: 5-4-1
Round 5: ID with Eddie Davenport (Deez Noughts)
Top 8: Adam O’brien w/ MonoR Stax
He is a teammate and has to be somewhere at 7:30 PM. He scoops to me, and I tell him we can split whatever I win.
Top 4: Bert Kyle w/ Ichroid
This is from Bert’s report (his perspective)
Game 1- I totally jinx myself twice here. First Cody rolls a 1 during the die roll so I become very happy. I then roll a 1. Cody rolls a 3. I roll a 1. At this point I point out that I have not mulliganed to fewer than 5 yet today. Naturally the gods curse me for my hubris and I mull to oblivion never finding Bazaar and lose on turn 5. At this point I am in a world of pain. This matchup just went from about 60% in my favor to about 80% in Cody's favor.
Game 2- Cody opens with Leyline and Needle. I quickly Emerald Charm Leyline and then later Chain Needle eot giving me two Bazaar activations. From there I am able to Therapy Needle away and win quickly. Since I have a huge advantage when on the play this win is not that huge. Cody still has a 70% chance of winning when on the play post board. This is because Needle is such a pain when I am on the draw.
Game 3- Cody opens with 2xLeyline and then Intuitions for 3x Needle. I am actually able to remove both Leylines. Then Tinker comes out but I rip Chain of Vapor off the top and attempt to Chain DSC, but Cody has Drain and DSC does me in.
Matches: 4-1
Games: 7-5-1
Finals: Darien Elderfield w/ Gush Tendrils
Game 1- He only has a Sapphire and an off color Mox to start but a few Brainstorms and a FOW. I have a turn 2 Intuition with FOW backup off a turn 1 Sol Ring. I cast Intuition on my turn while his Sapphire is tapped in hopes of turning my Intuition and AK in 7 cards next turn. He forces and I force back. At this point the game is over. I hold off on casting the AKs next turn so I can keep Drain up. I Drain his Time Walk and untap. I start with a Brainstorm to use my fetchland, then AK for 3 and Time Walk. I untap and draw 4 and then win with a lethal Will.
+1 Tinker, +1 Darksteel Colossus, +4 Thoughtseize, +1 Echoing Truth
Game 2- I mull to 5 and get stuck with 1 Island. I try a sapphire and I lose the counter war over it. Darien isn’t doing much but has much more mana and a few more cards. I get a Pearl or something and am able to AK for 1 and 2. He REBs a bunch of shit and Duresses out my Tinker. He then wins with a Tinker of his own.
Game 3- I keep a decent hand with a turn 2 Drain online as well as Thirst for Knowledge and FOW. He scrolls for Recall and casts it on turn 2. I Force of Will and he Forces back. I drain his FOW and he never recovers from this tempo swing. I use my 3 blue lands and 5 colorless mana to get way ahead. I think I Time Walk and Thirst twice. I have a Demonic in hand with an AK for 1 and a Brainstorm. I think Darien has 2-3 cards at this point. I figure I can Demonic for Recall or Tinker and resolve either one right there. The Recall would probably get me the win eventually, but I knew he didn’t have a counter and thought Tinker would be an easy way to end the game quickly. I usually play very conservative, but I wanted to just go for the win and not regret not doing it later. I DT for Tinker, cast it and pass. He passes and I swing for 11. I hit a Mana Drain and pass. He Gushes, I consider letting it resolve. I’m pretty sure he has nothing important in his hand so I counter the Gush. I untap and win. This was definitely a fun match regardless of the outcome and it could have went either way. Congrats on 2nd place, Darien. You played very well.
Matches: 5-1
Games: 9-6-1
