Blue Bell Game Day #1 T.O. Report including Top 8 Decklists, Metagame, and more!

[Iron_Chef]

Wow...

That's where I have to start.  Thank you to all of the players that made the drive to our first Vintage Event of 2010.  It's because of all of you that we had a whopping sixty four players come to Alternate Universes to play for two Moxen, two Grim Tutors, table credit, and most of all to have fun playing Vintage with friends all day.  Also, thank you to Mike Coyle, the owner of Alternate Universes, for providing a great place to gather and play and to Chas Hinkle, who stepped up to judge instead of play.

The fact that sixty four players wanted to come and play really shows me that the Philadelphia area (an area I define as stretching from Washington D.C. to Pittsburgh to New York) has the strongest vintage following in the world.  Show me another area of the world where over forty players come play on a consistent basis.  At this rate, expect every event to have a larger and larger prize payout.  I'll have to re-evaluate where I'm going to hold side events, because the store can "only" seat 75 at this point.  That's a good problem to have, believe me.

We started out a little late, since so many people came, and we started off by congratulating Eric Markowicz, who was the 2009 Player of the Year at Mike Smith's Blue Bell events.  Eric put up consistent results all year, and for that he will be able to play vintage at my Blue Bell Game Day tournaments for free!  Also, congratulations to Team Donkey Pal for smashing the 2009 Team Competition.  Members include Matt Elias, Chas Hinkle, Mike Noble, and Evan Hundertmark.  For winning the Team Competition, they each recieved plaques, and there is a large plaque in the store that they are the first team engraved on it.  With six teams signed up for 2010, I expect this competition to continue.  You can still sign up teams at any time.  If you want to compete just send me info through here or by email (NickCoss@yahoo.com).

Because of the instant discussion that began in the Tournament Announcement thread for this event, I'd like to discuss the prizes that I chose to give out, how I determine what I give away, and what to expect in the future.  The prizes I advertised were 2x UL Moxen (Emerald and Pearl), 2x Grim Tutors (chosen mainly because I owned 7), and $180 in table credit split between the 5th-8th place finishers and the highest placing player with no proxies.  I give out table credit because I have a huge selection of singles and I think people appreciate the flexibility that offers and because it makes it easier for me, not tying up specific cards the way a static prize structure would.  When 64 players turned up, I chose to raise what I gave out based on how many showed up.  I added $200 to the prize pool in the form of table credit (again, based on convenience).  I ended giving out $1235 in prizes, taking in $1550 in entry fees (Eric plays for free from 2009 PoTY and when I took over running these tournaments I offered Mike Smith the ability to play for free as well).  I think this is "fair" considering that I also paid Chas to judge, spent money getting copies made, hosting a website, and about 20 other things that all add up in the end.  My business model when I run events is to be very close to break-even with my expenses vs. the entry fees I take in.  Running tournaments makes me no or very little money in and of itself; where I make money is being set up as a dealer at the event, something that most players accept and have no problem with.  Believe me, it doesn't make me enough money that I'd do it if I didn't love doing it.  Running these is fun for me, and hopefully it stays that way for a long time to come.  In the future, expect my prizes to almost always scale up.  Every prize structure I offer is guaranteed, and will never go down.  Also, I'm thinking about making most events at Blue Bell double mox events.  Let me know what you think with your replies to this thread.

Top 8 Results:

Top 8:
Max Brown (Dark Times) beat Matt Elias (D3G Oath)
Josh Potucek (Tezzeret w/o Tezzeret) beat Keith Seals (Grim Oath)
Rob Edwards (Tezzeret) beat Austin Pollack (Oath)
Sam Berse (Bloodghast Dredge) beat Dominic DiFebo (Drain Tendrils)

Top 4:
Same Berse beat Rob Edwards
Max Brown beat Josh Potucek

Finals:
Max Brown beat Sam Berse

CONGRATS TO MAX BROWN FOR TAKING DOWN THE TOURNAMENT!!

Top 8 Decklists:

Max Brown: 1st Place with “Dark Times”

4 Wasteland
2 Dark Depths
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Strip Mine
11 Swamp
4 Dark Confidant
4 Vampire Hexmage
1 Darkblast
4 Dark Ritual
4 Leyline of the Void
4 Duress
4 Thoughtseize
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Imperial Seal
1 Demonic Consultation
1 Null Rod
1 Sadistic Sacrament
1 Pithing Needle
2 Diabolic Edict
1 Helm of Obedience
1 Grim Discovery
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mox Jet
1 Black Lotus
1 Yawgmoth's Will

Sideboard:
3 Null Rod
2 Emissary of Despair
2 Yixlid Jailer
2 Sadistic Sacrament
1 Ravenous Trap
1 Engineered Plague
1 Pithing Needle
1 Chainer's Edict
1 Chains of Mephistopheles
1 Phyrexian Negator

Sam Berse: 2nd Place with “Bloodghast Dredge”

4 Bloodghast
4 Bridge from Below
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Fatestitcher
4 Golgari Grave-Troll
4 Stinkweed Imp
3 Golgari Thug
3 Dread Return
3 Sharuum the Hegemon
1 Altar of Dementia
1 Possessed Portal
1 Black Lotus
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
4 Narcomoeba
4 Undiscovered Paradise
4 City of Brass
2 Cephalid Coliseum
4 Bazaar of Baghdad
4 Serum Powder
1 Ancestral Recall

Sideboard:
4 Chain of Vapor
4 Force of Will
3 Serenity
2 Dakmar Salvage
1 Angel of Despair
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria

Josh Potucek: Top 4 with “Tezzeret without Tezzeret”

1 Darkblast
3 Night's Whisper
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Ponder
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Tinker
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Voltaic Key
1 Time Vault
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Brainstorm
1 Rebuild
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Mystical Tutor
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
1 Misdirection
2 Duress
1 Thoughtseize
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Mana Crypt
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Swamp
2 Island
2 Volcanic Island
3 Underground Sea
4 Polluted Delta
2 Misty Rainforest

Sideboard:
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Pyroblast
1 Arcane Laboratory
1 Empty the Warrens
2 Spell Snare
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Yixlid Jailer
2 Extirpate
2 Ravenous Trap
1 Tormod's Crypt

Rob Edwards: Top 4 with “Pudge's Cheesesteak FTW” (aka Tezzeret)

3 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island
2 Snow-Covered Island
1 Island
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Black Lotus
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
2 Flooded Strand
2 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Time Vault
1 Voltaic Key
1 Tinker
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Rebuild
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
2 Repeal
3 Duress
3 Dark Confidant
2 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Fire/Ice
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor

Sideboard:
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Pyroblast
1 Greater Gargadon
2 Extirpate
2 Yixlid Jailer
2 Ravenous Trap
1 Rack and Ruin
1 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Mystic Remora
1 Darkblast
1 Tormod's Crypt

Matt Elias: Top 8 with “D3G Oath”

4 Forbidden Orchard
3 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
1 Volcanic Island
1 Strip Mine
1 Wasteland
3 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Hellkite Overlord
3 Thoughtseize
1 Duress
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Mystical Tutor        --- FORGOT THE FIRST TIME ---
1 Fire/Ice         --- FORGOT THE FIRST TIME ---
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Ponder
4 Impulse
1 Time Walk
1 Rebuild
1 Merchant Scroll
4 Force of Will
2 Spell Pierce
4 Oath of Druids
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Time Vault
1 Voltaic Key
1 Sensei's Divining Top

Sideboard:
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Pithing Needle
2 Red Elemental Blast
1 Krosan Grip
1 Oxidize
1 Tinker
1 Wasteland
1 Firespout
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Hellkite Overlord

Austin Pollack: Top 8 with  “Oath”

2 Misty Rainforest
3 Polluted Delta
4 Forbidden Orchard
1 Volcanic Island
2 Tropical Island
3 Underground Sea
1 Strip Mine
1 Wasteland
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Time Vault
1 Brainstorm
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Hellkite Overlord
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Merchant Scroll
2 Lim Dul's Vault
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ponder
3 Thoughtseize
1 Krosan Reclamation
1 Duress
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Voltaic Key
4 Oath of Druids
1 Demonic Tutor
2 Spell Pierce
2 Ancient Grudge
4 Impulse
4 Force of Will
1 Time Walk
1 Rebuild

Sideboard:
2 Red Elemental Blast
2 Pithing Needle
2 Ravenous Trap
2 Firespout
1 Extirpate
1 Hellkite Overlord
1 Wasteland
1 Krosan Grip
1 Oxidize

Keith Seals: Top 8 with “Grim Oath”

1 Polluted Delta
2 Verdant Catacombs
2 Misty Rainforest
1 Forest
1 Swamp
1 Island
1 Tropical Island
2 Underground Sea
4 Forbidden Orchard
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Lotus Petal
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Voltaic Key
1 Time Vault
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Wipe Away
1 Misdirection
4 Force of Will
1 Lim Dul's Vault
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
4 Impulse
1 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
3 Duress
2 Thoughtseize
1 Ponder
1 Regrowth
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Gaea's Blessing
1 Time Walk
4 Oath of Druids
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
2 Hellkite Overlord
1 Tezzeret the Seeker

Sideboard:
2 Tormod's Crypt
3 Pithing Needle
3 Extirpate
1 Echoing Truth
2 Yixlid Jailer
1 Krosan Grip
2 Energy Flux
1 Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund

Dominic DiFebo: Top 8 with “Drain Tendrils”

4 Force of Will
3 Dark Confidant
3 Dark Ritual
3 mana Drain
2 Duress
2 Spell Pierce
3 Underground Sea
2 Tundra
2 Island
1 Swamp
3 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Tinker
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Mana Crypt
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Sen Triplets
1 Time Walk
1 Echoing Truth
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Time Vault
1 Sol Ring
1 Brainstorm
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Lotus Petal
1 Ponder
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Black Lotus
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Voltaic Key
1 Misdirection
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet

Sideboard:
2 Ravenous Trap
2 Pithing Needle
2 Sadistic Sacrament
3 Seal of Cleansing
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Path to Exile
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Rebuild
1 Balance

Honorable Mention goes to: Eric Markowicz, for drawing yourself into 9th place and crushing your own dreams.  Next time play dammit, especially when we're at 64 players (one more player and it goes to seven rounds)!!!

Well, my fingers hurt, and I have papercuts from going through 64 decklists, so you'll just have to wait and read Matt Elias's "The Long and Winding Road" in the next few weeks, where he will go into detail about the metagame that was present at this event and what it means to you!

Thanks again everyone, hope to see you again in Febuary!

-Nick Coss

P.S.  I'm working on designing/coding a new website, it should be up within a week.  I'll post updated info here.

[2nd_lawl]

I guess I would like to take some time to give kind of an informal mini-report, if only because I think people might have questions about how or why this deck works, and I want to give them a sense of   how the games play out. Anyway here is the list:

4 Wasteland
2 Dark Depths
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Strip Mine
11 Swamp
4 Dark Confidant
4 Vampire Hexmage
1 Darkblast
4 Dark Ritual
4 Leyline of the Void
4 Duress
4 Thoughtseize
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Imperial Seal
1 Demonic Consultation
1 Null Rod
1 Sadistic Sacrament
1 Pithing Needle
2 Diabolic Edict
1 Helm of Obedience
1 Grim Discovery
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mox Jet
1 Black Lotus
1 Yawgmoth's Will

Sideboard:
3 Null Rod
2 Emissary of Despair
2 Yixlid Jailer
2 Sadistic Sacrament
1 Ravenous Trap
1 Engineered Plague
1 Pithing Needle
1 Chainer's Edict
1 Chains of Mephistopheles
1 Phyrexian Negator


The only change I would make for sure is that the Chainer's Edict in the board should just be another Diabolic Edict, because of Demonic Consultation (I immediately bought one from nick after the event ended).  The other slots that I think are “flexable” or that I'm not totally sure about are the grim discovery and the maindeck Needle, although the Needles in particular were really good for me all day.
Grim discovery was merely okay.  Anyway if you plan on monkeying around with the list some cards to think about (some for the main, some board) are Extripate, Bitterblossom (Vs Shops), Perish, Cabal Therapy, or Maze of Ith(if people don't play Inkwell in your area).  If people have additional questions about the deck I'm happy to answer them in this thread or in PM.

Im going to try and keep the Match reports short because I don't want to bore you and because my memories of the swiss rounds aren't that great.

Swiss Rounds:
Round 1 vs Painter

G1: I never really get control of this game, and he is all gas all the time, I get pretty badly overwhelmed and then Grinded out.

Sideboarding: I take out Leyline/Helm and Darkblast for Rods and Sacraments and Needle.

G2:
Im able to get Rod and Both Needle's down, but I have no pressure. He finds Ancestral to get Hurkyl's then Grinds me out.
Lose 0-2
0-1

Round 2 vs Dredge

G1:
I know he is on Dredge because he was sitting next to me the previous round, so I ship a strong but irrelevant 7, for a hand with needle and DT.  Im on the draw, and I shut down his Bazaar but he activates in response and The follows up next turn with Breakthrough for 0 with Troll in the Yard, I lose 2 turns later.

Sideboarding: I take out Sacrament, Thoughtsieze, Null Rod and Grim Discovery for Jailers Trap and Needle.

G2:
I Lead with Leyline, and Jailer and he is never really in this game.

G3:
Same As G2, I'm all hate, all the time. He never manages to get anything going through my Jailers.
Win 2-1
1-1

Round 3 vs Noble Fish/Selkie Strike

G1:
 Im able to keep him off green with wasteland after I duress him and see his hand of dudes that cost GX  2/1's Turn Sideways and I'm way ahead thanks to Bob.

Sideboarding: I take out Null Rod, Sacrament, and Needle for Plague, Edict, and Negator.

G2:
One of the strangest games of Magic I have ever played. He has Infi Mana, but no threats, he just keeps Spell Piercing/Dazeing etc My Duress effects and Rituals While Im stuck on 1 Land. This goes on for like 15 Turns with me discarding, and him playing Land after Land. Eventually he finds Goyf at the same time that I find my second land, but he has Counters for the 2 edicts I'm holding, and STP for my chump blocker.  His Goyf was Huge because I had been discarding stuff like Leyline.

G3:
I'm able to quickly get Bob going, and Edict his Selkie in response to Hierarch. Bob and Hexmage turn sideways a bunch and he scoops, unable to find an answer.
Win 2-1
2-1

Round 4 vs Goblins(!)
G1:
I Lose this one in short order as im on the draw and I have a very duress heavy hand against first turn lackey.

Sideboarding: I take out Null Rod, Sacrament, and Needle for Plague, Edict, and Jailer.

G2: We get into a protracted Wasteland/Strip Mine War which im happy to do because I kept a fairly land heavy hand, Its end up where my opponent is stuck on mountain with no plays while I keep playing lands and find Engineered Plague to seal the deal. Bob and Hexmage Beat in.

G3:
I have turn 2 20/20, Hexmage, Darkblast Your lackey.  I win on turn 3.
Win 2-1
3-1

Round 5 vs semi-affinity Deck with maindeck Ethersworn Cannonist and Thorn of Amethyst.

G1:
He plays a bunch of artifacts including 2 Thorns, but his only pressure is Ethersworn Cannonist, I'm able to get to 6 mana to play Leyline, then Helm, and Helm him out the turn before he Kills be with Master of Etherium.

Sideboarding: I take out Leyline/Helm and Sacrament for Null Rods (he is playing artifact lands) Edict, and Emissary of Despair.

G2:
I keep this Obscene hand: Lotus, Wasteland, Emissary of Despair, Dark Depths, Urborg, Hexmage, Bob. He plays a Seat of the Synod, and passes, I waste it and play Emissary with Lotus, Then Play Urborg next turn, Duress him(?).  He Decides to Try and Race emissary plays a bunch of artifacts and drops a frogmite with Plating on it.  I make a 20/20 and he has no answer.
Win 2-0
4-1

Round 6 vs Dredge
I know he is on Dredge with Forces but that his version is slow.  We can't draw because its 64 players and I have a round 1 loss and he has a draw and a loss already.

G1: I don't remember this one that well, but im unable to get anything going despite having needle(?).  I die to Zombies.

Sideboarding: I take out Sacrament, Thoughtsieze, Null Rod and Grim Discovery for Jailers Trap and Needle.

G2: I'm able to get Leyline and Jailer out and he has to hardcast a Stinkweed Imp. I attack my Jailer into it and Darkblast the Imp after he Blocks. I think I Waste one of his cities, and he never recovers.

G3: I have Jailer/Needle going again and I'm holding Ravenous Trap most of the game. The dredge matchup is so good.
Win 2-1
5-1

Top 8:
Quarterfinals vs Matt Elias (Oath)

G1:
I win the roll and keep a little bit of a speculative hand: Leyline, Duress, Needle, 3 Swamps and a Waste, he goes to 6. I drop Leyline, duress him and take his oath and see nothing else relevant. Anyway, I quickly draw bob while he struggles to get something going. We get to a point in the midgame where I have bob out with him on 12 or 14 I think, my board is Leyline, needle on vault, and some lands, he has a key, some moxes and some lands, but no red source. I duress him, take a force and see rebuild, a grudge which he cant cast, and something else irrelevant.  My hand is lotus, some lands/rituals, and consultation. I can consult for helm and win, but I have something like 15% chance to loose on the spot.  I decide to go for it, but he cycles rebuild in response to lotus, which makes me rethink the play, I realize that the worst thing he could draw was oath, but that if he does that, I can simply make the same play next turn except I get to see 2 more cards. He needs to draw Vault AND a red source to kill my needle in order to vault/key me. I decide to just swing and pass, he passes back, I flip dark depths off bob and consult for hexmage(Helm was the 4th card down, meaning I would have lost if I made the greedy play). He has no answer.  After thinking about the game more, I'm positive that I made the right play, even though making a play thats 85% to win on the spot is super tempting, I feel that I was even more of a favorite by just passing.  He has effectively nothing in hand, while I am beating him down and drawing 2 cards a turn, holding a tutor.

Sideboarding: I side out Leyline/helm and darkblast for sacraments, Engineered Plague, Edict, and 2 Null Rods.

G2:
I don't remember this one as well but I think I go to 6, and he quickly resolves oath and gives me a spirit. After sacramenting away his 3(!) other creatures(hellkite/hellkite/sphinx) I Duress him and see Will, Iona, Brainstorm. I take will, because I didn't know if he was playing Krosan Reclamation, but its a clear mistake, and I should have taken the Brainstorm. He would have just been able to will it back, but It would have given me another turn at least (Not that it would have mattered, as I was drawing a blank, but its still important to recognize and learn from your mistakes ya know?)

Sideboarding: Its interesting how sacrament forces him to keep all 4 of his creatures in the main, which seriously weakens his oath, especially when he NEEDS a regenerator to face down Marit Lage.  It also means that its pretty likely that he just draws one, meaning that sacrament becomes good again and giving him a dead card in hand(as long as he doesn't also have brainstorm)Anyway knowing that sacraments are going to be less effective I switch one out for Chains of Mephistopheles.

G3:
 I keep Swamp, Waste, Duress, Chains, Bob, Hexmage, and Null Rod(?).  He goes to 5, and I know that the gameplan then becomes to constrain his hand with Chains and discard.  I Duress him and follow it up with Chains and Bob and just ride the Card Advantage.  He is never able to get back into the game despite finding Ancestral with Impulse. I think I eventually win with a 20/20.
Win 2-1
6-1

Semifinals vs Josh Potucek (Vault/Key with ETW and Nights Whisper)

G1: I keep an okay hand, but he is able to drain my Null rod to power out 2 nights whispers and a key. He then forces a Bob Pitching Inkwell, My hand is shot, and he Fof's and eventually finds a Will, but has no tutor in his hand or yard. At this point he is at 13 from whispers/Fetching.  He wills, Replays a whisper replays Fof revealing DT and some other goodies, but I split it DT vs 4 and he takes the DT.  He DT's for Vault, but he has a Crypt in play and his inkwell is RFG so I make him play it out.  He wins 4/6 crypt rolls before he mysticals for tinker for ruby allowing him to ETW for 8, ending the game at 5 Life.

Sideboarding: I board out Leyline/helm and Darkblast and something else I cant remember for Sacraments, Rods, Chains, and Engineered Plague.

G2:
 I keep a hand with Duress, Needle, Waste, Lotus, Null Rod 2 Swamps.  I'm on the play so I Duress and See an insane hand of Mox Jet, Misty Rainforest, Extripate, Rebuild, Tinker, Whisper, and something else good.  At this point I decide that I have no chance unless I can constrain his mana, so I take jet, and then Play Lotus for Needle on Misty Rainforest.  He plays his misty and passes, I draw Urborg, which I obviously cant play, this goes on for a few turns with me drawing duress effects, and him drawing things other than Black mana. Eventually I have rod, he has a Pearl and a Mana Vault he cant use and 2 Islands, but nothing that costs less than 3 that isn't black. I finally Draw a tutor, get Sacrament, and take all of his win conditions forcing the concession.

G3: 
He mulligans to 6 but accidentally draws 7 so he loses 2 and has 5 cards. I keep this hand: Lotus Petal, Dark Depths, 2x Duress, DT, Hexmage, Bob on the draw.  Apparently this was a controversial keep but I actually think this hand, although speculative, has incredible upside especially against a slow control deck that mulled.  If my top card is a ritual or lotus(5/53) This hand is a turn 1 20/20 with duress or double duress protection (with lotus). If I draw a Swamp or Urborg (13/53) then I can play running duresses if necessary or set up a turn 2 DT for Lotus into Hexmage/Depths. Mox Jet is even better and Waste/Strips are also fine because they allow me to DT for a permanent black source. Even if I draw blank I can just duress him off petal to slow him down.  As it turns out he plays land go, I draw a swamp and Duress him seeing a spell snare, a land, a Nights Whisper, and a Hurkyls, I take the Whisper to constrain his hand, but I cant DT for lotus on turn 2 because of spell snare, so I just play depths, duress him again taking snare and say go. I make a 20/20 Next Turn, he draws nothing and I win.
Win 2-1
7-1

Finals vs Sam Berse (Dredge)

G1:
I lose the roll. My Opening hand is Leyline, Vamp, DT, Petal, 2x Swamp, Wasteland.  My top card is Dark Ritual.


Sideboarding: I take out Sacrament, Null Rod, Grim Discovery, and Thoughtsieze for Jailers, Trap, and Needle.

G2: I go to 6 and keep Leyline, Strip Mine, Needle, Helm, Bob, and something else, maybe a duress effect. He mulls too.  I play Leyline, then he leads with Bazaar, I draw a blank, play Strip mine, Needle on Bazaar. He activates it, discards Narcomoeba, Bridge, and something else. He draws, plays a land(?) and passes back. I draw Lotus, play helm and pass. He Draws and scoops.
Win 2-0
8-1

Thanks Again to Nick for running an awesome tournament as always and for scaling up the prize support like a true bro.  Im really excited about all the wolf shirted gentlemen who will be attending the Philly open tournament.

-max

[Grand Inquisitor]

Congrats on the win, what a great innovation.

Also, well done to the Chef for keeping the good times rolling.

[Ummmyeh13]

Congrats again to Max, and everyone else who made Top 8. I also believe Nick Detweiler(NYSE Stax) and Ronald Konak(FOW Ichorid) split the Sanctioned Vintage side event, though feel free to correct me. The finals were a bit of a downer for such a great event, but that is magic.

Also as an employee of AUBB, I just want to say how awesome it is to have that many people in our store at once. While we didn't top the largest tournament AU has held at that location, I'm sure the Mid-Atlantic Vintage crew won't disappoint in making it happen.

[Bill Copes]

Max Brown, you sir, are a savage.  Well done!

[Tha Gunslinga]

Finals vs Sam Berse (Dredge)

G1:
I lose the roll. My Opening hand is Leyline, Vamp, DT, Petal, 2x Swamp, Wasteland.  My top card is Dark Ritual.

Would you like some MUST BE NICE cream with that?

[oshkoshhaitsyosh]

Awsome tourney! Ill be looking forward to the next one and hopefully not loosing to dark depths in the top 4

[Gekoratel]

@2nd lawl G3 hand - This hand does seem very greedy based on the numbers you've shared your ~35% to hit the perm Black source or fast mana.  Even if you add in the Waste/Strip your only 40% to get there.  Also none of these percentages take into the account your opponent Duressing you or having Force of Will.  Granted you knew your opponent mulled to 5, which is funny since with new rules this should rarely happen, but even so with my tournament life on the line I'd rather mull once knowing I'm against a 5 card hand rather than hoping to hit my 35% and hoping they don't hit there 50+%.  Regardless congrants on your finish always cool when rogue strats do well.

[2nd_lawl]

@2nd lawl G3 hand - This hand does seem very greedy based on the numbers you've shared your ~35% to hit the perm Black source or fast mana.  Even if you add in the Waste/Strip your only 40% to get there.  Also none of these percentages take into the account your opponent Duressing you or having Force of Will.  Granted you knew your opponent mulled to 5, which is funny since with new rules this should rarely happen, but even so with my tournament life on the line I'd rather mull once knowing I'm against a 5 card hand rather than hoping to hit my 35% and hoping they don't hit there 50+%.  Regardless congrants on your finish always cool when rogue strats do well.

That assumes that I just lose if I don't hit. If i draw a blank, I can still duress him, play depths etc.  I have to miss for 2 turns running to really be in bad shape.  Also is force really relevant here? Would he force Petal or ritual not knowing my hand? Even if he does, he would then have 2 cards in hand, giving me ample time to get some land.  I don't think I had seen duress yet at that point, although its possible I saw one g1, I wouldn't be sure he hadn't sided them out.  I knew he brought in the extirpates, but I didn't have time to take a detailed look at his deck since he scooped as soon as I set aside his 3 win conditions with sacrament.

[Gekoratel]

I'm not assuming that it auto-loses I'm just assuming that it would be worse than an average 6 card hand, but I haven't played the deck so this could certainly be wrong.  Also if you miss and commit yourself to playing Duress off Petal then that removes a lot of potential topdecks down the line to be relevant (Ritual,Jet) and means you need to hit runner runner mana sources on of which being colored or Urborg.  So if you miss you really can't afford to play the Duress, at least I think its a low percentage play.

[2nd_lawl]

I'm not assuming that it auto-loses I'm just assuming that it would be worse than an average 6 card hand, but I haven't played the deck so this could certainly be wrong.  Also if you miss and commit yourself to playing Duress off Petal then that removes a lot of potential topdecks down the line to be relevant (Ritual,Jet) and means you need to hit runner runner mana sources on of which being colored or Urborg.  So if you miss you really can't afford to play the Duress, at least I think its a low percentage play.

I think it comes down to his deck choice, You are right that I may not want to duress t1, but again, I think its more about his deck and how much time I have against him.  The worst thing he could have on 5 cards would be Tinker, and even then I'm still alive for 3 more turns to DT for edict. You say that the percentages arent that great, but its more that the Upside on hitting is incredible(almost assuredly leading to a win), while missing is far from meaning that I automatically lose. Note also that if I draw waste or strip, I can just play Bob, which will almost assuredly find me swamps.

Edit: Seal, Vamp, and Consult are also outs here.

[Ravager Sam]

Finals vs Sam Berse (Dredge)

G1:
I lose the roll. My Opening hand is Leyline, Vamp, DT, Petal, 2x Swamp, Wasteland.  My top card is Dark Ritual.

Would you like some MUST BE NICE cream with that?

With maindeck leyline, g1 solely revolves around his ability to get the t0 leyline, something he luckily pulled off effortlessly.  G2 was the same deal, and I drew dead with anti-hate.  In the end, I can't be disappointed.  

[2nd_lawl]

Finals vs Sam Berse (Dredge)

G1:
I lose the roll. My Opening hand is Leyline, Vamp, DT, Petal, 2x Swamp, Wasteland.  My top card is Dark Ritual.

Would you like some MUST BE NICE cream with that?

With maindeck leyline, g1 solely revolves around his ability to get the t0 leyline, something he luckily pulled off effortlessly.  G2 was the same deal, and I drew dead with anti-hate.  In the end, I can't be disappointed.  

Besides mulling to leyline, There are other hands I can keep g1 vs dredge. Examples would be like: [ Swamp, 2x ritual, Consult (t1 Leyline) + whatever] [Lotus, Ritual Swamp, DT + Whatever][Needle + a turn 1 or 2 20/20] [turn 1 20/20 on the play].  The most important thing I can do vs dredge is scout who is playing it, which is what I did as soon as i lost in round 1.

[Tha Gunslinga]

How come you didn't run Gatekeeper of Malakir over Diabolic Edict?

[2nd_lawl]

How come you didn't run Gatekeeper of Malakir over Diabolic Edict?

I think costing 1 more mana and Being sorcery speed is reason enough, but it also prevents you from making some key plays like Edicting yourself to delay oath(or stopping it altogether in conjunction with wasteland)  There are certainly a lot of times I can recall where I had exactzies after tutoring for edict. While occasionally you win by turning 2/1's sideways Creature Beatdown isnt the Primary Plan. The Matchups where it probably is better are like Fish and other creature decks that arent especially popular in the NY/Philly region.

[Ravager Sam]

There are other "excellent" hands, but t0 leyline is the only one that's entirely unbeatable when you're on the draw; I had the tools in my hand g1 to win on turn 1 if you had not dropped the t0 leyline (bazaar, fatestitcher, lotus, dredger).  I really wished I had better scouts, or just took it upon myself to scout out the rest of the top 8 because I had no idea what you were really playing; all I knew was MBC with Hexmage + Depths.  I played Hexmage + Depths at the Philly Open, however, I don't believe he had maindeck leyline.  

[2nd_lawl]

I feel like leyline has alot of utility beyond a dredge hate card, Its quite good against Stax, And Turns off Will in every other deck. Part of the reason the deck works is that the Cards are multifunctional. Leyline is a combo Peice, Disruption against Will and Stax, and a Dredge Hate card. Hexmage is a Combo piece that is a reasonable attacker, Gives you an answer on the draw to t1 Tezzerret, Can reset Smokestack or Take all the counters off Wire, Kill Gemstone Mines or Grave Trolls, and is a good Blocker against Aggro Decks thanks to first strike.

Edit: regarding other hexmage/depths lists. I think they are too focused on The combo. I don't think the deck wants cards like living wish etc. By playing lots of disruption instead you retain your ability to draw broken, but allow the natural power of cards like duress Thoughtsieze and Bob to shine through.  You shouldn't feel rushed when playing this deck assuming you are utilizing Duresses correctly.

[Ravager Sam]

Absolutely - you built a mighty fine deck there.  Innovation like comes with a well-earned victory.

[Twaun007]

I want to thank Nick Coss for running the event, it was an absolute blast. I would also like to congratulate everyone who made top 8.

Now for the quick props and slops list.

Props
-Sculptini for carpooling with me.
-The event staff. The Judge was great, The TO was great, there wasn't a single repair, and everything was ran super smooth.
-The east coast vintage community. Every single person I met was super cool.
-Getting to finally meet Nick Detwiler, Matt Elias, and countless others.
-Steve Nowakowski for hooking it up with a sweet place to stay.
-Sweet Prize support, even though I didn't get to take any of it back to Ohio.
-The year end rewards. Its such a neat idea to let your player of the year have free entry for future tournaments. 
-That sub shop across the plaza from the venue. It was broken.
-Gorilla Shaman
-Only hit one patch of bad weather on the way home.

Slops
-Going 3-0 and then losing two in a row.
-Matt Elias playing Oath. I'll get ya next time. Oh yes, I'll get ya next time.
-Steve for playing Painter Grindstone. Should have played TPS.
-I Sat down during one of my rounds and was surrounded by 3 Oath decks and 2 Dredge decks. Sweet!
-Ancient Grudge, I hate you.

I'm glad I made the trip and I'm going to try to make it to future Blue Bells. It was an awesome weekend.   

[Iron_Chef]

Thanks to everyone for the kudos.  Also, Max Brown, you're a champ!

Would you guys rather see tournaments for a lotus or for 2x moxen to first place?  Just a random question I was thinking about.

-Nick

[A.-1.]

I'd rather see a tourney with wolf shirts and zero Grim Tutors.

[2nd_lawl]

Nick you are missing a card from my decklist:

[Smmenen]

congrats Max -- this will definitely be making my 2010 year in review 12 months from now!

[voltron00x]

congrats Max -- this will definitely be making my 2010 year in review 12 months from now!

I assume you mean the deck, and not the Wolf shirt equipment!

Anyway congrats again Max.  I had a feeling I was in trouble when I saw we were paired up... you were probably the deck I felt least confident against, especially knowing that you owed me twice over from the Dan Herd and NYSE II, AND that you had the power of the Wolves on your side.

[Rico Suave]

Nick,

Awesome tournament.  I can't even point to one fault, it was just awesome.  Keep it up. =)

And thanks for helping me complete a Legacy deck!

Everyone else,

Congratulations on your finishes.  There was a lot of stiff competition.

[blackice]

Even though I went 0-4, I had fun as being my first real competitive Type 1 event.  Now I know what to expect and hopefully within time I shall learn and have a better placing.

Thanks Nick for holding the event and looking forward to future ones.

[The M.E.T.H.O.D]

1 Karrthus, Tyrant of Jund

 

BITCHSLAP THAT HELLKITE IS SHE TALKS SHIT

[Prospero]

I want to thank Nick Coss for running the event, it was an absolute blast. I would also like to congratulate everyone who made top 8.

Now for the quick props and slops list.

Props
-Sculptini for carpooling with me.
-The event staff. The Judge was great, The TO was great, there wasn't a single repair, and everything was ran super smooth.
-The east coast vintage community. Every single person I met was super cool.
-Getting to finally meet Nick Detwiler, Matt Elias, and countless others.
-Steve Nowakowski for hooking it up with a sweet place to stay.
-Sweet Prize support, even though I didn't get to take any of it back to Ohio.
-The year end rewards. Its such a neat idea to let your player of the year have free entry for future tournaments. 
-That sub shop across the plaza from the venue. It was broken.
-Gorilla Shaman
-Only hit one patch of bad weather on the way home.

Slops
-Going 3-0 and then losing two in a row.
-Matt Elias playing Oath. I'll get ya next time. Oh yes, I'll get ya next time.
-Steve for playing Painter Grindstone. Should have played TPS.
-I Sat down during one of my rounds and was surrounded by 3 Oath decks and 2 Dredge decks. Sweet!
-Ancient Grudge, I hate you.

I'm glad I made the trip and I'm going to try to make it to future Blue Bells. It was an awesome weekend.   

Twaun, it was great to meet you as well.  If you're able to make it up to one of my events we would have more time.  There's a bar that we generally go to after N.Y.S.E. tournaments (when there isn't a blizzard) to just detox, it'd be good to have you there. 

[mr.grim]

What a good day of card flopping! First off mad props to Nick Coss. The event had it all,great prizes ,fantastic turn out,and the best T.O in the game.   
I'm sure at this point we all know ... there aint no party, like a Nick Coss party!

Props ......
Max , congrats on the win man!
Dom D. ...congrats on your first of many top 8s. I really enjoyed sitting across from you at table 1 to draw round 5.
Eric M .....dude wtf lol .... congrats on player of the year!
Team donkey pal. congrats on on team of the year!
congrats to the rest of the top 8.

The best part of the day for me was round 4. I was playing Paul M. . Matt E. was sitting next to me playing someone who's name evades me at the moment. Matt and I both with our oath build picked up the win. Matt as always thank you for the oath talks. Tho I think people are catching on that oath is pretty effin good!
Thanks also to Paul for a hell of a game. 

[Worldslayer]

Despite putting up my worst record ever at 0-2-1, this was probably one of the best Vintage events I've ever been to. It definitely shows just how much the East Coast is putting into our format, and it was also one of the more diverse fields I've seen in awhile.

To my first round opponent, Josh?: I'm sorry I Mind-Punched you. Making The Deck storm me out game 2 was a savage repayment, however.

To my third round opponent, Jeff - That's the second time I've lost a drain mirror to you at AU. With any luck, there will be no third.

To my second round opponent, Richard - I guess neither of us got it, but good job on the side event (if I read correctly).

All in all, I don't think I've ever had more fun getting beaten to a pulp. That's probably a good thing, and I can't wait until next Blue Bell.