Mark's Comics, 2/4 Mox Pearl Tournament Official Report

[Prospero]

Mark wasn’t going to do a tournament report, but I collected the decklists for the event and wanted to post them.

There was only one Dredge deck at the tournament (to my knowledge), though there was a fair amount of Shop and Aggro decks.  Aggro decks almost all boiled down to variants that looked like something out of the DeMars book, though there were a couple of guys running BUG variants, I believe.

Anyways, here you go:

Mark’s Comics, 2/4/12 Top 8 Decklists

1st - Nick Detwiler
Espresso Stax

1 Black Lotus
4 Chalice of the Void
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Sol Ring
4 Sphere of Resistance
2 Thorn of Amethyst
3 Crucible of Worlds
4 Tangle Wire
1 Trinisphere
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Smokestack
3 Karn, Silver Golem
1 Rishadan Port
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Mishra’s Factory
4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Wasteland

SB:

3 Dismember
4 Tormod’s Crypt
2 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Crucible of Worlds
2 Duplicant
3 Maze of Ith

2nd – Alex Owen
CATS!  (Wizards)

4 Dark Confidant
3 Snapcaster Mage
3 Meddling Mage
4 Voidmage Prodigy
1 Vendilion Clique
2 Magus of the Unseen
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
4 Mental Misstep
3 Spell Snare
4 Force of Will
4 Aether Vial
3 Swords to Plowshares
2 Island
3 Tundra
3 Underground Sea
4 Flooded Strand
1 Marsh Flats
3 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Riptide Laboratory
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet
1 Black Lotus
1 Lotus Petal

SB:

2 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Batterskull
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Pithing Needle
2 Yixlid Jailer
3 Serenity
2 Disenchant


3rd – Jake Gans
Elias Gro

4 Tarmogoyf
2 Dark Confidant
1 Trygon Predator
4 Mystic Remora
4 Gush
4 Force of Will
3 Mental Misstep
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
1 Blightsteel Colossus
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Polluted Delta
1 Island
1 Snow-Covered Island
2 Tropical Island
3 Underground Sea
1 Brainstorm
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Flusterstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Fastbond
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Preordain
1 Ponder
1 Time Walk
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Tinker
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Yawgmoth’s Will

SB:

1 Forest
3 Yixlid Jailer
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Flusterstorm
2 Trygon Predator
3 Nature’s Claim
1 Dismember

4th – Mike Rossetti
Espresso Stax

4 Smokestack
4 Tangle Wire
4 Sphere of Resistance
4 Chalice of the Void
2 Thorn of Amethyst
2 Karn, Silver Golem
3 Crucible of Worlds
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Strip Mine
1 Rishadan Port
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Wasteland
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
4 Mishra’s Factory
1 Mutavault
1 Trinisphere

SB:

1 Duplicant
2 Precursor Golem
2 Dismember
4 Tormod’s Crypt
4 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Relic of Progenitus

5th – J.P. Kohler
Espresso Stax

4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Wasteland
3 Mishra’s Factory
2 Rishadan Port
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Black Lotus
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Sphere of Resistance
2 Thorn of Ametyhst
4 Tangle Wire
3 Crucible of Worlds
1 Trinisphere
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Smokestack
3 Karn, Silver Golem

SB:

3 Tormod’s Crypt
3 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Duplicant
3 Dismember
2 Ghost Quarter
2 Hex Parasite


6th – Matt Bliffert
U/R Landstill

1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
2 Crucible of Worlds
4 Engineered Explosives
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Standstill
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Force of Will
2 Mental Misstep
4 Mana Drain
2 Misdirection
1 Steel Sabotage
2 Mindbreak Trap
2 Red Elemental Blast
1 Echoing Truth
2 Fire/Ice
1 Time Walk
2 Island
1 Mountain
1 Polluted Delta
3 Volcanic Island
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Mishra’s Factory
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Faerie Conclave

SB:

4 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Surgical Extraction
4 Ingot Chewer
2 Steel Sabotage
1 Energy Flux
2 Pyroclasm

7th – Michael Egan
Egan Spengler, The Drill Doctor

2 Tendrils of Agony
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Timetwister
1 Mind’s Desire
4 Dark Ritual
2 Cabal Ritual
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Demonic Consultation
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Necropotence
1 Yawgmoth’s Bargain
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Ponder
1 Brainstorm
1 Repeal
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Rebuild
1 Chain of Vapor
4 Duress
2 Thoughtseize
4 Force of Will
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Black Lotus
1 Lotus Petal
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
2 Island
2 Swamp
4 Polluted Delta
3 Scalding Tarn
1 Tolarian Academy
2 Underground Sea

SB:

1 Thoughtseize
3 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Rebuild
1 Steel Sabotage
1 Island
1 Swamp
1 Pithing Needle
1 Ravenous Trap
1 Extripate
1 Yixlid Jailer
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Perish

8th – Tom Dixon
Wizard-Cage

4 Polluted Delta
3 Underground Sea
2 Island
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Flooded Strand
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Snow-Covered Swamp
1 Riptide Laboratory
4 Dark Confidant
3 Snapcaster Mage
2 Trinket Mage
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Blightsteel Colossus
4 Force of Will
3 Mental Misstep
1 Flusterstorm
2 Mana Drain
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Tinker
1 Time Walk
2 Steel Sabotage
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Skullclamp
1 Sol Ring
1 Time Vault
1 Voltaic Key
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet
1 Black Lotus
1 Pithing Needle

SB:

2 Steel Sabotage
1 Flusterstorm
1 Mental Misstep
1 Island
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Energy Flux
2 Sower of Temptation

[Prospero]

Additionally, as soon as I get the email with full final standings from Mark I will enter this event and the Timetwister event into the Vintage Rankings system.  If you're a T/O and you haven't shipped me your results yet, please do so...

[Prospero]

To clear up any potential confusion, I split the finals of this tournament, getting the win from Alex.

[Teps]

Congrats Nick on the win! Meta is really diverse right now. Loving the Dark Rituals in the T8.

[Prospero]

Congrats Nick on the win! Meta is really diverse right now. Loving the Dark Rituals in the T8.

Thanks!

Me too.  I can't wait to see Jesse Martin's list from Saturday.  I'm definitely going to add that to my gauntlet.

[TheWhiteDragon]

Congrats Nick on the win! Meta is really diverse right now. Loving the Dark Rituals in the T8.

3 espresso stax in the top 5 is diverse?

3 espresso stax
2 snapcaster-bob
1 gush
1 landstill
1 tendrils

or to break it down more...

3 artifact prison
4 blue counter weenies
1 black tendrils

No dredge, no oath, no noblefish, no goblins/elves, no bomberman, no hint of red/white/green as main colors.  Yeah, smells like diverse vintage to me.

[Ten-Ten]

Congrats Nick on the win! Meta is really diverse right now. Loving the Dark Rituals in the T8.

3 espresso stax in the top 5 is diverse?

3 espresso stax
2 snapcaster-bob
1 gush
1 landstill
1 tendrils

or to break it down more...

3 artifact prison
4 blue counter weenies
1 black tendrils

No dredge, no oath, no noblefish, no goblins/elves, no bomberman, no hint of red/white/green as main colors.  Yeah, smells like diverse vintage to me.

beat me to it. computer froze up while typing 
but yeah, what TheWhiteDragon said.

[Cruel Ultimatum]

Congrats Nick on the win! Meta is really diverse right now. Loving the Dark Rituals in the T8.

3 espresso stax in the top 5 is diverse?

3 espresso stax
2 snapcaster-bob
1 gush
1 landstill
1 tendrils

or to break it down more...

3 artifact prison
4 blue counter weenies
1 black tendrils

No dredge, no oath, no noblefish, no goblins/elves, no bomberman, no hint of red/white/green as main colors.  Yeah, smells like diverse vintage to me.

beat me to it. computer froze up while typing 
but yeah, what TheWhiteDragon said.

I hate to let the cat out of the bag, but New York is kinda know for being shop heavy. And saying that gro, landstill, and snapcaster/bob is the same deck is pretty funny.

[forcethewill]

elves is a deck?

[thebliff]

I'd saying playing a different deck in all five rounds of the swiss and then another different deck in top 8 is pretty diverse.

[Teps]

Congrats Nick on the win! Meta is really diverse right now. Loving the Dark Rituals in the T8.

3 espresso stax in the top 5 is diverse?

3 espresso stax
2 snapcaster-bob
1 gush
1 landstill
1 tendrils

or to break it down more...

3 artifact prison
4 blue counter weenies
1 black tendrils

No dredge, no oath, no noblefish, no goblins/elves, no bomberman, no hint of red/white/green as main colors.  Yeah, smells like diverse vintage to me.

beat me to it. computer froze up while typing  
but yeah, what TheWhiteDragon said.

I hate to let the cat out of the bag, but New York is kinda know for being shop heavy. And saying that gro, landstill, and snapcaster/bob is the same deck is pretty funny.

I was going to say the same thing. NY is very shops heavy while I feel PA is much more blue heavy. Especially since you take blue out of context to just "blue counter weenies", Gro and Standstill are two very different decks. I am upset there was no dredge in T8 but still cool to see shops back on the rise after a lot of creatures recently. Once again congrats Nick.

[Cruel Ultimatum]

Congrats Nick on the win! Meta is really diverse right now. Loving the Dark Rituals in the T8.

3 espresso stax in the top 5 is diverse?

3 espresso stax
2 snapcaster-bob
1 gush
1 landstill
1 tendrils

or to break it down more...

3 artifact prison
4 blue counter weenies
1 black tendrils

No dredge, no oath, no noblefish, no goblins/elves, no bomberman, no hint of red/white/green as main colors.  Yeah, smells like diverse vintage to me.

beat me to it. computer froze up while typing 
but yeah, what TheWhiteDragon said.

I hate to let the cat out of the bag, but New York is kinda know for being shop heavy. And saying that gro, landstill, and snapcaster/bob is the same deck is pretty funny.

I was going to say the same thing. NY is very shops heavy while I feel PA is much more blue heavy. Especially since you take blue out of context to just "blue counter weenies", Gro and Standstill are to very different decks. I am upset there was no dredge in T8 but still cool to see shops back on the rise after a lot of creatures recently. Once again congrats Nick.

As the first tournament after DKA, people are going to be scared to play dredge and oath. Without knowing how much people are going to play it, that being said I believe 1 or  2 players were on dredge.

[forcethewill]

there was alot of diffrenet decks.  every round I played in I faced something different.  snap control, shops, dredge , tribal wizards.  so yes it was a diverse field.  Ive been known to hit the sauce every now and then but to mention elves as a deck... well its almost uncivilized.

[TheWhiteDragon]

My original breakdown shows snapcaster/bob, standstill, and gush aren't the same deck...my second breakdown does lump them together as "blue weenie control", which they all are.  I'm not saying these decks are identical, though I don't consider blue control vs prison stax (and a random tendrils) extremely diverse.  The lumping together in the second grouping was more to highlight the void of R/G/W as colors in the top 8 (splashing a few cards hardly counts).  It's the nature of the beast, being that blue and artifact are the best colors, with black a close second and everything else a "I can see you with a telescope" third.

[Onslaught]

Yeah this wasn't a very diverse top 8 at all, for example all of the decks had land in them.

[TheProfessor]

Yeah this wasn't a very diverse top 8 at all, for example all of the decks had land in them.

Yeah, I noticed that problem too..

[Ten-Ten]

...so, how many people showed up for this tournament?
will a complete metagame breakdown be available?

thank you in advanced 

[Prospero]

...so, how many people showed up for this tournament?
will a complete metagame breakdown be available?

thank you in advanced 

There won't be a metagame breakdown, as Mark didn't collect lists for this event.

There were 26 or 27 players, I'm not sure.

[thebliff]

There were 26 or 27 players, I'm not sure.

That sounds right.  I remember that 7 players were on shops and it was the most represented archetype.

[Shax]

Eventhough I'm late to the party congrats Nick! It's hard taking down a Vintage event regardless. So pwning people's ears back with Shop's sounds like a good plan.

Let me ask... why not Graffdigger's Cage? I know Nihil Spellbomb and Tormod's Crypt swipe graves and all. And they do better in the Shop Mirror Match against Crucible, etc. But I have liked Graffdigger's Cage as my go-to answer for Dredge and the like.

[Cruel Ultimatum]

Eventhough I'm late to the party congrats Nick! It's hard taking down a Vintage event regardless. So pwning people's ears back with Shop's sounds like a good plan.

Let me ask... why not Graffdigger's Cage? I know Nihil Spellbomb and Tormod's Crypt swipe graves and all. And they do better in the Shop Mirror Match against Crucible, etc. But I have liked Graffdigger's Cage as my go-to answer for Dredge and the like.

Graffdigger's Cage is very good against shops on paper, however all of the dredge decks know this, and as such are playing in a manner to beat GDC.

[msg67183]

Have u people read grafdiggers cage?

"CREATURE CARDS CAN'T ENTER THE BATTLEFIELD FROM GRAVEYARDS OR LIBRARIES.

PLAYERS CAN'T CAST CARDS IN GRAVEYARDS OR LIBRARIES."

So... crucible plays lands from grave. U don't cast lands. Unless the opponent is playing kuldotha cage does nothing against shops.

[Cruel Ultimatum]

Have u people read grafdiggers cage?

"CREATURE CARDS CAN'T ENTER THE BATTLEFIELD FROM GRAVEYARDS OR LIBRARIES.

PLAYERS CAN'T CAST CARDS IN GRAVEYARDS OR LIBRARIES."

So... crucible plays lands from grave. U don't cast lands. Unless the opponent is playing kuldotha cage does nothing against shops.

Cool your jets, I misspoke I meant to say dredge. You could probably inferred that, given the nature of the conversation, but my apologies. To reiterate my point, grafdigger's cage is not good against dredge because they are well suited to fight it.

[msg67183]

I wasnt saying it in bold to yell I was just making my point. My apologies

[Kymagicplayer]

Where was this tournament located? Are there ANY going to be closer to the Chicago area?

[Prospero]

Where was this tournament located? Are there ANY going to be closer to the Chicago area?

The event was held in Valley Stream, New York. It's a stones throw from the Queens border. We're a hell of a way away from Chicago.

That being said, you should reach out to people on TMD from the Chicago area and see if you can get them to meet you at a store and play. Every community starts somewhere. You could be the guy to build a vibrant community in Chicago.