N.Y. NEV VII Official Report

[Prospero]

The results from the second to last N.Y. event are in!  My sincere thanks to everyone who came out to Brothers Grim yesterday to play Vintage!  We had 25 players competing, with an all Bomberman finals!

The Complete Metagame Breakdown:

Drains:

U/W/B Rest in Peace: 1
U/W Rest in Peace: 1  
Egan Bomberman: 1
U/W Bomberman: 2
Griselbrand Control Oath: 2
BSC/Griselbrand Oath: 1
U/B/R Planeswalker Control: 1
U/B Agent of Bolas Control: 1

Workshops:

Espresso Stax: 3
Martello Shops: 2
MUD Marinara: 1
Mono White Shops: 1
5C Stax: 1
Worker/Forgemaster: 1

Bazaars:

Riftstone Dredge: 1
Turtle Dredge: 1
Griselbrand Dredge: 1
 
Null Rods:

RUG Delver: 1
U/B/G Deathrite Beats: 1

Rituals:

TPS: 1


The field was heavy on Shops (what a surprise), but there were a fair number of blue decks in the field that used Return to Ravnica cards to varying degrees of success.


Top Eight Pairings and Results:


Justin Kohler vs. Mike Eckert – Kohler wins
Brian Ritter vs. Mike Hajduk – Ritter wins
Ryan Glackin vs. JP Kohler – Glackin wins
Brian Schlossberg vs. Grant Seltzer-Richman – Schlossberg wins


Top Four Pairings and Results:


Brian Ritter vs. Ryan Glackin – Ritter wins
Justin Kohler vs. Brian Schlossberg – Kohler wins


Finals:


Justin Kohler vs. Brian Ritter – Kohler wins


Congratulations to Justin Kohler, Brian Ritter, and all my top eight competitors!


Top Eight Decklists:


1st – Justin Kohler
Red Deck Wins

1 Vendilion Cluqie
2 Aven Mindcensor
2 Auriok Salvagers
4 Trinker Mage
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Flusterstorm
1 Thirst for Knowledge
3 Mental Misstep
3 Spell Snare
4 Force of Will
4 Mana Drain
1 Time Walk
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Aether Spellbomb
1 Black Lotus
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Sol Ring
2 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Plains
2 Cavern of Souls
1 Tolarian Academy
2 Polluted Delta
3 Island
3 Tundra
4 Flooded Strand

SB:

1 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Pithing Needle
4 Swords to Plowshares
2 Disenchant
1 Devout Witness
2 Steel Sabotage
3 Rest in Peace

2nd – Brian Ritter
WUBWUB Bombstep

1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Polluted Delta
4 Flooded Strand
2 Cavern of Souls
2 Island
3 Tundra
2 Underground Sea
1 Voltaic Key
1 Time Vault
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Engineered Explosives
4 Force of Will
4 Dark Confidant
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Brainstorm
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Flusterstorm
2 Mental Misstep
2 Snapcaster Mage
2 Mana Drain
2 Trinket Mage
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Swords to Plowshares
1 Auriok Salvagers
1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Tinker
1 Disenchant

SB:

1 Flusterstorm
1 Energy Flux
4 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Kataki, War’s Wage
2 Yixlid Jailer
1 Plains
1 Devout Witness
1 Disenchant
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Steel Sabotage

3rd – Brian Schlossberg
MUD Marinara

4 Goblin Welder
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
2 Expedition Map
1 Sol Ring
2 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Sphere of Resistance
3 Crucible of Worlds
4 Tangle Wire
1 Trinisphere
4 Lodestone Golem
3 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Smokestack
2 Karn, Silver Golem
1 Bazaar of Baghdad
1 Great Furnace
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
3 Ancient Tomb
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Wasteland

SB:

3 Dismember
2 Tormod’s Crypt
4 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
2 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Bojuka Bog
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale

4th – Ryan Glackin
The Dredge Report

1 Sun Titan
4 Narcomoeba
4 Bloodghast
4 Bridge from Below
4 Cabal Therapy
2 Dread Return
2 Golgari Thug
3 Ichorid
4 Stinkweed Imp
1 Ingot Chewer
4 Golgari Grave-Troll
4 Nature’s Claim
1 Flame-Kin Zealot
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Serum Powder
4 Bazaar of Baghdad
4 City of Brass
2 Dakmor Salvage
4 Undiscovered Paradise

SB:

1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
4 Wispmare
3 Chain of Vapor
2 Darkblast
2 Firestorm
3 Ingot Chewer

5th – Mike Hajduk
Esper Control

3 Tundra
2 Underground Sea
2 Polluted Delta
4 Flooded Strand
1 Tolarian Academy
2 Island
1 Plains
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Dark Confidant
2 Swords to Plowshares
1 Disenchant
3 Rest in Peace
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
4 Force of Will
3 Mana Drain
2 Mental Misstep
1 Flusterstorm
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Tinker
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Voltaic Key
1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Helm of Obedience
1 Time Vault
1 Brainstorm
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Vendilion Clique

SB:

1 Rest in Peace
3 Mindbreak Trap
4 Serenity
1 Path to Exile
2 Disenchant
1 Balance
3 Grafdigger’s Cage

6th – Grant Seltzer Richman
Mono Green Shops

4 Bloodghast
4 Narcomoeba
2 Ichorid
3 Golgari Thug
4 Stinkweed Imp
4 Golgari Grave Troll
2 Darkblast
4 Bridge From Bellow
4 Cabal Therapy
4 Ingot Chewer
4 Mental Misstep
4 Serum Powder
4 City of Brass
4 Undiscovered Paradise
4 Bazaar of Baghdad
1 Dakmor Salvage
1 Riftstone Portal
3 Petrified Field

SB:

3 Nature’s Claim
2 Wispmare
4 Leyline of The Void
4 Chalice of The Void
2 Unmask

7th – JP Kohler
Mono White Shops

4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Wasteland
4 Ancient Tomb
5 Plains
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 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
4 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Sphere of Resistance
4 Tangle Wire
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Stoneforge Mystic
2 Batterskull
2 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Trinisphere
2 Thorn of Amethyst
3 Phyrexian Metamorph

SB:

2 Tormod’s Crypt
3 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Triskelion
3 Crucible of Worlds
1 Pithing Needle
1 Balance
1 Rest in Peace
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Duplicant

8th – Mike Eckert
Espresso Stax

1 Black Lotus
3 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
3 Thorn of Amethyst
3 Crucible of Worlds
4 Tangle Wire
1 Trinisphere
4 Lodestone Golem
3 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Smokestack
3 Karn, Silver Golem
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Rishadan Port
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Mishra’s Factory
4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Wasteland

SB:

4 Tormod’s Crypt
3 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Ratchet Bomb
1 Crucible of Worlds
2 Duplicant
1 Wurmcoil Engine
2 Maze of Ith


9th Place Prize:


The ninth place prize was won by Greg Fenton!  Congratulations, Greg!


In Conlusion:


Many thanks to the 25 players who showed up to play, to Gil, Frank, Steve and all the Brothers Grim staff, and to Mike Noble, who came out to deal for Nick Coss!

We have one final N.Y.S.E. event before the series ends.  It has been a great three years, I look forward to one final event before it's over.  The event will be on 12/1, at Brothers Grim.  I hope to see you there!

[Pokey]

Had a great time at this event!  Also, I would like to dedicate my win to Kai Griffiths, who was born the day before.

[Grantselrich]

I also had a great time, pretty exciting and well run. There were tons of awesome new brews which was really interesting to see. I'm glad testing payed off enough for a top 8...good to see everyone who made it out too!

On a side note, there weren't any slaughter smurfs in top 16, the meta certainly has changed.

In Conlusion:

And here I thought mods were supposed to be perfect...

[KingSquee]

So what was Fenton's 9th place prize? In addition, I propose an extra salt prize for the Fenton-bot for managing to Oath away his entire deck before finding Grizzlebrizzle against me in Round 4.

Quickie report:

Round 1: Win vs. Martello. In Game 2 the first three cards in my opening hand were Bazaars. It must snow golden flakes in Magic Christmas Land. (EDIT: The previous one-liner was brought to you coutesy of Josh South"by-Southwest"wick. I don't know who he is either. )

Round 2: Win vs. JP's Stoneforge Shops deck. In Game 1 I Powder three times and mull to 5 before finding a Bazaar. I barely had enough gas to win, doing so with one card left in my library.

Round 3: Lose vs. MUD Marinara. Game 3 I have to mull to 2 before finding a Bazaar. I activate end of Brian's turn, discarding only one Dredger, a Dakmor Salvage. I elect to dredge it on draw step, sending another Bazaar into the bin. Doh! He quickly sets up Welder and Wurmcoil Engine shenanigans. In the penultimate turn I am able to hardcast a Bridge from Below. Check that off your bucket list, folks!*

Round 4: Win vs. Oath. Main highlight already discussed.

Round 5: ID vs. Dredge. I go get a burrito and we play a couple games of The Resistance before Top 8 starts. I am not a spy.

Top 8: Win 2-1 vs. JP. JP takes Game 1 off a Wasteland plus Lodestone. Unfortunately he cannot find significant hate or pressure in Games 2 and 3.

Top 4: Lose 0-2 vs. Bomberman. I didn't dredge particularly well in either game, but this is a really tough matchup for the Dredge pilot.

Fortunately the Top 4 agreed to a prize split and I walked with $100 Coss bucks.

Props:

- Mykie Noble for driving our group and providing door-to-door service for me. Sometimes living close to NJ has its benefits.
- All the NY Vintage players. You guys are always awesome to hang out with, even if we have strong differences of opinion regarding favorite sports teams. I am down with the "shady fruit" shit.
- Burrito place next door is always great.

Slops:

- Jake Gans is the world's worst Resistance player. And I would know, because I am the second-worst. I am still not a spy.
- Am I the only one in our group who was a little disappointed by our visit to Port Royal Grille Saturday night?

* Also check off "activating a Sphinx of the Chimes." I managed that in a GP Trial a couple weeks ago.

[oshkoshhaitsyosh]

Congrats to the top 8...

One side note, I feel like all events anymore end in a split of some sort (that is unless I am there and top). Do people have the gonads to ever play it out with more on the line??? I'm thinking no...

[Samoht]

Congrats to the top 8...

One side note, I feel like all events anymore end in a split of some sort (that is unless I am there and top). Do people have the gonads to ever play it out with more on the line??? I'm thinking no...

Do you not understand EV? I'm thinking no.

[Prospero]

I also had a great time, pretty exciting and well run. There were tons of awesome new brews which was really interesting to see. I'm glad testing payed off enough for a top 8...good to see everyone who made it out too!

On a side note, there weren't any slaughter smurfs in top 16, the meta certainly has changed.

In Conlusion:

And here I thought mods were supposed to be perfect...

The mods are perfect.  This admin, however...

[oshkoshhaitsyosh]

I do, it's just lame seeing there is no real winner. The whole top 4 "won" people play different when more is at stake, that's what separates the boys from the men...just sayin lol

Playing with more on the line and being good at playing under pressure situations will ultimately make you a better player IMO. I understand EV, but there is rarely a winner. You can say oh they play it out to see who wins but that's not the same as playing when the stakes are high...

[Grantselrich]

I've never been a big fan of splitting, had I made it to top 4 I wouldn't have agreed to. I just feel that if you have nothing on the line, why not go for it?

[KingSquee]

I'm pretty sure there will be no splitting at the Invitational. Also, since splitting the NEV points is not allowed, there's always something to play for once the prize split is agreed upon.

I almost always agree to prize splits because the way the payouts work you only get more if you win the tournament. Losing in the finals is only a push. I especially agreed to one yesterday because 1) the low turnout meant losing in Top 4 would be good for "only" 50 Coss bucks; and 2) I know Dredge is not favored against Bomberman. I know the latter is rarely an issue for you Josh since neither Landstill nor Black Magic have any bad matchups...

[Explosive Engineer]

EV aside (because lets face it as an hourly rate even winning the tournament isnt good value), splitting offers some of us a chance to cash out on a great day of cards and spend some time at home on a saturday night with the loved ones.

Thanks to nick D, Mike N, and Grim for a great event.

Cheers,
Brian Schlossberg

[Samoht]

I do, it's just lame seeing there is no real winner. The whole top 4 "won" people play different when more is at stake, that's what separates the boys from the men...just sayin lol

Playing with more on the line and being good at playing under pressure situations will ultimately make you a better player IMO. I understand EV, but there is rarely a winner. You can say oh they play it out to see who wins but that's not the same as playing when the stakes are high...

The top 4 didn't win. They chopped. There is a big difference. I find it highly amusing that you look down your nose at splits. I don't find it amusing that you insist on insulting those that partake in them. I'm no less of a man than you are for understanding EV and variance. If anything, boys tend to ignore things like complex math and instead puff out their chests.

As far as "on the line" play, I play every game of magic with the same intensity and skill level. Whether it be kitchen table testing, EDH, Pro Tour, pre-release, GP, FNM, or NEV event my goal is to play as tight and correct as possible. Allowing for situations to dictate the caliber of your play only means that you can't focus. The stakes are just as high when the top 4 splits as when they don't. The cash pay out isn't the only component to a tournament. As someone who has partaken in several splits, I assure you none of us cooled off after the chop or played any looser. The "loosest" thing I did was let Sean Robbins take something back because he auto-piloted. He won because of it but that's something I would have allowed him in round 1 or 5 or the finals. You make several assumptions without any actual evidence or indication of their occurrence and expect us all to accept what you claim is true.

[oshkoshhaitsyosh]

I go to play, not split...I don't look at an event to make $. If that were the case I would just pick up poker or just go to work lol...sorry if it insults you but that's how I feel on the topic...

I do not go into a top 8 thinking man I need guaranteed $...I look at it as, let the best man win

[Samoht]

I go to play, not split...I don't look at an event to make $. If that were the case I would just pick up poker or just go to work lol...sorry if it insults you but that's how I feel on the topic...

I do not go into a top 8 thinking man I need guaranteed $...I look at it as, let the best man win

I go to events to have fun and play a game that I thoroughly enjoy. We happen to play for prizes. I don't see how strategically splitting those prizes for value is indicative of anything other than an understanding of the game we play and the risk/reward of the situations it presents. The tournament doesn't end after the split, and I don't think anyone turns off their brain after one either. We still play, and I'd contend the best player and deck combination often wins. Often people place to much stock in finishing 1st as opposed to consistently top 8'ing. Obviously consistently finishing 1st is better, but it is highly unlikely for that to occur (am aware you had a sick run last year). Things like match ups and metagame evolutions make it very difficult to always win even if you are Jon Finkel or Josh Potucek. Look at your finishes this year. Do you think you are any worse now? I certainly don't. I've been on a solid little run, as has Rob Edwards, Justin Kohler, and Shawn Griffiths. I still think that splitting top 4 is the smarter thing to do despite me winning more of my matches than losing. I don't think splitting means that I don't think I can win or that I will win.

If I could work for WotC and test M:tG, I would. I play poker often, but it's not the same as magic.

[oshkoshhaitsyosh]

Lol ok well we agree to disagree. Thanks for sharing your view on it 

...I can't wait for the next event lately there hasn't been as many events for me to play in 

[Pokey]

I actually agree with Josh to an extent.  I don't prefer splitting, but I don't mind it if everyone else wants to.  I find that, I personally, tend to play very fast and loose when there is nothing on the line.  If I am involved in a prize split, then part of the deal has to be that no one plays it out.  I do however, place value on NEV points, so I'm ok with playing it out for those, as I can still take it seriously.

[JACO]

Congrats to the top 8...

One side note, I feel like all events anymore end in a split of some sort (that is unless I am there and top). Do people have the gonads to ever play it out with more on the line??? I'm thinking no...

Do you not understand EV? I'm thinking no.

People who play Magic and make like $5/hour doing so talking about EV is a joke. Just grow a pair and actually play. If you play Magic to make money you have are seriously doing something wrong, because your EV is so pathetically low compared to a good job.

[Samoht]

Congrats to the top 8...

One side note, I feel like all events anymore end in a split of some sort (that is unless I am there and top). Do people have the gonads to ever play it out with more on the line??? I'm thinking no...

Do you not understand EV? I'm thinking no.

People who play Magic and make like $5/hour doing so talking about EV is a joke. Just grow a pair and actually play. If you play Magic to make money you have are seriously doing something wrong, because your EV is so pathetically low compared to a good job.

Did you read the rest of the comments? We still play it out. Splitting has nothing to do with "growing a pair" or anything of the sort. I don't play to make money, but that doesn't mean that I should be stupid about the financial aspects of the tournaments.

Also, if you're averaging $5 /hour than you are the one doing something wrong.

[Prospero]

So, now that we've had a full discussion about splitting, the EV of splitting, and whatever else, it's time to let this drop.  This is a tournament report, not a discussion about splitting.  Let's keep comments about this on topic.

[Worldslayer]

Anytime something strikes me as more awesome than an entire community trolling DeMars (because seriously, that guy), I approve. WUBWUB BOMBSTEP 2012.

Sidenote: I'm sad to see only one pilot mustering the testicular fortitude to run BBBs. I get it, NYSE is the House of Mishra and all, but still. Ritual pilots, I am dissappoint. The matchup is only 50/50 at best/worst, what gives?

[Grantselrich]

Was anyone else surprised  by the amount of drains?

[psyburat]

A few things that have been ruffling my feathers:

1. Although I appreciate dearly that you mentioned my dealing on Nick Coss's behalf, it's worth noting that I also Head Judged the whole thing concurrently with my dealing duties.  Man it was tough, more than a few customers dealt with my divided attention, but I am thankful that the community as a whole can deal with a one man band.

2. When are we renaming the Drains pillar the Jaces pillar?

3. On the topic of "playing it out", I just want to be published.  I'm more than happy making my entry back in credit half the time and providing the internet with another data point for Noble Fish (Mike Hadjuk and anyone else playing along, take a shot).  Still, Justin Kohler can contest that I do love playing it out, as he and I did in Bloomsburg last time I attended.  Nothing beats internet fame like better internet fame.

4. I distinctly remember changing Ryan Glackin's deck name to "Butts".  I'm disappointed that this wasn't carried along to the tournament report.

5.  Once again, thank you to everyone for showing up and having a great time!  If it weren't for all of you I'd own 77 less cards.

[Ritter]

I don't post often, but I wanted to jump in and thank everyone who made the tournament possible, especially Mr. Noble. Mike did a great job multitasking the many jobs of the day, and I had a lot of fun playing. Just to put in a quick note about the split vs. playing it out, Justin and I played for keeps, as the points mattered for both of us (I'm still looking for an invitation, and Justin made top level). I couldn't have been happier to play against Justin in the finals, as I had been looking for another shot at him after the swiss rounds (my bobs never want to come out and play when he's the guy sitting across the table).

Fun fact of that tourney - I saw Justin combo out multiple times during the tournament (yes.. several times on me), and I didn't once make infinite mana. Turns out swinging with 2/1 and 2/2 creatures is pretty good. Who said vintage is all turn 1 and 2 wins?

[KingSquee]

4. I distinctly remember changing Ryan Glackin's deck name to "Butts".  I'm disappointed that this wasn't carried along to the tournament report.

Yeah, that really happened.

And while I'm logged into my Photobucket, here's a cutie:

[Cody.TopDeckInsurrection]

And while I'm logged into my Photobucket, here's a cutie:

thats a good joke

[Samoht]

And while I'm logged into my Photobucket, here's a cutie:

thats a good joke

nah that's what they were worth at preorder/release. it took time for the power to be realized. I made many purchases at that price in the first two weeks because I was lucky enough to get some in my limited decks.

[Cody.TopDeckInsurrection]

And while I'm logged into my Photobucket, here's a cutie:

thats a good joke

nah that's what they were worth at preorder/release. it took time for the power to be realized. I made many purchases at that price in the first two weeks because I was lucky enough to get some in my limited decks.

My bad didn't look at the date just saw the price and was like holy shit no way

[Mr. Type 4]

Justin Kohler is unstoppable. 

I find it amusing that the 6th place deck is "ironically" titled Mono Green Shops (when it's actually Dredge) and then the 7th place deck is listed as "Mono White Shops" which isn't a joke at all. 

[Grantselrich]

Justin Kohler is unstoppable. 

I find it amusing that the 6th place deck is "ironically" titled Mono Green Shops (when it's actually Dredge) and then the 7th place deck is listed as "Mono White Shops" which isn't a joke at all. 

It's not supposed to be ironic, I run Nature's Claims which is green and Shops because I worked hard on it.

[vaughnbros]

I find it amusing that the 6th place deck is "ironically" titled Mono Green Shops (when it's actually Dredge) and then the 7th place deck is listed as "Mono White Shops" which isn't a joke at all. 

I thought the same thing.  I was like oh cool mono green shops, never mind its just dredge.  Then I was like mono white shops this is probably something else, o wait it actually is mono white shops.