Ongoing results at the 2012 NEV Championship at Top Deck Games

[Samoht]

And congrats Greg! And to everyone who joined in the fun, including Nick and Nick for this awesome event! Anyone else suffering from PNDS (Post-NEV-Depression-Syndrome)?

Well said, Joel. I'm going to cure my PNDS with some Vintage at Bloomsburg on the 19th and possibly even more Vintage on the 20th in New York.


Apparently having two byes is pretty good. Five of the six people, and possibly all six if it wasn't for some unlucky pairing, would have made top 8. This makes Greg's win all the more impressive.

To be fair, those byes were earned with repeated results. We all consistently top 8'd events all season. The byes didn't hurt, but I'd wager most of us would have been in the hunt either way - as we were all year.

As far as the posting of deck archetypes, I also was disappointed that those who had not yet revealed their deck archetype had that information given away. Those with one bye didn't have that disadvantage. I knew it was going to happen in response to the complaints of the players, I just would have preferred the system be slightly altered. As stated above, the two byes were earned through consistent support of the series and consistent finishes. Also, the disparity of Shop Archetypes being spelled out without the same happening for the Blue decks was a bit unfair, I agree with Chris/Mike.

Most importantly, I'd like to congratulate Greg for putting the nail in the coffin of Oath of Druids vs. Big Events.

[cvarosky80]

I completely agree with those sentiments. I felt that the deck-types should have been released in increments to properly correspond to the byes, or not even be released at all, for that matter. Players getting byes and having the opportunity to scout the field is nothing new to MTG tournaments, so I saw no disadvantages to this tournament that aren't present at many other tournaments in that respect (Meaning, if Nick hadn't posted the metagame breakdown, I would not have complained in the slightest as I knew going in that many players had rightfully earned their byes and the privileges that come with doing so, which include getting to scout the field in the early rounds), and since the decklists were handed in prior to the Round 1 pairings being put up, it's not as if those who had earned a bye or byes were able to scout the room and then get to alter their 75s to make their decks as ideal to the metagame of that day as possible.

That being said, I had a great time being able to play in this event, despite crashing and burning hard after beating Ray in Round 1 (I beat him 2-0, and then did not win a single game, let alone match, the rest of the time I was in the event before dropping and then crashing and burning in 2 side events!.....There's my tourney report. Hahahaha), and would like to thank both Nicks for creating, hosting, and running such a great event!

[Will]

First and most importantly I want to thank Nick Coss and Detwiler for the great year and Championship event. It truly was a pleasure to take part in this event despite my disappointing finish. (Started 3-0 ended 0-3). Congratulations to everyone who Top8d and Greg for taking it all down.

As far as posting player names and archetypes early in the event I was not a fan. I am saying this even though I did not earn any byes for the tournament. Prior to the event I spent multiple hours researching every player I knew to be attending to try and get a better guess of what they were playing. While this preparation certainly helped me make my deck selection and some card choices, I was disappointed that it did not help me out as much as I thought because everyone's deck choice was public information. Also, as Chris and Mike pointed out the discrepancies between archetype classification did not seem fair.

Although this move seemingly leveled the field, I don't think it was warranted. The people who had byes earned them and I think they should have been rewarded for that, by being able to effectively scout the players without byes. Without the metagame breakdown being posted, it could be said that players who did not qualify by reaching 24 points would have been at a much bigger disadvantage, because they don't see some of the players week in and out, but that doesn't mean the tournament organizers had to go out of their way to level the field. Research could have been done, and if a player finishes their round quickly they too can scout and have an advantage over their potential round 2 opponent. In future, I think this decision should at the very least be put up to a vote, with decisions made on what level of detail the archetype breakdown should have, if it is posted at all. That being said, I had a great time regardless and am sad to see the 2012 NEV series come to an end.

[Mr. Type 4]

I had a good time at this event, despite losing to a deck that didn't properly observe the restricted list.  My deck was a lot of fun to play and everyone I played was a quality opponent.  I walked away with some good prizes.

The payoff event at the end of the year was a nice conclusion to the series. I think the NEV points added value to the tournaments and made them more exciting. I also really enjoyed getting $5 worth of food and drinks at the events, or cards if I really wanted them after making that early level.  It wasn't much, but I hit it early and got to do it often.

If Nick runs some sort of Vintage series in the future, the only thing I'd like to see would be the results updated more frequently.  Everything else about it was excellent.

[Asphyxious]

I just want to congratulate the top 8 and Greg for winning.  Very well deserved, Greg.

I also want to thank Nick and Nick for running great tournaments and an awesome series.  I definitely agree with Paul that the points definitely made things more interesting and added another level to the tourneys.  I'd love to see another series run.

Finally, I want to thank the community.  The players are really what makes vintage worth playing.  There's no other magic tournament I can go to where I know every single person in the room (even if I sometimes forget names).

2012 was an awesome year, and I can't wait to start 2013.

[Cruel Ultimatum]

I was so close to pulling the trigger and playing night's whisper oath, but in the end I couldn't escape bomberman. Congrats to Greg!

[desolutionist]

I had a good time at this event, despite losing to a deck that didn't properly observe the restricted list. 

That's retarded.  They didn't catch him until a later round?

[Prospero]

I had a good time at this event, despite losing to a deck that didn't properly observe the restricted list. 

That's retarded.  They didn't catch him until a later round?

Correct.

Running an event requires many things, and with this event we had the added coverage to be done on TMD, along with the metagame breakdown that had to be provided for the event.  After counting out lists, doing the breakdown, fielding judge calls, printing and distributing match slips, taking results, etc., this was something that was missed until later. 

[Iron_Chef]

I had a good time at this event, despite losing to a deck that didn't properly observe the restricted list. 

That's retarded.  They didn't catch him until a later round?

Shawn, his decklist was correct so since I was busy running all the events that day it wasn't the easiest thing to spot.  That being said, I think it was an honest mistake, he was missing Yawgmoth's Will out of his deck and he immediately dropped when we found the mistake.

That being said, Top 8 decklists will be going up later today and I'd like to thank everyone who played all year and made the NEV Series what it is.

-Nick

[Thecheese]

I had a good time at this event, despite losing to a deck that didn't properly observe the restricted list. 

That's retarded.  They didn't catch him until a later round?

Dude, words mean things

[Cruel Ultimatum]

Yeah, it wasn't caught until round 5 when he recalled into double tinker. Oddly enough, I chose not to counter his recall, and had I done so, it wouldn't have been caught since the tinker would have shuffled the other one away.

[Explosive Engineer]

I think it was unfair that two completely different Landstill decks got listed as "Landstill", but all the Martello and Espresso Shops players got listed as a specific archetype.  You can't drill down to different levels of details in a totally inconsistent way. 

This type of intra-tournament open information was an experiment and i dont fault anyone for the way that it was done.  I expect, however, that we  use this as a learning experience and not repeat things that didnt work so well.  I second, Chris, that the resolution on archetype naming was very inconsistent.  I dont think that is the problem we should be solving, though.  Figuring out what your opponent is trying to do, and figuring out how exactly to do that before your opponent does, is part of the gamesmanship of sport.  The skills to be able to do this are learned by practice and tournament experience, and so the most experienced players have an advantage over the novice ones.  Giving each player the opponents 'playbook' before the game begins fundamentally changes the type of game you are playing; not in a good way.

BMS

[Mr. Type 4]

He had a foil Tinker from Urza's Legacy and the FTV Tinker in his deck.  That FTV Tinker is much less recognizeable and I can see how such a mistake could be made.  He's not the kind of person would try to win by playing an illeagal deck, especially considering that it was only a matter of time before it came up.  He was totally honorable about it when he found out about it and apologized.  It's hard to say that he wouldn't have drawn that Tinker if he didnt have two, and there's a good chance he could have got there if he had the Yawg Will he omitted in its place. 

Mistakes happen and it's not really on the TO's to catch that sort of thing during the second round by deck checking everyone in the room - that would be obnoxious.  The fact that they spot checked everyone's decklists during the first round for registration errors is really above and beyond the standard for most tournaments.

My opponent's biggest mistake was not playing 3 Tinkers, because that was the optimal number in testing.    

[desolutionist]

Sorry I could have used a better word.  I wasn't blaming anyone for not catching it sooner, it just is unfortunate that people lost to him.  Its like that Seattle vs. Green Bay game months ago.

[jlim17]

My opponent's biggest mistake was not playing 3 Tinkers, because that was the optimal number in testing.    

Just wanted to say...LMFAO!!!

[mr.grim]

@ P-mas. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAH! 
The tinker player is a very good friend of mine. As we did our 2 plus hour drive home after the event. He really beat himself up the whole way home. He is one of the most honorable people I know.

[Prospero]

@ P-mas. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAH! 
The tinker player is a very good friend of mine. As we did our 2 plus hour drive home after the event. He really beat himself up the whole way home. He is one of the most honorable people I know.

Agreed.  Beyond a shadow of a doubt I do not doubt that he was not cheating. 

[John Jones]

Yeah I played him round 1 and it somewhat ruined my tournament especially since I felt I deserved a rd 1 bye. idk. annoying I suppose. But I did get a snickers and a coke out of it, so I can't complain too much.

[psyburat]

But I did get a snickers and a coke out of it, so I can't complain too much.

I'll have to remember this as a way to subdue you during future testing sessions.

Although I only managed a 1-3 record, this was a fun event to be a part of.  Kudos to Nick & Nick for running these tournaments, congrats to Greg Fenton and his ridiculous flash drives, and I look forward to how our community evolves from this point forward.

[Samoht]

Yeah I played him round 1 and it somewhat ruined my tournament especially since I felt I deserved a rd 1 bye. idk. annoying I suppose. But I did get a snickers and a coke out of it, so I can't complain too much.

Trying to suss out how much of this is humor and how much is actual feelings.

What do you mean by deserving a round 1 bye?

[A.-1.]

He had 35 NEV points.

I got a free bottle of water out of it, and I wasn't even involved in anyway.

[mr.grim]

I want a f#@king snickers.

[Samoht]

He had 35 NEV points.

I got a free bottle of water out of it, and I wasn't even involved in anyway.

Seems like he almost deserved a round 1 bye then.

[rpf5029]

Thanks, Paul.  That made me laugh. 

Rob, you just got a bottle of water 'cuz I like you. 

Keith, you got a graphic novel on the way down to the store.  NO SNICKERS FOR YOU. 

Here's the story: 

I've had Burning Long built for the longest time.  Since I'm fortunate to have a full set of power and a bunch of pretty cards, when I decided the night before to play Grixis Control, I needed to move them from one deck to the other.  Unfortunately, since I also happened to be in my hometown at the time, I was hanging out at a friend's house waiting for her to cut my hair.  I had to wake up Saturday morning at 8 to catch a bus back home, and only got 3 hours of sleep the night before.  Needless to say, my brain wasn't all there.  Anyway, I pulled all the pretty shinnies out of Burning Long except Yawgmoth's Will, which I forgot because it was in the sideboard.  I took the cards out of the black sleeves and the blue sleeves and switched them.  Somewhere in between trying to decide if I wanted to play Painter instead, checking to see if I had the cards on me, and getting my hair cut by a pretty girl, I ended up putting the Tinker in the Grixis Deck (FTV Tinker) back in the Grixis deck instead of in the Combo deck.  I counted 75 cards in both decks, and cleaned up my mess. 

Later that night, I decided that I wanted to make some changes to the deck.  I knew I didn't want to play Blightsteel, and I wanted to be kinda tricksy with Goblin Welder.  I added Welder as a 61st card, and intended to play Myr Battlesphere main and Inkwell out of the board.  Even though I had to rifle my deck several times to pull out the correct cards, I only looked for the cards that I needed to take out.  I don't know if it's because of the different arts, or what, but I had no idea that there were two cards in the deck at this time; nor did I know on Sunday morning, as I was flipping through the deck and making further changes.  I will note that I only had 3-4 hours asleep again, for whatever it's worth. 

Again, since I wasn't looking for two Tinkers, the only way that I would notice them is if they were either right next to each other or I drew them both in a game.  I wrote out my deck list from memory (as I try to do to make sure I know my deck inside, out, and backwards) so I never had to parse them out, and therefore notice that there were two Tinkers in the deck. 

Even after I started playing, I didn't realize what was going on.  I was always so focused on the game state that every time I picked up my deck to tutor for something -- be it a land, Demonic, Vampiric, or Tinker, I only ever looked for the card I was getting.  I did this both to save time in the round and, frankly, just because it's what I always do.  I don't know if I had serious blinders on, or if my being unable to pick out the second Tinker as I'm tutoring is a focus issue that I need to see a doctor about.  I seriously cannot fathom that I went five rounds without noticing that I was playing two Tinkers.  I also can't believe that I didn't notice that there was a problem the first time I saw the FTV Tinker in my hand because -- seriously -- eww. 

In the end, however, I didn't see that I had two Tinkers until I cast Ancestral Recall with one in my hand (The Tezzeret one, which I not only remembered seeing all day, but also would not have chosen to play) and drew the second one.  I know that I flashed back the FTV Tinker against Paul in G3 to not to die to Mana Crypt as I took all the turns, but I don't know which one I cast against him in G1.  I definitely cast it at least once against John Jones in R1, but I don't know if it was G1, G3, or both.  I also know that I cast Tinker against Jake Ganz R3, but I don't know which one it was. 

And I don't know how it affected the games.  There's a strong chance that I didn't see the Jhoira Tinker all day, but that doesn't mean that its presence in my deck didn't give me the edge.  Maybe, had Yawgmoth's Will been in the deck, I would have drawn the other Tinker instead when I needed it, or maybe Will would have done the work for me -- there's no way for me to know. 

All I know is this:  I was careless.  Careless and stupid.  Not only did I put a black mark on the best Vintage tournament the East Coast has ever seen, hosted by the two best TOs in the world, I also negatively and unfairly affected the records of two friends and Vintage Extraordinares in Paul and John.  I can just say that I am terribly, terribly, terribly sorry for my carelessness.  I apologize to my opponents, whose records in the tournament were harmed by my stupidity; the tournament organizers, who put on the best tournament I've ever had the pleasure of playing in, and to the rest of the esteemed Vintage community.  I feel as though I've let you all down. 

But most especially to John and Paul.  I wish there was some way I could make amends.

Needless to say, if I'm not playing something terrible like ELVES!, I will be writing out my deck list the night before and TRIPLE CHECKING IT at the tournament site.  I'll probably have my friends double or triple check it, too.

[Prospero]

Fish, you're a good man and you're above questioning when it comes to this.  Nobody wants to see this happen, but mistakes are mistakes.  Anyone who knows you knows that it wasn't intentional.  Given that you were missing Will, it's not as though this was a mistake that had nothing but upside.

Don't let this affect you.  Coss, myself and all your friends still hold you in high esteem.  You made a mistake, you caught yourself, turned yourself in and have now apologized profusely.  You'll be careful and it won't happen again.  The end.

Don't worry about it.  I had a good time, and it was good to see you there.

[ELD]

I want a f#@king snickers.

http://www.ebay.com/soc/itm/190774934907

[mr.grim]

I want to thank Nick "THE GOD KING" Coss and "The Pride of Ny" Nick D. for a killer event. I think it will be as hard as beating Bama if your irish to top it.

Props : To the new Champ Greg Fenton and the rest of the top.
         : Gifts from god in the form of GIANT snicker bars. Give me a chainsaw,shotgun and some rope and I will slay that beast.
         : and last but not least slipknot

[Greg]

Thanks, everybody. It was an exciting event and a heck of a run through nine rounds. I ended up going 8-0-1 on the day and having the first pick in the draft of power.

Sunday marked a truly special moment in my otherwise very casual Magic career that I won't soon forget.

I'd also like to join in on thanking Nick Detwiler and Nick Coss for their dedication to both the format and the community. It can't be overstated enough just how much I appreciate all that you two have done for the Northeastern community of players throughout the years.

[iamfishman]

That being said, I had a great time being able to play in this event, despite crashing and burning hard after beating Ray in Round 1 (I beat him 2-0, and then did not win a single game, let alone match, the rest of the time I was in the event before dropping and then crashing and burning in 2 side events!.

Ironically, on no byes(just like Mr. Fenton) I ran 7 straight wins after that before losing in the finals.

[cvarosky80]

That being said, I had a great time being able to play in this event, despite crashing and burning hard after beating Ray in Round 1 (I beat him 2-0, and then did not win a single game, let alone match, the rest of the time I was in the event before dropping and then crashing and burning in 2 side events!.

Ironically, on no byes(just like Mr. Fenton) I ran 7 straight wins after that before losing in the finals.

That was an amazing run you went on, there. I couldn't stop laughing to myself at how drastically different our days went after we played. Major props for finishing in the Finals after running through the full gauntlet that tourney laid down for both you and Greg.