Team Serious Open Results - Columbus - January 18

[GrandpaBelcher]

We had 34 players turn up for Vintage in Ohio this weekend, making it (as far as I can tell) at least the largest tournament in Ohio in two years! Top 8 split because of weather and the lateness of the hour, each taking home $72. The field was full of blue and combo decks, and very few Workshops. I'll put together a more complete metagame report later.

Top 8 is listed below in order of final round standings.

1) Kevin Cron - Burning Oath
1 Black Lotus
1 Lion's Eye Diamond
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Memory Jar
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
4 Dark Ritual
1 Demonic Tutor
2 Griselbrand
1 Necropotence
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Yawgmoth's Bargain
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
2 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Mental Misstep
2 Misdirection
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ponder
1 Time Walk
1 Timetwister
1 Tinker
1 Windfall
1 Wheel of Fortune
4 Oath of Druids
4 Burning Wish
1 Tolarian Academy
4 City of Brass
4 Forbidden Orchard
2 Gemstone Mine

Sideboard
3 Ancient Tomb
2 Chain of Vapor
1 Diminishing Returns
2 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Laboratory Maniac
1 Nature's Claim
1 Shattering Spree
1 Show and Tell
1 Thoughtseize
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Yawgmoth's Will

2) Kurt Crane - Dragon's Breath Oath
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
1 Black Lotus
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
2 Thoughtseize
1 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Show and Tell
2 Spell Pierce
1 Tinker
1 Channel
4 Oath of Druids
1 Sylvan Library
3 Mental Misstep
1 Dragon's Breath
3 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Time Walk
1 Ponder
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Voltaic Key
1 Polluted Delta
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Forbidden Orchard
2 Volcanic Island
2 Tropical Island
2 Underground Sea
1 Snow-Covered Island
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Muddle the Mixture

Sideboard
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Pithing Needle
1 Pyroclasm
2 Show and Tell
1 Swan Song
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Surgical Extraction
2 Leyline of the Void
2 Nature's Claim

3) Rick Gideon - Keeper 2k14
3 City of Brass
1 Flooded Strand
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Strip Mine
1 Tropical Island
1 Tolarian Academy
2 Tundra
2 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island
2 Wasteland
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Enlightened Tutor
3 Lightning Bolt
1 Mind Twist
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Sol Ring
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Voltaic Key
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Disenchant
4 Mana Drain
1 Regrowth
1 Time Vault
1 Time Walk
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Tinker
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Fact or Fiction
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Mindbreak Trap
1 Moat
4 Force of Will
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Blightsteel Colossus

Sideboard
4 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Red Elemental Blast
2 Steel Sabotage
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Balance
1 Echoing Truth
1 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Mindbreak Trap
1 The Abyss

4) Aaron Katz - BUG Control
3 Tropical Island
3 Underground Sea
3 Misty Rainforest
4 Wasteland
4 Polluted Delta
1 Strip Mine
2 Spell Pierce
3 Mental Misstep
2 Thoughtseize
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Dark Confidant
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Black Lotus
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Time Walk
1 Scavenging Ooze
3 Snapcaster Mage
4 Force of Will
4 Abrupt Decay
3 Null Rod
1 Steel Sabotage
2 True-Name Nemesis
2 Vendilion Clique

Sideboard
2 Dismember
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Yixlid Jailer
3 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Nature's Claim
1 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Flusterstorm
1 Umezawa's Jitte

5) Nam Q. Tran - Stax
4 Lodestone Golem
3 Steel Hellkite
4 Sphere of Resistance
4 Tangle Wire
4 Smokestack
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Metalworker
4 Staff of Domination
3 Crucible of Worlds
1 Trinisphere
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Sol Ring
4 Mishra's Workshop
4 Mishra's Factory
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Ancient Tomb
1 City of Traitors

Sideboard
4 Leyline of Sanctity
4 Duplicant
4 Grafdigger's Cage
2 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Wurmcoil Engine

6) Daniel Buzzie - Minus Six
3 Worldgorger Dragon
1 Oona, Queen of the Fae
4 Dark Confidant
2 Dance of the Dead
2 Animate Dead
1 Necromancy
2 Intuition
1 Imperial Seal
1 Brainstorm
1 Echoing Truth
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
4 Force of Will
3 Duress
2 Read the Runes
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
4 Bazaar of Baghdad
4 Underground Sea
1 Swamp
2 Island
1 Flooded Strand
2 Scalding Tarn
4 Polluted Delta

Sideboard
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Tinker
1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Time Vault
1 Voltaic Key
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Library of Alexandria
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Tezzeret, the Seeker
4 Mana Drain

7) Sam Krohlow - Bomberman
4 Trinket Mage
2 Auriok Salvagers
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Tinker
2 Spell Snare
3 Mana Drain
1 Flusterstorm
2 Mental Misstep
4 Force of Will
1 Pithing Needle
1 Aether Spellbomb
2 Sensei's Divining Time
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Time Vault
1 Voltaic Key
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
2 Cavern of Souls
4 Flooded Strand
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Tolarian Academy
3 Island
3 Tundra

Sideboard
2 Disenchant
1 Pithing Needle
1 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Kataki, War's Wage
1 Tormod's Crypt
2 Grafdigger's Cage
3 Swords to Plowshares
1 Plains
1 Flusterstorm
1 Blightsteel Colossus

8) Charles Rolko - Gush Tendrils
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Black Lotus
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Timetwister
1 Time Walk
1 Thoughtseize
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Brainstorm
1 Lotus Petal
1 Fastbond
1 Necropotence
1 Mana Crypt
1 Nature's Claim
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Ponder
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mind's Desire
3 Regrowth
4 Preordain
4 Gush
4 Force of Will
4 Dark Ritual
1 Island
1 Snow-Covered Island
2 Polluted Delta
3 Underground Sea
3 Tropical Island
4 Misty Rainforest

Sideboard
3 Energy Flux
2 Nature's Claim
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Tormod's Crypt
1 Flusterstorm
1 Duress
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Forest
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Ravenous Trap

[GrandpaBelcher]

Metagame breakdown:

1 Dredge

2 Workshops (no Forgemasters)

7 Aggro-Control
1 Merfolk
6 BUG (Deathrite, Bob, Abrupt Decay, Force, etc.)

10 Blue
1 Grixis Control
1 Bomberman
1 Blue Angels
1 Agent of Bolas Control
1 Mono-U Dark Stage
2 Welder Control
3 Non-Burning Oath

13 Combo
1 Turbo Tezz
1 Worldgorger Dragon
1 Rector Omniscience
1 2-Land Belcher
1 TPS
3 Regrowth Gush
5 Burning Oath

[Ten-Ten]

Nice keeper list.
Really took me back to 2002!
Congrats!

[Zenvir]

Nice keeper list.
Really took me back to 2002!
Congrats!

It was fun to pilot Keeper again.  It seems to do very well in an aggro and combo heavy meta environment.  I've been testing it for the past couple of months and it does really well against almost all deck types game one due to its "silver bullet" answers and usually better game two after side-boarding.  With most decks having a lot of creatures or combo these days, it has pretty good chances.  It's a lot of fun. 

For the TSO, it went undefeated through 4 rounds and then we decided to draw the final two.  I don't recall all of the details of each round, but here are some highlights. The first round was against Blue Angels.  I attempted a first turn Jace and then a second turn Tinker for BSC, both of which were countered.  He had nearly a full hand and was able to drop a Restoration Angel, but I balanced and reset the game, allowing me to pull back and take it.  The second round was against Griselbrand Oath.  Quick Tinkers into BSC or fetch my way to Vault/Key was a big win for me, using just enough along the way to stop Oath, even going as far as Bolting my own critters to prevent it.  The third round was against BUG.  No real problems here.  Very fast lock-down and BSC took it.  The fourth round was against Bomberman.  The third game was most interesting. We went to turns and I was able to get vault/key going on turn 1, and then used it bring out Tinker/BSC (or maybe Steel Hellkite, I don't remember) to take it.

I'm looking forward tweaking it further and having more Keeper fun
 
PS - There are four Grafdigger's Cage in the SB, not one  

[mmcgeach]

Wow, I like seeing these Keeper lists put up good results!

I tried Kevin Cron's list from champs, but I had trouble adjusting my play style to a deck with so little carddraw.  I assume I'm doing it wrong.  I kind of like the idea of some of the white cards in this list (enlightened tutor; balance; moat).  I guess they come at the cost of the deathrite shaman.  Was there much thought to the inclusion/omission of deathrite?

A more general question to the keeper experts here: how do you prioritize lines of play with the deck against, say, a grixis control or blue angels list?

[Zenvir]

In my case, I don't want to use creatures (other than the fatty Tinker targets), because they don't work well with Moat and The Abyss.  Moat absolutely hoses aggro (workshops too).  The Abyss is difficult for RUG/BUG, Young Pryomancer builds, and more.  Deathrite's don't do much in comparison (IMHO).  The build doesn't have a huge amount of draw power, unless you can get a Jace out.  However, I feel it makes up for that with just enough (Ancestral, Brainstorm, FoF) and many tutors to simply go get what you need instead of having to try to draw into it.

[Zenvir]

With Keeper, there are two lines of play; win quick, or setup for the long game.  If you're going against combo, going for a quick win is usually preferred unless you're holding a good hand capable of stopping them readily. For the control match-up (blue angles, or any other control type deck), you can usually lock down the board and play out the battle over many turns because you're packing enough control and answers to deal with most other control decks.  If you try to win-out too early against another control deck, you run the risk of being countered-out and not being able to draw back to success.

[6StringSamurai]

I'm also very intrigued by this Keeper list. Major props on your success with it!
Love the inclusion of creature-hate enchantments like Moat, and The Abyss. They can definitely be great bombs against an aggro heavy meta. Also haven't seen Mind Twist in a long time. Brings me back to the classic Keeper days.

A couple questions/thoughts:  

Do you run into any trouble with your mana base, specifically black mana? You're running 4 high-impact black cards main deck (Yawg's Will, Mind Twist, Vamp & Demonic), plus 1 sideboard (The Abyss). For black sources you've got Mox Jet, Lotus, and 3 City of Brass.
Not having an Underground Sea you can readily fetch out seems like it might put you in a tough spot sometimes: A dead Tutor or Yawg's Will in hand seems painful, especially if one of your City's bites the dust to Wasteland early on.

What are your thoughts behind going with a full set of 4 Drains, rather than 2 or 3 Drains and a 1-cc counter or two?

Do you have any serious problems playing around/against opposing Wastelands/Strip Mine and/or Null Rod? The 4 Drains plus a few other mana-intesive card choices (Moat, Twist, FoF, Mindbreak Trap sometimes, etc), seem like they could become liabilities in-hand for a number of turns after a well played early game Strip effect or Null Rod disrupts your mana pacing/access.

In any case, awesome deck design, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on your build and piloting Keeper.

[Zenvir]

There are actually two Underground Seas in the deck, but the list shown isn't correct.  I will post the real list tomorrow.

Regarding null rod and strip effects, the Crucible helps. I can tutor it out early and survive.  However, this is a major downside to a five color deck.

[Zenvir]

Here's my Keeper 2k14 list:

3 City of Brass
1 Flooded Strand
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Tropical Island
2 Tundra
2 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island
2 Wasteland
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Enlightened Tutor
3 Lightning Bolt
1 Mind Twist
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Sol Ring
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Voltaic Key
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Disenchant
4 Mana Drain
1 Regrowth
1 Time Vault
1 Time Walk
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Tinker
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Fact or Fiction
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Mindbreak Trap
1 Moat
4 Force of Will
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Blightsteel Colossus

#63
Sideboard:

4 Grafdigger's Cage
1 Red Elemental Blast
2 Steel Sabotage
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Balance
1 Echoing Truth
1 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Mindbreak Trap
1 The Abyss

#15

[6StringSamurai]

Awesome, thanks for the response. The inclusion of 2x Underground Sea clears up my questions about the mana base.

Regarding null rod and strip effects, the Crucible helps. I can tutor it out early and survive.  However, this is a major downside to a five color deck.

Going for an early Crucible definitely seems like the strongest line of play, if you don't have the tools to assemble Vault+Key or Tinker+Robot right away. You can either outpace your opponent by reusing fetches, or try to lock them out with your own Strip/Waste+Crucible. The fact that you've had success against BUG speaks to this deck being resilient enough to fight through some mana disruption.

[Zenvir]

BUG has been very easy for this deck.  I'm sure a more concentrated land destruction attack would cripple it though.  It is a tad heavy on the mana base to help compensate for this fact. That's another reason it's 63 cards and not 60 or 61.  I tried to keep it at 60, but I felt as though I was losing answers to these various situations by going that low. Removing a land and a bolt (as an example) actually seems to have made a difference in its consistency to me, so I just left them in.  Lots of tutors and lots of answers, that's what I like about it

[Charly_sama]

BUG has been very easy for this deck.  I'm sure a more concentrated land destruction attack would cripple it though.  It is a tad heavy on the mana base to help compensate for this fact. That's another reason it's 63 cards and not 60 or 61.  I tried to keep it at 60, but I felt as though I was losing answers to these various situations by going that low. Removing a land and a bolt (as an example) actually seems to have made a difference in its consistency to me, so I just left them in.  Lots of tutors and lots of answers, that's what I like about it

Is realy easy... out one mind break trap, out one enlightened.. and now 61 cards... not the best but prefer before having 63 cards... realy fun for control lovers xdxd