N.Y.S.E. Open II - Official Tournament Report

[Prospero]

I'd like to start this report off by thanking all 92 players who showed up at the N.Y.S.E. Open on Saturday.  Before any event kicks off, you never really know what attendance is going to be like, and I wondered if the attendance would be as strong as I hoped.  It wasn't, it was better.  We had many players travel great distances in order to attend this event; this is not lost on me and I do appreciate your dedication to the format and the community.

There are many, many moving parts to an event like this, and there are many people on whom I greatly rely in order to run this event.  Nick Coss was instrumental at several key points; this event doesn't happen without him.  Additionally, I'd like to specifically thank Seth Levy, who ensured that this event ran as smoothly as I've ever seen an event run and then decided to help out by typing up nearly all of the decklists.  Incredible.    Visna Harris, Richard Kane Ferguson, Jeff Menges, Greg Fenton, Jackie Gran, Mark Aronowitz, Josh Krause, Brian Paskoff, Chris Mascioli, Ryan McKinney, Jason Jaco, Alan Paperin and Joshua Southwick all played important roles on the day, and helped make the event special.  My sincere thanks to all of you for the tremendous amount of work that you did!  


Complete Metagame Breakdown & Lists:


The full metagame breakdown, with all 92 lists, has been provided (for free) as an article on EternalCentral.com.  Many thanks to Jaco for finishing the herculean task of typing up all those lists, and providing us with the kind of in-depth report that we all appreciate!

http://www.eternalcentral.com/nyse2decklistsmetagamereport/


Top Eight Pairings and Results:


(1) Chris Hanson vs. (8) Michael Scheffenacker – Scheffenacker wins
(4) Stephen Menendian vs. (5) Rob Edwards – Edwards wins
(3) Mike Brotzman vs. (6) Keith Seals – Seals wins
(2) Joel Lim vs. (7) – Vasu Balakrishnan - Balakrishnan wins


Top Four Pairings and Results:


(8) Scheffenacker vs. (5) Rob Edwards – Edwards wins
(6) Keith Seals vs. (7) Vasu Balakrishnan – Seals wins


Finals:


(5) Rob Edwards vs. (6) Keith Seals - Seals wins!


I'd like to offer my congratulations to Keith Seals, Rob Edwards and all of my top eight competitors!  After so many months of seeing Oath and Shops go back and forth winning events in the Mid-Atlantic, was there a more appropriate finals match than this?  I think not.


Top Eight Decklists:


1st - Keith Seals
Metalworker Shops

4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Wasteland
4 Cavern of Souls
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
4 Metalworker
4 Kuldotha Forgemaster
2 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Sundering Titan
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Duplicant
1 Blightsteel Colossus
2 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Lodestone Golem
1 Trinisphere
3 Thorn of Amethyst
4 Tangle Wire
4 Chalice of the Void
2 Lightning Greaves

SB:

2 Witchbane Orb
2 Crucible of Worlds
3 Dismember
4 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Duplicant
2 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale

2nd - Rob Edwards
Fenton Oath

1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
4 Forbidden Orchard
3 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
2 Island
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Flooded Strand
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Strip Mine
4 Oath of Druids
2 Griselbrand
1 Time Vault
1 Voltaic Key
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Show and Tell
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Memory’s Journey
4 Force of Will
4 Mental Misstep
3 Mana Drain
2 Flusterstorm
1 Mindbreak Trap
1 Misdirection
2 Abrupt Decay

SB:

4 Leyline of the Void
2 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Pithing Needle
3 Nature’s Claim
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Wasteland
1 Progenitus
1 Show and Tell

3rd - Vasu Balakrishnan
Dance Magic Dance

3 Restoration Angel
3 Stoneforge Mystic
3 Snapcaster Mage
2 Vendilion Clique
1 Batterskull
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Disenchant
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Mindbreak Trap
1 Brainstorm
3 Fact or Fiction
3 Swords to Plowshares
2 Spell Snare
2 Mental Misstep
4 Force of Will
3 Mana Drain
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Jet
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
4 Flooded Strand
1 Polluted Delta
1 Karakas
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Tolarian Academy
3 Tundra
3 Island
1 Plains

SB:

3 Rest in Peace
3 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Steel Sabotage
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Path to Exile
1 Moat
2 Flusterstorm
1 Umezawa’s Jitte
1 Council’s Judgment
1 Disenchant

4th - Michael Scheffenacker
Metalworker Shops

1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Thorn of Amethyst
4 Lightning Greaves
3 Tangle Wire
1 Trinisphere
4 Metalworker
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Kuldotha Forgemaster
2 Steel Hellkite
1 Duplicant
1 Sundering Titan
1 Blightsteel Colossus

SB:

3 Phyrexian Revoker
3 Phyrexian Metamorph
2 Wurmcoil Engine
3 Duplicant
4 Grafdigger’s Cage

5th - Chris Hanson
Martello Shops

4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Wasteland
4 Mishra’s Factory
3 Ancient Tomb
1 City of Traitors
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Strip Mine
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Emerald
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Black Lotus   
1 Trinisphere
1 Duplicant
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Triskelion
1 Sundering Titan
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Kuldotha Forgemaster
4 Phyrexian Revoker
3 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Tangle Wire
3 Sphere of Resistance
3 Thorn of Amethyst

SB:

4 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Tormod’s Crypt
2 Ratchet Bomb
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Silent Arbiter
3 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
2 Crucible of Worlds


6th - Joel Lim
Reel Fish

1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
2 Null Rod
4 Cursecatcher
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Master of the Pearl Trident
2 Merrow Reejerey
3 Phantasmal Image
4 Silvergill Adept
2 True-Name Nemesis
1 Waterfront Bouncer
1 Ancestral Recall
2 Daze
4 Force of Will
3 Mental Misstep
1 Misdirection
1 Steel Sabotage
4 Cavern of Souls
10 Island
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
1 Time Walk

SB:

4 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Null Rod
1 Pithing Needle
3 Dismember
1 Echoing Truth
2 Hurkyl’s Recall
3 Steel Sabotage

7th - Mike Brotzman
Deathrite Talrand Control

4 Force of Will
2 Mana Drain
2 Flusterstorm
3 Mental Misstep
4 Preordain
1 Regrowth
4 Gush
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Fastbond
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Time Walk
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
3 Deathrite Shaman
2 Talrand, Sky Summoner
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
3 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Misty Rainforest
2 Island
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring

SB:

2 Trygon Predator
2 Abrupt Decay
2 Toxic Deluge
2 Mindbreak Trap
2 Spell Snare
2 Nature’s Claim
2 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Gifts Ungiven


8th - Stephen Menendian
U/R Pyromancer

4 Gush
4 Preordain
4 Force of Will
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Young Pyromancer
2 Flusterstorm
2 Spell Pierce
2 Misdirection
3 Mental Misstep
3 Lightning Bolt
1 Fire/Ice
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
2 Trygon Predator
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Ponder
1 Brainstorm
2 Snapcaster Mage
3 Volcanic Island
2 Tropical Island
2 Island
4 Scalding Tarn
1 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Black Lotus

SB:

1 Nature’s Claim
3 Grafdigger’s Cage
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Pyroblast
4 Ingot Chewer
1 Mountain


Pictures!





































Team Event:


The race for the team event was epic.  Going into the top eight, Meandeck was ahead by three points.  By beating Steve Menendian, Rob Edwards managed to tie Meandeck on points.  By making it all the way to the finals, Rob managed to carry his team to victory!  Congratulations to our Pennsylvanians!


Giveaways:


There were many giveaways on the day, but I ran them differently than I did last year.  The increase in the cost of power has led to cuts in various places in order to maintain the integrity of the prize support.  I had collected classic prints from many Magic artists over the course of the last year, prints from Pete Venters, Jerry Tiritilli and Donato Giancola, to name a few.  I felt that it was a great way to reignite some of the nostalgia, as classic images like Baron Sengir, Rishadan Port and Mirari found new owners.  

Finally, there was the altered Karn.  I was very happy to give that away to one of the new Vintage pilots, Hrishikesh Sidhartha.  Congratulations, Hrishi!


In Conclusion:


The Vintage community, in my opinion, is second to none in all of Magic.  

When round one kicked off, I saw several members of the old guard; guys who have been playing Vintage for as long as I've known them.  And I also saw many, many newer pilots.  The mix of old and new, neophytes and masters was a great thing to see.  We looked at Vintage's past, present and future on Saturday.  The future looks bright.

There is always some measure of attrition in any community.  People move on, sell their cards, and don't come back.  We remember them and miss them, but if any community is to survive, it has to add players to replace the ranks of those who have left.  There were many young pilots on the day, including a few who are relatively new to Magic.  It was heart-warming to see Anthony Nania, Michael Strothmann, Hrishikesh Sidhartha, Vasu Balakrishnan, Will Magrann and Michael Lynch, among others, playing the format.  You guys are the future of the format.  It was great to see you all there.  Do us proud.

And as we move towards an uncertain future in card prices, I hope that the older, more established players, will continue to take the neophytes under their wings, help them acquire the cards necessary to play the format, and help keep Vintage alive.  We need the help of the old and the new, now more than ever.  Regardless of our position in the community, we all have a role to play.  Vintage is known as the gentleman's format for a reason.  Let's continue to show the rest of the Magic community how it's done.

Once more, my sincere thanks to all who played, helped, and supported this event; you are what makes the N.Y.S.E. Open possible.  I have been a tournament organizer for 13 years and this event sits atop all others for me.  Thank you.

I hope to see you all in 2015!

[Grand Inquisitor]

During periods of waning for vintage there have always been folks who 'keep the lights on'.  Just a quick note of thanks to Nick and others since they should enjoy the full revel as things come around again.

That Ari's article can make a claim that Vintage is the best format is one of those signs that things are in full swing.  Success has many fathers, but the work to keep tournaments going on the east coast is surely one of the big ones.

[H]

I want to thank Nick for running this event, I am hopeful the dates for next year will work out and I'll be able to make it again.

I ended up in 9th place (no chance to top 8 though), losing to Vasu and to Keith.  I was pleased to hear that Keith won, despite the fact that he completely blew me out 2-0, 

A Workshop for my trouble was good though, I was very pleased to prize.

Congrats to Keith, thanks again to Nick, hopefully I'll see everyone again next year!

[Shock Wave]

Sounds like it was an awesome event. I will do my best to be there next time. Kudos to Nick for keeping the paper Vintage scene alive in the east.

[KanaKaishou]

Thanks for a great event, Nick!

However, I fear your sincere attempts to convert Hrishi to playing Shops may be an effort in vain! 

[boggyb]

So sick. The first piece of power I've ever won. All made possible by you, Nick and Nick. Thank you sincerely.

[JACO]

So we don't have numerous threads for the same results, I'm just going to post EC's full decklist (all 92 decklists) and metagame report here:
http://www.eternalcentral.com/nyse2decklistsmetagamereport/

Enjoy.

EDIT: Fixed some missing cards in the decklists; should be 100% correct now.

[Smmenen]

So we don't have numerous threads for the same results, I'm just going to post EC's full decklist (all 92 decklists) and metagame report here:
http://www.eternalcentral.com/nyse2decklistsmetagamereport/

Enjoy.

Holy smokes, that's amazing!  All 92 decks!

[piZZero]

I approve of this tournament! You can never get enough Lightning Greaves!

[WhiteLotus]

Looks like it was an awesome event that lived up to the buzz around it  Does anyone know if and where we can find some video coverage?

[Prospero]

Looks like it was an awesome event that lived up to the buzz around it  Does anyone know if and where we can find some video coverage?

We have some video coverage from Josh Krause, of Original Magic Art.  The finals, and some of the semi-finals, were recorded.

I did an interview, though I was distracted while doing it, and I know that Greg (similarly distracted), Steve, and a few others did interviews.  Josh hopes to have them up soon. 

[JPoJohnson]

It's always fun to see at larger events what the top ranking unpowered list is and where it placed. For this type of event I'm not sure how many unpowered lists you would have, but do you by chance have this information?

[Prospero]

It's always fun to see at larger events what the top ranking unpowered list is and where it placed. For this type of event I'm not sure how many unpowered lists you would have, but do you by chance have this information?

I don't know if there were any, as I left checking the lists up to the judges and scorekeeper, but the full 92 lists are on EC.  The standings after round seven should also be listed as well.  I know it's a bit of work, but if you're interested, you're able to determine who the highest standing un-powered player was.

[JPoJohnson]

It's always fun to see at larger events what the top ranking unpowered list is and where it placed. For this type of event I'm not sure how many unpowered lists you would have, but do you by chance have this information?

I don't know if there were any, as I left checking the lists up to the judges and scorekeeper, but the full 92 lists are on EC.  The standings after round seven should also be listed as well.  I know it's a bit of work, but if you're interested, you're able to determine who the highest standing un-powered player was.

Looks like a handful of Dredge decks were the only 'unpowered' lists. Thanks (:

[Varal]

Looks like a handful of Dredge decks were the only 'unpowered' lists. Thanks (:

I don't see why anyone would play an unpowered deck in a 15 proxy event unless you're playing Dredge.

[JPoJohnson]

Looks like a handful of Dredge decks were the only 'unpowered' lists. Thanks (:

I don't see why anyone would play an unpowered deck in a 15 proxy event unless you're playing Dredge.

It's quite often a separate prize pool - top rated unpowered deck (often including Workshop and Bazaar as "powered" cards in the mini-competition) gets $100 store credit or something like that. It's just a fun little thing some things do, that's all. I wasn't suggesting it was ideal to do.

[Samoht]

Looks like a handful of Dredge decks were the only 'unpowered' lists. Thanks (:

I don't see why anyone would play an unpowered deck in a 15 proxy event unless you're playing Dredge.

To prep for Worlds in an environment similar to the one you'll face then?

[mr.grim]

I wanted to take a moment to thank a few people...

First and foremost, I would like to thank Nick D. and Nick Coss for everything they do in order to keep the East Coast Vintage scene alive and second to none! Win, lose or draw, you two make every second exceptional.

Next, I would like to thank all the members of Team Ramrod for the countless hours of testing, arguing and tube steak conversations. Without you guys,  I wouldn't be the player that I am.

I would also like to thank Tom Dixon, Rob Edwards and Shawn Griffiths. You guys have been some of the toughest opponents I've ever had to face and you have helped me to excel as a player.

Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank all of my opponents at the NYSE II for all of the great matches throughout the day. Among those opponents, I would especially like to thank Ben Kowal for one of the sickest games I have ever played.

I am very happy that this event was so successful for the Nicks'. I can only say, I am truly sorry for those of you who missed it. I can't wait for next years event. I am sure it will break triple-digit attendance.
Once again, thank you to anyone who had any involvement in this event.

[Samoht]

...snip...
I would also like to thank Tom Dixon ...snip...

Keith, I've told you countless times the road goes both ways. Thank you for making me a better player, friend, and person. Much respect always. I think I'm up one right now so you definitely get to crush me next time :p

[mr.grim]

We are tied after the TDG event, where I beat you in the finals . Much love brother .

[Samoht]

We are tied after the TDG even where I beat you in the finals . Much love brother .

Didn't I get you en route to winning the event when I was on Oath with the game 2 of doom?

[mr.grim]

Nope. Lol . I think we are due for a epic match soon.

[Samoht]

Nope. Lol . I think we are due for a epic match soon.

Haha I sent you a PM. Let's get this back on track about this sweet event and congratulating you and the rest of the top 16 for your stellar performances! Great job everyone. I've never been happier to do so poorly, save maybe Champs last year.

[mr.grim]

Tom is correct.  # one up on Grim. Lol

[Kameli0n]

Thanks for the kind words Keith, and again, congratulations. Feel free come test whenever you like.

[ramrodjon]

Tubesteak FTW!

[KrauserKrauser]

I finished editing and compiling the games that I recorded.

The Finals are there in full and at the last game of each of the semi's.

The videos are uploading now and should be up Thursday.  I'll post a link once they are all ready to go.

[KanaKaishou]

I finished editing and compiling the games that I recorded.

The Finals are there in full and at the last game of each of the semi's.

The videos are uploading now and should be up Thursday.  I'll post a link once they are all ready to go.

 

Did you get a chance to post the interviews too? I want to see myself looking like a giant buffoon.

[KrauserKrauser]

The interviews are for another project that I will be working on next.

[KrauserKrauser]

Video Coverage of the Semis and Finals is now live.

Semi Final - Rob vs. Michael

Semi Final - Vasu vs. Keith

Finals - Rob vs. Keith

For a first try at editing video coverage I'm ok with it, but definitely see where it could improve.

Would love to know what you all think about it.