1st Place with BUG Oath at Kidforce Collectibles 8/9/14

Hi! My name is Chad. Long time lurker here, but this is my first report. A little background before moving on to the report: I used to play Vintage fairly regularly back in the days of Gro-a-Tog, Psychatog, Control Slaver, and Long.dec. I quit and sold most of my stuff, and recently got back into the format when Vintage Masters was released on modo. I spent most of my time online testing UR Delver and Burning Oath, so naturally at the last minute I decided to play a deck I liked better in theory but had very little practice with: BUG Oath. Here is what I sleeved up:

4 Force of Will
2 Mana Drain
2 Mental Misstep
1 Flusterstorm
1 Swan Song
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Thoughtseize
1 Demonic Tutor
2 Griselbrand
4 Oath of Druids
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Show and Tell
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet
1 Black Lotus
4 Forbidden Orchard
3 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
1 Island
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
1 Gaea's Blessing
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Voltaic Key
1 Time Vault
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Misdirection

Sideboard
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Hurkyl's Recall
1 Show and Tell
1 Griselbrand
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Duress
2 Nature's Claim
1 Flusterstorm
1 Ravenous Trap
1 Tormod's Crypt

Online, at least, there is a lot of hate for Oath. Rather than loading up on Abrupt Decays to fight through cages, I decided to SB an extra Show and Tell + Griselbrand. It worked fairly well for me, and I think I ended up boarding them in almost every match. On to the tournament!

  13 players arrive at Kidforce Collectibles in Berea, OH to battle Vintage. Four rounds with cut to top 4, 1st place is a Library of Alexandria, 2nd-4th get store credit.

  Round 1: Eric with Gush Pyromancer Ascension

  Game 1 I open a no lander (I think I had 2 moxen but they were off color) and mull into an all mana hand and end up going to five. I ended up with some lands in play and a few counters in hand. At end of my turn Eric goes for Ancestral, which I misdirect. He forces, and I am left with a decision. I have flusterstorm: do I counter the ancestral to make sure it is countered, or his force so that I can draw 3? I ended up countering his force, hoping he didnt have another counter. He had another force and got to draw 3. He mostly draws mana off the ancestral and we play draw go for a while. I know I had an orchard at some point, and he eventually played Pyromancer's Ascension. The turn after Ascension hits I topdecked Oath; he had no answer and was unable to go off before I oathed up Griselbrand and won handily.

Game 2 I had a very early Oath + Orchard. My opponent cast an eot Vampiric Tutor, but I believe he had misplayed his lands such that he couldn't cast Abrupt Decay. He instead tried a desperation Yawgwill but wasn't able to go off and he scooped after I found Griselbrand next upkeep.

2-0, 1-0

Round 2: Nam with MUD

  Nam won the die roll and lead with first turn Chalice on 2, shutting off the Oath in my hand. Luckily for me I had some artifact mana (as well as an Orchard) and a turn one or two Show and Tell putting Oath into play. I drew a bunch of cards off Griselbrand, Decayed the chalice at some point, and attacked for the win.

Game 2 Nam mulled to five, and I think I mulled to six. He opened with Leyline of Sanctity (shutting off my Oath and Hurkyl's in hand) and Workshop into Staff of Domination. I had a couple moxen and a first turn Sensei's Divining Top, but when he Wasted my only land (an Orchard) I drew nothing for several turns, and by the time I had Show and Tell set up, he had a Duplicant in hand for my Griselbrand. I scooped when he gained infinite life off double Staff of Domination.

Game 3 I again had a bunch of artifact mana (I believe 2 mox and a crypt that I played turn 1 to avoid having it stuck in my hand by a chalice for zero). I also had an early top again. My opponent had kept a mana light hand (strip mine + wasteland) on another mull to five. He eventually drew Workshop and played a Smokestack (which resolved) and a Lodestone Golem (which I forced). We went to time, and in extra turns I got Griselbrand into play and attacked for the win.

2-1, 2-0

  Round 3: Brendan with BUG Oath.

   Game 1, Brendan wins the roll and Thoughtseizes away my Griselbrand. I have first turn Library but draw mostly mana off it. He casts DT at some point and plays a Lotus. I get the feeling that he is trying to hardcast Griselbrand. I have lots of card advantage but no counters for a Griselbrand if he hits eight mana. Eventually I cast Jace; he hardcasts FoW but has to sac Lotus to do so, which strands the Griselbrand in his hand. I finally find an Oath, and with my Library drew into double Orchard to his single Orchard and won shortly after finding Griselbrand.

   I sided out all but one Oath and sided in my control stuff (Duress, Flusterstorm) as well as an extras Show and Tell and an extra Griselbrand. I don't remember much early in game 2 other than I had Show and Tell + Grisel in hand. I thoughtseize him and see Griselbrand, Yawgwill (with only 4 mana in play and nothing exciting in the yard), and Oath. Neither of us had an Orchard so I took Griselbrand. On his next turn he cast Gaea's Blessing, which I Swan Songed. On my next turn I played Show and Tell and won handily from there.

2-0, 3-0

  Round 4: Sam with BUG Oath

  We are the only two at 3-0, so we ID.

  0-0-1, 3-0-1

  Top 4: Nat with Bomberman

  Game 1 I remember Thoughtseizing and seeing mana, FoW, Drain, and double Auriok Salvagers. I took the Drain, thinking he had plenty of mana and that the force would at least cost him a card. He ate away at my life total with a Salvagers and some Orchard tokens. I eventually resolved Oath, but was at a low enough life total that I couldn't draw cards off him. I passed, and he drew, played the second Salvagers, and passed back. I attacked with Griselbrand, but decided against drawing seven since if I whiffed I was dead to his counterattack. He played a Trinket Mage on his turn (which my MisD couldn't counter...) and got Spellbomb which made short work of my Griselbrand. On to Game 2!

   Game 2 Nat had turn 1 Library which is bad news for me. Fortunately he drew all mana off it and no counters so he had no answer for my Show and Tell into Griselbrand. I drew a bunch of cards. He attempted to Echoing Truth Griselbrand but I had several counters by that point and was able to Vamp for Time Walk to close out the game.

  Game 3 I think Nat mulled to six and I kept my seven, which included Vault + Key. I tried an early top that got misstepped. We played a little draw-go, and I eventually cast Thoughtseize and saw something like mox, mox, crypt, and FoW. I took the force and played time vault, and on my next turn resolved key. He scooped after I drew and played Jace.

  2-1, 4-0-1

  Finals: Eric with UW Angels

  Game 1 I kept a 7 with a turn 1 Oath but no Orchard and not much else going on. I played land, mox, Oath (which resolved) and passed. Eric played land, mox, mana crypt. I played a land and passed, and Eric cast an eot FoF, followed by another the next turn. He was outdrawing me by a wide margin while I continued to look for an Orchard. Eventually he resolved a Jace (I had tried to force pitching jace but he forced back) and began by fatesealing me and bottoming the card. Naturally I topdecked Orchard and played it. He kept brainstorming with Jace and had running StPs for the first two Orchard tokens, and eventually played a Stoneforge after finding a Karakas (which, I might add, I have zero answers for in my 75...) I oath for Griselbrand, putting over half my deck in my graveyard in the process, including Lotus, Vault, and Key. I drew seven in response to his attempt to Karakas Griselbrand. Lucky for me I had Yawgwill in my hand all game, and the seven I drew gave me enough counters to protect it and play Vault + Key for the win.

  Game 2 I keep a seven with turn 2 Oath + Orchard with two forces. On turn two, I cast Oath, he spell snares, I force, he forces back, and I force again. Oath resolves, he draws his card for turn and scoops.

2-0, 5-0-1


  Overall, I was pleased with my deck. I am not sold on the Academy, though I only drew it once or twice and was never severely punished by having it unable to tap for mana. I have seen some lists not run Library, and I do not understand it. It was fantastic for me all day, and phenomenal in the mirror. I would like to add an extra 1-2 Mental Missteps, but I have no idea what I would cut. Possibly the Swan Song or MisD.

Anyways, the tournament was a blast. All of my opponents were awesome and it was great meeting everyone. Thanks to Kidforce Collectibles for running a great event, and Team Serious for setting it up, getting a Vintage event 15 minutes from where I live, and donating the Library for prize support.