Meandeck Open -- 12-26-2010, Columbus, Ohio -- Results and Metagame Breakdown

[Mark Sun]

Hi everyone,

The results and metagame breakdown from the 12-26-2010 Meandeck Open are now available. There were a total of 22 players in attendance, including myself, Mark Sun, your friendly local asian guy/host. For 22 players, we had a good percentage of Established archetypes being represented, and of course, as you know, it was one of Survival of the Fittest's last stands in Legacy, and naturally, 3 of the Top 8 were Survival decks. More on that later.

Just like the last event, I've taken my talents to Excel to give you a better representation of what the tournament looked like overall

Three decks really didn't fit any of the descriptions for an Established archetype, so they are labeled as "Rogue." The Top 8 had one player who wanted to continue to the Top 4, so it the first round was played out. The Top 4 split, each taking home $88 each. Metagame breakdown chart + graph:

The standings going into Top 8:


1. Jacob Branstetter, Zoo
2. Stephen Menendian, BUG Fish
3. Michael Bomholt, Meandeck MUD
4. Mark Sun, GW Survival
5. Gus Schade, Aeon Bridge
6. Riley Curran, GWr Elf Survival
7. Ben Steiner, Bant Survival
8. Micah Dowell, UB Merfolk


The Top 8 playoff:

(1) Jacob Branstetter defeats (8) Micah Dowell
(2) Stephen Menendian defeats (7) Ben Steiner
(6) Riley Curran defeats (3) Michael Bomholt
(5) Gus Schade defeats (4) Mark Sun



Congratulations to those four for taking home the prize! So many insane plays!



Top 8 Decklists:

1. Jacob Branstetter, Zoo

2 Kird Ape
3 Grim Lavamancer
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Qasali Pridemage
3 Knight of the Reliquary

3 Sylvan Library
3 Lightning Helix
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
1 Swords to Plowshares
2 Fireblast

3 Horizon Canopy
3 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
3 Arid Mesa
3 Taiga
2 Savannah
2 Plateau
1 Mountain
1 Forest
1 Plains

SB:
1 Swords to Plowshares
3 Gaddock Teeg
2 Pyroblast
1 Red Elemental Blast
3 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Umezawa’s Jitte
2 Nature’s Claim
1 Krosan Grip


2. Stephen Menendian, BUG Fish

4 Dark Confidant
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Trygon Predator
2 Vendillion Clique
2 Noble Hierarch

3 Thoughtseize
3 Spell Pierce
3 Ghastly Demise
4 Brainstorm
4 Preordain
4 Force of Will
3 Daze
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

4 Wasteland
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Bayou
2 Tropical Island
2 Underground Sea
1 Island
1 Swamp
1 Forest
1 Creeping Tar Pit

SB:
3 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Extirpate
2 Krosan Grip
1 Ghastly Demise
2 Smother
3 Natural Order
1 Progenitus
1 Dryad Arbor


3. Michael Bomholt, Meandeck MUD

4 Goblin Welder
4 Huldotha Forgemaster
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Metalworker
2 Myr Battlesphere
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Sundering Titan
4 Wurmcoil Engine

2 Crucible of Worlds
4 Grim Monolith
3 Lightning Greaves
3 Mox Diamond
3 Mox Opal
4 Voltaic Key

4 Ancient Tomb
4 City of Traitors
1 Ghost Quarter
4 Great Furnace
4 Wasteland

SB:
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Pithing Needle
2 Tormod’s Crypt
3 Trinisphere
1 Steel Hellkite


4. Mark Sun, GW Survival

// Lands
4 [UNH] Forest
1 [UNH] Plains
3 [FUT] Horizon Canopy
3 [R] Savannah
3 [TE] Wasteland
4 [ON] Windswept Heath
2 [ON] Wooded Foothills
1 [US] Gaea's Cradle
1 [FUT] Dryad Arbor
1 [LG] Karakas

// Creatures
3 [ROE] Vengevine
4 [FUT] Tarmogoyf
2 [TO] Basking Rootwalla
3 [ARB] Qasali Pridemage
4 [CFX] Noble Hierarch
3 [CFX] Knight of the Reliquary
1 [WWK] Stoneforge Mystic
4 [UL] Mother of Runes
1 [FUT] Aven Mindcensor
1 [SOM] Memnite

// Spells
4 [EX] Survival of the Fittest
4 [CST] Swords to Plowshares
1 [CFX] Path to Exile
1 [MI] Enlightened Tutor
1 [BOK] Umezawa's Jitte
1 [DS] Sword of Fire and Ice

// Sideboard
SB: 1 [WWK] Bojuka Bog
SB: 1 [CFX] Progenitus
SB: 1 [SHM] Faerie Macabre
SB: 1 [DK] Tormod's Crypt
SB: 3 [PT] Natural Order
SB: 1 [ALA] Empyrial Archangel
SB: 3 [TSP] Krosan Grip
SB: 4 [M11] Leyline of Sanctity


5. Gus Schade, Aeon Bridge

3 Underground Sea
3 Polluted Delta
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Tropical Island
4 Mosswort Bridge
1 Bayou
1 Forest
1 Swamp

4 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
4 Phyrexian Dreadnought

4 Stifle
4 Lim-Dul’s Vault
4 Brainstorm
3 Ponder
4 Show and Tell
4 Force of Will
4 Thoughtseize
2 Duress
1 Misdirection
2 Worldly Tutor

SB:
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Blazing Archon
1 Progenitus
1 Form of the Dragon
1 Llawan, Cephalid Empress
2 Krosan Grip
3 Pithing Needle
3 Faerie Macabre
2 Tormod’s Crypt


6. Riley Curran, GWr Survival Elves

1 Joraga Warcaller
2 Quirion Ranger
2 Wirewood Symbiote
4 Fyndhorn Elves
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Priest of Titania
4 Fauna Shaman
4 Elvish Archdruid
4 Imperious Perfect
1 Elvish Champion
1 Sylvok Replica
1 Mirror Entity
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
3 Sylvan Messenger
1 Anger
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn

4 Survival of the Fittest

5 Forest
2 Taiga
2 Savannah
4 Misty Rainforest
3 Verdant Catacombs
1 Gaea’s Cradle

SB:
4 Mindbreak Trap
1 Wellwisher
3 Absolute Law
2 Faerie Macabre
1 Caller of the Claw
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Umezawa’s Jitte
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Stingscourger


7. Ben Steiner, Bant Survival

4 Tropical Island
2 Savannah
1 Tundra
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Windswept Heath
1 Flooded Strand
1 Forest
1 Plains
1 Island

4 Noble Hierarch
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Rhox War Monk
2 Qasali Pridemage
2 Vendilion Clique
2 Meddling Mage
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Loyal Retainers
1 Squee, Goblin Nabob
1 Cold-Eyed Selkie
1 Wonder

4 Force of Will
4 Brainstorm
4 Swords to Plowshares
4 Survival of the Fittest
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

SB:
4 Path to Exile
3 Faerie Macabre
3 Krosan Grip
1 Gilded Drake
1 Llawan, Cephalid Empress
1 Gaddock Teeg
2 Dueling Grounds


8. Micah Dowell, UB Merfolk

4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Merrow Reejerey
4 Coralhelm Commander
4 Silvergill Adept
2 Kira, Great Glass Spinner
2 Cursecatcher
1 Cosi’s Trickster

4 Force of Will
4 Daze
2 Spell Pierce
2 Spell Snare
4 Aether Vial
4 Standstill

4 Wasteland
4 Mutavualt
4 Polluted Delta
3 Underground Sea
4 Island

SB:
1 Blue Elemental Blast
1 Hydroblast
3 Thoughtseize
2 Perish
3 Extirpate
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Tormod’s Crypt
2 Llawan, Cephalid Empress



I hope everyone joined the event. Due to my job situation, I will likely not be your host for the next event, which is scheduled for March 6th. I’ll see if I can get more information before I’m no longer in driving distance to attend these things.

Until next time,



--M

[Smmenen]

Thanks Mark.

My deck was designed by Brian DeMars. The Creeping Tar Pit was anti-Jace technology, and was sbed out in the matchups where I brought in Dryad Arbor + Nat/Pro combo.

His deck worked wonderfully.

[Windux]

Some questions on it:
Why just 1 Jace?
Spell Pierce over Snare or Daze? Meta decision?
2 Noble Hierarch = For the Goyfwars or for what?

[Waikiki]

Thanks Mark.

My deck was designed by Brian DeMars. The Creeping Tar Pit was anti-Jace technology, and was sbed out in the matchups where I brought in Dryad Arbor + Nat/Pro combo.

His deck worked wonderfully.

Are we going to get a report? Would be nice ;)

Also the list is 57 cards. 3 snare or daze missing maybe 2 more hierarch ?

[Mark Sun]

Are we going to get a report? Would be nice ;)

Also the list is 57 cards. 3 snare or daze missing maybe 2 more hierarch ?

3 Daze. Stephen sent the venue his list sorted by cmc, I must have overlooked it when I was transferring everything to Land/Creature/Spell order.

[Jim Higginbottom]

I'm pretty sure the hierarchs are largely for the progenitus sb plan.

[inside88]

I'm pretty sure the hierarchs are largely for the progenitus sb plan.

No, Brian Demars say

Noble Hierarch
It may seem strange that the B/U/G Tempo deck only plays two copies of this card. Let me start by saying that Hierarch is amazingly good when you draw him in your opening hand. Noble Hierarch's ability to keep mana production up, while you attack an opponent's mana with Wasteland (or trade mana advantage for tempo with Daze) is completely unreal awesome.

However, on any turn other than 1, Hierarch is kind of a dud draw… and drawing him in multiples makes our tempo deck drag through the midgame. I resolved that problem by playing only two copies. He will be excellent every time I start with him — but rarely will I be burdened with drawing more later on. When we draw him in the opening hand, he'll be outstanding—but, we don't need him in the opener in order to get the party started.

[Waikiki]

Did he wrote an article or did you just asked?

[Amon Amarth]

That MUD list is awesome. Any chance of a report in the near future?

[Waikiki]

I keep on wondering how he supports mox diamond with just 17 land.

[yawg07]

Maybe it just works on number theory.
I mean, the mox to land ratio is almost the same.
At least when I played Stax and such, it was 24 land : 4 moxen.
So, subtract 1/4 of each to get 18 land : 3 moxen.
My guess is that the 18th land got cut for another card in the building process.

That may be crazy, but it sounds fine to me. *shrug*