Warning: this was like a 7 page Word doc, so feel free to skip around to the actual reports.
I left for Columbus on the morning of my 28th birthday. My wife had just made her traditional birthday breakfast – eggs, home fries, candied bacon, etc – and then dropped me off at the airport. The trip started on a good note, as security thought my box of decks was suspicious and had to pull me aside for a full explosives check. Once they realized I wasn’t playing Brainstorm, they set me free and I made it to my flight. We had a layover in O’Hare, where I listened to a few birthday voicemails, and then had a quick flight to Columbus from there.
There were five of us making the trip as a team. From Austin, it was me and my buddy Patrick, who wasn’t getting in till later. From Houston it was Ben, Tim, and another Patrick. (The double Patrick situation was annoying all weekend, and will be annoying in this report, too. From here on, they’ll be referred to as Patrick A and Patrick H.) The Houston contingent had flown in already, and were battling out side events in the convention center. Ben came to pick me up from the airport, though. We stopped in at the Air BnB to drop off my bags, and then headed over to the GB Brewery to watch the Old School event.
As you might expect, Old School set the tone for the weekend. Ben and I made the rounds, and enjoyed watching a bunch of drunk dudes in their 30s and 40s slinging lots of cards printed when I was in kindergarten. Then, we sat down with Sam [TheCrav] and his friend [Koby], ordered a burger, and had some beers. At this point Patrick H met up with us, and we were joined by another Ben, who’s the writer of MtG Underground. He regaled us with tales of his drunken Belcher victories.
Somewhere along the way Matt, who Ben and I knew from Connecticut, met up with us. We headed to another bar to meet up with Tim, drank a few Yuenglings, and then headed back to the Air BnB to jam games and wait for Patrick A to come in. He did sometime after midnight, and we all got to bed around 2:00.
Friday
When 6:00 rolled around, no one was feeling too happy. After showering and eating some bagels from the Kroger next door we felt a little less grumpy, and at 7:45 we headed over to the convention hall. It took a while to find parking, and we all enjoyed the refreshingly cold Ohio morning.
The hall was fairly empty, which gave us plenty of room to fill out deck reg sheets, wander around, and chat with RK Post. Tim, Patrick H, and Ben were all playing in the Vintage champs, while Patrick A and myself were going to play the Legacy 25K that started a few hours later. This was nice, as we got to watch their first rounds. At 11, though, we sat down for our tournament. Here’s what I was on:
Round I: Taylor on BUG Landstill: 2-1
- I won the die roll and started with a Forest & Wild Growth, and my opponent laughed knowingly. It turned out he’s got Enchantress built, which is never good news – Enchantress is significantly weaker if your opponent understands the deck. Fortunately I got game 1 without much interruption. Game 2 he had pretty much every good BUG answer (Fortune Thief, Leovold, Golgari Charm, etc). Game 3 was going pretty poorly, but I managed to topdeck stupidly well with GSZ into Sigarda, then RIP Helm for the win.
Round II: Edward on Grixis Delver: 0-2
- Game 1 I kept a 1-lander with a bunch of Wild Growth effects, an Enchantress, and answers, but never drew another land. Game 2 I mulled to 4, kept an opener with a land and Guile, but then got torn apart by Cabal Therapy. Grixis is a good deck.
Round III: Joel on Thalia Stompy: 0-2
- Joel quickly made a Chalice for 1, a Prelate for 3, another Chalice for 4, and then got a Displacer/TKS lock. Gross. In game 2 I kept a turn-2 Blood Moon hand, but he lead off with Sol Land, Diamond, Diamond, TKS. I topdecked a Solitary Confinement to hold him off, but he topdecked Disenchant.
Round IV: Chris on Infect: 1-2
- Game 1 he kept a slow hand, and I got the lock. Game 2 I mindlessly kept a hand with no defensive pieces, and he killed me quickly. Game 3 I couldn’t stick a lock piece, and double Invigorate > Berserk did what it does.
Round V: Josh on Tin Fins: 1-2
- Josh is one of the Atlanta Tusk guys, and next to us was another Tusk, Evan. They were both super cool, and I thanked them for the podcast. Game 1 I got a pretty solid win, and game 2 he got a pretty solid win. Game 3 I had a stupidly good lock going, and he was stuck on 1 land . . . then he drew a land and slammed a Serenity. The game didn’t go much longer than that. At least Evan and I got to chat about how good Ulamog is.
Round VI: Bruce on DnT: 1-1
- Bruce was a nice guy from Toronto. He and I were both playing in the next side event, which started pretty soon. We each won 1 game, but as we were both out of prize contention, we dropped to go play the next event.
Everyone was really cool, and made me happy to be at Eternal Weekend. Likewise, Patrick A had a nice run in the 25K on Dredge, so it was looking like a decent day. Still, Enchantress tanked hard, so I thought I’d try my luck with Quinn in the Legacy Challenge.
Oh yeah, I also met up with Elton [L10] in between rounds. He’s a really cool guy, and we’ve shared MUD ideas on The Source a lot. He was struggling with BUG Fish in the Vintage event, but seemed to be enjoying himself anyway. We checked in with each other regularly over the course of the weekend, and as neither of us had anything successful to report on, we talked about the future of the MUD archetype instead.
Anyway, the Legacy Challenge:
Round I: Kevin on Nic Fit Sneak Show: 1-1-1
- As you might expect from a match involving Sneak Show vs Orim’s Chant, this whole thing was weird. Game 1 took about 40 minutes before I got the RIP Helm kill. He killed me after about 2 minutes in Game 2, and Game 3 went to time.
Round II: Mauricio on Grixis Delver: 0-2
- I was feeling good after a very weird match of Legacy, but then got totally blown about by Grixis. The highlight was when I attempted to Plow a Pyromancer, only to have him triple Daze, Brainstorm, and Bolt in response to make 5 tokens and win shortly thereafter.
Round III: Ross on Miracles: 0-2
- I was now both tired and tilted, and Ross made easy work of me. I got to experience the joy of facing down a Jace with Countertop floating Wear/Tear.
As the Vintage champs were nearing their end and I was suddenly grumpy, I dropped to go watch the final rounds. Ben was 5-3 on Oath, and got paired against another Houston guy, Nick. Ben got the win off some very dumb plays (e.g. turn 1 land, Lotus, Vault, Key) and finished 6-3! Likewise, Sam managed 6-3, which was cool.
When they were all done, we headed back to the apartment to drop off our bags, then met up with Nick at some bar that specializes in pierogies. We were all pretty beat, and after dinner got to bed around midnight.
Saturday
We woke up at 6:30 and everyone was chipper. After showering, etc, we headed downtown. It was warmer out and felt great to be outside, so logically we rushed into the convention center to breathe recycled air and drink lattes from the Starbucks inside. Still, it was a noticeably easier start to the day.
We’d all filled out decklists the night prior. Here’s what I was on:
Round I: Kevin on Grixis Delver: 2-0
- Kevin was a nice guy who is more of a Vintage player. Game 1 I got a brutal Chalice on 1 & 2, Lodestone, Wasteland, and Trinisphere lock. Game 2 was funny: he got down 4 Deathrites to form a bit of a standstill, chiseling me down to 1, and had things like Ancient Grudge. Wurmcoil and Glimmerpost saved the day, though, and eventually I snuck out a Blightsteel for the win.
Round II: Lou on Sneak Show: 1-2
- Lou made the trip all the way from Switzerland, and was a nice guy. Unfortunately, he was playing one of my least favorite decks to see across the table. Game 1 was kinda grindy, but eventually Emrakul got there for him. Game 2 I put in a Blightsteel of a Show & Tell for the surprise win. Game 3 I made a quick Metalworker, then put in Staff Of Domination off his Show & Tell. Unfortunately, Metalworker was summoning sick and he had Omniscience into Emrakul.
Round III: Kiel on Enchantress: 2-1
- Game 1 I lead with a Chalice at 1, and he was sad. Turn 2 Enchantress came down, and he wound up winning the game off Solitary and RIP Helm! Games 2 and 3 I made quick work of him; it’s a pretty easy matchup for MUD. Afterwards we chatted about how awesome Enchantress is; his deck was beautiful, with lots of foil and Korean shit that I can’t afford.
Round IV: James on Belcher: 1-2
- Game 1 he won the roll and made a Belcher, but couldn’t activate it. I made a Trinisphere and won. Game 2 he killed me with a turn 1 Belch. Game 3 I mulled to 4 to find a lock piece, and made a Chalice on 1. It needed to be 0, so he made 12 Goblins that I couldn’t race.
Round V: Matt on Sneak Show: 2-1
- Matt was a nice guy from Dallas. I didn’t take any notes at all, but if I remember correctly Chalice did work and he bricked on his draws.
Round VI: Ben on Shardless: 0-2
- BGx is another breed of deck I was hoping to dodge. I didn’t, and Ben did what Shardless is known for: he majorly outground me with Liliana, Maelstrom Pulse, Strix, etc. Many heartbreaking moments, like having mana on board for an Ugin only to have it Hymned away.
Round VII: Josh on Reanimator: 2-1
- The long day and losses started to get to me, and it showed in this match. Unfortunately for me, Elton also stopped over to observe and got to see how big of a moron I can be. Highlights included swinging into Griselbrand with a Lodestone instead of just with a Wurmcoil, as well as playing an unnecessary TKS when I could have left mana up to Staff down a Griselbrand and win on the crackback. Still, lock pieces and Tormod’s Crypt did a ton of work for me, and I was lucky that he didn’t have a Tidespout in the 75.
Round VIII: Nicholas on Merfolk: 2-0
- After getting a win I didn’t deserve, I resolved to be a better human for the last 3 rounds. When I sat down against Nicholas, he commented on how he made it to the finals of the 25K yesterday. I knew there were 2 Merfolk players in the top 8, so I wondered . . . When he Wasted my turn 1 Cloudpost and then made an Island, my suspicions were confirmed. I got a quick Ugin to win game 1. Game 2 he set up a masterful play in which he was gonna blow me out by Vialing in 2 TNNs against my attacking Lodestones, but I used Forgemaster to fetch a Contagion Engine for the real blowout.
Round IX: Max on DnT: 1-2
- At this point I was 5-3, and feeling pumped that I might finish out at 7-3 and have a chance at the top 64! But then . . . DnT: my worst MUD matchup. Well, in this meta it had to happen eventually. My notes suck, but somehow I got there game 1. It looks like games 2 and 3 he managed to Needle/Revoker pretty much every card in my deck, so I’m not surprised I lost.
Round X: Jeff on Goblin Stompy: 2-0
- With the last loss, the edge was off and I just wanted to have a fun last round. Fortunately, Jeff was a cool guy and we were both pumped to be playing against fringe decks. Unfortunately for him, MUD just goes bigger than Stompy, and Blood Moon is less devastating against me than it is to other decks. He took it in stride, though.
So I finished the day at 6-4 (or 143rd out of 600ish), which was fine.
Fortunately, I got a boost from my friends’ performances: Ben and Sam both went 7-3 on Sneak Show and Tin Fins, respectively, and Patrick went 8-2 on Dredge for 17th place! This included a features-match win, in which he shouted out our team, the EldraziLords.
(Background: we’ve been trying to decide on a team name for a while now. Patrick wants it to be the EldraziLords, but everyone else recognizes that’s dumb as fuck. Other proposed names have been Run The Duals, the Fragmentizers, the Squadron Hawks, and the Faerie Conclave, but of course Patrick had to give us a shoutout, so I guess we’re stuck with the EldraziLords.)
After final standings were announced, we headed over to Bareburger. The burgers were good, and they had Two Hearted on tap, which was a favorite of mine when I lived in Chicago. Oh, and we even got a pic, so you can put faces to names and all that:
(From left to right that’s Ben, Tim, Patrick A, Patrick H, and me. I’m cheesing it pretty hardcore.)
We hung out there for a while and were happy and tired, then eventually headed back to the Air BnB. Tim had gotten us each a pack of Urza’s Legacy to pack war with, and Ben got me some Italian Legends boosters for my birthday. Cracked such chase cards as Giant Slug and Great Wall.
Sunday
With the real competition behind us, we slept in till a luxurious 7:30, then got all packed up and checked out of the Air BnB. We got to the convention center around 9:30, which gave us time to grab coffee inside. Patrick H decided he’d slung enough cardboard for the weekend and wanted to watch the Top 8s instead, but the rest of us played in the 10:00 Legacy Challenge. I was on MUD again, while Patrick A had switched to Eldrazi. Ben and Tim swapped decks, so Ben was on Sneak Show and Tim was on Belcher.
Round I: Bruce on DnT: 2-1
- I recognized my opponent from the 25K: it was Bruce, from Toronto! Very nice guy, so I was happy to be sitting down across him . . . until I remembered he’s on DnT. He kicked the shit out of me game 1, and game 2 I ground it out with Ratchet Bombs, etc. Game 3 I somehow got out 5 Locuses, and landed both Karn and Ugin. ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED.
Round II: Joel on Tezzerator: 0-2
- I was feeling elated to have beaten DnT, and I recognized Joel as the Thalia Stomper from the 25K! I kept a hand that could go toe-to-toe with the colorless and white dudes he was playing . . . but then he Dacked my Lodestone. “We Vintage now, boys,” was his exact quote. That game went as well as could be expected, and game 2 was pretty miserable too. Still, props to him for playing a badass deck.
Round III: Nick on Esper Stoneblade: 0-2
- My notes suck, but I remember such highlights as having my Chalice Forced & Surgicaled, and facing down Jace and a Clique with Sword of Feast & Famine. Ugh.
Round IV: Josh on Grixis Delver: 0-2, sort of
- I was signed up for the 1:00 Vintage challenge, which started 10 minutes after this round began. I told Josh that if we didn’t finish by then, I’d concede to him. Game 1 I got to the point of having out an Ugin, but then they announced the Vintage event and I shook his hand.
With that, I was done with Legacy for the weekend. It was time for a palate cleanser.
It turned out Vintage only got 7 people, including me and Ben. Also turned out they were all real Vintage players, with, like, Power and stuff. Meanwhile I was on this:
They seemed like nice guys, though, so whatever.
Round I: Alan on Gifts Control: 2-0
- At this point in the weekend I stopped taking notes, but I know that hatebears did things to him.
Round II: Steven on Gush Pyromancer: 1-2
- This event was the first Vintage I’d played in a while, and the first time I’d ever played this deck. However, I was aware that Gush is a thing and it’s bad for my deck. That’s basically how this went. I remember a Sulfur Elemental nuked my board and Baby Jace was good, but that’s about it.
Round III: Ben on Dredge: 2-1
- Finally, I got to play one of my teammates! Ben’s much more of a Vintage guy than me, but not regularly a Dredger. Game 1 we ground it out, thanks to maindeck Dryad Arbiter being a fucking house (though eventually he got me with zombies and Bloodghasts). Game 2 I locked him out with shit, apparently. Game 3 he mulled to 1 with no Bazaar, while I went turn 1 double Spirit Guide, double Cage. The following 2 turns I drew 2 Ravenous Traps. Once I made a dude, he conceded.
Round IV: Michael on TPS: 1-2
- I knew he was on TPS, which I was all amped for cause the internet says I crush this matchup. Game 1 reinforced that, as he conceded to my turn 2 Thalia. Game 2 I opened with a Leyline of Sanctity, but he went off for ETW into like 20+ Goblins. WTF, I say to myself, TPS doesn’t play ETW. Game 3 I made a turn 0 Leyline and Turn 1 Dryad, and he made a turn 1 Blightsteel. I chumped it with an Arbiter on his next turn, going to 9 infect. I knocked the top of my deck for luck . . . and drew 1 of 2 StP I left in!!! I Plow his dude and felt the Vintage gods were smiling on me, and Michael was justifiably tilted. I made a Stony Silence and started to bash with weenies, but then he hardcast a Yawgmoth’s Bargain, made 38 Goblins, and showed me why people like me shouldn’t be allowed into Vintage tournaments.
And with that, we called it a weekend. Patrick A and I had slightly earlier flights, so the crew dropped us off at the airport and we checked in. We hung out and discussed the weekend, then went our separate ways (we stupidly didn’t book the same flight home). As it turned out we were both delayed and didn’t get back to Austin until 1:00 AM, but my wife is a great human and picked us up.
So that was that! I haven’t emphasized enough how awesome everyone was. Over 27 rounds I didn’t have a single unpleasant opponent, and the vast majority I’d gladly play again, grab a beer with, etc. Eternal Weekend 2017 is scheduled for next September, and there’s a 99% chance I’ll be there. You can’t account for variance, of course.
TL;DR I didn’t win shit but had a good time.
pleasure to meet you man. Great report and keep fighting the good fight.
Tusk Up
Cheers dude - great meeting you as well! Hopefully I'll make it down to Altanta for some Legacy someday.
Awesome report and thanks for reminding me I'm not the only Josh that is a Tusk. Sorry things didn't go better, but I know how it is. I'm torn on eweekend or super duper Vegas GP weekend next year so we'll see.
Originally Posted by Richard Cheese
Honestly this was probably my biggest takeaway from the event, too.
you're the one and only josh tusk, that was goblin josh of the shattergang brothers
Tusk Up
Ah fuck, I knew this report would cause drama.
Great report. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Keep fighting the good fight. I hope we get a bone in the next couple of sets.
It was great meeting you. I hope to be man enough to play MUD next time.
You're the deusier of the two Atlanta Joshs. So you got that going for you. Should've come to E Weekend this time around, got to meet the Seattle guys I didn't already know and watch phazonmutant fall asleep during deck registration before the Legacy main event, vomit multiple times, win round 1, and finish up the event in top 64.
Couple rough beats on the Enchantress matches.
You won your first Vintage match, though - sick.
EDIT: Shit, he wrote a "sick" report: http://www.mtgthesource.com/forums/s...-Champs-Top-64 ~ He got to play Goblin Josh as well surprisingly - and then Evan.
Tusk up.
(Not so) Current Decks: GB Elves, GW Maverick, GWb Maverick, LED Dredge, ANT, TES, Jund Storm.
Eldrazilords - man we gotta have a talk with Patrick A
The man plays Dredge - there's no talking sense into him.
How I envision a Dredge player:
In my experience they're more like this:
Thanks for the shout out Stu. Was a pleasure to play against you twice on different decks! Glad to be a part of your Ugin ultimate ;)
Nice Guy Bruce
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