Over the summer, we were trying to run a tournament to benefit the Lehigh University Magic Club. While looking at free weekends, we found out our local store was holding an event on Halloween. This was one of the few weekends I wasn't already judging somewhere else, so I decided to go. Everyone else in the local group had better things to do (not sure what, it's a Sunday. Come on guys.)
Allen and I make our way to the Goosey Gander, a local eatery. I grab a sandwich and meet Ben, who is driving across the river to the event hall. Ben and I make our way to the tournament site, the Nancy Run Fire Hall. I walk in and start to register my deck and sleeve up. While munching down on my sandwich, some other players ask me for trades. I love trading, so I pull out my binder. While in the middle of trading, last call for decklists and registration is announced. I give Ben money and my decklist, as we start pulling out various Legacy staples. The round gets posted before we get anything concrete, so we decide to work something out between rounds. This doesn't work as well as we'd like, as every match goes to time for me. Maybe I'll play a deck with creatures... eventually.
Going into the event, I expected the usual assortment of Zoo, Fish and Goblins. I also expected the meta-decks of BG Rock and Vengevine Survival, as two of the local players were discussing the decks. I break away from the traditional GUw Lands I previously ran and instead went with BUG Lands, which I felt had stronger sideboard options Additionally, I removed all of the Factories from the list, as they only encouraged sloppy play and getting blown out. While they are better against Tempo Thresh (Nimble Mongoose) and Goblins (T1 Lackey) I'd rather have more powerful singletons.
Maindeck (60)
Enchantment:
4 Exploration
3 Manabond
Sorcery:
4 Life from the Loam
Instant:
3 Intuition
Artifact:
4 Mox Diamond
1 Mindslaver
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Pithing Needle
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Zuran Orb
Land:
4 Wasteland
4 Rishadan Port
4 Maze of Ith
3 Tropical Island
1 Bayou
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Windswept Heath
3 Tranquil Thicket
3 Tolaria West
1 Creeping Tar Pit
1 Academy Ruins
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Forest
1 Ghost Quarter
2 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
1 Glacial Chasm
1 Karakas
Sideboard:
4 Dark Confidant
3 Krosan Grip
3 Extirpate
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Ethersworn Canonist
1 Null Rod
1 Engineered Explosives
The parts of this deck that I feel are the most radical is the maindeck Karakas, 2nd Tabernacle and the 2nd Explosives in the board. I moved Karakas maindeck to give me additional sideboard space, and to keep my land count high enough to support 4 Mox Diamonds. The 2nd Tabernacle is a response to the large amount of tribal aggro I expected. The 2nd Explosives functions as a more flexible Krosan Grip, and can remove other troublesome permanents like a Samurai of the Pale Curtain.
Rd 1: Kurt Madouse (GW Tempo)
Kurt was a long time dredge player, but has since picked up a new deck, Maverick. It is similar to UW Tempo, but plays Knight of the Reliquary and Tarmogoyf over weak creatures.
Game 1 sees me mull to 5. We start to go tit for tat on Wastelands, as I keep his resources tied up with Ports and a Pithing Needle on Vial. He resolves an early Sylvan Library, but can't find a fetchland. I don't draw an enchantment for the entire game, but eventually he sees the writing on the wall and scoops to Ghost Quarter lock.
Games 2 and 3 he just has more creatures than I can Maze, eventually getting in there for lethal, as I keep hands with Life from the Loam or Dark Confidant, but can't find enchantments for the life of me. In game 2 he cast Swords to Plowshares on my Dark Confidant, a move that surprised me.
Sideboard; +4 Dark Confidant, +1 Null Rod. -3 Manabond, -1Crypt, -1 Karakas
(0-1 Matches, 1-2 Games)
Rd 2: Dredge (no LEDs)
My opponent is new to the Legacy scene, and is playing Dredge. I mentally fist-pump when I heard this, as Dredge tends to be an easy matchup for Lands, especially with maindeck Crypt. His version had no out to Bridge or Chasm Lock.
Game 1 starts off with him choosing to draw. I keep a flaky hand with 2 Wastelands and 2 Ports. He dredges through most of his deck, and with 4 cards left I tap out for Mindslaver. He Dread Returns Flame-kin Zealot and wins the game in one swing.
Game 2 my deck finally gives me some enchantments and Loams. I play games by tapping his City of Brass to get some cheap damage in, as he continues dredging. I hit The Tabernacle,at Pendrell Vale and he can't keep creatures on the board. He packs it in once I Tormod's Crypt away half of his deck.
Game 3 sees him drop Putrid Imp. He starts dredging, as I sit on 2 Extirpates. He dredges into 2 Narcomoebas, and they are met with an Extirpate with their triggers dangling on the stack. The following turn he finds an Ichorid, and again they're sent packing. He tries to win the game by flashing back Cabal Therapy and Dread Returning Sphinx of Lost Truths, but it's not enough to beat my Maze of Ith.
Sideboard: +3 Extirpate, -1 Volrath's Stronghold, -1 Ghost Quarter, -1 Zuran Orb
(1-1 Matches, 3-3 in games)
Rd 3: Ben Ketel (Hypergenesis)
It always sucks to play a friend, especially early in the event. But we need to play it out at this point, so we do. We traded decklists before the event, where I saw he didn't list Hypergenesis (and told him).
Game 1 starts off with him casting Show and Tell. He puts in Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. I put in Ensnaring Bridge. Take that, Spaghetti Monster! I also drop my Karakas as my engine gets rolling. I didn't realize I could bounce it at will though, and my misplay almost costs me. Ben suspends a Hypergenesis, but in the three turns given to me his permanents tick down from 4 lands to 0.
Game 2 he mulls to 5, and still doesn't have any lands. He keeps it. I drop turn 1 Dark Confidant, followed up with Ethersworn Canonist. I put him on the quickest clock I can. I Tolaria West up a Chalice to seal the deal, and he packs it in.
Sideboard: +4 Dark Confidant, +1 Chalice of the Void, +1 Ethersworn Canonist, +3 Krosan Grip, -1 Life from the Loam, -1 Mindslaver, -1Engineered Explosives, -1 Zuran Orb, -1 Tormod's Crypt, -1 Pithing Needle, -3 Manabond
(2-1 Matches, 5-3 in games)
Rd 4: Dave Haefley (BG Rock)
Throughout this match, Dave expresses how much he didn't want to play me and how bad the matchup was for him. We'll see this is the case.
I keep a hand featuring Turn 1 Needle, turn 2 Loam. I tank for a while on Needle, and decide to name Verdant Catacombs. I keep up a respectable amount of pressure on his manabase, while he resolves a 1 /2 Tarmogoyf. He tries to clock me with a second Tarmogoyf, but two successive dredges flip Maze of Ith. Facing Ghost Quarter lock, he scoops.
Game 2 starts with him having a Putrid Leech out. He deals 16 damage before I can find anything relevant. I Engineered Explosives it away, while he topdecks a Hypnotic Specter. I'm at 2 from Leech and fetches. I have 2 Explorations in play and a Crucible. I topdeck Maze of Ith like a champ, to stop his assault. I Extirpated his Wastelands (he only had 2. Sad Panda) and started to Quarter his lands. He had 4 Lands in play, to my 3 Rishadan Ports when he topdecks The Rack to kill me.
Game 3 I board Mindslaver back in, as I actually need to win this one. I resolve an early Bob, which draws me 5 or 6 cards. We go into turns with me at 6 life and Dark Confidant on the board, while he has a Tarmogoyf. We decide to draw the match, as neither of us can kill the other at that point. I had 11 lands on the board, and only needed to find Mindslaver to pull off the win.
Sideboard: +4 Dark Confidant, +1 Crucible, +3 Extirpate, -1 Mindslaver, -1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, -3 Manabond, -1 Life from the Loam, -1Tormod's Crypt, -1 Zuran Orb
(2-1-1 Matches, 6-4 Games)
Rd 5: Joe Marucci (Geddon-Stax)
Joe and I previously squared off at the Bluebell Legacy event, where he defeated me in 3 with some Baneslayer Angels out of the board.
Game 1 I'm on the play, and I get turn 1 Manabond, discard Loam. Pretty much ideal. He plays Plains, go. I start to go crazy, while he slips a Supression Field under my Rishadan Ports. Supression Field is a major pain for me, and I can't keep up Porting him successfully. He also resolves a Crucible, potentially puttign me in trouble. I Tolaria West up EE to handle the situation, and spend 7 mana to get rid of it. I Tolaria West to grab something irrelevant, when I impulsively decide to grab a Mox Diamond instead. He Armageddons, but I recover far faster than he can. I Crypt away a good chunk of his graveyard and 3 of his basic plains, while he plays another Crucible. I set up EE lock, and despite another Armageddon he packs it in. We ask for a time check: 18 minutes left in the round.
Game 2 he opens on turn 1 Chalice for 1. I Explosives it, then play an Exploration. I get really far ahead, and lock him out of the game. He asks to see a win condition before scooping. I told him they got boarded out. Eventually I see a Dark Confidant and drop it, clocking him quickly and winning the match.
Sideboard: +4 Dark Confidant, +1 Crucible, +3 Krosan Grip, -1 Mindslaver, -1 Creeping Tar Pit, -1 Karakas, -1 Life from the Loam, -1 Zuran Orb, -1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, -1 Glacial Chasm, -1 Pithing Needle
(3-1-1 Matches, 7-4 Games)
Top 8: Kurt Madouse (GW Tempo)
And so we meet again. The rematch favored me. Knowing what we were both boarding in changed the matchup a fair amount.
Game 1 I start off with an Enchantment and stay ahead the entire game. He scoops when he has no lands in play.
Game 2 I keep a hand of 2 Wasteland 2 Port, which is solid against everything but... Turn 1 Hierarch, Turn 2 Wasteland + Qasali Pridemage, Turn 3 Knight of the Reliquary, Turn 4 Tarmogoyf. Nothing saves me at that point besides Needle + Bridge.
Game 3 I count to 13 and keep him from doing relevant things. I Extirpate his first Wasteland, seeing his sideboard plan of Ground Seal, 2x Enlightened Tutor, Wheel of Sun and Moon, Bojuka Bog and Choke.
Sideboard: +1 Crucible, +3 Krosan Grip, +3 Extirpate -3 Manabond, -1Crypt, -1 Karakas, -1 Zuran Orb
I don't bring in Dark Confidants, as he already kept Swords without knowing I had them.
(4-1-1 Matches, 9-5 Games)
Top 4: Mike (RB Goblins)
Mike is playing in his first Legacy event, and reads practically every card I play.
Game 1 I'm on the draw. I keep the nuts, more or less... if he doesn't drop a Lackey. He doesn't. Turn 1 Exploration, Turn 2 Intuition + Manabond. I keep dredging and Porting, while he plays a Vial and forgets to increment. I call him on it, so he just plays a Mogg War Marshall. He starts to play some beaters, as I frantically dig for a Tabernacle. I find a Tolaria West just in the nick of time, as I sacrificed a few lands to stay alive. I count to 13, and drop Mindslaver. Mike forces me to play out the slaver lock, and I oblige, taking note of his entire deck in the process.
Game 2 sees him go Wasteland, Relic. I waste his waste, and carefully start dredging. On turn 2, he plays Pithing Needle, naming Life from the Loam. I keep dredging, sandbagging an Intuition and Loam in my hand the whole game. He drops successive needles on Engineered Explosives and Rishadan Port. The turn he names Port I Tolaria West up Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth and play it as well as a Crucible of Worlds. He hits me for 17 while I'm at 18. I Intuition for Mindslaver and two random cards, which lets me win the game.
Sideboard: +1 Crucible of Worlds, +3 Krosan Grips. -1 Tormod's Crypt, -1 Karaks, -1 Volrath's Stronghold, -1 Ghost Quarter
(5-1-1 Matches, 11-5 Games)
I split the finals with Dave, taking home the Emerald while he got some Force of Wills and I bought him out of the Mox. It's the first piece of power I've won, but I plan on getting rid of it for some FBB Duals.
The black version of the deck feels extremely powerful, as Dark Confidant is one of the best creatures in magic. I really liked playing it. 3 Manabonds and 3 Intuitions worked out well, and the flexibility provided by Pithing Needle and Tormod's Crypt maindeck showed their merit in several matchups.
Level 2 Judge
Owner, Tales of Adventure Comics and Games, Coopersburg, PA
Nice job, thanks for the report, and congrats!
Curious how I became a Magic writer? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onR9Y...eature=channel
Loved your list. Congratz!
Needle doesn't stop LftLoam..
Nice job Judge!
Trying to trade into power!!!
Hit me up if you have any unlimited power that isn't creased. Maybe we can make a deal.
Congrats on the win.
I did have a few questions about the event and you list. How many people attended and what did the rest of top eight and metagame in general look like? Volrath's Stronghold seems out of place; is it just for the sideboard confidant plan? Also the Ethersworn Canonist cuts you off from playing loam multiple times in a turn so it can slow you down as much as combo. Would trinisphere be better? Also the nul rod is also aganst combo decks?
It was a 20 person local tournament. Their other events have been in the 40s range.Originally Posted by Krieger
Meta of top 8:
1: Me (lands)
2: Dave (BG Rock)
3: Goblins
4: 4c Landstill
5: GW Tempo
6: Ryan (UG Madness)
7: Dan (GW Survival, no vengevines)
8: UW Painter-Stone (with LEDs)
Rest of tournament:
Dredge, UG Madness, BG Rock, Excalibur, Affinity, Death and Taxes, Storm combo. There wasn't any Zoo that I saw.
Stronghold wasn't great, but it was additional inevitability with Confidant. I don't think it's really needed, but against stax the only win condition I left in was Dark Confidant.
I don't loam multiple times too often, especially against Storm. Typically I'd rather tutor up Chalice with Tolaria West, or just attack with a manland. Canonist was also just diversifying threats. I think a Sphere of Resistance may be better.
Null Rod is versatile; it comes in against storm, clearly. I also boarded it in against the Vial Aggro decks in the format. Typically, Fish will board in Crypt or Relic; winning is trivial if they don't have any hate cards in their deck.
Level 2 Judge
Owner, Tales of Adventure Comics and Games, Coopersburg, PA
creeper gets there. =)
Games won with Tar Pit? 0. It blocked once when I messed up in the top 4 to keep me alive, otherwise it did nothing. (He originally said Maze of Ith for Needle, and changed it to Port. I tapped my Mazes to play something irrelevant)
Level 2 Judge
Owner, Tales of Adventure Comics and Games, Coopersburg, PA
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