Weekly 3CB: #10 (entries close 12/7/07) (PMs accepted)

[Illissius]

3CB #10 is open for entries! Congratulations to Illissius, winner of 3CB #9, and to TheCramp, only two points behind!

Decklists and results for previous 3CBs can be found at the wiki. Edit your results in for 3CBs #3-5 and #9 if you played in those (password is 3cbthesource). Seriously guys, this is getting ridiculous. Every time you don't edit the wiki, God kills a lesbian.

Entries for this round close at 23:59 EST on Friday, December 7th. To enter, either PM me, or send your deck by email to thesource3cb at gmail. I'm accepting a second deck per player, if you want to submit one (do it separately from the first). Preferred format for submissions:

(3CB #10 Entry title of PM or email)
A Powerful Card, A Sorrowful Tale deck name

City of Traitors first card
Rishadan Pawnshop second card
Kobolds of Kher Keep third card

I once played a deck with Rishadan Pawnshop in it, it let me shuffle a permanent I own back into my own library for . It was awesome. So awesome. I loved it. I wanted to marry it, but my dreams were cruelly dashed apart, and now I am but a broken, empty husk of a hopeless half-man without any hope whose dreams have been cruelly dashed apart. I am become Woe, the gatherer of turds. =( notes, comments, flames, taunts, theological thermodynamic dissertations

My username is insertnamehere. if you send email, be sure to include your username

these tiny letters are explanation, not part of the format, damnit.

If you're paranoid about me seeing your deck (I won't), I'll be posting the MWS security code for my own deck within the next few days and you can wait for that.



-- What is 3CB? --

3CB, which stands for Three Card Blind, is a unique format of Magic play, quite unlike any other; sort of like a very (very, very -- in the way a government bureaucracy is an advanced form of a pickpocket --) advanced form of Rock, Paper, Scissors. As per the name, you have three cards, of your own choosing. They are your deck and your hand. Your opponent also has three cards. All normally hidden information is visible to both players, and nothing happens randomly, so the optimal play for each player is always known -- meaning you don't actually play any Magic, per se. You submit a deck, so does everyone else, and all outcomes (all decks versus all other decks) are determined deterministically, usually by a moderator, or (as we do here) group effort. Unless you can break the format in half, it often comes down to metagaming.


-- Rules of 3CB --

Your deck is composed of 3 cards which all start in your hand.
Your library contains 0 cards and you don’t have a sideboard nor own any cards outside of the game. (Wishes fetch nothing.)
Random effects always go in your opponent's favor. (This includes Chaos Orb and Falling Star. If controllership of something with random effects changes, they go in favor of the player who doesn't own it.)
You can see your opponent's hand, so you make the best possible play. (If both players' taking an action would cause that player to lose the game, then neither player takes any action, and the game is a draw.)
You don't lose as a result of not being able to draw a card. (If cards are put in your library, you draw them as normal. Effects which require you to skip a draw work as normal.)
You play each opponent twice; once going first and once going second.
For each win, you score 3 points.
For each draw, you score 1 point.
For each loss, you score 0 points.

Three rules restrict the kind of deck you can send. They are:
1. You may not submit a deck that can win before the opponent's first main phase.
2. You may not submit a deck that can force an opponent to lose more than one card from his or her hand in a single turn.
3. You may not submit a deck that uses a card on the 3CB banned list.

Other than the aforementioned, everything is handled exactly like a real game of Magic.


-- 3CB Banned List --

All Ante Cards
All Promo cards not available on Gatherer/Autocard
All Unglued and Unhinged Cards (excluding basic lands)

Creatures:
Magus of the Moon
Mesmeric Fiend
Nezumi Shortfang
Voidstone Gargoyle

Lands:
Ghost Quarter
Glacial Chasm
Strip Mine
Wasteland

Artifacts:
The Rack

Enchantments:
Barren Glory
Form of the Dragon

Instants:
Force of Will

Sorceries:
Abandon Hope
Balance
Blackmail
Cabal Therapy
Coercion
Pulse of the Dross
Restore Balance
Thoughtseize

[Sanguine Voyeur]

Still two decks? I forgot to enter last time.

[Illissius]

Yep.

[etrigan]

Is that really necessary? 13 individual players, plus Sacul and whoever else forgot to enter. That should give us 15-18 players next week, which is enough.

[Illissius]

Minus whoever doesn't feel like entering again. No, it isn't necessary, but why not? Around 20 entries like we got last time is perfectly fine.

[SpatulaOfTheAges]

No, it isn't necessary, but why not?

Why not have 5 lists each?

It feels lame; like you don't have to ride anything on a decklist, cause you have a back-up. Plus it can make double-checking confusing. This one's all ready started, but I for one would like a return to normalcy next go round.

[Illissius]

Well, I'm open to opinions. What do other people think?

I like aiming for about 20 entries, and optional second decks seem to get us in the neighbourhood of that. As for why specifically two: it's the first whole number greater than one. Personally, I like it because it lets me submit one deck to try and win with, and another just to experiment.

[Illissius]

Security codes for my decks are D17BE6D8 and 47FE9685.

If no one else cares about second decks either way, I think I'll stick with them for now (unless there's a big jump in participation).

[Wallace]

Security codes for my decks are D17BE6D8 and 47FE9685.

If no one else cares about second decks either way, I think I'll stick with them for now (unless there's a big jump in participation).

I think two decks is fine, I mean this is just for fun anyway right? Its cool to be able to test two decks at once.

[Illissius]

Less than a day and a half left!

[etrigan]

How is random discard handled?

[georgjorge]

Random effects always go in your opponent's favor. (This includes Chaos Orb and Falling Star. If controllership of something with random effects changes, they go in favor of the player who doesn't own it.)

[etrigan]

That explains heads/tails random choice. How does it explain random choice in regards to cards in hand? Does the opponent simply choose?

[Mordenkain]

That explains heads/tails random choice. How does it explain random choice in regards to cards in hand? Does the opponent simply choose?

In opponents favor. I would take it as the opponent chooses the card he wants to discard because that is the most advantage to him.

[Illissius]

Pretty good haul this week, seems second decks really caught on. Which means, ironically enough, that I'm not going to do them next week, as we had a good turnout this time even without them (16 unique players)... and maybe for the next several weeks afterwards either, because I'm going to have less time for all this stuff during exam period.

Also, mad props go to SpatulaOfTheAges for being the second person to fill in his wiki results for 3CB #3. Only 23 more to go!

1. SpatulaOfTheAges - WeWorkHardWePlayHard.dec
Mishra's Workshop
Epochrasite
Chimeric Idol

2. SpatulaOfTheAges - Umph
Black Lotus
City of Traitors
Kodama of the North Tree

3. T_B - Worst Color's Best Deck
Black Lotus
Ajani Goldmane
Quicksand

4. georgjorge - But...this is madness !
Quicksand
Gibbering Descent
Lion's Eye Diamond

5. georgjorge - Another Tribute to Tacosnape...
Mishra's Workshop
Wheel of Torture
Chimeric Idol

6. Sanguine Voyeur - Shining Arbor
Dryad Arbor
Shining Shoal
Autochthon Wurm

7. Sanguine Voyeur - I know how to spell Tabernacle?
City of Traitors
Epochrasite
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale

8. Sacearuse - Basic Plains
Plains
Mishra's Factory
Swords to Plowshares

9. Sacearuse - Hostle
Black Lotus
Black Lotus
Hostility

10. Xero - Lol@STP
Black Lotus
Show and Tell
Akroma, Angel of Fury

11. Xero -
Black Lotus
Channel
Nullstone Gargoyle

12. technogeek5000 - 3 lands .deck
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
Sheltered Valley
Mishra's Factory

13. technogeek5000 - Gargoyle
Nullstone Gargoyle
City of Traitors
Black Lotus

14. Mordenkain - //Neo-Pawnshop.dec
Epochrasite
City of Traitors
Tel-Jilad Stylus

15. Mordenkain - //Megaliths.dec
Keldon Megaliths
Energy Field
Izzet Boilerworks

16. TheCramp - Metaguess...
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
Eladamri's Vineyard
Treetop Village

17. TheCramp - Delayed Blast Fireball!!
Black Lotus
City of Traitors
Chandra Nalaar

18. Andros - Bomb Factory
Mishra's Factory
Orzhov Basilica
Vindicate

19. Maveric78f - Drunk Village People
Treetop Village
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
Eladamri's Vineyard

20. Maveric78f - Isamaru's singularity
Leyline of Singularity
Karakas
Isamaru, Hound of Konda

21. DeepfriedDynamite - TITAN
Black Lotus
Show and Tell
Sundering Titan

22. etrigan - Two Great Tastes
The Tabernacle as Pendrell Vale
Mishra's Workshop
Chimeric Idol

23. Anusien - Did I Do All That Math For Nothing?
Dreadship Reef
Urza's Factory
Energy Field

24. Anusien - This Lotus Card is Silly
Dreadship Reef
Urza's Factory
Chalice of the Void

25. freakish777 -
Eladamri's Vineyard
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
Treetop Village

26. freakish777 -
Mishra's Workshop
Wheel of Torture
Steel Golem

27. Illissius - Big Liths
Keldon Megaliths
Izzet Boilerworks
Energy Field

28. Illissius - Four Mana Rare Enchantment
Black Lotus
Leonin Squire
Land Equilibrium
(10/4/2004 This is a replacement effect, so it is not possible to tap the land that just entered play for mana (as a mana source) before you sacrifice a land.)

Calculate your results. Add them to the wiki. (Password is 3cbthesource.)

Also, rofl. I just noticed we actually get to play the matchup this time (there was *ahem* some discussion about it on IRC) -- guys, try to figure out the results of #24 versus #12. Guaranteed headache. (I already know, as does Anusien, but not telling yet ;).

[Wallace]

Question about Nullstone Gargoyle, if my opponent goes Lotus, Show & Tell, Gargoyle, can I swords it. The Black Lotus would be the first Non-Creature spell in the turn right?

I would also like to say that I think Energy Field is way to powerfull and needs to be banned. Either you play it, or a way to destroy it, or you lose.

1. SpatulaOfTheAges - WeWorkHardWePlayHard.dec
Mishra's Workshop
Epochrasite
Chimeric Idol

D-D 2 (2)

2. SpatulaOfTheAges - Umph
Black Lotus
City of Traitors
Kodama of the North Tree

L-L 0 (2)

3. T_B - Worst Color's Best Deck
Black Lotus
Ajani Goldmane
Quicksand

L-L 0 (2)

4. georgjorge - But...this is madness !
Quicksand
Gibbering Descent
Lion's Eye Diamond
L-L 2 (2)

5. georgjorge - Another Tribute to Tacosnape...
Mishra's Workshop
Wheel of Torture
Chimeric Idol

L-L 0 (2)

6. Sanguine Voyeur - Shining Arbor
Dryad Arbor
Shining Shoal
Autochthon Wurm

D-D 2 (4)

7. Sanguine Voyeur - I know how to spell Tabernacle?
City of Traitors
Epochrasite
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale

W-W 6 (10)

8. Sacearuse - Basic Plains
Plains
Mishra's Factory
Swords to Plowshares

ME

9. Sacearuse - Hostle
Black Lotus
Black Lotus
Hostility

W-W 6 (16)

10. Xero - Lol@STP
Black Lotus
Show and Tell
Akroma, Angel of Fury

L-L 0 (16)

11. Xero -
Black Lotus
Channel
Nullstone Gargoyle

W-L 3 (19)

12. technogeek5000 - 3 lands .deck
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
Sheltered Valley
Mishra's Factory

W-W 6 (25)

13. technogeek5000 - Gargoyle
Nullstone Gargoyle
City of Traitors
Black Lotus

3-L 3 (28)

14. Mordenkain - //Neo-Pawnshop.dec
Epochrasite
City of Traitors
Tel-Jilad Stylus

W-W 6 (34)

15. Mordenkain - //Megaliths.dec
Keldon Megaliths
Energy Field
Izzet Boilerworks

L-L 0 (34)

16. TheCramp - Metaguess...
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
Eladamri's Vineyard
Treetop Village

W-W 6 (40)

17. TheCramp - Delayed Blast Fireball!!
Black Lotus
City of Traitors
Chandra Nalaar

W-W 6 (46)

18. Andros - Bomb Factory
Mishra's Factory
Orzhov Basilica
Vindicate

L-L 0 (46)

19. Maveric78f - Drunk Village People
Treetop Village
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
Eladamri's Vineyard

W-W 6 (52)

20. Maveric78f - Isamaru's singularity
Leyline of Singularity
Karakas
Isamaru, Hound of Konda

D-D 2 (54)

21. DeepfriedDynamite - TITAN
Black Lotus
Show and Tell
Sundering Titan

D-D 2 (56)

22. etrigan - Two Great Tastes
The Tabernacle as Pendrell Vale
Mishra's Workshop
Chimeric Idol

W-W 6 (62)

23. Anusien - Did I Do All That Math For Nothing?
Dreadship Reef
Urza's Factory
Energy Field

L-L 0 (62)

24. Anusien - This Lotus Card is Silly
Dreadship Reef
Urza's Factory
Chalice of the Void

W-W 6 (68)

25. freakish777 -
Eladamri's Vineyard
The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
Treetop Village

W-W 6 (74)

26. freakish777 -
Mishra's Workshop
Wheel of Torture
Steel Golem

L-L 0 (74)

27. Illissius - Big Liths
Keldon Megaliths
Izzet Boilerworks
Energy Field

L-L 0 (74)

28. Illissius - Four Mana Rare Enchantment
Black Lotus
Leonin Squire
Land Equilibrium

D-L 1 (75)

[etrigan]

Sacearuse: That works.

Illisius: DD I believe. Anusien can only ever make 2 tokens. He can attack with both, forcing through 2 damage, losing a token. But he can never force through enough damage in the face of Sheltered Valley. technogeek can never attack into a token.

[Illissius]

Question about Nullstone Gargoyle, if my opponent goes Lotus, Show & Tell, Gargoyle, can I swords it. The Black Lotus would be the first Non-Creature spell in the turn right?

Right.

I would also like to say that I think Energy Field is way to powerfull and needs to be banned. Either you play it, or a way to destroy it, or you lose.

Sigh. The same is true of so many cards. Play Duress, or Mage, or Vindicate, or Crack the Earth, or Vineyard, or Rakdos, or... you get the picture. It's far from unbeatable. It would have done positively horrid last round, for example. The metagame is everything.

13. technogeek5000 - Gargoyle
Nullstone Gargoyle
City of Traitors
Black Lotus

L-L 0 (35)

W-W. Voidstone is banned, and Nullstone costs , so this deck actually does nothing (without an opposing Show and Tell, anyways).

Illisius: DD I believe. Anusien can only ever make 2 tokens. He can attack with both, forcing through 2 damage, losing a token. But he can never force through enough damage in the face of Sheltered Valley. technogeek can never attack into a token.

Half right. technogeek can't attack into untapped Reef with 7 counters plus Factory, but Anusien can store a shit-ton of counters on the Reef, and during each upkeep for the next N turns, pay for the Tabernacle costs of all the previous tokens, and make a new one. The question is whether he can build up enough damage this way to overcome the lifegain from Valley in all the intervening turns.

[Xero]

10. Xero - Lol@STP
Black Lotus
Show and Tell
Akroma, Angel of Fury

W-W 6 (29)

Did you notice the name of my deck? It's the red Akroma, so it has protection from white.

[SpatulaOfTheAges]

WeWorkHardWePlayHard.dec
Mishra's Workshop
Epochrasite
Chimeric Idol

1 - Handsome, cordial fellow. We draw, drink tea and discuss Tolstoy.
2. Black Lotus, City of Traitors, North Tree - DD - 2
3. T_B - Black Lotus, Ajani, Quicksand - WW - 8
4. georgjorge - Quicksand, Gibbering Descent, LED - WW - 14
5. georgjorge - Workshop, WheelOTorture, Chimeric Idol - LL - 14
6. SanguineVoyeur - Arbor,Shining Shoal, Autochthon Wurm - WW - 20
7. Sanguine Voyeur - City of Traitors, Epochrasite, Tabernacle- WW - 26
8. Sacearuse - Plains, Factory, StP - DD - 28
9. Sacearuse - Lotus, Lotus, Hostility - DD - 30
10. Xero - Lotus, Show and Tell, Akroma, AoF - LL - 30
11. Xero -Black Lotus, Channel, Nullstone Gargoyle - DL - 31
12. technogeek5000 - Tabernacle, Valley, Mishra's Factory - WW - 37

Epochrasite gradually races Valley. He dies, comes back 3 turns later, does 4 damage, while Valley gains 3 life. Idol and Factory stand off with each other. So like a hundred turns later Epochrasite will finally win.

13. technogeek5000 - Nullstone Gargoyle, City of Traitors,Lotus - Correct me if I'm wrong, but you can't cast Gargoyle with only 5 mana. - WW - 43

14. Mordenkain - Epochrasite, City of Traitors, Stylus - WW - 49
15. Mordenkain - Keldon Megaliths, Energy Field, Izzet Boilerworks - LL - 49

16. TheCramp - The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, Eladamri's Vineyard, Treetop Village - So redoing the math, Vineyard outraces the irregular Epochrasite on the draw, but my lead edges me over on the play. - WL 52

17. TheCramp - Black Lotus, City of Traitors, Chandra Nalaar - WW - 58
18. Andros - Mishra's Factory, Orzhov Basilica, Vindicate - DD - 60
19. Maveric78f - Treetop Village, Tabernacle, Vineyard - WL - 63
20. Maveric78f - Leyline of Singularity, Karakas, Isamaru - LL - 63
21. DeepfriedDynamite - Lotus, Show and Tell
Sundering Titan - LL - 63
22. etrigan - Tabernacle, Workshop, Chimeric Idol - WW - 69
23. Anusien - Dreadship Reef, Urza's Factory, Energy Field - LL - 69
24. Anusien - Dreadship Reef, Urza's Factory, Chalice - WW - 75
25. freakish777 - Vineyard, Tabernacle, Treetop Village - WW - 81
26. freakish777 - Workshop, Wheel of Torture, Steel Golem - LL - 81
27. Illissius - Keldon Megaliths, Izzet Boilerworks, Energy Field - LL - 81
28. Illissius - Black Lotus, Leonin Squire, Land Equilibrium - WL - 85


Wham!
Black Lotus
City of Traitors
Kodama of the North Tree
1 - Workshop, Epochrasite, Idol - DD - 2
2. Time Warp!
3. T_B - Black Lotus, Ajani, Quicksand - WW - 8
4. georgjorge - Quicksand, Gibbering Descent, LED - WL - 11
5. georgjorge - Workshop, WheelOTorture, Chimeric Idol -WL - 14
6. SanguineVoyeur - Arbor,Shining Shoal, Autochthon Wurm - WW - 20
7. Sanguine Voyeur - City of Traitors, Epochrasite, Tabernacle- WW - 26
8. Sacearuse - Plains, Factory, StP - WW - 32
9. Sacearuse - Lotus, Lotus, Hostility - WL - 35
10. Xero - Lotus, Show and Tell, Akroma, AoF - LL - 35
11. Xero -Black Lotus, Channel, Nullstone Gargoyle - DL - 36
12. technogeek5000 - Tabernacle, Valley, Mishra's Factory - WW - 42
13. technogeek5000 - Nullstone Gargoyle, City of Traitors,Lotus - WW - 48
14. Mordenkain - Epochrasite, City of Traitors, Stylus - DD - 50
15. Mordenkain - Keldon Megaliths, Energy Field, Izzet Boilerworks - LL - 50
16. TheCramp - The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, Eladamri's Vineyard, Treetop Village - WW - 56
17. TheCramp - Black Lotus, City of Traitors, Chandra Nalaar - WW - 62
18. Andros - Mishra's Factory, Orzhov Basilica, Vindicate - WW - 68
19. Maveric78f - Treetop Village, Tabernacle, Vineyard - WW - 74
20. Maveric78f - Leyline of Singularity, Karakas, Isamaru - WW - 80
21. DeepfriedDynamite - Lotus, Show and Tell
Sundering Titan - LL - 80
22. etrigan - Tabernacle, Workshop, Chimeric Idol - WW - 86
23. Anusien - Dreadship Reef, Urza's Factory, Energy Field - LL - 86
24. Anusien - Dreadship Reef, Urza's Factory, Chalice - WL - 89
25. freakish777 - Vineyard, Tabernacle, Treetop Village - WW - 95
26. freakish777 - Workshop, Wheel of Torture, Steel Golem - WL - 98
27. Illissius - Keldon Megaliths, Izzet Boilerworks, Energy Field - LL - 98
28. Illissius - Black Lotus, Leonin Squire, Land Equilibrium - WL - 101