This past weekend I traveled to Gettysburg Pennsylvania to take part of the 3rd Glorycon presented by the Old Order Old School group. The weekend was a great time and complete success, including winning the main event on Saturday.
The Journey
I departed central NJ around noon on Friday. I stopped to pick up Mano and we headed towards Gettysburg. We took a small detour to get some cheesesteaks at his favorite spot in the Philly suburbs, Mama's Pizzeria. It was a pretty good cheesesteak with an interesting blend of cheese including mozzarella. I would recommend trying it, especially if you like yours cheesier than usual.
8.5/10 Cheesesteak
We then continued the journey, arriving to Gettysburg around 4:30 and experiencing the bizzaro 68F weather. It felt like the first day of summer. Everyone was out walking about, the stores had the windows wide open. After dropping off Mano's stuff, we headed to the Upper Crust pizza place where the evening festivities would be.
Upper Crust was the perfect spot for the hangout. The venue itself was huge, the beer selection very good, and I heard the food was solid. I did not eat anything, as I was still full from the lunch.
One nice thing about an event that's so far out of the way is that more people show up the night before, since making a day trip Saturday is not as easy. There must have been close to 50 Magic players there Friday night, including people from all across the country. The Falling Stars had a mini-reunion, as Winston was in town for the event.
Check out https://falling-stars.com/
After the first few beers and saying hi to everyone, it was time to start gaming. Most people were battling some form of Ante, either 40k or AAA. Jared Doucette and I had other plans. We played what is probably the first in-person games of the bleeding edge new format Millennium. Elevator pitch: everything after the reserved list, before mythic rares (Masques to Eventide).
Little did we know we'd face each other in the finals in 24 hours
After getting some good data on what decks might be good in this brand new format, we drafted Jared's Premodern+ cube. I ended up with a UW big mana Tinker deck. I played a match against Andy Blaufarb that took almost two hours. However, he did end up getting three draws the following day in the main event, so maybe he's just slow. I managed to win my first two matches but people were leaving and I did not get to play the finals against Shane Cota. I think I would have lost, but who could say.
After the bar closed and everyone scattered, I headed out to where I was staying just outside of town to get some sleep before the main event the next day.
The Deck
Some changes since last time: Cut Library of Alexandria for another Sylvan Library. Cut the Mind Twist for another Counterspell. Cut an Underground Sea for an Island. Cut a Tranquility in the sideboard for a Control Magic. The Control Magic probably not necessary, and I would like to have maybe a second Fireball in the sideboard if I played again. Also would consider a maindeck Hurkyl's Recall if I played again, just to have more outs against Black Vise and Ankh of Mishra game one.
The real strength of the deck is playing 4 Recall. I spoke with DFB after the Swiss while waiting for the top 8 to begin to get the reasoning behind allowing this deck to exist. He explained the philosophy behind the ATL rules to be allowing the most decks operating at their fullest capacity, which is a perspective I hadn't considered before. I don't think this deck is particularly fun to play against when it's doing its thing, but it also doesn't show up in numbers to where that is a big problem. I do think unlike Workshops or The Deck, this deck is much easier to beat with sideboard cards, just no one actually plays them. It may be tough to fit in Energy Flux or Tormod's Crypt into your sideboard, but you were probably over-sideboarding for other matchups anyway. Perhaps the right answer is 2x Recall in the 2PAC format.
The Games
Round One - John Gehrling UR Counter Burn
Game one is draw go for four or five turns turns, but then I tutor for Mana Short and go off. Game two I have turn three Lotus Timewister and find Twiddle and Transmute and he doesn't get another turn.1-0
Round Two - Mark Evaldi on Reanimator
Game one in what begins the trend of the day, my opening hand has Ancestral Recall. I Ancestral and Braingeyser so I'm up seven cards and win easily from there. Game two I also have Ancestral amnd Geyser but have to pass turn with Howling Mine in play before I can win vs his Trike and Deep Spawn. He has Crumble for Time Vault but I have Chaos Orb for the Deep Spawn. I find Timetwister on the next turn and draw enough gas to kill him through another Crumble.
2-0
Round Three - Will Magrann on Bant Lions
Game one I counter his Pixies twice, but he has two Mishra's Factories to pressure me. He never finds blue mana, but I never find card advantage. I Mana Short and rebuy it with Recall to try to live a few more turns but eventually run out of ways to stall. Game two I have Ancestral and Braingeyser once again and win easily. Game three I mulligan to five he has Disenchant for my turn one Sylvan. He follows that up with Armageddon and I'm facing two 2/1s. I do have Black Lotus and Falling Star, but he topdecks Erhnam. By the time I get enough mana to cast and activate Chaos Orb, he has Divine Offering and I die.
2-1
This was the first time I had lost a match playing this deck.
Here we have lunch break. Food was fine, and it was nice to have a break. Also was when I started drinking for the day, having two Troegs Blizzard of Hops Winter IPAs with my meal.
Round Four - James Mitchell on White Weenie
Game one I have turn one Mox Mox Volcanic into Timetwister. I win easily from there. Game two I have turn one Mox Mox Mox land Erhnam, and turn two Timetwister. He does have a Dust to Dust for my first Time Vault, but I'm still too far ahead from the power and win easily.
3-1
Round Five - Ben Katz on Merfolk with Black
I don't remember what happens game one, but I don't remember it being close. Game two is a bit more interesting as he gets me pretty low with some Factories and a Psionic Blast, plus I've had to tap my City of Brass a few times. I end up casting Control Magic on his Serendib, but still taking about two damage every turn. I do find Demonic Tutor which I use to find Time Walk and swing with Erhnam and Serendib while he's at 14. He takes it, but after I Time Walk he has to chump the Erhnam. However the Dib puts him to 4 and I have just enough mana to Fireball him for the win without dying to my own City of Brass.
4-1
Round Six - Tim Moran on UR CounterBurn
We discuss the possibility of drawing here, but the way the pairings are it looks like that would only guarantee one of in. Also, I've had Tim's number in our recent matches and he wants revenge. Game one I have a strong start with a Mox and Fellwar Stone plus Ancestral Recall. He mulligans to six but has turn one Balance to equalize the cards in hand. After a few more turns, I'm at 8 life when he plays Ankh of Mishra. I have to go for it here, and take 6 damage from Ankh as I build up resources over three extra turns. I do find Transmute for Chaos Orb to take out the Ankh and continue building up mana for Fireball. Tim is a bit tilted at this point. Game two I have turn one Erhnam off of Black Lotus. He has turn two Chaos Orb, but when he misses the flip he concedes and goes to the bar. He makes me promise to win the event to make him feel better.
5-1
Standings before top 8:
Quarter Finals - Erik Herter on MonoBlue Flyers
He's on the play as the higher seed. Game one he has a steady stream of flyers starting with Serendib into Phantom Monster. I have a lot of mana and not much to do with it so I Fireball to take out both. He has a follow up Air Elemental. I don't remember how the rest of the game goes but I manage to win without too much trouble from him. I think I had Counterspell for his only Counterspell and then he was tapped out. Game two we both have some early Mox and Fellwar Stone, but he has to go for Energy Flux. A few turns go by before it takes out all the mana. He's stuck on just two Island, but I keep drawing lands of my own. He has Mana Drain for my Tranquility which lets him cast Air Elemental. I have Erhnam though, and we start to race. He Counters my second Erhnam, but that lets me resolve Demonic Tutor which I use to get Control Magic. The nex turn I use Recall for Ancestral to bait another counter, and the following turn resolve Control Magic and win from there.
6-1
I have to wait almost an hour and a half as Mano and Jimmy Coony are playing so slowly, but also end up playing a game four after a Psionic Blast draw. Eventually we move to the brewery for the after party to finish up the top four. At this point, Jared has already defeated Will in the other semi final and will have almost two and a half hours before the finals.
Semi Finals - Jimmy Coony on UR Merfolk Burn
Game one he has a fast start with a Merfolk of the Pearl Trident, River Merfolk, and Lord of Atlantis. I have Ancestral Recall, and cast it a second time after playing Recall. I also have a Time Vault in play, but die before I ever find a Twiddle. Game two he does not have as fast a start, but I don't have a lot going on. I play two Howling Mine and pass. He plays out two Lord of Atlantis and passes with Sol Ring and Mox Ruby untapped. I find Timetwister and cast it, and he taps out of relevant mana to Lightning Bolt me in response. I manage to find enough action off the Timetwister to win easily from there. Game three he starts with a Mox and an Merfolk of the Pearl Trident. My start is land Mox Sol Ring Chaos Orb. He attacks with his Merfolk and then tries Shatter on the Orb. I activate in response on his untapped land. I wanted to Transmute the Orb for Time Vault. I draw Howling Mine so I'm able to Transmute and Twiddle. On the extra turn, I cast Wheel of Fortune. It was the best Wheel I've ever cast. I drew Twiddle, Twiddle, Twiddle, Braingeyser, Recall, Recall, Land and he never got a third turn.
7-1
Best Wheel of Fortune of my life
Game one he mulligans and has turn two pixies but no other threat. He throws some burn at me but I had Ancestral in my opener and start taking some extra turns with Howling Mine and Sylvan in play and he concedes. Game two I have Ancestral in the opener again and manage to cast it at least four times. Ancestral, Regrowth, Recall for both play them again. He baits my REB with Serendib so he can resolve Energy Flux, but I had the second REB. Its still close because he has Shatter for my Time Vault, but I slow his attacks by Strip Mine his Forest for Kird Ape and my Erhanm starts to race. I find another Time Vault plus another Erhnam and a Twiddle and win the race.
8-1
1st Place
Voyeuristic shot of the finals
Collection of swag and spoils
Props:
Franz, Levi, Nate Shue, and everyone else who put on great event
Franz for being willing to run an event with a Top 8 and with draws. I think it was done exactly the right way, but I may be biased.
Dobbin House, Upper Crust, and Fourscore Brewing for being great venues with good drinks and food
Will, Pez, Shawn for being good housemates, despite what the review might say
Everyone who flew across the country to get here. Really glad I got to see Andy Baquero and Winston
Mano for road trip company and cheesesteak recommendation
Vince for the multiple Channel Fireball kills
All my opponents for putting up with me doing this nonsense. I know its not fun and I hope I put you out of your misery as quickly as I could.
Andy for recording the matches for a future upload. I hope I get this report out before the videos.
My wife for all the love and support.
Slops:
Everyone that missed crucial Orb flips. You know who you are. I'm glad you got to feel some pressure though.
Quarterfinal matches that take almost two hours.
2 comments:
Setting the record straight that in classic Ty fashion he played durdle blue white in premodern cube and tanked for at least 6 hours on stroke of genius math. I will not be slandered!
Speaking of hoppy beers at lunch: Can we talk about how Gettysburg is a hop lovers paradise? I've never seen a town trapped in two years before; 1863 and 2010.
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