tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48898647961422532032024-03-21T07:14:10.920+00:00Brothers of Fire - London Old School MtGThis is the blog of our London-based games club, playing Old School (or 93/94) Magic The Gathering.Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-49794178457804181952019-10-15T22:27:00.000+01:002019-10-15T22:27:08.781+01:00NEW WEBSITEWe are now publishing <a href="https://brothersoffire.home.blog/">here</a>.<br />
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Please update your links to point to <a href="https://brothersoffire.home.blog/">https://brothersoffire.home.blog/</a><br />
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Thanks!Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-10334532758080561882019-06-28T15:12:00.001+01:002019-06-28T15:12:31.204+01:00Old School Rules FAQ July 2019 - by Brother Scott<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Old School Rules FAQ v1.1</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">(Editor's note: This was one of our most popular articles, and in service to the community, Brother Scott has devoted additional time to an update with some new material and clarifications. Enjoy everyone!)</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Scott Latham – June 2019</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">In the glorious sunshine of the Urborg Feast outdoor tournament in Gothenburg this April this year I had the pleasure of doing something I’d never done before – judging at an Old School tournament. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">This was, I admit, not an onerous exercise – I think between us the three judges only had ten judge calls all day. However, the recurring themes about what was asked – and questions I’ve seen from other puzzled mages posting on the internet – guided me into thinking that it would be helpful to set out some tips about the Old School cards and rules that cause the most confusion. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">I hope that you will be able to use this article in two ways:</span></span></div>
<ol style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To dip into now to give you some ideas of possible extra fun ways to use your favourite cards (or play cards correctly with confidence that you’ve always been a bit unsure about).</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">As a future reference source if you’re in the middle of a game and suddenly think “oh – how does THIS work?” (add this article to your Favourites!) The tips are all alphabetised by card name/ability to help with this.</span></span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just one warning: the rules of Magic change from time to time – these rulings are all correct as of May 2019 and apply if you’re playing Old School using the current Magic rules. If you’re playing Alpha 40 using the original Alpha rules, or playing some other local variation, then of course these answers may not all hold true. I have deliberately used some old school </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">terminology</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> because I find that phrases such as “fizzle,” “summoning sickness” and “removed from the game” are not only more evocative but clearer – but that’s just description: the outcomes are those produced by the current Rules.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Finally, huge thanks to Dave Firth Bard and Chris Cooper for their proofreading and valuable suggestions and additions.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">The Abyss</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: Can I regenerate my Sedge Troll to save it from The Abyss?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">No – The Abyss says on it that creatures it targets can’t be regenerated! (You can pay one black mana if you really want to use the regeneration ability, but the Troll will still die.)</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: Can The Abyss destroy a White Knight, bearing in mind it has Protection from Black?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">No it can’t – The Abyss requires a target, and a black card can’t target something with Protection from Black. Another target must be chosen, if possible.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Banding</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Banding boils down to two things:</span></span></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Noto Sans Symbols", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When attacking</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - Any number of creatures with banding plus up to one creature without banding can be chosen to form a band when attacking. Then (a) if one creature in an attacking band is blocked, the whole band is blocked, but also (b) the controller of the band gets to decide how damage from the blocking creature(s) is distributed among creatures in the band. Point (a) is a drawback, but point (b) can be quite useful to you in combat.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Noto Sans Symbols", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When blocking</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> – If a creature with Banding is blocking a creature, either alone or with other blockers, the Banding creature’s controller chooses how any damage dealt by the blocked creature is assigned.</span></span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">For some attacking examples let’s imagine as an example that you choose to form a band consisting of two creatures: Mesa Pegasus (1/1 flying banding) and War Mammoth (3/3 trample), and then attack.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><img height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/fLIfiiAolnCxjMa83r_TJrX_1foGzau6v18Q2BT-_cTmwCYn8oY4Zb6RpwatS_0QxqPJg-aPutMv_VkmwD3ffZsAf2cjh6ldnWOzuttoqxFL5Ml0DGAHRGIH3uNZAVfkb3ar8NM" style="border: none;" width="386" /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: Can a creature without flying block my band?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes. The mammoth doesn’t have flying, and if your opponent blocks it (say, with a 5/4 Water Elemental) the whole band is then blocked due to point (a) above. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: If he does block like that, can I choose all 5 damage of the Water Elemental’s damage to be dealt to the Pegasus?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes. Point (b) above means you get to assign the damage, and can assign all 5 to Mesa Pegasus even though that’s more than enough to kill it. The Water Elemental will take 4 damage and die, so you’ll end up trading a Pegasus for the Elemental, and the War Mammoth will survive (you could also choose the Mammoth to take the 5 damage if you preferred the Pegasus to survive).</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q3: What happens if I block a creature with Trample using a creature with Banding?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Let’s say a Force of Nature (8/8 trample) is attacking, and you block with your Mesa Pegasus and War Mammoth. Normally your opponent would choose to deal 1 damage to the Pegasus, 3 to the Mammoth, and 4 trample damage to you. But with banding YOU get to choose how damage is done. So you can choose to assign all 8 damage to the Mesa Pegasus (or the Mammoth). If you do, none will trample over to you or kill your other creature. Even if you chump block with just the Mesa Pegasus you can still choose for it to take all 8 damage, with none trampling over.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Blood Moon</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: My opponent plays Blood Moon and in response I activate my Mishra’s Factory to make it a 2/2 creature. What is it once Blood Moon resolves?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Until the end of the turn it’s a mountain that’s also a 2/2 artifact creature. Note that it will no longer have its other abilities, including the ability to give an assembly worker +1/+1. From the next turn onwards it becomes simply a mountain, and no longer a creature.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: My opponent has both Blood Moon and Library of Alexandria in play. I play City in a Bottle. Does my opponent have to sacrifice her Library?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes. Although it’s now a mountain, its NAME is still “Library of Alexandria”, and because Library of Alexandria was first printed in Arabian Nights it has to be sacrificed.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><img height="418" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/habu-FaYJAjuO8lGibH2o0Aj3xp_Rkn5jVOw3XuVGxKr8QWYjKDmx0Nnlc2_N-8bQZ6HbBD_BHCRldcht_agdYpGTI5L3LGp-U7z2NCUfO_bSLXR6QQMQ2EnV0zP0Ov2ss8QPKI" style="border: none;" width="300" /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Chains of Mephistopheles </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">The effect of this card is best visualised as a flow chart, such as this one created by the user “silvercut” on mtgsalvation:</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><img height="460" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/n38nPs3cF-XEby78q5Qw0jzxuAGC0HYsYqYlgdGlaT2acPtbotzxxGbJBvPujeKudqVmkKqrqN_tVzlW-zhmvWyYA1I64m17cyp4m-i9ijCli6-5NtLMjJZ_El3AZeKvOENftHA" style="border: none;" width="330" /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q: What happens if there are two copies of Chains of Mephistopheles in play?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">The player’s first card drawn in their draw step is still unaffected. Otherwise, any time that a player would draw a card, they go through the flowchart instead. What this means in practice is:</span></span></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">If the player doesn’t have any cards in hand, then Chains #1 causes the draw to be replaced by milling 1 card. Chains #2 has no effect since the player is no longer drawing a card (they’re milling one instead).</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">If the player has two or more cards in their hand they will end up having to discard two cards (one to each copy of Chains) before being allowed to draw one.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">If the player has exactly one card in hand then they will have to discard it to Chains #1. Chains #2 now sees them as having no cards in hand, so then replaces the card draw with milling a card instead.</span></span></div>
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</ul>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">If a player would draw multiple cards (for example, due to Ancestral Recall or Timetwister) remember “draw 3 cards” is really just “draw a card” three times, so follow the flowchart and bullet points above for each card draw one at a time. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chaos Orb</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Note also the most commonly used errata for Chaos Orb in old school does not “target”, but rather says “1, Tap: Choose a nontoken permanent on the battlefield….”. This means that when activating Chaos Orb you don’t need to say what you’re going to flip it at until the ability actually resolves. If your opponent responds to the Chaos Orb’s activation (for example, by removing counters from the Triskelion you were thinking of destroying, say) you can change your mind and flip it at something else. You only have to say what you’re aiming at just before you flip it.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: My opponent activates his Chaos Orb – if I Disenchant it in response, will that stop its ability?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes. When the opponent activates the Orb its ability goes on the stack. If you disenchant the Orb in response then when its ability resolves there is no Orb in play any more to flip onto the table. The Orb’s ability will therefore fizzle.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: If I play Disenchant to destroy the Orb, is my opponent allowed to respond by using it?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes. Disenchant goes on the stack, and they can use the Orb in response – in which case the Orb will do its flip and potentially destroy something before Disenchant resolves. By the time Disenchant resolves the Orb is gone and Disenchant will just fizzle.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q3: My opponent’s Chaos Orb flip has landed so that just the very edge of the Orb’s sleeve is touching the very edge of my Serra Angel’s sleeve – is it still destroyed?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes – card sleeves count as the card, so the Angel is destroyed. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><img height="286" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/MLunI3xRFfwfiqCDQ3AKKJZtNI50ytCevM5OScqEkszAfWwWkqRY2XozGA5_tfdbraWDt7zHGVWUk6-gcHl4FY0VXagFUJraGIC7shJHoshrEeeik90PvECF-j8g3a15sgYxW4M" style="border: none;" width="381" /></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q4: Can I wait to see what the Orb is aiming for and whether it hits before I use Triskelion’s counters / pay B to regenerate my Sedge Troll / sacrifice something to pump my Atog etc?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">No. Once the Orb is flipped the ability has resolved, and if it hits then the chosen card is destroyed. If you want to do any of those things you have to do it in response to the Orb being activated, not after the flip has already happened. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q5: I want to use Chaos Orb to destroy a wasp from The Hive, but my opponent is using a dice as a token. Does she have to switch it for a card for the purposes of the flip?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Chaos Orb can only target cards and not tokens – you can’t use it to target a wasp!</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">City in a Bottle</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: My opponent is using Mountains from the Arabian Nights set. Does she have to sacrifice them when I play City in a Bottle?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No. Only cards </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">first printed</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in Arabian Nights are sacrificed, and Mountain was in Alpha/Beta and Unlimited too.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: If a City in a Bottle is in play can I play a second City in a Bottle?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">No. The card actually says “While City in a Bottle is in play, no further cards from Arabian Nights can be played” and that includes playing more copies of City in a Bottle itself.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q3: What happens if two or more Cities in a Bottle end up in play at the same time, perhaps because someone used Copy Artifact, or Eureka caused both players to put a City in a Bottle into play?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">They will all be sacrificed. City in a Bottle #1 causes City in a Bottle #2 to be sacrificed (and vice versa).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q4: Does City in a Bottle kill my Rukh token?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">No – as written only CARDS from Arabian Nights are sacrificed, and tokens are not cards. This is still true under the latest Oracle wording which says “Whenever another nontoken permanent with a name originally printed in the Arabian Nights expansion is on the battlefield, its controller sacrifices it.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">City of Brass</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q: I’m on 1 life and my opponent is on 3. Can I use a red mana from City of Brass to kill them with Lightning Bolt or Chain Lightning, or would that kill me?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">You can tap City of Brass to generate a red mana. This will put a trigger on the stack for you to be dealt 1 damage. You can respond to that trigger by playing Lightning Bolt to kill your opponent. However, you CANNOT respond to that trigger by playing Chain Lightning, because it’s a Sorcery, so it can only be played when the stack is empty.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Copy Artifact</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TIP: I find it easiest to think about any copy effects (Copy Artifact, Clone etc) as if the copy is literally a copy of the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">card</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, rather than a copy of what’s on the battlefield. So just imagine that rather than copying it, you’ve ripped open a pack, taken one out, and put it into play.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: Can I copy a Mishra’s Factory that’s currently activated and hence is an artifact? If so what’s the copy?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">The copy is an (unactivated) Mishra’s Factory, exactly as if you’d just played a Mishra’s Factory fresh from a pack (except that it's also an enchantment as well, because Copy Artifact says so).</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: If I copy a Triskelion with no counters left, how many counters does the copy have?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Three. Again, just imagine you’ve played a brand new Triskelion.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q3: If I play Copy Artifact hoping to copy a Su Chi, but the opponent destroys Su Chi in response, when Copy Artifact resolves does it fizzle or can I/must I choose something else?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">You only choose what to copy when it resolves (it doesn’t target) so if there’s another artifact in play, you can choose to copy that instead. If there are no other artifacts in play (or you choose not to copy anything) then Copy Artifact will just come into play as a blue enchantment that does nothing (it will NOT fizzle and go to the graveyard!). </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Earthquake</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q: I’m on 3 life and my opponent is on 5 life. I cast Earthquake for 5. What’s the result of the game?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">It’s a draw. The damage happens at the same time, so you go to -2 and your opponent to 0 simultaneously. When the game checks the situation it simply sees that both players are dead, and so calls it a draw. Psionic Blast and Hurricane can cause the same effect.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Energy Flux</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: Can I not pay the upkeep on Su Chi, then use its 4 mana to pay for other artifacts?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes. If Energy Flux is in play all your artifacts have a trigger that says "At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice this artifact unless you pay 2." You can stack those triggers in any order you like, which means you can stack them such that Su Chi’s resolves first, and you can sacrifice him to get 4 mana to pay for other triggers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: If I destroy Energy Flux in my upkeep (i.e. in response to the triggers) do I still have to pay 2 or lose each artifact?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes. Even if the Energy Flux is destroyed, its triggers will still be on the stack.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Fork</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q: If Time Walk is forked, who gets the next turn? And who gets the one after that?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Imagine that future turns form a queue, and any new extra turn effects join the queue by pushing their way to the front, such that the most recently-created extra turn is always the next one to occur.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">For example - let’s say that the following happens:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">It’s Alfie’s turn. This means that normally the next turn would be his opponent Bob to play. The front of the turn queue is therefore “Bob’s next turn” followed by “Alfie’s next turn” (and then alternating).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><img height="223" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/lO3Gd5BxrHVkkyuVx1lgPGQ-liBZMUUWA34MX3Ztsu-Dr8b6yeBZAEVm6FkVUv7AxKTpKQA2qfr-XeyyNdigPYcdED8LXklrCIRr1g_T75cNNqv98FCxwfyhqSfsH-fMOanAHq0" style="border: none;" width="392" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Alfie plays Time Walk. In response Bob plays Fork to copy Time Walk. Fork resolves first as it’s on top of the stack, causing a new turn to join the queue called “Bob’s Fork turn” which pushes to the front. However, immediately after that Time Walk then resolves, creating a further new turn “Alfie’s Time Walk turn” which again pushes to the front.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">This means that the queue will then be “Alfie’s Time Walk turn”, followed by “Bob’s Fork turn”, followed by the rest of the previous queue i.e. “Bob’s next turn” then “Alfie’s next turn” etc. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Thinking about that queue then makes the answer clear - when this turn ends Alfie has another turn (his second in a row), after which Bob has two turns in a row, after which it returns to normal.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><img height="233" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/i3xFG2U-4QkH_UrVwG59DcQN5lg_YM1Z75cdEb9LcW25iTUN-vfmyFWoUUK6eUS0wluZS00obuzJUr5ATtc4wDD3wTU6J7vI7op_7gJ6k4fUGZYIiSzhyD6ND9nQANCVmmzSP0U" style="border: none;" width="393" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Fungusaur</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q: Can I kill a 2/2 or 3/3 Fungusaur with Triskelion, or does targeting it just make it bigger as fast as I damage it?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">You can kill it if you’re crafty. Remove a counter from Triskelion to deal Fungusaur 1 damage. This creates a trigger for Fungusaur to get a +1/+1 counter. However, you can then respond to the trigger to remove another counter to deal another 1 damage before the trigger resolves. That will kill Fungusaur if it’s a 2/2. If it already has a counter, you simply repeat the process to deal it a third damage. Multiple Prodigal Sorcerers can kill a Fungusaur in the same way.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><img height="369" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/0tf-5YYG0_Jy9HaAB0dBhWPKFwxUVQwf6r64iDOnF_Wj8uO2SC__1HjdvaEmH7_Wfk4D9FXbfV8zuftB_hEyRXE1gbfGQUifb2IxTRTeLsE51ZpTNJPvFSqlgXpici4Gluj-dgg" style="border: none;" width="450" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Icy Manipulator</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: My opponent activates his Icy – if I Disenchant it in response, will that stop its ability?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">No. You can play Disenchant targeting the Icy in response to the activation if you want to, and the Icy will be destroyed, but its ability is already on the stack, and when the ability resolves it will still tap whatever was targeted even though the Icy is now gone. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: If I play Disenchant to destroy an Icy, is my opponent allowed to respond by using it?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes. The Icy will be destroyed, but its ability will still resolve and tap whatever was targeted. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Island Sanctuary</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">TIP: Don’t forget that you’re allowed to skip any card draw that happens in your draw phase to get this effect. This could be your normal card draw for the turn, but could equally be any other Instant-speed card or ability that would otherwise draw you a card, such as: Howling Mine, Sylvan Library, Jayemdae Tome, Library of Alexandria etc as long as it occurs in your draw step. Note that if an effect causes you to draw multiple cards you only need to skip one (for example, you can play Ancestral Recall and draw two of the cards before deciding whether or not to skip the third one to use Island Sanctuary).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Land Tax</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">You can only search for basic lands with Land Tax, so you can’t search out dual lands such as Savannah (yes it’s a Plains and a Forest – but it isn’t a BASIC Plains or a BASIC Forest). You need to reveal which lands you chose to your opponent to prove it really was basic lands that you searched out.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">As long as Land Tax triggers you have the option of searching through your library and shuffling it afterwards. “Up to three” lands can be zero, which means that you can ‘search’ your library even if you know for sure that there aren’t any basic lands left in it or don’t want to take any, for example if you just want a reason to shuffle your library.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Cards searched out by Land Tax are not “drawn,” so they don’t trigger Underworld Dreams, they don’t interact with Chains of Mephistopheles and they can’t be put back onto your library with Sylvan Library later in the turn.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Maze of Ith</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">TIP: Whilst players normally use the Maze to untap an opponent’s creature before it has a chance to deal combat damage, don’t forget that a creature continues to be “attacking” right up to the End of Combat Step – which is after combat damage has been dealt (its the same step when Desert can be used to deal 1 damage). This means that you can attack with one of your creatures, deal damage, and then use the Maze of Ith to untap it in the End of Combat Step. This can be a useful way to untap a creature that otherwise would be costly or impossible to untap (eg Colossus of Sardia, or due to Paralyze or Meekstone). Just remember that only ATTACKING creatures can be untapped.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Mirror Universe</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q: My opponent activates their Mirror Universe – if I Disenchant it in response, will that stop its ability?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">No – you aren’t allowed to play Disenchant here! Mirror Universe is sacrificed as part of using its ability, so there is nothing left in play to Disenchant. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nevinyrral’s Disk</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: My opponent activates the Disk – if I Disenchant it in response, will that stop everything being destroyed?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">No. You can Disenchant the Disk in response if you really want to, but it’s probably a waste of a Disenchant because the Disk’s ability will still resolve and destroy everything. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: If I play Disenchant to destroy the Disk, is my opponent allowed to respond by using it?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes. If you try and Disenchant an untapped Disk, then Disenchant will go on the stack and the opponent can therefore respond to Disenchant by activating the Disk. You need to destroy the Disk whilst it’s still tapped (or whilst the opponent has no mana available) to prevent the world being blown up.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Sylvan Library</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: Can I play a card in between my normal card draw and using Sylvan Library? For example, if I draw Disenchant as my normal card draw for the turn, can I use it to disenchant Underworld Dreams before I use the Library?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes. Your normal card draw is always the first thing that happens in the draw step. In this example, if you’re lucky enough to draw a Disenchant you can disenchant Underworld Dreams before Sylvan Library’s trigger resolves. Note that you will still suffer 1 damage from the Underworld Dreams in respect of your normal card draw, as you drew it before the Dreams was destroyed.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: There is a Howling Mine in play, and I have a Sylvan Library. Both trigger in my draw step. Am I allowed to choose which order their triggers happen in? </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">It depends!</span></span></div>
<ul style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Noto Sans Symbols", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: -18pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">if the Howling Mine is yours, both triggers are yours and you can therefore choose the order.</span></span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "Noto Sans Symbols", sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: -18pt; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">if the Howling Mine is your opponent's, the Howling Mine trigger resolves first, before you can use the Sylvan Library. This is because when two sets of triggers would happen at the same time, the active player’s triggers go on the stack first, with the non-active player’s triggers above them (and so the non-active player’s triggers resolve first). This is often known as the “APNAP” rule (“ActivePlayerNonActivePlayer”).</span></span></div>
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</ul>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q3: If the Howling Mine ability resolves first then can I use the card I drew with Howling Mine as one of the 1-2 cards that I put back on my library with Sylvan Library?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes. It’s a card you drew “this turn” and Sylvan Library’s only requirement is that cards put back are drawn this turn. You could also put back cards drawn from any instant-speed source such as Jayemdae Tome, Ancestral Recall, Sage of Lat-Nam, that you have activated before the Sylvan Library trigger resolves. Note that once the Sylvan Library trigger resolves and you draw 2 cards from it, you must then finish resolving it by deciding to put 0-2 cards back (you </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">can’t</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, for example, draw 2 with the Sylvan Library, then – before deciding what to put back – play Ancestral Recall to draw 3 more).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q4: If I have two Sylvan Libraries in play, how do I resolve them?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">The key thing to remember is to completely resolve the first Sylvan Library’s effect before you move on to the second one. In your draw phase what happens is therefore:</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Draw your normal card draw for the turn.</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Resolve Sylvan Library #1. Firstly draw 2 cards, then put back on your library 0, 1 or 2 cards (which can be ones that you just drew with Sylvan Library and/or your normal card draw for the turn). You then lose 0 life, 4 life or 8 life depending upon how many you put back.</span></span></div>
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<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Resolve Sylvan Library #2. Firstly draw 2 cards. Note that if you put 2 cards back on top of your library with Sylvan #1 then you will just draw those same two again! If you put 1 card back with Sylvan #1 then you will draw that one again plus one previously unseen card. Only if you drew both cards with Sylvan #1 and lost 8 life will you get to see 2 brand new cards with Sylvan #2. You will then have to put back on your library 0, 1 or 2 cards (which can be either the ones that you just drew with Sylvan #2, or ones you drew and kept with Sylvan #1, or your normal card draw for the turn). You then lose a further 0 life, 4 life or 8 life depending upon how many you put back.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Finally, whilst you won’t usually want to, it is possible to play Instants and use abilities between Sylvan #1 resolving and Sylvan #2 resolving. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Tawnos’s Coffin</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: I have a Triskelion with three +1/+1 counters on it. My opponent puts it into their Tawnos's Coffin. I then Disenchant the Coffin. How many counters does Triskelion come back into play with?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Six. Three from its own ability AND three more from the Coffin.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">If this seems odd, remember that whereas to you it feels like the ‘old’ Triskelion is returning to play, the rules of Magic see a ‘new’ Triskelion entering play (so it gets 3 counters) and then Tawnos’s Coffin says “I noted three counters when this was exiled, so please add three counters now it’s back” (so it gets another 3). </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><img height="271" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/3V17udOhE8_LIFl9LG8_xJf626Kt_DTGeTYCX7ROaU0sCCfpyv8aYG-DVEuhTYFP9j-WNmrAUFLlq5uDrCuuTxeiK4XX07ZV2wVpGpHxI_Ol08wh7zPmGk56aUQzsa7o5bHXnUA" style="border: none;" width="430" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: I moved 3 counters off my Tetravus to create 3 Tetravites, then put my 1/1 Tetravus into my Tawnos’s Coffin. If I later untap the Coffin, does Tetravus come back with 3 new counters?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes it does, for the same reason as Triskelion above (the game sees it as new Tetravus entering play). However, remember that any Tetravites created from the ‘old’ Tetravus before it was exiled would no longer be able to move back onto the ‘new’ Tetravus, as Tetravites can only be moved back onto their original ‘mother’ Tetravus.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Timetwister</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Just a general reminder – DON’T shuffle in Timetwister itself! After it finishes resolving place it in your graveyard (it is NOT removed from the game) and also be careful not to shuffle in any cards that HAVE been removed from the game (eg Recall, or creatures exiled by Swords to Plowshares). Just casually wandering around tables at the Urborg Feast I saw all three of those errors made!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Time Vault</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: If I skip a turn to untap Time Vault do I still get to untap all my other things?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">No – you have to skip your entire turn, including your untap step. You will just untap your Time Vault, then it will be the opponent’s turn.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: I tap Time Vault to take an extra turn on the same turn someone already played Time Walk or tapped another Time Vault. Who gets the next turn?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Whoever most recently gained an extra turn will take the next turn – but you may want to read the answer under Fork above for a more detailed explanation.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Transmute Artifact</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: Can I tap a Mox, Sol Ring or other mana-producing artifact that I am sacrificing to help pay the cost difference between itself and the artifact for which I am searching?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Only if you float the mana from the artifact that you intend to sacrifice BEFORE Transmute Artifact begins to resolve. You won’t be able to activate its mana ability while Transmute is resolving because sacrificing that artifact is the first thing you do when resolving Transmute Artifact - it will therefore be gone by the time you’re required to pay any extra mana cost .</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: Can I sacrifice a Su-Chi to Transmute Artifact and use the mana generated by the Su-Chi to pay the difference in costs?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">No, you cannot. The mana generated by the Su-Chi is a triggered ability that will resolve only after Transmute has finished resolving.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Triskelion</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q: Can my Triskelion with three +1/+1 counters block and kill a 3/3 War Mammoth, and then later in the turn remove the three counters to deal three damage to my opponent?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">No. After combat the Triskelion will be a 4/4 creature with 3 damage marked on it (from the mammoth). If you remove one counter, it then becomes a 3/3 creature with 3 damage marked on it. At the point it will die as a state-based effect before you get the opportunity to remove further counters.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Underworld Dreams</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: My opponent and I are both on 1 life and they have Underworld Dreams in play. I draw a card and it’s a Lightning Bolt! Am I dead or can I bolt them?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">You can bolt them! When you draw the card an Underworld Dreams trigger will go on the stack. In response to that trigger, you can bolt the opponent. They will be dead before the Underworld Dreams trigger resolves and kills you.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: My opponent and I are both on 1 life and we BOTH have Underworld Dreams in play. I play Wheel of Fortune. Who wins?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Hang on a minute – we need to come at this one slowly, because it’s complicated!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Firstly, note that you both discard your hand and draw 7 cards before we can even start to think about who might have won the game. That’s because you need to fully resolve Wheel of Fortune before anything else can happen.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Secondly, 14 Underworld Dreams triggers go on the stack. Because of the APNAP rule (see Sylvan Library above) your 7 triggers go on the stack first with your opponent’s 7 on top of them. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Thirdly, both players (starting with you) will have the opportunity to respond to the first trigger with Instants or abilities. This could be very relevant if one of you has drawn an Instant that gains life or deals damage!</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Finally, once both players pass priority, the first trigger will resolve. As your opponent’s triggers are on the top of the stack, the first one that resolves will kill you, and they win. The other 13 triggers never get to resolve.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Note that you will in fact lose the game if you have any amount of life between 1 and 7, because all 7 of your opponent’s triggers will resolve before any of yours resolve and start dealing damage to them.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Wheel of Fortune</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q: I have 2 cards left in my library and my opponent has 5. She plays Wheel of Fortune. What’s the game result?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">It’s a draw. You both try to draw 7 cards. Neither of you is able to do so, so you both lose the game, making the game a draw. It doesn’t matter that you run out of cards “first” – the game only checks to see who’s won or lost once Wheel of Fortune is completely finished resolving, by which time you’ve both lost.</span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-62ec7eaa-7fff-2edc-b780-7f8ff957f901"><br /></span>Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-47767076007103069542019-06-17T18:52:00.004+01:002019-06-17T18:52:40.562+01:00Tournament Report: n00bcon XI, by Brother Stebbo<br /><b>N00bcon XI diaries or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying About 7 Orbs and Became the People’s Champ</b><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">
<i>We'll meet again, don't know where, don't know when...</i></div>
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Vera Lynn, as featured in Stanley’s Kubrick’s 'Dr. Strangelove'</div>
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<br /><br />The dust has now settled on an amazing trip to Sweden. A festival of Old School – getting to meet friends “from the internet” in real life and reconnect with many global Old School communities and figures. And to do it alongside many friends from our club, the Brothers of Fire, was the cherry on top. Whilst we are lucky to have many Old School events to pick from these days, it’s difficult not to think of these halcyon times as being vanishingly rare and very special indeed. <br /><br />I’ve also found that it’s surprisingly difficult to write about, and do it justice. It may sound like a trite remark, but n00bcon truly is unique. We are eternally grateful to Magnus, and his retinue of lieutenants (who I won’t name, but all know who they are) for giving us such a remarkable event.<br /><br />Here’s my account of the weekend, in a light-hearted diary format…</div>
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<br /><b>Thursday. 7am – 9am:</b> With my decks for Wizards Tournament II (WT2), n00bcon XI and Brothers Highlander packed I’m ready to take the early flight to Gothenburg from London, having met up with the other Brothers and some other attendees at the airport. I indulge in an Englishman’s birthright, aka a pint at the airport. <br /><br />Plane-buddy Brother Oli had a reduced night’s sleep, so tells me he could do with 40 winks on the flight. I duly oblige with a somnophoric account of my WT2 deck’s manabase, which I’m worried is a mana source light. This dilemma is (fittingly) resolved with the crude approach I would have taken in my youth – simply “adding a basic” to the pile.</div>
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<i>Full English and an “Englishman’s birthright”. </i><br /><br /><b>3pm:</b> We make it to the Rotary Pub to mix with aforementioned Old School friends old and new. I scoop up a copy of the amazing Prodigal Sorcerer fanzine penned by MG and friends to read later, and say hello to a few friends. The first treat of the weekend is seeing David M’s amazing Old School Heroes deck. David had really gone all out with this project, with the cards even being printed by Carta Mundi!</div>
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<br /><i>It was an honour to be included and ‘immortalised’ in token form!</i><br /><br /><b>5pm (ish) – late: </b>Wizards’ Tournament II<br /><br />Onto the WT2, which was highly anticipated to say the least. Indeed the Alpha-only community has blossomed in the past 12 months, and we were at over 100 players for this second iteration. All 6 of the Brothers of Fire Founders were competing, and you can recap the summary of our preparations <a href="http://brothersoffirelondon.blogspot.com/2019/04/preparing-for-wizards-tournament-ii-by.html">here</a>.<br /><br />Brother Oli went back to remained firmly at his roots with this sumptuous Mono White build.</div>
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<i><br />Oli’s Mono White Dingus Aggro</i><br /><br />Meanwhile Brother Jonas was rocking an insane mono red list. Jonas was on a quest to cast 100 Bolts for the weekend, and this deck was playing its part, featuring 10 Bolts! <br /><br />I really like this mono red build as it drips with Alpha rules flavour: 7 Balloon Brigades with their unique ability, a “charm” artifact in Iron Star, Orcish Oriflamme and Artillery at the wrong mana cost, 10 Bolts…</div>
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<i>Jonas’ deck as a work in progress (missing 5 Bolts…)</i></div>
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<br />My own list was like a mini version of the Deck. It contained a bunch of answers, 2 Fireballs and a copy of the Hive. A baker’s playset of Sol Rings keep the machine humming nicely. My goal was essentially to either power out a busted start from which there is no return, or take my opponent into the deep waters and grind a victory from there. With 2 Demonic Tutor and 2 Regrowth, and some singleton powerful spells, you can come up with some fairly degenerate lines, such as multiple Time Walk recursion or replaying Ancestral for absurd value.</div>
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<i>Stebbo’s 5 colour good stuff</i></div>
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<br /><br /><br />For the tournament itself, using modern technology was frowned upon. So most of the photos were taken using a “90s” disposable camera. It wonderfully captures the grainy aesthetic of the early Magic events you sometimes see pictures of, even if half the photos are unusable…<br /><br />I love the ‘find a player’ element of the tournament, which is unique and encourages sociability between the players. I played Bob A from the Lords of the Pit first. I hadn’t gotten the chance to play Bob, one of the leaders of this community, during my time in Chicago last year, so this was a real bonus. Sadly this wasn’t a classic as I swept aside his BG deck (1-0).</div>
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<i>Giant Wasps vs Bob’s Giant Spider</i></div>
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<br />I next edged out Antonio from the Catalan community who is known for creating those wonderful playmats and artwork themed on Old School-meets-cult films/games. The games were fun, if brutal: Game 1 I Fireballed him out. Game 2 He was able to hit me with Channel Fireball for the win. Game 3, I was able to pick apart his hand before unleashing a swarm of Giant Wasps in game 3 (2-0).</div>
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<i>Channel Fireball – the timeless combo – from Antonio in game 2</i></div>
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<br />I then faced Elias from the Stockholm in a Bottle crew. A great guy who was playing a very powerful red-themed deck with multiple power pieces, Gauntlets, big X spells and a Shivan Dragon. Somehow I narrowly escaped with the win (3-0)<br /><br />My next game was against Will M - a decorated Vintage and Old School player whose name I’ve known (and feared) for some time. Yet, pursuant to my ‘Internet of Friends’ comment above, this was our first meeting in person. We split a couple of tight games, where Will’s innovative Psychic Venom deck did some serious work, and where I probably got a bit lucky. Game 3 went my way, largely due to a busted draw and Will forgetting to separate his permanents, not expecting a Chaos Orb! Probably got away with one there... (4-0)<br /><br /><img alt="https://scontent-lht6-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.15752-9/s2048x2048/62309744_547284422470399_2602588312648548352_n.jpg?_nc_cat=100&_nc_ht=scontent-lht6-1.xx&oh=f3b6bf1f669987b7700a47c6775c8cb6&oe=5D8F8925" height="149" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/8EMqSRkRIEcUHG1eaZX9g-7TJAJtGkOTbBG-F09YODIo-QbiaUsHrhAkIQ_Vw2Kc1SFVoRFlhxkRWEMpuXPxTQ_NDIHkX8gEkKE8cF5Mkbwzvd9nTX2bzpob-bQMFTB2BTLAn-0" style="border: none; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre-wrap;" width="215" /></div>
<i>Twiddle your Island for 6?</i></div>
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<i><br /></i>I then edged a win against Gordon on a quirky direct damage list. This was a super grindy match-up and the highlight was a good natured rules dispute for the ages between Gordon and judge Marc about how Ivory Cup worked under WT2 rules (5-0).</div>
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<br /><i>This game narrowly went in my favour (as did this ruling…)</i><br /><br />My final Swiss game was against ‘Sister’ Paul - another good friend online that I was meeting in person for the first time. We played for honour, with our places in the top 4 secured, and I squeaked a win against his beautiful combo deck featuring a mental 11 pieces of power! (6-0)<br /><br /><b>WT2 Top 4</b><br /><br />My top 4 opponent needs no introduction, with a literal “school of Magic” bearing his name.</div>
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<br /><i>Brian Weissman and Brother Stebbo (colourised)</i><br /><br />An account of this game is featured on my Flippin’ Orbs/ATC <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-22-n00bcon-retrospective-aka-a-shiver-of-guests/id1227893917?i=1000436740281">interview</a> . But it’s worth reliving it here, as it was a real classic.<br /><br />Brian was running his infamous 7 Orb aggro-control deck, using 2 Fireballs and as yet unspecified number of Juggernauts (in excess of 4).<br /><br /><b>Game 1 </b>saw Brian’s Chaos Orbs, control pieces and Juggernaught beatdown take the game easily, as I never really got out the gates and the crowd was getting anxious…</div>
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<i>Brian rocking 6 Sol Rings, an Icy and a Scepter</i><br /><br /><b>Game 2 </b>– realising Brian’s trademark layout for cards gave him an unintended benefit in a game with multiple Chaos Orbs under the original rules and a small table, I adopted the “38th parallel” strategy and actively managed the board space by ensuring my ‘front line’ of cards were in the middle of the playmat to give us an equal share. Brian had at this point nonchalantly revealed he was running 7 Orbs(!) - so I did my best to separate my permanents out as well, to stymie Brian’s Orbs effectiveness!</div>
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<i>Game 2 in progress…</i><br /><br />The game was very close - Brian had sent off a big Fireball early, but I was able to stabilise with my trusty Ivory Cup, and I began picking off his Juggernauts. <br /><br />It wasn’t all my own way however as my Ivory Cup was dispatched by an Orb. “Chaos Orb the Ivory Cup - never thought I’d say that!” quipped Brian as the Cup went down...</div>
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<br /><i>Brian preparing an Orb flip as various Old School community figures watch on</i><br /><br />Not before long we were at end-game. With no way to shuffle his cards back in, Brian drew the last card in his library and had 25 mana up. Enough for a Fireball for 24! Unfortunately for him, I’d managed to accrue 25 life, and I was left on 1 life as Brian decked!<br /><br />The crowd erupted with a cheer! and a brief “Stebbo” chant went up! This left me in the awkward position of having to inform Brian that it appeared that I was the crowd favourite and he was therefore likely the pantomime villain, much to our amusement. Thinking back, as the man is credited with inventing the Deck, I’m sure it wasn’t the first time in history that he’d assumed the ‘comedy villain’ role in a tournament...!<br /><br /><b>Game 3. </b>The game saw me gain an initial advantage, as Brian “fake anted” one of his Fireballs. And then he was forced to use his last Fireball to engulf a dangerous swarm of Giant Wasps, which were slowly chipping away at his life!</div>
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<br /><i>3 Giant Wasps take to the skies in the decider, as Brian digs for answers with Tome…</i><br /><br />With my manabase being devastated from an attack from Brian’s Orbs (to the extent that I no longer had double blue), my Fireball was no longer a viable win con. This left my out being Brian’s rapidly depleting library. My Ivory Cup was gone. Brian’s outs were just an unspecified number of remaining Juggernauts. He also had a Disrupting Scepter down doing the lord’s work, at one point forcing me to discard an uncastable, but lethal Braingeyser...<br /><br />The climax of the game saw me stick a Tome, and Brian stick his final 2 Juggernauts. We seemed to have exhausted the Orbs, so it was down to this and what cards remained in our decks. <br /><br />I was on maybe 24 life. The Juggernauts swung in, I Disenchant one. 19 life. <br /><br />My Draw and Tome activation, both blanks. Brian blanks on his draw. Juggernaut attacks. 14. <br /><br />We both go and blank again. 9 life. Getting desperate… <br /><br />I draw - blank. Activate Tome... a Balance! After a moment of thought, I reveal the card and the crowd erupts again! The Juggernaut is discarded from play. <br /><br />Brian, now on maybe 2 or 3 cards in his Library (to my 7+) gamely casts a lethal Wheel of Fortune to fall on his sword and deck himself.</div>
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An epic and nail-biting finale, and a fitting end with a Jayemdae Tome activation proving decisive against the man who had made the card famous. I was thrilled that the deck I’d built myself with all cards I owned, and with literally zero test games, had beaten a deck piloted by a Magic great, with access to much greater resources.</div>
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<br />What was also nice was that Brian and I both recognised the absurdity of the situation and the format. These were both ridiculously powerful decks. This was a uniquely degenerate moment we’d shared. <br /><br />Brian graciously posed for some post-match photos, and was incredibly generous with his time the following evening at n00bcon giving me an in-depth history of the Deck and the true “Wild West” days of early 94 Magic, in between rounds at n00bcon.<br /><br />My final game was against another decorated player, former Vintage champion Steve Menendian. Steve was borrowing the infamous “t1 kill deck” which ostensibly eschews gameplay for raw power. <br /><br />This was likely the most powerful deck that’s ever been played in a tournament, and it’s fair to say it has been divisive in the community. I resolved to play to my outs, but losing the die role assured defeat for my plucky deck. For good order I played out a game before conceding a match that was inevitably anticlimactic after the epic semi-final that had come before.<br /><br />Steve’s in-depth account of the deck and the all-Alpha format can be found <a href="https://eternalcentral.com/so-many-insane-plays-adventures-with-alpha-at-the-wizards-tournament-ii/">here</a>. I’ve read and enjoyed many of his published works, so I’d encourage you to check them out if you haven’t already. As a long-time listener of So Many Insane Plays it was great to meet Steve and we had a good discussion on the Alpha 40 format (and its degeneracy) the following day - I hope we get to play another game someday in an Old School format that utilises a B&R list! <br /><br />Whilst I may not have won the event, I was honoured and surprised by this community prize, given to me in-between rounds at n00bcon the following day! It means a lot to have a prize card signed by so many community figures, and I love the joke. Although now I’ll need to play white in my Brothers Highlander deck so that I can cast the People’s Champ in a game sometime!</div>
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With the WT2 running past midnight, I’d missed dinner – but returned to the hotel for some moderate gloating and final tuning of my Swedish deck with some of the other Brothers ahead of tomorrow…<br /><br /><b>Friday. </b>A chilled start – arriving at the Rotary with time to press the flesh with some of the other communities before n00bcon itself began. I was running a standard Dibatog list which went a respectable 4-3. It was an improvement on last year, but with each defeat being a mix of bad luck and inexperience with the deck, it was a little disappointing. Still, Rome wasn’t built in a day, as they say.<br /><br />Quickly noting the main event itself – I was lucky enough to find the endurance to stay until the finals were over at gone 6am. Truly epic games of Magic, and my congratulations to Fluffy, and commiserations to Mano and Svante for their respective runs in the tournament. Performance of the day however should go to Brother Jordan, who made the top 8 with a “suboptimal” Fish list, demonstrating how tight a player he is.<br /><br />Friday also saw another defeat on the 18th green for the British in the Ryder Cup of Old School. We again had our chances and ran the Yanks close, but their closer Will M proved unstoppable and sealed the tight 3-2 win. Whilst a comedy team event is no time for personal highlights, nonetheless I was pleased to continue my winning streak over Shane S, who earlier had been made an honorary Brother, with Brother Markus kindly gifting Shane his sacred Brothers of Fire jacket!<br /><br /><b>Saturday. </b>I managed to get about 5 hours sleep after the late finish the night before. But I was up and raring to go at the Brothers’ event of the trip – the Venarian Gold Social. A roaming caravan of Magic players bar hopping whilst playing Brothers Highlander - the connoisseur’s choice of 100-card singleton formats.</div>
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<br />We were greeted early by Hunter P, Paul, and Flovo and we got to show off some niche cards and quirky boardstates. <br /><br />The night turned into a hilarious karaoke session, with the high point of a group singalong of Bryan Adams - Summer of ‘93!<br /><br />The day was casual fun and a breath of fresh air after 2-3 days of intense gaming, although that said, Will M and I tried to squeeze as many competitive games in as we could mid-karaoke – trying to get every possible drop of gaming from the weekend!<br /><br /><b>Sunday. </b>A relaxed affair and saw some of the Brothers attend the ABU Bloc(k) Party hosted by the Urborg Legion, led expertly by Christian R.<br /><br />I was unsure what to play, and was limited by what cards I’d brought along for my other decks. I settled on this ‘4c counterless control’ build, hastily constructed in the pub.</div>
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It was by no means optimal but ran well enough to finish undefeated and take home this sweet Urborg prize card. Straight in the Brothers Highlander deck!</div>
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The Urborg guys are a blast and we signed this in their Magic Encyclopaedia as a memento!<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.44; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left;">
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With that, our weekend in gaming paradise was over, until next time…</div>
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<br />Huge thanks to the various people who took photos of my games vs Brian Weissman – in compiling this article I was really taken with how they capture the spirit of WT2.<br /><br />Thanks for reading,<br /><br /><br /><br />Brother Stebbo</div>
Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-18351630581268130552019-05-19T13:38:00.001+01:002019-05-19T13:38:15.681+01:00Tournament Report: Fishing in Sweden: my first Noobcon - by Brother JordanAbout five months after Andrew, Pieter and I won the Team World Cup and got our first ever n00bcon invites, the day had finally arrived! I put quite a lot of thought into my deck over that period, and was pretty happy with what I'd come up with given my constraints - namely that most of my collection is Revised / FBB, which are allowed under UK rules but considered proxies in Sweden.<br />
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I couldn't afford to upgrade any of the expensive stuff (duals etc), but I was happy to buy Unlimited random stuff. So that meant I had to go mono-colour, and because I'd recently acquired a Time Walk, an Ancestral, and a Sapphire, I figured I should go blue. Unfortunately I certainly couldn't afford to get Swedish-legal Dibs and although Brother Ben had kindly offered to lend me some, I personally think it's bad mojo to borrow cards. I also don't like playing obviously sub-optimal versions of a given concept (happy to play sub-optimal concepts though), so I wanted to find a mono-blue deck that didn't even want them. I toyed with some weird Ghost Ship / Giant Tortoise control deck, but Ben gave me the sensible advice to play something quicker / easier so I'd have drinking time. I eventually settled on fish!<br />
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The only lists I'd seen running the Pearl Trident crew were pretty classic suicide blue builds including Dibs and Unstable Mutations, and generally few to no counters. Some early playtesting convinced me that Unstables suck (mostly because it's so easy to get two-for-one'd, and they're a dead draw when you have an empty board). I also really like countering spells, so I decided to go more in that direction. Ben helped once again by suggesting main-deck Energy Flux (good call!), and then I wanted to play Psi Blasts and a couple of Control Magics (strong card I think). With six three-drops already, I was able to tell myself the deck didn't want Dibs because they'd ruin the mana curve (and in retrospect I think that may have been true!). Anyway, after a lot of thinking and a fair bit of testing, I settled on this list:<br />
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I got to Gothenburg around 6 on Thursday evening and ended up having a great first day and drinking until 3-ish. After breakfast and then pizza, we got to the pub a bit early and quite thirsty, only to find that it wasn't open yet! But there was a great atmosphere already and before too long they let us in. At that point I was feeling quite excited and moderately optimistic, but basically I was hoping to win more matches than I lost. Anyway, after a fair bit of waiting, much chatting and a couple of beers, we finally got our first pairings. <br />
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I remember shockingly few details from the day's play but here's a rough overview of what happened. Round 1 was against Will, who'd I'd been chatting to earlier and had come all the way from America. He was playing (as I would later discover) the same 75 as Svante and Brian - a finely-tuned and rather potent Atog build. But as luck would have it, I got lucky - or rather, Will got unlucky. I think he drew something like 4 or 5 lands total in two games and the fish came out on curve and made good use of Energy Flux in game 1. Will was a total gent about it, but nobody likes getting mana screwed. I was quite relieved to win my first match, in part because I figured my deck would actually do better against the higher end of the field (things like white weenie or green ramp would have wrecked me I think). <br />
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I ended up winning my next three matches as well, one of which was against Svante. I didn't yet know that it was exactly the same list, but it was clearly Atog. This time round we did actually have real games, but luck smiled on me again. Flux did some good work for me, and City in a Bottle did some good work for him. I think I managed to win one of the games after Svante's deck didn't give him a single land on a Timetwister, allowing me to finish it with my seven new cards. In the last game, a lengthy back-and-forth led to the point where Svante had nothing much on the board, and I had a DanDan and two flying men, with one Counterspell in hand. He played a Bottle, which I obviously had to counter, but he followed it up with a Balance - his last card in hand (I had several). Luckily for me I went on to draw a few fish while he drew vices and land, allowing me to sneak the win.<br />
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In round 5 I was paired up against Bryan, who finally got revenge for the Atog list. In the first game he had to mull down to 4, ultimately keeping a hand with no lands. He was on the play, so his first turn involved doing literally nothing. Needless to say I was pretty confident of the win at this point, but it wasn't to be. I had kept a hand with just one land and a Sapphire (a reasonable keep on the draw for my deck), but I ended up drawing only one more land in the game. He dropped an early vice (turn 2 maybe), and I happened to have a hand with mostly counters. The net result was that I couldn't play enough cards to get under the vice, and didn't have much by way of pressure. The vice and a bit of burn ultimately did me in, for a rather embarrassing loss. The second game was another sound beating, leaving me on 4-1 and bringing my winning streak to an end. <br />
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At this point I knew I couldn't afford another loss, and fortunately I managed to win round 6. The final round of Swiss was incredibly tense, since the winner would make the Top 8 and the loser wouldn't. I was paired up against a gentleman whose name now escapes me, and I had no clue what he was playing. In contrast to the rest of the day, this match involved minimal chit-chat - we were both focussed on getting the win. In the first game he played a Sylvan, duals of various colours and quite a few restricted cards, but his deck didn't really do anything. I had a fairly aggressive start and won it quite quickly with a swarm of little dudes, but I was left with no idea of what he was playing. Having seen that he played islands, I boarded in two more DanDans and left it at that. In the second game it quickly became apparent that he was in fact playing Twiddle Vault, and despite drawing loads of extra cards off his howling mines, I wasn't able to finish him before his deck went off big time, taking about five turns in a row by recurring Time Walk before eventually dropping the Vault with multiple Twiddles in hand, at which point I scooped (although in retrospect I maybe should have made him play it out - he still needed to kill me somehow). </div>
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Having now seen what the deck did, I boarded out my Unsummons and Control Magics and boarded in more Energy Flux (for the Mines) and a few other things. I played first and dropped a 1/1 dork, followed up by two more on my second turn. But there was a nasty surprise waiting for me on his second turn: Mana Vault into Erhnam, follwed by another Mana Vault and another Erhnam on turn three! Turns out he had a transformative sideboard that made it more of an Erhnageddon type thing. Suddenly my hopes of victory were dashed, having taken out most of my answers to big creatures. </div>
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After a turn or two of me swinging with little dorks and him swinging with big scary Djinns, I managed to kill one of them by blocking with a Pearl Trident and then Psi Blasting, leaving me on 3 and him on a lot more. As luck would have it, I top-decked Chaos Orb. This was probably the highest pressure flip I've ever had to make, but I made it and took out the second Djinn. Miraculously he drew no further threats, and over the next few turns I managed to kill him with a few fish. <br />
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To my amazement, my tiebreakers meant that I finished the Swiss in second place! My quarter-final match ended up being a bit of an anticlimax, losing fairly quickly to an opponent playing a different Atog build with Su-Chi and some other stuff. In retrospect I think I was playing quite badly (there was a long delay before the Semis, during which the adrenaline wore off and the beer started catching up with me), but I'm not sure if my misplays were decisive. Of course I would have loved to go further, but I was totally happy to have gotten so far and walked away with a trophy and, fittingly, a copy of Deep Water!<br />
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Finally, I wanted to share some thoughts about the deck, having played it quite a lot against a wide range of opponents (both at n00bcon and in preparation for it). Overall, I'm certainly not going to pretend it's a Tier 1 deck - I wouldn't have gotten as far as I did without quite a lot of luck. But it's relatively affordable, fun to play, and stronger than it looks at first glance.<br />
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In terms of the creature suite: Flying Men are great (pity they die to Bottle), and the Merfolk (mainly the Lords) are possibly even better. The DanDans proved surprisingly strong, even in main deck (though again the Bottle thing really sucks!). At worst, they're a 4/1 wall for UU, which trades with pumped Factories, Su-Chis, and various other things. At best, they're a pretty fast clock! The Serendib Djins didn't pull their weight (extremely situational), so I plan to cut them for two Clones (mainly to copy Lords). I'm not certain Dibs would actually make it better, but they might.<br />
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In terms of mana base: It felt about right overall. Not sure about the Sol Ring - it should maybe be a 4th Factory or another Island).<br />
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In terms of other spells: I was VERY glad to be playing counters - you need them against all the higher-impact cards out there. Adding a Mana Drain (mine is Italian) probably wouldn't hurt, but the Spell Blasts were pretty great (so many of the things you want to counter are only 1 or 2 mana). The two main-deck Energy Fluxes were very useful, as were the Control Magics. And the one main deck Phantasmal Terrain was pretty handy, mainly as another answer to Library, Maze, and Factory - but occasionally to make an Island for the fish. A second one wouldn't hurt, but there isn't anything I'd cut for it.<br />
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I hope someone out there finds this useful! Happy Fishing!</div>
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Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-51063728973403570252019-05-12T23:00:00.000+01:002019-05-12T23:12:16.557+01:00Tournament Report, n00bcon XI - Brother Jonas<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>What, a hundred, man?</i></div>
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- Henry V</div>
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<i>Henry IV, Part I</i>, [II, 4]</div>
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This year's n00bcon was shaping up to be the largest festival of Old School ever held, thanks to the ongoing growth in the popularity of the format and the fact that in addition to the World Championships, a series of independent side events in Gothenburg presented an overload of gaming and socialising opportunities. On top of that, the list of attendees was a veritable Who's Who? of global Old School.<br />
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With so much to look forward to, all I could think beforehand was that the only danger was that expectations would simply be too high. In accordance with the scale of the event, I decided to set myself a personal Everest: to complete 'The Century of Bolts' by casting Lightning Bolt 100 times in real play over the days we were out there. A handheld clicking-counter was duly purchased on eBay for the purpose.<br />
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Qualification for n00bcon is tough - there simply isn't room for everyone who might want to attend. But thanks in part to success in the World Cup, the Brothers Of Fire was again a large delegation this year, with plenty of first-timers in our team. As a result, a large group formed on Thursday morning at Stansted Airport for Roc of Kher Ridges Airways to ferry us to our destination. After, that is, the now-traditional full English breakfast:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stebbo keeping it tight in 1993 swag</td></tr>
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With time for some in-flight warm-up games against Brother Ben, I was able to make the first two entries in my quest to scale the Century.<br />
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After a quick stop-off at the hotel, we headed on to the Rotary, the spiritual home of Old School. It's always an experience to walk in, but this year felt even headier than usual. In the early 00s Weezer made <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQHPYelqr0E">a music video</a> in the form of all the current memes of the time, inviting the participants back to a large studio to recreate their moments of fame. The participants commented afterwards that it "felt like walking into the internet", and there was something of this for me, especially given the growth of podcast content in the last year which has brought people's voices to eager ears.<br />
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We also had the chance to see David M's incredible contribution, the Old School Heroes card game! Probably the first and last time I will be immortalised in cardboard form, complete with <i>Minor Threat</i> flavour text...<br />
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With that done, we were into the Wizards' Tournament 2, a chance to turn the clock back to 1993 and enjoy the game in full throwback style. With a very meagre Alpha collection myself, I was assisted heavily by a 'Mysterious Benefactor' who lent me my deck. By bringing my own Alpha bolts to the table, we were able to unleash 'the DecaBolt', which meant I was packing 10 bolts in my 40-card deck. If you're going to break the four-of card restriction, then you may as well do it properly! Plus, it's a common card - so, you know, "...as Garfield intended", right?<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brother Pat and I in obligatory backpatch mode</td></tr>
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Seeing as they were his cards, I'll leave my Benefactor to discuss the exact makeup of the deck in a future article, but suffice to say, for a "cut-me-and-I-bleed-red" burn mage like myself, this was the Old School equivalent of driving a drag racer. But then, performance was secondary to the richness and fun-factor of the event. For my first game, I was lucky enough to be seated next to Jason Schwarz and to watch his jaw-dropping fully-powered deck in action, all without basic compromises to modernity like, er, sleeves.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chaos Orb countermeasures, Deckmaster-style</td></tr>
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As well as a frankly indecent number of 93-era Orcish Artilleries, I cast a fair few Lightning Bolts in the course of the action, and tracked every one on my trusty Bolt-counter on my way to a solid 3-2 finish. My running total provoked a few moments of mirth, although I did feel sorry for Alex P who was on the end of no fewer than eight of them in the course of one short game. I don't think I will ever cast so many again. I also learned that in 1993, Iron Star was absolutely busted!<br />
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By the end of the day, I retired to grab dinner with a number of the others, and was pleased to reflect on a very healthy count:<br />
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While eating, we learned that Brother Stebbo had heroically made it to the final of the event, which was the subject of some celebration. That he was beaten by an unbeatable deck was perhaps a shame. Personally I consider Alpha-only Magic to be <u>even more</u> of a "who gets the joke?" format than Old School, which in itself ought to be played very much in recognition of the absurdity of the game. On that basis, the fielding of the kind of deck we whispered about in school playgrounds seemed amusing and fitting. On the other hand, the complete removal of chance maybe took it too far - with similarly insane resources at my disposal, I would have been tempted to run with the mythical Benalish Hero / Crusade megadeck. But each to their own - I felt that the winner had proven his point, but for Stebbo to reach the final using his own cards, and only singles of many of the power (including Chaos Orb) was a notable achievement even by his spiky standards!<br />
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Few of us wanted to overdo the festivities that night, conscious that tomorrow was the big event (no, not the Ryder Cup, although more on that later).<br />
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In traditional style, this began with MG's balcony address, much good cheer and anticipation, and the signing of the greatest prize of them all:<br />
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Upon picking up my name tag I also noted that I have finally entered the select coterie of nicknamed n00bcon attendees...<br />
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This year was an evolved version of the deck I have fielded twice at n00bcon - every year I add more white to the red base, which means I am now pink and will presumably soon be turning a whiter shade of pale. By 2023 I will be running a certain WWW <i>Arabian Nights</i> card with a risque title...<br />
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I built this deck to ensure interactive games - in Bolt, Disenchant, Divine Offering, and Swords it has answers to pretty much everything, but plenty of early threat value in the form of Lions, and then some mid-range power in the Su-Chis and Angels.<br />
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Unfortunately, its performance in the tournament fell below expectations - I came out 3-4. Despite this, I had some brilliant games against Charlie H, the dapper Martin Berlin, Alex Raja, Vincent Protic, and a particularly memorable (and close) final match-up against Francesc Montserrat. I was also able to cast a LOT of Lightning Bolts, taking me to 74 for the weekend:<br />
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With the formality of this event out of the way, we proceeded to the Ryder Cup - the annual Chaos Orb flip-off contest initiated by the UK and competed for by delegations from our side and from the USA. (It has since been commented that the 'other' Ryder Cup - in golf - is actually competed for between the US and Europe - in fact this has only been the case since 1979).<br />
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While the trophy had been in possession of the US team, its custodian, Shane, had given it the mother of all makeovers. I was rendered speechless upon seeing the formerly humble prize now elevated to something closer to its full status:<br />
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With the US holding the trophy from last year's narrow win, I once again captained the British delegation. Unfortunately, our colonial cousins were once again stronger, edging the prize 3-2.<br />
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It was an emotional defeat, but with the consolation of knowing that with the new trophy and this fresh infusion of interest in the competition, its international future feels assured for the coming years. I congratulate my opposite number as captain, Danny - although it's fitting that our personal head-to-head score as captains remains 1-1. (This ongoing contest also doesn't dim the spirit of fraternisation between our countries - with Shane made Brothers of Fire's first-ever honorary member and Will M and Mano becoming official trial prospects for membership).<br />
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Even now, the fun was not over, with Markus's much-anticipated '40K' ante tournament taking place. This was one for the serious players, but made good watching.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Too rich for my blood, even with all those Jewelled Birds flying about!</td></tr>
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The World Championships ran late - with Svante's Atog build (co-authored with Mano and Will M) competing in the final against Fluffy's The Deck. The fact that the meta in Sweden is still evolving feels to me like incredible validation of the depth of Old School as a game in the purest sense, which remains 'unsolved' even after the collective engagement of millions of brain-hours.<br />
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By day three, it was time for something different and the Brothers Of Fire held our own side event: the Venarian Gold Social. Guest of honour was Brother Jordan, who upheld the honour of our entire club by absolutely smashing it at n00bcon - going to 2nd in the Swiss and bowing out with much acclaim in the quarter-finals. Not only this, but a feat he achieved without any borrowed cards, and running mono-blue Merfolk! An achievement for the annals.<br />
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The Venarian Gold Social was a chance to step back from usual Old School and to take in the sights of Gothenburg while playing some Brothers' Highlander (our house format of 100-card singleton). Needless to say, this was a great day. I even managed to add to my bolt count, although I still lay some way short of my century:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0UCsGB_IDf0DQxuXj5MjNHujJEIJWMS9g1ckc5XcVQVI56rGmANr989IGyAqbzOqZdGx6rO3DtULhzS6qESTgPyOVuG4hIPDUsarzSg4mKg5g26BQcYtUHQCfVz7uwIKmcicgJl6hlEw/s1600/IMG_3923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0UCsGB_IDf0DQxuXj5MjNHujJEIJWMS9g1ckc5XcVQVI56rGmANr989IGyAqbzOqZdGx6rO3DtULhzS6qESTgPyOVuG4hIPDUsarzSg4mKg5g26BQcYtUHQCfVz7uwIKmcicgJl6hlEw/s320/IMG_3923.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The day unfolded perfectly to plan as we were joined by a succession of people who also fancied a change of pace. What wasn't in the plan was a considerable late-night escalation as the Venarian Gold Social achieved lift-off and became a major karaoke party in a downtown bar. Much hilarity ensued (some of it captured elsewhere on the internet). Some things are maybe left better in the memory, but personal highlights included a group singalong to Bryan Adams's 'Summer of 93', a live rendition of the All Tings Considered podcast theme tune by its host, Mano, and some incredible hi-jinks from Gordon Andersson. For me this was possibly the highlight of a weekend full of them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-w9M4nebP2hgxz4XZjA8zXTkUMAbGYnKL8oGNlB0_pu2Kx4mqGP2ldoAr4-V0GSz7GAEETNjTuyhPP8nDk787FNZuQSoEQObDIWGm8yEIF-mPDrCz_ana109ebg74yeIvn7EUMsFLrK4/s1600/IMG_3949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-w9M4nebP2hgxz4XZjA8zXTkUMAbGYnKL8oGNlB0_pu2Kx4mqGP2ldoAr4-V0GSz7GAEETNjTuyhPP8nDk787FNZuQSoEQObDIWGm8yEIF-mPDrCz_ana109ebg74yeIvn7EUMsFLrK4/s320/IMG_3949.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The winners of the Social: Hunter P (Gold), Mano (Silver), and Florian von B (Bronze)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gordon giving it everything</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKWfJvDoT3VuHaz4j9Xr3O3v4OvWuyZORp4gRvnbeVqWmCR1PBHakXQdnSJwL2w27oJgwvx0ry0zquP7DdOHNVdj9sXKnuquKV593ZwnVLceksEp0KeqHMiCWL3k8Nh1tu0MtEaZ8Nio/s1600/LYWN6451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKWfJvDoT3VuHaz4j9Xr3O3v4OvWuyZORp4gRvnbeVqWmCR1PBHakXQdnSJwL2w27oJgwvx0ry0zquP7DdOHNVdj9sXKnuquKV593ZwnVLceksEp0KeqHMiCWL3k8Nh1tu0MtEaZ8Nio/s320/LYWN6451.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two brothers doing Weezer</td></tr>
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With our flights home booked for the evening, we had one day left. Thankfully the amazing chaps of the Urborg Legion had organised a final day event at a pub - ABU only. Upon arrival, we also discovered that Christian had banned Mind Twist to keep the day fun - this went down less well with some of our group:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26VVW32opqicYTH3ZcQKHc3aw7BsbaiyhdYl908YsQY7ot0dthyaYTZVaPTbFodeynbz7xQlj8Ii7GTZ8f4AJeryIMJuyXM_iVwShy7bfSZSESAOAF04tIzancKgS8ftQ5zj3L4NQ-QE/s1600/IMG_4003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj26VVW32opqicYTH3ZcQKHc3aw7BsbaiyhdYl908YsQY7ot0dthyaYTZVaPTbFodeynbz7xQlj8Ii7GTZ8f4AJeryIMJuyXM_iVwShy7bfSZSESAOAF04tIzancKgS8ftQ5zj3L4NQ-QE/s320/IMG_4003.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's (not) Twist Again</td></tr>
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As well as wanting to do well in the event, I also had one eye on completing the century. Brother Stebbo agreed to play games in the departure lounge if that was what it took - but I wanted to achieve it in open play if I possibly could.<br />
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For this event I wanted to give some play to Goblin King as well as air a few under-appreciated core set cards - but crucially I wanted to see plenty of bolts. I had fun matchups with Elias, Bjorn Johnnie (who avenged our last match with a clinical 2-0 win), Brother Stebbo, and Martin J. With one match to go, I was achingly close to my goal at a total of <b>96</b>, with this photo taken shortly before:<br />
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Cometh the hour, cometh the man - Christian himself stepped up for my final game in the tournament. After he was forced to Berserk my Dragon Whelp in our first game I feared I wouldn't make it, but fortunately there was enough in the tank and I crossed the line just in time, bolting him to the face at the start of game two just to make sure.<br />
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With that milestone done, and the ceremonial raising of the bat, it was time to complete the tournament (won overall by Brother Stebbo), and after final handshakes we returned home, complete in my case with a LOT of new swag:<br />
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Reviewing the other reviews and podcasts about the event, I am struck by a strong shared theme of people feeling an incredible sense of connection to the event. To those who weren't there from our community, this probably feels disappointing to have missed out on. And to those who might read this someday who have no idea what Old School is, the whole thing might feel baffling, overly-sentimental, or even a bit weird. I guess, on both counts, it really was one of those things where "you had to be there", but after all the cards are cleared away what stays with me are three things:<br />
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Firstly, the sense of people getting together in real life to share something they are passionate about. The internet is becoming a more crowded and, with that, a less-pleasant place to discuss Old School. But what happens online isn't really Old School - it is at best something that keeps you going between bouts of the real thing, which is sitting down and sharing a beer with a stranger but walking away with something gained on both sides. When that happens, good vibes are inevitable.<br />
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Secondly is the sense of continuity. We know that the format of the World Championships is due to change soon, and that this may be the last year that n00bcon takes on this kind of form. If this really is the end of this phase of Old School, I feel that everyone there will have drunk deeply of this spirit and it will continue to flow through the other events round the world that will continue to take place. And hopefully part of that continuity will continue to be the dozens of little traditions including our (very-unserious-honest!) biker gangs, the Easter Eggs, the Gentleman's badge, and the Ryder Cup.<br />
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Thirdly and finally, it's about good people getting the joke. My deck featured cards of not insignificant value gifted to me in the days before the event, both by people in my team, and by people I've never even met in the flesh. We are all grown adults rotating cardboard, but within the envelope of that, there is so much scope for the things that matter in life - meeting new people, showing kindness, and enjoying a shared passion. In the end, 'getting the joke' isn't about sarcasm or the need to put up a barrier between your 'serious' life and your 'fun' hobby. 'Getting the joke' and committing to the community is what sets the stage to enjoy - without the need for irony - the pure fun of events like this.<br />
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If that sounds mawkish or over-sentimental well, I guess maybe you did have to be there!<br />
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<br />Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-47878600518156613532019-05-11T22:37:00.001+01:002019-05-11T22:37:34.599+01:00Old School Rules FAQ May 2019 - By Brother Scott<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">In the glorious sunshine of the Urborg Feast outdoor tournament in Gothenburg this April this year I had the pleasure of doing something I’d never done before – judging at an Old School tournament. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">This was, I admit, not an onerous exercise – I think between us the three judges only had ten judge calls all day. However, the recurring themes about what was asked – and questions I’ve seen from other puzzled mages posting on the internet – guided me into thinking that it would be helpful to set out some tips about the Old School cards and rules that cause the most confusion. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">I hope that you will be able to use this article in two ways:</span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">To dip into now to give you some ideas of possible extra fun ways to use your favourite cards (or play cards correctly with confidence that you’ve always been a bit unsure about).</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">As a future reference source if you’re in the middle of a game and suddenly think “oh – how does THIS work?” (add this article to your Favourites!) The tips are all alphabetised by card name/ability to help with this.</span></span></li>
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<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just one warning: the rules of Magic change from time to time – these rulings are all correct as of May 2019 and apply if you’re playing Old School using the current Magic rules. If you’re playing Alpha 40 using the original Alpha rules, or playing some other local variation, then of course these answers may not all hold true. I have deliberately used some old school </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">terminology</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> because I find that phrases such as “fizzle,” “summoning sickness” and “removed from the game” are not only more evocative but clearer – but that’s just description: the outcomes are those produced by the current Rules.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Finally, huge thanks to Dave Firth Bard and Chris Cooper for their proofreading and valuable suggestions and additions.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">The Abyss</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: Can I regenerate my Sedge Troll to save it from The Abyss?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">No – The Abyss says on it that creatures it targets can’t be regenerated! (You can pay one black mana if you really want to use the regeneration ability, but the Troll will still die.)</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: Can The Abyss destroy a White Knight, bearing in mind it has Protection from Black?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">No it can’t – The Abyss requires a target, and a black card can’t target something with Protection from Black. Another target must be chosen, if possible.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Banding</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Banding boils down to two things:</span></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When attacking</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> - Any number of creatures with banding plus up to one creature without banding can be chosen to form a band when attacking. Then (a) if one creature in an attacking band is blocked, the whole band is blocked, but also (b) the controller of the band gets to decide how damage from the blocking creature(s) is distributed among creatures in the band. Point (a) is a drawback, but point (b) can be quite useful to you in combat.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When blocking</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> – If a creature with Banding is blocking a creature, either alone or with other blockers, the Banding creature’s controller chooses how any damage dealt by the blocked creature is assigned.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">For some attacking examples let’s imagine as an example that you choose to form a band consisting of two creatures: Mesa Pegasus (1/1 flying banding) and War Mammoth (3/3 trample), and then attack.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><img height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/V0D5xInNHJOTClrhmU8Kv42SNcnDAAVDC_FKWia8vDaa2f6-6B1TlA0OGmJFjj4Rhc47oc8_BxL7v8Jj1sQlNoIOJzGsGf6stavy6L88RQ66LonOseHx-JZHtXcxZjnlTjOg4vV4yRxuV00a8g" style="border: none;" width="386" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: Can a creature without flying block my band?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes. The mammoth doesn’t have flying, and if your opponent blocks it (say, with a 5/4 Water Elemental) the whole band is then blocked due to point (a) above. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: If he does block like that, can I choose all 5 damage of the Water Elemental’s damage to be dealt to the Pegasus?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes. Point (b) above means you get to assign the damage, and can assign all 5 to Mesa Pegasus even though that’s more than enough to kill it. The Water Elemental will take 4 damage and die, so you’ll end up trading a Pegasus for the Elemental, and the War Mammoth will survive (you could also choose the Mammoth to take the 5 damage if you preferred the Pegasus to survive).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q3: What happens if I block a creature with Trample using a creature with Banding?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Let’s say a Force of Nature (8/8 trample) is attacking, and you block with your Mesa Pegasus and War Mammoth. Normally your opponent would choose to deal 1 damage to the Pegasus, 3 to the Mammoth, and 4 trample damage to you. But with banding YOU get to choose how damage is done. So you can choose to assign all 8 damage to the Mesa Pegasus (or the Mammoth). If you do, none will trample over to you or kill your other creature. Even if you chump block with just the Mesa Pegasus you can still choose for it to take all 8 damage, with none trampling over.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Blood Moon</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: My opponent plays Blood Moon and in response I activate my Mishra’s Factory to make it a 2/2 creature. What is it once Blood Moon resolves?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Until the end of the turn it’s a mountain that’s also a 2/2 artifact creature. Note that it will no longer have its other abilities, including the ability to give an assembly worker +1/+1. From the next turn onwards it becomes simply a mountain, and no longer a creature.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: My opponent has both Blood Moon and Library of Alexandria in play. I play City in a Bottle. Does my opponent have to sacrifice her Library?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes. Although it’s now a mountain, its NAME is still “Library of Alexandria”, and because Library of Alexandria was first printed in Arabian Nights it has to be sacrificed.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><img height="418" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/z5-0o-fDOfoW8JTIMw5KE7gTPvhpc1L6HqvrnX4fzq5fz5kJPiSpLlGgJzS4vcTGSByiP8YypydL2yYR40WfaREnI98SrmSq1mYc2jMTOKggn1c6t85gQUqgYUxMnx_R1JfiCsYZdzzlaZN7GA" style="border: none;" width="300" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Chains of Mephistopheles </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">The effect of this card is best visualised as a flow chart, such as this one created by the user “silvercut” on mtgsalvation:</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><img height="460" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/IwvV6dLNg8jIGV71yDRVpNlsvSJWqzBNJ8-PIhEMqntbkamGOsHQ4dwHTaHFDaCjFUQcOizSe4-EAmfh-CA3ZcVT8IAKA8gHXp8tRNYA9AR9VU7VA97wnFjY5IZhog2SToZOU7QpbtyF1Zy_dQ" style="border: none;" width="330" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chaos Orb</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Note also the most commonly used errata for Chaos Orb in old school does not “target”, but rather says “1, Tap: Choose a nontoken permanent on the battlefield….”. This means that when activating Chaos Orb you don’t need to say what you’re going to flip it at until the ability actually resolves. If your opponent responds to the Chaos Orb’s activation (for example, by removing counters from the Triskelion you were thinking of destroying, say) you can change your mind and flip it at something else. You only have to say what you’re aiming at just before you flip it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: My opponent activates his Chaos Orb – if I Disenchant it in response, will that stop its ability?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes. When the opponent activates the Orb its ability goes on the stack. If you disenchant the Orb in response then when its ability resolves there is no Orb in play any more to flip onto the table. The Orb’s ability will therefore fizzle.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: If I play Disenchant to destroy the Orb, is my opponent allowed to respond by using it?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes. Disenchant goes on the stack, and they can use the Orb in response – in which case the Orb will do its flip and potentially destroy something before Disenchant resolves. By the time Disenchant resolves the Orb is gone and Disenchant will just fizzle.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q3: My opponent’s Chaos Orb flip has landed so that just the very edge of the Orb’s sleeve is touching the very edge of my Serra Angel’s sleeve – is it still destroyed?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes – card sleeves count as the card, so the Angel is destroyed.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q4: Can I wait to see what the Orb is aiming for and whether it hits before I use Triskelion’s counters / pay B to regenerate my Sedge Troll / sacrifice something to pump my Atog etc?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">No. Once the Orb is flipped the ability has resolved, and if it hits then the chosen card is destroyed. If you want to do any of those things you have to do it in response to the Orb being activated, not after the flip has already happened. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q5: I want to use Chaos Orb to destroy a wasp from The Hive, but my opponent is using a dice as a token. Does she have to switch it for a card for the purposes of the flip?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Chaos Orb can only target cards and not tokens – you can’t use it to target a wasp!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">City in a Bottle</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q: My opponent is using Mountains from the Arabian Nights set. Does she have to sacrifice them when I play City in a Bottle?</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">No. Only cards </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">first printed</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in Arabian Nights are sacrificed, and Mountain was in Alpha/Beta and Unlimited too.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">City of Brass</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q: I’m on 1 life and my opponent is on 3. Can I use a red mana from City of Brass to kill them with Lightning Bolt or Chain Lightning, or would that kill me?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">You can tap City of Brass to generate a red mana. This will put a trigger on the stack for you to be dealt 1 damage. You can respond to that trigger by playing Lightning Bolt to kill your opponent. However, you CANNOT respond to that trigger by playing Chain Lightning, because it’s a Sorcery, so it can only be played when the stack is empty.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Copy Artifact</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TIP: I find it easiest to think about any copy effects (Copy Artifact, Clone etc) as if the copy is literally a copy of the </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">card</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, rather than a copy of what’s on the battlefield. So just imagine that rather than copying it, you’ve ripped open a pack, taken one out, and put it into play.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: Can I copy a Mishra’s Factory that’s currently activated and hence is an artifact? If so what’s the copy?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">The copy is an (unactivated) Mishra’s Factory, exactly as if you’d just played a Mishra’s Factory fresh from a pack (except that it's also an enchantment as well, because Copy Artifact says so).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: If I copy a Triskelion with no counters left, how many counters does the copy have?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Three. Again, just imagine you’ve played a brand new Triskelion.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q3: If I play Copy Artifact hoping to copy a Su Chi, but the opponent destroys Su Chi in response, when Copy Artifact resolves does it fizzle or can I/must I choose something else?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">You only choose what to copy when it resolves (it doesn’t target) so if there’s another artifact in play, you must choose to copy that instead. If there are no other artifacts in play at all then Copy Artifact will come into play as a blue enchantment that does nothing (it will NOT fizzle and go to the graveyard!). However, if there are one or more artifacts in play you MUST choose one of them to copy – you can’t say “well that only leaves Copper Tablet and I don’t really want another copy of that.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Earthquake</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q: I’m on 3 life and my opponent is on 5 life. I cast Earthquake for 5. What’s the result of the game?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">It’s a draw. The damage happens at the same time, so you go to -2 and your opponent to 0 simultaneously. When the game checks the situation it simply sees that both players are dead, and so calls it a draw. Psionic Blast and Hurricane can cause the same effect.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Energy Flux</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: Can I not pay the upkeep on Su Chi, then use its 4 mana to pay for other artifacts?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes. If Energy Flux is in play all your artifacts have a trigger that says "At the beginning of your upkeep, sacrifice this artifact unless you pay 2." You can stack those triggers in any order you like, which means you can stack them such that Su Chi’s resolves first, and you can sacrifice him to get 4 mana to pay for other triggers.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: If I destroy Energy Flux in my upkeep (i.e. in response to the triggers) do I still have to pay 2 or lose each artifact?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes. Even if the Energy Flux is destroyed, its triggers will still be on the stack.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Fungusaur</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q: Can I kill a 2/2 or 3/3 Fungusaur with Triskelion, or does targeting it just make it bigger as fast as I damage it?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">You can kill it if you’re crafty. Remove a counter from Triskelion to deal Fungusaur 1 damage. This creates a trigger for Fungusaur to get a +1/+1 counter. However, you can then respond to the trigger to remove another counter to deal another 1 damage before the trigger resolves. That will kill Fungusaur if it’s a 2/2. If it already has a counter, you simply repeat the process to deal it a third damage. Multiple Prodigal Sorcerers can kill a Fungusaur in the same way.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><img height="369" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/hPwOn5jGmdzd1rlcbLWY_sJW29lbuJA6K7ukj4HUpd1d18j5wgNEOHxBnRbW0iklZ2GUDBATTkzIQbVN4B9rsd4o5j6mF0lN2iu9DFzWnrQINBNh3qCTTp0hc5YWSlqOdVzxPJNlg8HLVrCwwg" style="border: none;" width="450" /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Icy Manipulator</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: My opponent activates his Icy – if I Disenchant it in response, will that stop its ability?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">No. You can play Disenchant targeting the Icy in response to the activation if you want to, and the Icy will be destroyed, but its ability is already on the stack, and when the ability resolves it will still tap whatever was targeted even though the Icy is now gone. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: If I play Disenchant to destroy an Icy, is my opponent allowed to respond by using it?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes. The Icy will be destroyed, but its ability will still resolve and tap whatever was targeted. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Island Sanctuary</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">TIP: Don’t forget that you’re allowed to skip any card draw that happens in your draw phase to get this effect. This could be your normal card draw for the turn, but could equally be any other Instant-speed card or ability that would otherwise draw you a card, such as: Howling Mine, Sylvan Library, Jayemdae Tome, Library of Alexandria etc as long as it occurs in your draw step. Note that if an effect causes you to draw multiple cards you only need to skip one (for example, you can play Ancestral Recall and draw two of the cards before deciding whether or not to skip the third one to use Island Sanctuary).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Land Tax</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">You can only search for basic lands with Land Tax, so you can’t search out dual lands such as Savannah (yes it’s a Plains and a Forest – but it isn’t a BASIC Plains or a BASIC Forest). You need to reveal which lands you chose to your opponent to prove it really was basic lands that you searched out.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">As long as Land Tax triggers you have the option of searching through your library and shuffling it afterwards. “Up to three” lands can be zero, which means that you can ‘search’ your library even if you know for sure that there aren’t any basic lands left in it or don’t want to take any, for example if you just want a reason to shuffle your library.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Cards searched out by Land Tax are not “drawn,” so they don’t trigger Underworld Dreams, they don’t interact with Chains of Mephistopheles and they can’t be put back onto your library with Sylvan Library later in the turn.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Mirror Universe</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q: My opponent activates their Mirror Universe – if I Disenchant it in response, will that stop its ability?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">No – you aren’t allowed to play Disenchant here! Mirror Universe is sacrificed as part of using its ability, so there is nothing left in play to Disenchant. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nevinyrral’s Disk</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: My opponent activates the Disk – if I Disenchant it in response, will that stop everything being destroyed?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">No. You can Disenchant the Disk in response if you really want to, but it’s probably a waste of a Disenchant because the Disk’s ability will still resolve and destroy everything. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: If I play Disenchant to destroy the Disk, is my opponent allowed to respond by using it?</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes. If you try and Disenchant an untapped Disk, then Disenchant will go on the stack and the opponent can therefore respond to Disenchant by activating the Disk. You need to destroy the Disk whilst it’s still tapped (or whilst the opponent has no mana available) to prevent the world being blown up.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Sylvan Library</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: Can I play a card in between my normal card draw and using Sylvan Library? For example, if I draw Disenchant as my normal card draw for the turn, can I use it to disenchant Underworld Dreams before I use the Library?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Yes. Your normal card draw is always the first thing that happens in the draw step. In this example, if you’re lucky enough to draw a Disenchant you can disenchant Underworld Dreams before Sylvan Library’s trigger resolves. Note that you will still suffer 1 damage from the Underworld Dreams in respect of your normal card draw, as you drew it before the Dreams was destroyed.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: There is a Howling Mine in play, and I have a Sylvan Library. Both trigger in my draw step. Am I allowed to choose which order their triggers happen in? </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">It depends!</span></span></div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">if the Howling Mine is yours, both triggers are yours and you can therefore choose the order.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: justify; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">if the Howling Mine is your opponent's, the Howling Mine trigger resolves first, before you can use the Sylvan Library. This is because when two sets of triggers would happen at the same time, the active player’s triggers go on the stack first, with the non-active player’s triggers above them (and so the non-active player’s triggers resolve first). This is often known as the “APNAP” rule (“ActivePlayerNonActivePlayer”).</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q3: If the Howling Mine ability resolves first then can I use the card I drew with Howling Mine as one of the 1-2 cards that I put back on my library with Sylvan Library?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes. It’s a card you drew “this turn” and Sylvan Library’s only requirement is that cards put back are drawn this turn. You could also put back cards drawn from any instant-speed source such as Jayemdae Tome, Ancestral Recall, Sage of Lat-Nam, that you have activated before the Sylvan Library trigger resolves. Note that once the Sylvan Library trigger resolves and you draw 2 cards from it, you must then finish resolving it by deciding to put 0-2 cards back (you </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">can’t</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, for example, draw 2 with the Sylvan Library, then – before deciding what to put back – play Ancestral Recall to draw 3 more).</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Timetwister</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Just a general reminder – DON’T shuffle in Timetwister itself! After it finishes resolving place it in your graveyard (it is NOT removed from the game) and also be careful not to shuffle in any cards that HAVE been removed from the game (eg Recall, or creatures exiled by Swords to Plowshares). Just casually wandering around tables at the Urborg Feast I saw all three of those errors made!</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Transmute Artifact</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: Can I tap a Mox, Sol Ring or other mana-producing artifact that I am sacrificing to help pay the cost difference between itself and the artifact for which I am searching?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Only if you float the mana from the artifact that you intend to sacrifice BEFORE Transmute Artifact begins to resolve. You won’t be able to activate the mana ability while Transmute is resolving.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: Can I sacrifice a Su-Chi to Transmute Artifact and use the mana generated by the Su-Chi to pay the difference in costs?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">No, you cannot. The mana generated by the Su-Chi is a triggered ability that will resolve only after Transmute has finished resolving.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Underworld Dreams</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q1: My opponent and I are both on 1 life and they have Underworld Dreams in play. I draw a card and it’s a Lightning Bolt! Am I dead or can I bolt them?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">You can bolt them! When you draw the card an Underworld Dreams trigger will go on the stack. In response to that trigger, you can bolt the opponent. They will be dead before the Underworld Dreams trigger resolves and kills you.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q2: My opponent and I are both on 1 life and we BOTH have Underworld Dreams in play. I play Wheel of Fortune. Who wins?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Hang on a minute – we need to come at this one slowly, because it’s complicated!</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Firstly, note that you both discard your hand and draw 7 cards before we can even start to think about who might have won the game. That’s because you need to fully resolve Wheel of Fortune before anything else can happen.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Secondly, 14 Underworld Dreams triggers go on the stack. Because of the APNAP rule (see Sylvan Library above) your 7 triggers go on the stack first with your opponent’s 7 on top of them. </span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Thirdly, both players (starting with you) will have the opportunity to respond to the first trigger with Instants or abilities. This could be very relevant if one of you has drawn an Instant that gains life or deals damage!</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Finally, once both players pass priority, the first trigger will resolve. As your opponent’s triggers are on the top of the stack, the first one that resolves will kill you, and they win. The other 13 triggers never get to resolve.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Note that you will in fact lose the game if you have any amount of life between 1 and 7, because all 7 of your opponent’s triggers will resolve before any of yours resolve and start dealing damage to them.</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Wheel of Fortune</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Q: I have 2 cards left in my library and my opponent has 5. She plays Wheel of Fortune. What’s the game result?</span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">It’s a draw. You both try to draw 7 cards. Neither of you is able to do so, so you both lose the game, making the game a draw. It doesn’t matter that you run out of cards “first” – the game only checks to see who’s won or lost once Wheel of Fortune is completely finished resolving, by which time you’ve both lost.</span></span></div>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-af8287d1-7fff-eea6-b633-087dea588cf8"><br /></span>Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-21544631447279476992019-05-09T16:44:00.002+01:002019-05-09T16:44:10.004+01:00Event Report: Venarian Gold Social I, at n00bcon XI - by Hunter P<i>Editor's Note 1: As the scribes of Lat-Nam put the final touches on their reports from an epic n00bcon, here is a post from Hunter who attended our event out there, all the way from the USA!</i><br />
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<i>Editor's Note 2: On a related note, the Beasts of the Bay are holding an online spice-brewing contest on Youtube: the Brewmaster's Challenge. We warmly advise you to check it out on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOBEtaWOUfYHtLVZBZPORDg">their channel</a>.</i><br />
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N00bcon this year felt like a festival of Magic, taking place over several days. Accordingly, there were notices put up for a variety of events that were to be taking place on Saturday, the day after the World Championships. Although there were at least two structured tournaments planned, the one that really caught my eye was the Brothers of Fire's <i>Venarian Gold Social.</i><br />
<br />
I had just spent the last two days playing structured Magic, and the thought of joining this roving party, travelling around the city drinking beers and playing casually seemed exactly where I wanted to be. I wasn’t entirely sure what Brother’s Highlander was, and I didn’t have a deck, but there were going to be extras available, so problem solved!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid0RzRDjgpX4bo075SB7kDELeBsUjxrKCFxwfTK_BSrFfbMzWrcGSy7M-vLyuQC_UlRoliSRclUZwzSjKPjDs2qErSpy3f_sn2viqoZ-mlhSlYJ5KeGMDsFyiGVi6mrdPp2QCRG8yy2Lo/s1600/IMG_3949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid0RzRDjgpX4bo075SB7kDELeBsUjxrKCFxwfTK_BSrFfbMzWrcGSy7M-vLyuQC_UlRoliSRclUZwzSjKPjDs2qErSpy3f_sn2viqoZ-mlhSlYJ5KeGMDsFyiGVi6mrdPp2QCRG8yy2Lo/s320/IMG_3949.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The three prizes for the day - Venarian Gold, Venarian Silver, and Venarian Bronze - to be awarded to the players most representing the Spirit of Old School and Brothers' Highlander</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />I turned up at the Hard Rock a little after noon, a little worse for wear after the past few days, just in<br />
time for lunch. After tucking in to burgers, nachos, wings and in the case of Brother Jonas a massive<br />
plate with ribs and lord knows what else (along with the obligatory several pints of obscure local beer) we cleared off the tables and it was time to play some Brother’s Highlander!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfdFDBalFiTiPrhHr3_0Aq6Lwe4vXT5pzhKmlsDuIF-UTfUWrHBdySTaQ4JVxN1cDCWiS0h3CFz3akvMLdCSYdtm1ZoI8W2rTvcn5FK4Obvfg0hh2OxAQZ3ssv3IBuebHUhXOmlZDEqsY/s1600/IMG_3918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfdFDBalFiTiPrhHr3_0Aq6Lwe4vXT5pzhKmlsDuIF-UTfUWrHBdySTaQ4JVxN1cDCWiS0h3CFz3akvMLdCSYdtm1ZoI8W2rTvcn5FK4Obvfg0hh2OxAQZ3ssv3IBuebHUhXOmlZDEqsY/s320/IMG_3918.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Highlandering away in an American family restaurant, in Sweden...</td></tr>
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The format itself is interesting. We have a similar format here in the States called Brawl, which is more like 60-card commander, but it’s not quite like this. One of the things that jumped out at me was the <a href="http://brothersoffirelondon.blogspot.com/2019/03/format-announcement-brothers-highlander.html">Controlled List</a> that the Brothers have in place. Rather than wholesale ban-or-include the most powerful cards, you have a certain number of points that you can spend on them (7 points for a Lotus, 3 for a Mox and so on) so that people can still play with their power, but within reason.<br />
<br />
I think it’s a nice way to let people play with what they want, but still keeps the fun because there is a natural check on just how broken you can be. I’ve found one of the biggest challenges with playing these older formats is that it’s really hard to balance people into getting to play their favorite cards, while also encouraging them to get off the beaten track, but this struck a very nice balance.<br />
<br />
The 100 card decks combined with the limited 93/94 card pool means you’re still going to have to go deep and start playing some truly wonky cards, and the overall result is that the play experience most closely mirrors the one I remember when I first started playing in 1994, which for many is the elusive goal of playing Old School in the first place.<br />
<br />
The matches themselves were a ton of fun, played in a very fluid way. People were just swapping decks around and trading opponents left and right. I didn’t keep notes of the games, although there were a lot of memorable plays, including:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Multiple attacks with the Legends bandy-lands</li>
<li>Vesuvan Doppelganger copying a Colossus of Sardia which was being untapped through the power of Jandor’s Saddlebags</li>
<li>Illusionary Mask shenanigans</li>
<li>Safe Haven actually saving things</li>
<li>An Unholy Strength’d Vampire Bats smashing face,</li>
<li>And - last but certainly not least - the play that took home the coveted Venarian Gold: using Sunastian Falconer to generate the last critical mana needed to put down Marhault Elsdragon, Floral Spuzzem, activate a Factory with cast Giant Growth, so that the entire team could be sacrificed to Sword of the Ages, dealing a lethal 24 points of damage to Brother Jonas, who to that point was firmly in control of the game and was chipping away each turn with (the rather more boring) Flying Men and Prodigal Sorcerer.</li>
</ul>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJcRneQLikvcIIbOVM2Lak4KYvuYe5gS7ThrLPU8C4o4rDTBVbNjp1GtSZUBlnWhUOHnSyoRt98Wp0IR6EtdMzVX-doidoTXFTMYBN69bd7yvRYGVAG-8PgSBXlDdj3-jW-Jz5Y_Y6-g/s1600/IMG_3929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJcRneQLikvcIIbOVM2Lak4KYvuYe5gS7ThrLPU8C4o4rDTBVbNjp1GtSZUBlnWhUOHnSyoRt98Wp0IR6EtdMzVX-doidoTXFTMYBN69bd7yvRYGVAG-8PgSBXlDdj3-jW-Jz5Y_Y6-g/s320/IMG_3929.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Florian earned Venarian Silver by using Ramses Overdark to destroy a Paralyzed Nalathni Dragon - we are pretty sure this move hasn't been accomplished before</td></tr>
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<br />
After this action, we wrapped up at the Hard Rock and then wandered over to Flygarns Haga. I don’t recall if this was intended, or if we just picked it at random, but the original plan was to go in for a drink or two and prepare to keep on moving. We played a few more games, which caught the eye of the bar staff, who came over and asked if they could take some pictures for Facebook, and we obliged. We talked about the game itself a bit, and explained to her how all of us had come from around the world to Gothenburg this weekend. They seemed understandably confused! I also learned that Flygarn was a police officer, and that <i>haga</i> means area, so the name of the bar is a reference to the fact that at some point a gentleman named Flygarn was responsible for policing this spot. I later found that there is a whole <i>haga</i> district that we had stumbled into, so a little history lesson along with all of the socializing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwe0XqbZ9Rq1QKZuTxSM5ZIJoJcfb-s8cPx2suYzTOJk2OmclyMByuv0P2hAUzsm7BsVkUo_lQ163LNUYYYNVOx5tsFjTi3sVXTTazXCl4riSplsk2fem0STD769g6_jkOrtVQABoq_O8/s1600/IMG_3939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwe0XqbZ9Rq1QKZuTxSM5ZIJoJcfb-s8cPx2suYzTOJk2OmclyMByuv0P2hAUzsm7BsVkUo_lQ163LNUYYYNVOx5tsFjTi3sVXTTazXCl4riSplsk2fem0STD769g6_jkOrtVQABoq_O8/s320/IMG_3939.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DFB repping Chromium</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Eventually, the 'main tournament' at Kalle’s finished, and more and more people made their way over. By mid-evening the bar was largely full with n00bcon participants playing games all over the place, and catching up. I’m always grateful for moments like this, because our community is spread across the globe and it’s always a treat to get to catch up with everyone in person outside of the structure of the event itself.<br />
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I’m not entirely sure how it happened, but at some point the karaoke started up and the night was firmly kicked into high gear. The cards got put away, the drink flowed heavier, and I (along with quite a few others) did their first karaoke performances. Things became a bit of a blur here, but some of the moments that stand out the clearest to me:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Brother Jonas bringing the smooth indie on Edwyn Collins’ “Girl Like You”</li>
<li>Gordon Andersson performing a range of classics with great power, among them Britney Spears “Piece of Me”</li>
<li>A rousing rendition of “God Bless the USA” that was more shouted than sung by those present</li>
<li>Mano performing “Die Young” by Ke$ha</li>
<li>A local girl who did “Killing in the Name Of”, resulting in an incredibly raucous performance from everyone there, during which she somehow managed to cut Gordon’s hand open</li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR1P4RIZe_y4-zKcBRleX_n5kHPPBHDBpKTRIxAmHDN5VxGJVOpXuYG2ynD7WjQrDKYoIA0QJ-T5R8ZHV-ZKxhS1nZG8M8fd9qgHhttyLWDv1pXktK8ff0EGqRvJT3mZcAJfy2QDrjthI/s1600/v1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR1P4RIZe_y4-zKcBRleX_n5kHPPBHDBpKTRIxAmHDN5VxGJVOpXuYG2ynD7WjQrDKYoIA0QJ-T5R8ZHV-ZKxhS1nZG8M8fd9qgHhttyLWDv1pXktK8ff0EGqRvJT3mZcAJfy2QDrjthI/s320/v1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some BoF Weezer karaoke</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPmplPEX0bwvFTI4hQtn0bR6b6FxXAuIoOXsK7tvcZi2uj7psQP0HGTr7RogdvM5ps1E285anbfwt0JJbqIcngHjzdGLbelOm8OSt9rz69odysPOe_TanpaGonbsugUTJNCAuH8idEdgA/s1600/v2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPmplPEX0bwvFTI4hQtn0bR6b6FxXAuIoOXsK7tvcZi2uj7psQP0HGTr7RogdvM5ps1E285anbfwt0JJbqIcngHjzdGLbelOm8OSt9rz69odysPOe_TanpaGonbsugUTJNCAuH8idEdgA/s320/v2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gordon Andersson being a superstar!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbfUuBxbR85Ax2LLczAPJy35tsQdTW3hb1_1H1P_k4Tk5sZAIaR9z-E3wb85VkWqMDbPDG_qM4ntOJsz4D5LkkjC0K_oWKCQXfYTXzAbRv0zvw-un8z2EwnsjjFq6RUWkqqOmy7vCx7F0/s1600/v3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbfUuBxbR85Ax2LLczAPJy35tsQdTW3hb1_1H1P_k4Tk5sZAIaR9z-E3wb85VkWqMDbPDG_qM4ntOJsz4D5LkkjC0K_oWKCQXfYTXzAbRv0zvw-un8z2EwnsjjFq6RUWkqqOmy7vCx7F0/s320/v3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The most dedicated players continued clashing Tier1 decks throughout the mayhem...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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I’m not sure if there are any recordings, and I’m not sure that if there were I would want to watch! Some things are best left remembered, where they will always be perfect.<br />
<br />
We shut the bar down with “Bohemian Rhapsody”, having never left despite the original plan of “just a drink or two”. As great as n00bcon was, it was the Venarian Social that reinforced a lesson I’ve learned at almost every tournament I have ever been to: that no matter how well or poorly you played, the best part of any event is getting together with your friends afterward for dinner and drinks, or as Gordon put it “playing is at most 25% of the game.”<br />
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I’d really like to thank the Brothers for putting this together, and for being so welcoming. It was truly exceptional to spend the day as part of this roving party; the opportunity to connect with such fine folks was remarkable, and is my most lasting and treasured memory from this trip. While we certainly all played a lot of cards over the course of our stay in Gothenburg, the real magic was the way in which so many people from around the world, quite a few of whom had never even met each other prior to this event, were able to connect so strongly through our shared love of the game. It is my great hope that I will be able to make it out to London <span style="text-align: center;">for a Brothers of Fire event; if you ever have the opportunity to attend one, TAKE IT!</span><br />
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Cheers, mates! Until next time,<br />
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-Hunter<br />
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<i>Final Editor's Note - Hunter modestly failed to mention his own award of Venarian GOLD, awarded for his insane Sunastian Falconer -wrangling and his model participation in the Social. Well done mate!</i>Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-2635396503766941672019-04-17T18:51:00.002+01:002019-04-17T18:51:41.629+01:00Preparing for Wizards' Tournament II - by Brother Stebbo<br /><div style="text-align: right;">
<i>Peace, doting wizard, peace! I am not mad.</i></div>
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<i>William Shakespeare. Comedy of Errors, Act IV, Scene IV.</i></div>
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Alpha has been a hot topic in Old School for some time - indeed, I’d urge you to revisit <a href="http://brothersoffirelondon.blogspot.com/2018/07/anachronisms-in-old-school-part-ii.html">this very blog's article</a> on the templating anachronisms in Alpha. But if there's one thing better than talking about Alpha, it's playing it. Which is what makes it particularly exciting that this week all six Brothers of Fire founder members are taking part in the Wizards' Tournament II in Gothenburg. We live in a golden age.<div>
<br />What with building my own deck, lending one to Brother Oli, and seeing that Brother Jonas receives a deck from his mysterious benefactor®, it’s been a busy time at my kitchen table. And nothing could be more appropriate on a kitchen table than laying out piles of core set janky cards...<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wizards Tournament prep – aka: the Joy of Sleeving</td></tr>
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<br />One of our number is attending his first n00bcon and it is perhaps the worst-kept secret in the UK Old School scene that he’ll be rocking some white round-cornered cards come Thursday evening. But what form exactly? There were two initial ideas (pictured below) in the primordial soup – one with a G splash for ramp, and one solid W with a touch of 5/3 beats.</div>
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One thing was certain though – this fella had to break out of his cage…<br /></div>
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Readers will have to wait until after n00bcon to see the final deck!<br /><br />Mono Red is another sweet strategy. This brew-in-progress is a favourite as it eschews all of the rules of contemporary Magic by showcasing all of the charming absurdities found only in Alpha: (i) incorrectly-costed cards; (ii) the busted “colour-gain” artifacts; (iii) the nonsense that is Goblin Balloon Brigade and (iv) 5(+) card playsets of format staples doing good things.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sweet dreams are made of these…</td></tr>
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Note the “baker’s playset” of Bolts and the 7 Balloon Brigades taking flight (each activating all their buddies for just one red mana).<br /><br />My build this year is a “closely-guarded” secret. However I can share my deck from last year:</div>
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It missed top 8 after losing a close set of games to a deck full of Benalish Heroes! Which is about as good a way to lose as you can get. Here are some of the other sweet games it was involved with! <b id="docs-internal-guid-4e1462ac-7fff-425b-4dee-3ec98e1a54a7" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A devastating Chaos Orb, flipped 93-style</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>A ridiculous number of Sol Rings</i></span></div>
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Myself and D from the Netherlands only had time for one game in the UW mirror – which ended in a close win for me: facing lethal damage next turn, I resolve a lethal Braingeyser through D’s Power Sink for the marbles!</div>
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Fittingly after such an epic game, D and I resolved to use the remaining time in the round to get a beer and get to know each other. And that’s what WT is all about.<br /><br />Peace. Brother Stebbo.<div>
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Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-87217536071806175542019-04-14T16:54:00.002+01:002019-04-14T16:54:48.546+01:00The Road To n00bcon - by Brother Jordan<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Readers from foreign shores will of course be aware of the ongoing wrangling around Brexit here in the UK. Some may even have assumed that these developments imply that we Brits are an insular bunch. In fact, Brothers Of Fire couldn't be prouder to be the world's most multinational Old School team. At n00bcon in a week's time, our group will include representatives from Britain, Sweden, the US, and South Africa. Brother Jordan wrote the below to recount his route to qualification at the Old School World Cup last year. This longread adds to the small amount of existing literature on the Team Unified format which is set to grow in prominence with Mobstercon taking place in New York this Summer.</i></span></span></div>
<br />It was the 2017 Old School World Cup that got Team South Africa (Andrew, Jordan and Pieter) slinging cards again after 15 years or so (we all played in the late 90’s / early 00’s back in Cape Town).<div>
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Since then, Pieter has plunged back into all forms of Magic (turning into a bit of a road warrior hitting up events all over southern England - but that is a story for another day) whereas Jordan has been firmly bitten by the Old School bug. Andrew is somewhere in the middle but mostly just enjoys getting to play and discuss cards more than he has in quite a few years.<br /><br />Preparations went along a similar vein to last year. Lots of good intentions, endless WhatsApp group chats, a bit of Skype Magic and overall not quite enough game time. We all converged on Pieter’s place on the Friday night before the event to catch up in person (Jordan lives in Leeds), exchange a few cards, and iron out sideboards. Thankfully Andrew was talked out of a bunch of cutesy sideboard singletons (here’s looking at you, Hellfire and Chains of Mephistopheles!).<br /><br />We settled on a defensive mono-black artifact build for Andrew (robots, The Abyss and bunch of good singletons), mono-red goblins for Pieter, and a WUG good stuff deck for Jordan. The decision was based partly on what was a good split and partly on what cards each of us enjoyed playing. <br /><br /><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;">
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We met up at the event on Saturday with Andrew (late as usual) dashing over the Olympic Park bridges to get there in time for the 1 o'clock start. Since last year, MagicMadhouse have moved to the top floor of the building. This is a smaller space, but more importantly they've decked it out with everything you could want for a day of winter gaming including heaters over the tables and draft taps next to the shop counter. Turnout was excellent too, with 13 teams from all over the UK and a few overseas representatives as well. <br /><br />Sincere apologies for forgetting almost everyone’s names – the beer was flowing freely and we left it too long to write the report!<br /><br /><b>Round 1: Lords of Atlantic </b><br /><br />Comments: A thoroughly awesome bunch of dudes as our first opponents made this match very enjoyable despite the beating. We went in feeling quite optimistic about our chances in the tourney, but there were certainly some jitters. The bad loss was rather disappointing (despite great sportsmanship from our opponents).<br /><br />Seat A: Andrew vs Chris Cooper (GW prison) - It’s always fun playing Chris but one look at his “Live Slow” sleeves and his well-known love of brewing up decks involving fog effects, island sanctuaries and the like and I was pretty sure I was in trouble. A mix of land tax, sylvan and ivory tower powering up swords and disenchant effects were too much for my robots. A mind twist did some good work in one of the games but it was nothing on the Dust to Dust, Regrowth, Dust to Dust wrecking ball.<br /><br />Seat B: Jordan vs George Garner – He was running a very solid mostly Black (blue splash) deck. Game 1 he drew weird, and I ate multiple Sinkholes, Terrors and Drain lives. He answered all my threats, hit my mana base and eventually beat me to death with 2 Black Knights. Having gotten the wrong impression about the deck, I boarded out two plows and some other stuff, brought in an extra disenchant (I suspected Underworld Dreams / Abyss - wrongly) and some Control Magics. Won game 2 fairly comfortably, killing his hippies and sealing the deal by stealing a Juzam (I think). Stupidly, I forgot to revise my sideboarding after seeing what the deck actually did, which was a big mistake. Third game saw a turn 1 ritual hippie, which proceeded to do me at least 16 damage and steal 8+ cards. I was left wishing I hadn't taken out those Swords! I never recovered.<br /><br />Seat C: Pieter vs Patrick – Opponent was running Mono Red Atog, so it was a battle of burn to some extent. It didn’t go well and I lost 0-2. <br /><br />Score: L/L/L for 0-1<div>
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<br /><b>Round 2: vs Team Legion Urborg </b><br /><br />Comments: This was another very enjoyable and sporting match. All three dudes on the team were awesome. Andrew’s opponent Iwan Marais was a friend and fellow South African. Jordan’s Swiss opponent had provided all three decks, and was really fun to play against. Pieter's opponent was, we believe, playing his first Old School tourney. Another great dude. The eventual win was a big relief, and our opponents took their loss very sportingly.<br /><br />Seat A: Andrew vs Iwan - I knew he was running BR and was expecting something Troll Disco-esque. Game 1 I don’t see a creature on his side and lost a close race to Underworld Dreams, Bolts and I think a lethal Fireball. I kept The Abyss in for game 2 (partly as a safety net and partly since they are so mainly worse cards that have to go first, like Terror). We both mulligan to 6 and exchange a few early sinkholes. The Abyss shows up at a key time and eats a bunch of Black Knights and hippies. Game 3 is a bit of a blank, I think I land an Abyss and Iwan is slightly flooded.<br /><br />Seat B: Jordan vs Gentleman from Switzerland – He was running red black troll disco variant, possibly with a splash. Game 1 all I remember was thinking how much I hated Sedge Trolls! Game 2 I boarded in blue blasts and Control Magics, and with a rebalanced deck I took the next two games, mainly by beating up his Trolls with my Ernhams.<br /><br />Seat C: Pieter - My opponent was running Bant Ern-a-geddon. He sounded like a pretty serious online player and played very well. This one was over quick, he flooded game 1 and I just went in underneath. Game 2 went a bit longer with 2x Icys but I drew spells and he drew land. 2-0<br /><br />Score: W/W/W for 1-1<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<br /><br /><b>Round 3: vs Team Chaos Orb</b> <br /><br />Comments: We went into this game REALLY wanting to win, because at last year's World Cup they had gone on to win despite us being the only team to beat them. <br /><br />Seat A: Andrew vs Tom - Tom was out for revenge after my army of green dorks snuck a win (just my match, their team won overall) at last year’s world cup and he definitely got it! Game 1 my early drop Su-chi decides it’ll rather fight for the forces of WU and proceeds to beat me to death while I hold a grip of terrors and the Abyss. I bring in disks and Disrupting Scepters and am expecting a tough game - my only saving grace is Tom won game 1 so quickly that he’s not quite sure what I’m on. His opening hand has a spicy mix of COP Black, Energy Flux and Karma and more importantly enough permission to keep my disks off the table. Karma wrecks me.<br /><br />Seat B: Jordan vs Brian – He was playing white, blue green (same colours as me). This was somewhat a mirror but despite their similarities our decks were a bit different. He was running much lower to the ground, with lions and pixies hitting the table before his dibs. Also, because their team had chosen to split white and blue (a choice that surprised me), he had fewer copies of plow and similar key cards, as well as less power. Given all that, I think the outcome was likely, though I did drop a game if I'm not mistaken. The bit I lost in speed was more than made up by the Spirit Links, bigger dudes, and more removal.<br /><br />Seat C: Pieter vs Another Forgotten Name – He was playing Atog, maybe with a colour splash, so also somewhat mirror-like. In the key third game, I stripped an early land, and then managed to Chaos Orb a second land. My opponent managed to Lotus out an Abyss, which shut down my goblins and orcs, but copper tablet went all or most of the remaining distance, aided by the fact that my unfortunate opponent never drew a 5th land, leaving him stuck on 2.<br /><br />Score: L/W/W for 2-1<b id="docs-internal-guid-b981d4d3-7fff-56eb-08fb-91899297f18a" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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<br /><b>Round 4: vs Team Atlantic (we think that’s what they were called) </b><br /><br />Comments: Memory getting pretty hazy at this point, but it was definitely another pleasant and sporting match!<br /><br />Seat A: Andrew vs Rich (AKA Bear) - He was running mono-white and we played 3 close games to full time which were a joy throughout. Game 1 I managed to stabilise very low against an army of lions, heroes, Thunder Spirits and the like and sneak a win. I bring in the Brass Men to gum up the early board and am rewarded with turn 1 Sol Ring into double Brass Man. Even after his turn 2 response is to blow up the Sol Ring and strip my Swamp, I’m pretty confident that I’ve got this game with the board totally stalled. It’s about now that I find out Rich is playing white midrange not weenie and was running all sorts of interesting tech. The game goes long, really long, on the back of my army of defensive robots, Maze, Abyss vs Rich’s card engine of Land Tax and Jalum Tome. Ultimately it’s a Witch Hunter that breaks the deadlock by boomerang-ing my Avian and leaving behind a team of lacklustre dudes of mine to try hold the fort. We’re almost out of time for Game 3, but ultimately it’s an unexpected Army of Allah that tips the balance during a big combat, losing me the match. I really need to start pulling my weight!<br /><br />Seat B: Jordan vs Someone – I literally have no idea. God damn beer. What I do know is that I won.<br /><br />Seat C: Pieter vs Someone Else – He was playing G/B Berzerk. Seems bolts beat little dudes trying to get zerked. 2-0. <br /><br />Score: L/W/W for 3-1</div>
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<br /><br /><b>Round 5: vs Team Spain </b><br /><br />Comments: These guys had I think come all the way from Spain for just this tournament, and I'm very glad they did. Great guys, though the language barrier was a tiny issue (we have no right to complain, speaking zero Spanish). This was probably our tightest match in the swiss. By the end, Jordan’s was the only game still going, with each team on one match win and us on our third game. It was fucking tense. All three members of both teams were concentrating hard and offering advice. Between us our committee did a great job of making the right plays in a tight game. Also, these dudes had some damn sexy cardboard. All Swedish legal, and nearly all black-bordered. Hot!<br /><br />Seat A: Andrew vs Spaniard #1 – He was playing Zoo. Jordan didn’t realise the round had started and took an extended smoke break outside (together with a few others). This gave us plenty of time to joke around before game 1 and the jokes continued through the match. Both games follow a similar path, any early army of lions, archers and the like backed up by aggressive sylvan card advantage maul me. Game 1 I gamble that a mind twist for his last 2 cards will save me more damage than playing a su-chi. I get bolted for my trouble but do grab a chain lighting. Score! (kind of). Game 2 is closer, also features a small Mind Twist, but ultimately Regrowthing a bolt kills me. <br /><br />Seat B: Jordan vs Spaniard #2 – he was playing mono(?) black. Game 1 I was beaten down by a Juzam I couldn't answer. The second game involved me making what I think was my only major play error of the day. I remember I had a strong hand and went first. He played first turn Library. At this point I was feeling pretty bleak about my chances in the match. I figured I just had to race out the card advantage, and I think that by turn 3 I had a spirit linked dib out. I was also drawing quite a few hard counters, so I figured I had to just try ride the dib to victory. Over the course of the next few turns I kept the dib going by playing at least two counters, and ignoring anything that wouldn't stop the dib. This included two Sinkholes, which left me with one Mox, one (blue) land and one bird. I had one counter left in hand, as well as a regrowth and a few other things. I felt vulnerable relying on the bird for my second blue (think he was one or two dib hits away from dead), and that's where I fucked up. On my turn I decided to Regrowth a Tundra, figuring that since he didn't play blue he couldn't stop me from getting the land out, which would put me back on double blue. But of course, terror is an instant :-( Dib gone, me feeling like a stupid fool who just lost himself the game. Lucky for me, he'd gone off library at some point and I think I might have finished him with his own stolen hippie. Most of the third game was after the other two finished - a lot of tight creature combat which I managed to edge out.<br /><br />Seat C: Pieter vs Spaniard #3 – He was plaing mono blue Fish. Game one he mulls to 5 and I win. Game 2 was similar to all the other games against people with small dudes not running red. Seems Fish don’t like burn!<br /><br />Score: L/W/W for 4-1</div>
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<br /><b>End of Swiss: </b>This put us at the top of the Swiss, and we were feeling pretty damnb delighted! We didn't want to count our chickens though, so we had a few (more) beers and watched the giving of side prizes before sitting down for the semis at the comfy top table (those chairs were awesome). <br /><br /><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<br /><br /><b>Semifinals: vs Team Sweden</b><br /><br />Comments: These were some pretty serious Old School players who'd come all the way from Sweden for the tournament. Nice bunch of guys, who seemed to be taking the match quite seriously (as were we). Again, memory is heavily blurred by beer.<br /><br />Seat A: Andrew vs Swede #1 - He was playing what turned out to be Stasis - but it took a while for me to realise! Game 1 starts off really close as a pair of early Counterspells and a Psi Blast keep my robots at bay, but a ridiculous land flood left him with 10 or so Islands and me with an unexpected win. Looking at the board, I thought he could be on power artifact, but the Psi Blasts got me thinking about suicide blue. As we begin game 2 it becomes immediately apparent that it’s actually Stasis. An early Stasis slows things down but thanks to a lucky Sinkhole it doesn’t stick around too long. Su-chi does some damage but ultimately it’s an Icy which proves critical as it taps down a Howling Mine under a second Stasis which leaves many turns of Vice damage just short of killing me. With him tapped out from Stasis upkeep, a Drain Life seals the game. Timely Sinkholes and a fair bit of luck got me through that match. Phew. <br /><br />Seat B: J vs Swede #2 – He was playing WBG I think. It's embarrassing how little I remember, but I felt relatively in control throughout the match. May have dropped a game but I don't think so. I think my deck was just well suited to that match-up, with the right type and blend of threats, answers and tech.<br /><br />Seat C: Pieter vs Swede #3 – He was playing Atog. I took game 1 with a fast start, but then lost games 2 and 3. Good thing Andrew finally started winning some games!<br /><br /><i>Score: W/W/L and into the finals!</i><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<br /><b>Finals: vs Chris et al</b><br /><br />Comments: Really odd to have the last match at the same table, against the same team as the first one. Having lost first time round, we weren't feeling all that optimistic. Fortunately we got there first and managed to sit on the other side of the table! That must have been what saved us ;-) Seriously though, it had been agreed that A/B/C seating would be randomised for the top 4, to increase the chances of different people playing each other. In the end, this panned out great for us. Jordan kept his original opponent, while Andrew and Pieter got each other’s. Also, before the final we discovered that the winning team got a keg (50 pints!) of beer!!! Chris and Jordan took an executive decision to spit that particular prize with everyone still in the venue, and so we made a start on it before the finals!<br /><br />Seat A: Klein vs Patrick – He was running the Mono-red Atog that beat Pieter in round 1. Game 1 turns out to be a non-event as we both mulligan to 6 and I play 3 Sinkholes inside the first handful of turns. I bring in the Relic Barriers for game 2. Patrick gets an early Su-Chi off a Mana Vault whilst I cramp him with a timely Sinkhole. I manage to stabilise through an Icy followed by a Maze, allowing me to Icy his land. As a result he has to commit to a second Mana Vault that he can't untap. Finally I have a damage clock! (I really need to play more win conditions next year!). I’m pretty low on life though, as we race his potential burn draws against double Mana Vault damage. With me in bolt range and Patrick on 2, he reveals a tense top deck to be a Shatter. I win by a turn (again) as he reveals the next card he would have drawn is a Chain Lightning! <br /><br />Seat B: J vs George – Rematch time! I don't remember many details, but I think I drew a bit better, and sideboarded much better (now knowing what he played). I'm pretty sure Control Magic was an MVP again, and I think Spirit Link was significant too. What I do know is that I won, and I think it was 2-0. George was again a great sport, despite me turning the tables on him and some really unlucky draws.</div>
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<br />Seat C: Pieter vs Chris – Chris’s janky deck had given Andrew major grief, and although I at least had some pressure, I wasn't confident at all, what with all the Ivory Towers, Island Sanctuaries, and COP: Rd and Brown in sideboard. None the less, I managed to win the first game. In the second game, I had the chance to win (my ONLY chance to win) by Orbing a COP:Brown. Unfortunately Chris distracted me with his shoe ;-) and I missed the flip. At that point the game was going to be a slow grind to death for me. But, fortunately, that was around the time Andrew sealed the deal on his, bringing us victory and sparing me the rest of that tragic game!<br /><br />Score: W/W/L for victory!<div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<b>In conclusion:</b> I literally cannot tell you how stoked the three of us were to win! Being reunited with the guys to play together in a big (to us) tourney again after all those years was great, and the fact that we were a team meant we could all share the sweet feeling of victory. </div>
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We were delighted! Also, in true Old Schools style, Pieter (who isn't sufficiently into the format to build a deck for Noobcon), kindly passed his invite on to George - the youngest guy there, who was also younger than all our cardboard (at 23) - and who was REALLY keen to go. He seemed pretty stoked too. We all decanted our pints into our sweet new drinking horns and downed them (well, tried, in Jordan’s case) in celebration. </div>
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It was particularly awesome given that it was exactly one year ago at the last World Cup that we all first played Old School, and re-discovered our love of Magic. Pieter has relapsed hardest on the crack, and has been grinding out the GP / PTQ circuit in conventional formats, with increasing success. Magic is awesome! And a huge thank you to everyone who had a hand in organising, judging, hosting and just generally making the event happen. <div>
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Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-15193114256066629002019-04-08T23:00:00.000+01:002019-04-08T23:02:00.621+01:00Event Report - Brothers of Fire N00bcon Training Day, 30 March 2019 - by Chris CThe Brothers of Fire are sending a fair few people to n00bcon this year, in addition to hosting a side event on the Saturday somewhere in the Gothenburg area [yup, the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/261045991443686/">Venarian Gold Social</a> - Ed]. What with community slots, World Cup winners and the Winter Derby champion among their numbers they decided to hold a warm up tournament on March 30th so that their leanest and meanest can get themselves battle ready.<br /><br />Enter our heroes. <br /><br />I'd already planned to travel down to London for the day to see friends and chill while slinging some cardboard. Being neither lean nor mean, I'd got my perfect deck picked out, a "Mirrorball" deck that uses lots of mana ramp in the form of moxen, Fellwar Stones, Mana Flare, etc. to power out a huge Fireball/Disintegrate/Earthquake/Hurricane to end the game. I’d done well with it at our recent Lords of Atlantic series finale and wanted to represent my group well at this event.<br /><br />
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<br />On this occasion however, my wife informed me that she had a training day of her own on the Saturday and I would need to be on daughter duty. That's fine, I thought. She can play Magic, and even has her own mono-white Old School deck. It's a little more midrange than some builds, but she has got rather proficient with it.<br /><br />On our way down on the motorway we stopped off for a break and came across this little pub. Thinking it could be a sign, we stopped for a photo...<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
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The day got off to an ominous start for me when my daughter crushed me in a couple of games of <a href="https://brothersoffirelondon.blogspot.com/2019/03/format-announcement-brothers-highlander.html">Brothers' Highlander</a>, a 100 card singleton old school variant with a points list to prevent too much in the way of broken shenanigans. The point where I countered her favourite card, a Serra Angel, could have put her on tilt, but she dusted herself off and the following turn she built herself another one, slamming a Mesa Pegasus and giving it a Divine Transformation before upgrading it further the following turn into a Mahamoti Djinn by way of a Holy Strength.<br /><br />When pairings were eventually called there was a little surprise at Ruth's involvement. She was drawn against Andrew Tucker - the Queen Bee of local playgroup The Hive. (I have no idea whether or not he calls himself this but having come up with the pun I intend to use it!).<br /><br />Ruth took a quick Game 1 with an aggressive start before Andrew came back to nick Game 2. A long series of combo turns from myself against Brother Markus meant that I didn't manage to see her clinch an inaugural victory in competitive play against a strong opponent. Had I gotten another turn off Markus I would’ve had the match in the bag, but, alas, he recurred Time Walk over and over to end up the victor against me. <br /><br />Ruth then had the chance to avenge my defeat to Brother Markus. He knew better than to underestimate her, having lost to her 2-0 before when she was at the tender age of just 3 and a half! <br /><br />Turn 1, Game 1, this happens:<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
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She lost that game but was NOT happy about it. She played with a Steely Resolve for the rest of the round, showing patience with a Disenchant to not take down the Nevinyrral’s Disk that wiped her board, instead holding it for a Forcefield, allowing her to mop up the game, and the victory, shortly after.<br /><br />The best was saved for the end of the decider, as Markus miscalculated his mana and life total, Psionic Blasting Ruth’s creature to leave himself at one, with one untapped land and an Icy Manipulator for Ruth’s solitary creature. No takesie backsies Markus! <br /><br />2-0, 4-2. My baby’s on a roll!<br /><br />I came up against my team-mate from the World Cup in Round 2, George Garner, who was readying himself for his first n00bcon experience. I never quite clicked into gear in either of our two games and missed the chance to send him a lethal Channel Fireball. Instead, I split it between his two creatures and I died shortly afterwards to his own Fireball. I was given the bye for Round 3 and decided to drop so that I could support my daughter properly.<br /><br />At this point I was starting to feel a little worried as she sometimes can lack stamina after a few games. However, when I looked down at the table in her third match against Brother Ben and saw his The Abyss against a collection of White Knights on a Crusade, my fears proved unfounded. Some Disenchants and Swords to Plowshares from Ben saw him "stabilise", or at least pass the turn expecting to see another, at 3 life with just a White Knight on board, having just blown up the Crusade she'd played the previous turn.<br /><br />I turned to Jason standing next to me. "Watch her peel another Crusade here for the win".<br /><br />She draws for the turn, grins gleefully, slams the Crusade and turns her Knight sideways.<br /><br />Game 2 was tougher for her, and she lost to a flying army of Serendibs and Serras. However, she stabilised in Game 3, sticking a Serra Angel, suiting it up with a Divine Transformation, and beating down with an 8/8 angel!<br /><br />Round 4 saw the last two undefeated players face off as she took on Bryan Mueller, who was also on an aggressive deck.<br /><br />The first game followed a similar play pattern to the previous rounds as she curved out perfectly. Topping out with a 5/5 flyer is sweet, and multiple punts of not quite lethal burn spells at crusaded creatures didn't help Brian's cause. However, he recovered to take Game 2, taking the final match went to a decider.<br /><br />Ruth got off to a great start on the back of a good mulligan decision and top-decked like a boss. I cringed at the missed opportunities for factories to get in for damage but it ultimately didn't matter. We had our clean sweep anyway and, quite probably, the youngest ever Old School tournament victor!<br /><br />
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The rest of the field made a big fuss of her victory and she loved every minute of it. A Serra Angel was produced and signed by all attendees for her, including SIX of this year's n00bcon invitees. Having beaten three of them, she had proven her Old School mettle.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauoNF7QmJhnV9YtGaLG-O8ZcRj765cxRzDN-ZXAZsno_wt0mws_-U15Wqv7BXBfM-WYoSle8cWQ_VEkmGvtKWwleYYYenIUAkzL_hVocF-4kCnPwmvH_hS_wbeAN9TLUSdqCM2I79VZw/s1600/Image+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjauoNF7QmJhnV9YtGaLG-O8ZcRj765cxRzDN-ZXAZsno_wt0mws_-U15Wqv7BXBfM-WYoSle8cWQ_VEkmGvtKWwleYYYenIUAkzL_hVocF-4kCnPwmvH_hS_wbeAN9TLUSdqCM2I79VZw/s320/Image+5.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
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On our way back to the car park we went to a cake shop, where Ruth got cake and I didn't, because losers don't get cake, daddy. Our soundtrack for the way home was Queen's Greatest Hits, Vol I. <br /><br />I certainly got some stick when We Are The Champions came on, though it was sweet music to my ears listening to my daughter enjoy the game I love so much.<br /><br />
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I would like, as always, to pass on my thanks to the Brothers of Fire for running a tight tournament in testing circumstances (a last minute change of venue could’ve been a lot more chaotic!). <br /><br />Good luck to all the Brothers and the rest of the team heading out to Gothenburg later this month.Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-72089431245569619862019-03-31T15:55:00.000+01:002019-03-31T15:55:10.497+01:00Format announcement: Brothers' Highlander Spring 2019 B&R&C updateBrothers' Highlander, our team 100-card singleton format, goes from strength to strength and is growing fast. A few recent highlights from gatherings:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chris C's back-to-basics carry case</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hive's Andrew T gets in on the action with his awesome Hell-themed deck (opposite my Primal Clay beatdown machine)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A personal highlight - it took me some years to achieve, but yes, I activated a Legends "bandy land" to put two Legends into a band - making the crucial contribution to beating down a Wall of Ice!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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With spring upon us, we have refreshed the rules - see below!</div>
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Brothers' Highlander rules version 1.2 - March 2019<o:p></o:p></div>
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Deck sizes: 100 cards exactly.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Legal sets: ABU, AN, AQ, LE, TD, FE, 93/94 promo cards.
(Note: Fallen Empires is legal).<o:p></o:p></div>
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RESTRICTED: All cards apart from basic lands.<o:p></o:p></div>
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BANNED: Library of Alexandria, Mind Twist, Karakas<o:p></o:p></div>
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Players have 10 points to spend per deck on CONTROLLED
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The Controlled List<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ancestral Recall - 7<o:p></o:p></div>
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Balance - 1<o:p></o:p></div>
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Braingeyser - 5 <o:p></o:p></div>
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Black Lotus - 7<o:p></o:p></div>
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Demonic Tutor - 5<o:p></o:p></div>
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Icy Manipulator - 2 (+1)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Jayemdae Tome - 3<o:p></o:p></div>
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Maze of Ith - 2<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mirror Universe - 8<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mox (any) - 3<o:p></o:p></div>
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Recall - 4<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sol Ring - 5 (+2)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Su-Chi – 1 (new entry)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Time Vault - 4 (-1)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Time Walk - 7<o:p></o:p></div>
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Transmute Artifact - 1<o:p></o:p></div>
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Triskelion - 3 (new entry)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Rules: Swedish Old School rules (i.e. modern but with errata
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Printing legality: Standard UK reprint policy, i.e. any
non-proxy non-foil card with original art in the original frame is legal. No CE
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Mulligans: Paris Mulligan is not played. Instead, after
drawing their initial 7 cards, either player may declare a Gentleman’s Mulligan
and show their hand to their opponent. In the event that it contains 0 or 1
mana source, or 6-7 mana sources (i.e. a mana screw or a mana flood), that
player can shuffle their deck and draw a fresh 7. There is no limit to the
number of Gentleman’s Mulligans that can be declared. (A mana source is any
zero-converted-mana-cost card which produces mana - i.e. a land or a Mox, or
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Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-56205371655358757302019-03-27T21:34:00.002+00:002019-03-27T21:34:30.246+00:00Tournament Report: Winter Derby 2018-9 - by Brother Stebbo<b><br />Winter Derby 2019 – winner’s report by Brother Stebbo <br /><br />(with bonus Q1 2019 picture content)</b><br /><br /><i>Fear no more the heat o’ the sun<br />Nor the furious winter’s rages</i><br /><br /><div style="text-align: right;">
William Shakespeare, Cymbeline (Act IV, Scene II).</div>
<br />Last month I won the Winter Derby 2019. Here’s a belated report, along with some additional content to give a flavour of what the Brothers of Fire have been up to so far this year…<div>
<br /><b>Winter</b><br /><br />At the end of last year I took my first steps into the world of ‘webcam Magic’ by playing in the Winter Derby 2019. 142 players competing and you can check out all of the decks here: <a href="https://bit.ly/2JDcLRe">https://bit.ly/2JDcLRe</a>.<br /><br />The tournament itself involved 8 Swiss(ish) rounds – a little bit like the group stages of football’s Champions League (and very similar to the iteration they tried in the mid-00’s where they had two group stages followed by 4 knockout rounds).<br /><br />I was fortunate enough to win the event, playing this list, and going 11-1 overall. I was joined by Brothers of Fire Markus and Ben, who made top 16 and top 8 respectively. More on those legends later…</div>
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<br />Readers of this blog will be familiar with its broad strategic principles, and I went into the same in more detail on my recent interview with Mano here: <a href="http://alltingsconsidered.com/2019/02/14/episode-50-winter-derby-brother-stebbo/">http://alltingsconsidered.com/2019/02/14/episode-50-winter-derby-brother-stebbo/</a>. <br /><br />The flame of technical wizardry burns brightest for Brother Markus and he was able to provide an excellent stream for the Finals (and certain other Top 16 games). The Finals have also been saved to Youtube and you can relive the action here: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYMiRWAVcew">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYMiRWAVcew</a> <b id="docs-internal-guid-1d4607dc-7fff-591a-867b-bab34a86e6c5" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<b>Tournament overview</b><br />In short, the tournament was a complete blast. I played several pillars of the community and had a fun and respectful time in each game. <br /><br />The technical side of things was surprisingly easy, and whilst my set-up isn’t perfect by any means, it essentially involved buying a webcam and small tripod, and turning on all the lights in my living room when playing. <br /><br />This was the first large event I’d played in under the purview of Dave Firth Bard, and it did not disappoint. You could see the results and standings via a ‘living’ tournament document, which also had a handy set of rules/FAQs. Dave ran the tightest of ships and we really do take for granted his community contributions.<br /><br />You may be relieved to hear that I’m not going to dissect or review my games on a granular level, as may be customary. Indeed I’m not sure I could do them justice. However here’s a small summary in case you’re interested:</div>
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<br /><b>Batches</b><br /><br /><b>2-0 vs Daniel F </b>– my inaugural games of Skype Magic, and another blade stuck into the heart of our arch-rivals, the Stockholm in a Bottle crew! Daniel was a great opponent and we were even able to navigate his parental duties flawlessly!<br /><br /><b>2-1 vs Constantine</b> – a close set of games vs. an interesting BG list. Like many matches, I actually fell behind by losing game 1, before coming back with 2 wins once sideboarded. <br /><br /><b>2-1 vs Gabe F</b> – an incredibly close set of matches! Gabe was clearly a very tight player and hopefully we’ll get the chance to do battle again over the webcam airwaves.<br /><br /><b>2-1 vs Duncan D</b> – I’m 4-0 at this stage, heading into batch 2…</div>
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<br /><b>2-1 vs Jared D</b> – another set of classics vs. a tight player on an interesting UR Robots list. I missed playing Jared when I visited the NEOS crew in the summer, so this certainly made up for that. Doubtless he’ll be looking to avenge this one come Lobstercon in the <strike>fall</strike> autumn…<br /><br /><b>1-2 vs MVD</b> – I finally taste defeat at the hands of Mike’s UR Atog list. A brutal set of games which, fittingly, were determined by a Wheel of Fortune. This was my first interaction with Mike, who was an utter gent and indulged me with some post-game analysis on the lines we each could have taken. Is this the opening chapter in the Brothers of Fire – Beasts of the Bay rivalry? Time will tell…<br /><br /><b>2-1 vs Christopher G </b>– I’m now 6-1 going into the final game – a likely win-and-in.<br /><br /><b>2-1 vs Blake B </b>– a nail-biter vs. Blake’s 4c midrange list – and Blood Moon’s first outing from my sideboard - saw me into the Top 16. Some more great games and another brilliant opponent to round out the Swiss.</div>
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<b>Top 16</b><br /><br /><b>2-1-0 vs Guillame D</b> – the UR mirror, which felt like a local derby, with neither team giving an inch! There was a t1 LoA in each game, so crunching tackles flying in from the first minute. I managed to take this one, which saw an epic drawn game, when Psi Blast eliminated both competitors simultaneously! <br /><br /><b>2-0 vs Svante</b> – some tight games against one of the Generals of Old School in Europe. And another in the shins of the Stockholm in a Bottle crew! ;)<br /><br /><b>3-1 vs Tobias M </b>– here some quite uncharacteristic games – we split games 1 & 2 as I didn’t see many creatures – I burnt Tobias out from 13 in game 1, and Tobias won as the beatdown in game 2. Games 3 & 4 went to me through respective aggro and controlling draws. <br /><br /><b>3-1 vs Schef</b> – watch the highlights and see for yourself (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYMiRWAVcew">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYMiRWAVcew</a>)! 4 epic games, of course! A nod to Schef who was a tough competitor and gracious opponent. I look forward to getting to play him again, and hopefully getting to meet him in person someday.<br /><br />Across the tournament, the wins came from the usual blend of some good fortune, some good Wheels of Fortune and a bit of skill here and there. And in case you’re wondering, or wanted to ask but couldn’t actually be bothered, I was pretty happy with the Blood Moons being in the SB. </div>
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<b>Brother of Fire Decks</b><br /><br />The tournament was a resounding success for the plucky Brothers of Fire.</div>
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Brother Markus has been smashing our local meet-ups with his own Project Markus – an homage to our Lord and saviour’s Project M – and essentially a hedonistic vehicle to show off that ridiculous deckbox.<br /><br />It was a thrill to be with Markus as the Top 16 was announced and toast his well-deserved success! <br /><br />His list shows you do not need to be on the Deck or UR to find success. Markus’ deck is so characterful – allows a fast win, a cruel win, or even an agonising win at a pace that allows one to imbibe relentlessly!<br /><br />I really like that this deck is resilient to disruption, with permission, Mazes and various ways to interact with on-board permanents. It also features myriad win-cons, with the Beasts, Factories, Fat Moti and a Fireball all working hard.</div>
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This list Top 8’d! Brother Ben is no stranger to success. Indeed he’s the reigning UK National Champion, he’s won 3x COPcons and most impressively, he Top 4’d n00bcon X! <br /><br />In fact, he’s such a tight player that he really brought out the spice with this list, and still found success, even with a sensible deckbox. Some might say that the delay in this article is purely because I’ve needed the full month to figure out how his deck works<br /><br />Ben’s list evokes memories of the kitchen table and his personality as an Old School General. Amazing stuff.</div>
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<br /> <br /><b>Photo round-up</b><br /><br />COPcon VIII - The Brothers hosted a successful COPcon VIII in February, taken down by Brother Scott with this punchy “BRu”.</div>
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<i>Brother Scott scooped his second COP with this Beatdown BRu</i></div>
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</i><br /><br /><b>Brothers' Highlander Enchantress</b><br /><br />I’ve also been working hard to break Verduran Enchantress in <a href="https://brothersoffirelondon.blogspot.com/2018/10/format-announcement-brothers-highlander.html">Brothers' Highlander</a>. Largely this is to take advantage of the crimped Beta version I own [swag] [reasonable offers accepted].<br /><br />This is my best effort yet, twinning it with blue for access to Clone and Vesuvan Doppelgänger. Suffice to say it’s been awful fun, and awfully difficult to “break” even in a casual format…</div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><img height="289" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/0Q1pku9NGqWq5BClpdAfDsU8dyO6PxiAKao2a0rTzFxgIPwn2gpxJjh-MxPQnwgSyqTMS5d5lTGeQeLfWJZKP7NgtPT4NhTSmETE8L3neQ-x9uLY_Vk0DE68Jq8vFTjBkj2PJhuZup4YipB1UQ" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="624" /></span></div>
<i>When stealing Brother Oli’s Royal Assassin isn’t enough…</i></div>
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<i><br /></i><b>Gentlemen’s Magic</b></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><img height="334" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/ijLKLm4dyQqX2xk5ifdOcgei6xyjqv17PuGicLJkuxEsgxaHISd7YGMoXima65rJl43pV9FemEI62kXnhBagH2jlqcsNdveKrCIEQamx6tYC-biHzFggcBLiUeKgvSNBBrUnectSyvf7tXENeA" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="288" /></span></div>
<i>Brother Markus and I play some Old School like gents</i></div>
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<b>It’s a Scythe…</b><br /><br />I also won my first game recently of Scythe (my second game all-time) during a private Brothers meet-up. This isn’t strictly Old School, but the games are so epic in length that I felt the win should be recorded somewhere!<br /><br /><img height="349" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/aB73AClUIWAnBCxkF0pLAS0klRnMNKLnY4PEIl81sZTiiVL7Tdw-lTaT0pR6Lv0US6ZmGney6W3iGMEhecYmeUGP1WBmAlWkmNMCnj82WaBon8w-2_mbM3VEdCzuxrRVxjqw4tqBwU_iaAJrQQ" style="border: none; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; transform: rotate(0rad); white-space: pre-wrap;" width="602" /></div>
<br /><b>Final thoughts</b><br /><br />Something occurred to me the other week – it’s great to see players asking for advice and tips online, and wanting to improve, and thankfully there are now many resources to enable players to do this. At the same time I’d also encourage players to not lose sight of the fact that this is primarily a game about mates and good times. There’s a reason no-one has coined ‘the Spirit of Modern’. We’re all in on the joke together, or at least we should be. To me, nothing better encapsulates this than the pic below of Markus’ crazy deckbox, with which I’ll leave you…</div>
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Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-51083947910637023412019-01-20T19:01:00.000+00:002019-01-20T19:59:11.289+00:00Q4 2018 Round-up - By Brother JonasHappy 2019 everyone! With all the talk of new beginnings, there's also time for some retrospective reflection. I had a busy few months to close out last year, so for those of you who are interested, here's a largely pictorial canter through it.<br />
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<b>October 27th - Fishliver Oil Cup</b><br />
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While our American cousins across the pond had Eternal Weekend and LobsterCon to look forward to, the marquee event in Europe is undoubtedly Fishliver Oil. I made a late decision to go, joining a UK delegation of Brother Ben and Karl, and Brian.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_J6bTc8Uxt6Hp8_NnA2rT4RV9ESskBjR6QBpSfkSLw4wF9yj3WetJIX4y1l9wQuxsgWe0qwWq-M4LaHfR1ycmonHsaPaLUwmXR9Gmj-BVRa2hEqM4MGpjbK5V8bvNnCir5n4BBkUfDlU/s1600/IMG_1679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_J6bTc8Uxt6Hp8_NnA2rT4RV9ESskBjR6QBpSfkSLw4wF9yj3WetJIX4y1l9wQuxsgWe0qwWq-M4LaHfR1ycmonHsaPaLUwmXR9Gmj-BVRa2hEqM4MGpjbK5V8bvNnCir5n4BBkUfDlU/s320/IMG_1679.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Upon arrival at Genoa, we headed straight for the hotel which was the main base for the event. The proprietors seemed to really understand that this was a 93/94 event, laying on decor and service standards straight out of the early 90s!<br />
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We weren't here for this piece of architecture - the real gem was the venue for the day one event, the Columbus Trophy, played with Eternal Central (i.e. American) card legalities. And the biggest draw of all - it was played in the ancient lighthouse:<br />
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<i>What a beauty!</i></div>
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Mustering before the event was one of the highlights of the trip as people mingled and I was reunited with friends from across the world of Old School, including Danny and James all the way over from the US, Svante, and many others. The hosts laid on sumptuous ciabatta and local wine, and after a brief false start, we got stuck in.</div>
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Having already qualified for N00bcon, I had a relaxed brew planned for the day after (the main event) and intended to push hard in this one. My choice was UR powered Goblins. </div>
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The deck pic has been mislaid, but to cut a long story short, after an early win against Michel from Sweden (one of my favourite guys to play - always bringing amazing spirit and banter to our matches) I was absolutely buried by two very fast black decks playing multiple Hymn to Tourachs. I was only packing two Psychic Purges in the sideboard (I should have had two main-deck and two in the board), and although I fired a few of them off, I was on the lower tables before too long.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38nucDHYHWQnMq2CjHDj6s3CoOduuLtpN-iqPk58H10yDA_gAePIw5IzHSzqE2nXRtO0c5wx4uHu5tIQd_E6KuCBmdHI6dz2Tiww2k2r1vYkjad-dkMvmOpOYc7o-Alhf4WWJLQutUCI/s1600/IMG_1686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi38nucDHYHWQnMq2CjHDj6s3CoOduuLtpN-iqPk58H10yDA_gAePIw5IzHSzqE2nXRtO0c5wx4uHu5tIQd_E6KuCBmdHI6dz2Tiww2k2r1vYkjad-dkMvmOpOYc7o-Alhf4WWJLQutUCI/s320/IMG_1686.JPG" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWLuxdAOC0F0JxBz7nZG9VzxS-nPWbEdNnlRVnRAaCwgEarPCxkTsk_qLrJBkDZubFLWLDdaXkdfcO_dWDY5J8HSi-lcxeIeXsQMT38wWERXvvdL2WU06Drqe2B7FvxxCDszqPY2OXS4/s1600/IMG_1682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZWLuxdAOC0F0JxBz7nZG9VzxS-nPWbEdNnlRVnRAaCwgEarPCxkTsk_qLrJBkDZubFLWLDdaXkdfcO_dWDY5J8HSi-lcxeIeXsQMT38wWERXvvdL2WU06Drqe2B7FvxxCDszqPY2OXS4/s320/IMG_1682.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i>Not a bad venue for a tournament!</i></div>
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This didn't bother me too much as the atmosphere down in 'the engine room' was high-spirited and a chance for some fun convivial games. Picture, if you will, the guts of the Titanic packed with poorly-perfoming but happy Irish folk dancing, while above decks the real players had to fret about sideboarding. Down at the lower end of the tournament I also enjoyed a fun game against Andrea, who was bravely running a Power Surge deck - but who hadn't counted on the near-omnipresence of Factories undoing the card's utility.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1AGx36RemdHA_fx0dvuSTU7upCL1nHK6-0simFKw1m1iRSYDG8kj14yH27VD2TV92hB9XYbNTq3hqiPPDlAYKxS8i96b6nyfxf0wuKlnNxYMkJXJMxSVH7CaUIgw1WOgMowWdckOLNH4/s1600/ps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1AGx36RemdHA_fx0dvuSTU7upCL1nHK6-0simFKw1m1iRSYDG8kj14yH27VD2TV92hB9XYbNTq3hqiPPDlAYKxS8i96b6nyfxf0wuKlnNxYMkJXJMxSVH7CaUIgw1WOgMowWdckOLNH4/s1600/ps.jpg" /></a></div>
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The UR Goblins brew definitely needs some work, in particular calculating the correct number of Psionic Blasts.</div>
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The last round of the tournament took place back at Hotel 93/94 and with that done I was able to push on to the real highlights which was getting to hang out with everyone. In particular, I had the privilege of meeting Bjorn Johnnie for the first time and playing some drunken games which I remember mainly for both of us laughing the entire way through. Good stuff.</div>
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The next day was the main event. For the British delegation, we continued our tradition of our own national prize:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8daS6cm1rnLKGIFJBhb_bjOgpBfeE3DpmUOlcD8sZtEjFceKkcn3o3oX-I_IyRMAh3P6gbKq6nszU8nQgW9dbaAve7Iu-Y5hI-BPCdukW0pSLzZ80sDT0tvSVjbSAl8Dg2Ji-xtbt3s/s1600/IMG_1723.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS8daS6cm1rnLKGIFJBhb_bjOgpBfeE3DpmUOlcD8sZtEjFceKkcn3o3oX-I_IyRMAh3P6gbKq6nszU8nQgW9dbaAve7Iu-Y5hI-BPCdukW0pSLzZ80sDT0tvSVjbSAl8Dg2Ji-xtbt3s/s320/IMG_1723.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I wanted to play something fun that would give me plenty of variation through the day, so I opted to brush off a tuned version of my deck 'Parfaitog':</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GtNTxYzhBI7rqNO4pQ3C9biV-j9b-vplJSSAYtOUHU99Nb-gR4jpiXXQHvxHE7uBK_Tgd6hVXPxonRvUXHHJAsQXN1sjA71VE0eRKNMevGQf_DTlLi7ZnX-Yk9hAyKPxW_cysheWOXA/s1600/IMG_E1076.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="883" data-original-width="1600" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1GtNTxYzhBI7rqNO4pQ3C9biV-j9b-vplJSSAYtOUHU99Nb-gR4jpiXXQHvxHE7uBK_Tgd6hVXPxonRvUXHHJAsQXN1sjA71VE0eRKNMevGQf_DTlLi7ZnX-Yk9hAyKPxW_cysheWOXA/s320/IMG_E1076.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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What's fun about it is the number of synergies you can exploit. Copper Tablet remains an under-appreciated card especially when you can establish a life advantage and then hide behind a Winter Orb. And making gigantic Atogs simply never loses its appeal for me, even though the real value he poses is more in his bark - the potential that he might go off - than his bite. But, speaking of bite, check out this 17/18 monster I unleashed against Alise:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjKw3OZz9-5vyMLdPJgRbjSvavDgTwE4j1vFvStXZT4VavhaDl2vInl-vs3ND5UG9rNUtM2hyphenhyphenNgKGK2VmVofIs0tqASfWNFvY9ecHpfgTr7GmPI0iGZSMdWyhjIcT70x_C4xVKRCx5970/s1600/IMG_1729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjKw3OZz9-5vyMLdPJgRbjSvavDgTwE4j1vFvStXZT4VavhaDl2vInl-vs3ND5UG9rNUtM2hyphenhyphenNgKGK2VmVofIs0tqASfWNFvY9ecHpfgTr7GmPI0iGZSMdWyhjIcT70x_C4xVKRCx5970/s320/IMG_1729.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>"It was big. Really, really, big. No, bigger than that. It was BIG!"</i></div>
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I had an unusual start to the tournament - despite playing fairly fast I drew my first match, and then went to the final five turns of the second. I was undone here by my opponent doing a fairly dubious Chaos Orb at a crucial juncture and differing with my view on what constitutes one foot! This, along with the unwelcome experience of being surrounded by people talking to my opponent in a foreign language, left me with a bit of the unwelcome feelbads. This was only to worsen when my next opponent failed to show up (a feature that was to befall a number of other people throughout the day). Without wanting to labour the point, I consider dropping from an Old School tournament bad enough, but just walking out without regard for others is not really acceptable.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlW90MZEwe9oss1oiTZqwZ43m25m2yCl3hOvu-xSnE_HViZFp8ksA2F9bxzY14d6wB_Rk7JtcHVjAkMZQV6GK-Jn1oJ6mqAqUyigBgEb8t4sgdBGDoQ4-x8Agdtpq2JhU5hrL8g6Lr1vQ/s1600/IMG_1732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlW90MZEwe9oss1oiTZqwZ43m25m2yCl3hOvu-xSnE_HViZFp8ksA2F9bxzY14d6wB_Rk7JtcHVjAkMZQV6GK-Jn1oJ6mqAqUyigBgEb8t4sgdBGDoQ4-x8Agdtpq2JhU5hrL8g6Lr1vQ/s320/IMG_1732.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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The event today had a more serious feel - the Italians are known as tight players and I respect that every culture is different - and that everyone has the right to approach the game in the own way. Nevertheless, the atmosphere down at the bottom end of the tables still felt quite competitive and was rather less fun than the day before. Fortunately I had another matchup with Michel (in which he avenged yesterday's defeat) which added some positive vibes to the afternoon.</div>
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Before long, it was over and again there was time for fun games. Brother Ben and I took on a transatlantic 4-player challenge with Charlie H and Danny, all for the prize of the first pick from Ben's minty Fallen Empires booster. With the stakes so drastically reduced, my deck seemed to come into its own and I beat all-comers, taking the prize:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Vr-61fA5SvlAWJvlz_eaAXpf4H4yuWoHeFcdR3hHbY_aKkCoGfuhMDQQwImyr32R0lyO3iVtQZccqZI9sG9jKlwF_dlc6Vh5G_hJFGdjWEe2W2KObC0uY60RkZMaWmT5wEoI-XrkNQI/s1600/IMG_1763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Vr-61fA5SvlAWJvlz_eaAXpf4H4yuWoHeFcdR3hHbY_aKkCoGfuhMDQQwImyr32R0lyO3iVtQZccqZI9sG9jKlwF_dlc6Vh5G_hJFGdjWEe2W2KObC0uY60RkZMaWmT5wEoI-XrkNQI/s320/IMG_1763.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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This competition only raises the stakes further - if that were possible - for this easter's upcoming Ryder Cup of Old School! Danny and I will be returning as national captains.</div>
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I then took the time to add to my burgeoning collection of back-patch photos. It's great to see this really taking root in many clubs across Europe:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gFFR6SpSchcQDZrGqMPwMnOpLXQiW7Pow2k7H1ze4e0c2CrOlPGpB3MeneAcHbvcws33adLjlXzbKebsSSwXfPIWwB7yvxSLxIUXuFkfjmr5pP7UXihXgFOOigp20Ys5VFA-K_1_pDQ/s1600/IMG_1739.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gFFR6SpSchcQDZrGqMPwMnOpLXQiW7Pow2k7H1ze4e0c2CrOlPGpB3MeneAcHbvcws33adLjlXzbKebsSSwXfPIWwB7yvxSLxIUXuFkfjmr5pP7UXihXgFOOigp20Ys5VFA-K_1_pDQ/s320/IMG_1739.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TSpy1HWKcsLLJcWy4nk1poPc5e5LbtCtfwsN3i96UwsXzngWo1AO6vnJx_XAMe1Ey4hSFcrFB0T6-x9tVnzNgzVprxlOTn70Z7gHitq0kHTSx5QYXz8TidW0zW0mHnWUuUwk4ckajt0/s1600/IMG_1784.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="515" data-original-width="743" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TSpy1HWKcsLLJcWy4nk1poPc5e5LbtCtfwsN3i96UwsXzngWo1AO6vnJx_XAMe1Ey4hSFcrFB0T6-x9tVnzNgzVprxlOTn70Z7gHitq0kHTSx5QYXz8TidW0zW0mHnWUuUwk4ckajt0/s320/IMG_1784.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After a brief spell in Gordon Andersson's commentary booth, we gathered to watch the final. </div>
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It was a strong contest between two high-quality players, and with an unpowered winner, a fairly unexpected outcome. The edge was taken off a little when it emerged that he had been playing two Shahrazads in his sideboard (hereafter, two copies being Italian Restricted?), but this was a minor quibble considering the champion beat all-comers without Ancestral and the like. A worthy winner.</div>
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The day after we flew back shortly before a rainstorm stranded many in the airport. My verdict on Fishliver? A solid event hosted by organisers with a massive and heartwarming passion for Old School. My experience was that it was on the more serious end of the spectrum in terms of playing style, but I would recommend anyone to give it a try if this is their preferred mode of Old School.</div>
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<b>24th November - The Old School Team Cup, London</b></div>
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One month later, London played host to the Old School Team Cup, organised by Chris Cooper. This was in 'team unified' format. Swedish banned and restricted lists, UK card legality, and with the team-unified proviso that if all the decks and sideboards were put into one mega-deck, it would be legal - so only one Chaos Orb per team.</div>
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Chris went all-out in the preparation for this, with a fantastic venue, custom playmats, and a dizzying array of prizes:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2osZ7c1-uDPraBa-yGKGyfHERnXuGaLdCLdb_pN5JfbNUipECs8zWI-b5m1b8tpxYadBhFkFJd3Jx3SrMYKdXqKCGoKpRUQrgHY20IrIxG4Z8eLKwpTdQUVpXEwmNSRGqbFCdfUj1w5Y/s1600/IMG_2064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2osZ7c1-uDPraBa-yGKGyfHERnXuGaLdCLdb_pN5JfbNUipECs8zWI-b5m1b8tpxYadBhFkFJd3Jx3SrMYKdXqKCGoKpRUQrgHY20IrIxG4Z8eLKwpTdQUVpXEwmNSRGqbFCdfUj1w5Y/s320/IMG_2064.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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My team 'Argothian Forest Preservation Society' consisted of Brothers Ben, Stebbo, and I. We decided to make Ben the 'general' and give him the majority of the Restricted cards, with Stebbo and I playing around this with the intention of picking up the second win needed to win any round.</div>
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Before the games kicked off, our team had an initial moment of good luck as Brother Ben discovered this little bonus sellotaped to the underside of his chair:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaSyflJPSgEnuqDZdG029tfAxZIioongD7UpV25ocDPp3lPJOo45YZpIjufo6VJ5F0Hy544izz4qvs3WImAco1muN250hf2RrkHTa8SH4N2WdJqbKt6I89TpWhPM3L0yJJCncr707wAU8/s1600/IMG_2058+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="676" data-original-width="842" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaSyflJPSgEnuqDZdG029tfAxZIioongD7UpV25ocDPp3lPJOo45YZpIjufo6VJ5F0Hy544izz4qvs3WImAco1muN250hf2RrkHTa8SH4N2WdJqbKt6I89TpWhPM3L0yJJCncr707wAU8/s320/IMG_2058+-+Copy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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With that excitement out of the way (and no, dear reader - he didn't open it), we got stuck in. I was on red with a small green splash and didn't have a good day with the cardboard - a few unforced errors and some tidy opponents. </div>
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<i>Brother Oli's sumptuous n00bcon invite delivered today via Swedish illuminati</i></div>
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Pleasingly though, despite the huge draw of three n00bcon spots being up for grabs, the whole day was full of a relaxed vibe with the beers flowing constantly.</div>
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It took three rounds for me to establish my first match win, but Ben and Stebbo played well enough for us to be in with a distant shout of making the Top Four. Unfortunately, we didn't quite succeed.</div>
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After some additional hi-jinks and many more beers, Team South Africa took home the win, and will be attending their first World Championships - a great result for the community.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_XiPGSSXDPshFtFYC1Z5-KuFvECyWmDSfSiuDAQmSCzwDU_lxK0Ya7hHq4CSAr6dgXuwVAhaontMoN2GH8H6kwsPC4EBNE0A1SQ2lflci5KrCLuhpKSV4vjCHB7epPT2Uq5O6rnO3OE/s1600/IMG_2063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_XiPGSSXDPshFtFYC1Z5-KuFvECyWmDSfSiuDAQmSCzwDU_lxK0Ya7hHq4CSAr6dgXuwVAhaontMoN2GH8H6kwsPC4EBNE0A1SQ2lflci5KrCLuhpKSV4vjCHB7epPT2Uq5O6rnO3OE/s320/IMG_2063.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Jesper Myfors's original recreation of Armageddon - not bad!</i></div>
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<i>Guest of honour DFB, all the way from New England, is flanked by assorted team members</i></div>
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<b>December - The Brothers Of Fire Christmas Party</b></div>
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This left one event to close out the year - Brother Markus's splendid annual now-tradition of throwing open his hospitality for a Christmas bash including the cracking of some product.</div>
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This year we went about as deep as we are likely to be able to go and assembled this mountain of vintage cardboard:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZxdbitnc0uVEbYuPDHHQcIDt67OEBGYUEBTzAMHo7gGTJ-pIqGvOwLzm52xmsf6D2tkRJA6IicO6603jCszTBM_LEXFw0fKF-Yyo-SD8GqChEPmXeZ9_7YqsBY5w1p0Nz105VVx7RD4/s1600/IMG_2228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNZxdbitnc0uVEbYuPDHHQcIDt67OEBGYUEBTzAMHo7gGTJ-pIqGvOwLzm52xmsf6D2tkRJA6IicO6603jCszTBM_LEXFw0fKF-Yyo-SD8GqChEPmXeZ9_7YqsBY5w1p0Nz105VVx7RD4/s320/IMG_2228.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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It was only appropriate to deal with this mountain with a Rochester Draft - opening all the packs in front of each other and taking it in turns to pick a card at a time. To mark such a historic occasion, we even had Brother Scott on commentary duties. Everyone had the opportunity to open a particularly valuable pack. </div>
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So what happened? My own Fourth-ed starter, which I opened prior to the draft, had the following three rares:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTroC-1-0u6ae8nrONCwgj_Yf8z4gMD0RKVi0NRRQogyAfo5TACqzLDpl9kXnUux8SUN8maB5YPVTRCDEfoF47GJnkb27v_6NVfaQDODygoa7jzmzx7MavGLCccQ0CJVJ0ZoirXE9rJUk/s1600/IMG_2235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTroC-1-0u6ae8nrONCwgj_Yf8z4gMD0RKVi0NRRQogyAfo5TACqzLDpl9kXnUux8SUN8maB5YPVTRCDEfoF47GJnkb27v_6NVfaQDODygoa7jzmzx7MavGLCccQ0CJVJ0ZoirXE9rJUk/s320/IMG_2235.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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With these in-hand, I reckoned I had a pretty good chance of taking home the goods, because Millstone in Limited is, as Bryan Manolakos would say, "a house" - an incredible win-con in a world with everyone running 40 cards. My ambition was to draft green and black and aim to sit there until I could Mill my opponents to death. Sadly, the best laid plans of mice and men can go awry and too many of us were drafting green, leaving my deck a little puny. I did manage some nice millings, but not enough to prevail.</div>
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When we moved onto the draft, what it really remind me was quite how terrible most of the cards in these sets are! We opened a pack of Antiquities that contained 8 howlers, and arguably Legends (we had Italian) was even worse. There were, however, some great moments of drama - Brother Oli cracked a pack-fresh Revised Bayou, and then took second-choice on a Legends booster that contained both Karakas AND Mana Drain. So at least one of us made their money back!</div>
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The day was packed with great fun and Jason ran out as champion. When we had played our decks to death we broke out Brother Scott's sumptuous Old School Cube - a beautiful black-bordered monument to the format, and played long into the night.</div>
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Well - that was quite an ending to the year. Not marked by the laurels of victory, but many happy memories. It's been a privilege to be a part of the London scene and to see it grow over the year, and I'm hoping to meet more Old School legends, and enjoy more games, in 2019.</div>
Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-36116174583187794112018-12-10T17:09:00.003+00:002018-12-10T17:09:27.618+00:0025 years of Unlimited - by Brother Scott<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.3800000000000001; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
On a very special anniversary, Brother Scott recounts the history of a notable and misunderstood set...<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 13.999999999999998pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><br /></span>
<b>10th December 2018</b><br /><br />Is there any greater misnomer in the world of Magic: The Gathering than the “Unlimited” Edition?<br /><br />With its severely limited print run of just 40 million cards, even if every single one had miraculously survived the 25 years from its release of 10th December 1993 to today there would only be enough for the world’s 20 million or so Magic players to own an average of 2 cards each. And for every player lucky enough to have a Black Lotus, 13 players would have a copy of False Orders. <br /><br />To the eye of a non-Magic player, Unlimited must look more like a playtest version of the later, slicker 4th/5th/6th Editions – after all it has wildly varying font sizes, inconsistent rules text (Shatter “destroys”, Disenchant “discards”), spelling mistakes (Douglas Schuler), over-complex junk cards (ever played Camouflage?) etc etc <br /><br />However, I have always loved the Unlimited set. Compared to the ubiquitous but washed out looking Revised Edition, the rich colours, chunky rules text and reassuringly solid thick white borders of Unlimited have always looked genuinely magical to me. <br /><br />The first Unlimited cards I ever owned myself were bought from ebay in 2002-04, and I still have them all (pictured below):<br /><br /><img height="451" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Y9rgNkACbJ1jUOwU3sz4qj4daCGHcidQBdbM_VmahLfNQgughJFzfy8FmvTgPMaAiE6rEfIyudTtwUKSa8eg5S4LHlYKXlkKJ0qqlGmVtvemVmO4O9CW89T7X4ZgD2r3cGe29AZdWLRAVMUw6w" style="border: none; font-family: calibri; font-size: 11pt; transform: rotate(0rad); white-space: pre;" width="602" /></div>
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<br />Already not legal or outclassed in all formats by 2004, it wasn’t until I got into Old School in late 2015 that these cards changed from being collectors’ curiosities to main-deck contenders: not only have all 8 now been played (7 of them tournaments) but they are of course Swedish Legal, and one has even been played in Sweden itself (more of that later). The Black Knights pictured also have the honour of featuring in my deck for my first ever Old School game, against Brother Stebbo in London in February 2016. <br /><br />Alas, not everyone shares my passion for the set. Too often Unlimited is regarded as a temporary measure until funds allow upgrade to Beta. Worse still, I’ve heard it described as just an expensive version of Revised: still white bordered, but twice the price. However, I believe that the Unlimited Edition is in fact fundamental to the existence of Old School as we know it. To explain why, let’s go back to the start:<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre;">Alpha and Beta</span><br />
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<br /><span style="text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial;">As many of you will know, the original 10 million cards that make up Alpha and Beta were envisaged to last for a year. In fact Alpha sold out within 19 days of Magic’s launch in August 1993, with Beta selling out essentially immediately on release in October 1993. It rapidly became clear to Wizards of the Coast that they needed more cards – and fast!</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; transform: rotate(0rad); white-space: pre;"><img height="338" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/N4Gqig2rMeKcplDMIoWG7jYRUB4LHaDZarAhFpvJ0lpkXUNp6lvy5xLd1of6nMkUnIvMPF_D5c5Kz27slmJtw0xNXv9Cs-PC34cJBrLuLRLz6bIbCC6hLgaqAhJPIYiWEM9C4MWPJ0vWrJuvSQ" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="602" /></span></span></div>
<br /><br />A more subtle point also emerged from this early stampede for cards: Richard Garfield was well aware before release that the Power 9 were insanely powerful, but he believed that either (A) they wouldn’t break the game, because any individual playgroup would only buy 1-5 starter decks each and so only own a couple of pieces of Power between them or (B) they would sell insane amounts of Magic: The Gathering, they’d all get rich, and they could think about a solution to the broken cards problem later. Essentially he was already in situation (B) 19 days after the game released.<br /><br /><b>Revised Edition</b><br /><br /><br />The solution WotC developed to the above problems was, of course, Revised Edition. A new version of Magic: The Gathering with a much larger print run, leaving out the cards that were too powerful (Ancestral Recall, Black Lotus) or too confusing (Blaze of Glory, Word of Command) and taking the opportunity to reword a few cards that too many players were playing incorrectly (Iron Star etc).<br /><br /><br />The trouble is, WotC were caught out by just how fast sales had been:<br /><br /><i>“Beta sold out faster than expected, and Revised wasn't done yet, so they had to do something about the card supply to maintain interest in the game. The set named Unlimited was reluctantly created to fill this need. They didn't want to print more P9 at all. The idea was to only print enough Unlimited to last until Revised could be finished.” </i>– Tavis King, Facebook<br /><br /><b>Unlimited Edition</b><br />
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Thus the Unlimited Edition was born, essentially as a “stop-gap” solution to keep players happy (and the money rolling in) until Revised Edition could be finished.</div>
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<span style="text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial;">WotC was mindful of collectors from the start, and was keen that this reprint set should have an obvious change to the card face to differentiate it from the Limited Editions. However, Carta Mundi were somewhat limited in what they could do cheaply to achieve this, and applying a different card border colour was the best available solution in the time available. </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial;">Of course the story from there we all know – by 1994 Revised edition was finished. Just four months after the first ever Black Lotus was printed, the last ever Black Lotus was printed.</span><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial;"><b>The impact of Unlimited on Old School</b></span><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial;"><i>“We also discussed Unlimited at length. On one hand, it was all reprints, but we decided to keep it anyway, as the manabase could become too expensive otherwise. At this point we obviously had no idea that there would be an international community a few years later.”</i> – Magnus de Laval, Blog</span><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial;">If the manabase would have been expensive if Unlimited hadn’t been Swedish legal, just for a moment imagine the alternate universe in which Unlimited Edition was never even printed.</span><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial;">Limited Edition had only 4,300 of each Rare. Many of them were bought by people who played Magic a couple of times, didn’t like it, and threw them in the bin. Many more have been lost over the years. Many more will continue to be lost over time.</span><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial;">If Unlimited had never been printed – say if Revised edition had been ready earlier, or WotC decided just to wait a few more months before printing more cards – instead of 22,800 of each of the Power 9 printed there would only have been 4,300. </span><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial;">At such low levels, they might have been banned by the DCI much more quickly, perhaps as soon as Revised Edition was published. Black Lotus, rather than being regarded as the crown jewel of Magic, might have ended up just a historical curiosity; another Summer Magic blue Hurricane. A card printed “by mistake” early in the game’s history before WotC knew how Magic would work in practice. A card that someone’s friend once saw in a grading case at a GP. </span><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial;">Would Old School still have exploded into a worldwide phenomenon without iconic cards like the Power 9 and Chaos Orb to catch people’s attention? Maybe…but maybe not; Old School definitely owes the Unlimited set a debt of gratitude.</span><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial;"><b>Unlimited 60 anyone?</b></span><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial;">But Unlimited is about far more than just the Power 9. Playing with Unlimited cards is, in a way, the purest form of Old School Magic. After all, EVERY Magic player chases after Alpha and Beta to pimp out their deck, whether that deck is Standard, Vintage, EDH or a Cube. It’s only those heading to the Swedish heartlands (either physically or spiritually) who would in 2018 excitedly trade away a Revised Scrubland for an Unlimited Shivan Dragon (a trade that I actually did the day before this year’s n00bcon.)</span><br /><br /><span style="text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial;">The reason for that trade is that I was about to attend the Huvudturnerning in Gothenburg the day after n00bcon, a traditionally more casual affair than n00bcon itself - and what more fitting way could there be to celebrate playing Old School in Sweden than with a fully-Swedish-legal, but also fully-white-bordered deck?</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><span style="border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-width: initial; font-size: 11pt; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; transform: rotate(0rad); white-space: pre;"><img height="328" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/EaUw8yseA0ETsp70sq28vtSJTKuRgKPjP_TEeYpeY_84rsa3v0FcGM5uUatSZX6e97uAIXPE9ee4HY-YW08kBpWiW2hTyTgZGMKARHfsZ-S_KCLt7NvJCcU06tP0EA8HlljQ2NjQMM3NxuEHYw" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="602" /></span></span></div>
<br />Not only was my newly-acquired Shivan Dragon one of the stars of the above Green/Red midrange deck but eagle-eyed readers may also spot in the sideboard one of my original Unlimited cards: a copy of Hurricane. The deck even went 3-3: a satisfying result for a G/R deck in which Strip Mine and even Kird Ape were forced to sit out.<br /><br /><b>And so to the next 25 years!</b><br /><br />Now I’m not really suggesting starting Unlimited 60 as a format (although I’d love to see everyone else’s best Unlimited-only deck photos!)<br /><br />However, the next time you are tempted to “upgrade” your Unlimited cards to Alpha or Beta, just pause for a moment and reflect – you already hold in your hands a piece of Magic history, from a set without which Old School may never have existed. <br /><br />Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-31987236976583651712018-11-04T17:21:00.003+00:002018-11-04T17:21:48.906+00:00"Wanderlust" Part 2 - by Brother Stebbo<b>Have Strip Mines, Will Travel… Wanderlust part 2, by Brother Stebbo</b><br /><br /><i>Editor: Last time out our foreign correspondent Brother Stebbo was competing in the frozen North of the British Isles. Today he’s a little further afield...</i><br /><br />1, 2, 3, 4. Count ‘em. 4 Strip Mines. You know what this means. I’m heading way out West!<div>
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I was lucky enough to meet Shane from the Lords of the Pit at Noobcon earlier this year. I even did this to him during the Wizards’ Tournament…</div>
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Shane quickly showed himself to be a great sport, and one impromptu craft beer tasting later we were best pals…</div>
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<br /><br />We’ve stayed in touch since so as you can doubtless imagine, I was thrilled at Shane’s enthusiasm when I mentioned that I was up for making an Old School pilgrimage to Chicago.<br /><br />Indeed between Shane, Ray, Bob, Nathan, Jaco and the rest of the Lords on hand, I was really taken care of. We managed to find time for 2 Old School meet-ups, 1 pre-modern meet-up and another non-Magic meet “because it’s Sunday...”. My liver is still recovering.<br /><br />This early interaction was typical of my time in Chicago:<br /><br /><i><b>Stebbo:</b> Just landed and getting the metro downtown from the airport. Should be with you about 9pm after I drop my stuff.</i><br /><br /><i><b>Shane:</b> Dude, we’ve been out since midday. Some of the Lords may not last much longer! Don’t go to your hotel. Come STRAIGHT to the bar…</i><br /><br />Cue a night out till 2-3am (of course, with me dragging a huge suitcase around!)<br /><br />A fantastic week where I was able to channel my inner Louis Theroux, as we drunk deep from the everflowing cup of subject matter that is ‘differences between US and UK culture’. Add to this with the continuing amusement I caused with my repeated, awkward struggles to tip ‘correctly’ (!) and you’ve got a great time on your hands. <br /><br />Here are some pics to give you a feel:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brother Stebbo was able to wriggle free of Shane’s Double Orb + Beast lock to find a Land’s Edge for 18! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rules at a Lords meet-up were <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">surprisingly</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> strict…</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chicagoans play some interesting decks. Check out this spicy RG aggro brew</td></tr>
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<br /><br />Rather than take up space showering the Lords with superlatives, I’ll instead try to briefly describe the scene for our final meet-up: <br /><br />It’s in a fairly trendy, but narrow, bar in a neat part, or “neighbourhood”, of Chicago. As is not atypical for the bars I’d visited thus far, the one serves a mix of regular beers and Belgian-inspired craft beers. These are pretty punchy numbers, clocking around 8%. It’s the beer equivalent of someone posting an Old School deck pic, and you notice that they are playing with Beta Volanics… (“wait a minute, those <i>aren’t </i>CE!!”) <br /><br />The Lords have taken over the main tables towards the back. Elsewhere baseball is on the TVs and there is a resounding murmur from the patrons on the other tables, most of whom are either youngish workers or students.<br /><br />I’m greeted warmly, immediately “hooked up” up a beer and soon settle in for some games. I get to play a few rounds, before swapping playmats with Shane and dishing out some prizes from the Brothers of Fire.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Lords in full flight</td></tr>
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I have my pick of the prize cards, which include a tasty Millstone and a Hymn to Tourach (which is only usable in a game of <a href="https://brothersoffirelondon.blogspot.com/2018/10/format-announcement-brothers-highlander.html">Brothers’ Highlander™</a>). Naturally I opt for my signature card: Spell Blast.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="384" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/sQpfa-mKnetk_usOK7C1PaDFsMIFLZCgQg67G5z4aq9bSTNKv3safRehSnip59TDkQGd3Z8AqMP2DMEb6cnjsQCEZXAqtCmTQG11OT3zULVzldTMbWG8DN9RwfmXUWW8DzAc6dzkfj9vsUsHfg" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="288" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prize cards!</td></tr>
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Shane and Ray were awarded generous flagons of booze for their generosity in looking after me. Nathan took home the honorary Brothers of Fire award for truly embodying the spirit of Old School.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why we fight</td></tr>
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On top of being an top laugh and sport, Nathan attended every meet-up during my stay (which was like 4!) and was playing a sweet mono green brew dripping with flavour and Moss Monsters. Well deserved indeed! <br /><br />I honestly had a blast in Chicago – it was everything I was expecting as a city to visit bustling with culture, pals and Old School. My thanks again to Shane and the crew. We look forward to hosting the Lords at a COPcon in the future!</div>
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[Editor: And then Brother Stebbo went home, without further incident? <br />Wrong!!! He shipped out to Boston…]</i></div>
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<i><br /></i><b>Wanderlust part 2.5: Adventures in New England</b></div>
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<b><br /></b><br /><br />Dave, or DFB, needs no introduction. <br /><br />However it would be remiss of me to not mention how we met! <br /><br />Technically we sat together at the Wizards’ Tournament – but then he was just “a nutter playing unsleeved”. However later that weekend we became friends at Kalle’s ‘Main Tournament’. Dave holds the distinction of being the first person to cast Shahrazad against me. And later that game, also took the distinction of being the ‘first person to beat me with Shahrazad’!<i> No wonder that card is now worth more than a Black Lotus…</i><br /><br />However I did get to Psychic Venom his Library (I know right, <i>who </i>plays LoA in a fun tournament!?) <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.44; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><img height="131" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Ol_TrVBfgpxuBBoN6khMAY8KrGIXNPeG_gamnL-4YzgAs0Ae3UVdQjgWfY98TBrypS8TwPpoDSIadfvCSVsOxkooe-_IbDo8sc7zHTKe9TsmhzJAJ-ZGzOasT01IcOI8S7xMNkYVA2RQ_AD3FQ" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="208" /></span></div>
<br /><br />Simultaneous to my communications with Shane, I’d also arranged to meet the New England crew for some games. The NE folk meet regularly at a bar called Moogy’s in the suburbs of Boston, and this was the venue for our showdown. <br /><br />To tell the truth, I was pretty nervous. Boston is an intimidating place for a Brit. We haven’t got the best historical win-loss record here… Indeed the NE Old School apparel makes references to this very thing! Almost like they’re taunting us! However I was remotely given some words of encouragement from my fellow Brothers. <br /><br />I also had the key-line ready if the thorny issue of the rules differences between UK and US Old School communities came up: <i>“Well, if you didn’t want to be playing with 4 Strips, maybe you shouldn’t have disrespected our tea!”</i><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="314" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/V0jzWmt7Yom-hTlptU-YPs2M7salL11xv320JrwdgRrRNY7vnDE3ARid91ptrQavK4W35xgUIDU_hDPPm5M-nR8pUbh4uBNa_SuOy1y3Q7b5Bb1aC_5XuC8lf-TNHX7t6MGKXduIGnC0FvkZOQ" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="276" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moogy’s is famous for its tasty beers, sandwiches and 90s cardboard </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="328" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-t5bbQYMwY56tIoOPDJnODjQCeV8depcyYj07EW3pUarScwkrbvgFjpBkVmnoIPA0h_2OFeZSfVgIYdkXkSuFlFEXRqMTfG2KYlMOTd7W6AlNOp0ezhO9ZUTT_Bt1hjwf2-J9xCtHZ9nm4Hc5w" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="229" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Insane sandwich. You don’t fight for freedom on an empty stomach…</td></tr>
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I had arrived before DFB, however quickly found some of the NE crew and got down to some Alpha 40. Known as ‘your deck for the Wizards’ Tournament’ back in my day, Alpha 40 has really caught the imagination of the Old School community of late. NE is no exception and the momentum is palpable. Or, as we like to say in Alpha 40: <i>“a Forest enchanted with Wild Growth gathers no moss…”</i><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.44; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><img height="199" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/1bmzV6pagInSL59dIIoNkoTaiZUoQCV50oVFw5nLakQE2bPVOYNmTHB9pYEY9Rr8Ehr1fReP6HpXniQE590qi3xmaN1r5kjRr7_QCnIPn_aoVchfHKLu1yqEhqfe_ByildIlPIpPD7xqlIas_w" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="266" /></span></div>
I played some great games against a BU deck, and then had some games with Kramer in the RG mirror. These turned out to be Kramer’s first paper games of Alpha 40. My deck was just able to get the better of his, in some games played in the best spirit. I was touched that he remarked later online that he’d enjoyed our games and was “instantly hooked” on the format. I look forward to our next clash!<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.44; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><img height="340" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/4kpLMdTv0SbeKftzvVGWR-GH6Oc8Fc7e_xwC1mRZKCl5A5rnAO0ndB8DZU2Bb2ejqpZCun6N4UcLOA1UgyrPhKg0WBzKmKNuTipFgXIO2a7OibyAIecx3VoMR9qgDrgD3vIqaqHIKX3roDOU1g" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="255" /></span></div>
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<br /><br />From there, I dove into some games of Old School proper. First off, I was thrilled to meet Rich Shay, a whose Vintage content I have long-enjoyed. His appearance was a welcome surprise to me, as I was unaware he was a convert to the format (this is one of the advantages of not following anyone’s Twitter, it seems). <br /><br />I was playing a riff on the recent Tax/Tower decks that have been popular in Old School. Appropriately, I had a partial aggro transformational sideboard into Atogs. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="235" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/FR1z0ltERFGcAWwWzWRGpu2sZzBiTYVUWfS8hpdxHf7vcY07to6noAbPTKp43Z8-qdAbmNH5OSxZKIDwiev9C3GtKhnBYKWSGxyOPYq1uLB2ZASJCXgYWhNtHgVAuBc6IloM1hnf7fQ5myW1tw" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="343" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brother Stebbo’s RW Federal Control</td></tr>
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Rich explained (apologetically) that he was testing for Lobstercon, and was running the Deck. I’d be a hypocrite to in any way criticise such a move, and we enjoyed some close games. However my Shatters and REBs abandoned me when I needed them most… <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.44; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><img height="185" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/o2CQzNs0lcA_vtJjzPwaOCbAHdc0sPNYJUBhCzVZzNoNfrcaewE8DFAdVRk8RFmEoe0fWv4lhMx96r0IIs2v_yWS-cmzidQjA5NyVC51JENJaQ4xLK2YWgCGPZLLuArCE1dYnGPnNkhiCvNVrg" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="247" /></span></div>
The highlight was that I did get to surprise him by casting an Atog in our first sideboard game. For my part, it was definitely one of those Eureka moments capturing elements of the Spirit of Old School, here newfound mutual respect and sheer cardboard joy. Although it didn’t last long, as this Atog was soon packing his bags for the arable fields of northern Massachusetts. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="198" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/HfZenLr56j-aznB7gtstXJPfNNTaPmKwbjN_bUj3gT-5tjLPSu6vxPNlU2lY6AIavkSpe_TC9Q4mdNO8xPp833pyhfbthn5I9Bjf8EesuHZaioVufF2VPXfFRhES7UqKzgdXIxcHmK_NLFV3ow" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="264" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casting an Atog against the Atog Lord. Presumably my Atog receives the standard +1/+1 benefit?</td></tr>
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I had two games of Old School left in my trip, and fittingly they were played against both winners of the honorary Brothers of Fire cards, part of a special double-blessing from the elder Brothers ahead of this event.<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.44; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><img height="166" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/iK1vdiSjNF0T72Hn5cYxYETPOVV5kxnsYKxtwOmaGBREeFxtw5vQ926WFKwGgWW2_kmYFrcsO7Fyxwq0EuSekXL6stryY4JRsb5a3pYTXl0seI6L_tM9y3W7mcB79JPLoyfdvIxKXsuxHfOCyw" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="240" /></span></div>
<br /><br />The first was against Derek, a NE community stalwart, who played a deep mono black brew. Or let me put it another way: it as drenched in flavour as a Moogy’s melted sandwich. <br /><br />Sadly for Derek, Tax/Tower is a bit of a <i>bête noire</i> for his deck, however his refusal to concede in the most treacherous of board states was a credit to his tenacity and determination to discover my wincon! <br /><br />The funniest part was that after our games, I suddenly had a slightly awkward feeling. With one Brothers of Fire reserved for my final opponent, I’d resolved to give the other to the player of the night who best encapsulated the Spirit of Old School. I’d been tipped off that there was such a player in the NE community, and naturally I was ready to follow the recommendation of my gracious hosts. But my games with Derek had been such a blast that I felt he was deserving as well!<br /><br />So I had a quiet word to DFB, and we quickly established that Derek and this unnamed “NE community stalwart” were indeed one-and-the-same person! <i>Phew!</i><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.44; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><img height="240" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/rNY5Dzz8eND1ACpgCRIPmsBiXGfzMiU1hedytOit0TRGOH5cbgeScsosfs_5_FEv-47q3VLOUp5xcQpdqjDji5OzpsrjHM5G-tmnllFyD97sBumHKPMytHL31Nh37wDI7HxwwBjj0Rp4GNoyGA" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="240" /></span></div>
<br /><br />Fittingly, my final games were against DFB, which to my surprise I was able to edge out with a big Land’s Edge and some beats from Uthden Troll. Although sadly DFB and I were too caught up in discussions on the finer points of the Old School format, so neglected to document our games.<br /><br />It was then time for pics and prize cards and saying goodbye to my newfound friends. I was touched by the prize card I was awarded – a Lobstercon test-print!! <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="264" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/qsLw6tMS0U6lrJJAqoTCAUYfHISTcPl9EtXZNTiGbu-QpTfiQG6kxHOVsoTpTYmPpeEFjno9GJF2wiFavyKSGE8QU6qj_TEoGXvbY1LPnG54P9kcko_NnmBrrbgJ8WOlJg0HuZ3pLDyMUu0FMQ" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="268" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oi Oi Oi, me gotta prize card</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"><img height="156" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/4QoYIj97QDz_3t1dUgzsnlB0dqMEdV_55i48o9w03gGKQS07ytkbM5KX4j8kPqVvW1gX5GOKUWNcncw29pDq4ceiCHe_oy3xm6fUuRnUWAYfu7XWkrqUvaAnxHGbv-o1cJpodSo6AYMkdn7Uvw" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="278" /></span></div>
<br /><br />My thanks to DFB and the NE crew for being such generous hosts. <br /><br />See you at the World Team Cup in London, or at Lobstercon 2019! <span id="docs-internal-guid-fbbeb439-7fff-6f62-e799-b42ea7c22ac6"><br /></span></div>
Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-32680385670698654952018-10-14T15:03:00.001+01:002018-10-14T16:52:53.094+01:00Deep Flavour Decks - Part One - By Chris Sartin<i>Crank up the spice! The first in a series of articles in which contributors will share their pet decks, with a strong emphasis on the flavour of the decks and the stories behind their construction. The series begins with a story from Chris about his Brothers' Highlander deck (full details on our house singleton format <a href="http://brothersoffirelondon.blogspot.com/2018/10/format-announcement-brothers-highlander.html">here</a>).</i><br />
<br />
<b>That Brother’s Highlander deck - by Chris Sartin</b><br />
<br />
I was lucky enough a few weeks ago to attend COPcon VII, an Old School gathering hosted by the powerful Brothers of Fire and I loved it: beautiful cardboard, great venue, and supercool people – everyone. I can safely say it was the most fun I have had at a Magic event. The casual nature of the day and the laid-back attitude of all of the competitors was a breath of fresh air from the usual Standard/Modern grindfest punctuated with yells of ‘Judge’ all over the room. I was also chuffed to bits to receive the spirit of COPcon award and a Brothers of Fire signed by all the competitors, a prize I will really treasure.<br />
<br />
I had seen Brother Jonas’ article on the Brother’s Highlander house format on Facebook and I was instantly sold on the idea. I love ways to give unloved cards the light of day and there are so many Old School cards which don’t make the top tier but deserve their time in the limelight - I mean, I had a headless horsemen across the table from me!<br />
<br />
So I played around with a few ideas. Initially I looked at trying to build RG because I had a copy of Stangg from Chronicles. Maybe I could even stretch it to RGW so I could include my Palladia-Mors. These cards had sat in a binder for probably twenty years and were opened from Chronicles boosters some-when in 1995. So I started looking through my first ever binder and shoebox of Magic cards and pulled out cards to fit the deck. Then I started looking at the pile of Goblins... I also had a Revised Goblin King... Could there be a tribal goblin deck? <br />
<br />
Well, no. <br />
<br />
In the legal sets there are 21 cards that mention Goblin and only 14 are creatures - not enough for a 100-card deck. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/gzW18JUzjOwu5tOOaXJhrOfUdjM9-QN2jqNhmo96sLPn1JYcY5B7tIgaHi02s9xKXQu3Dvq53nbyxrAN_vOSH8K0MVy7zmP1X94OLsDWrLDZRg4aFD9qE9zI6AyJb-oms1ppeM-c2fw1dCiPrQ" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Oh yeah, they have a cave troll)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
But Goblins often go hand-in-hand with Orcs. Could this be the theme - Red Orcs and Goblins?<br />
<br />
Well, no. There are only 12 cards that mention Orc and only 9 are creatures <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/QPdN-0mC_ZdJH8RrTJnG7pzVFElkH1N3G_DFgo4cjsqI7xEEQug70BL57PfWv5byRKwPX_LZJnOSd13zgMaH64HxnOqjL8xS6lSL0516gXt-nBpxpGaKZBWw3Oe9oJgnuoWAY4lRiFuHhjvSSA" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Yep there is a bad moon here - Orcs only fight at night unless you cross-breed them…)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But, suddenly the theme hit me – Mordor, the realm of the Dark Lord Sauron! After that, the ideas came thick and fast.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
First, there is Sauron himself:</div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadrIaZE7rASdU68JUarfhp4SysXQMk8_lpomV9d-chy6NTURRj4gLCPaX53eTDrRvbh-rDQNw0a_95EfxdNTKu8ZGnWfnN-bm_c63aWETuAzbvEk6FYBU3Pb6yciNxTXDOHrpDSEGiwU/s1600/solring.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadrIaZE7rASdU68JUarfhp4SysXQMk8_lpomV9d-chy6NTURRj4gLCPaX53eTDrRvbh-rDQNw0a_95EfxdNTKu8ZGnWfnN-bm_c63aWETuAzbvEk6FYBU3Pb6yciNxTXDOHrpDSEGiwU/s320/solring.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(Or, to be honest, it <i>could </i>be the one ring)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br />
The realm of Mordor is surrounded by blighted marshes and mountains – perfect:<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/EJGg6GvIxIMaPDSCBSvTx148ZeW04RGmZS2PRTBHnDsDjQXg6eC2MqrMolqLki3HXz1JFHfgPac3QbUU54uqhHovyC4-X6UO-H7LwzBrHKq94gvwzBxVSTcwu8CUSRBeVTc5B6bJbwN4iXjLXA" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(“Don’t follow the lights... or little Hobbits go down and light candles of their own”)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I like the idea of the Ebon Stronghold being Cirith Ungol or even Mount Doom:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/a4Jc9-9X4mgj6BVRL_om1Jqb4WeBz8wweItSFhby8s8KJdjIVouMIhbZ8u54dxLWEjXIwylJKEcEHqYWyjQkoclt6hOwOia3-msBbs09y-MMiT5x7Fw54SpvzDvxBU7Ow5yBVs8WP4UjD00fPQ" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br />There are lots of Goblin caves and Dwarven ruins as well, which fit right into the theme:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fACd1Z06HonrhyQUobmrvSyvEMzDJtmy-E4aLdykPMJlKsHsw35OqgzIAMUbRtHoMcGyh5ZMQ5GeEhhS2yESfCOgbeN53zNangEfnJfDlju3iSesP-n4j-suDNzsLugwjKx2RubeypQnmerxqw" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">"Drums. Drums in the deep. We cannot get out."</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
By extending the theme to cover a bit of The Hobbit I can also have Smaug and his Dwarven Ruins:<br />
<br />
<img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/wtFYZrHPyJR7PCZmmwlaFXqEHocoCOJ-NPUZ5Hjw5qCUIQpnEMm0N43UHo-JkM9umrbMP0m_VZuTIU-EzRFztpf8-ft-PIUrVkP7iHKSGSyEKXEZL3MLozZ7ZV80KGIr6XIKDgVhIV49wee-dA" /><br />
<br />
<br />
And then there is Moria and the evil that Lurks in the deep:</div>
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/BkrH_bWfWoh_3fyjfRXwlJo6QlZuWSZUT96gIWLNBKEydyVpYQ7HzDFTT4ur2jEr1dMvldNpbioIezN5k7n3UZZtjk55Va50wf8NYTnrmIrp15mSPeUwgwU0z572bWy5esn1Hh-tKIKiX9TJ2Q" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">“You Shall not pass”</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Ok, so we have the locations fairly well covered and the mass armies of Orcs and Goblins. But what about the truly terrifying followers of Sauron, the Ringwraiths? I just chose nine black creatures here. The Bog Wraith and Murk Dwellers could also be denizens of the blighted marshes. There may be better choices but these are all wraithy enough:<br />
<br />
<img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/cbJVvUocUKt0q6gsZwi11Smm4KYzg3XI3L6wuRBn6jwvjPe6AIcKRCt_csVwQqaj-sV4hESEZL3PEa-4-B4alWirVt6SW1gzBltrrp9A47EoiUW1OamkzBSxwrIXw2kI0HKR9paSK6BN9RykHA" /><br />
<br />
<br />
There were several spells I thought captured the essence of the Ringwraiths as well, especially their overwhelming terror and power:<br />
<br />
<img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/XpHxpXR69FzL4FlglC5L8wZUzBLCu_SyU8V4VPiP8HOO0f8NTlUjGi5edgBdy-yfgvkiJwro6H5nmiGyevFLrJ6hJTs2zSFF-f5pilaI6gPou4BUDOHruOrb9WjBkv1YIQ0f_UYN--D_po1haw" /><br />
<br />
The dark Lord draws allies from all across Middle earth:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAo9Mpp4ZF4IF80FHvbG0HJtH08UF5DaLy8U4-stpIQvweZ1hBYGBrBHtqk8EKnbacBCyPH-liko0tgJut_Z2jSIWRzZHw-2w7lIxHkwGQNCXWYe5FKcc2y62pMGcFtYlLUDh-g4ocqL0/s1600/erg.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="454" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAo9Mpp4ZF4IF80FHvbG0HJtH08UF5DaLy8U4-stpIQvweZ1hBYGBrBHtqk8EKnbacBCyPH-liko0tgJut_Z2jSIWRzZHw-2w7lIxHkwGQNCXWYe5FKcc2y62pMGcFtYlLUDh-g4ocqL0/s320/erg.JPG" width="229" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
Above, the Harad or Easterlings. If I can find my Desert Nomads, they will defiantly have to go in. I remember around 1995 really wanting <i>any</i> card from Arabian Nights. I would have settled for a Camel but with no internet, no eBay, no online card sellers, it just wasn’t possible. Years later I built a Pauper cube and as a tribute to this dream I bought a Desert Nomads (and a Moorish Cavalry). The Nomads have a new home now. <br />
<br />
Oh yes and then there is 'Golem' - can’t forget poor Smeagol!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/XM547beLYHouQ7V4eBzrsW8q6ME3jIsvroY0fT6FzRMRBglGjSJ8jvWg_DV13QKpbhHGH6NX2Fgjn-cs3_-1_M10x24hyL2OlFh2ibs1ryaaLAYOy8dcDOJlwrYYodYBeUIoALAuGDN0agQYsQ" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And the machine they use to smoosh him with: “Shiiire, Baaagins”. Poor Smeagol.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Ok, so the last few cards are not really on theme, just some good cards and spells to round the decks out. I couldn’t leave out Tor Wauki in a RB deck.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ghtWqAaj4PS6f0tc-3eZnrCeX2xkgzuss4XPWpi_zZQqHNOkrcE-08Iet3WZ-0_RiGeCNSzYEVBa9wVFcmgxTNJwEVBGDpO2mqgflqBKfHaOoPrtCsbn3Am3IKTiqUJtVZOPeB4HLCg/s1600/extras.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="1600" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ghtWqAaj4PS6f0tc-3eZnrCeX2xkgzuss4XPWpi_zZQqHNOkrcE-08Iet3WZ-0_RiGeCNSzYEVBa9wVFcmgxTNJwEVBGDpO2mqgflqBKfHaOoPrtCsbn3Am3IKTiqUJtVZOPeB4HLCg/s640/extras.png" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
<br />
So that was the deck! I’m a little sad there wasn’t an on-colour Mammoth or Giant Spider, but I think it would have been a little excessive to splash green for these two cards.<br />
<br />
I managed to play two games against Brother Jonas and Brother Stebbo and had a blast with both of them. This format really does capture those early days of Magic when our decks were one big pile of all the cards we had.<br />
<br />
So, where next? I think I want a deck to fight the good fight against Mordor, although the good side is a little harder. I think I may go with a WG Elves, Ents, and Men.<br />
<br />
So what do you think? Any glaring omissions?<br />
<br />
The format is super fun and great to brew, and I hope this inspires a few of you to dig through those old shoeboxes to find that revised Sea Serpent and jam it into your new Brothers' Highlander mono-blue Oceanna deck. Actually, wait a minute... Deep Spawn, Hormarids, Merfolk... This might work!</div>
<div>
<br />
Hope to see you at an Old School gathering soon.</div>
</div>
Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-58404615530143479152018-10-01T14:14:00.000+01:002018-10-01T14:14:09.980+01:00Format announcement: Brothers' Highlander Autumn 2018 B&R&C updateOur house Highlander format, Brothers' Highlander, has been going from strength to strength as a chance to play fringe cards and enjoy the greater variability of the singleton format.<br />
<br />
Check out this smattering of deep flavour action shots!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7l9ir-xEzPpk0nSpnMKGMwvTRiRixP4yQ1OaYVmhgyKzRB08SnUYU98OMt7jFNcvxtqJujpfvcjoEk0fAmqn8YGufWLk06k_WddMVuE-z8u1lfj9f9wB1GiYbRTpwoazGtOTIfCc25Ok/s1600/66db2cee-351f-49d1-88e2-9a1234b59cc9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7l9ir-xEzPpk0nSpnMKGMwvTRiRixP4yQ1OaYVmhgyKzRB08SnUYU98OMt7jFNcvxtqJujpfvcjoEk0fAmqn8YGufWLk06k_WddMVuE-z8u1lfj9f9wB1GiYbRTpwoazGtOTIfCc25Ok/s320/66db2cee-351f-49d1-88e2-9a1234b59cc9.jpg" width="180" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4I1fRIzbVuQEot7L-lP6H2v5JrUvfrNryVXPMaFeTRNXvhAVFbaZuV0hcmeqS9Zq8A8BJm8ytmESQIj6ihRb9-jvS1kyF0miFWhE9VESgH4ECzKXPE_FyrAnNJZQ_brIS2-hHhBx5Co/s1600/3917d9d2-dfc2-410e-8d05-22cd07965259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN4I1fRIzbVuQEot7L-lP6H2v5JrUvfrNryVXPMaFeTRNXvhAVFbaZuV0hcmeqS9Zq8A8BJm8ytmESQIj6ihRb9-jvS1kyF0miFWhE9VESgH4ECzKXPE_FyrAnNJZQ_brIS2-hHhBx5Co/s320/3917d9d2-dfc2-410e-8d05-22cd07965259.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />
With a number of games under our belt, here is a revised Banned, Restricted, and Controlled set.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Brothers' Highlander rules version 1.1 - October 2018</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Deck sizes: </b>100 cards exactly.<br />
<br />
<b>Legal sets:</b> ABU, AN, AQ, LE, TD, FE, 93/94 promo cards. (Note: Fallen Empires is legal).<br />
<br />
<b>RESTRICTED:</b> All cards apart from basic lands.<br />
<br />
<b>BANNED:</b> Library of Alexandria, Mind Twist, Karakas<br />
<br />
Players have 10 points to spend per deck on CONTROLLED cards:<br />
<br />
<b>The Controlled List</b><br />
<br />
Ancestral Recall - 7<br />
Balance - 1<br />
Braingeyser - 5 (new entry)<br />
Black Lotus - 7<br />
Demonic Tutor - 5 (+1)<br />
Icy Manipulator - 1 (new entry)<br />
Jayemdae Tome - 3 (+1)<br />
Maze of Ith - 2 (new entry)<br />
Mirror Universe - 8<br />
Mox (any) - 3<br />
Recall - 4 (new entry)<br />
Sol Ring - 3<br />
Time Vault - 6<br />
Time Walk - 7 (+1)<br />
Transmute Artifact - 1<br />
<br />
<b>Rules: </b>Swedish Old School rules (i.e. modern but with errata for Chaos Orb)<br />
<br />
<b>Printing legality: </b>Standard UK reprint policy, i.e. any non-proxy non-foil card with original art in the original frame is legal. Revised Serendib Efreet and Plateau are also legal.<br />
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<b>Mulligans: </b>Paris Mulligan is not played. Instead, after drawing their initial 7 cards, either player may declare a <i>Gentleman’s Mulligan</i> and show their hand to their opponent. In the event that it contains 0 or 1 mana source, or 6-7 mana sources (i.e. a mana screw or a mana flood), that player can shuffle their deck and draw a fresh 7. There is no limit to the number of <i>Gentleman’s Mulligans</i> that can be declared. (A mana source is any zero-converted-mana-cost card which produces mana - i.e. a land or a Mox, or similar).Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-15249473741952158872018-09-28T12:50:00.001+01:002018-09-28T12:50:29.553+01:00"Coming Back Home" Number 2, by George<i>The second chapter in an occasional series where members of the London Old School community reflect on their experiences of getting into Old School.</i><br />
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<h3>
<b>"The Old School Child" by George G</b></h3>
Let me start off the article by introducing myself: Hi! My name is George and I love playing a format that is older than I am! Throughout this article I will be explaining my journey into Old School, the great people I have met along the way, my views on the format, and my hopes for the future.<br />
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My journey into Old School started in mid June 2016, in the wonderful city of Prague. I was playing in the main event (which was Legacy). I was celebrating my 21st birthday, receiving my university results and accepting a position at Magic Madhouse (the UK’s biggest and best online Magic: the Gathering store!). I had a lot to celebrate, and did so by setting myself a challenge: I wanted to collect a full set of Unlimited power in one year, which would enable me to get into Vintage, a format that at the time I was very interested in. That weekend I picked up a Mox Ruby, and thus started my momentous journey.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The card that started it all</td></tr>
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<br />My position at Magic Madhouse is Social Media and Market Outreach Coordinator, which basically means I create a content for a variety of platforms, including Facebook. The position also includes being a buyer for Magic Madhouse at European GPs and other events. As a result, I attended the Pro Series Grand Finale in Blackpool, which included a 93/93 UK Championship side event.<br />
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At the time I had no idea what Old School even was, but after a four-hour drive to Blackpool with my colleague Jason I was well and truly educated about the format! I purchased my second part of power, a Time Walk which I needed for Vintage, and had a busy weekend selling more cards to the Old School crowd then every other format combined.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I also managed to pick up a few Loti in Blackpool. Sadly they were a little oversized</td></tr>
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I met a few people in Blackpool which helped me in my journey towards Old School, the main one being Rod Smith. Rod and I began talking online in the weeks and months that passed, and he showed me the first deck I eventually went on to play, a RWG Blitz deck that I soon started trying to assemble so I could play some games.<br />
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This brings me to a part of Old School in which I love - the collecting. Seeing Rod’s collection made me green with envy, but also showed me cards that I did not even know existed, alongside some of the iconic cards. I have always enjoyed the collecting and trading side of Magic. In Old School, it's enough of a thrill to even locate some of the rarer cards - let alone getting a good price!<br />
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At this point I was lucky enough to meet Julian Snape, an ex-WOTC employee who had a lot of cards that I was after, alongside some very rare sentimental cards such as an artist proof Lotus and a Splendid Genesis. Julian provided a much-needed kick start to my Old School collection, and ever since that point I have been hooked.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first Old School Mail Day - I started off with a bang!</td></tr>
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In the following months I would carry on picking up some pieces of power here and there, but most importantly I would get a chance to play the game that I was collecting. At first this was done through Skype with Rod. But pretty soon I wanted to play without a computer screen in front of me, and here’s the second reason why I have fallen in love with a format older than me: the community.<br />
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Not long after this, I met Markus, who invited me to come to London, play some games and drink some beers. Games and beers: the basics of any Old School meet-up, and just the thing I was craving. He showed me the ropes, and explained the mentality behind Old School, his views on the format and what he loved about the game.<br />
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My eyes were now well and truly open: the whole mentality of Old School is completely different from every other form of MTG I have played before. No longer was my happiness based on my win/loss (something that normally led to me being unhappy!), but just playing a game the way it should be played, jamming Juzams and Savannah Lions into combat. In my eyes, everyone I have met has similar (or very close) enthusiasm for the game and format, and are extremely welcoming, even to an ‘outsider’ like myself.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By the end of 2016 my collection had blown up! Just a few more pieces of power to go!</td></tr>
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After a large amount of testing with Markus and Rod, I decided to attend my first ‘Big’ Old School event. Accordingly, Jason drove us up to Birmingham to play in Mana Leak’s Eternal Weekender, with Old School on the Saturday and Vintage on the Sunday.<br />
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I was surprised at first at the size of the Old School event - much bigger than I expected - but it was a great day. As I looked around I saw everyone having so much fun, meeting old friends and reminiscing about when they used to play as kids. And of course I finally got to compete against a lot of new decks! I ended up losing my 'win and in' for the Top 8, but being able to watch some of the top 8 games instead felt like good compensation.<br />
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On the second day I played Vintage, and this was the last time I played the format. For me, Vintage has all the bad things about Old School, and very little good, leading to worse games and an overall worse time. I duly decided that I would drop my original reason for picking up power, and turn all of my efforts into Old School. My journey had come full circle.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw9vMBga_-PODab4AFzMIQuVGIFVnceN5UaO_du-qK4mz_Pi8BcnLPBcoYJNJnbNFxYyB77ZwDxsehttPH_Fo_iksM-LWzkfZbT0opZtWQcBLIb-w5tsJJtP3dJlUJVlQfiZoemuCkRT4/s1600/image1+%25281%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="782" data-original-width="1122" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw9vMBga_-PODab4AFzMIQuVGIFVnceN5UaO_du-qK4mz_Pi8BcnLPBcoYJNJnbNFxYyB77ZwDxsehttPH_Fo_iksM-LWzkfZbT0opZtWQcBLIb-w5tsJJtP3dJlUJVlQfiZoemuCkRT4/s320/image1+%25281%2529.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The majority of the players of the Birmingham event holding the signed participation card: Boomerang!</td></tr>
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<br />Since then I have only been lucky enough to both complete my set of power and attend a few events, the latest of which was COPcon VII, where I ran a deck that has taken me a full year to collect. I recently had a ‘Eureka’ moment and realised that I now have a fairly decent Old School collection, and it needs to get more use outside of deck boxes and binders. My plan for the future (2019) is to try and attend and play as much Old School as I physically can around the UK, and even possibly travel to Europe for a few games and beers. Ever since I heard about N00bcon I have wanted to attend. And hopefully with some more practice and a bit of luck at a qualifying event I may one day make it!Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-51256806996173188312018-09-26T17:09:00.000+01:002018-09-26T17:09:28.348+01:00"Wanderlust" Part 1: inc. King of the North 2 Event Report - by Brother Stebbo<i><br /><br />Editor’s preamble – this summer our roving envoy Brother Stebbo left London to discover Old School communities to the north and (very far) west. <br /><br />This is part one of his journey…</i><div>
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<br /><b>Community </b><i>/kəˈmjuːnɪti/</i><br /><br /><ul>
<li>Noun</li>
<li>~ A group of people living in the same place and/or having a particular characteristic in common ~</li>
<li>For example: (i) a group of people could be "Insane Magicians" (ii) the same place could be "planet Earth" and (iii) the particular characteristic could be "Old School Mtg".</li>
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Refreshed after our successful raid in Stockholm, it was now in the spirit of the UK Old School community that Brothers Stebbo and Karl made the trip North to Edinburgh, to the far-flung icy wastes of UK Old School. Where an Island might just still tap for Blue mana, as long as it hasn't frozen solid.<br /><br />Edinburgh has always been good to me. I earned a place at Noobcon last year by winning the inaugural King of the North and had some great games along the way. It would only be right and proper to return as reigning King and attempt to defend my crown.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">~~ the Horn of Deafening sounded!! ~~ Time for the Brothers to depart to the North. </td></tr>
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<i>Brother Stebbo: So you're on the 7.30 from Euston right?</i></div>
<i><br />Brother Karl: Yeah. </i><br /><br />It's profound chat, but it's also 6:38am. But this is what you do in the spirit of community. Nevermind the fact that you had a work party the night before and barely got 5 hours' sleep. But my Old School and Brothers' Highlander decks were packed long before. We are prepared.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="198" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/U7pTvOWSpOYR0bEBiDtznEj08q08V5HSLh5s5_2TREn2om4Xcyt8PSfX2J-YGpq0d-jrSdvwHCaCsBKjK2sNWXewlYwR0Wi3lHCovBav6QznoYVpy1zmCnYOGmdxBTVzkn68wjO9pkt4gGjxZQ" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="142" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">~~ We're now aboard the train ~~</td></tr>
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Brother Karl has enterprisingly reserved the seat next to mine. Lucky he like aisle seats!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brother Stebbo’s URb aggro-control</td></tr>
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My usual train diet of a Pret sandwich and a nap takes us through the Midlands. Just enough time for a quick chat about sideboard strategy. I'm set on running URb, but through my Celestial Prism I've been seeing concerning images of decks focused on creating towers made of ivory, meanwhile creating the unwelcome bureaucratic levy, or 'tax’ if you will, for making your land drops. These monstrous decks appear to win through excessive lifegain and cruel inevitability in a manner that makes the Deck look like a zaney combo deck!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My biggest concern heading into King of the North II</td></tr>
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<br />I muse adding a further Shatter to the maindeck and/or a Shatterstorm to the sideboard to combat this menace. But then what to take out? The choices before this humble mage are never simple. <br /><br />We also consider who we might see in Scotland. One name crops up who Karl remembers from his past as a PTQ grinder. A former Scottish Nationals Champion no less. It's almost like one of the ancient Scottish kings has returned to attempt to seize the crown from this upstart Southern baron and reigning king (me). Well, they never said this was going to be easy…<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<br /><b>~~ Arrival ~~</b><br /><br />We arrive in Edinburgh and are greeted by the fringe festival. Brother Karl leads the way as we fight through the revellers. We resolve to take in some of the entertainment later, but first more pressing matters are at hand.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="324" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/Mdyt3hyQDu7Wo6BX9R_EvrDXDgSnMhFH5eNDGN6xLaA3o79wr7VKO17ardnhDzHqF4gnd3T31brwiF8Das2WC9kkgOVBcR-UxVOIOzyRaWQWUW0mf2ytHfC6PoUZ-WW6C6vOIYC3P97vyMfwSg" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="264" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brother Karl, rocking the denim as we make our way through the crowds that had seemingly gathered to greet our arrival…</td></tr>
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Upon making it to the games store – shoutout to Mox in the Hole and Gabor – we are greeted by none other than Brother Scott and Sister Bev! They too have ventured north in search of fame, glory (or seeing their pal in a fringe festival show)… <br /><br /><br />
<br /><b>~~ The tournament ~~ <br /><br />Swiss</b><br /><br /><b>Round 1</b> - one of the joys of travelling to play in an event is not being drawn against your buddy who you play every week. So imagine my satisfaction when I got to play Rod Smith first up, organiser and Global Old School phenom. <br /><br />Rod has always had an eye for creative and punishing brews, and since our last encounter clearly the icecaps of the north have thawed, as he has added some blue to his deck, which we'll call "Good Stuff Control". <br /><br />Alas even his Ivory Towers are not enough, and he is dispatched 2-0.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="284" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/PCwM4-OMYx_WJMJ2SuKD3Yx6DGDBWz07KRb2UkXtA3Pp8t_-AzgAloZ57HU5Do4xuEG3THYdm_GGRHVJ1TvBqQnGmiAABT8pjGfr2godzHEZDShEy0iBBOgRqUyCRSiUHTXwFg2ZUiFjIkbE1A" style="border: none; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; transform: rotate(0rad);" width="379" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit to Rod for this action shot.</td></tr>
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<b>Round 2</b> is against another seasoned Scottish Old School player, Seb, who is running UB midrange.<br /><br />We play some tight games, with the most memorable play being Seb casting a Timetwister with Underworld Dreams down. Game over? Not so fast! I am able to Boomerang the Underworld Dreams and avoid taking 7. I squeak over the line 2-1.<br /><b><br />Round 3 </b>is against Ed Ross – a relatively new player on the Old School scene. But you remember that ancient Scottish king I was talking about? Well…<br /><br />Ed is playing The Deck and we shared two warped games and one fantastic one. Game 1 sees me lead off with Land, Mox, Lotus, Mind Twist. Some introduction. Ed is almost able to claw his way back, but I'm able to take the win. Game 2 sees Ed lead with a LoA. He wins that one.<br /><br />Game 3 saw some brilliant back and forth. He has the Abyss and COP Red. I have Energy Flux and Blood Moon. We go to time, but I'm able to find a way through to take the match 2-1.<br /><br /><b>Round 4</b> sees me playing Brother Karl on his traditional UR. He had been considering playing a more unconventional brew on the train, before being talked out of it by me.<br /><br />These games are played in good spirits, but we know each other's games very well, so control battles ensue. I take game 1 and Karl takes game 2, before we go to time in game 3. 1-1-1<br /><br /><b>Round 5</b> sees me face off against Brother Scott. He's playing a BR Artifact control/midrange deck. <br /><br />Despite an encouraging start, Scott is able to take down game 1, with his volume of Trikes and Su-Chis proving too strong for my defences. However games 2 and 3 go my way. 2-1. <div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.44; margin-bottom: 8pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify;">
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<br /><b>Top 4<br /><br />Semi Final.</b><br /><br />I'm drawn against Brother Karl in the top 4. Game 1 goes to me as I'm able to exert 'Efreet Dominance' on the board. Game 2 is a real squeaker and comes down to me having to Timetwister whilst on 3 life, with Karl on a similarly low score. Both of us need one bit of direct damage to connect… I draw Mana Drain and a Bolt. Karl has drawn two Psionic Blasts. Unfortunately he blinks first and loses with his lethal Psi Blast on the stack. 2-0.<br /><b><br />Final.</b><br /><br />Predictably I have a rematch with Ed on the Deck for the marbles. <br /><br />Unfortunately for Ed, I used to play the Deck extensively so know the match-up well. <br /><br />Unfortunately for me, only one of us is a former PT player/champion (him) and he's visibly becoming a more powerful Old School mage with every draw step.<br /><br />I take game 1, with my arsenal of direct damage proving too much for the Deck pre-board. 1-0.<br /><br />Game 2 sees me board in 14 cards. A grindfest is forecast. Rod managed to snap this shot of my opening hand. I've drawn my LoA…<br /><br />We have an interactive game, with a highlight being a battle for control of Ed's Serra Angel by way of a Control Magic/Disenchant etc. However the card draw of Library is too great and Ed is gamely defeated. 2-0.<br /><br />And stilllllll, King of the North!<br /><br /><b style="font-weight: normal;"><img height="264" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/SzcCl65Ef4vTnzAfhRamMVK5cYIhmblEcfvO7ZZxbJIs_NfwY5AX0uZMzJuobPyZB0NzOdOvfCGOEbP4JF17z-KbJxdg2FcD1iIObfeLmpNSfgRDyL5Qf_zVFBTVKAEeTzU6RX_fURBmug_myg" style="-webkit-transform: rotate(0.00rad); border: none; transform: rotate(0.00rad);" width="229" /><br /></b><br />
<br /><br /><br /><br />~~ Epilogue ~~<br /><br />After a year of peace over the plane, the Brothers noticed a disturbance in the northern lands. So they dispatched a regal, powerful mage to restore order.<br /><br />A great tournament, where I was able to meet new players and re-connect with old. Scotland has a fantastic Old School community.<br /><br />Brother Karl and I went on to enjoy a curry with Rod and Sam (our gracious host), before enjoying some of the sights of the fringe.<br /><br />In hindsight it was a journey which inspired me to go even further in search of Old School goodness.<br /><br />As some of you have read, Rod recently injured himself practicing some of this new-fangled 'blue magic'. So we awarded him this community prize to wish him a speedy recovery. </div>
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<i>Stay tuned for Wanderlust, part 2, coming soon…where Brother Stebbo packs his Strip Mines in search of Old School adventure!</i><div>
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Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-81608834082004824622018-09-19T15:53:00.000+01:002018-09-19T19:04:53.612+01:00Tournament Organiser's Report - COPcon VII, 15th September 2018 - by Brother JonasHaving unfortunately missed COPcon VI during my stay in the USA (long story short: moved there, bought three Strip Mines, job didn't work out, came home), it was good to be back in North East London with my fellow Brothers Of Fire for the seventh iteration of our tournament and meetup.<br />
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At twenty players, today's attendance was the healthiest it has been for a free-standing event in our spiritual home of Mirth Marvel and Maud in Walthamstow - although lacking stalwart attendees Markus (stag do) and Ben (injury). To compensate, we were welcoming back Brother Stebbo from his recent trip as Brothers of Fire's emissary to the Old School communities in the New World. (See a future piece on this blog for a round-up which will hopefully rival Alexis de Tocqueville in both scope and importance).<br />
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The importance of the day obviously wasn't lost on our hosts. Among the fine ales on offer was what could only be described as a coded warning against overly-casual Chaos Orb flippers:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In fairness I've probably been guilty of a few of these, after a few of these...</td></tr>
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With initial niceties out of the way, we set down to tackle five rounds of Swiss, all watched over by Brother Oli in his now traditional role as stats guru. Having been running WG Enchantress in the run-up to the tournament, I fancied something a bit spikier on the day so I rebuilt a variant of my Atog deck:<br />
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The original form of this deck took its inspiration from David Chambers's original Trinket Repair Shop. However I have cut Orcish Mechanics (fun but, in my opinion, overrated) and Ankh of Mishra (powerful but not much interaction). Instead, I've gone for a blend of Parfait elements. This, and the use of Blood Moon and City In A Bottle, brings it closer to what some might term <i>hatog</i> than <i>lovatog</i>. I have yet to see this exact approach elsewhere, but I won't claim it is original because it strikes me as pretty obvious. This said, the task of calibrating the exact weighting of Copper Tablets, Black Vises, Howling Mines, Winter Orbs, Mana Vaults, and Relic Barriers is what makes this deck interesting to me.<br />
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In its own way, this deck often played out quite controlly - frustrating the opponent's early-game strategy, disrupting the tempo of the game with a Copper Tablet and Winter Orb (or Howling Mine and Vice), and then creating inevitability by Bolting and Chaining my opponent into oblivion in the late game. (The latter experience feeling not dissimilar from playing The Deck and getting to its equivalent: the three-Counterspell-in-hand tipping point).<br />
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As a result, my MVP on the day was Winter Orb, which was absolutely brutal against opponents running lean mana bases. I only landed a handful of monster Atog hits all day, but the threat value, particularly with two on the table, is enough to bully opponents even when you don't really want to feed your artifacts to him. More commonly, the Atogs sucked up the hate and cleared the path for Factories, which made them feel like something of a 'control' card in many situations. If you believe the mark of an interesting deck is that it has several paths to victory, then I would say that this cuts the mustard.<br />
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On to the tournament. It began with setting up a Skype console for Brother Ben to remotely play whoever got a bye. Unfortunately for him, we had an even number of players, but it was good to know that we can host a virtual player in future - something I'd love to make happen for anyone who can commit to playing the full 5-6 rounds of Swiss as a full participant.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">COPcon embraces Skype</td></tr>
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My first pairing against Chris Cooper (of extensive Skype fame) was a re-run of our earlier preparatory match in the week. Thankfully he was not packing his semi-infamous 'Cooper-school extreme recursion' deck from UK nationals! His mono blue was tight and featured a number of Mahamotis - so unlike his prior deck, it had plenty to love. Fortunately for me, I was on a strong start. In game 1 I sneaked through an 11-point Atog hit, and a Su-Chi did most of the work in game 2 after he knocked out my Library with a Chaos Orb.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not pictured: our first use of the venue's overflow area!</td></tr>
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Round 2 against scene veteran Graeme was highly entertaining. His first turn in game one consisted of laying two Howling Mines on the table. When I then played my Library of Alexandria, I had the rather surreal task of having to work hard to get my hand size down far enough to make it usable! He took game one with a Stasis lock.<br />
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After sideboarding I was able to wield the all-important Red Elemental Blast, and a Ruby, Sol Ring, Winter Orb, and Factory came together to provide the beatdown.<br />
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In game three I made an early Vice stick and although he took me to 12, I finished with a large Fireball. All three games were by turns aggressive and defensive, with the lead changing hands a lot.<br />
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At 2-0 I was feeling pretty good but Stuart, playing his first COPcon in Walthamstow, overcame me 2-1 in another enjoyable match. Even with the white splash in the sideboard, my deck was vulnerable to both Moat (which was in his 60) and Serra Angel, which is a real pain for RW to get off the table (for obvious reasons, I'm not playing Swords).<br />
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My spotless win record was further sullied by an additional 2-1 loss to Jordan. The contents of his deck have been lost to this ale-tinged mists of time in my brain, but the good vibes of our match and his gentlemanly enquiries as to whether I wished to use my Relic Barrier in his upkeeps remain strong in my recollection.<br />
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Like many players with an appreciation for spicy decks, just because I am a member of the Enchantress Fan Club doesn't mean I don't still like to win more than I lose, so at 2-2 I faced George with this objective at stake.<br />
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Befitting his professional role at the UK's leading trading house, his deck was a pimped-up beast which always seemed to find an answer for my threats. In game one, the top four cards at one stage consisted of his full complement of three Swords to Plowshares! However my early Blood Moon was too hard to overturn. George had revenge in game two which levelled the scores with brutality: a turn one Juzam, a turn 2 Time Walk and Spirit Link, and a turn three Strip Mine.<br />
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As with every match since round one, it came down to a deciding game. This time I squeaked through with the assistance of City In A Bottle. Leaving aside my gratitude towards it for this particular game, I'm still firmly opposed to the renewed calls online from people saying it should be restricted. As my brother has said, if you don't like CiaB, play Artifact Blast.<br />
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I finished fourth, and having played different and unpredictable decks in every round, and every match having been close, this felt like the most high-quality day of "competitive" Magic I've played in a long time.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note to self: taking losing games to 2-1 is ideal for coming in at the top of a points bracket!<br />
Note to readers: Your humble writer appears at number 4 under one his aliases</td></tr>
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After five rounds of Swiss we had a clear winner and a play-off would have been gilding the lotus. It was time to award the prizes. Bryan Connolly, running URB, stormed through to be unbeaten in the Swiss and take the COP:Artifacts, which will now adorn his seventy-five at all future COPcons. (Watch out, you Armageddon Clockers!).<br />
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The main prize of the day, the Brothers Of Fire for Spirit of COPcon, went to newcomer Chris S who was visiting with a delegation from the recently-formed South of England group. It's great to hear of new groups emerging in Old School and I'm hoping Brothers Of Fire can make the return trip to an event of theirs soon. Chris's several off-kilter selections in his WB deck, combined with peerless sportsmanship, clinched the prize on a day that was strong with flavourful decks and good spirit.<br />
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Stories circulated of some memorable plays, of which the following three struck me as winners of Play of the Day under many circumstances:<br />
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<ul>
<li>One counter war after boarding saw 2 Counterspells, a Flash Counter and FIVE Elemental Blasts on the stack</li>
<li>Ehrnam Djinn triple Giant Growthed in the face of a single untapped Island seemingly for lethal damage... only to be Unsummoned </li>
<li>A mulligan to five on the play was offset by dropping a land, Mox, Sol Ring, Lotus, Timewister</li>
</ul>
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Not bad!</div>
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For those who could remain, we then proceeded to power through the Five Inch Drops and onto the fun games. My Verduran Enchantress got an airing against Graeme's incredible five-colour Elder Dragon deck. I was able to "enjoy" a Magic career-first of losing my whole hand to a successful Nicol Bolas attack. Only two cards, but it counts. Well - it was certainly more fun than being Mind Twisted.<br />
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Next up I was eager to play BoF-winner Chris, who had brought a 100-card singleton deck in to our house format: Brothers' Highlander (rules <a href="http://brothersoffirelondon.blogspot.com/2018/06/format-announcement-introducing.html">here</a>). I'm hoping to persuade him to write an article about it, so I won't share the full details. But suffice to say it was as close as Magic will ever get to a Tolkein set, realised in the rich palette of Old School. A thing of beauty.<br />
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Finally I had a chance to play UK N00bcon 2019 entrant Patrick using his tournament deck from earlier. At this stage we were running on fumes but I had the chance to witness his lovely new alters up close (see deck pic below). I was also able to exact partial revenge for the 5-0 drubbing meted out to me by his wife on our last meeting! In Old School, family pride counts.<br />
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With that done, it was all over. Thank you to everyone who came and made it a really great day. I hope to see as many as possible at the next COPcon which is going to have a couple of surprises planned.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Group photo, minus two</td></tr>
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<b>Deck pics:</b><br />
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Chris Cooper - Mono Blue<br />
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George - BUW<br />
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Patrick - RB (see Maze, bottom right!)<br />
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Brother Stebbo - WR "Jetlag control"</div>
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Brother Scott - Deadguy Ale</div>
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Stuart S - UWb Skies (extra card is a Moat)</div>
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Brother Jonas - Atog Parfait<br />
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<br />Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-40860107845524017932018-09-12T14:35:00.002+01:002018-09-12T14:35:48.547+01:00Event Report - UK Old School Nationals, 18 August 2018 – by Brother Ben<i>Brother Ben meets up with some friendly faces in competition at this evergreen UK gathering...</i><br />
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18th August saw Old School being recognised as a headline event at the UK magic nationals at Watford. (about an hour from central London). Event organisers Elizabeth Kolb-Barnetson and Francois Huchard kindly arranged for us to have a secure area close to the bar. An undisclosed prize was at stake, and everyone brought their A-game.<br /><br />The event attracted a selection of Old School regulars as well as some old faces from back in the day, including legendary Chad Valentine. In particular it was great to see amiable magic veteran Graham Baker, famous for his love of white cards.<br /><br />I anticipated a field of counter-burn decks, which are currently popular in the UK. I aimed to play around this, loading my sideboard with blue blasts, COP: Blue, COP: Red, Sleight of Mind, Ivory Tower, etc.<br /><br />Special mention goes out to Jason Savage who had brewed a sweet powerhouse of a deck, leaning heavily on Mana Vaults, Juggernauts, Su-Chis, and Copy Artifact to power out big fatties early, backed up with an array of restricted cards. He went 5-0 in the Swiss. <br /><br />Chris Cooper needs no introduction and brought a fresh brew too. While Jason’s creation generated exciting games loaded with power plays and great escapes, Chris took the opposite approach and made a version of Randy’s tax code deck, cutting the Land’s Edge. As far as I could see, this made his wincon getting to 100 life and boring all opponents into submission by looping Timetwisters and Tawnos’ Crypt. Somehow only one of his matches went to time!<br /><br />So my UW deck squeaked into the top 4 after going 3-1-1 in the swiss. I wasn’t departing much from Alban’s decklist from N00bcon 10. I met Jason in the semis and I was thankful for the advice of Josh Knight from Barcelona to play main-deck Divine Offering. It was intended to help me against Atog decks, of which I saw none, but it came in handy against Jason’s turn 1, 2, and 3 fatties. We even had time for a game of Brothers' Highlander while waiting for the other semi-final to finish. All hope was lost in game 3 of the final, but I managed a great escape. My opponent was a great competitor and I hope we can play again one day.<br /><br />The mystery prize was a Thunder Spirit. Thanks go to Elizabeth and Francois for a great day.<br /><br />With the UK Nationals complete, I'm now looking forward to COPcon VII - the next Brothers Of Fire event - on 15th September in London. And after that, I'll be at Fishliver Oil in October.<div>
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Thanks everyone, Ben.<br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A blurry shot of Chris's deck</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Using Disenchant to force my opponent to copy a Sol Ring</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brothers' Highlander in progress</td></tr>
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Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-81003455198156743032018-07-25T17:54:00.000+01:002018-07-26T10:55:22.848+01:00Anachronisms in Old School Part II - Alpha Templating, by Brother Stebbo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety</i></div>
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<i>William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra</i></div>
</i><br />A lot of what I do for a living involves using written English consistently, and picking holes in others' use of written English. [Any typos in my articles are just down to Brother Jonas' shoddy editing!]<br /><br />This has perhaps given me a sensitive eye for the templating on Magic cards and Old School cards in particular.<br /><br />One of the highlights of the Wizards' Tournament, at Noobcon X earlier this year, was getting to see some rarely played Alpha cardboard in all its glory. One of the things I found amazing was how many of the cards didn't make sense under the contemporary rules of the game, and how the templating between cards which are functionally identical is not similarly consistent. <br /><br />There are all kinds of anachronisms in the templating of Alpha. Some hark back to a simpler time, where the expectation was that players would only ever play a few games with their decks, before moving onto the next fad. Some reflect how the game was perceived as confusing to new players, in some cases necessitating the intricacies of the game being partly broken down by the cards themselves offering subtle hints on how to play the game.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anachronism 1 – Weakness</span></h3>
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</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />"IT IS DEAD"<br /><br />Three simple words – and we all know what it means. This creature has popped its clogs, shuffled off this mortal coil. <br /><br />This is incredibly intuitive.<br /><br />However it is meaningless under the current Magic rules.<br /><br />Now I expect many of you haven't read the 2018 version of the Magic: The Gathering Comprehensive Rules (and at 227 pages of A4, who would blame you?…) but if you had you'd know that rule 704.5 states that "If a creature has toughness 0 or less, it's put into its owner's graveyard". This is one of the "state-based actions" and nowhere is there any mention of the creature being expressly "dead"!<br /><br />Now we all know why Weakness has this line of text – the game was new and maybe you'd never seen a Savannah Lions before. This was Richard Garfield's way of whispering in your ear and suggesting "Kid, enchant those opposing Savannah Lions, and them Lions will be dead". <br /><br />It's a powerful, yet subtle suggestion, which is shared with… <br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anachronism 2 – Animate Artifact</span></h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUvzVJyg9OeCtdWAcpJAqfow0VCqzzB2qLb83hCw64hPChR67fLSNQL7aIty8dFKX9Lrs73m-dMEdtZmdSEWeCnx0qCrk70RrA4Q5ir0EjQkLOHzgrIBv59NS6qcfteBuIKPtaVdkuGzo/s1600/animate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1181" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUvzVJyg9OeCtdWAcpJAqfow0VCqzzB2qLb83hCw64hPChR67fLSNQL7aIty8dFKX9Lrs73m-dMEdtZmdSEWeCnx0qCrk70RrA4Q5ir0EjQkLOHzgrIBv59NS6qcfteBuIKPtaVdkuGzo/s320/animate.jpg" width="236" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />Animate Artifact is like the 'meal-deal' of anachronisms in Alpha – let's review:<br /><br />1) There is the hilariously clunky "Enchant Non-Creature Artifact". Such specificity. And all for nothing – the current Oracle text enables an artifact creature to be enchanted(!), but that the card only has any effect if the enchanted artifact isn't a creature. I guess you could say the card is now better than it was twenty-five years ago!<br /><br />2) I just love the conversational style of the card – "retains all its original abilities as well" – nowadays the card would be strictly to the point – that the only change is that it's now also a creature – no need for this bonus information.<br /><br />3) Another suggestion! The hint-hint, nudge-nudge that an artifact with a converted mana cost (or "casting cost" to use the lingo of the day) of 0 will be destroyed (note, not, "the artifact will be DEAD"). <br /><br />One has to say it's hard to envisage a situation where a player needed to use their Animate Artifact as removal against an enemy Mox or Black Lotus. But clearly this nuanced, yet vital, line of play came up enough in playtesting that the game designers saw fit to include this bonus bit of high-level strategy on the card itself. <br /><br />Blue players get the most broken cards, AND artifact removal with free strategy advice. Talk about there being a best colour in Magic...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anachronism 3 - Psionic Blast</span></h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqTkuZAVT_QitVG7-h74ZvKJnv6MvuFhUBvpCqASZBCWf1Yfdg6EnFNWyOVbJXVQr32fd59DRp0uUURn9FCmjzzdQ557Shftt11tYhTHMHX3FX-56RpsC66MONqzMr_pkToxX_9UGq08/s1600/psi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1188" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqTkuZAVT_QitVG7-h74ZvKJnv6MvuFhUBvpCqASZBCWf1Yfdg6EnFNWyOVbJXVQr32fd59DRp0uUURn9FCmjzzdQ557Shftt11tYhTHMHX3FX-56RpsC66MONqzMr_pkToxX_9UGq08/s320/psi.jpg" width="237" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />One of my all-time favourite cards!<br /><br />I love the flavour of the abstract art, and have always interpreted this as the two damage ‘suffered’ by you as the spellcaster being depicted as a lingering headache for this tank-top wearing wizard. The art is almost like it's from the advertising campaign for Dominarian Nurofen. <br /><br />Of course the meta-busting anachronism of this card is that it's a blue direct damage spell. At instant speed, no less! Literally what were the designers thinking!? To be fair, I guess to be the best colour, blue needs something to deal with a Serra Angel or Sengir Vampire, should one of these threats be fortunate enough to slip through your defences of counter-magic….<br /><br />There is also a subtle anachronism. After the card emphatically declares that it does 4 damage to any target, it reminds you in a rather conciliatory tone that it does 2 damage to you "as well". The templating equivalent of some elder wizard putting an arm around your shoulder to break some bad news, namely that your blue direct damage isn't as good as that red mage's from across the street... Never mind lad, at least you've got your tank-top…<br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anachronism 4 – Demonic Attorney</span></h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuVJXd2Ut2R1K6R17lhbjMpmPewqGdl7yO9rlbbV0f_jyRHKXP9DdFvDg3qHlsP8XRLIx0fWpSZlE5gGXfVzanLRWUM6wV2SxLcZFO1HOrjKmM1o1ijy3ftNO9dMBoLGKYslaeOQbmmE/s1600/attorney.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="434" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnuVJXd2Ut2R1K6R17lhbjMpmPewqGdl7yO9rlbbV0f_jyRHKXP9DdFvDg3qHlsP8XRLIx0fWpSZlE5gGXfVzanLRWUM6wV2SxLcZFO1HOrjKmM1o1ijy3ftNO9dMBoLGKYslaeOQbmmE/s320/attorney.JPG" width="234" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />On the face of it, some fourth-wall breaking card design encapsulating greedy lawyers requiring another card offered up in 'legal fees' by each player. Remember; in litigation, and seemingly in ante, the convention is that the loser pays the winner’s costs! Bloody genius! Deepest flavour.<br /><br />Although it makes slightly more sense in the context of a game where an additional card would otherwise be henceforth on the line for keeps, even in the event of a future concession, look closely and you'll see arguably the most unnecessary line of text ever printed on a Magic card: "if opponent doesn't concede the game immediately"!! <br /><br />Yes, a useful prompt for players who may want to cut their losses and not risk losing a second card to ante. But remind me to offer this to my opponent whenever I cast a spell in the future! <br /><br />Brother Stebbo: 'Bolt you? Unless you concede the game immediately?'<br /><br />Opponent: '…..'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Anachronism 5 – Disintegrate</span></h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomAwo0DgbP_cnzUhAnG1CBASllU6udrW4Cwrf8jW1sfNMfQS4FRpzbcNnuVtnLSXvoLYHZJ9cxZYUt8w-qViVuAos1XFeHdgh22kQPAJEtrYof6tU7xX4LD9aNxTllLm-ugOb_KRS2PI/s1600/disint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1180" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomAwo0DgbP_cnzUhAnG1CBASllU6udrW4Cwrf8jW1sfNMfQS4FRpzbcNnuVtnLSXvoLYHZJ9cxZYUt8w-qViVuAos1XFeHdgh22kQPAJEtrYof6tU7xX4LD9aNxTllLm-ugOb_KRS2PI/s320/disint.jpg" width="236" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><br />One of the best things about Alpha is the innocence of the designers. They assumed that players would buy a few starters each and then play a handful of games with their mates. Indeed, this was seen as an obvious way to mitigate the busted cards. Sure Granite Gargoyle is better than Grey Ogre, but as the 'better' card is a rare it hardly matters, as quite literally, you’ll rarely have to face down a Gargoyle. No-one is going to collect a whole set of Alpha, let alone be playing the game twenty-five years later…<br /><br />On the face of it, Disintegrate is a harmless bit of card design. But there is a real drafting error in the card that reflects this initial innocence. As we all know, Disintegrate is perfect for dealing with enemy creatures, which face being removed from the game entirely. Not partially or more-removed-from-the-game-than-not, but entirely. Completely unnecessary language! But it does make sense in the context of educating players of the differences between the graveyard and what we now know as the exile zone. <br /><br />However I have always enjoyed the contradiction (which is shared with, amongst others, Swords to Plowshares) that whilst the card emphatically declares that a target is entirely removed from the game, this doesn't literally mean 'removed from your game set of Magic: The Gathering'. Instead "entirely" is qualified as only being until this 'game' of the 'Game' is complete and one is invited to return the card to its "owner's deck only when game is over", the inference being it would otherwise sit forever in the eternal exile zone of a shelf in your study. <br /><br />There is something very charming about these fourth-wall busting prompts, reminding players to return cards to their decks, or return to their opponents cards which have been stolen during the game. <br /><br /><br />--------<br /><br />I hope you have enjoyed this satirical trip down memory lane. With any luck, I’ve left enough Alpha templating material for a sequel someday. But please do tell me what your favourite templating anachronisms are! <br /><br />Stay tuned for my next piece where I’ll be reminiscing on the superb Wizards’ Tournament and Noobcon X from the spring. Any excuse for Alpha pics…<br /><br />Until next time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>- Brother Stebbo</i></span></div>
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Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-15868180714761351492018-07-20T00:25:00.000+01:002018-07-20T00:25:20.290+01:00Event Announcement: COPcon VII, plus ATC round-upThree pieces of news for the post:<br />
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1. COPcon VII will take place on Saturday 15th September 2018 at a venue in North East London. A Facebook event has been set up <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1047566442062171/">here</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-gKuGFtLNJQbTrLJ8Ae6htvhHtRGMpcnlOjqNfJTfGHqHKXSg5zL_s0WPzfqasqPuN3sbtpvFIFiHFBjSt8kKnUgdlbZjCX_yAOfSgKVFwA6E9wDb1Xc3FQaVl4uhKLHQk-iejoPeRw/s1600/copart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-gKuGFtLNJQbTrLJ8Ae6htvhHtRGMpcnlOjqNfJTfGHqHKXSg5zL_s0WPzfqasqPuN3sbtpvFIFiHFBjSt8kKnUgdlbZjCX_yAOfSgKVFwA6E9wDb1Xc3FQaVl4uhKLHQk-iejoPeRw/s1600/copart.jpg" /></a></div>
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If you're a regular, we hope to see you there. If you're new, we hope to see you there even more! Please reach out to any of the organisers if you have any questions at all.<br />
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2. Several weeks ago Brother Jonas was interviewed by Bryan Manolakos for his excellent podcast 'All Tings Considered'. If you have yet to check out Bryan's podcast, you should - it's brilliant and its direct character makes it a nice complement to the existing podcast on the block, Flippin' Orbs. You can listen to the full interview <a href="http://alltingsconsidered.libsyn.com/jonas-twitchen-gp-vegas-2018">here</a>.<br />
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3. The original art for Shahrazad has been put online for auction (<a href="https://comics.ha.com/itm/original-comic-art/kaja-foglio-magic-the-gathering-arabian-nights-shahrazad-card-painting-original-art-and-card-wizards-of-the-c-total-2-items-/a/121829-14061.s?ic4=GalleryView-Thumbnail-071515">link</a>). Although our club won't be bidding, anyone wishing to endow Brothers Of Fire's art collection with this piece is welcome to donate it. (The hi-res scan of the art is worth checking out if, like me, you like that sort of thing).<br />
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Peace out.Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-47508398086922176562018-07-06T14:00:00.000+01:002018-07-06T14:00:01.995+01:00Event Report - GP Vegas 2018, 13-17 June 2018 – by Brother Jonas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>I have got to find the river </i></div>
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<i>Bergamot and Vetiver </i></div>
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<i>Run through my head and fall away </i></div>
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<i>REM, 'Find The River'</i></div>
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I packed up my whole Magic collection and took the plane to Seattle, on a work contract of undisclosed duration. But more spiritually, I was obviously drawn there by fate. My quest: to hunt down the source of Old School.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFqY-5-UWNB7LUUjL6Ed6dp7xVM4w13D8EyBbUiQzB4ltflj6pMo3PTf_5BjvQfl60t8A_n32SUf90Bt361BflMOAtJRKdr97AduNmoDYSMilW6ZJnpJXOfEu7rSLqoJwub4xsFQj9Sg/s1600/IMG_6115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFFqY-5-UWNB7LUUjL6Ed6dp7xVM4w13D8EyBbUiQzB4ltflj6pMo3PTf_5BjvQfl60t8A_n32SUf90Bt361BflMOAtJRKdr97AduNmoDYSMilW6ZJnpJXOfEu7rSLqoJwub4xsFQj9Sg/s320/IMG_6115.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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If Gothenburg's Rotary Pub is the Mecca of Old School, then Seattle is its Jerusalem, and in my time in the city I enjoyed many fine games with the welcoming local tribe. But one event - still on the horizon when I decided to come out here - attracted me more than other: GP Vegas. This year, celebrating the 25th anniversary of the game. A trip was essential.<br />
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I caught the plane down on Wednesday, the day before the 'sanctioned' Old School event at the Las Vegas Convention Centre. After getting settled at my hotel, I made my way to meet up for dinner with Daniel and his Vintage Magic crew. If you believe what you read on the internet, then this would have led to a night plotting Machiavellian buy-outs while lighting cigars with crimped Hypnotic Spectres.<br />
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Instead I spent the evening in the company of some very welcoming - and very hardcore - Magic nerds, and was able to give my deck a run-out back in their hotel suite. As they wound down before the business of the GP, I then headed over to the Encore casino.<br />
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Here I met up with members of the Stockholm In A Bottle crew who had joined us all the way from the Old Continent, as well as meeting up the Beasts Of The Bay. It felt a bit like that scene at the start of The Warriors, only the grime of Coney Island was replaced by waitresses in barely-there dresses bringing us beers and eyeing our cardboard with a palpable sense of disdain. In fairness, my altered Plateau only signals "high-roller" to the most discerning of eyes. (And in the company of these pimped-out collectors, barely even then!).<br />
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I was reunited with Dom from N00bcon who gamely rolled out a sweet Gauntlet/Candelabra deck which left the door open to this rather cheeky finisher:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lesser-spotted pair of 7/2 Ball Lightnings - now with added toughness!</td></tr>
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The next morning I took the short but scorching walk to the venue. Everything in this country is maxi-sized, from the waistbands to the polarisation of the politics, and this was no different:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6MgqRDaO_TA0VcIvcpH0Q3gJ0RRwFy3uG-RPOJnkB_IiY0mnAakXPCUHPysGcGtB9RcAACnm4Pyw7XM__DzTHCbTp-0TpLIZQPg4WNXU0Vimg-y7icQE0sSil8UEetDgZMV198V0vLE/s1600/0A807224-3CE0-4DAA-B0F3-422C80A5AD0A.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6MgqRDaO_TA0VcIvcpH0Q3gJ0RRwFy3uG-RPOJnkB_IiY0mnAakXPCUHPysGcGtB9RcAACnm4Pyw7XM__DzTHCbTp-0TpLIZQPg4WNXU0Vimg-y7icQE0sSil8UEetDgZMV198V0vLE/s320/0A807224-3CE0-4DAA-B0F3-422C80A5AD0A.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Karn made an appearance. Presumably Obsianus Golem was busy</td></tr>
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The Old School tournament kicked off at a prompt 11am, complete with a couple of slight buzzkills: deck lists and CE/IE banned. This was all understandable, but along with the enormo-dome venue feel and the lack of convivial drinking, this didn't set things up to scream 'Spirit of Old School'.<br />
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This said, everything else about the event was bang-on. From an international cast list including my fellow Londoner Jason, to some heavy-hitting big names from days gone by, to the rather luscious playmats laid on by the organisers.<br />
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I was running an American-friendly build of my pet deck, but making full use of the liberal US system. Most importantly, my Goblins were exercising their Second Amendment privileges in the form of four Grenades. And the deck had additional spike in the quad Strip Mine configuration:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV963hCdXynPlvPYAHBzQ3Qp9ISTcC3uGetViriichtsC2oeZg4gxniEJMl5r74GnIMqD2FyEZ8PedeLKuke4ieqwbhk3QXy-kPc4pySQLLHNyFf-X9Xjwv6r8WeSM6EQTP_qHcvujFr4/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1559" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV963hCdXynPlvPYAHBzQ3Qp9ISTcC3uGetViriichtsC2oeZg4gxniEJMl5r74GnIMqD2FyEZ8PedeLKuke4ieqwbhk3QXy-kPc4pySQLLHNyFf-X9Xjwv6r8WeSM6EQTP_qHcvujFr4/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(98% right - I think the final build had three Shatters)</td></tr>
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Having taken a similar Swedish-friendly build to 4-3 at Noobcon, I had a feeling that it could do some damage and I was running at a cheerful 2-0 before I was undone by The Deck, piloted by Erik - a player newly-returned to the game but who played very tightly to make the semis.<br />
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Thereafter I enjoyed some fun games, in particular against Steven of Beasts of The Bay, whose foiled-out protest against the banning of CE brought a tear to my eye - and went all the way to a Chaos Orb flip-off. Although not the ideal way to finish a match played in great spirit, I was glad to participate in another American tradition.<br />
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This deck is great fun to play - the Balance alleviates the 'glass cannon' effect of mono-red, and with plenty of red mana, Fork continued to provide a lot of value. My play of the day against Erik occurred a turn after he had painstakingly got his Library back online. He unleashed a five-point Mind Twist on me, to which I responded with two Bolts to the face and a Fork of the Twist.<br />
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More prosaically, a Forked Grenade is an obviously devastating play, but not one that can be mindlessly fired off. The Goblins on the ground need to be given time to do their crucial early damage to ensure the deck doesn't run out of reach. A number of players were holding back creature-removal against me and waiting for a Goblin King to hit the table. In the UK and Europe that card never sees serious play, despite its special place in my heart. This was one of many instances of the subtle differences between the two systems that ripple out from the different approach to Strip Mine.<br />
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After five rounds of Swiss I was running 4-1 and mildly annoyed not to be facing into another couple of rounds of pairings to really separate the field. But it wasn't to be, so I came away with a reasonable 13th place out of 92.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4d3WToj2q7PXxP0Hm2DHapACKkIBCcLFDlzF8c4TZdGEuVho6rnUzbBparSzGIOWkL8sU_hBIXBQkgbGeQBdmNFRhZy5bBlr_eDRGu4WBQZAdENFgIUKnArsK8Go5WA-04tFT1edSDZg/s1600/IMG_6136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4d3WToj2q7PXxP0Hm2DHapACKkIBCcLFDlzF8c4TZdGEuVho6rnUzbBparSzGIOWkL8sU_hBIXBQkgbGeQBdmNFRhZy5bBlr_eDRGu4WBQZAdENFgIUKnArsK8Go5WA-04tFT1edSDZg/s320/IMG_6136.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMmQRKrwZUXGWo5fRc8rIW9u_pq2GaY45xjRSmWmg0Ik3GWvhyCgWdrhjUiIkFeJzRbk_1ae6rnWZuaOyQ5yhCgcTM_xkzTd_cDpdS61DPSYvdlO-7jCGcKxB2-6tItDOcFMDjrIUPCk/s1600/IMG_6129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMmQRKrwZUXGWo5fRc8rIW9u_pq2GaY45xjRSmWmg0Ik3GWvhyCgWdrhjUiIkFeJzRbk_1ae6rnWZuaOyQ5yhCgcTM_xkzTd_cDpdS61DPSYvdlO-7jCGcKxB2-6tItDOcFMDjrIUPCk/s320/IMG_6129.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Cermak Attak' vs. Brian Weissman. He eventually came out victorious with an absolutely brutal Energy Flux to which Brian couldn't find an answer. The Old School event also featured Randy Bueller and Luis Scott-Vargas.</td></tr>
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My 200 "tix" (urgh...) barely scratched the surface at the prize booth and left me feeling like a Dickensian urchin, my breath steaming at the window the sweete shoppe as I beheld some of the goodies on offer:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIfy0B1VzcI1-f_uD1PTFaztN_KiOBD6_M8vpYO_nZN2AsZODYLcGmfhqRKvjti9Kq3OGA5fC0LLDJN-VOwvXD4eaSherbhYt1N0wGQUMMI4ggBB5UfIMc6DZ7qzKTt16D35__U8stYU/s1600/5244CB86-91B1-4EFA-9634-D022251703C6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="901" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIfy0B1VzcI1-f_uD1PTFaztN_KiOBD6_M8vpYO_nZN2AsZODYLcGmfhqRKvjti9Kq3OGA5fC0LLDJN-VOwvXD4eaSherbhYt1N0wGQUMMI4ggBB5UfIMc6DZ7qzKTt16D35__U8stYU/s320/5244CB86-91B1-4EFA-9634-D022251703C6.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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Arabians are my favourite set and busting a pack one day is firmly on the fantasy bucket list.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0p3MT6HK_G1zmBE2Jijh851bCg9X_xbmgLxyqGGmNV63wSY5HXZz1emfnHvlJTLS1vAlTqp3PxfHH8WiKSCF9fu7y5msNIRk65SG1IwKD4caN_er1viIwx9W3GyFiGjFh0nfSvYOUuh8/s1600/IMG_6120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0p3MT6HK_G1zmBE2Jijh851bCg9X_xbmgLxyqGGmNV63wSY5HXZz1emfnHvlJTLS1vAlTqp3PxfHH8WiKSCF9fu7y5msNIRk65SG1IwKD4caN_er1viIwx9W3GyFiGjFh0nfSvYOUuh8/s320/IMG_6120.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The UK and Sweden representing (picture credit: Patrick, the now-traditional 'candidate' member of the SiaB crew) </td></tr>
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Speaking of beautiful cardboard, it was then time to check out the stalls. Even discounting the gaudy new-bordered wares, the range of merchandise on display was staggering. There were, however, very few bargains - it's obvious that the floor has been well and truly sealed up on Old School and given the constantly-rising prices, most traders appear happy to hold onto their stock rather than offload it. I think this is a moment that all of us in the community knew was coming, and given the limited amount of cards out there, it is surprising it didn't happen sooner. But I feel glad that the big purchases are mainly already behind me, even though I don't anticipate growing my collection in the carefree way I was able to do a few months ago. This is sad, but it's partly a reflection of the success of the game and people wanting to play.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDOkT3Nu-qfuwyN64cmufyKaDEOT3-0Flun6gzYOFfPD9Q9Crm8Sa5kt9TvpGaZi1g7M8D4PBncO8hLsG1x4pOov7OujvMm6MwdoTQHXe-Ji-ynSeClN2I7hCkKD2wFB7PcjI_oXJGUo/s1600/IMG_6141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyDOkT3Nu-qfuwyN64cmufyKaDEOT3-0Flun6gzYOFfPD9Q9Crm8Sa5kt9TvpGaZi1g7M8D4PBncO8hLsG1x4pOov7OujvMm6MwdoTQHXe-Ji-ynSeClN2I7hCkKD2wFB7PcjI_oXJGUo/s320/IMG_6141.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer madness!</td></tr>
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I've noted in the US that not only is CE and IE tolerated, but proxies are also more common. I've always had mixed feelings about this. So much of the fun of the game is about waiting to acquire the cards you want, not to mention the feeling of actually holding the genuine article in your hand, as well as observing the care and attention put into people's decks (particularly in the States where signed and altered cards are more common). I sense that Old School is now likely to become a fairly closed community - which wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing as long as it continues to be played in the way it has been up to now. <br />
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However it also seems likely that in the absence of being able to acquire new cardboard at affordable prices, there will be more pressure to relax restrictions on CE and potentially on proxies. This will lead to differences of opinion. My own perspective is that diversity should be welcomed. I love the challenge of collecting Unlimited cards with a view to playing them when I visit Sweden, and it rankles when people online confuse the purism of the Swedes with blind elitism. Anyone who has played there can see this isn't the case.<br />
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This said, I also enjoyed blasting out cut-price CE blue power while I was in the US. And in Seattle I played a ten-year-old girl at a casual event, whose lovingly hand-made proxy Mox Jet was in no danger of harming the community within the confines of Redmond Public Library. There's room for everyone to play the game in their own way as long as we respect each other's love of the game and present a united front against counterfeiters and spikes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-9APVsN6-esxPCvEbkwHg1bUzLaYE9WFz0jn_SiGhcxv3a1NBFreAF-c3HO2LOm-Q2IxOlue0EVAC-BWJpvjE20wJ6ikmKRBpfQYDjLlDl43Z5K6KN8gUmqYSTHXehMQN1figeMvuUY/s1600/tarpan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="445" data-original-width="312" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-9APVsN6-esxPCvEbkwHg1bUzLaYE9WFz0jn_SiGhcxv3a1NBFreAF-c3HO2LOm-Q2IxOlue0EVAC-BWJpvjE20wJ6ikmKRBpfQYDjLlDl43Z5K6KN8gUmqYSTHXehMQN1figeMvuUY/s200/tarpan.jpg" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ok, time to get off my high horse and back to the GP...</td></tr>
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Meeting artists is a rare opportunity in Europe, and I then made the rounds of the big Old School names in attendance: Dan Frazier, Douglas Shuler, Mark Poole, Ken Meyer Jr, and many others were there. While some were more open to conversation than others, it was still a blast to get some white-bordered stuff signed.<br />
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However the highlight was meeting Drew Tucker, whom regular readers will know is my favourite Old School artist, and was an absolute gent. I was also able to commission this quickie-alter from Anson Maddocks - my very own unique Blood Lust featuring Fallen Angel...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-2NqdOKtFhxkViNaQtywLU4eolrKqhFqX5BZsklV2kmyOllMilwpOZCHZYGTRqp6gyo6_qBPDPYTx5E7Fih8w7xI4dNtfUatPXfOncP53IeHEIDq2XM3eOSMmF2cIgveZY9gemmfU00/s1600/IMG_6204.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp-2NqdOKtFhxkViNaQtywLU4eolrKqhFqX5BZsklV2kmyOllMilwpOZCHZYGTRqp6gyo6_qBPDPYTx5E7Fih8w7xI4dNtfUatPXfOncP53IeHEIDq2XM3eOSMmF2cIgveZY9gemmfU00/s320/IMG_6204.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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The ludicrous fanboying didn't stop there, as I then met up with Brian Weissman, inventor of The Deck, who gamely agreed to play a match against me in EC rules. Needless to say he was a top bloke and although I took the first game off him, his sideboarding blew me apart. I was particularly struck by the way he analysed every situation on the board and was able to anticipate my threats as though he knew my deck inside-out. I figured getting taken down 2-1 by one of the legendary players of the format wasn't too bad a result! He was a gracious victor and his passion for and understanding of the game, as well as his enthusiasm for Old School, was exactly what I had imagined.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyCSbNcL772enK3QTNY4Tc3k0EupuZ4uOd7VqnTuEgb2JhOxs35REhnmrn3PNvEIwxCUTDgAabcBt5wDNJwxg44G4sBQYTNyKjnVPH66XuONnT4WDlrIVmVwJjNmUHDaM2Y_MnTckY_aQ/s1600/IMG_6135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyCSbNcL772enK3QTNY4Tc3k0EupuZ4uOd7VqnTuEgb2JhOxs35REhnmrn3PNvEIwxCUTDgAabcBt5wDNJwxg44G4sBQYTNyKjnVPH66XuONnT4WDlrIVmVwJjNmUHDaM2Y_MnTckY_aQ/s320/IMG_6135.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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That evening, Stockholm In A Bottle hosted their own casual event at the Westgate Casino where we played round-robin and I took away a very casually-awarded second prize.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknO22rixxuzg4EhEnGPk1a0OwEcLw-GobogYDBqeSPQTKIcK41xfTSQ8P7E92kvyhyk7P3J-3Gani-PzIjSbEk5lFqSac44RGXr7IfirbBJhVD_gJ6bSnwuNEt55otEL4ylEqZCrbuwg/s1600/IMG_6168.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgknO22rixxuzg4EhEnGPk1a0OwEcLw-GobogYDBqeSPQTKIcK41xfTSQ8P7E92kvyhyk7P3J-3Gani-PzIjSbEk5lFqSac44RGXr7IfirbBJhVD_gJ6bSnwuNEt55otEL4ylEqZCrbuwg/s320/IMG_6168.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not pictured: hordes of dead-eyed gamblers</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFe4Kq06Tn3C8GlbAkRM3tq6nMwVsQFiHZhSNXxFMH-amzrP-Lkus0oFDDlgnzbHMt-o76z6IXYRAs1CA2Bk2u7arZqFCOqTCWVcu3CWNjyHxY7UTKwy-9oaPkC1rN8X4T2-VOLzFw3eU/s1600/IMG-6290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFe4Kq06Tn3C8GlbAkRM3tq6nMwVsQFiHZhSNXxFMH-amzrP-Lkus0oFDDlgnzbHMt-o76z6IXYRAs1CA2Bk2u7arZqFCOqTCWVcu3CWNjyHxY7UTKwy-9oaPkC1rN8X4T2-VOLzFw3eU/s320/IMG-6290.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More precious than 200 tix, at any rate</td></tr>
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The next day was low on Old School. I tried my hand at qualifying for the Beta draft, not counting on my total ignorance of the Dominaria set being a serious impediment. However, there was still the evening to play some Old School and to hang out with the Beasts of the Bay and some of the soon-to-be-monikered Seattle squad. I also managed to put out this frankly obscene starter from a mull to six:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrvmLZ1ZVH158sCPTJHZaEEEfH2HFOLHdAkNKLzIYs0OZ6uUTYlCjRQVw_USlane3r16ghZ21SO1kxeDKLo36fQAaSl9dfpKcR_9CoyVwR1wb58dJRlu__hN64Figw4R49rIurmv3-0M/s1600/IMG_6190.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrvmLZ1ZVH158sCPTJHZaEEEfH2HFOLHdAkNKLzIYs0OZ6uUTYlCjRQVw_USlane3r16ghZ21SO1kxeDKLo36fQAaSl9dfpKcR_9CoyVwR1wb58dJRlu__hN64Figw4R49rIurmv3-0M/s320/IMG_6190.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry Neil</td></tr>
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<br />
In terms of Old School, the weekend finished off Downtown the next day at the Beasts Of The Bay event. Although the venue sadly couldn't accommodate everyone, its location in a brewery was perfect for our needs. <br />
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The class of the event was evident immediately. While other tournaments give you a participation <i>card</i>, these guys hand out participation <i>playsets</i>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6-LABDlWf0PmiFsxBC7R37LNLB9fkvbhvSMXXYKm_zb1OdjTMccib112ZAHRTXTf4zvPv4Xu1Fw_jmOHG9_jW0f6Zll8hz-FFtL-6H_76hyZ0FYaIPw3clRTfLjVP26rPihZCBHmSZw/s1600/IMG_6207.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl6-LABDlWf0PmiFsxBC7R37LNLB9fkvbhvSMXXYKm_zb1OdjTMccib112ZAHRTXTf4zvPv4Xu1Fw_jmOHG9_jW0f6Zll8hz-FFtL-6H_76hyZ0FYaIPw3clRTfLjVP26rPihZCBHmSZw/s320/IMG_6207.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... and playable playsets, at that!</td></tr>
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With 5-6 rounds of Swiss (the local IPAs slightly obscure my recollection), this was a great tournament. My Goblin deck was fortified with blue power for this one, but didn't perform on the day. The concept evidently needs some work as I ran out 1-4. But the highlight was meeting everyone and enjoying the game as - in my view - it ought to be played: giving take-backs, beer-in-hand, and putting enjoyment over competition.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUF-XLU__QT2MBbR6BhYYvc8sU-QX-78YJLjPbSxUkceqwb0sOW-iR4oKkMM5-BZlCqdvfjkadgK47keJh2LSd5uFp1qs0tNnhE_DZ5LBTZ3EHo4pfXSEAucuQA-8voKgMUCaqtfqCXA/s1600/IMG_6229.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUF-XLU__QT2MBbR6BhYYvc8sU-QX-78YJLjPbSxUkceqwb0sOW-iR4oKkMM5-BZlCqdvfjkadgK47keJh2LSd5uFp1qs0tNnhE_DZ5LBTZ3EHo4pfXSEAucuQA-8voKgMUCaqtfqCXA/s320/IMG_6229.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The event was also held under Beasts' house rules which meant I was running a Falling Star, and making the most of their errata (quoted here from their <a href="https://beastsofthebay.com/93%2F94-deck-rules">website</a>):<br />
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<li><i>We have special errata for Falling Star. Falling Star's errata is as follows: "Choose any number of non-token creatures on the battlefield, then arrange them in the playing area in any way except that none of them may overlap. Flip Falling Star onto the playing area from a height of at least one foot. Falling Star deals 3 damage to each chosen creature it lands on. Tap all creatures dealt damage by Falling Star. If Falling Star doesn't turn completely over at least once during the flip, it has no effect."</i></li>
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As self-appointed captain of the (defeated) UK Ryder Cup Chaos Orb Flipping Team, Falling Star has always been one of my favourite cards. So I was hugely in favour of this change:</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdN7F80azdrG077axKblfBAbKmjqCdMuTHswB_ilje1MD1c0R6Ot5AHUGowoRAbaZBg0tzzJDwaKMeP7pswD6IXR0RDZkOXnD4VvjJw3FBQTNJ7TiGos0cRnrBED4QvKSa7trF0DXSV0/s1600/IMG_6216.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdN7F80azdrG077axKblfBAbKmjqCdMuTHswB_ilje1MD1c0R6Ot5AHUGowoRAbaZBg0tzzJDwaKMeP7pswD6IXR0RDZkOXnD4VvjJw3FBQTNJ7TiGos0cRnrBED4QvKSa7trF0DXSV0/s320/IMG_6216.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Take that, pesky Nether Shadow!</td></tr>
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Personally I quite like the idea of these kinds of 'house rules'. Too many of them and the game will become impossible to play, but a spot of local colour doesn't do any harm, especially on a fringe card or two.</div>
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The next day it was all over and I headed back to Seattle. My time there has now come to an end and I'm back in London. </div>
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So did I find the source of Old School? GP Vegas may have been marking the 25th anniversary of the format, but anyone who witnessed the Beta draft can see that those days have gone. The game is played in a fundamentally different way these days - from people's understanding of the power of cards, to the strategies, to evaluating the now jaw-dropping value of the cardboard. </div>
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Talking to the Old School artists, and others from the early days, gave echoes of that time - but it's passed. </div>
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But then, to me, the point about Old School is that it <i>isn't</i> a throwback format. I've never wanted to go back to the game as it was played in '93 (apart from maybe the odd game of Alpha-only at the Wizards' Tournament). The real source of the game is the groundbreaking genius of the early days and the early sets, when Wood Elemental and Moat could be released by the same development team. That sense of innocence and enthusiasm is what makes the format and community special, and it was something I felt connected with throughout my time in Vegas. If that's as close as you'll get to the source, then that's enough for me.</div>
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Thanks for reading this mammoth post - and I hope one day to cross paths again with some of the great players I met at the GP. And to anyone who hasn't been, I recommend trying the American way. In fact, I may even be a convert to the four Strip Mine way of thinking...</div>
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(Some additional pictures from the trip follow) </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrSpwUFeKquqsRq5xjA6nvg7Wq0q_zxoFSE0Fe2fRY6LvX29lRyjbGpe-IOiJTi_vMFDNuUe_tDawaOq95BDxnqKqnH2GqQwqv4wc03xun2xIKr-9goeonsvhz0Q4D5-DPGO0IJCJSQM/s1600/IMG_6214.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWrSpwUFeKquqsRq5xjA6nvg7Wq0q_zxoFSE0Fe2fRY6LvX29lRyjbGpe-IOiJTi_vMFDNuUe_tDawaOq95BDxnqKqnH2GqQwqv4wc03xun2xIKr-9goeonsvhz0Q4D5-DPGO0IJCJSQM/s320/IMG_6214.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kevin's Library Of Leng coaster. If were in the 90s rap community then this would be a diss track. <a href="https://genius.com/Nas-ether-lyrics">Ether </a>anyone?</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqn6fzboff7KCP9kGfFdL0cIOSKTbw2xjUjUBHagI8leSjvCQWPhrHdIpxvC_2IH5hAuxvxrZ0vA590Sita6d3YAzb_V6_zDg5gc7acR0jr6V2VTEUaUMU4lk1XygGOpmCBLf66x0W0k/s1600/IMG_6228.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqn6fzboff7KCP9kGfFdL0cIOSKTbw2xjUjUBHagI8leSjvCQWPhrHdIpxvC_2IH5hAuxvxrZ0vA590Sita6d3YAzb_V6_zDg5gc7acR0jr6V2VTEUaUMU4lk1XygGOpmCBLf66x0W0k/s320/IMG_6228.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holding a trophy card with Skype Mtg luminary Jeff W - we competed for the first ever Fire Mountain vs Brothers of Fire, which he took down 3-2. Next year! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSP-vqpqMTHo-428vMtbVtc3_H1zM3AsXs52rKrWXGLlw4mTWA8KzkQbk1RGsI5DyoW6fUYutJ7p3HtN1juUKOLa5Y7QVUYdTX2wyXSbJwErpxtVmIpBRFbw9-VC00pAWaNsR_ZdKG62M/s1600/6A668D32-ED4F-48D1-BD3E-6D410F367B9B.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSP-vqpqMTHo-428vMtbVtc3_H1zM3AsXs52rKrWXGLlw4mTWA8KzkQbk1RGsI5DyoW6fUYutJ7p3HtN1juUKOLa5Y7QVUYdTX2wyXSbJwErpxtVmIpBRFbw9-VC00pAWaNsR_ZdKG62M/s320/6A668D32-ED4F-48D1-BD3E-6D410F367B9B.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tuned in to this back home. A nice touch by Wizards but I was mystified by the ill-informed commentators and the lack of Beta lands for the players to use!<br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUYAX-vBJdUqoVcZ_nUg44nTKgxWo53eTJaHvYtjFdB7dvh3FALEOXt5KzEtTp56AmntFSnMJ2pElL9P_qNInZuQ4uJBX23d4aoyLJBS-T1vWU__cCei0uNePidBqICVMyEFLGOHzVEw/s1600/IMG_6205.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBUYAX-vBJdUqoVcZ_nUg44nTKgxWo53eTJaHvYtjFdB7dvh3FALEOXt5KzEtTp56AmntFSnMJ2pElL9P_qNInZuQ4uJBX23d4aoyLJBS-T1vWU__cCei0uNePidBqICVMyEFLGOHzVEw/s320/IMG_6205.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark Poole puts the finishing touches on a small commission</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMpyypsfx8-N4JRIdppJUUOi6CHp3MbxmHSw8A_4l1cL4U7H3QyutR6hAwk2n7Fvmcp4ahUP1928mBbVS5txJdtRZQi9We53QLTmNn768HB50BHFDSBxrw-IrMHy2Ztw5tTvHzfd7fg4/s1600/IMG_6227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivMpyypsfx8-N4JRIdppJUUOi6CHp3MbxmHSw8A_4l1cL4U7H3QyutR6hAwk2n7Fvmcp4ahUP1928mBbVS5txJdtRZQi9We53QLTmNn768HB50BHFDSBxrw-IrMHy2Ztw5tTvHzfd7fg4/s320/IMG_6227.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The players at the Beasts' side event</td></tr>
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Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4889864796142253203.post-81159553196036964472018-06-20T06:32:00.002+01:002018-06-20T06:36:08.797+01:00Tournament Report - Ivory Cup 2018, 16 June 2018 – by Brother Stebbo<h2>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ivory Cup - Winner’s report – by Brother Stebbo</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>“A victory is twice itself when the achiever brings home full numbers”</i></span></div>
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<i>- William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Prologue</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One of my favourite elements of the global Old School community is that everyone supports each other - both in building Old School communities across the world and in building your individual relationship with Old School. Your own personal obsession. <br /><br />Both of these were evident as two plucky Brothers, myself and Brother Karl, joined the vibrant Stockholm community for Ivory Cup 2018.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="262" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/l-7gdqqqw_CRwlXygUhpPShJvk4KiQUr4FLDfoQ3xbEzYANOyXNnCiaYAQBrRI-c3bcaewaJ4Dt500Xw5WSQ2Bzkcj9hntryp3W8lK3atCD1q1NFpNDx4DircyUd8hwOkLoZvW9f1bdya3zEPg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brother Karl and Brother Stebbo, representing the Brothers of Fire on foreign soil</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />Before all of that I had some special cardboard to deliver to a Swede in search of furthering his own obsession. The Brothers of Fire courier service™ was on hand to deliver these from GP Birmingham, safe and sound. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img height="318" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/nBZzFXKljtAD62PqODWhbp38WfVXRLYfJRK0xNNibigoRV-BovADWkU4h1FuALXBVKgoWyRv51Khzh-wxTPQKec3R4R5UnrJFKwNWaiGTcUMVYtsDpWecDPoSqnXFckayQ_Wan5xu9AriXfIww" width="320" /></span></div>
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<br /> <br /><br />I’m sure you’ll agree receiving these cards is a special day in anyone’s life, and it was an honour to be involved! I was rewarded with some whisky, called Millstone, and some 94-era product - so very generous!<br /><br />Karl and I arrived on Friday and were hosted by Gordon for some casual games until 4am! The Swedes definitely Old School hard.<br /><br />The Ivory Cup itself was on the Saturday, and was a real festival of Old School in a hall filled with great beers, music and old schoolers.<br /><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img height="320" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/P-PtTEyeuVAqr1BjLD4dVv9hAeWLdCbNyufyb_R10KeyE9fbOJBMl7nPjNyuwlV4XQWrfa-34sNJe3KVvL1RGfM9uFpqJOb1SVWu428Xo8lVTtlJGh9CPVrEixRqvgSIny6scQEbkPGiiJeJAA" width="282" /> </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/U5wvWBAAZj3HnIgjlR_46Nbq0Hy_KYZcNtvJUyJr-p55vBU8ymX1xE3HjQ9GAas5U4mFHbPpPxlRC_bhet04XqyMPPGnjDl_eW6fqLPhxdqE6KL0rMJC7I4RKZMLbSQMWilZrzhTZCzJCMM7jQ" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gordon and Seb commentating, as Bjorn and Jonas watch on</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="137" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/sPEVMFI-tA9zJz5y4vPoBzLH2NybmE74hOa9tnLr3nhrOFgadCZxE5QvTlO_SnsEPbRW0xrBe6Q4y2Xy1w9rRNt3gMdQHOwcHqAMd0t0KdfM-wQeoifUs8KVjiuo7JEoJPg6GcIiDbMVcMGeMg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">The prize support – the Revised Ivory Cup has square corners, and was for best foreign-community player (on the basis that it couldn’t be won by a Swede, as it’s not Swedish legal!!)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/kBN8bVEqtCnyvMK4gQDUTzbeKRJhOuftqVTSzZhN-iZPmbEGwVRMwJ9_Vasn7d5UgqYbRbJ9NzEiPkDBuO0J7EDkxA9_w8Z4h4vjC6bc4tOrYLZ8cmtXqdlGf7V6WOdib1jJLWQ3-jxEYlSpHg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ivory Cup itself!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />I’ve been enjoying playing URb of late, so running it back was an easy choice. I spent about an hour discussing sideboard strategy with Karl over breakfast before settling on this pile.<br /><br />One of the key considerations with the deck is understanding when to shift gears within a match-up, and what your role is at any given point. This 75 tries to play to that philosophy, along with a few blowout cards, naturally...<br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img height="177" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/iwgIa-VMXy0Fk56IBMPuSNyderhcZdzaLkKlj4zuhfrhDGU7U1gJvgcIng_xDRFAEuDkhOqfLtGst-kauHndcFV18cQLzx2idY7ylcVlrGgix8mpQb8cizi_llD5bN-F0PqYCHBfMB-kEM9X3w" width="320" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Swiss Matches</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Match 1 - 2-1 vs Candelflare</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kaj my opponent, was a really friendly guy from Gothenburg. I was able to take game 1 comfortably, but got unstuck in game 2. I used Timetwister to try and set-up a kill, but only succeeded in giving Kaj what he needed to win in a massive Fireball with REB backup. Game 3 saw Kaj’s Mana Flares become temporarily under the employ of the Brother of Fire, as I returned the compliment with a massive lethal Fireball, after a board stall.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Match 2 - 1-2 vs UG</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The first of two games vs UG (see below!). Jesper was a great, very technical player and a formidable opponent. He also had 12 one drops and 4 Argothian Pixies, so is very much the ‘beatdown’ (or so it turns out...)<br /><br />I took game 1, narrowly, and mistook his list for RUG (I’ve not faced pure UG before). This probably contributed to me losing game 2, along with a misjudged draw 7, which was partly down to underestimation of the power of the UG deck, and also pure greed. Naturally I didn’t learn my lesson, and in game 3 I eschewed holding up counters to instead cast a Serendib Efreet. I was duly punished by Jesper resolving Ancestral Recall, which ultimately led to him closing out a very close game. <br /><br />You can check this game out on stream over at Wak-Wak’s Twitch - <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/videos/273922646">https://www.twitch.tv/videos/273922646</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Match 3 - 2-0 vs BU</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My opponent, who I think made last year’s final, was on a spicy UB list. Sadly it was no match for the brutal efficiency of my own deck and was quickly dispatched. <br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="240" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/GOyybOYqP2vTQObCVJvzRmCSuc9IMPxxnGdrCbvHIEVimHcOV9zzgjEmwVgx9Ss9cDDw53TrXa4eKKTwp99gxMS_W2U2HbX_3OGDRS9v8w4WN6Qnm0rsYuCkCuozvwwmhYtpL5ZrMyv-fLukTA" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">My opponent noted he had an ‘Arabians Obsession’ and even had custom-made sleeves - incredible!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Match 4 - 2-0 vs Atog</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Two very tight games with another tourist, Jason S, who hails originally from the USA and is simply an Old School fanatic! He’d kindly donated the Unlimited Berserk prize you saw earlier. <br /><br />Sadly for Jason, despite attacking my hand with Black Vise, and attacking my real estate with Ankh of Mishra, my deck was able to take control and close out the win.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Match 5 - 2-1 vs Mono B Prison/Artifact control</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This was a rematch from Noobcon, where Jonas (not <i>that </i>Jonas...) had put me away with a controlling brew utilising the Parfait ‘spine’. <br /><br />Jonas was on a similar build today and raced away with game 1 under a Howling Mine/Relic Barrier which I couldn’t deal with.<br /><br />Unfortunately for Jonas he couldn’t deal with my Energy Fluxes in games 2 and 3. Energy Flux simply wrecked him (along with a powerful Mind Twist for 5 on turn 1 of our decider!). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Top 8 Matches</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These matches are all on the Twitch stream link, as above, in case you’re interested…</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">QF - 2-0 vs WRU</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">These were very fast games, as my deck really hit top gear. My opponent’s good grace, and a nasty Mana Drain into a lethal Fireball is all I can remember. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">SF - 2-0 vs UWb</span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Game 1- my opponent Max got off to a good start with a Serendib Efreet and a Mishra’s Factory, but wasn’t able to capitalise on this, and I was able to take control, and clock him with a run of direct damage. Game 2 saw a nice curve into a flock of Flying Men, who promptly did some heavy lifting. We were into the finals in record time!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">F - 2-1 vs UG </span></h4>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ah, that UG deck from earlier - turns out it was quite good and we were to meet it again in the final! This is how I remember it.<br /><br />Game 1 was a slaughter, and even saw me miss a Chaos Orb flip on camera! Echoes of Gareth Southgate in ‘96! 0-1.<br /><br />Game 2 and I’m sure Gordon had summoned a Priest of Yawgmoth to perform the last rites on my Ivory Cup run. The irony is that Jesper and I spoke at length about how the draw 7s are risky for me to execute successfully, without passing the turn to him and promptly dying (as I did earlier that day…). But in game 2 I had to use both to survive - with the second, the Wheel of Fortune, seeing me deal 7 in one turn, with another 7 damage sat in my hand unused. Very much snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. 1-1.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Game 3 saw me make some additional changes to the deck, and understand the match-up better. I saw that I needed to take a more controlling role than I had been taking before. Fatigue and rising alcohol levels in my blood saw me not play the tightest game of my life, but it was good enough, and after stabilising the board, 2x Flying Men and a Mishra’s Factory crashed home for the win!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="320" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/DCDBPw5DYL0M-qwISeiZGOUZzqBhkRadFV_Kqkfj8QORMLF-fIBk-TAKwoQAWDvnmWP2qGGBa8GMRCxWlSzVDFpC47UXUJvfVzw2FfBAB9LRI2AWsA3-TjoYgm9KlCnTpZDeSdNF5BJXZU5geA" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Brothers of Fire take home the spoils</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Epilogue</span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />The first packs of Magic I opened had Ice Age written on the front. But all those years later I’m still learning how to play the game. This tournament demonstrates this - I really feel that I evolved and developed my game through the day, and that’s the most rewarding part of the win! <br /><br />JUST KIDDING! Clearly this awesome prize swag trumps all! But I do believe that you do still keep learning and improving, if you allow yourself to. This event is a good example for me - you can always play more games, and work on your own personal obsession. <br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img height="320" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/FAgg16zacOPaA2-pG48MTzk1Q3eZyKv1IBHeMUHtsb8Y_oGhORKT5U4lAL70NWdYWmvLWTy9rmfaLVoej86IU0Smv4bQ081lUgEuue6jbZ_YWci3DOFkoBzvTTrTj-7v6hMPVIX46a8dg5AS8Q" width="304" /></span></div>
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Jonas Thttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12610950791558160786noreply@blogger.com2