Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Serious Vintage

For episode 49, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter) and Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher) talk with Erin Campbell (@OriginalOestrus) about this year’s online Vintage Championships and learning to cook for yourself (and others!) during a pandemic.

Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:41 – Eternal Weekend 2020 Online
32:47 – Food and People
1:12:48 – Outro
Total runtime – 1:07:18

Vintage Championships 2020

It continues to be a weird year. This year’s Vintage Championship events, usually held in three events around the world, were instead held online using MTGO. Legacy was too, but we mostly talk about Vintage, as usual. The move online was received positively by most players as a safe, accessible option to experience the format’s biggest event(s). As part of signing up, both Legacy and Vintage gave registered players access to a “god account,” with all of the cards to build any deck, so players didn’t need to scramble or pay extra to build a deck. There were some initial gripes about not having access to odd ducks like the Walking Dead Secret Lair Drop cards in Legacy, but ultimately I think that was for the memes rather than actual format need.

Usually Vintage Championship events are held three times: one in Europe, one in Asia, and one in North America. As a nod to this, the online event also had three equal events but with different start times for accessibility. And the same trophies were available: paintings of Vintage-playable lands, mounted in a Magic-card frame. A player could register for and potentially play in any and all of these events, spending an entire weekend from Friday to Sunday playing Vintage.

And there were some impressive turnouts: 252 on Friday for a Tolarian Academy Painting, 391 on Saturday for Library of Alexandria, and 427 on Sunday for Mishra’s Workshop. There were 302 players for last year’s Vintage event in Pittsburgh, for comparison.

For decklists and analysis, I’ll recommend Joe Dyer’s Vintage and Legacy champs coverage. He was last episode’s guest and does a huge amount of work making eternal formats readable on a weekly basis.

Erin played in the Sunday events for Legacy and Vintage this year and we were happy to have her on to talk about it. After trying a few other builds she went with Jund Hogaak in Legacy and Dredge (as expected?) in Vintage and played some rounds and had some fun. Graveyard shenanigans are always fun, and Dredge even won the Saturday Vintage event.

We talk with Erin about the variety of decks in Vintage. There are plenty of decks and strategies available if you’re a player who finds themselves drawn to a particular thing. Artifacts and graveyards and spells and counterspells are all good at various times and in various matchups.

And we also talk about how the format is still somehow unfulfilling. We offer no solutions other than that there are so many fun ways to play Magic: The Gathering, so make sure you’re doing what you want to do. Maybe you want to play a 62-card Dredge Special, maybe you want to register Tarmogoyf, maybe you like Rage Extractors or Goblin Charbelchers. We cover a lot of ground, most of which is positive excitement about the Vintage play experience and the Vintage community, and some of which I would describe as nostalgic.

It’s in that mode that we talk a little about Andreas Petersen’s title from Sunday being stripped after evidence from his and his opponent’s stream revealed that he had exchanged favor for a concession into the top eight. This was far enough past that we didn’t need to report on it (you can review details on Star City Games), but we are able to comment on it. And the biggest reaction was just disappointment, mostly that there were people who felt this kind of exchange was commonplace for MTGO events and wanted to brush it off. Vintage (and other formats!) should focus on fun and community. What is the compelling need to try to get ahead in this way? I mean, I understand you could be 1/3 of a Vintage Champion and get a painting, but would you feel good about it? Be adult, have fun, drink responsibly.

Food and Drink: Cooking for Oneself and Others

We cover a lot of ground on this section too. To sum it up, early on Erin notes that, when the coronavirus quarantine started, she had friends concerned for her well being because she—quite admittedly and publicly—didn’t know how to cook! Now she’s learning how to cook, and from the looks of it, doing pretty well!

Also, can I just say how much better this breakfast turned out than the last? I put a little bit more milk in my eggs, and BAKED the bacon, which I had never done before. I could see and taste the difference. I'm so proud of myself.

— Erin Campbell (@OriginalOestrus) October 10, 2020

So we talk about some egg recipes (including Gordon Ramsay’s recipe for scrambled eggs) and baking bacon and how pancakes are kind of scary. Erin likes Miracle Whip and doesn’t like stuff in her eggs (so no omelettes) because it’s a weird texture thing. Nat likes mayonnaise and loves Anolon brand cookware. Geoff doesn’t like eggs at all.

We also bring up pancakes again, because Geoff and I do like pancakes. As we mention to Erin they’re not as intimidating as they seem. The cottage cheese pancake recipe I make regularly is in the previous link (skip the blueberries if you don’t like texture), and Geoff’s wife Sarah’s current recipe for buttermilk pancakes is this.

Ingredients
● 3/4 cup milk
● 2 tablespoons white vinegar
● 1 cup all-purpose flour
● 2 tablespoons white sugar
● 1 teaspoon baking powder
● 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
● 1/2 teaspoon salt
● 1 egg
● 2 tablespoons butter, melted
● cooking spray

Directions
1. Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to “sour”.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into “soured” milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and coat with cooking spray. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface. Flip with a spatula, and cook until browned on the other side.

I recommend just keeping buttermilk on hand since it’s surprisingly versatile and keeps for a while. Real buttermilk also generally works better than the milk-plus-vinegar (or you can sub in lemon juice for the vinegar) concoction. It’s great for biscuits. These are super easy and we make them all time (don’t let anyone put you down because a recipe is easy; eat what you want!).

Ingredients
● 10 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, divided
● 4 cups cake flour (I use all-purpose)
● 2 teaspoons baking powder
● 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
● 2 teaspoons salt
● 2 cups buttermilk

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and grease an 8-inch square baking pan with shortening or butter.
2. Whisk dry ingredients together and cut in the 10 tablespoons of cold butter, or smash it with your fingertips, into pea-sized pieces. Stir in the buttermilk until no dry pockets remain. Using a spatula, transfer the dough to the prepared pan.
3. Using floured hands, push the dough to the corners of the pan in an even layer. With an oiled or greased scraper or thin spatula, cut the dough into nine biscuits with two cuts by two cuts (like a tic-tac-toe board). Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes.
4. Let biscuits cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Pull apart at cuts and serve. Extras will keep in a sealed plastic bag or airtight container for 4-5 days.

We frequently serve these as breakfast sandwiches with ham, over-easy eggs, cheese, and perhaps a smear of tart jelly or jam. They’re also great warm with butter and honey.

Cooking food in general (and breakfast in particular?) is both a form of self-care and a way to show love for someone else, as we discuss. Cooking a meal—or even just one dish—is often a project that can be planned for and carried out to meet success. Personal victories are always welcome, and you can eat it! And if it didn’t work out, that’s OK too; you can still learn from the experience, and if you used good ingredients, you may still have produced something edible. Any day—but during the holidays especially—we find lots of ways to share food with friends and family, and putting time and effort into making a meal or a dish (or some cookies) can be a great way to show someone you care. You want to nourish them and enrich their life in even a physical way. Likewise someone making you something

We range pretty far in this section, so it’s difficult to cover it all, but the cooking and caring part is the best takeaway. <3

Questions for Discussion

Did you play in one of the Eternal Weekend online events? How was it? Did you miss being able to wander up to your awkward, bag-laden group of friends who were exhausted, discussing which of three mediocre restaurants to adjourn to after Steve finally loses his second match, so you could relate how much of a detestable lucksack your opponent was for topdecking Paradoxical the turn after you Thoughtsiezed them to nothing, and then they even had the nerve to tell you, “I topdecked that!” when you told them it resolved, so you had to watch them go through their long, tedious process of drawing cards and playing artifacts and drawing more cards before finally finding Monastery Mentor and playing Time Walk and playing more spells the next turn so they could win, and that was just game two? There’s a lot that online Magic just doesn’t quite capture sometimes, right? And yet we miss it. Who wants breakfast?!

Conclusion

Thanks again to Erin Campbell for being our guest for this episode! We always enjoy talking with her and hope you enjoy listening in on some fun conversation. Take care of yourselves this holiday season. Perhaps 2021 will look a little brighter. We’re looking forward to doing something special for episode 50! We’ll also look forward to any questions or comments here or The Mana Drain or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

In episode 48, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter) and Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher) talk with Joe Dyer (@volrathxp) about the effect of modal double-face cards in combo decks. Joe is THE Vintage and Legacy correspondent to follow, with great weekly strategy and format articles at MTGGoldfish.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:37 – MDFC Lands in Eternal Combo
46:29 – Food & Drink: Myracles, Lobster, and Oyster Crisp
1:12:48 – Outro
Total runtime – 1:12:59

What Can Lands Do for You?

If you’ve listened to this podcast before, you’re probably aware that we have a bit of an interest in (or obsession with?) Goblin Charbelcher decks. From 2007 until 2010 or so, I played almost exclusively Belcher in Vintage. Goldfishing alone, I did a lot of work on that deck to make it a fast, effective weapon, especially good at taking advantage of opponents’ stumbles or setup starts.

That was an important period for Belcher because three new cards debuted that revolutionized the archetype: Rite of Flame in Coldsnap (2006), Empty the Warrens in Time Spiral (2006), and Simian Spirit Guide in Planar Chaos (2007). Two +1 mana sources and an additional, cheap, orthogonal win condition that fit next to Goblin Charbelcher in what the deck was already trying to do. They let the deck simplify its mana base and, with the later unrestriction of Chrome Mox, eventually let Vintage players cut Land Grants and lands altogether, so a Belcher activation was always guaranteed lethal and you didn’t have to show your hand to your opponent.

Holiday Goblins, by Serious VintageBusiness (18)
4 Goblin Charbelcher
4 Empty the Warrens
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Memory Jar
1 Tinker
1 Timetwister
4 Goblin Welder
2 Veil of Summer

Mana Sources (42)
4 Chrome Mox
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Rite of Flame
4 Tinder Wall
4 Desperate Ritual
2 Pyretic Ritual
4 Manamorphose
1 Channel
1 Lion’s Eye Diamond
1 Lotus Petal
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
Sideboard (15)
4 Leyline of Anticipation
4 Storm Entity
2 Veil of Summer
2 Guttural Response
2 Pyretic Ritual
1 Pyroblast

These same cards and developments carried the deck into Legacy as well, with a similar red-green build. Without the additional power cards, and to take advantage of unrestricted Lion’s Eye Diamond, that deck often made use of Burning Wish as an additional win condition, but the idea is the same. It’s surprisingly easy to switch from Vintage to Legacy by just increasing the counts of restricted cards and cutting banned cards.

When Zendikar Rising recently introduced the modal double-face cards (MDFCs), it felt like the same kind of watershed moment. Does this change everything?

My initial reaction was skepticism. Why play a card that’s really only a land in the best case, a Chrome Mox imprint in the second best case, and unplayable in the worst case? There was also something anathema to me about playing lands in Belcher, but tradition isn’t a good reason to not play good cards. After some consideration, though, I realized that lands are very good in this type of deck. Most cards in the deck—Rite of Flame, Tinder Wall, a Mox, and so on—are simply plus-one mana, the same as a land. And lands have the benefit of being uncounterable and also permanent. They don’t build storm for Empty the Warrens, but neither do Spirit Guides.

Finding the right balance of MDFC lands to provide mana, imprint extras on Chrome Mox, and not hurt storm too much would be great. In the above list, switching 4 Desperate Ritual for 4 Shatterskull Smashing (Shatterskull, the Hammer Pass) and 2 Pyretic Ritual for 2 Turntimber Symbiosis (Turntimber, Serpentine Wood) seems totally reasonable, within two or three cards. I don’t think you want any lands that enter the battlefield tapped, for example.

But there’s another version of Vintage Belcher that doesn’t rely on storm, and it could really use an additional source of black mana.

BuRGr Belcher, by Serious VintageBusiness (13)
4 Goblin Charbelcher
1 Timetwister
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Memory Jar
1 Tinker
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Demonic Consultation
3 Goblin Welder

Mana Sources (47)
4 Shatterskull Smashing
4 Agadeem’s Awakening
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Tinder Wall
4 Rite of Flame
4 Dark Ritual
3 Manamorphose
1 Channel
4 Chrome Mox
1 Lion’s Eye Diamond
1 Lotus Petal
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
Sideboard (15)
4 Empty the Warrens
4 Veil of Summer
4 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Goblin Welder
1 Necropotence
1 Blightsteel Colossus

I’ve played a version similar to the above (without the MDFCs, of course). It’s more all-or-nothing than the red-green version above, which has very consistent mana. BuRGr Belcher aggressively goes for Goblin Charbelcher, using Dark Ritual to fuel bigger plays, including tutors and explosive draw-sevens. The thing missing from previous versions was consistent access to the right colors of mana, since your starts come from green Tinder Wall, red Rite of Flame, or black Dark Rituals and try to make other colors happen from there. Adding more free, uncounterable mana should be a boon to this build, and having permanent mana sources means it is easier to activate a turn-one Belcher on turn two if necessary. I look forward to testing something like this as a much-improved version of its predecessor.

Joe helps us talk about playing Oops, All Spells, another combo deck that can’t have lands and doesn’t need storm but does need consistent access to the right colors of mana. Joe wrote about this list in one of his recent articles.

Oops, All Spells, by yashimoroBusiness (36)
4 Balustrade Spy
4 Undercity Informer
4 Narcomoeba
1 Cabal Therapy
1 Dread Return
1 Thassa’s Oracle
4 Force of Will
2 Pact of Negation
1 Mental Misstep
2 Thoughtseize
1 Gitaxian Probe
4 Preordain
1 Ponder
1 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Imperial Seal
1 Demonic Tutor

Mana Sources (24)
4 Agadeem’s Awakening
4 Sea Gate Restoration
4 Dark Ritual
4 Chrome Mox
1 Lotus Petal
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
Sideboard (15)
1 Echoing Truth
2 Fatal Push
3 Goblin Charbelcher
3 Hurkyl’s Recall
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Surgical Extraction

I haven’t played Oops, All Spells in Vintage, but having played it in Legacy, the hardest part of mulliganing hands was trying to get the first black mana to pay for Dark Ritual. Even adding just Agadeem’s Awakening (Agadeem, the Undercrypt) to the list will be a huge help there. This list also looks like it might be happy to play a couple of lands and have a setup turn where it plays a draw spell or tutor. I still recommend Stephen Menendian’s exploration of the archetype for how to build and play a list in both Vintage and Legacy. Even with the new technology, the bases are the same.

Getting to four mana with a turn-one, landless, combo deck is tantamount to victory, as even Empty the Warrens tokens or Goblin Charbelcher waiting for activation mana will win the game soon enough, to say nothing of Balustrade Spy and Undercity Informer. However, these are still very much glass cannons. Belcher loses to counterspells and Null Rod, and Oops, All Spells loses additionally to graveyard hate. The pilot of these decks knows they have to make their opponent have an answer, but they also know an answer frequently means a loss.

Building these decks means making tradeoffs between more powerful cards, more reliable mana, and more protection like Goblin Welder, Veil of Summer, or counterspells. As better examples in these categories are printed (Veil of Summer coming out last year was huge), these decks will get stronger and stronger. The MDFCs are going to be big here. As I mentioned on the show, I think there’s going to be more done with them than what we’ve seen here.

Food & Drink: Myracles, Lobsters, and Oyster Crisp

Joe recommended a new restaurant in the Dayton, Ohio area: Myracles Bar and Grill. It sounds pretty good, particularly the idea of specialty egg rolls with different flavors. I’m a fan of bar food in general, and I notice they have $4.29 baked beans, so those have to be amazing, right? Anyway, good luck to them opening in the middle of a pandemic. Someday, perhaps, Team Serious will make it out there and dine as a group once again.

Geoff talked about his recent trip to his family’s undisclosed location on the coast of Maine. The cabin is rustic, but it has access to local lobster and a beach, from which it is possible to harvest oysters, at least for now. There’s lots of good talk about fresh and not-so-fresh seafood. I recommended Taylor Shellfish in Seattle, where they will help the uninitiated learn about shellfish and will sell you a geoduck (pronounced “gooeyduck”), which looks like this:

And now we can provide the recipe mentioned in the show for oyster crisp, which sounds pretty good if you can get the oysters. Definitely cook them if you’re unsure of their origin.

1 pint oysters, drained
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
6 strips cooked bacon, crumbled
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup crumbled saltine crackers
2 tbsp butter, melted

Salt and pepper the oysters and layer with the other ingredients in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for at least 20 minutes, or until top is brown and bubbly.

Eternal Weekend(s) 2020

We didn’t get a chance to talk about this on the show because it hadn’t been announced yet. Eternal Weekend is going to be an online affair this year (thanks, coronavirus), but that means there’s more opportunities to win as there are still three paintings to give away. Everything is organized on MTGO by Wizards, so details are all online here. The basics are that an MTGO account is required, it’s $25 to enter, and there are three events for three different paintings:
● Saturday, October 24, at 12:00 AM PDT (Tolarian Academy)
● Saturday, October 24, at 2:00 PM PDT (Library of Alexandria)
● Sunday, October 25, at 8:00 AM PDT (Mishra’s Workshop)

Good luck! I hope you win on turn one a lot.

Questions for Discussion

Is it wrong to play lands in Belcher at all? What if you play 15 lands, but they’re all in your sideboard? Should Oops, All Spells get a different name now that it has lands in it? Should it have gotten a different name anyway? Is Oops, All Berries a good cereal? I don’t think so. Crunch Berries have a weird flavor, kind of perfumy. I’m not a fan. Oops, All Oyster Crisp might be a better cereal. Oops, All Geoduck.

Conclusion

Thanks again to Joe Dyer for being our guest for this episode! Don’t forget to follow him on Twitter and check out his articles on MTGGoldfish. Life has been stressful and weird lately with, you know, disease and injustice and whatever is going on in Washington, D.C. lately. Sheesh. Thank you for spending some of your time with us. We at Serious Vintage encourage you to be safe, and also to vote. We’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or The Mana Drain or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

For episode 39, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) talk about the role of planeswalkers in Vintage, speculate baselessly about some new cards in War of the Spark, and discuss sous vide and other novel methods of cooking.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:42 – A Brief, Half-Educated History of Planeswalkers in Vintage
26:56 – What Do We Do With 36 New Planeswalkers?
43:16 – Sous Vide? So What?
Total runtime: 55:29

Planeswalkers in Vintage

I want to start the writeup with a lament, actually, for the loss of Morphling.de. That website was a longtime store of Vintage decks and knowledge from the paper and early online days of the format, going back to 2002. I did a lot of research there for articles and podcasts and considered it a great source for questions like “Who was the first person to top eight with Rage Extractor?” and “Is there a recent 5C Stax list?” The archives are still available, but they’re not searchable. It’s a blow to people like us who enjoy the historical perspective.

At least the archives of The Mana Drain are still in good working order. Using those, it seems like the first planeswalkers, from Lorwyn, mostly missed Vintage entirely. Little Jace Beleren wasn’t explosive enough and too generously gave cards to your opponent. Chandra Nalaar and Liliana Vess were too expensive, and Ajani Goldmane was too creature-centric for the time. In fact it was Garruk Wildspeaker who had the most attractive power-level to cost ratio, making into an experimental Worldgorger Dragon combo build by Rich Shay and a novel mono-green deck from Guli. These weird, attackable enchantments with activated abilities didn’t really go anywhere

It wasn’t until Tezzeret, the Seeker combined with a newly re-re-un-re-errata’d Time Vault in 2008 that planeswalkers really took hold. Suddenly there was an entirely new deck archetype—two if you distinguish Turbo Tezz from the regular kind—that featured an entirely new card type. And it was winning! Tezzeret still won in a very Vintage-y way, that is, immediately. You had one to stop your opponent from taking all the turns, which meant short-term answers like counterspells and artifact removal were reasonable. Still, Thirst for Knowledge was restricted in 2009.

Then, in 2010, Jace, the Mind Sculptor appeared in Worldwake. There was a lot of discussion when the text first appeared, with players trying to determine the new card’s role, if it had one. You should really treat yourself to skimming that thread, as it’s hilarious in hindsight. Big Jace didn’t catch on right away, but it definitely left a mark on the format. Jace paired nicely with Dark Confidant as a draw engine in control decks, so well that Owen Turtenwald won the 2010 Vintage Championship with it as a three-of.

Jace succeeded in making the game longer, and Gush and Frantic Search were unrestricted in October 2010 to compete in that environment. It’s at this point that Vintage really turned more towards creatures as part of a strategic plan. Stuff on the board started being more important than stuff in the hand, and planeswalkers, creatures, and removal jockeyed for superiority. (This is actually where Jace Beleren (the card) started to show up, as a counter to players trying to push the envelope on Jace, the Mind Sculptor. Beleren was slightly cheaper and could strand an opponent’s Mind Sculptor in hand. It was kind of a weird time.)

There haven’t been so many planeswalkers that reached Tezzeret or Jace status. Dack Fayden certainly made an impact, particularly as an anti-strategy against Workshop decks, encouraging the use of Arcbound Ravager alongside Lodestone Golem and necessitating Phyrexian Revoker. And the bar has gotten lower for other planeswalkers to be tested. Even unexpected hits like Arlinn Kord, Daretti, Ingenious Iconoclast, and Tamiyo, Field Researcher have made Vintage Top 8s.

So It’s WAR

Now we enter a new era of planeswalkers. Previously, they had been weird, attackable enchantments with activated abilities. Now they have static and triggered abilities too! This puts even more emphasis on preserving a board full of stuff as you increase your value as the game goes on. Not only do planeswalker abilities draw you virtual spells each turn, but you’re further rewarded for keeping a board full of stuff. Creatures and removal—particularly if it covers a variety of permanent types—thus get more important as well.

We look at some cards from War of the Spark completely without context aside from being a Vintage-focused podcast. Certainly there are a few standout planeswalkers that could slot easily into an existing Vintage deck or something similar, and War of the Spark seems like it will have a major impact on the format.

Consider Saheeli, Sublime Artificer, or Ral, Storm Conduit, as a fifth copy of Young Pyromancer with benefits like comboing a little with Time Vault or copying Ancestral Recall or any of Vintage’s other great spells. Teferi, Time Raveler, could make it into Jeskai as a control piece, or into Paradoxical Outcome as anti-counterspell technology. Maybe Teyo, the Shieldmage, or Dovin, Anarch of Bolas (don’t forget hybrid mana can be mono-colored!) find a place in a mono-white prison deck alongside various Thalias and other white weenies.

Karn, the Great Creator, seems like a shoo-in for a Mishra’s Workshop deck. Despite being a four-drop nonartifact, Karn’s one-sided Null Rod ability is powerful, particularly in the mirror and against Paradoxical Outcome, where it can’t be removed by artifact hate. Being able to get artifacts out of your sideboard or that were exiled is also strong, potentially game-winning and well worth four mana in an artifact combo deck like Two-Card Monte. Karn’s suite of abilities could also find a home in Paradoxical Outcome decks, similar to Teferi; Karn can shut down opposing Shops or the Mirror and provide an alternate route to victory.

Even getting old effects on new card types could be exciting. Jace, Wielder of Mysteries, is a new Laboratory Maniac, potentially with a built-in path to an empty library. Narset, Parter of Veils, is similar to something like Notion Thief in conjunction with Dack Fayden or any number of draw-sevens. And Ashiok, Dream Render, potentially shuts down tutor-heavy combo decks like a one-sided Mindlock Orb or permanent Shadow of Doubt. These may not see long-term heavy play without help, but they have some interesting applications.

Beyond planeswalkers there are plenty of other interesting cards in the set. Some combo-minded players are salivating over Bolas’s Citadel, which seems to combine Yawgmoth’s Bargain and Channel into one Tinker-ready package, and (particularly as I write that sentence out) seems nuts. An aggressive, black-based storm or Goblin Charbelcher deck make use of that if players aren’t too scared of Mental Misstep to run Dark Ritual. And if planeswalkers do run roughshod over Vintage, The Elderspell has some seriously exciting text for two mana.

I realize this section reads like a bit of a laundry list of card names, but that’s because War of the Spark has great potential. The addition to Vintage of this many planeswalkers (and associated cards) that are reasonably costed with reasonable abilities is unprecedented.

Food and Drink: Unconventional Ovens

We close this episode with a discussion of sous vide and other cooking techniques for the lazy hipster. Geoff likes the convenience of long-term, constant-temperature hot water baths for his bachelor chow of salmon. He can put his filet-o-fish into a bucket in the afternoon, set the temperature on the sous vide wand, and return later when he wants to eat. There’s no chance of overcooking, and a quick sear in a pan or on the grill adds caramelized flavor. It’s trendy and fun! And as you’ll learn in the podcast, you can sous vide pretty much anything, including phones.

Josh is intrigued by cooking salmon in the dishwasher or on top of a car engine during a long road trip. Nat adds that he used to cook Pop-Tarts in a hot pot in his dorm in college.

We all do what must be done to survive.

Questions for Discussion

Which is Jace, the Mind Sculptor’s best ability? What different planeswalkers have you played in Vintage? Did you ever go crazy and, like, BOOM! seven-mana Garruk, Apex Planeswalker instead of playing, like, Yawgmoth’s Bargain? What War of the Spark cards spark your interest? Did you ever cook fish in your dishwasher? How about just throwing a steak in the dryer to tenderize it? What’s the most expensive card you’ve ever sous vide’ed?

Conclusion

Thanks for listening! We should have something special coming up in the next few weeks so stay tuned! We’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or The Mana Drain or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

For episode 38, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) talk with Matt Hazard (@winedope) about the most recent invitational Vintage tournament he held at his house, and how you can host similar local events.


00:30 – Matt Hazard, Magic Man
01:00 – Just Because We Haven’t Adequately Tested London Mulligan Doesn’t Mean We Can’t Share Extremely Uninformed Opinions About It
08:20 – The Return of the Hazardvitational and How to Host Your Own
Total runtime: 40:43

Baselessly Speculating About London

Vintage (and Magic in general) has been in a bit of a snit recently as players discuss the implications of the London mulligan, which will be tested at the upcoming Mythic Championship II. If the test goes well, the new rules would replace the current Vancouver mulligan rules. In brief, the London mulligan has players continue to draw seven cards for each mulligan and then put a card on the bottom of the library for each time they’ve mulliganed. So if you mulligan twice, you’ll draw seven cards, pick your five favorite, and put two cards on the bottom of your library.

We’ve tested with this a few times in Middle School and Vintage pickup games, and it hasn’t made a huge amount of difference in most games. Where you’re keeping seven or six cards, for example, it’s equivalent to the current, or nearly so. At more than four mulligans (keeping three cards or fewer), you’re still so far behind on materiel that your chances are vastly depleted, even if you keep a solid looking trio or pair of cards. So the real test seems to be in keeping four or five cards, where you might have a powerful way to recover—Ancestral Recall, or Workshop-Trinisphere for example.

Regardless, even with this potentially strengthened mulligan rule, we don’t think you want to mulligan. Cards are just too powerful a resource. So we don’t think this will be too-too upsetting for Eternal formats. In reality it will just make players feel better when they have to mulligan a long way down. But! In any case, it would be a shame if Mishra’s Workshop or Bazaar of Baghdad to be restricted based on a mulligan rule change, since they’ve been vibrant parts of the metagame for so long.

How to Run a Magic Tournament at Your House

A couple weeks ago 29 players showed up at the home of Matt Hazard in Columbus, hungry for the competition of a Vintage tournament and the fun of a casual environment. For an average suburban house, that’s a lot of people, particularly if you need them to have enough room between them to comfortably play a game of Magic. Matt and his wife, Trece, have hosted a similar event for four years in a row now, growing in scale each year. The first few years they had three dogs and two cats, and now they have a young kid to contend with among all the hubbub.

And they do a great job! This is one of the Ohio Vintage community’s favorite tournaments. There are so many things to take into account if you want to host a similar event, but it can be done. Aspects include: seating, tournament organization, food and drinks, and prizes.

Butts in Chairs
The first thing Matt suggested was making sure you have enough places to put the games. His dining-room table only seats six, so with 23 more players to fit, we were spread out at the kitchen island (4), another table in the dining room (6), the living room (4), and the basement (8), including games on an ottoman and some borrowed folding tables. Knowing how many players you’ll be serving gives you a sense of scope for the event. Be realistic about how many you can host, and be firm in capping the event if necessary. It will be more than uncomfortable to cram players in where there’s not actually enough room for them.

Names in Spreadsheets
Then you need to put all those players into some sort of tournament organizer software. Wizards Event Reporter is the “official” software but shouldn’t technically be used for events with playtest cards. Plus everyone in WER needs a DCI number. We are more likely to use MtG Arena (not the online MTG game), which is free and uses the same algorithm to calculate player rankings. It requires only a Google ID to login, and the only difficulty is that it’s hard to re-pair if something gets off mid-round. You can print off pairings, or put them on a big TV, or just shout them out. For smaller events, a little yelling never hurt anyone.

I’ll also recommend knowing and making clear how many rounds will be played and how a winner will be determined, so there’s no confusion toward the end. Typically you play N Swiss rounds for P players, where 2N – P isn’t negative. So 3 rounds for 8 players, 4 rounds for 8 to 16, 5 rounds for 16 to 32, and 6 rounds for wow, you have a lot of friends. There are plenty of options to determine a winner: Swiss and elimination rounds (usually top-eight for more than 16 players), Swiss+1, or – as Josh suggested for small events – round robin.

Beverages
The Hazardvitational and other events at peoples’ houses (like TSI Steveland, which we talked about recently) have asked players to bring their own drinks. It helps make sure everyone has something they like and takes a lot of burden off the hosts for supplying. Team Serious tends to go through a lot of Jägermeister, Malört, and Hamm’s because we hate ourselves. This year we even imported the “Dressed Hamm’s” from Chicago, which is better than it sounds, really.

Food Breaks Are Nice
Our home-based events have also typically included a break in the middle of the event for food. The Hazard’s had everyone throw money in a bowl for a big pizza order from Columbus-area favorite Donato’s, ending up with 15 large pizzas in all (almost half a pizza per person). Geoff’s invitationals have ordered in subs or burritos from Jimmy John’s or Chipotle. Coordinating a big grill-fest of burgers and hotdogs has worked as well too at events, in part because someone who’s not playing can serve as grillmaster. Regardless, food helps ground everyone and is another event people can socialize around.

Prizes Are Nice Too
And of course there are prizes to think of. Some Team Serious Invitational series have traditional prize structures that ask for entry fees and then condense those to pay out to the top four or eight players. This can be tricky since the prizes have to be bought in advance with a prospective amount of money based on the number of confirmed players. Often players or teammates are interested in selling cards to this venture, but you have to hope that the right mix of cards comes available at the same time as the money or risk over- or under-spending for prizes.

The Hazardvitational bypasses this hangup by skipping the entry fee and asking players to donate prizes, suggesting a value of $20 or more. Cards are frequent additions to the pool, and we’ve had things like Dual Lands, Jaces, Commander decks, complete sets, and various user-created packages. Jake Hilty put a complete Middle School deck in the pool for this event, which was awesome. We’ve also had non-Magic prizes like alcohol (including Josh Chapple’s prize of bitters and a cocktail recipe book) and even a Sawzall, which went highly in the structure.

Recent additions to the prize pool have been “mystery box” prizes, which are pretty much what they sound like. The sky’s the limit, and part of the prize is the fun of opening an unknown quantity. Ben Perry consistently outdoes himself in this category, as this year’s “Do Not Open” box included a choice of keeping a Tundra or one of two further mystery packages. The chosen prizes were intended to be given to other players of the winner’s choice and turned out to be more Middle School cards.

In the end there are lots of ways to put a home tournament together. These are just basic ideas, and you can feel free to modify as necessary.

In Case You Want to Stream
I also didn’t get a chance to mention this in the podcast, but I devised a much-improved streaming rig for holding a camera above a game of Magic. Instead of using two vertical posts with a crossbar, I got a boom stand with a single counterweighted arm, like this. What an improvement! The stand can be put to either side of the table, or even behind one of the players, and is so much stabler than the previous crossbar. I was able to glue the camera to a section of dowel and use the protective cap as a method of attachment to the end of the boom, so the camera screws on and off and angles can be adjusted. I didn’t have sand to weigh the bag, so obviously I used basic lands. I’m really pleased with this new setup and am looking forward to using it in the future.

Working With Land Grant

In the last episode we talked about an upcoming (now past) Old School event run alongside Magic Fest Cleveland, hosted by the Cleveland Rocs at BottleHouse Brewery and Mead Hall. The event ran smoothly, everyone had a great time, and the event organizers were able to donate more than $1,700 to Providence House, a Cleveland-area family crisis center.

This episode we talk about contacting Land Grant Brewing to help us make a more fun event by providing fine liquid refreshment to players. Josh Chapple operates under a policy of “Don’t ask, don’t get,” so he asked and we got. In this case we told them that Land Grant is actually a Magic card, and they asked for one for their trophy case. A fair exchange, for sure.

There’s a lot of power in the Magic community, even among smaller groups like local Vintage or Old School scenes. Charity events are wonderful opportunities to combine the people-power and (let’s be honest) money inherent in these groups and put them to good use. It’s an attempt to make a difference where it’s needed. So many Magic events are inward looking, with players essentially giving back to themselves. Charity events are outward looking, good for everyone involved.

Following the Hazardvitational, we contacted Land Grant again to set up what I hope will be a longer-term relationship, presenting the opportunity to do a similar charity event to the Cleveland Rocs partnership with BottleHouse. Magic players get a place to play and a chance to help out their community, and a local business gets a similar chance to give back, some promotion, and a captive audience of consumers for an afternoon. Land Grant was excited about the option, even offering to donate 20% of their day’s profits to the charity as well. Sounds pretty win-win-win!

I’m really excited about this, hoping we can match the Rocs’ results. Right now we’re looking at an event on May 18, with more details to come. Look forward to it!

So What Happened at the Hazardvitational?

Jaco won the Hazardvitational playing four-color Paradoxical Outcome, beating David Lance on Survival. Other Top 8 decks were Ravager Shops, Paradoxical Oath, Humans, Grixis Xerox, and Griselbrand Oath. You can see these lists as well as plenty of photos from the event on The Mana Drain. Enjoy, they’re fun!

Matt Hazard, our gracious host, played a mono-red aggro control deck with lots of Blood Moon effects and Null Rods. The idea is very much to hinder your opponent’s mana, empty your hand, and attack with aggressive creatures like Lupine Prototype and Bloodrage Brawler. Not one to shy away from interesting cards, he also included a maindeck Hellspark Elemental and a sideboard Pardic Miner, which gets talked about in the audio. I’ll let you look them up.

Josh Chapple played his usual: BUG Control. It’s a typical looking list, one that you hope is metagamed properly for the event you’re playing. That’s difficult at a lot of Team Serious events where you might face Matt Hazard Mono-Red or a deck that includes a bunch of cards with “Predator” in the name so it can coordinate with the player’s donated prize. Anyway, when the right answers for your opponent’s strategy find their way to you in time, your game will go well. Otherwise, it’s a fun battle.

I played Turn-One Tendrils (a.k.a. SX or Meandeck Tendrils), a deck that’s more of a thought experiment than an actual competitive deck. There has been much written about the archetype, but it doesn’t show up because it’s weak against so many kinds of disruption and is tricky to play well, let alone perfectly. I had fun and had a lot of time to eat and talk to people and hang out between rounds. I died once to Spoils of the Vault.

Questions for Discussion

What’s the best prize you’ve ever won playing Magic: The Gathering? Would you rather have a known prize or a mystery box? Would you have guessed 30 people would each eat an average of half a pizza? “Dressed Hamm’s” or “Spiced Hamm’s”? Have you tried one? They’re better than you thought, right? Did you have to look up Pardic Miner?

Concluding Remarks

Thanks for listening! We definitely believe that friendship and fun are the primary reasons to play Vintage, so we’re glad to make friends with our fans. If you want any advice about hosting a tournament in your own private space, invitational or otherwise, please feel free to reach out. We’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or The Mana Drain or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

For episode 37, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) talk with Steve McGrew and Jake Hilty (@TuringTested, our first returning guest) about a new, fun format we’ve been enjoying. It’s not as old as Old School or as new as Modern – it’s Middle School!


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:25 – Introducing Middle School
39:54 – Upcoming Middle and Old School Events
42:30 – Shameless Plug
43:20 – Food and Drink for #MTGCleveland
Full runtime – 55:52

Also, until February 15, we’re selling Serious Vintage T-shirts! Hurry!

Trying to Get A’s in Middle School

Magic players love nostalgia. It’s not necessarily a “things were better when…” attitude. Sometimes it’s just that “things were different and I enjoyed that too,” as well as the fun that comes along with resolving favorite old cards, or even just seeing and thinking about them. Frequently that nostalgia will surround the era you started playing, when you were first learning the game and absorbing as much as you could. Good or bad, those cards tend to stick with you.

Most players started in the Modern era, so they can get play their early favorite deck or card or strategy in the Modern format, even if it’s not the best path to victory, just to get that hit of remembrance. Old School likewise fills a need for people who want to get that historic Magic feel—simpler creatures and spells with “classic” art.

Middle School fills in between Old School and Modern, allowing sets from 1995 (Ice Age and Fourth Edition) to 2003 (Scourge), stopping at the frame change with Eighth Edition. Deck construction rules tend towards inclusion, allowing pretty much anything printed during that time: promos (except Mana Crypt, part of a small Banned List), ancillary sets like Beatdown, any gold-bordered Championship Decks, and all three Portal sets. That’s a lot of cards! These allow a lot of great decks, many of which haven’t been fully explored simply because not all the cards were legal in the same format at the same time, except in Legacy and Vintage, where they’ve already been outclassed.

From what I’ve seen, there are all kinds of archetypes available to players. Aggro decks have tribal and synergistic examples, and are very few turns behind the combo decks, meaning even that potentially lopsided matchup is challenging when one side stumbles. Midrange has excellent historical examples to learn from, and control has good options, being challenged mostly because the format is broad enough to allow so many disparate threats. There are also some interesting challenges to all Middle School deck building, including—as Jake mentions in the podcast—that mana fixing is far from perfect. Should you stick closer to two colors, or are you OK adding more and accepting the risk of not having the mana you need when you need it?

We talk a lot about the format and what’s possible. I’m going to post some decklist photos, but you should know they’re for inspiration only. None of us would suggest that these are the best decks in the format or even necessarily optimal examples of their own kind. Just look at these hot pix and get excited about playing with old cards.

UG Madness

First up is Josh Chapple’s UG Madness deck, which is great because I’m pretty sure he was able to just pull this off the shelf as-is when he heard the format was created. Counters, card draw, and efficient creatures. Pretty straightforward.

10-Land Stompy

This is mono-green 10-Land Stompy. When I told my local store owner about the format he was very excited to be able to build this deck. There are a few adjustments I would make, but it goldfishes very well. Jungle Lion can’t intercept, but it can attack pretty well.

Aluren

This Aluren deck from Jake does a couple of things that a lot of Middle School decks do: Birds of Paradise as a mana fixer, and Intuition as a Demonic Tutor. Also notice Living Wish and Rhystic Tutor. This deck will find what it wants.

Eggs!

Eggs (Helm of Awakening Storm) was the first deck I played seriously in Vintage, and I was really excited when I realized I could play it competitively in Middle School. Being able to Frantic Search for two mana and untap three lands is a real treat. The sideboard at the bottom is mostly for Burning Wish.

Enchantress

Jake will play Enchantress in literally any format, so obviously he has a Middle School version. This plays lots of answers to various threats, can lock out an opponent with Words of Wind, and might even win with Squirrel Nest.

Wheaties

Wheaties (one of many “cereal decks” in the format) uses Academy Rector to put together enchantment combos, primarily Enduring Renewal and Goblin Bombardment, or Survival of the Fittest and Recurring Nightmare.

UW Landstill

Steve’s Landstill deck is an example of one of the control decks in the format, with lots of card draw and removal. You can sit behind Standstill and attack with Mishra’s Factory or Faerie Conclave, and even cycle Decree of Justice to make tokens. How fun!

That’s just a few examples of what neat things are available in the format. Keep in mind too that any of the gold-bordered Championship Decks are legal as well, and most of them are going to be playable (and competitive!) right out of the box.

Upcoming Events

UPDATE! If you’re interested in playing Middle School and are coming to Cleveland for Magic Fest, we got you covered! Friday evening, February 22, at 7 p.m., Team Serious is hosting a Middle School event at Mars Bar, a great local bar with beer and gyros in Lakewood, a short ride from the convention center. Even if you don’t have a deck or are getting in after 7, this will be a great opportunity to meet people and learn about the format!

There’s also an Old School event hosted by the Cleveland Rocs for the benefit of Providence House, one of the oldest and longest operating crisis nurseries in the country. Entries are limited to 32, and they’re almost full, but there is a waiting list for cancellations or other provisions. That event will be at Bottle House in Lakewood (see below), on Saturday, February 23, at noon.

Dining Out Around Magic Fest Cleveland

Magic Fest Cleveland is coming up February 22-24, with its usual schedule of Magic tournaments, side events, artists, and ephemera. If you’re coming to the North Coast later this month, Team Serious is happy to present a list of food and drink recommendations before, during, and after your gaming adventures.

Highly recommended and nearby the convention center, Pho Thang will offer hot Vietnamese soup and sandwiches that should be perfect for Ohio in the middle of winter. Also within walking distance is Mabel’s BBQ, which features “Cleveland-style” barbecue, as created by Michael Symon of Food Network fame. The area near Mabel’s, around Prospect and E 4th streets, has several other restaurants probably good for a post-tournament meal as well.

A short Lyft away is the Ohio City area (outlined in red on the map), which surrounds the West Side Market. The market has fewer prepared foods than Reading Terminal Market in Philly or North Market in Columbus, but it’s a similarly fun place and great to pick up snack items if you’re there during the day. Try some of the different jerkies. Ohio City also has several bars and restaurants. Listing just a few: Bar Cento (open late, voted “Best Pizza in Ohio”), Great Lakes Brewing Company brewpub, Flying Fig for creative fare, and (if it’s not too cold) Mitchell’s Ice Cream.

Tremont is next to Ohio City (in blue) and also has several restaurants and bars, as well as the house from the movie A Christmas Story. Steve recommended Prosperity Social Club for comfort food and beer, and Restaurant Ginko for sushi. Ginko is closed on Sunday but open till midnight on Friday and Saturday.

In Asia Town, east of the convention center also a brief ride away from the convention center (in green), try Szechuan Gourmet or Han Chinese Kabob and Grill. If you’re there early enough (before 8 p.m.) or want a quick lunch, you can also stop at Koko’s Bakery, which has sandwiches, bubble tea, pastries, and Chinese buns.

A little farther away to the west is the suburb of Lakewood, where the Old School and Middle School events will be. Lakewood has the original location forMelt, which serves outstanding and creative grilled-cheese sandwiches. They’ve since expanded to Columbus and beyond. Proper Pig is there as well, which was mentioned alongside Mabel’s as good barbecue. And for drinks, LBM describes itself as a “friendly neighborhood viking cocktail bar” and has great burgers, while Bottle House is the brewery and meadery where the Old School event will be held on Saturday. For food, try also Sarita, a restaurant, which has happy hour 5-9 on Thursday and Sunday if you’re in the city early or late, or Georgetown for cocktails and live music.

Steve also recommends Good Company for burgers and boozy milkshakes; it just opened. He also touted the grouping of Plum Cafe, Platform Beer Co., and B and G Tavern (for cheap beer and pool), all in the same area of Lorain Avenue. And Jake likes Mason Creamery, an ice cream shop that transforms into a ramen shop during the winter, as well as Jerry Yang’s favorite pizza in Cleveland, Angelo’s. They’re also in Lakewood but they deliver.

Cleveland has a burgeoning food scene thanks to local chefs like Michael Symon and Dante Boccuzzi, so there are definitely places to check out. And as mentioned, it’s the Midwest, so drinking is pretty cheap. Let us know if you have questions or want more specific recommendations.

Questions for Discussion

When did you start playing Magic? What cards from Middle School get you excited? Have you ever played Oath of Druids without Forbidden Orchard? Should Mind Twist be banned if Dark Ritual already is? Are you coming to Magic Fest Cleveland? Great! You should say hi!

Thanks for Supporting Our Show!

We’re glad you’re interested in Vintage, Middle School, and all of the things we talk about on Serious Vintage. If you’d like to support us financially, maybe you and your friends and loved ones would enjoy a T-shirt. For the next three weeks (until February 15, in time for Valentines!) we’ll be selling shirts to raise money to improve podcasting and Team Serious streaming technology.

“Force of Love” shirts are back, and now you can show you’re competitive when it comes to the post-tournament meal with a “Vintage Supper League” shirt!

As usual, we’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or The Mana Drain or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

For episode 36, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) are joined by Erin Campbell (@OriginalOestrus) to talk about a bunch of fun Vintage topics including the importance of the community, the Vintage Super League, Dredge, and Two-Card Monte. She also helps us depart a little from our usual “discerning” food-and-drink discussion to a more “picky” angle.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:27 – Erin and the Vintage Community
33:20 – Preparing to Crush the VSL
40:28 – Nat Hate Drafts Onions
Full runtime – 1:03:53

Why Vintage is So Great

Most of our discussion about Vintage community, you’ll kind of have to listen to. Erin recounts her entry into the format—playing fast, graveyard-based decks in Legacy and Modern and being able to get in affordably through MTGO. She also talks about how excited the Vintage community was to share its passion, and how encouraging and generous it could be.

And it is that passion and excitement that drives Vintage players; Erin talks about that too. In my experience, the format is built around big, flashy plays. Controlling those plays, unleashing them or reining them in, is a skill not always practiced in other formats. The cards are all significant, even in situations where they seem otherwise, so games can go from certain win to certain loss in the blink of an eye. Think of cards that are ostensibly fine in smaller formats, like Brainstorm or Lotus Petal, which end up restricted in Vintage because they lead to much more powerful things. Making those powerful plays (or struggling against them) comes with a lot of emotion—high highs. Vintage makes you feel things.

Looking back at my own entry into Vintage—15 years ago, I guess, jeez—I experienced a feeling of welcome similar to Erin’s, even if the situation was totally different. My path to Vintage started with a kitchen-table format that allowed four-of any card you owned. I played multiple Sol Ring, Wheel of Fortune, and Black Vise and could regularly kill on my opponent’s third upkeep. But friends started playing sanctioned Vintage at a small store in Ohio called The Dungeon and were recruiting anyone interested, excited to continue growing the scene. There was a little Power, but people were doing broken things in their own way.

And it was great, like the Wild West: Mono-Black Hatred, Mono-Green Stompy, Goblins, Helm of Awakening Eggs, Angel Oath that was slowly acquiring Power at the time, and some weird brews, including whatever I was playing. For a while it was a Welder Madness list with Memory Jar and Wild Mongrel, which was somehow not terrible. Everyone was having fun, and there were so many friendly deals made to help each other get Dual Lands and Force of Wills and other Vintage staples, so we could all improve together.

It also didn’t hurt that, when our group graduated to larger events, Vintage was very much in favor of allowing playtest cards to lower the entry barrier. Whether driven by passion or desperation, paper Vintage is generally a welcoming format at the local level.

Vintage Super League

Season nine of the Vintage Super League (VSL) is also just beginning, and Erin is competing in her third year of the contest. This season is back to individual competition (season eight featured three-player teams) and players are encouraged to play what they want, with the stipulation that they should keep things interesting and try to play new decks when they’re on. We’ve already seen evidence of this as the second week’s offerings included Andy Probasco playing Death’s Shadow and three decks (Stephen Menendian, Brian Coval, and Randy Buehler) all playing Lavinia, Azorius Renegade, from the newly legal Ravnica Allegiance set.

It would be a disappointment to a lot of fans if Erin were to skip playing Dredge entirely, but we talk about some of her other options, including Two-Card Monte, Stax with actual Smokestack, and Enchantress. It’s always exciting to see innovative new decks (or new takes on old decks) in the VSL, even if the competition format lends itself to “metagaming against your friends,” so the decks can be less reflective of “real life” Vintage. It’s also exciting to see players step outside their own comfort zone and try a strategy or archetype that they may not be familiar with as a pilot.

Food and Drink for Picky Eaters

This episode’s food-and-drink section covers a lot of ground. A lot. We talk about peanut butter, pizza, warm beverages, cold condiments, cottage cheese, rye chips, french fries, hamburgers, hot dogs, corndogs, onions, and more. There’s too much to summarize here, but I thought it was interesting that, out of four people on the show, three of us don’t drink coffee. Make of that what you will.

Erin did mention a couple of Milwaukee restaurants, which I’ll record in case you’re in the area. The Dogg Haus has additional locations in Wisconsin and Minnesota and offers build-your-own hot dogs with multiple meat, topping, and bun options. At least visit the website and check out their logo. There’s also Vanguard Bar, which has a similar offering of housemade sausages (including duck and boar), as well as “tube-less” meals like burgers and poutine.

In the end, while we all have our proclivities and aversions, we all agreed we like food.

Questions for Discussion

What got you into Vintage? The decks? The Power? The people? How do you feel about Dredge, and what deck would you play if you had to pick something other than what you’re playing right now? Are there foods you despise? Is pineapple on pizza OK? How do you feel about small hot dogs? What about a product called the “Corndogger”?

Thanks for Supporting Our Show!

Regardless of how you got here, we’re glad you’re interested in Vintage. If you’d like to support Serious Vintage financially, maybe you and your friends and loved ones would enjoy a T-shirt. For the next three weeks (until February 15, in time for Valentine’s Day!) we’ll be selling shirts to raise money to improve podcasting and Team Serious streaming technology.

“Force of Love” shirts are back, and now you can show you’re competitive when it comes to the post-tournament meal with a “Vintage Supper League” shirt!

As usual, we’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or The Mana Drain or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

For episode 35, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) talk about Lands (the deck, not the card type) with Frank Singel, winner of the recent Team Serious Invitational.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:28 – Frank Singel: Landing Hard on Vintage
33:20 – A Time Vault Tangent
40:28 – Holiday Foods
Full runtime – 0:54:37

Lands in Vintage

It’s always fun to talk to a player who has spent a lot of time developing, playing, and perfecting one deck. Frank Singel is just such a player, and his deck of choice is an interesting one in a format where so many people are focused on playing many, many spells per turn: Lands.

Lands, by Frank Singel, 1st Place TSI StevelandLands (35)
2 Bayou
4 Bazaar of Baghdad
1 Bojuka Bog
3 Dark Depths
1 Forest
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Glacial Chasm
1 Karakas
1 Maze of Ith
4 Riftstone Portal
1 Savannah
1 Strip Mine
1 Taiga
2 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
4 Thespian’s Stage
1 Verdant Catacombs
4 Wasteland
2 Wooded Foothills
Not Lands (25)
3 Ancient Grudge
1 Chalice of the Void
2 Crop Rotation
4 Exploration
1 Fastbond
4 Life from the Loam
2 Manabond
2 Mental Misstep
1 Mox Diamond
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
3 Null Rod

Sideboard (15)
1 Abrupt Decay
2 Assassin’s Trophy
1 Chains of Mephistopheles
1 Crop Rotation
4 Dark Confidant
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Nature’s Claim
2 Stony Silence

Lands, the deck, is based on the similar build from Legacy. Lands, the card type, have the benefit of being free and uncounterable, with the drawback of being able to play only one of them per turn. There are a lot of unique effects available on lands, and in Eternal formats, there are several ways to break the one-per-turn rule. Vintage adds Bazaar of Baghdad to the mix, allowing Lands players the opportunity to grind through their own deck to find their best answers against an opponent—think The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale against Eldrazi or Bojuka Bog against Dredge. On top of that, Dark Depths and Thespian’s Stage provide a potential 20/20 flying, indestructible combo win. So the deck has some different looks depending on the cards it draws.

At TSI Steveland, Frank finished 3-2 in the Swiss but won a play-in to the elimination rounds and won out from there. Part of his journey involved staving off Paradoxical Outcome three times, which seems remarkable for a deck that has so little turn-one interaction against that spell. We talk about that matchup quite a bit, and though Frank agrees there was some fortune involved, it’s not as bad as one might think. Permanents are pretty good, it turns out.

If you’re interested in seeing how the Lands deck works, matches from the TSI are available on YouTube, with commentary and analysis from Andy Probasco and Jimmy McCarthy. Check out Lands versus Archon Oath in the swiss, Lands versus Archon Oath tiebreaker, and Lands versus Paradoxical Outcome in the finals.

There’s also some discussion of the Banned and Restricted List, particularly regarding Mental Misstep and Fastbond. Mental Misstep plays a critical role in Lands as the protector of important one-drop spells, like Fastbond, and particularly Crop Rotation, which is an awkward two-for-one if it gets countered. So which would help Lands more: restricting Mental Misstep or unrestricting Fastbond?

Full results of TSI Steveland are here on The Mana Drain.

A Time Vault Tangent

I (Nat) played against Lands at Eternal Weekend, piloted by Jody Keith. In the critical game three, I resolved an early Jace, the Mind Sculptor, and was hoping to ultimate that to win the game. I knew Jace wasn’t great against the Dark Depths combo, but Jody had multiple answers in play for my Oath, so Jace was currently my only hope. With Jace at nine counters, Jody final found both Dark Depths and Thespian’s Stage, so I was boarding the train for a loss. Except I had Time Vault in play. You can hear how things could have, should have, and did play out in the podcast.

You can also enjoy what is still one of the most resonant Magic: The Gathering articles ever written by a guy whose deck fell out of his shirt pocket and into a toilet: “Stuck in the Middle With Bruce.”

For reference, this is the picture of Nat that Frank sent to Jody while we were talking about the incident.

Holiday Foods

Our discussion on holiday foods was interrupted at one point, but we still had obviously heated discussion. There were strong feelings on turkey, cranberry sauce, red cabbage, vegetable sides, leftovers, and, surprisingly, ravioli. Hidden in there was the point that you have to make turkey stuffing with the giblets, because the stuffing makes the turkey. In the discussion of various family holiday traditions Frank mentions that his family makes pretty delicious sounding ravioli with marinara for their gatherings. That sounded pretty awesome. Geoff and I only had spiced apple rings from a jar.

I’m not sure how it went from my thinking you should enjoy turkey and not have it be just a holiday food to “Nat hates turkey,” but it was exciting talk. Josh also recommended recipes for roasted carrots with cider vinegar gastrique and cranberry sauce made with alpine liqueur. Alpine liqueur is an herbal liqueur (there are other makers than Leopold Bros.), so if you can’t find it, Josh recommended something like an amaro. (I recommend Jägermeister, to really show you care.)

Questions for Discussion

What’s the greatest number of lands you’ve ever played in one turn? Have you ever seen the right line of play and just blatantly ignored it for no reason, like some messed up trolley problem? Do you put cranberry sauce on your leftover turkey sandwiches? Do people actually eat spiced apple rings? Really? Gross!

Conclusion

Thanks for listening! However you choose to eat and drink when you celebrate with friends and family, we here at Serious Vintage hope you have merry times. This will probably be our last episode in 2018, but we have some exciting stuff coming up next year. We’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or The Mana Drain or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

In episode 34, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) bring North America Vintage Champs finalist Nam Tran on to wrap up Eternal Weekend and talk about what got him to the finals.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:29 – Nam Q. Tran: Vintage Finalist
37:05 – Eating Out in Pittsburgh Recap
55:50 – Outro
Full runtime – 0:56:50

Who is Nam Q. Tran?

Anyone who’s played Magic in Ohio should recognize Nam’s name, but there are plenty who don’t simply because he keeps such a low profile. He’s quietly put up Top 8s and other quality finishes at local events and larger for well over a decade now. Aside from the Vintage Championship finals we go in to great detail on here, he also T8’d Vintage Champs in 2014, a SCG Legacy Open in 2013, and a SCG Power 9 in 2005. Locally, if you want to win a tournament, you probably go through Nam on your way to the top. As we mention in the episode, Nam’s record at Team Serious Invitationals is exemplary. We’ve had 11 such events; Nam has played in nine of them and has T8’d all nine, winning one.

When we first met Nam he was a Mana Drain pilot, frequently on Control Slaver. Now he would insist that he doesn’t know how to tap Islands anymore and has focused on various archetypes fueled by Mishra’s Workshops, starting with 5C Stax, dipping into Uba Stax when that was en vogue, and now switching between Two-Card Monte and Workshop Aggro. His decks are ideal representations of a long-time collector of extravagant cards: all foil wherever possible. And since he’s played Workshops against pretty much everything over the years, he has a box of shiny sideboard options that he’ll bring with him to update his list for a particular tournament’s metagame.

Throughout all the successes, though, it’s patently obvious that crushing people with Workshops just happens to be a natural side effect of Nam showing up to hang out with people. His true motivator is the camaraderie of Vintage. He’s happy to loan cards to friends, even to the detriment of his own decks, and always arrives generously laden to BYOB events so he can share. He came up with the Team Serious maxim—“We are friends; we have fun”—and provided its mission statement—“We just need to be the best that we can to get better, dominate Vintage tournaments, and represent the Cleveland area. Yeah, man! Yeah!” If you know Nam, you’ll read that and hear him say it in your head.

Training for a Top 8

We spend a lot of the episode covering Nam’s Friday run to The top 8, and he recalls all of the details expertly. If you want to play along with him, I highly recommend pausing and reflecting on some of the plays he outlines. They go quickly, but all the information is there.

Here’s Nam’s list from Vintage Champs 2018:

Workshop Ravager Aggro, by Nam Tran - 2nd Place NA Vintage Champs 2018Business (34)
4 Sphere of Resistance
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Trinisphere
4 Foundry Inspector
4 Walking Ballista
4 Arcbound Ravager
4 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Steel Overseer
3 Phyrexian Metamorph
2 Hangarback Walker
1 Chief of the Foundry
1 Lodestone Golem

Mana Sources (26)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Mishra’s Factory
4 Wasteland
Sideboard (15)
4 Grafdigger’s Cage
3 Precursor Golem
3 Null Rod
2 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Sorcerous Spyglass
1 Dismember
1 Chief of the Foundry

And here were his matchups throughout the day. You’ll notice a few big names, including two former Vintage Champs, so the road wasn’t easy.

Round 1 – Ryan Maddux – Delver UWR – 2-0
Round 2 – Jason Jaco – Paradoxical Mentor 4C – 2-0
Round 3 – Adam Pereira – Landstill UW – 2-0
Round 4 – Jared Lentz – Landstill UW – 2-1
Round 5 – Andrew Markiton – Workshop Ravager Aggro – 2-0
Round 6 – Joseph Bogaard – Landstill UW – 2-1
Round 7 – Blaine Christiansen – Uba Stax – 2-1
Round 8 – Sierra Black – White Eldrazi – 2-0
Round 9 – Matt Sperling – RUG Pyromancer – ID
Round 10 – Eliot Burk – Landstill UW – ID
Round 11 (Top 8) – Marshall Arthurs – Vengevine Survival – 2-0
Round 12 (Top 4) – Rich Shay – Workshop Ravager Aggro – 2-1
Round 13 (Finals) – Brian Coval – Paradoxical Mentor UBW – 1-2
Record: 10-1-2
Games: 21-6

After Nam cleared the first 10 rounds, though, several members of Team Serious pulled together to help him go the distance. This meant rigorous testing against Survival, the deck played by his T8 competitor Marshall Arthurs. After bubbling up in the MTGO testing lab a while back, it has grown serious legs the past 6 months, and has some incredibly powerful opening plays, including dropping 16 power worth of Hollow Ones and Vengevines into play on turn one, or opening with a nightmare scenario of Energy Flux and Stony Silence against Workshops.

The process of intensively learning a specific match was fascinating to watch. It was heartbreaking as Nam’s testing opponent, Jerry Yang, drew god hand after god hand. But despite that, Nam was keeping up, so the matchup looked difficult but not unwinnable. We speculated that with average hands from both sides, the Workshop deck might just have the edge.

And, spoiler alert, it did. We continue with Nam’s thoughts on the rest of the Top 8 matchups.

Dining in Pittsburgh: The Recap

Condado and Emporio, which we recommended in our previous episode seemed to be popular destinations for plenty of Eternal Weekend attendees, since they were so close to the venue. But they also proffered delicious tacos and meatballs, respectively, so: score!

Josh Chapple made it to another recommendation, Starlite Lounge, and said he was disappointed in the food but excited by the bar. The pierogis there just didn’t live up to the Team Serious hype. Josh also made it to Cinderlands and raved about it, recommending it to everyone. They make beer, have flavorful pierogis, and their menu includes rillettes and a scotch egg that look worth the trip on their own.

A group of us also went to Max’s Allegheny Tavern on Saturday, which seems like a strong option in the future. Recommended by Team Serious teammate Oliver Sovol, who has gone there with his family since he was a kid, Max’s serves authentic Bavarian food, including hasenpfeffer, several kinds of wurst and schnitzel, and great sides like red cabbage, German potato salad, and spaetzle. They also serve “Bavarian nachos” (maybe skip those) and have a good beer list of local offerings and German standards.

We also have some commentary on the McDonald’s Triple Stack breakfast sandwich, but questions might be better directed at either Andy Probasco or Jerry Yang, who had wildly different experiences. We also diverge into Columbus food with Los Guachos and Buckeye Pho, and we learn an important lesson about eating chocolate you find on the ground. Namely: maybe don’t.

Questions for Discussion

How do you feel about the current Vintage metagame, following the results of Eternal Weekend? How did we do on our other food recommendations from Pittsburgh? Would you ever eat a McDonald’s Triple Stack? How about three?

Conclusion

Thanks for listening! And congratulations to Nam and to the actual winner of the 2018 North America Vintage Championship, Brian Coval! We’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or The Mana Drain or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

For episode 33, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) talk with Josh McCurley (@infant_no_1) about Eternal Weekend and the food of Pittsburgh.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:24 – Slinging Cards with Josh McCurley
03:26 – “Josh, What’s the Vintage Metagame?”
42:21 – Eating Out Pittsburgh
53:03 – Outro
Full runtime – 54:16

Enter the Forest Bear

Josh McCurley visits from Texas, where he’s a Magic judge and Eternal formats aficionado. Online he streams Vintage on MTGO regularly and has even dabbled in Arena recently, all with a penchant for the Portal card Forest Bear. Despite focusing mainly on Mishra’s Workshop-based strategies himself, Josh keeps a close eye on other archetypes and is willing to experiment with radical lists he concocts or that his viewers send him. Plus, he has to recognize how other strategies are doing if he wants to beat them, right? So we brought him in as an expert.

As further evidence of his expertise, Josh and Nat once played a casual Vintage game of Lantern Control versus Jester’s Scepter Uba Mask and—thanks to Ensnaring Bridge, Uba Mask, and some other dumb artifacts—finished as an actual, no-winner draw. Reminded of this, Josh said, “We are so good at Vintage.”

Predictions on Eternal Weekend

Note: Since our knowledge of Eternal Weekend was admittedly muddled, you should visit Card Titan for all the details.

Vintage right now is a battle between five top decks: Ravager Workshops, Paradoxical Outcome Storm, Jeskai Control (or some flavor of blue-based control), Dredge, and Oath. None of the decks can beat all of the others, so there’s a tug-of-war at the metagame level as players try to pick which deck they feel will be best equipped to beat most of their opponents and then tune to make their poor matchups slightly better.

For example, if you think there’s going to be a large number of Workshop decks, you would play PO Storm to beat them and then work to combat Jeskai’s draw engine and countermagic so you don’t lose too many points there. But then if you think there’s going to be a lot of PO Storm, you play Jeskai and try to adjust to beat Workshops in the sideboard.

And then Oath or Dredge show up, being all weird, and just decimate an unprepared field. Good luck!

Defending Champion: Workshop Aggro
Andy Markiton won last year’s North America Vintage Champs with Ravager MUD, and the strategy hasn’t changed drastically since then. The prison builds of years past have been replaced by a kind of aggressive tempo deck. Instead of slowing an opponent down with lots of Sphere of Resistance effects, Workshop players speed themselves up with Foundry Inspector and have a kind-of combo win with Arcbound Ravager and Walking Ballista. It’s similar to other formats’ Affinity lists; they may not hinder an opponent’s plan at all, except for putting them on an exceptionally fast clock. Expect to face it multiple times and be prepared to do better than one-for-one artifact and creature removal if you want to win.

The Newcomer: Paradoxical Outcome
When Paradoxical Outcome debuted in Kaladesh, every Vintage player looked at it and said, “Oh, yeah, that card’s absurd.” It finally hit its stride as a combo engine and has a few different looks as players decide which colors they like and which win conditions they want to use—usually some mix of Tendrils of Agony, Monastery Mentor, Time Vault, and Blightsteel Colossus. These lists can range from very aggressive storm-focused strategies (almost like Pitch Long or TPS) to those that are happy to build more slowly to the win (similar to old Gifts Ungiven lists in pace). Outcome preys on Workshop decks because it has a lot of free mana and a generally faster clock, but it can struggle against counterspells if it can’t resolve its bombs.

The Comeback Kid: Survival
Survival of the Fittest has been around for a long time and is good enough to be banned in Legacy. But it made a startling resurgence in Vintage when it took first at Asia Vintage Champs. This is thanks to the printing of Hollow One, which gives it a beefy aggro plan to go along with its toolbox of searchable answers to other strategies. It’s a novel look for a Vintage deck—lots of green, not a lot of blue or artifacts—and players may lose percentages just because they won’t know how to play against it. Of course, players who pick up the deck might suffer from unfamiliarity as well. Answering creatures is good, but Survival relies on its namesake enchantment and Bazaar of Baghdad to find and make threats, so stopping activated abilities is also strong.

The Contender: Jeskai Control
We lumped most of the blue-based control decks together even though they encompass a wide variety of colors and flavors. Most players agree that restricted blue cards, Preordains, and Force of Wills make a powerful broth and are then happy to add their favorite flavor of win condition, everything from Monastery Mentor, to Tinker, to Jace, the Mind Sculptor. These decks like to draw and filter cards and tend to win the game, really, by having better natural access to efficient answers and threats. That is: it’s difficult to focus on one particular card to stop because all the cards do the same thing. Workshop decks tend to do well against Jeskai Control because artifacts like Sphere of Resistance and Phyrexian Revoker can hinder the blue deck’s ability to effectively keep its hand full.

The Fading Star: Oath of Druids
Is Oath a fading star? It hasn’t been popular or done particularly well recently, but it seems like it could be a dark horse in the current metagame. Oath can do well against creature-based strategies like Mishra’s Workshop and Survival decks, especially if it can remove or ignore their answers, typically Grafdigger’s Cage or Containment Priest. And Oath can easily play Preordain and restricted blue cards, so it can potentially keep up with Jeskai Control lists as it looks to resolve its one important spell. Griselbrand is a powerful demon companion, and there are any number of other useful, powerful creatures would make potential inclusions, but no one seems to have devised a list that wins consistently. Between commonly played hate (since Grafdigger’s Cage pulls double duty against Oath and Dredge) and a heavy reliance on one idea, Oath struggles.

The Underground: Dredge
When Dredge was totally a graveyard-based deck, it seemed to gain strength when opponents had become complacent, forgotten about it, and shaved graveyard hate from their sideboards. Now, again because of Hollow One, it has a solid backup plan that might not need to touch the graveyard at all. It’s consistent metagame terror, particularly in the hands of a knowledgeable pilot, and it will win a lot of games against prepared and unprepared opponents alike. To beat Dredge, apply a lot of varied graveyard answers (different types and costs of permanents and spells), and don’t forget about Hollow One.

Void Winnower beats all of these decks.

Eternal Weekend Dining in Pittsburgh

We had a few food recommendations for Pittsburgh. Primanti Brothers is kind of a Steel City tradition. They make big sandwiches that frequently include the french fries in the sandwich (a concession to steel workers who needed to eat their lunch in a hurry). Hopefully your waiter sticks around.

The Original Hotdog Shop, better known as “The O,” is kind of a Magic: The Gathering tradition, as it was the frequent meeting spot of Team CMU, one of the early premier Pro Tour teams, which was based in Pittsburgh. You can get giant fries, burgers, hotdogs, and beer in this casual, college atmosphere. Open late.

Last year’s hits for Team Serious were Emporio and Starlite Lounge, each of which specializes in its own brand of comfort food. Emporio calls itself “A Meatball Joint” and lets you choose your meatball, sauce, and method of conveyance (pasta, bun, or fries). This was literally all I heard about after Eternal Weekend last year. Starlite Lounge appeared on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives and serves three kinds of pierogis, as well as other home-cooked Polish diner food.

Nearby the convention center, Josh recommended Condado for their tacos and margaritas. They do a good job offering creative combination tacos, as well as letting you build your own. You’ll have to challenge yourself to see if you can acquire margaritas on the run between rounds.

This year Team Serious members Jerry Yang and Rajah James had some recommendations of places they’ve been and places they were looking to try. In no particular order:
● Robert Wholey & Co. for seafood and fish sandwiches.
● Gaucho Parrilla Argentina for fresh South American food.
● Ephasus Mediterranean for pizza with a Turkish twist.
● Nicky’s Thai Kitchen for Thai food voted best in Pittsburgh.
● Yuva Indian Kitchen for Indian food, including lots of vegetarian options.
● Lulu’s Noodles for various Asian noodle dishes, including pho, pad thai, and ramen.
● Bangal Kabab House for Indian tandoori dishes and kebabs.

If you find anything you like, be sure to let us know for future years!

Questions for Discussion

What scares you most about the current Vintage metagame? What scares you most about a seafood buffet in Pittsburgh?

Conclusion

Thanks for listening! We hope our view of the Vintage metagame was helpful and insightful, or at least entertaining. Have fun in Pittsburgh. We’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or The Mana Drain or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

After a long hiatus due to staffing issues, for episode 32, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) talk about Guilds of Ravnica.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
02:24 – How Cards Are Made
09:03 – Listener Questions on GRN
32:10 – Lunch and Dinner in Seattle
38:38 – Invert // Invent and Being an Editor
Total runtime: 46:44

Where Was That Nat Guy Anyway

In October 2016, I (Nat) moved to Seattle and briefly touched the sun as an editor in Magic R&D for Wizards of the Coast. For two years, my wife and I lived for adventure in the Pacific Northwest, and I got to live out the dream of working on Magic: The Gathering, the game I’ve managed to dedicate more than half my life to playing.

Working for Wizards was great. I learned many things that I’ll carry with me now that I’ve left, not only about Magic (how it’s created and how it’s played) and about editing in general. For anyone who’s dreamed of working in Magic R&D, I’ll say it’s pretty much everything you’ve imagined. You can spend an entire day playing Magic with some of the best, most insightful, and most creative players ever. You get to see all the cards as they develop, before they come out. And you end up with more product than you realistically know what to do with.

But it’s still a pretty regular office job, with meetings and whatnot. Most of the time employees are still concerned with meeting job responsibilities, managing whatever it is you’re working on at the time. And when my wife and I were looking at what we wanted from life, it was evident that with aging parents and the thought of having children of our own, it would be a lot more convenient to be back in Ohio than a day’s flight away from it (also, housing prices in Columbus are literally a quarter of those in Seattle!).

In my two years, I worked on a lot of different things you may have seen. Among other things, I did Duel Decks: Merfolk vs. Goblins, finished the editing on 25th Anniversary Masters and Iconic Masters, and did the creative editing on Rivals of Ixalan. There are things I worked on that I still can’t talk about because they’re not even a gleam in the players’ eyes yet.

I was also the lead editor on Guilds of Ravnica, and in this episode we talk about that. I answer some listener questions about the Magic R&D process and talk about some of the cards. If you want to know about some names or flavor texts I wrote or what the heck happened with Invert, it should be pretty entertaining. If you’re interested in reading about the process I describe pretty quickly, Mark Rosewater has a column detailing it, titled “Vision Design, Set Design, and Play Design.” I directed listeners to an earlier article, which is here, and also worth checking out.

Lunch and Dinner in Seattle

Josh asks what the good places to eat around Wizards of the Coast are. I didn’t take full advantage of all the local options because I’m frugal (cheap). I like to save money on normal eating so I can spend more on special events, so I generally packed my lunch. But there were a few places that I enjoyed semi-regularly. Malakor Thai and Spice King are both good if you like Thai or Indian food. I’m not an expert in either, but Elizabeth and I went to Malakor a few times for dinner too, and Spice King was where my team went for a goodbye lunch. Other times I would treat myself to a burrito at El Burrito Loco because carnitas and horchata are delicious.

Seattle also seems to have an affinity for local burger places, something around Five Guys in price and expected quality. Shake ‘N Go was the one nearest the office, and they have good burgers, fries, and shakes, as well as some other offerings I didn’t take advantage of. The best known Seattle burger restaurant is probably Dick’s Drive-In, which I was disappointed to learn is closer to fast food than fast casual, but they know what they’re doing. I like their shakes.

My absolute favorite burger place in Seattle is The Burger Express in Federal Way, a little south of Renton. They have a wide variety of burgers, all grilled to perfection, and hand-cut fries that are the perfect mix of crispy outsides and soft inners. Their shakes are spun and super thick. They grill their own jalapenos too, and for my money, their jalapeno burger is the second best burger I’ve ever had. Other places I thought were good were Pick Quick (a local chain I visited in Auburn), Herfy’s Burgers (another local chain near the office), and Zippy’s Giant Burgers (two locations with lots of burger memorabilia on the walls, and they sell beer).

For finer dining, I really like Lecosho, which is a couple of blocks from Pike Place Market. They have locally sourced food, including seafood and some interesting options when they’re available, and do a great job preparing it. Also good cocktails. Lecosho is up the hill from Copperworks Distilling, which has great whisky varieties and whose cask-finished gin from chai-spiced cider barrels was just amazing. And if you’re near Pike Place, I like The Crumpet Shop for a snack. You may have to know what a crumpet is to understand cricket, but they clearly do both.

Other places that were high on my list were Taylor Shellfish, Bizzarro Italian Cafe, and Donut Factory. Taylor Shellfish would have several oyster varieties available and also served geoduck sashimi, which is a fun experience. Bizzarro has really good Italian food that definitely seems better than stuff you would make at home, and they fully encourage drinks with dinner. And Donut Factory, on Seattle’s north side has a wide selection of fry-cake doughnuts, including flavors like green tea, Oreo, and red velvet, all of which are sweet bites of heaven. They have more deluxe pastries as well, but fry-cakes are my favorite.

I think that’s pretty good, summarizing two years of good food into a few paragraphs. Seriously, though, if you’re traveling to Seattle, I found fellow Wizard Gavin Verhey’s website, Gavin Eats, to be a solid assessment of a lot of places with a really useful binary rating system.

Questions for Discussion

Anything we missed when talking about Guilds of Ravnica? We can continue answering questions in the comments if you want.

Concluding Remarks

Thanks for listening, and thanks to everyone who submitted questions for this episode! We hope we were able to provide a unique look into how Magic cards are created. We’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or The Mana Drain or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

And if you want me to put editorial markup on your copies of Invert, I’ll see you at Eternal Weekend!

For episode 31, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Andy Probasco (@tmdBrassMan), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) return to justify their extended absence, sing the praises of basic swamps, and delve (we wish) into some new cards from Aether Revolt.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:48: Where’s Nat?
06:35: BUG Chasing in the VSL
40:46: Aether Revolt
Total runtime: 1:01:33

Serious Vintage Lineup Changes

As you may have noticed, Nat Moes, who has been a driving force for Serious Vintage, isn’t part of Episode 31. Nat recently accepted a position at Wizards of the Coast as an editor, and will not be a regular participant on the podcast going forward. We are thrilled for Nat and wish him all the best at WotC. If you run across any new cards with They Might Be Giants lyrics or Latin quotes as flavor text, that’s likely Nat leaving a legacy. With that said, we’re happy to announce that Serious Vintage does have a future! Geoff, Andy, and Josh plan to continue the podcast, so stay tuned as we move forward.

Welcome to the Party, Leovold!

BUG control has been a popular deck on Team Serious for a while, and below are two examples from the team. The deck is generally tweaked for the expected metagame, but the basic game plan of controlling the board while you pick away at your opponents life total remains the same. The recent printing of Leovold, Emissary of Trest fits the deck perfectly. At a minimum he replaces himself with a draw trigger, and at his best he completely shuts down your opponent.

BUG Control, by Jimmy McCarthyBusiness (39)
4 Force of Will
3 Mental Misstep
1 Flusterstorm
1 Null Rod
1 Dismember
3 Abrupt Decay
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Dig Through Time
1 Ponder
1 Treasure Cruise
1 Time Walk
2 Painful Truths
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Deathrite Shaman
3 Snapcaster Mage
2 Trygon Predator
2 Baleful Strix
1 Gurmag Angler
1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
3 Leovold, Emissary of Trest

Mana Sources (22)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Polluted Delta
3 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
1 Bayou
1 Swamp
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
Sideboard (15)
3 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Nature’s Claim
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Virulent Plague
1 Dread of Night
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Forest
1 Ravenous Trap
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Malicious Affliction
1 Murderous Cut
1 Null Rod
BUG Control by Andy ProbascoBusiness (38)
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Leovold, Emissary of Trest
3 Snapcaster Mage
2 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Baleful Strix
1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
1 Vendilion Clique
2 Painful Truths
1 Ponder
1 Treasure Cruise
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Time Walk
3 Thoughtseize
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Dig Through Time
4 Force of Will
3 Mental Misstep
1 Flusterstorm
2 Abrupt Decay

Mana Sources (22)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Polluted Delta
1 Misty Rainforest
3 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
1 Bayou
1 Swamp
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
Sideboard (15)
1 Forest
1 Crucible of Worlds
2 Trygon Predator
2 Dismember
3 Nature’s Claim
3 Null Rod
1 Mindbreak Trap
2 Dread of Night
Aether Revolt

It’s always exciting when new sets come out to see what cards may have Vintage applications, and Aether Revolt has a few options for players to try out. Below are the three cards that we believe will see the most play in the format. Although we have boldly predicted that the last card below will have zero Top 8 appearances in 2017, but we’ve been wrong before.

1. Who doesn’t love a good removal spell? Fatal Push checks a lot of boxes for us, converted mana cost of one, and Instant speed to start with. There aren’t many things that Fatal Push doesn’t kill in Vintage, and with fetch lands it’s pretty easy to cast with Revolt. BUG control and storm combo decks seem like the perfect place to try Fatal Push out and see if it has a future in the format.

2. The next card we covered shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. Walking Ballista is an obvious nod to a previous Vintage Workshop staple Triskelion. This card has a lot of potential as it combos well with other artifacts like Steel Overseer and Arcbound Ravager. Workshop decks have also struggled with colorless creature removal and in a pinch Ballista fills this role. The ability to turn unused mana into additional +1/+1 counters on your opponents end step is also something to consider.

3. This last card was a bit surprising, but Geoff is really excited and I’m sure Winding Constrictor will be an auto include in the Thallid deck. Spore counters add up quickly with this powerful ability and 2017 may just be the breakout year for Thallids. With a less color dependent casting cost this would have been an interesting ability in an artifact deck that either relies on prison cards like Smokestack and Tangle Wire or with Walking Ballista, Steel Overseer, and Arcbound Ravager.

Concluding Remarks

Thanks for listening and thanks for sticking with us during this transition. We’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or The Mana Drain or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

For episode 30, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) talk about Gen Con, an annual gaming convention with 64,000 attendees and the erstwhile home of the Vintage and Legacy Championships.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:24 – On Feet and False Starts
01:55 – Gen Con Magicking
24:38 – Gen Con Gaming
53:59 – Gen Con Eating and Drinking
Total runtime – 1:08:03

Magical Fun Times at GenCon

With Wizards of the Coast ramping up its presence at PAX and making its Grands Prix larger, more elaborate affairs, Magic: The Gathering at GenCon has taken a back seat to the rest of the conference. Magic events are run by Pastimes, and were smaller overall affairs this year. We played in one Vintage event with 28 players and had a good time, but it’s a far cry from previous years’ events with Vintage and Legacy Champs, and even Worlds.

Many of the players at the Vintage events of GenCon are regulars, coming every year. There’s also a healthy group of new players who may just be getting into the format. Nat tells about playing against a newer player who was using Delver of Secrets with Kiln Fiend and Reckless Charge!

Josh did the best of us, playing BUG Control:

BUG Control and @joshchapple, representing #SeriousVintage in the 2-0 bracket. #GenCon2016 #vintagemtg pic.twitter.com/UKOKT5gQLV

— Grandpa Belcher (@GrandpaBelcher) August 5, 2016

BUG Control, by Josh Chapple, GenCon 2016 Friday VintageBusiness (38)
4 Force of Will
3 Mental Misstep
1 Flusterstorm
2 Cabal Therapy
1 Thoughtseize
1 Null Rod
1 Dismember
3 Abrupt Decay
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
1 Time Walk
2 Painful Truths
1 Dig Through Time
1 Treasure Cruise
1 Demonic Tutor
3 Deathrite Shaman
3 Snapcaster Mage
2 Baleful Strix
2 Trygon Predator
2 Gurmag Angler

Mana Sources (22)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Polluted Delta
3 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
1 Bayou
1 Swamp
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
Sideboard (15)
3 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Nature’s Claim
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Virulent Plague
1 Dread of Night
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Forest
1 Ravenous Trap
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Dismember
1 Murderous Cut
1 Null Rod

From all experiences with the deck, you play some bad cards and then, just when you’re about to lose, you find one that just crushes your opponent.

On Saturday, we played Vintage Artist Constructed, hosted by Josh Krause. The rules for this format are simply Vintage, with the additional restriction that all of your cards need to be illustrated by one artist. It’s a lot of fun, and I would anticipate an event at Eternal Weekend this year.

You can see how much fun I was having here (playing against Sam):

Turn 1 Walking Dead from @GrandpaBelcher. The beat down has started! pic.twitter.com/JqCimXkPIp

— Josh Krause (@OriginalMtGArt) August 6, 2016

But seriously, the format has a surprising amount of life. There are several varied decks and options for people to play, and you can have as much fun or be as competitive as you want, just like regular Vintage.

Gaming Highlights from GenCon

The main reason for going to GenCon (besides the friendship of course!) is for the games. Every year the event hall is wall-to-wall with new games, old favorites, and plenty of accessories and related oddments. Every year improves because you learn more what you want to do and can focus on that. We highly recommend it.

We played many games this year, but the ones we talked about on the podcast were these:
1. Pocket Dungeon Quest, which we referred to as Nethack the Boardgame. It’s a light dungeon crawler that mimics a roguelike computer game.

2. Thief’s Market, a dice splitting and bidding game. We kind of wanted to see this played by different people in different groups. It’s an interesting exercise.

3. Captain Sonar, which is Battleship on Super-Soldier Serum and was a highlight of Gen Con. Here’s the French video if you’re interested.

4. Werewolf, which is really a family of games at Gen Con including Ultimate Werewolf (which adds different roles) and WitchHunt (which gets people yelled at for not playing well).

GenCon Eating and Drinking

We’ve talked about some of our other Indianapolis food experiences (Pearl Street Pizzeria, Punchburger, Patachou) in previous episodes, but the one new place we went this year was Pioneer, which was excellent. They had several house-made sausages, a wide selection of drinks, and a well balanced set of appetizers and entree foods.

Innuendo for dinner. #Pioneer #GenCon2016 pic.twitter.com/usa1bOCaqW

— Grandpa Belcher (@GrandpaBelcher) August 6, 2016

Would highly recommend and will look forward to going back next year.

There was also talk about carrying water and other beverages around the event. I bought a Hydro Flask before GenCon and was impressed at how it kept ice water icy throughout the day. I could fill it with ice in the morning, drink, and still have ice in the afternoon. Jon Hammack, a Team Serious affiliate and friend of the show, recommends a CamelBak backpack-style carrier, which holds enough to not need refilling throughout the day. Both good methods, I’m sure.

Question for Discussion

We closed with a brief and simple question for discussion: What’s your favorite non-Magic game? There’s obviously a lot to choose from whether you like simple card games, complex war games, intense betting games, or relaxing party games. There’s no wrong answer. Except maybe Monopoly.

Concluding Remarks

Thanks for listening, and thanks to everyone who made GenCon great this year! We always look forward to the one-of-a-kind entertainment that “The Best Four Days in Gaming” offers, especially since we get to meet and hang-out with so many great people. We’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or TheManaDrain or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

For episode 47, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) talk with Jerry Yang. Jerry is a longtime Team Serious member and a big influence on many teammates’ love of fun Magic and incredible food. If you want credible, he also has multiple StarCityGames Power 9 Top 8 appearances to his name. But who are we kidding, you don’t listen to this podcast for credibility.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:42 – More Like ComBANion
11:42 – Now THIS Is Podracing: Vintage Unleashed
44:01 – Food & Drink: Staying Inside
1:08:21 – Outro
Total runtime – 1:09:06

Exit, Pursued by a Cat Nightmare

We open our show, picking up where we left off last time, with a discussion on the banning of Lurrus of the Dream Den in Vintage. This was recorded weeks ago, so I imagine everyone has already talked about this a bunch and moved beyond the topic. Some players liked Lurrus changing the face of Vintage, other players didn’t like how ubiquitous it was. Because of the staggered release of Ikoria online and in paper, thanks to coronavirus, many players never even got to play the card.

Anyway, it’s gone now. The cat’s out of the format!

Does this set a precedent for banning other problem cards? Maybe! Are there other problem cards that might need banning? Probably not. Wizards altered the function of the companion ability to make all of them less powerful. Does even Lurrus need to remain banned? Probably not. When will that change get made? Who knows?

UX: Vintage Unleashed

Some people play Vintage for the broken interactions. Winning or losing on turn one isn’t a problem for them, and powerful plays are what they crave. Recent trends in the format have been away from that, though. Vintage players used to be excited when cards were introduced to the format as it brought about much needed change. Now we’ve seen more restrictions pushing power levels down, and they’ve come faster. Karn, the Great Creator, and Mystic Forge were restricted within months of their printings, and Lurrus was banned even before it was playable in paper.

Vintage is still fun, but there’s so many more insane plays to be made. That, and the play-what-you-want mentality of the MTG Underground, led to the formation of the Unrestrict X movement and Vintage Unleashed. (Thanks to Rajah James, our guest last episode, for helping maintain the rules website.) With that format, the idea is opening up the top-end of Vintage. A rising tide lifts all boats, and the Vintage card pool is an ocean vast and deep, with very many boats to sail.

Here is the Vintage Unleashed restricted list in its entirety:
● Ancestral Recall
● Black Lotus
● Demonic Consultation
● Demonic Tutor
● Imperial Seal
● Lion’s Eye Diamond
● Mana Crypt
● Mana Vault
● Merchant Scroll
● Mox Emerald
● Mox Jet
● Mox Pearl
● Mox Ruby
● Mox Sapphire
● Mystical Tutor
● Sol Ring
● Time Walk
● Timetwister
● Tolarian Academy
● Vampiric Tutor
● Wheel of Fortune

The X in Unrestrict X turned out to be 31. Thirty-one cards are freshly unrestricted, and Shahrazad and Lurrus are unbanned. That’s less than half the size of the current Vintage list. What’s left restricted is limited primarily to the Power 9, fast mana, tutors, and unbounded three-mana draw-sevens. And there are a few cards there that are already being looked at for unrestriction. I’ll throw out Lion’s Eye Diamond, Wheel of Fortune, Imperial Seal, and Merchant Scroll as getting that scrutiny.

We talk to Jerry about some of these lifted boats and some of the misapprehensions from players who haven’t yet tried Vintage Unleashed. There are many claims of an unbeatable deck. Players tend to look at the list and immediately throw out something they like (or hate) as obviously the best. If that was your reaction, I very much encourage you to put a build together and try a few games. You probably haven’t found the format killer you imagined.

So what can you do? Flash can be a deck in the format, especially now that it’s reunited with its old friends Brainstorm and Ponder. Or maybe the combination of Channel and Veil of Summer is alluring. Win with Goblin Charbelcher or Memory Jar. Try the Workshop combo route with Mystic Forge and Time Vault. You can play Gitaxian Probe and Mind’s Desire, or Lurrus and Balance, or Gush and Monastery Mentor. Necropotence! Tinker! Yawgmoth’s Will!

Some of these explosive strategies are held back by other restricted cards. Workshops get back Trinisphere, Strip Mine, Thorn of Amethyst, Lodestone Golem, and Chalice of the Void to help lock things in place. Mental Misstep is back, joining the normally free or cheap counterspells: Force of Will, Force of Negation, Mindbreak Trap, and Flusterstorm. Jerry mentions that Collector Ouphe and Lavinia, Azorius Renegade are great with Cavern of Souls. Narset can still rein in an opposing draw engine, and Dredge (with unrestricted Golgari Grave-Troll) is still around keeping people honest.

Combos and decks from different eras get rebuilt or recombined. Do a lot of broken things. Have a lot of fun.

This Sounds Awesome. Where Can I Play?

Glad you asked! Vintage Unleashed is the format for the third tournament in the Team Serious Virtual Realm, July 11 at noon ET. I would love to have a great turnout for this inaugural event!

The signup sheet is here, including a link to the Discord and more complete rules for the format. As with our previous Virtual Realm events, we’ll have a Friday evening Pub Quiz leading up to the tournament on Saturday.

The event is free, but we’ll be doing a raffle for some fun prizes with proceeds going to the Equal Justice Initiative, which focuses on “ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.”

Should be a lot of fun, and people are welcome to join the Discord, hang out, play Pub Quiz, or support the raffle even if they can’t play in the event.

Food & Drink: Quarantine

We admit in the show that having Jerry on to talk about food during a quarantine, when no one is really going out to eat, is kind of like having a fine arts expert talk to you about their kindergartner’s drawings, but it’s a good time.

Jerry in quarantine has looked for easy-to-prepare comfort foods. He recommends several kinds of instant ramen (try Nissin Raoh or Mi Goreng), hot dogs, and frozen burritos and things you can do to enrich them beyond their salty, preserved, comfort-food status. The number one rule is to add an over-easy egg (or boiled or poached egg), but you can also try cilantro and peanuts, lime, greens, fresh vegetables, pickled vegetables, bacon or other protein, various hot sauces and so on. The goal is to get a flavor profile that goes beyond just “salt,” possibly add some nutrition, and maybe add complex textures as well.

There’s also a discussion of macaroni and cheese, harkening back to Episode 43 with Elizabeth where we talked about that as a pregnancy food. For boxes of pasta + cheese, Jerry likes Kraft Dinner, while Josh prefers Cracker Barrel vastly over Annie’s. Josh mixes his “Macaroni+” with frozen mixed vegetables. If you need a pick-me-up in these dark days, I recommend hotdogtopus.

Jerry and Josh also compare the size of their vans (see pics of Josh’s van below), and Geoff talks on the difficulty of getting his young niece and nephews to eat. As it turns out, you can cook frozen chicken nuggets wrong but Marco’s Pizza and E.L. Fudge cookies bring people together.

Questions for Discussion

What cards have you always wanted to play unrestricted in Vintage? Maybe you got to play them and miss them. Maybe you never got to play them at all. What’s the highest ratio of lands to playable revealed cards you’ve gotten off a Mind’s Desire? Jerry’s gotten higher. What’s your quarantine food status like? Anything you like that makes you comfortable in uncomfortable times? And, hey! If you were a hot dog, and you were starving, would you eat yourself? I know I would. First I’d smother myself with brown mustard and relish. I’d be delicious.

Conclusion

Thanks so much again for listening! And thanks to Jerry for helping us talk about the fun new format, Vintage Unleashed. We hope you enjoyed it, and please do join us for the inaugural tournament! Continue being safe and remaining healthy so you can fight oppression. We’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or The Mana Drain or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

For episode 29, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Andy Probasco (@tmdBrassMan) talk with Ben Perry (@DSuperstition) about the recent Team Serious Invitational, Ben’s Two-Card Monte deck, and the #MTGUnderground.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:26 – The Team Serious Invitational
19:36 – Two-Card Monte
38:02 – The MTG Underground
1:01:52 – Outro
Total runtime – 1:02:30

The Team Serious Invitational

It’s interesting that the Team Serious Invitationals get so much attention from the Vintage community beyond the Great Lakes region. They are simply a normal-sized Vintage tournament with the play skill and deck choices one would expect from a local metagame. Of course there’s good competition, but the emphasis is on fun and friendship. There’s no real trick to getting invited other than being fun and friendly. But we can’t open attendance to everyone because it’s often at someone’s house, and we don’t want to broadcast someone’s home address and let just anyone in.

We have legitimate prizes (I won a Tropical Island!), but the winner is also honorably presented with a medal. It’s a crude thing, but it denotes one player who was, for one day, the best Vintage player in this particular group of idiots. At the next Invitational it is then conferred upon the new winner, and so on.

Anyway, the most recent event had 24 players and was won by our guest for this episode, Ben Perry, playing Two-Card Monte. The other Top 4 decks were Burning Omniscience Oath, Bant Mentor, and Mono-White Eldrazi with eight Thalias. I should mention that (playtest) Eldritch Moon cards were legal for this event, ahead of the standard schedule allowed by WotC.

Here is your champion, before the fiasco.

You can also see the finals and other videos of the event in the embedded YouTube playlist below.

Don’t forget to check out the Brass Man Dance – also in the playlist!

Two-Card Monte Two-Card Monte - 1st Place Team Serious InvitationalBusiness (33)
4 Leyline of the Void
4 Helm of Obedience
4 Painter’s Servant
4 Grindstone
4 Goblin Welder
2 Red Elemental Blast
1 Pyroblast
1 Ancient Grudge
2 Defense Grid
1 Memory Jar
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Tinker
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Demonic Consultation
1 Vampiric Tutor

Mana Sources (27)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Mana Confluence
4 Gemstone Mine
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Sideboard (15)
1 Trinisphere
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Balance
2 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Abrupt Decay
2 Nature’s Claim
2 Containment Priest
4 Leyline of Sanctity

You can read more about the deck from Joe Fiorini, who covered it in a recent article (and a special shout out to Joe for writing great Vintage content regularly!).

The basic idea is that you combine Helm of Obedience and Leyline of the Void, or Grindstone and Painter’s Servant, to eliminate your opponent’s library and win the game. The Painter-Grindstone combo is probably evident from reading the cards, but the Leyline-Helm interaction is odd, owing to the odd templating on Helm of Obedience. Essentially, Helm must put a card in the graveyard to finish resolving, and Leyline of the Void prevents that from happening since it’s a replacement effect.

Two-Card Monte has some great properties in the metagame. It looks a lot like a Shops deck, so it can be confusing to opponents who haven’t seen it before. Otherwise it plays like a combo deck that just happens to use artifacts a lot. Mishra’s Workshops help it play through other Shops decks’ lock pieces, and main deck Leyline of the Void let it crush Dredge. And it plays three counterspells and Welders to beat Force of Will.

The greatest fear it has is Null Rod. But why let fear get in the way of greatness?

The MTG Underground

“You are not your DCI number.”

Ben’s greater contribution to the Magic: The Gathering community as a whole is that of the MTG Underground. The idea, essentially, is that Magic is a game for players, and the DCI and Wizards of the Coast are completely tangential to that. You can have fun with Magic cards however you want, whether that’s at the top tables of a Grand Prix, drafting at your local game store on a Friday night, playing proxy Vintage and drinking at a friend’s house, or playing for ante and prop bets at a tiny card table under a bare bulb. Find what’s fun for you and do that.

Magic, the game, has lasting importance and meaning for many. Even if Wizards stops making cards and closes its doors, the game itself can continue in so many ways.

Definitely check out Ben’s blog MTG Underground, where he chronicles his adventures in the MTG Underground. There’s some useful strategic content there, but don’t worry about that. Read it for the story. Recommend it to your friends who don’t play Magic and who want to know why you do.

Question for Discussion

We closed with a question for discussion: How do you participate in the MTG Underground? Proxy Vintage and the various Old School type formats count. So do any cubes or odd variants that you and your friends might play. We talked about a couple of specific events: the “Classic” event that Nick Detwiler is putting together in New York, and the Vintage Artist Constructed event coming up at Gen Con.

Many of these formats take us back to the roots of our Magic history and remind us of the fun we had playing this game when we were younger and there was so much new to discover.

So how do you enjoy Magic when no one’s watching? You can hear some of our answers on the podcast.

Concluding Remarks

Thanks for listening, and thanks again to Ben for joining us! We’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or The Mana Drain or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

For episode 28, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), Josh Chapple (@joshchapple), and Andy Probasco (@tmdBrassMan) look at the coming storm of Eldrazi in Vintage Magic: The Gathering, how should players prepare for it, and how should it be treated grammatically.


00:30 – The Eldrazi Are Coming
22:00 – What Do We Do When the Eldrazi Get Here?
43:53 – How Do We Pronounce Eldrazi, Anyway?
53:47 – Outro
Total runtime – 0:54:19

The Eldrazi Are Coming!

We jump right in on the podcast talking about various flavors of Eldrazi decks, examples of which are listed below.

White Eldrazi, by Andy Probasco - 5th Place NYSE IVBusiness (30)
1 Chalice of the Void
4 Thorn of Amethyst
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Vryn Wingmare
3 Containment Priest
4 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Eldrazi Displacer
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Reality Smasher
1 Lodestone Golem

Mana Sources (30)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Eldrazi Temple
4 Cavern of Souls
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
1 Karakas
3 Plains
2 Snow-Covered Plains
Sideboard (15)
2 Aegis of the Gods
1 Dismember
1 Containment Priest
2 Disenchant
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Umezawa’s Jitte
2 Tormod’s Crypt
2 Swords to Plowshares
1 Rest in Peace

White Eldrazi has a lot of creatures with abilities. It can control the board with Eldrazi Displacer (with or without its combo-buddy Containment Priest), and can shut down spellcasting with Thalia, Vryn Wingmare, Thorn, and Lodestone. It’s got a lot of controlling cards and good answers to the threats of the format. A similar list took first at Eternal Extravaganza IV.

JacoDrazi, by Jason Jaco - 10th Place NYSE IVBusiness (35)
1 Chalice of the Void
4 Null Rod
3 Dismember
3 Warping Wail
1 Crucible of Worlds
2 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Eldrazi Mimic
2 Matter Reshaper
4 Endless One
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Reality Smasher
3 Endbringer

Mana Sources (25)
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Eldrazi Temple
3 Eye of Ugin
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Cavern of Souls
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
3 Ghost Quarter
Sideboard (15)
4 Leyline of Sanctity
4 Leyline of the Void
4 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Spatial Contortion
1 Warping Wail
1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger

Tribal Eldrazi (which also made the finals of the Eternal Extravaganza IV) has bigger creatures than everything else in Vintage. To keep unfair decks in line, it has Null Rod. It’s a classic aggro-style Vintage deck. It will beat you on the ground, to the ground, and into the ground. If it doesn’t do that, it gets out-Vintaged.

Ravager Aggro Workshops, by Andy Markiton - 1st PlaceBusiness (34)
1 Chalice of the Void
4 Sphere of Resistance
4 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Trinisphere
4 Tangle Wire
4 Arcbound Ravager
4 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Lodestone Golem
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Triskelion
3 Hangarback Walker

Mana Sources (26)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Eldrazi Temple
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
Sideboard (15)
4 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Tormod’s Crypt
3 Crucible of Worlds
2 Dismember
2 Witchbane Orb

This is, seemingly, the logical progression of Shops post Lodestone Golem restriction – cut three Lodestone Golems to make room for four Thought-Knot Seers. The lock pieces are similar to previous recent Workshops decks, but Seer makes the deck more resilient against artifact removal. Even Hurkyl’s Recall, which used to be catch-all artifact beater, might still leave lethal 4/4s on the board.

Eldrazi has so far been a great, fun, and formidable addition to the format. If it continues being successful and if the Tribal Eldrazi version takes off as a budget option, Eldrazi will be a significant player for a long time.

What Do We Do When the Eldrazi Get Here?

After introducing the decks, we talk about how to beat them. Bigger creatures, more removal, and better cards seem like obvious plays, but how to go about building a new deck. There are a few good ideas here, from Painter’s Servant and Blood Moon to Path to Exile and Gurmag Angler. Some Vintage players might have to completely rethink how they look at the format.

How Do We Even Pronounce Eldrazi?

We wrap up with everyone’s favorite topic: grammar. I’m not sure if Wizards has weighed in on the singular versus plural of Eldrazi. If you use Eldrazi as the plural and Eldrazo as the singular, it lends a fun European flare to the game, though.

Wizards has weighed in on the plural of Tarmogoyf (though I can’t find the reference right now), saying it’s Tarmogoyfs. That’s no fun, especially if Tarmogoyf regains popularity against Eldrazi. The obvious analog is wolf. Wolf, wolves; Tarmogoyf, Tarmogoyves. Try it. It’s comforting.

And one of the answers we suggest for Eldrazi, Baleful Strix, does, in fact, have a plural. You can attack with a flock of Striges.

Conclusion and Question for Discussion

Thanks for listening! We’re excited at the prospect of Eldrazi changing the face of Vintage Magic. How do you feel about it? Now that people can turn their Standard cards into a Vintage deck, how do you plan to react to the metagame shift? Do you want to see more creatures attacking the format, or are you an old-school wizard who likes casting spells that don’t require feeding? We’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

For episode 27, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), Josh Chapple (@joshchapple), and Sam Krohlow (@sillysam71) whine about Workshops in Vintage, and then get down to business talking about where to eat at GP Columbus and Eternal Weekend.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:28 – Gushing in My Pants
10:55 – Columbus is a Many-Splendored Thing
58:30 – Outro
Total runtime – 0:59:13

Whither Workshops

Because we’re still a Vintage Magic: The Gathering podcast, we open with a few thoughts about the Vintage metagame. The recent restrictions of Chalice of the Void and Lodestone Golem seem so far to have done more harm than good, as the environment has tilted heavily towards blue. In the most recent MTGO Power 9 Challenge, 27 out of 60 players played Gush, and only four played Workshops. We think that’s kind of a problem.

However, we hope that things can still adjust as Shops pilots find their place again in the world. Mishra’s Workshop is too good to be this bad.

The Point of the Podcast

Obviously the big upcoming event for us is Eternal Weekend, but we’ll get to that in a second.

June 10, 11, and 12 is Grand Prix Columbus. The main event is Legacy, and players get a neat Stoneforge Mystic promo, but there’s also Vintage scheduled all three days:
– Friday, June 10 at 3 p.m. $25 entry for 5 rounds with points payout
– Saturday, June 11 at 11 a.m. $25 entry for 5 rounds with points payout
– Sunday, June 12 at noon. Vintage Challenge! $30 entry with Swiss rounds based on attendance and points payout

Eternal Weekend is moving from Philadelphia to Columbus and will be October 27–30. Be there! Vintage is on Friday (which is kind of awkward) and Legacy is on Saturday, with the finals for both at non-conflicting times on Sunday. You should come; you’ll have a great time. There’s hot Eternal MTG action and more all four days.

Columbus Tips

This should prove to be a big year for Eternal MTG in Ohio as we have a Legacy Grand Prix coming up the second weekend in June and Eternal Weekend the last weekend in October. As a resident of Columbus for the last six years (and another three years from 2005 to 2008), I’ll admit I’m excited. I think Columbus is a great town and am excited that other people will get to experience it. Let me be the first to welcome you and say, “Have fun!”

Keep in mind for both events that they start on weekdays, and Columbus is a commuter city. That means employees will be driving into and around the downtown area, making morning traffic slow and competing for parking. There should be parking at Convention Center area hotels and nearby garages, but make sure you leave enough time to negotiate traffic and finding a space if you need to get to a morning event.

Also note that the Columbus Clippers are home all weekend for the GP, so there will be fans in and around the stadium in the Arena District. That shouldn’t affect the Convention Center too much, but expect some heavier traffic and parking. Clippers games are a lot of fun if you’re done with your day early and want to just hang out, eat stadium food, and watch some baseball. Tickets are usually available at the gate and are affordable.

The Saturday of Eternal Weekend is an Ohio State football home game. All of the bars will have extra people that night since Columbus loves its Buckeyes, so you might have a long wait anywhere that serves alcohol and has TVs.

Dining Out Ohio Style

We mention a lot of restaurants in the podcast, so I made a map that I think breaks down the most important ones. The Google Map I used starts around the Convention Center and then shows what’s an easy walk. The marked areas on this map should be relatively safe for visitors, but protect yourself anyway. Don’t take cards anywhere you don’t need to and be aware of your surroundings.

Greater Columbus Convention Center (red highlight, labeled CC) – This is where the Magic happens. Note that if you do map the Convention Center, it will actually center on the smaller southern part of the building across Convention Center Drive via skywalk. Every big event I’ve been to there has been in the much larger northern section.

High Street (north-south green highlight) – High Street runs the length of Columbus straight down the middle. From the Convention Center, going north on High Street will take you immediately to the Short North, then to the Ohio State Campus, then beyond to Clintonville and Worthington. Most of the Short North is within a half-hour walk. Going south from the Convention Center will take you to the Arena District then the City Center with the Ohio Statehouse and then beyond to German Village. Walking from the Convention Center to any of the German Village locations we talked about would probably be about an hour, but it’s an easy 10 minute drive.

Arena District (east-west purple highlight) – The Arena District runs east from High Street along Nationwide Boulevard, past Nationwide Arena (home of Columbus Blue Jackets hockey and monster trucks) to Huntington Park (home of Columbus Clippers baseball). Most of the restaurants are chain restaurants and sports bar type things, but they’ll be good and are all nearby. Since the Clippers are home throughout GP Columbus, that area might be busy.

Short North (north-south blue highlight along High Street) – The Short North is a dining, shopping, and entertainment mecca that runs along High Street. It starts immediately across Goodale Avenue north of the Convention Center and runs up to around 5th Avenue. As mentioned, it’s probably a half-hour walk from Goodale to 5th.

North Market (#1) – North Market should be your go-to place for quick, light meals during the day. Similar to Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market, they have many different food vendors, so there’s something for everyone, from Vietnamese and Indian to Polish and German. There’s also a Jeni’s Ice Cream stand. We mention a few of our favorite booths in the podcast. (Also, directly south of the Market, across the street, there’s a parking garage; that’s the one we use.)

Rodizio Grill (#2) – If you like meat-sweats, Rodizio Grill is going to be the go-to Brazilian steakhouse for these events. It’s within walking distance. None of us had been there, but “Brazilian steakhouse” was one of our most requested venues. The other option is going to be Texas de Brazil at Easton, which will be a 20 minute car ride from the Convention Center.

Melt Bar & Grilled (#3) – Home of delicious, deluxe grilled cheese, Melt is going to be our consensus recommended dinner experience. It’s a 10 minute walk north of the Convention Center. There you will find cheesey goodness, beer, and a 25% discount if you have a Melt tattoo. Piles of cheese and carbs are hard to miss. There’s a second Melt at Easton too.

Northstar Cafe (#4) – This was our recommended breakfast place, but they also have a lunch and dinner menu. Northstar has local, organic food and is regularly quite tasty. As mentioned, they’re on the pricy side for what you get (eggs and a biscuit, for example), but the food is top notch. You can also get alcohol for breakfast. Right across the street is White Castle, which is worth the experience if you’ve never been. (A Crave Case of 30 sliders and a Donato’s pepperoni pizza, also in the Short North, was the recommended Columbus Meal, easily shared by four people.)

Brother’s Drake Meadery & Bar (#5) – The Meadery (actually at the corner of 5th and Courtland avenues) is at the farther north end of the Short North, about a half-hour walk from the Convention Center. Mead is an interesting experience if you’ve never had it, and walking up there will take you by much of what the Short North has to offer. Turn right at Condado’s Tacos, or stop in for some Condado’s Tacos.

Everything else we’re just going to sort of list because you can use Google. Definitely check your favorite restaurant review site in advance and pick some places out.

Near the Convention Center (5 minutes walk)
Barley’s Brewing Company (American/pub)
Bareburger (burgers)
Kooma Sushi
R Bar
Gallerie Bar & Bistro
Double Comfort
Martini Modern Italian
Char Bar

Short North (20 minutes walk)
Hyde Park Prime Steakhouse
Stack City Burger Bar
Marcella’s (Italian)
The Pearl (steak and seafood)
Brassica (Greek Chipotle)
Mac’s Cafe (American/pub)
Level Dining Lounge
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
Bakersfield Short North (tacos)
The Pint House (American/pub)
Melt Bar & Grilled
Whit’s Frozen Custard
Basil (Thai)
UDF (a convenience store with an ice-cream fountain)
Donato’s Pizza
Northstar Cafe
White Castle
Condado Tacos

Arena District (10 minutes walk)
Rodizio Grill
Chipotle
Buca di Beppo (Italian)
Bd’s Mongolian Grill
Gordon Biersch (American/pub)

German Village (45+ minute walk, 10 minute drive)
Thurman Cafe (burgers)
Easy Street Cafe (Greek/pub)
Harvest/Curio (pizza)
Schmidt’s Sausage Haus (German)
The Old Mohawk (German/American)
Barcelona (Spanish tapas)
Katzinger’s Delicatessen

Elsewhere
Dirty Frank’s (hotdogs)
Los Guachos (listed by the Food Network as Top 5 Tacos in America)
101 Beer Kitchen (American/pub)

Drinking
Middle West Spirits
Watershed Distillery
Elevator Brewing Company
Land Grant (near Strongwater restaurant, also good)
Brother’s Drake Meadery
16-Bit (drinks and free arcade games)
Kingmakers (drinks and board games)

Other Areas and Activities

If you want to escape the Convention Center and downtown areas. We also mentioned Cameron Mitchell as Columbus’s big-name restaurateur. Many of his restaurants will be elsewhere by car in one of these areas.

Grandview – 15 minutes by car, lots of restaurants and bars.
Bethel Road – 20 minutes by car, good for various Asian restaurants of all kinds, also Los Guachos
Easton – 20 minutes by car, shopping area with lots of chain restaurants and other options (second Melt location, second Northstar)
Polaris – 20 minutes by car, shopping area with lots of chain restaurants and different options

Conclusion

Thanks for listening! We’re excited that Columbus is going to host a lot of new faces for some fun Vintage and Legacy Magic. Truly, you won’t be disappointed by the options here. We mentioned a lot but didn’t even come close to talking about all of them. We’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com. And when you do get to Columbus, stop by and say, “Hey!”

In episode 26, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Andy “Brass Man” Probasco (@tmdbrassman) discuss the changes afoot in Vintage since the restriction of Lodestone Golem.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
0:00:56 – Wherefore Art Thou, Lodestone?
0:03:44 – What Happens Now? (Shops)
0:21:51 – What Happens Now? (Not Shops)
0:50:51 – Serious Culture
Total runtime 1:03:10

Wherefore Art Thou, Lodestone?

This was an obvious topic, and one that had to be discussed immediately, but the one thing we didn’t want to do was complain about the “why” of the restriction. Essentially, it’s too late. Way too late if we’re to believe Magic designer Ethan Fleischer:

@JMJACO @ErikLauer @mtgaaron @EternalCentral Due to the lead-time necessary for MTGO, all B&R decisions for SOI were made 3 weeks ago.

— Ethan Fleischer (@EthanFleischer) March 29, 2016

There were arguments and emotions on both sides of the restricted aisle. Other cards were brought up for restriction or unrestriction, and points were made all around – good and bad, meaningful and not. At this point though, the only thing that matters is the outcome: Lodestone Golem is restricted. Vintage will still be fun, Mishra’s Workshop will still be playable, and you should continue playing what you want. Fear not. Look to the future.

What Happens Now?

There’s a lot to consider about the prospective format. We look at changes to Workshops, including the potential resurgence of colored Shops decks and the likely continued strength of mono-brown versions. Then we look similarly at Gush-based blue decks, non-Gush blue decks, Storm, Hatebears, Dredge, and Oath. There are brief explorations of specific decks and of individual cards.

It should be a lot of good food for thought—lots of ideas to pick up and run with. It’s too much to summarize, so listen and draw your own conclusions. In a few months you can listen again and let us know how right or wrong we are.

If you want specifics: this won’t be the return of Slaver, but someone will almost certainly try Slash Panther.

Serious Culture

We close the discussion with 45 minutes on cottage cheese and other cultured dairy products. Geoff experienced some cottage cheese dumplings with cardamom sauce at an Indian restaurant. These were delicious, partly because they contained more carbs than a can of soda. Nat referenced this XKCD comic with regard to the sugar content.

It is in fact two Creme Eggs to one can of soda. Sugar is delicious.

The topic of cottage cheese led to Nat’s favorite pancakes (which were also referenced in Episode 17).

Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon or pinch ground nutmeg (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 cup full-fat or low-fat cottage cheese
3 tbsp butter, melted
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
2 large egg whites

Directions:
1. Lightly butter, oil, or spray griddle, if needed, and preheat it over medium heat.
2. Whisk together in a large bowl the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk together in a second bowl the milk, cottage cheese, butter, egg yolks, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently whisk them together, mixing just until combined. Beat the egg whites until peaks are stiff but not dry then fold them into the batter.
3. Spoon 1/3 cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook until the top of each pancake is starting to dry around the edges then turn and cook until the underside is lightly browned.

They’re good enough to repeat here. Trust us. If you want to learn more about cottage cheese, Nat also referenced an NPR piece on the stuff.

Andy, it turns out, likes kefir. We learn about kefir (“It’s like a drinkable yogurt that’s very lightly carbonated?”) and hypothesize the “kefirita.” We had no idea how much we wanted to talk about cultured dairy products.

Concluding Remarks

Thanks for listening! We look forward to any questions or comments here or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

In episode 25, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), Josh Chapple (@joshchapple), and Andy “Brass Man” Probasco (@tmdbrassman) look at mistakes — mistakes we make, mistakes we see others make, and maybe how to correct them.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
0:00:29 Misplaying Vintage
0:22:27 The Most Savage Cheat Ever
0:48:00 Serious Green Cards
1:02:30 A Little Food and Drink
Total runtime 1:02:57

Misplaying Vintage

Geoff was the brainchild behind this section, recognizing in himself some of the more difficult lessons that need to be learned over the course of a Magic playing career. Our discussion is wide ranging, taking in such facets as proper deck construction, sideboarding, determining role (essentially “Who’s The Beatdown”), reading cards fully, managing time, and staying in game. There’s a lot in this discussion, more than would be worth unpacking here since it’s already presented in hour long audio form.

Vintage is a complex format and can swing wildly because the cards are so powerful. Many of our ideas are somewhat general to Magic, but we do look specifically at Vintage situations, where most of our experience lies. We see a lot of overlap with a lot of anecdotes; there’s like 50 years of Vintage experience here. We could have talked longer, but think of it as the beginning of a dialogue players should have with themselves (as cheesy as that sounds).

There’s also a surprising amount of talk about Dry Spell.

Serious Green Cards

A short section of mirth, we talk about our favorite green cards. Not one of them is Oath.

This section contains one of my favorite stories, about my first cube draft ever (as I discovered looking through my old blog) in 2007:
In my first draft, with The King and Guhstin on my team against Jeff, Twaun, and Budweg, I was starting to draft mostly black. I had picked up Demonic Tutor some removal cards like Nekrataal and topdecked a Hypnotic Specter. I had Dark Ritual and Cabal Coffers too. Then Darksteel Colossus came around and my goal became getting that into play with mana acceleration. Then Channel came around. Then Vampiric Tutor. Then Sylvan Tutor.

Suddenly my deck became combo-avec-jank. I had six cards to combo with: three tutors, Channel, the Iron Giant, and Recollect in case something went wrong. In a 40 card format, I liked my odds. The rest of my cards were pretty inconsequential, though I had some removal and some guys.

We shuffled up for the first game, me across from Budweg’s rightflank, Twaun. My opening hand has Forest, Llanowar Elf, Demonic Tutor, Channel, Swamp, Swamp, Lotus Petal. Undisrupted, that is a second turn Darksteel.

I showed my hand to my teammates, and Guhstin started freaking out! If this were to work, it would be the most amazing thing ever in Cube draft.

I played a Llanowar Elf and passed, trying to be casual. Twaun sent a Lightning Bolt at its head, trying to slow my development. I thought my clock had been pushed back to third turn, but Guhstin gesticulates wildly to show that it wasn’t. Finally I realized what he was talking about. I played another land and Lotus Petal, then Channeled into Demonic Tutor for Darksteel, sending myself to eight life.

Darksteel romped all over Twaun’s life total, then got a healthy 11 in on Budweg before it was Duplicanted. We still had enough juice to finish them off, though, and a Ravenous Baloth from me punched through for the victory.

Game two was pretty much the same story, though I didn’t have to tutor for Darksteel.

Geoff, of course, talked about Thallid and referenced this article citing it as one of the faster one-drop goldfish creatures in the game.

A Little Food and Drink

Still looking at St. Patrick’s day, here’s some beer.
– Conway’s Irish Ale – I had one tonight and I stand by my recommendation. It’s crisp and refreshing. And it’s nicely inoffensive, especially in a world where so many brews are (in my opinion) overhopped.
– Redbreast Irish Whiskey – Josh recommends whiskey, and why not? The accolades on the website are impressive (and did you watch the movie?). Maybe combine both, ho ho ho.

Concluding Remarks

Thanks for listening! We hope to do more regular podcasting in 2015. We look forward to any questions or comments here or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

Thanks also to everyone who supported our Teespring campaign. Our listener support raised more than $100 for our efforts, which we plan to put into new recording and streaming technology for the Serious Vintage broadcast empire. We’ve gotten lots of great feedback from our listeners over the years, so please know that we wouldn’t be here without you.

For episode 24, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), Josh Chapple (@joshchapple), and Andy “Brass Man” Probasco ()@tmdbrassman look at some recent Vintage Magic: The Gathering results, namely the recent MTGO Power 9 Challenge, and the Team Serious Open. It’s one of our longest episodes ever, and we have lots of detail and discussions of the decks, and their relation to the Vintage metagame.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
0:00:27 – Power Nine Challenge and Team Serious Split Format Recap
1:02:05 – Unsolved Mysteries of the VSL
1:02:28 – Deck Choice in Vintage
1:29:56 – Pizza!
Total runtime – 1:38:49

What’s New in Vintage

Now that Vintage is available through MTGO, there are sizeable events online. It’s a reasonable way to look at what’s going on in the format. More than looking at a 20-player online or offline event, anyway. The results from the January 20 MTGO Power 9 Challenge (with 100 players!) are here, and we look at the top 16 decks.

While TheManaDrain.com is being refurbished by the capable hands of our own Brass Man, the decklists from the Team Serious Open are unavailable (we’ll update this post when they are up). The two we talk about most are below, featuring Dragons and more Dragons!

Worldgorger Dragon Combo, by Nat Moes and JR GoldbergBusiness (38)
3 Worldgorger Dragon
3 Animate Dead
1 Dance of the Dead
1 Necromancy
2 Thoughtseize
1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Timetwister
1 Deep Analysis
1 Dig Through Time
1 Mental Misstep
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Treasure Cruise
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
4 Force of Will
2 Intuition
3 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
2 Gitaxian Probe
2 Flusterstorm
4 Bazaar of Baghdad

Mana Sources (22)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
4 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta
2 Island
1 Swamp
3 Underground Sea
1 Tundra
Sideboard (15)
2 Cavern of Souls
1 Plains
1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
2 Monastery Mentor
1 Auriok Salvagers
1 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Steel Sabotage
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Serenity
3 Containment Priest
Hellkite Control, by Rick GideonBusiness (35)
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
2 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Dig Through Time
2 Flusterstorm
4 Force of Will
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
3 Mana Drain
3 Mental Misstep
1 Misdirection
4 Preordain
2 Snapcaster Mage
1 Time Walk
1 Treasure Cruise
3 Lightning Bolt
3 Thundermaw Hellkite
1 Dack Fayden

Mana Sources (26)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
1 Cavern of Souls
2 Flooded Strand
3 Island
2 Mana Confluence
1 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
1 Strip Mine
4 Volcanic Island
3 Wasteland
Sideboard (15)
1 Dack Fayden
4 Grafdigger’s Cage
3 Hurkyl’s Recall
2 Mindbreak Trap
2 Pyroblast
3 Steel Sabotage

I’ll note here (as I believe I did in the audio as well) that I lose regularly to Thundermaw Hellkite in testing. We also talk about the most recent slate of Vintage Super League decks. Information for them can be found through that website.

Seriously, though, what’s up with those sideboarded Moxes?

If you’re at a loss deciding what to play in Vintage, we give some suggestions to that end. Thanks to everyone who participated in my impromptu Twitter poll. There’s a lot that goes into choosing, but the greatest suggestion comes from Jerry Yang: “Play whatever gives you a boner.” (Feel free to paraphrase for your own genitalia.)

Pizza Power!

We wrap up by talking about some of our favorite pizza places.

Some of the places we mention:
– Jet’s Pizza – Detroit-style crusty pizza available in the Midwest. It’s really good. And they made heart-shaped pizza’s for Valentine’s Day.
– Via 313 – Detroit-style pizza that Josh had in Texas. Balsamic reduction, man.
– Bennie Blanco’s – A late-night slice in Denver that Josh enjoys.
– Pizza Papalis – Geoff’s favorite place in Toledo also in Michigan. He’s never had the Chicago-style there.
– Harvest Pizzeria – Nat’s favorite place in Columbus. Try the Spicy Yuma!
– Ernesto’s Old World Pizza – After Brass Man said there was no good pizza in Boston, he remembered this place and raved about it. Get it by the slice.
– Antonio’s Pizzas – Brass Man also likes this by-the-slice place in Providence, Rhode Island.
– Frank’s Pizza and Grill – This is the giant calzone-style stuffed pizza place in Maryland that Nat couldn’t remember.

As you can see from the list, we like pizza. Who doesn’t like pizza?

Support Serious Vintage

The Serious Vintage Podcast and Team Serious tournament streaming activities are done with love for the Vintage format and the community surrounding it. Until February 23 (one more day!) we’re running a Teespring fundraiser campaign to raise money to improve podcasting and streaming technology (better mics, software, cameras and setup). You can help by ordering a shirt and showing your love for what we do. Several colors and sizes are available, including hoodies!

Thanks to everyone who has already ordered and helped us out. Together we’ll cast some love, targeting the Vintage format!

Concluding Remarks

Thanks for listening! We hope to do more regular podcasting in 2015. We look forward to any questions or comments here or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

For episode 23, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) bring back Andy “Brass Man” Probasco (@tmdbrassman) as a regular member of the crew. They discuss the things they missed in a year-long absence from podcasting, including Champs, format changes, and the Team Serious Invitational in December.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
0:00:29 – A Year Later and All Our Predictions Were Wrong
0:42:04 – Proxy/Playtest Panic
0:57:12 – January 2016 B&R
1:03:47 – Terrible Mistakes in Drinking
Total runtime – 1:12:50

Have You Seen These Decks?

These decks were unwitting victims to the 2016 Banned & Restricted List changes.

Dragonlord Oath, by Brian Kelly, 2015 Vintage Champs 1st PlaceBusiness (35)
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Auriok Salvagers
1 Brainstorm
2 Dack Fayden
2 Dig Through Time
1 Dragonlord Dromoka
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Flusterstorm
3 Force of Will
3 Gitaxian Probe
1 Griselbrand
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Mental Misstep
4 Oath of Druids
1 Ponder
2 Pyrite Spellbomb
1 Repeal
2 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Sylvan Library
1 Time Walk

Mana Sources (25)
1 Black Lotus
2 Flooded Strand
4 Forbidden Orchard
1 Island
1 Library of Alexandria
3 Mana Confluence
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
2 Polluted Delta
1 Sol Ring
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Tropical Island
1 Tundra
1 Volcanic Island
Sideboard (15)
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Magus of the Moat
1 Mental Misstep
2 Nature’s Claim
2 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
2 Steel Sabotage
2 Sudden Shock
3 Tormod’s Crypt

Following Champs, when players should have been interested in picking up and playing the first-place list from the largest Vintage tournament of the year – few did. The Restricted List changed the format, and Brian Kelly’s genius was all but forgotten. We also point out that the list’s infinite combo using Auriok Salvagers and Black Lotus is nearly unplayable online (without a lot of work), another strike for the deck in a format that is more and more online-centric.

Blue Moon, by Alex DelgadoBusiness (36)
2 Consecrated Sphinx
3 Magus of the Moon
2 Dack Fayden
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Chalice of the Void
2 Dig Through Time
1 Echoing Truth
2 Fire // Ice
2 Flusterstorm
4 Force of Will
3 Mana Drain
1 Merchant Scroll
2 Mindbreak Trap
2 Misdirection
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Time Walk
1 Treasure Cruise

Mana Sources (24)
2 Ancient Tomb
2 Flooded Strand
6 Island
1 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
1 Tolarian Academy
2 Volcanic Island
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
Sideboard (15)
4 Ingot Chewer
2 Sulfur Elemental
4 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Hurkyl’s Recall
3 Ravenous Trap

Similarly, The Answer (aka Blue Moon aka UR Control) disappeared after its four-of bomb Chalice of the Void was restricted. The deck was a metagame choice, doing well against Delver and Workshops with lots of flexible control. It leaned hard on Chalice, though, using it against cantrip-fueled blue opponents and skimping on its own one-drops to dodge the effect. Of course there are options to fill in the restricted cards, including potentially running Thirst for Knowledge, but the deck has largely disappeared.

New decks are coming in, too. We talk about the new prevalence of Storm, the continued existence of URx Delver, and the rise of Monastery Mentor decks in its various form. We also take a look at Shops, with more creatures, big and small.

And we talk a little about 5C Artificers.

5C Artificers, via MTGOBusiness (30)
3 Abrupt Decay
1 Ancestral Recall
2 Batterskull
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Duplicant
3 Ethersworn Canonist
2 Goblin Welder
4 Master Transmuter
1 Memory Jar
1 Myr Battlesphere
2 Nether Void
3 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Sundering Titan
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Trinisphere
1 Triskelion

Mana Sources (30)
1 Black Lotus
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Chromatic Lantern
4 City of Brass
4 Mana Confluence
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
4 Mishra’s Workshop
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
1 Tolarian Academy
Sideboard (15)
2 Aegis of the Gods
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Balance
1 Batterskull
3 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Inkwell Leviathan
1 Mindslaver
1 Pithing Needle
3 Rest in Peace
1 Stoneforge Mystic

Artificers, as a tribe, have a lot of crazy members, notably Goblin Welder, Master Transmuter, and Stoneforge Mystic. This deck combines all of them into one crazy bomb-throwing machine. I don’t know that any of us have particular experience with the deck, but it looks like a ton of fun.

There’s also a little about Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy, where we talk about his use in Dragon.

Dragon Combo, by JR Goldberg and Jimmy McCarthyBusiness (38)
3 Worldgorger Dragon
3 Animate Dead
1 Dance of the Dead
1 Necromancy
4 Bazaar of Baghdad
2 Thoughtseize
1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Timetwister
1 Deep Analysis
1 Dig Through Time
1 Mental Misstep
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Treasure Cruise
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
4 Force of Will
2 Intuition
3 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
2 Gitaxian Probe
2 Flusterstorm

Mana Sources (21)
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
4 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta
2 Island
1 Swamp
3 Underground Sea
1 Tundra
Sideboard (15)
2 Cavern of Souls
1 Plains
1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
2 Monastery Mentor
1 Auriok Salvagers
1 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Steel Sabotage
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Serenity
3 Containment Priest

Dragon may or may not be a metagame killer, but it finds great use for Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy, as both a card advantage tool and a discard outlet to get rid of unwanted cards in hand, namely Worldgorger Dragon. Having played it recently, it’s a fun deck with many strange interactions, and it has a real neat sideboard.

Overall the format still seems like it’s changing – lots of fun stuff to do, or at least try.

Things to Not Try

Following the Vintage Magic: The Gathering discussion, we look at drinks. Bad drinks.

By its own admission, Malört is “Not for the faint of heart.” I, and some others at the recent Team Serious Invitational, tried it and found it bad but not as bad as advertised. I kind of wanted to mix it with a grapefruit shandy.

The Jaegerita, however, is better. As described it’s mostly sugar and alcohol, so it can’t be too bad. Pour a glass of margarita mix and tequila, and layer a shot of Jaegermeister on top of it.

It looks like swampwater but it tastes like something else. I highly recommend them after great defeat, as a Jaegerita will lift one’s spirits.

On a more serious note, Josh Chapple recommends Boulevard Brewing Company’s Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale, which is apparently good with a splash of orange juice. (He recommends it on warm days, so you can prepare for it now, while it’s still winter.)

Nat has been drinking hard cider with a shot of bourbon and a splash of orange liqueur. The bourbon makes the cider a little more potent and the liqueur takes some of the bite out of the bourbon. It’s quite a combo – easy to drink but worthwhile, if you catch my meaning…

Support Serious Vintage

The Serious Vintage Podcast and Team Serious tournament streaming activities are done with love for the Vintage format and the community surrounding it. For the next three weeks (until February 23) we’re running a Teespring fundraiser campaign to raise money to improve podcasting and streaming technology (better mics, software, cameras and setup). You can help by ordering a shirt and showing your love for what we do. Several colors and sizes are available, including hoodies!

Together we’ll cast Force of Love, targeting the Vintage format!

Concluding Remarks

Thanks for listening! We hope to do more regular podcasting in 2015. We look forward to any questions or comments here or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

For episode 22, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) invited Andy “Brassman” Probasco to talk about the recent changes in the Vintage metagame: Treasure Cruise’s restriction, Gifts Ungiven’s unrestriction, and the arrival of Fate Reforged.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:27 – Treasure Cruising Into the Sunset
10:03 – Gifts Unrestricted
44:54 – Monk Business
55:15 – Outro
Total runtime – 53:23

Show Notes

I don’t want to cover too much here because the discussion was so lively and fairly comprehensive. We were all surprised but not shocked by Treasure Cruise, but the big topic was Gifts Ungiven, hence our special guest. You can read Brassman’s collected SCG articles here, and a lot of that content will be worthwhile for seeing where Gifts Ungiven came from and where it might go in the future. The first Gifts Era was a high point for Vintage and its writing, so there is a wealth of historic and historical information on that site from Brassman, Stephen Menendian, and others.

Anyway, here’s Brassman’s Empty Gifts list circa 2007, shortly before Gifts Ungiven was restricted. He talks about it being his favorite variant.

Empty Gifts 2K7, by Andy ProbascoBusiness (36)
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Brainstorm
1 Dark Ritual
4 Force of Will
3 Gifts Ungiven
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
4 Mana Drain
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Pyroblast
3 Repeal
1 Skeletal Scrying
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Empty the Warrens
3 Merchant Scroll
1 Recoup
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Time Walk
1 Timetwister
1 Yawgmoth’s Will

Mana Sources (24)
1 Lotus Petal
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Library of Alexandria
4 Polluted Delta
1 Flooded Strand
2 Underground Sea
3 Volcanic Island
2 Island
1 Snow-Covered Island
Sideboard (15)
2 Pithing Needle
1 Tormod’s Crypt
2 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Pyroblast
1 Rebuild
2 Red Elemental Blast
1 Repeal
3 Duress
2 Empty the Warrens
Concluding Remarks

Thanks for listening! We hope to do more regular podcasting in 2015. We look forward to any questions or comments here or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

In episode 21 Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) are joined by teammate and Eternal Games store owner Paul Kim to talk about the Team Serious Holiday Invitational, get a store’s perspective on Vintage, and look ahead to 2015.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:25 – ‘Recalls on the River’ (aka Team Serious Invitational) Wrapup
11:00 – Glass City Vault (aka Notion Thief in Combo decks)
13:35 – Nat Moes on his Dig Through Gush deck
15:30 – Jeskai Ascendancy in Vintage
27:59 – A Store Owner’s Perspective on Vintage, with Paul Kim
37:20 – Looking Ahead to Vintage in 2015
Total Runtime – 47:01

Recalls on the River (aka Team Serious Invitational December 6 2014) Video Playlist

Dig Through Gush

This is the list Nat used to claim victory at the Team Serious Holiday Invitational on December 6 2014.

Dig Through Gush, by Nat Moes, 1st Place, Team Serious Holiday InvitationalBusiness (41)
4 Force of Will
1 Misdirection
1 Flusterstorm
3 Thoughtseize
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
4 Gush
4 Preordain
1 Ponder
1 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Dig Through Time
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Tinker
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Regrowth
1 Fastbond
1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Voltaic Key
1 Time Vault
1 Tendrils of Agony

Mana Sources (19)
1 Lotus Petal
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Tolarian Academy
2 Polluted Delta
4 Misty Rainforest
3 Underground Sea
2 Tropical Island
1 Island
Sideboard (15)
1 Forest
2 Trygon Predator
2 Ravenous Trap
1 Surgical Extraction
2 Abrupt Decay
1 Toxic Deluge
3 Nature’s Claim
2 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Hurkyl’s Recall

The only thing to add about this deck is that you’re probably playing too few delve spells if anything. They are really that good, and there’s rarely ‘too much delve.’ If you’re interested in reading more about the deck, Nat wrote a longish report about his experience at the Invitational.

Jeskai Ascendancy

This is the list Jimmy McCarthy used to Top 4 the Team Serious Holiday Invitational on December 6 2014. It is based on Rich Shay’s Legacy Jeskai Ascendancy deck from a MTGO Daily event.

Vintage Jeskai Ascendancy, by Jimmy McCarthy, 4th Place, Team Serious Holiday InvitationalBusiness (42)
4 Force of Will
2 Mental Misstep
2 Spell Pierce
2 Pyroblast
3 Lightning Bolt
1 Swords to Plowshares
3 Gush
2 Gitaxian Probe
4 Preordain
1 Ponder
1 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
4 Treasure Cruise
1 Mystical Tutor
3 Young Pyromancer
3 Fatestitcher
4 Jeskai Ascendancy

Mana Sources (18)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
3 Misty Rainforest
2 Polluted Delta
2 Scalding Tarn
3 Volcanic Island
3 Tundra
1 Island
Sideboard (15)
1 Mindbreak Trap
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Ancient Grudge
1 True-Name Nemesis
2 Pyroblast
2 Swords to Plowshares
3 Containment Priest
1 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Shattering Spree
2 Ingot Chewer

Jimmy threw this deck together the morning of the tournament, and had several terrible proxies (as were featured on camera). It is substantially similar to the versions of the deck played in Legacy and Modern, except that you can run fewer creature removal spells The main idea is to draw many, many cards, and use them to run over your opponent with Fatestitchers or Elemental tokens, with the help of Jeskai Ascendancy. This build probably needs some numbers tweaked, but it was good enough to Top 4 this mighty Ohio tournament.

Glass City Vault

Finally, this is the list Geoff used to Top 4 the Team Serious Open in Warren, Michigan on December 20 2014.

Glass City Vault, by Geoff Moes, Top 4 Team Serious Open December 20 2014Business (35)
1 Fire//Ice
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Imperial Seal
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Tinker
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Ponder
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Timetwister
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Windfall
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Reforge the Soul
4 Thoughtcast
1 Memory Jar
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
2 Dack Fayden
4 Notion Thief
2 Goblin Welder
1 Time Vault
2 Voltaic Key
1 Tendrils of Agony

Mana Sources (25)
4 Mox Opal
1 Lotus Petal
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Mana Confluence
2 City of Brass
4 Seat of the Synod
Sideboard (15)
2 Nihil Spellbomb
3 Vandalblast
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Toxic Deluge
1 Myr Battlesphere
1 Goblin Welder
4 Force of Will

Geoff went for the broken card strategy for this event, and it paid off. The plan for this deck is to combo with Time Vault, but en route to that finish, you might get to play Wheel of Fortune with Notion Thief in play. The deck draws cards seven at a time, and the artifact-heavy manabase helps ensure you have plenty of mana to play them.

Monday Night Vintage

One thing we’d like to see implemented in 2015 is the idea of Monday Night Vintage. This would be similar to Friday Night Magic – walk into a store with a Vintage deck on Monday night, and find a tournament or opponents to play against. It helps build Vintage by getting people to actually play the format, and thus brings more people into the Vintage community. And if you already play, the extra practice will only help you improve your game.

We picked Monday just because we know of several stores that already have Monday night Vintage gatherings, but people can feel free to do what works for them. All that’s required, really, is to make sure that people in your local community know about it.

Concluding Remarks

Thanks for listening! We hope to do more regular podcasting in 2015. We look forward to any questions or comments here or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

In episode 20, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) reunite to talk about why we haven’t podcasted since spring, some of the goings-on in MTG (including the new Standard rotation and the Vintage Super League), and, most importantly, the food, folks, and fun experienced at GenCon 2014.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
01:17 – Rotating Standard
06:20 – Vintage Super League
16:03 – Gaming at GenCon 2014
33:10 – Vintage MTG at GenCon 2014
59:30 – Eating Indianapolis
Total runtime – 1:10:24

Classic NES Games Bomberman 2K7, by Nat MoesBusiness (37)
4 Force of Will
2 Mental Misstep
2 Spell Pierce
1 Spell Snare
1 Steel Sabotage
3 Mana Drain
1 Echoing Truth
1 Balance
1 Aether Spellbomb
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Pithing Needle
1 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Thirst for Knowledge
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
2 Snapcaster Mage
1 Aven Mindcensor
4 Trinket Mage
3 Auriok Salvagers

Mana Sources (23)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Tolarian Academy
2 Scalding Tarn
4 Flooded Strand
3 Tundra
2 Island
1 Plains
1 Snow-Covered Island
Sideboard (15)
2 Disenchant
2 Energy Flux
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Mindbreak Trap
3 Relic of Progenitus
3 Swords to Plowshares

Bomberman has been around for years in Vintage as an archetypal UW control list with a combo finish. The basic plan is to use counters and a Trinket Mage toolbox to answer opponent threats and then win with the Auriok Salvagers combo to use Black Lotus and Aether Spellbomb to draw your deck and flood the board. Nat played the above list at Gen Con for three rounds. Everything was good, but running through the Salvagers combo with an opponent who has never seen it before kind of makes you feel like a big jerk. (Though it’s funny how often when you make limitless mana that a non-Vintage player will say, “Okay, what are you going to do with it?” Comprehending the infinite just isn’t enough to make people scoop anymore.) If you’re interested in reading more about Bomberman, Nat wrote an extensive guide.

BUG Tempo BUG Tempo, by Nat MoesBusiness (37)
4 Force of Will
3 Mental Misstep
3 Spell Pierce
1 Steel Sabotage
4 Abrupt Decay
3 Null Rod
1 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Dark Confidant
3 Snapcaster Mage
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Trygon Predator

Mana Sources (22)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Misty Rainforest
3 Polluted Delta
3 Underground Sea
3 Tropical Island
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
Sideboard (15)
2 Yixlid Jailer
3 Surgical Extraction
2 Dismember
2 Darkblast
1 Mental Misstep
2 Nature’s Claim
1 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Energy Flux

Geoff decided to play a real deck and, as a result, put up a more respectable finish. He didn’t make the final rounds, of course, going 3-2-drop, but he was in contention. This is what happens when Geoff plays a deck with real cards and not, like, Pyromancer Ascension. There’s nothing really outstanding about the list; it won Bazaar of Moxen a few months ago.

BUG decks were everywhere at the Friday event at GenCon; by Saturday they were almost totally gone. Considering that many of the Vintage players carry over from Friday to Saturday to Sunday, this could be because players are trying to metagame the field they saw the previous day. It may also be that Vintage players like playing different decks every day.

Eating Indianapolis

I think we’ve mentioned most of the Indianapolis restaurants before in previous GenCon podcasts, specifically Episode 15. Definitely keep these in mind if you go to GenCon or another Indianapolis event. It’s important to remember that Steak ‘n’ Shake and Noodles and Co. are only the closest, cheapest places to the Convention Center. You very much improve your dining opportunities if you’re willing to walk a block or two.

Here’s what we talked about this episode:
Punch Burger
137 E. Ohio St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-426-5280
http://punchburger.com

Rook
719 Virginia Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46203
317-759-5828
http://www.rookindy.com

The Libertine
38 E. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-631-3333
http://www.libertineindy.com

Cerulean
339 S. Delaware St.
Indianapolis, IN 46225
317-870-1320
http://www.ceruleanrestaurant.com

Bakersfield (Tacos, Tequila, and Bourbon)
334 Massachusetts Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-635-6962
http://www.bakersfieldmassave.com

Ram Restaurant & Brewery
140 S. Illinois St.
Indianapolis, IN 46225
317-955-9900
http://www.theram.com

Café Patachou
4901 N. Pennsylvania St.
Indianapolis, IN 46205
317-925-2823
http://www.cafepatachou.com

Croissant French toast: revolutionize the breakfast game!

Conclusion

Thanks for listening! We’ll be getting back into the more regular podcast thing now that the three of us are done buying houses and being busy with real life stuff. We look forward to any questions or comments here or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

For episode 46, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) talk with Rajah James (@rykerwilliams). Rajah is a Team Serious member and friend who organized the online Team Serious League and played in the recent Team Serious Invitational: Virtual Realm, so we’re talking to him about getting your Magic fix while dealing with physical distancing.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
01:17 – Team Serious Leagues
24:10 – Enter the Virtual Realm
37:47 – The Cat’s in the Vintage
55:28 – Food & Drink: MTG Pub Quiz
1:16:49 – Outro
Total runtime – 1:17:51

Missing: The Gathering

These are weird times we’re living in. The coronavirus, as well as thoughtful public health officials and good sense, has relegated most of humanity to stay physically apart from one another to prevent the spread of a particularly virulent disease. I was thinking about it and realized I haven’t been in a building other than my own house in seven weeks. Distancing is the norm now, and that’s a problem for a tabletop card game where players square off in intimate distance, talking, and often interacting with one another’s cards.

Wizards of the Coast provided the first solutions to playing Magic under quarantine with, of course, Magic Online (MTGO) and Arena. But these services might leave something to be desired for some players. Arena’s available collection won’t allow players to play Vintage (or Legacy, Old School, Modern, and so on), and while MTGO offers most of the cards, there’s still a barrier to human interaction. You can’t fully engage with your opponent: introduce yourselves when you sit down, congratulate them on a good play, or see their reaction when you have the answer or drop your big threat. It can feel sterile, like you’re one person against a machine.

To overcome that, Rajah organized the Team Serious Leagues (TSL) within our group. As he describes, it’s similar to the Vintage Super League: round-robin games are played in batches over multiple weeks, and players are allowed to change decks or strategies between batches. Eventually records are compared and winners are declared. The TSL allows games to be played over any reasonable medium: webcam, MTGO, Cockatrice, even in person since it was organized before social distancing protocols were in effect. It was meant as a way to get Team Serious members to play games against one another despite there being sometimes long distances between players.

Since quarantine, it’s been a relief not only for the players, who get to continue playing games and talking to people, but for other Team Serious members, who often get to watch the streamed matches and even interact with the players over the team’s chat and Discord.

You can follow along too if you like. The results and decklists from the first Vintage batch are on Rajah’s website, and here are the decklists from the second batch. When the three batches are complete, someone will win these keen lands altered by Daniel Anschutz, or this “Wild Thing” Force of Will altered by Bobby Lupo.

Welcome to the Machine

Inspired by the TSL and compelled by the coronavirus quarantine, Andy “The Brass Man” Probasco and I started talking about hosting a virtual Team Serious Invitational (TSI). We wanted an opportunity to get people together where they could hang out online, play some Vintage, and perhaps consume some frosty cool alcoholic beverages. Just like a real TSI!

The tournament itself, held Saturday May 9 in a Discord server, went surprisingly well! We had 24 players and did six rounds of Swiss plus a top-eight elimination. Vintage luminaries like Kevin Cron and Greg Hughes (Zias) showed up, and six countries were represented in almost as many time zones. There was a minor disaster at the beginning as the Discord server failed to allow video connections, but everyone moved quickly and acutely to get matches played in other formats: Zoom, Cockatrice, Whereby, and Discord DMs. It was a remarkable show of ingenuity and determination!

Brass Man did some lovely, fun, insightful commentary throughout the event, adjusting on the fly to be able to show the variety of media players were using to play. Here’s what Zoom versus Cockatrice looks like, for example, as well as Brassy, keepin’ it classy.

For a sense of the current Vintage environment, the Top 8 ended up with seven companions in the decklists, including two of them in one deck, played by Jimmy McCarthy. Zias won without a companion, playing Shops Vines. The full results are available on The Mana Drain, with some additional commentary and hot links. For example, for full TSI effect, Steve McGrew opted to drink a shot of Malört, as is tradition upon making Top 8. Congratulations and regrets to Steve, and congratulations to the rest of the Top 8.

How Companionable Is Companion?

Of course, the event was played under predictably lame-duck conditions. On May 11, Wizards of the Coast announced that in a week’s time there would be a change to the Banned & Restricted List that would include Vintage.

As I mentioned, six of the Top 8 decks at the TSI:VR, and indeed many of the top-performing decks in recent Vintage Challenges online have included creatures with the companion ability, recently printed in Ikoria: Lair of Behemoths. Lurrus of the Dream-Den is the main culprit, being a long-game advantage engine that happens to combo with Black Lotus very well, so it works even in a faster combo shell.

The problem is that the nature of companion means that restricting Lurrus will do nothing to prevent its being a problem. A player needs only one copy, which is safely stored in their deck’s sideboard until needed.

What to do? What will Wizards do to Vintage on May 18? Will the format get what will essentially be its first banning for power-level considerations? (There are other banned cards: ante cards, conspiracies, dexterity cards, and Shahrazad, all of which are banned categorically.) Will there be an effective power-level errata to make companion not work as written, or perhaps not work at all? Will all the companions be hit or just Lurrus? Could something instead be unrestricted to combat the cat menace? Will there be any consideration to Lurrus’s being used in multiple different archetypes or bringing unexpected cards into the format, like Seal of Fire and Dead Weight? If banning or errata eliminates Lurrus, will another companion follow the same path of degeneracy?

We talk about the implications of these questions and why any plan might be preferable over another. It’s a complex issue surrounding complex cards. And the whole situation is exacerbated by the current global pandemic as the cards have only been released in paper in some Asian markets and online. Many players haven’t even touched a paper Lurrus! They showed up at TSI:VR and in the TSL only because these are playtest events that allow proxies. It’s such a weird conflux of situations!

Anyway, we do a lot of discussing but come to no conclusions.

Food & Drink: MTG Pub Quiz

Part of the goal Brass Man and I put together for the TSI:VR was to have it feel like a real TSI. Part of that was making it two days, so people could start the festivities early on Friday. Encouraging people to just hang out in the chatrooms we always hang out in didn’t seem like enough, so I had the idea to put together a pub-quiz-style trivia game that would encourage both hanging out and drinking. There would be some fun questions and activities to encourage interaction, and with Discord we could do some proper trash talking.

So I put together a few rounds of themed questions, designed to pass a few hours pleasantly. People drifted in and out, but we ended up with four teams of three to four players, which was perfect. I asked questions over video and was even able to put a few visual questions on screen, like the Movie Magic posters with blanked out titles that were also Magic card names (see below), or Nam Quiz Tran that was Nam’s 2018 Vintage Champs finals list with blanked out cards. And teams were able to retreat to separate Discord rooms to collaborate on answers. It worked great!

We did six rounds, which I preview on the show. There was Magic trivia new and old, the movie posters and Nam’s deck, a retrospective of 1993 in honor of Magic’s birth, a lightning round where each team got to pick its own yes-or-no category, and “Drinking With Team Serious,” which we run through in its entirety on the show. I really didn’t think anyone would be able to identify one of Jaco’s custom-built cocktails by name, but here we are: the Charcnado. That’s your important food and drink lesson for this episode.

Congratulations to Fernando Aguiano, Jon Hammack, and Kaleb Woodward on their dominant victory!

Upcoming Events

I think the only questions for discussion are going to surface around the Banned & Restricted List change on Monday. What’s going to happen there, and what will be the long-term impact?

But we are planning future online Magic event since the coronavirus quarantine seems unlikely to be meaningfully lifted any time in the near future. And even if it is, we can still get together online to play Magic!

June 5 there will be another MTG Pub Quiz, and June 6 will be a Middle School MTG tournament, both again held online using the Team Serious: Virtual Realm Discord server. We learned a lot about both processes last time, so I expect this to go even better. There’s no entry, and we’ll have some nice donated prizes for winners.

This June event is open to all, so if you’re interested, let us know, and we’ll be planning more events in different formats in the future.

Conclusion

Thanks so much for listening! And thanks to Rajah for helping us talk about some positive Magic experiences in these weird dark times. We hope you enjoyed it and found it uplifting, and that you’re being safe and remaining healthy. We’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or The Mana Drain or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com. And don’t forget to let us know if you want to play some Middle School and be part of other online Team Serious events!

For episode 19, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) recount their exploits at and after the most recent Team Serious Open in Columbus Ohio. As a preview, our combined record was 6-9.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:26 – The March Team Serious Open
32:58 – Josh and Nat Eat Columbus
52:50 – Outro
Total runtime – 53:23

Answer Everything The Sullivan Solution 2014, by Nat MoesBusiness (38)
4 Force of Will
3 Stifle
1 Steel Sabotage
3 Thoughtseize
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Darkblast
1 Annul
1 Spell Snare
1 Shadow of Doubt
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Pithing Needle
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
3 Erayo, Soratami Ascendant
4 Dark Confidant
3 Dimir Cutpurse
2 Snapcaster Mage

Mana Sources (22)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
4 Polluted Delta
1 Misty Rainforest
4 Underground Sea
1 Island
1 Swamp
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
Sideboard (14)
2 Mindbreak Trap
2 Energy Flux
1 Diabolic Edict
2 Dismember
3 Yixlid Jailer
2 Ravenous Trap
1 Annul
1 Notion Thief

In the podcast, we said the Sullivan Solution deck was developed in 2008. It was actually developed in 2006, as outlined by Adrian Sullivan (in conjunction with I@n DeGraff) at StarCity Games. Even if you’re not interested in the deck, consider reading the article as a primer on how to attack a metagame. The deck is a lot of fun, but I don’t have much to add here that wasn’t in the podcast.

Meet the Staff Forgemaster Staves, by Geoff MoesBusiness (35)
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Thorn of Amethyst
2 Phyrexian Revoker
2 Lightning Greaves
4 Metalworker
4 Staff of Dominion
4 Lodestone Golem
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Kuldotha Forgemaster
1 Memory Jar
1 Karn, Silver Golem
1 Duplicant
1 Triskelion
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Sundering Titan

Mana Sources (25)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Ancient Tomb
3 City of Traitors
4 Buried Ruin
Sideboard (15)
1 Shimmer Myr
1 Wurmcoil Engine
2 Razormane Masticore
2 Ratchet Bomb
2 Witchbane Orb
1 Platinum Angel
2 Nihil Spellbomb
4 Tormod’s Crypt

Geoff took a page out of Nat’s playbook and tried out the Forgemaster Staves Workshop combo deck. It should be a solid list, but the list Geoff took hasn’t been updated in several months, including several key cards like Blightsteel Colossus. Still, I guess you can’t go too wrong once you own a playset of Mishra’s Workshops.

The Colorado Kid Welder Control, by Josh ChappleBusiness (35)
4 Force of Will
2 Mental Misstep
1 Thoughtseize
4 Mana Drain
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Tinker
1 Intuition
1 Gifts Ungiven
1 Bazaar of Baghdad
1 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Thirst for Knowledge
2 Fact or Fiction
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
3 Goblin Welder
1 Sundering Titan
1 Tezzeret, the Seeker
1 Time Vault
1 Voltaic Key

Mana Sources (25)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Tolarian Academy
3 City of Brass
2 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
1 Misty Rainforest
3 Underground Sea
3 Volcanic Island
1 Tropical Island
1 Island
Sideboard (15)
3 Spell Pierce
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Ingot Chewer
1 Toxic Deluge
3 Yixlid Jailer
3 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Thoughtseize
1 Ancient Grudge

Josh Chapple brought this deck from Colorado and had a mediocre finish. Lots of fun cards and, again, answers to plenty of Vintage’s biggest threats. He had a fun day, but he lost to Burn. Again, most of the discussion is going to be in the podcast.

Touring Columbus Food

The restaurants we ate at over the weekend are some of my favorites in Columbus. If you’re in town for an SCG Open or whatever, consider checking them out.

Northstar Café has several locations in various trendy areas of the city, including just north of the Convention Center. They have great breakfast and light lunches and dinners.

Harvest Pizzeria (which is next to cocktail bar) has tasty gourmet pizzas with fresh, local ingredients. This has become our go-to place when people are visiting.

The Easy Street Café has greek and American food, including burgers and gyros and some appetizer that they set on fire. It’s a great fallback if Thurman’s is ever too crowded to wait.

Upcoming Events

Lastly, a few upcoming Vintage tournaments. I’d like to mention all of them (you can find more on the tournament boards at The Mana Drain), but I like to cover areas that are new or don’t otherwise get a lot of attention. If you have an event you want a particular mention of, let us know with plenty of time in advance!

March 21-23
Durham, North Carolina (near Chicago), Atomic Empire, Friday through Sunday, March 21-23.
Lindenhurst, Illinois (near Chicago), Xtreme Games, Saturday, March 22.

March 29-30
Glen Burnie, Maryland (near Baltimore), Games and Stuff, Saturday, March 29.
Sandusky, Ohio (between Cleveland and Toledo), The Hero Zone, Saturday, March 29.
Livonia, Michigan (near Detroit), RIW Hobbies, Sunday, March 30.

I should also mention that there’s weekly Vintage in Minneapolis at Monster Den (Tuesday), in Parkville, Maryland, at Brewport Games (Wednesday), and in Columbus at Fog of Dusk (Monday). If you have other meetups or are looking to start one, let us know!

Conclusion

Thanks for listening! We’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

I know you’ve all missed us, so here we are once again. For episode 18, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) reconvene to talk about the January Team Serious Open, the impact of counterfeits on Vintage, and the great taste of Melt Bar & Grilled.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:28 – The Combotastic Team Serious Open
20:08 – Fits and Counterfeits
30:28 – Melt Bar and Grilled
36:00 – Outro
Total runtime – 36:33

Combo, Combo Everywhere

I had to do some research on this, and as far as I can tell, the January 2014 Team Serious Open ties the record for largest Vintage tournament in Ohio in at least two years. Thirty-four players showed up from Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Virginia, Georgia, and Pennsylvania for some hot Vintage action, and it was great. If you want to schedule Vintage in a city that Star City Games visits with their Open series, I highly recommend hosting an event over the Standard portion. We got lots of participation off of that, including a couple of players who came to play after 0-2-dropping.

The podcast covers some of the details, but the important thing is that there was a ton of combo and blue decks—more than 30 total. One dredge deck and two Workshops filled out the field. It was an interesting metagame, to be sure, and more evidence that Ohio is no longer Workshop central, as it once was.

The top eight decklists and metagame breakdown are available on The Mana Drain. We went over a couple of decklists in the podcast, detailed here for your convenience:

Keeper 2014, by Rick GideonBusiness (37)
4 Force of Will
2 Mindbreak Trap
4 Mana Drain
1 Mind Twist
3 Lightning Bolt
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Disenchant
1 Moat
1 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Fact or Fiction
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Regrowth
1 Tinker
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Voltaic Key
1 Time Vault
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Yawgmoth’s Will

Mana Sources (26)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
1 Tolarian Academy
3 City of Brass
1 Flooded Strand
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Tropical Island
2 Underground Sea
2 Tundra
2 Volcanic Island
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Strip Mine
2 Wasteland
Sideboard (15)
4 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Red Elemental Blast
2 Steel Sabotage
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Balance
1 Echoing Truth
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
2 Mindbreak Trap
1 The Abyss

Rick Gideon’s Keeper list harkens back to the old days of Vintage, including a toolbox of things like Moat, Mind Twist, and The Abyss, and a suite of tutors (including Enlightened Tutor) to help find them. One thing to take note of is the unusually high number of mana sources he’s running: 26, almost half the list (which is 63 cards) and as many as some Workshop builds. Many Vintage decks running blue will start cutting mana to play more draw spells like Preordain or Gush. Aside from Ancestral and Brainstorm, though, Rick’s deck attempts to make its land-drops naturally, then tops out at four mana for Jaces and a Fact or Fiction.

Minus Six, by Daniel BuzzieBusiness (38)
4 Force of Will
3 Duress
1 Echoing Truth
3 Worldgorger Dragon
1 Oona, Queen of the Fae
4 Bazaar of Baghdad
2 Dance of the Dead
2 Animate Dead
1 Necromancy
1 Imperial Seal
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
2 Intuition
2 Read the Runes
1 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
4 Dark Confidant
1 Thirst for Knowledge

Mana Sources (22)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
4 Underground Sea
1 Swamp
2 Island
1 Flooded Strand
2 Scalding Tarn
4 Polluted Delta
Sideboard (15)
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Tinker
1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Time Vault
1 Voltaic Key
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Library of Alexandria
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Tezzeret, the Seeker
4 Mana Drain

Daniel Buzzie was a great opponent, and I was surprised by the flexibility of his deck, even beyond the transformational sideboard. This build of Dragon, initially designed by Chris Browne and popularized by Nick Coss, anticipates its opponents overboarding the graveyard hate they have for Dredge and switches to a Tezzeret Control deck post-board. Daniel, however, seemed to stick mostly with the main deck plan and pulled off some surprising wins (and draws) with its multiple ways to find and reanimate Worldgorger Dragon. We don’t see this deck much in Ohio, but I’m glad he made it out and had success.

Our next events are scheduled for March 8 and April 12, and though they won’t overlap with an SCG Open, we’re excited for the possibilities as the scene continues to grow.

Also, Counterfeits Everywhere

Counterfeit Magic cards have been a hot topic around the Internet recently, as the seeming influx of reportedly hard-to-discover fakes has people worried about the value of their cards; the potential for unscrupulous players, traders, and sellers to take advantage of people; and the future of the game in general. We talk about our feelings on the subject, but the gist of it is that there really isn’t anything to worry about yet. If you’re smart and have been playing Magic the Gathering for a while, you know what a Magic card should be — how it should look and feel. And if you’re a Vintage player buying an expensive Mox, Jace, dual land, or even a Thoughtseize or Tolarian Academy, you should know to check to make sure you’re getting the real deal. As with any trades or purchases you make online, be careful.

We talk about some techniques for identifying counterfeit Magic cards that pass the initial tests. Cesar Fernandez also writes about some methods for looking at the current crop of Chinese cards here (you’ll have to use Google translate or another service if you don’t speak Spanish). Other sources include Apathy House, which is very thorough, and Wizards of the Coast themselves from the last time this happened.

Don’t panic. Just be vigilant and careful.

Cheese on Everything

We wrap up this episode with a review of Melt Bar and Grilled, an Ohio institution that now has five locations: Cleveland Heights, Lakewood, Mentor, Independence, and Columbus. They specialize in insane grilled-cheese sandwiches and have a great selection of on-tap and bottled beers. What could possibly go wrong?

Answer: not a thing. Melt is delicious.

Conclusion

Thanks for listening! We’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

For episode 17, Geoff (@ThallidTosser on Twitter) and Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher) are joined by Steven Stierman, the 4C Humans player who rocked the GenCon 2013 Vintage events with his disarming personality and well-armed aggro deck. We talk about Humans and the GenCon Vintage experience and then go straight to breakfast with a section on pancakes.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:21 – Humans at GenCon
12:26 – Getting into Vintage
37:14 – Pancakes!
49:40 – Outro
Total runtime – 50:16

Humans at GenCon 2013

Steven was a great guest and clearly had a ton of fun playing his Humans deck. We spend most of the episode going over the choices made putting the deck together and his experiences in different matchups at GenCon, so there’s not much to add. One thing to point out is that Steven had never played a sanctioned Vintage match before Friday’s 83-player event, where he took 10th. He had tested some games and knew some of the decks and matchups, but most of what he knew was simply from playing Legacy and EDH. Who says Vintage is an inaccessible format?

The decklist follows, and we’ll make sure we get answers for any questions you might have.

Humans 4C, 6th Place GenCon Vintage Saturday 12pm, by Steven StiermanBusiness (36)
4 Deathrite Shaman
3 Noble Hierarch
3 Mayor of Avabruck
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Qasali Pridemage
4 Dark Confidant
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Orzhov Pontiff
1 Imperial Recruiter
1 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Exava, Rakdos Blood Witch
1 Ingot Chewer
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Oath of Ghouls
1 Liliana of the Veil
4 Abrupt Decay
3 Swords to Plowshares

Mana Sources (24)
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
4 Cavern of Souls
3 City of Brass
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Savannah
1 Badlands
1 Taiga
1 Bayou
1 Scrubland
1 Strip Mine
3 Wasteland
Sideboard (15)
1 Wasteland
1 Surgical Extraction
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Rest in Peace
2 Ingot Chewer
2 Stingscourger
1 Qasali Pridemage
2 Ethersworn Canonist
2 Red Elemental Blast
Getting in to Vintage

We talk with Steven about how he got introduced to the format and what plans he has to continue playing Vintage after GenCon. Turns out, he and some friends are trying to get a community started in Iowa using proxied decks. Best of luck to them, since it would be great to add another group of players to the format!

Pancakes!

We have a few great pancake recipes because everyone knows that when you’re preparing for a long day of gaming, you have to be fueled up. When you get to round four and just want to leave because you haven’t eaten enough, don’t blame us:

Buttermilk Pancakes
Ingredients:
1-1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 tbsp and 1 1/2 tsp white sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 c buttermilk
1/4 c milk
1 1/2 eggs
2 tbsp and 2 tsp butter, melted

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, beat together buttermilk, milk, eggs and melted butter. Keep the two mixtures separate until you are ready to cook.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. You can flick water across the surface and if it beads up and sizzles, it’s ready!
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using a wooden spoon or fork to blend. Stir until it’s just blended together. Do not over stir! Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/2 c for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, use 5 tsp vinegar or lemon juice and add enough milk to make the 1 1/2 c of liquid. Stir the two together and let sit for five minutes, then use them in the recipe.

Cottage Cheese Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 1/3 c all-purpose flour
1/3 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon or pinch ground nutmeg (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
1 c milk
1 c full-fat or low-fat cottage cheese
3 tbsp butter, melted
2 large egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
2 large egg whites

Directions:
1. Lightly butter, oil, or spray griddle, if needed, and preheat it over medium heat.
2. Whisk together in a large bowl the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk together in a second bowl the milk, cottage cheese, butter, egg yolks, and vanilla. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently whisk them together, mixing just until combined. Beat the egg whites until peaks are stiff but not dry then fold them into the batter.
3. Spoon 1/3 cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake. Cook until the top of each pancake is starting to dry around the edges then turn and cook until the underside is lightly browned.

These cottage cheese pancakes are seriously the best, my absolute favorites.

Buckwheat Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c buckwheat flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp white sugar
1 1/4 c milk
1 egg
3 tbsp butter, melted

Basic buckwheat pancakes. The buckwheat has a heartier, nuttier flavor than regular flour and the denser cakes will keep you filled longer.

Directions:
1. In a large bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until dry ingredients are moistened.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/3 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

We also mentioned a few good places for pancakes (and also crepes) in Ohio and Philadelphia, in case you’re going to Eternal Weekend.

Black River Café – Probably the best pancakes in Ohio. I’ve known several people, including myself, who will make any excuse to get some.

Clifton Mill Restaurant – Also excellent, and seriously huge, pancakes. One full order of these will feed a person for a few meals. (Also probably the best bacon I’ve ever had.)

Creperie Beau Monde – If you’re into haughtier French pancakes, you can get them for appetizer, main course, and dessert in Philly. Worth the trip away from the convention center.

Redding Terminal Market – There are actually two places with pancakes (Dutch Eating Place and Down Home Diner) and a creperie (Profi’s) right across the street from the convention center where Eternal Weekend will be. Even if it’s not breakfast time, make some time to go to the market and look around.

Conclusion

Thanks to Steven for joining us and to Geoff’s mom for the buttermilk pancake recipe. If you have any questions about the let us know on Twitter, or email seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

For episode 16, Geoff (@ThallidTosser on Twitter) and Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher) renconvene with Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) to go over the sights and sounds and tastes of GenCon (It’s usually best to downplay the smells at any large conglomeration of Magic the Gathering players and sundry nerds).

Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:

0:00:21 – The Vintage Metagame at GenCon
0:12:26 – Deck Discussions
0:37:14 – Other Fun Times at GenCon
0:49:57 – Eating Around Town in Indianapolis
1:02:30 – Outro
Total runtime – 1:02:59

The Vintage Metagame at GenCon

Geoff and I both played Vintage on Friday and Saturday, hoping to win an uncut sheet of Antiquities or Urza’s Saga. Both of us did fairly well. I made top 16 both days and was only knocked from the top eight in the last rounds. Geoff tried out a novel deck based on the combination of Thespian’s Stage and Dark Depths and finished with a positive record both days. We talk a little about both of our lists, how things went, and what we thought about the metagame in the podcast. The decklists follow for your reference:

RUG Pyromancer, by Nat MoesBusiness (40)
4 Force of Will
1 Mental Misstep
1 Flusterstorm
1 Spell Snare
1 Steel Sabotage
1 Nature’s Claim
1 Ancient Grudge
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Gush
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
4 Preordain
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
2 Regrowth
4 Young Pyromancer
1 Scavenging Ooze
2 Tarmogoyf
1 Vendilion Clique

Mana Sources (20)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Scalding Tarn
3 Tropical Island
3 Volcanic Island
1 Forest
1 Island
1 Mountain
1 Snow-Covered Island
Sideboard (15)
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Echoing Truth
4 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
2 Mindbreak Trap
2 Nature’s Claim
2 Ravenous Trap
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Trygon Predator

Deep Blue, by Geoff MoesBusiness (37)
4 Force of Will
1 Misdirection
2 Mental Misstep
2 Spell Pierce
1 Steel Sabotage
3 Mana Drain
1 Echoing Truth
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Ponder
1 Time Walk
4 Accumulated Knowledge
1 Thirst for Knowledge
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
4 Intuition
1 Tinker
1 Blightsteel Colossus
4 Dark Depths
3 Snapcaster Mage

Mana Sources (23)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Library of Alexandria
4 Thespian’s Stage
10 Snow-Covered Island
Sideboard (15)
4 Grafdigger’s Cage
3 Hurkyl’s Recall
2 Mindbreak Trap
2 Pithing Needle
2 Ravenous Trap
2 Surgical Extraction

The other Top 8 lists from Saturday’s 40-person event are up on Eternal Central here, including the Four-Color Humans list form Steven Stierman, which we talk about quite a bit for its novelty and Steven’s positive attitude toward Vintage.

The lists from Friday’s 80-person event were, tragically, lost by the tournament organizer. Filed in the circular folder, if you will. Brian DeMars and Nat did some additional analysis on the remaining lists at Star City and Legit MTG, respectively.

The Rest of GenCon

Everything else at GenCon can pretty much be summarized by this image, compliments of Jerry Yang and Jordi Amat Puig:

As has been shown time and time again, the best parts of GenCon include not playing, talking about, or interacting with Magic cards at all. Trying other games and eating delicious food are important as well. But, sappy as it sounds, the best part of GenCon is always hanging out and spending time with friends.

So, from left to right: Saturday’s winner, Jordi Amat Puig; Erik Butler, our Episode 9 guest (yes, the sound quality is bad for that one, sorry); Jason Jaco (way in the back left), who helps the wheels turn at EC; Kevin Cron (behind Erik), co-host of So Many Insane Plays; our own Geoff Moes; Twaun P. Pwnertown, Esq. (bespectacled in the back); Silly Sam Krohlow, holding a glass as usual; Lord of All Cats, Jimmy “To the Hilt” McCarthy; me, stony-faced as always; J.R. Goldmanbergstein, once better known as Ophidian Guy or Bomberman Guy; Gilberto Rivera, who killed two opponents in response to dying with Leyline of Anticipation on Saturday; Mitesh “Mith” Rao, who was Show and Telling style all weekend; and the actual worst Vintage Magic player in the world, Jerry Yang (in the back).

Those who were at GenCon but didn’t make the picture were missed: Matt Hazard, James King (who, thank goodness, had connections to get us a hotel), C.J. Moritz, Ryan Seeley, and Mike Solymossy. We also missed plenty of unnamed dudesweats who couldn’t make it to GenCon this year, though the one everyone mentioned was Mark Trogdon.

We met plenty of awesome people all weekend, playing Vintage, in the halls, even when we were out at dinner. That was great too. GenCon is awesome; the Vintage community is great.

Conclusion

If you’re not doing your group photos as GIFs from now on, you’re clearly doing it wrong.

But really, if you have any questions about the lists or comments about GenCon, or if you met us or ate somewhere we mentioned in Episode 14 let us know on Twitter, or email seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

Lastly, we have some Midwest Vintage events coming up: September 28 in Columbus, October 5 in Kalamazoo, and October 13 in Sandusky, Ohio. Check those out leading up to Vintage Champs in November, and earn some Vintage Achievements!

For episode 15 Geoff (@ThallidTosser on Twitter) and Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher) bring back Jerry Yang (@yangtrolls), epicurean and, as we learn, the actual worst Vintage player in the world, to talk about the upcoming GenCon extravaganza. We talk a bit about the Vintage metagame and the applications of Young Pyromancer, then we jump straight into the events and, more importantly, the food of GenCon. If you’re going to be in Indianapolis in a few weeks, you’ll definitely want to listen to this episode.

Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:

0:00:19 – Vintage at GenCon
0:13:11 – Non-Magical Entertainment at GenCon
0:27:00 – Dining in Indianapolis
0:46:06 – Outro
Total runtime: 0:46:55

The Vintage Metagame

For a format with a lot of inertia, Vintage may have some exciting changes on the horizon as players try to figure out a good way to use Young Pyromancer (or not). We talked about the li’l wizard who could in our last episode too, and we talk a little bit more about its prospects in this one. Jerry points out that its color, efficient cost, and permanent making ability make Pyromancer a natural predator against Workshop decks and blue-based control decks alike.

We’ve seen a lot of ideas thrown around about regarding Pyromancer, a lot of decks excited to use it despite playing a ton of other creatures. I foresee a lot of disappointment with these decks since creatures don’t trigger Pyromancer’s ability. Creatures that would synergize with Pyromancer include Delver (which also wants lots of instants and sorceries) and Dark Confidant (which draws more spells to cast). Gush is almost a certain inclusion since it triggers Pyromancer while drawing more spells to cast.

You all knew that, though, right?

Non-Magic Fun at GenCon

Suffice to say there’s a lot more fun at GenCon that doesn’t involve playing Magic than fun that involves it. We highly recommend demoing a ton of games in the exhibition hall and going to the GenCon Dance (see below). We did not have a good time at True Dungeon, but if you’re into that sort of thing, definitely go for it.

Anyway, GenCon is a little like this: Josh Chapple is a beautiful butterfly.

Where to Eat in Indianapolis

One highlight for us at GenCon is getting a huge group of people to go out and eat dinner. Many GenCon attendees lack focus in this area and often find themselves patronizing the nearby Noodles & Co. or Steak ‘n’ Shake, where they stand in line for some mediocre food they can get just about anyway. Some people even rave about these places (especially Steak ‘n’ Shake, for whatever reason). Seriously, there are plenty of good, better, great options within walking distance. Here are some of them, listed in the order we talk about them on the show:

Indianapolis Food Trucks – there during the lunchtime hours every day of GenCon. Check these out for sure, but be careful in the sun, for real.

St. Elmo’s Steakhouse
127 S. Illinois St.
Indianapolis, IN 46225
317-635-0636
If you go to St. Elmo’s, you have to try the shrimp cocktail. It’s world famous (and super zingy!). Also get a steak, don’t be (too) concerned with the price.

BARcelona Tapas
201 N. Delaware St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-638-8272
We brought several gamers together at BARcelona last year. The tapas were interesting and well done, and we shared many around the table. Its also not a bad price. I enjoyed this place a lot.

Punch Burger
137 E. Ohio St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-426-5280

Mo’s Steakhouse
7 S. Pennsylvania St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-624-0720
No relation. This is where I recommend the creamed corn. I don’t even like creamed corn, but the ambrosia they serve here shows up frequently in my dreams.

High Velocity at J.W. Marriott
10 S. West St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-860-6500
Home of the best chicken fingers you’ll ever eat. Unless you’re Jerry, in which case you’ll complain about them regardless of how delicious they are.

Yat’s
659 Massachusetts Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-686-6380

Acapulco Joe’s
365 N. Illinois St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-637-5160
Just to make sure it’s clear: nobody who ate here got food poisoning. The Mexican food is bountiful and delicious, and the salsa is seriously fantastic.

Ball and Biscuit
331 Massachusetts Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-636-0539

Bruburger
410 Massachusetts Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-635-4278

Smoking Goose (a.k.a. Dorman Street Meatery)
407 N. Dorman St.
Indianapolis, IN 46202
317-638-MEAT

Goose: the Market
2503 N. Delaware St.
Indianapolis, IN 46205
317-924-4944

MacNiven’s
339 Massachusetts Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-632-SCOT

Café Patachou
4901 N. Pennsylvania St.
Indianapolis, IN 46205
317-925-2823
Jerry’s recommended breakfast spot. Everyone who’s eaten here says it’s excellent.‎ If you call it Café Pikachu, people still know what you’re talking about.

Statehouse Market
402 Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
855-773-4647
Open Thursday, 10:30 to 1:30. Turns out the Indiana Farmers Market that Jerry also mentioned is open on Wednesdays, so probably won’t be available during GenCon.

Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse
45 S. Illinois Street
Circle Centre Mall
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-633-1313
The information for the Ruth’s Chris GenCon deal is here. The price seems good, and they’ve been running the offer for a few years, so it should be good.

Conclusion

Recording this episode and writing up this list of restaurants got me even more psyched for GenCon, so I hope it does the same for you. If you have any questions about restaurant recommendations, or if you have any hidden gems of your own to share, hit us up on Twitter or send an email to the show at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com. We’ll see you in a few weeks at GenCon!

Josh Chapple (@joshchapple on Twitter) makes his triumphant return from GP Vegas to regale us with tales of woe and whoa in Episode 14. Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher) goes over the results of the recent Team Serious Open in Sandusky, including the propagation of BUG decks with Deathrite Shaman and Abrupt Decay. And Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser) keeps us all in line.

Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:

0:00:30 – The Team Serious Open
0:06:42 – BUG Control
0:18:26 – Modern Masters
0:28:08 – Mr. Chapple Goes to Vegas
0:45:56 – Outro
Total time: 46:41

BUG Control at the Team Serious Open

The results from last month’s Team Serious Open, held in Sandusky (OH, USA) at the Hero Zone, are in and available here. It was a small tournament but represents the metagames we’ve been having recently in Ohio where nobody can seem to agree on what kind of metagame we should have. In Columbus in May, three combo decks made Top 8; in Sandusky, there is no combo. Okeydokey.

The two decklists we focus on for this episode are Kevin Cron and Jake Hilty’s BUG Control lists:

BUG Control, by Kevin CronBusiness (38)
4 Force of Will
3 Cabal Therapy
2 Mental Misstep
1 Spell Pierce
1 Mindbreak Trap
1 Snuff Out
3 Abrupt Decay
1 Surgical Extraction
4 Deathrite Shaman
3 Scavenging Ooze
3 Dark Confidant
3 Trygon Predator
2 Snapcaster Mage
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Consultation
1 Time Walk

Mana Sources (22)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Lotus Petal
4 Polluted Delta
2 Verdant Catacombs
2 Underground Sea
2 Bayou
2 Tropical Island
1 Swamp
1 Strip Mine
3 Wasteland
Sideboard (15)
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Steel Sabotage
1 Wasteland
1 Null Rod
3 Snuff Out
2 Flusterstorm
BUG Control, by Jacob HiltyBusiness (39)
4 Force of Will
3 Mental Misstep
3 Spell Pierce
2 Steel Sabotage
1 Flusterstorm
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
4 Abrupt Decay
1 Snuff Out
1 Null Rod
2 Trygon Predator
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Dark Confidant
4 Snapcaster Mage
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Brainstorm

Mana Sources (20)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
4 Polluted Delta
2 Verdant Catacombs
1 Swamp
1 Island
1 Tropical Island
2 Underground Sea
1 Bayou
1 Strip Mine
3 Wasteland
Sideboard (15)
3 Dismember
1 Mindbreak Trap
1 Flusterstorm
2 Yixlid Jailer
2 Ravenous Trap
1 Wasteland
1 Island
1 Steel Sabotage
1 Trygon Predator
2 Vendilion Clique

We talk about many of the card choices in the podcast, touching especially on Deathrite Shaman, who has become a thorn in the side of many a Vintage player recently because he is a know-it-all little jerk who does just about everything well.

Also, one thing I noticed after typing up the lists is that Kevin’s list runs two more straight-up mana sources maindeck (22 versus Jake’s 20), though Jake has an additional Island in the sideboard alongside the extra Wasteland. It seems as though there are a lot of different ways to build this type of deck, aiming not only for a particular expected metagame but also for an individual’s playstyle.

At the Team Serious Open we also brought back the Vintage Achievements list, with an interesting prize pool that contained a pack of Modern Masters (the rare was Arcbound Ravager), an official Magic: the Gathering Encyclopedia (won by yours truly and returned to the pool after the tournament), a copy of Weatherlight Revealed, and a bottle of Dove bodywash for men.

We’ll continue doing these Vintage Achievements at future Ohio tournaments. If you’re interested in starting a similar program, let us know.

Modern Masters

We already talked a bit about Modern Masters when it was first announced and about Vegas when we previewed the GP, so you can hear more of our thoughts there. It will be interesting to see the longer-term effects of the set, not just with regards to card prices as players realize how many reprints were (or were not) added to the purchasing pool, but also now that Wizards has printed a reprint set that everyone seems to be able to get behind, really thrown their weight behind an eternal format, and officially held the largest collectible card game tournament ever.

Mr. Chapple Goes to Vegas

Finally, we close with Josh’s tales of being in, at, and around the Modern Masters GP, which is most importantly a tale of Las Vegas adventure. Hear the strange case of Dr. Chapple and Mr. Frank, or at least what decorum allows him to tell.

Some people had a really good time.

Upcoming Tournaments

Remember, if you have an event you want publicized, let us know. If we record with enough time before the event, we’ll try to give you a shout out. You can send tournament announcements to seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

On that note, there’s an upcoming Ohio tournament in Columbus on July 27 at Comic Town. I highly recommend these tournaments as a great way to get into the format as a casual, though competitive environment. And don’t forget the Vintage Achievements! Details can be found here.

Thanks again for listening! If you have any questions or just want to chat, let us know in the comments, on the Twitter, or at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

Unlucky number 13, this episode of #SeriousVintage reunites Josh Chapple (@joshchapple on Twitter) with Geoff (@ThallidTosser) and Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher) to talk about several Vintage-relevant topics: the new Magic 2014 rule changes, the changing location of Vintage Champs, results from the latest Team Serious Open, previewed M14 cards, the Modern Masters release, and Alinea, a restaurant in Chicago with a nigh unpronounceable name, but amazing food.

Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:

00:34 – Magic 2014 Rules in Vintage
15:00 – Vintage Champs is Not at GenCon
19:45 – Team Serious Open and Vintage Achievements
25:05 – M14 and Modern Masters
39:48 – Serious Food and Drink: Uh-Lin-E-Uh
Total runtime: 0:47:01

Magic 2014 Rules Update in Vintage

Having new rules hit Magic the Gathering is generally a pretty big deal, especially in younger formats where the rules affect a larger percentage of the cards. In Vintage, where the players have been around for a while and know to keep their hats on when something changes, the M14 rules update will cause some adjustments, but are easily dealt with. Players will have to adjust to simultaneous Tolarian Academies, Vendilion Cliques, and Jace, the Mind Sculptors, but this adds a level of tactical and strategic depth to games. The big loser here is Phyrexian Metamorph, who can no longer remove Griselbrand, Emrakul, Kataki, or other legends in Workshop decks (it copies them instead, which is debatably worse). Big winners, potentially, include Mox Opal, Gaea’s Cradle, and Thespian’s Stage.

Thespian’s Stage now combines with Dark Depths (and two mana) to make a flying, indestructible 20/20 Marit Lage token. This potentially lethal, uncounterable play can be carried out as early as turn 3, often with the help of Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth. It works like this: Dark Depths and Thespian’s Stage are in play together. Pay two mana and tap Stage to copy Depths. Since Thespian’s Stage is already in play, it will not get any counters; however, since it’s a Dark Depths now, the new legend rule comes into play. Sacrifice the original Depths in response to the state-based effect. The Thespian copy stays in play and its no-counters trigger happens. Sacrifice it and make a 20/20 (and hope they don’t have an answer because you just two-for-one’d yourself).

It will be interesting to see if this combo finds a home in a deck, new or old, and whether any other legendary permanents take off as well.

We also talk about the new sideboard rules, which have some possibilities but will likely remain largely the same for most players. As we discuss in the podcast, your best odds of naturally drawing a winning combo piece or a critical answer still come with a 60-card deck—not a 61-card deck and definitely not a 75-card one or bigger. Don’t forget: Math, it works!

Vintage Champs is Now in…Philadelphia!

We jumped the gun on recording this episode by about four hours, but by now serious Vintage players should be aware that the 2013 Vintage Championship is not at GenCon as it has been, but will take place November 3 in the great city of Philadelphia, hosted by the great personage of Nick Coss (of Top Deck Games/Card Titan). We discuss some implications and suppositions about the change in venue in the podcast, but the success or failure of the event still rides on the event itself. Philadelphia is a great host city. I’m sure we’ll talk some about the other attractions, including food and drink, available in the City of Brotherly Love.

Now, the question becomes what will happen with Vintage Champs in 2014. Will it be back in Indianapolis, or is Wizards happy to have the players run the tournament. Either situation will be okay as long as everything is communicated early and clearly.

Team Serious Columbus and Vintage Achievements

Comic Town in Columbus, Ohio, hosted 17 Vintage players for a tournament on May 26, and all had a great time, despite the sudden and overwhelming influx of combo decks to the metagame. The decklists and metagame breakdown are available here. Check those out for sure.

Vintage in Columbus has been growing from the ground up as we’re attracting players new and old, trying to get the word out about the best format in the game. Some of these efforts began with Kevin Cron’s creation of the Vintage Achievements list. Here are the instructions and a sample of the achievements available:
During each round of the main event, players will be given a checklist of Achievements for their match. These Achievements mark noteworthy actions or game states that occur during the round and can/should be tracked by all players. At the end of each round, the player that achieved the most during that round will win a door prize (randomized, in the case of tie). Some examples of Achievements we will be using:

Givin’ him the business – Win a game on your first turn
The Hard Way – Cast a permanent that costs eight (8) or more
Old School – Have all five original Moxen in play
“Doctor.” “Doctor.” “Doctor.” – Control three (3) copies of the same non-land permanent
[ ] – Have no lands in play on turn three (3) or later
Stop me if you’ve heard this one… – Play spells of the same name four (4) times in a single turn
Float like a Spirit Token, sting like a Welder! – Attack for exactly one (1) damage
It’s only a flesh wound! – Have 1-9 poison
Is that all you’ve got?! – Beat turn 1, resolved: Jace, Trinisphere, Oath or Tinker
Still had all these… – Discard down to your max hand size during your End Step
Plate spinning – Have three (3) cards on the stack at the same time

We’re trying to figure out some ways to improve the Achievements system and expand its use through more of Vintage. This might mean changing how Vintage Achievements are tracked, when they’re tallied, or what prizes are given. If anyone has ideas, please feel free to post in the comments here or to contact me or Kevin. All credit goes to Kevin for the development and propagation of this fun addition to Vintage tournaments, so if you like the idea or want to use it for your next tournament, be sure to thank him.

M14 and Modern Masters Previews

It’s always exciting when new cards are previewed, and M14 has some interesting ones. Okay, it has one that might actually have Vintage applications, and they’re reprinting Scavenging Ooze.

On a previous podcast we asked what was the red member of the 1C cycle that includes Dark Confidant, Snapcaster Mage, Tarmogoyf, and Stoneforge Mystic. Young Pyromancer, previewed for M14, might be that card. Maybe. It’s an aggressive two-drop that merits some comparison to other Vintage cards like Quirion Dryad, Empty the Warrens, and Talrand, Sky Summoner. Being able to play a Gush list that uses Young Pyromancer would push you into red with answers like Lightning Bolt and Ingot Chewer against problematic Workshop decks. Young Pyromancer itself could give some legs against Lodestone Golem, Smokestack, and Tangle Wire.

We looked at some green cards too, none of which was especially exciting, except possibly for best-art-ever nominee, Enlarge. Lol. Cats.

Modern Masters is coming out in a couple of weeks now too, with a huge debut in Las Vegas. As we mentioned in the podcast, since MM is a setful of reprints, everything that would make a splash in Vintage has already made its splash. There are some big cards coming out, though, and it will be good to have reprints available of playable Vintage cards that might later draw players into the format.

Serious Food and Drink: “Uh-Lin-E-Uh”

Flat out, Alinea, one of the premiere gourmet restaurants in Chicago, sounds insane, and though no one from Team Serious will be there until Labor Day weekend, we can still talk about it early because it’s just that insane. Their current menu can be found here, so you can see the wildly-punctuated lamb entrée and the balloon and the wooly pig and everything else we talk about.

Total cost for this meal, per person (including tax and tip), is $325. And it just might be worth it.

If you’re interested in reading more about Alinea, Josh recommends reading Life, On the Line, by the restaurant’s chef and owner, Grant Achatz.

Upcoming Tournaments

I realize we should be doing more to promote other peoples’ tournaments too, so if you have an event you want publicized, let us know. If we record with enough time before the event, we’ll try to give you a shout out. You can send tournament announcements to seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

On that note, there’s an upcoming Ohio tournament in Sandusky on June 22 at the Hero Zone. I highly recommend these tournaments as a great way to get into the format as a casual, though competitive environment. Details can be found here.

Thanks again for listening! If you have any questions or just want to chat, let us know in the comments, on the Twitter, or at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

Bonus: Discussion Questions

Mentioned by Josh in this episode, after the most recent Columbus tournament, a group of us had some serious Vintage discussion over drinks. Here are the questions we answered for ourselves:

What card in the history of Magic has drawn players the most cards?
What card in the history of Magic has dealt the most damage?
What creature in the history of Magic has dealt the most damage?
What Vintage card do you see get misplayed most often?
What Vintage card do you hate but you play anyway out of obligation because it’s too good?
What’s your favorite Magic card?
What’s your favorite Vintage card?

Serious Vintage Episode 12 highlights a special event in the Vintage Magic the Gathering realm: the TwaunSerious Invitational. Unfortunately Twaun himself (@Twaun007 on Twitter) couldn’t join us because his apartment is from the 1850s and doesn’t include Internet (does include diphtheria!), but we did get de facto second-in-command Jerry Yang (@yangtrolls) to help us talk about the event and the mighty rivers of scotch that flowed there. Also, Geoff (@ThallidTosser) got interviews with each player of the TwaunSerious event, so enjoy listening to those.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment.
0:00:24 – Jerry Yang, Vintage Gentleman
0:00:44 – The TwaunSerious Invitational
0:27:44 – Eating and Drinking TwaunSeriously
0:38:34 – Tournament Interviews
1:28:16 – Outro
Total runtime: 1:28:48

Hosting a Twaun Style Event

Twaun’s Inaugural Address:

Yes, the TwaunSerious Invitational (TSI) was a ton of fun for everyone involved. We ate, we drank, we joked around, and we played several fun hours of the queen of MtG formats, Vintage. Twaun gave out more than he took in on prizes, thanks mostly to his generosity. (He did purchase much of the prize support years ago at a lower cost, but that doesn’t make it worth any less now.) There are plans in the works now for TSI:II, and we’re already looking forward to making the second installment even more serious.

It’s important to have events like these, where it’s possible and when the time is right. Especially with the loss or movement of the Vintage Championships from GenCon this year (which we knew about when we recorded but deliberately avoided as the dust settles), Vintage needs marquee events. Playing at the TSI brought several players out of retirement, as well as enfranchising some new ones in the Vintage community. It’s important to build this sense of community, since that’s what keeps many people in the format. After all, there are better prizes and more players elsewhere, so what else does Vintage have?

We touched on some strategies for hosting similar events and for making Vintage an experience, more than just a Magic tournament, moving beyond the $20-entry-for-cash-prize events that are common.

The TSI was created by Twaun, but there was a lot of encouragement and support from the rest of Team Serious as well. In the future, we would look to spread some of the burden around, pooling money for prizes, food, and beverages and so forth. Also in the future, I think we can look forward to hosting more players. This first event was capped at 24, which would have made Twaun’s apartment cramped, but that doesn’t mean we won’t expand.

Other events are starting to pop up (especially in light of the Vintage Champs situation) that could have a similar feel, and we look forward to encouraging, watching, and playing in those. If you aren’t aware of Nick Detwiler’s NYSE Open Power 8 tournament, for example, definitely check that out.

Eating and Drinking TwaunSeriously

After the tournament, everyone adjourned to Bar Cento in Ohio City for dinner. The original plan was to visit Market Garden Brewery, but it was packed—a good sign for the quality of the restaurant, but not for getting 13 hungry gamers seated in a timely fashion. Bar Cento served the pizzas and the drinks for the rest of the evening. The duck prosciutto and sunny-side-up pizza were especially well received.

As for drinks during the event, the Glenlivet 15 and the Ransom Old Tom Gin were very well received. Cardhu, Glenmorangie, and Johnnie Walker also provided courage for many a Vintage player.

Tournament Interviews and Top 8

Geoff recorded interviews with each player during the event when he was able to catch them between rounds. As such, the interviews provide individual slices of the TwaunSerious Invitational as it was experienced. Some of the audio isn’t great, since recordings were made in the echoing stairwell, but everything should be listenable. They are ordered by finish, from last to first.

These results and the ensuing commentary are also available on The Mana Drain, but the top eight played out as such:

Mike Solmossy (Burning Long) vs. Jacob Hilty (Garbage Aggro) – Solymossy wins
Jimmy McCarthy (Burning Long) vs. Nam Tran (Espresso Stax) – McCarthy wins
Charles Rolko (Grixis Control) vs. Randal Withrell (Belcher) – Rolko wins
Sam Krohlow(Belcher) vs. Eric Butler (UW Stoneforge) – Krohlow wins

Solymossy vs. Krohlow – Solymossy wins
McCarthy vs. Rolko – McCarthy wins

Solymossy vs. McCarthy – Solymossy takes it

Burning Oath, by Mike SolymossyBusiness (29)
4 City of Brass
4 Forbidden Orchard
3 Gemstone Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Opal
2 Chrome Mox
1 Mana Vault
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
1 Lion’s Eye Diamond
4 Dark Ritual

Mana Sources (31)
4 Oath of Druids
2 Griselbrand
4 Burning Wish
1 Timetwister
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Tinker
1 Memory Jar
1 Time Walk
1 Necropotence
1 Yawgmoth’s Bargain
1 Mind’s Desire
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Rebuild
4 Duress
1 Thoughtseize
Sideboard (15)
1 Thoughtseize
1 Shattering Spree
1 Diminishing Returns
1 Show and Tell
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Tendrils of Agony
2 Mindbreak Trap
2 Nature’s Claim
2 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Steel Sabotage
1 Ancient Grudge
1 unknown card
Burning Oath, by Jimmy McCarthyBusiness (30)
4 Dark Ritual
1 Black Lotus
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Lion’s Eye Diamond
2 Mox Opal
2 Chrome Mox
1 Tolarian Academy
4 City of Brass
2 Gemstone Mine
4 Forbidden Orchard

Mana Sources (30)
4 Burning Wish
1 Necropotence
1 Mind’s Desire
1 Yawgmoth’s Bargain
1 Timetwister
1 Windfall
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Memory Jar
1 Tinker
4 Oath of Druids
2 Griselbrand
4 Duress
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
2 Hurkyl’s Recall
Sideboard (15)
1 Thoughtsieze
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Show and Tell
1 Diminishing Returns
2 Hurkyl’s Recall
2 Shattering Spree
4 Ancient Tomb
1 Laboratory Maniac
Belcher, by Sam KrohlowBusiness (29)
4 Goblin Charbelcher
4 Burning Wish
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Manamorphose
2 Goblin Welder
1 Yawgmoth’s Bargain
1 Necropotence
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Consultation
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Imperial Seal
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Tinker
1 Memory Jar
1 Pact of Negation
1 Empty the Warrens

Mana Sources (31)
4 Dark Ritual
4 Rite of Flame
4 Simian Spirit Guide
2 Elvish Spirit Guide
2 Mox Opal
3 Chrome Mox
1 Channel
1 Black Lotus
1 Lion’s Eye Diamond
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Lotus Petal
Sideboard (15)
4 Leyline of Anticipation
2 Xantid Swarm
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Grape Shot
1 Yawgmoth’s will
1 Time Twister
1 Balance
1 Shattering Spree
1 Mind’s Desire
1 Tendrils of Agony
Grixis Control, by Charles RolkoBusiness (37)
1 Blightsteel Colossus
4 Dark Confidant
3 Snapcaster Mage
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Demonic Tutor
2 Flusterstorm
4 Force of Will
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
2 Lightning Bolt
2 Mana Drain
2 Mental Misstep
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Time Vault
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Voltaic Key
1 Yawgmoth’s Will

Mana Sources (23)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Island
1 Library of Alexandria
2 Misty Rainforest
4 Scalding Tarn
1 Snow-covered Island
1 Tolarian Academy
3 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island
Sideboard (15)
1 Grafdigger’s Cage
4 Ingot Chewer
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Mountain
2 NihilSpellbomb
1 Pithing Needle
1 Pyroclasm
1 Red Elemental Blast
2 Yixlid Jailer
1 Hurkyll’s Recall
Belcher, by Randall WithrellBusiness (29)
4 Goblin Charbelcher
4 Burning Wish
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Simian Spirit Guide
3 Goblin Welder
4 Street Wraith
1 Necropotence
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Consultation
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Memory Jar

Mana Sources (31)
4 Manamorphose
4 Dark Ritual
4 Rite of Flame
2 Chrome Mox
4 Land Grant
1 Taiga
1 Bayou
1 Black Lotus
1 Lion’s Eye Diamond
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Vault
1 Lotus Petal
Sideboard (15)
2 Tendrils of Agony
2 Empty the Warrens
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
3 Smelt
2 Pithing Needlt
2 Tormod’s Crypt
3 Vexing Shusher
RW Hatebears, by Jacob HiltyBusiness (33)
2 Shattering Blow
2 Swords to Plowshares
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Batterskull
3 Stony Silence
1 Pithing Needle
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Torch Fiend
4 Phyrexian Revoker
3 Goblin Welder
4 Porcelain Legionnaire
2 Stoneforge Mystic
2 Gorilla Shaman

Mana Sources (23)
4 Arid Mesa
1 Bloodstained Mire
4 Mountain
1 Plains
3 Plateau
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
1 Black Lotus
4 Simian Spirit Guide
Sideboard (15)
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Pyroblast
3 Grafdigger’s Cage
4 Ravenous Trap
4 Leyline of Sanctity
1 Shattering Blow
WU Stoneforge, by Eric ButlerBusiness (36)
1 Blightsteel Colossus
4 Stoneforge Mystic
2 Snapcaster Mage
2 Batterskull
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Tinker
1 Time Walk
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Mindbreak Trap
4 Force of Will
3 Mana Drain
3 Swords to Plowshares
2 Mental Misstep
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Echoing Truth
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Ponder
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Spell Snare
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Rest in Peace

Mana Sources (23)
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Plains
3 Island
3 Tundra
4 Flooded Strand
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
Sideboard (15)
1 Steel Sabotage
1 Seal of Cleansing
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Mindbreak Trap
1 Pithing Needle
4 Ravenous Trap
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Serenity
2 Disenchant
2 Rest in Peace
Espresso Stax, by Nam TranBusiness (31)
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Crucible of Worlds
2 Duplicant
3 Karn, Silver Golem
4 Lodestone Golem
1 Pithing Needle
4 Smokestack
4 Sphere of Resistance
4 Tangle Wire
2 Thorn of Amethyst

Mana Sources (29)
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
3 Ancient Tomb
1 City of Traitors
4 Mishra’s Factory
4 Mishra’s Workshop
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Wasteland
4 Serum Powder
Sideboard (15)
4 Grafdigger’s Cage
4 Helm of Obedience
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Pithing Needle
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Conclusion

So that’s it for this week. Follow up with us on Twitter or at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com if you need more food and drink recommendations, or to let us know that our taste in whisky is terrible or to laugh at us for doing poorly at a serious Vintage event. We’ll look forward to hearing from you. Thanks!

The top four: Jimmy McCarthy, a very drunk Sam Krohlow, Mike Solymossy, and Charles Rolko.

The mood lighting in Twaun’s underground bunker makes Vintage look super classy.

Twaun provided his guests with this delicious spread of meats and cheeses after round three.

Players brought beverages to share, and Twaun graciously provided prize support.

Episode 11 of #SeriousVintage puts together our normal crew of myself (@GrandpaBelcher at Twitter), Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple), with two people helping build a Vintage scene in Las Vegas, Joe McKellar (@JoeyMac399) and Heather Meek (@Revisedangel). We talk about this process as well as hitting on the You Make the Card results, some previews from Dragon’s Maze, and the all-important food and drink reviews from Las Vegas, in preparation for the Modern Masters Grand Prix in June.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:30 – Wizards Actually Makes the Card
04:21 – Meandering through the Dragon’s Maze
22:52 – Las Vegans Know How to Make a Scene
1:13:31 – Eating and Drinking in Las Vegas
1:27:22 – Upcoming Events Announcement
Total runtime: 1:28:59

Wizards Makes the Card

At the time of recording, You Make the Card voters had chosen to make a black enchantment, and within a few hours we learned they would be making a global enchantment, rather than an aura. This seems fine. Some of Vintage’s favorite enchantments are black global enchantments: Necropotence, Yawgmoth’s Bargain, Leyline of the Void, even some lesser-used hosers like Planar Void and Engineered Plague. Whether the YMTC card is good enough for Vintage still depends on its being printed with a unique effect or a powerful effect for a reasonable (i.e. cheap) casting cost.

I don’t really think there’s a conspiracy going on for the #YMTC voting…but there could be.

Dragon’s Maze Previews

The final chapter in the Return to Ravnica, Dragon’s Maze, has presented some interesting possibilities for Vintage. I’m not sure anything is a certainty, yet. The two cards with the most Vintage buzz at this point are Ral Zarek, which we got to talk about, and Notion Thief, which wasn’t yet spoiled. Here, we talk about Wear//Tear, Beck//Call (or just Beck), Render Silent, Blood Scrivener, and planeswalker Ral Zarek. These cards, as well as others, will take some building and testing to see whether they make it to the big leagues or remain benchwarmers.

Building a New Vintage Scene

Building a new Vintage scene is, as probably many of you have experienced at one time or another, difficult. Vintage has a negative reputation at times—too fast, too expensive, too swingy, elitist, too small (which, of course, is self-fulfilling)—so there are some Magic players who are prejudiced against giving the format a try.

However, as we discuss with Joe and Heather, there are many players who are prime candidates to play Vintage. Legacy players already have many of the more expensive necessities like dual lands, Force of Wills, and Tarmogoyves; Commander players may enjoy the highlander aspect of the decks as well as own some of the powerful restricted cards; and some players, as they get older, might enjoy the more laid-back nature of a format that doesn’t have major shifts like some of the younger formats do. Even pimp cards and classic arts can be a way to get people into Vintage.

It’s been interesting observing the development of a Vintage community from outside, as I have done watching Joe and Heather build a scene in Las Vegas. We’re doing something similar in Columbus now and did something similar a few years ago when I moved to D.C. It can be done. You’ll have to listen to the podcast to glean many of their strategies for making Vintage alluring and accessible, but here are a few:

1. Make proxies attractive and easy. It would be nice to have an environment where everyone owns the cards, but most new players inevitably don’t. Don’t exclude them because of it.
2. As a corollary, use proxied decks as a way to introduce players to the format and to let them play even when “I don’t have a deck.”
3. Try to get store owners on board, not just as event hosts, but as financial participants. A store that hosts Vintage will sell Vintage cards that otherwise likely wouldn’t move.
4. Consider your prize support. Players would often be interested in Vintage cards, playable cards too, not just money cards like Moxes. Giving cards away also encourages players to stay in the format.
5. Emphasize that Vintage is a unique format where unique, fun, and powerful interactions happen regularly. Some players think it’s arcane and totally different from “regular” Magic, but it doesn’t have to be.
6. Talk to new players and help them improve. Be open rather than standoffish. Encourage players to try cards they like from other formats and consider alternatives if those cards don’t work (but see what happens if they do work!).
7. Point out that, because of proxies, Vintage is often cheaper than other formats. Buying cards from new sets often means picking up a handful of commons and uncommons for a few bucks.
8. Building a scene will take many small steps. Starting with a small group of two or four players might add one or two players a month. You’ll have to be patient and enjoy playing Vintage on a small scale in the meantime.

I also mentioned that this discussion would give me an opportunity to post one of my favorite images, comparing the size of Europe, where Vintage is more widespread, to the size of Texas, which has little Vintage because people and places are so spread out.

The U.S. Northeast has a great scene because Boston, Philadelphia, and New York City are a few hours for each other and are part of a huge, interconnected megalopolis between Maine and Washington, D.C. Outside of that, population centers in the U.S. are fewer and farther between. Europe has reasonable rail travel; in the U.S., players are limited to car or plane, which isn’t worth it for smaller tournaments.

It’s a question of population density: Europe has more people per square mile, so they have more Magic players per square mile, so they have more Vintage players per square mile. U.S. Vintage scenes are generally going to struggle to round up players.

Eating and Drinking in Las Vegas

There is a lot of excitement surrounding the Modern Masters Grand Prix, scheduled for June 22 and 23 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Modern Masters format sounds like a lot of fun, especially if the marquee cards work together for a powerful format. For Serious Vintage players, though, this event will be all about the food.

Heather previously wrote a sweet guide to Las Vegas, which you can read, but we thought we’d get some additional tips as well.

• Insert Coins – A video game bar not too far from the Cashman Center where the GP is being held.
• Lotus of Siam – Recommended by David Williams and LSV for Thai food.
• Komol – Also Thai food in the same strip as Lotus of Siam, but Heather recommends it over Lotus.
• Secret Pizza – New York-style pizza, hidden on the strip.
• Heart Attack Grill – Burgers and fries that will test the very limits of your life. If you weigh more than 350 lbs., you can eat for free!
• Oscar’s – A steakhouse at the Plaza hotel where you can get a good meal, and also order a girl who will sit and talk with you while you eat. “The ultimate admission of loneliness, according to Geoff.
• The Beauty Bar – A laid-back bar with shows and a good crowd of mid-20s professionals.
• The Griffin and The Vanguard – Normal bars, in case things get too weird for you at the other places.

Upcoming Events

For listeners and readers in the Ohio area, there are Vintage tournaments coming up where you can hang out and game with the Serious Vintage crew. Who knows? If you’re there, maybe you’ll even end up on the show!

Team Serious Open May 26 (Memorial Day Sunday) – Columbus (Ohio, USA)
Team Serious Open June 22 (Saturday) – Sandusky (Ohio, USA)

In Episode 10 of our #SeriousVintage Magic the Gathering podcast we welcome Josh Chapple (@joshchapple on Twitter) back from his Internet-free hiatus, when he convinced Wizards of the Coast to sponsor a new You Make the Card event. Then he, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser), and I (@GrandpaBelcher) discuss the prospects of playing white in Vintage. Finally, we get right back to the gin.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment.
00:28 – Other People Actually Make the Card
07:03 – Blue and White: Best Friends 4eva?
28:06 – A Tangent on Love of Basic Lands
34:51 – Drinking More Gin and Eating Trattoria Roma
44:24 – Outro
Total runtime: 47:30

You Make the Card 4

You Make the Card events have been fun, community-oriented opportunities for Magic the Gathering players at large to have an influence in the design of a card. From a Vintage perspective, the three previous cards—Forgotten Ancient, Crucible of Worlds, and Vanish into Memory in 2002, 2003, and 2005, respectively—were a mixed bag for Vintage. Crucible of Worlds has found a longtime home in Stax and MUD decks at the intersection of Workshop playability and Wasteland recursion. Forgotten Ancient and Vanish into Memory have largely lived up to their names and are unplayable.

When we recorded this episode, the initial card type had not yet been chosen, so things were wide open. Now, knowing that the voters have chosen to make an enchantment, most of what we said still stands.

The Vintage community is very small and specialized compared to those of other formats. For a card to make a splash in Vintage it will need to be powerful enough to compete with the printings of 20 previous years and have a unique and useful ability. Of course there are also questions of cost effectiveness and how easily (and worthwhile) it would be to cheat into play. I’m sure Oath of Druids would be less popular if it cost four, unless it was black, maybe, and could be accelerated out by Dark Ritual and friends. That sort of thing.

So we’re looking for something cheap or something worth putting into play with Academy Rector or Show and Tell. If it somehow gets the Leyline ability, that should work too. There’s plenty of opportunity for a game changer or new archetype to come out of this; however, because the number of people voting for Vintage interests is so small and because Wizards will undoubtedly rein in the power level somewhat, I think we’re more likely to see something playable in Commander and Type 4. Prove me wrong!

Playing White in Vintage

White has become an attractive option in Vintage, especially as a support color, since it recently has some very powerful Vintage-level hosers. Rest in Peace and Stony Silence have recently (within the past two years) joined cards like Swords to Plowshares, Serenity, and Disenchant as powerful answers to Dredge, Time Vault, Tinker and Tarmogoyf, Workshops, and Oath. Other white playables include Balance, Aven Mindcensor, Auriok Salvagers, Enlightened Tutor, Thalia, Leonin Relic Warder, and True Believer. And, white also has a respectable finisher in Stoneforge Mystic and her buddy Batterskull.

So there are lots of ways to use white, but we’re going to look mostly at some blue-white lists for now. Add or subtract colors as you enjoy them.

Bomberman is probably the best known UWx list. Usually it plays as a control or aggro-control list, using Trinket Mages to find critical lock pieces and attack, backed up by counterspells. However, it can also go straight into combo mode and recur Black Lotus with Auriok Salvagers to make infinite mana, clear the board with Engineered Explosives, draw the deck with Aether Spellbomb, and establish a dominant position from there, usually just Time Walking and attacking for the win.

David Beall recently made top four of an Ohio Vintage tournament with this list, adding Mystic Remoras to Bomberman to stay ahead of combo decks.

Mystic Bomberman, by David BeallBusiness (36)
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Aether Spellbomb
2 Sensei’s Divining Top
2 Aven Mindcensor
2 Auriok Salvagers
4 Trinket Mage
1 Thirst for Knowledge
3 Mystic Remora
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Spell Snare
2 Flusterstorm
2 Mental Misstep
4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will

Mana Sources (24)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Opal
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
1 Sol Ring
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Cavern of Souls
2 Polluted Delta
4 Flooded Strand
3 Tundra
1 Plains
4 Island
Sideboard (15)
4 Swords to Plowshares
1 Pithing Needle
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Flusterstorm
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
3 Disenchant
2 Steel Sabotage
1 Terminus

Sam Krohlow (@sillysam71) recently made Top 8 of an Ohio Vintage tournament with this list:

UW Landstill, by Sam KrohlowBusiness (35)
4 Force of Will
2 Mindbreak Trap
2 Mental Misstep
1 Misdirection
4 Mana Drain
2 Steel Sabotage
4 Standstill
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
3 Swords to Plowshares
2 Crucible of Worlds
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
3 Stony Silence
2 Snapcaster Mage
1 Balance

Mana Sources (25)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
1 Lotus Petal
4 Mishra’s Factory
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
1 Library of Alexandria
4 Flooded Strand
1 Misty Rainforest
3 Tundra
3 Island
Sideboard (15)
2 Spell Pierce
2 Vendilion Clique
1 Plains
4 Rest in Peace
3 Kataki, War’s Wage
2 Engineered Explosives
1 Supreme Verdict

For players coming out of Legacy and Standard, a Stoneblade deck might be a familiar sight. Being able to control the board with Stoneforge Mystic, counterspells, and removal is a powerful option, and having access to a Vintage manabase of Moxes makes it easy to play your backbreaking Kor artificer on turn one.

Eric Butler (@ButlersTweets) took fifth at that same Ohio tournament with the following Stoneblade list. You’ll see he also played main deck Rest in Peace and Helm of Obedience, Time Vault and Voltaic Key, and an Enlightened Tutor to find any of his missing pieces (or potentially devastate a Dredge player game one).

Vintage Stoneblade, Eric ButlerBusiness (37)
1 Time Vault
1 Voltaic Key
1 Helm of Obedience
1 Rest in Peace
1 Tezzeret, the Seeker
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Steel Sabotage
1 Echoing Truth
1 Spell Snare
1 Mindbreak Trap
2 Mental Misstep
4 Force of Will
3 Mana Drain
2 Snapcaster Mage
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Stoneforge Mystic
2 Batterskull
3 Swords to Plowshares

Mana Sources (23)
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
4 Flooded Strand
1 Plains
3 Island
3 Tundra
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
Sideboard (15)
2 Rest in Peace
4 Ravenous Trap
1 Swords to Plowshares
2 Engineered Explosives
1 Pithing Needle
1 Mindbreak Trap
1 Seal of Cleansing
1 Serenity
2 Disenchant

Finally, a deck I’ve been working on with good results known as Vintage Restored. This list tries to maximize Snapcaster Mage and Vendilion Clique by playing Restoration Angels. Even as just a 3/4 flyer with flash, Resto has been a formidable force, blocking Delvers and opposing Cliques, trading with Lodestones, and dodging Lightning Bolts. Getting an extra use out of Snapcaster to recur Ancestral Recall or Time Walk is just gross. The deck can hold most of its cards until end of turn to maintain control at instant speed.

I was too ill to play at the aforementioned Ohio tournament, but you can be sure I would have done well with this list.

Vintage Restoration, by Nat MoesBusiness (38)
3 Snapcaster Mage
3 Restoration Angel
2 Vendilion Clique
1 Blightsteel Colossus
4 Force of Will
3 Mana Drain
3 Swords to Plowshares
2 Mental Misstep
2 Spell Pierce
1 Mindbreak Trap
1 Steel Sabotage
1 Echoing Truth
1 Tinker
3 Preordain
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Brainstorm
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll

Mana Sources (22)
4 Tundra
4 Flooded Strand
2 Island
1 Plains
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
2 Polluted Delta
Sideboard (15)
2 Energy Flux
3 Ravenous Trap
4 Rest in Peace
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Steel Sabotage
1 Disenchant
1 Annul
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Mindbreak Trap

We also talked a little about being able to run a bunch of basic lands in these UW lists. You can see most of them have plenty (at least three), which can be critically important when facing down Wastelands from Workshops or Fish.

Gin and Trattoria Roma

Since Josh returned, we once again have a gin aficionado on the crew, and he highly recommends Ransom Old Tom Gin. Rather than a clear, pine-scented gin like Tanqueray, Old Tom is golden-colored and has a malted flavor alongside the usual gin botanicals. It sounds like an intriguing change, and the historical recreation angle is something you can use to impress people. (Or just bask in your own superiority as you fall asleep alone.)

Trattoria Roma was some Serious Eating for my wife and me. We went there as part of Dine Originals Week in Columbus, which is a regular event that encourages Columbus residents to try some of the local independent restaurants with discounts or special offers. Trattoria Roma is a classy bistro in the Grandview area, so it would be great for a date, though maybe not for a post-tournament meal. The food was delicious, though, and I talk about it in great detail.

So that’s it for this week. Follow up with us on Twitter or at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com if you need more food and drink recommendations or to tell us your favorite basic land or to tell us you’ll never play white ever because it’s the color of weakness. Thanks!

For episode 45, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) continue their discussion David P. Baum, longtime owner of a card and comic book store in Northern Ohio. He doesn’t have a personal Twitter account, but (Pop! the store has one. And if you’d like to support the store through the coronavirus quarantine, Pop! opened an online storefront to help get them through.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
01:20 – The Dangers of Supply: Fallen Empires, Chronicles, and the Power 9
30:00 – Dave Opens His First Store
38:49 – “They Stole Your Cardboard?”
51:55 – Changes, Inertia, and Model Railroads
57:26 – Digressions About Success
Total runtime – 1:15:19

If You Missed Part 1

We talked with Dave about his role in organizing Magic in Ohio in 1994–1996 or so, from selling his first boxes of product without knowing at all what the game was about to organizing the local event Sand Con and the Chinese 4th Edition prerelease at Origins in Columbus in 1996. (We suspected it was 1995 in the episode, but Chinese 4th debuted the following year, and 1996 was the first year Origins moved permanently to Columbus. Consider this a correction.)

There was a lot. If you have an interest in the history of Magic: The Gathering, you should listen. It’s very fun! I admit at one point to playing Icatian Moneychanger.

What Happened – Part 2

When we left Dave, he had turned down an opportunity to bid on continuing to organize events for Wizards of the Coast. He sold out of the organizing business and out of Magic entirely.

This first part of this episode contains a chronology of the beginnings of tournament Magic, from Dave’s perspective:
● We talk a little about the awkwardness that Wizards went through in its growth period, namely Fallen Empires and Chronicles, from the perspective of a store owner at that time as well as from the players at that time.
● From there we talk about Magic economics in general in those days, including the challenges of finding particular cards or finding someone to trade with you or finding an accurate representation of pricing. The Internet was still in its infancy and paper price guides were out of date as soon as they were printed.
● And we talk about everyone’s favorite topic, the Reserved List! We solve no problems and make no wild claims. You’ll be disappointed.

From here it gets pretty crazy.
● Dave tells about his first “store,” selling Magic cards in a hobby shop with an owner who’s, let’s say, a little unstable. Dave moves on, to a closet, with an owner who’s just a thief.

● Finally in 2000 Dave opens a small store on an upper story of an old building in Sandusky, Ohio (the one on the flyer). This includes a pretty interesting recollection of 9/11 and the store’s strange position as a refuge, of sorts, for the local kids who were around after school amid the turmoil of this unique situation. This compels him to move to a more customer-friendly location.
● Josh’s mom goes to the store and scopes it out for us. Josh is impressed in hindsight that his mom is that in tune with what the kids might like.
● Dave tells us about the store’s first robbery! And getting a new landlord, because, wow.
● The wheel keeps turning and the store moves again, gets sold, and opens anew. Dave talks about the risks of selling online and why he hadn’t done it in the past. As I mentioned, these unique times have changed that. They’re online now.
● We talk about the death of Magic, in relation to the death of model railroading.

And we close with some of the intangible benefits (and also potential drawbacks) of owning a store. Dave has been running Magic events for a quarter century. At this point he’s seen a couple of generations of players grow up, and he’s had a very real effect on them. Magic is a lifestyle game, but everyone experiences it differently, and everyone who experiences it has a different life that this game fits into somehow. We, as players, even as long-time players, don’t really think about that, but it’s pretty remarkable. Magic is over 25 years old.

Dave predicts that Magic will survive even another catastrophic event, “like World War II.” And here we are in a global pandemic that has disallowed the gathering part of Magic: The Gathering. Listening to this now, after recording it before quarantine events began, it’s a little strange. Where does the game go from here? Where do we go?

Questions for Discussion

Local game stores like Dave’s are being hit particularly hard by the coronavirus quarantine since they can’t bring players in for events, and thus can’t as easily sell sealed product, single cards, or even snacks and drinks. So the only question this week is what are you doing for your local game store, especially after they’ve done so much for you. Times are tough, but consider doing what’s reasonable for you.

If you want to support Dave’s store, Pop!, they have a new online storefront that will hopefully carry them through the troubled times. I’m sure they’d appreciate the business.

Conclusion

Thanks again for listening! And thanks to Dave for joining us on this special, two-part episode. We hope you enjoyed it and found it useful. Usually we talk a lot more about food. We’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or The Mana Drain or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

Episode 9 of #SeriousVintage, Vintage newcomer Eric Butler (@ButlersTweets) joins us to talk about some recent tournaments in Ohio and the “Ohio-style” decks that get played in them. Geoff (@ThallidTosser) and I (@GrandpaBelcher) also find out what it’s like coming from Standard and Modern into Vintage: the pros and cons of the format and what Vintage tournament organizers and aficionados can do to attract new players. Then we talk tournament snacks, including oatmeal creme pies and nut bars.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:24 – Eric Butler, Vintage New Guy
01:07 – “Ohio Style” at the Team Serious Open
11:03 – “Ohio Style” at Fog of Dusk
22:25 – Breaking into Vintage
46:01 – Eating While You Game (Step 1: Be Careful)
53:58 – Outro
Total runtime: 54:48

Ohio Style Tournaments

Ohio-style, adj. describing decks that are pretty much only playable in Ohio, a magical land of Workshops, revamped second-tier strategies, and experimental decklists.

Ex. My Zur’s Weirding-Words of Worship combo deck was definitely Ohio-style, but I managed to get paired against non-blue aggro all day and made top eight. I made $20!

Vintage tournament attendance is recently the rise in the Buckeye State as the holidays have wound down. And since our player recruitment efforts are increasing, we’re looking forward to some good events this spring and summer. Playing in Ohio requires players to take this into account; there is a metagame, but it’s unlike the rock-paper-scissors balance that exists in New England and Europe.

The February 9 tournament in Sandusky, Ohio, for example had a top eight that consisted of the following: Forgemaster Aggro, Enchantress (really!), Espresso Stax, RUG Delver, Doomsday, Forgemaster Combo, Stoneforge Control, and Elves! Of those, there are probably four decks that would be found in another area’s top eight, but there’s a ton of novel ideas that merit consideration. We talk about some of the technology and our experiences in the podcast, and the lists and results are here.

A few weeks later, Eric and I played in a local Vintage eight-man tournament where Standard superstar Restoration Angel and the new Rogue Hermit list made the finals. Again, a little Ohio-style but, again, results worth looking at.

New Vintage Players

Growing the player base seems to be of foremost concern in Vintage, and since Eric is a relatively new addition to the Ohio Vintage scene, we thought it might be interesting to get his perspective on the format. Vintage has several things that make it attractive: spell-based interaction on the stack, decks like those based on Mishra’s Workshop and Gush that aren’t found elsewhere, and access to the largest card pool in Magic. However, as Eric points out, the Vintage player base is also generally older than that in other formats, so it’s generally more mature. Vintage players are still competitive but are often a bit more relaxed and realistic about the stakes.

Of course, Eric also pointed out that Vintage has a (somewhat rightly earned) reputation for being more swingy than other formats. Players who make broken early plays fueled by Ancestral Recall and Black Lotus can end up with an insurmountable lead, and even though that can happen from either side of the table – especially in a proxy environment – some players aren’t quite as excited by the insanity.

Speaking of proxies, they’re probably still a necessity to attract new players. Some players do enjoy playing a hate-deck strategy against Powered decks, but that’s not what Vintage is about. Attracting new players will often mean letting them experience the power of the format as well.

Tournament Snacking

Everyone has their favorite snacks while gaming. Apparently Eric has an obsession for Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies, Geoff likes Nature Valley Sweet and Salty Nut Bars, and I like Planters Big Nut Bars. This section is rife with innuendo.

Really though there are plenty of options for staying fed and watered at a tournament, and we talk about all of them. We even talk about the prospect of supplying Vintage tournaments with fresh baked goods. Who knows how to attract new Vintage players? We do!

Let us know your thoughts on Ohio-style strategies, how to grow the Vintage player base, and your favorite in-tourney snacks at our new email address, seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com, or on Twitter: @ThallidTosser and @GrandpaBelcher.

Speaking of Ohio-style, and lest we forget, here’s that Diet Pepsi “Brown and Bubbly” commercial. #NeverForget

Special Notice

For listeners and readers in the Ohio area, there are Vintage tournaments coming up where you can hang out and game with the Serious Vintage crew. Who knows? If you’re there, maybe you’ll even end up on the show!

Team Serious Open March 24 (Sunday) – Columbus (Ohio, USA)
Team Serious Open April 6 (Saturday) – Sandusky (Ohio, USA)

In Episode 8 of the #SeriousVintage podcast we invite Jake Hilty (@TuringTested) to join us and talk a little about non-blue aggro-control in Vintage. Jake is an aggro aficionado, and recently wrote an article for Mana Deprived on the transfer of Jund to Legacy, along with the banning of Bloodbraid Elf in Modern. Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser) and I (@GrandpaBelcher) will be tossing out questions about non-blue dudesweats. We’ll also talk about the January Banned and Restricted List update, the upcoming Team Serious Open, and cocktails!


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment.
00:28 – January B&R Update: Much Ado About Nothing
05:55 – Happy Vintage Aggro Control (No Blues Allowed)
41:13 – Prepping for the TSO in Sandusky, Ohio
47:47 – Seriously Drinking a Lot of Cocktails
52:18 – Outro
Total runtime: 57:35

Banned & Restricted – No News Is Good News

The January Banned and Restricted List update came and went, and, as is the course with Vintage recently, nothing happened. No cards on; no cards off.

All in all this is a positive sign for Vintage. Wizards of the Coast is unperturbed by the current state of the format and saw no reason to restrict or unrestrict anything. We tend to agree with that; Vintage is healthy. Many decks are viable currently: Workshops and blue decks are well balanced; Dredge is a beatable threat; Landstill is playable as a pure control deck; RUG Delver and several aggro-control lists represent; and Burning Oath Long has brought combo back into the light. No matter what kind of decks you enjoy playing, the Vintage world is your oyster.

We also talked a little about the frequent calls for restriction of Workshop staples, usually Lodestone Golem or Chalice of the Void. These two cards together limit the options of opposing decks, increasing the cost of non-artifacts, locking out artifact mana that would help pay for other spells, and putting opponents on a four-turn clock. The best ways out of this are Force of Will or one-drop removal for Lodestone such as Lightning Bolt and Swords to Plowshares, assuming, of course, that MUD doesn’t bury you under more lock pieces. It’s a frightening prospect, no doubt.

However, this really just seems to put Workshops on the same level as blue decks. Perhaps, rather than clamoring for restriction, blue decks should start having multiple maindeck anti-artifact cards rather than the one-of tutorable answer. It’s long been accepted practice to play multiple maindeck anti-blue cards, and recent additions like Flusterstorm and Mental Misstep are no help against Workshops. Vintage has a large cardpool, so there are multiple ways to deal with imminent threats, even on turn one and before.

Also, for anyone arguing for a return to the zero-proxy standard, realize that restricting Chalice of the Void also removes that from the arsenals of non-Workshop decks. If you’re looking forward to budget aggro-control decks being played in a Sanctioned Vintage metagame, it’s almost imperative that those decks have access to Chalice to level the playing field against powered blue and Workshops.
Just something to think about.

Non-Blue Aggro-Control

Jake, known as “garbageaggro” on Internet forums, has a penchant for putting together decks that ignore Vintage’s favorite color. His strategies are well thought out and have earned him several top-eight spots in the Ohio Vintage circuit, most recently on December 1, 2012, using this list:

RGW Aggro-Control, by Jake HiltyBusiness (36)
4 Swords to Plowshares
2 Lightning Bolt
3 Stony Silence
3 Grafdigger’s Cage
3 Pithing Needle
3 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Qasali Pridemage
4 Torch Fiend
2 Porcelain Legionnaire
3 Goblin Welder
2 Gorilla Shaman
3 Simian Spirit Guide

Mana Sources (24)
4 Wasteland
1 Strip Mine
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Forest
2 Plains
2 Mountain
2 Plateau
1 Taiga
1 Savannah
4 Arid Mesa
2 Wooded Foothills
1 Windswept Heath
Sideboard (15)
2 Lightning Bolt
4 Rest in Peace
1 Porcelain Legionnaire
2 Serra Avenger
3 Ancient Grudge
1 Red Elemental Blast
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben

The references we make in the podcast are to this list, though Jake does talk a little about what all the colors have to offer and what some of the better cards in each color are.

Like most metagamed aggro-control lists, this one plans on shutting down its opponents’ routes to victory with targeted hate cards: Swords, Bolts, and Legionnaires against creatures; Pridemage, Torch Fiend, Welder, and Mox Monkey against artifacts; and Needle, Revoker, and Cage against blue’s Mind Sculptors, Time Vaults, and Yawgmoth’s Wills. The deck limits the unfair options available to other Vintage decks, buying enough time for its 21 creatures (including Spirit Guides) to finish things off.

Serious Cocktails

Vintage Magic: the Gathering often calls for Vintage beverages as well. Here are three Vintage cocktails to get you started.

Tom Collins
Ice cubes
2 oz. dry gin
2 oz. lemon juice
1 teaspoon simple syrup
Soda water
Slice of lemon
1 cherry

Place ample ice in tall Collins or high-ball glass. Add gin, lemon juice, and simple syrup. Top with soda water and stir well. Serve with lemon slice, cherry and a straw.

(Whiskey) Old Fashioned
1 lump sugar
1 dash seltzer water
1 dash orange bitters
1 dash Angostura bitters
1 piece lemon peel
2 oz. whiskey
Ice cubes

Gently muddle sugar, lemon peel, and bitters in an old fashioned/rocks glass. Add whiskey and ice; top with seltzer. Stir gently and serve with the spoon. Alternatively, you can use simple syrup in the place of sugar and water.

Dark and Stormy
Cubed or crushed ice to fill about 3/4 of the glass
3 oz. dark rum (Gosling’s Black Seal Rum, for example)
7-8 oz. ginger beer
Fresh lime wedge

Add the ingredients in order to a Collins or high-ball glass, give it a stir, and enjoy.

If you have other favorite drinks, let us hear about them on Twitter or in the comments. It’s important.

Special Notice

For listeners and readers in the Ohio area, there are Vintage tournaments coming up where you can hang out and game with the Serious Vintage crew. We mentioned the February 9 event in Sandusky and what we expect to appear there in this episode. Who knows? If you’re there, maybe you’ll even end up on the show!
Team Serious Open February 9 (Saturday) – Sandusky (Ohio, USA)
Team Serious Open March 17 (Sunday) – Columbus (Ohio, USA)

Episode 7 of our #SeriousVintage podcast sees Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser) and me (@GrandpaBelcher) catch up with Anthony “Twaun” Michaels (@Twaun007) after his finals appearance with Twaunspresso Stax at the December 30 Team Serious Open in Columbus, Ohio. We also look at the early Gatecrash previews and review food options at the Columbus Convention Center, specifically North Market.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment. If you’re avoiding spoilers, be sure to skip far enough forward to avoid our talking about new cards.
00:23 – The Return of Twaun P. Pwnertown
01:25 – Gatecrash and Burn
25:56 – Twaunspresso Stax Takes Two at the TSO
42:43 – Serious Eats at the North Market
52:18 – Outro
Total runtime: 52:54

Gatecrash and Burn

At the time of recording, there were 84 cards spoiled from the newest Magic the Gathering expansion Gatecrash, and we took a look at 11 of them that we felt had the most potential for Vintage. Unfortunately, the pickings were pretty slim. I feel a little bad that we were so harsh on the new set. Obviously the threshold for playability in Vintage is pretty high. New cards must compete with every card previously printed, so to make an appearance they either need to be better—more efficient, more powerful, more flexible—or do something unique, either by themselves or in combination with an earlier printing.

Obviously new cards make waves in Vintage all the time. Lodestone Golem is only three years old, for example, and completely overhauled the Workshop strategy (combining two previous Vintage playables, Juggernaut and Sphere of Resistance, probably didn’t hurt). Cards like Deathrite Shaman, Dryad Militant, and Izzet Charm from Return to Ravnica have seen successful play as well, so it’s reasonable to expect playables from any set. We just didn’t see much in the first third of Gatecrash that has been spoiled thus far.

Gatecrash has potential especially as the home of House Dimir, which combines Vintage’s two favorite colors, blue and black. Also in Gatecrash, the Simic Combine (blue and green) has produced powerful creatures and anchors the Noble Fish deck; the Orzhov Syndicate (black and white) and the Boros Legion (red and white) are largely untapped combinations in Vintage, except in conjunction with blue; and the Gruul Clans (red and green) combine the two colors best suited to hate on blue. Basically, if we’ve seen the worst of Gatecrash for Vintage, there could be a lot of good stuff coming!

Workshopppin’ With Twaun (again)

Twaun finally reset his top-eight counter, ticking since the Sunday of GenCon 2011, a total of one year, nine months, and four days. He did it in grand style too, taking his unique, Serum Powder-fueled Stax deck with an eight-Leyline sideboard to the finals against the Dark Lord of the Sith, Stephen Menendian.

Twaunspresso Stax, by Anthony MichaelsBusiness (35)
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Smokestack
4 Tangle Wire
4 Sphere of Resistance
4 Chalice of the Void
2 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Pithing Needle
4 Serum Powder
3 Crucible of Worlds
3 Karn, Silver Golem
2 Duplicant

Mana Sources (25)
4 Mishra’s Workshop
4 Wasteland
3 Ancient Tomb
1 City of Traitors
4 Mishra’s Factory
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
Sideboard (15)
2 Pithing Needle
2 Maze of Ith
1 Tabernacle
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
4 Leyline of the Void
4 Leyline of Sanctity

Twaun covers a lot of his choices and plays throughout the tournament in the podcast, so I won’t recount them here. Usually the deck will lock out its opponents and grind away at them using Smokestack, Tangle Wire, and Crucible of Worlds, but it can be surprisingly aggressive with Lodestone and will win suddenly with Karn, Silver Golem. Remember that he built the deck for the Columbus, Ohio, event specifically, so remember to take your own metagame into account when building your own version.

Serious Eats at the North Market

Columbus’s North Market has been in existence since 1876 but opened in its current location in 1995. Today the 44,000 sq. ft. building houses 35 merchants, grocers, and restaurateurs. Visitors to the Columbus Convention Center, including Magic players at Grand Prix and Star City Games Opens, have the luxury of the market being a short walk across High St. with operating hours from 8 to 5 on Saturday and noon to 5 on Sunday.

In the podcast, we talk about food from:
– Omega Artisan Baking (Geoff’s Omega cake and my “rustic sweet roll”)
– Taste of Belgium (Geoff’s crepe and the smell of the waffles)
– Flavors of India (Twaun’s meal on Saturday)
– Bubbles, the Tea and Juice Company (several smoothies and bubble teas throughout the weekend)
– Lan Viet Market (my pho on Saturday)
– Sarefino’s Pizzeria and Italian Deli (Geoff’s calzone)
– Expressly Market Bakery and Bistro (my soup on Sunday)
– Destination Donuts (my doughnuts on Sunday)

If you ever have the opportunity to play at the Columbus Convention Center, be sure to scrub out early so you can get some awesome food at North Market. Check out their list of vendors and find the ones that interest you. And if you do actually scrub out early (and are of legal drinking age), they have a wine and beer store so you can drown your sorrows.

If you want more recommendations or just want to talk to us about food (or Vintage, I guess), hit us up on Twitter or reply in the forums. We’re Serious.

Special Notice

For listeners and readers in the Ohio area, there are Vintage tournaments coming up where you can hang out and game with the Serious Vintage crew. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even end up on the show!
February 9 (Saturday) – Sandusky Ohio
March 17 (Sunday) – Columbus

Here we go with the half-dozenth hour of #SeriousVintage, hosted by Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher on Twitter), Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple on Twitter). In the holiday spirit we decided to give you some of our vast knowledge of Vintage; share with you some thoughts on one of our favorte decks, Wizards!; and then relax with some yuletide potent potables in a #SeriousVintage party.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:25 – How Magic Decks Work
07:02 – Wizards!
29:24 – Wishing You an Inebriated Holiday Season
37:55 – Outro
Total runtime: 38:28

Interactivity (or Not)

Our thoughts on interactivity aren’t anything new or unexpected, I don’t think, but they are something that players forget. People always talk about interacting with their opponent and how they want to force their opponent to interact etc. Really, that’s not true.

Magic decks want to force their opponent into a position where they can’t interact, to essentially setup a goldfishing scenario where their opponent might as well not exist. Whether this happens when you counter everything relevant your opponent plays, when you bury them under a pile of Spheres, or when you negate their deck by activating and triggering abilities in your graveyard is up to you, but don’t pretend you came here looking to interact with your opponent. You came here looking to ignore them completely.

Wizards!

One of the prime examples of this kind of faux interactivity is the Wizards! deck. We took our build from one presented by Omar Nieto in 2011.

Wizards 2011, by Omar NietoBusiness (42)
4 Dark Confidant
4 Meddling Mage
4 Qasali Pridemage
4 Voidmage Prodigy
4 Æther Vial
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Daze
4 Force of Will
2 Misdirection
3 Spell Pierce
3 Stifle
3 Swords to Plowshares

Mana Sources (19)
1 Strip Mine
3 Wasteland
4 Flooded Strand
2 Polluted Delta
1 Island
1 Plains
2 Tropical Island
3 Tundra
2 Underground Sea
Sideboard (15)
1 Balance
2 Engineered Explosives
4 Leyline of the Void
3 Path to Exile
1 Perish
1 Serenity
3 Trickbind

Omar then played a revamped version of this deck, capitalizing on the power of Cavern of Souls, in a 47-person tournament in Spain. I said it was sanctioned in the podcast, but I see now that it allowed nine proxies. Anyway, he split first and second with a UWG Noble Fish player. Also, yes, Nieto’s lists have 61 cards in the maindeck.

Wizards 2012, by Omar NietoBusiness (40)
4 Dark Confidant
3 Grim Lavamancer
3 Magus of the Unseen
3 Meddling Mage
3 Qasali Pridemage
3 Sower of Temptation
4 Voidmage Prodigy
4 Aether Vial
4 Chalice of the Void
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Force of Will
3 Mental Misstep
1 Time Walk

Mana Sources (21)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
4 Cavern of Souls
1 City of Brass
4 Flooded Strand
1 Tropical Island
1 Tundra
1 Underground Sea
2 Volcanic Island
1 Strip Mine
3 Wasteland
Sideboard (15)
1 Plains
1 Scrubland
1 Balance
4 Leyline of the Void
4 Rest in Peace
4 Serenity

Omar’s deck is filled with trump cards against Vintage’s most powerful archetypes and strategies, so if he finds the right trump and plays it uncounterably or for free, using Cavern or Aether Vial, he’s got a good chance of winning. Multiple trumps will just bury an opponent. Grim Lavamancer versus opposing creatures; Voidmage Prodigy and Magus of the Unseen versus blue decks using Yawgmoth’s Will and Tinker, and Qasali Pridemage and Magus of the Unseen versus Workshops are all gamebreaking effects.

The list we created has a more broadly based mana-denial attack to hamstring the opponent and prevent his being able to respond before hate bears take him down.

Serious Wizards, by Nat Moes, Geoff Moes, and Josh ChappleBusiness (40)
4 Force of Will
3 Daze
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Dark Confidant
4 Leonin Relic Warder
3 Cursecatcher
3 Phyrexian Revoker
3 Meddling Mage
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Waterfront Bouncer
2 Voidmage Prodigy
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Aether Vial

Mana Sources (20)
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Pearl
2 Cavern of Souls
4 Flooded Strand
1 Island
3 Tundra
2 Underground Sea
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
Sideboard (15)
3 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Batterskull
1 Umezawa’s Jitte
1 Voidmage Prodigy
2 True Believer
2 Ravenous Trap
4 Rest in Peace
1 Plains

This version is specifically metagamed for Ohio (USA), which has many Workshops and creature decks. As we discussed in the audio, there are many different options for creatures and spells that can improve your matchup against any deck. We talked a little about some outliers like Bonds of Faith, but the big one we neglected was Baleful Strix, which is a good answer to flipped Delvers, Lodestone Golems, and Tarmogoyves.

We think this deck (and Nieto’s) are both a lot of fun, and frustrating to play against. You can set up many games where your opponent won’t be able to interact with you usefully at all.

Holiday Imbibing

Of course we had a lot to talk about here. Holiday gatherings are great opportunities to kick back, relax, and have a few drinks with friends. And when holiday shopping or office- and family-get-togethers get annoying, it’s a great opportunity to kick back, relax, and have a few drinks by yourself…while goldfishing Belcher, in your underwear.

Anyway here’s links to some of the recipes and beverages we talked about:
Mississipi Bourbon Punch
This was fruity and sweet and will give you the full effect of the word “punch.” Any sweet, grapey wine should work if you can’t find a muscato. As I said, we used a Lake Erie Catawba just fine.

Eggnog
We never got around to making the nog, but this is the one I would have gone with. Alton Brown is a go-to for new recipes for me.

Mulled Wine
I like that this recipe has peppercorns in it. Taste of Home is another good source for food advice since a lot of their recipes come from real people who have made the foods in real life rather than a test kitchen.

Leopold Bros. Fernet
If you’re interested in drinking the drinks without constructing them first, here’s a link to the distillery Josh mentioned as having delicious fernet. I’m interested in checking this out for sure!

Last but not least, the beers:
Great Lakes Christmas Ale
Columbus Brewing Company Winter Warmer
Lagunitas Brown Shugga
Shiner Holiday Cheer
Anchor Christmas Ale

All of these come highly recommended, though I will mention again that the Shiner Holiday Cheer’s peaches and pecans are an odd flavor combination for this time of year. Let us know what you think on Twitter or in the comments with the #SeriousVintage tag!

Welcome to the fifth installment of the Serious Vintage Podcast, hosted by Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher on Twitter), Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple on Twitter). This week we are joined by Abe “Katzby” Corson (@AbeCorson on Twitter). We discussed the physical reprints coming in Modern Masters next June, and the digital reprints coming to Magic Online (MTGO) in the form of Power 9 in the Online Cube. Then we talked to Abe about judging in Vintage, and learned a little about the history of the format in the process. Finally we wrapped everything up in a flaky crust and talked about #ManyInsanePies for the holiday season.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:27 – Everyone’s Excited for Modern Masters
12:38 – Powering up MTGO
15:22 – A Life of Vintage and Judging
47:36 – Serious Eating: #ManyInsanePies
57:01 – Outro
Total runtime: 57:34

There’s not too much to add to the first part of the show. The prospect of these reprintings — Tarmogoyf; maybe things like Dark Confidant, Vendilion Clique, and Arcbound Ravager; and online Power and Mana Drain — is sexy and alluring for Magic players of all kinds. We’re all exited for the potential benefits to Vintage from both Modern Masters and online Power, but it’s tough to predict the ultimate results. Anything that might add to the interest and player-base of Vintage is a good thing for everyone involved in the format, for sure. Either way it should be a lot of fun, right?

A Life of Vintage and Judging

I’ve known Abe Corson since 2008 when he facilitated my move to Virginia by giving me a ride to a Star City Games Power 9 event in Richmond, where I rendezvoused with the Team Serious Ohio contingent and got a ride back to the Buckeye State to pick up the moving truck, after playing in the Power 9 tournament, of course (such are the benefits of the Vintage community). You may know him from his extensive judging participation up and down the East Coast. He has been around Vintage for a long time, always has interesting Magic: the Gathering stories and factoids to share, and will gladly explain Magic rules and policies in detail.

If you’re interested, he has a few ten-year-old Keeper tournament reports available online:
http://type-one.net/rep?f=020223aco.txt
http://type-one.net/rep?f=020202aco.txt
http://type-one.net/rep?f=011028aco.txt

You can get some insight on how to play decks like this one from February 2002.

Keeper, by Abe CorsonBusiness (32)
4 Mana Drain
4 Force of Will
1 Counterspell
1 Misdirection
2 Morphling
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Stroke of Genius
1 Braingeyser
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mind Twist
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 The Abyss
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Balance
1 Dismantling Blow
1 Regrowth
1 Sylvan Library
1 Gorilla Shaman
1 Fire//Ice
1 Zuran Orb

Mana Sources (28)
4 Underground Sea
4 Tundra
3 Volcanic Island
4 City of Brass
1 Undiscovered Paradise
1 Strip Mine
3 Wasteland
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Emerald
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
Sideboard (15)
4 Red Elemental Blast
1 Blue Elemental Blast
1 Moat
1 Ivory Mask
2 Circle of Protection: Red
2 Compost
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Timetwister
1 Scrying Glass
1 Aura Fracture

It’s great fun especially for those who have an interest in Vintage history. If you enjoyed Stephen Menendian’s latest History of Vintage series, you’ll enjoy these retrospective pieces as well.

Serious Eating

Finally, pies. Glorious pies. All you need to know about baking for the holidays. Here are the pie crust recipes that Geoff and I use.

Butter crust ingredients (other versions could be found online as pâte brisée):
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
8 tbsp. cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 tbsp. ice water
(makes one 9-inch crust)

Shortening crust ingredients (props to Irma Rombauer and the Joy of Cooking):
2 ½ c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. powdered sugar (or 1 tsp. white sugar)
1 tsp. salt
1 c. solid vegetable shortening, chilled
1/3 c. plus 1 tbsp. ice water
(makes two 9-inch crusts)

For both recipes, the process is largely the same. Combine the dry ingredients (flour, salt, sugar). Then cut in the fat (either butter or shortening) until the mix makes pea-sized balls and smaller. You can use a pastry blender for this or two knives cutting crosswise, though that takes a while. Then drizzle the water over everything and cut it in with the blade of a spatula.

Once all of that’s done, form the dough into round flats (one for the butter recipe; two for the shortening), wrap in plastic or wax paper, and chill for at least a half hour, preferably a few hours. After chilling you can flatten using a rolling pin and flour until you have the crust roughly circular and about 1/8 in. thick. Transfer the crust to the pan, trim it, shape it, and bake or fill it according to the rest of the pie recipe.

Tips in either case would be to not add too much water during the mixing or too much flour during the rolling. Also work with cold ingredients throughout the process; don’t mix or roll out the dough next to a warm oven, for example. These will make working with the dough easier and will produce the tender, flaky effect you’re going for.

For more suggestions on baking and filling your pie crust, be sure to check out #ManyInsanePies on Twitter. Plus, feel free to share your own suggestions, recipes, and pie stories. Josh would also like to recommend The Humble Pie Store to listeners in the Denver area.

Thanks again for listening, and we’ll catch you next time with more Serious Vintage.

Welcome to the fourth installment of the Serious Vintage Podcast, hosted by Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher on Twitter), Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple on Twitter). Thanks for joining us for our inevitable Belcher show. Team Serious members have played more Belcher than most other players, in both Vintage and Legacy, so we thought we’d give you a little insight into the deck in both formats, when and why it’s a good metagame choice, and some of the tactics that go into playing it. Then we’ll look at some of the food you might be


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:26 – Belcher – A History
09:02 – A Legacy of Belching
27:45 – Belching in Vintage
45:52 – Eating Chicago; Seriously
Total runtime: 51:22

Charbelching

Nat’s rules for Belching, which Josh references early in the podcast, are as follows. They’re part of a more extensive primer and history of the deck that Nat wrote in 2009, which is available on The Mana Drain here.

1. Mulligan like you mean it
2. Take your time to do things right
3. Have no fear
4. You will draw mana
5. Forget failure
6. Don’t give in
7. Stay fast in sideboard matches

We’ll also reference a few Belcher lists during the podcast.

15-Island Belcher, By Geoff MoesArtifacts (15)
4 Chrome Mox
4 Goblin Charbelcher
3 Lion’s Eye Diamond
4 Lotus Petal

Creatures (16)
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Street Wraith
4 Tinder Wall

Instants (12)
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Manamorphose
4 Pyretic Ritual

Sorceries (16)
4 Empty the Warrens
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Land Grant
4 Rite of Flame
Lands (1)
1 Taiga

Sideboard (15)
15 Island

You can read Geoff’s SCG Columbus Legacy Open Top 8 tournament report here on Eternal Central. Any extra detail on that list would be covered there, including the meaning behind the 15-Island sideboard.

To contrast with Geoff’s cantrip-based list, here is the more traditional Burning Wish list played by Brian Guess at SCG New Orleans Legacy Open.

Legacy Burning Wish Belcher, by Brian GuessArtifacts (16)
4 Chrome Mox
4 Goblin Charbelcher
4 Lion’s Eye Diamond
4 Lotus Petal

Creatures (12)
4 Elvish Spirit Guide
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Tinder Wall

Instants (12)
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Pyretic Ritual
4 Seething Song

Sorceries (19)
4 Burning Wish
3 Empty the Warrens
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Land Grant
4 Rite of Flame
Lands (1)
1 Taiga

Sideboard (15)
4 Xantid Swarm
4 Pyroblast
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Goblin War Strike
1 Hull Breach
1 Infernal Tutor
1 Pyroclasm
1 Reverent Silence
1 Shattering Spree

One thing we had meant to bring up during the podcast was a comment on Brian’s sideboard, and many of the sideboards from Burning Wish lists: the lack of Trash for Treasure. As a one-shot Welder activation, Trash for Treasure off of Burning Wish can be a huge boon if your early Belcher gets countered. It works well with Lion’s Eye Diamond and you have a decent number of artifacts to sacrifice. When I’ve played Burning Wish in Legacy lists in the past, Trash for Treasure is always a one-of in my board.

Lastly, the Vintage Burning Wish list played by Randal Witherell at the Team Serious Open in Columbus on October 21.

Vintage Burning Wish Belcher, by Randal WitherellBusiness (25)
4 Goblin Charbelcher
1 Memory Jar
4 Gitaxian Probe
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Burning Wish
4 Street Wraith
3 Goblin Welder
1 Necropotence
1 Yawgmoth’s Bargain
1 Wheel of Fortune

Mana Sources (35)
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
2 Chrome Mox
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring
1 Lion’s Eye Diamond
1 Lotus Petal
4 Dark Ritual
4 Rite of Flame
4 Land Grant
1 Taiga
1 Bayou
4 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Manamorphose
Sideboard (15)
2 Tendrils of Agony
2 Empty the Warrens
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
3 Smelt
2 Pithing Needle
2 Tormod’s Crypt
3 Vexing Shusher

Ultimately, Randal doesn’t use Burning Wish to get more than Tendrils, Empty the Warrens, or Yawgmoth’s Will, but the deck was a good choice to beat a field of Workshops and non-blue aggro control. Normally, we wouldn’t recommend Belcher in a sea of blue where you’ll drown in Force of Will, Mental Misstep, Flusterstorm, and Mindbreak Trap, but it sure looked good in Columbus.

Serious Eats Chicago

As for our food and drink report for the upcoming Modern GP in Chicago, here are the relevant links:
Crisp Korean fried chicken
Nhu Lan bahn mi sandwiches
Giordano’s Chicago stuffed pizza

Thanks for listening, and good luck in Chicago if you’re going!

Welcome to the third installment of the Serious Vintage Podcast, hosted by Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher on Twitter), Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple on Twitter). This was a special episode as we spent some time with Anthony Michaels @Twaun007 on Twitter), an expert on Mishra’s Workshop prison decks in the Vintage format. He’s also an expert on Sandwich Punch, the gentleman’s game that has swept through the Midwest Vintage scene, so we’ll look at that as well, along with sanctioned Vintage and casual Magic: the Gathering.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:33 – Workshoppin’ with Twaun
27:14 – The Columbus Team Serious Open
31:38 – Sanctioned Vintage: Good Idea or Great Idea?
36:32 – Casual Magicking: No Turning Back
38:55 – Serious Eats: Thurman’s and Sandwich Punch
Total runtime: 54:28

Workshoppin’ With Twaun

In the “Workshoppin’ with Twaun” section we talk about the cards that go into a typical Workshop prison deck like Stax or MUD. Twaun explains some of the auto-includes he uses in these decks and makes note of one auto-exclude, Trinisphere. Make sure you hear the story on that; it makes more sense than you might think.

The following cards are the basis for any Workshop deck, according to Twaun:

Business Spells
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Crucible of Worlds
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Smokestack
4 Sphere of Resistance
4 Tangle Wire

Mana Sources
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
4 Mishra’s Workshop
3 Ancient Tomb
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland

These spells and mana sources give you the best of the best in terms of grinding away at your opponent’s board and ability to play spells. Other cards get added as the metagame dictates.

For example, the list Twaun played at the Team Serious Open in Columbus, Ohio, on October 21 (below) was built to beat the metagame we outlined in that section of the podcast.

TwaunSpresso Stax, by Twaun007Business (35)
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Crucible of Worlds
2 Duplicant
3 Karn, Silver Golem
4 Lodestone Golem
1 Pithing Needle
4 Serum Powder
4 Smokestack
4 Sphere of Resistance
4 Tangle Wire
2 Thorn of Amethyst

Mana Sources (25)
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Mishra’s Workshop
3 Ancient Tomb
1 City of Traitors
4 Mishra’s Factory
1 Strip Mine
4 Wasteland
Sideboard (15)
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
4 Leyline of the Void
4 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Maze of Ith
2 Pithing Needle
1 Tabernacle At Pendrell Vale

Serum Powder helps find the Leylines that beat Dredge, Oath, and Burning Long; the Crucibles that beat opposing Shop decks; and the Mazes and Tabernacles that beat creatures. The lower numbers on Thorn of Amethyst and the inclusions of both Karn and Duplicant are also nods to the creature and Workshop-heavy metagame.

Unfortunately for Twaun, the metagame was different from what any of us predicted, to the point where Goblin Welder was the most played card in the top four and there was no Long combo. Twaun finished at 2-2, beating Dredge and UWB Wizards! and losing to Mono-Red Shops and Oath. Twaun says that Goblin Welder and Gorilla Shaman from the Mono-Red deck made an effective tag team against him and that even his Oath opponent, John Beste, acknowledged ripping his only outs in two hard-fought games.

Twaun is still playing Vintage and still chasing his former glory.

Lastly, for those of you interested in joining the growing ranks of Sandwich Punch players, the rules follow. Be warned that once you know the rules, you are automatically a player for life. If you do not wish to join, tread no further. You have been warned.

The Official Rules of The Sandwich Punch Game

1. Once a person knows the main rules to sandwich punch they are a player for life. Never punch a person’s sandwich unless they are playing.

2. The game begins when one has first modified his or her sandwich.

3. Once said sandwich has been bitten, ripped or cut into, the sandwich is open for punching.

4. Once the sandwich is set down it must be covered with an object. Any object is welcome as long as it is an adamant object. Example: you can put a ketchup packet on the sandwich but you can’t just put ketchup on top of the sandwich. Sesame seeds don’t count; don’t be an idiot. Other examples of objects you can use: fries, forks, spoons, knives, salt or pepper packets, napkins, wrappers, A FREAKIN’ OBJECT OF ANY SORT!

5. In the event that a sandwich has been bitten, ripped, or cut into by its owner and set down without an object being placed upon it, that sandwich is legally punchable (Note: the sandwich owner must have his hands off the sandwich as well.).

6. Once punchable that sandwich is punchable until an object is placed upon it, or until it is picked up or touched by the sandwich owner.

7. The object used to cover the sandwich cannot be touched or manipulated by anyone at any time. Example: if someone bumps your table in an attempt to knock off the fry that’s covering your sandwich and the fry falls off, the sandwich cannot be punched because that person has manipulated the object. There is an exception to this rule however. Se Bylaws; Acts of God.

8. In the event that a sandwich is unjustly punched, the person that wrongly punched the sandwich must buy the victim a brand new sandwich.

9. Enjoy! Welcome to the sandwich punch game. You are a player for life, and we look forward to punching your sandwich soon!

Bylaws
The Pre-Cut Sandwich
In the event a person receives a sandwich that is pre-cut into halves, quarters, etc. the person will usually eat one half first. Only the half that is being eaten is in play. The other half is off limits until a bite is taken out of it. This rule only applies if the sandwich arrives pre-cut. If the sandwich owner cuts the sandwich in half him- or herself, then both halves must be covered so as not to be punched.

Acts of God
In the event of an act of God, the object that is covering a person’s sandwich is removed by something that is not at the will of any other persons around the sandwich. An example of this is if a random gust of wind blows off a napkin that someone is using to cover a sandwich, that sandwich is fair game to be punched. Another example is if there is an earthquake and it knocks off a fry covering someone’s sandwich, the sandwich is fair game to be punched. Once again, these are acts of God, which mean that no one in the proximity of the sandwich had anything to do with the manipulation of the covering object.

The Complete Sandwich
In order to punch a sandwich it must be a complete sandwich. In the event that someone puts down a sandwich and takes off one of the pieces of bread, it is no longer a complete sandwich. This method of protection is comparable to putting an object on the sandwich. Keep in mind, however, that the bread is what makes the sandwich whole, not the inner contents. So don’t think that you don’t have a “complete” sandwich just because you took some lettuce out. As long as there are two pieces of bread its game on.

Thanks to Twaun007 for joining us on this podcast, and good luck to you on your future Vintage and Sandwich Punch experiences. We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with more Serious Vintage. In the meantime, you can follow us Twitter at the links above! Thanks again for listening and reading.

Welcome to the second Serious Vintage Podcast! Episode 2 features #TEAMSERIOUS members Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher on Twitter), Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple on Twitter), discussing the politics of concession, a look at some of the lists developed in the wake of Burning Wish’s unrestriction in Vintage, and Serious food and drink talk.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:33 – Team Serious Open Recap
13:53 – The Politics of Concession
26:37 – The Many Faces of Burning Wish
39:58 – Serious Eating – Water Street Bar and Grille
44:00 – Serious Drinking- Let’s Talk Gin
Total runtime: 48:29

You can find the lists we talk about in the podcast here.

Forgemaster Staves, by Nat MoesBusiness (35)
4 Kuldotha Forgemaster
4 Staff of Domination
4 Metalworker
4 Lodestone Golem
4 Thorn of Amethyst
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Lightning Greaves
1 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Trinisphere
1 Duplicant
1 Triskelion
1 Sundering Titan

Mana Sources (25)
4 Buried Ruin
4 Mishra’s Workshop
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mana Vault
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Black Lotus
4 Ancient Tomb
3 City of Traitors
Sideboard (15)
4 Tormod’s Crypt
3 Jester’s Cap
2 Razormane Masticore
2 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Triskelion
1 Duplicant
1 Platinum Angel

This list split first at the Team Serious Open on September 22 at the Hero Zone in Sandusky, Ohio, and was first at a 17-person Monday evening tournament at Fog of Dusk in Columbus. It plays aggressively for a first or second turn Metalworker, Forgemaster, Staff combination, and plays lock pieces only to slow the opponent down.

The only change I would make to this deck is to test Cavern of Souls in place of Buried Ruin. Naming “Construct” makes Metalworkers, Forgemasters, and some other things like Triskelion uncounterable. I’ve enjoyed Buried Ruins and have used it to good effect, but Caverns might be outright better.

One correction, though: I went 3-1-0 in the swiss in Sandusky. In the podcast I said I had gone 3-0-1. Duane Haddix got me with a less combo-centric Forgemaster list.

RUG Delver, by Sam KrohlowBusiness (41)
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Force of Will
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Gush
3 Preordain
3 Tarmogoyf
2 Snapcaster Mage
2 Vendillion Clique
2 Flusterstorm
2 Spell Snare
2 Mental Misstep
2 Annul
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Brainstorm
1 Ponder
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Time Walk
1 Steel Sabotage

Mana Sources (19)
3 Scalding Tarn
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Tropical Island
3 Volcanic Island
2 Island
1 Forest
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Ruby
Sideboard (14)
4 Grafdigger’s Cage
3 Nature’s Claim
2 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Mountain
2 Ingot Chewer

Sam’s list, which also split first in Sandusky, was properly metagamed for the expected turnout in Sandusky as he had plenty of hate for Workshops, including two maindeck Annul. Other than that it’s a fairly standard Vintage RUG Delver list and would play similarly to RUG Delver lists you might find in other formats: play a dude and attack for several turns with counter backup, rinse, repeat. Sam wrote a report detailing this process here.

This is the Confidant-based Burning Wish list I’m currently working with.

Burning Confidant Tendrils, by Nat MoesBusiness (32)
4 Burning Wish
4 Dark Confidant
4 Cabal Therapy
3 Gitaxian Probe
2 Hurkyl’s Recall
2 Cabal Ritual
1 Demonic Consultation
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Time Walk
1 Necropotence
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Thoughtseize
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Timetwister
1 Tinker
1 Memory Jar

Mana Sources (28)
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Dark Ritual
2 Badlands
2 Swamp
2 Underground Sea
2 Mox Opal
1 Lion’s Eye Diamond
1 Lotus Petal
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mana Vault
1 Mana Crypt
1 Sol Ring
1 Verdant Catacombs
Sideboard (15)
3 Yixlid Jailer
2 Hurkyl’s Recall
2 Pithing Needle
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Thoughtseize
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Pyroclasm
1 Island

The last changes I made to this list (after testing against Blue and MUD) was to simplify the manabase and add more Hurkyl’s Recalls against Workshops. The blue matchup already seemed solid, thanks to the Confidants and discard spells. Cabal Therapy was ridiculously good at stripping both counters and threats from my opponent’s hand.

Others, who shall remain nameless to avoid unnecessary ego inflation, have suggested playing Ad Nauseam in place of the Confidants. This would certainly be a way to go. That card is a bomb, and you keep your expensive spells, like Tendrils, in your sideboard.

That said, Stephen Menendian’s list is undeniably more powerful from a card-by-card comparison. The Griselbrand Oath component is no longer a secret, but that was a huge step forward in the Dark Ritual, Burning Wish combo construction. I wish I’d thought of it. We can’t share Menendian’s full list with you in this article (nice try), but you can purchase it and its brand new addenda right here on Eternal Central. It’s worth the read if you’re interested in the development of combo decks and learning more.

Serious Eating and Drinking

Finally, here are the food and drink recommendations from the podcast:
Water Street Bar and Grille
Watershed Distillery
Leopold Bros.
Hendrick’s Gin

We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with more Serious Vintage. In the meantime, you can follow us Twitter at the links above! Thanks again for listening and reading. We’ll look forward to your comments telling us all the obvious things we missed!

You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes here!

Welcome to the inaugural Serious Vintage Podcast! Episode 1 features #TEAMSERIOUS members Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher on Twitter) and Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), discussing the unrestriction of Burning Wish in Vintage, potential playables in Return to Ravnica, Sandusky Food options, and even tackle some questions from Twitter.

Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
0:38 – Burning Wish discussion
10:23 – Return to Ravnica breakdown
38:39 – The Team Serious Open
56:33 – Health of the Worldwide Vintage Metagame
1:06:06 – Restaurant Review Introduction
Total runtime: 1:09:47

Please accept our apologies in advance for some of the sound quality on parts of this episode. There were some slight technical issues that will be ironed out going forward. Please let us know your thoughts on the Serious Vintage podcast below! What (or who) would you like to hear in future episodes?

You can also subscribe to the podcast in iTunes here!

For episode 44, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) join David P. Baum, longtime owner of a card and comic book store in Northern Ohio. He doesn’t have a personal Twitter account, but (Pop! the store has one, as well as a Facebook page and Discord, if you’re interested.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
02:29 – Dave Discovers the Magic
17:39 – The First “Grand Prix” and SandCon
32:18 – Origins 1995
Total runtime – 45:39

Who Is David P. Baum?

We’ve talked about how hobby store owners need to focus on the store as a business rather, than as a hangout, so it can be challenging for someone who has fun with Magic: The Game to have it become Managing: The Gathering. But I believe Dave is an entrepreneur at heart. He’s not out to take advantage of customers to make money. He’s always been unassuming, welcoming, and respectful towards his customers, great at making connections, and being helpful beyond the normal cash register transaction. Instead he’s trying to create a better experience for customers, knowing that the money will come along with that.

So far it’s seemed to work out. Thinking about it, I’ve been to shops he’s owned in eight different locations: five in Sandusky under two different names, and others in Huron, Port Clinton, and Bowling Green. When one has closed it’s been mostly on David’s terms, and when one opens it’s with foresight and the hope that it will be an improvement on the last. He’s been able to work solely as a game-store owner for a long time.

For some members of Team Serious, Dave has been a part of our lives for many years. I’m 37 now and have been going to his stores since I was in high school, at least 20 years. He comes out to dinner with us after events and I’ve been to his house to play board games. He was at my wedding, and then last year was at the tournament and diaper party we had to celebrate the birth of our first child. I guess this is just a personal recommendation on Dave to go along with his years of experience as a Magic: The Gathering tournament organizer and store owner. He’s a great guy and valued member of the community, no matter what he says.

What Happened – Part I

My plan for this episode worked perfectly. I know that Dave’s a good talker and storyteller, so it was easy to just kind of turn him loose. We ended up with more than two hours of recorded audio that just happened to be pretty neatly divided between “The Early Days of Tournament Magic” and “What It’s Like to Own a Store.” So you’ll get more Dave soon!

This first part contains a chronology of the beginnings of tournament Magic, from Dave’s perspective:
● Dave gets his first boxes of Unlimited from a sports card dealer and sells them at a little sports card convention without knowing what they are. He opens some starters and “auctions” some singles, including Demonic Tutor. Did he sell a Black Lotus?
● He takes some of the cards home, learns to play, and becomes engrossed. He gets a Shivan Dragon.
● At another sports card show, Dave organizes probably the first Magic tournament in Northern Ohio, maybe one of the first tournaments ever.
● When Magic was still fresh and new, starting in 1995 or so, Dave and his brother and some friends organize a circuit of tournaments in Northern Ohio that they call the Grand Prix. One of these includes an event at a golf resort in Huron that is my first tournament ever, where I played a team event with future Pro Tour player Tim Aten. Tim and I were in the same class in high school, and on the same quiz team if you’re familiar with his Jeopardy! appearances. He was also coincidentally the Magic editor I replaced when I got hired at Wizards. Vermilion High School class of 2000 was apparently good for Magic editors.
● They also organize SandCon in Sandusky, which Geoff and I attend to buy cards and not be competitive in tournaments. I play Icatian Moneychanger in a deck at one point. The early days of Magic have such primitive strategy and buying options compared to those we have now. Dave starts a “zine” to promote SandCon and no one really knows how to build a deck.

● Dave runs the Chinese Fourth Edition release event at Origins. There’s no reference for any of the cards, so Dave makes a photocopied booklet to show what the cards do based on how they look. Two of the judges he brings down are Mike and Jeff Donais, both of whom eventually work in Wizards R&D and later go on to other game development jobs. Dave meets Richard Garfield, Peter Adkison, Brom, and other Magic luminaries.
● Magic weathers some of its early challenges, enters its first big growth period, and begins the Pro Tour in 1996, asking tournament organizers to bid to participate. Dave and his partners decline, and Dave takes a break from Magic entirely.

It covers a lot of time in Magic’s first big growth phase, up to and including some of the difficulties with Fallen Empires and Chronicles, and the Wild West days before everyone had constant information from the Internet. Prices were made up on the spot and the decks people built were largely terrible. Perhaps you remember the advice that 20 lands were enough? That has been wrong forever, but it was long-lasting as a baseline for deck construction.

Anyway, this is merely part one. Dave will continue in a second episode where he tells about running a store and some of the experiences surrounding that.

Questions for Discussion

When did you start playing Magic? Did you ever go to a small “convention” with a bunch of vendors selling sports cards and a few people selling gaming cards? I remember going to one and buying a couple of Star Wars CCG starters. That was a mistake. I also remember buying $1 cards like Shapeshifter and Tetravus, which were fine but rare and I had never seen them before so I had no idea what they were worth. That was a weird thing too: “I’ve never seen this card so it must be good or worth a lot.”

Conclusion

Thanks for listening! And thanks to Dave for joining us on this special, two-part episode. We hope you enjoyed it and found it useful. Usually we talk a lot more about food. We’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or The Mana Drain or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

For episode 43, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) join Nat’s wife Elizabeth (@eaeshelman) to talk about a gamer’s first GenCon, hosting a diaper-party Magic tournament, and pregnancy food cravings!


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
0:00:41 – GenCon 2019
1:13:25 – TSI Diaper Party
1:23:31 – I Need Some Pickles Right Now or I Will Fight You
Total runtime – 1:36:17

Everyone Enjoys GenCon

Hello! It’s been several months since we’ve had time to do any recording, and in that time Vintage has changed drastically at least twice, so obviously we’re not talking about Vintage at all. Instead, we’re looking back three months to the beginning of August and the best time of the year, GenCon. Geoff and I attended this year, along with several Team Serious members, and this year I had the pleasure of rooming with my wife (five months pregnant at the time) and her older cousin John. Being able to introduce (or reintroduce, in John’s case) people to GenCon is a real treat, and even offers a refreshing perspective for myself, who has attended for the past 10-or-so years.

My view of GenCon has always been that each year’s experience is slightly different, and usually gets better as you weed out elements that weren’t as fulfilling and replace them with something new. You learn something and improve each time. For example, as much as I love playing Magic, there’s so much more going on at GenCon that I now prefer to spend my time elsewhere with friends, unlike the first couple of years where I spent most of my days in the tournament hall. Elizabeth, John, and I played a nice Commander game on Wednesday night before getting to the convention on Thursday, and Geoff, Andy “Brass Man” Probasco, and I did an Andy’s Closet Cube Three Player Partner Nonlegendary Commander Brawl draft (patent pending) one evening to pass a few hours. Action photo and my deck below; ask Andy about it on Twitter.

Most of our time was spent in GenCon’s extensive exhibit hall, where new games and products can be demoed and purchased. Covering everything in detail would take a lot, but we talk about several games:
● Robo-Rally-like programming games were surprisingly popular. These included the rubber-duck racing simulator duck! Duck! Go!, Tremors: the Boardgame game Terror Below, and Dauntless Dirigibles, which is still in development but was a lot of fun.
● Elizabeth and I played Foundations of Rome, still in development and on Kickstarter, as the last game on Sunday. It’s got a lot of potential, particularly with well-designed game pieces. Elizabeth would like to remind you that she won, by a lot.
● Adventure Island was a fun, cooperative, narrative game, which sparked some discussion on the nature of those types of games and their replay value.
● Elizabeth and her family like the Lost Cities series of games. Lost Cities: Rivals is the newest addition to that group and is a fun bidding game. There’s also a four-player board game.
● I wanted to pick up Unearth, which we played at last year’s GenCon but which stuck with me. It holds up to my memory of it.
● Silver: Amulet was new from the creator of One Night Ultimate Werewolf but had some frustrating elements. We all had to try it twice to check.
● I also liked 3 laws of Robotics, a fun social-deduction game with a party game element. My only gripe was that I thought the instructions were missing an important clarification on how points work.
● Geoff was enchanted by the simple dexterity game Catch the Moon if you appreciate games that are easy to teach. This one is super cute.
● Elizabeth and I both liked Wingspan a fun, complex engine builder with amazing bird art. And I just learned from BGG that it was primarily developed and designed by women.

Outside the regular exhibit hall, Elizabeth, John, and I got to look at the First Exposure Playtest Hall, which always has a fun feeling of being able to offer constructive criticism on a game before it comes out. We also played in the One Night Ultimate Werewolf World Championship, my first non-Magic sanctioned tournament at GenCon, and they made a few fun twists to the rules. Elizabeth and John also played several games of traditional and Ultimate Werewolf over conference. And the three of us attended a seminar on “The Secrets of Magic: The Gathering,” hosted by frequent GenCon presenter and intellectual property lawyer Jason Webb, who went step-by-step through a pack of Magic cards and explained all the symbols, language, and other IP text. It was interesting. And free. And we each got a pack of Ravnica Allegiance. So it’s worth an hour to relax at an otherwise busy con.

For food, we talk a little about brunch at Cafe Pikachu and dinner (and shrimp cocktail) at St. Elmo Steakhouse. I don’t remember if we mentioned the best chicken fingers in the world, but this was also the first year I ever dined at the Steak ‘n Shake near the convention center.

Diapers for Little Magic Player

A few weeks ago, in anticipation of the arrival of our firstborn, Elizabeth and I hosted a Team Serious Invitational: Diaper Party (TSI:DP) at our house in Columbus. In addition to being a fun episode of camaraderie, where the entry fee was just some number of (unused, I really felt we needed to specify unused) diapers, this was also a lead-up to Eternal Weekend for the Ohio Vintage players. But in addition to the five rounds of competitive Vintage Magic: The Gathering, we also had some fun baby-related games.

Players were invited to stick balloons up their shirts to simulate pregnancy for example, and two of the balloons had tickets to win a Death Star beach ball! Guhstin used three strategically placed balloons for the full effect.

We also organized that game where players try to identify candy that has been melted in diapers. If you’d like to play at home, I’ll put the answers on Twitter.

And we had a basket of diapers for people to write messages on so that we could have some encouraging cheer for those late-night feedings and changings. Those will be fun to go through, as will the box of diapers that one Twaun P. Pwnertown sent, decorated with Orkz.

It was a great time! At least Elizabeth and I had a great time. I got to play some Vintage and she got to show off our house—including the newly finished nursery—and play hostess to a bunch of fun people. I think our guests had fun too, but who am I to speak for them?

Regardless, our attendees, along with a few who couldn’t attend and sent mail instead gave us more than 3,000 diapers, and nearly as many wipes. We also got a great assortment of books, toys, and clothes. Vintage writer Joe Dyer brought the rocking horse, and the day’s winner, David Lance, brought a personalized MTG onesie for the boy. (We had joked about first prize for the tournament being naming rights for our son, so maybe David just called his shot.)

There’s a more complete report on The Mana Drain. As I mentioned, David Lance won with Survival. Steve McGrew, Nam Q. Tran, and Rajah James rounded out the Top 4 on Paradoxical Outcome, Ravager Shops, and ZiasBond Lands, respectively. Prizes included sealed product from my infancy in Magic: a 4th Edition starter, an Urza’s Saga precon, and Ice Age and Fallen Empires boosters.

Food and Drinks: Pregnancy Cravings

For our food and drinks section, we talked some about the culinary highlights of GenCon, but we also talked with Elizabeth about her pregnancy cravings. Instead of the stereotypical strange combinations of pickles and ice cream, she wanted mostly comfort foods. Shells and cheese, or pot-roast sandwich with fries and a Coke from Bob Evans, for example. We’ve had several batches of shells and cheese over the past three trimesters, and this is the first time in our 10-year marriage we’ve ever done that. Here’s the recipe. It’s what you’d expect: delicious.

We also talk about how there should be more nonalcoholic cocktail options. Recently Elizabeth and I rediscovered Asterisk Supper Club, which is mere minutes from our house. There the bartender will concoct a “mocktail” to your taste preferences, and it’s a reasonable price because they’re making you a fancy pop.

Questions for Discussion

Why don’t you come to GenCon? You’d probably enjoy it. Also, why don’t you host a Vintage tournament (or whatever format you prefer) at your house? Invite your friends and have fun. Act like you like one another. Have you ever been pregnant? Did you enjoy restricting your diet? No alcohol, limited caffeine, avoiding foods like sushi, unpasteurized dairy, lunch meat? Did you have any weird cravings? What hot spots did you find for mocktails in your area?

Conclusion and Post Script

Thanks for listening! And thanks to Elizabeth for joining us. If you’re interested in some of her writing, it’s available on McSweeney’s and elsewhere under her authorial name, Elizabeth Eshelman.

And in the few weeks it took for us to get the podcast edited and the writeup written up, Elizabeth and I had a baby! Jesse John Moes was born on November 16 at 7:13 a.m. He weighed 7 lbs. 13 oz. and was 7+13 in. long, so he’s got some clear lucky numbers. Both mom and baby did just great. In fact, we’ve had him home for two weeks now and are having fun figuring out this whole “Living With a Baby” thing. So far, so good!

We’ll probably be on hiatus a bit longer as Nat and Elizabeth enjoy their newborn, but we’ll be back. Geoff loves editing these shows too much to let us quit. He is a harsh taskmaster. We’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or The Mana Drain or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.

For episode 42, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) welcome back Andy Probasco (@tmdBrassMan) to talk about Mystic Forge, a free preview card from Core Set 2020, provided by Wizards of the Coast!



Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
00:28 – Surprise! It’s Mystic Forge
Total runtime: 33:05

“I Can Build ANY Machine.”

There are a lot of exciting cards in Core Set 2020 (better known as M20), but there are two I left design notes for that specifically mentioned Vintage. Scheming Symmetry I was intrigued in because a combo deck could potentially exist built around the now six available one-black-mana topdeck tutors. And my note on our preview card was that “If this hits Vintage, it will do something new and fun.”

We brought Andy “The Brass Man” Probasco back to the show to help us figure out what those new and fun things might be. He’s the owner of The Mana Drain and has been a participant on the Vintage Super League, and as winner of the most recent Team Serious Invitational with Death’s Shadow Survival, is one of the Vintage format’s more creative players and deck builders.

Mystic Forge has a lot of potential as a card-advantage engine in Mishra’s Workshop decks of all kinds. The question, as always, is what do you cut from an existing list to make room for a card that doesn’t do anything to your opponent on its own? You could trade one turn in the early game to play Mystic Forge and potentially accelerate all of your future plays, but that gives your opponent an undisrupted turn either free of disruption (like Sphere of Resistance or Phyrexian Revoker) or free of threat (like Arcbound Ravager or Walking Ballista). It’s a risk.

In today’s metagame, Mystic Forge also competes directly at mana cost and some utility with Karn, the Great Creator, who not only disrupts the opponent but also serves as card advantage.

But Mystic Forge has so many exciting benefits. Many Workshop decks and Eldrazi decks are built with fairly low mana costs relative to the amount of mana they can produce between Workshop itself, Ancient Tomb, Eldrazi lands, as well as Moxes, Sol Ring, and Mana Crypt. If you get Mystic Forge into play, your next turn might include casting three or four cards from the top of your library, and you can exile a card you can’t or don’t want to cast. With enough mana, you can cast cards even through Karn or Collector Ouphe, potentially allowing you to overwhelm your opponent. This is helpful whether you’re playing more lock pieces or attacking with creatures or trying to combo off.

After we talked, Andy proposed this list, which is based on current Karn Workshops builds and is happy to play whatever role its opening hand and the game situation gives it (of course, none of the lists presented here are tested, and your metagame may vary, so good luck!).

Karn's ForgeBusiness (34)
4 Mystic Forge
3 Manifold Key
4 Karn, the Great Creator
4 Sensei’s Divining Top
3 Helm of Awakening
4 Serum Powder
1 Chalice of the Void
3 Arcbound Ravager
4 Foundry Inspector
4 Walking Ballista

Mana Sources (26)
4 Mishra’s Workshop
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Grim Monolith
1 Mana Vault
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
2 City of Traitors
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Mox Opal
1 Lotus Petal
1 Sol Ring
Sideboard (15)
1 Manifold Key
1 Time Vault
13 Other Cards

If you can use Sensei’s Divining Top or a similar effect to further manipulate the top card of your library, you can easily get around lands blocking the top of your deck. Top also goes infinite with Foundry Inspector to draw your library. Together with the variety of mana producing artifacts, including Grim Monolith and Voltaic Key, there might be a Mystic Forge combo deck that aims to play most of its library on turn one to some great effect. Potentially this deck wins with Aetheflux Reservoir or, my favorite, Goblin Charbelcher.

This could be the basis for a Krark Clan Ironworks-type deck in Vintage and potentially other formats.

Aetherflux ForgeBusiness (36)
4 Mystic Forge
3 Aetherflux Reservoir
3 Krark Clan Ironworks
3 Manifold Key
4 Karn, the Great Creator
4 Helm of Awakening
4 Sensei’s Divining Top
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Spine of Ish Sah
1 Myr Retriever
4 Scrap Trawler
4 Foundry Inspector

Mana Sources (25)
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
4 Mox Opal
4 Grim Monolith
1 Black Lotus
1 Sol Ring
1 Mana Crypt
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Vault
1 Lion’s Eye Diamond
1 Lotus Petal
4 Mishra’s Workshop
1 Tolarian Academy
Sideboard (15)
1 Manifold Key
1 Time Vault
1 Aetherflux Reservoir
1 Goblin Charbelcher
11 Other Cards

But maybe you just try to run Mystic Forge in a Tiny Robots list and try to cast a bunch of tiny creatures that will attack anything in sight. You can cast Walking Ballista and Hangarback Walker for 0 to move them off the top of your library, and it might be better to have Chief of the Foundry main deck to get some value out of that play.

Tiny ForgebotsBusiness (39)
4 Mystic Forge
4 Sensei’s Divining Top
3 Skullclamp
2 Cranial Plating
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Thorn of Amethyst
4 Memnite
4 Foundry Inspector
4 Arcbound Ravager
4 Walking Ballista
4 Hangarback Walker
4 Phyrexian Revoker

Mana Sources (21)
1 Mana Vault
1 Sol Ring
1 City of Traitors
2 Mox Opal
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Mishra’s Workshop
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Lotus Petal
1 Mana Crypt
Sideboard (15)
4 Chief of the Foundry
11 Other cards

One last thing to notice is that these decks will all benefit greatly from M20’s other gift to Vintage, the London mulligan. Touring London will help players find a quality turn one: a hand with Mishra’s Workshop, or an early Mystic Forge or Karn, or both. Seeing seven cards at a time and picking your favorites will make a big difference in these kinds of decks, which are so reliant on opening hands and won’t be able to as easily fix their situation as a blue deck with multiple Preordains and other cheap cantrips. When it comes to this new era of colorless decks, mulligan often and mulligan with intention.

And the Hi-Res

For our free preview this time, I also had the time and forethought to ask Wizards about the high-resolution art from Titus Lunter. And they provided! So here’s the hi-res version of Mystic Forge from M20 for your eyeballs to enjoy (and click to download wallpaper).

Questions for Discussion

Will Mystic Forge be a hit in Vintage? What about in another format? It’s definitely legal in a bunch of them, and Legacy has a bunch of Sol lands to help play it. Did any of you play X-Men Legends games, where the character Forge is played by Lou Diamond Phillips? And you’d interact with him and he’d say lines like “I can build ANY machine” like he’s real smug about it? That was great. He was right too. He built a lot of really useful stuff in that series of games.

Conclusion

Thanks for listening! And thanks to The Brass Man for joining us on this special episode. If you found this show because of our free Wizards preview card for M20, welcome. We hope you enjoyed it and found it useful. Usually we talk a lot more about food. We’ll look forward to any questions or comments here or The Mana Drain or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.