==ISLANDHOME #36==
November 5th 2008
==IN THIS ISSUE...==
Local News: News about FNC and Brothers Grim you need to know!
Cranial Insertion
PT Berlin Results
==THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE==
Saturday: State Championships at Neutral Ground, Registration @ 9 AM
Sunday: Booster Draft at Brothers Grim @ 2 PM
I'll be judging States this Saturday, and everyone should be there!
==LOCAL NEWS==
Author: Brian Paskoff
Here's a bunch of information tidbits about FNC and Grim:
Well the new FNC is open, and twenty combatants came to FNC on opening day to duel among the towers of comic book boxes and sealed boxes of Bella Sara cards for the chance at winning some major packs - an entire box was given out for the twelve player sealed tournament, while even more packs were given out for the eight-man single-elimination unsanctioned Standard event! The new store is a much further ride for me (*grumble*), but much bigger. We pretty much have the entire size of the old store, sans-walls, to play in. And even though we'll miss the ices place, there are many other food locations around the new FNC, including a full-fledged deli next door and a nearby bar for all our over-21 readers. I won't be there this Saturday thanks to States, but I was happy that I could be there for the grand opening. Thanks to everyone who came out to see the new store!
FNC will be holding a Timetwister tournament sometime in the near future, so watch for details about that!
Brothers Grim is holding a Mox tournament, with the grand prize being a Mox Emerald. I'm not quite sure of the date yet, but it looks like December 20th or 21st are the best days - let me know which one works for you! The format will be Standard, and of course there will be other side events (EDH anyone?). More details will more than likely be in the next issue of Islandhome, so mark your calendars for next Wednesday!
I'm currently working hard to figure out some fun alternative Magic format events to try out on Sundays, and they'll be announced soon. If anyone has any ideas on alternative formats or fun tournaments, feel free to suggest some! Specifically, I'm looking to start cube drafts (using a different cube each time) as well as bringing Chaos Drafts back to Brothers Grim.
Even though we're still in Shards limited season, it's kind of hard to test for a format where your decks are completely unknown before you go in. So, everyone's gearing up for the next big constructed season, and that's Extended season starting in January. With the rotating out of Invasion and Odyssey blocks and Seventh Edition, players were struggling to figure out what to do with the loss of so many cards. Practically every deck got shaken up, with some archetypes disappearing altogether. Pro Tour Berlin was the first major Extended tournament post-rotation, and everyone was looking forward to it, eager to see what the Pros would come up with.
The biggest surprise from the PT was the astounding results of "Elf Ball" decks. Heritage Druid, Birchlore Rangers, Glimpse of Nature, and Nettle Sentinel provide the mana acceleration and card drawing engine necessary to either play a bunch of green spells and fire off a lethal Grapeshot, or massive Predator Dragon, or even the random Brain Freeze. Strangely, this seems to be a twist on a casual Standard deck that didn't make much of a splash in that format. The bulk of the deck is made up of Standard legal cards, the biggest missing pieces being Chord of Calling and Glimpse of Nature. A grand total of six out of the top 8 decks were the Elf-Ball archetype, a staggering number only rivaled by Faeries back at the peak of its popularity. Pro Tour top 8s are usually very diverse, but this deck took the field by storm.
Although Elves made a strong showing in the final tables, the most popular deck of the Pro Tour was Zoo. This wasn't a big surprise to any Magic player who had even a small amount of tournament knowledge, as the lure of Wild Nacatl was too strong for over 25% of the Pros to resist. With Zoo able to play a 2/3 or a 2/2 (that becomes a 3/3 next turn) on turn one, Zoo set the bar for fast aggro decks extremely high. Ethersworn Canonist was another useful card that found its way into many Zoo decks' sideboards, being an excellent storm-combo killer as well as a decent body. Still going with the 2/2s for 2, many builds ran Tidehollow Sculler to limit their opponents' options. One of the biggest things Zoo lost after the rotation was Vindicate, but that was easily replaced by a slightly-less-universal answer: Oblivion Ring. However, Zoo decks were little match for the Elves decks which could win as quickly as turn three, and despite the huge amount of decks at the PT, none of them made it to the top 8.
There's lots of buzz about Elves, but the breakout hit of the Pro Tour was a little deck called "Tezzerator", named for the planeswalker who is the centerpoint of the deck (and I'll let you guess who that is!). The main part of the deck bears some similarity to the Wizard decks of last Extended season. In fact, every creature in the deck is a Wizard: Vendillion Clique to either filter unwanted cards or check out an opponent's hand, Venser for bounce and Riptide Laboratory shennanigans, and Trinket Mage to fetch out Engineered Explosives, Chalice of the Void, Aether and Pyrite Spellbombs, Pithing Needle, Tormod's Crypt, etc. And if Trinket Mage wasn't enough search power, Tezzeret himself can fetch out bigger artifacts such as Vedalken Shackles, Trinisphere, and Ensnaring Bridge.
Faeries made the top 8, though I think it's just because it legally has to make an appearance in the top 8 of every tournament at this point no matter what the format. Extended Faeries has the benefit of having access to all the toys Standard Faeries no longer has, like Ancestral Visions and good two-mana counterspells (and then some!). Umezawa's Jitte replaces Loxodon Warhammer, and lets it pick off pesky Elves, while Riptide Laboratory can do some very mean things with Mistbind Clique and/or Spellstutter Sprite.
To be honest, the lack of Affinity at the PT surprised me, as well as many other people. In the weeks leading up to and immediately after the rotation, there were many players groaning about how Affinity was going to be the dominant deck of the format, since every single one of its core cards was still legal, and it could be backed up by Alara's Master of Etherium. It was widely speculated that Hurkyl's Recall was reprinted in Tenth Edition was a direct attempt by Wizards to give players a fighting chance against the deck. But, Affinity's numbers at the PT were extremely small, perhaps due to the fact that would-be Affinity players were anticipating lots of anti-Affinity sideboard tech. And there were plenty of Katakis, Shattering Sprees, and Ancient Grudges in sideboards.
We still have two months before Extended season, so there's plenty of time for the metagame to change. After a strong finish at a big event, decks tend to get "hated out". With many players anticipating playing many carbon copies of those decks, they'll add things to their sideboards to deal with those archetypes. Expect to see some major changes in these decks by January!
==IN THIS ISSUE...==
Local News: News about FNC and Brothers Grim you need to know!
Cranial Insertion
PT Berlin Results
==THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE==
Saturday: State Championships at Neutral Ground, Registration @ 9 AM
Sunday: Booster Draft at Brothers Grim @ 2 PM
I'll be judging States this Saturday, and everyone should be there!
==LOCAL NEWS==
Author: Brian Paskoff
Here's a bunch of information tidbits about FNC and Grim:
Well the new FNC is open, and twenty combatants came to FNC on opening day to duel among the towers of comic book boxes and sealed boxes of Bella Sara cards for the chance at winning some major packs - an entire box was given out for the twelve player sealed tournament, while even more packs were given out for the eight-man single-elimination unsanctioned Standard event! The new store is a much further ride for me (*grumble*), but much bigger. We pretty much have the entire size of the old store, sans-walls, to play in. And even though we'll miss the ices place, there are many other food locations around the new FNC, including a full-fledged deli next door and a nearby bar for all our over-21 readers. I won't be there this Saturday thanks to States, but I was happy that I could be there for the grand opening. Thanks to everyone who came out to see the new store!
FNC will be holding a Timetwister tournament sometime in the near future, so watch for details about that!
Brothers Grim is holding a Mox tournament, with the grand prize being a Mox Emerald. I'm not quite sure of the date yet, but it looks like December 20th or 21st are the best days - let me know which one works for you! The format will be Standard, and of course there will be other side events (EDH anyone?). More details will more than likely be in the next issue of Islandhome, so mark your calendars for next Wednesday!
I'm currently working hard to figure out some fun alternative Magic format events to try out on Sundays, and they'll be announced soon. If anyone has any ideas on alternative formats or fun tournaments, feel free to suggest some! Specifically, I'm looking to start cube drafts (using a different cube each time) as well as bringing Chaos Drafts back to Brothers Grim.
==CRANIAL INSERTION==
Author: Brian Paskoff
Author: Brian Paskoff
As everyone knows (or is just finding out if this is your first time getting Islandhome), my first Cranial Insertion article on mtgsalvation.com came out on Monday! Go read it if you haven't - there's twenty two shiny rules questions, including some good information for future reference. The more you know about the rules, the better plays you can make! Unless you're a judge, in which case your play skill is actually inversely proportional to the amount of rules knowledge you have.
==PT BERLIN RESULTS==
Author: Brian Paskoff
Author: Brian Paskoff
Even though we're still in Shards limited season, it's kind of hard to test for a format where your decks are completely unknown before you go in. So, everyone's gearing up for the next big constructed season, and that's Extended season starting in January. With the rotating out of Invasion and Odyssey blocks and Seventh Edition, players were struggling to figure out what to do with the loss of so many cards. Practically every deck got shaken up, with some archetypes disappearing altogether. Pro Tour Berlin was the first major Extended tournament post-rotation, and everyone was looking forward to it, eager to see what the Pros would come up with.
The biggest surprise from the PT was the astounding results of "Elf Ball" decks. Heritage Druid, Birchlore Rangers, Glimpse of Nature, and Nettle Sentinel provide the mana acceleration and card drawing engine necessary to either play a bunch of green spells and fire off a lethal Grapeshot, or massive Predator Dragon, or even the random Brain Freeze. Strangely, this seems to be a twist on a casual Standard deck that didn't make much of a splash in that format. The bulk of the deck is made up of Standard legal cards, the biggest missing pieces being Chord of Calling and Glimpse of Nature. A grand total of six out of the top 8 decks were the Elf-Ball archetype, a staggering number only rivaled by Faeries back at the peak of its popularity. Pro Tour top 8s are usually very diverse, but this deck took the field by storm.
Although Elves made a strong showing in the final tables, the most popular deck of the Pro Tour was Zoo. This wasn't a big surprise to any Magic player who had even a small amount of tournament knowledge, as the lure of Wild Nacatl was too strong for over 25% of the Pros to resist. With Zoo able to play a 2/3 or a 2/2 (that becomes a 3/3 next turn) on turn one, Zoo set the bar for fast aggro decks extremely high. Ethersworn Canonist was another useful card that found its way into many Zoo decks' sideboards, being an excellent storm-combo killer as well as a decent body. Still going with the 2/2s for 2, many builds ran Tidehollow Sculler to limit their opponents' options. One of the biggest things Zoo lost after the rotation was Vindicate, but that was easily replaced by a slightly-less-universal answer: Oblivion Ring. However, Zoo decks were little match for the Elves decks which could win as quickly as turn three, and despite the huge amount of decks at the PT, none of them made it to the top 8.
There's lots of buzz about Elves, but the breakout hit of the Pro Tour was a little deck called "Tezzerator", named for the planeswalker who is the centerpoint of the deck (and I'll let you guess who that is!). The main part of the deck bears some similarity to the Wizard decks of last Extended season. In fact, every creature in the deck is a Wizard: Vendillion Clique to either filter unwanted cards or check out an opponent's hand, Venser for bounce and Riptide Laboratory shennanigans, and Trinket Mage to fetch out Engineered Explosives, Chalice of the Void, Aether and Pyrite Spellbombs, Pithing Needle, Tormod's Crypt, etc. And if Trinket Mage wasn't enough search power, Tezzeret himself can fetch out bigger artifacts such as Vedalken Shackles, Trinisphere, and Ensnaring Bridge.
Faeries made the top 8, though I think it's just because it legally has to make an appearance in the top 8 of every tournament at this point no matter what the format. Extended Faeries has the benefit of having access to all the toys Standard Faeries no longer has, like Ancestral Visions and good two-mana counterspells (and then some!). Umezawa's Jitte replaces Loxodon Warhammer, and lets it pick off pesky Elves, while Riptide Laboratory can do some very mean things with Mistbind Clique and/or Spellstutter Sprite.
To be honest, the lack of Affinity at the PT surprised me, as well as many other people. In the weeks leading up to and immediately after the rotation, there were many players groaning about how Affinity was going to be the dominant deck of the format, since every single one of its core cards was still legal, and it could be backed up by Alara's Master of Etherium. It was widely speculated that Hurkyl's Recall was reprinted in Tenth Edition was a direct attempt by Wizards to give players a fighting chance against the deck. But, Affinity's numbers at the PT were extremely small, perhaps due to the fact that would-be Affinity players were anticipating lots of anti-Affinity sideboard tech. And there were plenty of Katakis, Shattering Sprees, and Ancient Grudges in sideboards.
We still have two months before Extended season, so there's plenty of time for the metagame to change. After a strong finish at a big event, decks tend to get "hated out". With many players anticipating playing many carbon copies of those decks, they'll add things to their sideboards to deal with those archetypes. Expect to see some major changes in these decks by January!
==RULES CORNER==
Author: Brian Paskoff
Author: Brian Paskoff
Q. If I see a player making an illegal play, do I have to report it?
A. It's not just judges who have a responsibility to make sure tournaments run smoothly and fairly - it's also up to you the players to make sure this happens! If you see a player making an illegal play, whether it's playing a spell for the wrong mana or forgetting a trigger, it's your obligation to tell a judge. Don't interrupt the match though, that's Outside Assistance; just quietly find the nearest judge and tell them what you saw.
A. It's not just judges who have a responsibility to make sure tournaments run smoothly and fairly - it's also up to you the players to make sure this happens! If you see a player making an illegal play, whether it's playing a spell for the wrong mana or forgetting a trigger, it's your obligation to tell a judge. Don't interrupt the match though, that's Outside Assistance; just quietly find the nearest judge and tell them what you saw.
==THE ISLANDHOME BLOG==
One of the things I wanted to do was have an archive of past issues online so I could refer people back to them as well as let new readers peruse old issues to see what all the fuss is about. So I've archived all the old issues on the blogosphere at islandhomemtg.blogspot.com. Go and relive all the past moments of glory!
==UPCOMING EVENTS==
October 4th - December 28th: PTQ Season for PT Kyoto
The next PTQ season kicks off October 4th, and the format is Shards of Alara sealed deck!
November 8th - State Champs
States makes a return on November 8th, with a massive Standard tournament in each state! New York's will be at Neutral Ground, as usual. Everyone who enters gets a free foil Dauntless Dourbark, and each player who makes top 8 gets Shards product, a playmat, and the winner gets a plaque and free entry to Gray Matter constructed events for an entire year!
December - Mox Tournament at Brothers Grim
This December, Islandhome, in association with Brothers Grim, will be holding a giant Standard tournament. The first place prize will be a Mox Emerald, with many other prizes as well. Side events such as booster drafts and EDH multiplayer games will be held that day too, so keep reading Islandhome for more details!
November 8th - State Champs
States makes a return on November 8th, with a massive Standard tournament in each state! New York's will be at Neutral Ground, as usual. Everyone who enters gets a free foil Dauntless Dourbark, and each player who makes top 8 gets Shards product, a playmat, and the winner gets a plaque and free entry to Gray Matter constructed events for an entire year!
December - Mox Tournament at Brothers Grim
This December, Islandhome, in association with Brothers Grim, will be holding a giant Standard tournament. The first place prize will be a Mox Emerald, with many other prizes as well. Side events such as booster drafts and EDH multiplayer games will be held that day too, so keep reading Islandhome for more details!
PTQs in our area this season:
11/22 - Philadelphia, PA
12/13 - New York, NY
12/27 - Edison, NJ
11/22 - Philadelphia, PA
12/13 - New York, NY
12/27 - Edison, NJ
==STORE LOCATIONS & CONTACT INFO==
Brothers Grim
1244 Middle Country Rd.
Selden, NY 11784
Phone: 631-698-2805
Website: www.brgim.com
Friendly Neighborhood Comics
19 Udall Rd.
West Islip, NY 11795
Phone: 631-470-7984
Brothers Grim
1244 Middle Country Rd.
Selden, NY 11784
Phone: 631-698-2805
Website: www.brgim.com
Friendly Neighborhood Comics
19 Udall Rd.
West Islip, NY 11795
Phone: 631-470-7984
==FIN==
See everyone this weekend!
Got forwarded Islandhome and want to sign up? Send an email to IslandhomeMTG@gmail.com!
Got forwarded Islandhome and want to sign up? Send an email to IslandhomeMTG@gmail.com!
-Brian Paskoff
L1 NY
L1 NY
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