05 June 2011

Banned List Update 5

As of 02/06/2011, Invigorate is banned in peasant tournaments in Groningen.

We realize this banning comes short after the March bannings, but we did put Invigorate on the watchlist then. After only two tournaments we have to conclude that Invigorate is simply too strong in infect decks. Yes, an infect deck is still beatable, but you have to have a one-mana answer, because they can kill you on turn two. Black has good options that fit in black deck's strategies, but other colors aren't as fortunate.

We believe that, rather than let the metagame warp itself around these super-aggressive infect builds, it's better to eliminate the worst offender in the deck. This will slow down infect decks by a turn or two and give other decks the room to be somewhat more inventive with their answers.

To see the full list of banned cards, click here.

Results April 29, 2011

A tad late, but we're not dead! It's been a bit hectic for me lately, so I didn't spent too much time on magic, let alone on this blog. There's been two tournaments since, the Spring Qualifier and the end-of-season Finale. More on the last one later, but first the results of that qualifier. Unfortunately, they're not quite up to speed, because I can't remember what everyone was playing. Apologies for that.

PS. Since Johnny played the same deck as in september (save for some sideboard slots) and I don't have decklists for André and Sietze, I'll be posting the top 3 deck only.

Rank
Player (click * to see decklist)
Deck
Colors
P/W/D
01.
Gijsbert Haaksman *
Grapeshot Combo
U B R
5/4/0
02.
Rob de Jonge *
B/G Infect
B G
5/4/0
03.
Jasper Boelens *
Thopterpost
W U
5/4/0
04.
Sietze Wijma
Elves
G
5/3/0
05.
André Pannekoek
???
5/3/0
06.
Johnny Niemeyer
Cheese
R
5/3/0
07.
Matthijs Hoogeveen
Umbral Elves
R G
5/2/0
08.
Desmond Scholtens
???
5/2/0
09.
Martijn Hennink
Brown-White Beatdown
W
5/2/0
10.
Remco van der Berg
???
5/1/0
11.
Niels Gramser
Moosebite
B G
5/1/0
12.
Julius Sijtstra
MBC
B
5/1/0

That's all for this installment!

Until next time!

26 April 2011

Results March 25, 2011

Once again I missed a tournament. This time because I went to a concert of Acda & de Munnik! This means that I don't have all the information I'ld like to present, but I do have some decklists for you!



Results










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Nr. Name Deck Colors P/W/D
01. Johnny Niemeyer Cheese 5/4/0
02. Siebe van der Veer MBC 5/4/0
03. Maarten Jacobs Thopterpost
5/4/0
04. Rob de Jonge Infect
5/3/0
05. Julius Sijtstra MBC 5/3/0
06. Niels Gramser Moosebite
5/3/0
07. Matthijs Hoogeveen Umbral Elves
5/3/0
08. Jeroen Hillemans Tortured Existence
5/3/0
09. Johan Rots MBC 5/3/0
10. Desmond Scholtens Burn 5/2/0
11. André Pannekoek Thopter Control
5/2/0
12. Thom Gellekink ??? ??? 5/2/0
13. Oswin ten Brinke ??? ??? 5/2/0
14. Remco van den Berg WU Allies
5/1/0
15. Robert Bekker ??? ??? 5/1/0





Johnny Niemeyer - Cheese

Creatures
4 Goblin Arsonist
4 Keldon Marauders
4 Mogg War Marshal

Spells
4 Chain Lightning
4 Goblin Grenade
4 Lava Spike
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Quest For Pure Flame (U)
1 Dragon Fodder
3 Searing Blaze
4 Fireblast

Lands
1 Barbarian Ring (U)
19 Mountain

Sideboard
SB: 4 Lava Dart
SB: 4 Flaring Pain
SB: 3 Guerilla Tactics
SB: 4 Smash To Smithereens



Siebe van der Veer - MBC

Creatures
3 Crypt Rats
1 Darkling Stalker

Spells
4 Expedition Map
4 Innocent Blood
2 Relic Of Progenitus
4 Consume Spirit
1 Demonic Tutor (U)
4 Diabolic Edict
2 Drain Life
4 Hymn To Tourach
1 Evincar's Justice
4 Tendril Of Corruption
2 Necrologia (U)

Lands
1 Cabal Coffers (U)
22 Swamp
1 Urza's Factory (U)

Sideboard
SB: 1 Forest
SB: 4 Duress
SB: 3 Molder
SB: 1 Relic Of Progenitus
SB: 3 Unmake
SB: 1 Darkling Stalker
SB: 2 Desecrated Earth



Maarten Jacobs - Thopter Teachings

Creatures
4 Aven Riftwatcher
4 Sea Gate Oracle
1 Mnemonic Wall
2 Mulldrifter

Spells
3 Condescend
1 Enlightened Tutor (U)
1 Expedition Map
1 Power Sink
1 Azorius Signet
1 Counterspell
2 Momentary Blink
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Prohibit
4 Prophetic Prism
1 Sword of the Meek (U)
3 Thopter Foundry (U)
3 Compulsive Research
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Mystical Teachings
1 Quicksilver Geyser

Lands
1 Azorius Chancery
4 Cloudpost
4 Glimmerpost
8 Island
6 Plains

Sideboard
SB: 1 Bojuka Bog
SB: 2 Sunlance
SB: 1 Circle of Protection: Black
SB: 1 Circle of Protection: Red
SB: 1 Hindering Touch
SB: 3 Journey to Nowhere
SB: 3 Lone Missionary
SB: 1 Dismantling Blow
SB: 1 Serrated Arrows
SB: 1 Ulamog's Crusher



Rob de Jonge - Infect

No decklist provided.

Creatures


Spells


Lands


Sideboard
SB:



Julius Sijtstra -

Creatures
4 Crypt Rats

Spells
2 Expedition Map
4 Innocent Blood
4 Consume Spirit
4 Diabolic Edict
4 Drain Life
4 Hymn To Tourach
2 Unmake
4 Tendrils Of Corruption
3 Necrologia (U)

Lands
2 Cabal Coffers (U)
23 Swamp

Sideboard
SB: 4 Duress
SB: 4 Evincar's Justice
SB: 3 Anodet Lurker
SB: 4 Pewter Golem



Niels Gramser - Moosebite

Creatures
4 Putrid Leech
1 Eternal Witness (U)
4 Grazing Gladehart
1 Kitchen Finks (U)
3 Vampire Nighthawk (U)
4 Yavimaya Elder
3 Blastoderm
3 Wickerbough Elder

Spells
3 Raven's Crime
3 Unearth
3 Doom Blade
2 Nameless Inversion
1 Sign in Blood
1 Grim Harvest

Lands
1 Evolving Wilds
3 Golgari Rot Farm
8 Snow-Covered Forest
8 Swamp
4 Terramorphic Expanse

Sideboard
SB: 4 Duress
SB: 2 Faerie Macabre
SB: 3 Diabolic Edict
SB: 1 Doomblade
SB: 2 Nausea
SB: 2 Rending Vines
SB: 1 Tranquility
SB: 2 Rending Vines



Mathijs Hoogeveen - Umbral Elves

Creatures
4 Birchlore Ranger
3 Llanowar Elves
4 Netle Sentinel
4 Quirion Ranger
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Priest Of Titania
4 Timberwatch Elf
4 Viridion Joiner

Spells
4 Rancor
4 Manamorpose
3 Umbral Mantel (U)
2 Distant Melody
2 Harmonize (U)

Lands
14 Forest

Sideboard
SB: 2 Kaervek’s Torch
SB: 4 Lightning Bolt
SB: 2 Nihil Spellbomb
SB: 3 Scattershot Archer
SB: 4 Naturalize



Jeroen Hillemans - Tortured Existence

Creatures
3 Spore Frog
3 Sakura-Tribe Elder
2 Wall of Roots
3 Crypt Rats
1 Eternal Witness (U)
4 Golgari Brownscale
4 Stinkweed Imp
1 Heartstabber Mosquito
2 Ondu Giant
3 Wickerbough Elder
1 Battlefield Scrounger
1 Krosan Tusker
1 Ulamog's Crusher
1 Artisan of Kozilek (U)

Spells
4 Tortured Existence
1 Rampant Growth
3 Sylvan Library (U)

Lands
11 Forest
11 Swamp

Sideboard
SB: 1 Spore Frog
SB: 3 Grim Harvest
SB: 3 Nausea
SB: 3 Night Soil
SB: 3 Nourish
SB: 1 Crypt Rats
SB: 1 Wickerbough Elder



Them's the lists!

Until next time!

07 March 2011

Banned List Update 4

As of 07/03/2011 Empty the Warrens is banned in peasant tournaments in Groningen. At the same time, Counterbalance, Darksteel Citadel, and Demonic Tutor will be unbanned. Invigorate will be added to the watchlist.

So, the Banned List Update is back with a vengeance. Last year we had a quick update when we added Empty the Warrens to the watchlist. The deck has been dominating the last two tournaments as well, even though the January tournament was ultimately won by another deck, it has pocketed another win in February despite proper sideboarding and maindeck hate, this time in the hands of another player. We promised to take more drastic measures last year in case of this exact scenario, and we like to keep our promises. It's as simple as that really.

Invigorate is added to the watchlist. We heard poison was wrecking the metagame in Germany, so we took a good look at poison. We believe that, since the deck is creature based, a proper control deck like MBC should be able to handle it. We did notice however that Invigorate is basically a free Giant Growth on steroids. The card borders on unfair, and we think it's even better than Berserk in poison decks. Until we learn more though, we can't really tell if it is too unfair, and that's why we've decided to add it to the watchlist.

Once again, we took a good look at the current metagame and the banned list to see if other adjustments were possible. It's no fun after all if it just keeps getting larger. The result is the unbanning of the three cards mentioned above.

Counterbalance has been banned for over a year now, and in that time, no really succesful blue-based control deck has managed to evolve. Since such a deck is healthy for the metagame, to keep the combo decks in check, we decided to give it another chance to shine. We fully expect the card to show up in succesful decks again, causing a good deal of groans and annoyed faces, but we also belief that the archetype it is played in should play a role in peasant again.

Darksteel Citadel has always been banned and unbanned together with the other artifact lands. We believe it doesn't help affinity much on its own, but it might help out metalcraft. The new mechanic offers a few saucy commons that can beat real hard real fast but just don't have the support right now. We hope Darksteel Citadel can provide that support without favoring one of the colors, and without enabling the affinity deck of yore.

Last but not least, Demonic Tutor will be allowed in decks again. It was banned primarily for its role in Grapeshot Storm, but since the printing of Goblin Bushwhacker, Empty the Warrens has become the faster and more consistent deck of the two. In addition, new lifegain spells (Lone Missionary, Rest for the Weary) have been printed that can really put a dent into Grapeshot's effectiveness. All in all, Demonic Tutor might enable less obnoxious, slightly slower combo decks to replace the void left by the banning of Empty the Warrens.

As always, feel free to comment, and happy deckbuilding. We hope you'll enjoy the new metagame!

To see the full list of banned cards, click here.

Results February 25 , 2011

First up, apologies. I was in New Zealand during the January tournament, so I haven't gathered any decklists. I can give you a standing, but I don't even know what everyone played. I know what the winner played though: Cheese. Yes, that's the mono-red Quest for the Pure Flame deck that won the Fall Qualifiers! This month (or I should say, last month) I was back however, so here are the results of February!

Oh yeah, I almost forgot! We've got a new update to the banned list that I will be posting about later this evening. It'll probably shake things up quite a bit, so stay tuned ;)



Results











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Nr. Name Deck Colors P/W/D/Bye
01. Johnny Niemeyer Dirty Kitty
5/4/0/0
02. Niels Gramser Moosebite
5/3/0/0
03. Johan Rots WeeBee
5/3/0/0
04. André Pannekoek Dirty Kitty
5/3/0/0
05. Martijn Hennink Reanimator

5/3/0/0
06. Siebe van der Veer WeeBee
5/3/0/0
07. Michiel Deunk WU Allies
5/2/0/0
08. Mathijs Hoogeveen Umbral Elves

5/2/0/0
09. Joey Bouwkamp BG Infect
5/2/0/0
10. Oswin ten Brinke WeeBee
5/0/0/0





Johnny Niemeyer - Dirty Kitty

Creatures
1 Goblin Bushwhacker
2 Goblin Sledder
4 Skirk Prospector
4 Tinder Wall
2 Wild Cantor
1 Goblin Recruiter (U)
4 Mogg War Marshal
4 Goblin Matron

Spells
4 Lotus Petal
4 Rite of Flame
4 Fecundity (U)
4 Seething Song
4 Empty the Warrens

Lands
8 Forest
10 Mountain

Sideboard
SB: 2 Pyroblast
SB: 3 Red Elemental Blast
SB: 2 Grapeshot
SB: 4 Naturalize
SB: 4 Wrap in Vigor



Niels Gramser - Moosebite

Creatures
4 Putrid Leech
1 Grim Harvest
1 Eternal Witness (U)
4 Grazing Gladehart
2 Kitchen Finks (U)
2 Vampire Nighthawk (U)
4 Yavimaya Elder
3 Blastoderm
3 Wickerbough Elder

Spells
3 Raven's Crime
3 Unearth
4 Doom Blade
2 Sign in Blood

Lands
1 Evolving Wilds
3 Golgari Rot Farm
8 Snow-Covered Forest
8 Swamp
4 Terramorphic Expanse

Sideboard
SB: 4 Duress
SB: 2 Sandstorm
SB: 3 Diabolic Edict
SB: 2 Nameless Inversion
SB: 2 Nausea
SB: 2 Rending Vines



Johan Rots - WeeBee

Creatures
4 Dauthi Horror
3 Kor Skyfisher
4 Lone Missionary
4 Chittering Rats
3 Liliana's Specter
1 Vampire Nighthawk (U)
3 Okiba-Gang Shinobi

Spells
4 Duress
2 Castigate
3 Grasp of Darkness
4 Zealous Persecution (U)
2 Oblivion Ring

Lands
2 Kabira Crossroads
5 Plains
12 Swamp
4 Terramorphic Expanse

Sideboard
SB: 2 Hallow
SB: 4 Disenchant
SB: 4 Obsidian Acolyte
SB: 3 Unmake
SB: 3 Faceless Butcher



André Pannekoek - Dirty Kitty

Creatures
1 Goblin Bushwhacker
2 Goblin Sledder
4 Skirk Prospector
4 Tinder Wall
2 Wild Cantor
1 Goblin Recruiter (U)
4 Mogg War Marshal
4 Goblin Matron

Spells
4 Lotus Petal
4 Rite of Flame
4 Fecundity (U)
4 Seething Song
4 Empty the Warrens

Lands
8 Forest
10 Mountain

Sideboard
SB: 2 Pyroblast
SB: 3 Red Elemental Blast
SB: 2 Grapeshot
SB: 4 Naturalize
SB: 4 Wrap in Vigor



Martijn Hennink - Reanimator

Creatures
4 Hapless Researcher
4 Owl Familiar
4 Ulamog's Crusher
2 Pathrazer of Ulamog (U)

Spells
4 Careful Study
4 Duress
4 Lotus Petal
4 Preordain
3 Reanimate (U)
4 Exhume
4 Dragon Breath

Lands
10 Island
9 Swamp

Sideboard
SB: 4 Disfigure
SB: 4 Steel Sabotage
SB: 4 Daze
SB: 3 Stench of Decay



Siebe van der Veer - WeeBee

Creatures
4 Dauthi Horror
3 Kor Skyfisher
4 Lone Missionary
4 Chittering Rats
3 Liliana's Specter
1 Vampire Nighthawk (U)
3 Okiba-Gang Shinobi

Spells
4 Duress
2 Castigate
3 Grasp of Darkness
4 Zealous Persecution (U)
2 Oblivion Ring

Lands
2 Kabira Crossroads
5 Plains
12 Swamp
4 Terramorphic Expanse

Sideboard
SB: 2 Hallow
SB: 4 Disenchant
SB: 4 Obsidian Acolyte
SB: 3 Unmake
SB: 3 Faceless Butcher


Well, six decks but only four different decklists. The metagame must be pretty clear! Dirty Kitty took the tournament for the bazillionth time though, despite two WeeBee decks poised to beat it with 4 maindeck Zealous Persecutions and loads of discard. What's that hammering sound? Could it be?

Until next time!