Lyna and Tawnos and Karn — Oh my!
Old School Vanguard at GPNJ2019
Letter from the Editor:
This is a tournament report written by Seth Roncoroni. Another report, written by Mike Harris, can be found here. Additionally, this tournament was covered over 2 episodes of the Old School Podcast, All Tings Considered. Episode 48 is a report by Andy Baquero and Episode 49 is an overview of the tournament rules and format by myself.
-Paul DeSilva
Seth Roncoroni:
Recently, the Sisters of the Flame held an awesome offsite event at GPNJ. It was Old school with the addition of Vanguard cards. The plan was for them to be randomly distributed at the start of each round so there would be limited ways to plan and build around. When Paul informed me that the Sisters would be doing this, I immediately started to look for something weird to play. Ultimately, I ended up a on a deck that looked to abuse Gauntlets of Might and big dumb red monsters. While this would be the first time I would kick the tires on this deck, I had been testing out this idea for a while. Before Eternal Weekend 2018, my buddies and I had been working on a Eureka list that sought to abuse Orgg’s under-costed body, but we weren’t able to get anything together so we shelved the idea. I ran WUR aggro and didn’t think about it again — until Paul told me his plans.
My deck list is below, but I should speak a little to the development before jumping into a report. Initially, the deck was base red with blue for Transmute and Power Sink (I try to use this card too often). I thought Transmute Artifact and Mana Vault was too cool of a combo to not use. Unfortunately, in testing, the double-mana requirements were rough and you just wanted more big monsters, so the tutor targets kept getting cut. I streamlined the list as I added more and more restricted cards. In the end the deck was basically a mono-red deck with restricted cards and Sylvan Library. I did realize I always wanted mountains so with Atlantic rules in effect, it made cutting Strip Mine easy. That being said, even if given the chance for 4 Strip Mines, I probably wouldn’t run any. The Sideboard is a mess — I was a few beers deep when I put it together and I clearly either forgot about fighting enchantments or just decided not to care. Finally, I’m sorry but my notes aren’t great. I was drinking, and I never recorded names. But all my opponents were a blast to play with; I hope they had as much as I did.
Round 1
We sit down and are given the first batch of Vanguard cards. While I didn’t really consider them when I was deck building, I knew a bunch were fairly bad. Gerrard and Multani were the worst offenders. Needless to say, I had to laugh when I flipped over the rogue himself and my opponent flipped over Eladamri. Yes, read his text and look at my deck list — needless to say I was going to struggle to remove creatures.
In Game 1, I snap keep without looking because 3 is better than 2 (because math). I opened an Ancestral Recall and figured I might have a chance. My opponent is on a Big Zoo variant. I am able to resolve a third turn Shivan, but I was already getting beat down by Kird Apes and Erhnams. The inability of my dragon to block and kill a creature basically spelled my demise. I am unsure the exact board plan, but I know I dumped the Earthquakes as basically useless and brought in the Blood Moon and the Ydwen (He was a house all day).
Game 2, I elected not to use Gerrard, again because math. This game went much better for me. I was able to resolve a first or second turn Mana Vault and then a 3rd turn Shivan, followed by a fourth turn Orgg, and a fifth turn Orgg! The big monsters were able to make short work in the red zone.
In Game 3, I was forced to use Gerrard again since I was the victor last game. After another blind keep, I opened with a land, Mox Jet, Demonic Tutor. I am unsure what 2 cards I draw during the turn, but I do get Ancestral and drop a bunch of mana on the table. This leads to a second turn Ydwen which helped apply serious pressure. I followed that up with an Orgg and, looking at my notes, it seems I swung three times with the Ydwen. My life pad has my opponent at 24 and then nothing so I assume I resolved a Shivan or huge fireball that final tun for the win.
Games 2–1, Matches 1–0
Round 2
I reveal Tahngarth, my opponent reveals Maraxus. Tahngarth seems OK, as long as my opponent isn’t on Zoo with a permanent Orcish Oriflamme in play and an extra card. He was.
In Game 1, I managed to resolve a Gauntlet but was on the receiving end of a fast Mind Twist and I die to a bunch of 2/1 Lanowar Elves.
For Game Two, I went without my Vanguard, trying to just focus on seeing more cards. My notes sort of suck, but I remember a fast Erhnam, Pixies and then a Preacher. My life pad shows my life total as 20,16,11, 8, 3 and dead. I think I had a Ydwen there to block the Erhnam a turn, but really the outcome was hardly in doubt.
Games 3–3, Matches 1–1
Round 3
I flip over Selenia an my opponent has Takara. I am thankful that I finally got a strong Vanguard and I knew my opponent was in trouble because he was on Goblins and that extra seven life was huge (and the extra card wasn’t bad either).
My hand is insane and I am able to resolve a first turn DT and get Ancestral. My opponent plays some goblins. My second turn I resolve Ancestral, play a Black Lotus and then resolve Orgg. He is huge, goblins are small. I follow that up with a Shivan Dragon but the fast Orgg and extra life would have been too much regardless. We go to Game 2.
I take out the gauntlets and a Fireball, as they seem terrible, and bring in BEB and the Ydwen. Looking at my life pad it seems like game 2 was a longer, more tense affair, but that isn’t how I remember it. I used a second turn Earthquake to clear out 3 goblins, then Time Walked turn three, dropping a Ydwen (Again, dude was a monster all day). He slowly chips away at my opponent’s life total. I DT for another Earthquake to prevent goblin shenanigans and then cast Regrowth for the Time Walk with a lethal attack from my Ydwen. The Ydwens were a monster all day and had I not been five colors or with Blood Moon main, I definitely would have had them in the main too.
Games 5–3, Matches 2–1
Round 4
I flip over Crovax and my opponent flips over Karn. That sucks for him — especially as he’s on a Workshop/Transmute/Trike list. I am very happy with the +2 cards.
Game 1 saw my opponent develop his board and then use a Mana Vault to power out a Mind Twist for 5. Luckily I had Fork in hand, so we both went into top deck mode. I would eventually resolve a Gauntlet but he had Factories and other artifact guys and I saw my life total slowly drop. Onto game 2.
We both elect to keep our Vanguards. For side-boarding, I know I brought in Blood Moon to slow down the Workshops and Factories, but I’m unsure what I took out. My opener had Library of Alexandria, which was nice, but due to starting on 9 cards, I couldn’t use it that first turn, so I just played a Mana Vault. My opponent played a Workshop and passed. I drew with the Library and then just decided that I should cut off his mana and played a second turn Bloon Moon. I figured he would bring in the BEB so there was a good chance he could destroy it eventually. But I was also sitting on an Ancestral so I figured I could rebuild my hand and have an active Library if that did happen. Otherwise, I basically lock him out of the game. My notes show I would resolve a Ydwen (that guy again) and a Gauntlet in subsequent turns. The Ydwen applied pressure and I would eventually finish my opponent off with a lethal Fireball.
Game 3, I keep my Vanguard; my opponent does not. The game starts off poorly for me. I can’t get much going after resolving a Sylvan Library and proceed to get beat down by Factories and Sage of Lat Nam. At some point I can resolve a Blood Moon but I’m just getting beat down by the Sage and an Argivian Archaeologist. He gets me to 2 life. By this point, I have seven lands in play and a Mana Vault. I play Time Walk trying to find an answer. I have an Earthquake in hand I think at worst I can Earthquake for 1 and just be at one life. I top deck a land and then read Sage, it’s a ½ so that plan is actually out the window. But I start doing math and realize that I didn’t make a land drop for the turn and with all my mana I can actually resolve a 20-point Earthquake, enough to draw my opponent when he is at 20 life. On to game four.
I again keep my Vanguard. Game 4 is less exciting. I have a Black Lotus in my opening hand and resolve a Blood Moon. That slows the game down. Eventually my opponent resolves a Trike, but I Earthquake it away and resolve a Gauntlet. My first resolved Shivan eats a Swords to Plowshares, but the second one sticks and is able to do a lethal 16 damage in one swing thanks to the Gauntlets and Firebreathing.
Games 7–4–1, Matches 3–1
Round 5
I get paired against my buddy from Maryland who was actually staying with me, so we know each other’s lists well. I think without Vanguards, I am favored as he was on a modified Workshop list. However, the Vanguards are really funky, and the ones we pulled made this match even wilder. I flipped Tawnos who is just sick and Tom had Lyna. By this point, I was fairly drunk I think because I didn’t realize what Tawnos did outside the extra cards until our third game.
Game 1 was over very quickly. Tom had Workshop into first turn Su-chi, then Trike turn 2. My inability to block the shadow creatures left me dead rather quickly.
We both keep the Vanguards for the second game, and this game was wild. Tom managed to Mind Twist my hand away twice with the help of a timely Regrowth. Somehow, I was able to make land drops and Tom was never able to get real pressure as we were in a Chaos Orb standoff. Eventually I get 2 Gauntlets of Might on the table. My Shivan eats a BEB and we go back to top deck mode. My life pad shows that my life kept dropping, although I am unsure what the damage source was. Tom finally has 2 Factories and I’m at 3. I know why he didn’t do it, but he made a mistake here. He had a Chaos Orb and a Copy Artifact targeting a Chaos Orb on the table. I had my single Orb on the table. Tom should have hit a land to prevent a lethal Fireball as I needed all the mana my lands could produce. He doesn’t and I top deck another land which allows me to cast a lethal Fireball for 16. On to game three.
This was the craziest game of the day. It’s at this moment that I release what my Vanguard card text says. During Tom’s upkeep I am able to play a Mox Pearl, Mox Sapphire, Black Lotus, and then Resolve Ancestral into a Blood Moon — all that before Tom can even play a land. He had kept a hand that was using Black Vise and Wheel of Fortune. Needless to say, my plays during his upkeep changed things. He drops a Juggernaut and starts beating down. Even with all that card draw and fast mana, I am hurting for lands. He Wheel of Fortunes and I use Tawnos to dump my Mana Vaults to limit the damage from Black Vise. I am on the wrong end of the beat down at this point, but I have 6 mana so I cast Mirror Universe. Tom must attack with the Juggernaut, sending me to 4. I use the Mirror during my upkeep and switch life totals. I’m now at 16 and Tom is at 4. And as they say, it is better to be lucky than good. I top decked the Fireball and sent it at Tom’s face. I would have had another draw maybe, but it was very tight as the inability to block big artifact monsters is brutal.
Games 9–5–1, Matches 4–1
Conclusion
I ended the day 4–1. Vanguards were a silly distraction and lead to a really fun and wild event. I ended up in fourth place and received a signed Su-Chi and an Unlimited Power Sink for the day.
Paul threw an amazing event and I’m thankful I was able to be part of it. The deck played better than I expected. It was built mainly on a whim due to having Gauntlets of Might for over a decade and never getting to use them. The power of Earthquake and Orgg with Gauntlets is really nice and it hits hard. I will definitely continue to tinker with the idea.
-Seth Roncoroni
Thank you to Seth for this report and to everybody that came out to make the event a huge success! Look out for more tournaments in the future!
-Paul DeSilva
