all your report are belong to us

My preparations.

I didn't own any power myself so at first I had decided to play a red/black
aggro/yank deck. This quickly transformed into a red/green deck, then it was
green/white and back to red and green. Does it show I'm not that good at making
decisions?

But then I heard somebody I know was quitting magic and he had some pieces of
power. Of course I was very interested because this tournament was coming up. So
I buy a Time Walk, an Ancestral Recall and all five Moxen. Somebody else sold me
a playset Bazaar of Baghdad. I won't discuss the price because it confirms all
the 'vintage is for rich people' complaints.

Then somebody from my local FNM tournaments, which I attend every week, told me
he would like to go to Eindhoven but had other things to do (like work and
prepare for the GP Copenhagen). I could borrow his power; a black bordered,
signed Black Lotus. I really wanted to, but I didn't like the idea of having a
card with me worth $1500 (give or take) that isn't mine. I borrowed it anyway.

So, all my previous ideas on deck-building had become useless and I had to get
into a completely different mindset. I expected the metagame to be; Stax, Gifts,
SC, Oath and random unpowered yank (it was a non-proxy tournament). I'm cutting
a few curbs with that analysis but it isn't far from the truth... or so I
thought, but I'll get back to that.

I didn't really want to play control because I don't play enough vintage to know
all the decks and the 'plays' that they make so I was afraid I would end up
making too many mistakes and counter the wrong things. Creature-based decks are
fine, but the reason I play vintage is combo. Doing something 'broken' and
annihilating the opposition on turn two is fun.

In the end I decided on this list;

Dragon

// Artifact  
1 Black Lotus
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring

// Black
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
2 Dance of the Dead
3 Necromancy
1 Animate Dead

// Blue
2 Intuition
1 Compulsion
1 Time Walk
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Force of Will
1 Chain of Vapor
1 Ambassador Laquatus
1 Mystical Tutor

// Gold
2 Lim-Dul's Vault

// Green
1 Eternal Witness
3 Xantid Swarm

// Red
4 Worldgorger Dragon
4 Squee, Goblin Nabob

// Land
4 Bazaar of Baghdad
4 Gemstone Mine
3 Underground Sea
1 Tropical Island
1 Island
1 Swamp
4 Polluted Delta

// Sideboard
3 Sacred Ground
4 Red Elemental Blast
2 Null Rod
1 Darkblast
1 Verdant Force
1 Caller of the Claw
3 Duress

I assume everybody on this forum knows how the deck works but just in case you
don't, here is the link that will explain it;
http://www.mtgsalvation.com/?page=article&article=20771

Okay, so it may not be the best list that you have ever seen and I had my doubts
about certain cards (Xantid Swarm vs. Duress par example) but it is hard to
'optimize' dragon because you can go so many different routes. I listened and
judged all the advice given to me by various people but most of the time they
noticed the same problems with the deck that I had already identified.

Well, all that was left to do was to sacrifice a goat and I was good to go.

The tournament

At 08:05 hours, I was at the train station. I was expecting to be delayed
because the railway company usually carries out maintenance on the weekend and
that had already resulted in me missing the GPT for Copenhagen the week before.
I was determined not to let this happen to me today.

There I was, all by myself because the people that I normally go to tournaments
with all had something else to do... attend a birthday, catch up on some much
needed sleep and what not. I had nothing to entertain me other than the noise in
my discman.

During my two hour journey I tried to just relax and listen to 'My Dying Bride'
while making a decklist and going over my sideboard one last time. I know what
to do against Stax, Slaver is obvious enough, etc.

A few minutes after ten I arrive in Eindhoven and make my way over to the
convention center which is right next to the train station. Immediately I see
some familiar faces and we start talking about the tournament. Somehow any
discussion about vintage ends up in people saying that it is ridiculously
expensive. Yeah well, that's vintage for you... you can just go and play legacy
if you can't afford it.

The tournament had 177 competitors and the field varied from people with a
complete set of power and years of experience to people with a 9th Edition
pre-constructed deck attending their first tournament (I'm not exaggerating,
really).

Round 1 vs. Floris Dirkse with TPS

Game 1
He wins the roll and chooses to start. He does so with a Black Lotus which he
sacs and he hits me with a Duress. I was very happy he chose the Dance of the
Dead over the Ancestral Recall but a second Duress took care of that as well.
With the mana he had left he cast a Sol Ring and then played a Tolarian Academy,
followed by a Tinker for a Colossus.

This is exactly what 'broken' means. The additional problem is that he knows
what I'm playing (Dance of the Dead doesn't go in that many decks) and I can
only guess at what he's playing. So I sideboard my Xantids out for Duress.

Game 2
We both open rather relaxed with some lands and moxen. He counters my Ancestral
and taps out to play a Memory Jar with no cards left on hand and he passes the
turn. I have a Necromancy on hand, a Dragon in the graveyard and a Bazaar in
play. I'm all set but decide to wait to make sure he will have no responses. On
his upkeep he sacrifices the Memory Jar and I play Necromancy as a response.

All right, so he is playing TPS. I will also bring in my REBs for Compulsion and
Time Walk.

Game 3
We are both developing mana early on and we counter each other's carddraw. Then
he decides it is time to win and plays; Black Lotus, Dark Ritual, Dark Ritual,
Lotus Petal, Yawgmoth's Will (Force of Will from me) and Mind's Desire for
seven. There is no Tendrils in the top seven cards of his library but he does
get; Necropotence, Time Walk, Dark Ritual, Dark Ritual, Mox, Memory Jar and
something else that added to the storm count. He cracks the Jar open and plays
even more mana but still doesn't have a Tendrils. He plays Timetwister but again
he has no Tendrils.

He resorts to destroying my hand with Duress and playing Tinker for Colosssus.
I'm left praying for a lucky topdeck while the big man finishes me in short
order. He shows me his hand and he has three Mana Drains and two Force of Will
left on hand so even if I had topdecked something it wouldn't have mattered.

Unfortunately I lost (there were random yank decks playing all around me and I
have to face TPS... that's life for you) but I thought it was a fantastic
demonstration of vintage magic and I really enjoyed it.

Games 1 - 2
Matches 0 - 1

Round 2 vs. Markus Seine with UR Control

You can just feel it coming. Markus is a German and he didn't travel all the way
to Eindhoven if he thought he didn't stand a chance. So I was preparing myself
for a very hard match.

Game 1
As usual I lose the roll and he leads with mana and nothing spectacular
otherwise. I try to play Ancestral Recall but find a Mana Drain blocking my
plan. Hurray, a Mana Drain deck. Good times.

I fetch my Tropical Island for a Xantid Swarm and we have a small counterwar
over it that I manage to win. I was feeling pretty good because I knew I would
win next turn. But then my hopes were smashed to bits by his Fire / Ice.

This is where he took control of the match. I couldn't counter his Intuition and
he got three Accumulated Knowledges. I know I've lost, but I want to see his win
condition so I keep playing. He finishes me with Tinker for a Colossus that is
protected by an Isochron Scepter (Mana Drain imprinted).

Game 2
I start with a 'less than optimal' hand and lead with Bazaar of Baghdad and Mox
Pearl. On my next turn I play Demonic Tutor for Black Lotus and try to cast it.
He counters. That was my only realistic chance of winning because I had Duress
and Animate Dead on hand.

We play draw-go the next turn two turns and I try to play Intuition. He doesn't
counter and I'm feeling pretty good about it. Then he slaps a Blood Moon down
with a big smile on his face. Great, there I am... a Mox Pearl and four
mountains. Squee hardcast! But to no avail, he has a Platinum Angel and starts
beating me with it.

Hopeless is the best description I can give.

Games 1 - 4
Matches 0 - 2

Round 3 vs. Boaz Pat-el with Sneak Attack

He comes to the table saying that he just lost to two fully powered decks and I
tell him that I did exactly the same. It was true, but I felt sorry for him that
he was sitting at table 86 and encountered another deck with power.

Game 1
Of course he wins the roll. He opens with a Forest and passes the turn. Well, to
cut a long story short, I combo on turn two because I know he doesn't have
anything to stop me.

Game 2
Idem. He manages to have a pretty good opening with Mountain for Orcish
Lumberjack and a Forest with Silvos, Rogue Elemental on turn two, but my combo
is just too fast for him. I did find this a rather impressive opening for a
non-powered deck.

I combo on turn two twice in a row... now why doesn't this happen more often?

Because the match was over in five minutes we played some casual legacy games
and talked about Dungeons and Dragons for the rest of the round. They were
having some problems with the (possible) powerlevel of a character in their
group. The match wasn't very interesting, but I still had a good time with the
roleplay people.

Games 3 - 4
Matches 1 - 2

Round 4 vs. Bob Noordermeer with UW Life Control (?)

Game 1
Guess who won the roll? He opens with Island and Brainstorm so I immediately
slow down. I don't want to run into Force of Will and lose because I make a
stupid play. So I fetch my Tropical Island and play a Swarm. He doesn't counter.

There are three possibilities at this point; he doesn't have any counter, he
doesn't know the card and just made a mistake or it won't matter and he wins
next turn. I know it sounds paranoid, but I was ready for anything at this
point. I play a Sol Ring and pass the turn. He does nothing and I win on my next
turn.

I still didn't get it but I sided my REBs in. He doesn't have any power, he
already told me that. I saw very few counters for a control deck and I just
wan't sure what to do.

Game 2
I play a Force of Will but my notes don't show what I countered. I think it was
a Spiketail Hatchling because I thought it did something completely different (I
know, you can just read cards). It ended up being a good thing because now he
couldn't counter my Ancestral Recall. I was steadily accumulating pieces of the
combo and he played a Ghost-lit Redeemer. Imagine my surprise. I combo on the
next turn and it is all over.

Games 5 - 4
Matches 2 - 2

Round 5 vs. Willem with Doomsday

Willem was a very nice man whom I estimate to be in his 40's. This is usually a
sign you are going to play somebody with a full set of power who came because he
enjoys the game and not because he is trying to win at all costs. These are
actually my favourite people because the games are usually fun and have a
'casual' atmosphere. This was no different and the games we've played were some
of the most fun I've played in a very long time.

Game 1
Again I lose the roll... so nothing new there. We both play exactly the same
cards. Polluted Delta for an Underground Sea, followed by a black border Lotus
and a Vampiric Tutor. A Mox Sapphire was the first difference because his was
black bordered where mine isn't. He then counters my Ancestral Recall with a
Force of Will. Say all you like, but it was very nice to look at.

He plays a Doomsday on his next turn. I have re-read the Doomsday primer by
Smemmen just last week and I actually knew what he was going to take before he
did. He tries to go the Tendrils route but the moment he resolves his Yawgmoth's
Will he pauses. He tells me he miscalculated and gives up.

That wasn't so pretty but I won the game (stole the game actually, but I'm not
complaining).

Game 2
We are both slowly gathering mana and I was trying to find combo-pieces with my
bazaar. He plays Doomsday on turn three and I don't draw into an answer. I go
through his 'removed from game pile' (all of his deck except for 12 cards or so)
and I only find a single Force of Will. Darn, this means he has three of the
things on hand. I'm holding a Necromancy but I know it is over. I respond with
Necromancy to his Ancestral Recall hoping that he doesn't counter it. At that
point, he recognized my combo but wasn't exactly sure on how it worked (I
wouldn't have cast in on the dragon but on Eternal Witness instead, retrieving
Ancestral Recall and target him with it). He countered it anyway because he
'thought he wasn't going to like it.'. Good play, on to game three.

Game 3
I'll quote my notes;

Quote
Game 3)
   Me                                                    Willem
   20                                                         20
   18 (Vampiric Tutor)                            BROKEN!

Need I say more? It involved a lot of artefact mana and a Doomsday.

It may be interesting to note that he wasn't playing Meandeck's build (the basis
was the same of course), he had actually changed about 12 cards or so.

Games 6 - 6
Matches 2 - 3

Round 6 vs. Bastiaan with UW Control

Game 1
I actually manage to win the roll for once and I lead of with Swamp, Mox and I
pass the turn. He plays Windswept Heath and fetches a Tundra. I react with a
Vampiric Tutor for a Black Lotus and he lets me have my turn.

I do nothing on my turn except for putting the lotus in play and pass the turn.
This is where he plays just a little too pro-active for a control deck and he
slaps down a Meddling Mage and says 'Goblin Welder'. Ehm, yeah... sure. In later
turns I take some damage from the mage as I try to set it up.

I finally play a Xantid and pass the turn. At the end of my turn he taps out to
play a Swords to Plowshares on the Swarm and I respond by playing Necromancy...
he doesn't have any counters.

I had been waiting for several turns for him to tap out because I had Necromancy
on hand (that is why I tutored for Lotus) and I'm very afraid of white mana.
Swords to Plowshares is just a little too popular not to have it on your mind
all the time.

Game 2
He chose to start and again leads with Windswept Heath for a Tundra. I don't do
much on my early turns and he plays a Mesmeric Orb the turn after I get my
Bazaar going. I think this was an interesting choice of cards. Sure, it is good
against a bazaar deck, but do you really want to help me find my Squees and
Dragons?

His Meddling Mage (on Necromancy this time) gets hit with a Red Elemental Blast
and he dies a brutal death. It doesn't matter because he has another one.

He also has a second Mesmeric Orb and I'm going through my library at
warp-speed. At the end of his turn I count that there are only eight cards left
in my library. If I'm going to win, I have to do it on my next turn. The
situation is roughly as follows;

He has a Meddling Mage in play (on Necromancy), he has three untapped mana
(white and green with a single blue I believe) and four cards on hand. I've
already seen him play Swords to Plowshares and it rules against Dragon. I have
the following cards on hand; Necromancy x2, Force of Will, Red Elemental Blast
(no red mana sources anywhere except in my graveyard) and Lim-Dul's Vault.

During my untap phase I 'mill' myself for four and then I cast Vault on my
upkeep. I get; Squee Goblin Nabob, Bazaar of Baghdad, Dance of the Dead, Null
Rod. Hurray, I can't use my Force of Will if I want to cast anything. I play
Dance of the Dead and he indicates that he isn't going to respond. I take his
Meddling Mage and name Swords to Plowshares. My second Dance gets the combo
going. He shows me his hand and has no Swords or anything else that might be
relevant. If only I had known... but I guess it doesn't matter.

Games 8 - 6
Matches 3 - 3

Round 7 vs. Wesley with SuiBlack (with white splash)

I had decided to play one more round and then drop because I was tired and the
idea of 'home' was very appealing to me. But I hoped to get another few games
like the last few rounds because I was having fun.

First, a little something about my 'state of mind'. On his jacket is a little
flag with a yellow, a black and a red stripe. 'Deutsch?' I ask and he responds
with 'We'll speak English.' Sure, fine... except he wasn't German, he was
Belgian. So end up talking English to this guy all round while I could have just
spoken Dutch. I don't know why he didn't tell me he spoke Dutch when I made a
comment to the guy sitting next to me. This was an omen.

Game 1
I win the roll again, wow, could this be a turning point? I open with a land and
he opens with Lotus Petal, Dark Ritual, Hypnotic Specter. Not bad, but he
doesn't have any lands. I completely fail to capitalize on this however as my
Ancestral brings me nothing but junk. The Specter just keeps making things worse
and when he casts Hymn to Tourach (he had two mana by now) I react with a
Necromancy to end the game in a draw. I just couldn't get out of this situation
any other way.

Game 2
I mulligan to six and open with Fetch and Mox Sapphire but can't do anything
else. He opens with Dark Ritual for another Hypnotic Specter. I topdeck a Black
Lotus and manage to make the biggest blunder I've made in quite a few years. I
have five mana in play, Worldgorger Dragon, Squee, Intuition and Necromancy on
hand and I do not respond to his attacking me but instead I just hold out my
cards for him to pick one out. Of course he plucks the Intuition and as soon as
it happens I realise what I had done (rather, what I hadn't done). I threw away
an opportunity to win...

The rest of the game didn't matter anymore. I was annoyed with myself and got
beaten with a Phyrexian Negator.

Game 3
It could still happen but my Bazaar doesn't give me any good cards in this game
and has some powerful cards. Wasteland, Duress, another Wasteland and I wasn't
feeling good at all at this point. Out of necessity I play an Intuition for the
following three cards; Verdant Force, Eternal Witness, Chain of Vapor. I have
only a basic Swamp and a Mox Sapphire in play and he gives me the Chain of
Vapor. Huh? I can cast it on his Negator, the others would have been dead cards.
This wasn't in the game plan but it was pretty fortunate (don't ask me what my
gameplan was at this point because looking back I have no idea).

None of it mattered anymore, he plays a Chalice for zero on his next turn and
uses a Strip Mine on my Swamp and Vindicate on my Mox. He plays two Negators and
I know it is time to give up.

Games 8 - 8 - 1
Matches 3 - 4

You wouldn't believe how pissed I was at myself. SuiBlack is a walkover for
Dragon... SuiBlack actually helps you more than they realise. But when you are
playing as bad as I was that last round, the strength of your deck won't save
you. I'm such an idiot.

I dropped from the tourney to go home and stop by a birthday party on my way
back.

Good stuff;
- Allan, for lending me his Black Lotus! Awesome...
- My opponents (Willem in particular) for playing some fun games and being nice
people in general.
- The tournament sponsors for providing some fantastic prizes.

Not-so-good-stuff;
- The constant stress of walking around with somebody else's power. It really
makes you paranoid.
- The Dutch public transit system. You pay $20 and they can't even get you from
point A to point B and back without delays. I know it is necessary to do some
maintenance work every now and then but that doesn't mean I have to like it.
- Me, for the worst play ever.
- Me again. I had prepared for a metagame of Stax, Gifts, Oath and SC and didn't
encounter any of these decks in the seven rounds that I played. I really did my
homework well...

I had a good time though and that is really what it is all about (only losers
say that, I know) and I would do it again in an instant if the tournament was
being held again next week despite my bad performance.

Thanks for reading, you really have a lot of patience...  :)

Peter