Decisions, Decisions Commentary
im really disappointed no one but me used the exile zone as a resource. but there is some really cool decks this round.
i havent done any calculating, but i will be shocked if the winner is anyone but mogg or whamme.
All spells have "As an additional cost to cast this spell, exile a card from your hand."
All nonbasic lands have "If this land would enter the battlefield, exile a card from your hand instead. If you do, put this onto the battlefield. If you don't, exile this card."
13WhammeWhamme : legends of the forest Chancellor of the Tangle / Chancellor of the Tangle / Azusa, Lost but Seeking / Thwart / Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite / Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
This deck is a work of art. Only thing that would make it better is elesh costing 6 The Grid X | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3
1| X 6 0 6 0 2 0 0 6 6 2 6 0 | 34 | 283
2| 0 X 0 2 0 0 3 3 0 4 2 0 3 | 14 | 117
3| 6 6 X 6 0 0 0 0 0 6 6 0 0 | 30 | 250
4| 0 2 0 X 0 0 0 0 0 6 6 3 0 | 16 | 133
5| 6 6 6 6 X 6 6 3 3 6 6 6 3 | 60 | 500
6| 2 6 6 6 0 X 6 6 6 6 6 0 0 | 50 | 417
7| 6 3 6 6 0 0 X 6 6 6 6 0 0 | 42 | 350
8| 6 3 6 6 3 0 0 X 6 6 6 0 6 | 46 | 383
9| 0 6 6 6 3 0 0 0 X 6 6 0 3 | 34 | 283
0| 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 0 3 0 | 03 | 025
1| 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 X 0 0 | 10 | 083
2| 0 6 6 3 0 6 6 6 6 3 6 X 3 | 48 | 400
3| 6 3 6 6 3 6 6 0 3 6 6 3 X | 50 | 417
Contents
1. Overview
2. Game Rules
3. Deck Construction Rules
4. Entry
5. Perfect Hand Magic League
6. Scoring
7. Variant Format Rules
1. Overview
Perfect Hand Magic (PHM) is a competitive strategy game for two or more players. It can be played using pencil and paper; however, it's most commonly played via online forum. To play the game, each player secretly chooses a specified number of Magic cards which form that player's hand. Once all players have chosen hands, the hands are revealed and scored.
The object of the game is to choose the hand that will score the most points. The score for each hand is determined by the result that it would achieve if it were used to play two games of Magic – one match – against each competing hand; the rules for these theoretical games are covered in Section 2 – Game Rules. During each theoretical game, the theoretical player of each hand employs the strategy that will maximize the score for his or her hand, taking into account the strategy of his or her opponent.
A hand scores 3 points for each game that it would win, 0 points for each game it would lose, and 1 point for each game that would end in a draw. However, a hand scores only 2 points for any match that would have a symmetrical result, regardless of whether the result would be two drawn games or a win for each hand.
The composition of a hand is limited only by a short banned list and a few restrictions on the game states that it can enable; these restrictions are covered in Section 3 – Deck Composition.
2. Game Rules
2.1. Except for the changes described in these rules, games follow the rules for a normal game of Magic.
2.1a. Changes to the Comprehensive Rules or the Oracle text of a card take effect at the following times:
i. Changes that would take effect during the prerelease for a set take effect during the first round for which cards from that set may be submitted instead.
ii. Changes that would take effect at any other time take effect during the first round for which those rules have been in effect since the start of the round instead.
2.1b. Ignore any part of an instruction that isn't covered by these rules or the rules of Magic.
2.2. A player's opening hand contains that player's chosen cards.
2.3. Players' libraries begin the game empty.
2.3a. A player doesn't lose the game as a result of being unable to draw a card.
2.4. A cost or effect that would produce a random result produces the result that least benefits the player who paid that cost or the owner of the source of that effect instead.
2.5. Each player is the starting player for one game in each match.
2.6. Players know the identities of all face-down cards and cards in hidden zones, and players know which decisions have been made by other players.
2.7. If a game would continue indefinitely, then the game is a draw.
2.8. If a loop containing at least one optional action would be repeated indefinitely during a turn, then any player may propose a number of times for that loop to repeat instead. If a player does, then each other player may propose a different number and the loop is repeated for the greatest number of times proposed instead. No player is required to make a choice that would end a loop that crosses multiple turns.
2.9. Cards can't be brought into the game from outside the game.
3. Hand Construction Rules
3.1. A player may not choose an opening hand that could enable that player to achieve any of the following results before an opponent's second turn would begin, such that that opponent could make no sequence of decisions that would not result in at least one of these results:
i. win the game
ii. take an infinite number of turns
iii. cause a card to leave an opponent's hand.
Ignore this rule in the following cases:
3.1a. That player's hand would be legal if that player's opponents' cards had no rules text.
3.1b. That player's hand would be legal if that player's opponents had no maximum hand size.
3.1c. That player could achieve one of these results only during a game that was restarted after an opponent's second turn had begun.
3.1d. All cards that would leave an opponent's hand during the resolution of an effect would be put onto the battlefield by that effect.
3.1e. All cards that would leave an opponent's hand during the resolution of an effect would be in that opponent's hand once that effect resolved.
3.2. A hand may contain any number of copies of any card legal in Vintage.
3.2a. An unreleased card is treated as though it's legal in Vintage if it will become legal in Vintage upon release and if the release notes for the set that contains that card were published prior to the start of the round (See rule 4.1).
3.3. A hand may not contain any cards on the PHM Banned List.
4. Entry
4.1. A player plays a round of PHM by submitting a list of his or her chosen cards to the PHM moderator.
4.2. A player may change his or her hand until the posted deadline.
4.2a. If a player submits an illegal hand, then the moderator will try to notify that player to change his or her hand prior to the deadline. If the hand is discovered to be illegal after the deadline – or if the player does not submit a new hand – then the moderator may either disqualify that hand or replace it with a similar hand, in which any cards causing that hand to be illegal have been removed or replaced.
4.2b. The moderator also will try to notify a player if that player's hand doesn't enable that player to win the game against any possible hand.
4.3. A player may name his or her hand. If that player doesn't, then the PHM moderator may name it. The PHM moderator may also rename a player's hand at his or discretion.
5. Perfect Hand Magic League
5.1. PHM League play consists of four rounds of PHM.
5.2. Each round, a player earns League points according to the following formula:
League Points = Points Scored / Number of Opponents x 100 (rounded to the nearest integer)
5.3. The player with the most League points at the end of League play is the PHM League winner.
5.3a. If multiple players have the most League points at the end of the League, then the PHM moderator may allow those players to play additional rounds until only one of those players has the most League points or until a specified number of additional rounds have been played.
6. Scoring
6.1. A table of match results is posted at the end of each round. Each row lists one player's results against each other player. A player's points and League points are tallied at the end of his or her row.
6.2. A player may earn bonus League points as specified by the PHM moderator.
6.3. Each player is responsible for determining the match results for his or her hand.
6.3a. Players are encouraged to determine or verify additional match results.
6.3b. An undetermined match result is counted as a loss for both players in that match.
6.3c. A player may challenge any result until the moderator announces that the result is final.
7. Variant Format Rules
7.1. Perfect Hand Magic has been played with hands containing between one and seven cards. Additionally, the Game Rules and Deck Construction Rules have been adapted to create hundreds of variant formats. Five commonly-played variants are described in Sections 7.3-7.7.
7.2. The rules of a variant format overwrite any other applicable rules.
7.2a. Some variant formats generate continuous effects. A continuous effect generated by a variant format is treated as having the earliest timestamp within a layer or sublayer. If continuous effects generated by multiple variant formats would apply in the same layer or sublayer, assign timestamps to those effects in the order that the variant formats are listed in the rules or name of the round.
7.2b. Some variant formats require a player to make some number of decisions in addition to or instead of submitting a hand. A player's submission must comply with the Hand Construction Rules, taking into account any decisions made at this time.
7.2c. Some variant formats require players to make decisions "before the start of each game". For these decisions, follow the "Active Player, Nonactive Player order" rule, replacing "active player" with "starting player".
7.3. Land Rule Variant.
7.3a. This is the basic land rule (LR). Any player may play a basic land or basic snow land of the subtype of his or her choice from outside the game any time he or she could normally play a land. A hand may not contain any cards on the Land Rule Banned List.
7.3b. This is the extra land rule (ELR). Any player may play a basic land or basic snow land of the subtype of his or her choice from outside the game any time he or she could normally play a land. Any player may play an additional land on each of his or her turns from his or her hand. A hand may not contain any cards on the Land Rule Banned List.
7.3c. This is the draw land rule (DLR). If a player would draw a card from an empty library, that player puts a basic land or basic snow land card of the subtype of his or her choice from outside the game into his or her hand instead. The starting player doesn't skip the draw step of his or her first turn. A hand may not contain any cards on the Land Rule Banned List.
7.4a. Only cards contained in sets legal in the named format may be submitted.
7.5. Life Rule (LF).
7.5a. If neither player would win otherwise, then the player who maintains the higher life total wins the game.
7.5b. A player must choose an opening hand that enables that player to win both games of a match against at least one legal hand, irrespective of rule 7.5a.
7.6. Backbuild.
7.6a. Players exchanges hands before the start of each match. A hand must enable the player of that hand to win both games of a match against a specified hand or specified hands. Ignore rule 3.1.
7.7. Bonus Points.
7.7a. A player earns bonus points if his or her hand meets specified requirements.
PHM Banned List
The following cards are automatically banned in all Perfect Hand Magic League rounds unless otherwise specified by the round rules. Each round may have an additional banned list that extends beyond, but always includes, these cards.
Land Rule Banned List
"Land Rule" is the most common variant for PHM, and thus a separate ban list has been developed to allow for easier moderation. The following cards are banned in Perfect Hand Magic League rounds when a Land Rule is used. There will be a reminder of this on the round rules.
Pull from Eternity / Hedron Alignment / Hedron Alignment / Hedron Alignment / Hedron Alignment / Leyline of Sanctity
Boy I sure wish OGW was legal already.
3.2a. An unreleased card is treated as though it's legal in Vintage if it will become legal in Vintage upon release and if the release notes for the set that contains that card were published prior to the start of the round (See rule 4.1).
Singleton Pull from Eternity with Hedron Alignment folds hard to counterspells. I'd be shocked if we didn't see a decent number of those in a "you can pitch the half of your cards that aren't relevant" format.
I would support banning Leyline of the Meek. Banning Chancellor closes off the "card you intend to pitch that still gives you value" angle that I don't want to remove from the format entirely. Again, this is narrow-answer week. There are cards that deal with 6 turn 1 goblins.
im gonna go ahead and make it official. leyline banned.
i think the other leylines are fine though. only one actually seems particularly good, and krakularity takes up half your deck since you still have to exile a card to play karakas.
3 Card Playsets
Players have four of each card in their hand. There is no maximum hand size. (ex. If your deck is Island, Plains, Forest, your starting hand is 4x Island, 4x Plains, 4x Forest.)
1. Artscrafter 0-6: No answers to Thrun
2. bubblecat 1-4: I have no answers to an early Allo-rider. On the play I would be in time to Stifle Dack and then Channel the Rider away but then I would be hit with the discard and it would be a stalemate
3. Feyd_Ruin 0-6: Excessive Countermagic
4. HerziQuerzi 0-6: Misstep on the Nature's Claim causes me to lose
5. Mogg 0-6: Thwarted again
6. Nerdy_joe 0-6: No answers to Thrun
7. Piato 0-6: Eureka
8. Rush-Clasic 0-6: Eureka
9. SeeNamedPerson 0-6: Thwarted again
11. TidalSlimShady 0-6: All you have to do is pocket Countermagic to TKS. I can't handle True Name Nemesis
12. Tomsloger 3-3: Stifle on the Riftsweeper is game, otherwise, Stifling the Shelldock trigger only gets me so far
13. WhammeWhamme 0-6: Thwarted again
I guess it was folly to expect people to play more creatures that were in range of my very slow removal suite, well, better luck next time to me
Middle of the pack results, but not bad considering that I had no idea what I was going to do when I proposed this format. I was expecting Eureka but I had this weird idea that three Chancellors would be enough to compete.
2 bubblecat2 : riders on the storm Allosaurus Rider / Abrupt Decay / Flusterstorm / Force Spike / Helix Pinnacle / Dack Fayden
6-0
Your only way to keep up with Thrun is to cast Allosaurus Rider early, so that's Decay and Pinnacle gone. With one extra card pitched to cast it, you have one counterspell left at most, which gives me plenty of time to get Beast Within through it.
9SeeNamedPerson : explwart Infernal Harvest / Containment Priest / Exploration / Arcane Denial / Thwart / Karn Liberated
6-0
You need to have 9 mana before casting Karn so that you can protect it from both Denial and Beast Within. So you get Karn down on turn 5. However, Karn can't exile Thrun and takes two turns to ultimate, so I just ignore him and finish you off.
If you cast Containment Priest early to have a chump blocker then you won't have double counterspell backup for Karn.
If you don't cast Exploration, I win way before you can cast Karn.
11tidalslimshady : thievery Leyline of lifeforce / Leyline of the void / Skinrender / Dack fayden / True-name nemesis / Arcane denial
2-2
You get TNN down on turn 5 once you have counter backup, which stalls Thrun. I see two lines of play for you.
- Get Dack down early: I discard Beast and a Chancellor to the +1 then kill him. Then I either try to counter TNN and run into your counter, or I don't, play Chancellor later, and you counter that.
- Wait to get TNN down first: Dack is safe, but apart from eating my hand, his abilities don't do anything. The rest of your cards are effectively blanks if I only play Thrun.
12Tomsloger : choices abound riftsweeper / chancellor of the tangle / chancellor of the tangle / shelldock isle / progenitus / emrakul, the aeons torn
6-0
You can't use Riftsweeper to hide a card with Shelldock until turn 3, at which point I'm able to counter it even when on the draw. The next card you would be able to play is a Chancellor but Thrun has beaten you by then. When you're on the play, you can play Riftsweeper as a chump blocker to buy enough time to cast a Chancellor, but then I just counter that.
1: 6-0: t2 Sneak + Thwart.
2: 6-0: t3 Dack loses to Summer Bloom -> Sneak -> redraw Emrakul. t4 Dack loses to Thwart + float mana to pay for counter.
3: 6-0: t2 Sneak + Thwart.
4: 6-0: t4 Sneak + Thwart.
6: 6-0: t2 Sneak + Thwart.
7: 6-0: My Emrakul attacks first after Eureka. Otherwise, Sneak wins.
8: 3-3: Bloom -> Tradewinds bounces Bolas, but delays Sneak activation until t3, so Chancellors are lethal first.
9: 3-3: When I play first, I have t2 Sneak-Emrakul, which SeeNamed Person can't stop. When I play second, things are more complicated. SeeNamedPerson casts t1 Exploration (exiling Infernal Harvest), and then I cast t1 Summer Bloom (exiling Chancellor). SeeNamedPerson ends t2 with Plains, 2x Island, and Forest on the battlefield, then casts Containment Priest on my t2 upkeep (exiling Denial). Priest would kill me the turn before I could hardcast Emrakul, so I bounce it with Tradewinds (exiling Sneak Attack). SeeNamedPerson casts t4 Karn (exiling Priest), then Thwarts my Thwart and wins.
0: 6-0: t2 Sneak + Thwart.
1: 6-0: t2 Sneak + Thwart. Annihilator removes Leylines.
2: 6-0: Tradewinds bounces Isle, Sneak wins.
3: 3-3: Playing first, I win with t2 Sneak Attack and protection via Thwart. When I pay second, things are once again more complicated. I must Sneak a threat by t4 to prevent t5 Emrakul from WW. I cast t1 Bloom (exiling Tradewinds), which WW Thwarts. WW casts t4 Elesh, which resolves, dropping me to 15. I cast t4 Sneak (exiling Thwart). WW attacks me to 8 and passes with 12 lands on the battlefield. I Sneak Emrakul and attack WW to 7 life and 6 lands. I can Sneak Chancellor to block to block and kill Azusa, but then I redraw Bloom and WW attacks for exactly lethal before I redraw Emrakul.
Didn't really explore the format. (Didn't really have the time.) Chancellor/Eureka has been a favorite of mine for years when it's applicable. Never did find a last card I liked for all of the counter-magic I knew was coming my way. City of Solitude was mostly irrelevant, though it won me a game. Probably should have just diversified my threats; who knew the counter-magic was gonna be so slow?
X | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 | PT
8 | 6 S 6 6 S 0 0 X 6 6 6 0 6 | 46
8v1: I get to cast Eureka either way. You actually have more options on the draw since you can cast Beast Within after Eureka happens, so let's start there. At that point, you have 2 Chancellors and Thrun to my 4 Chancellors (1 stolen) and Nicol Bolas. You cast Beast Within on Nicol. My turn, I swing with 4 Chancellors, holding the beast token back. At this point, you can (A) block two Chancellors with your own Chancellors and take 12, or (B) block 1 Chancellor with 2 Chancellors, taking 18 and killing a Chancellor, or (C) double block a Chancellor with Thrun+Chancellor and single block another, taking 12 and losing Thrun. If you choose A, I attack with everything the next turn (token included) and you take 9-12 more, which kills you. If you choose B, I attack with everything the next turn (token included) and you take 3, losing. If you choose C, I attack with everything (token included) and you take 9, losing. Beast Within's token actually puts you out of range to effectively defend. When you're on the play, I get two Bolas activations which is just too much to handle. (6-0)
8v2: On the play, I Eureka out and it's game over. On the draw, I play City of Solitude first turn, which you Decay on your turn two. From there, Dack should eat my hand alive. (3-3)
8v3: I Eureka on the play and the draw before you have counters up. From there it's academic. (6-0)
8v4: Neither of your counters even target Eureka. (6-0)
8v5: Summer Bloom + Thwart is awesome. When you're on the play, that combination prevents Eureka from happening and you just win before I even start rolling. When I'm on the play, I cast Eureka free and clear, getting 3 Chancellors and Nicol Do-Nothing; you play nothing from fear of me eating or killing whatever you play. On your turn, things become tricky. You play Bloom (exiling Thwart), play 3 lands (4 total), and cast Tradewinds (exiling Chancellor) on Nicol and one of your own lands. But doing so sets you back to 3 lands. I swing for 18, your next turn you cast Sneak without being able to activate it, and I win. (3-3)
8v6: I get Eureka through on the play or draw. But should I? If I do, you end up with 17 tokens: 2 originals, 5 from the first Chancellor ETB trigger, and 10 from the second trigger. That's too much for me to handle. So I just lose. Chancellor of the Forge in multiples is a perfect hose to my deck. (0-6)
8v7: I can't Eureka. If I do, I die to two Progenitus swings. It's the only thing you'd have to play. You shouldn't cast Eureka on the first turn, since my getting the first attack would force you into a required blocking scenario, which I would eventually Bolas out of. The good thing for you is that you can pretty much wait to cast Eureka for the full Spirit Guide value: on turn four, you cast Eureka, exiling Emrakul. All your Guides come out, ready for chump blocking. On my turn, I steal one and swing with all my Chancellors. You chump two and eat one. Then you swing at me with Progenitus for two turns, which I can't race. (0-6)
8v9: Containment Priest can't be cast in time to stop my Eureka'd creatures from hitting the table. Thus I steamroll. If Karn comes out, I destroy it with Nicol. (6-0)
8v10: None of your cards really interact with my cards, so I win with a bunch of fatties and a big planeswalker. (6-0)
8v11: You don't have time to counter my Eureka. From there, I have enough big things to get around the nuisance that is True-Name. (6-0)
8v12: I just can't ever beat Progenitus. (0-6)
8v13: On the play, it's academic: I Eureka and Nicol the best thing you decided to let through. On the draw, it gets tricky. On the draw, City allows me to cast Eureka on turn 4, whether you counter it or not. In order to get in that position, you have to cast Azusa and leave up Thwart, which means one of your chancellors gets exiled. So when I Eureka on turn 4, it's my lone Chancellor and Nicol against your Azusa, Chancellor, Elesh, and Emrakul. Nicol steals the best thing you let through; if that's Emrakul, you're dead. If that's Elesh, Azusa is dead. So, I still win, the slow and steady way. In that span of time, you do get to Elesh if you want, exiling Thwart. That gives you attacks of 1, 3, and 7, which isn't enough to change the outcome. (6-0)
8: 6-0: Bloom -> Tradewinds bounces Bolas, then Sneak wins.
You have to Tradewinds a permanent of your own. That's gonna be a land. (If you Eureka'd out Chancellor, Nicol stole it; if you Eureka's out Sneak, Nicol killed it; if you Eureka'd out both, Nicol killed Sneak, which kills your combo.) Doing so sets you a turn back. Which is just enough time for me to get in a lethal attack.
Decisions, Decisions
Commentary
im really disappointed no one but me used the exile zone as a resource. but there is some really cool decks this round.
i havent done any calculating, but i will be shocked if the winner is anyone but mogg or whamme.
All nonbasic lands have "If this land would enter the battlefield, exile a card from your hand instead. If you do, put this onto the battlefield. If you don't, exile this card."
Deck Size: 6 cards
Basic Land rule.
Additional Bans: misthollow griffin, torrent elemental, leyline of the meek
1Artscrafter : Speed Thrun
Chancellor of the Tangle / Chancellor of the Tangle / Chancellor of the Tangle / Thrun, the Last Troll / Beast Within / Arcane Denial
I like the backdoor turn 1 beast within on the draw
2bubblecat2 : riders on the storm
Allosaurus Rider / Abrupt Decay / Flusterstorm / Force Spike / Helix Pinnacle / Dack Fayden
Taxing effects are not great in land rule, having discard to back it up is nice
3Feyd_Ruin : 601.2h
Deprive / Deprive / Deprive / Floodbringer / Elixir of Immortality / Decree of Justice
Man you really don’t want to exile cards
4HerziQuerzi : Used Me For Land Development
Mental Misstep / Spell Snare / Restore Balance / Trade Routes / Reality Strobe / Molten Vortex
Some strong control cards
5Mogg : winds of change
Aether Tradewinds / Chancellor of the Tangle / Sneak Attack / Summer Bloom / Thwart / Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
I hear t2 emrakul with counter backup is good.
6nerdyjoe : phoning it in
Arcane Denial / Path to Exile / Chancellor of the Forge / Chancellor of the Forge / Thrun, the last troll / Exploration
When in doubt, play powerful stuff
7Piato : guide to discovery
elvish spirit guide / elvish spirit guide / simian spirit guide / Eureka / progenitus / emrakul, the aeons torn
Eureka is a scary thing to cast this week.
8Rush_Clasic : chancellor beatdown
Chancellor of the Tangle / Chancellor of the Tangle / Chancellor of the Tangle / Eureka / / City of Solitude / Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
Bolas is awesome
9SeeNamedPerson : explwart
Infernal Harvest / Containment Priest / Exploration / Arcane Denial / Thwart / Karn Liberated
Thwart looks so strong this round
10SwapGoTron : 5 color, no white
Stifle / Kolaghan's Command / Nature's Claim / Thought-Knot Seer / Ghost-Lit Raider / Slice And Dice
Im excited to see what TKS can do here.
11tidalslimshady : thievery
Leyline of lifeforce / Leyline of the void / Skinrender / Dack fayden / True-name nemesis / Arcane denial
Im surprised you didn’t try wasteland strangler in that slot
12Tomsloger : choices abound
riftsweeper / chancellor of the tangle / chancellor of the tangle / shelldock isle / progenitus / emrakul, the aeons torn
Man I hope theres a situation where hiding away a chancellor is the right play. Probably not though.
13WhammeWhamme : legends of the forest
Chancellor of the Tangle / Chancellor of the Tangle / Azusa, Lost but Seeking / Thwart / Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite / Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
This deck is a work of art. Only thing that would make it better is elesh costing 6
The Grid
X | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3
1| X 6 0 6 0 2 0 0 6 6 2 6 0 | 34 | 283
2| 0 X 0 2 0 0 3 3 0 4 2 0 3 | 14 | 117
3| 6 6 X 6 0 0 0 0 0 6 6 0 0 | 30 | 250
4| 0 2 0 X 0 0 0 0 0 6 6 3 0 | 16 | 133
5| 6 6 6 6 X 6 6 3 3 6 6 6 3 | 60 | 500
6| 2 6 6 6 0 X 6 6 6 6 6 0 0 | 50 | 417
7| 6 3 6 6 0 0 X 6 6 6 6 0 0 | 42 | 350
8| 6 3 6 6 3 0 0 X 6 6 6 0 6 | 46 | 383
9| 0 6 6 6 3 0 0 0 X 6 6 0 3 | 34 | 283
0| 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X 0 3 0 | 03 | 025
1| 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 X 0 0 | 10 | 083
2| 0 6 6 3 0 6 6 6 6 3 6 X 3 | 48 | 400
3| 6 3 6 6 3 6 6 0 3 6 6 3 X | 50 | 417
1. Overview
2. Game Rules
3. Deck Construction Rules
4. Entry
5. Perfect Hand Magic League
6. Scoring
7. Variant Format Rules
1. Overview
Perfect Hand Magic (PHM) is a competitive strategy game for two or more players. It can be played using pencil and paper; however, it's most commonly played via online forum. To play the game, each player secretly chooses a specified number of Magic cards which form that player's hand. Once all players have chosen hands, the hands are revealed and scored.
The object of the game is to choose the hand that will score the most points. The score for each hand is determined by the result that it would achieve if it were used to play two games of Magic – one match – against each competing hand; the rules for these theoretical games are covered in Section 2 – Game Rules. During each theoretical game, the theoretical player of each hand employs the strategy that will maximize the score for his or her hand, taking into account the strategy of his or her opponent.
A hand scores 3 points for each game that it would win, 0 points for each game it would lose, and 1 point for each game that would end in a draw. However, a hand scores only 2 points for any match that would have a symmetrical result, regardless of whether the result would be two drawn games or a win for each hand.
The composition of a hand is limited only by a short banned list and a few restrictions on the game states that it can enable; these restrictions are covered in Section 3 – Deck Composition.
2. Game Rules
2.1. Except for the changes described in these rules, games follow the rules for a normal game of Magic.
2.2. A player's opening hand contains that player's chosen cards.
2.3. Players' libraries begin the game empty.
2.4. A cost or effect that would produce a random result produces the result that least benefits the player who paid that cost or the owner of the source of that effect instead.
2.5. Each player is the starting player for one game in each match.
2.6. Players know the identities of all face-down cards and cards in hidden zones, and players know which decisions have been made by other players.
2.7. If a game would continue indefinitely, then the game is a draw.
2.8. If a loop containing at least one optional action would be repeated indefinitely during a turn, then any player may propose a number of times for that loop to repeat instead. If a player does, then each other player may propose a different number and the loop is repeated for the greatest number of times proposed instead. No player is required to make a choice that would end a loop that crosses multiple turns.
2.9. Cards can't be brought into the game from outside the game.
3. Hand Construction Rules
3.1. A player may not choose an opening hand that could enable that player to achieve any of the following results before an opponent's second turn would begin, such that that opponent could make no sequence of decisions that would not result in at least one of these results:
Ignore this rule in the following cases:
3.2. A hand may contain any number of copies of any card legal in Vintage.
3.3. A hand may not contain any cards on the PHM Banned List.
4. Entry
4.1. A player plays a round of PHM by submitting a list of his or her chosen cards to the PHM moderator.
4.2. A player may change his or her hand until the posted deadline.
4.3. A player may name his or her hand. If that player doesn't, then the PHM moderator may name it. The PHM moderator may also rename a player's hand at his or discretion.
5. Perfect Hand Magic League
5.1. PHM League play consists of four rounds of PHM.
5.2. Each round, a player earns League points according to the following formula:
5.3. The player with the most League points at the end of League play is the PHM League winner.
6. Scoring
6.1. A table of match results is posted at the end of each round. Each row lists one player's results against each other player. A player's points and League points are tallied at the end of his or her row.
6.2. A player may earn bonus League points as specified by the PHM moderator.
6.3. Each player is responsible for determining the match results for his or her hand.
7. Variant Format Rules
7.1. Perfect Hand Magic has been played with hands containing between one and seven cards. Additionally, the Game Rules and Deck Construction Rules have been adapted to create hundreds of variant formats. Five commonly-played variants are described in Sections 7.3-7.7.
7.2. The rules of a variant format overwrite any other applicable rules.
7.3. Land Rule Variant.
7.4. Sanctioned Magic Format Variant.
7.5. Life Rule (LF).
7.6. Backbuild.
7.7. Bonus Points.
PHM Banned List
The following cards are automatically banned in all Perfect Hand Magic League rounds unless otherwise specified by the round rules. Each round may have an additional banned list that extends beyond, but always includes, these cards.
Acceleration
Channel
Fastbond
Flash
Show and Tell
Disruption
Pact of Negation
Chancellor of the Annex
Force of Will
Leyline of Anticipation
Trinisphere
Lands
Ghost Quarter
Strip Mine
Wasteland
Win Conditions
Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
Barren Glory
Laboratory Maniac
Magus of the Moon
Meddling Mage
The Rack
Vampire Hexmage
Land Rule Banned List
"Land Rule" is the most common variant for PHM, and thus a separate ban list has been developed to allow for easier moderation. The following cards are banned in Perfect Hand Magic League rounds when a Land Rule is used. There will be a reminder of this on the round rules.
Acceleration
Black Lotus
Disruption
Balancing Act
Energy Field
Time Walk
Win Conditions
Beacon of Creation
Maralen of the Mornsong
Nezumi Shortfang
Red Sun's Zenith
White Sun's Zenith
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Boy I sure wish OGW was legal already.
3.2a. An unreleased card is treated as though it's legal in Vintage if it will become legal in Vintage upon release and if the release notes for the set that contains that card were published prior to the start of the round (See rule 4.1).
Thanks for that, I didn't know that.
which may, in fact, need banning.
probably the chancellor. Any opinions?
i think the other leylines are fine though. only one actually seems particularly good, and krakularity takes up half your deck since you still have to exile a card to play karakas.
Players have four of each card in their hand. There is no maximum hand size. (ex. If your deck is Island, Plains, Forest, your starting hand is 4x Island, 4x Plains, 4x Forest.)
Players cannot cast spells from anywhere but exile
All spells in hand gain 0:suspend X where X is its converted mana cost
Is there a cost to suspend?
BWTeysa, Orzhov Scion
GWRhys the Redeemed
GUKruphix, God of Horizons
GRXenagos, God of Revels
GThrun, the Last Troll
GStompy
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Exploration/Exploration/Pearl Lake Ancient/Thrun, the Last Troll/Banefire/Supreme Verdict
But its ok, rules are rules. Been busy this week, I'll try to enter next week.
Stifle / Kolaghan's Command / Nature's Claim / Thought-Knot Seer / Ghost-Lit Raider / Slice And Dice
X | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 | PT | Points
9 | X 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 | 04 | 54
1. Artscrafter 0-6: No answers to Thrun
2. bubblecat 1-4: I have no answers to an early Allo-rider. On the play I would be in time to Stifle Dack and then Channel the Rider away but then I would be hit with the discard and it would be a stalemate
3. Feyd_Ruin 0-6: Excessive Countermagic
4. HerziQuerzi 0-6: Misstep on the Nature's Claim causes me to lose
5. Mogg 0-6: Thwarted again
6. Nerdy_joe 0-6: No answers to Thrun
7. Piato 0-6: Eureka
8. Rush-Clasic 0-6: Eureka
9. SeeNamedPerson 0-6: Thwarted again
11. TidalSlimShady 0-6: All you have to do is pocket Countermagic to TKS. I can't handle True Name Nemesis
12. Tomsloger 3-3: Stifle on the Riftsweeper is game, otherwise, Stifling the Shelldock trigger only gets me so far
13. WhammeWhamme 0-6: Thwarted again
I guess it was folly to expect people to play more creatures that were in range of my very slow removal suite, well, better luck next time to me
Results for:
1 Artscrafter : Speed Thrun
Chancellor of the Tangle / Chancellor of the Tangle / Chancellor of the Tangle / Thrun, the Last Troll / Beast Within / Arcane Denial
X | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 | PT |
1 | X 6 0 6 0 2 0 0 6 6 2 6 0 | 34 |
Allosaurus Rider / Abrupt Decay / Flusterstorm / Force Spike / Helix Pinnacle / Dack Fayden
6-0
Your only way to keep up with Thrun is to cast Allosaurus Rider early, so that's Decay and Pinnacle gone. With one extra card pitched to cast it, you have one counterspell left at most, which gives me plenty of time to get Beast Within through it.
3Feyd_Ruin : 601.2h
Deprive / Deprive / Deprive / Floodbringer / Elixir of Immortality / Decree of Justice
0-6
I come close to out-tempoing you, but you manage to stabilize into being able to use Elixir every turn just in time.
4HerziQuerzi : Used Me For Land Development
Mental Misstep / Spell Snare / Restore Balance / Trade Routes / Reality Strobe / Molten Vortex
6-0
Thrun outraces Restore Balance even on the draw.
5Mogg : winds of change
Aether Tradewinds / Chancellor of the Tangle / Sneak Attack / Summer Bloom / Thwart / Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
0-6
Thwart gets there.
6nerdyjoe : phoning it in
Arcane Denial / Path to Exile / Chancellor of the Forge / Chancellor of the Forge / Thrun, the last troll / Exploration
2-2
Eventually we're both sitting there with Thrun and 0-2 big dudes each (same number, removal would pitch a Chancellor on either side.) Tangle is bigger than Forge but not by enough to make a difference.
7Piato : guide to discovery
elvish spirit guide / elvish spirit guide / simian spirit guide / Eureka / progenitus / emrakul, the aeons torn
0-6
Can't deal with turn 1 Emrakul.
8Rush_Clasic : chancellor beatdown
Chancellor of the Tangle / Chancellor of the Tangle / Chancellor of the Tangle / Eureka / / City of Solitude / Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
0-6
This is *almost* parallel until Bolas starts hijacking Chancellors.
9SeeNamedPerson : explwart
Infernal Harvest / Containment Priest / Exploration / Arcane Denial / Thwart / Karn Liberated
6-0
You need to have 9 mana before casting Karn so that you can protect it from both Denial and Beast Within. So you get Karn down on turn 5. However, Karn can't exile Thrun and takes two turns to ultimate, so I just ignore him and finish you off.
If you cast Containment Priest early to have a chump blocker then you won't have double counterspell backup for Karn.
If you don't cast Exploration, I win way before you can cast Karn.
10SwapGoTron : 5 color, no white
Stifle / Kolaghan's Command / Nature's Claim / Thought-Knot Seer / Ghost-Lit Raider / Slice And Dice
6-0
Stifle, Kolaghan's, and Claim are pitch cards in this matchup. I counter Thought-Knot, and the rest of the cards aren't a threat.
11tidalslimshady : thievery
Leyline of lifeforce / Leyline of the void / Skinrender / Dack fayden / True-name nemesis / Arcane denial
2-2
You get TNN down on turn 5 once you have counter backup, which stalls Thrun. I see two lines of play for you.
- Get Dack down early: I discard Beast and a Chancellor to the +1 then kill him. Then I either try to counter TNN and run into your counter, or I don't, play Chancellor later, and you counter that.
- Wait to get TNN down first: Dack is safe, but apart from eating my hand, his abilities don't do anything. The rest of your cards are effectively blanks if I only play Thrun.
12Tomsloger : choices abound
riftsweeper / chancellor of the tangle / chancellor of the tangle / shelldock isle / progenitus / emrakul, the aeons torn
6-0
You can't use Riftsweeper to hide a card with Shelldock until turn 3, at which point I'm able to counter it even when on the draw. The next card you would be able to play is a Chancellor but Thrun has beaten you by then. When you're on the play, you can play Riftsweeper as a chump blocker to buy enough time to cast a Chancellor, but then I just counter that.
13WhammeWhamme : legends of the forest
Chancellor of the Tangle / Chancellor of the Tangle / Azusa, Lost but Seeking / Thwart / Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite / Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
0-6
If I hold Beast and Denial to deal with Norn, you can get Emrakul down before I can finish you off. If I Beast Azusa early, you can force Norn through with Thwart and make my 2/2 Thrun look silly.
Here's my line:
X| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3
5| 6 6 6 6 X 6 6 3 3 6 6 6 3 | 60 | 500
Aether Tradewinds / Chancellor of the Tangle / Emrakul, the Aeons Torn / Sneak Attack / Summer Bloom / Thwart
1: 6-0: t2 Sneak + Thwart.
2: 6-0: t3 Dack loses to Summer Bloom -> Sneak -> redraw Emrakul. t4 Dack loses to Thwart + float mana to pay for counter.
3: 6-0: t2 Sneak + Thwart.
4: 6-0: t4 Sneak + Thwart.
6: 6-0: t2 Sneak + Thwart.
7: 6-0: My Emrakul attacks first after Eureka. Otherwise, Sneak wins.
8: 3-3: Bloom -> Tradewinds bounces Bolas, but delays Sneak activation until t3, so Chancellors are lethal first.
9: 3-3: When I play first, I have t2 Sneak-Emrakul, which SeeNamed Person can't stop. When I play second, things are more complicated. SeeNamedPerson casts t1 Exploration (exiling Infernal Harvest), and then I cast t1 Summer Bloom (exiling Chancellor). SeeNamedPerson ends t2 with Plains, 2x Island, and Forest on the battlefield, then casts Containment Priest on my t2 upkeep (exiling Denial). Priest would kill me the turn before I could hardcast Emrakul, so I bounce it with Tradewinds (exiling Sneak Attack). SeeNamedPerson casts t4 Karn (exiling Priest), then Thwarts my Thwart and wins.
0: 6-0: t2 Sneak + Thwart.
1: 6-0: t2 Sneak + Thwart. Annihilator removes Leylines.
2: 6-0: Tradewinds bounces Isle, Sneak wins.
3: 3-3: Playing first, I win with t2 Sneak Attack and protection via Thwart. When I pay second, things are once again more complicated. I must Sneak a threat by t4 to prevent t5 Emrakul from WW. I cast t1 Bloom (exiling Tradewinds), which WW Thwarts. WW casts t4 Elesh, which resolves, dropping me to 15. I cast t4 Sneak (exiling Thwart). WW attacks me to 8 and passes with 12 lands on the battlefield. I Sneak Emrakul and attack WW to 7 life and 6 lands. I can Sneak Chancellor to block to block and kill Azusa, but then I redraw Bloom and WW attacks for exactly lethal before I redraw Emrakul.
BWTeysa, Orzhov Scion
GWRhys the Redeemed
GUKruphix, God of Horizons
GRXenagos, God of Revels
GThrun, the Last Troll
GStompy
X | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 | PT
8 | 6 S 6 6 S 0 0 X 6 6 6 0 6 | 46
8v2: On the play, I Eureka out and it's game over. On the draw, I play City of Solitude first turn, which you Decay on your turn two. From there, Dack should eat my hand alive. (3-3)
8v3: I Eureka on the play and the draw before you have counters up. From there it's academic. (6-0)
8v4: Neither of your counters even target Eureka. (6-0)
8v5: Summer Bloom + Thwart is awesome. When you're on the play, that combination prevents Eureka from happening and you just win before I even start rolling. When I'm on the play, I cast Eureka free and clear, getting 3 Chancellors and Nicol Do-Nothing; you play nothing from fear of me eating or killing whatever you play. On your turn, things become tricky. You play Bloom (exiling Thwart), play 3 lands (4 total), and cast Tradewinds (exiling Chancellor) on Nicol and one of your own lands. But doing so sets you back to 3 lands. I swing for 18, your next turn you cast Sneak without being able to activate it, and I win. (3-3)
8v6: I get Eureka through on the play or draw. But should I? If I do, you end up with 17 tokens: 2 originals, 5 from the first Chancellor ETB trigger, and 10 from the second trigger. That's too much for me to handle. So I just lose. Chancellor of the Forge in multiples is a perfect hose to my deck. (0-6)
8v7: I can't Eureka. If I do, I die to two Progenitus swings. It's the only thing you'd have to play. You shouldn't cast Eureka on the first turn, since my getting the first attack would force you into a required blocking scenario, which I would eventually Bolas out of. The good thing for you is that you can pretty much wait to cast Eureka for the full Spirit Guide value: on turn four, you cast Eureka, exiling Emrakul. All your Guides come out, ready for chump blocking. On my turn, I steal one and swing with all my Chancellors. You chump two and eat one. Then you swing at me with Progenitus for two turns, which I can't race. (0-6)
8v9: Containment Priest can't be cast in time to stop my Eureka'd creatures from hitting the table. Thus I steamroll. If Karn comes out, I destroy it with Nicol. (6-0)
8v10: None of your cards really interact with my cards, so I win with a bunch of fatties and a big planeswalker. (6-0)
8v11: You don't have time to counter my Eureka. From there, I have enough big things to get around the nuisance that is True-Name. (6-0)
8v12: I just can't ever beat Progenitus. (0-6)
8v13: On the play, it's academic: I Eureka and Nicol the best thing you decided to let through. On the draw, it gets tricky. On the draw, City allows me to cast Eureka on turn 4, whether you counter it or not. In order to get in that position, you have to cast Azusa and leave up Thwart, which means one of your chancellors gets exiled. So when I Eureka on turn 4, it's my lone Chancellor and Nicol against your Azusa, Chancellor, Elesh, and Emrakul. Nicol steals the best thing you let through; if that's Emrakul, you're dead. If that's Elesh, Azusa is dead. So, I still win, the slow and steady way. In that span of time, you do get to Elesh if you want, exiling Thwart. That gives you attacks of 1, 3, and 7, which isn't enough to change the outcome. (6-0)
You have to Tradewinds a permanent of your own. That's gonna be a land. (If you Eureka'd out Chancellor, Nicol stole it; if you Eureka's out Sneak, Nicol killed it; if you Eureka'd out both, Nicol killed Sneak, which kills your combo.) Doing so sets you a turn back. Which is just enough time for me to get in a lethal attack.
Rule 602.1h, you pay total costs in any order. So you can bounce, then exile, as long as they're all costs.