MTG Salvation

4 Card ELR - Attack of the Killer Lands!
Lands you control have "T, Sacrifice this land: this land deals 1 damage to target creature or player"

Deck Size: 4
Land Rule:: Extra Land Rule (see 7.3b below)
Additional Banned list:: Land Rule Banned list (please also check the "PHM Banned List")

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.

7.4. Sanctioned Magic Format Variant.

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.

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

01 Madmanquail :: "1 Step ahead"
Mental Misstep / Exploration / Elixir of Immortality / Beast Within
this is really complicated.
im gonna list as 2-2 but would not be shocked if you could find a line of play that lets you win.
1v9 is not as complicated. misstep stops elixir and 9 has no recourse.

02 nerdyjoe :: "U mad?"
Thrun, the Last Troll / Esper Charm / Hickory Woodlot / Leyline of Sanctity
6-0 gaining 5 life per turn keeps me even with thrun plus damage from lands. wait til ive got a bunch of land and bw leyline and deal 20
1 and 9 are essentially the same except they keep misstep/island and leyline/leyline in hand to discard to esper charm instead of foiling it to keep the discard from stripping elixir.

03 snurfy8 :: "Shields up"
Leyline of Singularity / Karakas / Negate / Leyline of Sanctity
6-0 lifegain plus bw for sanctity. and ive got the foil for the negate.
against 1, negate gets elixir but exploration lets mmq outrace.
against 9, negate still gets elixir but snurfy cant deal with sockfresh's leyline of sanctity

05 WhammeWhamme :: ""Two explores""
Exploration / Exploration / Reverent Silence / Thwart
6-0 my lifegain even outpaces 3 lands per turn. thwart can force me to foil and miss 3 turns of lifegain from shuffling them back but its not enough
against 1, misstep stops one exploration so you have one each. thwart does counter elixir, but it comes after mmq is already ahead on life.
against 9, thwarting elixir (and destroying leyline of sanctity) is enough i think

06 Chess_76 :: "Goblin Prison"
Solitary Confinement / Squee, Goblin Nabob / Nature's Claim / Mana Drain
6-0 foil for mana drain, never play elixir without mana up to activate to fizzle NC. bw for SC.
against 1, mmq gets one lifegain in to be enough ahead on life because he can cast it turn 1 because misstep counters nature's claim.
against 9, sockfresh also casts elixir turn 1. chess can natures claim, but that lifegain makes all the difference

07 notgreat :: "Army of Island Explorers Foiled!"
Exploration / Foil / Island / Army of the Damned
6-0
foil exploration. if you foil my foil, i get it back in time to foil flashbacked army of the damned and i win with lifegain.
so you dont do that.
if you let me foil it, you have to wait til turn 11 to cast army with foil backup (would be 12, but you play the island). by that time, i have killed you with my turn 5 token from beast within and lands.
so you dont cast exploration at all.
you can cast army turn 8 with foil backup using the alternate cost.
i do this:
against 1, i have no idea.
against 9, t1 exploration allows turn 4 army. which wins the race i believe.

08 psymunn42 :: "Tranquility"
Rest in Peace / Energy Field / Swan Song / Nature's Claim
6-0 make myself a large life cushion. eventually bw energy field (with foil for the swan song) and kill you with lands same turn.
vs 1 its the same except misstep for swan song.
vs 9, RiP and energy field in play with swan song to counter and exile BW stops sockfresh from damaging psymunn. but life gain can still do its work to force the draw.

09 Sockfresh :: "The Rock"
Elixir of Immortality / Beast Within / Leyline of the Void / Leyline of Sanctity
2-2 i think. i foil your elixir. but leyline of the void then takes away my bw so i can never get rid of leyline of sanctity. i gain life forever to draw it.
there could theoretically be a line of play where i can win, but it will require more work than im willing to put in right now.

10 Danxor :: ""Wait, what turn is this?""
Exploration / Exploration / Exploration / Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
6-0 foil for bolas. and my lifegain even outpaces 3 explorations.
against 1, bolas is met with bw
against 9, turn 2 bolas is pretty good. keeps sockfresh off bw mana to deal with said bolas

11 Chrono007 :: "Touching the Void"
Gibbering Descent / Glacial Chasm / Sol Ring / Sol Ring
6-0 foil for descent makes chasm not a winning proposition. especially when i can bw it.
against 1 and 9, bw is just as effective for dealing with descent.

1 0-6:
if i can keep a rest in peace in play, i win, but mental misstep counters swan song, so i can't stop beast within.

2 6-0:
thrun doesn't kill until turn 7, so i have plenty of time to set up Rest in Peace / Energy Field. swan song stops esper charm, nature's claim stops leyline.

3 6-0:
swan song protects my combo, and nature's claim destroys your leyline.

4 0-6:
if i can keep a rest in peace in play, i win, but foil counters swan song, so i can't stop beast within.

5 0-6
reverent silence is pretty darn good against my deck, and thwart handles swan song

6 0-6:
this is a bit weird. both our decks are trying to do the same thing. if either of us try to play an enchantment, the other player can destroy it and win the counter war. i actually think you win this by waiting until turn 6, and hard casting squee with mana drain/nature's claim mana up. the 1 extra damage a turn will win the damage race, and i can't interact with squee.

7 6-0:
i can protect my combo from foil with swan song.

9 6-0:
i can play rest in peace with counter backup, then destroy your leyline.

10 0-6:
i kind of thought swansong could hit planeswalkers...

11 6-0:
nature's claim for gibbering descent.

___________________________________________________
_________-:[ TOURNAMENT POINT STANDING ]:-_________
PLAYER_______________ WK1 _ WK2 _ WK3 _ WK4 _ Total _
Madmanquail__________ 277 _ 455 _ 436 _ 440 _ 1608 _
tomsloger____________ 269 _ 309 _ 327 _ 460 _ 1365 _
notgreat_____________ 269 _ 364 _ 436 _ 200 _ 1269 _
Danxor_______________ 285 _ 600 _ 109 _ 220 _ 1214 _
WhammeWhamme_________ 269 _ 082 _ 345 _ 360 _ 1056 _
nerdyjoe_____________ 162 _ 236 _ 291 _ 240 _ 929 _
Heinsun______________ 400 _ 164 _ 200 _ PNP _ 764 _
Chrono007____________ 200 _ 309 _ 245 _ 000 _ 754 _
Feyd_Ruin____________ 231 _ PNP _ 455 _ PNP _ 686 _
psymunn42____________ 138 _ 182 _ 236 _ PNP _ 556 _
snurfy8______________ 146 _ 082 _ 073 _ 200 _ 501 _
Rush_Clasic__________ 285 _ 145 _ PNP _ PNP _ 430 _
yarn_________________ PNP _ PNP _ 273 _ PNP _ 273 _
Sockfresh____________ PNP _ PNP _ PNP _ 260 _ 260 _
Subtle_Relevance_____ 231 _ PNP _ PNP _ PNP _ 231 _
Chess_76_____________ PNP _ PNP _ PNP _ 220 _ 220 _
Sand_Crab____________ 208 _ PNP _ PNP _ PNP _ 208 _

(The above is designed for the default forum style's colors.)
(So if you can read this, the grid above may be hard to read.)

Madmanquail wins!