Possibly the fastest grid I've ever done. All the decks, even the digger builds, really only had one thing they could do, and there were a couple repeats. I guess what surprises me is how strongly and narrowly players respond to the best deck from the previous week. I'm curious how long the metagame will continue to be primarily lotus-combo.
But enough of my musings, and on to the results. Also, be sure to check out the rules for the special round, listed at the bottom of this post.
4 Naphtali – Black Lotus / City of Traitors / Crumbling Sanctuary / Darksteel Reactor / Soldevi Digger Back when I was compiling my first gauntlet, I ran this deck and another build (with Crypt and Shop. They finished 33rd and 32nd of 33. I think Energy Field tends to be better (though I haven't seen any lists post-Thoughtseize); both require two mana sources, but Field lets you play with colored mana, which is huge.
7 MyNameIsFourteen – Black Lotus / Black Lotus / Daze / Form of the Dragon / Island The point of a Form deck is to create a big swing on turn one, and Island doesn't do that at effectively as Lotus. Swap Meddling Mage and Lotus in for Island and Daze, and what do you lose? Glory decks are limited by having to empty their hands, forcing weak cards like Orim's Chant into decks. Form's advantage over Glory is that it avoids such shenanigans.
Five Card Blind (5CB) is a weekly Magic tournament, run entirely within this forum. Players "blindly" submit five-card decks to compete against each other. Scoring assumes optimal play; given perfect information and no random effects, a match will always have the same outcome.
Rules
1. Players' decks contain exactly five cards, which begin the game in hand. Players do not mulligan or sideboard.
2. Players' libraries begin the game empty, but still exist. Players do not lose the game as a result of being unable to draw a card.
3. A random effect produces the result that least benefits the owner of the source of the effect.
4. During players' first and second turns, no player may make a play which would win the game, create an extra turn, or force a card in an opponent's hand to change zones.
5. Decks may include any number of any card legal in Vintage, with the exception of the following cards:
1. Each participant submits a deck to the 5CB moderator (Mogg). If a participant submits multiple decks, then only the most recent submission is counted.
2. Each participant plays against each other participant. Matches consist of two games, with each player going first once. Results assume perfect information and play.
3. Points determine tournament standings; the player with the most points wins the round. For each match, players earn: 3 points for two wins or a win and a draw, 1 point for two draws or a win and a loss, and 0 points for two losses or a draw and a loss. Tiebreakers are determined by number of games won, followed by number of games drawn.
4. The points from all rounds ending in a given month are summed to determine that month's Player of the Month. At the end of each month, the player with the most points becomes the Player of the Month.
Except for mana abilities, the mana portion of the cost of an activated ability is reduced to 0 (X=0).
You may only play one activated ability per turn that isn't a mana ability.
Deck Submission Deadline:
Friday, March 12th, 2:00 pm PST.
Please use this thread to discuss any aspect of 5CB.
I think Napthali and I should go 4-1 against WhammWhamme.
On the play, I cast Lotus. If he does not counter, I cast Darksteel Reactor, which successfully races Dryad Arbor. Having countered once, he has no CMC 2 Blue card with which to counter Digger, which I therefore resolve. With Digger in play I easily race his remaining counter and the Arbor.
On the draw the same play applies except I would lose the race so I instead play Sanctuary for the draw.
I think Energy Field tends to be better
I was too worried about 5-land builds knocking it out by destroying the City (which matters since Marit Lage can kill in one hit). Since I had no use for coloured mana I saw little reason to run it.
Private Mod Note
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(I'm on on this site much anymore. If you want to get in touch it's probably best to email me: dom@heffalumps.org)
Forum Awards: Best Writer 2005, Best Limited Strategist 2005-2012
5CB PotM - June 2005, November 2005, February 2006, April 2008, May 2008, Feb 2009
MTGSalvation Articles: 1-20, plus guest appearance on MTGCast #86!
<Limited Clan>
But enough of my musings, and on to the results. Also, be sure to check out the rules for the special round, listed at the bottom of this post.
This week had normal format.
Results
1 WhammWhamme – Disrupting Shoal / Disrupting Shoal / Evermind / Evermind / Dryad Arbor
While I may not be a fan of the strategy, I was amused by the matches where you could force a draw by racing – with Arbor.
2 Halinn – Black Lotus / Forest / Form of the Dragon / Show and Tell / Xantid Swarm
The standard card for what you're trying to achieve with Swarm is Orim's Chant, and I see no advantage to running Swarm over Chant.
3 Chimpanzee – Archaeological Dig / Barren Glory / Black Lotus / Black Lotus / Orim's Chant
Back in all its glory. One strategy deck meets one strategy metagame and dominates.
4 Naphtali – Black Lotus / City of Traitors / Crumbling Sanctuary / Darksteel Reactor / Soldevi Digger
Back when I was compiling my first gauntlet, I ran this deck and another build (with Crypt and Shop. They finished 33rd and 32nd of 33. I think Energy Field tends to be better (though I haven't seen any lists post-Thoughtseize); both require two mana sources, but Field lets you play with colored mana, which is huge.
5 bateleur – Black Lotus / City of Traitors / Crumbling Sanctuary / Darksteel Reactor / Soldevi Digger
See #4.
6 ced395 – Archaeological Dig / Barren Glory / Black Lotus / Black Lotus / Orim's Chant
See #3.
7 MyNameIsFourteen – Black Lotus / Black Lotus / Daze / Form of the Dragon / Island
The point of a Form deck is to create a big swing on turn one, and Island doesn't do that at effectively as Lotus. Swap Meddling Mage and Lotus in for Island and Daze, and what do you lose? Glory decks are limited by having to empty their hands, forcing weak cards like Orim's Chant into decks. Form's advantage over Glory is that it avoids such shenanigans.
Matches
X| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
1| X 0 0 2 2 0 6 | 5
2| 6 X 0 0 0 0 0 | 3
3| 6 6 X 6 6 3 6 | 16
4| 2 6 0 X 3 0 3 | 6
5| 2 6 0 3 X 0 3 | 6
6| 6 6 3 6 6 X 6 | 16
7| 0 6 0 3 3 0 X | 5
Tournament Standings
1 ced395 (6): 16
1 Chimpanzee (3): 16
3 bateleur (5): 6
3 Naphtalize (4): 6
5 MyNameIsFourteen (7): 5
5 WhammWhamme (1): 5
7 Halinn (2): 3
ced395 and Chimpanzee win 5CB #71.
Overview
Five Card Blind (5CB) is a weekly Magic tournament, run entirely within this forum. Players "blindly" submit five-card decks to compete against each other. Scoring assumes optimal play; given perfect information and no random effects, a match will always have the same outcome.
Rules
1. Players' decks contain exactly five cards, which begin the game in hand. Players do not mulligan or sideboard.
2. Players' libraries begin the game empty, but still exist. Players do not lose the game as a result of being unable to draw a card.
3. A random effect produces the result that least benefits the owner of the source of the effect.
4. During players' first and second turns, no player may make a play which would win the game, create an extra turn, or force a card in an opponent's hand to change zones.
5. Decks may include any number of any card legal in Vintage, with the exception of the following cards:
Force of Will
Pact of Negation
Magus of the Moon
Trinisphere
Ghost Quarter
Wasteland
Strip Mine
Tournament Structure
1. Each participant submits a deck to the 5CB moderator (Mogg). If a participant submits multiple decks, then only the most recent submission is counted.
2. Each participant plays against each other participant. Matches consist of two games, with each player going first once. Results assume perfect information and play.
3. Points determine tournament standings; the player with the most points wins the round. For each match, players earn: 3 points for two wins or a win and a draw, 1 point for two draws or a win and a loss, and 0 points for two losses or a draw and a loss. Tiebreakers are determined by number of games won, followed by number of games drawn.
4. The points from all rounds ending in a given month are summed to determine that month's Player of the Month. At the end of each month, the player with the most points becomes the Player of the Month.
September 2007
Round 1 (Introduction)
Round 2 andelijah
POTM: None
October 2007
Round 3 Mogg
Round 4 Chimpanzee (Lorwyn)
Round 5 Meat Popsicle (Repeat Letters)
Round 6 Mogg (10 Life)
POTM: Mogg
November 2007
Round 7 Death_By_Beebles
Round 8 jcsuperstar (Mindslaver)
Round 9 Mogg (Thanksgiving Special)
Round 10 Mogg (Thanksgiving Special, Part Two)
POTM: Mogg
December 2007
Round 11 carrion pigeons
Round 12 Mogg (Later Alphabet)
Round 13 Mogg (Backbuild)
Round 14 Xyre (Backbuild)
POTM: Mogg
January 2008
Round 15 armlx
Round 16 Chimpanzee (Auras)
Round 17 Mogg (Doubling Season)
Round 18 carrion pigeons, Chimpanzee (Doubling Season)
Round 19 WhammWhamme (31 Bans)
POTM: Mogg
February 2008
Round 20 Chimpanzee
Round 21 Mogg (Combat)
Round 22 Mogg (Combat)
Round 23 Knowledge
POTM: Mogg
March 2008
Round 24 Mogg (Consecutive Names)
Round 25 Chimpanzee (Consecutive Names)
Round 26 The Mad Tapper
Round 27 The Mad Tapper
POTM: The Mad Tapper
April 2008
Round 28 The Mad Tapper (DC5)
Round 29 jcsuperstar (DC5)
Round 30 jcsuperstar (< 20)
Round 31 bateleur
POTM: bateleur
May 2008
Round 32 WhammWhamme (Leyline)
Round 33 Silver Seraph (Mana Market)
Round 34 bateleur (Helm of Awakening and Mirari)
Round 35 Alfred (Pre-entered Decks)
POTM: bateleur
June 2008
Round 36 bateleur
Round 37 WhammWhamme (Favorite Colors)
Round 38 YuanTi (Lotus)
Round 39 Mogg (Mogg Week)
POTM: WhammWhamme
July 2008
Round 40 bateleur (Mulligans)
Round 41 Mogg
Round 42 Chimpanzee
Round 43 ced395 (Even)
POTM: Mogg
August 2008
Round 44 WhammWhamme (Odd)
Round 45 Farik (No Bans)
Round 46 Mogg
POTM: Error1
September 2008
Round 47 ghweiss (Low-Scoring)
Round 48 theeguy (Backbuild, Part Two)
Round 49 Mogg
Round 50 Mogg (50 Life)
Round 51 Error1 (Landline)
POTM: Mogg
October 2008
Round 52 Shogun17 (Exploration)
Round 53 MT_Gunn (Multicolor Discount)
Round 54 Silkenfist (2-2)
Round 55 bateleur, WhammWhamme
POTM: Error1
November 2008
Round 56 Error1 (Colorless Creatures)
Round 57 Knowledge, Silkenfist (Legendary Creatures)
POTM: None
December 2008
Round 58 (Introduction)
Round 59 Halinn
Round 60 Halinn
Round 61 ced395 (Christmas Special)
Round 62 MyNameIsFourteen (New Year's Special)
POTM: None
January 2009
Round 63 Mogg
Round 64 Mogg (Nemesis)
Round 65 MyNameIsFourteen (Nemesis)
Round 66 Mogg
POTM: Mogg
February 2009
Round 67 Chimpanzee
Round 68 MyNameIsFourteen (Lovely Letters)
Round 69 Naphtali (Lovely Letters, Part 2)
Round 70 bateleur
POTM: batleuer
March 2009
Round 71 ced395, Chimpanzee
Total Wins Per Player
Rounds
Mogg: 18
Chimpanzee: 7
bateleur: 6
WhammWhamme: 5
ced395: 3
jcsuperstar: 3
MyNameIsFourteen: 3
The Mad Tapper: 3
carrion pigeons: 2
Error1: 2
Halinn: 2
Knowledge: 2
Silkenfist: 2
Alfred: 1
andelijah: 1
armlx: 1
Death By Beebles: 1
Farik: 1
ghweiss: 1
Meat Popsicle: 1
MT Gunn: 1
Naphtali: 1
Shogun17: 1
Silver Seraph: 1
theeguy: 1
Xyre: 1
YuanTi: 1
POTM
Mogg: 8
bateleur: 3
Error1: 2
The Mad Tapper: 1
WhammWhamme: 1
Except for mana abilities, the mana portion of the cost of an activated ability is reduced to 0 (X=0).
You may only play one activated ability per turn that isn't a mana ability.
Deck Submission Deadline:
Friday, March 12th, 2:00 pm PST.
Please use this thread to discuss any aspect of 5CB.
BWTeysa, Orzhov Scion
GWRhys the Redeemed
GUKruphix, God of Horizons
GRXenagos, God of Revels
GThrun, the Last Troll
GStompy
On the play, I cast Lotus. If he does not counter, I cast Darksteel Reactor, which successfully races Dryad Arbor. Having countered once, he has no CMC 2 Blue card with which to counter Digger, which I therefore resolve. With Digger in play I easily race his remaining counter and the Arbor.
On the draw the same play applies except I would lose the race so I instead play Sanctuary for the draw.
I was too worried about 5-land builds knocking it out by destroying the City (which matters since Marit Lage can kill in one hit). Since I had no use for coloured mana I saw little reason to run it.
(I'm on on this site much anymore. If you want to get in touch it's probably best to email me: dom@heffalumps.org)
Forum Awards: Best Writer 2005, Best Limited Strategist 2005-2012
5CB PotM - June 2005, November 2005, February 2006, April 2008, May 2008, Feb 2009
MTGSalvation Articles: 1-20, plus guest appearance on MTGCast #86!
<Limited Clan>
BWTeysa, Orzhov Scion
GWRhys the Redeemed
GUKruphix, God of Horizons
GRXenagos, God of Revels
GThrun, the Last Troll
GStompy