This thread contains the results for week 2 of All Blind Tournament #6 and is the start of week 3 of ABT#6.
Week 2 of ABT#6
This round was 4CB Double Slaver.
This round we played with a couple of reverse Mindslavers. Our opponent controlled us during their turn, and we controlled them during ours. We ended up with quite a bit more explotation of the special than last round, and had a few very ingenius decks.
There were 15 players with 105 matches and 210 total games.
16 hands ended in a draw. 8 matches had at least one draw.
That's 8% of all games, averaging 1.1 games per player.
The following player(s) had the most drawn games, with 5 total draws: Draco9 : tomsloger
80 matches were a 3-3 split.
That's 76% of all matches, averaging 5.3 matches per player.
The following player(s) had the most split matches, with 9 total splits: aurorasparrow : Reyemile : casual johnny
57 matches were a 6-0 sweep.
That's 54% of all matches, averaging 3.8 matches per player.
The following player(s) had the most 6-0 match sweeps, at 9 total sweeps: Mogg
There were 40 unique cards submitted, out of 60 total.
7 card(s) were repeated:
Next Round will be '2CB Dragon's Maze Kickoff!'.
Entries are due Monday Night at Midnight.
2CB Dragon's Maze Kickoff!
Description:
It has always been XCB's custom to kickoff a new set with the mandatory inclusion of a card from the new set. It helps us all see the new set in a different light, as we scour it for XCB potential. I kind of like tradition, and only want to change one thing with it. Given all of this set's use of the Gate cards, I feel it's only fair if I let you play with those too.
Deck size:
20
2 cards.
Land Rule:
20
Expanded Land Rule. *(See Special)
Special Rules:
20
Entrants must submit a card from Dragon's Maze as one of their two cards.
20
Entrants may play Gate cards from outside of the game just as they do basics.
20
(You can choose Basic or Gate each time you play a land)
Blind Magic is an online Magic format played here on the forums. Players play with an extremely limited deck size, such as 3 cards. Players begin with their entire deck (ie: those three cards) in hand and have no library (players don't lose when they fail to draw a card because of this). Due to the extremely limited number of play options given with their small deck size, games are calculated, rather then played, with an absolute determined winner (or a tie). Each player plays a match of two games against each other player who submitted - once going first, and once going second. Wins, losses, and ties for each of those two games are calculated by the moderator and players. The actual fun of the game comes from trying to decide which cards you will be playing.
What is the All Blind Tournament?
The All Blind Tournament is a four week quadrathlon XCB tournament, which spans all card blind formats and embraces a progressive anti-metagame. For each week of the four week tournament, a new XCB format is announced for players to enter. Players compete for points (similiar to the PotM points for previous XCB games) each round. At the end of the four week tournament, the player who has accumulated the most points over the four weeks wins the tournament, and receives a real-world prize.
Basic Rules of All Blind Tournament
Below lies the rules of ABT written in laymen's terms for ease of understanding.
While a comprehensive rule system exists, new players and quick glances are best left for this basic explination.
Overview
The All Blind Tournament (ABT) is a Magic tournament that consists of four rounds of X Card Blind (XCB), run entirely within this forum. To compete, entrants submit decks containing X cards which are played against each other. Scoring assumes optimal play, without randomness or concealed information.
Deck Construction Rules
1. A deck must contain exactly X cards.
2. A deck may contain any number of copies of any Vintage-legal card, but can't contain any cards on the ABT Banned List.
3. A player's deck must not enable that player to win the game before an opponent's second turn.
4. A player's deck must not enable that player to force an opponent to lose any cards in his or her hand before an opponent's second turn.
5. A player's deck must enable that player to win the game.
Deck Submission Rules
6. An entrant submits his or her deck to the ABT moderator by private message (pm).
Playing the Decks
7. Entrants don't actually play their decks, because game results can be determined theoretically.
8. Each player starts the game with the cards in his or her deck in his or her hand.
9. A player doesn't lose the game as a result of being unable to draw a card.
10. A random effect resolves in favor of the opponent of the owner of that effect.
11. Players know all information that would normally be concealed from them.
12. Each player plays one two-game match against each other player, and each player is the starting player once per match.
Points
13. The entrant with the most points in a round is the round winner. For each match, an entrant earns 3 points per game win and 1 point per drawn game. However, an entrant earns only 2 points for a split match (each player wins a game).
14. The entrant with the most points in the four rounds comprising the ABT is the tournament winner.
Extra Rules
15. Some optional rules may be used; see Optional Rules.
16. The Basic Rules don't cover every issue. For in-depth rules, see Comprehensive Rules.
Optional Rules
Land Rule
Any player may play a basic land of his or her choice from outside the game any time he or she could normally play a land.
Expanded Land Rule
Any player may play a basic land 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.
Alternative Land Rule
If a player would draw a card from an empty library, that player puts a basic land card 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.
Sanctioned Magic Format
A deck may contain only cards contained in sets legal in the specified format.
Counter Rule
Until each player has completed two turns, each player ignores any part of an effect of a source an opponent owns that would counter a spell that player controls.
Life Rule
If neither player would win otherwise, then the player who maintains the higher life total wins the game. Determine whether a deck enables the player of that deck to win the game as though this rule didn't exist.
Special Format
Other rules are specified.
XCB Comprehensive Rules
Below lies the comprehensive rules system for all XCBs, including ABT.
Rules are written for precision and game clarification. They are not written for ease of reading.
Game Rules
1.1. There are many versions of XCB. Each version has a name, of the form XCB 'Land Rule' 'Sanctioned Magic Format' 'Special Format' '(Bonus)' 'Counter Rule' 'Life Rule'.
1.1a. X is a number.
1.1b. 'Land Rule' can be LR, ELR, ALR, or nothing. LR indicates that the basic land rule is in effect, ELR indicates that the expanded land rule is in effect, and ALR indicates that the alternative land rule is in effect (see Rule 1.7).
1.1c. 'Sanctioned Magic Format' can be the name of a sanctioned Magic constructed format or nothing. The name of a format indicates that only cards contained in sets legal in that format may be submitted. This is an exception to rule 2.3c.
1.1d. 'Special Format' can be the name of at least one special format or nothing. The name of a special format indicates that the special format in effect (see Rule 1.8).
1.1e. 'Bonus' can be (Bonus) or nothing. (Bonus) modifies the preceding special format, indicating that an entrant must not follow the rules of that format, but that entrant will earn a specified number of bonus points if he or she does (see Rule 2.4f).
1.1f. 'Counter Rule' can be C or nothing. C indicates that the counter rule is in effect (see Rule 1.9).
1.1g. 'Life Rule' can be LF, AL, or nothing. LF indicates that the life rule is in effect and AL indicates that the alternative life rule is in effect (see Rule 1.10).
1.2. Decks are not played, but are scored as though they were. The player of a deck is the entrant who submitted that deck.
1.3. Except for the changes described in these rules, games follow the rules for a normal game of Magic.
1.3a. Ignore any part of an instruction that isn't covered by these rules or the rules of Magic.
1.4. An entrant's deck contains exactly X cards (see Rule 1.1).
1.4a. A player's opening hand contains the cards in his or her deck.
1.4b. Players don't draw hands or mulligan.
1.4c. Players don't have sideboards.
1.5. Players' libraries begin the game empty.
1.5a. A player doesn't lose the game as a result of being unable to draw a card.
1.6. A cost or effect that would produce a random result produces the result that least benefits the player who paid the cost or the owner of the source of the effect instead.
1.7. Some versions of XCB use a land rule.
1.7a. 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.
1.7b. This is the expanded 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.
1.7c. This is the alternative land rule (ALR). 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.
1.8. Some versions of XCB use a special format. A special format is an extra set of rules. These rules overwrite any other applicable rules. A non-comprehensive list of special formats is maintained here.
1.8a. Some special formats cause players to draw hands. The drawn cards become part of that player's opening hand.
1.8b. Some special formats generate continuous effects. Continuous effects generated by special formats are applied in the order those formats are listed in the XCB version name, before any other effects that could be applied in a layer.
1.8c. Some special formats require an entrant to make some number of decisions in addition to or instead of submitting a deck. An entrant's submission is that entrant's deck and any decisions that entrant makes. An entrant's submission must not violate rule 2.3 if all instances of the word 'deck' in that rule are replaced with 'submission'.
1.8d. Some special formats refer to decks that obtain or could obtain results. Saying that a deck obtains or could obtain a result means that the player of that deck obtains or could obtain that result in a game or match against another player (see Rule 1.11). If a deck obtains or could obtain a result against another deck, then the player of that deck obtains or could obtain that result against the player of the other deck.
1.9. Some versions of XCB use the counter rule.
1.9a. This is the counter rule (C). Until each player has completed two turns, each player ignores any part of an effect of a source an opponent owns that would counter a spell that player controls.
1.10. Some versions of XCB use a life rule.
1.10a. This is the life rule (LF). If neither player would win otherwise, then the player who maintains the higher life total wins the game. Determine whether a deck enables the player of that deck to win a match as though this rule didn't exist (see Rule 2.3b).
1.10b. This is the alternative life rule (AL). If neither player would win otherwise, then the player who maintains the higher life total wins the game.
1.11. Each player plays one match against each other player.
1.11a. Each match has two games.
1.11b. Each player is the starting player for one game in each match.
1.11c. Games are played with perfect information; players know the identities of face-down cards and cards in hidden zones, and players know which decisions have been made by other players.
1.11d. Games are played optimally. The best outcome for a player is to win the game and the worst outcome is to lose the game.
1.11e. If a game would continue indefinitely, then the game is a draw.
Tournament Rules
2.1. Entrants compete in a competition.
2.1a. The shortest type of competition is a round. Typically, each round lasts one week.
2.1b. The ABT is a competition consisting of four rounds.
2.2. An entrant submits his or her deck to the ABT moderator.
2.2a. An entrant submits his or her deck by private message (pm).
2.2b. An entrant may submit multiple decks, but only the most recently submitted deck is counted.
2.2c. An illegal deck is not counted. At the moderator’s discretion, an illegal deck may be replaced by a similar deck – in which any cards causing that deck to be illegal have been removed or replaced.
2.2d. The moderator determines the result of each match. Entrants may challenge results, but not after the results of the first round of a new ABT has been posted, except at the moderator's discretion.
2.2e. An entrant may name his or her deck. If an entrant doesn't, then the moderator may name it.
2.3. Decks are subject to some restrictions.
2.3a. An entrant may not submit a deck that could enable the player of that deck to win the game or force any cards in an opponent's hand to change zones before an opponent's second turn. A card is forced to change zones if the owner of that card could make no sequence of decisions that would not result in either that card changing zones or that player losing the game before his or her second turn. Ignore this rule in the following cases:
i. All cards in an opponent's hand that would be forced to change zones would not be cast by that opponent and would enter the battlefield under that opponent's control. For example, a 4CB deck with two copies of Black Lotus could contain Stronghold Gambit but could not contain Wild Evocation.
ii. All cards in an opponent's hand that weren't there as a result of a cost or effect that opponent controlled that would be forced to change zones during the resolution of a spell or ability would be in that opponent's hand after that spell or ability resolved. For example, a 3CB deck could contain Timetwister and Black Lotus but an 8CB deck could not.
iii. Cards in an opponent's hand would be forced to change zones only if cards in that opponent's hand that started outside the game would cause that opponent's maximum hand size at the start of the game to be exceeded. For example, a 3CB LR deck could contain two copies of Ancestral Recall.
iv. The rule would be violated only in a game that existed as a result of an effect that resolved not before the specified turn or until each player had completed the specified number of turns that restarted the game or created a subgame. For example, a 2CB LR deck could contain Karn Liberated.
2.3b. An entrant may not submit a deck that wouldn't enable the player of that deck to win a match (see Rule 2.4d) against the player of at least one deck satisfying all rules.
2.3c. A deck may contain any number of copies of any card legal in Vintage (Type 1). Except as modified by a special format, all cards used in a game must be legal in Vintage.
2.3d. A deck may contain any number of copies of any card that will become legal in Vintage upon release of a set that's been revealed fully and officially since the start of the round.
2.3e. A deck may not contain any cards on the ABT Banned List.
2.4. Points determine round standings.
2.4a. Entrants are ranked – first to last – in order of decreasing number of points.
2.4b. For each match, an entrant earns 3 points per game win and 1 point per drawn game.
2.4c. The combined result of both games in a match is called a match result. Possible match results are: 6 – two wins, 4 – a win and a draw, 3 or 2 or S – a win and a loss, 2 – two draws, 1 – a draw and a loss, and 0 – two losses.
2.4d. Some match results are also denoted by names: two wins – match win, a win and a loss – split match, two draws – draw, and two losses – match loss. An entrant wins the match if he or she wins both games, splits the match if he or she wins a game and loses a game, draws a match if he or she draws both games, and loses the match if he or she loses both games.
2.4e. An entrant earns only 2 points for a split match. This is an exception to rule 2.4b.
2.4f. An entrant may earn a number of bonus points defined by a special format. An entrant earns these points in addition to any other points.
2.4g. A table of match results is posted at the end of each round. Its rows represent entrants and its columns represent those entrants' opponents. An entrant's total number of points is listed at the end of his or her row.
2.5. The entrant with the most tournament points over the course of the ABT is the tournament winner.
2.5a. Each round, an entrant receives tournament points equal to his or her average match result for that round multiplied by 100, rounded to the nearest integer or some number of decimal places chosen at the moderator's discretion. For example, an entrant scoring 6-6-6-6-X-0-0-0 in a round with 8 entrants receives 340 tournament points ((6 + 6 + 6 + 6) / (8 - 1) x 100).
2.5b. If two or more entrants would win the ABT, then each of those entrants competes in additional rounds specified by the moderator, until only one entrant has the most tournament points. Each additional round contains only the entrants who have the most tournament points. The moderator may specify a limit to the number of additional rounds.
3. Prize Rules
3.1. A prize shall be given to the tournament winner.
3.1a. The winner of the tournament shall be given the prize described within the tournament, or a suitable replacement upon the tournament's end.
3.1b. If the winner of the tournament has won two or more tournaments, then the highest ranked entrant who hasn't won two or more tournaments shall be given the prize instead.
3.1c. If the winner was a moderator for two or more rounds of the tournament, then the highest ranked entrant who wasn't the moderator for two or more rounds of that tournament shall be given the prize instead. This is to ensure fair play.
3.1d. An entrant may decline the prize. If he or she does, then that entrant may designate another entrant to receive the prize.
3.1e. Entrants under the age of 18 are ineligible for prizes, due to federal laws regarding the sharing of personal information of minors.
3.1f. In the event that a prize can't be given to an entrant, the moderator will do his best to find another suitable way to reward that entrant.
3.1g. No prize is 100% guaranteed, but is assumed upon a good faith basis. Let's face it, with international customs, weird laws, etc, we can't guarantee anything. We'll do our best.
3.2. As a prized tournament, special scoring rules and practices are in place.
3.2a. Entrants are responsible for their own scoring. Assistance will be given, especially to new entrants, but it is ultimately up to each entrant to ensure his or her scoring is completed and accurate.
3.2b. Incomplete scores are considered losses, even to both players in a match if necessary. This is to make sure a winner is determined at the end of a tournament.
3.2c. The moderator always has the final word regarding scores and rules. Entrants may question any scoring the moderator does, until the moderator says that a match's scoring is final.
3.2d. The moderator may, at his or her discretion, determine a match is too difficult to calculate and give it a tie score, or his or her best guess. Again, this is final.
3.2e. Once a winner has been announced as final, that entrant shall receive the prize, even if errors in scoring or points are shown later.
Permanently Banned Cards
The following cards are permanently banned in the All Blind Tournament.
Each round will have an additional banned list that extends beyond, but always includes, these cards.
This tournament, Feyd_Ruin has graciously donated the prize up for grabs.
Players will be playing for a *FOIL* Abrupt Decay.
Additionally, there is a Mogg Challenge this round, for a potential *FOIL* Akroma, Angel of Wrath.
Read about the Mogg Challenge Here.
(Note the Akroma is part of the Mogg Challenge)
Player Standings
Previous standings will always be posted below the opening post of each week's thread.
Standings will be updated after the current week has been completed and score checking has finished.
A few things to remember when going over your matches:
You can't block unless your opponent wants you to.
Crack the Earth & World Queller make you sac the thing you don't want to sac.
The Donated Necropotence, Pain's Rewards, etc, make you pay ALL your life.
Soul Echo is essentially a "You don't lose as a result of having 0 life"
Desecration Demon can cause you to sac a creature the turn it drops.
Turn 1 Sphere of Resistance should beat 13 and make that 3-3.
The same applies to 15 and should make that match 3-3.
11 should be 2-2. He cracks away Ancient Tomb turn 4 both on the play and on the draw.
Turn 1 Sphere of Resistance should beat 13 and make that 3-3.
The same applies to 15 and should make that match 3-3.
11 should be 2-2. He cracks away Ancient Tomb turn 4 both on the play and on the draw.
Fixed 13v14. Forgot LED can't sit a turn.
11v14:
He can only crack off his Lotus, since you drop sphere. This lets you drop vault, add a counter, then remove the counter and cast Reward on your 4th, before his Lotus hits.
On his play, everything is the same except his lotus drops before you get your one black mana. He has to tap his mountain to cast it, so this locks him out of his Pain. He instead cracks away your Vault to tie it.
1-4 (14's favor).
Some facts of magic:
-Terror is an emotion which, when experienced, results in death.
-The pox was a disease notorious for having killed one-third, rounded up, of Europe’s population. Smallpox, on the other hand, killed only a single person.
-A person riding a horse cannot be stopped by foot soldiers, large animals, walls, archers, or even catapults.
That's the most splits I've seen in a long time :/
Everyone wanted to drop fast to stop things like Aether Storm... which didn't even show.
I think it's the reason of all the Revokers too.
Luckily next week is a nonlotus week, so that helps a lot of the 3-3 syndrome.
That was my thought process. I realized that there were so many auto-wins that if I didn't lock on turn 1 I probably wouldn't get to play. That's definitely why I played revoker, too.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Some facts of magic:
-Terror is an emotion which, when experienced, results in death.
-The pox was a disease notorious for having killed one-third, rounded up, of Europe’s population. Smallpox, on the other hand, killed only a single person.
-A person riding a horse cannot be stopped by foot soldiers, large animals, walls, archers, or even catapults.
This round will have lots of instances of decks that allow their opponent to win faster.
Also, copies of Gut Shot make the Emrakul deck illegal.
As a general note, this round is a reminder to tread carefully around formats that don't leave players the option of not using a card (It's a Trap!, Epic Creature Battle). I was strongly considering Stronghold Gambit, until I realized that it was illegal again, because an opponent could have Menacing Ogre or Phage the Untouchable.
Also, copies of Gut Shot make the Emrakul deck illegal.
As a general note, this round is a reminder to tread carefully around formats that don't leave players the option of not using a card (It's a Trap!, Epic Creature Battle). I was strongly considering Stronghold Gambit, until I realized that it was illegal again, because an opponent could have Menacing Ogre or Phage the Untouchable.
Yea, this round was quite tricky in this regard.
This is going to be a tough decision for Feyd. It's tempting to issue a general pardon given how many illegal decks there are, but that would unfairly penalize those of us who realized that lots of things weren't legal and so played it really safe, leaving us with decks which didn't perform well against the technically-illegal ones.
This created a lot of interesting possibilities, and a little tweaking could make the format work. Even with that, over half of the people scored over 200 and under 400, which I believe makes the round extremely balanced. It just needed better rules-wording.
I didn't delve deep enough into the whole mindslaver/1984 areas when I posted the format to see all the fringe areas that can make a lot of things illegal. I should have simply expanded the format rule on deck legality to basically ignore your opponent's deck. As it stands, several entries could easily be made illegal via "omg no one would ever play that" corner case decks. It's my fault for not fleshing out that rule further to be what I intended. I intended that your opponent submitting weird crap that makes a perfectly normal deck illegal to be overlooked. I didn't go heavy handed enough on that.
I believe fixing the issue with those who played it safe would be much smoother and elegant than trying to change several decks and regrid.
Because no one violates the rules against anyone who has submitted, and because I think they submitted with the best intentions, all decks stand.
As to what to do with the players who played it safe for legality, the best option would probably be a points buffer, or a minimum score.
I'm open to ideas, and will think on it.
For reference, the average score this round was 257.
The deck can only cast its counterspell if an opponent casts a spell. However, doing so causes a card to change zones, and in the case of Pact it also loses the game. i.e., a deck enables a player to win the game if that player can cast a spell on his or her first turn.
The deck can only cast its counterspell if an opponent casts a spell. However, doing so causes a card to change zones, and in the case of Pact it also loses the game. i.e., a deck enables a player to win the game if that player can cast a spell on his or her first turn.
If that works, then I think Faerie Macabre makes everything illegal.
But I think these all would fall under the "it doesn't count if the deck is doing it to itself" exception.
If that works, then I think Faerie Macabre makes everything illegal.
But I think these all would fall under the "it doesn't count if the deck is doing it to itself" exception.
No, we explicitly excluded faerie macabre; decks are not legal that can make themselves lose or discard with their own effects. The Pact deck cannot do that; it can only lose to decks that cast a spell, so Maze of Ith/Blinkmoth Nexus/Mishra's Factory/Tabernacle at Pendrell Veil would NOT make the pact deck lose.
This thread contains the results for week 2 of All Blind Tournament #6 and is the start of week 3 of ABT#6.
Week 2 of ABT#6 Next Round : Week 3 of ABT#6 Information
No longer staff here.
This standing will change as corrections are made to this week's grid.
No longer staff here.
A few things to remember when going over your matches:
Crack the Earth & World Queller make you sac the thing you don't want to sac.
The Donated Necropotence, Pain's Rewards, etc, make you pay ALL your life.
Soul Echo is essentially a "You don't lose as a result of having 0 life"
Desecration Demon can cause you to sac a creature the turn it drops.
No longer staff here.
The same applies to 15 and should make that match 3-3.
11 should be 2-2. He cracks away Ancient Tomb turn 4 both on the play and on the draw.
Fixed 13v14. Forgot LED can't sit a turn.
11v14:
He can only crack off his Lotus, since you drop sphere. This lets you drop vault, add a counter, then remove the counter and cast Reward on your 4th, before his Lotus hits.
On his play, everything is the same except his lotus drops before you get your one black mana. He has to tap his mountain to cast it, so this locks him out of his Pain. He instead cracks away your Vault to tie it.
1-4 (14's favor).
14v15: Was a typo of 2-2 vs 3-3.
No longer staff here.
Disrupting Shoal / Evermind / Chancellor of the Forge / Chancellor of the Forge
Heh, looks like JUST countering black lotus gives you like 13 automatic 6's.
-Terror is an emotion which, when experienced, results in death.
-The pox was a disease notorious for having killed one-third, rounded up, of Europe’s population. Smallpox, on the other hand, killed only a single person.
-A person riding a horse cannot be stopped by foot soldiers, large animals, walls, archers, or even catapults.
More facts of magic
That's the most splits I've seen in a long time :/
Everyone wanted to drop fast to stop things like Aether Storm... which didn't even show.
I think it's the reason of all the Revokers too.
Luckily next week is a nonlotus week, so that helps a lot of the 3-3 syndrome.
No longer staff here.
That was my thought process. I realized that there were so many auto-wins that if I didn't lock on turn 1 I probably wouldn't get to play. That's definitely why I played revoker, too.
-Terror is an emotion which, when experienced, results in death.
-The pox was a disease notorious for having killed one-third, rounded up, of Europe’s population. Smallpox, on the other hand, killed only a single person.
-A person riding a horse cannot be stopped by foot soldiers, large animals, walls, archers, or even catapults.
More facts of magic
It wins T2 on the play against Simian Spirit Guide/Simian Spirit Guide/Fury Charm/Memnite.
Practice for Khans of Tarkir Limited:
Draft: (#1) (#2) (#3) (#4) (#5)
6. Chalice of the Void / Black Lotus / Black Lotus / Frost Titan
vs.
15. Black Lotus / Helix Pinnacle / Snow-Covered Forest / Soul Echo
3-3 -> 4-1: Titan taps Forest.
That seems right. I think Bottomless Vault for Lotus Bloom is the best substitution.
It's less clear to me what the best substitution is for WhammWhamme's deck, which has the same problem - Hollow Trees + Eureka is really slow.
I believe my score changes as follows:
X| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 | PT
1| 6 6 2 ? 6 6 2 6 6 0 X 6 0 0 6 | 52 + ? (? depending on how WW's deck changes)
BWTeysa, Orzhov Scion
GWRhys the Redeemed
GUKruphix, God of Horizons
GRXenagos, God of Revels
GThrun, the Last Troll
GStompy
Necropotence -> Unspeakable Symbol ?
As long as the opponent's life total isn't a multiple of 3, he/she shouldn't die from the enchantment.
Does that work as an argument? zombie's deck wins T2 on the play against Mutagenic Growth / Mutagenic Growth / Hickory Woodlot / Grizzly Bears
This round will have lots of instances of decks that allow their opponent to win faster.
Wouldn't he then beat Memnite / Simian Spirit Guide / Mutagenic Growth / Fury Charm T2 on the play?
we shall sit atop the highest peak, subsisting only on chi, until we achieve mogglightenment.
not if that opponent plays optimally.
Also, copies of Gut Shot make the Emrakul deck illegal.
As a general note, this round is a reminder to tread carefully around formats that don't leave players the option of not using a card (It's a Trap!, Epic Creature Battle). I was strongly considering Stronghold Gambit, until I realized that it was illegal again, because an opponent could have Menacing Ogre or Phage the Untouchable.
The problem is that - going second - that opponent doesn't get a chance to play optimally, because his or her decisions are controlled.
BWTeysa, Orzhov Scion
GWRhys the Redeemed
GUKruphix, God of Horizons
GRXenagos, God of Revels
GThrun, the Last Troll
GStompy
Nope. Without the second spirit guide, he can't cast the Charm.
I suspect that something does make it illegal, though.
Yea, this round was quite tricky in this regard.
This is going to be a tough decision for Feyd. It's tempting to issue a general pardon given how many illegal decks there are, but that would unfairly penalize those of us who realized that lots of things weren't legal and so played it really safe, leaving us with decks which didn't perform well against the technically-illegal ones.
Practice for Khans of Tarkir Limited:
Draft: (#1) (#2) (#3) (#4) (#5)
I didn't delve deep enough into the whole mindslaver/1984 areas when I posted the format to see all the fringe areas that can make a lot of things illegal. I should have simply expanded the format rule on deck legality to basically ignore your opponent's deck. As it stands, several entries could easily be made illegal via "omg no one would ever play that" corner case decks. It's my fault for not fleshing out that rule further to be what I intended. I intended that your opponent submitting weird crap that makes a perfectly normal deck illegal to be overlooked. I didn't go heavy handed enough on that.
I believe fixing the issue with those who played it safe would be much smoother and elegant than trying to change several decks and regrid.
Because no one violates the rules against anyone who has submitted, and because I think they submitted with the best intentions, all decks stand.
As to what to do with the players who played it safe for legality, the best option would probably be a points buffer, or a minimum score.
I'm open to ideas, and will think on it.
For reference, the average score this round was 257.
No longer staff here.
i agree. we dont want to go down this rabbit hole.
for example, surge of zeal / chancellor of the forge / blazing shoal / simian spirit guide makes 5 decks illegal. including mine.
Consider Dryad Arbor / Island / Island / (Foil or Pact of Negation)
The deck can only cast its counterspell if an opponent casts a spell. However, doing so causes a card to change zones, and in the case of Pact it also loses the game. i.e., a deck enables a player to win the game if that player can cast a spell on his or her first turn.
BWTeysa, Orzhov Scion
GWRhys the Redeemed
GUKruphix, God of Horizons
GRXenagos, God of Revels
GThrun, the Last Troll
GStompy
If that works, then I think Faerie Macabre makes everything illegal.
But I think these all would fall under the "it doesn't count if the deck is doing it to itself" exception.
Practice for Khans of Tarkir Limited:
Draft: (#1) (#2) (#3) (#4) (#5)
No, we explicitly excluded faerie macabre; decks are not legal that can make themselves lose or discard with their own effects. The Pact deck cannot do that; it can only lose to decks that cast a spell, so Maze of Ith/Blinkmoth Nexus/Mishra's Factory/Tabernacle at Pendrell Veil would NOT make the pact deck lose.