If a player would draw a card from an empty library, that player puts a copy of his or her chosen card from outside the game into his or her hand instead.
Bans: Balancing Act, Beacon of Creation, Beck // Call, Black Lotus, Braids, Cabal Minion, Declaration of Naught, Exploration, Fastbond, Gaea's Touch, Glimpse of Nature, Keldon Arsonist, Leyline of Singularity, Mana Vortex, Maralen of the Mornsong, Nevermore, Nezumi Shortfang, Red Sun's Zenith, Show and Tell, Thespian's Stage, Time Walk
Note: The chosen card in each deck is the third card listed.
The Entries
01 Clairval :: ""Hive had fun once. It was awful."" Crystalline Sliver / Necrotic Sliver / Hive Stirrings I expected a lot of slivers this round, but mainly Predatory Sliver. Hive Stirrings with Necrotic Sliver is great synergy. It was relevant in some games that you could eventually destroy more than one permanent per turn.
02 WhammWhamme :: "" Helix Pinnacle / Peacekeeper / Negate Unfortunately, the best creatures didn't have to attack to be good, and Helix was too slow to race.
03 Grolleter :: "" Bubbling Cauldron / Infest / Festering Newt The Newt combo did a lot of work by itself. Infest would have been better if it didn't overlap so much with Newt.
06 Feyd_Ruin :: "" Volcanic Island / Young Pyromancer / Quicken This was the second combo deck that relied on two cards in M14, but this one was more of a surprise. Quicken was a nice find for the format.
07 Reyemile :: "" Azorius Chancery / Council of the Absolute / Banisher Priest Turn 2 Council was brutal, and Priest did a good job of shoring up defenses against creatures, while also being a relatively quick win condition with acceleration.
09 bateleur :: "Please Disperse or We Will Deploy the Gargadon" Greater Gargadon / Restore Balance / Disperse Nice combo, but Restore Balance has always had issues with speed.
There were 9 players with 36 matches and 72 total games.
0 hands ended in a draw. 0 matches had at least one draw.
6 matches were a 3-3 split.
That's 17% of all matches, averaging 0.7 matches per player.
The following player(s) had the most split matches, with 2 total splits: Grolleter
33 matches were a 6-0 sweep.
That's 92% of all matches, averaging 3.7 matches per player.
The following player(s) had the most 6-0 match sweeps, at 7 total sweeps: aurorasparrow : Reyemile
There were 27 unique cards submitted, out of 27 total.
Next Round : Week 4 of ABT#9
Next Round will be '5CB Backbuild (Basic/Triggers)'.
Entries are due Wednesday morning at 5:00 am GMT.
5CB Backbuild (Basic/Triggers)
Description:
Backbuild is an XCB, and the ABT has only had one (none without land rule), so it's back. However, a new rule will prevent this round from being too similar to backbuilds of the past.
Deck size:
20
5 cards
Land Rule:
20
None
Special Rules:
Rules: Players exchange decks before the start of each match.
A deck must win the match against a deck consisting of any five basic land cards.
Ignore the rules that read "An entrant may not submit a deck that could enable the player of that deck to win the game or force more any cards in an opponent's hand to change zones before an opponent's second turn" and "An entrant may not submit a deck that doesn't enable the player of that deck to win a match against at least one deck satisfying all rules."
Triggered abilities of nonland permanents don't trigger.
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 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 explanation.
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 the 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.
The prize will be 3 DRM-free PC games (English version), supplied by Clairval.
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.
I hope everyone enjoys next week. I'm certainly looking forward to it. The choice of which triggers to exclude was arbitrary, but I wanted to cleanly remove a lot of the regular strategies without going overboard.
I'm running a bit of a fever, so I may be missing something, but how does Grolleter's deck beat me when I'm on the play?
Also, i think I 6-0 Aurasparrow. On the play, I lock out Eureka with a turn 2 Council. On the draw, he counters my turn 2 council, but I have one more Priest than he has dragons. I play a turn 3 priest, and beat him down. My triggers resolve first when he casts Eureka, and I always have as many priests as he has dragons, so he has no dragons in play when his Scourge triggers resolve. If he hardcasts a dragon on turn 5 he can deal one damage to me, but then I cast a priest to eat it and my clock gets that much faster.
...that means the same as "Triggered abilities of nonland permanents don't trigger.", right?
Private Mod Note
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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>
I'm running a bit of a fever, so I may be missing something, but how does Grolleter's deck beat me when I'm on the play?
[b]Grolleter resolves Cauldron. Activating Cauldron each turn kills one of your creatures, causes Grolleter to gain 4 life, and cause you to lose 4 life, so he wins the race. You can keep at most two two-power creatures on the battlefield, so you lose the race.[/b]
Also, i think I 6-0 Aurasparrow. On the play, I lock out Eureka with a turn 2 Council. On the draw, he counters my turn 2 council, but I have one more Priest than he has dragons. I play a turn 3 priest, and beat him down. My triggers resolve first when he casts Eureka, and I always have as many priests as he has dragons, so he has no dragons in play when his Scourge triggers resolve. If he hardcasts a dragon on turn 5 he can deal one damage to me, but then I cast a priest to eat it and my clock gets that much faster.
[b]Fixed. I forgot about Priests exiling Dragons off of Eureka.[/b]
Grolleter resolves Cauldron. Activating Cauldron each turn kills one of your creatures, causes Grolleter to gain 4 life, and cause you to lose 4 life, so he wins the race. You can keep at most two two-power creatures on the battlefield, so you lose the race.
How does he resolve Cauldron through Counsel when I'm on the play?
How does he resolve Cauldron through Counsel when I'm on the play?
Oops. I read "when I'm on the play" as "when he's on the play". Granted, I should have immediately realized something was up, but I didn't.
When you're on the play, Council names Cauldron. When Grolleter gets to five mana, he casts double Newt and Infest to clear the board (2x -1/-1 from Newts in addition to -2/-2 from Infest kills Council). After that, he starts winning with Cauldron. You can't overcommit Priests to race, because then you lose the advantage of ETB triggers, since Newts trade with Priests in combat.
There are a couple of updates I've been meaning to make to the comprehensive rules, and I noticed one more today. Two cover corner cases, and one makes special format emblems work more like you'd expect them to. They'll go into effect next week. The new rules are 1.8a, 1.8e, and 2.3a(v):
1.8a. Some special formats cause an emblem to be put into the command zone. Abilities of those emblems can't be countered by spells or abilities, except as modified by a special format.
1.8e. Some special formats require entrants 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".
2.3a. An entrant may not submit a deck that could enable the player of that deck to win the game or force more than a specified number of cards in an opponent's hand to change zones before a specified turn or until each player has completed a specified number of turns. 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 the specified turn. By default, an entrant may not submit a deck that could enable the player of that deck to cause either result to occur before an opponent's second turn. Ignore this rule in the following cases:
...
v. The rule wouldn't be violated if opponents' cards had no rules text. For example, a 2CB deck could contain Plains and Eager Cadet if a special format read "Each player gets an emblem with 'You control your opponents during your turn'" and an opponent's deck could contain Dryad Arbor and Pact of Negation.
Game Rules
1.1. There are many versions of XCB. Each version has a name, of the form 'ABT' XCB 'Land Rule' 'Sanctioned Magic Format' 'Special Format' '(Bonus)' 'Counter Rule' 'Life Rule'.
1.1a. 'ABT' can be ABT or nothing. ABT indicates that a round (see Rule 2.1a) is part of an All-Blind Tournament (see Rule 2.6a).
1.1b. X is a number.
1.1c. '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).
1.1d. '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.
1.1e. '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).
1.1f. '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).
1.1g. 'Counter Rule' can be C or nothing. C indicates that the counter rule is in effect (see Rule 1.9).
1.1h. '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 an emblem to be put into the command zone. Abilities of those emblems can't be countered by spells or abilities, except as modified by a special format.
1.8b. Some special formats cause players to draw hands. The drawn cards become part of that player's opening hand.
1.8c. 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.
1.8d. 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'.
1.8e. Some special formats require entrants 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".
1.8f. 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. A competition that consists of multiple rounds is a tournament.
2.2. An entrant submits his or her deck to the XCB 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. The removal of an illegal deck doesn't affect deck distribution (see Rule 2.5).
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 tournament have been posted (see Rule 2.6), 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 more than a specified number of cards in an opponent's hand to change zones before a specified turn or until each player has completed a specified number of turns. 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 the specified turn. By default, an entrant may not submit a deck that could enable the player of that deck to cause either result to occur before an opponent's second turn. Ignore this rule in the following cases:
i. All cards in an opponent's hand in excess of the specified number of cards 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 in excess of the specified number of cards 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. All cards in excess of the specified number of 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.
v. The rule wouldn't be violated if opponents' cards had no rules text. For example, a 2CB deck could contain Plains and Eager Cadet if a special format read "Each player gets an emblem with 'You control your opponents during your turn'" and an opponent's deck could contain Dryad Arbor and Pact of Negation.
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 XCB Banned List (see Rule 1.1b), unless that deck it is part of an All-Blind Tournament.
2.3f. A deck that is part of an All-Blind Tournament 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. In rounds of twenty or more entrants, the moderator may choose to divide entrants randomly into smaller heats.
2.5a. There are n heats, where n is the number of entrants in the round divided by ten, rounded down. Entrants are divided into these heats as evenly as possible. For example, twenty-five entrants are divided into heats of twelve and thirteen entrants.
2.5b. An entrant competes against other entrants in his or her heat.
2.5c. The top four ranked entrants from each heat are grouped into a final heat. An entrant's rank and tournament points (See Rule 2.6d) are determined by his or her match results in this heat.
2.5d. Tiebreakers for advancement to the final heat are as follows: number of match wins, number of game wins, points scored against higher-scoring decks. If a tie is unresolved, then the tied decks advance.
2.6. There are two types of tournaments.
2.6a. The All-Blind Tournament (ABT) is a four-round tournament.
2.6b. The Player of the Month tournament (POTM) is a month-long tournament. A month contains all rounds for which deck submissions are due during that month.
2.6c. The entrant with the most tournament points (see Rule 2.6d) over the course of a tournament is the tournament winner. The winner of the Player of the Month tournament is the Player of the Month.
2.6d. 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).
2.6e. If two or more entrants would win an 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.
2.6f. Each round, 50 tournament points may be awarded to the entrant who submitted the most creative deck, as determined by the moderator or by poll.
2.6g. Each round, for one week after the submitted decks have been posted, 50 tournament points may be awarded to the first entrant to post a deck that wins the match against each submitted deck.
2.6h. The moderator may issue a challenge. An entrant who completes a challenge earns a number of tournament points specified by the moderator.
The main reason for Infest was to protect against Aluren / Glimpse of Nature, which I expected would be a major threat due to its ability to play an arbitrarily large number of creatures in short order (as early as turn 3, if you use Elvish Mystic). But since no one ended up playing that kind of deck, I may have not needed a mass removal spell after all.
Now to start hunting for absurdly slow engines and convoluted win conditions for next week's format ...
I assume the randomness rule for this upcoming round tracks that you own your opponent's deck? i.e. Mana Clash + 4 Auntie's Hovel is not a permissable deck?
I assume the randomness rule for this upcoming round tracks that you own your opponent's deck? i.e. Mana Clash + 4 Auntie's Hovel is not a permissable deck?
The owner of a source is the person who started with that source in their deck. If you submit a deck that includes Mana Clash, your opponent will be the owner of that deck, and all of the flips will work against them. I.e., your opponent is trying to win the game with the deck you gave them, and Mana Clash will cause them to lose the game instead; if you want to build a backbuild deck that relies on bad coin flips, you can.
To answer your question directly, that deck would not be permissible, because it wouldn't be able to win against the all lands deck.
Also, remember that there is no rule this round against a deck that wins too quickly.
Oh, right, I was stretching my reasoning beyond the necessary. We just finished a round like this on the WOTC forums, but reversed scoring instead of trading decks. Just trying to correct my head.
The submission deadline has been extended 24 hours, to Wednesday morning at 5:00 am GMT.
On the one hand, I don't want to make this an XCB tradition, but on the other, I don't want to exclude people, and this round seemed to be especially complicated - I received illegal submissions from four players, as well as a re-submission from one player that, while legal, didn't really work.
This thread contains the results for week 3 of All Blind Tournament #9 and is the start of week 4 of ABT#9.
Week 3 of ABT#9 Next Round : Week 4 of ABT#9 Information
BWTeysa, Orzhov Scion
GWRhys the Redeemed
GUKruphix, God of Horizons
GRXenagos, God of Revels
GThrun, the Last Troll
GStompy
BWTeysa, Orzhov Scion
GWRhys the Redeemed
GUKruphix, God of Horizons
GRXenagos, God of Revels
GThrun, the Last Troll
GStompy
I'm looking forward to playing backbuild again.
BWTeysa, Orzhov Scion
GWRhys the Redeemed
GUKruphix, God of Horizons
GRXenagos, God of Revels
GThrun, the Last Troll
GStompy
Also, i think I 6-0 Aurasparrow. On the play, I lock out Eureka with a turn 2 Council. On the draw, he counters my turn 2 council, but I have one more Priest than he has dragons. I play a turn 3 priest, and beat him down. My triggers resolve first when he casts Eureka, and I always have as many priests as he has dragons, so he has no dragons in play when his Scourge triggers resolve. If he hardcasts a dragon on turn 5 he can deal one damage to me, but then I cast a priest to eat it and my clock gets that much faster.
"Abilities of nonland permanents don't trigger."
...that means the same as "Triggered abilities of nonland permanents don't trigger.", right?
(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>
Huh. That part of the post is generated by a script, but I don't know what caused it to start misbehaving.
Yes, and your wording is clearer, so I've changed it to that.
List tags are malformed.
BWTeysa, Orzhov Scion
GWRhys the Redeemed
GUKruphix, God of Horizons
GRXenagos, God of Revels
GThrun, the Last Troll
GStompy
Oops. I read "when I'm on the play" as "when he's on the play". Granted, I should have immediately realized something was up, but I didn't.
When you're on the play, Council names Cauldron. When Grolleter gets to five mana, he casts double Newt and Infest to clear the board (2x -1/-1 from Newts in addition to -2/-2 from Infest kills Council). After that, he starts winning with Cauldron. You can't overcommit Priests to race, because then you lose the advantage of ETB triggers, since Newts trade with Priests in combat.
BWTeysa, Orzhov Scion
GWRhys the Redeemed
GUKruphix, God of Horizons
GRXenagos, God of Revels
GThrun, the Last Troll
GStompy
4th place at CCC&G Pro Tour
Chances of bad hands (<2 or >4 land):
21: 28.9%
22: 27.5%
23: 26.3%
24: 25.5%
25: 25.1%
26: 25.3%
1.8a. Some special formats cause an emblem to be put into the command zone. Abilities of those emblems can't be countered by spells or abilities, except as modified by a special format.
1.8e. Some special formats require entrants 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".
2.3a. An entrant may not submit a deck that could enable the player of that deck to win the game or force more than a specified number of cards in an opponent's hand to change zones before a specified turn or until each player has completed a specified number of turns. 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 the specified turn. By default, an entrant may not submit a deck that could enable the player of that deck to cause either result to occur before an opponent's second turn. Ignore this rule in the following cases:
...
Game Rules
1.1. There are many versions of XCB. Each version has a name, of the form 'ABT' XCB 'Land Rule' 'Sanctioned Magic Format' 'Special Format' '(Bonus)' 'Counter Rule' 'Life Rule'.
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.
1.4. An entrant's deck contains exactly X cards (see Rule 1.1).
1.5. Players' libraries begin the game empty.
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.
1.8. 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.
1.9. Some versions of XCB use the counter rule.
1.10. Some versions of XCB use a life rule.
1.11. Each player plays one match against each other player.
Tournament Rules
2.1. Entrants compete in a competition.
2.2. An entrant submits his or her deck to the XCB moderator.
2.3. Decks are subject to some restrictions.
2.4. Points determine round standings.
2.5. In rounds of twenty or more entrants, the moderator may choose to divide entrants randomly into smaller heats.
2.6. There are two types of tournaments.
BWTeysa, Orzhov Scion
GWRhys the Redeemed
GUKruphix, God of Horizons
GRXenagos, God of Revels
GThrun, the Last Troll
GStompy
Now to start hunting for absurdly slow engines and convoluted win conditions for next week's format ...
The owner of a source is the person who started with that source in their deck. If you submit a deck that includes Mana Clash, your opponent will be the owner of that deck, and all of the flips will work against them. I.e., your opponent is trying to win the game with the deck you gave them, and Mana Clash will cause them to lose the game instead; if you want to build a backbuild deck that relies on bad coin flips, you can.
To answer your question directly, that deck would not be permissible, because it wouldn't be able to win against the all lands deck.
Also, remember that there is no rule this round against a deck that wins too quickly.
Hope this helps!
BWTeysa, Orzhov Scion
GWRhys the Redeemed
GUKruphix, God of Horizons
GRXenagos, God of Revels
GThrun, the Last Troll
GStompy
BWTeysa, Orzhov Scion
GWRhys the Redeemed
GUKruphix, God of Horizons
GRXenagos, God of Revels
GThrun, the Last Troll
GStompy
On the one hand, I don't want to make this an XCB tradition, but on the other, I don't want to exclude people, and this round seemed to be especially complicated - I received illegal submissions from four players, as well as a re-submission from one player that, while legal, didn't really work.
BWTeysa, Orzhov Scion
GWRhys the Redeemed
GUKruphix, God of Horizons
GRXenagos, God of Revels
GThrun, the Last Troll
GStompy