Last night I decided to try my hand at Vintage for the first time ever.
Pandemonium Books & Games in Cambridge has an unsanctioned Vintage event every Tuesday with a devoted following. Proxies are allowed but many of the players there have real Power. I have a vague idea of what a few popular Vintage decks are like but have never watched a full match of Vintage or played a single game of Vintage.
By the time I decided to go I didn't have time to proxy a deck so I just threw together this pile of Legacy cards (with the help of a friend slightly more familiar with the format than I):
4x Deathrite Shaman
4x Dark Confidant
4x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4x Spirit of the Labyrinth
2x Stoneforge Mystic
4x Mox Diamond
4x Chalice of the Void
4x Thoughtseize
4x Swords to Plowshares
1x Sword of Fire and Ice
1x Batterskull
4x Verdant Catacombs
4x Marsh Flats
1x Windswept Heath
3x Scrubland
2x Bayou
1x Savannah
2x Swamp
1x Plains
4x Wasteland
1x Ghost Quarter
1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
SB 4x Leyline of the Void
SB 3x Ethersworn Canonist
SB 2x Gaddock Teeg
SB 1x Krosan Grip
SB 1x Reclamation Sage
SB 1x Duress
SB 1x Pithing Needle
SB 1x Phyrexian Revoker
SB 1x Stony Silence
I showed up prepared to get my face smashed in hilarious ways.
Underwhelmingly, I ended up losing only 1 game without having taken a game action.
In fact, 3 of the 4 decks I played against were "fair" decks by Vintage standards and the games were long and interactive. The matchups were Mono Blue Belcher (1-2), Bant Humans (2-0), UW Mentor (0-2), and UR Delver (1-2). The Bant Humans deck was sweet and it warmed my heart to see Knight of the Reliquary and Noble Hierarch, my two favorite Magic cards, being played even in Vintage.
Despite being un-Powered, my deck wasn't terrible, and I believe I can improve it a lot without using a single proxy. The land count was too high, and the Stoneforge package can go due to all the artifact hate out there (I got blown out by Hurkyl's and Dack Fayden). Of course, now I have to add Knight of the Reliquary, which conveniently utilizes the downside of my "Moxes".
All in all it was a positive experience and I will definitely try it again!
Pandemonium Books & Games in Cambridge has an unsanctioned Vintage event every Tuesday with a devoted following. Proxies are allowed but many of the players there have real Power. I have a vague idea of what a few popular Vintage decks are like but have never watched a full match of Vintage or played a single game of Vintage.
By the time I decided to go I didn't have time to proxy a deck so I just threw together this pile of Legacy cards (with the help of a friend slightly more familiar with the format than I):
4x Deathrite Shaman
4x Dark Confidant
4x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4x Spirit of the Labyrinth
2x Stoneforge Mystic
4x Mox Diamond
4x Chalice of the Void
4x Thoughtseize
4x Swords to Plowshares
1x Sword of Fire and Ice
1x Batterskull
4x Verdant Catacombs
4x Marsh Flats
1x Windswept Heath
3x Scrubland
2x Bayou
1x Savannah
2x Swamp
1x Plains
4x Wasteland
1x Ghost Quarter
1x Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
SB 4x Leyline of the Void
SB 3x Ethersworn Canonist
SB 2x Gaddock Teeg
SB 1x Krosan Grip
SB 1x Reclamation Sage
SB 1x Duress
SB 1x Pithing Needle
SB 1x Phyrexian Revoker
SB 1x Stony Silence
I showed up prepared to get my face smashed in hilarious ways.
Underwhelmingly, I ended up losing only 1 game without having taken a game action.
In fact, 3 of the 4 decks I played against were "fair" decks by Vintage standards and the games were long and interactive. The matchups were Mono Blue Belcher (1-2), Bant Humans (2-0), UW Mentor (0-2), and UR Delver (1-2). The Bant Humans deck was sweet and it warmed my heart to see Knight of the Reliquary and Noble Hierarch, my two favorite Magic cards, being played even in Vintage.
Despite being un-Powered, my deck wasn't terrible, and I believe I can improve it a lot without using a single proxy. The land count was too high, and the Stoneforge package can go due to all the artifact hate out there (I got blown out by Hurkyl's and Dack Fayden). Of course, now I have to add Knight of the Reliquary, which conveniently utilizes the downside of my "Moxes".
All in all it was a positive experience and I will definitely try it again!
