Episode Thirteen - Driving down the M10

Here we are again, driving down the M10 motorway towards New Set City, we have a huge chunk of cards to discuss this week. Also we have news about Duels of the Planeswalkers, the updated penalty guidelines and Dominion: Intrigue. Hope you enjoy it!

The Gamers Podcast Team

Winner, finalist, and decklists!

WINNER

Stuart Wright

4 Swamp

4 Treetop Village

3 Fire-Lit Thicket

3 Forest

2 Mountain

2 Sulfurous Springs

3 Savage Lands

3 Twilight Mire

24 lands

4 Fertile Ground

3 Jund Charm

3 Garruk Wildspeaker

3 Bituminous Blast

4 Maelstrom Pulse

17 spells

4 Broodmate Dragon

2 Chameleon Colossus

1 Sprouting Thrinax

4 Putrid Leech

4 Kitchen Finks

4 Bloodbraid Elf

19 creatures

60 cards

SB:

2 Terminate

3 Cloudthresher

4 Anathemancer

3 Lignify

3 Infest

FINALIST

Ian Pirouet

4 Bitterblossom

4 Cryptic Command

3 Jace Beleren

2 Thoughtseize

2 Agony Warp

2 Peppersmoke

2 Broken Ambitions

1 Nameless Inversion

20 spells

2 Sower of Temptation

4 Mistbind Clique

4 Spellstutter Sprite

3 Scion of Oona

2 Vendilion Clique

15 creatures

4 Secluded Glen

4 Mutavault

4 Sunken Ruins

4 Underground River

7 Island

1 Swamp

1 Faerie Conclave

25 lands

60 cards

SB:

3 Infest

3 Flashfreeze

3 Puppeteer Clique

3 Plumeveil

2 Thoughtseize

1 Sower of Temptation

Congratulations to Stuart Wright!

Semifinalists + decklists

Steve Bernstein's “Zebra Assault”

4 Tidehollow Sculler

4 Kitchen Finks

2 Murderous Redcap

3 Cloudgoat Ranger

13 creatures

4 Spectral Procession

3 Thoughtseize

4 Bitterblossom

2 Zealous Persecution

2 Path to Exile

4 Glorious Anthem

3 Ajani Goldmane

22 spells

2 Swamp

3 Plains

3 Mutavault

2 Caves of Koilos

3 Arcane Sanctum

4 Reflecting Pool

4 Fetid Heath

4 Windbrisk Heights

25 lands

60 cards

SB:

2 Stillmoon Cavalier

3 Paladin en-Vec

2 Puppeteer Clique

2 Wrath of God

2 Identity Crisis

2 Runed Halo

1 Path to Exile

1 Zealous Persecution

Michael Parker's “Better than a Box Swans”

2 Graven Cairns

2 Mutavault

1 Vivid Marsh

4 Reflecting Pool

2 Rugged Prairie

4 Vivid Grove

4 Vivid Crag

4 Spinerock Knoll

4 Cascade Bluffs

1 Shivan Reef

1 Karplusan Forest

1 Battlefield Forge

1 Island

1 Mountain

4 Fire-Lit Thicket

3 Vivid Creek

3 Treetop Village

42 lands

4 Bloodbraid Elf

4 Swans of Bryn Argoll

1 Enlisted Wurm

9 creature

3 Bituminous Blast

2 Primal Command

4 Seismic Assault

9 spells

60 cards

SB:

1 Enlisted Wurm

4 Tidehollow Sculler

4 Blightning

3 Cryptic Command

3 Maelstrom Pulse

Quarterfinalists + decklists

Adam Barnett's “Fae”

7 Island

3 Swamp

2 Underground River

4 Sunken Ruins

4 Secluded Glen

1 Faerie Conclave

4 Mutavault

25 lands

2 Peppersmoke

2 Thoughtseize

4 Bitterblossom

3 Jace Beleren

1 Terror

4 Cryptic Command

4 Broken Ambitions

3 Agony Warp

23 spells

3 Spellstutter Sprite

1 Sower of Temptation

4 Scion of Oona

4 Mistbind Clique

12 creatures

60 cards

SB:

2 Thoughtseize

3 Deathmark

3 Flashfreeze

3 Puppeteer Clique

2 Plumeveil

1 Sower of Temptation

1 Loxodon Warhammer

Christian Bateman

4 Mutavault

4 Treetop Village

4 Llanowar Wastes

4 Gilt-Leaf Palace

3 Forest

3 Swamp

2 Twilight Mire

24 lands

4 Imperious Perfect

4 Wren's Run Vanquisher

4 Llanowar Elves

4 Putrid Leech

3 Civic Wayfinder

3 Chameleon Colossus

2 Wilt-Leaf Liege

1 Cloudthresher

1 Noble Hierarch

26 creatures

4 Maelstrom Pulse

3 Thoughtseize

2 Profane Command

2 Nameless Inversion

11 spells

61 cards

SB:

3 Loxodon Warhammer

3 Cloudthresher

2 Puppeteer Clique

3 Terror

3 Snakeform

1 Thoughtseize

Jon Burland's “G/B Aggro”

2 Llanowar Elves

1 Noble Hierarch

4 Birds of Paradise

4 Troll Ascetic

4 Kitchen Finks

4 Putrid Leech

4 Chameleon Colossus

2 Cloudthresher

25 creatures

3 Profane Command

4 Thoughtseize

4 Maelstrom Pulse

2 Garruk Wildspeaker

13 spells

4 Twilight Mire

4 Llanowar Wastes

4 Mutavault

1 Treetop Village

7 Forest

2 Swamp

22 lands

60 cards

SB:

1 Thornling

1 Obelisk of Alara

1 Cloudthresher

4 Guttural Response

4 Shriekmaw

4 Naturalize

Jason Savage's “Jund Elves”

4 Anathemancer

4 Bloodbraid Elf

4 Boggart Ram-Gang

3 Chameleon Colossus

2 Kitchen Finks

4 Noble Hierarch

4 Putrid Leech

4 Wren's Run Vanquisher

29 creatures

4 Maelstrom Pulse

3 Nameless Inversion

7 spells

3 Auntie's Hovel

2 Fire-Lit Thicket

4 Gilt-Leaf Palace

2 Karplusan Forest

1 Llanowar Wastes

1 Mutavault

4 Treetop Village

3 Twilight Mire

2 Forest

1 Mountain

1 Swamp

24 lands

60 cards

SB:

2 Pithing Needle

2 Lignify

2 Cloudthresher

2 Terror

3 Infest

3 Thoughtseize

1 Kitchen Finks

Second Swiss update from PTQ Southampton!

Mike Parker writes...

4-000000000000000000000000000000000!!!!!!!!!!!! How about this Cascade:

Bituminous Blast into Elf into Pulse on his Pithing Needle naming Seismic Assault, then play Swans and win :)

Andrew D writes...

1-3 drop. Everyone is playing tokens! Main deck Volcanic Fallout seems strong....

Steve Bernstein writes...

6.5-7/10 for the venue hot dogs. Nice sausage, good amount of sauce, pappy and stodgy rolls a let down. Cheap and cheerful.

HJ's update: Nearly at the Top 8!

Hello from PTQ Southampton!

ROUND 1 BLOG

Rob Elkin writes...

7 more for a vintage side event

HJ update: 47 players, 6 Swiss rounds... and no decklist penalties! Hooray!

ROUND 2 BLOG

Michael Parker writes...

If Swans were a lady, I would marry her.

Elijah Hemmingway-Brown writes...

Go Parker rarrrr

Judges & Pres have pizza. We recommend.

Paul Nonis writes...

Ian T. Pirouet has defeated me for the 2nd tournament in a row. This is untenable. He even beat me in the exact same way, by being a masterful human and bear like man. In order for this to not be deleted and such I will add some cursory game details. He beat me with Mistbind Cliques both Games 2 and 3 about the neck, chest, and face area; with the help of that fine gentleman Jason T. Beleren. He drew Ian T. Pirouet actually infinite cards, which provided all the answers. I disagree with this decision to keep in Jace as I have many ways of dealing with him but unfortunately I didn't draw any because I am really bad at Magic. I would be angry but I like Faeries and I like Ian T. Piroeut as he is cuddly like a bear. So yeah.

Rob Elkin writes...

So I kept a fine hand, but with no Force of Will, after all you can't always draw it... My opponent on the play makes City of Brass, Crop Rotated it into a Strip Mine, tapped it to play Mana Vault and used that to play Crucible of Worlds. Thanks DCI for the unrestrcitions. I like having no lands.

Finalist, winner, and last decklists

FINALIST

Peter Dun's “Lark”

3 Path to Exile

3 Broken Ambitions

2 Negate

4 Cryptic Command

12 spells

4 Knight of the White Orchid

2 Mistmeadow Witch

3 Plumeveil

4 Mulldrifter

3 Wall of Reverence

3 Sower of Temptation

4 Reveillark

23 creatures

4 Fieldmist Borderpost

8 Island

5 Plains

4 Mystic Gate

4 Adarkar Wastes

25 creatures

60 spells

SB:

4 Meddling Mage

4 Windborn Muse

4 Glen Elendra Archmage

1 Austere Command

1 Path to Exile

1 Sower of Temptation

WINNER

Carlos Moral's “Porridge Revisited”

4 Mistbind Clique

4 Scion of Oona

3 Spellstutter Sprite

3 Sower of Temptation

14 spells

4 Bitterblossom

4 Cryptic Command

4 Agony Warp

3 Peppersmoke

3 Thoughtseize

2 Jace Beleren

1 Loxodon Warhammer

21 spells

1 Faerie Conclave

3 Swamp

3 Underground River

4 Secluded Glen

4 Sunken Ruins

4 Mutavault

6 Island

25 lands

60 cards

SB:

3 Infest

3 Flashfreeze

3 Puppeteer Clique

3 Deathmark

1 Plumeveil

1 Jace Beleren

1 Thoughtseize

Semifinalists + decklists

Marco Orsini Jones

4 Spellstutter Sprite

4 Scion of Oona

4 Mistbind Clique

1 Sower of Temptation

13 creatures

4 Bitterblossom

4 Cryptic Command

4 Agony Warp

4 Broken Ambitions

2 Thoughtseize

2 Remove Soul

2 Jace Beleren

22 spells

4 Sunken Ruins

4 Secluded Glen

4 Mutavault

3 Underground River

3 Swamp

6 Island

1 Faerie Conclave

25 lands

60 cards

SB:

3 Deathmark

2 Flashfreeze

1 Loxodon Warhammer

1 Jace Beleren

2 Thoughtseize

3 Puppeteer Clique

2 Plumeveil

1 Sower of Temptation

Guy Southcott's “UW Reveillark”

4 Mind Stone

4 Cryptic Command

4 Path to Exile

4 Wrath of God

16 spells

4 Reveillark

4 Kitchen Finks

4 Mulldrifter

3 Sower of Temptation

2 Glen Elendra Archmage

4 Meddling Mage

21 creatures

4 Arcane Sanctum

4 Adarkar Wastes

4 Mystic Gate

6 Plains

5 Island

23 lands

60 cards

SB:

3 Windborn Muse

2 Pithing Needle

3 Plumeveil

2 Negate

2 Jace Beleren

2 Paladin en-Vec

1 Austere Command

Quarterfinalists + decklists

QUARTERFINALISTS

Ben Scoones' “The Jundernaut”

4 Reflecting Pool

4 Savage Lands

4 Vivid Marsh

2 Treetop Village

4 Twilight Mire

2 Graven Cairns

2 Swamp

2 Mountain

24 lands

3 Thoughtseize

3 Magma Spray

4 Maelstrom Pulse

3 Jund Charm

1 Volcanic Fallout

2 Primal Command

1 Incendiary Command

17 spells

4 Putrid Leech

3 Sygg, River Cutthroat

4 Boggart Ram-Gang

4 Anathemancer

4 Bloodbraid Elf

19 creatures

60 cards

SB:

4 Kitchen Finks

3 Snakeform

3 Infest

2 Puppeteer Clique

1 Volcanic Fallout

2 Deathmark

Michael Parker's “The Gin Sharks”

4 Seismic Assault

3 Bituminous Blast

1 Deny Reality

2 Primal Command

10 spells

4 Swans of Bryn Argoll

4 Bloodbraid Elf

8 creatures

4 Cascade Bluffs

1 Vivid Marsh

4 Spinerock Knoll

4 Fire-Lit Thicket

3 Treetop Village

2 Rugged Prairie

1 Battlefield Forge

2 Graven Cairns

1 Karplusan Forest

1 Island

1 Mountain

1 Shivan Reef

2 Mutavault

4 Vivid Crag

4 Reflecting Pool

3 Vivid Creek

4 Vivid Grove

42 lands

60 cards

SB:

3 Enlisted Wurm

1 Primal Command

3 Maelstrom Pulse

3 Cryptic Command

2 Captured Sunlight

3 Wrath of God

Daniel Gardner

4 Bloodbraid Elf

4 Swans of Bryn Argoll

8 creatures

4 Seismic Assault

2 Ad Nauseum

1 Bituminous Blast

2 Captured Sunlight

2 Primal Command

11 spells

1 Mountain

2 Battlefield Forge

2 Cascade Bluffs

4 Fire-Lit Thicket

2 Ghitu Encampment

4 Graven Cairns

4 Reflecting Pool

4 Rugged Prairie

4 Spinerock Knoll

4 Treetop Village

4 Vivid Crag

4 Vivid Grove

1 Vivid Marsh

1 Vivid Meadow

41 lands

60 cards

SB:

4 Countryside Crusher

2 Vexing Shusher

2 Wickerbough Elder

2 Aura of Silence

2 Maelstrom Pulse

1 Bituminous Blast

2 Wrath of God

Shifeng Teng's “Nicol Bolas”

4 Vivid Creek

4 Vivid Meadow

1 Vivid Crag

1 Vivid Marsh

4 Reflecting Pool

1 Plains

2 Island

2 Exotic Orchard

1 Crumbling Necropolis

1 Mystic Gate

1 Sunken Ruins

1 Fetid Heath

1 Cascade Bluffs

1 Adarkar Wastes

25 lands

1 Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker

1 Jace Beleren

1 Liliana Vess

2 Ajani Vengeant

4 Cryptic Command

4 Broken Ambitions

3 Esper Charm

3 Path to Exile

2 Volcanic Fallout

1 Hallowed Burial

1 Maelstrom Pulse

1 Wrath of God

1 Obelisk of Alara

2 Negate

27 spells

1 Ethersworn Adjudicator

1 Broodmate Dragon

1 Wall of Reverence

1 Plumeveil

2 Wall of Denial

3 Mulldrifter

9 creatures

61 cards

SB:

2 Runed Halo

1 Austere Command

1 Glen Elendra Archmage

1 Infest

1 Story Circle

1 Double Negative

1 Jace Beleren

1 Scepter of Fugue

1 Identity Crisis

1 Path to Exile

2 Thoughtseize

1 Volcanic Fallout

1 Wild Ricochet

End of Swiss update

Carlos Moral writes...

Hello, my name is Carlos and I am a Spanish exchange student that happens to be very happy to say that I will be playing in the Top 8 for this tournament. It happens to be the last one I will play in my stay, mainly because I will go back to Spain on Wednesday. David, the Head Judge, told me to write something for the blog during the last round while I wasn't playing... fair enough. The problem is I didn't know what to write about. That was until I saw judges pulling two players apart out of their seats after a deck check, separately, only for both players to tell the judges the same thing: That's not my deck!

After a couple funny faces from the judges... Head Judge David Lyford-Smith said the funny words... SWAP PEOPLE!

The rest of the deck check was handled normally; there were some penalties because of some issue with at least one of the lists, but that's maybe something a judge should tell you about.

So until the next time...wish me luck for the top 8!

HJ's note: the problem arose as the player's decks were very similar and each sideboard had ended up with the wrong player's deck. Hence we had problems identifying which deck was which!

Iain Shepherd writes...

Well, the last round is over and after starting feeling sick and quickly slipping to a 0-2 record I recovered my dignity and finish 4-2 after playing Fog, Elves, 5CC and finally Elves! (combo) which is nice =D Bring on Southampton next week!

R5 update

Quick update here:

Cyrus Bales' Time Sieve decklist, though down on the 2-3 bracket, did a super impressive play in R5. Time was called, and he managed to take all five of the extra turns, and then used Tezzeret to take it home!

Here's his list:

4 Time Sieve

4 Chromatic Star

4 Elsewhere Flask

4 Howling Mine

4 Kaleidostone

4 Mind Stone

4 Etherium Sculptor

3 Tezzeret the Seeker

3 Rings of Brighthearth

3 Font of Mythos

1 Sculpting Steel

1 Thopter Foundry

4 Mistvein Borderpost

4 Fieldmist Borderpost

2 Veinfire Borderpost

4 Swamp

8 Island

SB: 2 Thopter Foundry

2 Pithing Needle

2 Platinum Angel

2 Inkwell Leviathan

4 Tempest of Light

3 Hurkyl's Recall

Judge William K writes...

In response to Anathemancer's Unearth ability, the player plays Cryptic Command - to return his own nonbasic land, survive the turn, and win!

Iain Shephard writes...

2-2, bringing it back. Bitterblossom is pretty tech apparently...

Judge Kevin H writes...

Seismic Swans player needs the last card in his library in order to win... uh oh.

Aaron Ansell writes...

When you're on 1 and need the 14th land for the Banefire win, don't tap your Adarkar Wastes to play Path to Exile.

Judge Stelios K writes...

Interesting situation arose when Player A claimed his opponent had one extra card in his deck after sideboarding. This turned out to be true and after dispensing a Game Loss for Deck/Decklist Mismatch got the HJ to have a quiet word.

HJ's comment: It turned out the player had made a last minute change to his sideboard and left a card that was cut from the deck in his box. This lead him to believe he had 15 cards in the sideboard, and therefore 60 main, when he started shuffling. Just one of the many pitfalls of carrying extra cards in your deckbox!

Elijah Hemmingway-Brown writes...

More warnings for Slow Play at PTQ level. Slow Play hurts; I am a nice guy, too nice for my own good sometimes when I should call a judge and be hard. Raargh!

R3 update

Judge William K writes...

Time Sieve has won a game. Come on [deck designer] Cyrus Bales, keep up the crazy!

Ben Diesel writes...

Well, just won my last match. Opening hand of 2 Treetops, 2 Mutavaults, 2 Gilt-Leaf Palace, and a Llanowar Wastes. His first play? "Thoughtseize." *reveals hand* "Oh, that's weird. I guess I take 2!" Win for Team Diesel!

Iain Shephard writes...

1-2 boo, guess not sleeping last night didn't pay off! Also, Transformers (why I didn't sleep) is rubbish, don't go watch it!

Judge Kevin H writes...

Sieve player: "Swing for 65?"

Opponent: "Me or Ajani?"

A win for Time Sieve!

Aaron Ansell writes...

Bye! Oh yeah! And on the seventh day, God created Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker, and my opponent's head asplode!

HJ update: Metagame breakdown time!

Bloodbraid aggro decks: 7

Elves: 6

Faeries: 5

5CC: 3

Kithkin: 3

B/W Tokens: 3

Doran: 3

Bant: 2

U/W Lark: 2

Cascade Swans: 2

And a lot of other decks with only one player.

Judge William K writes...

I'm on lunch break now. For the next 25 minutes, I am not a judge; I am a man with a hunger for bagel. Om nom nom.

Mike Parker writes...

Predicted to lose next round. Expect to Top32 or Top64.

Chris Cooper writes...

Realm Razer is surprisingly good. Yeah!

HJ update: 10 players on 6 points going into round 3. Our first Game Loss given that round : (

R1 update from PTQ Reading

Rob Elkin writes:

A Thirst for Knowledge walks into a bar, and the barman says "Where are your friends?"

HJ update: 45 players and 6 Swiss rounds. The actual blue envelope is a popular choice!

Judge William K writes...

Time Sieve spotted on the tournament floor. I wonder how that deck will fare.

Update: Time Sieve loses in Round 1. There're still five more rounds...

Judge William K writes...

It turns out that if Alice activates Putrid Leech and then during the same turn Bob gains control of it, Bob can't activate it that turn.

From the floor:

Stack damage? What stack damage?

HJ update: Only 2 warnings for decklist penalties, and no game losses. Very happy!

Episode Twelve - A Public The Rack Enquiry

Hi there,

So we're back again, with news of some new M10 cards, as well as a review of Pro Tour: Honolulu, and some advice for players approaching standard PTQ's.

The Gamer's Podcast Team

Episode Eleven - The Sky is Falling!!!

Episode 11 of The Gamer's Podcasts sees us discussing the new raft of changes that Magic 2010 will bring in this summer. We have all the news and views that you'll be needing to hear about!

The Gamer's Podcast Team