And just like that…YetiCon 2.0 has officially concluded with a bang!

This year, the Rocky Mountain Yetis held a 3-day event, spanning Friday through Sunday offering various outlets for everyone’s nerdy needs including multiple cube draft opportunities, Atlantic Old School, Orb flipping, Pre-Modern and Sorcery.

We were joined by many other old school clubs including: Beasts of the Bay, Gaea’s Gang, SoCal Deep Spawners, Don’s Goblin Raiders, The Burque Balloon Brigade, The Burning Mountain Juggernauts, New England Old School, Sin City Fallen Angels and the St. Louis River Merfolk. Many of our attendees travelled from across the country and we are so thankful for their dedication!

Friday Cube Night:

We held our first event of the weekend at Enchanted Grounds in Littleton Colorado, a fantasy themed coffee shop and game store, where nine Yeti’s came together to draft the Dominaria Cantos powered old frame cube provided by Brandon McGill.

I made sure to pre-game at DonJuan’s across the street and came fully loaded on sub-par margarita and chips n salsa.

Games were epic and red burn took the trophy!

Brandon had made several changes to the cube to tighten up the power band and all of the games across the set were very close.

I drafted a mono red, 2 for 1 build, featuring pyroclasm, pyrotechnics, flametongue kavu and more with the hopes that my board clearing cards would net me card advantage. Great games all!

Saturday Main Event: YetiCon 2.0

Saturday kicked off our main event. YetiCon 2023 saw 34 participants in the main event with a wide variety of decks both spicey and spikey. We enjoyed five full rounds of straight swiss Atlantic Old School Magic action followed by a break out to Top 4.

David Merriam took first on ‘The Deck’ with Joe “Yeti” Nash finishing in second jamming an amazing variant of Robots.

SPICE OVERLOAD:
Brand McGill put together an epic tale of spice which accompanied his deck in perfect harmony!

Featured Card: Big Thanks to the Simpson brother’s for another year of creativity with their killer copy of Casa/City of Brass. As with all YetiCon events, these cards are legal to use at YetiCons moving forward.

We enjoyed early day snacks, copious amounts of beer drinking, a buffet style barbeque spread complete with a wide variety of sauces (cranberry?), and late night cheapy pizza.

Overall, the event ran smoothly and everyone seemed happy.

Best Wife: Massive thanks to my wonderful wife Sara who not only puts up with my hobbies, but supports them. Without her this tournament would not be possible in this way. She is truly the anchor and a cornerstone of YetiCon and I am forever grateful for her efforts, even if she is riding on no sleep and a crazy work week the days prior. Love you dear!

Lazy Sunday Premodern:

Sunday concluded our event with a lazy morning pre-modern bash. Hosted by Kyle Blankenship, some of our Yetis stumbled back to our event space to have some oatmeal stouts (breakfasty right?) and sling some slightly more modern cards. Event attendees were met with a sweet treat and plenty of action. Suicide black took down the event running plenty of zombie horrors and wretches to make everyone happy.

Guest Artist:

I want to say “Thank you very much” to Margaret Organ-Kean for joining us this year at YetiCon. Margaret was truly a champion and powered through two full days of excitement. I don’t think Margaret would have stopped working had we not called for a break to allow her to eat and relax. I was able to spend some time with Margaret on Sunday, to learn more about her, her past, and gain some insight behind her artistic works. I was happy to learn that Dwarven Pony was not in fact named Bill, but rather modeled after her pony from childhood named “Smokey”. Margaret even kicked in an original artwork for us to auction off during our raffle. Thank you so very much for your support Margaret, we would love to have you back!

Charity and Donations: Together, we were able to raise over $1700 from the event, and through the generosity of the WWP’s partner programs we were able to double it! We officially raised $3460 blowing last year’s total out of the water, for the Wounded Warrior Project!!! 

This charity provides a variety of veteran programs and services and we are thrilled to be able to contribute to their cause. We are honored to support this charity and are truly humbled at how the old school community came together to support our veterans.

I want to thank everyone who contributed to our raffle this year including our friends from across the world:

Mario “Merhans” – Germany

Joe Yeti Nash – Beasts of the Bay

Jason Mills – STL River Merfolk

Brian Urbano – SoCal Deep Spawners

Nich “Slum” – OS Guildhouse

James Portello – Sin City Fallen Angels

Brian Vegso – Sin City fallen Angels

Zach Olin – RMY

David “Derfington” Lee

Sam Morreale

Chris Drake

Forrest Yang

Sara Miller

Tim Moran – Hartford Hydras & NEOS

Luis Dominguez – Borque’s Balloon Brigade

Anson and Brenda Maddocks

Drew Tucker

Jeff Watkins – Burning Mountain Juggernauts

Tommy Ripper – Burning Mountain Juggernauts

Justin Shrank – RMY

Margaret Organ-Kean for the amazing auction/original art!

The Rocky Mountain Yetis for everything you do and everyone else who contributed!!!

Final Standings: After 5 rounds straight swiss

Rounds 1-5 plus top 4:

Huge Shoutout to Cory for putting these videos together, editing, and providing such amazing event coverage!!! You win the ‘Cooler’ ist Guy award!!

Deck Photos: (names appear in image caption once clicked)

Picture dump!!!

ORB BLOW CONTEST:

A tradition at YetiCon is to hold the annual orb flipping, or as demonstrated this year, Orb Blowing contest. Last year’s winner, Brian Urbano, got to decide how we ‘flipped’ and to honor his love for Sorcery, we were instructed to blow our orbs off our hands at a reasonable height in an attempt to hit our target.

This year’s Orb Flip Champ was David Daniel! See you next year! Make sure to get that orb altered !

If you asked me 3 years ago if I would be planning, organizing, hosting, and running an old school magic charity event every year, I would have laughed. If you had told me the Yetis have raised over $5,000 in charitable contributions in just two years I would not have believed you. YetiCon has become an annual event that I look forward to despite all the work that goes into it. It’s a chance to reconnect with old friends, meet new people, forge new relationships and enjoy a day of magic without the stresses of the outside world. I have no idea what the future holds for YetiCon, but I am very thankful for the people that have been brought together as a result, and I am even more proud of the people the Yetis have been able to help. Until next year?

I love spice decks and I believe one of the things that drew me to MTG at the beginning was the ability of my cards to tell a story. I built my YetiCon 2.0 deck to tell a story. This, is that story… Enjoy! (Or else..)

PART 1: THE DISCOVERY

In the heart of the kingdom of Dominaria, nestled between towering mountains and rolling hills, lay the unassuming village of Keldar. Its residents were humble miners, toiling away in the dark depths of the earth, seeking precious gems and metals to sustain their simple lives. The villagers believed that the mine would bring unimaginable wealth and prosperity to their burgeoning hamlet. They had attacked the earth with ferocity, trying to uncover all the secrets that lay hidden beneath their homes for thousands of years. And wealth did come.

Priceless artifacts of archeological interest were uncovered. Amazing devices that would mimic whatever tools they touched, jewels that sparkled even when the sky was overcast and the mirror that bore no reflection…. The mirror was what drew miners to the village from across the land to discover what purpose it served and why it had been buried deep within the earth. For months, hands passed across the mirror, words spoken at the opaque glass, and rituals performed to deduce the secrets that it possessed. These efforts were to no avail; the mirror remained, cold and menacing, a constant temptation to those with idle hands.

Among these miners was a man named Thrain, known for his determination and unyielding spirit. One fateful day, Thrain uncovered a hidden chamber in the mine, concealed behind layers of rock. In the center of the chamber, he discovered the mysterious mirror surrounded by five radiant stones. The stones shimmered with magical energy, their colors reflecting the power they held.

Intrigued by the allure of the stones, Thrain couldn’t resist picking them up. As he held the moxen, an unnatural compulsion urged him to insert each one into the dais embedded in the mirror. The jet, in particular, seemed to have a will of its own as it guided Thrain’s hand. The moment he placed the stone onto the pedestal of the mirror, it rippled with dark energy and the cavern went black. Thunder crashed in his ears and a roar bellowed from beyond deafening him and sending him to his knees, unable to release the stone. As the darkness peeled away, Thrain beheld giant leathery wings unfolding around what looked like the insides of a living corpse. The muscle and tissue were sinewy and gleamed with a slick, oily ooze that emphasized even the most subtle movements the beast made. Bone and tissue cracked and popped as the demon unfolded his limbs and stared straight into Thrain’s soul. He could feel the beady eyes bore past his flesh as wiry tongue licked the fangs that lacked lips to cover them, showing every inch of bone and gingival tissue that held them in place.

A voice, even louder than the thunder that sent Thrain to his knees roared across his entire body.

“My summoning begins your debt, mortal. Open the portal and receive my gifts of destruction and death!”

Thrain quivered, crippled with fear. He willed his hands to release the stone, but it stayed firmly grasped between his hands. Tears began to stream down his face, burning his cheeks and he continued to struggle against his hold on the stone.

Smoky hands emerged from the ripples of the mirror pulling the undulating surface apart revealing a wasteland of fire and stone. Small black fiends danced around the rocks as shapeless, wispy forms began to leave the mirror and drift into the finds room. A shadow lumbered closer to the threshold of the mirror and as it came closer, it grew. Each step sounded like bones being ground to dust as the figure stepped through the mirror and entered the room.

Thrain looked up in horror, trembling from fear and pain. The figure wore a long black robe with gold symbols flowing up down the edges, changing shape and contour as the fabric shifted around its wearer. The face was a dark pool of blackness, features concealed completely by the edge of the hood which hung over the face of what lay beneath. With a flick of long gnarled fingers with nails sharpened into diabolical points, the hood was removed revealing a set of burning yellow eyes that sat like pools of molten gold. Twisted horns protruded from the crown of its head and a smug look of condescension curled the corners of its mouth downward. He extended his hand slowly toward Thrain, his palm open and his fingers spread wide. As the demon began to speak, Thrain could feel his mind twisting around the words that came from his lips.

“Chattel, I am Vorath. Life is ephemeral. We are eternal. Rise and prepare to serve the Lord a never-ending feast of flesh.” 

PART 2: THE HERO

It is odd to think that darkness can emanate in the same way light can. The darkness from the cavern spread across everything. The ground, the air, those that the wisping spirits grasped and sent screaming into an unknown abyss. It did not take long for those fleeing the intervention to find those that mattered to them. People spread like wildfire from the base of the mine, taking whatever they could pack into the nearest vessel and fleeing the darkness that was spreading, like a pool of hot molasses engulfing all that it touched.

Elara felt drawn toward the center of the morass. She knew that unspeakable evil dwelled within but could not find the ambition to turn and flee the way the others had. Instead, she took shelter in an alcove, transfixed by the planar shift around her. The screams of his neighbors and friends being plunged into what he assumed was eternal darkness sent chills down his spine every time she watched one of them get lifted off the ground and disappear into a slit that was somehow darker than the essence spreading across outward from the mine. It was disconcerting watching them try and claw their way back into the world as they disappeared slowly and what was certainly painfully into the void.

After a while, the screaming stopped and a deathly quiet filled the void that once been the busy mine. Breathing in courage, she slowly crept toward the sanctum seeking a clear view into the theater of evil that was unfolding.

Standing in the center of the room a horned demon stood towering over the miner. He looked deeply in pain and unable to truly fathom the predicament he now found himself in. The demons’ lips moved, but not words came out. He extended his hand and mechanically, the miner rose to his feet and locked his gaze into the demons’ golden eyes. He drew a book from the sleeve of his robe, bound in hide from some unknown horror and opened the yellowing pages slowly. As the book opened fully, a small dome of impossibly bright light rose from the parchment, the glare causing the miners’ features to curl in pain although he seemed unable to close his eyes. As the light melted away, a black flower, perfectly formed as if sculpted from glass replaced it, floating above the book, suspended in perfection. Elara could feel her fingers tingling as he fought the desire to reach out and try to touch it.

The demon looked to Thrain lying broken at his feet. Once again he spread his fingers wide and raised his palm murmuring silently. The body of the miner rose slowly and mechanically once again and took pained steps to join his master once again. Once returned, the demon turned on his heel and strode toward the exit of the mine. The remaining walls shook with the threat of a cave in sending Elara scrawling back to stay out of sight. The sanctum sagged as the demon, the miner and the orb emerged from the mine moving toward the edge of town, the mist bound wraiths following them circling overhead in swoops and dives. 

With their departure, Elara’s compulsion to return to the sanctum once again surged through her body. She did not know what, or why, but something was demanding of him to find to find it. As she clambered over the rubble, she began to push away the earth and debris. He scooped away rubble until the gleam of her compulsion was drawing him toward began to shine through the wreckage. She pulled the oversized pearl free from the ground and held it out feeling a renewed sense of purpose as energy seemed to flow into her from the stone.

Compulsion gripped her once again as he saw the image of an opaque mirror pass through his consciousness and the knowing feeling that it too was still within the wreckage of the sanctum. She placed the pearl carefully down and began to rummage for her second find. The mirror was covered with rubble and it took Elara what felt like an eternity to finally clear it all away. Once the mirror was revealed, just like the pearl, it showed no signs of damage from the destruction of the mine and Elara could have sworn that it projected a dull white glow that seemed to intensify as she got closer to uncovering it. As she finished, he stood over the mirror wiping dirt and sweat from her brow wondering how she was going to lift the artifact back up by herself. The frame looked as though it was carved from solid stone, or textured metal, or…. His thoughts drifted as he took in the enormity of the mirror and the intricate frame that housed it.

Entranced, she reached down and pulled with all her strength to return the mirror to its standing position. To her amazement, the mirror returned upright with little effort, and she stepped away feeling the pull between the pearl behind her and the mirror in front of her. She retrieved the pearl and stepped forward holding it outstretched, offering it to the mirror.  A round, tear drop shaped pedestal unfolded from the frame of the mirror and it accepted the pearl gently and light blasted from every contour on the frame and the glass turned from opaque to a brilliant white. Horns sounded and the glass pulled apart like a curtain being drawn to reveal a celestial stage. Two luminous eyes, blue and gigantic—their retinas piercing and discerning. They looked out of no face, but, instead, from a luminous white shadow that seemed to delicately wend and wane as the eyes took her in.

“Let no child be without a sword. We will all fight, for if we fail, we will certainly all die.” 

PART 3: THE JOURNEY

Elara felt an otherworldly force guiding her forward. The mirror rippled with energy as a figure materialized—a Serra Emissary with wings that shimmered like silver. The emissary’s presence exuded an aura of divine purpose, and its eyes, pools of radiant light, met Elara’s with a silent understanding.

“Elara,” spoke the emissary, its voice a melodic whisper that resonated with ancient wisdom, “I am a servant of Serra, and I have been sent to guide you to the Library of Alexandria. There, you will find the knowledge and power needed to stand against the impending darkness.”

With those words, the emissary extended a hand, and Elara, driven by a sense of duty and the urgency of the situation, accepted the guidance. The two figures stepped through the enchanted mirror, traversing a plane that existed between realms. The journey felt both surreal and timeless, with glimpses of distant landscapes and celestial bodies passing by like fleeting dreams.

As they approached the Library of Alexandria, exiting the portal, Elara marveled at the grandeur of the ancient structure. The library stood as a testament to a bygone era, its architecture blending seamlessly with the surrounding magical energies. Towers of ivory and gold reached towards the heavens, and the air was filled with the scent of aged parchment and the faint echoes of forgotten spells.

The emissary led Elara through ornate corridors adorned with tapestries depicting battles fought and victories won by champions of old. They ascended grand staircases, their steps echoing in the vast chambers, until they reached the heart of the library—a sanctum where the most sacred tomes were housed.

In the center of the atheneum, bathed in a soft, celestial glow, lay the Barrin’s Codex. An immense book bound in ethereal materials, its pages whispered with the accumulated wisdom of centuries. The emissary gestured towards the codex, its wings folding gracefully.

“Elara, within the Codex lies the knowledge you seek. Learn the ancient arts, for you are destined to forge defenses against the impending darkness. Factories consecrated by priests shall be your bulwark, and artifacts that can assume any form at will, created with divine guidance, shall be your weapons.”

Elara approached the Codex, her fingers brushing delicately against its pages. As she began to study the ancient texts, a flood of arcane knowledge surged through her. The Codex revealed secrets of magical craftsmanship, the intricacies of consecration rituals, and the art of creating indestructible constructs.

With newfound understanding, Elara set to work. The factories of Keldar became sanctuaries of divine craftsmanship. Priests consecrated the tools, and skilled artisans and assembly workers channeled their magic into the creation of artifacts. These tools were crafted in abundance, each a replication of the divine creations described in the Codex.

The Library of Alexandria, once a silent witness to the passage of time, now echoed with the sounds of labor and purpose. Elara’s vision took shape as her fellow villagers rallied behind her. The sanctified factories, assembly workers and forged artifacts would form the backbone of their defense against the impending demonic onslaught.

Armed with the knowledge and power granted by the Library of Alexandria, Elara and her fellow defenders prepared for the inevitable clash with the demonic forces rampaging through the countryside. The consecrated factories glowed with divine energy, and the constructs stood tall and resolute. The stage was set for the confrontation that would determine the fate of Dominaria—a battle that would unfold amidst the ruins of Keldar and leave an indelible mark on the history of the once-thriving kingdom.

PART 4: THE BATTLE UNFOLDS

The once-vibrant fields of Keldar now echoed with the groans of the undead and the clashing of magical energies. Elara, wielding the power of the Mox Pearl, led her defenders against Vorath’s demonic hordes. The air was thick with tension as spells illuminated the darkened sky, each casting a glimpse of hope or despair.

Elara’s factories, consecrated by priests, stood resilient against the onslaught. They replicated themselves, forming an unyielding wall that held back the tide of zombies. The Assembly Workers, enchanted by skilled mages produced constructs that rivaled the strength of the demonic minions. The Library of Alexandria, surrounded by an aura of ancient magic, provided a sanctuary for the defenders to regroup and strategize.

On the other side, Vorath reveled in the chaos he had unleashed. His demonic form towered over the battlefield; arms spread wide. The jet embedded in his flesh pulsed with malevolent energy, amplifying his power. The Abyss, now a swirling vortex of corruption, consumed everything in its path, and the Orb cleaved a path of destruction consuming everything in its path.

The clash between good and evil intensified, casting a surreal spectacle upon the war-torn landscape. Lightning bolts crackled through the air, fireballs erupted in bursts of flame, and the ground quaked beneath the weight of powerful creatures. The fate of Dominaria hung in the balance as each side fought with desperation.

In the midst of the chaos, a lone figure emerged—the miner Thrain, now a mere husk under Vorath’s control. His vacant eyes reflected the malevolence of the demon who had enslaved him. Vorath, sensing an opportunity, directed Thrain to the front lines. The enslaved miner swung a twisted pickaxe, infecting those he struck with a dark curse that turned them into even more formidable undead minions.

Elara, witnessing the tragic transformation of her fellow villagers, felt a surge of determination. She raised the Mox Pearl high, channeling its pure energy to counter the darkness that threatened to consume her people. The consecrated factories glowed with an ethereal light, their indestructible forms pushing back against the relentless advance of Vorath’s forces.

As the battle raged on, a rift in the fabric of reality began to form, a consequence of the immense magical energies colliding. The very land itself seemed to rebel against the forces that sought to control it. Cracks appeared, and torrents of wild mana erupted, adding an unpredictable element to the already tumultuous battlefield.

PART 5: THE UNRAVELLING CATACLYSM

The forces of good and evil clashed, their powers reaching a crescendo. Vorath, sensing the impending cataclysm, unleashed a final, desperate gambit. The demon’s lips moved, bereft of sound, and the miner’s hands reached out to remove the glass flower from the pages of his tome and raised it above his head. The demon lifted his eyes to the sky and bellowed a silent incantation, Elara could almost see the words roaring from his lips causing reality to quiver. As he finished his spell he looked back down at the miner and as soon as their eyes met, he opened his hands letting the lotus fall. Time seemed to stop as the flower dragged itself toward the ground. When it hit the earth, the sound was deafening. It shattered into an explosion of light throwing the miner back into a crumpled heap at the base of the wall. The ground slowly began to crack and from the gash rose a sphere of pure terror. As its diameter rose, the objects in the room began to move toward it, melting into its rocky carapace as they struck. The sphere continued to grow larger, its crevices widening and emanating a blood red glow that reflected at impossible angles as it began to rotate slowly, coming to a stop in front of the demon. Two slits opened slowly revealing two embers burning brightly as eyes and a jagged crevasse widened into a demonic smile as magma frothed from its maw.

 The orb hovered in the air, and charged with devastating power.

Elara, recognizing the imminent danger, marshaled her remaining forces. The defenders rallied around her, their determination unwavering. In a desperate bid to counter the Chaos Orb, Elara tapped into the deepest reservoirs of mana within the Mox Pearl. The artifact glowed with an intensity that surpassed anything seen before.

The clash of energies unleashed a shockwave that rippled across the battlefield. Reality itself seemed to warp and twist as the opposing magical forces collided. The Chaos Orb, unable to contain the overwhelming energy, shattered into a million shards, each carrying a fraction of its destructive power.

The aftermath was catastrophic. The shattered remnants of the Chaos Orb scattered across the land, leaving behind pockets of volatile magic. The very ground quaked as mana surged uncontrollably. Elara’s defenders and Vorath’s minions were consumed by the unleashed energies, leaving only echoes of their once-mighty conflict.

In the wake of the cataclysm, the land lay in ruins. The once-prosperous kingdom of Dominaria was now scarred and desolate. The Library of Alexandria, once a beacon of knowledge, stood as a solitary monument amidst the wreckage. The moxen stones, depleted of their power, lay scattered and dormant.

As the survivors emerged from the rubble, the extent of the devastation became apparent. Villagers, once friends and neighbors, were lost to the chaos or transformed into twisted remnants of their former selves. Elara, holding the now-dim Mox Pearl, gazed upon the ruined landscape with a heavy heart.

The story of the Moxen’s enigma, the clash of good and evil, and the catastrophic aftermath would be passed down through generations—a cautionary tale of the dangers that lurk within the pursuit of unimaginable power. Dominaria, forever changed, faced the arduous task of rebuilding from the ashes of its own destruction.

This is a post that I have been thinking about for several months now and I have been somewhat afraid of reaching the day that I would write it and publish these thoughts to the group of friends that have become a large part of my life and have brought so much to it. On November 28th, I will be leaving this country permanently and moving back to Scotland with my wife any my daughter. We have thought about this decision off and on for a few years and never seriously gave it credence until several life changes happened in April this year.

There are a lot of really good reasons for us to make this move and overall, I am excited about the opportunity to return to the UK and live a very different life than I have become trapped in here in the US. Regardless of the number of good reasons to go, there has been one that has caused my heart to hurt every time I think about getting on the plane to Glasgow in a few weeks. That reason is the Rocky Mountain Yeti’s. For those of you reading this that don’t know the origin story, here it is:

When COVID hit in 2020 I had just moved back to Colorado from Southern California. I was giving up so many things in my life that had defined me as a person – 365 day motorcycle riding, lane splitting, surfing, the ocean, skating with successful adults at The Cove in Santa Monica, etc. Returning to Colorado was really exciting but at the same time had left a void in my that I wasn’t sure how to fill, and with COVID closing the world down, I had plenty of time to think about it. Enter my brother. When I left the US in 2004 to move to the UK the first time, I had left with him so many of my childhood possessions like my KoDT comics, my AD&D books and my Magic cards. Once I arrived back, he came over opened up his trunk and unloaded all of these memories that I had left behind back into my basement. As he closed the trunk and got ready to get back in his car he turned around and said, “oh yeah, I almost forgot, you left these here too.” He handed me a large box of Magic cards, nodded at me, got in his car, and drove away.

Having nothing to do, I opened the box and was overwhelmed by nostalgia as I looked at the cards I had spent so much time and money collecting and hiding from my parents as a kid. What do you do when you find yourself here? You build two decks and start playing the game again to see if you still remember how to play! Along the way alone in the basement I discovered the 93/94 format through Timmy Talks and other YouTube channels which showed me that I wasn’t the only one that still enjoyed playing with 90’s cardboard.

Fast forward to a few months later after we had moved into our new house in Parker, I was tired of playing with myself (pun intended) and wanted to see if anyone else wanted to play with me. Putting aside my disgust of social media, I posted what has become known as “the lonely hearts reddit post” and called for any fellow Coloradan’s that wanted to jam some games to come together.

This group today is the result of that reddit post and the people that came forward, interested in building a community, playing some games, and reliving an important part of their childhood have become my best friends. Each one of you has touched my life in a way that words cannot describe and I am terrified to leave that behind; but hopeful at the same time that I can possibly do this again and expand our footprint into Europe. We will be the largest international old school community, no question!

For those of you that have read this far, thank you for the memories and the joy that you have brought to my life over these last three years. You have made so many hard times bearable and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Now, on to the draft report!

This is every cube curator’s dream…. You have too many people showing up to draft your cube. This draft had 10 people drafting a 360 card cube. When I first began this journey, it was me and one to two other Yeti’s that got together to grid draft small parts of cubes we had created with the hope of building to a full pod.

After a year of consistnetly showing up, we have been firing one to two cube drafts every month across our groups multiple old school/premodern cubes with full pods each time. Watching this grow has been a labor of love and the group of people that have shown up consistently have shared some amazing times.

This draft was the last “official” draft that I organized in preparation for leaving the country. In this vein, a special draft requires a special cube. Growing up, the gold cards always seemed like such cool concepts yet I was either not skilled enough or not bold enough to really use them in a meaningful way. The same was true in my cube design up to this point. I never included many gold cards or eliminated them completely from my designs. With this cube, I set out to change that mindset. With that, I give you, the TLDR: Old Frame Gold Cube. This cube includes almost every gold card printed from Legends to Scourge and includes the modern old frame gold reprints.

Like many other gold cubes, each player starts with a Pillar of the Paruns in play (I had special old frame proxy versions made to fit the theme) and several color fixing lands to smooth out fixing. In short, drafting and playing this was a blast. I heard consistnetly things like:

“How have I never seen this card before?”
“I need to read that again.”
“That does what?”

This was truly an experience playing with cards that many of us, including myself, had never used or in some cases, had even seen before. The cube was set. the local LGS (shoutout to Enchanted Grounds for being amazing hosts) had our tables prepped, and people arrived. At this point, I ran into the best problem a cube curator has ever had, I had too many people show up. We had 10 people come out to draft a 360 card cube. I quickly made some mod decisions (cut packs down to 12 cards from 15) and each person had three lean packs (in the spirit of drafting Alliances back in the day) and we set off to create golden memories.

Da Decks:

Jim’s 3-0 Gold Stuff – Spirit Monger is a beast. Stormbind is also really good. Jim crushed it….. nothing else to say. I played Jim in the finals and my deck decided to become shy at the sight of Jim’s overwhelming presence of awesome. He took the day and earned the right to wear the crown.

Brandon’s 2-1 “I’ll Take That” – First draft of this cube and I went for a combo deck with Merieke Ri Berit that I didn’t even know I had until I started playing, lol. Brian was looking at my choices and said “oh did you draft a way to untap her?” I was confused for a moment as I read the card for the tenth time and then realized, oh wow, I have a ton of ways to use this! Thus, a combo deck was born!

Brian’s 2-1 Beat em and Bring em – Adun has always been one of my favorite gold creatures and Brian used him and some heavy beaters combined with choice removal to clear a path! Bartel was the first commander I used in 93/94 EDH and to this day, these cards are some of my favorites. I did not get to play Brian but watched the Sawback Manticore do some serious work.

Matt’s 2-1 Dromar’s Embrace – The latter Dragon Legends are bombs and Dromar + Spinal Embrace was MVP for Matt in this build. I think Dromar is the best of the Dragon legends of this set and I passed him while drafting looking for some cheaper threats. He turned out to be really good and next time, I won’t let him slip through my fingers.

Luke’s 2-1 Garth and Friends – Luke drafted some of the best OG legends including Stanng and Sol’Kanar and used helpful friends like Jacques to pump them up for battle! Luke was my first match and my deck was excited to stand and deliver. The quality of Luke’s threats was challenging to deal with, especially when they create duplicates of themselves so combat was very calculated each turn. Luke has kicked A LOT of ass every time he has come to the table to draft with us. I was really stoked to take him down in my opening match with him. Going to miss drafting with you, Luke!

Jared’s 1-2 Rampy Rampterton – Ramp is not very common in this environment and the fact that Jared pulled much of it together including The First Sliver cascade was impressive. The ability to get real threats out early is a real wincon in this cube. Jared focused on getting things out quick and drafted essentially all of the ramp options available.

Kevin’s 1-2 Cromat’s “Can’t Touch This” – Cromat + Iridescent Angel is a pretty potent combination when they both touch down together. You can always drop in a Half Dane to help! This deck was such a treat to watch come together. Once the angel landed, it was really hard to get through. Great draft strategy all around.

Justin’s 1-2 “Ladies Night” – Justin pulled together some powerful ladies for card draw and brute force with a few male flunkies to do the dirty work behind the scenes. Ladies night is a pernicious deed!

Starr’s 1-2 “Watch Me Multi-Spell!” Every turn, Starr was casting something or two somethings, it was a never ending hoard of 2/2s, the likes of which have never been seen in gold. Multi-spelling in this environment is a challenge but each turn I watched Starr tap a lot of mana and do multiple things. It was so cool to see someone break a common stereotype of the meta and do something consistently that is usually not possible.

Chad’s 0-3 Lord’s Lobotomy – Anytime I see Lord of the Tresserhorn cast, I get a warm fuzzy feeling. Especially as he picks my prime card from my hand and makes me get rid of it… I did not get to play Chad but I heard common things like, “oh great, more slivers…” which is pretty par for the course in his ability to make people vocally sound off their frustration with what he does to the board. I salute your special brand of salt, Chad!

TLDR: This was an all gold cube premodern (old frame) cube that was a blast. Next step, go find people to cube with in Scotland. LET’S GO!

Parting Shots: Game day images that show some of the games and the good times had!

The last paper cards I bought as a kid were Tempest. I’d been eyeing the new spoilers for weeks and this set had it all – big creatures, flashy spells, actual characters as cards. I took half my savings from my allowance to the game store and spent it on ten booster packs. Ten! I was balling. The store owner asked if my friend and I wanted to split a box but that was way out of our price range. This was the most I had ever spent on Magic and I couldn’t wait to have all the best cards for once. I ripped open those packs and marveled at the weirdness. I played with those cards non-stop until I stopped playing Magic altogether.

About the cube

This Tempest cube was my attempt a unique and ideal cube experience. Aesthetics is important to me so I wanted a consistent look. Ideally all the cards were from one era of art. I had played a friend’s Mirage cube and had a blast reminiscing back to an old environment. I decided to finally polish off the rough edges of a Tempest cube I had half put together and acquire the remaining cards. From my big money purchase in 1997 I already had a good start. I am pleased to say that I opened from packs half the cards in this cube back in the day.

When Mark Rosewater designed Tempest, he was trying to cram so much in that the set is jam packed with story cards, bizarre mechanics, and oodles of interactions. When I decided to put the cube together, the number one experience I wanted to make happen was make slivers great again. After a brief internal debate, I broke singleton and slotted cards into rarities of common, uncommon, and rare, with respectively three, two, and one of each. This let me play three Muscle Slivers but also get extra mileage out of Kindle, Wood Sage, and Lobotomy. You can see the cube list and top deck types here. Let’s get on to the draft today.

The players

1st place: Luke 3-0
Luke took down the day with an excellent Black/Red aggro deck. Tempest is known for being a fast environment with efficient beaters and ample burn. Luke’s deck did not disappoint. He snagged most of the burn that went round, but also played other bombs like Hatred, Rathi Dragon, and Furnace of Rath. He got in two kills with Hatred for the day, but Furnace of Rath never made an appearance.

My first match was against Luke. We both started fast with his Jackal Pups and my shadow Soltari Priests. Game 1 he couldn’t block my attackers and I couldn’t block his. His were a bit faster and with some burn, game 1 ended in a hurry. Game 2 I managed to stick an en-kor to hold off his assault while my priests sleuthed in again unobstructed for the win. 

Game 3, He played an early Fireslinger. I didn’t get any guys with protection from red so he could kill my whole army. I had a Kor Chant to take out his pinger but needed five mana to pull it off. I finally do, but it’s too late and he ends the game with two Kindles right at my face.

Luke goes on to blitz the rest of the competition and take home the trophy for the day. Well done!

2nd place: Brian 2-1
Brian drafted a strong Blue/Black deck with lots of countermagic, creature removal, and ways to bring things back. Cursed Scroll was too strong for Tempest Constructed and got banned, but here in cube it is A-Okay!

Here Brian is seen buying back a Forbid (again) to keep Luke’s Mogg Flunky alone and unable to attack. Luke ended up taking down this finals match but Brian is looking pretty good from this pic.

3rd place: Brandon 2-1
Brandon and I both wanted to draft monowhite today. He had some great suggestions on how to make white more powerful after the last time we drafted the cube together and we both wanted to try them out. He was more committed to it and ended up getting the powerhouse enchantments like Humility, Spirit Mirror, and Field of Souls. He put those to good use with the Helm of Possession to win games.

Humility + Spirit Mirror is a brutal combo that keeps your creatures coming back. You can see a commanding board state here with a lot of those white combo pieces coming together nicely.

4th place: Chad 1-2
I really wanted to see one person draft slivers and Chad proudly stepped up to the plate. He grabbed Sliver Queen early and after some debate if playing 5 colors in draft was too greedy, he did the right thing and went big with the Big One herself. His deck came together beautifully with all the right pieces and he had more slivers in his sideboard if he needed them.

He stomped me handily, attacking for 18 damage on the fifth turn. I had a Capsize in hand to survive one more turn and let me cast Dream Halls, but he had redundant Muscle Slivers and Heart Slivers that did me in.

Chad lived the dream and got the Queen into play. Pacifism and Shackles can’t stop this mean one from pumping out a brood of critters. He was set up to turbocharge her with Awakening to make even more little ones.

But Brandon was prepared, with one of the few answers for her. He snags her with Helm of Possession and he is the one pumping out baby slivers.

5th place: Me 1-2
Having only drafted this cube once, I really wanted to play monowhite. I also dreamed of playing Dream Halls. Dream Halls needs specific cards to work, but it should be lots of fun if I can pull it off. Pack 1 I open a Meditate, one of the key cards, and know I can’t pass up a chance at the combo. Pack 2 has nothing, so I pivot back to white weenie. I fail to ever make up my mind going back and forth, but with only six of us drafting today, I ended getting enough of each to build an okay version of each deck. I pick white weenie as my main but end up transforming into an entirely different deck for some of my games.

My white weenie played great and I was pretty happy with it. It was missing a few removal spells and a bit smoother curve that would have bumped it from just below average to just above. I only picked 22 white cards while drafting two decks at the same time, so I had to play 18 lands in the low-curve deck which bit me a bit. But I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

The real dream was pulling together this crazy combo deck. Dream Halls was declared the worst card in Stronghold by Inquest when the set came out but Zvi Mowshowitz built a top tournament deck using the now often-banned card. I love combo and pulling off something like this in cube is wholly satisfying. This version had almost every key piece. Evacuation boosts the deck quite a bit with the ability to play the two Scriveners again and draw eight more cards with Meditates, but I never saw it. It could have had a few more cheap answers in red or blue like Shock or Mana Leak, but you can’t have everything.

My last match against Starr I got to pull it off and play Dream Halls on turn five and win on the spot. I didn’t know if this deck would work in real life but it was just like I drew it up. I did try the combo earlier against Luke in a bonus match and despite landing Dream Halls, the Meditates didn’t draw me the cards I needed to keep going and he burned me out before I got to go again.

6th place: Starr 0-3
Starr is newer to our play group and started playing more than a decade after these cards were printed, so she was a trooper to come out and play this cube with us. She drafted a solid Blue/Red deck with good cards but today just wasn’t her day. She did halt my white deck with Propaganda in game 1. I had a bunch of pegasus tokens but they couldn’t attack because I’d sacrified my lands for more pegasus tokens. Her Mawcor and Searing Touch took them out anyway and then she could attack in for the kill.

Games 2 and 3 I tried out the Dream Halls combo and it worked well enough to take down the match for 5th place. Great games Starr! I’m so glad you made it out to play with us.

I love cubing. This is now a not so well kept secret. I got into old school playing constructed and since then, have leaned more and more into cubing as the primary way to get my cardboard fix. There is something truly Johnny about cubing; both from a cube construction perspective, a drafting perspective and a playing perspective. Whenever I have five hours to kill and seven other willing Yeti’s, cube is where I always end up.

My cube journey started with this very cube two years ago. My first ever draft that ended with me losing all my best cards to ante, going 0-3 and discovering that I had NO IDEA what I was doing, not to mention drafting a white/green deck that was terrible. At the end of that day after I was able to get out of the fetal position of self pity I told myself, “I need to get better at this.” My cube journey began and now, 10 cubes later, I can definitely say, this is the way to play Magic!

On to the event!

We had a full Yeti pod get together on Saturday for a draft of the Old School Ante Madness Cube. This is a 93/94 cube focused on how Magic was originally meant to be played… with gambling!

All players received a copy of Jeweled Bird which doubles as a five color mana rock and all ante cards were available to draft in the pool. The person with the most birds at the end gets to sign their bird!

Great games and a great afternoon for everyone! Thanks to MeH Games for hosting us and decks can be seen below:

Jim’s Control Deck Wins – 3-0 – The man of the hour. A beautiful deck photo and a hell of a deck. Counter magic, discard and beaters work well in old school!

Matt’s RB Damage – 2-1 – This deck worked really well and ended up in the finals. Turns out taking all the burn not only annoys other drafters but creates a really functional deck! Matt also dropped out of photography school after learning that setting up the shot is not his cup of tea.

My Erhnam, no Burn’Em – 2-1 – This deck was super fun. I missed all the burn thanks to Matt and didn’t realize Living Plain + Dwarven Catapult is a killer combo…. Learning still…. I was also excited to adopt a Lord of the Pit that my deck was fully able to cast because of the Jeweled Bird!

Brian’s BW – Ante + – 2-1 – Serra Angel is good.. who knew! Brian’s Lesson to Drafters: If someone asks if you want to concede to demonic attorney, you should….

Chad’s RG Salty Dog – 2-1 – Manabarbs caused some serious salt and really ended up making a lot of memories. Who thought, casting walls and watching your opponent kill themselves trying to attack around them is a viable strategy! This deck certainly picked up the Spice Award. Chat also scored his first winning record with the group this draft!

Starr’s UG Combat – 1-2 – This deck was a tribute to Starr’s improvement as an old school drafter! She has only drafted with us a few times and got her first match win this week! Flyers, removal and counters…. Beautiful!

Zach’s URB – 1-2 – Three colors with very limited fixing is always a challenge and losing strip mine to ante in the second match was tough!

Kevin’s White Weenie – 0-3 – Plenty of low to the ground threats and a huge deck size of 47! The new guys (first time drafter with us) finished with the usual record. Us grizzled OS veterans take no prisoners!

Jim’s Victory Bird. Not only 3-0 but also ended up with two birds!

Special rules for the playing Ante. Jeweled Bird got its place in the sun this weekend!

Stoked for the next draft at the end of September. The goal is to get at least three more in before I head across the pond!

Delta flight 776 from Denver to Boston was on time.  Departing DIA at 11:22am and arriving at Boston Logan at 5:30 pm.  Pete and I had coordinated logistics the day prior.  He was going to get to my house around 800, we’d drop my daughters off at their summer camp by 830 then head to the airport.  Would we park in economy lots or shuttle?  Difference was about $30 for the weekend and split between the two of us, we decided it was worth it to park economy and walk straight in from the parked car.  In between discussing parking options, we were still discussing the final build for our premodern decks.  We decided to run the same thing because we sped a lot of time discussing decks and have found it more efficient to debate single cards then an entire build.  About 4 weeks prior, it was settled we’d run Survival Infestation.  The red variant with Firestorm.  Pete tested a little bit and in discussing with Rob Hackney and Rich Shay, it was determined Firestorm was a great card and underplayed.  It wrecks Sligh, Goblins, and Elves which we figured would be prominent in the meta for the tournament.  Biggest point of contention with the deck was to run a main Necratog or Vampire Hounds.  We went back and forth and finally decided during the drive Necratog was the way to go.  It was a wincon, and the hounds were just another beater like Arrogant wurm.  (Spoiler alert, Necratog didn’t do anything for either of us).

Btw, Delta as an airlines is subpar.  Pete and I specifically booked aisle seats across from each other and when we get to the gate the gate person told us Pete had been moved.  He made a stink and they eventually put us in the same row.  He in the middle and me in the aisle.  They put some lady on the in the row with us who had made an issue that she “had to have an window.” 

As we’re landing, this lady starts talking to the both of us after not saying a word they entire 4 hour flight.  She was in her mid-40’s, fit, not unattractive, relationship status was complicated, has a dog and a cat, likes to ski Breckenridge, from Lakewood, has a masters in Psychology and was very worried about spending a weekend with children. She’s was going back to Boston for a college friend’s birthday party or something like that.  After getting her life story, she finally asks us what we are in town for.  Pete was opening his mouth when I blurt out, “GUYS WEEKEND, going to a baseball game and stuff…..gonna eat some seafood and drink beers.”  Don’t know what Pete was gonna say, but as y’all know explaining Magic to a random lady isn’t the easiest or the most fun thing to do. I’d had enough of her and was ready to not ever see her again.

Plane lands early and we Lyft to the Bostonian Hotel.  I won’t go into all of it, but I do not recommend this place.  Location is kindof cool, inside is a dump. Pete goes to check in and we decide some beers are needed since we’re now on vacation and need a buzz.  Fun fact about Boston, they don’t sell beers in convenience stores.  I wander around a two-block radius of the hotel and cannot find any booze to buy.  We’re running short on time and I’m getting anxious about finalizing the deck.  I got to the Bostonian’s bar and get four Miller lights unopened to take back to the room.  First loss of the weekend was paying $45 for 4 beers. We have a reservation at 730 for dinner which gives us an hour to break out the cards and play test the premodern deck a bit.  Pete brought The Rock and I brought mono blue Stiflenaught to test against the build.  Both aren’t great match ups, but it at least gives us a feel for what we need to do.  Big decision was that we each needed one Spiritmonger that we didn’t bring with us.  Agreed that in the morning we’d try to pick up a couple from a vendor.

I booked a reservation for two at Select Oyster Bar at 730.  We get there and the place is packed. It was very much our vibe, trendy, dimly lit and crowded with what seemed like locals.  The bartender greated the handsome older couple who came in behind us, which registered to me as regulars.  This was a good sign.  Food was excellent, service was great, drinks were strong and I strongly recommend to anyone to check that place out.  The blue crab salad was particularly tasty. 

After dinner, we wandered into A.T. O’Keefe’s an Irish bar right around the corner from the restaurant.  It was nice, clean, but kindof empty.  We each had a Guiness then Pete got ancy to get someplace with more action.  We head to some other Irish bar that Pete had found good reviews of and immediately regret our decision.  Place smells like whatever that disinfectant they use to clean up vomit with and is also kindof empty but with sadder people this time.  Drink one bottled beer then leave heading back to hotel.

We get Spiritmongers after one of the dealers gave to us for free after we bought two FBB Dibs off him.  Game 1 of the tournament, I immediately realize that I’m in for a long day.  This deck requires you to make quite a bit of decisions on timing, graveyard stacking, shuffling, and all that on top of figuring out what your opponent is trying to kill you with.  I was so flustered that match I can’t remember my opponent or what he was playing. I did win, so started 1-0 which was nice. It must have been something I had heard about before, I think…. Second match, I vividly remember, it was against Raymond Mitchell on Parralax combo.  That was something else, I generally knew Tide and Wave were really good but I didn’t totally understand how the combo worked.  Game 1 he did his thing, and I kindof got going then he looked over and said that he was about to remove all my permanents from the game.  Then we talked it over for a couple minutes and I conceded.  Apparently you’re not supposed to let him have replenish and at the time I thought two 4/4 Parallax Tide animated enchantments were gonna kill me.  Lost 0-2.  I’m 1-1 at this point and the day starts rolling by. Beers start being drunk around 1 and my nerves and memory are both dulled a bit. I get better at playing the deck and making quicker decisions which is helped by the booze.  I go on to beat another parallax deck, Stasis (Stasis doesn’t stand a chance against Zombie Infestaton) Sligh (didn’t get to firestorm any jackel pups which was a goal for the day) and something else. Did get an L later in the day by Joseph Freshwater who was super friendly and great to play against.  He was on the The Rock and I Cabal Therapy’d him terribly.  Piece of advice, if you’re every playing against the rock with an Infestation build, always start with Deed.  I ended the day 4-3 and my last opponent didn’t show up, so I ended 5-3.  Better than .500 which is always the goal.

Around round 6 Jared Miller starts texting Pete and I about meeting up for dinner.  He’s upstairs playing X-Point and I haven’t seen him all day. He’s starving and seemingly done with his tournament.  Tells us that 7 people want to come to dinner and needs to be seafood.  Pete and I confirm with Jared that we’ll figure out dinner later and throw out 830 for tentative dining time.  We know at this point neither of us are making Top 8 so won’t need to stick around. I saw Yeti at the Tales of Adventure table in the middle of this trade:

I give tell him “fuck yeah” and fist pound.  I have a stack of cards I brought to cash in and was glad to see the action buy tables was hot.  Speaking of hot.  It was 89 outside by 2-3PM. The venue may have had good AC but between like 250 bodies and all those bodies being asses to elbows for 6 hours, we all were getting sweaty and/or stinky. I throw on some more cologne because I’m a gentleman. Pete started buying Aperol spritzes around round 5 and those were a delight.  They were all prosecco and ice with just the right amount of Aperol.  The ice was the biggest bonus.

The number of people for dinner varies from 7 to 6 to 4 and back again.  Jared can’t wrangle everyone and it ends up just Pete, Jared, Ryan, and myself.  We’re about to got to some other seafood place that was available when I see a reservation for Select Oyster Bar pop up for 4 at 915.  Pete and I are perfectly happy to go back.  Jared and Ryan get very large pieces of Halibut and Pete and split a couple things.  Place is very solid again.  Jared and Ryan head back.  Pete and I get ready to go the same then lyft is a 30 min wait, so we wander back over to O’Keefe’s.  A dildo in a button down tucked into slacks chirps at us as we walk in, “nice hats.”  I turn to him and give an overly loud “Thanks so much!”  It always very amusing to me to be overly sincere to people who are obviously being sarcastic dicks. 

Pete and I are wearing somewhat silly hats, Hawaiian shirts, back packs, shorts and probably smell pretty weird.  We realize the scene in the bar has changed drastically and yeah, maybe a little bit out of place.  Bartender lady is wearing a sports bra and tight workout shorts.  People are dressed big city fancy and it’s fairly crowded.   We have two more drinks then we planned and take it all in.  

We Simpsons take our fashion moderately seriously, in that we consciously decide what we’re going to wear to these things. Pete called me at some point during previous two weeks to say,” I don’t want to see you wearing any fucking black t-shirts in Boston. I’m digging deep into my kook closet and you better fucking do the same. ” I have a hoody I bought specifically for this tournament from an indian casino after I lost $300 in 15 minutes. Had to come away with something…. Pete was/is very proud of his pants and Aphex Twin hat.

I wake up fired up.  I tell Pete we need a fireball in the side because I “sure as shit don’t want to lose to any sort of silly spice deck.”  This over Braingeyser.  Pete didn’t bring one, so we buy two Alphas from a vendor before rounds.  Little memento for each of us.  Jury is out if that was actually the right decision.  Don’t think I cast the Fireball.

The Deck- Arrabian/RUG Aggro

Pete played a similar build at Yeticon and had success.  Having no desire to play anything remotely control-ish and robots being a little too obvious (everyone always has a robots sideboard plan), I agreed this was the way to go.  Apes are awesome and City in a Bottle is a problem, but not a huge one.  Barely any decks play main, except Robots and monogreen but even then, they still gotta get one and play it.  Might be mostly dead by the time they get one out.  Also post board, if we think bottle is coming, we can adjust to compensate for it.  Primarily by taking out the dibs.  Everyone also has a board plan if they see Dibs, whether it’s bottle, spirit link or maze. If you view the apes as shocks then even if they get bottled but do a little work, that’s success. Biggest point of discussion was whether to play black for tutor and twist.  Counters, island, and a trop would have been removed for another city, jet and the black cards.  Having one more bottle target with a city and the potential for more damage from using (Pete did a meta analysis of last Lobstercon and the majority of decks were some variant of 12 bolt) were downsides.  Blood moon isn’t that great for us either, sure there are still plenty of red spells, but no green turns off the apes and all the other green beaters.  Running a single island makes it sting a little less since all your game 1 blue spells would be online.

Round 1

Corey Adams on a Tax edge build.  Super nice guy who I had played earlier in the month in NEOS.  He’s primarily a premodern player but wanted to be a part of the action and play old school. I can’t totally remember the difference between games 1 and 2 at this point, but his deck of Land Tax with Ivory tower with bolts, red blast and swords proved a problem.  The biggest being his potential life gain that negated my direct damage plan. Winds of change were never much in my favor when he got one off.  I think I won game 1 after a decent start and my deck ran away with a victory.  Turn 1 ape and then cascading from there.  Game 2 I boarded in energy flux and shatters to deal with his Ivory towers and Library of lengs.  I have no way of dealing with his Land Tax so was just hoping to stay under it.  I’m pretty sure he got a turn 1 or 2 tax and was able to activate once or twice.  Game went for quite a while until he was finally able to get his Land’s edge and put me away.  We started game 3 with maybe 10 mins on the round clock.  I didn’t have a fantastic starting hand but it was good enough to keep.  Pretty sure he bolted or sworded my first threat and it quickly became obvious we were gonna go to Orb flips.  DFB came by after clock expired to tell us to go to turns.  We were both at high enough life that I knew what was going to be ahead of us.   (Pete had mentioned on our walk to the venue that morning that neither of us had practiced orb flips in a while and we should take some time when we got ready to try a few.  I shit all over that plan and said we should concentrate on making sure our decks were shuffled and we figured out a good side board map. Sweet, sweet irony that I was going to orb flips round 1 and potentially set the tone for my entire day.  Props to Pete and sorry bro for blowing up.)  We get line up for flips and go over the rules/etiquette.  We both flip 3-4 times before a voyeur speaks up to say we need to make sure our orbs are going 360 because it appears that both of us have not flipped all the way over at least once.  I was more paying attention to the orb hitting a card and had no plan of calling Corey out about not going 360.  Anyways, after the bystander mentions it, I hit then Corey does not.  I think he got the yips.  I win 2-1.

I see Corey throughout the day and we relay how each other are doing and wishing the best of luck. He’s having a great time and finished somewhere around .500.  Very nice to have met him.

Record 1-0

Round 2

Gregg Graham on a Eureka build with white.  Game 1 I’m on the play.  Opening hand was lotus, ancestral, timetwister, Tropical island and decent stuff. I stare at if for a sec, I’m obviously keeping but debating how to start.  He keeps as well.  I play the trop then lotus into timetwister. We both chuckle and he maybe tells me that his hand was good but not great.  I say,” I’ll tell you what else was in my hand after the match because I’m afraid you’ll think I was stupid for ditching it.”  I draw into another lotus and a wheel and a mox (let’s call it a ruby).  So I do lotus to wheel before dropping the mox and draw into a couple creatures and nothing else broken.  I see that he ditches one of the best hands he could have drawn, concordant crossroads plus a Eureka, maybe a bersek and two force of natures then mana ramp.  He said he was going hit me for 24 turn two or three.  Yikes.  I get a turn 1 pixies after all that and pass to him.  He doesn’t do anything great and I ramp out  with my creatures and win in short order. 

I see a spirit link game 1 and kindof assuming there might be bottles as well.  Spirit links plus bottle means I’m pulling the Dibs.  I put in 2 mazes, the control magic and 1 shatter.  Land pass to start for him, I quickly get out two Apes.  T1 volcanic then t2 trop turns them both on.  I ramp into a T3 pixie then get a factory as well.  Apes get in for damage a turn then bottle comes down.  One ape did 4 damage the other did 2.  Which having them basically as shocks isn’t the worst thing.  After bottle, I hit him for another 4 getting his life to around 10, maybe less, then between some more direct damage and pixies and factory I win 2-0. 

I run into Gregg here and there throughout the day and in the later rounds he’s cheering me on and wishing me luck.  He’s a great guy and friend of Yeti-Dan.  Gregg is solid on rules and we talk in snippets about a couple random issues that come up here and there.  I always appreciate people that are confident and can succinctly explain why certain things happen in a certain way via the stack and priority and so on. 

Record 2-0

Round 3

Sebastian on red/black/white hymn.  Last year I went 6-2 which was good enough for 9^th.  Sebastian was one of my losses and the losses always stick hardest in your head.  I assumed he’d be on the same build and was correct.  Didn’t seem like he remembered me and I didn’t let on that I was gunning for retribution.  He and I talk pregame about how he brought his wife out with him and she’d been fully enjoying the city.  Apparently, she is now looking forward to more magic tournaments that she’ll travel with him to.  Big brain move by him.  G1 T2 he hymns me.  I already had a threat or two out since I was on the play. He gets two lightning bolts.  He’s pleased with the discards and I remember not minding a whole lot.  I would have been a little concerned if he got my third land and dib.  I proceed to get the dib out and cruise to a W.  G2 things happen and I have a pixie out along with factory and he has a troll and factory.  I have a bolt in hand and keep a red source up to signal as such.  He proceeds to attack with the troll only as I respond with my unblockable pixie.  I’m totally fine with both of us grinding each other down a bit.  This ends up in my favor as I get a dib out and enough burn spells to get another W.  I win 2-0

I’ve got plenty of time before next round so I cruise the room a bit.  I watch a match at the top table that confuses me a bit.  One guy is doing a whole lot of drawing and sacrificing and the other guy is just watching him.  There is like 5 mins left in the round at this point and they are only on game 2.  Then we see what was going on and it was a Lich deck.  I turn to Pete and ask,” what the hell would we do against this type of build?”  We talk about it for a sec and luckily we kind of got a plan together.  I still don’t understand how this Lich deck works.  However, counter spell is going to be critical.

Record 3-0

Round 4

Yep, I’m playing Doug  on Lich.  I ask a whole lotta questions once it’s obvious what he’s on, I didn’t want to let on I knew what he was up to.  Did my best to keep my poker face on.  I play conservative and hold unto a wheel.  I grind him down a bit then can get a well timed counterspell against his timetwister to stop his plan.  This works and I win G1.  G2 I get an early-ish Chaos orb out after he already has Dark Heart on the board.  I’m doing my thing with creatures and burn.  He then casts Fastbond.  I take a second to think about this and ask a few questions about the 3 card combo he needs.  I finally decide to activate orb in response and take out the Dark Heart.  I get it.  I buy myself a couple turns then he casts another Heart and straight into a Lich.  I ask the spectators (there are a few at this point since 12 mins left in the round) if I lost.  They all say yes so I scoop and we move to game 3. 

Things happen, I’m doing pretty good and he’s fairly low on life.  We’re drawing lots of cards of Howling Mines but it appears his combo is very close to completion.  I make a critical decision to not cast a Pixie turn before I would kill him and leave two Trops up and pass to him.  I don’t have counterspell but if he timetwisters then maybe I get one.  He draws a bunch, time walks, draws more then does Timetwister, I don’t get a counterspell, but he doesn’t get what he needs and reaches across to shake my hand. 

Record 4-0

Round 5

I start drinking after round 3, would have been earlier but can’t take booze outside and there was a break for lobster rolls.  I’m playing Oliver on blue/red counter burn.  My opening hand is mox, library and other stuff.  Good enough to keep.  T1 library for me, and T1 strip for him, lol.  I don’t top deck much land until it’s too late and he rolls over me.  During this beat down I kick over my beer which I’d put on the floor.  Some expletives leave my mouth and after the game he suggests match winner buys beers.  I agree, I’m always down for a free drink and seems like I’ve finally run out of steam.  He’s got basic islands and mountains so I assume blood moon and I saw a dib from him.  I put in Bebs and Mazes and maybe control magic.  My deck does it’s thing quickly and efficiently and I run away with G2.  We both start chuckling after I mention he’s got a very elaborate hustle for getting free drinks.  Fly to Boston, go 4-0, crush a guy game 1, and offer winner to buy beers. G3 was more of the same from me, maybe I get power?  I do remember he stone rains one of my lands.  I win 2-1 and owe him a beer.  We roll over to the bar and chat for a while before we go our separate ways. 

Record 5-0

Round 6

There are only 6 X-0s left at this point from 190-ish players.  They put bibs on us.  I’m matched up against Jans.  I heard he was one a blue/white/black lion and angels build.  G1 T1 Ape for me, T1 Lion for him.  I’m already ahead with this.  We both beat each other around a bit then I get more threats.  He eventually must block my Ape with his lion (Apes are great).  I’m already pretty ahead at this point and hit him with some burn.  I didn’t see angels but knew he had some.  Mazes and control magic in, and I probably took out Dibs thinking bottle or worse Spirit Links.  G2 I keep a hand with spells and good mana and a control magic.  It’s always kindof cool to see a card you boarded in on your opening hand.  We both get going, I’ve got a couple creatures and he gets a Serra out.  He taps out to cast it and I control magic it and swing in with at least 2 threats.  I think he casts another Serra but I swing in with the team.  I probably had a Psionic blast or maybe some bolts to finish off the game.   We shake hands and I see him a couple times during the evening and we’re cheering each other on.  He ends up 7-1 and good enough for 6^th.

Record 6-0

Round 7

I celebrate my current top 4 with a top shelf scotch.  I get two JW Blacks and give one to Pete who was focused on his match.  I saw some disks from the other guy but Pete’s in the middle of the room and I can’t really stand around and watch.

              Lucas is on the deck.  Interestingly enough is Pete talked to him during Neos this month about boarding against the deck.  Lucas said Energy Fluxes are real bad for him and that’s why Pete and I added.  Can bring em in against Robots and the Deck.  Against the deck, the idea is that it’s not back breaking but would keep your momentum going while they stalled out to pay for Moxes and books.

              G1 T1 Ape off Taiga, he T1 swords it off a Tundra.  I have another land, another threat and a Strip.  I think about it for a bit then T2 strip his land and put down a Sprites.  Sprites go in for a damage or two and I’m doing something unspectacular after that.  However, I’ve got him off white.  Then like T4-5 he gets library and starts rolling.  He later gets abyss and a book.  I do get to cast a Scavenger folk under the Abyss and hit his book.  He must have had a brain fart about that interaction because it surprises him in the moment.  In the end, didn’t matter since he’s already up half a dozen cards, but I pat myself on the back for knowing a fringe old school interaction.  He wins.

              G2 opening hand is Lotus, Flux, Mana drain, Dib couple lands and a mox.  Pretty good but not outstanding.  I have a thought about how nice it would be to have a Mind Twist for this match up….  Anyways my plan is to slow roll the Dib or Flux depending on what he does.  I draw a sol ring which is awkward.  He’s not doing anything and I get out the Dib with a Lotus.  He attempts to Swords, I Mana drain off lotus. Again thinking I need to stay ahead of this because mid-late game is not in my favor.  He still doesn’t have any artifacts and I have two.  Wishing my Flux was a shatter at this point.  I get another Dib which he red blasts and then soon after he gets on library again.  I kindof hand in there and maybe get him to around 10 but card advantage wins again and I think I die to a couple factories with an Energy flux in hand.  Didn’t cast it. ☹  I lose 0-2

              Record 6-1

Round 8

Jordan on Lions/Dibs/Counters.  I can’t remember what exactly happened G1 but I saw Dibs and maybe Lions and burn.  I win moderately quickly.  G2 is when things got interesting.  Mid game, he and I have both been damaged a decent amount (our match is going quick which is nice because my brain is fried after 16 matches in two days and the scotch plus another beer or two has gotten my memory a little murky).  He’s got a Dib and I’ve got a Factory.  We’re trading 3 damage.  He gets out a second dib, I get out a Maze.  He’s in the danger zone of life total and I’m not doing particularly well either. He’s at 2 or 3 and I’m able to Psi blast him, he swords one of his dibs in response.  This must have happened during my turn because then I’m at 2 and pass.  There’s a lot of life tracking happening because he had the two dibs plus a City of Brass he was taking damage from, all that plus the Psi Blast and a swords plus I’m sure our brains not working great, lead us to him tapping his city, mox,  land for a Psi blast to me for a draw.  I was at 2 somehow and I had him at 1. If he’s at 1, then we both agreed he can’t tap the City to cast the Psi Blast because he’d die*. He thinks he is at 2 but admits he could have missed the upkeep from his last Dib or something else in the shuffle.  We agree that I could have not been keeping the best track of things either.  The spectators lost track of our lives as well and none of them knew. We talk it through for a bit then I suggest leaving it to a dice roll, if he rolls odd, he’s at 1 and even puts him at 2.  He rolls a 3 and we shake hands calling it a good match.

*Gregg comes up to me later after the match to tell me that he could have tapped the city for the psi blast since the 1 damage would be on the stack. Jared Doucette tells me later in the bar that is indeed the case after I recap it for him. Dang it.

So I end up in 3rd on breakers, there were a few 7-1s. You can kindof see my fashion choice for the day. That’s my “cool” hat and indian casino gift shop hoody.

Rest of the night moves along into oblivion. Pete and I having not eaten dinner Lyft back to the hotel to drob off backpacks (I was being a bit of a diva and insisted we do this). We figured there would be some good around to get and there was none to be had, we inhaled some snacks we brought and head back out into the night. We met up with the crew at Lord Hobo (great bar name) and ordered a few rounds. There was one bartender on staff who seemed very stressed and uninterested in serving us until he saw Pete’s Aphex Twin hat. He looked at him something along the lines of “is that an Apex Twin hat!??! You and I are soulmates.” After that Pete was very pleased and the bartender was all over our orders. (Edit- Pete texted me to say the hat quote was “you must be a special kind of nerd”)

Then went to State Park where a whole lot more of Lobstercon was playing Ante 40k. They took over one of the side rooms. Place was packed with normals. I ordered two vodka sodas and got tequila sodas which we drank but were not super pumped about it. Drinks in hand, we noticed a bunch of 20-30 year old party people on the dance floor in togas. Two of them came up to Pete and I to ask what the hell was going on with those guys in the sideroom yelling at each other.

Me- “They’re playing magic cards!”

Her-“What’s a Magic card?”

Me-“Its a collectible card game.”

Her-“Like Pokemon?”

Me-“Uh kindof, but they’re actually gambling with them.”

This lady starts losing interest at this point

Me- “Some of the ones they’re gambling are worth thousands.”

Her- “What! Really?!? So they’re kindof playing poker.”

Me- ” Yeah, like poker, not like Pokemon…..”

She stares over there for a little bit and tells one of her friends then gradually loses interest because you can’t really see anything from where we were. They got back to dancing, I go back to drinking. Eventually they leave and the floor is empty. Paul, Pete, DFB and myself start dancing, there were a couple others for a bit then just us. I hit a wall at about 100-ish and talk to Pete about bailing. We talk each other out of the Irish exit, give DFB a big ole bear hug, thank him for the weekend and head out.

Real life came back in a wave once we landed in Denver the next day. My 7 year old daughter had a dance recital at 200pm and we landed a 1230pm. Pete and I go straight to the recital, watch that, get frozen yogurt and laugh about how a young girl’s dance recital is one of the furthest things from everything else that happened over the weekend. Good times.

Post Scripts below:

Huzah

DFB and Jared Doucette, even though everyone knows they do a ton of work and they shouldn’t have paid for a single drink all weekend, I still don’t think those guys get enough credit. Beyond that, they’re great dudes and very fun to hang with.

Select Oyster Bar

Hats

Aperol Spritz

Maze of ith, Control Magic, Kird Apes

Sad Clown

The Bostonian

Wearing business casual to go out

Tequila Sodas

Energy Flux

Post Post Script

Sideboard plan (I mostly stuck to it, wrote this up morning of tourney and referenced throughout the day)