Howdy folks and welcome to another week of a TEAM VINTAGE SUPER LEAGUE! I'm your recap host Joe, and we're gonna be going over all the great wonderful stuff that happened this week.
Week 7 brought to us another Round 2 match with TEAM CHANNEL FIREBALL (Luis Scott-Vargas, Josh Utter-Leyton, Matt Nass, Sam Pardee) vs THE BLUE CRAB CLUB (Seth Manfield, Jarvis Yu, Ari Lax)!
As always, you can find this week's decklists right over here.
Week 7 Recap - Team CFB vs Blue Crab Club
You can watch the vod for this week here:
We start off with Sam Pardee on STAX vs Ari Lax on Dredge! Both players mulligan to 6, Ari finding a Bazaar of Baghdad in his opening play. Sam goes on a Wasteland into Black Lotus with a Crucible of Worlds, attempting to blow up Ari's Bazaar. Ari dumps a Golgari Grave-Troll/Golgari Thug combo in the yard with a Prized Amalgam. His draw step dredges don't find much, and Sam plays his own Bazaar of Baghdad to accelerate his own draws. Ari manages to find a Narcomoeba with Ichorid out of his yard, and gets his Prized Amalgam as well as Zombie token off Bridge from Below. The beatdown plan continues with Ari continuing to recur more and more creatures. Ari attacks with just the Narcomoeba, and continues to put pressure on Sam. Sam finds an Ensnaring Bridge but is left with 1 card in hand, allowing the Narcomoeba to punch in. However, Sam is able to empty his hand, putting Ari's creatures under the Bridge. Sam does things to continue drawing to empty his hand, but does end up getting stuck with another single card in hand. However, the combination of Smokestack and Bottled Cloister is enough to close the door on Game 1.
Ari starts things off in Game 2 with Bazaar of Baghdad into Unmask with a single Hollow One on Turn 1. Sam kicks off with a Wasteland and a Grafdigger's Cage. Sam draws into a Ghirapur Orrery, emptying his hand to make an Ensnaring Bridge to lock out the combat step. Ari struggles to find a red source for Ingot Chewer, while Sam plays a Leyline of the Void with Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth and Ari concedes.
Team CFB steps out on the leaderboard at 1-0!
Up at bat is Seth Manfield with Sylvan Mentor! Seth off the bat mulligans, with a very solid 6, starting off with Gitaxian Probe, drawing into Ancestral Recall. The Ancestral draws him into double Force of Will to be able to deal with Sam's Trinisphere. Seth goes into an extra turn off Time Walk, getting Dack Fayden into play. He keeps back a Snapcaster Mage and an Ancient Grudge. Sam goes deep on digging, trying to locate a Phyrexian Revoker to deal with Dack. He finally finds one, but Seth makes Jace, the Mind Sculptor, getting rid of the Revoker to steal Sam's Crucible of Worlds, stealing the win.
Both players keep, and Sam starts off with Sphere of Resistance. Seth goes onto Turn 1 land, Mox, Mox through the Sphere, finding himself an Ancient Grudge off a Gitaxian Probe. He manages to Grudge the Sphere, but gets his Tundra blown up by Wasteland. Sam tries for a Crucible of Worlds, getting it countered by Force of Will drawn off Ancestral Recall. Seth keeps up with the Tangle Wire, spending various Ancient Grudge's on Sam's problem cards. Seth makes Jace, the Mind Sculptor, getting rid of a drawn Managorger Hydra. Jace draws Seth into several pieces of strong cards, earning the concession from Sam.
Blue Crab Club ties it up at 1-1!
KCI Master Matt Nass leads the charge with VINTAGE ELVES! Seth starts things off on the play however, leading on a strong Turn 1 Monastery Mentor play. Matt tries for Turn 1 Nettle Sentinel, but it gets promptly Mental Misstep'ed. Seth gets to make a Turn 2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor, earning a concession from Matt.
Matt starts off with Nettle Sentinel into attempting to try to resolve Ancestral Recall but it gets promptly countered by Force of Will. Matt goes on the aggressive, resolving a Heritage Druid and a Null Rod, while Seth tries to hunt a second land. Matt manages to Green Sun's Zenith into Leovold, Emissary of Trest. Matt swings in, with Seth flashing in Containment Priest to kill one of the Heritage Druid's. Matt continues the pressure, earning a Swords to Plowshares on his Leovold after resolving Time Walk. On his extra turn he gets a Deathrite Shaman off Green Sun's Zenith. Seth resolves a Gush, and then casts Fiery Confluence to deal 2 to all creatures and blow up a Null Rod, but Matt is able to get his Deathrite back to his hand thanks to Wirewood Symbiote. Seth manages to pull ahead at 2 life with Dack Fayden, drawing into several good cards, however Matt manages to GSZ for a Deathrite. Seth digs hard to try to find an answer, but is unable to find anything and concedes to Game 3.
Seth kicks off Game 3 with a Sleight of Hand before just passing the turn while Matt makes a Turn 1 Nettle Sentinel, but gets his Tropical Island blown up by Strip Mine and his Sentinel eaten by Swords to Plowshares, but he manages to hit a second Tropical. Both players work back and forth as Seth draws into several Mental Misstep and a Fiery Confluence. Matt makes a Glimpse of Nature, which Seth allows, allowing him to draw a few cards, but not much. Seth makes a Monastery Mentor and some spells to make some tokens. Matt makes a second Glimpse of Nature, drawing hard into his deck as he overcommits a bunch of resources to the board with Fastbond, dropping himself into lethal range for Fiery Confluence. Seth makes a lethal Confluence for the match.
Blue Crab Club steps it up to 2-1!
Up to bat is Luis Scott-Vargas on a list that affectionately was referred to online as UW Cheons! (A deck named after Luis' all-time favorite person, Paul Cheon) It's a sweet deck with Teferi, Hero of Dominaria in it! LSV starts off kinda fair with just a fetchland, where Seth starts off with Ponder off a Mox Sapphire. LSV draws a Library of Alexandria to start going on the Library draw plan allowing him to go onto Time Walk to continue to draw even more cards. On his extra turn he slams Stony Silence, which shuts Seth out of his red spells as he continues to not draw any further red sources. He finally finds a red source, trying to land a Young Pyromancer that eats a Mana Drain. LSV gets a Jace into play, finding a second one off the Brainstorm effect. The second Jace seals the deal for a concession to Game 2.
Seth opens up on a Turn 1 Young Pyromancer, setting up some early attacks. LSV plays nothing but lands for several turns to set up holding up Mana Drain. Seth tries to make Merchant Scroll, getting it drained. LSV pushes for a Jace, the Mind Sculptor, with it getting hit by Pyroblast. LSV responds with Flusterstorm, and Jace resolves. LSV casts Balance, getting it eaten by Mindbreak Trap. LSV tries to fight over it, but it ultimately gets left by the wayside. Seth's team of Elementals brings the pain, earning a concession from LSV.
LSV opens on a land with an Ancestral Recall which he tries to fire up on Seth's upkeep, getting it hit by Mental Misstep. LSV makes a Search for Azcanta, but it gets eaten by Wear // Tear. Seth gets Sylvan Library on the table, drawing and keeping the two additional cards on his next turn. Jace comes down on LSV's side. Seth tries to Ancestral, getting it ripped by Mental Misstep. Jace gets countered by Force of Will, and Seth makes a Monastery Mentor with Pyroblast backup. Teferi, Hero of Dominaria attempts to make an appearance, getting blasted by the Blast. LSV finds no action and concedes the match.
Blue Crab Club takes a definitive lead at 3-1!
LSV is back against the wall on Something Fishy! (Paradoxical Outcome) He starts off with Mystic Remora, but gets his opening land Strip Mine'ed. LSV does draw into a Black Lotus into Monastery Mentor. Seth starts digging hard for an answer, trying for a Time Walk that gets Flusterstorm'ed, giving LSV another Monk token. Seth makes a Young Pyromancer to try and get above the Mentor, but LSV draws a Mox Sapphire off a Vampiric Tutor into Dig Through Time that finds a Mox Emerald and a Mana Crypt to keep the pressure up on prowess. Seth goes into Snapcaster Mage -> Time Walk to try to find an answer. He casts Treasure Cruise to find an answer, but finds nothing, conceding to Game 2.
Seth makes a Turn 1 Library of Alexandria but LSV goes into a Turn 1 Mox Pearl, Voltaic Key with Tolarian Academy and Mystic Remora. The two fight over a Sol Ring with LSV winning the fight. LSV tries for Paradoxical Outcome with double Sensei's Divining Top on the stack. The two fight over the single Paradoxical Outcome with several Force of Will, but LSV loses the fight. However, LSV's second Paradoxical Outcome manages to stick and go off into Time Vault / Voltaic Key combo, earning a concession.
CFB kicks it up a notch, coming at 2 wins to make the record 3-2!
Jarvis Yu takes the charge ahead for BCC, piloting 4C Wilson Storm! He kicks it off with a Sensei's Divining Top, as does LSV with a no-land hand and Mox Opal to be able to cast Ponder. Jarvis also cantrip's off Ponder / Gitaxian Probe and passes turn. LSV gets a bunch of advantage with his own durdling, passing the turn with Flusterstorm mana and Force of Will. Jarvis tries for Paradoxical Outcome, getting it countered by the Flusterstorm. LSV makes a Monastery Mentor and goes to the races with it and makes Snapcaster Mage into Time Walk giving LSV the win.
Jarvis kicks things off right off the bat with a Turn 1 Monastery Mentor. LSV tries to kick together a Mystic Remora off two Moxes, but it gets countered. LSV proceeds to Paradoxical Outcome into Time Vault / Voltaic Key combo to take the match.
CFB tying it up at 3-3!
Seth Manfield jumps into the fray for the last match on Esper Xerox! LSV tries for a Turn 1 Sensei's Divining Top but gets it countered by Mental Misstep. Seth makes a Turn 1 Thoughtseize snagging a Black Lotus and makes a Turn 1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor. LSV tries for a Paradoxical Outcome, drawing 2 cards but finding not much to go off with. Seth's Thoughtseize followup takes Dig Through Time, leaving up Mental Misstep for Mana Vault. Seth eventually resolves a Monastery Mentor into a Time Walk earning a concession from LSV.
LSV starts with Turn 1 Library of Alexandria, going on the Library plan early into a Preordain, drawing Mystic Remora. Seth makes a Painful Truths, drawing 3 cards and losing 3 life. LSV runs out the Remora, getting it countered, but goes deep into Paradoxical Outcome and gets Time Vault / Voltaic Key for the win.
Both players start off Game 3 rather fair, with Dark Confidant coming down on Turn 2 for Seth. Seth also makes Kambal, Consul of Allocation, using Strip Mine to get rid of one of LSV's lands. However, LSV has a Karakas to answer the Kambal. Seth makes a Jace, finding some great action but LSV deploys a Monastery Mentor with Flusterstorm backup. Jace bounces the Mentor and Seth Thoughtseize's through a counter war to take it. However, LSV draws a million cards off two Ancestral Recall (one cast from hand and the other flashbacked by Snapcaster Mage) to swing in at Jace. Bob takes one for the team and Jace brainstorms into a Fragmentize and Disenchant, but not much else action is found by Jace. LSV's Paradoxical Outcome's into Snapcaster Mage with a single Monk token in play to take the series.
CFB comes through to steal the Match Series at 4-3!!!!!
Notable Decklists - Team CFB
Team CFB brought some superb spice this week, with such awesome stuff such as Elves and UW Cheons. Let's take a look at the lists.
Matt Nass' Elves! | Team Vintage Super League
4 Nettle Sentinel
4 Heritage Druid
4 Wirewood Symbiote
4 Quirion Ranger
4 Elvish Visionary
1 Birchlore Rangers
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Dryad Arbor
3 Deathrite Shaman
1 Leovold, Emissary of Trest
4 Glimpse of Nature
1 Time Walk
4 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Ancestral Recall
2 Skullclamp
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Fastbond
4 Gaea's Cradle
2 Tropical Island
2 Forest
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Bayou
1 Scavenging Ooze
2 Mindbreak Trap
2 Sylvan Library
2 Flusterstorm
3 Nature's Claim
3 Null Rod
2 Tormod's Crypt
Elves in Vintage! Fastbond! Skullclamp!!! This deck is sweet.
LSV's UW Cheons | Team Vintage Super League
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
2 Snapcaster Mage
1 Balance
1 Fragmentize
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Time Walk
1 Treasure Cruise
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Brainstorm
1 Dig Through Time
2 Flusterstorm
4 Force of Will
3 Mana Drain
4 Mental Misstep
1 Mindbreak Trap
2 Swords to Plowshares
1 Opt
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
2 Search for Azcanta
1 Stony Silence
4 Flooded Strand
4 Island
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Plains
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Strip Mine
4 Tundra
2 Wasteland
2 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Stony Silence
1 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Containment Priest
2 Disenchant
2 Energy Flux
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Rest in Peace
2 Tormod's Crypt
Of course, cute decks name aside, this list is really awesome and it's great to see cards like Teferi, Hero of Dominaria in Vintage. Being able to draw a card and hold up Mana Drain mana? Yeah. That's good.
Notable Decklists - Blue Crab Club
The Blue Crab Club brought some great decks as well, from Dredge to Esper Xerox. Let's take a look at their lists.
Seth Manfield's Sylvan Mentor | Team Vintage Super League
2 Dack Fayden
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Managorger Hydra
1 Monastery Mentor
2 Snapcaster Mage
1 Young Pyromancer
1 Fiery Confluence
1 Gitaxian Probe
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Ponder
4 Sleight of Hand
1 Time Walk
1 Treasure Cruise
1 Ancestral Recall
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Brainstorm
1 Dig Through Time
1 Flusterstorm
4 Force of Will
1 Gush
4 Mental Misstep
1 Pyroblast
2 Swords to Plowshares
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sylvan Library
1 Island
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Polluted Delta
4 Scalding Tarn
1 Strip Mine
2 Tropical Island
2 Tundra
4 Volcanic Island
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Flusterstorm
1 Pyroblast
3 Containment Priest
1 Mindbreak Trap
2 Wear // Tear
1 Stony Silence
1 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Tormod's Crypt
1 Mountain
This deck is incredibly powerful, with loads of cards that are very well positioned against Shops-like decks, and built to operate under Stony Silence. Solid deck, solid plays from Mr. Manfield on this.
Seth Manfield's Esper Xerox | Team Vintage Super League
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Dark Confidant
1 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
2 Kambal, Consul of Allocation
1 Monastery Mentor
2 Thoughtseize
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Tendrils of Agony
2 Preordain
1 Vindicate
2 Fragmentize
1 Time Walk
1 Duress
1 Yawgmoth's Will
1 Ancestral Recall
3 Force of Will
3 Opt
4 Mental Misstep
1 Mindbreak Trap
2 Path to Exile
1 Brainstorm
1 Black Lotus
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Lotus Petal
4 Flooded Strand
1 Island
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Misty Rainforest
2 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Strip Mine
3 Tundra
3 Underground Sea
1 Fragmentize
3 Containment Priest
1 Disenchant
1 Painful Truths
1 Swords to Plowshares
2 Stony Silence
3 Tormod's Crypt
1 Plains
2 Flusterstorm
Xerox decks are well positioned against other blue decks, and this deck is no exception. It put up a strong fight against LSV, but in the end it was unable to push through a win unfortunately.
Wrapping Up
That's all the time we have this week folks! Tune in NEXT WEEK FOR THE HYPE GRUDGE MATCH! That's right folks, it's the last match of Round 2, with TEAM CARDSPHERE taking on the HORNET QUEENS!
Brace yourself kids, we're in for a bumpy ride ahead.
Until next time, may all your Magic be eternal!
