Topics

[Final Standings]

Hello there!

Our last tournament went as follows:

Final Standings

1.  Korbel, Jochen    - 10 pts - 4c Blood Aggro
2.  Iacono, Giuseppe  - 10 pts - Bant Midrange      
3.  Schwarz, Stephan  -  9 pts - UW Control
4.  Nötzel, Sebastian -  9 pts - Bant Midrange
5.  Stier, Thomas     -  9 pts - UWbr Control
6.  Nowack, Jonathan  -  6 pts - Esper Oath Control
7.  Laubscher, Manuel -  6 pts - Rock
8.  Wagner, Daniel    -  6 pts - Naya
9.  Dubbernell, Robin -  6 pts - RDW
10. Gerber, Christoph -  3 pts - Junk Tokens
11. Guenzel, Achim    -  3 pts - Esper Artifact Control
12. Gölz, Markus      -  3 pts - Pattern Rector
13. Henssler, Mirko   -  3 pts - RDW
14. Pino, Marco       -  0 pts - Dark Bant

Jochen and Giuseppe ID'ed their last round for a price split. They played it out nevertheless with Giuseppe winning the match. In the end Jochen got 1st because of tie breakers.

Here are the top 3 deck lists:

1st place - Jochen Korbel - 4c Blood Aggro
Scalding Tarn
Arid Mesa
Verdant Catacombs
Misty Rainforest
Marsh Flats
Wooded Foothills
Windswept Heath
Flooded Strand
Polluted Delta
Bloodstained Mire
Savannah
Taiga
Badlands
Plateau
Bayou
Scrubland
Stomping Ground
Temple Garden
Sacred Foundry
Overgrown Tomb
Godless Shrine
Razorverge Thicket
Copperline Gorge
Blackcleave Cliffs
City of Brass
Horizon Canopy
Karakas
Raging Ravine
Stirring Wildwood
Treetop Village
Forest
Plains
Tectonic Edge
Wasteland
Noble Hierarch
Birds of Paradise
Deathrite Shaman
Grim Lavamancer
Mother of Runes
Wild Nacatl
Loam Lion
Skyshroud Elite
Flinthoof Boar
Stoneforge Mystic
Fauna Shaman
Putrid Leech
Dark Confidant
Lotus Cobra
Tarmogoyf
Scavenging Ooze
Qasali Pridemage
Porcelain Legionnaire
Green Sun's Zenith
Selesnya Charm
Bitterblossom
Knight of the Reliquary
Phyrexian Metamorph
Aven Mindcensor
Vithian Renegades
Mirran Crusader
Loxodon Smiter
Woolly Thoctar
Kitchen Finks
Flickerwisp
Dreg Mangler
Blade Splicer
Lingering Souls
Hero of Bladehold
Ranger of Eos
Flametongue Kavu
Bloodbraid Elf
Shriekmaw
Zealous Conscripts
Mirri's Guile
Lightning Bolt
Chain Lightning
Forked Bolt
Swords to Plowshares
Path to Exile
Enlightened Tutor
Sylvan Library
Demonic Tutor
Tainted Pact
Winter Orb
Tribal Flames
Arc Trail
Lightning Helix
Abrupt Decay
Oblivion Ring
Vindicate
Maelstrom Pulse
Blightning
Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Sword of Feast and Famine
Sword of Fire and Ice
Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Ajani Vengeant
Garruk Relentless
Garruk Wildspeaker
Parallax Wave

2nd place - Giuseppe Iacono - Bant Midrange
Deathrite Shaman
Glen Elendra Archmage
Thragtusk
Vendilion Clique
Tarmogoyf
Phyrexian Metamorph
Opposition
Sphinx's Revelation
Swords to Plowshares
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Consecrated Sphinx
Sensei's Divining Top
Oblivion Ring
Detention Sphere
Preordain
Bribery
Avacyn's Pilgrim
Stoneforge Mystic
Ponder
Sword of Feast and Famine
Noble Hierarch
Eladamri's Call
Daze
Batterskull
Eternal Witness
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Llanowar Elves
Fyndhorn Elves
Phantasmal Image
Thrun, the Last Troll
Qasali Pridemage
Birds of Paradise
Harmonic Sliver
Knight of the Reliquary
Parallax Wave
Aven Mindcensor
Sylvan Library
Natural Order
Green Sun's Zenith
Brainstorm
Garruk Relentless
Mana Leak
Counterspell
Venser, Shaper Savant
Restoration Angel
Snapcaster Mage
Kitchen Finks
Scavenging Ooze
Verdant Catacombs
Marsh Flats
Scalding Tarn
Flooded Strand
Polluted Delta
Misty Rainforest
Windswept Heath
Arid Mesa
Celestial Colonnade
Karakas
Wooded Foothills
Plains
Wasteland
Temple Garden
Mystic Gate
2x Island
Horizon Canopy
Savannah
Stirring Wildwood
Tundra
Maze of Ith
Tropical Island
Breeding Pool
Hallowed Fountain
Alchemist's Refuge
3x Forest
Mana Drain
Dryad Arbor
Cryptic Command
Aether Vial
Vedalken Shackles
Stifle
Force Spike
Mana Tithe
Geist of Saint Traft
Nature's Lore
Treachery
Garruk Wildspeaker
Wall of Roots
Edric, Spymaster of Trest
Three Visits
Acidic Slime
Lotus Cobra
Gaea's Cradle
Gideon Jura
Trygon Predator
Path to Exile

3rd place - Stephan Schwarz - UW Control
Stoneforge Mystic
Restoration Angel
Aven Mindcensor
Phantasmal Image
Wurmcoil Engine
Vendilion Clique
Consecrated Sphinx
Solemn Simulacrum
Kitchen Finks
Snapcaster Mage
Venser, Shaper Savant
Trinket Mage
Phyrexian Metamorph
Sun Titan
Glen Elendra Archmage
Fact or Fiction
Mana Drain
Force of Will
Remand
Counterspell
Cyclonic Rift
Cryptic Command
Absorb
Sphinx's Revelation
Swords to Plowshares
Intuition
Disenchant
Thirst for Knowledge
Mana Leak
Path to Exile
Brainstorm
Muddle the Mixture
Wrath of God
Day of Judgment
Ancestral Vision
Terminus
Winds of Rath
Temporal Mastery
Bribery
Supreme Verdict
Entreat the Angels
Decree of Justice
Ancient Den
Seat of the Synod
Vedalken Shackles
Sensei's Divining Top
Sword of the Meek
Coalition Relic
Pithing Needle
Batterskull
Azorius Signet
Pristine Talisman
Relic of Progenitus
Thopter Foundry
Oblivion Ring
Detention Sphere
Back to Basics
5x Plains
10x Island
Mystic Gate
Karakas
Marsh Flats
Hallowed Fountain
Polluted Delta
Misty Rainforest
Maze of Ith
Academy Ruins
Vesuva
Arid Mesa
Celestial Colonnade
Tectonic Edge
Tundra
Glacial Fortress
Dust Bowl
Scalding Tarn
Flooded Strand
Wasteland
Kor Haven
Windswept Heath
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Jace, Architect of Thought
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
Jace Beleren
Gideon Jura
Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Tezzeret, the Seeker
Karn Liberated

[1. Thomas Stier - Bant]

Hi!

Our community ran a HL League that started end of June. The tournament was divided in group playouts and a final day with top 8 double elimination plajavascript:void(0);yoffs.

We had 28 players participating in four groups where everybody had to play everybody. Only the two best of each group would advance to the finals, which were held last week.

The final standings are as follows:

Group A
1 Oliver Säuberlich
2 Alexander Bastian
3 Maximilian Stief
4 Sebastian Nötzel
5 Jürgen Fischer
6 Ulrich Marzenell

Group B
1 Achim Günzel
2 Boris Hoischen
3 Christoph Reuss-Klingmüller
4 Christian Hauck
5 Patrick Kunz
6 Can Özen
7 Marco Pino

Group C
1 Manuel Hauck
2 Thomas Stier
3 Kai Thiemann
4 Stefan Czolk
5 Jonathan Nowak
6 Markus Gölz
7 Dominik Luis

Group D
1 Alexander Thomas
2 Philip Ehrle
3 Giuseppe Iacono
4 Ronald Lehmann
5 Alexander Rosenberger
6 Hüseyin Balikci
7 Ethem Ucar

During group play everybody could use up to 10 proxies. Decks could be changed between matches.

On the finals day, everybody was locked in to one deck with no proxies.

These are the final results of the double elimination top 8 bracket:

1. Thomas Stier - Bant
2. Philip Ehrle - Bant
3. Alexander Thomas - Ub Artifact Control
4. Achim Günzel - 4c Blood Midrange
5. Manuel Hauck - Bg Control
5. Boris Hoischen - America Control
7. Oliver Säuberlich - Bant
7. Alexander Bastian - UWb Blink

And here are the decklists for the top 4:

1st place - Thomas Stier - Bant
Horizon Canopy
Breeding Pool
Arid Mesa
Hallowed Fountain
Tropical Island
Savannah
Flooded Strand
Wooded Foothills
Island
Flooded Grove
Island
Wasteland
Forest
Misty Rainforest
Karakas
Windswept Heath
Plains
Forest
Celestial Colonnade
Polluted Delta
Gaea's Cradle
Island
Reflecting Pool
Tundra
Scalding Tarn
Yavimaya Coast
Marsh Flats
Verdant Catacombs
Tectonic Edge
Forest
Temple Garden
Stirring Wildwood
Dryad Arbor
Maze of Ith
Sensei's Divining Top
Aether Vial
Vedalken Shackles
Sword of Feast and Famine
Phyrexian Metamorph
Batterskull
Qasali Pridemage
Eladamri's Call
Edric, Spymaster of Trest
Kitchen Finks
Knight of the Reliquary
Geist of Saint Traft
Sigarda, Host of Herons
Harmonic Sliver
Swords to Plowshares
Mana Tithe
Stoneforge Mystic
Aven Mindcensor
Oblivion Ring
Restoration Angel
Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Parallax Wave
Green Sun's Zenith
Birds of Paradise
Noble Hierarch
Llanowar Elves
Fyndhorn Elves
Avacyn's Pilgrim
Three Visits
Nature's Lore
Sylvan Library
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Lotus Cobra
Wall of Roots
Scavenging Ooze
Tarmogoyf
Fauna Shaman
Eternal Witness
Thrun, the Last Troll
Thragtusk
Acidic Slime
Primeval Titan
Natural Order
Garruk Wildspeaker
Garruk Relentless
Preordain
Ponder
Brainstorm
Stifle
Force Spike
Daze
Mana Leak
Phantasmal Image
Snapcaster Mage
Mana Drain
Counterspell
Vendilion Clique
Fact or Fiction
Glen Elendra Archmage
Sower of Temptation
Venser, Shaper Savant
Opposition
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Cryptic Command
Bribery
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
Treachery

2nd place - Philip Ehrle - Bant
2 Forest
3 Island
2 Plains
Savannah
Tropical Island
Tundra
Temple Garden
Breeding Pool
Hallowed Fountain
Flooded Grove
Mystic Gate
Celestial Colonnade
Stirring Wildwood
Treetop Village
Wasteland
Tectonic Edge
Karakas
Vesuva
Reflecting Pool
Polluted Delta
Flooded Strand
Windswept Heath
Wooded Foothills
Scalding Tarn
Misty Rainforest
Marsh Flats
Verdant Catacombs
Arid Mesa
Horizon Canopy
Tranquil Thicket
Lonely Sandbar
Yavimaya Hollow
Maze of Ith
Birds of Paradise
Noble Hierarch
Wall of Roots
Tarmogoyf
Scavenging Ooze
Qasali Pridemage
Stoneforge Mystic
Spellskite
Fauna Shaman
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Lotus Cobra
Phantasmal Image
Snapcaster Mage
Vendilion Clique
Knight of the Reliquary
Harmonic Sliver
Kitchen Finks
Eternal Witness
Aven Mindcensor
Restoration Angel
Glen Elendra Archmage
Thrun, the Last Troll
Venser, Shaper Savant
Phyrexan Metamorph
Acidic Slime
Thragtusk
Primeval Titan
Consecrated Sphinx
Jace Beleren
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Garruk Wildspeaker
Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Gideon Jura
Ancestral Vision
Brainstorm
Sensei's Divining Top
Green Sun's Zenith
Swords to Plowshares
Path to Exile
Stifle
Eladamri's Call
Mana Leak
Miscalculation
Counterspell
Mana Drain
Memory Lapse
Daze
Sylvan Library
Regrowth
Life from the Loam
Bant Charm
Forbid
Sword of Feast and Famine
Coalition Relic
Oblivion Ring
Intuition
Wrath of God
Day of Judgement
Fact or Fiction
Cryptic Command
Batterskull
Bribery
Force of Will

3rd place - Alexander Thomas - Ub Artifact Control

Maze of Ith
14x Snow-covered Island
Seat of the Synod
Tolaria West
Creeping Tar Pit
Watery Grave
Drowned Catacomb
Underground Sea
Tectonic Edge
Ancient Tomb
Academy Ruins
Mishra's Workshop
Mouth of Ronom
Homeward Path
City of Traitors
Dust Bowl
Wasteland
Misty Rainforest
Scalding Tarn
Flooded Strand
Polluted Delta
Chrome Mox
Ancestral Vision
Tormod's Crypt
Sensei's Divining Top
Pithing Needle
Expedition Map
Brainstorm
Preordain
Ponder
Stifle
Coldsteel Heart
Mind Stone
Into the Roil
Mana Leak
Animate Dead
Grim Monolith
Talisman of Dominance
Daze
Dimir Signet
Snapcaster Mage
Miscalculation
Counterspell
Demonic Tutor
Sword of the Meek
Thopter Foundry
Merchant Scroll
Transmute Artifact
Repeal
Mana Drain
Spellskite
Baleful Strix
Negate
Coalition Relic
Worn Powerstone
Jace Beleren
Vendilion Clique
Fabricate
Intuition
Rhystic Tutor
Crucible of Worlds
Ensnaring Bridge
Trinket Mage
Vedalken Shackles
Oblivion Stone
Propaganda
Thran Dynamo
Cryptic Command
Phyrexian Metamorph
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Trading Post
Glen Elendra Archmage
Argivian Restoration
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Control Magic
Gilded Lotus
Treachery
Bribery
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
Tezzeret, the Seeker
Force of Will
Crumbling Sanctuary
Future Sight
Staff of Nin
Volition Reins
Wurmcoil Engine
Mindslaver
Sundering Titan

Hopefully the decklist can be found again so I can share it with you. (UPDATE 15.10.12 - Decklist found and completed)

4th place - Achim Günzel - 4c Blood Midrange
Arid Mesa
Badlands
Bayou
Bloodstained Mire
Copperline Gorge
Dryad Arbor
Flooded Strand
Forest
Horizon Canopy
Karakas
Marsh Flats
Maze of Ith
Misty Rainforest
Overgrown Tomb
Plains
Plateau
Polluted Delta
Raging Ravine
Razorverge Thicket
Reflecting Pool
Sacred Foundry
Savannah
Scalding Tarn
Scrubland
Snow-covered Forest
Stirring Wildwood
Stomping Ground
Taiga
Tectonic Edge
Temple Garden
Treetop Village
Verdant Catacombs
Wasteland
Windswept Heath
Wooded Foothills
Woodland Cemetery
Acidic Slime
Avacyn's Pilgrim
Aven Mindcensor
Birds of Paradise
Bloodbraid Elf
Cunning Sparkmage
Dark Confidant
Eternal Witness
Fauna Shaman
Flametongue Kavu
Fyndhorn Elves
Hellrider
Huntmaster of the Fells
Imperial Recruiter
Kitchen Finks
Knight of the Reliquary
Llanowar Elves
Lotus Cobra
Mirran Crusader
Mother of Runes
Noble Hierarch
Phyrexian Metamorph
Prmeval Titan
Qasali Pridemage
Restoration Angel
Scavenging Ooze
Shriekmaw
Stoneforge Mystic
Tarmogoyf
Thragtusk
Thrun, the Last Troll
Wolfir Silverheart
Ajani Vengeant
Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Chandra, the Firebrand
Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Garruk Relentless
Garruk Wildspeaker
Liliana of the Veil
Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
Animate Dead
Oblivion Ring
Parallax Wave
Sylvan Library
Aether Vial
Sword of Feast and Famine
Sword of Fire and Ice
Arc Trail
Bonfire of the Damned
Demonic Tutor
Firebolt
Green Sun's Zenith
Lingering Souls
Maelstrom Pulse
Natural Order
Vindicate
Eladamri's Call
Go for the Throat
Lightning Bolt
Lightning Helix
Path to Exile
Putrefy
Swords to Plowshares
Tainted Pact

I want to thank everybody who participated in what I think was a fantastic tournament! I'm looking to forward to repeat these kind of league tournament in the near future. Cya!

[Exploring Manabases - Part 2: 5c-Aggro and Bant]

Exploring Manabases - Part 2: 5c-Aggro and Bant

The first part of my article showed the most important lands that are required to build stable multicolor manabases.

In this second part of my article series I want to talk about the 5c-Aggro deck and the Bant deck. Both are popular choices and can often be seen in tournaments. They have proven to have tier 1 status, and because of that I think it is worthwhile to present them to new members of our community. Since the topic of this article is "manabases", I will of course be focusing on that aspect when I discuss the decks and mainly explain the subtleties that go into building their respective manabases.

Mana Archetypes
To illustrate the thought process which leads to the decisions made and to save me and yourself some time of sifting through huge highlander lists, I'm going to depict the two decks in a "condensed" form which I will call "concept form" from here on. This - rather than a full list of cards would do - will lead to a better understanding of the idea behind the deck by highlighting their archetypical spells.

5c-Aggro

Concept Form:

Wild Nacatl   Loam Lion   Grim Lavamancer   Kird Ape

Noble Hierarch   Birds of Paradise   Llanowar Elves   Mother of Runes

Qasali Pridemage   Tarmogoyf   Dark Confidant   Tidehollow Sculler

Knight of the Reliquary   Geist of Saint Traft   Doran, the Siege Tower   Aven Mindcensor

Elspeth, Knight Errant   Garruk Relentless   Ajani Vengeant   Tangle Wire

Lightning Bolt   Chain Lightning   Swords to Plowshares   Path to Exile

Lightning Helix   Demonic Tutor   Tainted Pact   Fire/Ice

Vindicate   Maelstrom Pulse   Oblivion Ring   Blightning

This is a 5c-Aggro deck in a nutshell. What does this tell us regarding the conception of a solid and strong manabase for this archetype?

• The deck wants access to its various colors of mana early on. This means that untapped lands should be valued more highly than those which have a chance to enter the battlefield tapped during the early turns.
• Our one- and two-drops are green (most of the time), white (secondary color) or red (tertiary color). In essence, 5c-Aggro decks are Naya-decks that splash black and blue. Therefore lands that produce green mana and enter the battlefield untapped should be our premium type of land, followed by white and red ones.
• Cards like Wild Nacatl, Kird Ape and Matca Rioters want specific basic land types in play. We must keep this in mind and try to maximize the number or the availability of these types of lands.
• The deck is "color hungry" in general. The number of lands that produce only colorless mana should be kept low
• As this deck is trying to win with creatures, it is vulnerable to board sweepers. One efficient way to fight those are manlands. Therefore we want to include some of these.

Let's start with our "backbone":

10x Fetchland
10x Dual land
Temple Garden (primary and secondary color)
Stomping Ground (primary and tertiary color)
Overgrown Tomb (primary and splash color 1)
Breeding Pool (primary and splash color 2)
Sacred Foundry (secondary and tertiary color)

From here on we want to focus on green untapped lands and on lands that have sweet applications for the deck:

Razorverge Thicket (primary and secondary color)
Copperline Gorge (primary and tertiary color)
Forest
Plains (your only! outs to a resolved Blood Moon)
City of Brass (obvious auto-include)
Treetop Village
Stirring Wildwood
Gaea's Cradle (sometimes very bad, sometimes extremely broken, it's application as a foil to The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale pushes it over the edge for me)
Horizon Canopy
Wasteland

This adds up to 35 lands. Note that several lands could not be included because the mana requirements of 5c-Aggro are so stiff. Notably missing are Tectonic Edge (another out against the dreaded Maze of Ith), Volrath's Stronghold and Karakas.

Let's move on to the other mana archetype:

Bant

Concept form:

Noble Hierarch Birds of Paradise   Ponder Mother of Runes

Qasali Pridemage Stoneforge Mystic   Mana Drain Preordain

Daze Eladamri's Call Fauna Shaman   Sylvan Library

Knight of the Reliquary   Vendilion Clique Geist of Saint Traft Eternal Witness

Bant Charm Rhox War Monk   Kitchen Finks Oblivion Ring

Cryptic Command Glen Elendra Archmage   Jace, the Mindsculptor Elspeth, Knight Errant

Primeval Titan Bribery Treachery Baneslayer Angel

Natural Order Force of Will Back to Basics Parallax Wave

What do we learn from this:

• First of all, the manacurve usually tops out a bit higher than in a 5c-Aggro deck. So more lands are necessary in order to reliably hit your 4th and 5th land drops in time.
• As an extension to this first point however, you have to note that Bant can make use of blue Cantrip spells like Preordain, Ponder and Brainstorm which help to secure your land drops. So you don't need to add too many more lands to your list.
• Some of the very best spells of the Bant shard require double mana of one kind (, or ). Consequently, Filter lands and Reflecting Pool are good choices for a Bant manabase.
• Many Bant lists want to make use of the sheer power that is offered by Back to Basics. To do that, one must maximize the number of basic lands. Usually about 6 to 8 basics should be included because of that.
• The Titan case: With the Natural Order-Primeval Titan-combo in the deck, it is advised to run a decent amount of utility lands that maximize the effect of an entering Titan.

A typical Bant mana base could look like this:

9 Fetches (Bloodstained Mire of course excluded)
Savannah
Tropical Island
Tundra
Temple Garden
Breeding Pool
Hallowed Fountain
Razorverge Thicket
Yavimaya Coast
Horizon Canopy
3x Island
1x Plains
3x Forest
Celestial Colonnade
Stirring Wildwood
Treetop Village
Mystic Gate
Flooded Grove
Reflecting Pool
Karakas
Wasteland
Tectonic Edge
Tower of the Magistrate or Yavimaya Hollow (Maybe both if you want to go up to 36 lands)

There is one thing, that both of the above deck types have in common: They have a "green heart". The reasons for this are the following:

1. Green has some very good spells to offer, especially creatures. Therefore it is suited as a base color for decks that want to win by going into the "red zone" (which means: by attacking).
2. Green fixes mana very well, which makes it attractive as a base color for multicolored decks. Cards like Noble Hierarch, Birds of Paradise, Sakura-Tribe Elder or Lotus Cobra are examples of this.

I say this, because I want to make one first big point here: Green is a dominant color in the Highlander format because it makes playing multicolor easier.

Furthermore, as can be seen by regarding the Bant list, Blue is a dominant color in the Highlander format because it makes playing multicolor easier. And that is because of Blue's access to good cantrips and draw spells which help to fix your manabase.


So far, so good. In the third part of "Exploring Manabases" I will be discussing other methods that can be applied to enhance the mana capabilities of Highlander decks: Ramp spells and Artifact mana. Therefore I will present another two different deck archetypes wich represent these two methods of mana management - Jund-Scapeshift and Esper-Control.

See you then! And please feel free to discuss this article!

[Exploring Manabases - Part 1: The Lands of Highlander]

Hello everyone!

Some talk has been going on lately about Highlander Magic being on the decline.

I agree to some extent! Here's my take on it: In order to make HL flourish again, we players as a community need to become more active. That can mean different things, such as starting more meaningful threads, posting tournament results and decklists regularly, hosting more tournaments with good prize support, commenting more on our forum or elsewhere, starting and maintaining blogs, creating and sharing own content etc.

I'm going to follow the last approach. I plan on writing several articles about Highlander strategy, deckbuilding and other HL-related topics.

My first article series will mainly be aimed at unexperienced and intermediate Highlander players. So for all you old-timers out there, that have been around for a long time, there won't be anything too exciting or new to be found. Nevertheless, I feel it can help from time to time to remember the basic groundwork on which we all build upon. So even for you there might be something worthwhile to discover (at least I hope there will be ).

Without further ado, here's the article:


Exploring Manabases - Part 1: The Lands of Highlander

Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed.
- Francis Bacon

What the english philosopher wanted to say here, is that man has to adhere to the laws of nature in order to shape the world in the way he wants it to be and thus become the ruler over the natural. In other words, mind cannot rule supreme over matter, it has to abide by the eternal laws that exist outside of it.

The same can be said about Magic: The Gathering. The concept of mana is a core element of the card game that we all love so dearly. It limits which card we can play at any given time. Consequently, cards that allow us to cheat on mana or casting costs are often times the most powerful and broken ones in the game (e.g. Tinker, Channel, Black Lotus etc.).

To make use of the spells in your deck, you have to adhere to their cost restrictions and to efficiently manage the mana strucure of your deck is of utmost importance.

Some general rules apply to almost every format of Magic but have to be modified when applied in the context of the Highlander format. You often hear things like "you should play about 24 lands in your 60 card deck" or "17 lands in your limited pile". These statements refer to the correct ratio between lands and spells. Both of the above sample statements suggest a 40% ratio of lands in your deck.
Because of the Highlander spoils mulligan however, this ratio drops to 33% and slightly more. Depending on the average casting cost of your deck and your mana curve, this results in 33 to 36 lands most of the time.

So, with the correct number of lands in mind, let's move on to the specific lands that are used in our format. Highlander offers a plethora of different lands to choose from. Building a manabase for your deck may seem like a difficult task, given the many options that you have.

Naturally some lands are just better than others (Raging Ravine is just better than Shivan Oasis for example*). The actual cardpool to choose from is thus more narrow than one might think at first sight.

*Yeah, i know... in the case of Tsabo's Web this might not be true!

There is no need to reinvent the wheel and try to establish a theoretical hierarchy of lands from scratch. Experience and the format's history have shown which lands are the cream of the crop:

1. Fetchlands


These lands, together with Dual Lands and Shocklands (see below), allow for stable multicolor manabases. You usually want the maximum number of them (which means every fetchland, that allows to fetch your on-color duals).

Paying one life point is a neglible cost in most cases. Indeed Polluted Delta & Co. have a lot more things going on for them. The most important ones are the following:

• They provide protection from Wasteland
• They can fetch basic lands, thus improving your resilience to hate cards such as Blood Moon, Price of Progress and Back to Basics
• You are allowed to shuffle your library, which maximizes the effect of Brainstorm, Sensei's Divining Top or Sylvan Library for example
• Fetchlands thin your library (thereby raising the quality of your topdecks slightly) and fill your graveyard (enabling certain strategies, e.g. growing a Tarmogoyf or a Knight of the Reliquary)

2. Dual Lands


The classic! They've been around since the primeval stage of magic. And still their sheer power level reminds us of these origins - being, in a vacuum, just strictly better than their basic land brethren.

Efficient manabases exploit the synergy between fetchlands and dual lands. Since duals have two basic land types they can be found via fetching.

3. Shock Lands


The Ravnica lands. Just worse than duals, nevertheless quite the deal. First and foremost because they too can be found by fetchlands (thanks to their basic land types).

Paying two life for an untapped land is a harsh cost at times. Especially when you take the damage from your fetchlands into account. One method to circumvent their drawback is to fetch them at the end of your opponents turn with your untap step just waiting around the corner.

4. Scars Lands


The above three land types, fetchlands, duals and shocklands, provide the backbone of a highlander deck's manabase. From there on however, you still need about 10 to 25 additional lands, depending on the number of colors and the type of deck you play.

To fill these slots, Scars lands are a good option available to you. One should note their strengths and weaknesses however.

On the plus side, they provide untapped dual colored mana without drawback when dropped as your first, second or third land. This characteristic makes them suitable especially for decks that want to deploy their stuff during the early stage of the game.

Slower decks, that focus on more expensive cards (read cmc 4+), will suffer relatively more from lands coming into play tapped at crucial stages in the mid
through late game.

5. M10 + Innistrad Lands


These lands actually behave quite the opposite of Scars lands. They tend to enter the battlefield untapped during the mid and late stages of the game, but may often come tapped during the first few turns.

Consequently their usefulness is maximized in slower decks, while fast decks will usually want to eschew them.

6. Pain Lands


Usually these are valued just a bit worse as Scars lands. Indeed they fulfill the same role in the decks they go in. They offer fast access to two colors. And often times you will find these in the same manabases where Scars lands are used.

The damage can add up quickly however, and between shock lands, fetches and pain lands you might start your average game at a virtual life total of 16 or even less...

7. Filter Lands


Knowing when to make use of filter lands is, in my observation, not a common feat.

They are especially suited when your deck contains many cards that cost double or even triple colored mana of one sort, e.g. Elspeth, Knight Errant, Jace, the Mind Scultor, Cryptic Command, Eternal Witness, Garruk Wildspeaker, Hymn to Tourach, Phyrexian Arena and the like.

If this is not the case, you mostly fare better by replacing a filter land with a different sort of dual. Qasali Pridemage for example can easily be cast by Tundra + Brushland. Having Tundra + Wooded Bastion needlessly opens you up to the risk of being stripped off your Tundra (via Wasteland for example), which leaves you with a mostly useless Wooded Bastion.

Obviously, the above statement aims mainly at 3+ colored decks. Usually every two colored deck will use the approriate filter land it has access to, in order to provide the needed second color (e.g. Island + Sunken Ruins = ) or to turn their basics into double opposite mana ().

8. Manlands


Lands with abilites are always a boon to any deck that can afford to use them. They essentially emulate a spell and therefore reduce the probability of being out of gas during the later turns in the game.

Lavaclaw Reaches is not as impressive as the other four lands. First, its raw powerlevel pales in comparison. Second, Black and Red are at often times only the splash colors of a deck and therefore an ETB-tapped land that only provides splash mana is not what you want.

Stirring Wildwood and Raging Ravine however often find their way in Naya-Aggro decks while Celestial Colonnade is found in Bant lists or even in UW-Control builds as an uncounterable finisher that survives your own Wrath of God.

While Creeping Tar Pit might seem like the strongest of the five manlands, only few archetypes can make use of it. It usually hurts the manabase of aggressive decks too much to be included (since these decks are base green most of the time). Then again, BUG-Aggro-Control and UB-Builds (usually considered tier 1.5 decks) make good use of this unblockable source of damage.

9. Basic Lands


Last but not least - the basic lands. Not providing two colors of mana is a huge liability for multicolored decks. Therefore most 3+ colored decks don't want too many of them.
However, basics aren't subject to the vast variety of hate cards that are popular and provide a stable and reliable source of colored mana.

In addition to that, there are some cards which access basic lands - and only basics lands - in your library (for example Sakura-Tribe Elder). In that way basic lands add a way of finding the right colors at the right time to your deck.

Of special note are the snow-covered versions. Those have applications with certain cards, such as Withering Wisps, Tainted Pact or Into tne North.


That's it for part 1 of "Exploring Manabases". In the second installment of this article series I will show two common Highlander decks and discuss the ins and outs of their respective manabases - 5c-Aggro and Bant.

I hope you enjoyed my first article. I personally am looking forward to write much more content for our superb format in the future!

'til then!

[3rd place - Schwarz, Stephan - UW-Control]

Hello!

After a break of one month our regular HL-tournament was held on saturday again. Here are the final standings after 4 rounds of swiss:

1____Hauck, Christian_____12 pts___4c-Blood-Midrange
2____Thomas, Alexander_____9 pts___Naya-Midrange
3____Schwarz, Stephan______9 pts___UW-Control
4____Stier, Thomas_________7 pts___BUG-Delver
5____Korbel, Jochen________6 pts___Jund-Scapeshift
6____Iacono, Giuseppe______6 pts___Jund-Scapeshift
7____Henssler, Mirko_______6 pts___Mono-Red Burn
8____Lehmann, Ronald_______6 pts___5c-Aggro
9____Nötzel, Sebastian_____6 pts___BUG-Control
10___Hauck, Manuel_________4 pts___Bg-Control
11___Wosnitzka, Jörg_______0 pts___4c-Blood-LandDeath
12___Hoischen, Boris_______0 pts___BUG-Midrange

And here are the top 3 decklists:

3rd place - Schwarz, Stephan - UW-Control
12x Island
5x Plains
Polluted Delta
Marsh Flats
Flooded Strand
Scalding Tarn
Arid Mesa
Misty Rainforest
Academy Ruins
Kor Haven
Seat of the Synod
Wasteland
Mystic Gate
Celestial Colonnade
Ancient Den
Maze of Ith
Glacial Fortress
Karakas
Tectonic Edge
Tundra
Hallowed Fountain
Steel Hellkite
Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
Fact or Fiction
Sanctum Plowbeast
Jace Beleren
Contagion Engine
Force of Will
Path to Exile
Entreat the Angels
Wurmcoil Engine
Snapcaster Mage
Grand Architect
Consecrated Sphinx
Swords to Plowshares
Restoration Angel
Coalition Relic
Karn Liberated
Bribery
Coldsteel Heart
Wrath of God
Sensei's Divining Top
Decree of Justice
Winds of Rath
Pithing Needle
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Everflowing Chalice
Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Cryptic Command
Venser, the Sojourner
Day of Judgement
Oblivion Ring
Mana Drain
Fabricate
Solemn Simulacrum
Gideon Jura
Treasure Mage
Phantasmal Image
Plumeveil
Venser, Shaper Savant
Tezzeret, the Seeker
Fieldmist Borderpost
Armageddon
Intuition
Trinket Mage
Kitchen Finks
Terminus
Vendilion Clique
Disenchant
Aben Mindcensor
Absorb
Azorius Signet
Mind Stone
Banishing Strike
Mana Leak
Temporal Mastery
Thirst for Knowledge
Phyrexian Metamorph
Vedalken Shackles
Blue Sun's Zenith
White Sun's Zenith
Darksteel Ingot
Back to Basics
Mindslaver
Counterspell

2nd place - Thomas, Alexander - Naya Midrange
Worldly Tutor
Bonfire of the Damned
Chain Lightning
Lightning Bolt
Forked Bolt
Llanowar Elves
Firebolt
Path to Exile
Noble Hierarch
Birds of Paradise
Wild Nacatl
Aether Vial
Grim Lavamancer
Green Sun's Zenith
Fyndhorn Elves
Loam Lion
Avacyn's Pilgrim
Kird Ape
Mother of Runes
Swords to Plowshares
Viridian Emissary
Arc Trail
Scavenging Ooze
Eladamri's Call
Tarmogoyf
Stoneforge Mystic
Incinerate
Lotus Cobra
Journey to Nowhere
Sylvan Library
Fauna Shaman
Lightning Helix
Qasali Pridemage
Strangleroot Geist
3x Forest
2x Plains
1x Mountain
Taiga
Plateau
Savannah
Temple Garden
Stomping Ground
Sacred Foundry
Sunpetal Grove
Rootbound Crag
Clifftop Retreat
Marsh Flats
Arid Mesa
Misty Rainforest
Windswept Heath
Bloodstained Mire
Verdant Catacombs
Scalding Tarn
Wooded Foothills
Flooded Strand
Copperline Gorge
Razorverge Thicket
Horizon Canopy
Stirring Wildwood
Treetop Village
Wooded Bastion
Wasteland
Tectonic Edge
Rishadan Port
Karakas
Dryad Arbor
Molten Rain
Sword of Light and Shadow
Sword of Fire and Ice
Sword of Feast and Famine
Tangle Wire
Sulfuric Vortes
Fiery Justice
Oblivion Ring
Knight of the Reliquary
Mirran Crusader
Wolly Thoctar
Eternal Witness
Aven Mindcensor
Goblin Ruinblaster
Vithian Renegades
Kitchen Finks
Natural Order
Phyrexian Metamorph
Bloodbraid Elf
Garruk Relentless
Wickerbough Elder
Thrun, the Last Troll
Flametongue Kavu
Huntmaster of the Fells
Garruk Wildspeaker
Ajani Vengeant
Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Reveillark
Arc Slogger
Garruk, Primal Hunter
Primeval Titan

1st place - Hauck, Christian - 4c-Blood-Midrange
Copperline Gorge
Plains
Snow-covered Forest
Forest
Reflecting Pool
Verdant Catacombs
Arid Mesa
Misty Rainforest
Marsh Flats
Flooded Strand
Wooded Foothills
Windswept Heath
Bloodstained Mire
Scalding Tarn
Polluted Delta
Scrubland
Bayou
Badlands
Taiga
Savannah
Plateau
Overgrown Tomb
Stomping Ground
Temple Garden
Sacred Foundry
Woodland Cemetery
Raging Ravine
Stirring Wildwood
Treetop Village
Horizon Canopy
Karakas
Razorverge Thicket
Wasteland
Dryad Arbor
Tectonic Edge
Maze of th
Green Suns's Zenith
Swords to Plowshares
Lightning Bolt
Path to Exile
Aether Vial
Firebolt
Bonfire of the Damned
Lightning Helix
Arc Trail
Sylvan Library
Eladamri's Call
Tainted Pact
Demonic Tutor
Go for the Throat
Animate Dead
Oblivion Ring
Ajani, Caller of the Pride
Maelstrom Pulse
Vindicate
Sword of Fire and Ice
Sword of Feast and Famine
Liliana of the Veil
Lingering Souls
Putrefy
Ajani Vengeant
Chandra, the Firebrand
Parallax Wave
Garruk Relentless
Elpeth, Knight-Errant
Garruk WIldspeaker
Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
Natural Order
Llanowar Elves
Birds of Paradise
Fyndhorn Elves
Noble Hierarch
Mother of Runes
Avacyn's Pilgrim
Lotus Cobra
Dark Confidant
Qasali Pridemage
Tarmogoyf
Scavenging Ooze
Stoneforge Mystic
Fauna Shaman
Mayor of Avabruck
Mirran Crusader
Knight of the Reliquary
Kitchen Finks
Eternal Witness
Vithian Renegades
Cunning Sparkmage
Aven Mindcensor
Thrun, the Last Troll
Hellrider
Restoration Angel
Bloodbraid Elf
Flametongue Kavu
Huntmaster of the Fells
Phyrexian Metamorph
Acidic Slime
Wolfir Silverheart
Shriekmaw
Primeval Titan

[1st place - Stier, Thomas - Big BUG]

Hey there!

Here are our latest results:

Highlander - 8 players - 3 rounds of swiss

1......Stier, Thomas......9 pts...Big BUG
2......Korbel, Jochen.....6 pts...Jund Ramp/Scapeshift
3......Gerber, Christoph..6 pts...4C Blood Tokens
4......Gölz, Markus.......6 pts...GBWr PatternRector
5......Materne, Robin.....3 pts...[decklist missing, maybe MonoRed]
6......Thomas, Alexander..3 pts...5C Aggro/Goodstuff
7......Zipprich, Gideon...3 pts...Naja Midrange
8......Denzler, Ole.......0 pts...White Weenie

I will post the 3 top decklists here even though it might seem a bit excessive, considering there were only 8 players. However, I think the lists are quite innovative. Here they are:

1st place - Stier, Thomas - Big BUG

Seat of the Synod
Lonely Sandbar
Island x2
Snow-covered Island
Barren Moor
Swamp
Snow-covered Swamp
Bojuka Bog
Tranquil Thicket
Forest x2
Snow-covered Forest
Reflecting Pool
Mishra's Factory
Wasteland
Vesuva
Volrath's Stronghold
Bayou
Twilight Mire
Overgrown Tomb
Breeding Pool
Flooded Grove
Tropical Island
Watery Grave
Underground Sea
Sunken Ruins
Bloodstained Mire
Scalding Tarn
Verdant Catacombs
Misty Rainforest
Marsh Flats
Wooded Foothills
Windswept Heath
Polluted Delta
Flooded Strand
Mox Diamond
Nihil Spellbomb
Pithing Needle
Maze of Ith
Sensei's Divining Top
Birds of Paradise
Exploration
Crop Rotation
Noble Hierarch
Nature's Claim
Darkblast
Brainstorm
Stifle
Simic Signet
Talisman of Dominance
Dimir Signet
Scavenging Ooze
Wall of Roots
Tarmogoyf
Life from the Loam
Sylvan Library
Go for the Throat
Dark Confidant
Tainted Pact
Demonic Tutor
Shriekmaw
Animate Dead
Mana Leak
Mana Drain
Snapcaster Mage
Counterspell
Phantasmal Image
Condescend
Phyrexian Metamorph
Coalition Relic
Engineered Explosives
Crucible of Worlds
Kitchen Finks
Krosan Grip
Eternal Witness
Maelstrom Pulse
Pernicious Deed
Necromancy
Intuition
Trinket Mage
Vendilion Clique
Back to Basics
Thirst for Knowledge
Vedalken Shackles
Solemn Simulacrum
Garruk Wildspeaker
Garruk Relentless
Thrun, the Last Troll
Damnation
Consuming Vapors
Cryptic Command
Miystical Teachings
Fact or Fiction
Venser, Shaper Savant
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
Mulldrifter
Treachery
Bribery
Primeval Titan
Grave Titan
Consecrated Sphinx
Upheaval

2nd place - Korbel, Jochen - Jund Ramp/Scapeshift

Wolfir Silverheart
Scapeshift
Rampaging Baloths
Bitterblossom
Yavimaya Elder
Yavimaya Dryad
Borderland Ranger
Civic Wayfinder
Magma Jet
Arc Trail
Arc-Slogger
Lighting Bolt
Noble Hierarch
Birds of Paradise
Ohran Viper
Bloodbraid Elf
Green Sun's Zenith
Shriekmaw
Flametongue Kavu
Sensei's Divining Top
Mirri's Guile
Sylvan Library
Grim Lavamancer
Dimir House Guard
Vesuva
Snow-covered Mountain x 2
Snow-covered Swamp x2
Snow-covered Forest x2
Mounatin x4
Forest x6
Lavalanche
Primal Command
Scavenging Ooze
Nature's Lore
Into the North
Rampant Growth
Ruination
Blood Moon
Maze of Ith
Bituminous Blast
Garruk, Primal Hunter
Garruk Wildspeaker
Chandra Nalaar
Terminate
Maelstrom Pulse
Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
Sprouting Thrinax
Phyrexian Metamorph
Fauna Shaman
Wurmcoil Engine
Wall of Roots
Primeval Titan
Inferno Titan
Rune-Scarred Demon
Pernicious Deed
Demonic Tutor
Master of the Wild Hunt
Search for Tomorrow
Farseek
Worldly Tutor
Mouth of Ronom
Volrath's Stronghold
Eternal Witness
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Sylvan Ranger
Olivia Voldaren
Acidic Slime
Wasteland
Windswept Heath
Wooded Foothills
Bloodstained Mire
Polluted Delta
Arid Mesa
Marsh Flats
Verdant Catacombs
Misty Rainforest
Scalding Tarn
Inquisition of Kozilek
Duress
Blood Crypt
Stomping Ground
Badlands
Taiga
Bayou
Magus of the Moon
Obstinate Baloth
Kitchen Finks
Spike Weaver

3rd place - Gerber, Christoph - 4C Blood Tokens

Vindicate
Birds of Paradise
Noble Hierarch
Avacyn's Pilgrim
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Scavenging Ooze
Tarmogoyf
Shriekmaw
Furystoke Giant
Fauna Shaman
Flametongue Kavu
Qasali Pridemage
Bloodbraid Elf
Knight of the Reliquary
Kitchen Finks
Vithian Renegades
Mother of Runes
Mentor of the Meek
Lotus Cobra
Nest Invader
Mogg War Marshal
Imperious Perfect
Master of the Wild Hunt
Hero of Bladehold
Siege-Gang Commander
Deranged Hermit
Raise the Alarm
Bitterblossom
Rith's Charm
Timely Reinforcements
Midnight Haunting
Beastmaster Ascension
Intangible Virtue
Fervent Charge
Overrun
Mikaeus, the Lunarch
Ajani Goldmane
Mirror Entity
Garruk Wildspeaker
Garruk Relentless
Eladamri's Call
Decree of Justice
Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Chord of Calling
Lightning Helix
Swords to Plowshares
Path to Exile
Green Suns's Zenith
Arc Trail
Magma Jet
Tainted Pact
Demonic Tutor
Crop Rotation
Aritfact Mutation
Sunpetal Grove
Gavony Township
Kher Keep
Plateau
Badlands
Plains
Swamp
Mountain
Forest
Gaea's Cradle
Maze of Ith
Karakas
Wasteland
Volrath's Stronghold
Temple Garden
Sacred Foundry
Godless Shrine
Overgrown Tomb
Stomping Ground
Taiga
Savannah
Scrubland
Bayou
Windswept Heath
Polluted Delta
Flooded Strand
Bloodstained Mire
Wooded Foothills
Marsh Flats
Arid Mesa
Misty Rainforest
Verdant Catacombs
Scalding Tarn
Sylvan Scrying
Ghave, Guru of Spores
Lightning Bolt
Spectral Posession
Windbrisk Heights
Eternal Witness
City of Brass
Sylvan Ranger
Mirri's Guile
Lingering Souls
Emeria Angel
Arbor Elf
Syllvan Library

[MonoRed Burn - Robin Materne]

13 Players - 4 rounds of swiss

1_____Materne, Robin_____12 pts__MonoRed Burn
2_____Hauck, Christian___10 pts__4C-Blood-Midrange
3_____Nötzel, Sebastian___9 pts__BUG-Control
4_____Thomas, Alexander___7 pts__5C-Goodstuff
5_____Thiemann, Kai_______7 pts__DarkBant-Midrange
6_____Czolk, Stefan_______6 pts__Naya-Aggro
7_____Jäger, Steffen______6 pts__GBw(u)-Combo
8_____Hauck, Manuel_______4 pts__Bg-Control
9_____Denzler, Ole________4 pts__BUG-Dredge
10____Lehmann, Ronald_____4 pts__Grixis-Staxx
11____Schwarz, Stephan____3 pts__BUG-Control
12____Korbel, Jochen______3 pts__5C-Aggro
13____Guenzel, Achim______0 pts__Esper-Control

Winning decklist:

MonoRed Burn - Robin Materne
28x Mountain
Wasteland
Barbarian Ring
Rishadan Port

Ball Lightning
Flametongue Kavu
Hell's Thunder
Blistering Firecat
Keldon Marauder
Goblin Bushwhacker
Goblin Wardriver
Stormblood Berserker
Chandra's Phoenix
Ember Hauler
Hellrider
Magus of the Moon
Zo-zu the Punisher
Figure of Destiny
Hero of Oxid Ridge
Hellspark Elemental
Kargan Dragonlord
Keldon Champion
Grim Lavamancer
Tattermunge Maniac
Vexing Shusher
Siege-Gang Commander
Mogg Fanatic
Goblin Guide
Hearthfire-Hobgoblin
Boggart Ram-Gang
Stigma Lasher
Frenzied Goblin
Blood Knight
Skizzik

Brst Lightning
Elemental Appeal
Koth of the Hammer
Violent Eruption
Flame Javelin
Arc Trail
Shrine of Burning Rage
Seal of Fire
Searing Blaze
Chain Lightning
Fire Ambush
Incinerate
Black Vise
Volcanic Hammer
Sudden Shock
Smash to Smithereens
Fireblast
Char
Rhystic Lightning
Lightning Bolt
Staggershock
Forked Bolt
Relic of Progenitus
Price of Progress
Shock
Galvanic Blast
Rift Bolt
Pyrite Spellbomb
Blood Moon
Pillage
Wheel of Fortune
Ruination
Molten Rain
Magma Jet
Brimstone Volley
Lash Out
Tangle Wire
Sulfuric Vortex
Cursed Scroll

15 Players
4 rounds of swiss

1. Ehrle, Philip ------- 10 pts --- Bant Control
2. Guenzel, Achim ------ 10 pts --- RGu Aggro Combo
3. Hauck, Manuel -------- 9 pts --- Bg Control
4. Stier, Thomas -------- 9 pts --- BUG Aggro Control
5. Dubbernell, Robin ---- 9 pts --- Mono G Eldrazi Ramp
6. Stief, Maximilan ----- 6 pts --- 5c Aggro
7. Korbel, Jochen ------- 6 pts --- Rb Goblins
8. Nötzel, Sebastian ---- 6 pts --- 5c Goodstuff
9. Hauck, Christian ----- 6 pts --- 4c Blood Goodstuff
10. Möske, Michael ------ 6 pts --- 4c Darkbant Goodstuff
11. Leuck, Marc --------- 4 pts --- 5c Goodstuff
12. Fischer, Jürgen ----- 4 pts --- Mono U Artifacts
13. Pino, Marco --------- 3 pts --- Gw Ramp
14. Rosenberger, Alex --- 3 pts --- Esper Control
15. Schreiber, Martin --- 0 pts --- Esper Control

Top 3 decklists can be found here: http://highlanderforum.kilu.de/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3936&p=4561#p4561

Hey everybody!

Here are the final standings:

1.  Maximilian Stief --- 10 pts -- 5 Color-Aggro
2.  Tobias Wolf -------- 10 pts -- Dark Bant
3.  Alexander Thomas ---  9 pts -- Bant
4.  Michael Möske ------  9 pts -- Dark Bant
5.  Dominik Süss -------  6 pts -- G/b-Elves
6.  Christian Großmayer   6 pts -- WW
7.  Thomas Müller ------  6 pts -- 4c Bloodstuff
8.  Achim Günzel -------  6 pts -- Bant
9.  Marco Pino ---------  6 pts -- 5c Aggro/Goodst.
10. Marc Leuck ---------  6 pts -- 5c Goodstuff
11. Markus Gölz --------  3 pts -- Pattern Rector
12. Sebastian Nötzel ---  3 pts -- bRant
13. Steffen Schmidt ----  3 pts -- B/G-Infect


Top 4 decklists can be found in our forum.

'til then!

Hello!

Here are the final standings of our last tournament:

24 players
5 rounds of swiss

1_____Thiemann, Kai________15 pts___4C-Blood Rock
2_____Stier, Thomas________13 pts___4C-Blood PatternRector
3_____Iacono, Giuseppe_____12 pts___BGW PatternRector
4_____Hauck, Christian_____12 pts___4C-Blood Aggro
5_____Nötzel, Sebastian____10 pts___Bant Control
6_____Korbel, Jochen________9 pts___5C Aggro
7_____Ehrle, Philip_________9 pts___Bant Control
8_____Lauck, Marc___________9 pts___4C-DarkBant Control
9_____Guenzel, Achim________8 pts___Bant Control
10____Lehmann, Ronald_______7 pts___UR CounterStax
11____Portleroy, Jan________6 pts___BGW-Junk Aggro
12____Czolk, Stefan_________6 pts___4C-HotBant Control
13____Möske, Michael________6 pts___4C-DarkBant Control
14____Hoischen. Boris_______6 pts___5C-Goodstuff Control
15____Gerber, Christoph_____6 pts___UBRG-PesterTwin-Combo
16____Hauck, Manuel_________6 pts___Black Deck Wins (MBC)
17____Grosmayer. Christian__6 pts___RG-Beatz Aggro
18____Meister, Yannick______6 pts___Reanimator
19____Wolf, Tobias__________4 pts___4C-DarkBant Control
20____Adam, Matthias________3 pts___RW-Boros Aggro
21____Pino, Marco___________3 pts___4C-Blood Aggro
22____Stief, Maximilian_____3 pts___5C Aggro
23____Hirschpek, Felix______3 pts___[no list available]
24____Schmidt, Steffen______0 pts___Grixis Control

Decklists can be found here: http://highlanderforum.kilu.de/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=176&start=0

Hope you like it! Bye!

Hello!

Here's a link to the top8 lists of our last tournament:
http://highlanderforum.kilu.de/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=175&start=0

Standings will hopefully follow soon. Total attendance was 21 players iirc.

'til next time!

[Grixis Twin]

After posting the results of our last tourney I got two independent requests for the Grixis Twin list that Seb played. So I thought why not just post his list here.

He told me he came up with the deck just on the morning when the tournament started. So the list is obviously not very refined and should be viewed as a starting point for further deckbuilding.

We even played against each other during the tournament. While playing I was always in fear. This combo can be quite explosive. Without further ado, here's the list:


Grixis Twin

Lim-Dûl's Vault
Fire/Ice
Izzet Signet
Talisman of Indulgence
Talisman of Dominance
Dimir Signet
Coalition Relic
Thopter Foundry
Shadowmage Infiltrator
Demonic Tutor
Damnation
Consuming Vapors
Go for the Throat
Doom Blade
Vampire Nighthawk
Shriekmaw
Tezzeret the Seeker
Jace Beleren
Jace the Mind Sculptor
Mana Leak
Misdirection
Spell Snare
Muddle the Mixture
Back to Basics
Deceiver Exarch
Pestermite
Vendilion Clique
Sea Gate Oracle
Consecrated Sphinx
Phyrexian Metamorph
Glen Elendra Archmage
Gifts Ungiven
Brainstorm
Ponder
Mystical Teachings
Ancestral Vision
Fact or Fiction
Preordain
Bribery
Treachery
Counterspell
Mana Drain
Force of Will
Daze
Arc Trail
Lightning Bolt
Forked Bolt
Slagstorm
Earthquake
Blood Moon
Magus of the Moon
Price of Progress
Grim Lavamancer
Splinter Twin
Flametongue Kavu
Arc Slogger
Sensei's Divining Top
Maze of Ith
Vedalken Shackles
Sword of the Meek
Spellskite
Wurmcoil Engine
Batterskull
Grave Titan
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Solemn Simulacrum
Phantasmal Image
Swamp (3x)
Mountain (4x)
Island (8x)
Academy Ruins
Mox Diamond
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Volrath's Stronghold
Tectonic Edge
Badlands
Underground Sea
Volcanic Island
Wasteland
Reflecting Pool
Watery Grave
Blood Crypt
Steam Vents
Scalding Tarn
Arid Mesa
Polluted Delta
Flooded Strand
Bloodstained Mire
Verdant Catacombs
Wooded Foothills
Misty Rainforest
Marsh Flats
Sorrow's Path ( )

First thing to notice: Sorrow's Path is likely in due to a lost bet...

Second: No Kiki-Jiki. I can only guess here. He might find triple R to hard on the base.

Third: What I really like with this approach is the Moon/B2B/PoP package.

Seb also told me he wasn't sure if the deck wanted the Thopter/Sword combo or just more big men instead (Inferno Titan for example).

So here it is. I'm interested in your thoughts.

Hi!

These are the results of Mannheim's recent monthly HL tournament:

Players: 16

Rounds: 4

Final Standings:


1. Lauter, Alban ---------- 5C Aggro ------------ 12 pts
2. Korbel, Jochen --------- 5C Aggro ------------- 9 pts
3. Gerber, Christoph ------ 4C Wildfire Control -- 9 pts
4. Stier, Thomas ---------- GBr Scapeshift ------- 7 pts
5. Thomas, Alexander ------ 5C Goodstuff --------- 7 pts
6. Huber, Stefan ---------- [no decklist] -------- 6 pts
7. Kleimeier, Stefan ------ [no decklist] -------- 6 pts
8. Thiemann, Kai ---------- 4C BloodRock --------- 6 pts
9. Stief, Maximilian ------ 5C Aggro ------------- 6 pts
10. Platz, Jens ----------- Boros ---------------- 6 pts
11. Nötzel, Sebastian ----- Grixis Twin ---------- 4 pts
12. Guenzel, Achim -------- BantControl ---------- 4 pts
13. Beirich, Christian ---- [no decklist] -------- 3 pts
14. Steinert, David ------- UBg Control ---------- 3 pts
15. Klippel, Andreas ------ UBg Control ---------- 3 pts
16. Portleroy, Jan -------- GW-Aggro ------------- 0 pts


To view the top 3 decklists in detail visit http://highlanderforum.kilu.de/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=173&p=635#p635.

That's it for now.

Thx, bye and keep the HL community growing!

Hello HL-community!

Here are the final standings of Mannheim's last HL tournament:

1. Stier, Thomas --------- PatternRector ----- 10 pts
2. Korbel, Jochen -------- 5C AlaraAggro ------ 9 pts
3. Thiemann, Kai --------- 4C BloodRock ------- 8 pts
4. Thomas, Alexander ----- 5C Bant ------------ 7 pts
5. Übelacker, Lukas ------ EsperControl ------- 7 pts
6. Stief, Maximilian ----- 4C BloodRock ------- 7 pts
7. Commercon, Simon ------ White Weenie ------- 6 pts
8. Leuck, Marc ----------- DarkBantControl ---- 6 pts
9. Gerber, Christoph ----- GrixisControl ------ 5 pts
10. Guenzel, Achim ------- BantControl -------- 5 pts
11. Hauck, Manuel -------- Bg Control --------- 3 pts
12. Jäger, Steffen ------- 4.5C KikiCombo ----- 0 pts
13. Platz, Jens ---------- Boros -------------- 0 pts

Top 3 decklists can be found here!

Hope you enjoyed it and until next time!

Hello!

Here are the results from Mannheim's last HL tournament:

1 Stier, Thomas ---------------- 4C-BloodMidrange ------ 13 pts
2 Gerber, Christoph ------------ GrixisControl --------- 12 pts
3 Rosenberger, Alexander ------- UWB-ThopterControl ---- 12 pts
4 Nötzel, Sebastian ------------ DarkBant -------------- 12 pts
5 Hauck, Christian ------------- 4C-BloodMidrange ------ 10 pts
6 Korbel, Jochen --------------- 5C-Aggro --------------- 9 pts
7 Barkowski, Merle ------------- Rb-Goblins ------------- 9 pts
8 Tordy, Patrick --------------- 5C-Aggro --------------- 9 pts
9 Übelacker, Lukas ------------- UWb-Control ------------ 6 pts
10 Leuck, Marc ----------------- DarkBant --------------- 6 pts
11 Fischer, Jürgen ------------- MonoBlueArtifact ------- 4 pts
12 Hauck, Manuel --------------- MonoBlackControl (MBC)-- 4 pts
13 Dubbernell, Robin ----------- UW-Control ------------- 3 pts

14 - 19 [dropped from tournament]
Brenndörfer , Paul ------ Boros
Portleroy, Jan ---------- URg AggroControl (Canadian)
Jäger, Steffen ---------- 5C-Kiki/Hulk-Combo
Stief, Maximilian ------- UBG Reanimator
Lehmann, Ronald --------- MonoBlueControl (MUC)
Czolk, Stefan ----------- GBW Midrange (Junk)

Come and take a look at the top 3 decklists!

'til then

Maqi

Hey there!

Here's my report from last weekend's Highlander GP 8.

Hope you like it!

Hey guys!

Here are the results: http://www.magicplayer.org/forum/index.php?topic=525.15
And here is the link to my report: http://highlanderforum.kilu.de/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=126

This time in English, so that our northern friends are able to follow what has happened. I hope you like it!

Hey there!

Please excuse the delay. Here are the final standings of Mannheim's GP trial:

01. Korbel, Jochen - 5c Alara Aggro
02. Stier, Thomas - 4c Aggro
03. Rosenberger, Alexander - Esper ComboControl
04. Hauck, Christian - Naya Midrange
05. Thomas, Alexander - Bant
06. Wolf, Tobias - BR Aggro (?)
07. Thiemann, Kai - 4c Midrange-Rock
08. Iacone, Guiseppe - Scapeshift
09. Hauck, Manuel - MBC
10. Portleroy, Jan - UG AggroControl
11. Gerber, Christoph - Esper AggroControl
12. Lehmann, Ronald - UR Counterburn
13. Grossmayer, Christian - (?)
14. Guenzel, Achim - 4c Aggro
15. Nötzel, Sebastian - Dark Bant
16. Brenndörfer, Paul - Boros (?)
17. Stief, Maximilian - UW Skies
18. Tarka, Lukas - UG AggroControl (?)
19. Gölz, Markus - Pattern Rector
20. Wosnitza, Jörg - (?)
21. Hoischen, Boris - Dark Bant (?)
22. Fischer, Jürgen - Naya Aggro

I'm not sure about some archetypes (those marked with a question mark). Here's the link: http://highlanderforum.kilu.de/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=120

[Grand Prix Trial]

Hello everybody!

Here are the results of our last tournament in Mannheim:

1. Iacone, Giuseppe ___13 ___ RGb-Ramp
2. Thomas, Alexander __13 ___ 4c Goodstuff
3. Stief, Maximilian ____ 12 ___ UW-Skies
4. Stier, Thomas ______ 11___ 4c-Aggro
5. Burger, Julian ______ 10 ___ 5c-Aggro
6. Brenndörfer, Paul ___ 9 ____ Boros
7. Korbel, Jochen ______ 9 ____ 5C-Alara-Aggro
8. Hoischen, Boris _____ 9 ____ Bant-Control
9. Möske, Michael _____ 9 ____ 5c-Control
10. Plamann, Michael __ 9 ____ WW
11. Dubbsen, Robbo ___ 7 ____ Mono U Artifact
12. Fischer, Jürgen ____ 6 ____ Naya-Zoo
13. Rölle, Christian ____ 6 _____ Counterburn
14. Plamann, Sven ____ 6 _____ RG Beatz
15. Lehmann, Ronald __ 6 _____ RDW
16. Leuck, Marc ______ 6 _____ 4c Goodstuff
17. Heiser, Jan _______ 4 _____ WB
18. Nowack, Jonathan _ 4 ____ UW-Control
19. Burger, Andreas ___ 4 _____ UB-Reanimator
20. Meister, Yannick ___ 3 _____ 5c Sliver
21. Gölz, Markus ______ 3 ____ Pattern-Rector
22. Wosnitzka, Jörg ____ 3 ____ 4C???
23. Thiemann, Kai _____ 1 ____ Naya-Jund

Additionally you can look up the t8 decklists at our homepage.

Just so you know, the next HL-tournament in Mannheim's Wizards Well (our local store) will be our Grand Prix Trial. It will take place on the 12th of March. You can look this up right here at magicplayer.org's own thread.

I hope you enjoyed our results. See you all soon!

Hi everybody!

Here are the standings of our last HL-tournament from Mannheim:

1. Thomas, Alexander - UW-Skies
2. Gerber, Christoph - PatternRector
3. Nessel - 5C Aggro
4. Korbel, Jochen - 5C Aggro
5. Guenzel, Achim - Mono U Fish
6. Czolk, Stefan - Bant Midrange
7. Stier, Thomas - 5C Aggro
8. Stief, Maximilian - UR Counterburn
9. Schreiber, Martin
10. Kannegiessser, Thomas - Esper Control
11. Hauck, Christian - Naya Aggro
12. Burger, Julian
13. Hoischen, Boris - 5C GoodStuff
14. Nowack, Jonathan - GWB Rock
15. Hauck, Manuel - Mono Black Control
16. Tarka, Lukas - Mono Black Aggro
17. Heiser, Jan
18. Lamla, Gabriel - Elves
19. Dubbsen, Robo - ArtifactBlue
20. Iacone, Giuseppe - Mono Red
21. Gölz, Markus - PatternRector
22. Rölle, Christian
23. Kleefels, Adrian
24. Balikci, Hüseyin - BudgetBlack

You can find the top 5 decklists in our forum.