Topics

I noticed that Wizards started to offer Dual Commander on their GPs as a sideevent  

I also met some old highlander players in Utrecht which asked me if I would like to play a game of Dual Commander...

Will Duel Commander surpass Highlander in Germany in the next years?

[True-Name Nemesis –]

OK, so I will cast the first stone even if I am not into actually playing with cards lately. So this is my theoretic approach on it:

True-Name Nemesis – seems OK, even if I think that Jitte has a similar power level. Both are oops I win cards in creature matchups.

Tolarian Academy – The power level of this card is just absurd. But as long as no deck shows up which breaks the metagame I cannot argue. Similar status than Yawgmoth´s Will IMO.

Mystical Tutor – This is where things went wrong IMO. Unbanning Mystic was the last piece of the puzzle to raise blue based control above the other deck strategies. With Cards like Entreat the Angels available you can even center your strategy on Mystical Tutor. I wonder why control decks do not play Merchant Scroll and Mystical Teachings as standard setup.

The best cards in the format can be played in one deck strategy. Mana Drain, Demonic Tutor, Mystical Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, Jace the Mindsculptor, Brainstorm, Sensei, Divining Top, (Tolarian Academy), (Yawgmoth´s Will) and even splashing Oath of Druids if you want. Perhaps Dig through Time is even another card which comes into this elite circle (not played with it yet). The only question for me is if an UWb(x) Control or Tezzerator deck will win the next HL Cup.

Entomb – Not sure about that. Creates no-brainer games like Oath of Druids does. I would not allow both if I could choose.

Fastbond – Niche application with a huge payout like Tolarian Academy and Yawgmoths Will. It is worth a test IMO

Gifts Ungiven – I am happy that the council thinks that this card does not belong in our format any more. I would love to play with it but I think it will just create silly decks together with the above mentioned power cards.

Natural Order – Perhaps this is not a must ban but I have to cut 2 cards in all green based deck. Natural Order for Primeval Titan is just a no-brainer and must play for me. I don´t see the use of unbanning it again.

Stoneforge Mystic – same as NO. I will just put this guy in every white deck available. But this goes even further. I expect that I could even center my strategy on it in midrange decks as there are a lot more creature tutors out.

Btw, I am still missing to see Imperial Seal on the watch list for unbannings. Don´t see that this is any better than the other tutors around.

The same goes for Demonic Tutor, Mana Drain, Enlightened Tutor, Jace the Mindsculptor and Oath of Druids. Not that I want them to go now but everyone taking a look on the HL rules should now that these cards are on the borderline regarding the allowed power level.

I am tiered of reading all these Midrange and Control decklists and would like to test a competitive combo deck. Does someone have a good deck list to test with in addition to the Finnish High Tide and Emrakul lists?

With the current rules I doubt Combo can be Tier1 any time soon, so I would like to see Imperial Seal unbanned. Is there any chance to get a explanation from the council why Imperial Seal was/is still banned?

Frank Karsten wrote a very interesting article about it: http://www.channelfireball.com/articles/frank-analysis-how-many-colored-mana-sources-do-you-need-to-consistently-cast-your-spells/

This calculation is certainly imperfect but can be a good guideline as I see a lot of decklists with "flaws" in their mana base/mana requirement.

I had the impression that the 4C-Blood lists are too greedy regarding their mana requirements and took a look on the HLGP winner list (http://www.mtgpulse.com/event/15482#216790) based on Frank´s schedule.

The 4C-Blood winner deck requires:

T1 – GBRW
T2 -  GBBRW
T3 – GGBBRW
T4 - GGBBRRWW
T5 – GGGBBRRWW

Not taking into account that you usually want T3-5 spells even a turn earlier with your mana ramp creatures and that you do not want to play some of the cards ASAP (e.g. Eternal Witness)

I counted the following Mana:

G - 26 (4x CIPT, 1x Reflecting Pool)
B -  21 (1x CIPT, 1x Reflecting Pool)
W – 20 (2x CIPT, 1x Reflecting Pool)
R – 19 (1x CIPT, 1x Reflection Pool)
Mana creatures – 8 (8xG, 6xW, 4xR/B)

Based on this you will not reliable able to cast the following spells ASAP:

T1: Lightning Bolt, Swords to Plowshares, Path to Exile, Duress, Inquisition of Kozilek, Thoughtseize
T2: Hymn to Tourach
T3: Phyrexian Arena, Liliana of the Veil, Eternal Witness
T4: Elspeth Knight Errant, Chandra Pyromaster
T5: Garruk Primal Hunter, Obzedat Ghost Council, Thundermaw Hellkite

Sure, some of these cards are not necessarily cast ASAP but there are some situations where you want even that (e.g. Witness for Fetchland, Path to Exile on T1 Hermid Druid)

A reliability improvement could be to cut either the RR or (?and?) WW spells and support the GB Mana Base (e.g. City of Brass, Twilight Mire, Urborg Tomb of Yawgmoth, Elves of Deep Shadow- or even Three Visits and Nature´s Lore if you want to add more expensive cards)

Finding excellent replacements should not be a big problem. Some examples out of my mind: Thragtusk, Bonfire of the Dammed, Sword of Fire and Ice, Zealous Consripts, Wolfir Silverheart, Primeval Titan, Desecration Demon, Olivia Voldaren, Shriekmaw, Wickerbough Elder, Rakdos´s Return...)

In the comments of the article is also a link to a land calculator which could come in handy for you: http://timothywilder.com/mtg_land_calc

I have certainly also verified by own list http://mtgpulse.com/event/15490#216912 and realized that I have also played a suboptimal mana base which could be improved by cutting Seachrome Coast for Yavimaya Coast and perhaps even Darkslick Shores or Volrath´s Stronghold for Hinterland Harbor.


@ 4C-Blood deck designer: I just took this deck as best possible example available due to the greedy coloured mana requirements. I do not want to question any deck building skills at all.

Results from the 2nd Highlander tournament in Bielefeld:

10 players – 4 rounds

1st – Jonas Grohman – GUBw Aggrocontrol (similar to Patrick Richter´s Top 8 deck feat. 28 lands) – 12 pts.
2nd –Jens Krause – GUBw Aggrocontrol (ditto) – 9 pts. – loss against Jonas
3rd –Björn Ortmann – RUGbw (RUG feat Kiki/Hermit combo)– 9 pts. - loss against Jens

Follow up in no particular order: 2x RDW, UG Tempo, UW Control, Reanimator, GUbw Oath Ramp, GWb something

Short report:

I played a RUGbw Aggrocontrol-Combo hybrid which is an evolution from a RUG list. I was not very pleased with the possibility to assemble the Kiki Jiki Combo in RUG because of the lack of tutors in these colors. I already splashed Bayou for Deathrite Shaman , so it was not a big deal to add Demonic Tutor and Tainted Pact. There were not much basics left, so the next step was the include of Hermit Druid (feat. Dread Return, Karmic Guide, Lingering Souls, Eladamri´s Call) for a faster Kiki-Jiki combo kill.

1st round – win against GU Tempo (G1 - loss against Shackles, G2 – tempo beatdown against slightly screwed opp – G3 - surprise kill with Hermit Combo)
2nd round – loss against GUBw (all three games were decided by mana base problems, unfortunately I was the one of stumbled twice)
3rd round – win against GUbw Oath (G1 - tempo beatdown against Oath plan,  G2 – His T3 Show and Tell brought a Primeval Titan...on my side)
4th round – win against RDW (G1 – Natural Order ftw – G2  Thragtusk/beast beatdown with Counter backup against his PoP)

Conclusion of the deck: Even I have just killed once with Hermit/Kiki-Jiki yesterday I think that the option of a combo kill is a very important advantage in comparison to other Tempo lists. It makes math for your opponent much more difficult and sometimes is your last-ditch rescue effort when you are way behind. I won 2-3 games because the opponent had to take care of the (potential) combo. Most of the combo cards (except Karmic Guide and perhaps Dread Return) are good on their own, so except the non-basic mana base there is no big compromise to a standard Tempo list.  Sure, non-basic hate is your enemy no. 1, so if you have a meta with a lot of RDW or URx you should not try this kind of deck.

Next tournament: August 4th

[Short explanation of the strategy of this build:]

I would like to post the Boros list I played on the last HLGP and have terribly failed. I am certainly convinced that this is the ideal Boros build  and like to receive your comments about were I could have f.a.i.l.e.d.

Short explanation of the strategy of this build:

- max 2 power turn 1 instead of 1 power evasion for a maximum damage output
- Wr build to support WW turn 2 (even WWW turn 3), no RR goodies like Searing Blaze or Kargan Dragonlordbecause of that (RR possible for mid/late game)
- 4 Mana slot should have immediate effect (instead of my pet card Hero of Bladehold)
- No cards like Kitchen Finks and/or Worship because they do not support the main strategy
- Enlightend Tutor Toolbox instead of Geddons (both hosers would be too many non aggro slots imo)
- Nearly no expensive Burn spells like Char, even no Incinerates

Main obstacles I faced:

-   very borderline game plan. If you do not reach 3 lands and spend nearly all your mana until end of game you will fall behind
-   Batallion does not work even with 43 creatures
-   Mana base was not working properly. Card choices are very demanding (R  WW  WW1  RR2)
-   You need a high amount of creatures in your hand (or first draws) as they will die like flies in the first turns
-   Nearly no topdecks available
-   Less power than the 3-5 colour aggros
-   Toughness problem (Arc Trail and stuff)
-   Damage output problem if  more than 2 creatures are killed/countered

All in all I think that Boros does only have a positive matchup against multicolour decks which loose the die roll which is not even close good enough to call it a deck.

Here's the list:

32   Lands
1   Arid Mesa
1   Barbarian Ring
1   Battlefield Forge
1   Bloodstained Mire
1   City of Brass
1   Clifftop Retreat
1   Flooded Strand
1   Karakas
1   Marsh Flats
1   Mishra´s Factory
1   Plateau
1   Rugged Prairie
1   Sacred Foundry
1   Scaldering Tarn
1   Wasteland
1   Windswept Heath
1   Wooded Foothills
1   Windbrisk Heights
6   Mountain
8   Plains
   
15   CC1 Creatues
1   Boros Elite
1   Dryad Militant
1   Elite Vanguard
1   Figure of Destiny
1   Goblin Guide
1   Grim Lavamancer
1   Isamaru, Hound of Konda
1   Jackal Pup
1   Mother of Runes
1   Rakdos Cackler
1   Savannah Lions
1   Steppe Lynx
1   Stromkirk Noble
1   Student of Warfare
1   Tattermunge Maniac
   
11   CC1 Spells
1   Burst Lightning
1   Chain Lightning
1   Dismember
1   Enlightened Tutor
1   Flame Slash
1   Forked Bolt
1   Harms Way
1   Lightning Bolt
1   Path to Exile
1   Reckless Charge
1   Swords to Plowshares
   
16   CC2 Creatues
1   Accorder Paladin
1   Daring Skyjek
1   Hellspark Elemental
1   Keldon Marauders
1   Kor Aeronaut
1   Kor Skyfisher
1   Lightning Mauler
1   Mistral Charger
1   Porcelain Legionnaire
1   Soltari Monk
1   Soltari Priest
1   Soltari Trooper
1   Stormblood Berserker
1   Stormfront Pegasus
1   Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
1   Wojek Halberdiers
   
5   CC2 Spells
1   Arc Trail
1   Boros Charm
1   Lightning Helix
1   Price of Progress
1   Winter Orb
   
5   CC3 Creatues
1   Boros Reckoner
1   Flickerwisp
1   Magus of the Moon
1   Mirran Crusader
1   Silverblade Paladin
   
9   CC3 Spells
1   Blood Moon
1   Brimstone Volley
1   Grafted Wargear
1   Oblivion Ring
1   Spectral Procession
1   Staggershock
1   Sulfuric Vortex
1   Sword of Fire and Ice
1   Sword of War and Peace
   
7   CC4 Stuff
1   Flametounge Kavu
1   Hellrider
1   Hero of Bladehold
1   Hero of Oxid Ridge
1   Sublime Archangel
1   Elspeth, Knight Errant
1   Parallax Wave
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

[HL Playables:]

Spoiler Saison: http://www.mtgsalvation.com/dragons-maze-spoiler.html

First evaluation:

HL Playables:

Advent of the Wurm – Auto include in every midrange/control deck which can reliably produce GGW1 turn three. Combat trick to kill attackers (and survive) and capable of killing evil Planeswalkers. Instant/token is not a too big downside, there are even some advantages (e.g. Snapcaster). Very strong in control mirrors, against wrath effects and with soulbond creatures. I will not be surprised if this card climbs in value considerably.

Ral Zarek – Another very playable Planeswalker, especially in midrange/aggrocontrol builds. Reminds me of Ajani Vengeant but its +1 ability is not on the same power level but brings one loyalty as compensation to shoot 2 times in a row on request.

Wear//Tear – First Disenchant like effect worth playing due to its possibility to trade 2:1

Borderline:

Lavinia of the Tenth – Lavinia can completely break stalls in creature mirrors. Its protection certainly also has its use, especially against Flametounge Kavu. But five mana for a 4/4 is a lot outside of midrange mirrors and/or if you cannot make a considerable amount of combat damage in the turn Lavinia hits play. Bonkers if paired with Karakas.

Render Silent – I usually don't consider three mana counter spells any more but this one seems playable to me as you should be safe to counter the first threat in many situations. Certainly still very clunky.

Excava, Rakdos Blood Witch – The problem is that Rakdos is rarely played and in 3-5C decks there are already too many better options.  I don´t think that the 1+ counter ability will find many applications.

Honorable mention:

Deputy of Acquittals – There are a lot of creatures to use this ability for value but its body is quite weak. This card is quite borderline but I would not be surprised if somebody packs it in his beloved 187 creature deck. Nobody plays the mostly better Stonecloaker either any more.

Master of Cruelties – Nicely designed but I am afraid that this is another kitchen table card as  his effect will not trigger very often. With BR colours it will be easier to win on another angle.

Beck//Call – I am sure someone find a home for this card. I fizzled here.

[Top 4]

10 players (We need more players! - What can we do to convince you?)

Top 4

1st – Junk  
2nd – UR Control
3rd – Naya
4th - Boros
5th-10th - Ubased Control or Good Stuff
(deck lists will follow)

Match report

1st round - Boros
I am used to loose the die roll against Red aggro and awaited a 0-1 but was "lucky" with a mulligan 5 for him in Game 3.
1-0

2nd round - UR control
I came out the gates too fast and was able to win under a Blood Moon just in time, lost the second game against an even faster Blood Moon but finally destroyed him in the final game with high toughness creatures and a SoFaI.
2-0

3rd round - 4C Goodstuff (creature toolbox)
Lost the 1st game against opponents topdecks but overrolled him G2+3 with a little help of Aether Vial and an endless flow of creatures.
3-0

4th round - Naya
I felt disadvantaged in this match but had a good combination of cheap instant removal and haste/flash creatures which ruined his game state evaluation.
4-0

Deck report

I wanted to give Junk a try against the expected Ubased control meta and was right. Unfortunately I was paired against 100% of the remaining aggro decks as well  

I am happy that I Top3rd with this "pile of Junk", so I am now "allowed" to build another deck for the next tournamant. I wanted to play a greedy mana base but overextended with it as I had a lot of mana problems yesterday. I am sure that I have not mastered the Junk deck design yet.

But I also learned that some iffy cards are much better than you think mainly because they are unexpected. Some examples: Wolfir Avenger ate some attackers and smashed faces afterwards and Wilt-Leaf Liege destroyed the opponents calculation of "who is the aggro" and transformed my tiny elves and utility bears into attacking monsters.

In the last minute I exchanged some cheap aggro stuff like Loam Lion and Skyshroud Elite with 4CC quasi haste stuff (Wilt Leaf Liege, Sublime Archangel, Vengevine) and was happy with it. All these (quasi)haste/flash stuff is unexpected in this colour combination and forces the opponents into miscalculations.

Here is the list I have piloted yesterday:

The Junk Pile

Arid Mesa
Bayou
Bloodstained Mire
Brushland
Caves of Koilos
City of Brass
Fetid Heath
Flooded Strand
Forest
Godless Shrine
Horizon Canopy
Llanowar Wastes
Marsh Flats
Misty Rainforest
Overgrown Tomb
Plains
Polluted Delta
Razorverge Thicket
Savannah
Scrubland
Swamp
Temple Garden
Treetop Village
Twighlight Mire
Verdant Catacombs
Volrath´s Stronghold
Wasteland
Windswept Heath
Wooded Bastion
Wooded Foothills
30

Arbor Elf
Avacyn´s Pilgrim
Aven Mindcensor
Birds of Paradise
Blade Splicer
Dark Confidant
Deathrite Shaman
Doran, the Siege Tower
Dreg Mangler
Elves of the Deep Shadow
Fauna Shaman
Fyndhorn Elves
Gaddock Teeg
Hero of Bladehold
Kitchen Finks
Knight of the Reliquary
Llanowar Elves
Loxodon Smiter
Mirran Crusader
Mother of Runes
Noble Hierarch
Primeval Titan
Putrid Leech
Quasali Pridemage
Restoration Angel
Scavenging Ooze
Shriekmaw
Silverblade Paladin
Skinshifter
Stoneforge Mystic
Strangleroot Geist
Sublime Archangel
Tarmogoyf
Tidehollow Skuller
Vengevine
Wilt-Leaf Liege
Wolfir Avenger
37

Bitterblossom
Blackmail
Demonic Tutor
Despise
Dismember
Duress
Eladamri´s Call
Elspeth, Knight Errant
Garruk Relentless
Gerrard's Verdict
Ghastly Demise
Green Suns Zenith
Hymn to Tourach
Inquisition of Kozilek
Liliana of the Veil
Lingering Souls
Maelstrom Pulse
Natural Order
Oblivion Ring
Parallax Wave
Path to Exile
Slaugther Pact
Snuff Out
Sword of Feast and Famine
Sword of Fire and Ice
Swords to Plowshares
Sylvan Library
Tainted Pact
Thoughtseize
Vindicate
Worldly Tutor
33

Results Dortmund 12.01.13

11 players
(so I unfortunately kept my cards which I offered as price support for +19 players)

1st – Sebastian Planz - GBW Rock
2nd – Tobias Bruch - UW Control
3rd – Björn Ortmann - UWr Midrange

I followed my plan to Top3 with different decks every tournament. This time I chose UWr as I wanted to play an Aggrocontrol with maximum non-basic hate which was a bad metagame call as I played against UW, RDW, WW (but also against two 3C midrange decks).

The deck felt OK but less powerful than my usual Bant Lists I use for bigger tournaments. The UWr creature quality and mana curve is A LOT worser than in Bant. Also certainly UWr misses the nut draws Bant can offer with 1st turn mana accleration. However, if you face a lot of non-basics this is definately a very good deck choice:

UWr non-basic hate Midrange

1   Adarkar Wastes
1   Bloodstained Mire
1   Arid Mesa
1   Wooded Foothills
1   Mountain
1   Flooded Strand
1   Sacred Foundry
1   Hallowed Fountain
1   Plateau
1   Marsh Flats
1   Misty Rainforest
1   Volcanic Island
1   Mystic Gate
1   Polluted Delta
1   Scalding Tarn
1   Seachrome Coast
1   Tundra
1   Wasteland
1   Windswept Heath
1   Steam Vents
3   Plains
8   Island
1   Karakas

1   Baneslayer Angel
1   Arctic Aven
1   Augur of Bolas
1   Aven Mimeomancer
1   Aven Mindcensor
1   Blade Splicer
1   Delver of Secrets
1   Flametounge Kavu
1   Geist of Saint Traft
1   Grim Lavamancer
1   Hero of Bladehold
1   Imperial Recruiter
1   Kitchen Finks
1   Looter il-Kor
1   Magus of the Moon
1   Mirran Crusader
1   Mother of Runes
1   Phantasmal Image
1   Porcelain Legionnaire
1   Restoration Angel
1   Serendib Efreet
1   Snapcaster Mage
1   Spellskite
1   Stoneforge Mystic
1   Vendilion Clique

1   Condescend
1   Counterspell
1   Cryptic Command
1   Daze
1   Force of Will
1   Force Spike
1   Mana Drain
1   Mana Leak
1   Mana Tithe
1   Mental Missstep
1   Miscalculation
1   Remand
1   Spell Pierce
1   Spell Snare

1   Azorius Charm
1   Arc Trail
1   Bonfire of the Damned
1   Burst Lightning
1   Chain Lightning
1   Fire/Ice
1   Izzet Charm
1   Lightning Bolt
1   Lightning Helix
1   Path to Exile
1   Swords to Plowshares

1   Ancestral Vision
1   Brainstorm
1   Gitaxian Probe
1   Ponder
1   Preordain

1   Back to Basics
1   Blood Moon
1   Elspeth, Knigth Errant
1   Enlightened Tutor
1   Jace, the Mindsculptor
1   Parallax Wave
1   Sensei´s Divining Top
1   Timely Reinforcements
1   Aether Vial
1   Ajani Vengeant

1   Batterskull
1   Sword of Feast and Famine
1   Sword of Fire and Ice

Results Dortmund 01.12.12

10 players

1st – 5C Reanimator
2nd – RDW
3rd – WW

No report or bad beats, as I was absent this time.

TOP 3 LISTS:

1st place – Torben Kühme – 5C Reanimator

Swamp
Island
Forest
Gemstone Mine
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Forbidden Orchard
Bazaar of Baghdad
Homeward Path
Maze of Ith
Wasteland
Bloodstained Mire
Flooded Strand
Verdant Catacombs
Scalding Tarn
Misty Rainforest
Marsh Flats
Windswept Heath
Polluted Delta
Wooded Foothills
Hallowed Fountain
Steam Vents
Breeding Pool
Overgrown Tomb
Watery Grave
Brushland
Volcanic Island
Tundra
Badlands
Bayou
Taiga
Tropical Island
Undergorund Sea
Savannah
Sensei's Divining Top
Chrome Mox
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Preordain
Ponder
Brainstorm
Inquisition of Kozilek
Thoughtseize
Duress
Demonic Tutor
Crop Rotation
Personal Tutor
Oath of Druids
Enlightened Tutor
Tainted Pact
Faithless Looting
Intuition
Careful Study
Compulsive Research
Strategic Planning
Izzet Charm
Frantic Search
Thirst for Knowledge
Forbidden Alchemy
Show and Tell
Mana Leak
Mental Misstep
Spell Snare
Force of Will
Daze
Mana Drain
Counterspell
Engineered Explosives
Swords to Plowshares
Fire//Ice
Beast Within
Firespout
Liliana of the Veil
Damnation
Vindicate
Maelstrom Pulse
Go for the Throat
Doomblade
Dance of the Dead
Living Death
Unburial Rites
Makeshift Mannequin
Zombify
Animate Dead
Reanimate
Exhume
Stitch Together
Life//Death
Necromancy
Sphinx of the Steel Wind
Woodfall Primus
Empyrial Archangel
Inkwell Leviathan
Griselbrand
Inferno Titan
Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Iona, Shield of Emeria
Rune-Scarred Demon
Hermit Druid
Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur
Primeval Titan
Sheoldred, Whispering One

2nd place – Thorsten Lepper - RDW

Ank of Mishra
Sensei's Divining Top
Ashemoor Gouger
Avalanch Riders
Ball Lightning
Blistering Firecat
Boggart Ram-Gang
Chandra's Phoenix
Ember Hauler
Figure of Destiny
Flametongue Kavu
Giant Solifuge
Goblin Guide
Goblin Ruinblaster
Grim Lavamancer
Guttersnipe
Hell's Thunder
Hellspark Elemental
Jackal Pup
Kargan Dragonlord
Keldon Champion
Keldon Marauders
Lightning Serpant
Murderous Redcap
Porcelain Legionaire
Rakdos Cackler
Skizzik
Slith Firewalker
Spark Elemental
Stormblood berserker
Stromkirk Noble
Tattermunge Maniac
Vexing Devil
Zo-Zu the Punisher
Sulfuric Vortex
Burst Lightning
Char
Fire//Ice
Flame Javelin
Flames of the Blood Hand
Incinerate
Lightning Bolt
Magma Jet
Price of Progress
Pulse of the Forge
Rhystic Lightning
Searing Blaze
Searing Spear
Staggershock
Thunderous Wrath
Barbarian Ring
Forgotten Cave
Ghitu Encampment
Keldon Megaliths
Mishra's Factory
24 Mountain
Smoldering Crater
Tectonic Edge
Teetering Peaks
Wasteland
Koth of the Hammer
Acidic Slime
Arc Lightning
Arc Trail
Bonfire of the Damned
Breath of Darigaaz
Cryoclasm
Earthquake
Elemental Appeal
Firebolt
Flame Rift
Flamebreak
Flames of the Firebrand
Forked Bolt
Lava Spike
Molten Rain
Rift Bolt

3rd place – Simon Vogt - WW

Aether Vial
Ankh of Mishra
Bonesplitter
Mask of Memory
Sword of Feast and Famine
Sword of Fire and Ice
Sword of Light and Shadow
Sword of War and Peace
Winter Orb
Angel of Jubilation
Aven Mindcensor
Blade Splicer
Dryad Militant
Figure of Destiny
Flickerwisp
Grand Abolisher
Hero of Bladehold
Isamaru, Hound of Konda
Judge's Familiar
Kitchen Finks
Knight of Meadowgrain
Knight of the Holy Nimbus
Knight of the White Orchid
Kor Aeronaut
Kor Skyfisher
Leonin Arbiter
Leonin Sky Hunter
Linvala, Keeper of Silence
Mikaeus, the Lunarch
Mirran Crusader
Mistral Charger
Mother of Runes
Porcelain Legionaire
Ranger of Eos
Samurai of the Pale Curtain
Sigiled Paladin
Silver Knight
Silverblade Paladin
Soltari Champion
Soltari Foot Soldier
Soltari Monk
Soltari Priest
Spectral Lynx
Squall Drifter
Eiganjo Castle
Flagstones of Trokair
Karakas
Mishra's Factory
Mutavault
23 Plains
Rishadan Port
Tectonic Edge
Wasteland
Elspeth, Knight-Errant
Armageddon
Cataclysm
Spectral Procession
Steelshaper's Gift
Stillmoon Cavalier
Stonecloaker
Stoneforge Mystic
Stormfront Pegasus
Student of Warfare
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
Crusade
Honor the Pure
Journey to Nowhere
Land Tax
Oblivion Ring
Parallax Wave
Seal of Cleansing
Brave the Elements
Crib Swap
Disenchant
Harm's Way
Mana Tithe
Path to Exile
Swords to Plowshares

We have another pro player in our ranks: http://www.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtg/daily/eventcoverage/gpboc12/welcome#t8pp

Congratulation to Sascha for fighting throuth 1730 players without byes into the Top 8 in an unknown format with a deck he has borrowed the day before! Bad luck that he was mana screwed in the 3rd game against Juza. 

Oh man it was really funny to see him reading opponent cards until round 16 

I´ll push him to write a report.

Results Dortmund 03.11.12

11 players

1st 5C Good Stuff
2nd Esper Tezzerator (me)
3rd RDW

TOP 3 LISTS:

1st - 5C Good Stuff - Florian Kurpicz
1 City of Brass
1 Flooded Strand
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Breeding Pool
1 Bayou
1 Wasteland
1 Scrubland
1 Windswept Heath
1 Marsh Flats
1 Underground Sea
1 Taiga
1 Badlands
1 Island
1 Creeping Tarpit
1 Arid Mesa
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Savannah
1 Academy Ruins
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Tundra
1 Plains
1 Temple Garden
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Celestial Colonnade
1 Karakas
1 Forest
1 Tropical Island
1 Plateau
1 Maze of Ith
1 Yavimaya Hollow
1 Polluted Delta
1 Volcanic Island
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Swamp

1 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Wall of Roots
1 Fire//Ice
1 Spike Weaver
1 Mana Drain
1 Fact or Ficiton
1 Vindicate
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Life from the Loam
1 Parallax Wave
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Arbor Elf
1 Batterskull
1 Beast Within
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Lingering Souls
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Baneslayer
1 Necromancy
1 Shriekmaw
1 Eternal Witness
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Dismember
1 Tarmogoyf
1 Flametounge Kavu
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Path to Exile
1 Wickerbough Elder
1 Vendilin Clique
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Spellskite
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Tainted Pact
1 Dark Confidant
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Lightning Helix
1 Quasali Pridemage
1 Bribery
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Restoration Angel
1 Trinket Mage
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Ajani Vengeant
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sylvan Library
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Brainstorm
1 Edric Spymaster of Trest
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Loxodon Hierarch
1 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
1 Hibernation's End
1 Deathrite Shaman
1 Mirran Crusader
1 Enlightened Tutor

2nd - Esper Tezzerator - Björn Ortmann
-see below -

3rd - RDW - Torsten Lepper
1 Barbarian Ring
1 Forgotten Cave
1 Ghitu Encampment
1 Keldon Megaliths
1 Mishra's Factory
24 Mountain
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Teetering Peaks
1 Wasteland

1 Ankh of Mishra
1 Goblin Charbelcher
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Ashenmoor Gouger
1 Avalanch Riders
1 Ball Lightning
1 Blistering Firecat
1 Boggart Ram-Gang
1 Chandra's Phoenix
1 Ember Hauler
1 Figure of Destiny
1 Flametongue Kavu
1 Frenzied Goblin
1 Giant Solifuge
1 Goblin Guide
1 Goblin Ruinblaster
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Guttersnipe
1 Hell's Thunder
1 Hellspark Elemental
1 Jackal Pup
1 Kargan Dragonlord
1 Keldon Champion
1 Keldon Marauders
1 Lightning Serpant
1 Murderous Redcap
1 Porcelain Legionaire
1 Rakdos Cakler
1 Skizzik
1 Slith Firewalker
1 Spark Elemental
1 Stormblood Berserker
1 Stromkirk Noble
1 Tattermunge Maniac
1 Vexing Devil
1 Zo-Zu the Punisher
1 Sulfuric Vortex
1 Burst Lightning
1 Char
1 Koth of the Hammer
1 Arc Lightning
1 Arc Trail
1 bonfire of the Damned
1 breath of Darigaaz
1 Cryoclasm
1 Earthquake
1 Elemental Appeal
1 Firebolt
1 Flame Rift
1 Flamebreak
1 Flames of the Firebrand
1 Forked Bolt
1 Lava Spike
1 Molten Rain
1 Rift Bolt
1 Fire//Ice
1 Flame Javelin
1 Flames of the Blood Hand
1 Incinerate
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Magma Jet
1 Price of Progress
1 Pulse of the Forge
1 Rhystic Lightning
1 Searing Spear
1 Staggershock
1 Thuderous Wrath

some comments to the lists:

1st - Perfect example that you can just throw random good cards together and win a tournament with a pile (this is no offence against the pilot but the format). At least we see some pet cards which are not seen very often.
2st - perfect list, nothing to add here 
2rd - RDW is RDW, even with some quite -let's say- uncommon card choices but I am fine with seeing "creative" decklists


I also saw:

UBg Oath
UW Control
UR Control
4C Cephalid Breakfast
Reanimator
Naya
GW Maverick
another Goodstuff?

Report:

1st round – UBg Oath
2nd turn Jace 4.0 followed by 4th Turn Tamiyo was too much for him. Scoop after Tamiyo ultimates with FoF and Drain in my hand... In the second game I also had the lead with another fast mana start and Tezzeret 1.0 for Winter Orb. I finally finished him with the Foundry combo.

1-0

2nd round - UW Control
He tried the land destruction plan against my expensive spells, but I was able to sneak in Memory Jar with Ancient Tomb which more or less was gg because of card and mana advantage. In the second game he gambled with a light mana base which I punished with Oblivion Ring (Mana Artifact) and Karn "the Vindicator" (land).


2-0

3rd round – UR Control
A fast and greedy Karn exiled one of his few lands (would have better exiled a hand card against UR) but he had a responsed Snapcaster + small burn to kill him after that. He pierced me with small dudes to 1-digit life score but I managed to get Batterskull going which more or less was good game. In the second game I had Mystical Teachings for double counter which was enough to land and protect Winter Orb. Actually I forgot how I finally won that game...
3-0

4th round – 5C Good Stuff
I had fast Tamiyo and Karn with him nearly nothing on the board except Noble Hierach and Manland and felt save as I also had a Diving Top for libary manipulation. 10 turns later I was dead against Vindicate(Karn)/Sorin 2.0 while me drawing only a Phyrexian Metamorph (SDT), Engineered Explosives (one token) and Path to Exile (token) in the meantime. The second game I was low on mana due to an Explosive for 2 on two of my Signets. I went greedy with an +1 activation of freshly played Tezzeret 2.0 against a 2 power board and failed to hit an artifact and was destroyed immediately after one activation. No more mana after that (saw 4 lands in the Tezzeret draw) was good game for him and the 2nd place for me.
3-1

My decklist:

Esper Tezzerator

33 LANDS
1 Academy Ruins
1 Ancient Den
1 Ancient Tomb
1 Arid Mesa
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Celestial Colonade
1 City of Traitors
1 Creeping Tar Pit
1 Darksteel Citadel
1 Flooded Strand
1 Godless Shrine
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Island
1 Marsh Flats
1 Maze of Ith
1 Mishra´s Workshop
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Mystic Gate
1 Plains
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Scrubland
1 Seat of Synod
1 Swamp
1 Tolaria West
1 Tundra
1 Underground Sea
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Vault of Whispers
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Wasteland
1 Watery Grave
1 Windswept Heath

3 ENCHANTMENTS
1 Detention Sphere
1 Humility
1 Oblivion Ring

27 ARTIFACTS
1 Azorius Signet
1 Batterskull
1 Chrome Mox
1 Coalition Relic
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Dimir Signet
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Everflowing Chalice
1 Expedition Map
1 Fellwar Stone
1 Grim Monolith
1 Memory Jar
1 Mindstone
1 Mox Diamond
1 Mox Opal
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Orzhov Signet
1 Prismatic Lens
1 Sensei, Divining Top
1 Sword of the Meek
1 Talisman of Dominance
1 Talisman of Progress
1 Thopter Foundry
1 Thran Dynamo
1 Winter Orb
1 Worn Powerstone

5 CREATURES
1 Baleful Strix
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Trinket Mage
1 Wurmcoil Engine

8 PLANESWALKER
1 Elspeth, Knight Errant
1 Gideon Jura
1 Jace , the Mind Sculptor
1 Jace, Architect of Thought
1 Karn Liberated
1 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage  
1 Tezzeret the Seeker
1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas

12 INSTANTS
1 Brainstorm
1 Fact of Fiction
1 Force of Will
1 Intuition
1 Mana Drain
1 Muddle the Mixture
1 Mystical Teachings
1 Pact of Negation
1 Path to Exile
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Tainted Pact
1 Thirst for Knowledge

14 SORCERIES
1 Bribery
1 Day of Judgement
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Entreat the Angels
1 Personal Tutor
1 Ponder
1 Preordain
1 Supreme Verdict  
1 Terminus
1 Transmute Artifact
1 Vindicate
1 Wrath of God
1 Yawgmoth´s Will

I decided to play a new deck every time I Top3 , therefore I abandoned the 4C Scapeshift deck from the last tournament. I don´t want to play the next best deck but the deck which I think makes the most fun for me (but should theoretically be capable to win tournaments). I always wanted to play Tezzeret for a long time but failed to build a good decklist mainly because there are a lot of much better spells than artifacts in a UWB shell. However, I felt it was due time to give old Tezz another try as there are a lot of reasons for it:

- Enlightened Tutor back in the format, with a lot of good targets in Tezzerator
- two new good planeswalkers which fit into the strategy.
- Humility beeing off the radar, which is IMO a gamebreaking card against many decks besides beeing a powerful card combination with many Planeswalkers (especially the new Jace) and the Manlands.
- a handful of other new spells which fit nicely (Terminus, Supreme Verdict, Entreat the Angels, Detention Sphere)
- two of my most favourite cards are playable in this deck (Mystical Teachings, Yawgmoth´s Will)

Yes, the deck had 102 cards, shame on me. But it is the my first approach and I wanted to test some cards. Also there are a lot of cards in my mayboard as the Esper cardpool is huge. Some of the card choices look iffy but I tried to focus on the theme and not just play the best 100 cards. In my first scatch I had Death Cloud, Liliana 2.0 and Damnation but in the end I ended in just splashing black.

If I had to go to 100 cards I would cut Engineered Explosives (I know many people would disagree here but I somehow don´t like this card) and Urborg (31 mana producing lands should be ok in this build) next time.  Also Crucible/Expedition Map is probably not good enough but I wanted to keep the artifact count high (at least have 1/3 of the deck). Another candidate for a cut is Personal Tutor/Entreat the Angels as both cards are quite situational, they can more ore less only win big or do nothing and you desperately need the SDT for both cards to shine.

Also I would like to find place for: Timely Reinforcements, Lingering Souls, Upheaval and The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale. Also Moat, Khalni Gem, Gilded Lotus, Karn Silver Golem and even Decree of Justice could get a try. Also I would definately test Myr Incubator   as an "I win button" with Enlightened Tutor which I have missed in two games yesterday.

I already have a new deck concept for the next tournament...stay tuned.


Other decklists will follow as soon as the organizer has posted them on their german homepage.

Short report. T3 lists will follow

12 14 players

1st UB Control (with heavy artifact ramp and counters)
2nd Mono R Goblins
3rd 4C Scapeshift

It seems that there is less good stuff in the last months. This time I saw:

2 RDW
1 Goblins
1 UB Ramp Control
1 Scapeshift
1 BUG Aggro
1 Cephalid Breakfast
1 Naya
1 GWRu Goodstuff
1 5C Goodstuff
1 UWbg AggroControl(l?)
1 Reanimator
1 Boros
1 ?

I piloted 4c Scapeshift again, but in a modified, more Scapeshift concentrated version (decklist below).


Report:

which 1st round – RDW aka the coinflip matchup
I had discard for Blood Moon and small dorks/removal to buy enough time for Scapeshift in both games. In the second game he had Molten Rain and Pillage but no pressure.
1-0

2nd round - Naya
4th turn Inferno Titan on my side was enough in the first and one attack with a 10/1 inkmoth nexus in the second.
2-0

3rd round – Goblins
He started in the first game which is difficult enough but had also Wasteland to steal a turn which was enough as my Pernicious Deed was slowed down. In the second game I had Inquisition for Blood Moon but he kept Goblin Ruinblaster which came into play just before I could Scapeshift for 21. Three turns later I still had not value or land so I had to Scapeshift for 18 for his board but he killed me next turn with a Ball Lightning. I usually value this matchup better than the RDW one as I can use my mass removal spells with much more value here but hey, no matchup is an autowin.
2-1

4th round – BUG Aggro
It was time for revenge (see last report)
I burned all of his card advantage guys and scapeshifted a couple of turns later after knowing his hand in game 1 and 3 with loosing against Wasteland+Loam in the 2nd game.  If you have the right set up of burn/discard-counter/ramp the matchup CAN be a walk in the park.
3-1

5th round – UB Control
UB is usually already difficult because they have counter and discard which both hurts. His version was very different to the ones I know as he had a very small removal suite and ALOT more counters as I expected. I saw Dissipate, Forbid, Syncopate, Spell Pierce, Countersquall in addition to the standard ones. It seems he dodged all creature strategies today...

Game 1 – Thanks for tapping out with me having 8 mana in play...
Game 2 – after fishing about 7-8! counterspells out of his hand (mostly with Volrath´s Stronghold) I was killed from a man land with having a tutor for Scapeshift and sorcery speed removal on my hand and him out of countermagic.
Game 3 – Three turns is not enough for either deck
3-1-1


My decklist:

I put a small burn package back in the deck and dropped some bigger spells for card draw as I had the feeling that some of the bigger spells were not always game winning while Scapeshift would have been good game immediately. There are a lot of cards going in an out for testing purposes but this is what I played yesterday:

4C Turbo Scapeshift

1 Arid Mesa
1 Badlands
1 Bayou
1 Blood Crypt
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Breeding Pool
1 Flooded Strand
1 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Marsh Flats
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
3 Snow Covered Forest
1 Snow Covered Island
4 Snow Covered Mountain
2 Snow Covered Swamp
1 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Taiga
1 Tropical Island
1 Underground Sea
1 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Volcanic Island
1 Volrath´s Stronghold
1 Wasteland
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills



1 Dimir House Guard
1 Eternal Witness
1 Farhaven Elf
1 Grave Titan
1 Inferno Titan
1 Overgrown Battlement
1 Primeval Titan
1 Sakura Tribe Elder
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Solemn Simulacrum
1 Sylvan Ranger
1 Thragtusk
1 Trinket Mage
1 Vine Trellis
1 Viridian Emissary
1 Wood Elves
1 Yavimaya Dryad



1 Arc Trail
1 Beseech the Queen
1 Bonfire of the Damned
1 Burst Lightning
1 Clutch of the Undercity
1 Cultivate
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Duress
1 Edge of Autumn
1 Explore
1 Explosive Vegetation
1 Fact of Fiction
1 Farseek
1 Fire/Ice
1 Firespout
1 Foresee
1 Green Sun´s Zenith
1 Grim Tutor
1 Hunting Wilds
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Into the North
1 Intuition
1 Kodama`s Reach
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Liliana Vess
1 Lim-Duls Vault
1 Mystical Teachings
1 Natural Order
1 Nature`s Lore
1 Negate
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Primal Command
1 Rampant Growth
1 Ranger´s Path
1 Rolling Earthquake
1 Scapeshift
1 Search for Tomorrow
1 Sensei`s Divining Top
1 Skyshroud Claim
1 Slagstorm
1 Sylvan Library
1 Thoughtseize
1 Three Visits
1 Timetwister
1 Wheel of Fortune
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Yawgmoth`s Will


Other decklists will follow.

12 players  

We had about 35°C, so possibly some guys choose the swimming pool instead of a sticky room with +100 sweaty (not sweety!) guys but I think declining numbers of tournament players is still the trend in my area which I have to accept.

1st   Patrick Richter - Team America
2nd   Mathias von der Heyde – 4C Goodstuff
3rd Jonas Grohmann - Cephalid Breakfast

Unfortunately I had no time to collect the decklists, but will contact the organizer and hand them in later.

I piloted 4c Scapeshift against the expected field of Goodstuff decks. My expectations were met (approx. half of the field) but I only faced one of them and lost  
Just before the tournament I removed most of my burn package for more brokenness which was a very BAD idea in the end. Proud 2-3 finish in the end. Time for some whining and bad beats:

1st round – UG with r splash (I think)
I ramped up to 7-8 lands and overloaded him with must counter spells in both games.
1-0
Games in which more burn would have been awesome: 1of2

2nd round - Cephalid Breakfast aka the unwinnable matchup
I had lucky draws in both games (1st turn discard plus some creature removal spells) and scapeshifted both games just in time. Win, but I had used up my luck with this.
2-0
Games in which more burn would have been awesome: 3of4

3rd round – Team America aka the unwinnable matchup part 2
First game was a grind but he had Dark Confidant to win it. I had the two chances for a topdeck to steal the game but missed.
The second game was a massacre. I had to mull to 6 which is already nearly good game in this grinding matchup but got punished even more from an 2nd turn Dimir Cutpurse
No chance here, as expected.
2-1
Games in which more burn would have been awesome: 5of6

4th round – 4C goodstuff - YEAH, here we go!
Game 1 - I was dead on turn 4 with a flying 5/5 Mirran Crusader attacking me on turn 3 and 4 while my two green dorks stalling the ground...
Game 2 – Stoneforge Mystic into Sword of Feast and Famine plus another Mirran Crusader was good game again. But this time I had enough lands and time to find one of my +15 I win cards in my Sylvan Library which I reshuffled every turn but missed them all.  
2-2
Games in which more burn would have been awesome: 7of8

5th round – RDW
I won the die roll in this coinflip matchup which made me quite confident for a positive end result
Game 1 – Taking his 1st turn thread and a turn 4 Inferno Titan was too much for him
Game 2 – 2nd turn Ankh of Mishra! Was too much for me 
Game 3 – Thragtusk is much weaker with a Sulfuric Vortex in play... I the end I lost because I had to deal 1 damage to myself by a fetchland, so he finished me off right in time before I could Scapeshift.
2-3
Games in which more burn would have been awesome: 8of11

Scapeshift ist certainly not a Tier1 strategy but can be a strong contender and a good choice against a metagame which does not have a lot of counters and fast combo.

Decklists will follow.

[UPDATE]

UPDATE

"Dortmunder Magictreff"
organized by Auenland Dortmund and FUNtainment Nürnberg

Dates 2013:
02 Februar 2013
09 March 2013
13 April 2013
11 May 2013
01 June 2013
06 July 2013
03 August 2013
07 September 2013
05 October 2013
09 November 2013
07 December 2013

Attention! New address:
Kaktusfarm
Wilhelmstraße.27
44139 Dortmund
(just a couple of meters from Dortmund railway station)

registration: 10:00 – 11:00
start: 11:15

entree fee: 12 EUR (includes a 2 EUR voucher for the cantina). You can also pay your entry with 120 rare cards 

If we reach 20 players I will add the following cards to the winner price pool in order to support the tournament:

asian foil Kessig Wolf Run
asian foil Searing Blaze
english foil Rhox War Monk (org.)

Dortmund 08.07.2012
8 players   
1st – UGrw Good Stuff
2nd – UGbw Good Stuff
3rd – UGbw Good Stuff

Sorry for the horrible card order but the result and the lists are boring anyway. I promise to offer better lists in future but will most probably just link to mtgpulse next time.

This tournament usually has 15-20 players but this time we had the M13 Prerelease, a new location and organizer and there was also an EDH 1on1 tournament offered which could be a reason for the decline.

I played Bant and lost the "mirror" against the UGrw deck and lost the die roll against RDW...

1st place - Mathias von der Heyde - UGrw Good Stuff

1 Mother of Runes
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Mirran Crusader
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Aven Mindcesor
1 Inferno Titan
1 Flametongue Kavu
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Venser, Shaper Servant
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Primeval Titan
1 Lotus Cobra
1 Wall of Roots
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Eternal Witness
1 Tarmogoyf
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Phyrexian Revoker
1 Wickerbough Elder
1 Trinket Mage
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Rafiq of the Many
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Bloodbraid Elf
1 Trygon Predator
1 Huntmaster of the Fells
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Path to Exile
1 Tithe
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Gideon Jura
1 Elspeth Knight-Errant
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Brainstorm
1 Mana Drain
1 Ponder
1 Bribery
1 Jace, the Mindsculptor
1 Upheaval
1 Intuition
1 Natural Order
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Life from the Loam
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Garruk Relentless
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Batterskull
1 Mox Diamond
1 AEther Vial
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Ajani Vengeant
1 Lightning Helix
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Fire/Ice
1 Maze of Ith
1 Raging Ravine
1 Karakas
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Celestial Colonnade
1 Wasteland
1 Windswept Heath
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Flooded Strand
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Arid Mesa
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Polluted Delta
1 Marsh Flats
1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Taiga
1 Tundra
1 Volcanic Island
1 Savannah
1 Tropical Island
2 Island
3 Forest
1 Mountain
3 Plains
1 Plateau
1 Breeding Pool
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Temple Garden
1 Steam Vents
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Tranquil Thicket
1 Secluded Glen

2nd - Patrick Richter - UGbw Good Stuff

1 Life from the Loam
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Upheaval
1 Lingering Souls
1 Natural Order
1 Bribery
1 Sylvan Library
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Parallax Wave
1 Dismember
1 Noxious Revival
1 Path to Exile
1 Force of Will
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Mana Drain
1 Brainstorm
1 Beast Within
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Intuition
1 Tainted Pact
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Jace, the Mindsculptor
1 Fact or Fiction
1 Withdraw
1 Sorin, Lord of Innistrad
1 Crystal Shard
1 AEther Vial
1 Shriekmaw
1 Spike Weaver
1 Loxodon Hierarch
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Mystic Snake
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Trinket Mage
1 Wall of Roots
1 Arbor Elf
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Primeval Titan
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Wickerbough Elder
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Mother of Runes
1 Eternal Witness
1 Tarmogoyf
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Restoration Angel
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Baleful Strix
1 Lonely Sandbar
1 Underground Sea
1 Celestial Colonnade
1 Arid Mesa
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Wasteland
1 Plains
1 Tropical Island
1 Karakas
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Savannah
1 Temple Garden
1 Marsh Flats
1 Breeding Pool
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Treetop Village
1 City of Brass
2 Island
1 Polluted Delta
1 Snow-Covered Forest
1 Flooded Strand
1 Scrubland
2 Forest
1 Windswept Heath
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Tundra
1 Volrath's Stronghold
1 Maze of Ith
2 Snow-Covered Island
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Stirring Wildwood
1 Bayou

3rd - Michael Becker - UGbw Good Stuff

1 Kitchen Finks
1 Karakas
1 Wasteland
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Avacyn's Pilgrim
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
1 Zur the Enchanter
1 Path to Exile
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Sylvan Library
1 Mox Diamond
5 Forest
1 Noble Hierarch
1 Green Sun's Zenith
1 Crop Rotation
1 Oblivion Ring
1 Polluted Delta
1 Bribery
1 Brainstorm
1 Flooded Strand
1 Trygon Predator
4 Island
1 Aven Mindcesor
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Fauna Shaman
1 Venser, Shaper Savant
1 Gaea's Cradle
1 Yavimaya Coast
1 Necromancy
1 Evasive Action
1 Sower of Temptation
1 Yavimaya Hollow
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Snapcaster Mage
1 Eladamri's Call
1 Breeding Pool
1 Back to Basics
1 Ponder
1 Arid Mesa
1 Intuition
1 Marsh Flats
1 Worldly Tutor
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Jace, the Mindsculptor
1 Pernicious Deed
1 Mental Misstep
1 Cryptic Command
1 Miscalculation
1 Scrubland
1 Primeval Titan
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Savannah
1 Thrun, the last Troll
1 Riptide Laboratory
1 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Fyndhorn Elves
1 Maze of Ith
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
1 Treetop Village
1 Beast Within
1 Tarmogoyf
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Natural Order
1 Trinket Mage
1 Bayou
1 Llanowar Elves
1 Delay
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Plains
1 Batterskull
1 Wickerbough Elder
1 Knight of the Reliquary
1 Underground Sea
1 Mana Drain
1 AEther Vial
1 Forest
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Counterspell
1 Force of Will
1 Preordain
1 Mana Leak
1 Vedalken AEthermage
1 Arbor Elf
1 Wolfir Silverheart
1 Restoration Angel
1 Tropical Island
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Tundra
1 Life from the Loam
1 Hinterland Harbor
1 Eternal Witness

When I play non-tournament Highlander I started to use a separate pile of Dual & Shockland proxies which really come handy to safe time for searching and shuffling. When you draw one of the original lands you simply put it aside (or exchange them) and redraw.

Card search in a 100/1 format is one of the main issues from other magic players in my play area and fetchlands are the main issue here. Certainly you have to take care during other game states that the original land is still in your library, which can be problematic in very rare situations. But in most cases you simply exchange the land in case you draw it.

I wonder if this could be something which could be allowed on tournament level as well. I mean Highlander already has its own rules and this would be just one more to make games more comfortable and less annoying. One of the downsides is that some of the "pros" will argue even more about the casuality of the format. Also you certainly cannot avoid to search libraries in general as there are too many tutors in the format.

The even better solution for me personally would be to ban all fetchlands not only to save time but also to fight the multicolour madness. But this is another topic which nobody interested when I came up with this proposal a couple of months ago.

Another strategy to make Highlander more attractive would be to go the opposite direction on tournament level and follow the official rules (mulligan, gold boarded cards, etc.) which could convince some of the "pros" to play this format and keep such casual rules just for the kitchen table. The question is what the most useful direction for the format is. The current rules seem a little bit in-between to me in certain aspects.

At least we need to think more out-of-the-box to improve and develop the format. Nothing else was done by the innovators of Highlander in the beginning.

I have the feeling that tournament Highlander is slowly and silently dying, at least here in Germany and I would like to discuss this situation.

1.)   The attendance of the smaller regional tournaments is decreasing
2.)   Nearly no content on Magicplayer.org (or other international sources)
3.)   Very limited activity in the international forum of magicplayer.org (and the German one is now closed due to no activity!)
4.)   no council activities (to my understanding they just supervise the banned list which is IMO not enough)
5.)   the online highlander league is not as active as in former days
6.)   EDH 1on1 community is growing (and I think that some of them are potential "Highlanders")

The only active Germany forum is http://www.mtg-forum.de/forum/221-highlander/ and most of the content there is either Commander or Fun-Highlander Multiplayer. There is just Tabrys Youtube videos in the weekly block on www.magicuniverse.de which keeps the flag flying (Thanks Tabrys!)

Do you have the same feeling/experience?
What is the situation in the other "Highlander Countries"?
What can be done to improve this situation?

These could be viable approaches:

a)   All highlander tournament players should focus on one international forum to post content in.
b)   One European Highlander Championship per year which must be in a central and interesting area for all active communities. This Championship should be supported/feeded by local/regional trials. Price structure must be interesting to travel long distances and there should be other interesting things to do in addition to the Highlander tournament (e.g. Main Legacy or  PTQ tournament, interesting sightseeing opportunities etc.)

Thanks for sharing your thoughts