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[February 3rd, 2018]

The VOLCANO CUP - 3rd tournament of the BIG KAHUNA Series - will take place on February 3rd, 2018.

Location will be:
Wizard's Well
S4, 23
68161 Mannheim

Buy In: 15€
Registration 9:30, Tournament starts at 10:00

Prizes:
1st place - Volcanic Island (3rd ed. wb, Italian), Qualification for the BIG KAHUNA Invitational Final, Winner's Playmat!
2nd place - Sylvan Library (Legends), Qualification for the BIG KAHUNA Invitational Final
3rd+4th place - Leovold, Emissary of Trest (CN2)
5th-8th place - Flooded Strand (KTK)

Twitch stream will be live on www.twitch.tv/TheOneHL

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them here. I will answer.

9 Players

1st - Kai Thiemann - Izzet Control - 12 pts
2nd - Xiaoliang Yang - Jeskai Control - 9 pts
3rd - Thomas Stier - Mono U Eldrazi Shop - 9 pts

Testing some new brew for Tiki Cup. Please leave feedback on this. Much appreciated!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOyEZ3Xw2acB4bK2eCWcSW5WEZzQqZagV

Commentary is in English this time for added internationalness. Please excuse the exaggerated use "so", "ehm", "eh" and  "that"...

Final Standings

1 Thomas Stier - Izzet - 7 pts
2 Max Knauer - Izzet - 7 pts
3 Manuel Hauck - Gruul Beatz - 6 pts
4 Alexander Rosenberger - Esper Control - 6 pts
5 Bernhard Feige - Jeskai Control - 3 pts
6 Robin Nelle - Gruul Beatz - 3 pts
7 Markus Gölz - 4c Pattern Rector - 3 pts
8 Christian Brauner - UBGr Dream Halls Combo - 0 pts

https://www.youtube.com/attribution_link?a=kf5ZGVQAKow&u=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DRiCMKC-saX0%26feature%3Dshare

Detailed factsheet will follow!

Everything is in the video though. Just take a look.

Video coverage is up. Enjoy!

The One - Invitational Final: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOyEZ3Xw2acA9218U_xJmsPzD4IWMlQey

[Final Standings:]

Final Standings:



T8 decks:

1st place (16 pts)	2nd place (15 pts)	3rd place (13 pts)	4th place (13 pts)
Thomas Stier   Emperion Izzet	Jeskai Control   Xiaoliang Yang	Christian Hauck   4c Blood	Dirk Schäffer   RDW
1   Magma Jet	1   Mystic Confluence	1   plains	1   Cursed Scroll
1   Spite of Mogis	1   Nahiri, the Harbinger	1   swamp	1   Black Vise
1   Mystical Tutor	1   Ancestral Vision	1   forest	1   Ankh of Mishra
1   Force Spike	1   Cryptic Command	1   karakas	1   Shrine of Burning Rage
1   Fiery Confluence	1   Vendilion Clique	1   verdant catacombs	1   Abbot of Keral Keep
1   Condescend	1   Volcanic Island	1   arid mesa	1   Anh-Crop Crasher
1   Flame Slash	1   Polluted Delta	1   misty rainforest	1   Ash Zealot
1   Ponder	1   Misty Rainforest	1   marsh flats	1   Ball Lightning
1   Brainstorm	1   Karakas	1   flooded strand	1   Blistering Firecat
1   Chandra, Torch of Defiance	1   Plateau	1   wooded foothills	1   Boggart Ram-Gang
1   Repulse	1   Mystic Gate	1   windswept heath	1   Chandra's Phoenix
1   Stifle	1   Elspeth, Sun's Champion	1   bloodstained mire	1   Eidolon of the Great Revel
1   Dig Through Time	1   Sword of Feast and Famine	1   scalding tarn	1   Ember Hauler
1   Order of Succession	1   Counterspell	1   polluted delta	1   Falkenrath Gorger
1   Burst Lightning	1   Wandering Fumarole	1   scrubland	1   Figure of Destiny
1   Back to Basics	1   Stormbreath Dragon	1   bayou	1   Goblin Guide
1   Remand	1   Council's Judgment	1   badlands	1   Grim Lavamancer
1   Thing in the Ice	1   Temple of Epiphany	1   taiga	1   Guttersnipe
1   Young Pyromancer	1   Archangel Avacyn	1   savannah	1   Harsh Mentor
1   Snapcaster Mage	1   Lightning Angel	1   plateau	1   Hell's Thunder
1   Gitaxian Probe	1   Mana Leak	1   blooming marsh	1   Hellspark Elemental
1   Force of Will	1   Ponder	1   raging ravine	1   Keldon Marauders
1   Mana Leak	1   Logic Knot	1   stirring wildwood	1   Lathnu Hellion
1   Fact or Fiction	1   Arc Trail	1   treetop village	1   Magus of the Moon
1   Price of Progress	1   Swords to Plowshares	1   horizon canopy	1   Monastery Swiftspear
1   Skred	1   Fact or Fiction	1   razorverge thicket	1   Rakdos Cackler
1   Dack Fayden	1   Treasure Cruise	1   Sandsteppe Citadel	1   Scab-Clan Berserker
1   True-Name Nemesis	1   Sacred Foundry	1   wasteland	1   Stormblood Berserker
1   Spell Pierce	1   Ajani Vengeant	1   llanowar wastes	1   Tattermunge Maniac
1   Izzet Charm	1   Windswept Heath	1   overgrown tomb	1   Vexing Devil
1   Magus of the Moon	1   Snapcaster Mage	1   shambling vent	1   Zurgo Bellstriker
1   Daze	1   Elspeth, Knight-Errant	1   temple garden	1   Blood Moon
1   Sleight of Hand	1   Steam Vents	1   concealed courtyard	1   Sulfuric Vortex
1   Lightning Bolt	1   Serum Visions	1   godless shrine	1   Koth of the Hammer
1   Mana Drain	1   Temple of Triumph	1   Stomping Ground	1   Arc Trail
1   Miscalculation	1   Izzet Charm	1   Sword of Feast and Famine	1   Breath of Darigaaz
1   Electrolyze	1   Restoration Angel	1   green Sun's zenith	1   Chain Lightning
1   Trasure Cruise	1   Aven Mindcensor	1   swords to plowshares	1   Collective Defiance
1   Treachery	1   Stoneforge Mystic	1   lightning bolt	1   Exqusite Firecraft
1   Hieroglyphic Illumination	1   Geist of Saint Traft	1   thoughtseize	1   Fiery Confluence
1   Censor	1   Hallowed Fountain	1   inquisition of kozilek	1   Fire Ambush
1   Commit/Memory	1   Wrath of God	1   path to exile	1   Firebolt
1   Counterspell	1   Thundermaw Hellkite	1   aether vial	1   Flame Rift
1   Jace, the Mind Sculptor	1   Mana Drain	1   duress	1   Forked Bolt
1   Preordain	1   Palace Jailer	1   oath of nissa	1   Incendiary Flow
1   Mental Misstep	1   Venser, Shaper Savant	1   fatal push	1   Lava Spike
1   Logic Knot	1   Celestial Colonnade	1   dromoka's command	1   Pillar of Flame
1   Blood Moon	1   Wasteland	1   hymn to tourach	1   Rift Bolt
1   Jace, Vryn's Prodigy	1   Needle Spire	1   lightning helix	1   Volcanic Hammer
1   Serum Visions	1   Maze of Ith	1   arc trail	1   Burst Lightning
1   Cryptic Command	1   Negate	1   sylvan library	1   Char
1   Mystic Confluence	1   Electrolyze	1   eladamri's call	1   Fireblast
1   Fire/Ice	1   Cascade Bluffs	1   tainted pact	1   Flame Javelin
1   Ruination	1   Monastery Mentor	1   zealous persecution	1   Flames of the Blood Hand
1   Ancestral Vision	1   Dack Fayden	1   demonic tutor	1   Incinerate
1   Rolling Earthquake	1   Terminus	1   abrupt decay	1   Lightning Bolt
1   Spell Snare	1   Lightning Helix	1   collective brutality	1   Lightning Strike
1   Opt	1   Spell Pierce	1   nissa, voice of zendikar	1   Magma Jet
1   Vendilion Clique	1   Gideon, Ally of Zendikar	1   kolaghan's command	1   Price of Progress
1   Venser, Shaper Savant	1   Lightning Bolt	1   vindicate	1   Pulse of the Forge
1   Madcap Experiment	1   Miscalculation	1   liliana, the last hope	1   Rhystic Lightning
1   Platinum Emperion	1   Wooded Foothills	1   liliana of the veil	1   Searing Blaze
1   Lat-Nam's Legacy	1   Marsh Flats	1   lingering souls	1   Searing Blood
1   Merchant Scroll	1   Preordain	1   ajani vengeant	1   Searing Spear
1   Misty Rainforest	1   Clifftop Retreat	1   kaya, ghost assassin	1   Skullcrack
1   Flooded Strand	1   Torrential Gearhulk	1   Stoneforge Mystic	1   Smash to Smithereens
1   Arid Mesa	1   Temple of Enlightenment	1   elspeth, knight-errant	1   Sudden Shock
1   Polluted Delta	1   Tundra	1   garruk wildspeaker	1   Barbarian Ring
1   Scalding Tarn	1   Jace, Vryn's Prodigy	1   gideon, ally of zendikar	1   Mishra's Factory
1   Wooded Foothills	1   Brainstorm	1   llanowar elves	1   Mutavault
1   Bloodstained Mire	1   Path to Exile	1   birds of paradise	1   Wasteland
1   Ash Barrens	1   Flametongue Kavu	1   noble hierarch	29   Mountain
1   Volcanic Island	1   Kitchen Finks	1   avacyn's pilgrim
1   Steam Vents	1   Jace, the Mind Sculptor	1   deathrite shaman
9   Snow-covered Mountain	1   Glacial Fortress	1   elvish mystic
17   Snow-covered Island	1   Secure the Wastes	1   fyndhorn elves
	5   Island	1   sylvan caryatid
	2   Plains	1   voice of resurgence
	1   Mountain	1   lotus cobra
	1   Force of Will	1   dark confidant
	1   Jace, Architect of Thought	1   qasali pridemage
	1   Remand	1   tarmogoyf
	1   Scalding Tarn	1   scavenging ooze
	1   Spell Snare	1   knight of the reliquary
	1   True-Name Nemesis	1   kitchen finks
	1   Mystical Tutor	1   thalia, heretic cathar
	1   Flooded Strand	1   loxodon smiter
	1   Dig Through Time	1   aven mindcensor
	1   Sulfur Falls	1   doran, the siege tower
	1   Fire/Ice	1   anafenza, the foremost
	1   Batterskull	1   courser of kruphix
	1   Fiery Confluence	1   saskia the undying
	1   Supreme Verdict	1   bloodbraid elf
	1   Think Twice	1   queen marchesa
	1   Bloodstained Mire	1   falkenrath aristocrat
	1   Arid Mesa	1   thrun the last troll
	1   Reflecting Pool	1   siege rhino
	1   Mantis Rider	1   palace jailer
		1   Batterskull
		1   tasigur, the golden fang

[Final Standings ( after top 8 ) - The One Winter Qualifier 2016]

Final Standings ( after top 8 ) - The One Winter Qualifier 2016

Rank	Name	Pts	Deck	OMW%
1	Scherer, Daniel	22	RDW	59,0667
2	Hauck, Christian	22	4c Blood	61,6549
3	Nötzel, Sebastian	19	4c Scapeshift	54,2556
4	Beltle, Georg	17	4c Blood	62,3099
5	Redl, Philip	15	Mardu Superfriends	59,486
6	Yang, Xiaoliang	13	Jeskai Control	61,9709
7	Rabe, Jan-Hinrich	12	Selesnya Eldrazi Ramp	65,9199
8	Stührmann, Stefan	12	Sultai Doomsday	58,2668
9	Vey, Alexander	12	Abzan Midrange	51,9968
10	Hauck, Manuel	12	Gruul Beatz	49,9537
11	Przybilla, Benedikt	12	Naya Aggro	41,873
12	Guenzel, Achim	11	Esper Control	44,4974
13	Behnert, Carsten	10	RDW	55,985
14	Hittel, Matthias	10	Sultai Artifact Combo	49,127
15	Dietrich, Tobias	10	Hermit Druid Combo	48,0463
16	Iacono, Giuseppe	9	High Tide	59,5763
17	Materne, Robin	9	RDW	55,5115
18	Feige, Bernhard	9	UB(r) Control	51,2434
19	Atzori, Andreas	9	Azorius Control	49,5802
20	Hohenberg, Thomas	9	Izzet Control	47,2222
21	Johansen, Mats	9	UB(r) Control	43,9656
22	Balikci, Hüseyin	8	Abzan Midrange	51,1019
23	Deutscher, Markus	7	Jeskai Control	56,0622
24	Stier, Thomas	7	Sultai Delve	48,963
25	Deschermeier, Philipp	7	Elves	46,2407
26	Dubbernell, Robin	6	Mono Blue Control	53,6111
27	Würtz, Alexander	6	Izzet Control	51,4524
28	Ziesche, Sebastian	6	4c Scapeshift	56,2296
29	Stahl, Gerry	6	UG Time Walk	49,9333
30	Ehrle, Philip	6	RDW	49,563
31	Seeger, Jan	6	AbzanGeddon	43,3611
32	Nelle, Robin	6	Gruul Beatz	44,3333
33	Przybilla, Armin	3	4c Blood	54,7084
34	Gandyra, Christian	3	Izzet Control	53,1746
35	Heusinger, Luc	3	Jund Scapeshift	42,537
36	Denzler, Ole	3	White Weenie	36,1111
37	Hellé, Matthias	3	Naya Aggro	35,4222
38	Haussmann, Georg	0	Rakdos Midrange	50,2508
39	Rosenberger, Alexander	0	Azorius Control	41

Leaderboard Top 25 "The One - 2016/2017"   
                  

Player	Points	avg. OMW%	Qualified for the Invitational
Hauck, Christian	53	56,199	Q (by Winter Qualifier)
Scherer, Daniel	53	55,535	Q (by Autumn Qualifier)
Nötzel, Sebastian	46	50,201	Q (by Winter Qualifier)
Stahl, Gerry	41	56,195	Q (by Autumn Qualifier)
Ehrle, Philip	33	54,510	Q (by Overall Score)
Stier, Thomas	32	52,427	Q (by Overall Score)
Vey, Alexander	31	56,015	Q (by Summer Qualifier)
Yang, Xiaoliang	31	52,762
Hauck, Manuel	30	50,789
Hittel, Matthias	29	53,600
Behnert, Carsten	29	53,560
Redl, Philip	27	53,742
Dietrich, Tobias	25	48,830
Atzori, Andreas	23	54,798
Thiemann, Kai	22	55,592	Q (by Summer Qualifier)
Feige, Bernhard	22	48,526
Rabe, Jan-Hinrich	21	66,418
Hohenberg, Thomas	21	48,508
Ziesche, Sebastian	19	55,780
Iacono, Giuseppe	19	53,721
Zimmermann, Martin	19	53,637
Rosenberger, Alexander	19	49,947
Beltle, Georg	17	62,310
Lehmann, Ronald	15	48,120
Nelle, Robin	15	44,951
Templin, Paul	14	62,368
Zarges, Florian	13	55,884
Rilke, Sebastian	12	53,148
Hintze, Joern	12	51,982
Groh, Sebastian	12	50,815
Ziemes, Malte	12	39,648
Muench, Jan	10	60,185
Rosengren, Lars	10	57,275
Franke, Jörn	10	52,645
Lauter, Alban	9	54,759
Brenndoerfer, Paul	9	54,574
Tobisch, Tim	9	53,833
Flinkert, Sven	9	48,654
Fischer, Tom	9	46,417
Kannegiesser, Thomas	9	39,250

[WMCQ HL Side Event]

Better late than never...                               
                              
WMCQ HL Side Event - September 9th, 2016                              
                              
                              
Results after Top 8                              
                              

Rank	Name	Archetype
Winner	Rosengren, Lars	Bant Midrange
2nd	Ehrle, Philip	RDW
3rd	Breitenbücher, Fabian	Naya Aggro
4th	Hauck, Manuel	Gruul Aggro
5th	Thiemann, Kai	Izzet Control
6th	Stier, Thomas	Izzet Control
7th	Thalheim, Martin	Azorius Control
8th	Abele, Jan	Mono Black Control

                              
Final Standings after 5 Rounds of Swiss                              
                              

Rank	Name	Points	OMW%	Archetype
1	Ehrle, Philip	11	66.6667	RDW
2	Rosengren, Lars	11	50.6	Bant Midrange
3	Thiemann, Kai	10	60	Izzet Control
4	Breitenbücher, Fabian	10	58.6667	Naya Aggro
5	Stier, Thomas	10	53.3333	Izzet Control
6	Hauck, Manuel	10	51.9333	Gruul Aggro
7	Thalheim, Martin	10	49.2	Azorius Control
8	Abele, Jan	9	53.2667	Mono Black Control
9	Sinner, Dennis	9	49.2667	Esper Control
10	Lehmann, Ronald	9	38.5333	4c DarkBant Midrange
11	Deutscher, Markus	7	55.9334	Jeskai Control
12	Stahl, Gerry	7	53.2667	4c Blood
13	Behnert, Carsten	7	37.1333	4c Blood (?)
14	Ziesche, Sebastian	6	60	4c Scapeshift
15	Heßling, Julian	6	55.9333	RDW
16	Stührmann, Stefan	6	54.9167	BUG Oath-Combo
17	Atzori, Andreas	6	49.2667	RDW
18	Johansen, Mats	4	53.2667	Dimir Control
19	Cernikel, Olga	4	39.9167	Orzhov Aggro
20	Heusinger, Luc	3	58.3334	RG Beatz
21	Luposchainsky, Simon	3	54.6667	Jeskai Control

                              
Link to t8 lists (not finished yet, but will be uploaded over time): http://mtgpulse.com/event/26042                              

Hi everybody! Remember the JK HL sideevent to the WMCQ on the upcoming sunday. Here are the facts:

Format: Highlander
Location: Bürgerhaus Hochstadt, Ringstraße 21, 63477 Maintal
Buy in: 17 €
Registration: 10:00
Start: 11:00
Prizes:
1st: Receives a bye for the upcoming "The One" Autumn Qualifier + 180 € JK-Store credit or 150 € MKM credit
2nd: 140 € JK-Store credit or 85 € MKM credit
3-4: 60 € JK-Store credit or 45 € MKM credit
5-8: 45 € JK-Store credit or 35 € MKM credit
9-16: 15 € JK-Store credit or 10 € MKM credit

https://www.facebook.com/events/556675211178717/

First, I want to thank everyone who participated in the tournament. I had a lot of fun and I think the tournament was a great success overall. We will build upon what was good and improve where we can. I'm looking forward to the Autumn Qualifier already...

But let's go step by step! Congratulations to Kai, who managed to snap his invite by winning the whole thing (with the help of some serioous "blasting" ). Also, props to the finalist Alexander who very much earned his invite and had the guts to register double Armageddon (which I haven't seen for ages).

Without further ado, you can find the t8 lists here: http://mtgpulse.com/event/25572

I will upload final standings soon and will also provide links to the recorded video coverage. Bear with me, It might take little. But It will all be available here in the end.

Final Standings - Mannheim Wizard's Well - Win-a-Dual - July 2nd                                    
                                    

Rank	Name	Pts	OMW%	Archetype
1	Hauck, Christian	12	49.83	4c Blood
2	Stier, Thomas	9	77.78	4c Blood
3	Materne, Robin	9	54.00	RDW
4	Feige, Bernhard	9	47.75	Izzet Control
5	Ehrle, Philip	7	60.33	Jeskai Twin
6	Thiemann, Kai	7	49.83	5c Wonder
7	Yang, Xiaoliang	6	55.44	Jeskai Control
8	Beltle, Georg	3	66.58	Gruul Beatz
9	Vey, Alexander	3	64.50	Abzan Midrange
10	Denzler, Ole	3	63.89	Esper ThopterSword
11	Azori, Andreas	(dropped)	(dropped)	Sultai Midrange

[Series Structure]

We're glad to announce a new Highlander Tournament Series in Mannheim.



Here's a trailer which provides you with the basics:
https://youtu.be/TiH-m4YqIyo

And here's a quick summary of the important points:

Series Structure – The Summer Tournament will be held in Swiss rounds followed by a top-8 playoff.
1st and 2nd place will qualify for the Spring Final in 2017.
Tournaments during autumn and winter 2016 will follow. Again 1st and 2nd place of each will qualify for the Final.
The two point leaders of all preliminary tournaments taken together (summer, autumn and winter) will also be qualified for the Final.

The Spring 2017 Invitational will determine "The One" in an 8-Person double elimination contest and will award big payout to the winner.

Summer Preliminary

Date – August 6th, 2016 - 11:30 am (Registration 10:00 am)
Location – Wizard's Well (S4 23, 68161 Mannheim)
Buy In – 15 € (Early Bird – 13€*)

* At least one week beforehand in person or via bank transfer (provide name and DCI#) to:

Säuberlich und Schmid GbR
Deutsche Bank Darmstadt
IBAN DE54 5087 0005 0030 1044 00
BIC DEUTDEFF508

Prizes
1st - Tundra (nm, english, revised) + Birds of Paradise (Full-Art, Summer Style)
2nd - Badlands (nm, english, revised)
3rd - Plateau (nm, english, revised)
4th - Plateau (nm, english, revised)

How to get there:
http://tinyurl.com/zzgjyn4 (The link will lead to Google navigations. Just type in your city and you'll see the route.)

I am excited to get this thing rolling! I hope to see you all on August 6th!

Hi! Here are today's final Standings:

Final Standings - Mannheim Wizard's Well - June 11th, 2016                        
                        

Rank	Name	Points	Deck
1	Stier, Thomas	12	4c GriselMUD
2	Yang, Xiaoliang	9	Jeskai Control
3	Feige, Bernhard	8	Izzet Control
4	Vey, Alexander	7	Abzan Midrange
5	Bastian, Alexander	6	Mardu Midrange
6	Gierse, Alexander	6	Mono U Artifact Control
7	Kannegiesser, Thomas	4	Esper Control
8	[dropped player]	0	?
9	Haussmann, Georg	0	Esper Control

Decklists of place 1 and 2 can be found here: http://mtgpulse.com/event/24938

Final Standings - Mannheim Wizard's Well - May 7th, 2016                        
                        

Rank	Name	Points	Deck
1	Yang, Xiaoliang	9	Jeskai Control
2	Stier, Thomas	9	4c Reanimator
3	Hauck, Manuel	9	Gruul Beatz
4	Vey, Alexander	7	Abzan Midrange
5	Kannegiesser, Thomas	6	Esper Control
6	Feige, Bernhard	6	Grixis Control
7	Lehmann, Ronald	6	RDW
8	Gölz, Markus	4	4c PatternRector
9	Haussmann, Georg	3	Rakdos Midrange
10	[dropped]	?	?
11	Atzori, Andreas	0	Esper Artifacts

t3 decklists here: http://mtgpulse.com/event/24455#329665                  

Final Standings - Mannheim Wizard's Well - March 5th, 2016                        
                        

Rank	Name	Points	Deck
1	Nötzel, Sebastian	12	4c Scapeshift
2	Ehrle, Philip	9	Gb Eldrazi Ramp
3	Yang, Xiaolang	9	Jeskai Midrange
4	Stier, Thomas	9	4c Aggro Blood
5	Lehmann, Ronald	6	4c Moist Mardu
6	Haussmann, Georg	6	Rakdos Midrange
7	Rölle, Christian	3	Sultai Control
8	Stief, Maximilian	3	5c Reanimator
9	Makowsky, Oliver	0	Rakdos Midrange

Decklists will follow soon.                  

HL "Win-a-Dual", Mannheim February 6th                        
                        

Rank	Name	Points	Archetype
1	Balikci, Hüseyin	13	Azorius Control
2	Lehmann, Ronald	12	4c Blood
3	Rosenberger, Alexander	12	Azorius Control
4	Stier, Thomas	12	Grixis Control
5	Ehrle, Philip	9	Mono R Aggro
6	Czolk, Stefan	9	Mono R(b) Aggro
7	Przybilla, Armin	9	Abzan Aggro (?)
8	Flinkert, Sven	9	Abzan Pattern Rector
9	Hauck, Manuel	7	Gruul(<>) Beatz
10	Wolf, Vanessa	7	Jund Midrange
11	David, Harald	7	Monu U Artifact Control
12	Thiemann, Kai	7	5c Wonder
13	Feige, Bernhard	4	Jeskai Control
14	Iacono, Luca	3	Mono R Aggro
15	Haussmann, Georg	3	Izzet Midrange (?)
16	Buchfink, Adrian	0	5c Goodstuff Tower
17	Trefz, Leander	0	5c Goodstuff Tower

Decklists will soon follow.

[dual lands]

Hi there!

I'm glad to announce our monthly tournament HL tournament series will now give out precious dual lands for prizes!

This is how it works: Payout will continue to be in the form of vouchers for the store. However, you may choose to convert vouchers on a 1-to-1 basis for paying on duals, too!

We have about a dozen in stock at the moment. Still in need of Plateau, Underground Sea or Savannah? Come and take your chance to win a dual this weekend on February 6th, 2016!


PS: Visit www.wizards-well.de for further information or join "MTG Mannheim" on FB.

[HL Cup Trial - Mannheim]

HL Cup Trial - Mannheim                        
                        
Final Standings                        
                        

Rank	Name	Points	Deck
1	Hittel, Matthias	13	Esper Control
2	Stier, Thomas	12	4c Blood
3	Rosenberger, Alexander	12	Azorius Control
4	Ehrle, Philip	12	Jeskai Midrange
5	Yang, Xiaoliang	10	Jeskai Midrange
6	Schwarz, Wolff	9	Izzet Control
7	Hauck, Christian	9	4c Blood
8	Przybilla, Benedikt	7	UWBR-Control
9	Thiemann, Kai	7	5c Wonder
10	Lebedev, Ivan	7	4c Blood
12	Hauck, Manuel	6	Gruul Aggro
14	Guenzel, Achim	6	Mono U Control
17	Haussmann, Georg	4	Izzet Midrange
18	Andrews, Derek	4	5c Slivers
dropped	N., Sebastian	?	Ugbr-Scapeshift
dropped	Przybilla, Armin	?	4c Blood
dropped	Rölle, Christian	?	Sultai Midrange
dropped	Scherer, Daniel	?	4c Blood
dropped	Rabe, Jan-Hinrich	?	4c Royal Blood (GBWU)
dropped	Ziesche, Sebastian	?	Izzet Control
dropped	Stahl, Gerry	?	4c Blood
dropped	Lehmann, Ronald	?	5c Midrange

[5 – Cream of the Crop]

BFZ has not been fully spoiled yet but I thought I might as well start with this already. I will rate other notable cards once they are revealed.

Here is the rating metric I will use for this review:

Rating scores:
5 – Cream of the Crop A card that is so strong it will almost always be played when its colors are supported. Examples: Demonic Tutor, Brainstorm, Swords to Plowshares, Sylvan Library, Lightning Bolt

4 – Archetype Staple If it fits your overall strategy, you are very likely to play this card. Examples: Elspeth, Knight-Errant, Goblin Guide, Dark Confidant, Mana Drain, Fauna Shaman

3 – Key card in certain archetypes The card is essential for your primary gameplan or is one of the core cards of your strategy. Examples:  Academy Rector, Time Spiral, Blood Moon, Oath of Druids, Yawgmoth's Will

2 - Roleplayer in certain archetypes The card fits thematically/strategically with your gameplan either as a supportive card or as a main component. Examples: Three Visits, Thought Scour, Dark Ritual, Faithless Looting, Honor of the Pure

1 – Optional inclusion You may include a card like this if it is approximately as good as another card but just a little bit different, has several synergies with your deck, as a toolboxing option or as a metagame choice. Examples: Magma Jet, Shardless Agent, Zealous Persecution, Relic of Progenitus, Auriok Champion, Body Snatcher


If I do not list a card it is because I think it is unplayable (or I just missed it ).

Let me hear your opinion!


White

Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2WW
Planeswalker - Gideon
+1: Until end of turn, Gideon, Ally of Zendikar becomes a 5/5 Human Soldier Ally creature with indestructible that's still a planeswalker. Prevent all damage that would be dealt to him this turn.

0: Put a 2/2 white Knight Ally creature token onto the battlefield.

-4: You get an emblem with "Creatures you control get +1/+1."

Loyalty: 4

Gideon is a straightforward and powerful Planeswalker. Your usual play pattern with him will be to use his 0-loyalty ability first and produce a Knight. Next turn, if the board permits, you +1 him and swing for 7 (2/2 + 5/5). If attacking seems bad, you just produce another Knight and set up for his anthem ability.

I'm pretty sure he will replace Sorin, Lord of Innistrad in 4c Blood. Let's quickly compare the two:
Regarding their mana cost they are basically even. In 4c Blood, Sorin is slightly easier to cast. This advantage is kind of offset however by the fact that you are running two Sorin's which can lead to awkward double Sorin-draws.
When they come into play and produce a token, their loyalty becomes 4. That's basically even. Sorin produces 1/1 lifelinkers while Gideon makes beefier 2/2 Knights. I see a slight advantage for Gideon here.
Your second turn with the respective Walker in play is – in my opinion – what tips the scale in Gideon's favor. With Sorin, you will will either go for another 1/1 or you might go for the emblem and +1/+0 your team.
Gideon allows you to either add another 2/2 (and two 2/2's look much more impressive than two 1/1's) or you can go smack for seven (!) with Gideon and his Knight buddy. And you also have the option to go for the anthem and +1/+1 your guys. Here Gideon clearly outshines Sorin.
Although lifelink is a pretty strong ability in several matchups (Mono Red or Jeskai for example), lifelink on 1/1's isn't as exciting. You usually need a way to buff up the 1/1's to really gain a relevant amount of life. In both the Mono Red and the Jeskai matchup, I actually prefer Gideon over Sorin, because of the big body and the better clock he provides.
The only situations where I would rather have Sorin, is in a long, stalled out midrange mirror, where your opponent can't get through and you slowly threaten Sorin's ultimate because producing vampires ticks him up.

Gideon of course will be a nice addition to White Weenie and other white-centric beatdown decks. My prediction is we will see him a lot in the future.

Rating: 4 – Archetype Staple

Black

Ob Nixilis, Reignited
3BB
Planeswalker - Nixilis
+1: You draw a card and you lose 1 life.

-3: Destroy target creature.

-8: Target opponent gets an emblem with "Whenever a player draws a card, you lose 2 life."

Loyalty: 5

In my opinion, the best incarnation of Ob Nixilis printed so far. Five mana is very doable for most decks and he will repay your mana investment with powerful options.
Both drawing a card while ticking up to six loyalty and destroying a creature are very good abilities when it comes to protecting himself from attackers and ensuring he lives another turn.

His ultimate is slow but inevitable and far from useless, although you will most of the time end up wiggling Ob Nixilis's loyalty up and down which will help you to out-resource your opponent.

In the end it comes down to what kind of deck you are playing. Ramp decks with access to black will surely want him. Esper Control might be a home for him too. Even slower Midrange decks will be able to incorporate him. Overall, I think we will see him quite a bit.

Rating: 2 - Roleplayer in certain archetypes

Red

Radiant Flames
2R
Sorcery
Converge — Radiant Flames deals X damage to each creature, where X is the number of colors of mana spent to cast Radiant Flames.

This will certainly be played in 3+ color control or ramp decks. I imagine RUG-Scapeshift to want this for example because it can be cast for R(UG for example) instead of 1RR (like Anger of the Gods or Slagstorm).

Rating: 2 - Roleplayer in certain archetypes

Green

Woodland Wanderer
3G
Creature - Elemental
Vigilance, trample

Converge — Woodland Wanderer enters the battlefield with a +1/+1 counter on it for each color of mana spent to cast it.

2/2

Well, that thing can be big! I'm considering this for my 4c-Blood list, which in itself says something about the power level of a card.

You certainly must be playing 4+ colors to want this and also follow a beatdown plan. If those criteria are met however, Woodland Wanderer becomes really exciting.

With only three colors available, this will be a 5/5 trample, vigilance for four, which is good already (even as a 4/4 with only two colors spent on it, this isn't that bad). For the full four colors though, we get a 6/6, which will basically dominate every other creature on the board. The real kicker are the two abilities though. Trample will make this tree-man a superb equipment target and prevent pesky chump blocking. Vigilance on a 6/6 usually means your opponent can't attack back, which is very valuable in a race.

Downsides are that you can't be Aether Vialling or GSZ'ing this thing into play (well, you can but it is kind of embarrassing to do so) and Restoration Angel doesn't synergize very well with this, too. But that shouldn't stop Woodland Wanderer to show up quite a bit.

Rating: 1 – Optional inclusion

Multicolor

Bring to Light
3UG
Sorcery
Converge — Search your library for a creature, instant, or sorcery card with converted mana cost less than or equal to the number of colors of mana spent to cast Bring to Light, exile that card, then shuffle your library. You may cast that card without paying its mana cost.

Very exciting card! It imposes some specific requirements on your deck though: You want to be playing four or five colors and there should be at least one card in your deck that is worth tutoring for which optimally costs four or more mana (otherwise you are paying a hefty price by paying five for Bring to Light. In some cases it might be worth it nevertheless).

The first deck I thought of was 4c-Scapeshift. Bring to Light there functions as another virtual copy of Scapeshift itself. However – and that's where the card goes from good to great – it can also get other stuff like Damnation, Bribery, Thundermaw Hellkite or what have you.

That's pretty flexible and powerful. I will love to brew with the card.

Rating: 2 - Roleplayer in certain archetypes

Brutal Explosion
2UR
Instant
Devoid (This card has no color.)

Choose one or both —
• Return target spell or creature to its owner's hand.
• Brutal Expulsion deals 2 damage to target creature or planeswalker. If that permanent would be put into a graveyard this turn, exile it instead.

Flexible spells like this are exactly the kind of cards you want for Highlander. Since – in our format – creature sizes are rather varied and planeswalkers play a huge role, you will most likely find good targets for the two damage mode. Imagine killing a Vendilion Clique and bouncing Bribery back to your opponent's hand for example. That is a huge tempo swing. The exiling clause on the damage part is not irrelevant either (Kitchen Finks and Voice of Resurgence are often faced cards). Also, there are some cute value tricks available like bouncing your own Snapcaster or letting a removal spell on your Young Pyromancer fizzle by bouncing it while also exiling their creature and so on.

Brutal Explosion seems to always be at least solid and will occasionally lead to blowouts. URx decks will certainly try this one out and I think it is powerful enough to warrant a spot in many lists.

Rating: 1 – Optional inclusion

Catacomb Sifter
1BG
Creature - Eldrazi Drone
Devoid (This card has no color.)

When Catacomb Sifter enters the battlefield, put a 1/1 colorless Eldrazi Scion creature token onto the battlefield. It has "Sacrifice this creature: add 1 to your mana pool."

Whenever another creature you control dies, scry 1.

2/3

The combination of all the abilities this has might be enough to raise it to playability level. It won't find its way into goodstuff decks but can play nicely in decks with a sacrificial theme. It does a little bit of everything somehow. It is a little bit beefy (cumulated 3 power and 4 toughness for 'only' three mana), a little bit 'valuey' (two creatures out of one card), it ramps for 1 colorless and will enhance the quality of your topdecks.

Too bad you can't GSZ for this one because it has Devoid...

Rating: 1 – Optional inclusion

Kiora, Master of the Depths
2UG
Planeswalker - Kiora
+1: Untap up to one target creature and up to one target land.

-2: Reveal the top four cards of your library. You may put a creature card and/or a land card from among them into your hand. Put the rest into your graveyard.

-8: You get an emblem with "Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, you may have it fight target creature." Then put three 8/8 blue Octopus creature tokens onto the battlefield under your control.

Loyalty: 4

I don't like this Kiora very much because it is too fragile. Imagine playing her on the third turn off of an elf of some kind. Then what? You might -2 to get the rough equivalent of draw about two cards. That is certainly not bad, but the fact that she now sits on only 2 loyalty makes her rather vulnerable. Imagine Arc Trail at this spot...
You could also use her untap mode and follow up with a 2 drop (if you happen to have one). Now she sits on 5 loyalty but has not produced value for the time being.
Starting with the second turn, you might be able to ramp into something (provided she lived through your opponent's last turn) or you could cash her in for another 'not quite two' cards.

Overall I feel I'm not getting enough bang for my buck with Kiora. That being said, there surely are specific strategies which want this. Like an UG-centered ramp strategy for example and maybe something like a creature-based BUG-Reanimator deck.

Rating: 1 – Optional inclusion

Lands

Canopy Vista, Cinder Glade, Prairie Stream, Smoldering March, Sunken Hollow
Land - Forest Plains
(T: Add G or W to your mana pool.)
Canopy Vista enters the battlefield tapped unless you control two or more basic lands. (The other lands tap for the remaining allied color pairs and are of the appropriate basic land types)

Pretty good dual lands because you can fetch for them. They are not good enough for 4+ colored lists but some will make the cut in 3 colored decks. Especially Scapeshift decks will profit here, because they can substitute shabby mountains and play Cinder Glade and Smoldering March instead.

Another thing I like about these lands is that 2c-lists will profit relatively more from them than 3c-lists.

Rating: 1 – Optional inclusion

Lumbering Falls
Land
Lumbering falls enters the battlefield tapped.

t: Add G or U to your mana pool.

2GU: Lumbering Falls becomes a 3/3 green and blue Elemental creature with hexproof until end of turn. It's still a land.

Pretty good UG-manland. The power level seems to be somewhere in the Stirring Wildwood league. Will definitely see play. I like that you can run this into open mana without the risk of getting blown out.

Rating: 1 – Optional inclusion

Shambling Vent
Land
Shambling Vent enters the battlefield tapped.

T: Add W or B to your mana pool.

1WB: Shambling Vent becomes a 2/3 white and black elemental creature with lifelink until end of turn. It's still a land.

This is somewhat lacking. It just feels a little bit weak. This either needed to be a 2/4 or a 3/2, I guess. It is not bad, don't get me wrong. Just having this up on defense will discourage an opponent from attacking with about as much as four 2/2's. The problem is, Highlander has long stopped being a format where 2/2's are good. In reality, Shambling Vent can't block very well and can't attack very well either (compared to Stirring Wildwood and Treetop Village for example). Lifelink makes up for some of that though.

I admit I could be very wrong here. Usually manlands play their biggest part in a game where everything has been trade off and the board is kind of clear while cards in hands are scarce. In a scenario like this Shambling Vent shines because it can gradually get you back into a game where you have been on the backfoot since the beginning by recovering precious lifepoints and thereby initiating a comeback.

In the end, I'm just not sure. Let's wait and see...

Rating: unplayable or 1 – Optional inclusion