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Annecy BOM III Tournament report

So we went to Annecy from St. Gallen, Switzerland via Zurich and Geneva by train
on friday afternoon (I had to say like, I love you wonderful baby and it's a
nice spring day. I'll be off fort he next four days, playing a trading card game
with some nerdy friends in a shady hall, but ye know, I'll be playing tezzerets
on turn zero.)
It was a wonderful day and we sat in the restaurant car of the train, drinking
beer and testing on the huge tables of the train.
My brother and me had brought the sam 75 cards, two fully powered Bishop's
Painter, designed by the two of us three months ago and tuned into a powerful
metagame hate deck. It's sheer greed and insanity within it will be revealed
later on.

So then after 4 quick hours we had to change to a bus in geneva. We then saw a
little episode of pickpocketing, some young guys tried to nap someones wallet, a
tourist group right before us.
We then got lost and some of my beers cracked on the ground, it was quite a
mess. We were late fort he bus and so we probably would have had to wait an hour
if we hadn't seen the bus at a red light where we jumped in. Lucky-go-happy.
Another hour and a half later, we were there and quickly got to the youth hostel
which was nice indeed. Another 7 friends from Switzerland and Germany were
there. We know each other from the Swiss Vintage League, which holds monthly
power tournaments, ten proxy, in Zurich. (Just as a sidenote, with all the proxy
diycussion: We have about 50 players each month and all Switzerland is only 7.5
Millions. The metagame is diverse and the entry fee is only 12 EUR. It is a
great familiar atmosphere and I must say that a large part of the Swiss Vintage
crowd has become friends espesially after this weekend.) We spent the night till
3am in the bar-like community-room drinking Pastis and playtesting as well as
smoking "cigarettes qui font rigoler" as the nightguard put it. My brother, me
and another friend decided not to play vintage as we spent another gorgeous day
at the wicked beautiful lake and City of Annecy. We then got to the venue in the
afternoon when our hangovers were gone. We watched a little, but I must say that
i don't like the legacy format much. It's not broken enough at all.
In the evening, we went eating at a good restaurant ind the vintage city at the
riverside. I had
Noix de saint-jaques aux citrons et poivres jalapeño - entrée
Tartare de boeuf avec frites
I could cook the mussels as good as them and the tartar was good but not the
best I ever had, The fries though where absolutely freaking delicious.

That evening we drank more pastis and played more, then got to bed at about 3
again.
We were partially destroyed on sunday morning, and I was freaking nervous
because I had been looking froward to this expirience for months. (I have only
played in a big tourney once before, in Paris 2005, but now i had a full powered
deck!)
So, now on to madness and total destruction - in every way!

The Deck I played: Bishop's Painter V3.

Disruption: 10 (13 if you count commandeer)

4 Force of Will
3 pyroblast
2 Red Elemental Blast
1 Misdirection

Draw:
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Brainstorm
1 time walk
1 Gush
1 Ancestral recall
1 Fact or fiction
2 Thirst for knowledge
4 Mystic remora

Broken:
3 Commandeer
1 Gifts ungiven
1 timetwister
1 yawgmoth's will
1 demonic tutor
1 vampiric tutor
1 tinker

Kill:
4 Painter's Servant
2 Grindstone
1 Darksteel colossus

Mana 22:
5 moxen
1 Black lotus
1 Sol ring
1 tolarian academy
1 library of alexandria
3 Volcanic island
2 underground sea
2 island
1 snow-covered island - yes, it mattered
3 flooded strand
2 polluted delta.

The Sideboard:
3 planar void
1 yixlid jailer
1 relic of progenitus
1 tormod's crypt
1 pithing needle
1 engineered exposives
1 engineered plague
1 darkblast
1 threads of disloyalty
1 psychatog
2 viashino heretic
1 hurkyl's recall

Some explanation on the deck:
This is a metagame hate deck. Not a normal control deck. It is designed for a
metagame consisting mostly of Drains, TPS, dredge and fish with little aggro or
stax.
It is of course inspired by the meditation remora by rich shay. I have many
reasons to believe that this deck is better, perhaps better suited for me. It is
very extreme. You rely on painter, therefor you play 4. You always topdeck the
two artifacts just like this.
The deck is extremely greedy and fun to play!
You play Gush, fact, gifts, (all foil!) and Timetwister! And Remora-Commandeer!
And Painter-Blast! And Psychatog in the side! And no shitty meditates (aka the
unfun winmore).
Some may argue for meditate: I say: It sucks. You draw colossuss, can't discard
it from hand, lose if your opponent has bob or library, can only play it when
you are already winning, etc.
Timetwister on the other hand is so broken that I even leave it in against TPS!
I haven't lost a game yet when I cast it, except in the mirror against my
brother... It just fills your hand with REBs and Commandeers and more Blasts and
fresh remoras.
No Drains: Well, drains are okay but so damn slow. And I just leave the job of
protecting my commandeers to my blasts very happily as the only cost one mana,
being up 1st turn and letting you play the remora more greedily, dropping them
agressively. You would sometimes be glad to have some, but only against Oath and
Workshops.
Against chalice on 1 you lose on the spot preboard, your only out being tinker.
22 mana in a remora deck. Yes! You can play Tezzerets for free!
The Sideboard plan is probably interesting:
Against TPS: Out 1 Red blast, In 1 tormod's crypt (and if you have seen bobs,
darkblast and threads, Take out Two more REBs )
Against Drains: Nothing.
Against Fish (nontarmo, null rod, chalice): Out 1 fact or fiction 1 sensei's top
3 commandeer, 4 mystic remora.
In:
1 pithing needle
1 engineered exposives
1 engineered plague
1 threads of disloyalty
1 psychatog
2 viashino heretic
1 hurkyl's recall

Against Tarmofish bring in an additional relic removing the plague (If it's grow
for example.) or something else.
Against Staxx you board out Misdirection, Blasts and some Remora's (On the draw)
or Commandeers (On the play) for
1 tormod's crypt (welder or crucible)
1 pithing needle
1 engineered exposives
1 darkblast (if welder)
1 threads of disloyalty (if welder)
1 psychatog
2 viashino heretic
1 hurkyl's recall
Against Workshop Aggro always SB out the commandeers.

Against Dredge, you take out commandeers and misd as well as remora's and leave
in the blasts as they hate vapours. You bring in the awesomeness of
3 planar void
1 yixlid jailer
1 relic of progenitus
1 tormod's crypt
1 pithing needle
1 engineered exposives

and hurkyl's game 3.

Against Oath you can bring 1 -2planar void, the Tormod's crypt, engineered
plague&explosives as well as the hurkyl's for null rod. Take out the commandeers
and some remoras.

Well, on to the tournament:

RD 1- Ichorid with NO UNMASKS but cephalid coliseums.
Game one: The usal quick loss with a powder7 hand including Bazaar, LED (which I
forced) and chalice.
Game Two: he keeps a 6er and I start with needle on bazaar. Turn two, planar
void joins the fun and I play grindstone and tinker ftw.
Game three: He goes to three and loses to my god hand of explosives, relic and
planar void.

2-1 /1:0:0

Round Two - Oath
Bad matchup.

G1 I win with library, mox, lotus, remora. But I win only because he has
blessing on hand and removes it for force at one time. I then play timetwister
and mill him.
G2 I lose to null rod and oath.
G3 we are both stalled and so it's a draw.
1-1 /1:0:1

Round three: the notices are already not much more than life totals which don't
say much.
Some TPS. I play 1st turn remora which he forces. He then seizes me at his t1,
finding another remora, tinker, and mana, Taking the tinker. He loses to remora
because he plays in it.
G2 I win, I don't remember how.
2-0/2:0:1

Round 4. I win the roll again and start with tolarian, 2 moxen, grindstone,
which gets commandeered to my surprise. Then I play mystic remora. We both
draw-go. At some point I have painter in hand and gifts for tinker, grindstone
and two other cards (Leaving me only with will as out in the deck, because I
removed twister to force... but Way ahead on card advantage) He grinds me down
to about 15 but the will still does not get revealed, I then topdeck demonic and
cast it, getting me the insane i grind and ancestral recall you will win.

G2 He starts with a first turn Tezz which ends up at my side of the table. (T0)
T1 I fetch Lotus, play recall, sol ring, thirst, having REB+Commandeer open for
his turn 2 demonic.
I win.
2-0/3:0:1

RD 5. He wins the roll. Staxx.
He wins g1 quickly.
Then I make the huge mistake siding out commandeers and leaving in REBs. I was
really fucked up already after 3 hours sleep and playing 5 hours.
Also, I made a huge misplay which cost me the game. I somehow thought, I had to
counter his tangle wire removing psychatog, when I could've cast it ftw
nevertheless. Fizzle-shizzle-lose. 0-2/3:1:1

So I was back to the wall if I wanted to top8.

RD 6:
He plays some Oath tendrils. But I didn't know that yet when I commandeered his
first turn recall and his second turn fact with library up ftw, I only saw it
when I grinded him Game 2 with remora in play and REB/ Misdirection on hand.
He plays krosan reclamation in his upkeep, I misdirect (pitching the land I draw
with remora) (he only targets lotus). nothing more now. He REbs. I draw
commandeer. (I already know I win!) Krosan resolves, he draws +plays lotus (2
cards in hand); he plays will and I command it ftw pitching the freshly drawn
blue land from remora.
4:1:1

RD 7: UW fish
Game 1 I lose against rod, needle, wastes and 4/4s.
Game 2 I play turn 1 gifts on Island, snow-covered island, underground sea and
darkblast, with lotus+sea. He gives me sea and darkblast. I proceed to name
wizard with plague later on and he loses to darkblast+psychatog.

Time is running away, as the games were rather long, and while shuffling, I ask
my opponent if it is possible to determine the winner with a die roll if the
match is a draw. He plays

Wrath of Judge - WUBRG
Instant
Call - (this Spell can be played anytime whitout paying it's mana cost)
Call a judge and tell him in private that your opponent tried to propose you a
die roll. (You can play this spell even if he only asked and didn't propose it.)

Target player loses the tournament.
Split second.

Well, so I got disqualified for asking a question at the standing of 4-1-1 and
being in front of game 3 against UW fish.
I showed manners and didn't argue with anyone, shook my opponents hand when he
wanted to walk away and wished him good luck fort he rest of the tourney.
Unfortunately, he didn't top 8.
Later in the evening, we played a Bishop Painter Mirror. This is not vintage
magic. It's chess. Try out playing this deck against itself, it's the next level
of magic. Bishop's mirror. So cool.
We got a stack of more than 13 spells once.

After the tournament, I would perhaps change the deck a little. Repeal would be
nice. Perhaps in the time walk slot or also in the fact or fiction slot. It
hadn't impressed me that much. More Artifact hate would be nice, too. I'll go
another approach for the SB, combating mainly null rod and chalice against fish.
Bishop's Painter V4:
Disruption: 12 (15 if you count commandeer)

4 Force of Will
3 pyroblast
2 Red Elemental Blast
1 Misdirection
2 Repeal

Draw:
1 Sensei's Divining Top
1 Brainstorm
1 Gush
1 Ancestral recall
2 Thirst for knowledge
4 Mystic remora

Broken:
3 Commandeer
1 Gifts ungiven
1 timetwister
1 yawgmoth's will
1 demonic tutor
1 vampiric tutor
1 tinker

Kill:
4 Painter's Servant
2 Grindstone
1 Darksteel colossus

Mana 22:
5 moxen
1 Black lotus
1 Sol ring
1 tolarian academy
1 library of alexandria
3 Volcanic island
2 underground sea
2 island
1 snow-covered island - yes, it mattered
3 flooded strand
2 polluted delta.

The Sideboard:
3 planar void
1 yixlid jailer
1 relic of progenitus
1 tormod's crypt
2 pithing needle
1 darkblast
1 hurkyl's recall
1 viashino heretic
1 ingot chewer
1 Rebuild
1 empty the warrens
1 psychatog

During the tournament most of my commandeers (if they weren't turn 0) were
protected with Blast, which is a huge plus compared to drains. Also,
Gush+Commandeer+Painter is an insane Combo. Therefore (and because thei're good
in general) I have added two repeal (+2 cards in hand to pitch to commandeer, or
bouncing the remora, yours and the opponent's.
The Twister is insane, too. He wins on the spot if painter or library is in
play. Gifts as well, esp. after boarding.
Time walk really sucked so i took it out. Now that I'm playing two bounce main I
can easily play the warrens in the side. They give me more outs game 2+3 against
creatures or artifacts. The deck isn't well prepared against oath, still, but
I'll just drop that one.
The new Strategy is to stall artifacts a little, then bounce at some moment and
cast empty. You now run 10 cards against Artifacts with welder. 1 tormod's crypt
2 pithing needle
1 darkblast
1 hurkyl's recall
1 viashino heretic
1 ingot chewer
1 Rebuild
1 empty the warrens
1 psychatog

Take out the blasts+ misdi and depending on play or draw Remoras or commandeers.
(Commandeers always go out versus artifact aggro). Against Rod fish, it's
exactly the same, only exchanging tormod's crypt with relic if they play goyf.
Just leave in the Blasts and take out remora's and commandeers. You can leave
hurkyl's out and bring a little less hate.

I can say that the deck was very good. Against Drains and TPS it is really
unfair. Also, against other Remora Decks, you auto-win with 5 Blasts main. Was
quite a good meta choice...
If I had played better and would know the floor rules better I could have made
top 8. The tournament was really well organized , the atmosphere was incredible
and I'm looking forward to the next one! I'll be there and kick ass!


Props to:
-First and most of all to Andi! He lent me the whole deck, pimped with many
foils and beta power.
-My Brother Benjamin (Qube on TMD), who designed this deck together with me:
-Turn Zero Tezz, turn 1 Recall, Turn 2 Fact, turn 2 Demonic: Commandeer FTW
(list not comprehensive)
-The swiss crowd that came to the tourney
-The Organizers and Judges for their work (they worked an awful lot this
weekend!)
-Annecy's views, climate and food
-The nice trip overall

Slops to
Misplay against Stax,
And of course my disqualification, which I have to be blamed for, because I
should know the rules better.

What a cool weekend! At night, we drank more pastis and smoked some more,
playing magic till 6am. Fucking nerds. Monday morning, we headed home by train
again and played EVEN MORE magic, on our knees, in the train. Insane Addicts. My
girlfriend had prepared me a hot bath when I came home wasted and put some
selfmade pizza in the oven. Ahh, secured from madness and insanity, the wounded
warrior comes home and his loving wife is awaiting, but time will come he'll
have to leave for battle again and shorter than you think!
(End of May, Zurich, the next league tourney. Hooray!)
Thanks for reading
Jonas