This past weekend the Chicago Old School group hosted a small 93-94 tournament, and we had 15 players show up to battle, including a number of local players, and players from Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Texas.
Entrance fee was drink of choice to share with the posse, and we all chipped in for local delivery pizza. Prizes were donated by the players, and ended up being pretty sweet, and each prize was signed by all players. Players drafted a card from the prize pool of their choice, starting with first place and heading on down the line.
We also gave away 200ML bottles of liquor as door prizes to those attending from out of state (shoutout to @mithmtg for donating these!).
Continuing with our previous tournament structure, to encourage the maximum rounds played, we decided on six (6) 50 minute rounds of Straight Swiss (no Top 4/8 playoff), with NO MATCH DRAWS ALLOWED (unintentional or otherwise). After 50 minutes if there was a tied match, the tie breaker would be a sudden death Chaos Orb flipping contest, similar to a hockey or soccer overtime shootout. If both players make or miss the Chaos Orb flip in the same round, go again. The first person to make it while the other person misses will be declared the winner of the match. We had one match decided this way on the day.
This time there were tons of artifacts and The Abysses floating around, and not nearly enough Energy Fluxes, Armageddons, and Shatterstorms to offset them.
Final Standings, After 6 Rounds Straight Swiss
(Note: not actual DCI numbers)
ALL Decklists, by Final Standing
5C Copy Artifact, by Danny Friedman – 1st Place
Esper Workshop Aggro, by Jaco – 2nd Place
| Business (34) 2 Swords to Plowshares 2 The Abyss 1 Balance 4 Disenchant 1 Dust to Dust 1 Chaos Orb 2 Relic Barrier 2 Icy Manipulator 1 Mind Twist 1 Demonic Tutor 1 Ancestral Recall 1 Time Walk 2 Jade Statue 2 Su-Chi 3 Juggernaut 3 Triskelion 2 Tetravus 3 Copy Artifact Mana Sources (26) 1 Black Lotus 1 Mox Emerald 1 Mox Jet 1 Mox Pearl 1 Mox Ruby 1 Mox Sapphire 1 Sol Ring 1 Fellwar Stone 1 Library of Alexandria 4 Strip Mine 3 Mishra’s Workshop 2 Mishra’s Factory 4 Tundra 3 Scrubland 1 Underground Sea | Sideboard (15) 2 Dust to Dust 3 Flash Counter 2 Blue Elemental Blast 3 Mirror Universe 2 City in a Bottle 1 Circle of Protection: Red 1 Swords to Plowshares 1 The Abyss |
Abyss Control, by John Beste – 3rd Place
| Business (33) 1 Mana Drain 4 Counterspell 1 Power Sink 4 Swords to Plowshares 2 The Abyss 1 Maze of Ith 1 Balance 4 Disenchant 1 Chaos Orb 2 Icy Manipulator 1 Mind Twist 1 Amnesia 1 Demonic Tutor 1 Ancestral Recall 1 Time Walk 1 Timetwister 2 Jayemdae Tome 1 Braingeyser 1 The Hive 2 Copy Artifact Mana Sources (27) 1 Black Lotus 1 Mox Emerald 1 Mox Jet 1 Mox Pearl 1 Mox Ruby 1 Mox Sapphire 1 Sol Ring 1 Library of Alexandria 4 Mishra’s Factory 4 Tundra 4 Underground Sea 1 Scrubland 5 Island 1 Plains | Sideboard (15) 3 Blue Elemental Blast 2 Strip Mine 1 Divine Offering 1 City in a Bottle 1 Wrath of God 1 Moat 1 Disrupting Scepter 2 Control Magic 3 Serendib Efreet |
Mono Blue Tempo, by Brandon Sanders – 4th Place
| Business (38) 2 Force Spike 1 Mana Drain 4 Counterspell 1 Chaos Orb 1 Phantasmal Terrain 1 Energy Flux 3 Psionic Blast 1 Ancestral Recall 1 Time Walk 1 Timetwister 1 Braingeyser 1 Recall 4 Unstable Mutation 4 Flying Men 4 DanDan 1 Old Man of the Sea 1 Time Elemental 4 Serendib Efreet 1 Serendib Djinn 1 Mahamoti Djinn Mana Sources (22) 1 Mox Sapphire 1 Sol Ring 3 Strip Mine 1 Tolaria 16 Island | Sideboard (15) 1 Acid Rain 1 Mahamoti Djinn 3 Blue Elemental Blast 1 Strip Mine 1 Phantasmal Terrain 4 Psychic Purge 3 Energy Flux 1 Golgothian Sylex |
UR Workshop Aggro, by Nicholas Rausch – 5th Place
| Business (27) 2 Lightning Bolt 1 Chaos Orb 1 Ancestral Recall 1 Time Walk 1 Timetwister 1 Wheel of Fortune 1 Atog 4 Sage of Lat-Nam 4 Su-Chi 4 Triskelion 4 Tetravus 3 Copy Artifact Mana Sources (33) 1 Black Lotus 1 Mox Emerald 1 Mox Jet 1 Mox Pearl 1 Mox Ruby 1 Mox Sapphire 1 Sol Ring 4 Mana Vault 2 Fellwar Stone 4 Mishra’s Workshop 4 Mishra’s Factory 4 City of Brass 4 Volcanic Island 4 Strip Mine | Sideboard (15) 3 Shatter 2 Lightning Bolt 4 Red Elemental Blast 2 Blood Moon 3 City in a Bottle 1 Mountain |
Titania's Song, by Andrew Bowman – 6th Place
5C The Deck, by Mike VanDyke – 7th Place
| Business (31) 1 Mana Drain 4 Counterspell 1 Mind Twist 4 Swords to Plowshares 3 The Abyss 1 Balance 1 Chaos Orb 4 Disenchant 1 Ancestral Recall 1 Time Walk 2 Jayemdae Tome 1 Braingeyser 1 Demonic Tutor 1 Regrowth 1 Recall 1 The Hive 1 Mirror Universe 2 Fireball Mana Sources (29) 1 Black Lotus 1 Mox Emerald 1 Mox Jet 1 Mox Pearl 1 Mox Ruby 1 Mox Sapphire 1 Sol Ring 1 Library of Alexandria 3 Strip Mine 4 City of Brass 4 Tundra 4 Underground Sea 4 Volcanic Island 1 Island 1 Plains | Sideboard (15) 1 Circle of Protection: Red 2 Earthquake 1 Ivory Tower 1 Strip Mine 4 Red Elemental Blast 4 Blue Elemental Blast 1 Divine Offering 1 Amnesia |
RG Aggro, by Vincenzo Balistreri – 8th Place
| Business (38) 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Chain Lightning 2 Fireball 2 Shatter 1 Fork 1 Channel 1 Sylvan Library 1 Black Vise 4 Giant Growth 4 Scryb Sprites 4 Scavenger Folk 4 Kird Ape 2 Argothian Pixies 4 Erhnam Djinn Mana Sources (22) 1 Strip Mine 3 Mishra’s Factory 2 Pendelhaven 1 Hammerheim 4 Taiga 6 Mountain 5 Forest | Sideboard (15) 2 Shatter 3 Tranquility 2 Flashfires 1 Shatterstorm 1 Hurricane 2 Whirling Dervish 4 Red Elemental Blast |
Dreamweaver Control, by Shane Semmens – 9th Place
BW, by Ben Wagnon – 10th Place
| Business (30) 1 Demonic Tutor 4 Hymn to Tourach 1 Mind Twist 4 Swords to Plowshares 4 Disenchant 1 Chaos Orb 2 Armageddon 3 Black Knight 4 Hypnotic Specter 4 Juzam Djinn 2 Sengir Vampire Mana Sources (30) 4 Dark Ritual 1 Sol Ring 2 Fellwar Stone 4 Strip Mine 2 Mishra’s Factory 2 City of Brass 1 Urborg 4 Scrubland 9 Swamp 1 Plains | Sideboard (15) 4 Sinkhole 4 Divine Offering 3 Terror 2 Drain Life 2 Tormod’s Crypt |
White Weenie, by Nathan Mullen – 11th Place
| Business (37) 4 Swords to Plowshares 4 Disenchant 4 Crusade 4 Savannah Lions 4 Tundra Wolves 4 Icatian Javelineers 4 Order of Leitbur 4 White Knight 4 Thunder Spirit 1 Preacher Mana Sources (23) 4 Strip Mine 4 Mishra’s Factory 15 Plains | Sideboard (15) 2 Armageddon 2 Circle of Protection Red 2 Divine Offering 2 Dust to Dust 2 Circle of Protection Black 3 City in a Bottle 1 Preacher 1 King Suleiman |
URB, by Stephen Maldonado – 12th Place
| Business (35) 1 Mana Drain 4 Counterspell 1 Fork 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Chain Lightning 3 Psionic Blast 1 Fireball 1 Chaos Orb 1 Ancestral Recall 1 Time Walk 1 Timetwister 1 Wheel of Fortune 1 Braingeyser 1 Recall 1 Demonic Tutor 1 Black Vise 4 Flying Men 4 Serendib Efreet Mana Sources (26) 1 Black Lotus 1 Mox Jet 1 Mox Ruby 1 Mox Sapphire 1 Sol Ring 1 Library of Alexandria 2 Strip Mine 4 Mishra’s Factory 4 City of Brass 4 Volcanic Island 1 Badlands 5 Island | Sideboard (15) 3 Red Elemental Blast 3 Blue Elemental Blast 2 Control Magic 4 Shatter 2 Energy Flux 1 Earthquake |
Big Pink, by Nick Rohr – 13th Place
| Business (28) 1 Wheel of Fortune 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Chain Lightning 2 Pyrotechnics 4 Fireball 2 Disintegrate 2 Earthquake 4 Disenchant 1 Chaos Orb 4 Fork Mana Sources (32) 1 Mox Ruby 1 Sol Ring 4 Mana Vault 4 Strip Mine 4 Mishra’s Factory 4 City of Brass 4 Plateau 10 Mountain | Sideboard (15) 2 Earthquake 4 Red Elemental Blast 4 Divine Offering 1 Balance 4 Swords to Plowshares |
Mono Black, by James Tork – 14th Place
| Business (35) 1 Demonic Tutor 1 Mind Twist 1 Greed 3 Paralyze 3 Oubliette 1 Chaos Orb 2 Nevinyrral’s Disk 4 Drain Life 4 Order of the Ebon Hand 4 Black Knight 1 Royal Assassin 4 Hypnotic Specter 4 Juzam Djinn 2 Sengir Vampire Mana Sources (27) 4 Dark Ritual 1 Black Lotus 1 Mox Jet 1 Sol Ring 1 Strip Mine 4 Mishra’s Factory 1 Urborg 14 Swamp | Sideboard (15) 1 Maze of Ith 3 Gloom 4 Sinkhole 3 Hymn to Tourach 4 Terror |
Land Tax, by Dominic Dotterer – 15th Place
| Business (37) 4 Lightning Bolt 3 Spirit Link 1 Balance 4 Disenchant 1 Divine Offering 1 Chaos Orb 4 Ivory Tower 1 Feldon’s Cane 3 Library of Leng 3 Winds of Change 3 Sylvan Library 1 Wheel of Fortune 4 Land Tax 4 Land’s Edge Mana Sources (23) 1 Mox Emerald 1 Mox Pearl 1 Mox Ruby 1 Fellwar Stone 1 Library of Alexandria 4 Rainbow Vale 2 City of Brass 7 Plains 4 Mountain 1 Forest | Sideboard (15) 2 Dust to Dust 2 Blood Moon 1 Circle of Protection: Red 4 Red Elemental Blast 1 Feldon’s Cane 2 City in a Bottle 2 Earthquake 1 Drop of Honey |
Photo Report
Many thanks to all the players for snapping pictures of the action during the event. Here’s just a small sample of the action as it unfolded.
Action Shots
Dotterer vs. VanDyke
Semmens vs. Rohr
Balistreri vs. Rausch
Wagnon vs. Bowman
Sanders vs. Maldonado
Mullen vs. Friedman
Semmens vs. Rohr
Beste vs. Balistreri
Tork vs. Bowman
VanDyke vs. Sanders
Jaco vs. Rausch
Bowman vs. Beste
Semmens vs. Sanders
Wagnon vs. Rohr
VanDyke vs. Tork
Mullen vs. Bowman
Semmens vs. Tork
Sanders vs. Rausch
Jaco vs. Bowman
Dotterer vs. Wagnon
VanDyke vs. Beste
Rohr vs. Maldonado
Semmens vs. Wagnon
Tork vs. Semmens
Rausch vs. Jaco
Bowman vs. Mullen
Tork vs. Balistreri
Some of the Players, with Spoils
Vincenco Balistreri
Danny Friedman
Stephen Maldonado
Jaco
Ben Wagnon
John Beste
Brandon Sanders
Nicholas Rausch
Andrew Bowman
Tournament winner Danny Friedman has also just posted a nice report on his blog here, so be sure to check that out as well. If you wish to attend a Chicago Old School event in the future, but don’t know how, please email at eternalcentral@gmail.com. Thanks for reading!