How do you like the new Vintage?

by on in Vintage

With the recent changes to the Vintage Banned and Restricted list, it seems like people is getting the enthusiasm back to play Vintage. Before the unrestrictions of Gush and Frantic Search the format became totally predictive due to the few archetypes that were competitive. The lack of draw turned the format into something too depending on the luck factor, whether it was to combine a Time Vault with a Voltaic Key or a Mishra’s Workshop with a Lodestone Golem. There were other options to play with, but they were all luck dependant to having broken cards in your opening hands, like Bazaar of Baghdad or Oath of Druids.

The entrance to the format of these 2 blue drawers will arise new strategies. GAT (Grow-A-Tog) is willing to prove again it’s the best Vintage deck in the format. Will Quirion Dryad dominate over Fish or MUD? Time will tell, but they’ll definitely have a shot, like Stephen Menendian did last weekend by winning a 30+ people event in Ann Arbor. This is the list he played:

Stephen

[Maindeck]4 Quirion Dryad (56)
4 Gush
4 Preordain
4 Force of Will
4 Spell Pierce
3 Trygon Predator
4 Thoughtseize
1 Misdirection
1 Tinker
1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mystical Tutor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Time Walk
1 Ponder
1 Brainstorm
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Fastbond
1 Yawgmoth’s Will
1 Hurky’s Recall
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Mox Emerald
1 Black Lotus
1 Island
1 Volcanic Island
2 Tropical Island
3 Underground Sea
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Flooded Strand
2 Polluted Delta[/Maindeck]
[Sideboard] (15)
4 Leyline of the Void
2 Yixlid Jailer
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Red Elemental Blast
1 Pyroblast
1 Lightning Bolt
2 Nature’s Claim
1 Island
1 Forest
1 Hurkyl’s Recall[/Sideboard]

But you can’t expect the format to be the same than before and just add GAT or Frantic Slaver to it, new cards will appear to combat these new decks. Have you heard of Mystic Remora? I bet you forgot about this great one-mana enchantment. Feel free to grow your dryad sir! Just make sure you win before I untap!

Scars of Mirrodin has also brought some new cool cards that will surely see play in Vintage. The new Leonin Arbiter seems like the MVP of the new UW Fish decks. You’ll pray to win the dice to not see this lion hit the table before you can drop your fetchlands. Or how about the new SOM robots?

I’m in love with the Myr Battlesphere and the Wurmcoil Engine. The first one is an autoinclude into any Slaver deck. It’s synergy with Goblin Welder is obvious and it can easly control any board against aggro decks (including GAT, obviously). The second one is surprisingly effective against many decks. The fact that has deathtouch makes it really effective against GAT because it’s gonna kill, at least, 2 Quirion Dryad. And don’t forget it has Lifeling too! All that for a pretty affordable 6 colorless mana.

The first big event for the new Vintage will take place this next weekend in Madrid. I’m really expecting to see How the format will evolve and Where are we heading. So…

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