The second Sunday of the month has come and gone and we have another entry in the annals of Vintage paper Magic. 16 players came out on a coldish winter February Sunday to do battle. After 4 rounds we cut to top 8 who played out the quarter finals for top 4. The top 4 decided on a prize split, divvying up $400 evenly between them. Each of the top 4 earned 3 points for their 2 games split (semi finals had each player draw to earn 2 points. Finals had 4 points total to give out (3 for 1st, 1 for 2nd) so that divided evenly adding 3 total points for the top 4 rounds for each player in our year long invitational championship.

Now on to the important stuff - Top 8
Greg Hoover (ravager shops) defeats Nick DiJohn (PO)
Evan Hunterdmark (PO) defeats Chuck G (Esper Delver)
Zach Dobbin (Null Shops) defeats Dan Barkon (Ravager shops)
Ryan McKinney (Titan Oath) defeats Matt Buck (Niv-Mizzet Oath)

Top 4 saw
Ryan McKinney split with Greg Hoover (we played game just for shits and giggles and Ryan led with mox, orchard oath. I took my turn with not much. He oathed up Inferno Titan on turn 2. On my turn 2 I metamorphed it. On his turn 3, he top decked black lotus, played the yawg will in his hand and won game 1 for the bragging rights from the match and a nice revenge match from January where we met in R1 of the top 8 )
Evan Hunterdmark split with Zach Dobbin - they didn't report anything as exciting as a bragging rights turn 1 oath of druids!

Now for the meta breakdown:
Workshop decks 6 (37.5% of the meta)
5 ravager shops
1 null rod shops

Oath of Druids 2 (12.5% of the meta)
titan oath running niv-mizzet, griselbrand and inferno titan as its creatures
Niv-mizzet, Gisela, Blade of goldnight and griselband were in the other deck

Dredge 1(6.25% of the meta)
bridgeless dredge variant

PO 2 (12.5% of the meta)
Both pretty standard PO with tinker/blightsteel and vault/key. One ran white for mentor. The other had Sai, Master thopterist and mind twist

Combo 2 (6.25%)
Single Card Monte (no, not two card). Focused more on helm/leyline. (probably based on emergence of dredge and other graveyard based decks we've seen more of lately at Deal Me In)
DPS - though only running a single dark petition

Xerox 3 (18.75%)
We had u/w/r featuring 3x lavinia and a mentor main deck as win cons
2 featuring delvers
1 of the delver decks had fun running mutgenic growth, berserk, kiln fiends and vapor snag!

And of course no Deal Me In Games report would be complete with an update to our year long tournament standings:

Gives us a top 8 of:

1. Greg Hoover 32
2. Dan Barkon 30
3. Ryan McKinney 29
4. Josh Barkon 28
5. Zach Dobbin 27
6. Chuck Grebe 22
7. Evan Hunterdmark 22
8. Nicholas DiJohn 21

Those point totals can change fast and drastically this early in the season. 1st or 2nd place one event may not even be in top 8 after the next. Speaking of the next - we will meet again to do battle on Sunday March 10!!!

I got an update on the semi-finals from Zach:

Me and Evan actually played the whole match for fun I got him in 3. Game one I played inspector into turn 2 precursors then turn 3 double chief for the win. Game 2 he turn 1 tinker Blightsteeld. Game 3 a turn one inspector and chief went distance. He was able to play a mentor but no other spell thanks to a sphere and only had one blocker. I had witch bane in play to give hurkyl defense.

Of course its for fun and a split, but always nice to get a play by play.

Top 4 Split

Evan Hundermark
Paradoxical Storm

1 Flooded Strand
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Snow-Covered Island
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Tundra
2 Island
2 Polluted Delta
2 Underground Sea

1 Ancestral Recall
1 Black Lotus
1 Brainstorm
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Dig Through Time
1 Flusterstorm
1 Gitaxian Probe
1 Hurkyll's Recall
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Ponder
1 Sol Ring
1 Tendril's of Agony
1 Time Vault
1 Time Walk
1 Tinker
1 Vampiric Tutor
1 Voltaic Key
1 Yawgmoth's Will
2 Mystic Remora
2 Preordain
2 Rebuild
2 Sensei's Divinging Top
3 Mox Opal
4 Force of Will
4 Paradoxical Outcome

1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Monestary Mentor
1 Snapcaster Mage

Sideboard

1 Defense Grid
1 Flusterstorm
1 Karakas
1 Karn Scion of Urza
2 Disenchant
2 Lavinia, Azorius Renegade
2 Mystic Remora
2 Tormod's Crypt
3 Hurkyll's Recall

Greg Hoover
Ravager Shops

1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Mishra's Factory
4 Mishra's Workshop
4 Wasteland

1 Black Lotus
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
1 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Trinisphere
4 Sphere of Resistance

1 Chief of the Foundry
1 Hangarback Walker
1 Lodestone Golem
1 Precursor Golem
3 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Arcbound Ravager
4 Foundry Inspector
4 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Steel Overseer
4 Walking Ballista

Sideboard

1 Duplicant
1 Chief of the Foundry
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Memory Jar
1 Steel Hellkite
1 Tormod's Crypt
1 Triskelion
1 Wurmcoil Engine
2 Ratchet Bomb
2 Relic of Progenitus
3 Grafdigger's Cage

Ryan McKinney
Oath

1 Island
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Underground Sea
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Polluted Dealta
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Tropical Island
2 Volcanic Island
4 Forbidden Orchard

1 Abrade
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Black Lotus
1 Brainstorm
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Dig Throught Time
1 Mana Drain
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Ponder
1 Pyroblast
1 Sylvan Library
1 Time Walk
1 Treasure Cruise
1 Yawgmoth's Will
2 Dack Fayden
2 Flusterstorm
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
3 Mental Misstep
4 Force of Will
4 Oath of Druids
4 Preordain

1 Griselbrand
1 Inferno Titan
1 Niv-Mizzet, Parun

Sideboard

1 Abrade
1 Archon of Valor's Reach
1 Blazing Archon
1 Null Rod
1 Pithing Needle
1 Strip Mine
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Nature's Claim
2 Pyroblast
3 Tormod's Crypt

Zach Dobbin
Do Nothing Shops

1 Ghost Quarter
1 Inventors' Fair
1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Mishra's Factory
4 Mishra's Workshop
4 Wasteland

1 Black Lotus
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
1 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Trinisphere
2 Sorcerous Spyglass
4 Sphere of Resistance
3 Null Rod

1 Lodestone Golem
1 Traxos, Scourge of Kroog
2 Phyrexian Metamorph
4 Chief of the Foundry
4 Foundry Inspector
4 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Precursor Golem

Sideboard

1 Coercive Portal
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Dismember
1 Null Rod
1 Razormane Masticore
1 Witchbane Orb
2 Wurmcoil Engine
3 Tormod's Crypt
4 Grafdigger's Cage

5th - 8th

Chuck Greb
Esper Delver

1 Cavern of Souls
1 Island
1 Marsh Flats
1 Polluted Delta
1 Strip Mine
2 Underground Sea
3 Tundra
3 Wasteland
4 Flooded Strand

1 Ancestral Recall
1 Balance
1 Black Lotus
1 Brainstorm
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Dig Through Time
1 Dovin, Grand Arbiter
1 Energy Flux
1 Gitaxian Probe
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Merchant Scrll
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Ponder
1 Spell Pierce
1 Swords to Plowshares
1 Time Walk
1 Treasure Cruise
1 Vampiric Tutor
2 Fragmentize
3 Force of Will
4 Mental Misstep
4 Preordain

1 Monestary Mentor
2 Lavinia, Azorius Renegade
3 Snapcaster Mage
4 Delver of Secrets

Sideboard

1 Disrupt
1 Divert
1 Flusterstorm
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Pithing Needle
1 Plains
1 Yixlid Jailer
2 Containment Priest
2 Energy Flux
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Story Circle

Daniel Barkon
Ravager Shops

1 Strip Mine
1 Tolarian Academy
3 Mishra's Factory
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Mishra's Workshop
4 Wasteland

1 Black Lotus
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
1 Thorn of Amethyst
1 Trinisphere
4 Sphere of Resistance

1 Lodestone Golem
2 Chief of the Foundry
3 Hangarback Walker
3 Phyrexian Metamorph
3 Precursor Golem
4 Arcbound Ravager
4 Foundry Inspector
4 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Walking Ballista

Sideboard

1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Tormod's Crypt
2 Dismember
2 Null Rod
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Steel Hellkite
2 Wurmcoil Engine
3 Grafdigger's Cage

Matt Buck
Oath

1 Island
1 Flooded Strand
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Underground Sea
1 Polluted Dealta
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Tropical Island
3 Volcanic Island
4 Forbidden Orchard

1 Ancestral Recall
1 Black Lotus
1 Brainstorm
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Dig Throught Time
1 Gitaxian Probe
1 Gush
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Null Rod
1 Repeal
1 Sylvan Library
1 Time Walk
1 Yawgmoth's Will
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Dack Fayden
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Preordain
3 Flusterstorm
3 Mental Misstep
4 Force of Will
4 Oath of Druids

1 Gisela, Blade of Goldnight
1 Griselbrand
1 Niv-Mizzet, Parun

Sideboard

1 Ancient Grudge
1 Pithing Needle
1 Pyroblast
1 Ravenous Trap
1 Stormtide Leviathan
2 Energy Flux
2 Mindbreak Trap
2 Nature's Claim
4 Tormod's Crypt

Nick DiJohn
Paradoxical

1 Library of Alexandria
1 Tolarian Academy
1 Volcanic Island
2 Polluted Delta
2 Underground Sea
3 Island
3 Scalding Tarn

1 Ancestral Recall
1 Black Lotus
1 Brainstorm
1 Defense Grid
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Dig Through Time
1 Flusterstorm
1 Gitaxian Probe
1 Hurkyll's Recall
1 Mana Crypt
1 Mana Vault
1 Merchant Scroll
1 Mind Twist
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Ponder
1 Repeal
1 Sol Ring
1 Tinker
1 Time Vault
1 Time Walk
1 Voltaic Key
1 Yawgmoth's Will
2 Dack Fayden
2 Sensei's Divining Top
3 Mox Opal
3 Preordain
4 Force of Will
4 Paradoxical Outcome

1 Blightsteel Colossus
1 Sai, Naster Thopterist
1 Snapcaster Mage

Sideboard

1 Defense Grid
1 Flusterstorm
1 Karakas
1 Pyroblast
2 Karn, Scion of Urza
2 Propaganda
2 Sudden Shock
2 Tormod's Crypt
3 Hurkyll's Recall