Elder Dragon Highlander Tournament Report by Jeremy Blair (Elderdragonhighlandr on YouTube)

Monday, February 15th – In his debut article for The Game Academy, Jeremy Blair reports on his Rofellos EDH deck from our Elder Dragon Highlander  Worldwake Win-a-Box Tournament. Jeremy has been a pioneer of the EDH format since it’s creation, and has more experience with the EDH format than just about anyone. Check his amazing EDH coverage on YouTube by clicking HERE. 

*Editor’s Note* – The Game Academy hosts an EDH league every Sunday; tournament signups begin @ 2 PM and tournament entry is $7. All entry will be given back to top finishers in store credit to use towards anything in the store. Jeremy is always in attendance to play EDH in our league, offer deck advice, and record matches for his popular YouTube channel. If you don’t have an EDH deck, don’t worry, we normally have a few extras if you want to play. See you here!

Valentine’s Day evokes mixed feelings for many folks. Some write it off as a greeting card holiday that has been bastardized by commercialism and profiteering while playing on the vulnerability and emotions of the masses. I simply feel this way about all holidays and avoid the trap by playing Elder Dragon Highlander. If you were lucky enough to be one of the select few that really stuck it to the proverbial man and had a chance to buck the sinister conspiracy that is Valentine’s Day, then this tournament report is for you. If you are steeped in puppy love, boxes of stale chocolates and that all familiar hollow feeling of loneliness then you should also continue reading. You might learn to man up!

The Game Academy hosted, what is sure to become, a new February tradition. On the 14th, both casual and competitive players traded in the delusional notions of endless love and hallmark cards for some real cards: Magic the Gathering cards! Instead of sending love notes, players had the chance to deliver a nearly endless smack down of highlander wrath and smoldering vengence as they marched toward the ultimate prize, a fresh box of the newly released Wordwake!

The Rules are Simple

There can be only one. Each Elder Dragon Highlander deck consists of 99 individual cards and a Legendary General. Aside from basic land, no two cards can share a name. Highlander decks are amazing fun to build and play. They force deck builders to generate lists using a wide variety of cards and offer the chance to explore strange and wonderful interactions. Playing Highlander is like visiting the world’s largest candy shop. There are hours and hours of enjoyment available and each trip offers a totally new experience. Because of the vast array of cards in each player’s deck, many games tend to unfold in brilliantly different ways. Like magical snowflakes, EDH games are rarely identical.

The EDH format is awesome. My wife and I host a channel on YouTube that outlines several ways to build a deck. We discuss the most popular (and most hated) strategies, and have some videos that walk new players through the rules. I would invite everyone reading to check out the format, build a 100-card creation, and meet up with us during our regular Sunday events. Currently we are considering two types of tournament play. Some folks have asked for a heads-up, 1 player versus 1 player style tournament. Each general battles and excels based on its own merits. Other players have clamored for multi-player games. On Valentine’s Day we tried a bit of each. The multi-player game was more casual, and the win-a-box tournament featured 1v1 action.

Generally Speaking

The event was advertised on both Facebook and right here on Thegameacademyonline.com. Players ventured from as far south as Manatee County and as far north as Hernando County. There was an entire box of the new set on the line and the winning general was promised the spoils of war. Some of the decks that showed up included Momir Vig in all of his green and blue glory, the Sliver Queen and her five-color sliver brood, Venser championing blue madness, Brion Stoutarm and a craft red/white mix, along with mono green, and other notable elder dragon legends.

The tournament offered a diverse mix of players and deck ideas. A few couples decided to spend their Valentine’s Day romantically kicking ass in an EDH tournament. It really pulls at the heart strings. There were side games of multiplayer before and after the event, and the Game Academy folks discounted some of the EDH singles for new players. We picked up a Cephalid Colliseum and I think another player landed a Beta Berserk.

After some discussion, the rules were set. It was going to be a virtual Valentine’s Day massacre of double elimination matches. I chose to run the following mono-green deck list:

General:
Rofellos, LLanowar Emissary

Creatures:
Ant Queen
Eternal Witness
Fierce Empath
Force of Nature
Forgotten Ancient
Genesis
Indrik Stomphowler
Jedit Ojanen of Efrava
Kamahl, Fist of Krosa
Kodama of the North Tree
Krosan Tusker
Masked Admirers
Molimo, Maro-Sorcerer
Panglacial Wurm
Patron of the Orochi
Primoridal Sage
Regal Force
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Seedborn Muse
Seedguide Ash
Silvos, Rogue Elemental
Solemn Simulacrum
Verdant Force
Viridian Shaman
Viridian Zealot
Woodfall Primus
Yavimaya Druid
Yavimaya Elder

Planeswalkers:
Garruk Wildspeaker

Sorceries:
Beacon of Creation
Collective Unconscious
Desert Twister
Far Wanderings
Harmonize
Hunting Wilds
Hurricane
Journey of Discovery
Kodama’s Reach
Primal Command
Overrun
Natural Order
Nature’s Lore
Rampant Growth
Reap and Sow
Regrowth
Restock
Rude Awakening
Tooth and Nail
Wurmcalling

Instants:
Chord of Calling
Harrow
Krosan Grip
Mystic Melting
Reclaim
Worldly Tutor

Enchantments:
Fecundity
Greater Good
Lurking Predators
Mana Reflection
Sylvan Library

Artifacts:
Extraplanar Lens
Gauntlet of Power
Lightning Greaves
Predator, Flagship
Staff of Domination
Sword of Fire and Ice
Umbral Mantle

Nonbasic Lands:
Wirewood Lodge

Basic Lands:
32 Forests

I like to run a different deck each tournament. It tends to keep my fellow players on their toes and offers me a chance to try out new strategies and creations. I learned a couple of things playing this list. Rofellos, while he might seem small and unassuming, is a total powerhouse. His ability to ramp up the mana count gives a player a chance to cast costly spells and introduce giant green hulks to the game far before their natural time. Dropping an 8-cost Verdant Force on turn 4 gives you 1 giant body, and if left unchecked, can provide amazing board advantage.

There are a couple of quick kill combos in the deck including some tricks with artifacts, but most of my games were won on the back of giant creatures and trample effects like Overrun. The deck dodged disaster and slipped through the tournament without taking a loss. I would encourage players to try out this type of ramp strategy, but possibly consider the “unfun” aspect of winning on turn 4 or 5 with Staff of Domination or Umbral Mantle. After this tournament, I might cut those cards from my list in exchange for the new mythic from Worldwake, Omnath Locus of Mana and Wolfbriar Elemental. Take a quick look over some of the highlights:

Round 1: Rofellos vs. Momir Vig

In a best of 1 EDH game, it is very important to land a good starting hand with plenty of mana. I ended up with 3 forests and the god hand in Regrowth, Umbral Mantle, Sakura Tribe Elder, and Overrun. The Lanowar Emissary hit the board on turn 2 and stuck. Momir Vig directed the disruption by placing the Krosan Grip on my 3rd turn Umbral Mantle. However, Regrowth made sure that the broken equipment made its way back to my hand. By turn 4, the Umbral Mantle was reattached to Rofellos. The synergy between Rofellos’s tap ability and the Umbral Mantle’s untap ability allowed the 2/1 Elf to swell up to a 50/49 attacker with enough spare mana to case the Overrun. The lucky draw and cool synergies allowed for a quick, deadly end to Momir Vig’s assault on the mono-green deck.

Rofellos 1-0 (no losses)

Round 3: Rofellos vs. Venser (monoblue w/ artifacts)

Josh was running Venser. Mono blue decks can be devastating in EDH because there are so many amazing draw effects, counterspells, and EDH houses like Bribery that steal some of your best creatures and use them to beat about your head and face. I have lost to the Venser deck on many occassions and know the long-game was not in my favor. Venser has a propensity to throw people into a mind-slaver lock or some other deadly blue death. At one point in the tournament, I notice that the Venser deck almost achieved the new Jace, the Mind Sculptor’s ultimate ability. That is a pretty sick way to die.

Fortunately for the mono-green goodness, Harmonize kept big creatures in my hand and I was able to work through an onslaught of counter magic. I literally lost 5 or 6 creatures to counter spells before I got a fatty to stick. If it had not been for the mana ramping of Rofellos and the persistent draw provided by Harmonize, graveyard recursion, and more Harmonize, then the game would have gone a different way. In the end, the green general was able to amass an army and overrun the blue defenses.

Rofellos X-0 (no losses)

Round 6

Throughout the tournament, Bill had been headhunting Legends and serving players their elimination losses. Early in the game, his 3-color Nicol Bolas creation dropped a game to the mighty Sliver Queen. However, he battled through red/white, blue/green, and mono-blue to end up as the only other player left standing. The tournament had been hard fought and rightfully claimed by both legendary generals.

While I was confident in the power of my little green elf, I also respected and revered the greatest of the elder dragons. Nicol Bolas and Rofellos reached a cease fire and lived to share the spoils of the box tournament. Bill and I each cracked half of the new World Wake box. I landed an Abyssal Persecutor and a litany of manlands, while Bill opened 3 mythics and a bunch of new playable rares. After the heads-up tournament, some new players had arrived and a few folks played multiplayer until the owners had to close the shutter for a little rest and relaxation.

The Future of EDH at The Game Academy

I have been a constant promoter of the EDH format for almost a year. Elderdragonhighlandr on YouTube features varied decks and information about Grand Prix events, weekly tournament coverage, and other interesting deck interviews from local players, developers and designers from Wizards of the Coast and deck builds and thoughts from Pro Tour players including Patrick Chapin, Cedric Phillips, and TGA’s own Josh Martinez.

The Game Academy will be the future home and sole destination for all of my EDH play. There are leagues that are forming on Sundays and the back stock of EDH staples is at an all time high. It is always amazing to be able to buy almost any card that you need right from the store at which you are playing. The Game Academy is the only store in Tampa that has the cards to support your EDH habit. We will play both tournaments and casual play on Sundays and will be organizing some epic EDH events in the future. Thanks to the Game Academy for this chance to play and write, I hope that we continue to grow this format and that everyone gives Elder Dragon Highlander a try. You will never look back.

Happy Valentine’s Day the EDH way – Jeremy Blair