Any Given Sunday:  The TGA Commander/EDH League

The National Football League has concluded its business.  Weekends are no longer filled with touchdowns, empty pizza boxes, and chants for the home team.  The Green Bay Packers landed a title after 10 years and we turn our eyes to the next season of importance.    Basketball season?  No.  Baseball season? Nope.  Welcome back to Elder Dragon Highlander (Commander) season!

The Sunday EDH/Commander league is up and running at the Game Academy!  Management has allocated an additional store space in the same complex to grow and develop Sunday Magic: the Gathering tournaments.  Last week we had a dozen players that sleeved up their 100 card highlander decks in hopes of tournament glory and unlocked achievements.

Three Ways to Win

Players are eligible to win in any number of ways.  The multi-player tournaments only cost $3 and all of the entry fees are given back to the players via store credit!  There are winners each week and no tricky rules that have to guide your deck construction.  Rather, players can win one of three ways.  One third of the prize money goes to the player who wins the most “head hunter” points.  Head hunter points are collected by killing off your fellow commanders during game play.  Generally, you earn a single head hunter point per player that you knock out of your pod.  If you are the last player standing, then you land an additional point.  After two rounds of 3-5 player pods, the player with the most knock-outs will land a portion of the prize pool.

Don’t like going for the kills?  If you are a pacifist of sorts or just like to play decks that create fun, extraordinary game states and generate tons of shenanigans, then there is still a place for you in the league!  At the conclusion of each pod, players anonymously vote for the player that demonstrated the highest level of valor and sportsmanship.  Did you hold off on killing a weakened opponent, offer the table a chance to draw some extra cards, or just help everyone conquer a great threat?  If so, you might earn yourself some sportsmanship points.  The secret ballots are tallied and revealed at the conclusion of the tournament to secure the best sportsman one-third of the prize pool.

That takes care of 2/3 of the store credit treasure chest.  However, there is a third way to earn fantastic prizes while having a ton of multiplayer fun.  After the week’s headhunter and sportsmanship trophies have been decided, one random player who has not won the aforementioned prizes is eligible to land the last portion of the prize pool.  Everyone has a chance to win.  If you are just starting out, giving a new deck its trial run, or just not able to capitalize on head hunting or sportsmanship there is still a chance to walk away a winner.

Hopefully, the triple threat prize structure will encourage a couple of things.  Commander is all about fun and relaxation.  We want to sport pimped out decks, show off our creative designs and play with cards that have long been forgotten by Standard tournament goers.  The multiplayer tournaments aim to be casual and to foster an atmosphere of enjoyment.  We don’t want combo players or hardcore grinders trying to win a high stakes tournament.  Those players are free to join, but might not make a living off of their winnings.  We want great sportsmanship and the development of a community.  Players show up early to get in some extra games, to trade cards, work on achievements for the league, or help newer players construct their first decks.  The prize structure represents what we want for the league:  all types of winners.

Unlocking Achievements

What is that?  Achievements!?!?  The Game Academy is running a promotion for the 12 week span of the league.  You can unlock achievements by completing certain tasks inside and outside of league play.  Highlights include some of the following:

-Free entry into the first Commander tournament you attend

-Pack prizes and free cards if you choose to purchase your Commander cards and equipment through The Game Academy

-Candy eating contests, attendance rewards, and deck building challenges

One achievement rewards players for making 10 of the 12 league play days, while others guarantee free drinks or bags of cookies to enjoy during your gaming experience.  Achievements are for everyone.  You don’t have to be a part of the league to unlock the “Buffet” achievement or land free packs along with your regularly scheduled purchases.  However, folks that complete all of the achievements can earn the grand prize and biggest payoff of all:

-First player to unlock the achievements gets a box of the most recent set (yep 36 packs!)

-The second player lands a half box

-The third and fourth player also land a fair amount of packs for their work

I am hoping to win some of that pack, but there are a ton of achievements and it will take dedication and some serious effort to land a spot in the top 4.  I guess technically, there are four ways to win.  Aside from the weekly store credit, players will have a chance to battle throughout the season both in and out of the tournament for pack prizes, t-shirts, and other rewards.

Check in with any staff member if you want to claim your achievement sheet.  Each player is eligible to get one sheet per life time.  No copies will be accepted and no second sheets will be handed out.  The prizes are too lucrative to allow repeats of key achievements.  Thanks for being responsible for your achievement sheets in advance!

Week 1 Results

The Sliver Queen (piloted by Molly) landed the sportsmanship award.  Molly did not collect any headhunter points but played in against 7 other players throughout Sunday’s tournament.  At one point, she was wiped out by the poisonous Skithrix, and fell another round to a large black attack force lead by Titans!

Vorosh ruled the skies (piloted by Jeremy).  The most headhunter points went to the blue, green, black deck that aimed to annihilate other commanders solely through general damage.

Colin was not able to attend the entire tournament.  The tournament starts at 2pm and rounds last for a minimum of 2 hours.  Colin made his way to The Game Academy around 3, played some standard with a friend, and jumped into the tournament before the second round started.  Although he was an improbable hero, he walked away the winner of the random portion of the event.  It seems like players who just want to jump in for the second half of the tournament can still win prizes!

Next Week

We are looking to expand the ranks of the league.  Magic players are provided with their own store and space to play the multiplayer tournament.  We had a dozen players show up for the first week, but are hoping for even more this weekend.  Players that work on achievements might like to know that their first week’s entry into the tournament is free!  Come join us for some fun.  Even if your deck is in the early stages of development, we can help you out.  The atmosphere is casual and we will make sure you have a nice time.  A couple of folks will be arriving around noon to help players build decks, trade for the extra Commander staples that they are seeking, and generally work on some achievements.  It is rumored that Matt will try to unlock the buffet achievement and that should provide enough entertainment to make it worth a trip. See you guys at 2pm this Sunday.

How should I prepare for a Commander/EDH tournament?

Here is a quick bonus guide to help folks get ready for league participation:

-READ the rules for deck construction, banned cards, and hints/tips for deck construction at http://mtgcommander.net/rules.php

-Buy or round up 100 sleeves

-Grab two spin down dice that can track a combined 40 life (and some tokens and other dice)

-Select a general in colors that you love

-Make or research a list of the 99 legal cards that fit your general’s colors

-Locate those cards (try to play at least 30ish land and some mana acceleration)

-Talk to the TGA staff about getting your only copy of the ACHIEVEMENTS sheet

-Play some games with your new deck before you try it at the tournament (see if it works)

-Think about putting in some cards that might help win games through either head hunting or sportsmanship

-Show up a little early on Sunday

If you follow some of the general rules, then the rest will fall in line at your first tournament.  There are players in the league that have played for 15 years and players who played for 2 days.  We have some outstanding female players and players from many different generations.  The tournament will last about 4-5 hours and you can leave or jump in as you like.  We will see you guys around the tournament tables and might just catch you flipping through those foil binders in search of hidden gems!  Thanks for reading.

How to Properly Side Deck – Part II

In my previous article titled, “How to Properly Side Deck – Part I”, I discussed the importance of a complete understanding of the metagame, both what decks are popular and which cards each popular deck uses.  With this understanding in mind, we are now ready to actually create the Side Deck.

Creating the Side Deck

The ultimate purpose of a Side Deck is to help increase your chances of winning the rest of the duels in the match.  Generally speaking, each deck has different match-ups against the rest of the decks in a given metagame: good, bad, and even match-ups.  How many cards of your Side Deck you dedicate towards a particular match-up depends on two things:

1.)                The level of popularity a given deck has, and
2.)                The threat level a particular match-up.

For example, a particular match-up could be simply devastating for you: 10-90 in your opponent’s favor.  However, only 5% of the metagame uses that deck.  The Side Deck only allows for 15 cards.  How many cards do you dedicate for this deck?  The situation is essentially risk vs reward.  You could dedicate most of your Side Deck towards this match-up because you feel that you will lose Game 1 and need to win Games 2 & 3.  With so many cards sided for one deck, the match-up would be much more favorable.  However, those Side Deck cards will do you no good if you never play against the intended match-up.  On the other hand, siding no cards for this match-up equates to a certain loss should you happen to sit down across from this deck despite the low amount of players using the deck.  Each player must determine the balance between these two extremes that they are comfortable with.

A common answer to this situation is to side cards that perform well against multiple match-ups.  For example, some players may be considering the use of Spell-Shattering Arrow to counter Six Samurais.  Arrow is a fairly narrow card, though.  Outside of its uses against Six Samurais and possibly Gravekeepers, it’s almost useless.  Dust Tornado, although not as powerful against Six Samurais as Spell-Shattering Arrow is, can be used against Six Samurais, Gravekeepers, Gladiator Beasts, Blackwings, Gadgets, and other match-ups.

Mental Decklists

No matter how you decide to construct your Side Deck, you should have “mental decklists” prepared before a major tournament.  By “mental decklist”, I mean a decklist you keep in your mind for how you want your deck look like for Games 2 & 3 for every possible match-up.  For example, if you knew that every single deck you’d play against in a tournament would be Plant Synchro, how would you adjust your deck?  What cards would come in and, more importantly, what cards would come out?

Discussion regarding what cards come out in different match-ups is practically non-existent in online forums.  More focus is spent on tweaking the Main Deck or Side Deck by a couple cards.  When siding during a major tournament, you’re only given three minutes to present your deck to your opponent.  You can better utilize your Side Deck by preparing a mental decklist well before the tournament begins, instead of “winging it” in under three minutes while in the middle of a match.  Not only will using your Side Deck take less time to do and your chances of winning are increased, but just the thought process and discussion behind determining what cards you take out for what cards coming in can increase your understanding of the game and the weaknesses/strengths of your own deck.

Let’s take a look at an example to further clarify the idea of a mental decklist.  Here’s a Plant Synchro deck:

Monsters [21]

[3] Debris Dragon
[3] Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter
[2] Super-Nimble Mega Hamster
[2] Caius the Shadow Monarch
[2] Lonefire Blossom
[2] Dandylion
[1] Tytannial, Princess of Camelias
[1] Glow-Up Bulb
[1] Spore
[1] Sangan
[1] Card Trooper
[1] Effect Veiler
[1] Gorz the Emissary of Darkness

Spells [13]
[1] Dark Hole
[1] Monster Reborn
[1] Pot of Duality
[1] Charge of the Light Brigade
[1] Foolish Burial
[1] Cold Wave
[1] Mystical Space Typhoon
[3] Book of Moon
[3] Pot of Avarice

Traps [7]
[1] Mirror Force
[1] Torrential Tribute
[2] Bottomless Trap Hole
[3] Solemn Warning

41 Cards Total

Side Deck [15]
[1] Effect Veiler
[2] D.D. Crow
[1] Ehren, Lightsworn Monk
[2] Thunder King Rai-Oh
[3] Cyber Dragon
[1] Mystical Space Typhoon
[2] My Body as a Shield
[3] Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror

With this Main and Side Deck, how would you side for the mirror match for example?

Plant Synchro vs Plant Synchro:

-1 Cold Wave
-1 Pot of Duality
-2 Bottomless Trap Hole
+1 Ehren, Lightsworn Monk
+1 Effect Veiler
+2 D.D. Crow

The above changes is exactly what I mean when referring to a mental decklist.  This can be done for every match-up you anticipate playing against.  Make these kind of preparations before the tournament begins, just like you prepare your Main Deck and Side Deck.  Knowing which cards to side into is not enough.  Just because you have the right tools available does not mean you automatically know how to use the tools most effectively.  Determine your Main Deck, construct your Side Deck with an understanding of the metagame in mind, and discuss what changes to make to your deck when siding for each match-up with your friends and peers.  You’ll become a better player in the process, little by little.

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me at evang.vargas@yahoo.com.  And don’t forget to check out my YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/thesandtrap!

Evan “SandTrap” Vargas

Mirrodin Besieged Launch Party @ The Game Academy

Join us this Saturday  for the Mirrodin Besieged Release! We’ll be running a sealed tournament on Saturday, and all participants will receive a Thopter Assembly Promo (while supplies last).

Launch parties are sanctioned by the DCI, which is the governing body for all Magic tournaments – from the smallest local events up to the multi-million dollar Pro Tour. Playing in a sanctioned event means your results are recorded and begin to give you a player rating among the thousands of Magic players worldwide. If you don’t have a DCI number yet, the event staff on site can provide you with one. For many players, Prereleases are a fun and easy way to play in their first sanctioned events.

At launch parties, the emphasis is on casual play with a high degree of sportsmanship. You don’t need to know the rules well, but you should always be polite and respectful to your opponents. If there is a disagreement, or a question about a ruling, please call a judge.

More info about launch parties can be found on the Magic the Gathering website.

The Game Academy
5671 East Fowler Ave
Tampa, FL 33617

Call us @ 813.914.7000 for any questions

Click Here For A Map To Our Store

We will be doing 8-man drafts all weekend long,

beginning at 5:00 PM on Friday.

Mirrodin Besieged Release Drafts

• 8 Player Draft with Swiss rounds.
• Only $10 per player.
• Each player will receive 1 pack of Scars of Mirrodin and 2 packs of Mirrodin Besieged.
• Prizes:

1^st – 7 packs
2^nd – 3 packs
3^rd and 4^th – 1 pack

February 4th, 2011 (Friday)

05:30 PM Registration for Friday Night Magic begins
07:00 PM Friday Night Magic begins

February 5th, 2011 (Saturday)

SEALED TOURNAMENT

Time: Registration opens at 11 a.m., with the tournament starting at 12:00 p.m.

Entry Fee: Only $20 per player.

Format: Sealed. Players will receive six (3) packs of Scars of Mirrodin and (3) packs of Mirrodin Besieged to build a forty-card deck.

Structure: Four rounds of Swiss.

Prizes:

4-0: 10 packs of Mirrodin Besieged
3-1: 6 packs of Mirrodin Besieged
2-2: 1 pack of Mirrodin Besieged

How to Properly Side Deck – Part I

My name is Evan Vargas.  Before I get into the article, I want to set something straight.  Browsing through online forums, I get the sense that one’s opinion, and how seriously it is taken, is directly proportional to the person’s status as a “pro”.  I’ve seen “pros” make debatable comments, but other players take their word as gospel.  “Pros” are considered to be very good players, and thus it’s easy to just listen to what a “pro” says and take it as fact.  That’s not how it should be.  When an opinion is given, you should take that perspective, add it to your own, and come up with your own conclusions.  If you hope to become a better player, you should strive to achieve a greater understanding of the game.  Just taking an opinion as fact limits your own ability to learn, understand, and grow as a player.

I am writing this article based on my opinion.  If you do not recognize my name, you may be unsure if I know what I’m talking about.  Will you continue reading the article, hoping to grow as a player?  To see if I know what I’m talking about?  That is up to you.  If you do, I hope that I can help you grow as a player, one article at a time.

Proper side decking is a topic not often discussed, and rarely is it discussed in great detail.  On discussion forums, the main focus is on the Main Deck.  With popular decks, the usual discussions revolve around minor tweaks to the Main or Extra Deck.  Less emphasis is put on the Side Deck, which is essential towards success in major tournaments.  And, compared to those minor tweaks, how to properly utilize your Side Deck is more important despite the lack of attention it is given.  When I develop my Side Deck, I generally do three things:

1.)                Analyze the metagame specifically for the tournament you are attending next.

2.)                Familiarize yourself with each deck in that metagame and what they’ll side against your deck.

3.)                Create a proper Side Deck.

Analyze the Metagame

This part is the “easy” part.  With all of the information available online (discussion forums, Konami’s coverage of major tournaments, etc.), determining the popular decks is not a problem.  However, a mistake some players make is assuming that their local is a smaller version of a YCS.  That’s not true.  For example, even though Gladiator Beasts and Machinas are not dominating major tournaments in numbers, one of my locals is filled with those two decks.  This local also lacks Fish and Blackwing decks.  Therefore, if my next tournament is at this local, my Side Deck would be different than if I was attending another local or a YCS.  Do not make the assumption that each local is a miniature reincarnation of the latest major tournament.  Determine which decks are popular at your next tournament’s location, and adjust your Side Deck accordingly.

Familiarization of the Metagame

Once you are aware of what decks to anticipate, you need to learn what each deck’s standard builds are.  Having a solid foundation of knowledge will help you decide which plays are best to make while playing in a duel, as well as helping to determine how you will utilize your Side Deck.  For example, Trap Stun is a commonly played card used in X-Saber decks, whereas standard Machina Gadget decklists do not use Trap Stun.  When a player sets a spell or trap card, you do not know what card it is.  Hypothetically speaking, it could be any spell or trap card in existence.  Knowing which cards are commonly played helps you to predict which spells or traps are set on the field, which will help to make the best plays you could possibly make.

The same concept applies towards the Side Deck.  Different decks side different cards for particular match-ups.  With knowledge of the cards that each particular deck is most likely to side against your deck, you can take advantage of what you predict your opponent will do.  The two main ways to react to your opponent’s Side Deck are:

1.)                Side in cards to counter the cards your opponent is siding in, or

2.)                Side out cards that are weak to the cards your opponent is siding in.

Which strategy you choose to go for is your preference.  For example, when playing Plant Synchro, Nobleman of Crossout is a commonly sided card used to counter the deck’s Rykos and Hamsters.  As the Plant Synchro player, you could side in copies of My Body as a Shield to prevent the Crossouts from removing your Rykos/Hamsters.  Or, you could side out the Rykos and Hamsters for other cards such as Thunder King Rai-Oh and Doomcaliber Knight, removing targets for your opponent’s Crossouts while making your deck more aggressive.

While Part I of my “How to Properly Side Deck” series covers some of the more basic principles, Part II will go into the details of how to properly utilize your Side Deck and the concept of having multiple mental decklists prepared before entering your next tournament.  If you have any questions or comments, feel free to comment below, or contact me at evang.vargas@yahoo.com.  And don’t forget to check out my YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/thesandtrap.

Evan “SandTrap” Vargas

It’s official! Spellstutter Sprite will be the FNM Promo for February 2011.

Join us on Saturday for the Mirrodin Besieged Prerelease! We’ll be running two sealed tournaments on Saturday. There will be two different prerelease promo cards for the prerelease and players will receive one based on the faction chosen (while supplies last).

Held one week before each new Magic card set goes on sale, Prereleases  provide a way to play in a large-scale event in a low-stress  environment. You get to play with the cards before you can buy them,  special promotional cards are given out to attendees and the top players  can win even more cards. So have fun!

Prereleases are sanctioned by the DCI, which is the governing body for  all Magic tournaments – from the smallest local events up to the  multi-million dollar Pro Tour. Playing in a sanctioned event means your  results are recorded and begin to give you a player rating among the  thousands of Magic players worldwide. If you don’t have a DCI number  yet, the event staff on site can provide you with one. For many players,  Prereleases are a fun and easy way to play in their first sanctioned  events.

At Prerelease events, the emphasis is on casual play with a high degree  of sportsmanship. You don’t need to know the rules well, but you should  always be polite and respectful to your opponents. If there is a  disagreement, or a question about a ruling, please call a judge

The Game Academy
5671 East Fowler Ave
Tampa, FL 33617

Call us @ 813.914.7000 for any questions

Click Here For A Map To Our Store

January 28th, 2011 (Friday)

05:30 PM             Registration for Friday Night Magic begins
07:00 PM             Friday Night Magic begins

January 29, 2010 (Saturday)

SEALED TOURNAMENT #1
Time: Registration opens at 9 a.m., with the tournament starting at 10 a.m.
Entry Fee: $25.00 per player.
Format: Mirrodin Besieged Sealed. Players will receive three regular Scars of Mirrodin booster packs and their choice of three Mirran boosters or three Phyrexian boosters. This is something we’re doing especially for the Mirrodin Besieged prerelease. The set will be released as mixed boosters only so the prerelease will be the only time you’ll be able to get these faction booster packs.
Structure: Four rounds of Swiss.
Prizes:
4-0: 8 packs of Mirrodin Besieged
3-1: 5 packs of Mirrodin Besieged
2-2: 1 pack of Mirrodin Besieged

SEALED TOURNAMENT #2
Time: Registration begins at 2 p.m., with the tournament starting at 3 p.m.
Entry Fee: $25.00 per player.
Format: Mirrodin Besieged Sealed. Players will receive three regular Scars of Mirrodin booster packs and their choice of three Mirran boosters or three Phyrexian boosters. This is something we’re doing especially for the Mirrodin Besieged prerelease. The set will be released as mixed boosters only so the prerelease will be the only time you’ll be able to get these faction booster packs.
Structure: Four rounds of Swiss.
Prizes:
4-0: 8 packs of Mirrodin Besieged
3-1: 5 packs of Mirrodin Besieged
2-2: 1 pack of Mirrodin Besieged

Join us this Saturday and Sunday for the Scars of Mirrodin Release! We’ll be running two sealed tournaments on Saturday and one on Sunday. All participants will receive a Steel Hellkite Promo (while supplies last).

Launch parties are sanctioned by the DCI, which is the governing body for all Magic tournaments – from the smallest local events up to the multi-million dollar Pro Tour. Playing in a sanctioned event means your results are recorded and begin to give you a player rating among the thousands of Magic players worldwide. If you don’t have a DCI number yet, the event staff on site can provide you with one. For many players, Prereleases are a fun and easy way to play in their first sanctioned events.

At launch parties, the emphasis is on casual play with a high degree of sportsmanship. You don’t need to know the rules well, but you should always be polite and respectful to your opponents. If there is a disagreement, or a question about a ruling, please call a judge.

More info about launch parties can be found on the Magic the Gathering website.

The Game Academy
5671 East Fowler Ave
Tampa, FL 33617

Call us @ 813.914.7000 for any questions

Click Here For A Map To Our Store

October 1st, 2010 (Friday)

05:30 PM Registration for Friday Night Magic begins
07:00 PM Friday Night Magic begins

October 2, 2010 (Saturday)

SEALED TOURNAMENT #1
Time: Registration opens at 10 a.m., with the tournament starting at 10:30 a.m.
Entry Fee: $25.00 per player.
Format: Scars of Mirrodin Sealed. Players will receive six (6) packs of Scars of Mirrodin to build a forty-card deck.
Structure: Four rounds of Swiss.
Prizes:
4-0: 8 packs of Scars of Mirrodin
3-1: 5 packs of Scars of Mirrodin
2-2: 1 pack of Scars of Mirrodin

SEALED TOURNAMENT #2
Time: Registration begins at 3 p.m., with the tournament starting at 3 :30p.m.
Entry Fee: $25.00 per player.
Format: Scars of Mirrodin Sealed. Players will receive six (6) packs of Scars of Mirrodin to build a forty-card deck.
Structure: Four rounds of Swiss.
Prizes:
4-0: 8 packs of Scars of Mirrodin
3-1: 5 packs of Scars of Mirrodin
2-2: 1 pack of Scars of Mirrodin

October 3, 2010 (Sunday)

SEALED TOURNAMENT #1
Time: Registration opens at 10 a.m., with the tournament starting at 10:30 a.m.
Entry Fee: $25.00 per player.
Format: Scars of Mirrodin Sealed. Players will receive six (6) packs of Scars of Mirrodin to build a forty-card deck.
Structure: Four rounds of Swiss.
Prizes:
4-0: 8 packs of Scars of Mirrodin
3-1: 5 packs of Scars of Mirrodin
2-2: 1 pack of Scars of Mirrodin

Join us next Saturday and Sunday for the Scars of Mirrodin Prerelease! We’ll be running two sealed tournaments on Saturday and one on Sunday. All participants will receive a Wurmcoil Engine Promo (while supplies last).

Held one week before each new Magic card set goes on sale, Prereleases  provide a way to play in a large-scale event in a low-stress  environment. You get to play with the cards before you can buy them,  special promotional cards are given out to attendees and the top players  can win even more cards. So have fun!

Prereleases are sanctioned by the DCI, which is the governing body for  all Magic tournaments – from the smallest local events up to the  multi-million dollar Pro Tour. Playing in a sanctioned event means your  results are recorded and begin to give you a player rating among the  thousands of Magic players worldwide. If you don’t have a DCI number  yet, the event staff on site can provide you with one. For many players,  Prereleases are a fun and easy way to play in their first sanctioned  events.

At Prerelease events, the emphasis is on casual play with a high degree  of sportsmanship. You don’t need to know the rules well, but you should  always be polite and respectful to your opponents. If there is a  disagreement, or a question about a ruling, please call a judge

The Game Academy
5671 East Fowler Ave
Tampa, FL 33617

Call us @ 813.914.7000 for any questions

Click Here For A Map To Our Store

September 24th, 2010 (Friday)

05:30 PM             Registration for Friday Night Magic begins
07:00 PM             Friday Night Magic begins

September 25, 2010 (Saturday)

SEALED TOURNAMENT #1
Time: Registration opens at 9 a.m., with the tournament starting at 10 a.m.
Entry Fee: $25.00 per player.
Format: Scars of Mirrodin Sealed. Players will receive six (6) packs of Scars of Mirrodin to build a forty-card deck.
Structure: Four rounds of Swiss.
Prizes:
4-0: 8 packs of Scars of Mirrodin
3-1: 5 packs of Scars of Mirrodin
2-2: 1 pack of Scars of Mirrodin

SEALED TOURNAMENT #2
Time: Registration begins at 2 p.m., with the tournament starting at 3 p.m.
Entry Fee: $25.00 per player.
Format: Scars of Mirrodin Sealed. Players will receive six (6) packs of Scars of Mirrodin to build a forty-card deck.
Structure: Four rounds of Swiss.
Prizes:
4-0: 8 packs of Scars of Mirrodin
3-1: 5 packs of Scars of Mirrodin
2-2: 1 pack of Scars of Mirrodin

We would love to see you for our Friday Night Magic (FNM) tournaments every Friday ! Details below:

FREE FOR EVERYONE!!!!!

Tournament Details:

Format: Standard

Prizes*:

GUARANTEED Booster box of the latest set for the Top 8 finishers!

Top 2 Finishers will receive a FNM Promo!

Random Door Prizes will be given away throughout the night.

Entry Fee: $0 (FREE!!!)

Registration starts @ 5:30 PM

Tournament Starts @ 7:00 PM

If you have any questions, please call 813-914-7000

Gatekeeper of Malakir FNM Promo for November 10′

Leveling Up With Frogs

Ever since US Nationals I had dedicated myself to mastering the deck that is Frog OTK. Although when the deck was young, I had considered it a luck-based “all or nothing” deck that required you to win die rolls and get lucky throughout the day (see my “die roll jokes” in previous articles). After the deck placed second at Canadian Nationals, I gave the deck a second look and discovered that it was a very hard deck to play. You often had to work for your wins and were sometimes forced to win in unconventional ways.

I Day2′d US Nationals with a 7-2 record and lost out to Herald of Perfection (aka “the worst matchup”) in round 10. I honestly wish I had practiced more with the deck before the event. I came very close to topping, and I feel that with more experience and better sidedeck I could’ve got there. After nationals, I started tearing up local tournaments at The Game Academy. I was pretty confident that I would be able to top8 the 2K tournament, but I also recognized that it was Yu-Gi-Oh! and anything could happen.

My sidedeck had evolved a lot since I had started playing the deck. After Sam Tse took Canadian Nationals by storm, the maindeck had become standardized. No two Frog OTK maindecks differ by more than a card or two. I’ve been using Tse’s exact list from the beginning. Here it is for reference…

Monsters: 26
3 Substitoad
2 Ronintoadin
1 Fishborg Blaster
3 Swap Frog
3 Dupe Frog
3 Poison Draw Frog
3 Unifrog
2 Des Frog
2 Beelze Frog
2 Flip Flop Frog
2 Treeborn Frog

Spells: 14
3 Salvage
3 Hand Destruction
3 Moray of Greed
2 Mass Driver
1 Card Destruction
1 Giant Trunade
1 One for One

I’ll explain some of the choices for those who are unfamilar with the deck (which I find is still a lot of people, despite this being one of the top3 decks of the format). Twenty Frogs is the most logical number, as 20 * 400 = 8000.

The 1-of Fishborg Blaster is definitely needed. If you need extra damage with the Mass Driver OTK (say they gained lifepoints with Magical Android), Fishborg Blaster allows every card in your hand to be an additional 400 damage. Sometimes Frogs get removed with Gladiator Beast Retiari, Banisher of Radiance, or D.D. Warrior Lady and you find that you need to do extra damage. Also, being tuner is extremely relevant as it gives you an alternate win condition. If I see a synchro OTK I’ll usually take it over the option of hoping to draw into a Mass Driver. My synchros of choice are usually a powered-up Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier, a Mist Wurm, and 2 Swap Frogs for exactly 8000 (3500 + 2500 + 1000 + 1000). Yet another win condition is to synchro for Colossal Fighter and Armory Arm, attach Armory Arm to your opponent’s big monster, and keep ramming your Colossal Fighter, reviving itself each time, and dealing your opponent 2800 damage for each battle. This OTK allows you dodge Gorz-like effects, but not Hanewata.

Sam Tse’s greatest innovation to the deck was only playing two copies of Mass Driver, the deck’s most common win condition. The key thing you need to realize is that once you resolve a Substitoad loop the game is usually over. You’ll thin the deck of everything minus Mass Drivers and cards that will draw you cards (Moray of Greed, Hand Destruction). After bringing Poison Draw Frogs to the field, you use Swap Frog to send them to the graveyard and draw three cards. In those three cards there has to be a Mass Driver or a draw spell. Getting the Mass Driver early on might seem like a “lucky draw”, but you can usually draw the entire deck if needed.

I really didn’t know what I was doing when it came to the sidedeck. I figured that I should just trust Sam Tse’s judgment on the sidedeck as well, and decided to play this side in the national tournament…

Sidedeck: 15
1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
2 Light and Darkness Dragon
1 Caius the Shadow Monarch
2 Deep Sea Diva
1 Spined Gillman
2 Pot of Avarice
1 Brain Control
1 Enemy Controller
1 Heavy Storm
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Raigeki Break

Although I liked some of the cards, I found most of them to be useless. Light and Darkness Dragon was amazing, and I liked my Raigeki Break tech pretty well, but most of the time the side just wasn’t good enough. I modified the monsters in the side after I saw the lists that topped our nationals.

Sidedeck: 15
1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
2 Light and Darkness Dragon
2 Quickdraw Synchron
2 Cyber Dragon
2 Pot of Avarice
1 Brain Control
1 Enemy Controller
1 Heavy Storm
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Torrential Tribute
1 Raigeki Break

Quickdraw Synchron seemed great in theory, but I found that it usually sat in my hand the entire game. Interestingly enough, I found that most of my friends were having the same experience with it. Cyber Dragon was decent, but it wasn’t as stellar as people were making it out to be. Again, the only card that I liked in the side was Light and Darkness Dragon. These less-than-optimal sidedecks were good enough to win local tournaments, but I wanted my sidedeck to be something reliable rather than a pile of fifteen cards that I might throw in the deck just for fun.

I don’t remember where the idea came from, but I figured that an Absolute Zero sidedeck was worth trying. I figured that a Raigeki on legs was pretty good against most of the format. Absolute Zero leads to some pretty sick blowouts and allows you steal games that you shouldn’t have won. Here was my first draft of the new sidedeck:

Sidedeck: 15
1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
1 Elemental Hero Stratos
3 Elemental Hero Alius
3 Miracle Fusion
1 Future Fusion
1 Heavy Storm
2 Gemini Spark
1 Reinforcement of the Army
1 E – Emergency Call
1 Treacherous Trap Hole

I honestly thought this sidedeck would solve a lot of my problem matchups. Absolute Zero wrecks X-Sabers, and 1900 beatsticks are really good against Gladiator Beasts and Anti-Meta (especially after they side out their Bottomless Trap Holes). Treacherous Trap Hole is an amazing card that has saved me on multiple occasions. Destroying two monsters with one cards is amazing against… um… everything? After testing this sidedeck for only a short amount of time I realized that changes needed to be made.

There were a lot of situations where I was sitting on a Moray of Greed with one water monster and a Stratos/Reinforcement/E-Call. Now the play here would be to search the deck for Elemental Hero Ocean and activate Moray of Greed. Only I wasn’t playing Elemental Hero Ocean! I decided to cut Alius for Ocean, just because being a water monster is that good (it also allows me to synchro Ocean with Fishborg). Since I no longer had 3 Alius, I had to cut Gemini Spark down to one, which gave me room to add Mystical Space Typhoon to the sidedeck. Here was the final sidedeck and extra deck…

Extra deck: 15
1 Chimeratech Fortress Dragon
3 Elemental Hero Absolute Zero
2 Armory Arm
1 Ally of Justice Catastor
1 Goyo Guardian
1 Brionac, Dragon of the Ice Barrier
1 Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier
1 Black Rose Dragon
1 Stardust Dragon
1 Colossal Fighter
1 Red Dragon Archfiend
1 Mist Wurm

Sidedeck: 15
1 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness
1 Elemental Hero Stratos
2 Elemental Hero Alius
1 Elemental Hero Ocean
3 Miracle Fusion
1 Future Fusion
1 Heavy Storm
1 Gemini Spark
1 Mystical Space Typhoon
1 Reinforcement of the Army
1 E – Emergency Call
1 Treacherous Trap Hole

Here’s what I usually side out, although it varies depending on the matchup:
- 2 Des Frog
- 2 Beelze frog
- 2 Flip Flop Frog
- 2 Unifrog
- 1 Poison Draw Frog
- 3 Hand Destruction
- 1 Card Destruction
- 2 Mass Driver

Now on to the tournament itself, the most exciting part. At this point, I had made a name for myself as the best Frog OTK player in the Tampa Bay area, and many people were expecting me to top. I had decided to call my deck “Next Level Blue” or simply “Next Level Frogs”. I named my deck Next Level Frogs for two reasons. I felt that my sidedeck took the deck to the next level. I’m still convinced that a sidedeck with Elemental Heroes and Miracle Fusions is the best. Secondly, I feel that I’m a next level player. I don’t think I’m up there with Sam Tse, CJ Lack, or Alex Bunts, but I know how to play the deck far better than the average player. I think hard about each play, and my knowledge of math and probability really shines when I play this deck. Also, I am very patient. Winning turn 10 is just as good as winning turn 1 for me. The deck’s style really reminds of Elf Combo, which was one of favorite Magic decks.

Ironically enough, I actually think Frog OTK was a bad meta call for this tournament. Anti-Meta was very popular. The vendors were sold out of Fossil Dyna Pachycephalos the entire day. Also, Gladiator Beasts were popular as well, which is always an uphill battle. I’d say Gladiator Beasts were probably the second most popular deck overall, with X-Sabers being first of course. My best matchup, Frog Monarch was practicing nonexistent. I decided to play Frog OTK only because I knew how to play the deck better than any other deck.

Round 1: Anti-Meta
For game 1, I had opened an FTK hand, but he won the die roll. He summons King Tiger Wangnu and activates Macro Cosmos in my draw phase. I try to stall on 2000 defenders until I can draw answers, but he tributes for Raiza and we’re on to the next game. Game 2 I open the Substitoad combo, but I end up not drawing what I need and I have to go for game on turn 3. He Hanewatas the last 400 damage when I had exact game, but there are only two cards left in my deck and one of them is a Fishborg Blaster. I draw it, set it, and send it at him for game. Game 3 was way too close. He starts out by summoning Doomcaliber Knight, activating Dimensional Fissure, and setting three backrows. I start out by setting Dupe Frog and Mystical Space Typhoon. It gets hit in the end phase by his own MST. He attacks into my Dupe Frog, sets another spell/trap and passed. I decide to special summon Swap Frog to trigger Doomcaliber Knight, normal summon Stratos, and hit for 1800 after searching out Alius. He special summons Cyber Dragon and I thought it was game over. How does my deck beat that, especially with Dimensional Fissure on the field? He runs over the Dupe Frog and passes. I switch Stratos to defense and pass. He adds King Tiger to his board and attacks. My draw for the turn is my one-outer: Treacherous Trap Hole! I summon Alius, and set the Treacherous Trap Hole along with two bluffs, just in case of the off chance that he has Dust Tornado. He thinks for awhile and attacks, and I blow up his monsters. I start beating with Alius while he’s forced to set D.D. Crows and Hanewatas to defend himself. Eventually I put a second Alius on the field and draw into Gemini Spark, just in case. I win.
1-0 (0-1 in die rolls)

Round 2: X-Sabers
I lose the die roll. Game 1 he synchros up for Magical Android early and starts to gain life and also hits me with X-Saber Airbellum a couple of times. I stall by reviving Treeborn Frogs and Ronintoadins until I draw something helpful. He plays Gold Sarcophagus, whose text reads “I win in two turns” because he searches Rescue Cat. I’m able to combo out with Synchros, attack for 9000, leaving him at 600. I reveal the last card in my hand which is Mass Driver, and we’re off to game 2. Game 1 took 26 minutes, so we know that time will be called at some point. He hits for early damage but I’m able to take control of the game with Absolute Zero. Unfortunately time gets called in game 2, and I can’t push for damage so I lose. We’re not allowed to side for game 3, which sucks because both of my Mass Drivers are now in the side deck. I decide to play first, setting Dupe Frog and passing. He Mind Controls, summons Thunder King Rai-Oh, and attacks for 1900. I drop Gorz. He sets three backrows and passes. This is my last turn to win. I have Gorz and token attack. He reveals that his backrows were bluffs, and I take the match.
2-0 (0-2 in die rolls)

Round 3: Demise OTK
This guy didn’t know what any of my cards did, but his deck was surprisingly good. The fact that a deck like this was 2-0 further supports my theory that “Raigeki on legs” is really good right now. I have a turn 2 kill hand so I set Treeborn Frog and pass. He goes Sonic Bird, Advanced Ritual Art, Demise, Doom Dozer and attacks for 5200. He sets a backrow and ends. Next turn I Trunade, Substitoad loop, and OTK with synchros. Game 2 was similar to game 1, only I OTKed with Mass Driver instead.
3-0 (1-2 in die rolls)

Round 4: Gladiator Beasts (Elijah Gersten)
I lose the die roll. Game 1 I get a less than optimal hand, and he quickly Herk + Chariot locks me out of the game. Game 2 I open FTK. Game 3 my five card hand is Future Fusion, Dupe Frog, Substitoad, Giant Trunade, Mystical Space Typhoon. Great hand! I’ll simply Future Fusion to put Fishborg into the grave and turn one Substitoad loop. Unfortunately my sixth card is the Fishborg Blaster, which was very disappointing. I set Dupe Frog and pass. He attacks into it, tags into Murmillo, and Chariots. Then he Dustshoots, and sets me back even more. When I can finally do something relevant, I Trunade and he has Solemn. I lose.
3-1 (1-3 in die rolls)

Round 5: Frog OTK
I lose the die roll, which is usually a death sentence in the mirror match. He opens One For One and turn 1 Substitoad loops. He screws up horribly and punts the game. He’s able to do 7600 damage with Mass Driver. He tries to use Swap Frog’s extra normal summon on a non-Frog multiple times that game, and can’t do enough damage as a result. His hand was actually horrible, but he plays Hand Destructions during the course of his turn and fixes my hand, so I was able to FTK. He starts game 2, and we both open “second turn kill” hands, so he wins. I start game 3 and FTK. I’m glad that’s over with.
4-1 (1-4 in die rolls)

Round 6: X-Sabers
Not much to say about this game. I win the die roll and FTK game 1. Game 2 he has the nuts and kills me on his second turn. Then I FTK game 3.
5-1 (2-4 in die rolls)

Round 7: X-Sabers (Travis Washburn)
I win the die roll and FTK game 1. Game 2 I take control with Absolute Zeroes. I make a bad play by leaving Swap Frog in attack mode with only 1100 lifepoints. I had already used the bounce effect, but I simply could’ve special summoned in defense (although I didn’t want to because he searched Fulhelmknight with Darksoul). I also didn’t realize that my opponent’s water monsters powered-up Absolute Zero, which would have allowed me to make a much better play (his Goyo had stolen Treeborn Frog). Two of his Boggart Knights were gone, but I guess he had a third. He synchros up and attacks over Swap Frog for game. Game 3 I sided back into the FTK, but I couldn’t draw it. I Card Destruction my opponent into a perfect hand and lose.
5-2 (3-4 in die rolls)

Post-match thoughts: I was really disappointed. Had I not misplayed, I would’ve taken the match 2-0. For some reason, it seems like people had expected me to lose in the last round. I suppose I would rather lose to my own misplays than pure luck. My tiebreakers were very strong, and two people with a 5-2 record would make top8. Fortunately enough for me, I slid in at 8th place. In addition, my opponent was starting with a game 1 loss due to registering an illegal extra deck. Sometimes, things just go your way. Joshua Martinez recommended that I spin my totem to make sure that I wasn’t in a dream.

The following matches were all featured on The Game Academy’s youtube channel. Be sure to check it out and when the uploads are finished. Jeremy did amazing commentary as usual.

Top8: Chris Rivera with Zombies
He elects to play first for the second game, and Jake reminds us that neither player can side. He starts with a set monster and 3 backrows. I play Hand Destruction and he comments that he probably should’ve set the other card in his hand (misplay #1). I then special summon Swap Frog and he plays Divine Wrath (misplay #2, you always wait for Substitoad). I play Salvage and he Solemns it (misplay #3). I have another Salvage so I decide to just get back Swap Frog and Poison Draw Frog, put the Draw Drog on the field and end. He attacks over it and passes. I play Swap Frog to thin my deck, bounce and pass. He Emergency Teleports for Psychic Commander and synchs for Urbellum for the Time Seal. For the next couple of turns, I’m walling up with Treeborn and Ronintoadin until I can draw into something. The big play comes when he Brain Controls Treeborn, tributes for Caius, removes Ronintoadin, attacks for 4600, which Time Seals me and leaves me at 100. I realize I had to chance it and see if I can get game. I play Giant Trunade. I normal summon Swap Frog, putting a Ronintoadin back in the grave. I set Mass Driver and Card Destruction for 1 card. With 3 Frogs in the grave and 2 on field, any monster will give me enough damage for game. I draw Flip Flop Frog, which allows me to put 2 additional Frogs in the grave. I reveal my face-down Mass Driver and it’s over.
6-2

After the top4 is determined, we decide to split the prize money at $400 and simply play for the trophy and video coverage. I think splitting was the correct decision, as I knew that I had to play Glads in the top4. In addition, the two people that beat me in the swiss rounds were in the top4 as well. The matchups in the top4 were certain winnable, but not necessarily favorable.

Top4: Maurice Brantley with Glads
I lose the die roll. He starts with Cold Wave, sets a Glad, and passes. I set Dupe Frog and pass. Next turn he plays Prisma, makes Gyzarus, and then makes Heraklinos afterwards. I try to draw outs for a few turns, but I don’t get there and I lose. Game 2 I open One For One and Mass Driver and FTK. Game 3 he starts with a Gladiator Beast, Dimensional Fissure and 3 other backrows. I play Heavy Storm and goes through. What a blowout! The next turn I Substitoad loop and make a 5000 attack Absolute Zero (my four monsters plus his Retiari). Next turn he’s able to Gyzarus but I’ve already taken control of the game at this point.
7-2 (3-5 in die rolls)

Top2: Elijah Gersten with Glads
I lose the die roll. I don’t quite remember how he won game 1, but I believe the game ended very quickly. I probably involved the usual contact fusions and War Chariot. Game 2 I open FTK. For game 3 he knows I’m bringing in the Zero side so he sides out Hanewatas like a master. He opens up with a Bestiari and two backrows. I have a few options, but I decide to go the Substitoad loop and see what he has. He chains Mask Restrict to the first activation and I bring out Unifrog. I bring back Ronintoadin, hoping to blow up the Mask and continue the combo. He plays Conpulsory Evacuation Device on Ronintoadin, so I pass. He contacts, attacks, lags for 2 Laquari, sets a couple of backrows and says go. I summon Stratos, search an Alius and activate Miracle Fusion. Rather than simply chaining Compulsory on Stratos, causing Miracle Fusion to fizzle and winning the game, he decided to wait for Absolute Zero to come out and Compulse him, allowing me to get the 3-for-1. He attacks with a Glad next turn and I drop Gorz; he tags for Murmillo. I summon Alius next turn and start beating. He tops Thunder King and attacks the Gorz token. I trade my Alius with his Thunder King, then Emergency Call another Alius, summon it and say go. He sets a monster as a last resort. I peal another Miracle Fusion, which allows me to attack for game.
8-2 (3-6 in die rolls)

The Game Academy 2K Champion is Allen C. Pennington! Winning this event felt great, and it was a nice way to rap up the format. Hopefully I’ll write a couple more articles in the near future.