Vintage
From Judge Wiki
|
Introduction
Vintage (formerly known as Type 1) is an Eternal Constructed format where players can play with any card in Magic, with few exceptions. Its banned list is available at Wizards' official Vintage resource. The big difference that sets Vintage apart is its Restricted list, which allows a player to only play with one of certain cards in their deck instead of the normal 4-of limit. This allows a greater range of powerful cards (such as the Power Nine) to be played compared to Legacy.
Proxies and Card Alterations
For the majority of Vintage events (particularly in the United States), a tournament organizer will allow players to play with a certain number of proxies. As such, these events cannot be sanctioned events, but the tournament organizer will still likely use DCI guidelines, such as the Infraction Procedure Guide, to govern play. Players will generally proxy a card using a basic land or a card of the same mana cost, using a permanent marker to mark the name and mana cost. Players should be sure to remove all card text from the original card when creating the proxy so that there is no confusion.
Card alterations are also widely used in Vintage. According to the current version of the MTR (3.3):
"Artistic modifications are acceptable in sanctioned tournaments, provided that the modifications do not make the card art unrecognizable, contain substantial strategic advice, or contain offensive images. Artistic modifications also may not obstruct or change the mana cost or name of the card."
If a player has a concern as to whether a proxy or card alteration is going to be allowed in a tournament, they should consult with the Head Judge of the tournament. The Head Judge has the final say on what proxies or card alterations are legal for the tournament.
Oracle Text
When dealing with older cards, there is a greater likelihood that you will encounter cards that do not have their correct Oracle text on them. Players are now allowed to look up Oracle text on their mobile devices as long as they are not looking up strategic advice and the opponent also has access to what is being looked up. When answering a call involving a card you suspect does not have the correct wording, you should look up the card's Oracle text before making a ruling. If you do not have access to Oracle texts with your own mobile phone, make sure you know what judges on the floor may have access themselves or that you have access through some other means.
Common Decks
Dredge
- Description: Deck centered around one ability, Dredge. These decks commonly use Bazaar of Baghdad in order to send cards to the graveyard.
- Colors: Main color is black, and different versions may include different blue and green cards.
Potential issues:
- Dredge is a static ability that functions while the card is in the graveyard. It creates a replacement effect. When a player wants to use the dredge ability from one card during the draw step, the opponent can’t do anything in response. So, if the opponent wants to do something, he has to do that during the upkeep, before entering into the draw step.
- Players usually put the entire graveyard in front of them in a row. Because they have a lot of cards to play, it is possible that they commit Slow Play more frequently.
- Narcomoeba’s triggered ability is optional.
- When a player has one (or more) Bridge From Below in his or her graveyard, and two or more creatures controlled by both players are put into their owner’s graveyard at the same time (due to combat damage, for example), two triggered abilities go on the stack, controlled by the player who has the Bridge. He or she may choose the order these abilities are put on the stack. If he or she chooses to put on the stack “remove the Bridge” first and then “put a 2/2 black zombie” next, he or she will get the zombie, and then the Bridge will be removed. Otherwise, the Bridge will be removed first, and he or she will not get the zombie.
- If used, Undiscovered Paradise will return at the beginning of the next untap step, even if the player is unable to untap it (due to an effect).
- If using Serum Powder’s ability to mulligan, cards are removed face up. If a player has one (or more) Serum Powder in his hand, he may take a normal mulligan (drawing one less card) or using Serum’s ability.
Worldgorger Dragon combo
- Description: Deck centered in one card, Worldgorger Dragon, used in order to generate an infinite amount of mana. These decks also use Bazaar of Bagdad to send cards to the graveyard.
- Colors: Blue and Black, although decks may contain cards from other colors (and obviously one red card, due to the Dragon).
Potential issues:
- If the Worldgorger Dragon is in the graveyard, and the player animates it using any card (such as Animate Dead), the Dragon’s first ability is put on the stack. When it resolves, all permanents (including the card used to animate the Dragon) are exiled. When the card used to animate the Dragon is exiled, its triggered ability is put on the stack. When it resolves, the Dragon must be sacrificed, and the Dragon’s second triggered ability is put on the stack. When this ability resolves, all permanents return from the exiled zone, including the card used to animate the Dragon, which can be used again to animate the Dragon, which is now in the graveyard again. As the Dragon comes into play, its first triggered ability is put on the stack again, and the player may tap all his or her lands to get mana. Then this process is repeated.
- If there is no other creature card in the player’s graveyard other than the Dragon itself, then it’s an infinite loop, since there is no way to stop the process. If the player has another creature in the graveyard, he has to announce how many times he will animate the dragon, and how many mana will he have at the end, and then choose the other creature in order to stop the loop. Not doing this may end in a Slow Play penalty.
- Animate Dead/Dance of the Dead only targets the creature in any graveyard when being cast. Then they come into play attached to that card. Afterwards, they return that card to the battlefield, and then they attach themselves to that card again.
Dark Times
- Description: Deck that uses one land, Dark Depths, in conjunction with Vampire Hexmage, to win the game. It may also use a combination of Leyline of the Void and Helm of Obedience to exile an opponent's library. Dark Confidant is primarily used in these decks in order to get card advantage.
- Colors: Some decks are all Black. Other versions may include Green, in order to add creatures, such as Tarmogoyf.
Potential issues:
- Dark Depths’ last ability is a state trigger. That means that it will trigger if it has no ice counters, but it won’t trigger again while the ability is on the stack (it won’t trigger indefinitely). However, if somehow the trigger ability is countered (with a Stifle, for example), it will trigger again immediately.
- Dark Depths is a land with no mana ability. However, Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth may allow the land to produce black mana.
- Helm of Obedience's ability puts cards into a player's graveyard until a creature is revealed. Because Leyline of the Void sets up a replacement effect which exiles the cards instead, a creature will never will be put into the graveyard. The Helm's ability will continue until there are no cards left in the opponent's deck.
- Dark Confidant has a triggered ability that is mandatory. If the player forgets the ability, but he or she notices it within a turn cycle, it will be put at the bottom of the stack. If not caught within a turn cycle, then continue the game. This is a Game Play Error-Missed Trigger. Probably the opponent will commit Game Play Error-Failure to Maintain Game State.
Elves
- Description: Deck centered in one creature type, elves, and the combination of their abilities to both generate lots of mana and to cast lots of creatures.
- Colors: Mainly green. They may have another color in order to have a card in the deck used to end the game.
Potential issues:
- These decks commonly use the combination of Nettle Sentinel and Heritage Druid, in order to generate a large amount of mana. If a player taps a Nettle Sentinel (and two more elves, which can also be two more Sentinels) to get mana from the Druid, and then that player casts a spell, the Sentinel will untap before the spell actually resolves.
- If Green Sun’s Zenith is countered, it will not be shuffled into the library. If a player plays it successfully, that player will have to shuffle his or her deck twice (one after searching and one after shuffling Zenith into the library). Normally, once is enough, but if there is any card in play that cares about shuffling libraries, that card will act twice.
- Birchlore Ranger can be tapped themselves to generate mana, even the turn they come into play, since the ability doesn’t have the “tap” symbol.
Oath of Druids
- Description: This deck is based around the card Oath of Druids. By giving an opponent a creature with Forbidden Orchard, the Oath player will be able to put a large creature onto the battlefield, as the only creatures in the deck are creatures generally uncastable without Oath of Druids. These creatures include Rune-Scarred Demon, Iona, Shield of Emeria, Tidespout Tyrant, and Emrakul, the Aeons Torn.
- Colors: Green, blue, and black.
Potential issues:
- Oath of Druids’ trigger has an intervening if clause. The condition needs to be true both at the beginning of the upkeep, and when it resolves. This may be relevant with multiple Oaths resolving in the same upkeep. Because players do not receive priority during the untap step, players do not have time during to give an opponent a creature before Oath of Druids is supposed to trigger.
- Oath of Druids targets the opponent, so effects such as Leyline of Sanctity will prevent the trigger from occuring.
- Oath of Druids triggers on each player's turn, so there are times where opponent of the Oath deck may also be able to resolve a trigger.
Bomberman
- Description: This deck tries to generate unlimited mana of any color the combination of Auriok Salvagers with Black Lotus or Lion’s Eye Diamond. The deck then uses Engineered Explosives, AEther Spellbomb, and Pyrite Spellbomb to gain a large board advantage or kill the opponent.
- Colors: Blue and White, though it will generally play Black for cards such as Demonic Tutor to find combo pieces.
Potential issues:
- The combination of Auriok Salvagers and Black Lotus creates a loop that nets one mana per iteration. The player should be clear in how they are performing the loop and the end result after a set number of iterations.
Workshops
- Description: Workshops decks quickly cast expensive artifacts through Vintage’s fast mana base (Moxen, Black Lotus, Tolarian Academy) and Mishra’s Workshop. These decks can be either very controlling with Smokestack and Tangle Wire or very aggressive with Slash Panther and Phyrexian Metamorph. Both versions play multiple effects that make spells cost more such as Lodestone Golem and Sphere of Resistance to prevent their opponents from casting spells while being able to cast their own spells with lands that produce more than one mana.
- Colors: Colorless, though some versions play Red for Goblin Welder.
Potential issues:
- With multiple effects like Lodestone Golem, Game Play Errors are likely for casting a spell for less than the required cost. Both players are responsible for making sure spells are being cast for the correct cost.
- For Chalice of the Void, its converted mana cost on the stack is equal to the amount paid for X times two. A Chalice with two change counters on it will therefore counter another Chalice of the Void where X equals 1. Chalice also does not trigger for copies of spells put onto the stack, so a Chalice with one charge counter will counter the original card of Shattering Spree, but will not trigger for the replicated copies.
- Trinisphere’s effect is applied last after all other cost increasing and decreasing effects are applied. This includes using the alternate cost for Force of Will and paying Phyrexian mana for a spell (Mental Misstep can be paid using either 2U or 3 and paying 2 life)
- For Smokestack and Tangle Wire, the artifact's controller chooses how to put both triggers on the stack. For Smokestack, this means he may sacrifice permanents first and then put another soot counter on it. For Tangle Wire, he may choose to remove the fading counter first and then tap permanents.
- Mishra's Workshop can only be used to cast artifact spells. It may not be used to activate abilities on lands such as Mishra's Factory or on Equipment such as Sword of Fire and Ice.
Noble Fish
- Description: This deck generally uses powerful one- to three-mana creatures with abilities used to control the opponent's mana base while attacking very quickly.
- Colors: White and Green, though most versions play Blue for counterspells and Trygon Predator.
Potential issues:
- Exalted is a trigger that occurs when a creature attacks alone. Both players have a chance to respond before the attacking creature becomes larger.
- Null Rod and Stony Silence creates an effect that affects both players. Activating an artifact with one of these cards in play will result in a Game Rule Violation penalty for the player.
- Tarmogoyf has a CDA setting its power and toughness that applies in all zones. State-Based Actions are not checked until after a spell has finished resolving. If you Lightning Bolt a Tarmogoyf with types Sorcery, Land, Tarmogoyf will be a 3/4 with 3 points of damage. Swords to Plowshares works differently because it gains life during its resolution, before the spell goes to the graveyard.
