Serious Vintage Episode 20: GenCon 2014 Retrospective

In episode 20, Geoff Moes (@ThallidTosser on Twitter), Nat Moes (@GrandpaBelcher), and Josh Chapple (@joshchapple) reunite to talk about why we haven’t podcasted since spring, some of the goings-on in MTG (including the new Standard rotation and the Vintage Super League), and, most importantly, the food, folks, and fun experienced at GenCon 2014.


Here’s the timestamped table of contents for your listening ease and enjoyment:
01:17 – Rotating Standard
06:20 – Vintage Super League
16:03 – Gaming at GenCon 2014
33:10 – Vintage MTG at GenCon 2014
59:30 – Eating Indianapolis
Total runtime – 1:10:24

Classic NES Games

Bomberman 2K7, by Nat Moes

Business (37)
Force of Will
Mental Misstep
Spell Pierce
Spell Snare
Steel Sabotage
Mana Drain
Echoing Truth
Balance
Aether Spellbomb
Engineered Explosives
Pithing Needle
Sensei’s Divining Top
Tormod’s Crypt
Ancestral Recall
Time Walk
Thirst for Knowledge
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Mystical Tutor
Merchant Scroll
Snapcaster Mage
Aven Mindcensor
Trinket Mage
Auriok Salvagers

Mana Sources (23)
Black Lotus
Mox Emerald
Mox Jet
Mox Pearl
Mox Ruby
Mox Sapphire
Mana Crypt
Sol Ring
Library of Alexandria
Tolarian Academy
Scalding Tarn
Flooded Strand
Tundra
Island
Plains
Snow-Covered Island
Sideboard (15)
Disenchant
Energy Flux
Engineered Explosives
Grafdigger’s Cage
Mindbreak Trap
Relic of Progenitus
Swords to Plowshares

Bomberman has been around for years in Vintage as an archetypal UW control list with a combo finish. The basic plan is to use counters and a Trinket Mage toolbox to answer opponent threats and then win with the Auriok Salvagers combo to use Black Lotus and Aether Spellbomb to draw your deck and flood the board. Nat played the above list at Gen Con for three rounds. Everything was good, but running through the Salvagers combo with an opponent who has never seen it before kind of makes you feel like a big jerk. (Though it’s funny how often when you make limitless mana that a non-Vintage player will say, “Okay, what are you going to do with it?” Comprehending the infinite just isn’t enough to make people scoop anymore.) If you’re interested in reading more about Bomberman, Nat wrote an extensive guide.

BUG Tempo

BUG Tempo, by Nat Moes

Business (37)
Force of Will
Mental Misstep
Spell Pierce
Steel Sabotage
Abrupt Decay
Null Rod
Brainstorm
Ancestral Recall
Time Walk
Vampiric Tutor
Demonic Tutor
Deathrite Shaman
Dark Confidant
Snapcaster Mage
Scavenging Ooze
Vendilion Clique
Trygon Predator

Mana Sources (22)
Black Lotus
Mox Emerald
Mox Jet
Mox Sapphire
Scalding Tarn
Misty Rainforest
Polluted Delta
Underground Sea
Tropical Island
Strip Mine
Wasteland
Sideboard (15)
Yixlid Jailer
Surgical Extraction
Dismember
Darkblast
Mental Misstep
Nature’s Claim
Grafdigger’s Cage
Energy Flux

Geoff decided to play a real deck and, as a result, put up a more respectable finish. He didn’t make the final rounds, of course, going 3-2-drop, but he was in contention. This is what happens when Geoff plays a deck with real cards and not, like, Pyromancer Ascension. There’s nothing really outstanding about the list; it won Bazaar of Moxen a few months ago.

BUG decks were everywhere at the Friday event at GenCon; by Saturday they were almost totally gone. Considering that many of the Vintage players carry over from Friday to Saturday to Sunday, this could be because players are trying to metagame the field they saw the previous day. It may also be that Vintage players like playing different decks every day.

Eating Indianapolis

I think we’ve mentioned most of the Indianapolis restaurants before in previous GenCon podcasts, specifically Episode 15. Definitely keep these in mind if you go to GenCon or another Indianapolis event. It’s important to remember that Steak ‘n’ Shake and Noodles and Co. are only the closest, cheapest places to the Convention Center. You very much improve your dining opportunities if you’re willing to walk a block or two.

Here’s what we talked about this episode:
Punch Burger
137 E. Ohio St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-426-5280
http://punchburger.com

Rook
719 Virginia Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46203
317-759-5828
http://www.rookindy.com

The Libertine
38 E. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-631-3333
http://www.libertineindy.com

Cerulean
339 S. Delaware St.
Indianapolis, IN 46225
317-870-1320
http://www.ceruleanrestaurant.com

Bakersfield (Tacos, Tequila, and Bourbon)
334 Massachusetts Ave.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
317-635-6962
http://www.bakersfieldmassave.com

Ram Restaurant & Brewery
140 S. Illinois St.
Indianapolis, IN 46225
317-955-9900
http://www.theram.com

Café Patachou
4901 N. Pennsylvania St.
Indianapolis, IN 46205
317-925-2823
http://www.cafepatachou.com

Croissant French toast: revolutionize the breakfast game!

Conclusion

Thanks for listening! We’ll be getting back into the more regular podcast thing now that the three of us are done buying houses and being busy with real life stuff. We look forward to any questions or comments here or on Twitter. You can also email us at seriousvintagepodcast@gmail.com.