First 1 Then the Other

Finally. The last entry before entry number 100.

With all my plans to do an update a day it took almost a week to actually get from 2 to 1. I’ve been busy. Today at work, for example, I lost almost seven hours of work when the program I was working on crashed for no apparent reason. I blame myself for not saving frequently, but still, it sucked and I wanted to swear a lot.

Anyway, I actually had a lot of trouble coming up with a topic for the final countdown blog. Type One, being number one, drawing one, going 0-0-1, etc.—they’re all decent topics. What I’ve decided on, though, is the Turn 1 Kill.

If non-Vintage players aren’t scared away from the format by the high price tags on some of the staples (a problem that can usually be alleviated by mentioning the frequent occurrence of proxy tournaments, in the United States at least) they’re afraid of losing on the first turn.

I’ll admit, sometimes they haunt my dreams.

Losing before you even get a turn seems to indicate that, hey, maybe you shouldn’t have played the game at all. Why bother? What’s the fun or the sense in that? I’ma go play Pokemon.

In reality, I’ve only lost without getting a turn, I think, three times in tournaments. Appropriately enough to Stephen Menendian, Justin Droba, and Michael Simister. At least, those are the ones that stuck with me.

Other times, though you might not lose per se before getting a turn, you’re still far enough out of it that crawling back in will require a miracle. Take this preview of my next tournament report, for example:

I’m on the draw with UbaCaps, playing against Goblins. My opponent goes Black Lotus, Strip Mine, Goblin Warchief, Goblin Lackey (with haste because of the Warchief). He swings for three and brings out another Lackey. I cast the one lock piece I have in my hand, an Uba Mask, which at least nullifies his Lackeys. He kills my land and beats me.

Did I mention my deck plays no Instants at all?

My notes say it took him four actual turns to finish me off, but in reality, without drawing something awesome, I lost on turn one.

The thing is, though, that rarely in Vintage does anything happen on turn one. Vintage actually starts on turn three or four, when the “non-broken formats” are just getting interesting. Dropping a land and a Mox starts you on turn two, for example. Mishra’s Workshop or Dark Ritual put you on turn three. A Black Lotus and a land puts you right into turn four.

Juggernaut is pretty good if it comes out on turn four, but it’s awesome and intimidating and a whole lot of fun when it hits before your opponent gets to play a land.

A fully lethal Tendrils of Agony would be, what, turn 10 or 12 at least if you’re not doing things Wizards never intended. A lethal Goblin Charbelcher is probably at least a fourth turn occurrence in formats with Mana Severance.

And the best part is that every deck (maybe excepting Fish, though with Moxen and Vials it comes darn close) is playing at this level. Who wants to play those stupid first and second turns from Standard where all you’re doing is setting up utility creatures and fixing your mana? I say get right to the action!

Sure you’ve got a first turn Darksteel Colossus, but I have the bounce and the counter backup. I can destroy your land too because Wasteland, Mox Sapphire, Force of Will, Chain of Vapor isn’t an unheard of beginning.

Maybe you had the turn one Tendrils last game, but this game I’ve got the first turn Trinisphere and a Chalice for zero (not in that order, of course). Good luck getting out of that as I play disruptive artifacts for the next four turns, including a Null Brooch for your Rebuild.

Vintage matches are played between decks that can just win on the first turn. It might not be overt (i.e. Stax might take the rest of the match to kill you if you don’t concede), but you might effectively lose to their first unopposed play. It’s completely fair and fun and exciting, though, because everybody’s doing it. And everybody’s prepared to stop it too. You might both expend yourselves on the first two turns and spend the rest of the round building back up to the point where one of you wins. I’ve seen a lot more games go to time than I have seen turn one wins.

Personally, I like both aspects of the format.

My advice if you’re worried about losing on turn one—beat them to it.