1st. Legacy tournament: what to expect

Legacy forum

Posted on Oct. 29, 2021, 4:09 p.m. by SprkySprkyBoomMan

Hello I hail from Central Illinois and this is my first tournament, ever. My city population is around 150k. Does population have anything to do with how expensive decks I may see?

I have a few questions about to what do expect in terms of potential decks I might face.

I don't know most deck archetypes, but I plan on either playing with my nephew's griffin deck or my goblin deck. Both are listed on my profile. A friend of mine from back in high school won the last tournament. I have already called him out. Let me know if I have any chance lol.

What are some dirty things to expect for tournament players?

What are some positive things to expect?

I would love to bring my nephew to the tournament, but Gma is still worried about Covid.

Grubbernaut says... #2

If it's a tournament with prizes, expect tiered decks. If it's not, you'll see more jank. Are they saying whether or not they're allowing proxies?

October 29, 2021 6:11 p.m.

RNR_Gaming says... #3

1) eh no. Population doesn't mean anything in terms of deck diversity or cost of the deck. Though I suppose with a more dense population you could expect a better turn out and perhaps more of a chance of people actually playing magic; also, high end cards are cheaper to obtain on the west coast for whatever reason even with online markets which is kind of weird.

2) eh..I'd research the format a bit. You'd likely have a better chance with goblins if you're choosing between the 2.

3) I mean it's a tournment? I assume if it's sanctioned you shouldn't have to worry about anything dirty besides the typical nerd that doesn't shower. If you're referring to what decks can do check out MTG Goldfish for a metagame break down - doing research ahead of time can save you a lot of head aches. You may encounter a rules shark or someone who likes to call a judge over for every little thing to put you on tilt but remember if you don't know something your opponent won't have your best interest at heart; call a judge and ask.

4) You may make some new acquaintances, get in some good games, make a few good trades or maybe even win some prizes though if this is your first tournament you probably should just focus on learning as much as you can

October 29, 2021 7:08 p.m.

RNR_Gaming says... #4

This will probably be helpful. Though if the tournment isn't allowing proxies there are a few budget decks mentioned too.

https://www.mtggoldfish.com/metagame/legacy#paper

October 29, 2021 7:11 p.m.

Gidgetimer says... #5

As compared to kitchen table or other formats (excluding vintage), expect a lot more complex or unusual interactions. When I used to play lots of legacy I had many people get upset when I did something perfectly within the rules that they didn't understand. As RNR said, just call a judge if you are unsure of anything.

(An example of an interaction I had someone get salty about was cracking Sensei's Divining Top to draw a card and then using Goblin Welder in response to return another artifact from the graveyard and still drawing without having to put the Top on top of my library. This dates when I was playing legacy, since Top is now banned.)

October 29, 2021 8:01 p.m.

Why is nerds who do not shower a thing? Nerds, we are classier than that lol.

October 29, 2021 9:59 p.m.

shadow63 says... #7

No offense but looking at both decks neither one is legacy tournament ready. Legacy decks need to have tons of card velocity.

Here's a link to a goblin deck

But you always learn more from your losses

October 29, 2021 10:17 p.m.

Troll alert! Why do people feel the need to comment if they have nothing nice to say or just post misleading information? Click on the goblin deck link, it sends you to a picture of a lich. Good one.

Oh yeah can't forget about that card velocity neither.

October 30, 2021 3:06 a.m. Edited.

MollyMab says... #9

So he is right. Your goblin deck would not do well in Legacy. Quite simply it is not doing the most powerful things it could be.

In Legacy Goblins is either: A Jund combo aggro deck that wins by going wide or making infinite tokens with Kiki Jikis effect and Snoop. https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4366896#paper

Or a R/G aggro tempo deck that uses Vial, and Lackey to cheat on mana and Rishidan port lock your opponent. https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/4278111#paper

Your decks are not going to be competative as you have no interaction, your game plan is slower than every other deck attacking on the same axis and nothing you have is uniquely positioned to exploit any kind lf gaps in the format.

If your goal is to have fun then I wish you luck and would love to hear a tournament report from you. If you want deck advice maybe we can help you with sumin budget

October 30, 2021 6:22 a.m.

I don't understand how all these other decks are going to win without any mana. If you have no mana you can't play cards so you would want to play. Or should I say most cards that you would want to play.

Also I don't think my strategy takes too long actually wins very quickly, in casual.

Local tournament win in a small town does not sound like too large of a feat to accomplish.

Obliviously, the goal is to always have fun. However, I am a hyper competitive person as well. So hopefully if I make a fool of myself it's for all my over the top trash talk/ridiculousness and not for HULKING out because of a 2 second lose that you all suggest is inevitable.

October 30, 2021 6:45 a.m.

What is the average amount of mana most decks need to win with in legacy? That's a really good question that I'd like answered.

2 or 3 turn says internet. Ok, well I am sure I can prolong the game until turn 6 or 7 at least with the current amount of land destruction. And I am pretty sure my deck is powerful enough to pull out a W within that time frame.

Only time will tell.

Doubters gonna doubt, Ain'ter gonna ain't.

I will post my w/l record with whichever deck I end up using. I'm going to let my nephew decide which one I use. I think that might help with my hyper competitiveness. Maybe I won't care so much about losing then lol.

The event is next Saturday so I'll probably post my record next Sunday. Stay tuned.

October 30, 2021 7:06 a.m.

RNR_Gaming says... #12

Best of luck!

October 30, 2021 7:32 a.m.

shadow63 says... #13

https://www.mtggoldfish.com/archetype/goblins-db1a4168-9f04-4d76-b85f-2bf5d5db2b23

Here's the deck sparky boi

October 30, 2021 8:49 a.m.

MollyMab says... #14

In Legacy the land destruction is much better. You have Wasteland in a lot of decks for winning games, enabling delirium/threshold/delve/a ton of other synergy and more potent land destruction engines. So your land destruction doesn't do anything that isnt already seeing play.

The mana curve is also much lower. Cards that cost 4 or more dont see play unless they are so earth shatteringly powerful you have to. Or they are paired with some way to cheat the mana. Most decks are looking to play on 3 mana. They will likely generate more if they are combo but 3 is a ton of relevant powerful cards or lines of play like Brainstorm Ponder Terminus etc

Goblins relies on Goblin Lackey and Aether Vial to cheat on mana. Lackey lets you snowball goblins into advantage as every goblin gets more goblins to go wide. Vial plays at instant speed around counterspells etc. This means you can cut lands for more gas in Jund gobbies. Or you can play Rish Port and deny your opponent mana while you set up.

A ton of other decks cheat on mana in other ways. Delver plays 1 mana 3/2s, 2 mana 4/5s, 2 mana 3/3 flyers who generate advantage etc. Stoneforge plays 2 mana instant speed 4/4s.

And to be clear. Games of Legacy can be decided on turn 1. There are a ton of combo decks that can do that. The aggro decks can snowball an advantage you cannot recover from by turn 3. Midrange will be picking apart your board and slamming haymakers. Control will be ready to Terminis you.

But honestly you are asking for advice. Many folks are giving you it. Folks who have more legacy experience. The advice is go and have fun but be warned your deck will be underpowered compared to Legacy decks you are likely to see and your response is to be quite rude. I do not understand the motivate to asking advice and then denying any of it.

October 30, 2021 9:21 a.m.

Sorry for the rudeness, but honestly do know how I offended anyone. I honestly disagree with most opinions until I am proven wrong. Sorry if that offends anyone, but also not sorry. That is just who I am.

I get into the same type of arguments with people when I'm talking basketball cuz a lot of people don't know what they're talking about whenever they talk about basketball lots. And whenever I try to tell them what's what I get the same type of rudeness that you're given to me right now. And I'm just being honest and myself That's all I can be. I'm not trying to start anything.

But you can call me rude if you want, I have been called a hell of a lot worse things than that.

October 30, 2021 12:49 p.m.

But if you would like to continue the thrashing you can join the people who have committed on my decks. If you would just throw your rudeness at me instead of this post folks.

Others like me may like to see a thread like this. So please let's keep this as clean as possible.

October 30, 2021 1:05 p.m.

legendofa says... #17

SprkySprkyBoomMan Please don't take this comment as being rude, because it's not my intent. I assume you'll play as hard as you can and try to win.

But from my experience, even in small-town local settings, Legacy is vicious. I've tried exactly one tournament. I brought in my best deck and got shredded. No match wins, and only two game wins that weren't because of opponent's bad luck or misplays. I wasn't even close to ready.

So in all seriousness, and with best intentions, good luck. I'd like to hear that you did better than me.

October 30, 2021 1:22 p.m.

Legacy & Vintage are not "fair" formats. What I mean is, if you're not doing ridiculously "unfair" shenanigans, you're not going to have a good time..

I think Burn is the "fairest" deck in Legacy, and it likes to end things Turn-3 with Fireblast

October 31, 2021 1:53 p.m.

If you're reading this, and this is your first legacy tournament, and you only have shit decks like mine, and you get a wild hair up your butt, and think that playing in a tournament be fun. Just stay home.

That's what I am going to do. Thanks for all the help advice. The kitchen table is closer anyways. I am okay with being a filthy casual legacy player for the rest of my life.

November 1, 2021 3:44 p.m.

Again thanks for the help

November 1, 2021 3:45 p.m.

Gidgetimer says... #21

I wouldn't nearly say that you should stay home instead of playing in a tournament. Just don't expect to win tournaments with non-meta decks if it is your first one. Once someone is experienced in building specifically for a competitive format they may be able to brew an off meta deck that will take down tournaments.

November 2, 2021 2:28 a.m.

RNR_Gaming says... #22

I would at least check out your local scene even if you don't play. Just to see what everyone is packing. You could probably ask people to play test and see how it goes before you even bother buying in. Honestly, I feel tournament play is the main reason I've improved a lot faster than anyone that I started playing the game with.

November 2, 2021 4:38 a.m.

MollyMab says... #23

I don't know what you wanted, bud. Us to go "OMG YOUR DECK IS AMAZING TIER 0 LEGACY ALL STAR" or to give you a reasonable info about what legacy is like and where you will struggle, a good luck and the info for you to change stuff yourself. You got the latter, and you are acting like a petulant child where because we gave you accurate info everything was awful and you are somehow a victim.

November 5, 2021 9:22 a.m.

I didn't go because you guys talked me out of it because my deck sucked so bad right?

I wasn't aware that was good advice. Thanks for the help I really appreciate all the help in all the useful excellent information you guys have provided for me it's so helpful you guys are the bestest best thing ever.You guys/galls are as bad as everyone else in the pos world. Anyone can act like they care. If y'all genuinely cared about helping me, you would have went over to my decks and left comments about specific cards and stuff like that. Instead you guys decided to stay here.

That is acting like a perpetual child, what I was doing was not that.

January 4, 2022 3:59 p.m.

RNR Gaming and gidgetimer those are both helpful comments. Thank you.

January 4, 2022 4:05 p.m.

Grubbernaut says... #26

SprkySprkyBoomMan While I wasn't involved, I'll try to explain: the problem was that your decks weren't going to be able to compete unless they were changed so much that they couldn't be considered the same decks. That being the case, giving you advice on improving an un-improvable deck would be fruitless; the advice-giver would be leading you astray by implying there was enough there to salvage a chance at winning.

Legacy is extremely competitive; if you would like a chance at winning, the bar is much higher. For a comparison, this would be like someone saying "I'm going to be in a drag race. Should I use my stock 2004 Civic or my minivan?" Legacy being competitive also attracts a competitive crowd, so people offering advice are going to expect you to want to be competitive, as well.

January 4, 2022 6:41 p.m.

It is extremely easy to give advice. If you think it's fruitless, then do not help. Say nothing, move on.

You are now perpetuating an old argument, and I will not be dragged into.

My deck is not a stock Honda Civic or a minivan. I spent lots of money on this deck, well both of them actually.Comparing them to a stock car is wrong. A starter deck would be a stock car. That's besides point, you know what you're doing. You seem to be pretty smart. Yet your still here. I'm moving on my dude.

Comment, don't comment, Idc you guys can have you over competitive tournaments.

January 5, 2022 7:12 a.m.

If you're going to spend a bunch of money, then at least spend it in the right places (a new stereo system doesn't make a car faster, for example). If you are going to run a Tribal deck in Legacy, then invest in a playset of Cavern of Souls so that you can have an answer to THE defining card of Legacy: Force of Will..

January 5, 2022 11:01 a.m.

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