So I just played “Moosecup VII”, a recurring tournament here in Stockholm. The organizers usually have a small little spin to their events, this time around they called it “Antlers”. It’s a point system derived from “X-points”. I’ll get back to what "Antlers” entails later.

I only ever played X-points at one other time, no #8 back in 2021.
Then, looking at the points, I just wanted to make use of Mana Vaults not being priced basicly. I payed my ten to get 4 Mishras (4p), 1 moxen (2p), 1 Mana Drain (1p), 1 Braingeyser (2p) and my Workshop (1p). I made it all through the group stage and apparently red overperformed and counterspells weren’t as good as I thought, at least back then.

The points seen above are the most updated version of X-points. (If anyone want to check out X-points, it’s managed by “Loekie Mtg” on the FB here). I think the main change has been taxing the Land Tax and adding one point to Ancestral. I haven’t been playing the league so I can’t say much about the meta, I have throughts, so lets have that in mind during my rant later on…

So, Antlers. Let us have a look at what restrictions to deckbuilding that does for us:

First of I build a boring Blue/white flyers deck with 2 moats thinking they are the free version of WoG. I quickly realised Moxen and Sol Ring shining giving you a early Serra and hopefully letting you untap or, at the very least, giving you a two for one or something playing against a more aggressive deck and dodging Swords. Moat was fine, but I do see why wrath might have a tax on it comparing them. Playing against any sort of enchantment removal just unleashes the creatures waiting to attack. That also goes for the Tax on Abyss and Maze I guess. I did however realize that bottle is still very very good and I can’t stress how good Falling Star seems.

I just couldn’t wrap my head around Land Tax costing a whole 2 points. So I had to try and build a deck with it:

Points used here are 1 green moxen (2p), 3 Land Tax (6p), 2 Armageddon (2p).

I did start out building some WGb version but ended up wanting to play Winds of Change and Atog. I still thought Mana Vault should be very good, the concept being that I’s be able to put out Ernie or Serra T2 rather consistently. First I had the Ivory Towers main but swapped them out last sec, making the deck more aggressive G1.

I got a bye first round and then got my ass handled by Rw goblins R2. Both land tax, and the moat really underperformed. Ernie and Serra was the best gameplan making this format (for me) more and more relying on cratures rather than other stuff for the win.

R3 I met Mono Green small dudes where I, won G1 with Serra or something and lost G2, even though I had two towers earning me ALOT of life. He played me hard, planting a Nether Void t2-ish (One card I had in mind if I’d play black, ditching the geddons for mox or something. In the third game got to remove 3-4 creatures with the Falling Star. A takeaway for me, playing the format, is that it’s harder coming back in a game compared to original untaxed OS. Mby this is not the case anyhow playing Mono Green usually but from my side of the table, you basicly out-tax all the comeback cards if you haven’t leaned in heavily, paying many points on one or very few of them.

R4 I played UR counterburn. This was the first game I even remember using Land Tax (Yes I know that Heart of the Dark woods might have gotten me there earlier but please, just check out my matchups.

I think I won two games by killing my own creatures with Swords keeping me out of range for a bolt, and, one time an Earthquake. I actually think I dodged a draw against Mono G playing Hurricane doing the same thing.

R5 I played the organizer Wille and I might have gotten a few too many beers in me at this point, can’t really remember our games but I think I won with serra or something. I then met Micke Thai on a X-points version of Lion dib bolt which Lucas Glavin helped him put together. Can’t remember our games, I do remember being able to Reb and Disenchant a couple of Control Magics (which seem to be a super good card since it’s not even taxed, but then again, relying on anything too much in this format seem to make it real hard getting back on track..)
So that takes us to semi finals, where I had a mirror match where my opponent apparently outsorced deck building once again to Lucas (did not get the memo about this is what you should do). I won one game by just swinging in and berserk/giant growthing an Ernie or a Serra. Then I lost two games. G2 due to him drawing way more removal than me, 3 swords and a Terror. G3 due to me gambling out a Serra or Shivan with Mana Vault and it getting instantly plowed.

Gordon actually took the tournament down in the finals playing Living Plane so maybe, maybe there are some hope for combo still!

Takeaways:
+ Playing, or rather, deck building with a different rule set is always fun. Throwing the meta a curve ball is fun.
- Even doing very well in the tournament I still left is with a sour taste. I might have too few games under the vest but many times it feels very unforgiving doing “big plays” if you gamble it feels way more like all in when you can’t draw into that Lotus or Balance or w/e.
+The original X-points allow reprints and seem like a very good way to get into a very expenmsive format otherwise since you don’t have to own alot of expensive cards.
-The point system completly negates a couple of decks like Twiddle Vault. And makes many other combo-orientated deck, at the very least, very bad.
-? +? The point system seem to be orientated around “feel bad” cards. It seems like creature based decks is the way to go, which can skew what cards are good and I guess that might not be a bad thing. Looking around the tables during the tournament, seeing almost every table having a dib in play- is that a good thing? Antlers don’t allow FE wich gives the format more decks I guess. Most of them being aggressive, maybe that also makes cards like Desert better and all in all it gives more room for cards not usually played in Old School being played/better. Should Swords be the best answer to everything in a format though?

Tips from a X-point noob:

• Removal is way better than you think. No, even more than that.

• If you are playing mid-range stuff - moxen and, of course, Fellwar stones man. They just shined so much everytime I got to t3-4.

• Based on point value, Braingeyser is probobaly the best card in there. Time walk also seem worth playing over a moxen..prob..

• Blood Moon is very bad. Having points for Mishra, Library and Maze just makes it not worth playing imo.

• Counterspells in a format where alot of the cards are 1-2cmc is not as good as you think.

• Black Vise is way better than Ivory Tower. For different reasons. Vise almost always hit when you dont unleash your hand t1-3 as easily as in original OS and Ivory kinda needs an engine (and that’ll cost ya).

• Preacher, Falling Star, Earthquake, Control Magic, Spirit Link, Terror etc are way better here than most places you’d play them.

• From my very small experience you’d prob do well swapping a Divine offering from you SB for a Disenchant main.