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Read MoreParty Crashing the Ivory Cup VI
Far up, in the northern hemisphere lives a rugged man with great whiskers and a long beard whose colour has started to fade. His intense blue eyes wander between the tomes in his never ending scholarly pursuit for all that men of today might fail to recall. As a great sorcerer he has left it for others to pursue the customary and recognized spells. He lingers between the unknown and the hidden. I once saw, with my very own eyes, how he summoned a great red dragon at the Bazaar on the Al-Muʿaẓẓam square. His foe sent a beast with a great evil eye upon him, but he deafened it with a blast from a horn and let the skies burn red before the great dragon delivered its final blow.
Looking straight into his small black pupils, that gaze that insisted on my demise. A grin appeared and his eyes turned friendly again. We shook hands and it was all over.
This was the first time I met the sorcerer. I fail to derive any lessons from when we have met then, and the following times, for the beer was flowing. Maybe this is how he keeps his knowledge to himself. As you all know, the studies of the occult and the wizardry have evolved a great deal the last decade.
By happenstance I came upon one of the pages in one of the sorcerers’ notebooks. It intrigued me since I had studied the same spells as of lately. Darkness and light combined in a witches brew named “The Party Crasher” really caught my eye. Today, a few years ago might be something not worth while lingering upon but I was in a real rush. It had the Dark Rituals, Hypnotic Spectres and the Underworld Dreams combined with Swords and Angels. I was transfixed, my mind was set.
(Anyhow, here are the different versions of MGs deck and mine that I won Ivory Cup with (and some minor thoughts on card choices)
//I am Seb.
MG - Undead Party Crasher, Gothenburg Invitational 2015
This is the first version of MGs Party Crasher deck. I stumbled upon it by accident and it caught my eye since it did not play Mishras and I haven’t played with my Hypnotics and Underworld Dreams in a while. I needed a deck for the Ivory Cup and I was already late with submitting because I was at first suppose to commentate the whole shindig. Basically, the funniest thing happened the day prior to the tournament. I had just bought a bunch of #långburk (50cl beers) when I got a phonecall from the preschool. Apparently my youngest kid had thrown up on one of the teachers. When I came home the other one also threw up. So, there I was with a bunch of fun in my bags and no where to (be able) go.
So let us get into the decks and stuff, but before we continue, I should prob point ya’ll to the episode of “Monster of the Week” where I have a chat about the deck and how it evolved. I wrote a summary of the last years Ivory Cup where I finished last and earned me my fourth Rag Man and where I tunred into a Cosmic Horror (jay me!). So I feel it start to be customary for me to write a few words as a report of sorts. Maybe next year I will end up in the middle somewhere but as we are keen on traditions here in the old school community, I will probably write something then also. So here are the links and let us get into other stuff:
EPISODE 20 - MG, THE JANITOR IVORY CUP VI
GOING TO RAG TOWN AT THE IVORY CUP
ALL THE DECKS FROM THE TOURNAMENT
So, with all that said, this version above is rocking a lot of artifact hate. Also more creatures than the later versions. MG will add another Serra going forward and have a completely different sideboard plan. Circle of protections can be nice and all but there are better ways to go about as we soon will see.
MG - Party Crasher, Wexio 2016 (2nd place)
When I found this version more things fell in place for me. Åland berated me for not keeping the Warp Artifacts in the SB. They are a sweet add and give your control opponents even less time to do stuff. Underworld Dreams never really let you draw out of your problems and with the slow drain from the Warps they need even more answers. Notice how the deck is resilient to artifact removal and playing no Juzams or other Arabian Nights cards also (besides some of the usual lands). This makes it tick I think. You can have the answer yourself in City in a Bottle and Moat is such a good card. The Wrath of Gods probably seals the deal in many of the aggressive creature matchups such as ZOO or Mono G. The engine of Ivory Towers, Land Tax and Greed also hits the spot just right where you want it. This is control with the possibility to get your legs swept from underneath by Geddon. An unanswered Hypnotic is also a way to go about of course.
MG - Party Crasher, From Russia With Love (1st place)
This is basically the same deal. MG came and visited us in Stockholm and took down the whole tourney with it. I came 3-4th in it with an UW skies deck and Chambers lost to MG in the finals.
MG - Party Crasher, Fishliver Oil (5-8th place)
MG made top8 at Fishliver Oil with this build. So some nice finishes in just one-ish year with the deck I’d say. It’s sure nice to play some Juzams once in a while. Kind of a non-bo with Moat though but the Spirit Links are winning the race for you in a big way. In the last version that MG built he tried playing 4 Sengirs and 4 Serras but he concluded it was way too clunky. I don’t have a deckpic of it but you have to take my word for the only other cool thing in that version to be a miser Pestilence in the SB. Before we go I will give you my deck that I won Ivory Cup VI with. I went for power and had a very controlly setup in the SB with Tomes and stuff. Going forward I would prob try to fit in some Warp Artifacts in the SB. Maybe consider Greed alongside some Spirit Links but without Land Tax in my version (hard to pull off splashing blue also) the Ivory Towers won’t do their job. It was sure nice to get a win this time around since I came in at the very last place the year before. The whole tournament can probably be found on Wak-Waks Youtube channel in the near future. Otherwise the VOD might still be up on the Twitch channel.
Seb Celia - Party Crasher, Ivory Cup VI (1st place)
Beer – an integral part of the Ivory Cup
Next month it is time for the Ivory Cup VI (more info here), our yearly big tournament here in Stockholm. Usually it is a pretty back to basics tournament except for one thing, the beer. We are very fond of our beer and usually have a bar setup with a lot of nice carefully selected beverages. This will however be hard now when we are doing it all online on Tolaria.app. That’s why we have put together this beer list for all the players.
The idea is that you can go and buy/order these beers and drink one of them ever round for the complete Ivory Cup experience! Also, it gives you something to talk about with your opponent who hopefully is drinking the same beer as you. Do it as a small online beer tasting or something.
It is of course hard to choose beers that we know everyone can get a hold of but we’ve tried to find that middle ground between a good beer you may not have tried and beer that should be available in most countries. They are however all readily available here in Sweden. If one specific beer isn’t available for you, go for another one of the same type is our suggestion.
Any questions? Hit up Gordon on our Discord. And also if you want to play, it is open for anyone! More info here.
Without further ado, here they are:
Round 1 - Dale's Pale Ale
Brewery: Oskar Blues
Style: American Pale Ale
ABV: 6.5%
Let us start simple with one of the most classic American pale ales. Not too bitter and not too sweet. Not too strong?! If it's not available where you live, well that's simply wrong!
Round 2 - XX Bitter
Brewery: Brouwerij De Ranke
Style: Belgian Pale/Single
ABV: 6%
We continue the pale ale saga but travel to Belgium. Belgian beer is in general more sweet than bitter, but this one has a serious bitter note and will segue nicely into round 3. XX also reminds us of Recall. If you have too many of these you might not Recall it!
Round 3 - Sculpin IPA
Brewery: Ballast Point
Style: West Coast IPA
ABV: 7%
Time to take it up a notch, 1% to be exact. This is one of the most classic West Coast IPA:s with a 100/100 score on RateBeer. Unfortunately often lacking some freshness if you get it in Europe, but hopefully you will be able to find a decent batch. And yes, this one brings an even more bitter perspective on Old School Mtg. Also the perfect beer if you play Fish so sleeve up those Pearl Tridents!
Round 4 - Oude Geuze Mariage Parfait
Brewery: Boon
Style: Gueuze
ABV: 8%
This is the perfect round for something different. Something to reset your taste buds while still bringing you that cozy feeling, it is 8% after all. Geuze is the champagne of Belgium and yes, this beer is sour. And amazing. Try it! Or any other geuze if you can't find this one. Unless you play Parfait, then you should probably get two of the above.
Round 5 - Kentucky Breakfast Stout
Brewery: Founders
Style: Imperial Stout
ABV: 12.3%
Having cleansed our palate, we begin anew and what is a better way to start than with breakfast? This one packs a punch so be ready! Kentucky Breakfast Stout might be slightly challenging to find, but after four beers you can probably go for any imperial stout. This one is nevertheless rated 100/100 on RateBeer so should be worth the extra mile.
Round 6 or top 8 or whatever - Březňák Světlý Ležák 12°
Brewery: Pivovar Velké Březno - Březňák
Style: Czech Pilsener
ABV: 5.1%
Chances are that you are feeling a bit tipsy now, and will enjoy most beer that comes your way. Time to take it easy. Why Březňák? First of all, the brewery is owned by Heineken so it should be readily available in most places. Second, a friend of ours tried every dirt cheap lager in Sweden and this one was crowned the winner! By now it is a staple at his annual Magic Pool Party and it's actually quite good if we Recall things correctly.
HOWEVER… If you are still sober enough for something peculiar:
Quadruple Lingonberry Maple Pancake Lassi Gose
Brewery: Omnipollo
Style: Style? Yeah sure, it is a gose but with a big BUT
ABV: 6%
Omnipollo is a really good brewery. But they also brew some crazy S#€T sometimes, and this is one of those. Try it out, or any of the other Omnipollo experimental brews. Lingonberries do nevertheless match Swedish Old School the best. You can probably order it here if your local dealer fails you: https://omnipollo.com/
Christmas Lockdown Tournament VOD and Decks
During the holidays 2020 one mister Florian “FloVo” von Bredow organized an amazing webcam tournament that we got to stream. Here you can find the VOD for that one in all its glory together with all the decks as well. Or just sorta, you need to click here to check out the decks hehe.
Going to Rag Town at the Ivory Cup
A note from the editor: As might be familiar to some of you, it is custom to bestow the title of Rag Man on the person who finishes last in our tournaments. One person has skirted the abyss more times than any of us. To celebrate Seb's third Rag Man, it was decided to transform him into Cosmic Horror. Eureka, he screamed! This is his story.
A not from the second editor: After Seb’s amazing story there is also a short bit about the Ivory Cup as a whole.
Rag Town
”Oh my! Oh lord.” The woman jumped back as she saw his apparition in the alley. There, hunched over the waste of man.
”Eh, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure!” He said. Like a sick bird he strutted around his treasured pile of garbage.
”Er, stupendous and unheard-of splendours await me below!” The hooded figure yelped as he pulled out something from the pile and put it in the sack. There was a slight dribble from the sack; drip, drip and his tattered clothing was greased, probably with the fat from the discarded bones he gathered.
"Aw, he's just a silly, dirty little man. What's to be afraid of?" said the gentleman that accompanied the woman as he hurried them along.
”Eh, the Rag man, he hunts what might have been!” The Rag Man said and a sad smile appeared under his pulled up cloak.
”Er, and now my sack is full. Ah, a sack lasts long, but a ten pound filled sack is longed for.” He said as he slung it over his shoulder and started to walk.
Editor’s note: That Fallen is actually a Rag Man but was given out at a time we didn’t have one.
The room had all he needed. There was a pot, two small bowls and something that resembled a bed in the corner. And there it was, the door. Bolted and shut. He cracked the bones and threw them in the small pot. And as he poured the stew into the bowls the light turned on in the other room. There was a keyhole and it invited him to look but the dared not, no. As a matter of fact, when he slid the bowl under the door he made a conscious choice not to look.
”Er, and you are one of the lights, the light of all lights.” he said as he averted his gaze. But still, he stayed there, hunched over by the door.
And then the music started. Hideous sounds, yes, to some. Vibrating and assuming a symphonic quality for him now, yes. And as time past, the playing grew wilder.
”Ah, fait accompli!” The Rag man cried out. And then he looked.
Screams of horror rended th' affrighted skies.
/Seb
The Ivory Cup VI… or was it the Pesticup V?
So then it was time for Gordon to write a bit. This was the fifth (I did however write VI in invitation hehe) Ivory Cup and was supposed to be a bit of a celebration. As you all may have guessed that did not happen because of that plague thing going around. So instead of our usual 30 people gathering of amazing people from all around we decided to have an even smaller event with maximum 16 people playing outdoors in a field to avoid the Pestilence. The Ivory Cup became the Pesticup and we also continued with our american theme as the tournament was held July 4th.
But then it all fell apart once more. Yes, after a week of 30 degrees Celsius that one day we where supposed to play, the rain came. Of course, it is Swedish summer after all. We then diecided to do the lazy thing expecting some drops in attendance and moved it to the pub (yes, we can actually go to the pub here). We ended up being 9 players playing 4 rounds of swiss and a top 4. Also the bottom 4 played for the elusive Rag Man as told above.
Yours truly never did have time to build a deck and took an old list and just exchanged white for red as white is the most boring color of all. But as usual when building your deck (deckpic below) half an hour before the event you are bound to do some mistakes, like not adding any artifact removal haha. I however managed to end up in the finals even after losing against Jonas Stattin’s mono green with Titania’s Song (yeah, i probably should have played white as it destroys my deck completely in) and a cool singleton deck piloted by Micke Magnusson, both unpowered. And then I lost in the finals (as usual I can’t ever win a tournament) to Knaz how took home the Pesticup with the deck below. Btw we did play with gentleman’s rules.
