Changing leaves, shortened days, and the nip of winter’s grasp on the wind can signal but one thing – the return of the Lords of the Pit to DMen Tap for the club’s annual Fall Brawl. For the eighth installment of this venerable tournament, 19 Lords & guests assembled to sling ancient spells from an era long gone but never forgotten. This particular Gathering was more than any mere OS95 meetup, however, as the Lords also bid farewell to one member and welcomed a pair of newcomers.
While not in attendance as a combatant, Lord Shane Semmens was at the Fall Brawl to sell pimp cardboard in advance of his pending relocation across the Atlantic. Shane, an OG Lord and among the club’s most-stalwart of members, will be dearly missed. Best of luck, Shane!
But the Wheel never stops spinning, and at the Fall Brawl the Lords inducted two deserving individuals: Rob Beadle and JP Lamp. Both men have been regular attendees for a number of years and make fine additions to the Pit. Additionally, the Lords recently extended their geographic reach by welcoming Thrashin’ Dave to the Pit. Dave has been a steady organizer of the annual Thrash Bash in South Bend, IN and another oft-seen face at Lords events.
Back to the spell-slinging. In keeping with recent OS95 meta trends, both Necropotence and Reanimator were in short supply in the Fall Brawl field. Lords Elleman (Esper Necro) and Jaco (Reanimator) fearlessly piloted these once-fearsome archetypes, though it seems the format (via direct damage & graveyard hate) has seemingly declawed these former Tier 1 decks – for now, at least.
Meanwhile, the day’s sweatiest mages dabbled with ‘95 cards to bolster otherwise well-established OS stratagems. Lord Rohr inserted Tindr Wall & Jester’s Cap into a Shops/Titania’s Song prison stew. Lord MacDougall added Ice Age cantrips and Merchant Scroll to a UW Skies list. Lord Moss bolstered Jeskai Atog with Incinerate, Mana Crypt and Zorb, and it was Josh Burgoa, our champion by way of Chattanooga TN, who took down the Fall Brawl with a UW Midrange pile that leaned into Adarkar Wastes for mana fixing. Burgoa’s play was as tight as his shit-talking while he ran the gauntlet to a sterling 5-0 finish.
During the Fall Brawl, the Lords & Co. raised $760 in support of The Ark Initiative, a Chicago street-level organization that delivers healthy meals to needy people one Saturday per month at the Wilson Red Line.
DECK LISTS
CANDIDS
