Lords Rohr, Etters, Petray and Moss share war stories from Q-Cup 2 before peeling back some philosophical layers of the Old School onion.

On March 16th, 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated across the U.S., it became clear that a shared neighborhood or city would no longer provide a safe venue to sling overpriced cardboard.  Thus, the Lords of the Pit decided to migrate to the interwebs and launched the Quarantine Cup.  The purpose of the Q-Cup, like all Lords events, was to step away from the seriousness of the real world, have fun, and ball novices to oblivion.  Chicago’s Meals on Wheels was our designated Q-Cup charity; this organization is in dire need of financial support right now as the demand on their resources has skyrocketed.  If you have the means, we encourage you to donate here.

Adopting the batch pairing method used by DFB for organizing many online events, the Q-Cup consisted of eight rounds of MTG split into two batches with 10 days to complete each batch.  The wrinkle here was that each batch would be a different format: the first batch featured old warhorse, EC 93/94, while the second batch was Middle School, the new Chicago favorite.  Because trading and borrowing cards was not feasible under our scattered circumstance, proxies were encouraged (with guidelines that they needed to be legible by webcam).  The Lords’ Discord chatroom was the rallying point to coordinate matches and talk trash before using Whereby or other video services to play matches.

The Q-Cup was open to members of the club and select friends. In the end, 24 mages signed up, sleeved up their heaters (and some stinkers), and logged on for some steamy camjam action. A healthy 180 matches were played over 20 days with an untold number of side matches jammed, cocktails slurped, and beers guzzled.

While the Q-Cup was intended as an individual, non-team, event we had one exception: Lords Friedman and Mullen - both in regular competition for the most obstinate members of the club - refused to play an event with two formats so they were paired up to make one hell of a kvetching duo. Danny slung OS with Nathan on MS.

At the end of the two batches we had one clear winner standing over the virtual heap of decimated opponents - Lord Mith crushed the field with an 8-0 finish.  I can attest to the power of his run.  He rolled over me so hard in MS that I didn’t know what was happening as he resolved Recurring Nightmares and Living Deaths after stripping my hands away.  It was a balling I will not soon forget.  Mith took possession of Mario Kart Island as his prize and below are his weapons of choice from our inaugural online event.

Q&A with Lord Petray

We have a special feature here for our readers.  Below is an interview with a real meatball, Carter “The Champ” Petray.  Carter is coming off his absolute tear at Lords Haus where he went undefeated after besting TSI’s own Rajah James in the finals to bring the Golden Lord home to Chicago.  He almost repeated the feat by finishing 7-1 for an overall 2nd place finish at the Q-Cup.

Q: How does it feel to have literally dozens of nerds refer to you as “Champ”?

A: Would probably feel great, if it actually happened for a change. So disrespectful. It’s like walking into a doctor’s office and calling the guy MISTER Mith. Actually, now that I think about it....

Q: You know I love this OS decklist of yours – what brought you to play the best deck on this plague-wrecked planet?  Any card choices you want to hit on in the list (other than the obviously great 15th sideboard slot).

A: I chose to play The Deck because, don’t get it twisted, I’m here to grind out the W’s. The guy who was once called the Brewmaster of Old School (I think it was Moss who said it) is now an incorrigible spike. It’s nearly Danny’s exact list from Lord’s Haus, with the addition of a fourth Tome in the board. I wouldn’t leave home without a play set in the 75.

Q: In Middle School you returned to what I perceive as your true MS joy: The Rock.  In a format as diverse as MS, what keeps bringing you back to the deck?

A: A wise man once said The Rock has a 45% matchup against every deck ... including the mirror. I’m thinking I could bump that up to 46%.

Q: Any memorable Q-Cup matches or opponents you want to Recall?

A: Losing to Mith with all of the best cards in Old School in my deck was quite memorable, but my favorite match was facing Alan Finney’s Black Prison deck, narrowly slipping away from the clutches of The Rack in the last two games.

Q: Possibly the most important question, how did you feel when Moss won the door prize?

A: Moss’ theft of the door prize is a downright travesty of justice. Here’s a guy who wails to the heavens whenever he draws two more land than he should, but totally lucks out and earns a sick prize that will do nothing more than decorate a binder full of CE cards.

Thank you Carter for being such a class act and taking the time to connect with your global fan base!

Takeaways

It is a rare moment for a small Lords gathering (virtual or not!) to pull in three copies of the Deck, even with recently turned try-hard Carter picking it up.  I decided to run something a little different this time after I stumbled upon my childhood Goblin King in its original penny sleeve and scrapped some cards to put a goblins list together based on Bergeson builds.  The best moment with the little red dudes was balling Moss 2-0 while he played a Deck variant very close to what I normally run.  After the match, he bitched that over the course of 10 games he would win 8.  Five additional games later and Moss squeaked out a single W against the red horde. Sweet victory.  In MS I returned to the Tog.  I love the combo-control archetype and all the powerful blue spells.  In general, I have no idea what is going on in MS, but getting to play Gush is always great.

Technology

There are some really beautiful decks below.  True to form are Rajah’s decks.  Peep his OS list to check out the amazing alters, then look at the MS list (spoiler: it is fucking DOOMSDAY!).  Another list worth gazing at for its looks is Cam Wall’s Pink OS list.  He blew out my poor goblins and looked good doing it.  Shane and Mith’s OS lists are both high on pimp while Danny’s pic is high on garbage factor (but legible, I guess).

Wrap

We finished the event with a virtual happy hour and closing ceremony where we could crack open some quarantine swill and yell at each other without having to smell each other.  In the process we discovered that a mute button for Nathan is next-level technology.  During the happy hour, we announced the winner of the randomly drawn door prize that was awarded to the one and only Mossman to a chorus of boos and catcalls flowing through the headphones.

Special thanks to jts_mtg_alters for the prize support and again to DFB for sharing the program he uses to manage pairings.  Trapped in our hovels with little better to do, the Lords will certainly run back this nonsense in the near future with Quarantine Cup II: Cabin Fever.

Old School Gallery

Middle School Gallery

Lords Agra, Petray, Sanders & Moss team up for another Quarantine Edition of the Pitcast, mulling over future card prices, satanic controversies and the mysteries of the Black Lodge.

The boys are back! Broadcasting from their socially isolated bunkers throughout Logan Square, Lords Petray, Elleman & Moss catch up on the evolved OS MTG scene in Chicago. Plus, a special guest joins via ham radio…

Lords Lorien and Lil' Greg come through to put a bow on the first Middle School Lords' League.

It’s February in Chicago and it’s fucking dreary. The city, and everyone inside it, has frozen. I spend most of my time watching empty sidewalks from the interior of a barren restaurant, dreading another meager paycheck. If not for Valentine’s Day and Restaurant Week, it would be slim pickings. My mind, naturally, drifts toward my favorite diversions. Shimmering in my thoughts like a distant beacon is Lord’s Haüs, a retreat from the city’s doldrums and a chance to win the Golden Demon.

By my own estimation, I’m not much of a spike. Some might argue differently, and I wouldn’t blame them. Despite the occasional slip, I’ve been an evangelist against Taking This Shit Too Seriously: It’s not the Magic, it’s the Gathering, and so many other quaint platitudes. Which is all well and good and you’ll find me on that side of the fence most times. But not this time. On this particular weekend, at Lords Haüs, I’m playing for supreme bragging rights, and that’s the kind of thing to make me sit up in my chair. The route to picking a deck is straightforward. If the Powers That Be are sadistic enough to let you play with four Strip Mines, then you put Black Vise, Lightning Bolt, and Atog in your deck. However, being the incorrigible Logan Square-via-Brooklyn hipster that I am, I couldn’t just copy some else’s deck list; I needed something with enough originality to make a statement, but powerful enough to win all my matches. I squeezed four copies each of Argothian Pixies and Scryb Sprites into my deck – two creatures that can’t be blocked by Mishra’s Factory – and exhausted my creative output. I then seasoned the brew with Nine Essential Herbs and Spices plus bountiful Lightning Bolt effects (the best unrestricted card, don’t @ me) and had all the requisite tools for victory.

We decamped to rural Illinois, to a building reminiscent of the Great Northern from Twin Peaks. We were in paradise. The first day was spent carousing, singing, reconnecting. Hugs, handshakes, karaoke. Now it was tournament day. The Lords of the Pit brought their cuts, backpatches menacing, the originators of a now worldwide trend. The out-of-towners played side games to stay sharp. The Lords of the Pit Championship commenced.

I matched in round one against Michael Butzen, a man who puts the “old” in Old School. He and I go back to my first tournament where he slaughtered me with White Weenie. Butzen is kind, avuncular, and generous, and I expect to see him at every tournament that extends an invitation to the Lords’ Midwestern sister clubs. His friends in SoCal enticed him with dark whispers into playing Workshop Aggro for this event. My inclusion of Pixies in the main and Hurkyl’s Recall in my sideboard were prescient, and after I won the match Butzen clapped me on the shoulder and said with great feeling, “Take this thing down, man.”

My second opponent was the Shaman’s brother, Andrew McLennan - different from his brother in appearance, but alike in his ruthless arcane skill. Andrew is a collector, a real Patron of the Arts. He owns a stunning collection of artist proofs and alters, and is so principled a player that he will add a card to his deck for the sake of aesthetic pleasure alone, then shore up any loss of efficiency with pure skill. Yet, for his mercurial nature, his love of Serendib Efreet remains unshaken. He played an impressive number of Arabian Nights cards in his UG tempo deck, including Unstable Mutation, and I cursed my hubris for not asking to borrow City in a Bottle for this tournament, resolving to win only with cards I own. Andrew mulled to five in our third game, making a close match resolve somewhat unspectacularly.

Next I played Bob Agra and balled him easily.

My fourth opponent was a stranger to me until that day - Ryan Sala of Springfield, MO. As a man who runs a gaming store, competition is in his blood. His gregarious nature masked a prowess for magical cards. We played on either side of the bar downstairs, sipping beer and chatting as I proceeded to use the impressive power of Strip Mine to defeat an opponent who played cards that cost more than two mana. You can always tell when someone is good, though, and I couldn't help but feel I cheesed my way through this pairing.

As if it were portended by the Fates, my dear friend and fellow Loganite Matt Moss and I were both undefeated going into the fifth round. Moss enjoyed bragging rights after defeating me at Madison Offensive IV, the first tournament where I deigned to be the only other Chicagoan to sleeve up the nefarious 1/2. If I lost here, he’d truly cement himself the master and I the apprentice. I couldn't let that happen. I lost Game 1 as my creatures were Bolted away and he established dominance with Factory and Atog. The second game was odd; after a flurry of exchanges, I was left with a pair of Black Vises as Moss’s hand, strangely, began to fill as he declined to play a card for several turns. As I drew into more creatures, I decided it would be foolish to play them into obvious removal and elect to let the Vises slowly constrict my opponent instead. From there, successive Strip Mines finished the game. The third game was proof that Mishra’s Factory, for being susceptible to so much removal, manages to avoid Terror and Chain Lightning quite handily. After this victory, my position in the Top 8 was cemented, but I imagined it would not be the last I’d see of the bearded Iowan.

In the sixth and final round of Swiss, I matched against one of my oldest friends in Magic, a man who has been with me since the beginning of my journey. I cut my teeth playing prison mirrors with this man on his kitchen counter. Unfortunately for the great Danny Friedman, he had lost a pair-down match earlier and needed to beat me to stay in the tournament. If there ever was a person who had all the available skills to beat me at Magic, it was certainly Danny. My record against him in tournament play is not impressive. He played The Deck, and a cold, ruthless version at that, complete with maindeck Divine Offering. I was quickly emptied of resources in the first game as my adorable Sprites and Pixies were drawn into The Abyss. After sideboard, I added Serendibs to create a greater density of impactful threats and given Danny’s penchant for drawing Balance, I figured a horde of tiny creatures might not get the job done. I needed to see hands with fast mana and punish him for stumbling. I lead G2 with Land, Mox, Argothian Pixie but she was quickly banished. Without either player drawing Ancestral, our cards clashed against each other and our hands quickly diminished. Sure enough, I drew Serendib when it counted most. Danny finished as a most-honored 9th place, and again I beat a better player to advance.

By the time the Top 8 was announced, the night had gone long. The final octet posed for a photo then convened at the banquet table upstairs. Of the six opponents I’d played, four of them remained in the tournament like Banquo’s ghost.

Jason Paul and I battled in the quarterfinals. I still fondly recall that night at Donermen Tap when we patched him into the Lords. Jason lives a bit outside the city and is fairly quiet but thoughtful. We’re lucky to see him when we can, and he’s a real asset to the club. That said, I proceeded to draw the two best hands I’d seen in the tournament thus far and advanced quickly.

Ryan Sala upset Moss in the 4/5 quarterfinals match to challenge me yet again. With the Mossatog left smoldering behind in his wake, Ryan sought another victory over a meager aggro player to give Transmute Artifact and Guardian Beast their rightful time in the sun. Our first game lasted two dozen turns and Ryan spent most of them with at least one Jayemdae Tome in-play. He won and I had to win to stay alive. I got ahead quickly in Game 2, tapping out for a Serendib with an Argothian in play, Ryan with nothing but a pair of Tundras and a life total below eight. “Game Blouses,” I thought. Ryan grinned and remarked offhandedly about his penchant for shot-calling. He summoned Balance to the top of his deck and the game continued until my Atog slipped in beneath counter magic and we moved to the deciding third game. After a few cagey turns of development, Ryan cast Copy Artifact with the only two targets in-play being his own Ruby and my Ankh. I Shattered the Ruby in response, and Ryan made the extremely cunning play of Red Blasting his own Copy on the stack to avoid Copying said Ankh. After a couple turns, Ryan's Guardian Beast stabilized the board. I was low on resources and with a pair of Ankhs and an Atog. At that point, Ryan had a wealth of mana, and had Disenchanted my Black Vise, so passing the turn to fill his hand availed me little. I attacked with the little guy and traded two Ankhs for the Beast. The Atog proceeded to get in enough subsequent chip damage for burn to finish Ryan off before he could close the door with Jayemdae Tome. Weary but undaunted, I advanced to the Finals.

At last, we’d reached the Finals. Rajah James had beat Bob, who rose to the Semis like a phoenix after our earlier pairing. Rajah is a member of Team Serious, a group of players who embodied the spirit of Old School before we knew it existed. We also owe our late obsession with Middle School to that crew, who cemented themselves as true trailblazers and generous hosts. Rajah is a paragon of those values and, like me, usually plays bad decks. At Lords Haüs, we diverted from our usual modus operandi for a shot at the Golden Demon. Speaking of shots, Mullen poured some tall Malorts before the first game began. As we clinked classes, I toasted “to whatever happens,” and we drew our opening sevens. Raj played Aaron West’s two-time OSPB-winning Shahrazad deck, Storytime - a brutally efficient pile of evasive creatures and burn. I lined up my Pixies and Sprites against Order of Leitbur and Serendib Efreets. The ever-voracious Atog was my crutch here. In familiar fashion, I lost game one when Raj vaulted us into a subgame while he was dead on board and with me at seven life. I blinked, returned to the Prime Game at three, and Raj showed me a Bolt. I boarded in Meekstones and Mazes of Ith to combat Dibs. Golden ambrosia filled another shot glass, and the events of Game 2 (and the subgames contained therein) were reduced to a pleasant, victorious haze. I’m sure I played each of them perfectly, and that the cards I boarded in were impactful. When I saw my game three opening hand of Land, Mox, Vise, Vise, Twister, Bolt, and Maze, I felt as if I’d been chosen by some astral power to win this tournament. Raj cast a baleful Shahrazad that put him on nine lives before I Twistered. He untapped and cast another Shahrazad. In a gesture that was equal parts fatigue and braggadocio, I immediately conceded that game. Raj played a Lotus, then cast Time Walk. The room gasped... then I showed him a pair of Bolts and the tournament ended. With the Golden Demon in-hand, I was a celebrity for one night. My thanks go out to the sportsmanship and generosity of my fellow Lords and guests; you really make a guy feel special and I left Lords Haüs with the desire to let someone else share in that feeling, too.

Each participant brought a gift to be drafted, ranging from power tools to vinyl records to a mysterious box, handmade by the Shaman himself, with contents that could only be fathomed. I took a Milwaukee power drill, an obvious no-brainer, and retired early as gaming and revelry continued into the wee hours.

By the time this article will be released, the word on Lord’s Haüs will already have gotten out, so I don’t want to repeat myself too much here. Despite that, another thanks to Bob Agra is due, and I’d thank him every day if it meant I could do this all over next year. To my fellow Old Schoolers: keep thinking of ways to be good to each other. The glory I won at Lords Haüs was given to me by my friends, not earned by skill at some card game.

It’s hard for us to know our effect on other people’s lives, for better or worse. A kind gesture may not be reciprocated, but internalized, and careless words may hurt more than we realize. Sometimes friendship has a day-to-day banality. We joke, complain about our losses, bad beats, opponent’s lucky draws. This game, in all its facets and layers, can divert us from being as good to each other as we should be. Our hobby is a rare intersection between childlike wonder and adult responsibility. Who doesn’t want to return to those lazy hours of summer camp, when we first laid eyes on angels, dragons, and djinns? We’re older now, and have our adult principles. We’re not in the Garden of Eden anymore, but there are moments, brief as they may be, when we can recapture its spirit.

See you soon, Carter

(Special thanks to all the Lords & Co. that contributed photos for this report.)

"That's pretty lucky to get the fourth Survival."

"Yeah, it sure was. But you keep a hand with Survival and two Enlightened Tutors - given what I thought you would be playing."

It's the finals of first Middle School Lords League. Greg Kotscharjan and Lorien Elleman made it through all three trimesters to the top four, and here there are squaring off for all the glory. Greg just lost game one of match one. (More on this "match one" business below.)

Game two, match one. Lorien keeps his seven. Greg keeps seven. We have a game.

Lorien's deck is nasty. Bant Survival of the Fittest. You have Rootwallas, Arrogant Wurms, Wonders, and Squee. Game one ended with the fourth Survival in play, three Rootwallas, and a Sylvan Safekeeper. That was enough for Greg.

Greg's on UW control. There are actually no Standstills in this build but everyone keeps calling it Standstill. He tuned it uniquely to this top 4 and omitted his signature card.

So check this out - Lords Leagues. These are awesome. Ten Lords sign up for three two-week trimesters. Each trimester you play three other Lords. And each trimester you get to pick a different deck. Then it is off to a gauntlet of a top four event. The fun part it all is you know your opponents before you submit your deck.

So the top four is down to Greg, Lorien, Bob Agra and Carter Petray. Each Lord came with three decks. You have to win best of 5 matches. Greg and Carter rumbled for almost 3 hours, grinding through all 5 matches before Greg emerged victorious from the rubble.

Lorien resolves a Loyal Retainers (!) to get back an Akroma. Greg's got some angels from Decree of Justice. This game is sick.

A few minutes later, and game two of match one is over. Akroma too strong. They reach for new decks.

On the other side of the room, Carter, Bob, and Nathan are trying to figure out how Pioneer works. There are two identical Mark Poole signed Islands casting two identical copies of Opt.

Greg kicks off game one of match two with a fetch into a Jackal Pup.

Lorien plays a Mogg Fanatic.

"Yeah," says Greg, "I figured. Pretty annoying."

Jackal Pup is a huge liability against any type of aggressive strategy. Heck it's a huge liability anywhere. Have you ever attacked into a Decree of Justice for a million with one? Not fun. Nevertheless, Greg swings into it and takes two. One from the Pup, another one from the sacrificed Mogg Fanatic. Damage still uses the stack here in Chicago.

"I want to concede already," says Greg as he tanks on his second turn. He casts a Lavamancer. Lorien snipes it with another Fanatic.

"Let's both take four," sighs Greg as he resolves a Flame Rift. Lorien has a Cursed Scroll. There's no way Greg's winning. And there's the Blistering Firecat from Lorien. And there's a Lavamancer of Lorien's own. Scoop.

Game two of match two is not going Greg's way. He's some burn in hand and a… Phyrexian Furnace on the battlefield. Lorien raised his eyebrow when that resolved.

"Had to take some bad cards out for cyclers," Greg offers. Lorien nods in consolation.

"Jackal Pup is such a fucking liability," Lorien says as he resolves one, echoing the words I typed a few minutes ago. It looks good here, though. Lorien's got creatures on board beating down. Greg has one in hand. Greg rips a heater.

Greg is at ten. Lorien, seven.

"Flame Rift you, hold priority Fireblast you," says Greg.

Lorien lets Fireblast resolve. Rift on the stack.

"Are we gonna tie or am I gonna win? Got three?"

Lorien consults the hand. Alas. Rifted. This is Lorien's first game loss of the night. Quite the feat.

Game three, match two. We're on turn three and there is a Mogg Fanatic and a fetch in each graveyard. Greg fires off an end step Incinerate and then follows it up with a winter Factory (big mood in a mono red deck) and a Flame Rift. Lorien fires back with an Incinerate and a bolt. This time score is ten Lorien, seven Greg.

"Are you ready for this?" Lorien asks with a laugh. He drops Blood Oath.

Greg bolts face. Lorien names Instant. Tags the Incinerate. Fireblasts. Victory We're on to match three. This could be it.

They head up to the roof for a cigarette. Magic of this caliber and intensity can fry the nerves.

Greg laughs at his opening hand. Keeps a one lander.

Casts Careful Study and bins two Squees. Lorien is intrigued. Lorien drops a Lackey and its back to Greg. He resolves his win condition: Zombie Infestation.

Lorien's hard to read. Stone cold poker face. But he's laughing now. He knows this is not a winning fight.

"Ok, I have a plan," Lorien says after composing himself from both the giggles and the sighs of anguish. Blind hits a Counterspell off a Therapy. Now Greg's just laughing like a madman and discarding everything to make zombies. Everyone's laughing.

Greg's got the Forbid-Squee lock.

Lorien goes down.

Game two, match three. A Goblin Matron eats a Daze. A Ringleader eats a Mana Leak. Duress from Lorien... and he tanks again. The Forbid is so oppressive, but the Blue Blast can foil Lorien's Burning Wishes. Greg Doesn't know about the Burning Wishes yet. He takes the Blue Blast.

Lorien arranges to have Squee purged of his coffin.

"This card is sweet," Greg smiles when he refreshes his memory on what Coffin Purge does. Squee is a recursive engine, and Purge is a surgical answer. A Ringleader slams into another Daze. Greg resolves a Zombie Infestation.

"Aha! All my cards are zombies, only some of yours are goblins." Greg is the best at playing the bad guy; the video game boss. Before the game is officially over, Lorien and Greg begin analyzing why Greg won. Sure enough, it's over in a few turns.

Lorien has two matches, Greg's forced a fourth. Will they go to five?

Both players text me their next deck choice. Greg was impulsive. He's running the same zombie deck again. Lorien contemplates for a long time before deciding on swinging back to Bant Survival.

Greg mulligans to six. Lorien mulligans to five.

Early on, a fight erupts over the Infestation.

A few turn later Lorien makes an Akroma and Greg dumps his hand. Lorien wins in the skies.

Onto game two of match four. Lorien's down to five cards. Greg's sitting pretty with seven. Greg Carefully Studies twice, binning a Squee, but Lorien has a Krosan Reclamation. Greg asks me to take a photo of his hand. Then Lorien shares his.

Greg: Zombie Infestation.

Lorien: Force pitch Circular Logic.

Greg: Force pitch Forbid.

The zombie infestation begins, but then Lorien manages to hardcast an Arrogant Wurm. The Wurm starts attacking. Greg has two cards in hand. Force and Upheaval. Upheaval is his ticket to victory. By returning all lands he can then pitch them all to the Infestation. He slams Upheaval but Lorien has Force. Lorien naturalizes the Infestation. Now Greg's down to three life and Lorien's resolving another Wurm. The wurms crash in and Greg does down.

Congratulations to Lord Lorien, Lord of the League!!!

The boys are back with found footage live from the inaugural Lords Haüs.

Our well-traveled lads play catch up on a busy winter.

We’re mulling over the ever-changing Old School landscape with new Lord of the Pit Andy MacDougall and special guest Mike Van Dyke of the Beasts of the Bay