Form of the General
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
round this time last year, as you might recall, Magic Arcana hosted a tournament report of sorts from Matthew Tang about a crazy Halloween-themed event called "Form of the Vanguard," with each player getting extra abilities based on a Magic Halloween costume.
Matthew and his crew at Wizard's Comics and Collectibles once again prepared a tricky treat for Halloween, this time with a format called "Form of the General." We can't put it better than Matt did, so once again, here he is!
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Form of the General |
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With its increasing popularity, this year, our tournament was multi-player Elder Dragon Highlander format—with a twist! We will be following most of the EDH rules (including deck construction, card and General banning), with the following alterations:
- Standard multiplayer mulligan rules—not the Brittany Mulligan
- Each player has "At the beginning of your first upkeep, if you are wearing a costume that resembles your general, you may put your general into play. If your general is put into play in this way, you lose the game if you do not continue to wear your costume." This also meant you did NOT need a costume to participate.
- You MAY choose a non-legendary creature to be your General
- The following creatures have been used for past events and thus cannot be used for future events
- There will be no General damage. Having your General in play if you dress up is quite an advantage, and we don't need two attacks from Darksteel Colossus or Multani, Maro-Sorcerer ruining the game. This also makes life gain a little more powerful
- Costumes may be void with group consensus (that means you, Teferi!)
Other Rules of the Tournament:
- Range of 1 for every 4 players—This worked well last year. Also helps against dressing up as Fleshbag Marauder.
- Play order is clockwise, but you can only attack the opponent to your right.
FAQ
Q: Why do I lose the game if I take off my costume?
A: I would have said "exile" it (or put your general into the Command Zone), but it can easily be abused. If someone dresses up as Reveillark, they can take off their costume to trigger its ability. Or if Condemn is cast targeting the General, they can exile it in response.
Q: Why not just start the game with the General in play if you are in a costume?
A: This prevents the first "At the beginning of your upkeep" triggers from the generals, and to keep the trigger for Phage, the Untouchable. However, if someone wants to dress up as Phage, and mulligan into Angel's Grace / Stifle and Gemstone Cavern, they deserve a cookie...
Q: Will the organizer be dressing up as a scantily clad female again?
A: To promote attendance—No... not this year at least ;)
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Introducing the costumed players:
Thraximundar
Shadowmage Infiltrator
Goblin Piledriver
Progenitus (who made his origami heads on the bus ride to the tournament)
Other players included:
Brion Stoutarm
Circu, Dimir Lobotomist
Kalitas, Bloodchief of Ghet
Uril, the Miststalker #1
Uril, the Miststalker #2
In addition, there were some random game event triggers that no one but the organizer knew
about ....
- Whenever the first artifact enters the battlefield, its controller gets a sealed Mirrodin booster.
- Whenever the second artifact enters the battlefield, its controller gets a sealed Darksteel booster
- Whenever the first Equipment enters the battlefield, its controller gets a foil Kor Duelist and puts it onto the battlefield with that equipment attached to it.
- Whenever the first player who controls a premium card has a second premium card enter the battlefield, that player gets an assortment of Gateway, Launch, and Prerelease premium cards.
Accomplishments and Moments
The store was also generous enough to donate a Beta Clone to the best costume. Congratulations, Goblin Piledriver!