Eldrazi: Aftermath

I just want to quickly congratulate the winner of GP Detroit, Ralph Betesh for standing for Team Oath :)

I would write more later, but I think it is fitting that the last round, in the largest of the three GPs and coincidentally the only one with a live stream, shows Team Oath defeating Team Eldrazi.

After GP Melbourne and GP Bologna fell to Eldrazi. It was HUZZAH!!! that Team Oath took the FINAL victory handily and without doubt at GP Detroit.

Amidst the doomsayers, that victory was extremely fitting given how desperate the situation looked for Team Oath. Especially since there were only 2 non-eldrazi in the top 8 for GP Detroit.


It has looked promising at first for Team Oath. Only 3 Eldrazi in Top 8 for GP Melbourne. 5 Eldrazi in GP Bologna,  not too bad really. However...

In both GP Melbourne and Bologna,  it was Eldrazi on Eldrazi finals.

On the forums the doomsayers were literally drunk with joy that Eldrazi were winning. Mocking and bashing modern and Eldrazi as well as Non-Eldrazis for trying. Even some on the side of the doomsayers thought it was excessive. It was sickening. They seem to just want Magic to be the loser.


Hence it was with great relish that GP Detroit was won in style in the final round. You could literally feel the silence in that particular thread where the doomsayers were moments ago dog piling modern and non-eldrazi decks that were still trying.


Only 2 Non Eldrazi decks in the top 8. It looked extremely bleak.

But HUZZAH!!! Team Oath pulled through via Ralph Betesh with Abzan Company despite facing Eldrazi after Eldrazi.


En route to VICTORY, he felled:

R/G Eldrazi in the quarter finals

then U/W Eldrazi (Supposedly the most popular/best Eldrazi on show) in the semis

and finally ANOTHER U/W Eldrazi to take the crown in GP Detroit.


I call that a FLAWLESS VICTORY.

Congratulations Ralph Betesh as well as everyone who took the fight to Team Eldrazi and actually  you guys took the fight to the doomsayers as well. And you proved them WRONG.


The meta CAN and WILL adapt.


Even I was not confident that it would have actually happen :p  (But it did :) )

Afterall as I mention in my past posts, I am taking a bit of a leap of faith as Modern is a neutered format with its multiple bannings. I.E. It is not so much whether the cardpool had the depth to handle the Eldrazi threat. But that after applying the banlist, does the cardpool still have what it takes to handle the Eldrazi? I am glad that it did.


Even now as you look at the MTGO Eldrazi is losing ground. People just need to get past the mental barrier that Eldrazi is all powerful.

Sure some current top dog decks will fold hard. But others will rise. That is evolution. That is the META. That is MAGIC THE GATHERING HUZZAH!!!!!! Yep thats the game kiddos, never say never.

Forgive me for being brazenly shitting on the doomsayers and pumping the victory of Team Oath.

If you read most articles after the weekend. Alot were doom and gloom and most downplayed the victory of Team Oath. I am so SICK of that NEGATIVITY. Its just bad vibes. GROW UP kiddos! Hope has deep roots.

Still people that played Eldrazi innovated and many variants came up, some countering the counters from SCG Open Louiseville. Congratulations to those that had fun or won :)

For Team Oath players, if you lost, at least you can take pride that you won a personal battle in not simply going with the current known strong deck and choosing to innovate, in choosing to challenge the current problem. At least the final victory vindicated your choice :)


At the end of the day, I was rooting for Team Oath because I was rooting for Magic. I was hoping for innovation to turn the tide at some point, I thank Ralph for besting Eldrazi in no uncertain terms and vindicating my hope that innovation still exists in Magic and particularly in Modern :P (i love to poo poo on Modern). For all Team Oath players for the past one month or so, you were part of that innovation. Every failure and victory no matter how small was a data point that helped build toward common knowledge on how to overcome Eldrazi. You can be proud of that :) You can be proud that you played Magic the Gathering. Yep, you did'nt just play Abzan Company or Storm or Living End or Merfolk. You played Magic the Gathering. Big Bad. Meta shift. Winter. Yah the works. Congratulations you experienced an aspect of Magic not too common these days :)


For Eldrazi players, if you innovated you did good too. If you did'nt and you were just cashin' Hey as long as you were not a mindless doomsayer. You did good too. There are many aspects to Magic. Thats why its a great game. I am just pumpin' Team Oath cos they seem to be forgotten, even tho they have just displayed all the positive aspects of the game :)

Magic won this weekend! Not that Eldrazi being everywhere is a good thing. It was unfortunate. But that magic players overcame the Eldrazi, that was the victory I was hoping for. That was a win for innovation. That was a win for Magic.


I will write more later.

[20160311]


wow.



I did not expect later to be almost a month later hoho. Literally right before the ban and restricted announcement too!!

I have updated the "fifth awakening" post to include a bit on what I think of the coming ban and restricted announcement. As well as write what I think is the fifth awakening :p


So this update will be on the aftermath.


About how I think Eldrazi is wonderful design.


I will probably not finish writing it tonight as I have spent most of my time on the fifth awakening.

But lets see how it goes.... :)

[20160404 02:29]