Banshee Cup 1 Wrap-Up
The eerie call of the Banshee was heard by players across Finland, and come August, it was time to gather.
This was our first Banshee Cup tournament, and we wanted to make it a memorable one. From an organizer’s point of view, the event could not have gone better. The main event was played with a full house of 24 players, and all the players seemed to enjoy themselves.
Friday
Friday was a draft day. We decided to run a re-pack draft with players getting to keep all the cards they picked. It was based on the Uthden Troll Cup draft, and with their permission, we started collecting cards. As not everyone has had the pleasure of trying it out yet, this was an easy way of experiencing the draft. With seven players and one organizer, the draft was underway.
To no one’s surprise, red and black removal decks were very popular. There was a lot of easy removal up for grabs, and in the middle of the tournament, we started to fear that white was perhaps a bit too weak. But boy, were we wrong when a blue and white list won the event.
Saturday
On Saturday, players started to show up at the main event venue at Tilausravintola. This was our second choice after the first venue pulled the rug from under us by raising their prices right before we locked everything in place. Their loss. This was a blessing in disguise, as Tilausravintola turned out to be an amazing venue for us.
The tournament started nicely, and we were on schedule for the whole day, which is always a delight. We had a strict deadline and were ready to speed things up a bit, but that was a non-issue after all.
After round two, it was lunchtime. The venue had prepared a delightful chicken salad buffet for us. Getting to grab some extra wine and cheese for the next round was a rare treat for a Magic tournament. Next year, we will try to accommodate vegetarians and vegans better, so there is more for everyone.
When the five swiss rounds were over, it was time to dig into our party box and see what raffle prizes there were. In total, we raffled a 1995 Magic wall calendar, two packs of Renaissance boosters, an Italian Dark booster, a set of hand-made MTG-themed coasters, a VHS-style Banshee-themed deck box, a Banshee sketched and signed by Jesper Myrfors and an Unlimited Icy Manipulator altered by Dewil. We also handed out the Spice Prize for the tastiest deck.
We had a clean cut for the Top-4 with Tuukka with Erhnamgeddon, Jonni with DFB Green, Jussi with Mono-R Goblins, and Antti with SSSage at the top spots. In the semis, Goblins were a too fiery opponent for the small green critters, and Erhnams were too beefy for the deck full of 4/4s.
In the finals, Tuukka faced Jussi in a brutal match. After the dust settled, the goblins laid waste with a 2-1 win, and Tuukka had won the tournament. Letting your opponent die to their own Copper Tablet without swinging for lethal sent a message.
Meta
The meta for the main event was nice and aggressive. Erhnamgeddon was the most played deck, while Underworld Dreams might have been the most played card. If not really, it sure felt that way.
3x Erhnamgeddon
2x Disco Troll
SSSAGE
Juxtabots
Dead Guy Ale
Stasis Vault
DFB Green
Mono-R Goblins
Underworld Dreams Combo
Mono-B
UB Dreams
UW Good Stuff
Tax Edge
Blue Bots
Mono-W Midrange
GUb Robots
UR Orcs
Diamond Disco
Nether Void Control
Banshee Bomber