On August 23rd, 2014, an event dubbed “Highlander for Staples” was held at Yellowjacket Comics in Victoria, British Columbia. Yellowjacket is the birthplace of Canadian Highlander, and has been the stomping ground of Highlander players (and many of the formats predecessors) for over ten years! The event boasted 28 players, from Highlander regulars to once-in-a-blue-moon locals, all competing for the format staple, Mana Drain. We ran a five round Swiss event, with a cut into Top 8. Posted below are the Top 4 players and their decklists The remaining lists (and players 5-8) will be included in a second post.
1st – Benjamin Wheeler – Mono Green Craterhoof – 7 Points / 100 Cards
Creatures (44):
Arbor Elf
Avacyn’s Pilgrim
Bane of Progress
Birds of Paradise
Boreal Druid
Caller of the Claw
Carven Caryatid
Courser of Kruphix
Craterhoof Behemoth
Deathrite Shaman
Deranged Hermit
Dryad Arbor
Elves of Deep Shadow
Elvish Archdruid
Elvish Mystic
Elvish Visionary
Eternal Witness
Fauna Shaman
Fyndhorn Elves
Genesis Hydra
Hornet Queen
Huntmaster of the Fels
Joraga Treespeaker
Kozilek’s Predator
Llanowar Elves
Masked Admirers
Multani’s Acolyte
Nest Invader
Noble Hierarch
Priest of Titania
Primeval Titan
Quirion Ranger
Reclamation Sage
Regal Force
Rofellos, Llanowar Emissary
Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
Scryb Ranger
Thragtusk
Viridian Shaman
Voyaging Satyr
Wall of Blossoms
Wall of Roots
Wood Elves
Xenagos, God of Revels
Other Permanents (12):
Expedition Map
Mana Crypt (1)
Mox Emerald (2)
Utopia Sprawl
Wild Growth
Domri Rade
Garruk Relentless
Garruk Wildspeaker
Garruk, Caller of Beasts
Garruk, Primal Hunter
Nissa, Worldwaker
Xenagos, the Reveler
Instants & Sorceries (10):
Chord of Calling
Crop Rotation
Summoner’s Pact (1)
Worldly Tutor (1)
Green Sun’s Zenith
Harmonize
Natural Order (2)
Primal Command
Sylvan Scrying
Tooth and Nail
Lands (34):
Dark Depths
Gaea’s Cradle
Homeward Path
Kessig Wolf Run
Misty Rainforest
Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
Rootbound Crag
Stomping Ground
Taiga
Thespian’s Stage
Verdant Catacombs
Windswept Heath
Wooded Foothills
21x Snow-Covered Forest
2nd – Jordan Doerksen – Red Deck Wins – 6 Points / 100 Cards
Creatures (27):
Ash Zealot
Ball Lightning
Blistering Firecat
Blood Knight
Boggart Ram-Gang
Boros Reckoner
Chandra’s Phoenix
Eidolon of the Great Revel
Ember Hauler
Figure of Destiny
Flamekin Harbinger
Goblin Guide
Grim Lavamancer
Hell’s Thunder
Hellspark Elemental
Kargan Dragonlord
Keldon Marauders
Magus of the Moon
Mogg Fanatic
Rakdos Cackler
Reckless Waif
Stigma Lasher
Stormblood Berserker
Stromkirk Noble
Tattermunge Maniac
Vexing Devil
Zo-Zu the Punisher
Other Permanents (7):
Ankh of Mishra
Mox Ruby (2)
Shrine of Burning Rage
Skullclamp (2)
Blood Moon
Sulfuric Vortex
Koth of the Hammer
Instants & Sorceries (34)
Brimstone Volley
Burst Lightning
Char
Fireblast
Flame Javelin
Flames of the Blood Hand
Incinerate
Lightning Bolt
Lightning Strike
Magma Jet
Price of Progress
Pulse of the Forge
Rhystic Lightning
Searing Blaze
Searing Blood
Searing Spear
Skullcrack
Staggershock
Volcanic Fallout
Arc Lightning
Arc Trail
Breath of Darigaaz
Chain Lightning
Earthquake
Fire Ambush
Firebolt
Flame Rift
Flames of the Firebrand
Forked Bolt
Lava Spike
Molten Rain
Reckless Abandon
Rift Bolt
Volcanic Hammer
Lands (32):
Barbarian Ring
Mishra’s Factory
Strip Mine (2)
Wasteland
28x Mountain
3rd – 4th – Alasdair Howie – The Rock – 7 Points / 100 Cards
Creatures (19):
Arbor Elf
Birds of Paradise
Courser of Kruphix
Eternal Witness
Kitchen Finks
Massacre Wurm
Obstinate Baloth
Overgrown Battlement
Polkranos, World Eater
Reclamation Sage
Rune-Scarred Demon
Sakura-Tribe Elder
Scavenging Ooze
Shriekmaw
Sylvan Caryatid
Tarmogoyf
Thragtusk
Thrun, the Last Troll
Wall of Roots
Other Permanents (21):
Coercive Portal
Sensei’s Divining Top
Sol Ring (3)
Animate Dead
Curse of Shallow Graves
Mirri’s Guile
Necromancy
Pernicious Deed
Phyrexian Arena
Recurring Nightmare
Survival of the Fittest (2)
Sylvan Library
Utopia Sprawl
Wild Growth
Garruk Relentless
Garruk Wildspeaker
Garruk, Primal Hunter
Liliana of the Veil
Nissa, Worldwaker
Sorin Markov
Vraska the Unseen
Instants & Sorceries (21):
Abrupt Decay
Doom Blade
Go for the Throat
Hero’s Downfall
Skeletal Scrying
Crime // Punishment
Damnation
Demonic Tutor (2)
Duress
Gaze of Granite
Green Sun’s Zenith
Harmonize
Hymn to Tourach
Inquisition of Kozilek
Maelstrom Pulse
Mind Twist
Nature’s Lore
Primal Command
Profane Command
Thoughtseize
Toxic Deluge
Lands (39):
Bayou
Bloodstained Mire
Gilt-Leaf Palace
Llanowar Wastes
Marsh Flats
Maze of Ith
Mishra’s Factory
Misty Rainforest
Murmuring Bosk
Mutavault
Overgrown Tomb
Polluted Delta
Shizo, Death’s Storehouse
Tainted Wood
Temple of Malady
Treetop Village
Twilight Mire
Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Verdant Catacombs
Volrath’s Stronghold
Wasteland
Windswept Heath
Wooded Foothills
Woodland Cemetery
Yavimaya Hollow
8x Snow-Covered Forest
6x Snow-Covered Swamp
3rd – 4th – Robin Sorensen – UG Sorenson (UG Tempo) -7 Points / 100 Cards
Creatures (22):
Chasm Skulker
Deathrite Shaman
Delver of Secrets
Edric, Spymaster of Trest
Frostburn Weird
Lorescale Coatl
Mayor of Avabruck
Quirion Dryad
Scavenging Ooze
Skinshifter
Snapcaster Mage
Tarmogoyf
Thada Adel, Acquisitor
Trinket Mage
True-Name Nemesis
Trygon Predator
Vendilion Clique
Venser, Shaper Savant
Vinelasher Kudzu
Wake Thrasher
Werebear
Wild Mongrel
Other Permanents (7):
Aether Spellbomb
Mox Sapphire (2)
Sensei’s Divining Top
Sword of Fire and Ice
Umezawa’s Jitte (1)
Vedalken Shackles
Jace, the Mind Sculptor (1)
Instants & Sorceries (34)
Brainstorm
Condescend
Counterspell
Cryptic Command
Daze
Fact or Fiction
Force Spike
Force of Will
Impulse
Logic Knot
Mana Drain
Mana Leak
Memory Lapse
Mental Misstep
Miscalculation
Misdirection
Mystical Tutor (1)
Negate
Remand
Repeal
Repulse
Simic Charm
Snap
Spell Pierce
Spell Snare
Stifle
Thirst for Knowledge
Ancestral Vision
Bribery
Ponder
Preordain
Sleight of Hand
Temporal Mastery
Temporal Spring
Time Walk (3)
Lands (36):
Bayou
Breeding Pool
Faerie Conclave
Flooded Grove
Flooded Strand
Hinterland Harbor
Misty Rainforest
Mutavault
Oboro, Palace in the Clouds
Polluted Delta
Rishadan Port
Scalding Tarn
Tectonic Edge
Treetop Village
Tropical Island
Underground Sea
Verdant Catacombs
Wasteland
Windswept Heath
Wooded Foothills
Yavimaya Coast
Forest
14x Island
Due to restraints on the word count, this will be it for this post. I’ll upload the players and their appropriate decklists for 5th – 8th in part 2.
For those interested on some insight on Mono Green Craterhoof, I’ll be uploading a deck-to-deck comparison of my winning list, and my second place finish at last years Canadian Highlander Championship.
Cheers,
Benjamin Wheeler