Congratulations to Micah Greenbaum your Baltimore Legacy Open champion! His Aggro Loam deck powered through nine rounds of fierce competition and a high-powered Top en route to snagging the trophy against two-time bridesmaid John Winters. John's performance was all part of an effort to qualify for the Pro Tour but his bittersweet finals loss has him going home with his fingers crossed. The Legacy Open featured a diverse mixture of decks proving that the format remains healthy and well from week to week. Twin-Blade took advantage of its last legal weekend with a victory in the hands of Ali Aintrazi and the Baltimore Open Weekend boasted enough draft interest to fire three Draft Opens! Shaheen Soorani Stephen King and Ray Tautic each claimed a victory with Ray actually chopping the first event with Shaheen in the finals and nearly managing a double victory. @SCGLive will be taking a break over the next few weeks as M12 releases but that set will debut at our Cincinnati Open Weekend in July. Gavin Verhey and debut host Ari Lax will be bringing you commentary and evaluations of the new set—we'll see you there!  Loading Event Photos...
 Micah Greenbaum
 By Event StaffTop 16 Legacy DecklistsCheck out the decks used by the top competitors at StarCityGames.com Legacy Open: Baltimore.  By Glenn JonesFinals: John Winters vs. Micah GreenbaumThe finals matchup pitted John Winters and his U/W Landstill deck against Micah Greenbaum's Life from the Loam strategy. Micah's Loam deck featured four colors and included the Grove of the Burnwillows/Punishing Fire combo alongside some very durable creatures. John won most of his matches today with Wasteland or Dust Bowl alongside Crucible of Worlds—how would he fare against an opponent with Loam?  By Glenn JonesSemifinals: Dave Shiels vs. John WintersThe U/W control matchup in Legacy is highly tactical but also highly dull. Dave's build incorporated Stoneforge Mystics while John's was a Landstill variant that relied more on Crucible of Worlds and Jace the Mind Sculptor.  By Glenn JonesQuarterfinals: Ryan Pawlik vs. Jacob SimmonsJacob's B/G deck featured Bitterblossom and plenty of removal alongside his disruption package but he was facing a tough matchup against Ryan Pawlik's Merfolk.  By Glenn JonesLegacy Open Top 8 ProfilesMeet the Top 8 competitors in the StarCityGames.com Legacy Open in Baltimore.  By Glenn JonesRound 9: Kemper Pogue vs. Brandon LeonhardtRound 9 featured a Zoo mirror match between two of the veteran pilots in the room. Kemper Pogue found a Top 8 berth at the Washington D.C. Legacy Open a few months ago while Brandon Leonhardt has been around the block a time or two.  By Glenn JonesCube Rotisserie DraftJustin Parnell is one of the better-known cube drafting enthusiasts among the players local to the Virginia/North Carolina area. In addition to a Facebook group for cubing Justin travels to as many Star City Opens as he can manage his cube always in two. By Glenn JonesRound 8: Paul Lynch vs. Eli KassisEli Kassis took down a Legacy event on Saturday with his new Reanimator build and was very excited to be piloting it in the Legacy Open today. Off to a very strong start already he found himself paired against friend Paul Lynch in the penultimate round piloting Merfolk. By Glenn JonesRound 6: Ken Adams vs. Nathaniel ChafeKen Adams chose to pilot a unique brew this weekend using Buried Alive to facilitate a Necrotic Ooze/Triskelion/Phyrexian Devourer combo alongside Reanimate. Nate's deck was a more traditional U/W control list packing Stoneforge Mystic and Ancestral Vision.  By Glenn JonesDeck Tech: MaskNaught with AJ KerriganToday AJ is piloting an updated version of an old Eternal classic: MaskNaught. The original deck simply used Illusionary Mask to play Phyrexian Dreadnought on the cheap often threatening the 12/12 as early as turn 1 thanks to Dark Ritual.  By Glenn JonesQuick Question: Mental Misstep Has Done A Number On Legacy Combo Decks. How Should They Fight Back?Combo decks are a major part of the Legacy metagame but they're being hindered by Mental Misstep. How should they respond? By Glenn JonesDeck Tech: Shaman Combo with Ken AdamsNecrotic Ooze is back baby! Ken Adams has rocketed off to an undefeated start with a deck that hybridizes beatdown and combo alongside disruption and is certainly playing one of the coolest decks in the tournament. By Glenn JonesQuick Question: Does U/W Control In Legacy Need Stoneforge Mystic?With Landstill builds competing for Top 8 slots in Legacy is Stoneforge Mystic a necessary component in U/W Control? By Glenn JonesDeck Tech: Turboland with Ali AintraziSelf-proclaimed “Simic master” Ali Aintrazi loves himself some Time Warp. Ever since the card rotated Ali has longed to join his favorite sorcery once again. By Glenn JonesQuick Question: Hive Mind Is For Real—How Are You Planning To Beat It?The Hive Mind combo deck in Legacy is quickly becoming a real presence in the metagame. How are players preparing? By Glenn JonesQuick Question: Will Standard Return to the Pre-PT Paris Metagame Or Will New Phyrexia Change Things?Will the next three months of Standard look like the Standard of five months ago? Or are there major changes in store?
 Ali Aintrazi
By Event StaffTop 16 Standard DecklistsCheck out the decks used by the top competitors at StarCityGames.com Standard Open: Baltimore. By Glenn JonesFinals: Ali Aintrazi vs. Jason FordFor Jason Ford a win here would add another trophy to what has already been a strong year for the grinder. Ali Aintrazi could add a page to history with a victory becoming the second player to successfully defend a Standard Open title. By Glenn JonesSemifinals: Jason Ford vs. Paul LongoPaul Longo showed up in Baltimore to prove that Primeval Titan didn't need the help of Wizards of the Coast to compete with Jace the Mind Sculptor and Stoneforge Mystic—his semifinal finish indicated he might just be right. By Glenn JonesQuarterfinals: Jason Ford vs. Jason PongonisGrand Prix Atlanta winner Jason “JFord” Ford stood poised to claim another title this weekend—that of Standard Open champion. Piloting Gerry Thompson's Twin-Blade list he'd cruised into the Top 8 this weekend but found himself now facing off against one of his toughest matchups—Mono Red. By Glenn JonesStandard Open Top 8 ProfilesMeet the Top 8 competitors in the StarCityGames.com Standard Open in Baltimore. By Glenn JonesRound 10: Edgar Flores vs. Kurt SpeissThe tenth round pitted Caw-Blade pilot extraordinaire against Kurt Speiss a ringer on Twin-Blade. Edgar's prowess in mirrors is renowned but the Twin-Blade matchup is a different animal—Edgar would need to tread carefully. By Glenn JonesRound 9: Ian Richter vs. Micah GreenbaumMono Red versus Caw-Blade—the matchup has reared its head time and again on the Open Series circuit. Ian Richter finds himself playing the unlikely hero today hoping his Mountains and Goblin Guides will triumph over Micah's Seachrome Coasts and Stoneforge Mystics. By Glenn JonesRound 8: Ben Friedman vs. Matt FerrandoOn Twin-Blade Ben Friedman is one of the archetype's many pilots moving into Top 8 range. His opponent Matt Ferrando is on a Bant Stoneforge Mystic list not so unlike Joe Bernal's. By Glenn JonesQuick Question: Does Batterskull Have A Place In The World Without Stoneforge Mystic?Batterskull was a Standard-defining card but on July 1 will its presence still be felt? By Glenn JonesRound 7: Gerry Thompson vs. Josh ChoGerry Thompson is among many players in the room finding success with Twin-Blade a deck that combines the Deceiver Exarch/Splinter Twin combination with a traditional Caw-Blade shell. By Glenn JonesDeck Tech: Bant-Blade with Joe BernalBaltimore offered Joe his last hurrah with the archetype he'd loved so much and he couldn't pass up the opportunity to cast Stoneforge and Vengevines one last time. By Glenn JonesQuick Question: Name One Card You're Excited To Start Brewing With For Standard Sans Stoneforge.Without Jace or Stoneforge to worry about what cards are players most excited to start playing in Standard? By Glenn JonesQuick Question: What's Stopping Primeval Titan From Taking Over The Standard Format?Without Jace the Mind Sculptor and a strong proactive control deck in the format will Standard be taken over by strategies like Valakut and Eldrazi Ramp? See what the pros have to say. |
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