The Vintage Championship- 1994 (WITH ACTUAL DECKSLISTS): FINALIZED and UPDATED
(the original thread: http://www.archive.themanadrain.com/index.php?topic=47827.0)
So I started this project on the old drain about a year ago. I've always had a passion for this event, and probably re-read Zak Dolan's diary in the Duelist 100 times. My friends and I even replayed the Zak vs Bertrand matches for fun (Pro Tip: take Bertrand's deck). However, I always wondered about the other two decks that day. They were published in the corners of the internet, but didn't seem to match the stories and other evidence of the day. After a year of back and forth, inspecting photos, and talking to other people, I finally think I have gotten close to the actual deckslists from that event (and I am putting it aside if someone else wants to take it up). Most of the decklists on the internet seem to be incorrect (even the one for Bertrand on Wizard’s website), so after some research here is how it actually went down.
WE’VE MADE CONTACT WITH ALL FOUR PLAYERS (though 20yr old memories are hazy).
The early roadblocks to the project:
Zak and Bertrand remember Dominic playing Juzam Djinn, and Bertrand remembers Cyrille playing a zoo style deck.
Zak claims Dominic also played Dark Ritual with Gloom, Tsunami, Chaos Orb, Flashfires in the sideboard. Dominic said Zak was confusing his deck with the other Frenchman from the quarterfinals (who did play Juzam, Dark Ritual).
Cyrille is reported to have lost his third game to Bertand because he drew Diamond Valley as his only land.
Cyrille is also reported to have played a deck very similar to Bertrand's (Shivans for Serendibs, and with Strip Mines)
Notes:
Bertrand played 61 cards (Sylvan Library and Chaos Orb), in the event that he had to rip up a Chaos Orb (rumored to be possible) and could still finish with 60 cards.
Cyrille played ~62 cards, and 1 Diamond Valley. The reason for the Diamond Valley, was on that day, the Head Judge ruled you couldn’t go below zero life. So with a Diamond Valley in play, your opponent could attack with everything, you could take it, then sacrifice a Llanowar to Diamond Valley and then still be alive (at 1 life) and counter-attack for the win. Super crucial to a lot of his matches Cyrille claimed, but he ultimately lost in the semis when he drew it as his only land (and back then you couldn’t mulligan unless you had a “no-land” hand).
The decks below also conform to the photos from that day (http://archive.wizards.com/Magic/Magazine/Article.aspx?x=mtgcom/feature/226captions). The only mystery is Zak’s claim that Dominic was playing Juzam (from the Zak Dolan diary), but Dominic says he is confusing Dominic with his quarter-finals opponent.
ALL FOUR DECKS (for the first time in internet accurate history!)
Zak Dolan: FIRST PLACE
1 Clone
2 Old Man of the Sea
1 Time Elemental
1 Vesuvan Doppleganger
1 Birds of Paradise
1 Ley Druid
4 Serra Angel
1 Recall
1 Timetwister
1 Time Walk
1 Regrowth
1 Armageddon
1 Wrath of God
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Mana Drain
1 Siren’s Call
2 Disenchant
4 Swords to Plowshares
1 Black Lotus
1 Black Vise
1 Howling Mine
1 Icy Manipulator
1 Ivory Tower
1 Mana Vault
2 Meekstone
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
1 Winter Orb
1 Control Magic
2 Stasis
1 Kismet
1 Library of Alexandria
4 Savannah
4 Tropical Island
4 Tundra
2 Strip Mine
Sideboard:
1 Kismet
1 Circle of Protection: Red
1 Diamond Valley
1 Floral Spuzzem
1 Magical Hack
1 Presence of the Master
1 Sleight of Mind
1 Chaos Orb
1 Copy Artifact
1 In the Eye of Chaos
2 Karma
1 Power Sink
1 Reverse Damage
1 Winter Blast
[ no notes, Zak explains this deck pretty thoroughly in his diary for the Duelist]
Bertrand Lestree- 2ND PLACE
3 Argothian Pixies
4 Kird Ape
3 Birds of Paradise
2 Whirling Dervish
4 Fireball
4 Chain Lightning
1 Channel
1 Time Walk
1 Regrowth
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Mind Twist
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Psionic Blast
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Black Lotus
1 Chaos Orb
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Icy Manipulator
1 Control Magic
1 Sylvan Library (not in online decklists- but in the report)
2 City of Brass
4 Taiga
2 Bayou
4 Tropical Island
4 Mishra’s Factory
4 Volcanic Island
Sideboard:
1 Control Magic
3 Disintegrate
1 Forcefield
4 Serendib Efreet
1 City in a Bottle
1 Flashfires
2 Lifeforce
2 Tsunami
[Bertrand regrets not playing Strip Mine]
Cyrille de Foucaud 3RD/4TH (CONFIRMED BY CYRILLE)
1 Berserk
4 Birds of Paradise
1 Channel
1 Erhnam Djinn
3 Giant Growth
1 Regrowth
2 Disintegrate
3 Fireball
1 Granite Gargoyle
4 Kird Ape
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Shivan Dragon
1 Uthden Troll
1 Demonic Tutor
1 Ancestral Recall
1 Power Sink
1 Time Walk
1 Timetwister
3 Serendib Efreet
1 Black Lotus
1 Chaos Orb
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Pearl
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Bayou
2 City of Brass
1 Library of Alexandria
1 Diamond Valley
4 Mishra's Factory
3 Strip Mine
4 Taiga
4 Tropical Island
4 Volcanic Island
Sideboard:
2 Crumble
1 Tranquility
2 Tsunami
2 Whirling Dervish
3 Red Elemental Blast
1 Mind Twist
3 Blue Elemental Blast
1 Bartel Runeaxe
[He is confident he could have won if he had cut down to 60 cards, and bemoans some of his creature choices. He said he was young and played "cards he liked."]
Dominic Symens (3RD/4TH) (CONFIRMED BY DOMINIC)
3 Badlands
3 Bayou
2 City of Brass
4 Taiga
3 Tropical Island
1 Volcanic Island
1 Aladdin
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Kird Ape
4 Llanowar Elves
1 Ancestral Recall
4 Chain Lightning
1 Channel
1 Demonic Tutor
4 Fireball
1 Fork
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Mind Twist
1 Regrowth
1 Time Walk
2 Animate Dead
1 Black Lotus
1 Chaos Orb
3 Juggernaut
1 Mox Emerald
1 Mox Jet
1 Mox Ruby
1 Mox Sapphire
1 Sol Ring
Sideboard:
3 Jade Statue
1 Blue Elemental Blast
1 Mox Pearl
2 Psionic Blast
4 Red Elemental Blast
2 Spinal Villian
2 Tranquility
[ The Jade Statues were to exchange them for the Juggrnauts if he saw bolts or Wrath of God.]
**Thanks to all who helped in the old thread ( @sodoyouwearacape, @JACO and Carl Devos, and of course Zak, Bertrand, Cyrille, and Dominic!
And while there are still some differences, the originator of this project can be found here (Carl):
http://zongo.be/magic/deck/world.php
As this posting is still not 100% accurate, it’s as close as I will be able to take it. If someone else wants to take over the reigns, I’m fine!!**
My only regret is that the Juzam deck didn't make it to the Semi-Finals. Would have liked to have run the four deck gauntlet with a little more variety.