Season 13 Top 16 Player Showcase
Only 16 players remain in the VML, the penultimate week of the season. Next week, the entire top 8 will be played out. Today I interviewed some of the players in top 16.
Angelic Assassin
The only undefeated player in top 16, Angelic Assassin has cruised through this season playing mostly Boros Tokens and Jeskai Convoke. She brought Boros Tokens this week against The Moon Sage playing Gruul Prowess.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
I chose bunnies this week because it’s gotten me this far, why not?
How do you feel about your match up?
To be honest anything can happen & I’m confident.
What does your testing process look like?
Vegging out on the couch playing against my hubby.
What cards from Foundations are you most excited to play with?
Heroic Reinforcements is going to be a GAME CHANGER for my sick Convoke deck! Think Twice is also pretty rad.
How has the VML helped you improve as a player?
Boosted my confidence to be the only undefeated left & I need that reassurance sometimes.
What does the VML mean to you?
Met some cool people, played some good games, amen.
Amy Altman
Amy is playing in her third season, and third time in top 16. She mostly played Jeskai Tokens and Jeskai Convoke, and is sticking with Convoke this week. Her opponent, Ashame, is on Dimir Midrange.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
I swapped back to Jeskai Convoke because it is good against Dimir Midrange which is what my opponent played all season. Convoke makes a lot of the good cards in Dimir much more awkward and it is awkward for that deck to play wraths because of all its cheap creatures.
How do you feel about your matchup?
I think it’s pretty good but Dimir is one of the best decks so anything can happen.
What does your testing process look like?
I talked with my friends about what deck I should play between Jeskai Builders Talent and Convoke. After I decided to play convoke, I played a bunch of ladder with a Convoke list from the most recent world championships and did specific matchup testing once I knew my opponent’s deck.
What cards from Foundations are you most excited to play with?
Llanowar elves is the most exciting in general. Some of the cat typal stuff seems like it has some promise.
How has the VML helped you improve as a player?
It definitely forces me to do a lot of focused testing and think a lot about matchups and metagaming.
What does the VML mean to you?
What a wonderful opportunity, I’ve just had nothing but great experiences with my competitors and testing teammates in my first three seasons. The quality of these players is so high.
Lady of the Crease
A veteran of the VML, Lady of the Crease has been playing since the very first season. She played Domain Ramp for the regular season, but switched to Jeskai Convoke versus Cora Sabriel Stobie on Dimir Control.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
I have been playing nothing but ramp and midrange for six seasons straight. It was time for me to show more range as a Magic player.
How do you feel about your matchup?
I am pleased with my deck selection, but that doesn’t mean I am not going to have to work hard and play smart to win this.
What does your testing process look like?
I have been jamming as many games on the ladder as I possibly can. When my partner is available he has been testing the matchup with me. We have a two-year-old so free time is not easy to come by!
What cards from Foundations are you most excited to play with?
Boros Charm!
How has the VML helped you improve as a player?
It has helped keep me in the competitive circuit. I have been able to keep tabs on Standard and I have found some really cool lists. It has also given me the opportunity to play with and against a multitude of decks which is one of the most important things if you want to grow as a player.
What does the VML mean to you?
It is welcoming, safe, inclusive, fun and competitive. It is the reason I have commentary experience. I have met so many people through the VML that this community has become irreplaceable in my heart. It is my outlet for so many things and has helped me build and maintain an identity outside of the home/work life and I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to be here.
Jzjaws
The winner of Season 9, Jzjaws is back in another top 16 placement. They’ve played many different decks this season, and registered Azorius Tempo this week against Gdinut on Mono Red Prowess.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
I chose my deck because it is a powerful deck with not too many bad matchups. My opponent is a good friend and we tested together for the season so I know they can play anything.
How do you feel about your matchup?
The matchup is 50/50 but being on the draw is a big disadvantage.
What does your testing process look like?
I played 25 ladder games to find my deck, and then tested the matchup with a friend when I knew what my opponent is playing.
What cards from Foundations are you most excited to play with?
I am excited to play with Llanowar Elves.
How has the VML helped you improve as a player?
The VML has such a great testing structure so I have gotten a lot out of all of the testing.
What does the VML mean to you?
The VML is what got me into competitive magic, after I won Season 9 I got invited to an RC and the VML championships.
Maria Tagi-Zade
Maria is playing her fourth season, and the first time she’s made top 16. She played a variety of decks this season and chose Dimir Demons while her opponent, Brittney is on Mono White Tokens.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
I thought Brittney would keep the same deck – Mono White control, or switch to something similar. I imagined she wouldn’t pick an aggro deck being on a draw, and if she expected me on a midrange, she wouldn’t pick that either. So this left me with not a lot of options, and I picked a deck – Dimir Demons – that is highly favored against Mono White or Domain ramp.
How do you feel about your matchup?
Overall I feel good, but even though the odds are in my favor statistically, I still expect a difficult game.
What cards from Foundations are you most excited to play with?
It is exciting to see Day of Judgment and Llanowar Elves in Standard again. Kaito, Cunning Infiltrator looks like a great addition to Dimir Tempo or Midrange.
What does the VML mean to you?
I know only too well from my own experience how hard and isolating it can be to play competitively while being a person of marginalized gender in Magic. Having this wonderful community encourages us to venture into competitive play and creates a safe space for that.
Sophie Miller
This is Sophie’s fourth season, and her second time making playoffs. She’s played mostly Mono White tokens this season, but has dabbled in a couple other decks. This week, she registered Mono Red Prowess against Nicole Dubin on Temur Otters.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
I kinda just think monoR is the best deck, and I think it’s one of the best deck vs otters. Otters seemed like something Nicole would play again after playing it last week. Also being on the play helps.
How do you feel about your matchup? I would guess that it’s pretty good for me. The Temur deck has a decent amount of removal/bounce to make decks like Gruul that are more reliant on pump spells maybe okay for em, but I suspect the burn spells are better positioned since they have no lifegain. It’s also gonna be hard for them to keep Floodcaller around through the 11 maindeck removal spells for it, hopefully giving me time to burn em out without getting combo’d. That said, I did no testing, and only sorta know how the Temur deck works, so I could be wrong.
What does your testing process look like?
I am doing 0 testing at the moment. I am currently trying to take a break from Magic, but I keep winning VML matches, so here I am.
What cards from Foundations are you most excited to play with?
I want to find ways to cheat Omniscience into play and win from there. I’m coping with Elves. Day of Judgment. Anything but the busted red aggro cards basically.
How has the VML helped you improve as a player?
It’s high level competition. It also strengthens a lot of my ideas around metagaming.
What does the VML mean to you?
It’s fun, it’s exciting, and it’s stressful. I appreciate the queer/non-cis-men space a lot. Relatively high stakes magic for these folks is important and great.