VML Season 11 Top 32 Player Showcase
Only 32 players remain in the VML, as each week approaches the end of the season. With only a few matches left, everyone is more focused than ever on becoming the champion.
Rebell
Rebell is playing in her first VML season. In past weeks, she’s mostly played Mono Red and Esper Midrange but this week she’s on Azorius Control against Burnt Taco’s Esper Midrange.
How did you start playing Magic?
I made fun of my friend for playing wizard cards, then didn’t understand why he wanted to open this card called Akroma so bad. So I bought a pack and opened it. I also thought Kamigawa looked cool.
What got you interested in the VML?
It’s another place for me to queue for the RC from home lol
What does the VML mean to you?
One of the biggest barriers to us showing up is not having the same degree of access to information and fellowship as majority competitive gamers. I’ve noticed especially recently the way the players improve rapidly through the VML shows that not only is it a good vehicle to have more representation in the highest places of magic tournaments, but it’s also a place to train players to get there which is even more important.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
I tried to metagame Burnt Taco and the safest choice for me was Azorius again. In other instances I think Esper might be the safest 50% deck to be playing, but I don’t trust my own skill to beat them in the mirror so I opted for the same strategy with Sarah and banking on me winning through control.
What does your testing process look like?
My process has changed a lot throughout the league, and that’s actually the most valuable part to me. It’s taught me fringe skills I wouldn’t think about playing single day events via a league structure, like meta gaming players or the deck week by week, making adjustments to the main board or sideboard trying to do a read on the opponent. So this week as usual, I requested my friends to be training partners and had live coaching with Roman Fusco and backseat coaching by Mike Flores.
What goals did you have going into the season?
It’s just to qualify for the RC. Technically it’s to be a better player and play X number of good magic games, but I want to qualify. That’s it.
How do you feel about your match this week?
I just did some testing and I feel really good. I think my opponent adjusted the deck to not be caught by a sudden choice of me playing mono red on the play, which was smart because I considered it. I feel confident but my opponent is a really good player so that’s when you need to be extra careful, no matter how confident I can be.
Ashame
Also playing in their first event is Ashame. They ended division play at 6-1, playing almost exclusively Esper Midrange. But this week they brought Azorius Control against Zoe Connell’s Dimir Midrange.
How did you start playing Magic?
I started playing magic after being introduced by a classmate in middle school just after Khans of Tarkir.
What got you interested in the VML?
I became interested in the VML after hearing about some of my friends participating. I saw season 11 signups posted and was on the fence about joining, then Sky gave me a push to say I should definitely join.
What does the VML mean to you?
I see VML as a great opportunity to showcase some amazing magic players who otherwise wouldn’t have gotten as much of a spotlight.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
I chose Azorius control because I’ve been practicing it a lot recently after being dissatisfied with esper recently. I have a history of piloting the deck in Modern while it was still good there.
What does your testing process look like?
My testing process is not very deep; I play matches and I think back to particularly tough decisions and try to re-evaluate them to see if in hindsight there was a better line. I also try to be conscious of particular cards in matchups and evaluate the roles they played in those matchups.
What goals did you have going into the season?
I didn’t really have a goal going into this season honestly, it’s my first season so I wanted to give it a try and see how it went.
How did your match go?
My match was close and fun and interesting until game 3 where I mulliganed a 6-land 7 and was forced to keep a 6-land 6 and ended up just drawing more lands. It’s a little unfortunate because it’s a favorable matchup that I’ve never lost when I played it in the past, but that’s magic sometimes.
Zoe Connell
With two top 4 finishes in seasons 8 and 10, Zoe is one of the more accomplished players of recent seasons. She’s looking to get her first win after coming close in previous seasons.
How did you start playing Magic?
My local video rental store sold Magic cards when I was a kid and I remember they looked so cool. I begged my dad to get me some and he bought me a Portal starter set. Later, in middle school, my friend Justyn got a big shoebox full of Tempest and Stronghold commons from his uncle. We would build awful decks in his basement and I quickly became hooked!
What got you interested in the VML?
I’ve always really loved the competitive side of Magic, but after transitioning and moving across the country, I struggled to find a community. VML seemed like it would be a welcoming place for me and I was also curious to see how well I could do in it.
What does the VML mean to you?
VML is so important to me! It has given me a great outlet for competitive magic that I am able to pursue while also balancing work and just life in general. The community surrounding it is also wonderful. I’ve gotten to meet and play against some really talented players through VML that I otherwise wouldn’t have.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
I chose Dimir Midrange this week because I felt very comfortable with it against a wide range of match-ups. It presents a solid, proactive gameplan and is able to back it up with some of the best interaction in the format. I’m also most comfortable playing the deck.
What does your testing process look like?
Before deck selection, I like to play a wide variety of decks on ladder and just get a feel for them. I’ll look over the results from the recent MTGO challenges and preliminaries to see if any new decks or wrinkles to existing decks have popped up, then think about how those changes could affect the meta. Once I end up on a deck, I try to consider the key cards in its various matchups and tweak numbers based on what deck(s) I think my opponent might bring.
What goals did you have going into the season?
My goal is to win it all! That’s a lofty one, but I’d really love to achieve it. Beyond that, my main goal is just to play the best magic that I can and hope that it works out!
How did your match go?
I won 2-1! I was on Dimir Midrange vs Azorius Control, which I felt pretty comfortable with as I had played the match-up many times. The key to winning on the Dimir side is to apply enough early pressure and disruption to prevent the Azorius Control player from turning the corner.
Winnie
Winnie is playing in her second season, using Esper or Dimir Midrange throughout the division play, but has branched out into Temur Ramp for their playoff matches. This week she’s playing against Piper on Dimir Midrange.
How did you start playing Magic?
I started playing Magic in the summer of 2020 when my partner introduced it to me. We played Commander on the floor of my first apartment all of the time, since it was lockdown still. Time passed and we got to playing Commander at an LGS in our city, and that made me catch a bug for competitive play.
What got you interested in the VML?
My partner saw a twitter post about it a year ago. I had just started playing Standard on Arena and was loving it, so she urged me to sign up, and I ended up doing better than I thought I would!
What does the VML mean to you?
The VML to me is the first place I had the thought ‘woah, I could be good at this’ in regards to competitive Magic. I had a big assumption early on about card games that the people playing them wouldn’t be very friendly or inviting, least of all to anyone who wasn’t a cishet man. That ended up not being the case thanks to my lovely LGS, but that fear still stood for competitive spaces. There aren’t many people like me on the Pro Tour. So, VML to me was a group of people like me who also had the same goal and dream, and a place where the winners are all people I can see myself in.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
I had been testing out Slogurk decks and ended up on Temur Analyst as the superior ramp deck. I usually play Dimir but really wanted to make this deck work, despite knowing it less and struggling in some matchups that should be easy. My opponent was on Bant Toxic every week before, and since that is a very easy matchup for me I thought I’d give it a shot again.
What does your testing process look like?
Chatting with some people playing the deck online, and having my friends help run rounds against my hardest matchups (including the one my VML opponent was on), mostly.
What goals did you have going into the season?
I mostly just wanted to make top cut this season. Last season I got hit hard with bans, and wasn’t familiar enough with the Standard meta to make the right choice afterwards. I spent my wildcards on a bad deck and went from undefeated to not making top cut at a 3-4 finish. I’m very proud that I was able to at least achieve that this season!
How did your match go?
I honestly don’t feel great about it. Having played the matchup a ton to prep for the match, I kept hands I should’ve mulliganed away and lost kind of pathetically. I know in my heart I lost to my own misplays and getting way too psyched out with all these prizes on the line, as well as it being my first match to show up on a stream.
Wrap Up
That’s all for this week’s player showcase! I’ll be back next week with the top 16 competitors