VML Season 13 Week 6 Player Showcase
With division play over halfway completed, competition for the top two division slots is heating up. Players can get into playoffs through the wildcard slots, but getting top two in a division guarantees the spot. This week I talked to eight of the players who are 4-1 or 5-0 fighting for their playoff spot.
Lily Liu
Lily is playing in her first VML season. She’s primarily played Golgari and Dimir Midrange so far, and chose Dimir versus Noto on Golgari Midrange.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
I chose Dimir Midrange since I thought my opponent would play either Gruul Prowess or Golgari Midrange, and I’m comfortable playing against both with Dimir.
What does your testing process look like?
I usually start by looking at stock lists to understand card choices and make my deck for the week. After decklists come out, I write myself a little blurb with notes on the matchup and playtest to refine it.
How do you feel about your matchup?
Good, the floor for Dimir in the matchup is lower, but if I can play well, I think the matchup is fine. My opponent also doesn’t have any copies of Deep-Cavern, so my removal is taxed less and my fliers are basically unblockable.
Noto
This is Noto’s third season, and has played exclusively Gruul Prowess and Golgari Midrange. She opted for Golgari, hoping to beat Lily in the midrange mirror.
What does your testing process look like?
Depends a lot on the week, I like to practice on ladder but repeated testing against my opponent’s list is definitely the ideal.
How do you feel about your matchup?
Could go either way! It will be a lot of who gets the most value on key turns.
How’d you get involved with the VML?
I was recommended to try it by a friend, and have done a couple seasons before. I love playing in a competitive setting and it’s been great to be part of various testing teams each time with such successful players.
What goals do you have for the season?
Do the best I can do, if I can make it to the playoffs then that would be great!
Noah R-G
The writer for the Metagame Update articles, Noah is in their 4th season. This week he registered Orzhov Discard against HoneyComb on Gruul Prowess.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
Orzhov Discard (or rather, Fae Blade) is my current deck in paper, and I’ve been playing it a fair amount in the past few weeks. I anticipated my opponent being on something aggro-y, and I’ve liked how the Orzhov deck plays into red-based aggro and how it can pivot into playing vs other decks. There’s very little aggro can do about Rottenmouth Viper
Rottenmouth Viper
, and Orzhov runs a ton of good removal.
What does your testing process look like?
In the past, it’s been a lot of playing on the Arena ladder or at my LGS. This season, I’ve been a lot more involved with my testing team (shoutout to Vraska and the Innkeepers!), so we often meet up once or twice before our matches to test. Being able to talk through ideas and interactions and take sideboarding notes has been super helpful!
How do you feel about your matchup?
Reasonably confident, but trying not to be overconfident. Gruul Prowess is the deck I’ve played against the most (half the folks at my LGS are on that deck), and I know my deck plays well against that. A game is never won until it’s done, but playing against aggro is my comfort zone in Magic.
What cards/decks from Duskmorn are you most excited about?
Nowhere to Run Nowhere to Run
completely blanking hexproof and ward has been incredible. It’s very satisfying getting to kill a Valgavoth, Terror Eater
Valgavoth, Terror Eater
on ladder without having to sacrifice any of my own permanents! Particularly for the Fae Blade deck, instant-speed removal that leaves a permanent behind you can sac to the Viper is very helpful.
How’d you get involved with the VML?
I’d heard about it last year through an acquaintance, and I figured I’d try it out when I saw that season 10 was starting soon. It was mostly just so I could join the group and talk with more trans Magic players, since at the time I was the only openly trans person regularly at my LGS. I really fell in love with VML and the format when I started doing the weekly stats article and people enjoyed seeing that.
Hilariously, those weekly stats articles are the reason I’m in grad school going for a data science degree! I had so much fun with them that I realized I could turn it into a much more fulfilling career for myself than what I’d been doing before.
What goals do you have for the season?
Same goal I have every season: do at least a little bit better than I did the season before, and learn a little more about how to be a good player. Assuming I do well in the next two weeks, I have a good chance of making my first VML playoffs ever! (Only took four seasons, lol.) But even without that, one more win puts me at my best VML record so far. I’m coming out of this season feeling like a much stronger player too, thanks to working with my testing team.
KateyCats
This is Katey’s first VML season, playing mostly aggro decks like Gruul Prowess or Jeskai Convoke. She’s on Boros Aggro this week, facing Sprite playing Domain Ramp.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
I chose my deck this week because I had a hard time finding another deck that I like and this one has won me 2 weeks already.
What does your testing process look like?
I usually test with my partner Sammy and some other friends on Arena for each matchup after decks are published.
How do you feel about your matchup?
I’m not confident about my matchup after doing some testing but with some luck, I think I can pull some wins out.
What cards/decks from Duskmorn are most exciting?
I love the overlords from Duskmourn because they help a lot with higher cost decks. I also love the enduring cards since their such an interesting take on enchantment creatures
How’d you get involved with the VML?
I was introduced to the VML through my partner Sammy but I had seen some ads for it while playing Arena I think.
What goals do you have for the season?
I’m hoping to make it to the top 32 cut after the 7 weeks are done but after that any more wins I get are going to be a bonus.
Sammy
Also playing her first season is Sammy. She’s mostly played Token decks, but this week she’s on Mono Black Midrange against Crowtaur playing Domain Ramp.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
I tried a number of different decks for the week (boros aggro, domain, mono black midrange, some combo stuff). I thought my opponent would likely play domain based on her deck choices from previous weeks. I was having the most fun with the mono black deck, so I figured I’d go with that. And while I don’t think midrange is generally a very good choice vs domain, this version felt good enough with the hand disruption to be worth trying.
What cards/decks from Duskmorn are most exciting?
FOMO is very exciting for aggro and delirium decks. The Overlords have been very fun with Beanstalk and Zur. I would love to see a reanimator deck happen in standard at some point with all the new tools that were added.
How’d you get involved with the VML?
Noor, a fellow Seattle grinder and friend, told me about it while she was helping me prep for the Dallas RC. It was sadly a week too late to join season 12, so I joined the next season and here I am.
What goals do you have for the season?
My primary goal is to qualify for the playoffs, preferably with the round one bye. Once we’re there, next goal is top 8. In general my goal is to play the best I can 😀
Stacy Wilson
Stacy is in her second season, playing a variety of different decks. This week she chose Sultai Reanimator against Nigekki on Dimir Midrange.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
I chose my deck this week because I thought that the lack of graveyard hate in the meta would give me an advantage. Also I really like combo decks and wanted to play something new. I try to change up my deck every week so that no one can metagame against me
What does your testing process look like?
My testing process is pretty basic. I find a list I think will do well and just practice it on the arena ladder until I feel comfortable with it. Once I know what deck my opponent will be on I’ll do a practice match with my team to figure out details of the match. Like gameplay and sideboarding.
What cards/decks from Duskmorn are most exciting?
Abhorrent Oculus is pretty cool. Valgorath terror eater is a nice reanimation target. The lands are cool. Nothing in the set super jumped out to me. But I like the sets overall vibe.
Autumn
Autumn is undefeated so far in Division 5, primarily registering Caretaker’s Talent decks. They brought Jeskai Convoke this week against Aoife playing Temur Storm.
Why did you choose your deck this week?
I felt like my opponent was likely to register either Golgari or Stormsplitter again, and that Convoke lined up well into both of those decks by going wide against Golgari and killing fast against Stormsplitter
What does your testing process look like?
I play a lot of Standard on my stream which means I naturally just end up learning a lot about the format and gaining enough experience with different strategies to pick up whatever feels correct for my current opponent
How do you feel about your matchup?
I have won my match already 🙂 But also I feel like the match-up is quite good for me, though a bit less so than I expected just because my opponent’s deck was quite effective at blocking
What cards/decks from Duskmorn are most exciting?
I’m still obsessed with Caretaker’s Talent decks, think Nashi is a really fun card, and think Painter’s Studio // Defaced Gallery is a sleeper hit that I’ve loved in aggressive red strategies
CacZarn
CacZarn is playing their third season. They’ve played Golgari and Gruul decks, but are switching things up this week, opting for Domain Ramp versus Andrea Smith on Orzhov Midrange.
How do you feel about your matchup?
I feel ok to good. My opponent is a very good player though so I think the points I get from deck selection are more evening out the playing field rather than giving me some insurmountable advantage.
What cards/decks from Duskmorn are most exciting?
In this deck the Overlords are just a complete house. But overall as someone who likes to move lands between zones Altanak is probably my favorite card from the set.
How’d you get involved with the VML?
I started playing 4 seasons ago right as I was dipping my toe into comp magic. I was very unaware how much of a plunge this league actually was.
What goals do you have for the season?
My goal for this season was to have a positive win rate as opposed to the other two seasons I participated in. So I met that. Now I guess it’s to see how far this momentum takes me.