Altered Mystical Tutor card, given as a prize to the winner of the XII MTG Old Frame League.

XII MTG Old Frame League

After a break to play large decks with commanding legends on the first tournament of the Old Frame Commander format over the XI MTG Old Frame League, our league went back to the original Old Frame Vintage format for the XII MTG Old Frame League. And it was a blast!

After a last minute addition right after registration closed, the 13 players registered were split in three different groups randomly arranged, but taking into consideration the time-zone and weekly needs of each one of the participants. Groups looked like this.

XII MTG Old Frame League Groups.
Groups of the XII MTG Old Frame League.

Ahead of them, everyone had a single round-robin in order to decide the winners and the best second position. Four players that would play the Top 4 for a chance not only to have bragging rights, but also to get our first ever altered foil prize card!

Altered Mystical Tutor card, given as a prize to the winner of the XII MTG Old Frame League.
Altered Mystical Tutor card, given as a prize to the winner of the XII MTG Old Frame League.

The usual suspects could be found amongst the participants. Decks that have performed quite well over the two years the format has existed: TPS, Hulk Smash, Reanimate or Stiflenought. But also, as usual, some brews that would satisfy our thirst and both pay rendition to decks played in the past while setting up the future of Old Frame Vintage.

22 matches and 55 games later, the group stage of the XII MTG Old Frame League was over and the tables would look as follow:

XII MTG Old Frame League Group Standings.
Standings after the group stage of the XII MTG Old Frame League.

Top 4

Everything was ready for the semi-finals that would see the group winner with the best adjusted GW%, one-time league winner Karl Akbari, play against the best second place, two-time winner Vedast Sanxis.

While the second semi-final would match the other two group winners, Alexander Caviris (on his first ever Top 4 appearance) and Phil Thorson, runner-up of the X MTG Old Frame League.

XII MTG Old Frame League Brackets.
Top 4 pairings of the XII MTG Old Frame League.

Finally, the semi-finals were here. On the first one, Karl continued his unbeaten streak by defeating Vedast 2-1. Semi-final number two saw Phil win his third match in a row by 2-0. Alexander Caviris was out in the semi-finals after reaching the Top 4 for the first time.

Finals

With the contenders decided, Karl Akbari‘s The Shining and Phil Thorson‘s MaskNought, it was time to play a highly anticipated final match. And here it is!

XII MTG Old Frame League Online Final.

What a match it was, and against all odds, in a match up that was initially favorable to Phil, Karl managed to win 3-0. For yours truly, and after playing the league for the first time, I have to say it’s quite fun to see two great players match up regardless of the outcome. I would have loved to have two more games, though!

So, congratulations Karl, for your second victory in the league after losing three out of the last four finals. It must have been an amazing feeling! And best of luck to Phil, who has reached the finals twice already in only two appearances. Will the third time be a charm?


Would you like to try your luck and skill against Karl, Phil and the rest of us? The registration for the XIII MTG Old Frame League Online will be open on this link until Monday July 18th.

If you read this recap after that, join us either on Discord or Facebook, because we are planing on organising bigger and better tournaments both in Old Frame Vintage and other Old Frame formats.

MTG Old Frame League Decks

Following you will see almost all the decks that played the XII MTG Old Frame League, so you can copy or adapt your own!

The Shining – Karl Akbari – First Place

The Shining - Karl Akbari - First Place.

MaskNought – Phil Thorson – Second Place

MaskNought - Phil Thorson - Second Place.

Reanimator – Alexander Caviris – Semi-Finalist

Reanimate - Alexander Caviris - Semifinals.

The Perfect Storm – Vedast Sanxis – Semi-Finalist

TPS - Vedast Sanxis - Semifinals.

Hulk Smash – Attilio Bragantini

Hulk Smash - Attilio Bragantini.

Stiflenought – David Kaplan

Stiflenought - Dave Kaplan.

Drain Storm – David Aparicio

Burning Control - David Aparicio.

RG Maze – Karl Pfeiffer

RG Maze - Kim Karl Pfeiffer.

UW Fish – Óscar Canedo

UW Fish - Óscar Canedo.

The Perfect Storm – Víctor Manuel Martínez

TPS - Víctor M. Martínez.