We are barely six weeks into the new year and we have already played a couple of Premodern tournaments. Our league is the best in the world: I have no evidence, but no doubts either. On top of that, the regulars keep showing up and every month brings new players to try it out. The format is on the rise and there is more and more interest in it, but the best part is that we manage not to attract jerks, and that is priceless. If you have read our rules you already know we will be ruthless with that sort. Anyway, on to what matters: the cards.
LCOS Premodern — January 2024
We opened the year with 27 players and plenty of appetite, since it had been 6 weeks since we last got together. The Swiss ends and we find Antonio Manrique still in fine form: 5-0 with one of his pet decks, Angry Hermit. He and seven other lucky players are the first to earn the new patch, the fusion of Doraemon and Psychatog. Jaume Palacios finishes 9th and takes the first quarter-patch of 2024.
Barcelona was redder than usual this month: 4 Slighs and a Goblins in the top. Neither Manrique, nor the Terravore Oath that has been so fashionable these past months, nor Fermin Garcia’s blue combo could stop the fire that burns everything down, and Joe Gallego took the win and the first playmat of our Doraetog. Here you can see all the top 8 decks, the final standings and some of the recorded games.
LCOS Premodern — February 2024
If January was 27 of us, February came close to thirty. Is it possible that we are the best-attended regular Premodern event on the planet after Madrid? As I said: probably the best league in the world. No evidence, no doubts either. This month people left the urge to set things on fire at home and decided it was the month of Survival of the Fittest — the top alone had two Survi Elves, a Tradewind Survival and a Burning NO Survival. But the clean sheet in the Swiss went to Joan Galvan with a deck that was, surprise surprise, red — but control, and with a very interesting list.
The curse of the 5-0 in the Swiss struck again and Joan fell just short of a final contested by Josu Marquez, with a wonderful deck built around Tradewind Rider, and the utterly broken thing that is Monoblue Stiflenought, piloted with mastery and much whining by Manrique, who this month did manage to win the tournament and claim his long-awaited playmat. Here are the lists and the final standings.
Saturday 23.03 — Alicante Premodern League
A Catalan expedition is being assembled to head down to Alicante and play the good old-border format. There are already 7 brave souls on the trip. Fancy joining?
Sunday 07.04 — Three Wishes @ Olimpia
Consider this advance warning: the Three Wishes is the best tournament of the year. What is it about?
- Each player builds 3 decks of 60 cards (no sideboard). Across the three decks you cannot have more than 4 copies of the same card (basic lands aside). For example, if you want to play Goblins and Sligh, you cannot play more than 4 Mogg Fanatic between the two decks. Cards that fetch cards from outside the game are banned (Cunning Wish and friends).
- In each round you choose which deck you play for each game. You cannot repeat a deck within a round. For example, if you bring Madness, Pit Rack and Sligh, in game 1 you can play whichever you like (Madness). In game 2 you have to pick between the two you have not played (Pit Rack, say). If there is a game 3, you play the one you have not used yet (Sligh). Whoever wins 2 games wins the round (if someone wins the first two, the third is not played).
We ran the first edition of this tournament in 2023 and, even though there were only 13 of us, we had a blast. Why repeat it if so few turned up? Because for us success is not measured in quantity but in quality, and this format is top drawer. Yes, we would like to be 30 players, because the experience is better, but our priority is doing things we ourselves enjoy — and if there are 13 of us, welcome aboard. We do it because we are convinced it is enormous fun. Come and see for yourself.
Not a bad start to the year, is it? We have more tournaments planned, some ordinary and some rather less so (fancy playing 4 Necropotence in Premodern? stay tuned…). 2024 is going to be a very interesting premodern year.