MtG Tournament Report: Return to Ravnica Pre-Release 9/30/12

Last Saturday, I attended both the Midnight and 11am Return to Ravnica Pre-Release Tournaments at my Local Shop, Anime Imports, in Pacifica, CA.  I chose Izzet for the Midnight release and built a pretty sweet Wall & Dragon deck, but due to poor play on my part, I only ended up 3-3.  But it was all good; I loved the pre-release structure and I had a great time.  I got home at 7am, woke up at 10am, showered and was back in the shop for the 11am event.

It was fantastic and ended up being an unforgettable Magic moment :)

The next day, I wrote an e-mail to my friend, Marcel White (of the Brainstorm Brewery Podcast), detailing my experience at the Return to Ravnica Pre-Release.  Here's a transcript of the letter below:
-----------------------------

"Hey Marcel!  Hope your Return to Ravnica pre-releases went well, bro... I wanted to share a story with you that I thought you might appreciate.

I played the 11am tourney at Anime Imports in Pacifica on Saturday.  I chose Selesnya but ended up building, of all things, a Rakdos deck because I pulled a Desecration Demon, a Dreadbore, 2 Annihilating Fire, and 3 Auger Spree (it was pretty fucking awesome :) ).  Anyway, I go 4-0, make Top 8, beat two Izzet decks and make it to the finals.  I was really nervous, but even more excited to try and win the whole thing.

I end up playing this guy named Brian who's running Selesnya; he's really quiet and unassuming, generally nice, and I come to find out that this is the first Magic tournament he's played in 12 years.  I remember thinking to myself, 

"Man, he hasn't played a tourney in a decade, so he probably just got a bunch of great mythics and rares, and his deck is basically just really-really strong ("lucky," like me :p).  I hope I get some good draws because if he drops a Trostani or Armada Wurm, I'm done." 

As we're shuffling, we get to talking and I find out he's a really cool dude, we're both the same age, and strangely, he keeps saying,

"I don't really care if I win or not... I just hope we have some really great games.  Best of luck."

I say "strangely," because there wasn't a hint of sarcasm... Dude was just nice.  As we're playing, it becomes apparent that he doesn't know ANY of my cards, which makes sense since it's his first tournament in 12 years, but I never had to explain anything to him: I'd play something, he'd silently and QUICKLY read it upside down, nod his head, store the info, and go on playing.  I distinctly remember thinking to myself after the first game, 

"Man, this guy is the fastest, most decisive, and solid player I've ever played against... It's like he's always 3 steps ahead of me, knows what I'm going to do before I do it, goes through all the steps with robotic precision, and never seemingly has to 'think' about any attacks or blocks; he makes instant decisions (hence, the "always 3 steps ahead of me.")." 

He beat me while controlling board position the whole game and he didn't do it with Trostanis or Mythic Angels or Wurms.  He did it with extremely efficient creatures, perfect land drops and curve, and excellent use of "toolbox"/tech cards (like Rootbound Defenses, Arrest, and Fog effects).

As we get to talking more, he asks me what I think about the new Ravnica set and the pre-release in general.  I tell him I love the new set and that I really appreciate the attention to detail in the guild boxes and the first time innovations (like being able to play with the promo, the awesome stickers, and the guild-packs).  

He says, "I know the guy that worked on (developing) these."  

I said, "Really?  At Wizards?  Well, when you see him, please tell him he did a great job."

We play Game 2 and I win handily because 1) I'm on the play and 2) I had a pretty sick opening hand (a turn 2 Ash Zealot, a turn 3 Mind Rot, into a second 2 drop with 2 mana up for Dreadbore and another kill spell in my hand).

On to Game 3 and there were at least two different instances where I was confused about the timing of some of my attempted plays.  Each time I asked our store judge (who was standing next to us watching) for a rules clarification, Brian would kindly AND QUICKLY answer the question even before our judge could do his "judge thing" (and if you know Frank, he's usually pretty quick to figure stuff out).  Game 3 ends a lot like game 1 where Brian commands the board with efficient creatures and protects all the relevant pieces with excellently timed tech cards, all in rhythm, everything consistent and correct, a perfect curve... No Mythics or unbeatable bombs like I expected, just super-solid unbeatable play, something you absolutely DON'T expect from a guy who's playing his first tournament in a dozen years.

After the match in the 5-or-so minutes we're waiting for the shop owner to get the prizes ready, we continue talking casually.  I ask him about his friend that works at Wizards and how he knows him.  Brian smiles at me and says, 

"Well, Phil, he used to work for me.  I was the LEAD DEVELOPER on the original Ravnica set."

Holy. Shit. This dude DESIGNED Dark Confidant, the Shocklands... All of it!  I find out that he's Brian Schneider, former Pro-Tour professional and former Wizards R&D lead Developer, responsible for both design and development of Ravnica, Kamigawa Block, and Time Spiral, just to name a few!  He was an original team member of Team CMU with MtG Legends and Hall of Famers Randy Beuhler, Erik Lauer, and half-a-dozen others, all guys that shaped and continue to shape competitive Magic as we know it.

When I asked him if the (Anime Imports) owners or anyone else in the shop knew who he was, he humbly responded, 

"Nah, I'm not anyone special; no one needs to make a fuss or anything... I'm just a Magic fan and I really wanted to see how this new Ravnica set turned out.  I haven't worked for Wizards in years (he now works as a game developer for Zynga) and, as you know, haven't played in a tournament in 12.  This is really nostalgic for me, actually.  I had a good time today.  Please don't tell anyone while I'm still here; I don't want to make a fuss.  I only told you because you're a really nice guy and you asked."  Haha :p

We talked some more about deck building and play and about the potential "power cards" of RtR (he knew NOTHING about the cards in this set before he cracked his first packs today... He really was literally learning every single card today as it was being played).  We also talked about his brother (Justin Schneider, an old school MtG phenom), the early days of competitive Magic (he participated in Pro Tour 1; that's hella fresh), and what it was like to work at Wizards.  I shook his hand, took a picture with him and our stacks of packs, and before he left, told him 

"Thank you for making this game; it's one of the few things in my life that allows me to think about something else other than the b.s. of the daily grind."

After he left, I shared my story with Mike (the shop owner) and the shop regulars.  It was a pretty awesome feeling and a great experience getting to play some Magic with not only a Pro Tour vet (and probably the best overall player I'll ever get to play with), but a Magic maven and a guy who shaped this awesome game :)

Anyway, Marcel, if you got this far, thanks for reading and letting me share.  I just realized that maybe you got to meet Brian Schneider, too (he told me he was going to play at Eudemonia on Sunday... I hope the crowd recognized him and gave him his due props).  If you want to play some Standard and need a playtest partner or something, give me a head's up.  I fucking love this game :p

Alright, Bro, I should try to get some real work done before my wife disowns me, haha.  Talk to you soon,

-Phil"
--------------------------------

Cool story, Bro... Right?!?! :p

It got EVEN COOLER :)

Marcel sent this e-mail to me this afternoon:
-----------------------------------

"Hi Phil,

So I forwarded your letter to Mark Rosewater and Aaron Foresythe.  I received this response. 

Enjoy,

Marcel

Marcel,

Thank you very much for forwarding this. I very much enjoyed it. Brian is a great guy.

I passed it along to the rest of R&D and everyone was very happy to read it.

Sincerely,

Mark Rosewater

(and in a second response, Marcel added:)

Keep in mind that MaRo know the importance of using "very" correctly.

--------------------------

Haha... What a great Magic experience!  Can you believe my story and sentiments got all the way to Wizards R&D?  A very cool experience, indeed, and I'm honored and proud to have been a part of it :)

Fat Ninja vs. MtG Legend, Brian Schneider

MTG Tournament Report: The TCGPlayer 5K, San Jose, CA

On Saturday, September 1^st, I participated in my first "large" tournament (by "large" I mean bigger than a pre-release, so anything +60 I suppose) in 13 years.  The last time I played a in large, competitive tournament was GP Manila in 1999.  I was 22, 50 pounds lighter, and just finished my first season out in the Bering Sea as an Observer for NOAA.  Jesus… I was 50 pounds lighter.

Me, 13 years (and 50 pounds lighter) ago.

Anyway, I was stupid nervous and excited to get back into competitive spell-slinging and D Veloz, one of the Anime Imports regulars, invited me to go to the TCGPlayer 5K in San Jose.  We met up the Thursday before and play-tested at the shop, then went at it again the next day at Anime's regular-weekly 4pm Standard.  D and my other Magic Homie, Mielvin, came by my house Saturday morning and off we went down to San Jose to battle.

Quick Stats: 174 person tournament, 8 rounds, Top 32 cash, Top 8 reset the brackets and go single elim ftw. I played Mono-Green Dungrove.
rd. 1 (vs. Esper Junk) = W, 2-0
rd. 2 (vs. U/W Delver) = W, 2-0
rd. 3 (vs. R/G Aggro) = L, 0-2
rd. 4 (vs. U/W Control) W, 2-0
rd. 5 (vs. U/W Mid-Range) W, 2-1 (really proud of my play during this one)
rd. 6 (vs. U/W Delver) L, 1-2
rd. 7 (vs. Naya Aggro) W, 2-1

rd. 8 (vs. ????????)

My friend (and awesomesauce Magic player), Kyle, met me at the Convention Center to watch games and root me on.  I usually get nervous when Kyle watches me in a tourney, but strangely, I felt like he was my own personal judge/support crew... It was awesome! I knew that if my opponents did something illegal and I missed it, he'd have my back and call it... It allowed me to feel really confident about that aspect of the game and I played some of the best Magic I'd ever played in my life.

My first match loss came in Round 3 and I can't really complain.  I was playing a R/G Aggro deck and, in game two, I had no cards in hand but an edge in board position with a 6/6 Tree, a Rancored 9/7 Ooze, and a 3/2 Strangleroot.  Dude has 2 cards in hand, a Sword of Feast and Famine equipped to his own Strangleroot, 4 mana-up and a Bird.  I was at 11, he was at 2.  I figured even if he cast a Bonfire or Wolfir Silverheart, I was attacking for lethal next turn.  He taps 4 lands and his Bird and drops a Silverheart bonded to his equipped Geist.  Geist attacks for 4, he untaps 4 land and, POW!  Huntmaster… Oh well, at least I lost to an Epic play!

I was most proud of my game-play and composure in Round 5.  I played  a 22-year-old dude from the East Bay.  He seemed like a really nice guy; cordial, talkative, a level 1 judge at his local shop… It was all good.  I win Game 1, he takes Game 2, but as I finish shuffling for Game 3 and start to draw my cards (after he shuffled and cut my deck), he stops in his tracks and yells, "JUDGE!!!"  A bit shocked because I don't know what's going on, I ask him, "Is something wrong?"  The formerly happy-go-lucky opponent turned all Big-Eyed-No-Blink-Serious-Guy.  He refused to talk to me or answer my questions -pretty fucking lame if you asked me- definitely the most awkward 45 seconds of the whole tourney.  I said, "What, do you think, my cards are marked or something?  I didn't mark them, Man.  Well, whatever… I guess we have to wait for the Judge."

The Judge comes by and asks what the problem is.  My opponent explains that he thinks one of my cards is marked.  He finally breaks his communication silence with me, looks at me and says, "I'm not saying you're cheating; I just think one of your cards is marked."  I was totally thinking in my head at that moment, "Yeah, right, Bitch.  You're trying to pull some weak ass gamesmanship move on me.  Well, fuck you, you ass-raping donkey fucker."  The Judge seemed to think exactly what I was thinking because when he looked at my deck, he sorta rolled his eyes like, "Really? You called me over for this?" tapped the cards down and put my library back on the table, then looked at my opponent and said, "Okay, now his deck isn't marked and it's randomly shuffled.  Continue."

I went on to roll his ass with a Rancored Thrun and a pissed off Tree.  GG, Eastbay.  WHASSUPER, NOW?!?!  WESTSIDE, NIGGA!!!  Haha :p

I lost the next round 1-2 to a Delver player who ended up in Top 4 and needed to win Round 7 to have a shot at cashing in the Top 32.  I got paired up with a homeboy from Stockton who was really cool and had a good matchup against me, but his Naya Aggro deck stalled after I killed his mana dorks.  I had won and was going on to Round 8… Little did I know, I was also going on to Magical Drama Land!

So here's the situation: I was going into the final round ranked 22nd with a record of 5-2. Basically, I needed to win my final match to make Top 16, win $75 and, most importantly to me, a really cool ltd. edition playmat. Unfortunately, a loss (and resultant 5-3) record would probably knock me out of top 32 and, hence, no money, no prizes, no playmat.

Pairings went up, I calmed myself down, focused and was ready to go. I win the roll, play a Bird, and pass... My opponent drops Seachrome Coast and Snags my Bird. U/W Delver! Right on... I have a good match-up against Delver and as soon as I resolve a Dungrove, it's pretty much "gg" for my opponent. On 5th turn, LITERALLY as I'm swinging in with a Rancor'ed Tree and 2 Strangleroots for lethal, the head judge gets on the microphone and says,

"We're extremely sorry about this... blah-blah-blah... but we made a mistake in the pairings that directly affects the Top 8 standings. Since only 10 minutes of the round has passed, we can, under our rules, choose to RESTART THE ROUND WITH NEW PAIRINGS. We're sorry about the inconvenience... blah-blah-blah... Your current matches are now null an void. New pairings will be posted soon."
 

Holy yuck.


Anyway, I'm not gonna lie... I sorta went on tilt and was in a frustrated playing daze; I haven't played this much Magic for this long AND this intense for over a decade, and this pretty much unraveled my focus. Then, my will-to-win was further sapped when I discovered what deck my new opponent was playing: INFECT!!! Arrrrgh!!! I went from a favorable matchup that I'm comfortable playing (and had already won a game and have a fully stocked sideboard for) to possibly my WORST matchup and one I've never played (against) before!!!

And as if to rub salt deeper in the wound (although it wasn't his fault, I don't blame him), the Delver player I was beating got newly-paired with... A BYE (his oppo didn't show)! So he went from potentially losing to me and getting knocked out of Top 32 to an auto-win sending him to Top 16.


Wow. That felt like falling out of a roller coaster.

Anyway, I made several playing mistakes in my match against the Infect player (my first really non-solid play of the day) but it was all academic when in the third game, I mulliganed to 6 and he hit me for 9 INFECT on turn 2 (nothing I could do... he earned it with a Titanic Growth and 2x Mutagenic Growths on his Glistener Elf. He won, no contest.

So I lost and ended the day with a 5-3 record, pretty dejected and a bit upset, both at myself for sloppy play against my final opponent and especially at the whole tournament re-pairing situation. But D and Mielvin were good team-mates and helped me see that, overall, I played really well and I did what I came out there to do: have fun (it was a blast), gained great tournament experience, and played solid (which I did for 7 & 1/2 rounds ). I was also really fortunate to take the advice of my friend Mark, who told me to play a "simpler" deck that finished rounds faster (win or lose) so I could have time to eat, hit the head, and refocus in between rounds.  I was mentally exhausted at the end of the day and I can only imagine how much earlier I would've crapped out if I played one of my control decks and went to "time" in any one of the rounds!  It's great advice deck-choice advice for a dude newer to the Tournament Magic scene.


BUT THE STORY'S NOT OVER...


Out of nowhere, like a strange nerd fairy-tale, I got the dork's happy ending... When the final standings came up, I looked for my name in the 40's, then 50's, then went back up the list. Guess who ended up IN EXACTLY 32ND PLACE!!!!!

WHOOOOOOO!!!! There were 4 other guys beneath me with identical 5-3 records, but I had better tie-breaker, just enough to cash (and Karma came back my way today)!!!

I got $50, 10 TCG Player Points and, most awesomesaucely, my very own Limited Edition TCG Playmat!!! U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

It was the best complete competitive Magic day of my life! It was a lot of fun, 8-of-the-9 people I played were really cool, and hanging out with D, Kyle, and Mielvin was a blast!  Mono-Green Tree For The Win, Baby!  EAT FRESH!!!

 Team EAT FRESH!!!  (Me, Mielvin, & D @ the TCGPlayer 5K in San Jose, 9/1/12)

  

Untap, Upkeep... SHORYUKEN!!!

I mad-pimped out my Tree Deck for the TCG Player 5K with these awesomesauce FOIL Street Fighter sleeves... All day, I was like, "Untap, Upkeep... SHORYUKEN!!!!"

Dude... It was a good day ;)  Tourney Report coming soon!

DECK TECH: Talrand, Sky Summoner Commander/EDH

I FINALLY put together a new Commander deck!  My first go-round' with Commander didn't go so well... I put together what I thought was a pretty awesomesauce Sisay deck that won with lifegain and that stupid-fresh goat (Felidar Sovereign).  I loved it... Until my friends in my playgroup rained all over my parade and said that for the goat to win, "you need 80 life, cause that's only fair."

Meh.  What a bunch of salty ball sacs!  I broke apart my deck, sold the cards individually on eBay, then found out 3 months later that the playgroup at my local shop (Anime Imports in Pacifica) would've totally been okay with the 40-life limit!  Geez!

So, it's been about 14 months, and I thought and thought and thought about what I like to do when I play a fun game of Magic:  I like to a) play cards and b) draw cards... LOTS OF 'EM!  Playing Talrand in BV has made me develop a soft-spot for creating armies of drakes, so he seemed like the perfect choice.  Check it :)

Talrand, the Sky Summoner
a Commander deck
by
Phil "Fat Ninja" Tacata

Commander

1.    Talrand, Sky Summoner

1cc Instant Cantrips

2.    Brainstorm

3.    Disrupt

4.    Fleeting Distraction

5.    Leap

6.    Mental Note

7.    Obsessive Search

8.    Opt

9.    Peek

10. Quicken                                   

11. Sapphire Charm

12. Shadow Rift

13. Stream of Unconsciousness           

14. Thought Scour

15. Twisted Image                                   

16. Visions of Beyond

17. Whispers of the Muse

1cc Sorcery Cantrips

18. Cloak of Feathers

19. Gitaxian Probe

20. Ponder

21. Preordain                                               

22. Serum Visions                                   

23. Sleight of Hand

24. Sorcerous Sight

Creature

25. Snapcaster Mage

More Draw

26. Ideas Unbound

27. Frantic Search

28. Windfall

29. Three Wishes

30. Time Spiral

Alternate Win Conditions

31. Runechanter's Pike

32. Altar of Dementia

33. Coat of Arms

34. Rite of Replication

35. Omniscience

Protect Talrand

36. Darksteel Plate

37. Swiftfoot Boots

38. Lighting Greaves

Mana Multipliers

39. Gauntlet of Power

40. Caged Sun

41. Extraplanar Lens

42. Doubling Cube

43. High Tide

44. Drain Power

Creature/Permanent Steal

45. Legacy's Allure

46. Control Magic

47. Treachery

48. Gilded Drake           

49. Desertion

50. Bribery

51. Spelljack

52. Volition Reins

53. Dominate

Permanent Bounce

54. Into the Roil

55. Capsize

Mass Effect

56. Propaganda

57. Nevinyrrals Disk

58. Evacuation

59. Wash Out

Counter (their) Commander

60. Hinder           

61. Spell Crumple

Artifact Tutor

62. Fabricate

Lands

Strip Mine

Reliquary Tower

Cephalid Coliseum

       Island (x35) ---------------------------------------------


OBJECTIVE AND PLAY-STYLE
The goal of this deck is to get Talrand into play, play a brazillion spells, then kick back and send your army of a brazillion drakes smashing into the face of your enemies :)

ENGINE
The deck runs 29 cantrips [cards that, when cast, draw (at least) another card], 23 of which are 1cc cost instants or sorceries.  Get a butt-load of mana, get/have Talrand out, and CAST AWAY!!!

CARDS
-Coat of Arms:  Because eighteen 20/20 flying drakes is fuck you.

-Altar of Dementia:  Because sacrificing eighteen 20/20 flying drakes and milling your opponents for 360 cards is fuck you, too.

-Runechanter's Pike:  You thought Delver decks made this sucker big? :p

-Hinder and Spellcrumple:  Because some dudes deserve to have their Commander countered to the bottom of their deck.

-Snapcaster Mage:  Let's be honest... It's still a creature-less deck :p

-35 White-bordered 5th-Edition Islands:  Because, yes... I'm a BOSS.

OTHER NOTES
Don't take the deck too seriously... As in all Commander games, have fun, talk a lot of shit, eat bad food, and laugh at everything .  Oh, and bring at least 50 drake tokens! ;)

(Drake Token by Svetlin Velinov)

Let Your Soul Glow: Custom MtG Spirit Tokens

With Lingering Souls and Moorland Haunt being two of the biggest cards in the format, 1/1 flying spirit tokens are everywhere, and my decks are no exception.  Unfortunately, in my opinion, the 1/1 Spirit tokens from Wizards are oogly, and I like playing with pimped out cards whenever I can.  I asked my good friend and Ah-Chinese Soul Brother #1, KEVIN ANG, if he could do some Photoshop work for me and, like the pro he is, turned these out for me in about an hour.  Kevo, lunch is coming soon, Brother! Thank you! ;)

Without further adieu, here's my BLACK SOUL SPIRITS token collection:

 

Whitney Houston

 Aliyah

 Biggie Smalls

 Donna Summer

Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopez

 Luther Vandross

(my favorite :) )

Michael Jackson

 Nate Dogg

Tupac Shakur

There is nothing like beating down on your opponent with a 1/1 flying Luther Vandross... ♫♬ Neva too much, neva too much, neva too much, neva too much ♫♬ ...

DECK TECH: Secret! (U/R Talrand/Burning Vengeance)

I've been playing Burning Vengeance (BV) for a few months now and I LOVE IT!  It's totally "my style" in that it's a grindy, weirdo-control deck with lots of little decisions and funky interactions.  M13 just came out and I wanted to try Talrand in BV... It works INCREDIBLY well!  I can't wait to continue testing and tweaking this deck; Talrand/BV seems like my it'll be one of my Standard go-to decks as Scars rotates out in a few months.

(Talrand, Sky Summoner by Svetlin Velinov)

SECRET!
by
Phil "Fat Ninja" Tacata
(You can find the TCG Player link to this deck along with card descriptions and sample hand generator here.)

4x Burning Vengeance
2x Secrets of the Dead

4x Faithless Looting
4x Think Twice
2x Desperate Ravings

4x Geistflame
3x Slagstorm
4x Vapor Snag
2x Mana Leak
1x Ancient Grudge

4x Snapcaster Mage
2x Talrand, Sky Summoner

4x Sulfur Falls
1x Rootbound Crag
1x Hinterland Harbor
1x Desolate Lighthouse
2x Evolving Wilds
1x Forest
7x Island
7x Mountain
---------------------------------------------
OBJECTIVE AND PLAY-STYLE
Secret!, named after my probably-shouldn't-be-in-the-deck secret tech -Secrets of the Dead-, is my ultra-grindy-graveyard-dump-creature-control Burning Vengeance deck.  The object is to get a Burning Vengeance online and cast a butt-load of cards from your graveyard to kill your opponent's creatures and, eventually, your opponent.  M13 brings a card that has great synergy with BV, Talrand, Sky Summoner, who, in a deck filled with instants and sorceries, creates massive armies of 2/2 flying drakes to supplement your attack.

ENGINE
You need access to massive amounts of cards in your hand and in your graveyard both to 1) draw your BV and 2) to power your BV.  Faithless Looting, Think Twice, and Desperate Ravings along with the flashback power of Snapcaster Mage do the job nicely.  Secrets of the Dead is a pretty amazing card drawing engine on its own.  Talrand also provides an alternate-win source of seemingly never-ending drakes... So long as you can keep drawing and burying instants and sorceries. 

CARDS
-Burning Vengeance:  Secrets! doesn't win without it.  Your primary objective is to get one online as early as possible and start controlling the board.

-Faithless Looting, Think Twice:  your two best BV enablers.  4 copies of each is a must.

-Desperate Ravings:  in terms of cantripping, DR does the same job as Think Twice and, if your hand is filled with cards you can afford to lose to your graveyard, is actually better than TT.  So, why am I not playing with a full playset of Ravings?  The answer isn't the Ravings' fault; it's my inability to play it correctly!  It seems every time I have a DR in hand or the graveyard, I also have a card I really want in my hand (like a BV or Slagstorm), so I chicken-out and don't feel comfortable pulling the trigger and "just doing it."  Honestly, I SHOULD have 4x copies of DR, but my playstyle doesn't support it, so I've swapped out 2 copies for the namesake of the deck...
  
-Secrets of the Dead:  this card is probably not as good as DR in terms of immediate value, but if you can get this thing online early, over the course of the game, the card advantage it accrues is unbeatable.  I like it because whenever I draw it, I play it and don't have to think about it anymore.  Secret!

-Geistflame:  BV players are either on one side of the fence or the other when it comes to Geistflame.  I LOVE IT and think it's indispensable.  Kills mana dorks and one drops early, becomes an Incinerate with a BV online... Cheap and good and an auto-4-of in my deck.

-Slagstorm:  I can't decide whether Slagstorm or Bonfire of the Damned is better for this deck, but right now, Slagstorm works better with my playstyle and in my meta, so I'll rock the rockslide so long as it's legal.  However, theoretically, Bonfire works MUCH better with Talrand... We'll see how this goes with more testing :)

-Mana Leak, Vapor Snag, Snapcaster Mage:  it's been the core of the best deck in Standard for over a year and it's just as strong in BV.  Long live Ken Jeong!

-Talrand, Sky Summoner:  a weakness of BV decks is that BV is usually the ONLY way to win.  While this is still pretty much true, the Legendary Merfolk is a step in the right direction as he works incredibly well with your existing (and re-useable) spell-set.  Theoretically, he is now a win condition on his own, but more realistically, he just makes your BV that much stronger.

-Ancient Grudge, Rootbound Crag, Hinterland Harbor, Forest, Evolving Wilds:  a single copy of Grudge can help you deal with pesky Swords, Batterskulls, Metamorphs, and the BV deck killer, Grafdigger's Cage.  M13 brings back Relic of Progenitus, but what 'cha gonna do?  Just sideboard in more Grudges and let it fly :)

OTHER NOTES
Burning Vengeance decks require a specific kind of "sickness" to play; if you like (virtual) creatureless decks that draw and play lots of cards, BV might be for you.  It's a weird deck, but once you get that Vengeance online, you feel pretty damn awesomesauce ;)

As Scars Block rotates out, this deck only loses 3 cards, two of which (Slagstorm & Vapor Snag) have pretty much exact analogs for substitutes (Bonfire of the Damned & Unsummon).  Mana Leak is sorta on the way out anyway (because of Cavern of Souls), and maybe that's the 2-of slot I'll finally fill with the last two Desperate Ravings.

(Secrets of the Dead by Eytan Zana)

**(7/28/12) Played 2 long sets against Red Deck Wins and U/B Zombies today and did well (broke even against RDW and swept Zombies).  I finally overcame my fears and subbed out the 2x Secrets of the Dead for +1x Talrand, Sky Summoner and +1x Desperate Ravings.  The deck is much more streamlined and it's really nice to have the extra copy of the Sky Summoner.  Talrand has turned out to be every bit as good as I thought... He's AMAZING!  Now all I need to do is make Drake (the rapper) and Sir Francis Drake tokens :p