Emerald City Trolls: Seattle Old School MtG

Fire Walk With Me Recap

It Is Happening, Again!

By Shawn

April 1, 2022

On March 18 and 19, 2022, near Seattle, WA, mages gathered once more to sling some old cardboard, partake in delicious food and beverage, and enjoy each other's company at long last. And this time, not only was Old School on the menu, but also a heaping helping of cherry pie and coffee, black as midnight on a moonless night. Yep, this Old School tournament was Twin Peaks themed.

"Why," you might be asking yourself, "did you have a Twin Peaks themed Old School tournament?" Well, firstly, Twin Peaks is set in Washington State, with many of the locations used in the show in and around the town of Snoqualmie, WA, about 30 minutes from Seattle. And, for some reason, a large number of Old School players are also Twin Peaks fans. But perhaps most importantly: I like Old School and Twin Peaks, and it's my fucking event.

BACKGROUND

Before we get into tournament recap, I want to share a bit of the history behind Fire Walk With Me. This event was a long time coming. I first started thinking about it in 2019, while driving with Cam Wall and Matt Moss to Puget Sound Battleground 2 in Tacoma, WA. It came up during conversation that all three of us turned out to be huge fans of the show, and thought it would be cool to have an event where folks could play Old School and visit some of the Twin Peaks sights in the area.

At first I thought it was just one of those "wouldn't it be cool if..." conversations, but it stuck in my head. I soon found out there were actually a bunch of OS players who were into Twin Peaks, and decided to see what it would take to put it on. In late 2019, I contacted a couple Twin Peaks related locations: The Salish Lodge, which was used for all external shots of The Great Northern Hotel (including that gorgeous waterfall!), and the Kiana Lodge, which was used for all the interior shots in the pilot (after which they built a replica on a soundstage in LA). Kiana also has the beach where Laura Palmer's body was found, and the tree next to it is still there.

I got quotes for both location, and it looked like Kiana was going to be the winner. Like most of my events, I wanted to make a trailer to build some hype around the event. So, I cut together a "blank" trailer that mimicked the Twin Peaks opening credits, but with no text. That would let me add my own text over the trailer to provide event details. After that, I started to try and line up some artists -- we are blessed here in the Seattle area that so many original Magic artists are still local -- and get the trailer finished. That was in February 2020, and well...

Yeah. Covid killed this event. Or rather, put it on ice for two years, along with everything else in the world. During the glorious few weeks in the summer of 2021, after vaccinations had become broadly available and before Delta hit, when we shed our masks and started to think about normal life again, I thought I'd be able to run it in September. False start. Then, finally, as Delta receded, I went ahead and started trying to schedule the event.

By this time, Kiana Lodge, which previously was usually booked as a wedding venue, had changed to be exclusively a wedding venue. They were no longer interested in hosting the tournament. After all the delayed weddings during Covid, they were so in demand they could only handle weddings, which undoubtedly generate more revenue for them than a Magic tournament. And I don't blame them. Get that money! They did offer to host us at one of their sister properties, a casino or a golf club, and to try to figure out a way to arrange a tour of their grounds for people interested in the Twin Peaks stuff, but I decided to go with the Salish Lodge instead.

The Salish Lodge was a bit more expensive than Kiana Lodge. However, its iconic exterior is gorgeous, and immediately recognizable to anyone familiar with Twin Peaks, and I bet that we'd be able to get enough folks to travel in to make the money work out. Additionally, many of the most significant locations in the show -- the Double R Diner, the Bang Bang Bar, Ronette's Bridge, and several other locations -- are all nearby. Located up in the westernmost rises of the Cascade Mountains, the surrounding area also offers extremely beautiful terrain and a serious dose of Pacific Northwestiness, a great complement to the misty, ethereal tone of Twin Peaks. Around this time, I finally got the trailer out to help build hype.

From there, it was mostly downhill planning the event. We ended up getting five Old School artists to attend: Drew Tucker, Mark Tedin, Anthony S. Waters, Margaret Organ-Kean, and Jesper Myrfors, along with his wife, Julie, better known as Spoops, herself a prolific artist. I had already obtained spooky art for a playmat from Jesper in 2020, for a different event also killed by Covid, which would instead serve as art for the playmat for this event. And Drew agreed to create a new art for an event card, with the original to be auctioned off and proceeds added to the charity pot for the event.

Speaking of -- the charity we were raising money for is ChildHaven, an organization based in Seattle that helps children and families who are the victims of trauma and abuse. They are a fantastic cause, and I'm proud to say our charity pot currently sits at $3,123.71, with more possibly coming as we continue to sell the last remaining playmats and other swag from the event.

In any case, Fire Walk With Me happened. For many players, it was their first travel for Old School or event their first IRL event since the pandemic began. It ended up being quite fun, and spanned two days of events. Details below.

OLD SCHOOL MAGIC. IT IS HAPPENING, AGAIN!!!

THE BLACK LODGE: FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2022

Our first event occurred on Friday, March 18, 2022 at Volition Brewing in North Bend, WA. Situated almost directly across the street from Twede's Cafe, which served as the Double R Diner in Twin Peaks, many mages took the opportunity to get some food, most especially a slice of cherry pie, before the event.

Forty-nine players showed up to play at The Black Lodge, featuring a special format involving cards I created for the event called Aspects. Aspects were inspired by a combination of Vanguard cards and commanders. Each Aspect, represented by a character with some kind of connection to the Black Lodge in Twin Peaks, had two major components: (1) a special power involving a new mechanic called Garmonbozia, and (2) a two-color restriction imposed upon your deck.

I won't recap all the rules here (find them over here instead), but essentially, for each game you win, you score points (Garmonbozia) equal to your life total when you won. The person who scored the most points wins the tournament -- even if they don't have the best match record. To help prevent the format from degenerating, players can't gain life because of their own spells or effects, and in no circumstance can you gain more than 20 Garmonbozia for winning a game. However, Garmonbozia are important for another reason: they also are spent to fuel the special power of your Aspect. As such, there is a delicate balance between using your Aspect's power just enough to win games, but not so much that you deplete your point total too much to do well in the tournament.

Before I go into more detail, I also need to give a huge shoutout to all the people who offered feedback on the Aspects. The fine tuning this feedback led to was critical to the event working. I can't remember all the people who offered their thoughts, so I won't try to name anyone, but perhaps a couple dozen people helped. Thank you so much to everyone who offered thoughts. Even if I didn't change anything because of what you suggested, I considered everything, and am grateful to the community for being so vibrant, thoughtful, and helpful.

In general, the Aspects were intended to be powerful. I wanted them to be a focal point for games and create new, difficult choices for players. And it mostly played out that way. Many, many players made mistakes in how they were using their Aspects, simply because they were new. For many of us, it's been a long time since we knew this feeling, but it was very similar to how play at a Prerelease event is. New cards, unfamiliar mechanics, and a lot of learning on the job. Plus we also had beer.

There were a HUGE variety of strategies used by players as well. All ten Aspects were used by at least one player. The Giant and Sheriff Harry S. Truman were the most popular. The Giant, because he can give you free Lightning Bolts and Goblin Grenades. Harry, because he can play a fast curve deck that can squeeze out unblockable damage (hello, Atog), blank opposing removal, and combo with things like Chaos Orb. But even still, a huge number of archetypes were tried. The Aspects had varying power levels, with Aspects in weaker color combinations having stronger effects, which led people to explore a great variety of options. I had many people tell me they were sure they had broken the format before the event, but most were wrong. It turned out reasonably balanced.

Except for one case. Geoff Willard, from Beasts of the Bay, did figure out a crushing strategy. And I'm glad to say it was... Merfolk. Geoff played a Mike deck, using his broad flexibility to play defense when needed, and go on offense when the coast was clear. "You bolt me? Ok, copy your bolt, and bolt your Goblins of the Flarg." "You cast Serra Angel? Yeah, that sounds good. Copy that spell, I'll have an Angel too." "I'm on the play? OK, land, Black Vise, copy Black Vise." "I am ahead? I'll cast a Lord of Atlantis, and copy it." This strategy turned out quite effective, and Geoff won the event (by a single Garmonbozia over fellow Beast of the Bay, Mike VanDyke).

Full results and deck pics are after the writeup. My final thoughts, though, are that this is a fun format that leads to many different decks. I think I would only make two changes if I were to do it over again.

First, Mike is a bit too powerful. His ability to copy spells needs to be nerfed. To be honest, when I was designing him, I was only thinking about him copying instants and sorceries, not permanent spells. I would change Mike to only be able to copy instant and sorcery spells. That said, other folks suggested another alternative, which would be that if a permanent entered the battlefield due to Mike's ability, it would be exiled as soon as he became untapped (and you could choose not to untap him, like a few other Aspects). That's a reasonable change too, but adds complexity to who is already the most complex Aspect.

Along those lines, maybe simply removing his ability to copy spells at all would be easiest. When designing Mike, I intended to make him a foil to other Aspects. To a large extent, that's his role in Twin Peaks, and I was worried other Aspects (like BOB, who turned out to be fine) would be so powerful they'd dominate the format unless another Aspect could serve as a counter. But then, I didn't want to force Mike players to be completely reactive. I wanted them to have something to build around. So, that's where his ability to copy spells came from. Perhaps I overthought him.

Second, The Giant needs a slight nerf. The RG burn deck is just too fast with him. I am not sure exactly what change would be most balanced, but I'd start by requiring the converted mana cost of copied spells to be played. This essentially changes his ability to giving a spell "Flashback X," where X is its converted mana cost. A once-per-turn Past In Flames is still pretty good, but would slow down the deck just a titch so others could keep up with it better (of note: you can't gain life in the Black Lodge due to spells or effects you control, so burn is really good).

Beyond that, there are a few Aspects who are weak and could maybe use a buff: Maddy Ferguson, Special Agent Dale Cooper, and Laura Palmer come to mind. But they are probably more or less OK. Side note: I was the only one playing Laura Palmer. However, I got a kill with Martyrs of Korlis plus Armageddon Clock, so I actually won the event.

FIRE WALK WITH ME: SATURDAY, MARCH 19, 2022

Saturday was the main event, a simple PAC rules Swiss, played until only one undefeated player remained. AKA, the best structure for a normal tournament. Note for other TOs: no one wants to wait around for a cut to Top 8 and 3 extra rounds, so just get to a winner and let people get to the bar or dinner. The main event was in the Ballroom at The Salish Lodge, which turned out to be gorgeous (I had never been there). They also served an outstanding buffet lunch, but I didn't get any pictures of it, so just trust me the salmon, chicken, noodles, and desserts were the shit.

But even here, there was some extra Twin Peaks flavor. An amazing person I had not met IRL before, who goes by Jane Doe online, contacted me before the event wanting to arrange a special side event. She would arrive dressed as the Log Lady, and offer to play side games with people for prizes. She even created a zine for everyone there, included some special stamped cards, and generally hyped up the Twin Peaks atmosphere. It was pretty amazing, and further proves the point that for some reason people who like old Magic cards have a large intersection people who like Twin Peaks, a lot.

This was also the place for people to meet the artists we had arranged to attend, and get signatures and alters done. For many people, this was a huge draw, and several players took bye-losses or even dropped just to be able to spend more time visiting with the artists. As I've said, we are incredibly lucky to have local access to the artists, and it's great to be able to help connect them with the OS community. All of the artists told me they enjoyed the day very much, and it was definitely worth their time both because they get to meet and closely interact with some of their biggest fans, as well as financially.

As for the main event itself, a total of 51 players showed up to play. Here's a quick peek after round three, with eight remaining undefeated players. All eight of these folks played very well, but of course, only one would be able to win.

The Undefeated 8 after Round 3: from L to R players looking at the camera, Mike VanDyke, Ken Fritz, Cliff Matheison, Richard Stebbing, Danny Friedman, Will Magrann, Quinn Maurmann, Kent Hayes.

The final two undefeated players were Ken Fritz and Mike VanDyke. Their match went to game 3, and, appropriately, was still being played after everyone else in the round had finished their final match. This meant anyone who wanted to could come watch these two expert mages, both piloting different takes on Mishra's Workshop decks, face off for the championship log. Game 3 was a long back and forth battle featuring back-and-forth threats and answers. Finally, after Balancing the game back more or less to parity, Ken Fritz was able to land a Triskelion plus enough Relic Barriers and Icy Manipulators to get past Mike's own collection of Relic Barriers, and cracked in enough times for the win. Ken was gracious in victory, displaying true Aloha spirit, while Mike can be proud to have come in second in The Black Lodge and third (Cliff beat him on breakers) in Fire Walk With Me, giving him the best overall finish for the weekend. Shoutouts are also due to Stephen Hines and Matt Marmorato, who made Top 8 in both The Black Lodge and Fire Walk With Me. Will Magrann and Quinn Maurmann came close to that feat as well. Will missed Top 8 of The Black Lodge by 4 Garmonbozia and finished 4th in Fire Walk With Me. Quinn took 6th in The Black Lodge, and finished in 9th in Fire Walk With Me to just miss Top 8.

Shot 1 of Game 3 of the Finals.

Shot 2 of Game 3 of the Finals.

Shot 3 of Game 3 of the Finals.

Shot 4 of Game 3 of the Finals.

Shot 5 of Game 3 of the Finals.

The Champ, Ken Fritz, with The Log Lady. Ken earned her log as his trophy.

Lastly, here are some random photos of hangs during the event. Naturally, these are far more important than the actual tournament results.

Mark Tedin working on a Timetwister alter on a blank card.

Outside the Double R, aka Twede's Cafe. L to R, Dave Firth Bard, Bryan Manolakos, Richard Stebbing, Will Magrann. Photo courtesy of DFB.

Various Old School impresarios enjoying pie, coffee, bottomless fries, and other eats at the Double R. L to R: Bryan Manolakos, Richard Stebbing, The Waiter ("Room service!"), Mike VanDyke, Kent Hayes, Eric Martin, Unknown (email me!), the top of Dave Firth Bard's head, Jeremy Chien, Cam Wall, BOB Agra, Matt Moss.

Said cherry pie (this must be where pies go when they die) and coffee (black as midnight on a moonless night).

Pie alone cannot satisfy my hunger; I ate nothing all day before the Double R. The Patty Melt is the thing to get.

Post The Black Lodge meal at The Pour House. L to R going around the table: Danny Friedman, Richard Stebbing, Paul DeSilva, Bryan Manolakos, Will Magrann, Dave Firth Bard, Matt Marmorato, Micah Ragingriver's belly. Side of midriff not shown.

A whole bunch of swell folks in front of an iconic scene after the main event, in a perfect Pacific Northwest drizzle. L to R, Quinn Maurmann, Cliff Matheison, Eric Martin, Lee Hunt, Bryan Manolakos, Dave Firth Bard, Will Magrann, Richard Stebbing, Shawn Sullivan, Mike VanDyke, Geoff Willard, Danny Friedman, and the Champ, Ken Fritz. Photo courtesy of Will Magrann.

Aftermath of that time Will Magrann almost lost the down payment to a house in Puget Sound. YOLO. Photo courtesy of Will Magrann.

IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN

In closing, this was an incredible weekend, as the photos above can attest. However, this was a one-time affair. Like my other events, The Black Lodge and Fire Walk With Me were designed as one-time-only, be-there-or-be-square, look-around-once-in-a-while-or-you-might-miss-it experiences. Maybe I'm just a nostalgic sap, but for me it creates tremendous meaning and a sense of presence in the moment when I know it's the one time something will ever happen. In today's world of people expecting infinite replacement-level experiences and even choosing to view significant, true once-in-a-lifetime events like weddings and graduations through their phone screens, it's more important than ever to actively seek the feeling of being where you are, when you are, with whom(s't'd) you are there.

So, for those who have asked, I won't be running this back again (though I'd be happy to go to the Double R with you if you're in town!). Instead, I'm looking forward to sharing my next event with you, next year, in 2023. It will be called Ragnarok, played under Swedish rules (with US reprint policies) at the Swedish Cultural Center in Seattle (we happen to have a large Scandinavian immigrant population here). Ragnarok will feature a Friday night special event that involves gaining the favor of specific gods through sacrifice. I don't know exactly what that means yet, but I promise it will be fun and unique. And, like the Twilight of the Gods, it will also happen one time only.

THE BLACK LODGE: FINAL RESULTS

THE BLACK LODGE: DECK PICS

Geoff Willard - First Place

Mike Vandyke - Second Place

Mox Emerald Scott - Third Place

Matt Marmorato - Fourth Place

Charlie Peterson - Fifth Place

Quinn Maurmann - Sixth Place

Steve Hines - Seventh Place

Aaron Rehfield

Andrew Knapp

Andy Heiszler

Bob Agra

Brett Digirolamo

Brian Vegso

Bryan Manolakos

Carson Brown

Cliff Mathieson

Daniel North

Danny Friedman

Dave Firth Bard

Douglas Greer

Dylan Jupp

Eric Martin

Geoff Johnson

Jacob Brotherton

Jeremy Chien

John DeLustro

Ken Fritz

Kent Hayes.Jpeg

Lee Hunt

Luke Ailanjian

Matt Moss

Max Clendenning

Micah Ragingriver

Paul DeSilva

Porter Fitch

Rich Franklin

Richard Stebbing

Shawn Sullivan. Allow me to mention (a) I can play all the COPs, (b) that's an Alpha Conservator, and (c) I won a game with Martyr's of Korlis plus Armageddon Clock.

Tanny Curley

Will Magrann

Will Shattuc

FIRE WALK WITH ME: FINAL RESULTS

FIRE WALK WITH ME: DECK PICS

Ken Fritz - First Place

Cliff Mathieson - Second Place

Mike Vandyke - Third Place

Will Magrann - Fourth Place

Richard Stebbing - Fifth Place

Matt Marmorato - Sixth Place

Stephen Hines - Seventh Place

Danny Friedman - Eighth Place

Aaron Rehfield

Adam Pazan

Andrew Knapp

Andy Heiszler

Ben Dimiero

Bob Agra.Jpeg

Brett Digiorlamo

Brian Vegso

Bryan Manolakos

Cam Wall.Jpeg

Charlie Peterson

Dan North

Dave Firth Bard

Doug Greer

Dylan Jupp

Geoff Johnson

Geoff Willard.Jpeg

Jacob Brotherton

James Crandall

Jeff Scofield

Jeremy Chien

Joe Fairbanks

John Delustro

Kent Hayes

Lee Hunt

Luke Ailanjian

Matt Moss

Matt Saxon

Max Clendenning

Micah Rr

Mox Emerald Scott

Paul Desilva

Porter Fitch

Quinn Maurmann

Rich Franklin

Scott Ferguson

Shane Mccandlish

Tanny Curley

Troy Williamson

Will Shattuc