May 2026 Hex & Co. NYCIS Team Trios Event Report
For the past few years, the New Paltz Gunks Gaming Guild Pauper League (NPGGGPL) has provided a Wednesday night gaming experience for new and old Magic players. Many of them dabble in other formats, coming from Commander, grinding in Modern, living in nostalgia with Premodern, or the fictitious Legacy (it’s not a real format, with no path to the Pro Tour).
As soon as the NYCIS announced the team event, Team Captain Stephen saw an opportunity to put his 99% perfect Stiflenaught deck into action. He immediately asked three-time NPGGGPL champion Andrew to fill the Pauper seat and knew I was a live body who played Legacy.
I am earning brownie points to cash in for my lovely but anonymous partner to let me leave our infant twins and drive to the city to play Magic for an entire day. We never discussed a team name, but were dubbed The Splinter Twins in round two of this tournament.
Leading up to the event, we all prepared on our own in various formats, though we played one other Pauper-Premodern-Legacy team trios event at a local shop. That didn’t go well for me in Legacy, but Stephen and Andrew hard carried us to prizing.
Andrew has liked CawGates' positioning for a while. It has strong tools in many matchups and battles well into the top of the meta. It is especially effective against any version of burn, has strong game against {Tolarian Terror}, and has a devastating sideboard plan against Affinity.
CawGates plays many of the strongest cards in any eternal format, including {Counterspell} and {Brainstorm}, and some of the most powerful in Pauper: {Prismatic Strands}, {Thraben Charm}, and {Basilisk Gate}.
The Gates engine also doubles as a serviceable three-color mana base, a rarity in Pauper, and removes the need to run unplayable Basic {Plains}.
Stephen wavered between Stiflenaught and Full English Breakfast up until the event. Breakfast is challenging to play against and to hate out. It is also complex to play, and Stephen’s Breakfast deck has multiple subpar art treatments. So, he fell back on Stiflenaught, with its many counterspells and massive threats. Additionally, his deck has only one bad art, and aesthetic consistency was important.
I usually jam {Doomsday}, as I’ve written and talked about incessantly on Eternal Durdles. In MTGO Leagues leading up to this event, however, I was struggling in the heavily-tempo {Flow State} meta.
Lands has always been in my range, with a lot of experience pre-{Doomsday}. Working on the hunch that less-experienced Legacy pilots may default to tempo, I registered Lands as a difficult-to-play-against fair deck with contemporary tools for most matchups.
On the day of the event, Captain Stephen looked sharp in a custom-made bolo tie and a non-denim shirt. Andrew had gotten the memo and was similarly well dressed. I chose to wear the color of my deck and rep the non-profit I helped found: Rise Outside. We drove down from our homes in the Hudson Valley, made great time, and found parking easily.
Round 1: W (Team 1-0)
Pauper: WW vs Grixis Madness Burn
CawGates has four {Sacred Cat}s, three {Outlaw Medic}s, {Counterspell}, and {Prismatic Strands}. It is an uphill battle for any burn deck to get over the finish line when a single hit from a {Basilisk Gate} activation on a {Sacred Cat}.
Premodern: WW vs {Replenish}
{Replenish} has few cards that matter, and {Phyrexian Dreadnaught} has many counterspells. Game one was won by ignoring {Phyrexian Dreadnaught}s and naturally milling the {Replenish} player. Postboard, with the addition of {Brain Freeze}, it gets even more difficult.
Legacy: LL vs UR Delver
I was not locked in. Playing sloppily, I forgot to activate an {Urza’s Saga} for a token, and I bled out to small attacks. I was a single mana away from putting a {Skateboard} on a {Marit Lage} to win the game in one fell swoop, but came up short.
In game two, I was swiftly beaten down by a {Cori-Steel Cutter} and multiple {Lightning Bolt}s. There was a {Price of Progress} to finish it, but I was far behind.
Round 2: W (Team 2-0)
We squeaked out a victory against ForceofPhil, Devin, and Louise. And it was a VERY close match against a team of friends.
Pauper: WL vs Jeskai Ephemerate
The plan for CawGates is to stop their recursion engine and force them into bad trades with {Lightning Bolt} and {Skred}. These games will last forever, and this match went to time and turns with no resolution.
Premodern: WLW vs {Stasis}
Game three was decided after time on turn five. Turn four saw Stiflenaught build storm, cast multiple {Vision Charm}s, and eventually {Brain Freeze} the opponent’s entire deck. In an incredible stroke of bad luck, Phil had drawn {Gaea’s Blessing}.
Legacy: WL vs Cephalid Breakfast
I have played against Devin many times and know him to be an extremely tough opponent. While we have mostly played {Doomsday} vs. Breakfast, the most recent matchup was actually Lands vs Breakfast. That also ended in a draw, and Devin pulled off one of the sickest plays I’ve ever seen.
It was during the Nadu Breakfast era, with time winding down in the match. Devin had all the tools his deck could muster: active {Teferi, Time Raveler}, active {Nomads En-Kor} and {Cephalid Illusionist}, multiple {Force of Will} and {Memory’s Journey} in hand. I had a {Soul-Guide Lantern} in play, however, and two {Faerie Macabre} in hand.
I pushed the action on my turn, thinking I could defeat any combination of plays with my uncounterable {Faerie Macabre}s. As expected, Devin cast instant-speed {Dread Return} in response to my activated {Soul-Guide Lantern}. My {Faerie Macabre} targeted his {Thassa’s Oracle}, and again, as expected, Devin cast {Memory’s Journey}. The second {Faerie Macabre} was there to finish off the chain…but Devin {Force of Will}ed his {Memory's Journey} to flash it back, and I lost.
This time, I got an early {Ghost Quarter} lock in game one. It was an interactive game two: I got {Grafdigger’s Cage} into play quickly off of an {Urza’s Saga}.
{Teferi, Time Raveler} came down and threatened the combo, but I had a {Boseiju, Who Endures} for a combo attempt with {Shuko}. For a very long time, we played cat and mouse with me dodging the combo.
Time was called, and on turn three, Devin assembled the combo, and I lost. We did not bother to start game three, and instead witnessed the epic conclusion to the Premodern match next to us.
Round 3: W (Team 3-0)
This team went on to win the event.
Pauper: WL Spy
Gates has relevant interaction via the graveyard hate mode of {Thraben Charm} and {Prismatic Strands}, but contemporary Spy decks can pivot into ramping into big creatures. This match went into game three as the other two concluded.
Premodern: WLW {Replenish}
As with the first round, Dreadnought foregoes the namesake card and aims to mill. The {Replenish} player won a game beating down with {Meddling Mage}s, but perhaps made a mistake with a {Meddling Mage} naming an irrelevant {Phyrexian Dreadnought}.
Legacy: WW [u][b] Tempo
Lands can be tough for [u][b] Tempo to keep up with. {Wasteland}s are overtaxed, [u][b] does not have great answers for artifacts, and they have limited answers to {Marit Lage}.
In both games, I was forced through a fast 20/20, while the opponent gambled game two that {Consign to Memory} would be a relevant interaction. It can be, but wasn’t here.
Round 4: W (Team 4-0)
We were the only 3-0 team and got paired down to a 2-0-1 team, feeling pretty good about our chances. The win locked the Top 4.
Pauper: WL [g][b] {Pestilence}
This match was in heavy grind mode when the other two matches ended, so it was played out for “fun.” It ended when Gates’ Monarchy trigger drew from an empty library.
Premodern: WW Sligh
Dreadnought is heavily favored if it can land an early 12/12. Stephen mulliganed aggressively to make that happen, and the mono-red deck was unable to outrace it.
Legacy: LWW Sneak and Show
For as long as I can remember, this matchup has been abysmal for Lands. There are new cards like {Disruptor Flute} that have made it more palatable, but it still feels very difficult. Many things need to line up for Lands to pull ahead.
In game one, my opponent took one look at my {Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth}-{Exploration} start and jammed a {Show and Tell} to put in {Atraxa, Grand Unifier}, which tutored more stuff, and we were off to game two.
The specifics are fuzzy, but a {Show and Tell} putting in {Emrakul, The Aeon’s Torn} was ineffective against a timely {Crop Rotation} for {Karakas}, and a {Ydraggsil} was unable to activate before being destroyed by a {Boseiju Who Endures}.
Game three dragged into garbage time, and I assembled {Life From the Loam} and {Ghost Quarter} with all of their basics in play, and the game ended a few turns later.
Round 5: L (Team 4-1)
We were the only 4-0 team. certainly locked for Top 4 even with a loss, so we jockeyed for seeding.
Pauper: LL Jund Wildfire
Andrew fell behind to {Writhing Chrysalis} and {Makeshift Munitions}. {Guardian of the Guildpact} is useless against the large and devoid {Writhing Chrysalis}, and {Makeshift Munitions} is a large problem.
Premodern: LL [u] Dreadnought
Stephen’s match postmortem was that he did not value resolving {Gush} enough. The mirror match game one will devolve to whoever can win the last fight, since Dreadnought is such a fast clock.
Legacy: LL Lands
Eric Kim is an excellent Lands player whom I have encountered before. I recall him playing a variety of green or white decks…perhaps crushing me with a {Cataclysm} at one point, or {Elvish Reclaimer} blowing me out with a {Bojuka Bog}.
The Lands mirror is intricate and high-variance. It has many novel board states, and it is important to shift tactics on the fly. {Marit Lage} is generally unreliable, since the opposing Lands deck has the ability to make their own {Marit Lage} by copying your {Dark Depths}.
Beyond that, Lands has {Karakas}, {Wasteland}, and usually at least one {Ghost Quarter}. If all else fails, {Maze of Ith}. You could claim that whoever has more {Exploration}s will win, or whoever {Bojuka Bog}s the other players' {Bojuka Bog}, or whoever has {Urza’s Saga} supremacy…but the reality is that the texture of every game is different. It can be amazingly grindy, or one player can fall behind quickly and get blown away.
Our decks were slightly different. Eric K had {Sphere of Resistance} and a maindeck {Walk-In Closet}. He forewent {Once Upon A Time}. My deck had three {Ghost Quarter} main and two {Maze of Ith}. In the sideboard, I saw much of the same, {Force of Vigor} and {Endurance}. Eric K had a singleton {Faerie Macabre}.
In both games, Eric K leveraged higher comfort with the matchup, along with good hands, to push me out. Things didn’t quite line up.
We were the second seed after the Swiss. For our troubles, we were immediately queued into the same team as in round five, and we were on the play.
Semifinals: L (Team Finish 3rd/4th)
Pauper: WW Jund Wildfire
In this series of games, Andrew came out on top with some important combat tricks. {Makeshift Munitions} is effective, but the timing of {Writhing Chrysalis} pump triggers and the mana necessary to activate {Makeshift Munitions} can be complicated.
Premodern: LWL [u] Dreadnought
Stephen used what he had learned to take the middle game. Felix is an excellent player, and very thin margins matter. A {Daze} here, a {Foil} there, a critical {Gush}…Stephen thought he might have structural deck advantages, but it was not meant to be.
Legacy: LL Lands
On the play, I felt confident I could give Eric K a run for his money. Unfortunately, in game one, I mulliganed to five, and his strong hand of {Exploration}, {Life From the Loam}, and {Malevolent Rumble} overwhelmed me.
In game two, we played a strong back-and-forth. I {Force of Vigor}ed a {Walk-In Closet} and an {Exploration}, as well as {Bojuka Bog} a pair of {Life from the Loam}s. Unfortunately, Eric K swiftly drew another {Life from the Loam}. Even then, I eventually built two {Exploration} and a {Life From the Loam} of my own, and was steadily pulling ahead. Then, Eric found {Blast Zone}, cleared my enchantments, and the game was over.
Team Trios Time
We drove home happy. It was an excellent result, and the competition was of high quality. We were each satisfied with our deck choices, and as always, a few small breaks one way or another can completely alter the outcome of an entire tournament.
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Featured image: {Goblin Digging Team} by Ben Thompson