How My Cards Top8'd Eternal Weekend

Written by Matthew Ivans (PirateKing)

This is a story about sharing cards.

You grow close to local Legacy players when attending enough tournaments. The format's playerbase is relatively small and the community is dedicated. Depending on your Legacy scene, you could see players once or twice per month, at weeklies or larger 1Ks, if not more.

Bumping into local friends at major events that require traveling always brings a sense of community. Being around the people I play with often, as we go up against the world's best, shows how the crucible of our little area game store produces excellent Legacy pilots.

Eric Ratkowski is one such friend.

I’m not sure when I first met Eric; it was such a long time ago. I’ve always known him to be a powerfully skilled player; reaching the top 8 was a semi-regular occurrence.

Support Eternal Durdles on Patreon

As a lifelong advocate for Doomsday, Eric and I chat at events about the state of the format and our decks' meta positioning. We catch up on life and wish each other well before separating for two months before our paths cross again at the next win-a-dual.

It wasn’t surprising to see Eric at Eternal Weekend in Pittsburgh. I most recently saw him doing well at our local, showing off his UB Reanimator/Doomsday hybrid deck he developed. It was a monster in the Swiss, catching opponents flatfooted, holding Faerie Macabre in hand against an unstoppable five-card pile. Even in the top 8, with open deck lists, Eric's opponents struggled to correctly deduce which angle they would be attacked from until it was too late.

I saw Eric Thoughtseize his own Archon of Cruelty and Reanimate it to victory. I confirmed he had Doomsday somewhere in his 75. Once assured he hadn’t abandoned reason, we talked about the tournament ahead and our lives since we last spoke; fantastic news: he’s expecting twins. Congratulations again!

Aesthetics

One of Eric's opponent played a Veteran Explorer list, complete with oil-slick foil basics and Secret Lair arts. It was well composed; a beautiful, dark, cyberpunk-alleyway aesthetic. On the other hand, Eric’s deck, was black-bordered Underground Seas and other matte cardboard; a Baroque oil painting.

Both examples are opposite sides of the same gorgeous coin. As we chatted art preferences, I noticed Eric's copy of Animate Dead is from EMA or some equivalent reprint.

In the months leading to Eternal Weekend, I had been putting reps in with my UB Reanimator list — mapping my sideboard, and fine-tuning decision-trees. I wasn’t in love with the shallow facsimile of the old Reanimator decks I played long ago; full of silver-bullet creatures and hopeful audacity against a room of Deathrite Shamans. It was, however, my best chance of not punting away nine rounds with some winless pet deck.

Luckily, in the same even Eric finished, I ran my freshly constructed Loam Pox deck featuring new darling Eumidian Hatchery to a handsome record. Even with fewer than 10 matches, I loved how it could answer anything.

Having cast Smallpox since I was a boy, the play patterns were muscle memory. Watching light leave my opponent’s eyes warmed my soul. I decided not to be a sweaty try-hard and to go with my heart in the main event.

"How many copies of Animate Dead are you running," I asked Eric. "Two copies," he replied. Perfect, I had two Beta Animate Deads I wasn't using.

We laughed at what I proposed. He said he didn’t have Odyssey Entombs. Even better; I had four of those as well. We joked about how much better his deck would look if he played an on-camera feature match. How stunningly vain and prideful we were to think one of us would be selected from the 900+ players in the main event.

Eric was thankful for the offer and said he’d consider it. As we parted, I told him I’d pack the six cards — two Animate Dead and four Entomb — just in case.

Day One

In the hour before the main event, I was elated when Eric accepted my offer for optimal aesthetics. I appreciate the ridiculousness of swapping functionally identical cardboard for style.

Different players have different priorities with their card aesthetics. Pragmatic players want the cheapest options regardless of visuals, others choose non-English language cards, and some monsters white border their entire decks.

Entrenched Magic players are odd people. We have our “correct” arts. I felt a kindred spirit in Eric as I watched him sleeve up my MP Beta cards. I appreciate the community's shared love of the game and its history.

I failed to reach Day Two late in the tournament, but gained deeper insight into my deck and fell in love with it further despite my middling record. When I found Eric again later in the day, he was 7-2; a strong position going into Day Two.

We laughed that Eric hadn't yet been on camera to show off the cards. He offered them back before the night, but I said I’d pick them up after Day Two.

Day Two

Sunday was my relaxing shopping day. I followed Jacob Murray's tear with Loam Pox, giving my deck choice an epic debut to the collective suffering of his opponents. As my car’s passengers and I finished Eternal Weekend and prepared to leave, I checked on Eric, who had just finished round 12 with a Doomsday rip to reach 10-2.

I told Eric we were headed out back to New Jersey. He pushed again to return the cards before I left. I’m not a superstitious person, but I know you don’t bother a pitcher when his arm’s hot. Absolutely not would I risk any change to affect his trajectory. I wished him the best in the tournament and upcoming fatherhood before my passengers and I left Pittsburgh.

Carving my way through the middle of nowhere, Pennsylvania, I’m got updates as tables posted match results on Melee. My stomach was in in knots awaiting the news. Jacob was still doing well with Loam Pox; the Discord was blowing up. That deck desperately needed some good news. Everybody was hyped for the showing, so my spirits were high despite hearing Eric lost round 13.

Penultimate round 14 neared its completion. My heart hurt, either from nerves or knowing I’d left a piece of me behind, still feeling the cards shuffle despite the miles of distance. Eric won round 14 to sit in ninth overall. Round 15 was coming to a close and Eric was still playing at the last table — long games don’t favor either Reanimator or Doomsday.

Eric won round 15 to finish in sixth overall at the end of the Swiss — a monumental achievement that washed away all my stress in a euphoric wave. The mad lad did it! I couldn’t be happier. I’m wasn't upset when Hans Jacob Goddik knocked Eric out in the quarterfinals — it took a two-time Eternal Weekend Champion to stop to him.

Loam Pox finished in the top 4. It cemented the weekend as the best Eternal Weekend I could ever hope for. I went 4-4-1 and would not change a thing.

To Lucca

Eric will compete at Eternal Weekend in Lucca, Italy. We discussed mailing my cards back, but I’m in no rush to put them back in a binder. They’ll find their way back to me eventually as Eternal Weekend Top 8 Animate Deads.

I had a blast seeing everybody in Pittsburgh. I stuffed my face full of tacos. I am so happy I offered the silliest trade. It deepened our friendship. Even if only in flavor and not function, I am so proud to have been a part of Eric's Eternal Weekend Top 8 finish. Congratulations. Bring home the trophy from Lucca.