For many players, the biggest barrier to entry when it comes to Eternal formats is simply the cost of the cards. Having to pick up dual lands in order to optimally build most Legacy decks can be a major turnoff. Vintage only exacerbates this issue, with Power Nine cards like Black Lotus involved.
Well, as it turns out, a unique, budget-friendly take on Vintage has been garnering a ton of support. Known as $30 Vintage, the rules are quite simple. The same banned and restricted list that applies to Vintage is utilized here. However, players must craft decks that do not exceed the $30 limit in total. Prices are based on TCGPlayer market price.
This revolutionary idea has quickly received a lot of hype. In fact, at SCGCon Columbus, a $30 Vintage 1K was run and managed to reach an attendance of 79 players. This made it the third largest event on the weekend, behind the main event and cEDH!
The metagame is still wide open, as there are so many different ways you can budget your $30. Let’s take a closer look at all that this format has to offer.
Powered Down, But Still Powerful
Ultimately, the $30 restriction wipes away a lot of the format’s most powerful decks. For instance, Dredge and artifact shenanigans that you might see in traditional Vintage won’t come close to the same power since Bazaar of Baghdad and Mishra’s Workshop are off limits.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t powerful things to be doing. Instead, it means you’ll have to home in on strong combinations of cards that work well together that simultaneously fit within the confines of the format. Nearly every deck in the top eight of the SCGCon Columbus $5k featured cohesive synergies throughout.
The winning decklist was none other than five-color Humans. Rather than trying to exclusively beat down, this variant abuses the power of Pyre of Heroes. From Thalia to Palace Jailer, there are potent Humans up and down the curve that don’t cost much money at all.
In second place, we have a mono-white midrange deck with lots of value-generating creatures. This time around, the cheap but formidable engine card is Abiding Grace. Abiding Grace pairs perfectly with Martyr of Sands, Kami of False Hope, and more.
Going down the line, you’ll find all sorts of sweet decklists. Are you a fan of affinity? Well, the 10th place deck was built to maximize Kappa Cannoneer, which is just over 50 cents a pop. How about Cascade shells? Well, Violent Outburst and Crashing Footfalls also made top eight. This format truly has unlimited potential. You just have to keep an open mind.
Busted Cards Galore
What’s super cool about this format too is that, because you’re utilizing the Vintage banlist, there are tons of broken cards you can play with. Part of the appeal of normal Vintage is that you can make use of busted cards that aren’t legal anywhere else. Of course, the Power Nine is all valued outside the $30 range. Nonetheless, there are other powerhouses to keep in mind.
At the top of the list, we have Lurrus of the Dream-Den. Lurrus may be banned in Legacy, but you’re welcome to play it as a Companion here. At under $1, it barely eats into your budget. White Plume Adventurer also fits the bill and can easily take over a game.
Another powerhouse that’s banned in Legacy but costs almost nothing is Frantic Search. A sweet mono-blue control deck abusing the power of Frantic Search in a Storm shell managed to come in 16th place at SCGCon Columbus.
You’ll also find some restricted Vintage staples that aren’t too much money. You’re free to run one-of copies of Sol Ring, Dig Through Time, and beyond.
Maximizing Your Budget
The key to the whole format is making sure you allocate your money in the best way possible. In some cases, this may mean using a large percentage of your budget on a few specific, important cards.
There was a Merfolk decklist in top eight that played three copies of Aether Vial. These three cards make up over $12 of the deck, but the explosive draws they create when you play one on turn one make their inclusion well worth it.
This Merfolk deck was able to save money even further by playing a simple mono-color manabase of all basic lands. Crafting a consistent manabase on the cheap is not easy here, so you can’t reliably play a multi-color deck and expect to curve out perfectly.
This is actually an area where the winning five-color Humans deck got an edge. While Cavern of Souls is too expensive, Secluded Courtyard and Unclaimed Territory are well within range. The presence of these lands allows you to abuse the power of non-white Humans such as Kitesail Freebooter without too many qualms.
Fan-Made Format Success
It’s really nice to see such a cool format idea gain this much traction in a relatively short period of time. Earlier in the year, one proponent of the format took to Reddit to describe the allure of the format, bringing attention to $30 Vintage as an idea that was growing near the Cincinatti area.
Fast forward to now, and the format has gotten significantly more reach. A large percentage of the participants in the SCGCon Columbus event played out all the rounds, even after being dead for prizes. This further showcases how enjoyable and unique $30 Vintage is.
We’ve seen fan-made formats in the past, such as Gladiator on MTG Arena, make a name for themselves before. Nonetheless, the speed at which $30 Vintage is growing in the MTG community is incredible. It really goes to show that if enough players rally behind a cool new concept, it can take off in no time!
