So what exactly do Minnesotans do during the frozen winter? They play T2!!!
So it’s been a couple months since the last “Do You Wanna Build a T2?” article, and as it turns out I’m actually going to wait until next time to pick up that series. For today’s article, I would like to focus on something that has had a huge impact on Type 2 in Redemption—the annual T2 Only tournament! This year marks the 11th year of this great tournament that is hosted each year in Minnesota by none other than “Wild Bill” Voigt. (If you would like to read a great article on building a playgroup, check out Bill’s account of building the Twin Cities playgroup here).
2005 Nationals in Minnesota was the largest National tournament ever, and included 123 players in T1 2P. However, T2 2P only had 26 players, and of those only a handful were from Minnesota. Bill wanted to come up with something that would encourage Minnesota players to give T2 a chance thereby giving the few existing players (such as myself) a chance to get more games in during the tournament season. His idea was simple yet brilliant—create a tournament exclusively for Type 2. This way players could try their hand at building and playing a T2 deck without feeling like they were missing out on a chance to play T1. Already a very generous playgroup leader in terms of getting cards to newer players, Bill increased his efforts in obtaining multiple copies of the strongest cards for players to trade for so that they could build competitive T2 decks.
With the first tournament being held in 2006, it was an instant success. Even in the earliest years, there would typically be over 20 players for T2 2P (even over 30 players in some years), including several that came in from out of state. Over the years, players have come from Nebraska, Iowa, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Wisconsin, Ohio, and maybe even a few states I’m missing (hard to remember 10 years of tournaments). This year should be no different as we already have several out of state players who have confirmed that they are coming. Other than Nationals, the Type 2 Only has become the most recognizable tournament of the year, and it is no coincidence that in many years the winner of T2 2P at the T2 Only has gone on to finish in the top 3 at Nationals in T2 2P.
One of my favorite aspects of the T2 Only has been the incredible variety of decks that players have come up with. Each year the meta has a few decks that are considered “top tier” but seeing the variations that people come up with as well always gives me ideas for decks that I want to then try out. Even in years when the meta has not been as wide open, it always seems like there’s a great variety. (There may have been one year where half the field was using Disciples, but for the most part it has been pretty diverse).
I am especially excited for this year’s tournament as the Persecuted Church set has created even more viable top tier strategies. It should be interesting to see how many “new school” decks (Clay/Heretics for example) versus how many “old school” decks (Judges/Pharisees) make an appearance. We’ve even seen a few crazy combo decks, one of which (built and played by Kirk D.) ended up winning several years ago.
On behalf of Type 2 players everywhere, but specifically Minnesota, I really want to give a huge shout out to Bill Voigt for his amazing commitment to this great tournament. He has provided awesome prize support as well as helping out of state players with traveling costs all out of his own pocket. I really encourage everyone to try and make it to this tournament at some point during their Redemption career. Whether you are primarily a T2 player or not, the fun and fellowship and great games are truly awesome each and every year! This year’s tournament will be March 4th and 5th—hope to see you there!
Be sure to check back in a couple weeks as I resume the Frozen-themed “Do You Wanna Build a T2?” series!
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