Raging Bull Series: 2024 Coverage & Results

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Raging Bull 2024 took place a week ago when I’m writing this post, and as always, organizing it has been quite a journey. I usually start planning early, meaning it’s on my mind for most of the year. Once I transition from thinking “I’ll never organize this again” to “sure, why not,” it becomes a regular flow of steps: picking a date, distributing invites, buying prizes, and looking for merchandise. This year, I received fantastic support. Not only did Evert, Thomas, and Dyan, who have been involved since the first edition, lend a hand, but Juan also offered to help. He created the Raging Bull Beer openers (including 4 unique ones for Evert, Thomas, Dyan & myself) and immediately supported my idea of making the Raging Bull 9-Piece puzzle. Herman contributed by crafting a one-of-a-kind hand-drawn playmat, which was awarded as one of the special prizes. To top it off, Martin, who couldn’t even attend this year, created the first prize: a 3D-printed, gold-painted Raging Bull. When Martin sent it to me, it arrived broken into two pieces. Despite my efforts to glue it back together, Martin wasn’t satisfied, so he made another one, which Marc Heider kindly brought to Amsterdam. If this doesn’t demonstrate what the OS community is all about, I don’t know what does.

For a long time, I had been contemplating the format for the side-event on Friday. Last year, we had a Two-Headed Giant, Brother Highlander Team Unified event. There are plenty of formats to choose from, but Evert and Thomas were convinced it had to be an Ice Age Sealed Deck. Since I had bought a lot of sealed product a few years ago specifically to open during events I could offer it relatively cheap. Still I wasn’t sure how many people would be willing to pay 120 euros to play a side-event. After some inquiries, I was confident that we could get 16 participants, crazy enough we ended up with an impressive 30 players. Having organized multiple ’94-’96 draft and sealed events, I have some experience with the formats and sets involved. The common complaint by those who never play it, is that limited play isn’t very enjoyable with these sets. While Fallen Empires Booster Draft was indeed pretty slow (though still fun), the 4th Edition, Chronicles, and Ice Age sets have been excellent for limited play. At least from my perspective 😉 This was my first time opening Alliances, and I was unsure how well it all would work together in a sealed format. Guess what? It was awesome! When I opened my starter and boosters, the nostalgia was strong, but initially, the cards seemed like a pile of junk. However, after carefully reviewing each card, my deck improved, and my final selection of 40 cards turned out to be quite solid. Some players were definitely luckier than others, and we saw some fantastic card pulls. To name a few: Necropotence, Stormbind, Lake of the Dead, Icy Manipulator, Autumn Willow, and two players even opened Ihsan’s Shade in both of their boosters. How is that even possible?

The last Ice Age Booster Draft was won by Rob, aka Broodjesboer. He was unsure about making the trip to Amsterdam for the sealed event on Friday, so I convinced him by offering him a place to stay. Normally, I don’t like having guests because I’m known for my hangovers and only get about five hours of sleep between Friday and Saturday. Plus, Rob still had to take a 75-minute bus ride to the venue, making my offer less generous than it seemed. Nevertheless, he agreed to come. Having Olle Rade join us for the Ice Age sealed event was pretty special. However, Alex ruined all the fun by first beating me in Round 3 and then defeating Olle in Round 4. Alex went 3-0-1, preventing both Olle and me from going undefeated. Fortunately, Rob never disappoints, and he won the sealed event! It was a relaxed start to the weekend. The Norwegian (aka Daltons), Spanish, and Italian crews played some casual games to get in the mood. For those interested, there are some additional deck pictures of the event at the bottom of this post.

Rob’s winning deck

Saturday marked the Main Event. The start is always the busiest part of the tournament, and I just hope everybody is on time because I’m always on a tight schedule. The Daltons partied a bit too hard on the first evening, which was evident when they arrived just one minute before the event. What a crew—they are truly irreplaceable! Upon arrival, everyone received a beer opener, a 9-piece Raging Bull Puzzle, and a raffle ticket. With 72 players checked in and ready to rumble, I began with a small speech, pressed the pairings on Tolaria, and… Oh no, double pairings. For the third year in a row, something weird happened, but after re-pairing, everything was fixed. After that chaotic first hour, the initial minutes of the round were so rewarding. Everyone was at the start of the event, hoping their deck would perform better than expected, wishing for a bit of luck, and looking forward to great games against great opponents. The rounds flew by, and the match records began to separate the players into two different groups. In the basement, players who hoped for better results were still having fun. The happy hardcore music down there was a reason for some to stay and for others a motivation to win some games and move upstairs. At the top tables, the players appeared more serious, and why wouldn’t they be? If you’ve made it this far, you want to get into that Top 8, don’t you?

After six rounds, there’s a raffle. Richard B and Juriaan win the spice prize, and David Simons wins the third edition of the Angry Mob event. The highest The Deck finishers wins the Revised Grizzly Bear and like last year, it’s again a walk of shame. A 19th place for Manuel Bohm, at least beating his buddy Marc in 20th place. Later that evening I found out that Jordan sneaked in and Old Men of the Sea to hide the fact he was playing The Deck as well, finishing 18th. Malte gets to complete the Raging Bull puzzle, winning an invite for life which he already had anyway. Some people head out for dinner, while others prepare for the Top 8 matches. Olle Rade went undefeated in the Swiss rounds and is joined in the Top 8 by Koen, Svante, Mari, Evert, Purple, Gwenn, and Alex. The basement keeps buzzing with activity and Thomas, Myrthe, and Henk take over the stream. In some great matches, Mari beats Olle, Svante beats Purple, Gwenn beats Evert, and Koen wins against Alex. In the semifinals, both Svante and Koen win their matches, setting the stage for an exciting final. Koen, the reigning Raging Bull champion, transformed his Deadguy Ale on Extra Steroids deck from last year into Deadguy Ale on Acid, playing five colors. Svante brought an idea he spotted from Reindeer all the way to the finals—a mix of Triple S, The Deck, and Robots, with Sages as the main draw engine. The Triple S(age) Deck is likely the new star in the current meta. After some tense games, Svante wins the tournament, and both players receive a well-deserved applause. Koen passes on the ring to Svante. I hand over Martin’s Golden Bull and an RBS playmat, and I am over the moon.

The day couldn’t have been more relaxing for me as the tournament organizer. The vibe among the crowd was fantastic. The basement players enjoyed themselves, and the Top 8 was stacked with great competitors. The finals were a dream come true, and the winner is a great icon within the OS scene. As always, after the tournament, we headed over to the bar across the street. We had random chats, some more beer, and the evening slowly came to an end. An Uber took us home, and Rob and Wouter tried to convince me to go out for one more drink. I refused, only to change my mind two minutes after getting home. More beer wasn’t really what I needed, but why not! It was probably the best Raging Bull so far. After a few more hours, my eyes shut down quickly. The fact that this happened in a bar with loud music banging and loads of people around me says enough. Thank you all for making this edition a blast, proud that I could host you again and hopefully see you very soon!

Livestream

Timmy will cut the livestream into single episodes again. This will take some time. Untill then you can watch the full reply of the livestream here (timestamps are in the comments): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFeRMVMS_hI

To watch the stream from the Ice Age Sealed you can click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufqxrAicRpo

Photo’s

Dyan haven’t uploaded his photo’s yet, check out later to find the link to his gallery.

Tournament Reports

Bulls do have more fun! Day 1 – by Emiel: https://edge-man.com/2024/06/03/bulls-do-have-more-fun-day-1/
Bulls do have more fun! Day 2 – by Emiel: https://edge-man.com/2024/06/10/bulls-do-have-more-fun-day-2/
Just some midrange bullshit – by Svante: https://endofturndrawacard.wordpress.com/2024/06/06/just-some-midrange-bullshit/

Pairings & Results

Round 1:

Round 2:

Round 3:

Round 4:

Round 5:

Round 6:

Top 8:

 

Final Standings:

Participants & Archetypes

ResultNameArchetypeUnpowered
1Svante LandgrafTriple S(age) Deck
2Koen HaakDeadguy Ale on Acid
3MariRobots / FloBots
4Gwenn De SchamphelaereTriple S
5Olle RådeURb Counterburn
6Jordi GálvezBrown/Red/Black Hate
7Evert VisserAtogeddon
8Alex RuttenLion Dib Bolt
9Resti GonzálezLion Dib Bolt
10Rob Van dijckKoos Cramer Aggro
11Florian Von BredowRobots / FloBots
12ReindeerTriple S(age) Deck
13Bob van der LindenMono Blue - left wing right wing
14Myrthe FaberUR Counterburn
15Slutting SpigMono Green Bees
16Ole RustadRukhvalley
17Trygve ØrjansenURb Counterburn
18Jordan BoyleThe Deck(ish)
19Manuel BohmThe Deck
20Marc HeiderLion Dib Bolt
21Leo BruderRobots UWb
22AlphamannetjeThe Deck (Alpha)
23Andrea SevesoErnhamGeddon
24Nick CramerMono Black
25Ron DijkstraRukhvalley
26Lluís CortèsRukhvalley
27Old Man FredPink Weenie
28Jaap BTwiddleVault
29The Edge-ManMachinehead
30Anies van TolTriple S
31Jeff de NijsKoos Cramer Aggro
32Steven DeckersPink MidrangeY
33Edo HoksbergenLegends of the Dark Side
34Martijn Van der EndKoos Cramer Aggro
35Gideon EversRGW Zoo into Geddon
36Audun DøsslandDragons & Angels
37TimmyTimmy's Spellbook
38Peter BonthuisErhnam on Ice
39Antti TurtiainenRBU Midrange
40Wouter JansenMono GreenY
41Malte Wanner
42Old Man ArjenLion Dib Bolt
43Juan LópezPink MidrangeY
44Pasi SavolainenTax Edge
45Koos CramerMono Green
46Erwin DemmerKoos Cramer Aggro
47Saúl Ibarra CorretgéWhite WeenieY
48Koendert RuifrokRobots UR
49Louis de NijsErhnam Burn'em
50HW-MTGURb Counterburn
51Thomas NilsenLich Combo
52Marten Buhler4c Mono Red
53Sandro GiacchinoUR Counterburn
54Richard BoonstraGb AggroY
55Herman DjinnUR Sol'kaBots
56Robert MeijboomMono BlackY
57Leon van den OordDiscoVoid
58Wilfred DoornikAtog RWb
59Vicente Romero GironPink Midrange
60Robbie van BakelAtog Berserk
61Wouter MaasDeadguy AleY
62Sander van der EndMono BlackY
63Peter MontenErhnam Burn'em
64Bas DietvorstRukhvalley
65Hunter PrendergastKobolds
66BenjaWhite WeenieY
67Frenk Van der MeijChains
68David SimonsMono Black - Pestilence
69Roy NeijlandDeadguy Ale on Fire
70Robbertjan SuwerinkBurning Dreams
71NethershadowMono Black - Yawgmoth's SkullY
72Old Man Backbreaker4C Evil-Eye

Decklists

1 – Svante Landgraf – Triple S(age) Deck
2 – Koen Haak – Deadguy Ale on Acid
3 – Mari – Robots / FloBots
4 – Gwenn De Schamphelaere – Triple S
5 – Olle Råde – URb Counterburn
6 – Jordi Gálvez – Brown/Red/Black Hate
7 – Evert Visser – Atogeddon
8 – Alex Rutten – Lion Dib Bolt
9 – Resti González – Lion Dib Bolt
10 – Rob Van dijck – Koos Cramer Aggro
11 – Florian Von Bredow – Robots / FloBots
12 – Reindeer – Triple S(age) Deck
13 – Bob van der Linden – Mono Blue – left wing right wing
14 – Myrthe Faber – UR Counterburn
15 – Slutting Spig – Mono Green Bees
16 – Ole Rustad – Rukhvalley
17 – Trygve Ørjansen – URb Counterburn
18 – Jordan Boyle – The Deck(ish)
19 – Manuel Bohm – The Deck
20 – Marc Heider – Lion Dib Bolt
21 – Leo Bruder – Robots UWb
22 – Alphamannetje – The Deck (Alpha)
23 – Andrea Seveso – ErnhamGeddon
24 – Nick Cramer – Mono Black
25 – Ron Dijkstra – Rukhvalley
26 – Lluís Cortès – Rukhvalley
27 – Old Man Fred – Pink Weenie
28 – Jaap B – TwiddleVault
29 – The Edge-Man – Machinehead
30 – Anies van Tol – Triple S
31 – Jeff de Nijs – Koos Cramer Aggro
32 – Steven Deckers – Pink Midrange
33 – Edo Hoksbergen – Legends of the Dark Side
34 – Martijn Van der End – Koos Cramer Aggro
35 – Gideon Evers – RGW Zoo into Geddon
36 – Audun Døssland – Dragons & Angels
37 – Timmy – Timmy’s Spellbook
38 – Peter Bonthuis – Erhnam on Ice
39 – Antti Turtiainen – RBU Midrange
40 – Wouter Jansen – Mono Green
41 – Malte Wanner –
42 – Old Man Arjen – Lion Dib Bolt
43 – Juan López – Pink Midrange
44 – Pasi Savolainen – Tax Edge
45 – Koos Cramer – Mono Green
46 -Erwin Demmer – Koos Cramer Aggro
47 – Saúl Ibarra Corretgé – White Weenie
48 – Koendert Ruifrok – Robots UR
49 – Louis de Nijs – Erhnam Burn’em
50 – HW-MTG – URb Counterburn
51 – Thomas Nilsen – Lich Combo
52 – Marten Buhler – 4c Mono Red
53 – Sandro Giacchino – UR Counterburn
54 – Richard Boonstra – Gb Aggro
55 – Herman Djinn – UR Sol’kaBots
56 – Robert Meijboom – Mono Black
57 – Leon van den Oord – DiscoVoid
58 – Wilfred Doornik – Atog RWb
59 – Vicente Romero Giron – Pink Midrange
60 – Robbie van Bakel – Atog Berserk
61 – Wouter Maas – Deadguy Ale
62 – Sander van der End – Mono Black
63 – Peter Monten – Erhnam Burn’em
64 – Bas Dietvorst – Rukhvalley
65 – Hunter Prendergast – Kobolds
66 – Benja – White Weenie
67 – Frenk Van der Meij – Chains
68 – David Simons – Mono Black – Pestilence
69 – Roy Neijland – Deadguy Ale on Fire
70 – Robbertjan Suwerink – Burning Dreams
71 – Nethershadow – Mono Black – Yawgmoth’s Skull
72 – Old Man Backbreaker – 4C Evil-Eye

Event Pictures

Ice Age Sealed Deck

Author: TaGMoM

Started playing in 1995 when Ice Age was launched and quit playing in 1999 since I didn't like the fast rotation of cards. When I heard about Old School Magic in 2017 I returned to the scene and now I'm spending way to much time on Magic, loving it all the way!

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