Ham on Wry IV ~ The Erik Friborg Celebration Classic

Five years ago, we lost one of the pillars of the MTGO community, Erik Friborg, or Hamtastic, as he was known. A lot of you are 'too young' (in playing terms) to remember Hammy, but way back when we were a distinct community, totally separate from the paper world, and not this weird amalgam of all things online and off, Erik was one of the cornerstones of said community.

But this is not the time, nor place, for eulogies. No! The days are lengthening, and life blossoms anew across all the lands. The time has come once more; another year has come and gone.

It's time to pull this strange rocket out of the storage shed and take it for a ride once again. What started as a kneejerk response to morbid trolling has turned into an annual celebration of the life and contributions of Erik Friborg, and a celebration of the MTGO community as a whole.

Join me for the fourth running of Ham on Wry!

Time: Sunday, May 3th 2015 Noon EST/1600 UTC

(May 4th is a Monday)

PST EST CET MSK 0800 1200 1700 2000

Format: Constructed Vintage, X Rounds Swiss, T8

Players 8-16 17-32 33-64 65-128 129-226 227+ Rounds 4 5 6 7 8 9

Announcements and game chat: channel #HAM

Registration is open on Gatherling. Decklists are required.

Intentional Draws are allowed.

Players, pairings, and standings for this Event, along with the current Prize Pool, can be seen here.

Note the tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet for easy navigation. You can review past events, as well.

Tempest Remastered

You know that I always try to get you guys wazoo prizes. This year is no exception.

From the Tempest Remastered announcement:

"When Vintage Masters released, there was a huge outpouring of enthusiasm from the Magic Online community. People could finally obtain hard-to-find Vintage cards—including the Power Nine—for the first time online. Not only that, but we heard time and again that the set was a ton of fun for Limited play. Our goal with Tempest Remastered is to recreate those great play experiences and get sought-after cards into the hands of players—this time, making Legacy play more accessible to folks who are new to the format."

Since the Tempest Remastered events start the Wednesday following (May 6) this event, I thought that TPR would be a good fit. The good folks at Wizards of the Coast agreed, and have generously kicked in 75 (75!) Tempest Remastered boosters! (30-15-9-9-3-3-3-3)

Any boosters won will be awarded to accounts during the May 6th downtime, so you'll be able to use them in the release events! Woo hoo!

The Slug's looking out for y'all.

The Riot Act...

Bullying, mobbing, foul language, & general rudeness will not be tolerated. This includes "snide remarks" about decks/playing ability, personal attacks, racial slurs, etc. A player will get 1 warning. Repeat violations will result in disqualification from the Event. This will be enforced. Flagrant violations may be screenshot and reported to WotC for harassment.

Please refrain from talking in other players games, or PMing players in a game. This will allow players to concentrate fully without interruption. We cannot prevent players from talking within their own game. If both players in a game agree to allow "peanut gallery" chat, this rule may be waived. Violations by players will get 1 warning. Repeat violations may result in disqualification from the Event. Flagrant violations may be screenshot and reported to WotC for harassment.

As people playing in my events over the years can attest, I will get medieval if the situation so demands. Don't make me get naked.

Hammybot

One of the many wonderful things that came out the first Ham on Wry was Hammybot. Hammybot was set up four years ago by Heath Newton (and crew) over at MTGO Traders to sell off Erik Friborg's MTGO collection. All of the proceeds from Hammybot are slated to go to Erik's widow and boy-child.

This is the last year Hammybot will be around. After this year's event, Hammybot is scheduled to be paid out and the proceeds sent to Tammy and son.

Prices are discounted to 10% below MTGO Traders list. Hammybot has raised over $8,000, but still has many, many cards left. Be sure to check out Hammybot first for all your card needs, and help out a good cause! At the first Ham on Wry event, several players put up cards, boosters, and tickets as personal pledges and bounties. You can use Hammybot to purchase cards for use as pledges or bounties in this year's Ham on Wry for a double dose of good karma!

Projected Payout:

T48/$5 Bot Credit

10 x $5 Bot Credit Door Prizes

With this much chum in the waters, I expect a large turnout, with a great many sharks. Erik was no carebear when it came to gameplay. In fact, I'd call him downright cut-throat. I expect a significant percentage of players showing up to not be carebears, either.

Once again, to be clear: There will be sharks.

Oh yes, there will be sharks.

Thank You to our Sponsors!

I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of our sponsors for the generous support they've shown for this event! I wouldn't be able to do this without them. I'm still pounding on doors and harassing people, so there may be more in the pipeline.

Face to Face Games has generously kicked in $100 store credit!

CardBot has generously kicked in $100 Bot credits!

MTGO ClanTeam has generously kicked in $50 Bot credits!

MTGO Traders has generously kicked in $100 gift certificates!

Wizards of the Coast has generously kicked in 75 Tempest Remastered boosters!

Alphabot has generously kicked in $100 Bot credits!

Cardhoarder has generously kicked in $100 Bot credits!

Fine Print

Players receive 3 points for a match win, 1 point for a match draw.

All pairings and standings will be generated via Gatherling, in accordance with DCI protocols.

Deck changes between games are not allowed.

Games will be played in Constructed Open Play > Getting Serious. Games must be set as Constructed Vintage, watchable, timed at 25 minutes, best 2 of 3, and be marked "Ham Round x".

First person listed makes table. Players have 10 minutes to make and join tables from time of pairings announcement.

Bullying, mobbing, foul language, & general rudeness will not be tolerated. This includes "snide remarks" about decks/playing ability, personal attacks, racial slurs, etc. A player will get 1 warning, then be ejected from event.

Talking during other players games is discouraged. You may chat - within the guidelines above - within your own game. Violations by non event participants may be screenshot and reported to WotC for harassment.

Results must be posted via Gatherling Player CP before intermission. Results posted in the Ham on Wry chat room, or via PM, will be ignored. Results not posted before intermission will be declared a 0-0 draw.

WotC employees are welcome to play, but are ineligible for any prizes, other than bragging rights.

"Double Queueing" is not allowed. If you are found playing in another event, including WotC events, during Ham on Wry, you may be dropped from the event.

Valid email addresses are required for some prizes. You will be notified via private chat if needed.