“Do you believe in life after love?”
The Lore
The year was 1994. The world above did not know what transpired below.
At the Save the Sedge Charity Concert, Stevie Nicks completed her set and descended into the true gathering. This was for Ante. Some scholars believe the experience surfaced later in song. Players only love you when they’re playing.
She had been winning all night. Then… a murmur.
Cher had arrived.
Stevie didn’t feel fear. It was recognition. Cher approached the table and produced her deck. Her list made no sense. Then perfect sense. Then no sense again.
They played five games. Birds flew. Basics bled.
In Game Six, with defeat looming, Cher drew her only remaining out: Chaos Orb.
Critics dispute the legality of the flip. Some claim it traveled only ten inches. Others insist it failed to complete a full rotation. Such arguments are irrelevant. What is known is that the legendary Spice Sword of the Ages was turned over as Stevie’s ante, and Stevie let out an audible cry that was heard across the venue.
Cher claimed it without ceremony as she packed up her cards into her deck box.
She declined to play more. Within the Ante community, a profound breach of etiquette after winning such a prize. She had what she came for, and the rivalry begun.
The Cher Classic exists because that night was never resolved. The Spice Sword of the Ages remains in Cher’s hands.
The Format
This is my second time hosting an online tournament devoted to Spice. These events are aimed at fostering and preserving one of the aspects of Old School I hold closest to my heart.
This time I decided to change the structure, adding a team element.
- Ammi Ribar
- Tim Moran
- Jason Beaupre
- Ryan Rudolph
- Alex Cavaliere
- Shane Cota
- Jay Krusac
- Mike Frantz
- Neil Troy
- Jared Susney
- Shawn Sullivan
- Brian Limbacher
The 12 players were added to a Discord server and divided amongst 2 teams based on whose music they thought was superior. They were given separate team channels to brew together to maximize their Spice levels.
Every player in the Cher Classic had served as a juror at The Harvest of Spice: Stevie Nicks Invitational. The jury for The Cher Classic are the previous players of The Harvest of Spice.
And this time, you won’t be judged by strangers. Those you judged will now judge you. So make a statement.
Round Robin Duel
- Atlantic Rules 93/94 B&R with Ancestral Recall, Library of Alexandria, and Mind Twist BANNED
- Untimed online matches (be reasonable)
- No draws allowed, all matches expected to be played
- High quality proxies allowed (be reasonable, especially for your deck photo in judging)
- Each player on one team will face every player on the opposing team for 6 matches
- ⚔️MATCH WINS are tracked individually for each player’s personal record
- ⚔️Each GAME WIN also counts toward the team’s overall record: the combined win/loss across all cross-team matchups
Scoring
Spiciness Rating
Each player’s deck is rated on a spiciness scale of 0–20 by the juror panel, reflecting the creativity, boldness and surprise factor of the deck’s construction. Olympic style scoring: top and bottom score omitted, the rest averaged, decimals included.
Individual Combat Record
Each match win earned during the Round Robin Duel is worth 1 point. Win all six, earn all six. Win none, earn none.
Team Bonus
The team with the most combined game wins across all 36 matchups earns +2 added to each member’s final score. If both teams finish with an equal game win record, no bonus is awarded to either side.
| Category | Max Points |
|---|---|
| Spiciness Rating | 20 |
| Individual Combat Record | 6 |
| Team Bonus | +2 |
| Total Possible | 28 |
Prizes
Schedule
Eight weeks, July 1st through September 2nd. Initial lists could be a text list, but once a player submitted their 75 they were locked in. A second submission existed only for whatever aesthetic effort they wanted to put into the photo ahead of judging.
Combat
With one match left, the game win record was tied at Cher’s Chosen 45, Stevie Loyalists 45.
Cher’s Chosen Stevie Loyalists
Stevie’s Loyalists held the lead for most of the event, by as many as six games. Cher’s Chosen clawed it back the final week, and on August 13th the lines met dead level at 45–45 games with one match still unplayed.
That match was Mike Frantz vs. Jason Beaupre. Frantz took it 2–1, handing all six of Cher’s Chosen a +2 for the Team Bonus (best team game win rate).
Judgement
counted discarded high / low scale 0–20
Every raw ballot is above, ordered by final spice average. The dimmed bars are the discarded high and low for each deck; the number beneath each group is the Olympic average of the five that survived.
Final Standings
There are many ways for a Magic card to change hands.
They can be bought.
They can be traded.
And, in the oldest tradition of the game, they can be lost in Ante.
So it was with the Spice Sword of the Ages.
Long before the first match of the Cher Classic, the Sword had already changed hands. Lost in Ante, it passed from Stevie into the possession of Cher. Ever since, the Loyalists have waited for the opportunity to bring it home.
There were hard losses. There were games where the last win condition disappeared and all that remained was making the opponent earn every final point of damage. There were victories that came easily and others that had to be dragged across the finish line.
And when the final match ended, the cruelest truth of all remained:
The Sword still belonged to Cher’s Chosen.
There would be no triumphant return of the Sword. No procession beneath the shawls of Stevie. No glorious restoration of what they believed was rightfully theirs.
Cher’s Chosen had earned the right to keep it.
Rivalries are good.
Grudges are funny.
Propaganda was encouraged.
But friendship must survive.
So the Cher Classic comes to an end with the Spice Sword of the Ages still in enemy hands.
Congratulations to Mike Frantz!
Enjoy it.
Guard it well.
Stevie’s Loyalists will come for it again.
| # | Player | Deck | Team | Spice | Record | Bonus | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mike Frantz | Grug’s Idea | Cher | 16.60 | 4–2 | +2 | 22.60 |
| 2 | Tim Moran | Sorrow’s Path to Death by (10),000 cuts | Stevie | 17.40 | 3–3 | 0 | 20.40 |
| 3 | Neil Troy | Remove Enchantments? Oh! That’s neat! | Cher | 16.00 | 2–4 | +2 | 20.00 |
| 4 | Brian Limbacher | Urza Yard Sale | Cher | 13.20 | 4–2 | +2 | 19.20 |
| T5 | Jay Krusac | C.o.p.s and C.h.i.p.s. | Cher | 14.40 | 2–4 | +2 | 18.40 |
| T5 | Jared Susney | Fish Snatchery | Cher | 13.40 | 3–3 | +2 | 18.40 |
| 7 | Shawn Sullivan | The Lorax | Cher | 12.00 | 3–3 | +2 | 17.00 |
| 8 | Jason Beaupre | Ram Jam (Black Betty) | Stevie | 13.20 | 3–3 | 0 | 16.20 |
| 9 | Ryan Rudolph | DEADLANDS | Stevie | 13.20 | 2–4 | 0 | 15.20 |
| 10 | Ammi Ribar | Swords & Birds: The Quest for the Sword | Stevie | 9.80 | 5–1 | 0 | 14.80 |
| 11 | Alex Cavaliere | Machinations of Time | Stevie | 11.00 | 1–5 | 0 | 12.00 |
| 12 | Shane Cota | The Wretched and His Minions | Stevie | 7.40 | 4–2 | 0 | 11.40 |
Decklists
Awards
The Spice Sword: Mike Frantz
Screen Saver: Jason Beaupre
Spicy Spicer: Tim Moran
Rules Expert: Neil Troy
Best Pic: Brian Limbacher
Other Hardware
Shout Outs
The Seven Jurors, who sat down with twelve decks and took the time to judge without bias.
The Players, who judged, then got judged. Thank you for devoting your spice ideas to the project and the time to play your matches. The codex will remember.
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