Adieu 2015!

Adieu 2015! Hello 2016!

How was your 2015? I am certain that each of us had our own unforgettable ups and downs. I hope you are not totally disdaining those experiences however sour or sweet they are.

Speaking of remembering the departing year, every planeswalker in Manila was exited for 2015. Some even had to cut short of their 2014 christmas break not because of the fast approaching regular days of the new year but to make more time preparing for Grand Prix Manila. Those happy hangover memories of the said event were soon replaced by mixed emotions because of wizards' announcement. Their dismay did not last long for the reason that Collected Company reinforced the momentarily defunct Birthing Pod team. UR Treasure Cruise delver decks shifted from its original shell to a grixis one. While some of the Dig Through Time decks revert to being the usual UW/ UWr control or twin.

Wizards' 19 January and 28 September 2015 announcements also changed legacy's landscape dramatically. Omnitell decks became extinct instantly while those UR delver burn base decks progressed into grixis tempo build. Worldgorger Dragon and Black Vise cards were released from the oblivion but still unable to make their presence felt yet. 

Before, especially for pure eternal format players, booking a ticket in order for him to be a member of the national team was next to impossible. Thanks to this official statement, the aforesaid type of players will now an equal chance to be part of the national team. The same is true when we talk about participating in a Pro Tour tournament. Aside from making it to the top eight or four of a Grand Prix, although considered a long shot, Preliminary Pro Tour Qualifier (PPTQs) and Regional Pro Tour Qualifier (RPTQs) are very good venues for eternal players to thrive and prove that they are worthy of a slot at the prestigious event.

Here's a pithy recap of my 2015.

• 5 wins 4 four losses in the main event Grand Prix Manila with rareless mono red deck.
• Scrub-out in my Grand Prix  Singapore, WMCQ modern, modern PPTQs and Gold Rush stints. 
• Won a handful of Grand Prix legacy side events all with The Epic Storm. Three from GP Kyoto and one from GP Manila.
• Five Peso Stumpy saw actions in Japan and Singapore. Each opponent's reaction  was priceless. 
• Making it to day two and finishing 102nd in GP Kyoto with The Epic Storm.

Here are some of the stuff that I know so far that will take place in 2016.

• There will be a No Banned List Modern Tournament at Kick Engines, Cubao Expo, Cubao, Quezon City on 3 January 2016.
• There will be a Modern Team Event at Neutralgrounds Examiner, Quezon City as well. But the host shop have not posted its details. 
• Just in case anyone reading is planning his trip to any of the 2016 Grands Prix that are near Manila: Nagoya, Japan (29-31 January, Limited), Melbourne, Australia (4-6 March, Modern), Beijing, China (15-17 April, Limited), Tokyo, Japan (6-8 May, Standard), Taipei, Taiwan (24-26 June, Standard), Guangzhou, China (26-28 August, Modern), Kyoto, Japan (9-11 September, Team Limited), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (21-23 October, Standard), Chiba, Japan (25-27 November, Legacy).**
• PPTQ modern season: 16 July to 9 October 2016. RPTQ modern season: 3 and 10 December 2016.
• Modern WMCQ is set on 9 July 2016. 

There you have it folks! Please, feel free to share your ups and downs from 2015 experiences. And in case you know some legacy modern 2016 tournaments, kindly share them on the Facebook comments too. 

Thank you very much guys!

I wish you all a happy and safe Christmas and New Year celebrations!

-Paeng

** - MVEX Travel and Tours offers one of the cheapest plane tickets for your GP travels. 

          Kindly give me a private message for inquiries. Thank you.