May 2017: UR STORM goes to GP KOBE 2017

UR STORM

Paeng Paeng

Main deck

4 Misty Rainforest

4 Scalding Tarn

3 Island

3 Spirebluff Canal

2 Steam Vents

1 Mountain     

4 Baral, Chief of Compliance

4 Pyromancer Ascension

3 Grapeshot

3 Past in Flames

1 Gifts Ungiven

4 Desperate Ritual

4 Manamorphose

4 Pyretic Ritual

4 Serum Vision

4 Sleight of Hand

4 Though scour

3 Faithless Looting

1 Peer Through Depths   

Side board

4 Lightning Bolt

3 Empty the Warrens

3 Blood Moon

2 Echoing Truth

2 Shatterstorm

1 Defense Grid    

My match ups.

Day one (6-3) (12-7)
Boros Burn 2-1
Eldrazi Tron 2-0
GW Counters Company 0-2
Baral Gifts 0-2
Jund 2-1
GW Counters Company 2-0
Elves 2-0
Grix Death shadow 1-2
GW Counter Company 2-0

Day two (4-2) (9-4)
GW Counter Company 2-0
Eldrazi Tron 2-0
Baral Gifts 0-2
Boros Burn 1-2
Bant Spirit 2-0
Affinity 2-0

Total (10-5) (21-11)     

RD1 Boros Burn

Burn decks cannot outrace a turn two 14 1/1 red goblins. Despite his best math effort, my goblins still get there.

RD 2 Eldrazi Tron

Game one, a turn four online Pyromancer Ascension was too fast for his aliens to handle.
Game two, a second turn Blood Moon sealed the game into my favor.

RD 3 GW Counters Company

Game one, he combo out a turn early than me. Game two, I drew bricks after a good seven cards. He finished me with his three card combo: Vizier + Druid + Ballista.

RD 4 Baral Gifts Storm

Among the 15 games that I had, this is the least I like. I mulled on both games. Game one, mulled to 5. Game two, four. GG.

RD 5 Jund

Although eight goblins tokens by turn two seems a little weak, against a hand full of discard spells, those brave little red souls somehow spelled win for me.

RD 6 GW Counters

Game one and on the draw, I kept this opening seven: fetch, island, 3 rituals, 1 Manamorphose and Baral. GW fetch into GW shockland into Noble were his first turn actions. I drew a PiF. Looked at his body language trying to pick for any sign that he has a Path to Exile in his hand or that he is on a counter spell BANT something deck. He seems ignoring me on my turn because he keeps on calculating with his fingers while looking at his hand. This is a clear sign that he is on GW Counter Company deck. I simply dropped a fetch and pass. He dropped a what seems to be a harmless druid in his turn, then pass. Fetched for a Steam Vents at the end of his turn. I untapped and drew my second Manamorphose. I put on the table my heavily played beta Island, tapped both lands for a ritual (3R / storm 1) into Manamorphose (Peer Through Depths) (2R 1U /2 storm). Bring down my Chief of Compliance (1R / 3 storm). Used my two remaining rituals (5R / 5 storm) before burning my last Manamorphose (land) off my hand (4R 2U/ 6 storm). Used Peer through Depths (4R 1U / 7 storm) finding my lone Gifts Ungiven. Decided to recycle everything first before presenting this pile to him: Past in Flames, Desperate Ritual, Pyretic Ritual and Grapeshot. “Next game” he said. Game two, he mulled to five. To make matter worse for him, he drew bricks.    

RD 7 Elves

Game one, he dropped everything he had by turn three. Then attacked me with everything he’s got by turn four, thus pinning me down to seven life points. That was his last interaction because Pyromancer Ascension went online the turn after that elven assault. Cantrips did a find the storm pieces I need which ended with a Grapeshot for storm lethal. Game two, he kept a hand full of hate: turn one Engineered for Zero. Turn two Rest in peace; and turn three Gaddock Teeg. I won the game by natural storm. He was at 18 life points when I did three Grapeshots. The first was at storm for five; then six and the last one was at seven storm.

RD 8 Grix Death shadow

Discard + Stubborn Denial + UR Storm’s lack of spot removals for his Shadow at 5/5 black delve ugly fish kept me at bay during game three.

RD 9 GW Counter Company

Facing elimination, losing is not an option if I wish to partake in day two. Game three, life points for both players were 15 (him) and 8. On his table: Kessig Wolf Run + 8 other lands. Creatures: two 8/8 Knight of the Reliquary, dorks and a 5/5 Ooze. On my side, six blue red lands a Baral, and a graveyard that has Past in Flames, two Grapeshots, lands, a lot of cantrips and rituals. My hand (after drawing for the turn): Manamorphose, Past in Flames and an Echoing Truth. My first move was to return his Ooze to his hand. As expected he responded by eating the important spells (Past in Flames and Grapeshots) before going for the other instant and sorcery spells. After successfully bouncing his green nuisance, I mentally check the odds of me drawing that lone Grapeshot in the Library. I began my quest by firing Manamorphose (Empty the Warrens), then Past in Flames. Minutes had gone by and I am still not getting that lone Grapeshot. Until to such point that I ran out of cantrips but had a lot of floating R + 2 U + 21 storm count. Fortunately, my hand had three Empty the Warrens and the Echoing Truth that I used for his Scavenging Ooze still has the flashback effect from Past in Flames. I reused the said instant blue card to bounce his 8/8 knights then summoned goblin tokens. The first Empty The Warrens was 46 (storm 23), second ETW 48 (storm 24) and third 50 (storm 25). I prayed hard to storm god keranos that he will not be bestowed of in any form of mass removal. He Drew his top deck, took a deep breath before extending his hand congratulating me for making it to day two.

RD 10 GW Counter Company

The fourth GW Counter Company. Wow! They are really that common here. I won both games one and two at turn two. Grapeshot You. Flashback. Grapeshot you, again.

RD 11 Eldrazi Tron

Game one, turn one he dropped an Urza Tower. Turn two an Urza Mine. I simply bring down Baral on the table as a bait just in case he will have that natural tron into a Karn Liberated. “Please storm god keranos no natural online tron,” I prayed to storm god keranos. But the storm god was sleeping at that time because opponent just effortlessly dropped his Urza Plant and tapped all of them for …. an Endbringer. Yep. That was the end of his last turn for game one. Discount off Baral into Past in Flames into Grapeshot you. Game two, a second turn ritual into a Blood moon + him not getting the hate cards for my moon, I just simply slow roll for the win.

RD 12 Baral Gifts

His list is faster than mine. Both games, turn three win. Also, I believe that this kind of build has counter spells.

RD 13 Boros Burn

Game three, I get down to bolt range. I still needed like two more turns to set up my combo. Unfortunately, he top decked a Skullcrack thus sending me to the bottom fighting for the right to have a pro point.

RD 14 Bant Spirits

Game one, no Pyromancer Ascension and Baral.no problem. I won via natural storm count. Two Grapeshots, first storm for 8 and the other for 9, he was at 16 before I began counting. For game two, a second turn 14 goblin tokens + him not getting the mass removal, WIN.

RD 15 Affinity

Game one, he immediately scooped when I casted a Past in Flames with an online Pyromancer Ascension on the table. Game two, he had a Memnite, an Ornithopther, a Vault Skirge, a Signal Pest and a Mox Opal. I killed them all by turn two with a riual-morphose-cantrip-Grapeshot. He never get to activate his Mox and failed to get any land. I simply slow roll on the situation until cantrips helped me sculpt my hand getting that tenth Grand Prix Kobe victory!  

Although I did not do money finish, I am still happy. Ten GP wins is something I do not see every day. Not to mention netting another pro point to my name. ^_^

Thanks for reading! Until my next modern tournament with this deck!

-Paeng Paeng

6214089146