AUGUST 2019: MONO BLUE MERFOLK

MONO BLUE MERFOLK

Main deck

4 Aether Vial

4 Force of Negation

4 Spreading Seas

3 Sea Claim

4 Lord of Atlantis

4 Master of the Pearl Trident 

4 Merrow Reejerey

4 Merfolk Trickster

4 Silvergill Adept

4 Benthic Biomancer

2 Thassa, God of the Sea

11 Island

4 Mutavault

3 Waterlogged Grove

1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds 

Sideboard

3 Phyrexian Revoker

3 Relic of Progenitus

3 Dismember 

2 Kira, the Great Glass-Spinner

2 Deprive

2 Echoing Truth

REGRAN MAJORS 

Quezon City

11 August 2019

Match-ups:

Hogaak 2-1

Hogaak 0-2

Through the Breach 1-2

Hogaak 1-2

dropped

(1-3)   (4-7)

MCQ

SM Megamall 

17 August 2019

Match-ups:

Eldrazi tron 2-0

Boros Burn 1-2

Urza 2-1

Hardened Scales 1-2

Hogaak Vines 2-0

Hardened Scales 1-2

dropped 

(3-3)  (9-7)

Notes: 

The list is Merfolk Joe's. The deck is strong. It was my bad decision making that caused me to whiff. 

One of my stupid misplays was when I attacked a non-lord merfolk then summoned (as in tapping lands not thru Aether Vial) a lord in my second phase. It happened three times. Yeah, WTF. 

Another bad decision I made was keeping a one lander hand. I remember two game three situations. The first one was against a Hogaak-vine deck wherein he destroyed my vial at the end of my first turn using a Force of Vigor pitching an Assassin's Trophy. The second one was against Boros burn. It was game three and you are on the play. Your opening seven: vial, island, LOA, LOA, Master Pearl, S.Seas , and Force of Negation. Would you keep that seven? I did. Unfortunately my second land did not come.  

Well, I'd put "not mulling for a Force of Negation against the Throught he Breach deck" under the bad decision category because I tried to out race it but failed miserably. 

Probably the worst bad decision I made was when I did not counter the Ancient Stirrings. That green sorcery was able to dug out an Arcbound Raveger which then he used as his sac-outlet to turn one of his steel creature as big as the Statue of Liberty that dealt lethal damage for the win. 

On average, I am taking 3 to 4 life damages from the Waterlogged Grove. And looking back at my life pads, I'd say that overall if only there's a way for me to inflict only like 1 or 2 damage, I could have had won a game or two. Maybe two Waterlogged Groves are enough. 

Enough with the bad vibes. The following are the good things that I had. 

I really love the trigger interactions between Merrow Reejerey and the other merfolks, especially Merfolk Trickster, for I used Reejerey's trigger to tap those unwanted blockers from my opponent's end. The interaction is so good versus hogaak decks that when you do it at a perfect timing, merfolk can out tempo it then swing for lethal when you get your turn back. 

I am so impressed with Thassa, God of the Sea because it's like having a Divining Top, but just for one (or two if you bottomed the scry card). Its last ability is also great helping you inflict damage even without the lords on your side. 

That's all for now folks. Thank you for reading!

Paeng Paeng 

AUGUST 2019: BOROS BURN

Got Game

3 August 2019

Makati City

Match-ups: 

GW Eladamri's Call 1-2

UW taxes 1-2

Tron 2-0

UW pw control 2-0

NeoForm 0-2

UWr Copy Cat 0-2

Dropped 

Notes: 

I thought that I was paired to a traditional Collected Company deck, but I was wrong. And because of that assumption, it caused me a crucial misplay. It was game one and here's the situation: he was down to 6 life points and had a card in hand while I was at a very comfortable 14 life points and the cards at my hand were Helix and Skwer the Critics. On our table, he had a 3/2 Finks, two Noble and four lands; I had four red-white lands for my side of the table. I drew for the turn, Eidolon. I was asking myself what that one card in his hand could be. I did my calculation. No matter what card I name for it, I still win in two turns if I bring down Eidolon. So I decided to bring down the 2/2 red enchantment. He responded with an Eladamri's Call and fetched Shalai, Voice of Plenty. I read the card as soon as he showed onto the table and I knew right there and then that I fucked up. I lost that game eventually. I won game two hastily with two Swiftspears and an Eidolon swinging back and forth. Things did not do well in game three because I did not had enough speed to empty my hand for I was stuck at two mana during the entire game. He had dorks after dorks to sustain his momentum until to the point that he had enough mana to play for the casting of the Finks and sacrificed it for that green card that fetches a creature from library into play fetching for that angel voice of plenty for protection. 

I had a good start for round two game one. I was able to deal 10 damage by turn two. But things went south after that because I drew five straight lands while he was able to established a very good board versus burn. Game two was quick. He had no answer for my turn four two Swiftspears and Eidolon attacking with a bolt spells on the stack. Game three, I was able to lock him down with Ensnaring Bridge and Torpor Orb but unable to sustain my momentum because I failed to draw any burn spells. He eventually summoned Shalai, Voice of Plenty and just waited for his removal card for my Bridge.

My first burn victory of the day came at the expense of the Tron deck that I faced in the fourth round. And got another one after I defeated a UW planeswalker control. Unfortunately I got paired against a NeoForm Griselbrand deck by round five and lost to it by two games. And I faced a copy cat deck by round six. I did have good cards but his was better. I lost to his well timed Timely Reinforcements, Path to Exiles, and Snapcaster Mages.

After a 2-4 standing, I dropped from the event and went home.

That's all for now. Thank you for reading.

Paeng

04091983