APRIL 2017: Back to Red Enchantment UR STORM

Grand Prix Kobe is less than 30 days away and yet I am still not that solid when it comes to piloting the baral gifts list. As a result, I revert to my 75.

   4 Pyromancer Ascension / 3 Past in Flames / 3 Grapeshot / 4 Baral Chief of Compliance / 1 Gifts Ungiven

4 Desperate Ritual / 4 Pyretic Ritual / 4 Manamorphose

4 Thought Scour / 4 Serum Visions / 4 Sleight of hand / 3 Faithless Looting / 1 Peer Through Depths

4 Scalding Tarn / 4 Misty Rainfores / 3 SpiralBluff Canal / 2 Steam Vents / 3 Island / 1 Mountain

SB
4 Lightning Bolt / 3 Empty the Warrens / 3 Blood Moon / 2 Shatterstorm / 2 Echoing Truth / 1 Defense Grid.

I tested the list in Kick Engine's team event. We had it 5 rounds and here are the following decks that I faced.

RD 1: Infect 2-0
RD 2: RW Chalice lock deck 0-2
RD 3: Dredge 2-1
RD 4: Lantern 2-0
RD 5: Abzan 2-0

Notes:

I had two misplays. The first one was, I should have drop and used the fetch land so that the chances of me getting a Past in Flames increases. And second, I was not paying that much attention to what I was doing. I casted Grapeshot twice, and yet I have not won the game. Here how it was: the first one for 7 putting him to 13 life points. And the second time, right after I cast Past in Flames, I immediately grabbed the fallen Grapeshot pointing it at him again this time only for 9 leaving him down to 4. Good thing I had enough cantrips to find the second copy of Grapeshot off the library.

There you have it folks! Thanks for reading! My next tournament will be on the May 20th at BCI Makati hosted by R4 Hobby Shop. I hope to see you there!

-Paeng 4983

Click THIS for more details about R4's May 20 event at BCI. Thanks!

APRIL 2017: UR STORM

For March 2017, here are my match-ups.

Naya Burn 0-2

BW Tokens 2-1

Naya Burn 0-2

Abzan 0-2

Bant Coco 0-2

Bant Coco 2-1

Death Shadow 2-0

Mono B Devotion 2-0

Naya Burn 0-2

Tron Eldrazi 1-2

BW Tokens 0-2     

Total games played: 25 (9-16)  36%

Naya Burn 0-6

I never won a single game against those burn decks. I lost not because of their Eidolon’s trigger but to Swiftspear's prowess paired with Atarka’s Command +1/+1 and deals three. The first opponent dealt 15 damages in one swing. The second did 12 while the last did 16 damages, but in two swings. On theory, Thing in the Ice is suppose to be good against them because of its purseado mass removal and 0/4 butt, but in reality it was not. I'll just go back to the mob route. 

Abzan 0-2

BW Tokens  0-2

I lose all games due to these: either mana flood or mana drought.

BW Tokens 2-1
BW Tokens  0-2 

Here are the cards to watch out for when you are up against a BW Token deck: discard effects, Rest in Peace, Surgical Extraction/ Extirpate, Path to Exile and disenchant effects.

Bant Coco 0-2

Bant Coco 2-1

Against the first Bant Coco, I maybe I should have dropped my golden goblin in turn two so that I'll have enough mana by turn three to operate. I lost game two of that round due to mana flood. As against the second Bant Coco, turn two 14 goblins is better than dropping a Thing in the Ice.

Deathshadow 2-0
Mono B Devotion 2-0
Discard spells, surgical effects, Relic of Progenitus, cage are the cards you'll need to keep in mind.

Tron Eldrazi
Blood Moon really keeps his aliens at bay. The tides turned into his favor when he drew a Waste from the top of his deck.

With less than two months to go before the next Asian modern Grand Prix, bringing a deck that has a 36% win rate is not a very good idea. This made me decide to give the Baral Gifts Storm list a try for my April games. Here's my 75 list of the Baral Gifts Storm.

Baral Gifts Storm
Paeng4983

4 Scalding Tarn
3 Misty Rainforest
4 Spirebluff Canal
2 Steam Vents
3 Island
1 Mountain
  

4 Serum Vision
4 Sleight of Hand
3 Thought Scour
4 Manamorphose
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Pyretic Ritual
1 Peer Through Depths
3 Remand

4 Baral Chief of Compliance
4 Goblin Electromancer
2 Past in Flames
2 Grapeshot
4 Gifts Ungiven
 
Sideboard
4 Lightning Bolts
3 Blood Moon
3 Empty the Warrens     

2 Echoing Truth
2 Shatterstorm
1 Defense Grid

My first modern tournament was a five rounder GPT. I only played four rounds because I was late.
Rw Chalice lock down deck 0-2
Bant Eldrazi 2-0
Mono Blue Tron 2-0
Ad Naus 2-0
(3-1)

The second one I played has a total of six rounds.
Naya burn 2-1
Rw chalice lock 0-2
Ug infect 2-0
Urw prowess tempo 2-0
Bg infect 2-0
Rw chalice lock 2-0 (same guy in round two)

(5-1)

Notes
Remand + Baral trigger ability = mini card advantage (somehow)
Grapeshot + Remand + Grapeshot = nice route to take if Past in Flames is nowhere to be found.
Gifts Ungiven = always make sure you'll fetch the right combination of cards.
Always drop Baral/ GE on your second turn.
Peer < Faithless?  Maybe.

Thank you for Reading!

-Paeng4983