MAY 2017: UR Storm

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 Desperate Ritual

4 Manamorphose

4 Pyretic Ritual

4 Pyromancer Ascension

4 Serum Vision

4 Sleight of Hand

4 Though scour

3 Faithless Looting

3 Grapeshot

3 Past in Flames

1 Gifts Ungiven

1 Peer Through Depths   

Side board

4 Lightning Bolt

3 Empty the Warrens

3 Blood Moon

2 Echoing Truth

2 Shatterstorm

1 Defense Grid  

Despite the Baral Gift Storm’s numerous success, I still opted the Pyromancer Ascension storm list as my deck for the upcoming Grand Prix modern (GP Kobe). As part of my preparation, here are my brief May 2017 tournament reports.

May 7

GPT at Friday Quest

Gabbys, Mandaluyong City

3-2

Abzan 1-2

Bant Eldrazi 0-2

Esper 2-0

Jund Shadow 2-1

Bant Spirits 2-1

Notes

versus Abzan

During game three, multiple discard spells + Scavenging Ooze + me not drawing the cards I needed = loss.

versus Bant Eldrazi

A second and third turn Though Knot-Seers, nabbing my rituals, were to much for my deck to handle. 

versus Esper

Esper (and other heavy control blue decks) has a slow clock. So for both games, I simply jammed all my spells until he runs out of counter spells. Past in Flames' flashback is king. 

versus Jund Shadow

Even though he had a handful of discard spells in dismembering my hand, unlike what happened in my first round, I topped deck Past in Flames which enabled me to recycle all those goodies from the graveyard.

versus Bant Spirits
Eidolon of Rhetoric is a house versus any kind of combo especially to those that loves to count spells in a turn. Good thing Echoing Truth was there to save me from my opponent's 1/4 white enchantment creature.

May 14

Super Modern Series

The Block 101

Boni, Mandaluyong

4-1-2

Rw chalice lock 2-0
Bant eldrazi 2-0
Scapeshift 2-0
Affinity id
Boros id
Q: affinity 2-0
S: ad naus 0-2     

Notes

versus RW Chalice lock

An online Ascension can (sometimes) negate Chalice of the Void. By the way fellow storm troopers who are reading this, always keep in mind that our spell does not automatically gets countered by their Chalice of the Voids because he needs to announce the Chalice trigger first before he can counter our spells. 

versus Ad Nauseam

Game one, I kept four fetches, 1 vents, 1 serum and 1 Peer Through Depth. I tanked for a minute. I was torn between my instinct (mulligan) and math. Instinct says "mull that hand because it lacks action", but my math says "five lands and four of which are fetches, it will surely thin your deck thus drawing more spells needed." I decided to side with math. Unfortunately, I received more lands from my next draw phases, I lose.

May 20

SCG Night hosted by R4 Hobby Shop

BCI Jupiter Makati
4-1-1

This is my last stop before departing for Grand Prix Kobe. The night before, I was contemplating if removing one Empty the Warrens, one Blood Moon and Defense Grid for one Surgical Extraction and two Leyline of Sanctity would be worthy. My storm instinct said otherwise, that I should stick to what I have because they can cover everything the meta has to give. Here are my match ups by the way.

Bye
Living End 2-1
GW Tron 0-2
Infect 2-0
Tron id
Q: Jund 2-1

Notes

vs. Living End

He had only three creatures in the yard when he did the Living End at the end of my turn, which killed me in two swings only. That was fast, I did not see that math coming. I won game two. Game three: passing my last turn would tantamount to a loss after having a bye start. I was down to two life points while he was still at fifteen. On my table I had Pyromancer Ascension (with one counter on it), Baral, and  three blue-red lands. My graveyard: fetches and Serum Vision, Desperate Ritual and Faithless Looting. And my hand: faithless, Manamorphose, Past in Flames and an Island. Before I could do anything, he immediately destroyed my red enchantment with his Beast Within. I drew for the turn, another Manamorphose. I tank for a minute pondering on what to fire first: Manamorphose or Faithless looting. I bring down Faithless first netting Serum Vision and a fetch. Now what to bin off the Faithless Looting  (hand: two Manamorphose, PIF, serum, fetch and island). I decided to throw PIF and the basic land. Dropped the fetch, cracked it for another basic land. Since he has no blockers, I attacked my Chief pinning him to 14 life points. Second main phase, I summoned the first Manamorphose giving me a Sleight of Hand (floating: 1R 1U / 2 untapped UR lands / 2 storm count). A new question arises, what is better being called first: Serum Visions or Sleight of Hand? Sleight then visions because with this combination, you'll be able to see five cards. Sleight of Hand (1R / 2 untapped UR lands / 3 storm count) saw Pyretic Ritual and a Grapeshot. I checked my hand, graveyard, floating mana, untapped lands and mentally storm count. At this point, between the two, Grapeshot is not the best pick, so i picked the other card and used it to increase my floating R mana (3R / 2 untapped UR lands / 4 storm count). Serum Visions (3R / 1 untapped UR land / 5 storm count) drawing another land but letting me peeked at these: Gifts Ungiven and Thought scour. I left them both on top leaving the gifts on the top most. Cast Manamorphose (2R 2U / 1 untapped UR land / 6 storm count) thus getting the blue 4cc instant, casts  it (1R / 1 untapped UR land / 7 storm count) into this pile: Desperate and Pyretic Rituals, Manamorphose and Peer Through Depths. He hand me a ritual and peer. Used peer (1R / 8 storm count) seeing one ritual among the five. Casts the remaining rituals from my hand (5R / 10 storm count) before flashbacking PIF. He did a little math and extends his hand. WIN

 

Round 3 vs GW Tron  Game one he had a third turn Karn Liberated. Game two, I kept a one land hand. Drew bricks in the succeeding turns. GG

vs. Infect
Blood Moon is superb. 

Quarter vs. Jund
Game one: he was drawing lands for five consecutive turns while I was drawing rituals after rituals. When a cantrip made it to my hand naturally, I used it and find a Past in Flames. Win.
Game two: Bob fueling his hand and Tarmogoyfs for the muscle was too much for my mob to handle.
Game three: I mulled twice keeping this hand: island, vision, ritual, manamorphose and ETW.  Scry: Pyromancer Ascension (sent to the bottom). Island into vision: Baral, Chief of Compliance scry: Mountain and PIF keep both on top with Mountain as the top most. Second turn, dropped Baral and pray hard he will not kill it. He did not, he just dropped Bob and pass. I tanked for a minue before summoning eight goblin tokens. I can hear people asking "why only that if he can flashback those for more tokens. My reason is this: if I did that and in his turn he has an Engineered Explosives or Anger of the Gods or Maelstrum Pulse, I will have a hard time to recover. I swing my eight, he blocked one pinning him to 13 life points. I attacked all 7 goblins on my next turn, he blocked one again getting him down to 7 life points. In his turn, he fetched (6 life points). In my turn, I managed to drew an Echoing Truth, bounced his blocker and swing all my creatures (including Chief of Compliance) for the win. 

Reflecting on the games I had from the month of May 2017, I think there's no need for me to change anything in my seventy-five. And if incase I will do change something, it will be one ETW for one Surgical Extraction.   

There you have it guys! Before ending this, I wish you all good luck in our upcoming Grand Prix Manila! Since I do not have any standard deck to play for the main event, I will be on the side event area. Thanks for reading! 

-Paeng Paeng