October 2019: UR STORM

FAST EFFECTS
Pacita, San Pedro, Laguna

Notes:
Scapeshift Titan

We only had two games, game one was where I experienced drawing lands for seven straight turn. And game two, six consecutive lands. I started to question if having 18 lands is too much for the deck. 

BW control
He made me discard two cards (Wrench Mind). Since our life points then were at around 19 and 17, I did not mind discarding the rituals, Desperate and Pyretic. He then follow up his Wrench Mind with a pair of Surgical Extractions and exiled both of my rituals. I managed to snatch the win from the jaws of defeat via two online Pyromancer Ascensions, Goblin Electromancer, Manamorphoses, cantrips, PIF, and Grapeshot.

I did not imagine I'll see in a BW-shell the combination of Karn, the Great Creator with Gideon planeswalkers (those Gideons that turn into 4/4 and 6/6) and Anguished Unmaking are just some of the amalgam of cards that I can recall. 

UW control
Opponent summoned Rest in Peace then immediately pass the turn. Before untapping for my turn, I pointed to him that he missed RIP's comes into play trigger ability.  It was also in this game that Quicken shines the brightest. Here were the situations that I can remember. First, Quicken to Serum Visions / Sleight of Hand at the end of opponent's turn. Second, giving Pyromancer Ascension its second counter from the Quicken Serum/ Sleight or any sorcery card. Third, winning in his turn. Quicken for Past in Flames into recycling those instant spells then Quicken, again, but this time it's for Grapeshot. Fourth, he cannot use the alternate cost of Force of Negation.

URg Tempo
Another well brewed modern deck by one of Fast Effect's house players. The deck abuses the interaction of As Foretold or Electrodominance with the cards like Ancestral Vision or Crashing Footfalls. The best situation (well that's actually the worst for me) opponent had during the game was when opponent exiled a Simian Spirit Guide into a turn one Electrodominance for zero into Crashing Footfalls. Yes, two 4/4 green trample rhinos were summoned in his turn one.

BLOCK 101
Boni, Mandaluyong

Notes:

BW Stoneblade

He summoned a Fatal Push in an attempt to kill my golden goblin and hoped to derail me of my math. But Quicken was there to give an instant speed to Past in Flames then later used the same Quicken card (flashback) to give instant speed to Grapeshot for the win.

Humans

Great team effort from Meddling Mages, naming Grapeshot and Past in Flames, plus Thalia guarding my non-creature spells, and Kitesail Freebooter snatching salient pieces from my hand. I could have won the game but I was short of one mana.

BGx

Game one: opponent had no answer to an online Pyromancer Ascension. Rituals and morphose into PIF into amassing lethal storm count for Grapeshot, WIN. For game two, I put 10 goblin tokens off Empty the Warrens by second turn. No Plague Engineer. No Maelstrom Pulse. No Engineer Explosives or whatever form of mass removal, I win in two swings. 

Affinity
I cleaned his board (game one) with Grapeshot then aim for the win the following turn. In game two, opponent tried killing Goblin Electromancer with Whipflare. I responded with Manamorphose, rituals, Quicken, PIF, rituals, Manamorphoses, Thought Scours, Quicken (same card), into lethal Grapeshot. 

Tron
Win the game by 2-0.

Paeng4983

OCTOBER 2019: PIONEER

Time to brew new decks. Now, where do I start? How about you? Where will you start? 

Paeng4983

SEPTEMBER 2019: BLUE RED GRIZZLY BEAR

Roll Play

Highway 54 Bldg., EDSA

29 Sept 2019

I sleeved the Baral-Gifts for the September 29th Roll Play event. 28 players, 5 rounds and here are my match ups. I won against: Dredge (2-1) and Death Shadow (2-1). Lost to RW DnT (1-2), Boros Burn (0-2), and Jund (0-2). 

Paeng 4983

SEPTEMBER 2019: UR STORM

Modern Tournament at Laguna Hobby Convention 2019
Robinsons Galera South
1 September 2019

UR STORM
Paeng Paeng 
Main deck:

Sideboard:

Match-ups:

RD 1 Mono Blue Tron 1-2

RD 2 Urza Thopter 2-0

RD 3 Jeskai Blade 1-2

RD 4 Humans 2-0

RD 5 Mono Green Aggro 0-2

RD 6 Jeskai Control 2-0

RD 7 BW Tax Eldrazi 2-0

(4-3)  (10-6)

Notes:

RD 1 Mono Blue Tron 1-2

Game three, he only had an Island and an Urza's Mine in his first five turns. But those two lands were enough to delay my progress, 3 Condescends abd 2 Remands.

RD 2 Urza Thopter 2-0

He had no counters for my combo pieces during game one, win. Game two turn two win via double Grapeshot. 

RD 3 Jeskai Blade 1-2

Game 3, I got Surgical Extraction(ed), twice (Desperate Ritual and Empty the Warrens).

RD 4 Humans 2-0

Both wins, through an online Pyromancer Ascension. 

RD 5 Mono Green Aggro 0-2

I committed the most number of misplays in this round for the whole tournament. It was also in this game that I totally missed a line of play that could have alter the result of this round into my favor.

RD 6 Jeskai Control 2-0

Game one, Pyromancer Ascension went online by turn 4 and win in my next turn. Game two, by turn two I had this hand after draw phase: vents, MM, MM, ritual, ritual, GE, PIF, and GS. I got good cards from the Manamorphoses that fueled my storm count. Grapeshot - Past in Flames - recycle those goodies - then Grapeshot again for the twin.

RD 7 BW Tax Eldrazi 2-0

Opponent was no show. Win. 

This is all for now. I'll be busy this September 2019 so chances are I might not be posting any MTG tournament related post.

Thank you very much for reading!

Paeng Paeng 

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

JULY 2019: UR STORM

MDP 

Bicutan, Paranaque City

20 July 2019

Humans 2-0

Scapeshift 1-1

Gifts Storm 0-2

Mardu 2-0

(2-1-1)  (5-3)

REGRAN

Quezon City

28 July 2019

UR Phoenix 0-2

UR Phoenix 1-2

Affinity 2-0

Skred Red 2-1

BLT Control 1-2

Amulet *

dropped.

(2-3)  (6-7)

Total: (4-4-1)  (11-10)

Notes:

I really have a bad win rate versus fellow UR storm decks. 

Game two turn two against the Scapeshift: I was so focus in the calculation intended for my turn three that I forgot to drop a land in that turn. 

Grind my way to victory versus Mardu. Here are the situations that I can still remember. (i) Lightning Bolts took care of his engines, Young Pyromancer, and Seasoned Pyromancer; and (ii) a timely Echoing Truth on his spirit tokens. 

I fizzled my combo against the first phoenix opponent. I failed to find a Past in Flames that I needed to complete the loop. Also, I did not expect a Ravenous Trap from him. Against the second one, aside from drawing three straight lands in the last three turns of the game, he also had the perfect cards (Lightning Bolt for my Goblin and Force of Negation for my Past in Flames) to stop me from comboing off.  

I won game one against Affinity (Traditional) in my turn three via an online Pyromancer Ascension. For game two turn two, he brought down a Rest in Peace. My turn two: I called out 14 goblin tokens. I win the game after a few swings.

I won the game against an active Eidolon of the Great Revel without killing it. Here's how: he summoned his red eidolon in his second turn. When I got my turn (it was my third), I dropped my third UR land; summoned the golden goblin (18 life points); then Pyretic Ritual (16); then Desperate Ritual with splice of anther Desperate Ritual (14 life points); cast the remaining desperate from my hand (12 life points with 8 red floating). Manamorphose for 6 red and 2 blue floating (10 life points); Sleight of Hand (6 red and 1 blue) (8 life points); and finally Empty the Warrens. Anger of the Gods failed to show in due time. I win in two swings. 

Game two against BLT control, Abrade saved my mob by dealing three damage to the one being targeted by Maelstrom Pulse. I faced a similar situation in the game three in which I should have waited for the perfect moment for my Lightning Bolt. Instead, I got greedy when I decided to use the iconic red spell in an attempt to eliminate (which was denied by his Dovin's Veto) the Noble Heirarch. 

After that I was about to face an Amulet Titan deck but since I already absorbed my third loss of the tournament, I gave him the win and go home. 

The meta right now is not storm friendly because most of the decks right now increased their graveyard hate cards such as Surgical Extraction, Relic of Progenitus, Nihil Spellbomb, Kaya's Guile, and the like. I think I might be shelving my beloved deck for awhile. 

Thank you for reading.

Paeng_4983