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

March: UR Storm ala summon WALL 1/3

11 March 2017
Ongekeco Shop
Vito Cruz, Manila

UR Storm

4 Scalding Tarn

3 Polluted Delta

3 Steam Vents

3 Island

2 Shivan Reef

1 Mountain          

4 Desperate Ritual

4 Pyretic Ritual

4 Manamorphose

4 Serum Vision

4 Sleight of Hand

4 Take Inventory

4 Thought Scour

2 Faithless Looting

1 Peer Through Depths

4 Pyromancer Ascension

1 Baral, Chief of Compliance

2 Goblin Electromancer
3 Past in Flames

3 Grapeshot       

Sideboard

4 Thing in the Ice

4 Lightning Bolt

3 Blood Moon

2 Echoing Truth
2 Shatter Storm

My Match ups are as follows:
RD 1 Naya Burn 0-2
RD 2 BW Tokens 2-1
RD 3 Naya Burn 0-2
RD 4 BGw 0-2
Dropped

Losses
vs. BGw
The outcome of the game will, sometimes, depend on what you will keep. In helping me decide whether to keep an opening seven or not, I usually follow a certain pattern.  Unfortunately in this round, my second land did not reached me on time even after three cantrips, Serum Vision, Sleight of Hand and Thought Scour plus three mandatory draws.

vs. (two) Naya Burns
This is interesting. I lost two in a row against them. I really felt that something was lacking because they are able to deal 10 to 15 damages that fast. I checked all my burn base match ups from every 2016 tournament posts in which I had a total win-loss-draw record of 10-4-1. After making a comparison between my 2016 and 2017 games, here are the possible explanations why I had those misfortunes.
- They always mull for red eidolon during game ones.
- For games two, they were able to swing 6 to 8 (even up to 10) damages by turn 2 or 3 leaving me with a very little room to operate. I was really stunned when my first round opponent inflicted 15 damages by turn three, leaving me down to 2 life points. I could have won that game if only he dealt somewhere 6 to 9, because in two turn I will be able to amass my combo pieces.
- Looking back at my 2016 posts, I never experienced a 10 to 15 damage explosion from those red team because a second or third turn 8 to 10 (sometimes 12-14) 1/1 red goblin tokens off an Empty the Warrens acts is enough to halt his battalion from doing more combat damage, thus buying myself an ample time in reloading my hand in goodies .

Well that's all for now. I just like to put those stuff in this page while they're still fresh in my mind.
Thank you very much for reading!

-Paeng4983

MARCH: UR STORM

One of the best way to rake your planeswalker points is by participating in a Grand Prix Trail in a local gaming shop near you. Unfortunately, the last batch of GPTs we could enjoy are those tied to Grand Prix Las Vegas. And speaking of it, I originally planned to participate in two GPTs but due to some things beyond my control, I only got to play at MDP’s first GPT (Beijing).

MDP's GPT Beijing saw 17 players, five rounds and a top 8 playoffs. I was lucky enough to bag the top spot after the elimination swiss; but had an unfortunate game three in the quarters because I have no choice but to keep a one land mull to five hand. I used the same sixty but had a slight different sideboard line up.

Sideboard

4 Lightning Bolt

3 Blood Moon

3 Empty the Warrens

2 Echoing Truth

2 Shatterstorm

1 Pithing Needle

And here are my matches from MDP’s GPT Beijing. 

RD 1: DnT 2-0

RD 2: Bant Eldrazi 1-2

RD 3: RWu Saheeli Cat Control 2-1

RD 4: Abzan 2-0

RD 5: Coco 2-0

Q: BW Taxes 1-2

Notes:

vs. DnT / BW Taxes
This kind of match up is the only time where Goblin Electromancer, instead of Baral, Chief of Compliance, shines brighter because a couple of this golden goblin can totally negate Thalia, Guardian of Thraben's taxing power.

Empty the Warrens sideboard plan
Majority, if not all, of my opponents bring mass removal such as Engineered Explosives, Maelstrom Pulse and the like for they expected this deck to go the Empty the Warrens route for either games two and/ or three. And if that happens, usually the deck will have a hard time recovering from such.

Pithing Needle
This is my last minute addition to my sideboard primarily because it stops a lot of hate, to name a few: Engineered Explosives, Relic of Progenitus, Tormod's Crypt, planeswalkers, Scavenging Ooze, etc. It can also be utilize against those activated ability combo base decks. I brought it in against my third round opponent but I did not drew it. 


And before ending this, here is the remaining GPT modern around Metro Manila.

March 25

OHS

March 26

Madcap

Regran

April 1

Vault QC

April 2

Madcap     

April 8

Dragonforge

OHS

April 9

Madcap

April 16

Raxx

April 30

Mage Ring

May 6

OHS

May 7

FQ

May 20

Kick Engines     

May 27

OHS       

May 28

Madcap

Thank you very much for reading and I hope to see you guys in any of those GPT mentioned.

Paeng_4983

6214089146

PS.
Congratulation to Mr. Bon Miyasaka for winning the Pro Tour invite from his RPTQ (China)!
 

FEBRUARY: UR STORM modern

One of my promises for 2017 is to play once a month only on an eternal format of magic. Well for January I was able to do it in which I had a 4-2 mark. And for the 2017's love month, I intend to keep my troth by scheduling only one. Before getting the ball rolling, my updated seventy-five.

UR STORM
Paeng

4 Scalding Tarn
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Steam Vents
2 Shivan Reef
3 Island
1 Mountain
4 Pyromancer Ascension 

3 Baral, Chief of Compliance
3 Past in Flames
3 Grapeshot
4 Manamorphose
4 Desperate Ritual
4 Pyretic Ritual
4 Take Inventory
4 Sleight of Hand
4 Serum Vision
4 Thought Scour
2 Faithless Looting
1 Peer through Depths

SB
4 Thing in the Ice
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Blood Moon
2 Shattering Storm 
1 Echoing Truth
1 Defense Grid


Madcap Gaming
San Pedro, Laguna 

4-1-1
Burn 2-1
Ad Nauseam 2-0
BG Infect 2-0
Jund draw
RG Valakut 2-0
RG Tron 0-2

NOTES
- I replaced the golden goblin for that new kid on the block. As I see it, there's not much difference between the two (at least with that build above). Definitely Baral works well in a build that has Remand and/ or Izzet Charm in it. I will surely give it a try on March.
- I had a two turn three kills.
- Take Inventory is a house.

Thank you very much for reading!
Paeng

PS.
I am no shop owner but I wish WOTC gives back the GPT (for all formats) privileges to the shops.