August 2018: Modern Mono Blue Merfolk

Mono Blue Merfolk

Paeng4983 

Main Deck 
4 Ancestral Vision

4 Spreading Seas     

4 Aether Vial

3 Master of Waves

4 Merfolk Trickster

4 Silvergill Adept

4 Curesecatcher

3 Harbinger of the Tides

3 Merrow Reejerey

4 Lord of Atlantis

4 Master of the Pearl Trident    

15 Island

4 Mutavault

Sideboard

4 Relic of Progenitus 

3 Ceremonious Rejection

3 Negate

2 Dispel

2 Damping Sphere

1 Echoing Truth

AUGUST 2018: Back to back modern PPTQ weekend

Pearl of the Orient had four modern PPTQs during the first weekend of August 2018. August 4th had (Manila) Neutral Grounds branches Alabang Town Center and Megamall and in Cebu Magus Games; while Block 101 was the lone shop to host it the day after. 

Congratulations to the Saturday winners: Josh Lo (Amulet Bloom) NG ATC, Rex Ybardolaza (Eldrazi Tron) NG Megamall, and Rene Aquino (UW Miracles) Maguc Games. Also to John Sahagun for taking down the Block 101's event. 

4 August 2018

NG ATC

100 players

A solid happy seven rounds for everyone. I brought my beloved storm and had a miserable a 2-3 drop. 

5 August 2018

Block 101 

80 players

I planned to be at the venue by 10 in the morning. Unfortunately I experienced an unbearable headache the moment I woke up at 6am and had to deal with it for two to three hours first before going to the event. I brought Mono Blue Merfolk to the event and had my worst result with it: 1-3-1 drop. 

Before ending this, for those modern players who are still hunting for that elusive invite, here's what we have for the next two weeks. 

Aug 11

NG Trinoma (Quezon City)

Upkeep Hobby Shop (Pampanga)

Aaffinity Games (Cagayan de Oro)

R4 Hobby Shop (Las Pinas City)

Aug 18
Wabshaq (Las Pinas City)

Aug 19 
Regran (Quezon City)

Thank you guys for reading! 

-Tiyo Paeng 4983

PS
Regran will have its Regran Modern Open on August 12th.

JULY 2018: Philippines Nationals

Congratulations to Mr. Rey Abella for winning this year's Philippines Nationals!  Congratulations as well to Mr. Ian Mark Gutierrez for that back to back Philippines Nationals finals appearance. I wish that Team Philippines win the event`in December 2018! Thank you Winter and Rubi for lending me the Mono Black standard deck! I really had fun with it.

Philippines National

July 20 to 22

Glorietta Mall 

Ayala, Makati City 

I only lasted for three rounds in the main event. I returned the next day to participate in one of the scheduled side events, sealed. Yes, I do play sealed but not that often. If my memory serves me correct, I only had two sealed experiences prior to this July 22nd. The first was at the prerelease of Mirrodin Besieged, 2010 or 2011 I think it was; and the second was at Grand Prix Taiwan (2012). July 22nd was my third sealed experience. I was able to assemble a BW life gain deck but unfortunately I had a dismissal record, 1-3-1 drop. 

Congratulation and thank you very much Nuetral Grounds and MTG PH Judges for spearheading this event! I am sure that every planewalker out there had fun. I wish we will have the same fun experience on your Gold Rush 2018 event. 

Thank you for reading and I hope to see you at the Block 101's PPTQ event on August 5th.

Tiyo Paeng 4983  

PS:

I you are looking for those modern PPTQ schedules kindly click here.

June 2018: MODERN PPTQ PH

MODERN PPTQ PH 

July
28 - Raxx Gaming 

August
4 - NG ATC
4 - NG Megamall
4 - Magus Board Games (Cebu)
5 - Block 101
11 - NG Trinoma
11 - Upkeep Hobby Shop (Pampanga) 
11 - R4 
11 - Affinity Games (Cagayan de Oro)
18 - Wabshaq
19 - Regran
19 - Cash and Carry


September 
1 - Madcap Gaming 
1 - Final Turn (Bacolod)
2 - G5 Gaming (Bacolod)
2 - Cedrick's Cafe
2 - CLBHSE (Imus)
8 - Johnson Gaming (Baguio)
8 - OHS
8 - PC Butlers
9 - Concealed Courtyard
15 - Gatecrashers Anonas
21 - Kick Engines
22 - MDP
22 - Mage Ring
22 - Dragonforge 
23 - NG Imus District
23 - FQ

The RPTQ that these PPTQs feed can be found here.

Paeng_4983

*Thank you Judges Phil and Vince for helping! ^_^

June 2018: Pyromancer Ascension

I originally wanted to use Jund for the MALCON ToyCon modern tournament. But I had a change of heart two days prior to the event and sleeved by beloved deck instead.  

UR Storm

Main Deck

4 Scalding Tarn, 2 Flooded Strand, 4 Spirebluff Canal, 3 Steam Vents, 3 Island, 1 Mountain

4 Desperate Ritual, 4 Pyretic Ritual, 4 Manamorphose

4 Serum Vision, 4 Sleight of Hand, 4 Opt, 4 Thought Scour, 1 Peer Through Depths

4 Pyromancer Ascension, 1 Gifts Ungiven, 3 Goblin Electromancer, 3 Past in Flames, 3 Grapeshot

Sideboard

4 Lightning Bolt, 3 Empty the Warrens, 3 Blood Moon, 2 Perilous Voyage, 2 Shattering Storm, 1 Defense Grid

26 May 2018

MALCON Toy Con

Malolos, Bulacan 

The last time I was in Malolos for MTG was four years ago for their first major event BT: Shock Sabbath modern tournament. Today I am making my return with my son, Raj (burn), and Binoy Espina (Eldrazi Tron). 

Mono Blue Taxes 1-2
RG Titan-shift 0-2
UW control 2-0
Restore Balance 2-0
Living End 2-0
(3-2)  (7-4)

I had a slow start lossing my first two assignments. Against the RG Titan-Shift, I should have mulled my game two hand: canal, serum, Thought Scour, Opt, Past in Flames, goblin, and a ritual. It took me six turns before I get to hold on my second land. 

My third round opponent tried denying me of red mana by destroying every blue-red dual land I lay on the table. Probably the crucial part of the game was when he tapped out for Student of Ojutai. This opens an opportunity for me to drop my two red enchantments that I've been holding for turns then casted an Opt (gave another Opt)  (a counter on each of red engines) before passing the turn. He untapped, draw for the turn and pass.

I draw for the turn and looked at my hand: Opt, rituals, Past in Flames, and a Manamorphose. I start the assault with an Opt which cascades into chain spells until I had lethal storm count for Grapeshot. But he simply responded with an Angel's Grace. I tried to move on by casting the third Pyromancer Ascension to which he responded with Surgical Extraction on Grapeshot. Without a contest, I showed him my entire graveyard, hand, and library. 

After the search, the third red enchantment hits the table. I looked at our libraries and mentally compared them side by side. From the looks of it, it seems his library has like around 15 or more cards. I pass the turn right after giving the third Pyromancer Ascension's second counter.

He untapped, draw for the turn then pass. I fired a couple of Thought Scours at the end of his turn. I untapped and draw for the turn and casts Serum Visions with a prayer that the remaining copies of Thought Scours will reach my hand - and they did. I fired those  milling him another sixteen cards; brings out a ritual into Past in Flames into Manamorphose into all Thought Scours targeting him, off to game two. 

He started game two with a tapped UW dual land. My hand after the first draw step: Desperate Ritual, Perilous Voyage, Manamorphose, Goblin Electromancer, Opt, and lands. Dropped an izzet dual land into a cantrip then pass. An Isochron Scepter imprinting Silence in his second turn. I paused again pondering on how will I beat this Scepter-Silence tandem. I draw for the turn (Empty the Warrens), dropped my second land into 2/2 goblin and pass. He missed his land drop in his turn and simply pass the turn. My upkeep, he activated his artifact and I only get to respond with an Opt (Past in Flames). Past in Flames is not needed at the moment, so I send it to the bottom of the library and got another copy of Perilous Voyage. 2/2 Goblin attacks before passing the turn with an izzet land standing tall. He simply pass the turn missing again his land drop. "At the end of your turn sir, Perilous Voyage to your scepter." He simply picked his artifact without any resistance. I saw two bricks off the PV's scry two and quietly send them down.

I untapped, draw a card then off to my first main phase. I looked at him, trying to fish out for any body language that would tell me he's holding a relevant spell. Honestly, I cannot tell. It's now or never UR Storm let's do this. In front of his two untapped blue lands, I showed him Manamorphose and asked him if it will resolve. He immediately gave the thumbs up. I was praying for a relevant spell off the hybrid's draw but gave me brick. Next was Desperate Ritual. He simply let it resolves as well. And finally, Empty the Warrens. He had no answer to my six 1/1 goblins, I win in three swings.

Restore Balance and Living End
In both games Restore Balance did wipe all but one of my lands. But luck was still on my side because I top deck a land for the win. I won my last round versus Living End by two zero. Binoy and Raj also ended their respective Malolos ToyCon campaign on a positive note. 

It was team Baguio's turn a week after MALCON: 2018 King of the North (KOTN) magic tournament that featured modern as its day two event. I brought the same seventy-five. The event had 40+ players, 6 rounds of swiss + top 8 play-offs. 

King of the North 2018
Modern tournament
Baguio City

Unfortunately I was not able to finish the event because I do not want to go down from Baguio (via Kennon Road) past seven in the evening. I faced the following: Eldrazi Tron, a no show opponent, and Humans. 

Notes
Humans has a lot of non-basic lands so I wonder, will Blood Moon be a good sideboard versus Humans? Fellow troopers reading this, what can you say? Thanks!

versus Eldrazi
It is in this game that I get to experience flood, drawing ten straight lands (regular draw phase). Also in this round, I miscalculated. I should have picked Grapeshot over Manamorphose off Peer Through Depths. I could have done Grapeshot for six then win the game using the same card, this time with flashback, for eleven (or twelve). 

Faithless looting
I'll probably reinstate this card in my next tournament. To me looting is better than Opt because: (i) it can help you sculpt your hand; (ii) a sure draw two; (iii) and the inherent recycle property is great in tight game situations.

Izzet Charm
A card that can kill a (key) creature; can sculpt your hand at instant speed into perfection; or just being a Spell Pierce. This card is perfect addition to the sixty. 

Regran 
16 June 2018

The adjustments

Main deck:
- 1 Gifts Ungiven
- 1 Peer Through Depths
- 4 Opt 

+ 3 Faithless Looting
+ 2 Izzet Charm
+ 1 Increasing Vengeance 

Sideboard:
None. 

Match ups:
Boros 0-2
Tron 2-0
RW Taxes 2-0
8 Racks 1-2
Gifts Storm 2-0
Affinity 2-1 
(4-2)  (9-5)

Notes
Round one game one my opening seven: rituals, Empty the Warrens, Manamorphose, Faithless Looting, and lands. Then I immediately recall that I had a play test session the night before with Team Joytits. Lesson: always CHECK your sixty and fifteen. 

Versus 8 Racks, I think I could have won game three if I did not bin the ritual.

Top decking for the win is sweet; but it could have been sweeter if it happened in a win-in situation. Echoing Truth bouncing his Worship then swing 11 1/1 goblins for the win!

Cantrip: Faithless Looting - Thought Scour - Sleight of Hand - Serum Visions - Manamorphose. 

Increasing Vengeance and Izzet Charm were superb!

It's getting lengthy, I will end my report for now. But before parting ways, here's my calendar. Enjoy!

June
23 - Modern Team event (hosted by Kick Engines at SMX Aura)
23 - Madcap Modern League (new season)

July 
(side event at Nationals) (no official date yet)

August 
11 - PPTQ NG Trinoma
18 (or 19) - Emperor of the South

If I forget to include some tournament, kindly inform me. Thanks for reading! 

-Paeng_4983


PS: PPTQ modern will start on July 21st to September 23. See you in those PPTQ events!

MAY 2018: Modern Jund

I started playing BGx consecutively just this March 31st. Sadly, I only collected five wins out of fourteen games (.357) - but this does not discourage me to go back to any of my modern decks. So for my next tournament, I gave myself another shot with BGx and here's my seventy-five.

Jund 

Main

4 Wooded Foothills, 4 Bloodstained Mire, 3 Overgrown Tomb, 3 Blood Crypt, 2 Sacred Ground, 2 Swamp, 2 Forest, 1 Treetop Village, 2 Raging Ravine, 1 Llanowar Waste

4 Tarmogoyf, 3 Bloodbraid Elf, 4 Dark Confidant, 3 Scavenging Ooze, 1 Kalitas Traitor of Ghet

4 Lightning Bolt, 2 Dreadbore, 2 Terminate, 
1 Nihil Spellbomb, 3 Thoughtseize, 3 Inquisition of Kozilek, 3 Abrupt Decay, 2 Maelstrom Pulse, 1 Kolaghan's Command

Sideboard   

1 Thrun, the Last Troll, 1 Kitchen Finks, 2 Obstinate Baloth, 1 Surgical Extraction, 2 Graftdigger Cage, 2 Ancient Grudge, 1 Pithing Needle, 2 Damping Sphere, 2 Anger of the Gods, 1 Ratchet Bomb

Holiday Monday Modern
Madcap Gaming 

San Pedro, Laguna

14 May 2018

Mono Black Control 1-2

Mono Green Aggro 1-2

UR prowess 2-1

UR Eldrazi 0-2

(1-3 .250) (4-7 .364)

Most of my nine losses were from self-inflicted wounds: Thoughtseize, Dark Confidant trigger, and fetch into a shockland. In my desperate attempt to lessen these kind of damage, I followed what the stocklist says: include three copies of Scavenging Ooze. And to help me combat life loss further, I added Kalitas into the party.

Notes:

(A) Removal should be in this order: (i) try to out muscle his troop; then (ii) sorcery removal first; before using those (iii) instant removals. 

(B) I had a game (against UR Prowess) wherein the lands in my opening seven were: Overgrown Tomb, fetch, and a Raging Ravine. I started with a ravine and pass. I untapped, draw: Inquisition of Kozilek, dropped the fetchland crack it for a Swamp into Kozilek. Looking back at it, I think I should have dropped the BG shockland instead of the RG manland. 

(C) Always RTFC. Also, made some bad decisions without analyzing the effect afterwards.  

(D) Kalitas Traitor of Ghet is great because: (i) gives cushion; and (ii) creates defender in the form of a 2/2 black zombie token.

(E) There were times that I hesitated in firing my removals at his creature. 

(F) There's this one game that I forgot to bring in the sideboard cards for this specific match, and it caused me the game.

(G) The life points that I gained from kalitas and ooze gave enough breathing room for me to win the game.

Thanks for reading folks! 

-Paeng4983

May 2018: Legacy Burn

Grand Prix Kyoto 2018 was the reason why I decided to make a return to legacy after sleeping a little over two years. It feels so good each time I cast a spell; but it feels way better when I get to play around his counter spells without the aid of any protection. 

Fifty days after my last legacy game, I decided to be part of Kick Engines's May 2018 edition of Duel for Duals. I checked my legacy pool seventy-two hours before the event, here's what I have: (i) an incomplete The Epic Storm deck, maybe around 90% completion; (ii) an outdated but complete mono green 5 peso stumpy; and (iii) my brother's old yet reliable burn deck which I have not played/ shuffled since bringing it to the top 4 (or top 8) in a 50-60 players four or five years ago. To help me decide what to bring, I evaluated the current legacy meta. Grixis, Lands, team steels, and BUG variants are the top contenders. With that many non basic lands floating around, I think Burn is the correct choice. I assembled the deck the night before the event.

BArn 

Main
4 Goblin Guide
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel 

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Chain of Lightning
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
3 Searing Blaze
4 Price of Progress
4 Fireblast

2 Sulfur Vortex

10 Mountain
9 red fetches

Sideboard
2 Pyrostatic Pillar
3 Ensnaring Bridge 
4 Relic of Progenitus
4 Smash to Smithereens
2 Searing Blood

   
Kick Engines
Cubao Expo, Cubao, Quezon City
20 May 2018

As soon as round one pairings has been posted, I knew that it will be an uphill battle. Game one, I won the roll and I mulled aggressively looking for that main deck hate, Eidolon of the Great Revel. After two failed attempts, I settled for these instead: Mountain, Monastery Swiftspear, Lava Spike, Price of Progress, and Fireblast. Mountain into swiftspear were my only interaction in the game because he ended game one with a turn one Belcher. He gave me a blank stare trying to communicate that game one is finished and it's time to go to game two but I politely gestured to reveal cards off the library. I did that because of two reasons: a) to check and to give myself an idea what are the cards in his sixty; and b) hoping that Taiga shows up before it hits twenty. By the time he reached twenty cards, I started picking up my cards. Game two, I did get a Pillar in my opening hand but was not quick enough because he summoned ten goblins in his opening turn. He won in two swings.
(0-1)  (0-2)

Round two I faced the mono brown Eldrazi. I won game one with a classic ten damage swing: Lava Spike + Lightning Bolt + Fireblast. Such maneuver really brings out that nostalgic feeling. Game two, a timely Leyline of Santicty saved him from my burn spells. Yes he did hard casted that white enchantment in a mono brown deck. Game three, my opening seven was: a couple of Price of Progess, Goblin Guide, Monastery Swiftspear, Mountain, Wooded Foothills, and Smash to Smithereens. After both players decided to keep their respective seven, he brought down his white leyline on the table. Mountain into Goblin Guide. He dropped an Ancient Tomb into Grim Monolith before passing back the turn. I drew (Fireblast) for the turn, dropped fetch and momentarily thought of what will I fire first. Will it be the 1/2 prowess pretty lady? Or should I destroy now his mana accelerant. I went with the latter then proceeded to swing with my goblin (revealing a Thought-Knot Seer). He simply dropped another non-basic land then pass. I drew (Mountain) for the turn. Dropped Mountain into swiftspear then tapped my two remaining mountains for Price of Progress, hitting him for a total of eight damages thus bringing him down to five life points. He drew for the turn, did some calculation before extending his hand. 
(1-1)  (2-3)

I faced another familiar name for my round three. I lost game one because I decided to keep a one land seven. Things were different during game two because two swiftspears plus Lightning Bolts and Lava Spikes anchored team burn to game three. Sadly, I ran out of gas in this rubber match against UW Gideons.
(1-2)  (3-5)

In as much that I would like to continue playing, I was forced to cut short my legacy tournament because of an errand I cannot refuse. Maybe I'll burn them some other time. 
^_^

And before I say good night to you, here's Manila's eternal calendar from May to July 2018. Enjoy! 

May 
26 - Gatecrashers Anonas (20K Modern tournament) (modern)
26 - MALCON Toy Con (Malolos City) (modern and standard)
27 - Cerdric's (Vintage)
27 - Pinoy Planeswalker Modern Open at PC Butlers
27 - Roll Play Lounge (Badlands Legacy tournament)
27 - MALCON Toy Con (Malolos City) (pauper)

June 
3 - King of the North (Baguio City) (modern)
9 - The Block 101 (Block 101's modern series open)

July 
14 - Emperor of the South (Calamba City) (50k modern tournament)

Thank you for reading.

-Teeyo
9/17/10
9/17/15