MODERN: EIGHT RACKS

On 2 July 2022, I went to Madcap's Saturday modern gaming with 8-Racks as my weapon of choice. But just after I finished round two, I received a call that left me no choice but to drop from the roll and attend to a much more important matter. 

Here are the important 8-Racks lessons I learned from that two games. 

Discard plus spot removals are not enough to deal with an aggro based deck. I think Ensnaring Bridge and/or Bontu's Last Reckoning are/is, much better if it is Damnation but I do not own one at the moment, a must in the sixty. 

Use Thoughtsieze and Inquisition of Kozilek wisely. I had this situation where I use Thoughtseize first and saw two threats. One card has two to cast and the other at four. I discarded the two to cast card. In my next turn, Inquisition of Kozilek. Bad decision there, I guess so?

Urza's Sage cannot fetch Executioner's Capsule. And speaking of Urza's Saga fetching 1 mana cost artifact, is Elixir of Immortality a good addition? Five life points is a good thing. Plus it can be fetched again by the next Urza Saga ability. The bad thing is you'll have no graveyard which Raven's Crime does not want you to have. 

The Rack right now hits the table faster than before. 

Given today's meta, I think Smallpox is not a good card right now. Maybe I said this because I do not run any Flagstone of Trokair. 

Hopefully, I'll do better in my next event with 8-Racks. 

This is all for now. Thank you for reading. 

Paeng

MODERN: MONO-BLUE MERFOLK

Regran Hobbies

Regional Championship Qualifier

10 July 2022

Mono-Blue Merfolk

Main deck

8 Island

4 Mutavault

2 Otawara, Soaring City

2 Fiery Islet 

1 Cavern of Souls

1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge  

1 Oboro, Palace in the Clouds

4 Aether Vial

4 Force of Negation

2 Spreading Seas

3 Glasspool Mimic

4 Lord of Atlantis

4 Master of the Pearl Trident

4 Merfolk Trickster 

4 Silvergill Adept

4 Subtlety

4 Svyelun of Sea and Sky

4 Tide Shaper 

Sideboard

2 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner 

2 Chalice of the Void

2 Hurkyl's Recall

2 Dismember

2 Counterspell

2 Relic of Progenitus

1 Unlicensed Hearse

2 Brazen Borrow

RD 1 Belcher W

RD 2 Glimpse Elemental Combo W

RD 3 UW Hammer W

RD 4 Grix Death's Shadow W

RD 5 Boros Burn W

RD 6 Yorion Control Ephemerate L

RD 7 Rakdos Tempo ID

Q UW Hammer W

S Titan Wish Valakut L

RD 1 Belcher 

Game three: The opponent tried to kill three members of my school with Fury. But it was met by its blue sibling, Subtlety. Then at the end of his turn, I vialed in two lords. Swung my entire school for the win.   

RD 2 Glimpse Elemental Combo

I think I won the game because of a Chalice of the Void for zero. Subtlety denied every disenchant-creature the opponent plays. Two Tide Shapers also contributed to the win by converting the opponent's key shocklands into basic Islands.  

RD 3 UW Hammer

Game three: Two Merfolk Tricksters, two Brazen Borrowers, and a Subtlety all made key defensive stoppage on whoever was holding the hammers. Merfolk Tricksters, Subtlety, a Tide Shaper, and Silvergill Adepts took over offensively. Win.

RD 4 vs Grix Death's Shadow

The opponent committed a crucial misplay in this round. I had two Chalice of the Voids (the first is set at one and the other is at two). He summoned an Engineered Explosive. Paid one red and one black then asked me if it is good. Realizing that the Fifth Dawn artifact's casting cost is at two, I simply point my index finger at my Chalice for two card. His Explosive got countered. 

RD 5 Boros Burn

I do not know if it matters, but I Subtlety his turn one Monastery Swiftspear. 

Svyelun Sea and Sky is a house vs Boros Burn. But the real MVP in this game was Tide Shaper because he alone denied my opponent access to double red mana. After I won, he showed me his hand. Eidolon of the Great Rebel, Searing Blaze, and Skewer the Critics. Maybe you're wondering why Skewer the Critics, it is because the opponent won't be able to cast it if what is left are Islands. Tide Shaper, you the real MVP.  

RD 6 Yorion Elementals

I lost this game by a mile. Solitude, evoke trigger on the stack. Then Ephemerate it. Then in his upkeep, rebound Ephemerate, that's like three for one card. Not to mention Fury. 

RD 7 Rakdos Tempo

ID.

Q: UW Hammer

A germ token with Kaldra Compleat and Shadowspear vs. a school of merfolk (three lord effects, Svyelun Sea and Sky, and two Merfolk Tricksters).

 

S: Titan Valakut-Wish

Game one: The crucial point of this game was when the opponent asked me if Wish is good. I checked his board state: a 2/4 green nymph creature, eight red-green lands (two of them were Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle) wherein five of his red-green lands were still standing. I thought he'll go for Wish into Scapeshift. I checked my hand and I have a lot of blue cards to pitch for Force of Negation. I allowed the red sorcery card and it fetched his third Valakut land. Comes into play. Triple bolt you sir. I checked my life points and it says there nine. GG. 

Game two: My opening hand had three Spreading Seas effects in it. I thought this is good enough to delay his game plan. But things went south when his Dryad of the Ilysian Grove resolves. It repainted the lands red. Then two Valakut lands came down in his next turn. Team Merfolk was not able to recover after that. 

It was a very good run for team mono-blue. 

This is all for now. Thank you for reading.

Paeng

MODERN: JESKAI BARAL STORM

Seventy-five is shown in the picture above. Below were my matches. 

RD 1 vs. Grix Tempo's video is here. 

RD 2 vs Cruel Creativity's video is here. 

RD 3 vs. Mono-Red. I misclicked during game one. As a result of that uneventful scenario, I lost. I also lost game two because the opponent was able to nab a turn two ritual (off a turn one ragavan) into a Blood Moon. Unable to find a basic land in time for my cantrips, I lose. 

RD 4 vs Grix Tempo's video is here.

RD 5 vs. Song of Creation Combo's video is here. 

This is all for now. Thank you for reading. 

Paeng Paeng

MODERN: GW BOGLES

MTG SOUTHSIDE

6 June 2022

GW Bogles

Main deck 

4 Razorverge Thicket

4 Temple Garden

4 Horizon Canopy

1 Wooded Foothills

4 Windswept Heath

1 Plains

1 Forest

4 Gladecover Scout

4 Silhana Ledgewalker

4 Slippery Bogle

4 Ethereal Armor

4 Daybreak Coronet

4 Hyena Umbra

4 Spider Umbra

4 Rancor

2 Sentinel's Eyes

2 All That Glitters

1 Spirit Link

1 Spirit Mantle

3 Path to Exile

Sideboard

3 Leyline of Sanctity

3 Relic of Progenitus

2 Gaddock Teeg

3 Void Mirror

1 Path to Exile

1 Seal of Primordium

1 Seal of Cleansing 

1 Krosan Grip 

RD 1 Mono-Green Tron (W)

RD 2 Grix Death's Shadow (W)

RD 3 Boros Burn (L)

RD 4 4c Elementals (W)

RD 5 Tron (W)

RD 1 vs. Mono-Green Tron

Ethereal Armor and All that Glitters gave the buff needed. The Umbras gave the protection necessary against the opponent's mass removals.  

RD 2 vs. Grix Death's Shadow

Game one: I kept a hand with lands, auras, and one hexproof creature. The opponent opened the game with a discard spell nitpicking my lone creature. The next creature came too late. 

I won game two because of the following reasons: (i) the opponent playing fetch-paying two life points multiple times; (ii) Thoughtseizing himself; (iii) the sort of protection clause from totem armor effect after popping his Engineered Explosive.  

Game three: I do not want a repeat experience of our game one where the opponent was able to nitpick the important cards from my hand. So I mulled aggressively until I have a Leyline Sanctity in it. I think it paid off because the opponent's hand never went down to three cards in hand. 

RD 4 vs. 4c Elementals

G1: Slippery Bogle with trample and first strike from one-drop auras were too much for this team to answer. 

G2: Magus of the Moon single-handedly defeated team hexproof. 

G3: Ethereal Armor and All That Glitters lead the way to victory. 

RD 5 vs Tron

G3: Multiple copies of umbra cards saved my creature from the opponent's mass removals (Oblivion Stone and Blast Zone). And this is what we play during our last play. Him: summoned Golos, Tireless Pilgrim. Me: Spirit Mantle. Golos unable to block my 8/6 hexproof, reach, trample creature - swing for the win.

This is for now folks. Thank you for reading. 

Paeng

LEGACY: BELCHER

Top Deck Games's Legacy Event

Cagayan de Oro City

June 2022

BELCHER

4 Goblin Charbelcher

4 Burning Wish

3 Empty the Warrens

1 Stomping Ground

4 Rite of Flame

4 Desperate Ritual

4 Pyretic Ritual

4 Manamorphose

4 Land Grant

4 Seething Song

4 Lion's Eye Diamond

4 Lotus Petal

4 Chrome Mox

4 Tinder Wall

4 Elvish Spirit Guide

4 Simian Spirit Guide 

Sideboard

3 Veil of Summer

2 Xantid Swarm

1 Tendrils of Agony

1 Empty the Warrens

1 Grapeshot

1 Infernal Tutor

1 Reverent Silence

1 Goblin War Strike

1 Cave-in

1 Shattering Spree

1 Hull Breach

1 Chain Lightning

RD 1 Abzan Rector (w)

RD 2 Dredge-Gaak (w)

RD 3 Reanimator (w)

RD 4 Reanimator (w)

RD 5 Burn (w) 

S Burn (w)

F Dredge-Gaak

RD 1 Abzan Rector

G1: I summoned a mob of 1/1 goblin tokens in turn two. The opponent had no answer. I win in two swings. 

G2: I summoned another batch of goblin tokens, this time it's in the fourth (or fifth) turn. Rector deck had no answer in two turns. Win. 

RD 2 Dredge-Gaak 

G3: I won via Goblin Charbelcher. 

RD 3 Reanimator

G1: I ended my turn two with a belcher. Top decked Lion's Eye Diamond the following turn. The opponent conceded after seeing me cast one of the mirage's iconic artifacts. Just to satisfy my curiosity, I looked at the top cards of my library (but did not reveal them). The lone land was fifth from the top. Lucky me. 

G2: This is how the opponent's first turn went: Revealed Chancellor of the Annex. Fetch (19 life points) into Swamp into Dark Ritual into Entomb burying his 7/7 flying black demon. Then brought it to life. Paid seven life points (12 life points). Draw seven. Cast Unmask (pitched a black card) targeting me. Removed Goblin Charbelcher from my hand. Paid another seven life points (down to five life points). Draw another batch of seven cards into summoning another Unmask. Manamorphose was removed this time. Then pass the turn.

Here's what's left of my opening seven: Lion's Eye Diamond, three spirit guides (two elven and one monkey), and a Pyretic Ritual. I draw for the turn, Burning Wish. Dropped Lion's Eye Diamond. Threw one of the spirit guides as payment for the Chancellor of the Annex's tax. Summoned the red ritual (three red floating and storm two). Cast Burning Wish (one red floating and storm three). Not passing priority yet, cracked the LED for three black. Burning Wish resolved. Grabbed Tendrils of Agony from the sideboard. Tendrils of Agony targetting him plus storm triggers for lethal. Win.

RD 4 vs Reanimator 

G1: I decided to keep my first seven because, from my initial counting, it can win via Tendrils of Agony. But things went south when I cast Burning Wish and realized that I am going to be short of one storm count. Going Empty the Warrens route is not an option because a Reanimator deck can obliterate them with just an Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite.

So as I was scanning my sideboard, I checked the wordings of Infernal Tutor, and it says "search for a card. Put it into your hand".  I checked my floating mana: six red and three black. I grabbed the black sorcery tutor. Cast it. Retrieve Goblin Charbelcher from the deck. Summoned the artifact. And paid its activation cost. Twenty-five cards were revealed before Stomping Ground. Win.

G2: I was able to sneak a Goblin Charbelcher into play despite my hand getting raped with multiple discard spells. I won after three or four turns. Stomping Ground was sitting comfortably at the twenty-ninth spot. Win.   

RD 5 Burn

I won the race (game one) with a turn-two twelve goblins. For game two, I summoned the deck's win-con artifact with enough mana for its activation cost in the same turn. Win. 

S Burn

G1: I mulled until I settled for a hand that can call Belcher but cannot activate it because I'll have no mana after it resolves. Two turns after, I had enough mana to pay its activation cost. Win. 

G2: I had these in my opening hand: Spirit Guides, Stomping Ground, Chrome Mox, and Charbelcher. Then I top deck Lotus Petal for the win. 

F: Dredge-Gaak

G1: Snap keep a hand that can call a mob of goblins. But things changed for the better when Manamorphose gave me an LED. I tanked for a minute because I wanted to make sure my math is correct. Wish into Tutor into Wish into Tendrils. Win.

G2: I summoned a mob of goblin tokens by turn three. The opposing team had no answer. I win in two swings. 

That's all for now. Thank you for reading. Stay safe wherever you are. 

Paeng_Paeng 

MODERN: GW BOGLES

Arcane Arena

Pacita, Laguna

4 June 2022

I used the same seventy-five. 

RD 1: UW Control (W)

RD 2: UR Prowess (L)

RD 3: DnT (W)

RD 4: GW Coco Combo (L)

Things that I can still recall.

vs  UW Control

G2: Sequencing properly your aura spells is very important. Totem armor, first strike, and trample (in that order) were the abilities that I think a bogles player would need in order to win against this archetype. Also, luck played a factor because the opponent did not draw any of his mass removals or Chalice of the Void. 

vs UR Prowess

G3: I miscalculated (or misfired) my Path to Exile in this game. I fired the white instant removal too early. I should have waited for the second strike (in which the prowess creature was much bigger).  Also, I did not draw any life-giving auras.

vs GW Coco Combo

I don't think this is a winnable match-up for Bogles. They are just too fast and strong for the home team to handle.

This is all for now.  

Thank you for reading.

Stay safe wherever you are!

Paeng

cto: WOTC

MODERN: GW BOGLES

Madcap Gaming

San Pedro, Laguna

28 May 2022  

GW Bogles

Main deck 

4 Razorverge Thicket

4 Temple Garden

4 Horizon Canopy

1 Wooded Foothills

4 Windswept Heath

1 Plains

1 Forest

4 Gladecover Scout

4 Silhana Ledgewalker

4 Slippery Bogle

4 Ethereal Armor

4 Daybreak Coronet

4 Hyena Umbra

4 Spider Umbra

4 Rancor

2 Sentinel's Eyes

1 Spirit Link

1 Spirit Mantle

3 Path to Exile

Sideboard

3 Leyline of Sanctity

3 Relic of Progenitus

3 Gaddock Teeg

3 Void Mirror

1 Path to Exile

1 Seal of Cleansing 

1 Krosan Grip

RD 1 Mono White Death and Taxes(W)

RD 2 Boros Burn (W)

RD 3 Amulet Titan (L)

RD 1 Death and Taxes

G3: Rancor's trample plus Silhana Ledgewalker's can only be blocked by creatures with flying ability won me the game. 

RD 2 Boros Burn

Daybreak Coronet was the MVP. 

RD 3 Amulet Titan

G3: The opponent had two Amulets and an Azusa, Lost but Seeking. The opponent won the game not through  Prime Time but via three 7/7 construct tokens from Urga Sagas. 

This is all for now. Thank you for reading.

Paeng