FNM - Mar 20, 2009

The Blightning deck failed me miserably the day before, so I decided to take the BG Elves deck again to the FNM.



Round 1: vs. UW Merfolk (lost)

Things didn't start off well, as I got stuck at 3 lands and I easily lost game 1. In the second game, I ran out of removal and a single Wake Thrasher beat me to a pulp very quickly.

Game standing: 0-2
Match standing: 0-1


Round 2: vs. Blightning Aggro (lost)

Disappointed at my first round (it was supposed to be a good matchup for me) I vowed to do better in my second round. Alas, it was not to be, as I once again got beat 0-2 by a goblin-build Blightning deck. Voracious Dragon combined with Goblin Assault did me in on the second game.

Game standing: 0-4
Match standing: 0-2


Round 3: vs. Esper Control (lost)

I had the man-land god draw in the first game, as I very quickly beat my opponent with a Treetop Village and a pair of Mutavaults. In the second game, a pair of Magister Sphinx -- the first one putting my opponent at 10 life (from 2 life), and the second one putting me at 10 life (from 24 life) -- sealed the deal for my opponent. In game 3, I made a stupid mistake that cost me the round. I was at 18 life, and my opponent at 8 life, but my opponent had board advantage because he had 7 power worth of creatures on the board (forgot what). Time was then called while it was his turn. In my turn (turn 1), I did something irrelevant. In his turn (turn 2), he swinged for 7, putting me at 11. Then on my turn (turn 3), I drew zip again, and after a few minutes of pondering, and knowing that I had no way of winning it, I scooped up my cards. Duh! It was then that everyone watching reminded me that my opponent didn't have enough damage to kill me on the 4th turn, which was his last. Stupid stupid mistake. It was supposed to end in a draw, but I "conceded".

Game standing: 1-6
Match standing: 0-3


Round 4: vs. BW Discarder (won)

After the last round's stupidity error, I had decided to drop from the tourney. However, the TO didn't register my drop, so I got paired anyway with someone else with a 0-3 record. Not wanting to cause further confusion, I decided to play anyway. Good thing I did, as I at least finally got my share of wins, by beating my opponent easily in two games. All I remember is that I had Profanes for each of his Nyxathids, and I beat him with faerie tokens and manlands.

Final game standing: 3-6
Final match standing: 1-3

Disappointing performances are starting to pile up again... :(

FNM - Jan 23, 2009

I finally gave in and replaced the Troll Ascetics in the Elves deck with Kitchen Finks. I finally realized that I always needed the 2 mana I was leaving open for regenerating the Troll, which made me always a step behind in mana. Finks has a decent body for its cost at 3/2, and basically nets me 2 blockers and 4 life for those aggresive aggro decks (read: Kithkin).



// Lands
4 [LRW] Gilt-Leaf Palace
4 [10E] Llanowar Wastes
2 [EVE] Twilight Mire
4 [MOR] Mutavault
4 [10E] Treetop Village
3 [UNH] Forest
3 [UNH] Swamp

// Creatures
4 [10E] Llanowar Elves
4 [LRW] Wren's Run Vanquisher
4 [SHM] Kitchen Finks
2 [10E] Civic Wayfinder
4 [MOR] Chameleon Colossus
1 [LRW] Shriekmaw

// Spells
3 [LRW] Garruk Wildspeaker
1 [10E] Loxodon Warhammer
3 [MOR] Bitterblossom
3 [LRW] Nameless Inversion
2 [LRW] Eyeblight's Ending
3 [LRW] Profane Command
2 [LRW] Primal Command

// Sideboard
SB: 4 [LRW] Cloudthresher
SB: 4 [LRW] Thoughtseize
SB: 4 [ALA] Infest
SB: 1 [MOR] Mind Shatter
SB: 2 [10E] Mind Rot


Round 1: vs. Realm Razer Naya (won)

I won easily in game 1 via a Garruk overrun which put my opponent at 6 life, after which I finished him off with my man lands. Game 2 was also one-sided, as my opponent made a couple of misplays.

Game standing: 2-0
Match standing: 1-0


Round 2: vs. RW Reveillark (draw)

I mull'd to 5 on the first game, much to my dismay, and was on the defensive all game, until I finally lost. In game 2, I got some help from my opponent as he took plenty of damage from ouchlands, in addition to my quick beats. In game 3, we were called for time, and I luckily managed to get the draw despite being on the way to losing that game.

Game standing: 3-1-1
Match standing: 1-0-1


Round 3: vs. RW Reveillark (lost)

I mull'd to 5 again. And the 5-hander I kept was all lands -- I decided to keep it because it had a good mix of manlands and dual lands. Of course, I lost that first game. In game 2, I just lost based on pure card and board advantage generated by my opponent's Siege Gang Commanders, Ranger of Eos, and Reveillark.

Game standing: 3-3-1
Match standing: 1-1-1


Round 4: vs. Elf Ball (lost)

As was expected, game 1 turned out to have a really heavy board, with lots of small creatures on his side, and a few large creatures in mine. Unfortunately, his small creatures eventually went up in size, thanks to a few Imperious Perfects, and he eventually steam rolled me for the win. In game 2, my opponent made a god draw -- emptying all 8 of his cards in hand by the second turn, thanks to Heritage Druid and a pair of Nettle Sentinels.

Game standing: 3-5-1
Match standing: 1-2-1


As was always the case, the losers of the tournament rolled dice to determine who would win the random FNM card (3 were given away to the top 3 finishers, and the fourth one was given in random). I lost out on the die roll by just 1 -- the winner rolled a 17; I rolled a 16. :( Oh well.

Pre-Conflux Standard - Jan 10, 2009

The tournament was held two weeks ago, and I never had the chance to blog about it due to a busy schedule and a bout of food poisoning. Basically, coming unprepared and unaware of the new metagame, my Elves deck did very poorly.

Round 1: vs. UB Faeries (lost)

I remember being pretty happy to have a relatively good matchup in the first round. Games 1 and 2 were won by whomever had the Colossus. In the first game it was him, via Sower. In the second game, it was all mine. But in the end, I lost in an extremely close game 3, having my opponent at 1 life, and praying for that Profane topdeck, it never went out and my opponent eventually got back in the game and beat me with 3 Scion of Oona's and a Mistbind Clique.

Game standing: 1-2
Match standing: 0-1


Round 2: vs. WW Kithkin (lost)

After losing to a favorable matchup, I was disappointed to face the bane of my deck -- Kithkins. And I proved to be right, as I got two quick awful losses.

Game standing: 1-4
Match standing: 0-2


Round 3: vs. BGW Doran (won)

Round 3 was the exact opposite of round 2, as I easily beat my opponent, who is obviously not very much familiar with his deck yet.

Game standing: 3-4
Match standing: 1-2


Round 4: vs. RW Giant deck (lost)

I got faced off against a rogue deck. Initially I thought it was the so-called "Boat Brew" deck, which is basically RW Reveillark, but I got demolished by a bunch of Furystoke Giants and Cloudgoat Rangers.

Game standing: 3-6
Match standing: 1-3 (drop)

Gold Rush 2008 - Dec 27-28, 2008

Last year, I got lignified. This year, I was determined not to have the same disappointing record, actually even hoping for a .500 finish after two days of Magic dueling.

The format for this year was different. Instead of the usual Standard Constructed format for the Gold Rush (which I would have preferred), NG opted to organize a multiformat tournament a la Nationals. Basically, it's 3 rounds of Standard, followed by 3 rounds of Shards of Alara booster draft, then another 3 rounds of Shards booster draft in new pods (only 1 round on the first day, the 2 remaining rounds on day 2), then finished off in a final 3 rounds of Standard. The top 8 players would have a Standard playoff.

Not unexpectedly, I used the same BG Elves deck as the one I used the night before on FNM, but with the Shriekmaw MD, instead of the singleton Cloudthresher. I was also able to get a hold of a fourth Infest on the tourney area a few minutes before, so I could have a better chance against those Kithkin decks which I expected to swarm the tournament.



// Lands
4 [LRW] Gilt-Leaf Palace
4 [10E] Llanowar Wastes
2 [EVE] Twilight Mire
4 [MOR] Mutavault
4 [10E] Treetop Village
3 [UNH] Forest
3 [UNH] Swamp

// Creatures
4 [10E] Llanowar Elves
4 [LRW] Wren's Run Vanquisher
4 [10E] Troll Ascetic
2 [10E] Civic Wayfinder
4 [MOR] Chameleon Colossus
1 [LRW] Shriekmaw

// Spells
1 [10E] Loxodon Warhammer
3 [MOR] Bitterblossom
3 [LRW] Garruk Wildspeaker
3 [LRW] Nameless Inversion
2 [LRW] Eyeblight's Ending
3 [LRW] Profane Command
2 [LRW] Primal Command

// Sideboard
SB: 4 [LRW] Thoughtseize
SB: 4 [LRW] Cloudthresher
SB: 4 [ALA] Infest
SB: 1 [MOR] Mind Shatter
SB: 2 [10E] Mind Rot


Round 1: vs. BR Tokens (lost)

I was happy not to have my round 1 jinx this time, as instead of having to face a Nationals player, I was paired with a famous card trader. However, after the match, I wished differently, as he still demolished me in two games. In game 1, I made the mistake of trying to race him in life. It worked for a while, up until I made a calculation mistake and forgot about the damage of the Mogg Fanatic. In game 2, I had no chance whatsoever to win the game, as he put up a Goblin Assault and 2 Grave Pacts.

Game standing: 0-2
Match standing: 0-1


Round 2: vs. UB Faeries (won)

At last, a good matchup. This time, it was my turn to demolish my opponent as I easily beat the deck of the little blue flyers in 2 games -- the first one via an early Garruk overrun, and the second one thanks to a pair of Troll Ascetics.

Game standing: 2-2
Match standing: 1-1


Round 3: vs. 5-color Control (lost)

I was winning the first game, up until a timely Jund Charm wiped out my army of manlands during my attack phase. Afterwards, there was no recovery from a semi-Armageddon. In game 2, I came back via a Garruk overrun. In game 3, I had no chance against The Queen of the Fae.

Game standing: 3-4
Match standing: 1-2


At this point, we were seated in our first draft pods. Suddenly, the TOs announced that there were random prizes to be given away from the vault, literally -- From the Vault: Dragons. I was one of the lucky players to be selected, and I was randomly given Form of the Dragon:



Then it was off to the draft. It seems that our table was rare drafting as I saw no bombs whatsoever in the first pack. I was getting passed a lot of nice Esper utility cards though, so I went ahead and drafted it. Here was my deck:



// Lands
1 [ALA] Grixis Panorama
6 [ALA] Swamp
5 [ALA] Island
5 [ALA] Plains

// Creatures
2cc:
1 [ALA] Metallurgeon
1 [ALA] Tidehollow Strix
2 [ALA] Tidehollow Sculler
3cc:
2 [ALA] Kathari Screecher
2 [ALA] Shore Snapper
1 [ALA] Windwright Mage
5cc or more:
2 [ALA] Dreg Reaver
1 [ALA] Steelclad Serpent
1 [ALA] Yoked Plowbeast

// Spells
2 [ALA] Obelisk of Esper
1 [ALA] Executioner's Capsule
1 [ALA] Hindering Light
2 [ALA] Agony Warp
1 [ALA] Oblivion Ring
1 [ALA] Resounding Wave
1 [ALA] Esper Charm
1 [ALA] Kiss of the Amesha


Round 4: vs. Bant Exalted (draw)

Things didn't start off well, as I my opponent took me to draft school and won game 1 unscathed. I had no chance against a barrage of exalted dudes. In game 2, I won a long close game (I was at 2 life when I won) thanks to my islandwalking Shore Snapper. In game 3, I was saved by the bell -- I pulled off a draw thanks to time running out, despite me being at 5 life, and my opponent still at perfect life.

Game standing: 4-5-1
Match standing: 1-2-1


Things went even more downhill from there...

Round 5: vs. Jund (lost)

I got stuck at 2 lands in the first game and easily lost. In the second game, I found a Broodmate Dragon in my opponent's hand (thanks to my Sculler), but I had to remove his Resounding Thunder. I was able to delay his dragon by discarding his other cards via Esper Charm, and stabilized against his threats while I was at 1 life. At that point, I slowly got back at the game by gaining life thanks to my Windwright Mage, and got back to 9 life. However, the inevitable happened and I wasn't able to kill him when he got his 6th land. GG.

Game standing: 4-7-1
Match standing: 1-3-1


Round 6: vs. Naya (lost)

All I remember from this match was that pesky Drumhunter which gave my opponent crazy card advantage. I was already at 1 card in hand, and my opponent never had less than 5 cards in hand. Crazy. I lost in 2 games.

Game standing: 4-9-1
Match standing: 1-4-1


At this point, I just wanted to rare draft in the second pod and go home (it was almost 9:30 pm, and we still had a draft AND a round of Magic to play). My packs did not disappoint, as I opened a Stoic Angel in the first pack, and a Tezzeret in the third pack. Yeah! At least I got back part of my entrance fee. :) I still tried to draft Bant though to utilize the angel and build a relatively nice playable deck:



// Lands
1 [ALA] Esper Panorama
6 [ALA] Forest
6 [ALA] Plains
4 [ALA] Island

// Creatures
1cc:
1 [ALA] Wild Nacatl
2cc:
1 [ALA] Sigiled Paladin
1 [ALA] Deft Duelist
1 [ALA] Jhessian Infiltrator
2 [ALA] Sighted-Caste Sorcerer
4cc:
1 [ALA] Outrider of Jhess
1 [ALA] Rhox Charger
1 [ALA] Stoic Angel
5cc or more:
2 [ALA] Cloudheath Drake
1 [ALA] Welkin Guide
1 [ALA] Waveskimmer Aven
1 [ALA] Jungle Weaver

// Spells
1 [ALA] Obelisk of Bant
1 [ALA] Gift of the Gargantuan
3 [ALA] Excommunicate
2 [ALA] Sigil Blessing
2 [ALA] Resounding Roar


Round 7: vs. Jund (lost)

It was all about the fun at this point, and me and my opponent had 2 nice fun games. I, of course, lost both. Haha.

I dropped from the tournament, so I didn't have to come on the second day.

Final game standing: 4-11-1
Final match standing: 1-5-1


In keeping with the my tradition of losing and listing learning points, here are the learning points from the Gold Rush:

1. I should draft more. Or actually, I should draft, period. LOL.

2. Shards limited is all about the bombs. I thought I had a pretty decent deck in the first pod, I just needed that 1 or 2 bombs that would make me win in the late game.

3. I should playtest... and FNM's don't count. I lost the 1st and 3rd rounds because of my unfamiliarity with my opponents' decks (I forgot all about that instant Pyroclasm-thing of the Jund Charm).

4. The best players play a lot. Since I don't have the luxury of time, with work and all, maybe I should try playing in MWS again.

5. Multiformat tourneys are fun, but are VERY tiring.

Happy new year everyone! :)

BG Elves Deck Performance Analysis

In preparation for the Gold Rush later today (because it's past midnight already hehe), I decided to compile the results of all my sanctioned tournaments in the past couple of months, when playing the BG Elves deck archetype. Here are the results:

Mono Red - Won 8, Lost 5 - 62%
Elves/Rock - Won 6, Lost 6 - 50%
White Weenie - Won 3, Lost 7, Draw 1 - 27%
Random Deck - Won 5, Lost 3, Draw 1 - 56%
Faeries - Won 2, Lost 6 - 25%
Mono Black - Won 1, Lost 3 - 25%
5-Color Control - Won 1, Lost 2 - 33%
Mana Ramp - Won 0, Lost 3 - 0%
Planeswalkers - Won 2, Lost 0 - 100%
Mannequin - Won 1, Lost 1 - 50%
5-Color Elementals - Won 1, Lost 1 - 50%
Land D - Won 1, Lost 1 - 50%
Merfolk - Won 0, Lost 2 - 0%

Here are my observations:
1. The poor showing against Faeries is due to my inability to pilot the deck correctly in the beginning. Most, if not all, of the losses were in my early months of playing the deck.

2. The other deck archetypes' results are not very reliable as I haven't played enough against them.

3. As expected, I do well against random decks (decks I've played only once, ever).

4. The mirror is basically a coin toss. Perhaps I need better SB to have the advantage in the mirror.

5. And last, but most definitely not the least -- I suck against Kithkins. Now I know I really need that fourth Infest in the SB.

FNM - Dec 26, 2008

I needed to playtest for the 2008 Gold Rush tomorrow, so I played once again in my local store's FNM to practice. I wanted to try something in the BG Elves deck, by MD'ing Primal Commands.



// Lands
4 [LRW] Gilt-Leaf Palace
4 [10E] Llanowar Wastes
2 [EVE] Twilight Mire
4 [MOR] Mutavault
4 [10E] Treetop Village
3 [UNH] Forest
3 [UNH] Swamp

// Creatures
4 [10E] Llanowar Elves
4 [LRW] Wren's Run Vanquisher
4 [10E] Troll Ascetic
2 [10E] Civic Wayfinder
4 [MOR] Chameleon Colossus
1 [LRW] Cloudthresher
3 [LRW] Garruk Wildspeaker

// Spells
3 [MOR] Bitterblossom
1 [10E] Loxodon Warhammer
3 [LRW] Nameless Inversion
2 [LRW] Eyeblight's Ending
3 [LRW] Profane Command
2 [LRW] Primal Command

// Sideboard
SB: 4 [LRW] Thoughtseize
SB: 3 [ALA] Infest
SB: 3 [LRW] Cloudthresher
SB: 1 [LRW] Primal Command
SB: 1 [LRW] Shriekmaw
SB: 2 [10E] Mind Rot
SB: 1 [MOR] Mind Shatter


Round 1: vs. WW Kithkins (lost)

First up: Kithkins. In terms of playtesting, this was good. In terms of doing well in the FNM, it was bad. Historically, I just have a bad record against this deck. Anyway, history repeats itself as I easily lost in 2 games. In the first game, my opponent got some help with me getting mana drought. In the second game, it was close all the way, but my opponent squeezed out the win in the end.

Game standing: 0-2
Match standing: 0-1


Round 2: vs. Mono Red Elementals (won)

My opponent and I both mulliganed to 5 for our first game, which I eventually lost thanks to a Rage Forger and a pair of Sunflare Shamans. I got back and won both sideboarded games though, thanks to a Profane Command in the second game, and a crucial Infest in the third game.

Game standing: 2-3
Match standing: 1-1


Round 3: vs. BG Elves (won)

I knew it was a mirror match even before we started, because I partially saw my opponent playtest before the FNM started. So when I drew the singleton Warhammer, along with a couple of dudes in my starting hand, the decision to keep was very easy. Unfortunately though, my opponent had all the removals and my Warhammer was reduced to a useless artifact with no one to equip it to. I eventually lost the one-sided game. In game 2, it was my turn to beat my opponent, and I finished the game with a Profane Command. I also found out that my opponent had an "incomplete deck" as he was using Briarhorns and Snakeforms. That gave me the confidence that I had the advantage in the deciding game. Game 3 though was the closest of all, and we were racing all game, with my Bitterblossom online, and my opponent gaining a bunch of life thanks to a couple of Kitchen Finks. In the end, I topdecked a Garruk to decide the game in my favor.

Game standing: 4-4
Match standing: 2-1


Round 4: vs. UW Reveillark (won)

My 4th round opponent was beside me in round 3, so I knew he had the Knight-Captain of Eos/Reveillark engine in his deck. I thought to myself, boy, this is going to be a looong game. It proved to be wrong though, as I my deck gave me the right cards at the right time, and I won both games very easily. The first game while at 37 life (thanks to Warhammer), and the second game via an early Garruk overrun, which my opponent had no answer to.

Game standing: 6-4
Match standing: 3-1

My final standing was good enough for a 5th place finish, and won me another booster pack -- which turned up to contain another crappy birdie. Oh well. I just hope to do as well as I did today, in the Gold Rush tomorrow. Good luck to me.

FNM - Dec 12, 2008

I followed the netdeck trend, and inserted Bitterblossoms onto the BG Elves deck. I further tuned the MD and moved the Thoughtseizes onto the SB as the meta in my local shop is more aggro than control.



// Lands
4 [LRW] Gilt-Leaf Palace
4 [10E] Llanowar Wastes
2 [EVE] Twilight Mire
4 [MOR] Mutavault
4 [10E] Treetop Village
3 [UNH] Forest
3 [UNH] Swamp

// Creatures
4 [10E] Llanowar Elves
4 [LRW] Wren's Run Vanquisher
4 [10E] Troll Ascetic
2 [10E] Civic Wayfinder
4 [MOR] Chameleon Colossus
3 [LRW] Cloudthresher
3 [LRW] Garruk Wildspeaker

// Spells
3 [MOR] Bitterblossom
3 [LRW] Profane Command
3 [LRW] Nameless Inversion
2 [LRW] Eyeblight's Ending
1 [10E] Loxodon Warhammer

// Sideboard
SB: 4 [LRW] Thoughtseize
SB: 3 [ALA] Infest
SB: 4 [SHM] Kitchen Finks
SB: 1 [LRW] Cloudthresher
SB: 1 [MOR] Mind Shatter
SB: 2 [10E] Mind Rot


Round 1: vs. WW Kithkins (lost)

The FNM crowd was larger than usual -- 28 players -- and there were a couple of good players in the room. As is my usual "practice", I once again got paired with one of the better players in the first round. He was playing Kithkins, so I once again wished that I had that 4th Infest in my SB (I really need to get that one ASAP).

Anyway, back to the match, things didn't start well, as I mull'd to 5. To add insult to injury, my opponent had a pretty good draw (which is pretty common for Kithkins, due to its amazing consistency), and I lost via a Mirrorweave to a Wizened Cenn.

SB: +3 Infest, -1 Thresher, -2 Colossus

In game 2, things started out better. I kept my initial 7 for one, and I had him down to 6 life later in the game, with me still at perfect life. He unfortunately stabilized and I had to attack every turn just to keep him at that level (he was gaining life thanks to a Glorious Anthem and a Knight of Meadowgrain). I had an Infest and a Profane in hand, which could both win me the game, but couldn't draw that second black mana source. I eventually lost via consecutive Cloudgoat Rangers which overwhelmed the board.

Game standing: 0-2
Match standing: 0-1


Round 2: vs. Naya Planeswalkers (won)

My opponent started things off with a Jungle Shrine... and nothing else. I went blazing on the game, with a Warhammer'd Ascetic, and won the game at 32 life, and my opponent having played just a single Garruk all game.

SB: +4 Thoughtseize, -1 Warhammer, -2 Threshers, -1 Nameless

In the second game, I demolished my opponent again with Beast tokens from Garruk, and a Profane Command to finish him off. I was still at perfect life at that point.

Game standing: 2-2
Match standing: 1-1


Round 3: vs. Mono Red Aggro Budget (won)

This was a fun game. It kinda reminded me of playing with Tyrone at UP from 10 years ago, as my opponent was consistently playing turn 1 Raging Goblin, then turn 2 Fists of the Anvil (Blood Lust anyone?) -- on all three games! LOL. I believe he had no creatures with 4cc or more, as it seems he was sending off a bunch of weenies all the time -- Heartlash Cinder, Boggart Ram-Gang, etc. His burn was being wasted on my creatures though, so he was always having a hard time finishing me off. I won in 3 fun games.

Game standing: 4-3
Match standing: 2-1


Round 4: vs. UB Mannequin (won)

Once again, I was in a do-or-die scenario. Win, and I get a pack. Lose, and I go home empty-handed. Things didn't start well, as my opponent beat me with Oona, Queen of the Fae.

SB: +4 Thoughtseize, -1 Warhammer, -2 Threshers, -1 Nameless

In game 2, the Blossoms finally went online. I never drew them on any other game -- and in this one, I finally got a taste of why Faeries win with them. You just don't have to do anything else, just sit back, control the board, and watch the tokens attack.

In game 3, I drew a Garruk godhand. Overrun ftw!

Game standing: 6-4
Match standing: 3-1


After the match, I was watching my first round opponent in a battle of undefeateds at table 2. I wanted him to win (to improve my tiebreaks), but he unfortunately lost, so I settled for 7th place. I won a Shadowmoor pack, with this birdie at the rare slot:

FNM - Dec 5, 2008

I was on a two-week Magic semi-hiatus due to increased workload and a brand-new distraction, so I was a bit out of touch in terms of Magic news, metagaming, and deck techs. Still, I was determined to play at least one more FNM this month in order to get the Hippie promo card, so when an opportunity popped up, I grabbed the chance and took the tried and tested BG Elves deck to our local FNM.


Round 1: vs. BW Hybrids (won)

My opponent's body language was shouting "tournament-newbie", so I was glad to face him in the first round. However, things quickly turned around, as I got bullied by a Nightsky Mimic and an Edge'd up Beckon Apparition token, to quickly lose game one.

SB: -4 Thoughtseize, +3 Infest, +1 Warhammer

In game 2, my opponent showed his inexperience when he overextended over and over to my Infests, and I took him down with a pair of Vanquishers. In game 3, my Colossi finally showed up, but before I could rejoice with the protection from black ability, my opponent had Oblivion Rings to remove the giant changelings. It went down the wire, with me at 5 life and him at 3 life, but the game changer was a Cloudthresher, which blocked an attacker and eventually finished him off on my turn.

Game standing: 2-1
Match standing: 1-0


Round 2: vs. WW Kithkins (draw)

I faced off in the second round against an acquaintance whom I was playtesting with, just before the FNM started. I knew he was playing Kithkins, and I knew he was pretty good in Magic, but I also knew that he never won in our playtests, so I had some sort of mental advantage over him. Game 1 was very close, with both of us getting to 6 life, but just like in the previous game, a mid-combat Thresher did him in and wiped his Spectral Procession tokens.

SB: -4 Thoughtseize, +3 Infest, +1 Warhammer

In game 2, my opponent had a pretty good draw, activating his Windbrisk Heights for a free Mirrorweave on my Colossus ftw. Game 3 was very very close. With my opponent having 3 Spectral tokens once again, I couldn't put down my Colossus for fear of getting beat up once again by a 'Weave. The result was a long and slow race in life, which eventually ended with a draw -- me at 5 life and him at 7 life. The Profanes just didn't come out... not even a single one. :(

Game standing: 3-2-1
Match standing: 1-0-1


Round 3: vs. Naya (won)

My next opponent was a regular top 8 player in my store's FNM. I got lucky though when he got stuck at 2 lands in our first game, and I easily beat him at perfect life. In game 2, I made a HUGE misplay, by blocking his attacking Warhammered Colossus (7/4) with my Wayfinder and a mid-combat Cloudthresher (9/9 total). I thought the trick was on him, when I figured that even if he pumped the Colossus, it would just be at 8/8. I totally forgot about the +3/+0 bonus that the Warhammer gave, and of course his Colossus, post-pump, was a beastly 14/11. Both my creatures died, my opponent went up to 30 life, and I covered my face with my hands in shame. In game 3 though, I went back to my winning ways, and beat him while still at perfect life. I had some help though from his manabase, as he was taking too much pain from ouchlands.

Game standing: 5-3-1
Match standing: 2-0-1


Round 4: vs. Mono G Elves (lost)

After 3 rounds, we found out that there was just 1 person with a 3-0 record. And he was playing the person I drew with in the second round. Basically, if I won the 4th round, I was guaranteed a top 2 to 3 finish, and a shiny foil Shrapnel Blast. Unfortunately, that was not to be, as my opponent (playing an Elf deck that I felt was inferior to mine) had really awesome draws. Let me put it this way -- three words -- Three Imperious Perfects. In the second game, it was more of the same, as my Infests stayed in the bottom of the deck. To think that he was greatly overextending with Wolf Skull Shamans, and Bramblewood Paragons, and a single copy of the black sorcery could have easily swung the game in my favor. Oh well. Once again, shit happens.

Game standing: 5-5-1
Match standing: 2-1-1

Still good enough though for a 6th place finish, and one Shards of Alara prize pack. What did it contain? This blue monstrosity:

Alara Standard Inaugurals - Nov 8, 2008

The Elf deck has been playing out well for me recently, so I decided to give it another go at the Alara Standard Inaugurals at Galleria yesterday.



// Lands
4 [LRW] Gilt-Leaf Palace
4 [10E] Llanowar Wastes
2 [EVE] Twilight Mire
4 [MOR] Mutavault
4 [10E] Treetop Village
3 [UNH] Forest
3 [UNH] Swamp

// Creatures
4 [10E] Llanowar Elves
4 [LRW] Wren's Run Vanquisher
4 [10E] Troll Ascetic
3 [10E] Civic Wayfinder
4 [MOR] Chameleon Colossus
3 [LRW] Cloudthresher

// Spells
4 [LRW] Thoughtseize
4 [LRW] Nameless Inversion
2 [LRW] Eyeblight's Ending
4 [LRW] Profane Command

// Sideboard
SB: 1 [10E] Loxodon Warhammer
SB: 4 [SHM] Kitchen Finks
SB: 1 [MOR] Mind Shatter
SB: 2 [10E] Mind Rot
SB: 3 [LRW] Garruk Wildspeaker
SB: 1 [LRW] Cloudthresher
SB: 3 [ALA] Infest


Round 1: vs. UB Faeries (won)

I have a pretty good matchup against Faeries, having 3 MD Cloudthreshers, so I was glad to have faced the deck early. In fact, my SB strategy for it was to just remove 1 Nameless Inversion, in favor of a 4th Cloudthresher. My theory proved right in the first round, as I "relatively easily" won 2-0 against my opponent (it's never easy to win against Faeries, as they are probably the most resilient deck in Standard right now) thanks to some crucial evoking of Cloudthreshers, in response to his Mistbind Cliques.

Game standing: 2-0
Match standing: 1-0


Round 2: vs. WW Kithkins (lost)

My opponent and I were joking before the game that we were in the "feature match" area, as we were sitting in Table 1. :) After shuffling though, things quickly turned serious, especially for me, as I was getting beat up very quickly by Cenn and Ajani-pumped Kithkins. I eventually lost the game and went to my sideboards:

SB: +3 Infest, +1 Finks, -4 Thoughtseize

In game 2, bad luck fell upon me and I just couldn't draw any of my 13 removal spells (all creatures!) and my opponent's massive Kithkin horde was just too many for my Cloudthresher and Colossus.

Game standing: 2-2
Match standing: 1-1


Round 3: vs. WW Kithkins (won)

Having just lost pretty badly to a Kithkin deck, I was pumped to face another one -- I wanted revenge. Haha. And revenge I got, as I won two easy games behind the back of early Colossi.

Game standing: 4-2
Match standing: 2-1


Round 4: vs. UB Faeries (lost)

I got matched up against the guy who placed 3rd in the 2008 Philippine Nationals. Good luck to me! He was playing Faeries though, so I knew I had an inside chance of winning. In game 1, I took a chance and played a 1-land (Treetop Village) hand that had a Llanowar Elf, a Vanquisher, and a Cloudthresher. It proved to be wrong though, and once my opponent saw that I didn't have a second land, he quickly Agony Warped my mana elf, and I was just too far back behind and didn't stand a chance.

In game 2, things went the other way around, and I easily won the game with just a Llanowar Elf and a Civic Wayfinder. I knew he would counter any other spells I played, so I baited him to tap out and I won with a Profane ftw.

Game 3 was a close one, with both of us at 10 life at one point... until my opponent played his Mistbind Clique. He then put a Warhammer onto the huge Faerie, and with a single swing, the game changed a lot and he was suddenly at 17 and me at 3 life. I had an answer though for the Clique (Eyeblight's Ending) but had no answer to his other Faeries (a Conclave and a Bitterblossom token). I then decided to play a mind game with him. With a Colossus for defense, I separated my mana into 3 piles -- 4 mana (for pumping), 3 mana & 2 mana -- bluffing to have 2 removal spells. I then passed the turn. He thought for a long while -- what could I be holding??? -- but eventually decided to go for it. He activated the Conclave and swung. I shook his hand and showed the lone Eyeblight's Ending in my hand. :) He was all smiles. GG.

Game standing: 5-4
Match standing: 2-2


Round 5: vs. WW Kithkins (won)

It was apparently Kithkins and Faeries Day, as I once again got paired against the little white men. In game 1, I made a crucial misplay by not killing one of my opponent's 3 creatures before combat, so he was able to play a crucial Unmake behind his Windbrisk Heights. I lost the game. In game 2, it was my turn to beat him, and he had no answer against the tandem of Colossus and Ascetic. In game 3, my opponent did the misplaying this time, and tried to Unmake my Colossus. Pro black baby! I, of course, won that game. :)

Game standing: 7-5
Match standing: 3-2


Round 6: vs. 5-color Elementals (won)

I was happy to face a non-Kithkin, non-Faerie opponent in round 6. I was not happy to face my opponent though. He was just drop dead serious in playing, and he played extremely fast. And worst of all, he was a sore loser... frequenting a loud "Tsk!" each time I did something that was not good for him. What was important was that I beat him easily in 2 games. I didn't even sideboard anything for game 2. Haha. Take that.

Game standing: 9-5
Match standing: 4-2


Round 7: vs. WW Kithkins (lost)

After 6 rounds, I was at 21st place (in a tournament of around 100 players), and prizes were going to be given to the top 24 players. Basically, it was a do-or-die match. Win, and I go home with a couple of packs. Lose, and I go home. Period. Unfortunately, I knew my opponent and I knew he was a very good Kithkin player, having piloted the deck to a couple of decent finishes and top 8's. All that I had going for me, was that I had already beaten him before in a Block Constructed tourney, while using that same deck.

I couldn't remember much of the match though. Probably selective amnesia or something. Haha. All I can remember was that I lost both times to a Mirrorweave. God, I hate that card. LOL.

Game standing: 9-7
Match standing: 4-3


I went home empty-handed, but still quite satisfied with my finish. At least, I had an outside chance to win -- I just didn't deliver when it counted the most. But like Joven said, at least I'm now a Blind-Spot Giant. :)

FNM - Nov 7, 2008

After a decent finish in last week's FNM, I used the same BG Elves deck again last Friday. However, noticing that a good amount of Red decks were being played in my local store, I decided to main deck Kitchen Finks instead of Cloudthreshers.



// Lands
4 [LRW] Gilt-Leaf Palace
4 [10E] Llanowar Wastes
2 [EVE] Twilight Mire
4 [MOR] Mutavault
4 [10E] Treetop Village
3 [UNH] Forest
3 [UNH] Swamp

// Creatures
4 [10E] Llanowar Elves
4 [LRW] Wren's Run Vanquisher
4 [10E] Troll Ascetic
3 [10E] Civic Wayfinder
3 [SHM] Kitchen Finks
4 [MOR] Chameleon Colossus

// Spells
4 [LRW] Thoughtseize
4 [LRW] Nameless Inversion
2 [LRW] Eyeblight's Ending
4 [LRW] Profane Command

// Sideboard
SB: 3 [LRW] Garruk Wildspeaker
SB: 1 [MOR] Mind Shatter
SB: 2 [10E] Mind Rot
SB: 1 [SHM] Kitchen Finks
SB: 4 [LRW] Cloudthresher
SB: 3 [ALA] Infest
SB: 1 [10E] Loxodon Warhammer


Round 1: vs. Cruel Control (won)

My "lucky" tendency for awesome round 1's continued that day, when I got paired up with the best player in the room - a regular Nats player whose surname and team name are almost synonymous with Filipino Magic. Good luck to me!

In game 1, things went to a great start as I was able to early Thoughtseize a Wrath away, and he couldn't keep up to my early beats of Vanquishers, and I beat him with a Profane to the face.

SB: +1 Mind Shatter, +2 Mind Rot, +3 Garruk, -3 Finks, -2 Nameless, -1 Profane

In game 2, I basically got Cruel Ultimatum'd twice, and lost. In game 3, I once again got lucky with my early Thoughtseize, and took out a crucial Remove Soul. I afterwards squeaked in a Mind Rot after an evoked Mulldrifter on his side, and he just got too far back, and lost to a Warhammer'd Ascetic. GG!

Game standing: 2-1
Match standing: 1-0


Round 2: Mono Red Aggro (won)

In game 1, we were just racing life, but apparently, you almost always never win that way against a Red deck, and I lost to a Demigod and an Incinerate to the face.

SB: +1 Warhammer, +1 Finks, +2 Mind Rot, -4 Thoughtseize

In game 2, my opponent didn't stand a chance against 2 Colossi. In game 3, my Kitchen Finks army went online, which is just not fair for the Red deck. ;)

Game standing: 4-2
Match standing: 2-0


Round 3: WW Kithkins (lost)

I basically got demolished in this round. Losing game 1 with my opponent at 43 life (thanks to two Knight of Meadowgrains with multiple Ajani counters), and losing game 2 via Mirrorweave with him still at perfect life.

Game standing: 4-4
Match standing: 2-1


Round 4: Fellowship of the Ring (won)

This was, unexpectedly, the most difficult, but still the most fun game I had all day. My opponent was using something similar to the decklist that popped up on the PT Berlin LCQ, with 14 Planeswalkers and utilizing their synergy with Rings of Brighthearth. My opponent always had 2 to 3 Planeswalkers online all the time, and I was basically just attacking every turn so that they wouldn't be able to use their super abilities.

My opponent would, for example, make 2 Soldier tokens from Elspeth, AND lock down my 2 Mutavaults with Ajani Vengeant, AND deal me 2 damage with Chandra ALL ON THE SAME TURN. Take note: all those abilities gave the respective planeswalkers +1 loyalty. I was just very lucky that my opponent didn't draw ANY of his 4 Wraths, so my Troll Ascetics eventually did their job and cleaned his board away of any remaining planeswalkers (thanks to some crucial Fear abilities via Profane). By the time I beat him on our first game though, time was already up, and I gladly won the round. :)

Game standing: 5-4
Match standing: 3-1


In the end, my 3-1 finish was apparently good enough for 3rd place (some pairings ended up in draws, which went in my favor), and I won 1 Alara pack (Battlegrace Angel), 1 Shadowmoor pack (Deep-Slumber Titan) and an Isochron Scepter FNM card -- my very first FNM card won via standings (and not just given away for free :) )



Good times. :)