For those of you who don't know, I have been using Nick Spagnolo's famous UB control deck the past weeks. I have had success with it so far, but the main problem I encounter is with the Trinket Mages. It is true that in the late game, they are monsters. Able to improve your percentage of drawing spells and further maximize my mindsculptors. Early in the game, it makes for good defense against beatdown and even fetches an extra turn(with the elixir). The biggest problem though is the mid game. With all the ramp versions out there, clearly this is a cause for concern. having said that, I have come up with a few options to edit my deck.
1. Abyssal Prosecutor - This card is obviously a monster for mid game runners. it is a massive blocker for beatdown decks, a good card to race with titans(except for frost), and the drawback is easy to take care of considering the other components of the deck. it's only bad match-up would be the mirror.
2. Mimic Vat - Once again focuses on the early to mid game. Very good against beatdown, and very good against ramp. it is also a decent addition against a mirror match. the only down side: It has to be a total deck re-vamp. To make it an effective card, you have to load more useful creatures. The mages will only be good for a few turns except with a mindculptor in play, but i don't want to consider a 3-card combo considering we want to take care of the mid-game. If this card is to enter the deck, the mages need to go, gatekeepers and prosecutors also need to come in.
3. Gatekeeper of Malakir - Great for beatdown, great against titans. But once again, bad for the mirror. The BBB casting cost is going to be a problem in some games where we need it by turn 3.
These cards all make good additions to the deck. The only question would be the mirror. by going with these cards, we could be in very good shape for everything else. I have another tournament to attend this thursday, I would need to make a decision by then.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
the first of many...
My first tournament report.
i went to the tournament venue a full hour before the event began. it was the Gold Rush Trials at Titan Hobby Shop. I was hoping to get a glimpse of the field and adjust my UB control deck accordingly. there were already a lot of players there, but no one was playing except for two UB control decks playing each other. everybody else had their decks with them, but was not willing to give up any information. at this point, i was a bit tempted to play 2 grave titans and 1 frost titan instead of 3 frost titans due to the amount of doom blades i was expecting to encounter. after a few minutes of contemplation, i went with the 3 frost titans. This decision would prove to be crucial in this tournament.
Round 1: (vs. UB control)
It seemed just right that my first round back on the tournament scene would be a headache. a mirror match would not only be a long ordeal, but also a draining one.
Game 1: after a few exchanges of mana leaks and duresses, i found myself with stuck at four lands. after my opponent saw i didnt land drop for two straight turns, he activated both his tectonic edges and killed off two of my lands, i never recovered and the trinket mage finished me off. it took him a good 10 turns but the mage had a ton of counterspells and doom blades to back him up.
Game 2: i boarded in 3 memoricides and 2 more duresses. an early and mid game duress gave me enough room to get my mindsculptor in, after that it was all downhill from there. the massive card advantage eventually ended in an exiled library. on an off note: the trinket mages were pretty useless in this situation. i boarded them out, put back the doom blades i previously removed.
Game 3: once again, we exchanged duresses and mana leaks. i had 6 land untapped, 7 in hand, one of them a frost titan, and no counterspells. this is the point of the tournament that i realized i still had a lot to learn. in a moment of lunacy, i casted my titan hoping to use up one of his counters and set up my next few turns to cast the 2 mindsculptors in my hand. he mana leaked the titan and cast memoricide on his turn to eliminate my mindsculptors. i never recovered. there was a point in the game when i had the chance to bounce his titan to force a draw, but i was on tilt. i failed to make the right play again.
erick 0-1-0
Round 2: (bye)
i had a lot of time to cool off and reflect on what just happened. one of the things i learned to read in my days playing poker is the art of bluffing. little did i know that it would be the difference between winning and losing. had i kept my mana untapped and represented a few counters, the game would have gone differently. after lots of hydration and focus, i was ready to make another run.
erick 1-1-0
Round 3: (vs. ramp)
Game 1: i started my hand with a bunch of counters, kept the momentum up with a midgame jace beleren, and eventually replaced it with the better jace and broke the game wide open.
Game 2: dumped the mages and a few others for 2 more duresses and 3 memoricides. i casted a turn 3 mindsculptor but my opponent responed with a turn 5 and 6 gaea's revenge. 'nuff said.
Game 3: The same as game two, but without the Gaea's Revenge on turns 5 and 6.
erick 2-1-0
Round 4: (vs. RDW)
Game 1: after seeing the klin fiend on turn 2, i knew i was in good shape. i have been playtesting this deck against RDW with a lot of success. my rule against this deck: take the burn and pick on the creatures. with a deck composed of several creatures and several burn spells, my opponent will need around 9 or ten burn spells to kill me. on the average, RDW has around 14-18 burn spells. this means he will only get those burn spells by turn 23 based on the law of averages. 23 turns is about 18 turns too many for RDW. i can't remember the specifics of the match, but i remember i knew exactly how to play my cards.
Game 2: i loaded up with lots of removal in the form of disfigures and vapors, But an explosive hand with 2 goblin guides and a jinxed idol on the fifth turn was enough to force a game 3.
Game 3: i tried to stop the initial assault with doom blades and disfigures. at turn 5, he had no creatures and 2 cards in hand. i casted my mindsculptor and fatesealed to give him 5 counters. looking at the opportunity as a chance to cast spells without permission, he opted to cast the jinxed idol w no creatures in play. Jace and i loaded up on counterspells and kept the creatures from play. he took 10 damage from the idol before he could dump it to me, to which i responded with into the roil on the idol. he never played it again and my tar pits ended the game.
erick 3-1-0
Round 5: (vs. eldrazi ramp)
Game 1: after what seemed to be an eternity of countering, we ended up in the midgame with 1 or 2 cards in hand(probably both of them lands) and topdecking our swing cards. he got one first with eye of ugin. i could nnot keep up with eldrazi after eldrazi. he finally resolved an emrakul and finished the game.
Game 2: still countering the land spells to keep my opponent from reaching 6 mana early, i ended up with the same decision as in round 1: i had no countermagic in hand, 6 or 7 untapped mana and 1 frost titan. it took me a long time before deciding he had no threats he could cast the next turn to stop me. i casted the titan, tapped the eye of ugin. the next turn he dropped ulamog and destroyed my titan. this was my round 1 nightmare all over again! luck was on my side though, my next 3 draws were consuming vapors(+12 life from ulamog!), frost titan, and another frost titan for good measure.
Game 3: i mulligan-ed down to 5 and ended up with flashfreeze, island, darkslick shores, jace beleren, and doom blade. due to my hand disadvantage, i changed plans and stopped trying to counter/doom blade his ramp cards and kept them for the biggies. it worked! eventually we were in a stalemate again waiting for a few good draws. because i had a jace beleren in play. i was gaining more ground. he was able to cast kozilek at one point, but i had 2 titans at hand and that proved to be the game breaker.
erick 4-1-0 (final ranking: 2nd place)
overall, not a bad way to start the season. with proper play and more playtesting, i'm sure thinks will just get better. things to note though: had i not tilted in round 1 and forced a draw, i would have been 1st in the tourney and got myself a bye in the gold rush next month. one small mistake ripples into something bigger. hopefully this ripple doesn't reach the Gold Rush next month.
i went to the tournament venue a full hour before the event began. it was the Gold Rush Trials at Titan Hobby Shop. I was hoping to get a glimpse of the field and adjust my UB control deck accordingly. there were already a lot of players there, but no one was playing except for two UB control decks playing each other. everybody else had their decks with them, but was not willing to give up any information. at this point, i was a bit tempted to play 2 grave titans and 1 frost titan instead of 3 frost titans due to the amount of doom blades i was expecting to encounter. after a few minutes of contemplation, i went with the 3 frost titans. This decision would prove to be crucial in this tournament.
Round 1: (vs. UB control)
It seemed just right that my first round back on the tournament scene would be a headache. a mirror match would not only be a long ordeal, but also a draining one.
Game 1: after a few exchanges of mana leaks and duresses, i found myself with stuck at four lands. after my opponent saw i didnt land drop for two straight turns, he activated both his tectonic edges and killed off two of my lands, i never recovered and the trinket mage finished me off. it took him a good 10 turns but the mage had a ton of counterspells and doom blades to back him up.
Game 2: i boarded in 3 memoricides and 2 more duresses. an early and mid game duress gave me enough room to get my mindsculptor in, after that it was all downhill from there. the massive card advantage eventually ended in an exiled library. on an off note: the trinket mages were pretty useless in this situation. i boarded them out, put back the doom blades i previously removed.
Game 3: once again, we exchanged duresses and mana leaks. i had 6 land untapped, 7 in hand, one of them a frost titan, and no counterspells. this is the point of the tournament that i realized i still had a lot to learn. in a moment of lunacy, i casted my titan hoping to use up one of his counters and set up my next few turns to cast the 2 mindsculptors in my hand. he mana leaked the titan and cast memoricide on his turn to eliminate my mindsculptors. i never recovered. there was a point in the game when i had the chance to bounce his titan to force a draw, but i was on tilt. i failed to make the right play again.
erick 0-1-0
Round 2: (bye)
i had a lot of time to cool off and reflect on what just happened. one of the things i learned to read in my days playing poker is the art of bluffing. little did i know that it would be the difference between winning and losing. had i kept my mana untapped and represented a few counters, the game would have gone differently. after lots of hydration and focus, i was ready to make another run.
erick 1-1-0
Round 3: (vs. ramp)
Game 1: i started my hand with a bunch of counters, kept the momentum up with a midgame jace beleren, and eventually replaced it with the better jace and broke the game wide open.
Game 2: dumped the mages and a few others for 2 more duresses and 3 memoricides. i casted a turn 3 mindsculptor but my opponent responed with a turn 5 and 6 gaea's revenge. 'nuff said.
Game 3: The same as game two, but without the Gaea's Revenge on turns 5 and 6.
erick 2-1-0
Round 4: (vs. RDW)
Game 1: after seeing the klin fiend on turn 2, i knew i was in good shape. i have been playtesting this deck against RDW with a lot of success. my rule against this deck: take the burn and pick on the creatures. with a deck composed of several creatures and several burn spells, my opponent will need around 9 or ten burn spells to kill me. on the average, RDW has around 14-18 burn spells. this means he will only get those burn spells by turn 23 based on the law of averages. 23 turns is about 18 turns too many for RDW. i can't remember the specifics of the match, but i remember i knew exactly how to play my cards.
Game 2: i loaded up with lots of removal in the form of disfigures and vapors, But an explosive hand with 2 goblin guides and a jinxed idol on the fifth turn was enough to force a game 3.
Game 3: i tried to stop the initial assault with doom blades and disfigures. at turn 5, he had no creatures and 2 cards in hand. i casted my mindsculptor and fatesealed to give him 5 counters. looking at the opportunity as a chance to cast spells without permission, he opted to cast the jinxed idol w no creatures in play. Jace and i loaded up on counterspells and kept the creatures from play. he took 10 damage from the idol before he could dump it to me, to which i responded with into the roil on the idol. he never played it again and my tar pits ended the game.
erick 3-1-0
Round 5: (vs. eldrazi ramp)
Game 1: after what seemed to be an eternity of countering, we ended up in the midgame with 1 or 2 cards in hand(probably both of them lands) and topdecking our swing cards. he got one first with eye of ugin. i could nnot keep up with eldrazi after eldrazi. he finally resolved an emrakul and finished the game.
Game 2: still countering the land spells to keep my opponent from reaching 6 mana early, i ended up with the same decision as in round 1: i had no countermagic in hand, 6 or 7 untapped mana and 1 frost titan. it took me a long time before deciding he had no threats he could cast the next turn to stop me. i casted the titan, tapped the eye of ugin. the next turn he dropped ulamog and destroyed my titan. this was my round 1 nightmare all over again! luck was on my side though, my next 3 draws were consuming vapors(+12 life from ulamog!), frost titan, and another frost titan for good measure.
Game 3: i mulligan-ed down to 5 and ended up with flashfreeze, island, darkslick shores, jace beleren, and doom blade. due to my hand disadvantage, i changed plans and stopped trying to counter/doom blade his ramp cards and kept them for the biggies. it worked! eventually we were in a stalemate again waiting for a few good draws. because i had a jace beleren in play. i was gaining more ground. he was able to cast kozilek at one point, but i had 2 titans at hand and that proved to be the game breaker.
erick 4-1-0 (final ranking: 2nd place)
overall, not a bad way to start the season. with proper play and more playtesting, i'm sure thinks will just get better. things to note though: had i not tilted in round 1 and forced a draw, i would have been 1st in the tourney and got myself a bye in the gold rush next month. one small mistake ripples into something bigger. hopefully this ripple doesn't reach the Gold Rush next month.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
First Strike...
Two days away from my first standard tourney in years... This Thursday at Titan Hobby Shop owned by JT Porter(one of the top guys in the Philippines). This should be interesting...
On a different note, I'd also like to add a few things i noticed about my UB control deck while playtesting:
On playing Jace the Mindsculptor; Once he hits the board, if your opponents are UW control, RDW, Quest WW, and Elves(with no Vengevines in the graveyard), play the fateseal ability first. It is the optimal play most of the time due to Lightningbolts, Creeping Tar Pits, and plain and simple beatdown. This is definitely not a rule set in stone. Magic is such a High-Variance game that the best play is not something you can memorize. One thing about poker that i'm starting to apply in my magic game is putting players on hands(or thinking of what they might have based on statistical probabilities), and acting accordingly. the problem with most players i see in FNMs is that they play on just one side of the table. they think of what they have and what to do next, without regard for the opponents board. this is a fatal mistake. not only do you have to adjust to your opponent, but you have to think of the best play at that point in time.
one thing i will do from here on: observe my opponent! memorize my hand, put it down, and get as much info as i can from my opponent. proper strategy, reading opponents, and making the correct play is key to magic success!
I will discuss this theory of mine in future blogs cause i still need time to test it first.=)
On a different note, I'd also like to add a few things i noticed about my UB control deck while playtesting:
On playing Jace the Mindsculptor; Once he hits the board, if your opponents are UW control, RDW, Quest WW, and Elves(with no Vengevines in the graveyard), play the fateseal ability first. It is the optimal play most of the time due to Lightningbolts, Creeping Tar Pits, and plain and simple beatdown. This is definitely not a rule set in stone. Magic is such a High-Variance game that the best play is not something you can memorize. One thing about poker that i'm starting to apply in my magic game is putting players on hands(or thinking of what they might have based on statistical probabilities), and acting accordingly. the problem with most players i see in FNMs is that they play on just one side of the table. they think of what they have and what to do next, without regard for the opponents board. this is a fatal mistake. not only do you have to adjust to your opponent, but you have to think of the best play at that point in time.
one thing i will do from here on: observe my opponent! memorize my hand, put it down, and get as much info as i can from my opponent. proper strategy, reading opponents, and making the correct play is key to magic success!
I will discuss this theory of mine in future blogs cause i still need time to test it first.=)
Friday, November 12, 2010
Sunday, November 7, 2010
The Gathering of Magic...
It has been 4 days since I started collecting the components of my UB control deck. during the first 24 hours, I was able to collect 95% of my deck. From the islands to the titans. At the end of day 1, I had only 4 cards left to obtain: 4 Jace The Mindsculptors. This is truly an awesome card. We are lucky to have lived in the time of Jace. Unfortunately the Philippines may not experience his true strength. This is why...
The Magic economy in the Philippines(most probably in other 3rd world countries as well) has always been different. Being that the cost of living here is cheap, all other prices tend to be cheaper as well. And this includes Magic. You can find the best deals in Magic every Grand Prix Manila. Players from other countries go here to find dual lands at $15 each, sol rings for $5 each, etc. good selling point for serious players eh? Not really. Globalization has now become our greatest enemy. All it takes now is a single profiteer to disrupt the whole magic scene. They will buy specific cards by the hundreds, going to different stores and hoarding everything they can sell for a lot more online. After that, they sell it to the global market and make a killing, easily doubling their money in the process. Take note that I call them profiteers rather than entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs act with integrity and think of the long run when it comes to making money, profiteers will do anything for a quick buck. What does this do to the local community? supply of good cards run low, prices go up(too high sometimes for the average player), supply gets too low that players go for other weaker decks just to play, and the overall skill level of players suffer. they did it before with cards like Exalted Angel, Kokusho, the Evening Star, Absorb, and the likes. their latest victim is Jace, buying them at around $50 each and selling them now for around $80 online.
Globalization now is inevitable. From our jobs we wake up early for, to the beds we sleep on at night. It is something we will have to adjust to. If i cannot find my Mindsculptors by next friday, I will have to buy them online. I just feel sorry for the other players who can't(or can't afford) do the same.
The Magic economy in the Philippines(most probably in other 3rd world countries as well) has always been different. Being that the cost of living here is cheap, all other prices tend to be cheaper as well. And this includes Magic. You can find the best deals in Magic every Grand Prix Manila. Players from other countries go here to find dual lands at $15 each, sol rings for $5 each, etc. good selling point for serious players eh? Not really. Globalization has now become our greatest enemy. All it takes now is a single profiteer to disrupt the whole magic scene. They will buy specific cards by the hundreds, going to different stores and hoarding everything they can sell for a lot more online. After that, they sell it to the global market and make a killing, easily doubling their money in the process. Take note that I call them profiteers rather than entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs act with integrity and think of the long run when it comes to making money, profiteers will do anything for a quick buck. What does this do to the local community? supply of good cards run low, prices go up(too high sometimes for the average player), supply gets too low that players go for other weaker decks just to play, and the overall skill level of players suffer. they did it before with cards like Exalted Angel, Kokusho, the Evening Star, Absorb, and the likes. their latest victim is Jace, buying them at around $50 each and selling them now for around $80 online.
Globalization now is inevitable. From our jobs we wake up early for, to the beds we sleep on at night. It is something we will have to adjust to. If i cannot find my Mindsculptors by next friday, I will have to buy them online. I just feel sorry for the other players who can't(or can't afford) do the same.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Weapon Of Choice...
After several hours of playtesting and strategizing, I have come up with the decklist I will be using in my quest for Magic glory. From tcgplayer.com, I chose Nick Spagnolo’s UB Control! The decklist is as follows:
3 Frost Titan
2 Jace Beleren
4 Jace The Mindsculptor
3 Trinket Mage
2 Everflowing Chalice
1 Brittle Effigy
1 Elixir Of Immortality
4 Preordain
2 Duress
4 Mana Leak
4 Doom Blade
2 Into The Roil
1 Negate
1 Stoic Rebuttal
1 Consuming Vapors
4 Drowned Catacomb
3 Darkslick Shores
3 Creeping Tar pit
3 Tectonic Edge
2 Misty Rainforest
1 Verdant Catacomb
6 Island
3 Swamp
There is one thing that is prominent as I watched an FNM tournament a while ago: once Jace The Mindsculptor makes it on the board and lasts a few turns, the game becomes as lopsided as the Lakers vs. Minnesota. Jace is such a monster in standard that by playing a beatdown deck, I feel that I would be depriving myself of one of the most powerful cards in Magic. UW Control also came into mind because of day of judgment, but Doom Blade, Duress, and Creeping Tar Pit are just too irresistible. Furthermore, by going UB I get a great Sideboard with Memoricide and Disfigure.
Card Acquisition began about 48 hours ago and I am close to completing the deck. Just finished Playtesting with RDW with and without sideboards, so far, the matchup seems to get more favorable after sideboards go in. next up is ramp, quest ww and elves with vengvine. After testing with these decks I will then switch over my attention to next week’s PTQ. The format is sealed so I have to prepare for that. So far I have one rule when playing scars of Mirrodin limited: 3 or more corpse curs = infect the deck! I’ll go into more detail on that theory on future blogs(I need to see if it works first).
My blog can also be found in TCGplayer.com on the blog homepage! please check it out!=)
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
The calm before the storm…
If you are reading this post, most probably you are a good friend of mine, or just an avid fan of Magic: The Gathering. Either way, thank you for sharing with me a few minutes of your time. Like a lot of people, one of my goals has always been to make a difference in other peoples lives, may it be big or small. If this blog helps you improve your Magic game, then this project of mine is a success. But if this blog inspires you to do greater things in your life… I don’t even know how to put that in words.
Making the world championships of Magic is hard enough, let alone win it. Why am I doing this? I can sum it up in one word: passion. I have always been fascinated by card games. I have tried several, but Magic definitely stands out among the rest. It for me is the perfect combination of strategy, competition, and fun. Passion is a driving force for most people, hopefully it will lead me to Magic greatness!
Starting tomorrow, enough with the cheesy lines and on with the technical stuff. I'll start things off with my weapon of choice for the next few months. Anything and everything Magic can be discussed, but I will focus mostly on the competitive side. Tournament reports, metagame analysis, strategy, and anything else we can think of to work on our game.
I hope this isn’t the last time you visit my page. I leave you with something from Marianne Williamson that has truly inspired me, hope it does the same for you.
Our Deepest Fear
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear
is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness,
that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?
Actually who are we not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people
won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine as children do.
We were born to make manifest
the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And when we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.
Our deepest fear
is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness,
that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?
Actually who are we not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people
won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine as children do.
We were born to make manifest
the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And when we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.
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