MANILA, PHILIPPINES: TES 3 july and 17 july

3 JULY 2011
VITO CRUZ, MANILA
Ongkeco’s hobby shop legacy tournament


For the month of July, here in the Philippines we had a couple of, well, big potted prize legacy tournaments.
The 1st was on the 3rd of July where the top prizes were tundras, scrublands, vials, fetches, and the 2nd tournament was 17 July (yesterday). The prizes were timewalk, taigas, and other legacy staples.

For the 3rd of July, I planned to use my mono green chalice aggro (MGCA), but a couple of days before July 3, my teammate ,mike (alijijiban here in TS) said that he wont be able to play and offered his TES for me to pilot. Well, that somewhat put a smile on my face. The smile slowly faded when he reminded me of the mental missteps (MM), counter balance-S.D.TOP soft lock, FOWs, discard spells (i am referring to a U base deck meta then). A day before the tournament, i got the deck from him and i said, "i'll play for fun."

July 3, morning. i met my other teammates louie, steve, ryan and had a last minute discussion of how/what would the meta looks like. well we all agreed that blue base decks, discarder decks and aggro will be rampant. i looked at mike's TES and had some tweaks on it. Here was the list that i used for the said event:

4 gemstone mine
2 city of brass
1 volcanic island
2 underground sea
2 polluted delta
2 bloodstained mire

4 LED
4 chrome mox
4 lotus petal

2 xantid swarm

4 dark ritual
4 brainstorm
3 orim's chant
1 ad naus

4 ponder
4 infernal tutor
4 burning wish
3 duress
4 rite of flame
1 tendrils of agony
1 empty the warrens

SB
4 dark confidant
1 tendrils of agony
1 empty the warrens
1 ill gotten gains
1 shattering spree
3 pyroblast
2 chain of vapor
1 echoing truth
1 pyroclasm


RD_1: MBC
G1: was able to go off despite his duress and kozilek of inquisition. tendrils via ad naus for the win.
G2: i mulled, drew good hands with LED, 2 dark rit, petal, IT, fetch. but he went 1st. he dropped swamp, dark rit, duress and hymn. from there i didnt recovered. vampire 2/3 and bob gave him the win.
G3: i mulled to 6. 1 orims, 1 LED, IT, petal, Brainstorm, dark rit. pondered to myself if i'll keep this VERY VERY DELICIOUS six hand cards. well i decided to keep and prayed hard that i will draw something off my petal brainstorm. turn one, off my petal and brainstorm i dug 1 petal, 1 u.sea and 1 dark rit... sweet win at turn one! love it :)

after that, he showed me his hand, and he can rape my hand with a swamp dark rit thoughtseize and hymn. lucky me i guess.
1-0 2-1

RD_2: bwg JUNK
G1: he went 1st. drop bayou, then pass. my 1st turn, petal, u.sea, dark rit, rite and ad naus. then generated 8 spells for 18 gobs off ETW.
G2: I kept a hand of full of mana accels and two rainbow lands. Good thing he didn’t have discard spells on his early turns. He dropped a tarmo and destroyed my city brass with his vindicate on his 2nd and 3rd respectively. I drew a burning wish in my 3rd turn. Wish for IT, then do the IGG loop. sweet
2-0 4-1

RD_3: gobs
Both games, I drew shit. I lose miserably. T_T
2-1 4-3

RD_4: RG beats
I know what he was playing because he was seated next to my oponent before this round. So I have an idea of what will I do if incase I have a good 1st 7 cards.
G1: I won the roll. I kept a hand with a good hand, lacking only a wish or a tutor. For the next turns, kird ape, tarmo were chipping off my life before I drew an infernal tutor. Then went off immediately without any hesitation. Tendrils for 10 storms for the win.
G2: turn two duress seeing the no MBT or any threat, I went off. IGG loop then TOA for the win.
3-1 6-3

RD_5: MERFOLK
Merfolk?… *sigh* let’s get this on!
G1: I won the roll. Had a greedy hand but decided to wait for a protection. Three turns had pass, no protection yet so I decided to go off. And it turns each and everytime I cast my mana accels, he counters it. I lose eventually to a school of merfolks.
G2: again, I had a good hand but decided to wait for protection. Turn after turn still drawing no protection and his two merfolks (sigil and muta) were bitting their way to victory. Down to six, opponent has sigil, muta and LOA and 5 cards at hand while I have 4 lands, its now or never. I bravely swam into the waters of merfolks. Cast xantid, got MM, ok.. opponent still has 4 cards. I cast petal, then chrome.. but before I can declare of not imprinting any, he pierced my petal. Ok, now I cast chrome imprinting ETW, cast dark rit and cast IT. To my surprise he just let it resolves. :D ok now, as I was searching my library, I counted the spell count twice, 7 DAMN! I don’t want to do the IGG loop for sure he will just recycle MM and pierce. I don’t want to use TOA with 7storms because I know he will be able to race and draw counters again. So I had no other recourse but to go ad naus at six life pts. With a bunch of two cc and a TOA still in my MD, everyone was talking that ad naus at six life pts seems next to impossible. Ok cast ad naus with one B mana left (just incase he daze it) and he just let it resolves. “tendrils, ETW, wish, wish” he chanted… ok now I started revealling in order: u.sea (YEHEY), lotus petal (YEHEY), infernal tutor (well, yehey at the same time worried, life down to FOUR), brainstorm (crap, down to THREE), duress (F*CK! DOWN TO TWO), merfolk has all smile on his face… led pls led (I mumbled to myself)… reveal the top card, then there it was –LED. Yeah! So sweat. Then storm my way for the win. TOA for 10 storm. Time expires, it was a draw. :(
3-1-1 7-4

RD_6: team america
I know that his TA is configured to control the boards, not the combo. So I will gamble to go off even without protection on my turn one, if I will draw good cards.
G1: and that’s what happened. I god-drawed. Turn one ad naus. TOA for 10 ftw!
G2: same story but I went off turn three. :)
4-1-1 9-4

got a heart breaking news when I saw the final results after the elimanation swiss.
I landed 9th just behind by a mere .04pts! WOW! Cannot do anything about that.

After the tourney, we had dinner in a fast food. Talked about our matches and our plans/decks and card techs for the next legacy which is scheduled on the 17th of july.

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17 JULY 2011
BCI Greenhills, San Juan
Kim & Tyler’s “A WALK to REMEMBER” legacy tourney

Days before the 17th, noi (unemployer) and I were, again, brainstorming over the YM, cockatrice. Noi asked me question regarding the tweaks he’ll do with his merfolks for the meta on 17th. I told him that the meta would be control decks especially the UW ones since UW with SFM is gaining its popularity lately. He asked me what will I use. Told him that since mike will play,I will go dredge. Again, mike informed me a couple of days before the tournament date that he wont be able to play due to a family outing. I told him that I am sure that the meta will be a UW infested one, and TES will surely have a hard time. He said in this wise: “U meta decks would bring out the best out of a combo player.” And that statement of his made me convince to play TES again.

July 17 comes, morning I was with bogs (SHABOOGS), louie (KABARDS) and we had a small discussion about the possible meta for today’s tournament. UW stoneblade was the common words that we uttered. Then I looked at mike’s build and did some minor tweaks. Here’s the list that I run for the tournament:

4 Gemstone Mine
2 City of Brass
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Underground Sea
1 Volcanic Island
1 Polluted Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire

4 Dark Ritual
4 Rite of Flame
4 Lion’s Eye Diamond
4 Lotus Petal
4 Chrome Mox
4 Burning Wish
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Infernal Tutor
3 Orim’s Chant
3 Duress
2 Xantid Swarm
1 Ad Nauseam
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Tendrils of Agony

SB
2 Xantid Swarm
2 Pyroblast
2 Echoing Truth
1 Wipeaway
1 Diminishing Returns
1 Ill-Gotten Gains
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Empty the Warrens
1 Grapeshot
1 Duress
1 pyroclasm (which in cook’s list its Shattering Spree)
1 Meltdown

an almost in toto copy of cook’s deck except that lone spree. I replaced it with pyroclasm.

RD_1 team america
G1: he was able to rape my hand with a turn two hymn. And when I tried to go off, he counters all my mana accels spells. Vendillion and 2 tarmos gaeve him the win.
G2: I went off at my turn two. Via ETW for 16 tokens. Good thing his deeds didn’t came to the rescue.
G3: it was my turn 4 or 5 I think. Opponent was at 16lives. I was at 19. I have gemstone, usea on my table and my cards at hand were, brainstorm, petal, rite, dark rit, dark rit, TOA . and its last five turn. Turn one on me. Need to go off now – I mumbled to myself. Then I suddenly remembered one of cook’s post “im going to use his fucking ass for my storm” Ok. Let me see if I can do the same. Hmmm…
Casting petal. It resolved.. casting rite, it gets MM, in response, I cast dark rit, he responded with brainstorm, in response, I responded with my brainstorm. Ok, my BS resolved, seeing chant, chrome and a land. I took the chrome. His BS resolves and return two cards off his hands. Then my dark rit resolves, his MM successfully countering my rite. Ok I have 3B. cast my 2nd dark rit. It resolved. Now I have 5B, drop chrome without any imprints and TOA for lethal storm. :) he scooped. I win!
1-0 2-1

RD_2: UW counterTHOPTER
G1: turn one xantid. Turn two attacked with my xantid, then on my 2nd main phase I proceeded with TOA via ad naus. Storm 10 ftw!
G2: turn one ETW for 14 gobs. He didn’t drew any answers. I win!
2-0 4-1

RD_3: SHOW AND TELL
In both games, each and everytime I’ll try to go off, FOW and MM were there to halt my attempts.
Show and tell fetching emrakul (in game one) and progenitus in game two. :(
2-1 4-3

RD_4: BANT
Another deck with FOW, MM and spell snare. Not to mention, NO-prog and tarmo
G1: I think it was turn 3 that I mange to go off having 16 gobs off ETW’s storm. He didn’t have answer to it. I win.
G2: my cards at hand were, rite, rite, LED, burning wish, gems, city , dark rit. He went 1st dropping ta delta. Me draw (duress) dropped gems go. Opponent drop 2nd fetch then go. At this point, I deeply review my hand. Ok im going ETW, I said to my self. turn two, I draw (petal) drop city, duress seeing no threat except those two ghostly prison, removing one. wtf. my plan of going ETW just got screwed. I passed. Opponent cracked the fetches and plays his 3rd land, cast G.prison. ok . on my draw phase, I gave my top deck a pat and asked for an infernal tutor. Instead of an IT, it gave adnaus! I know that we had nothing on his hands because of my earlier duress, I proceeded with an AD naus which it revealed cards that were enough for me to go the TOA ftw. :)
3-1 6-3

RD_5: RB_GOBS
G1: I went 1st and just dropped a land. he had a turn one lackey. My turn two, I comboed but found soon learned that I miscalculate and I am a couple of spells short. I just simply go with 16 ETW gobs token. He had no answer. I win
G2: : I was down to 8, I think, then I tried to combout on turn 5 or 6 when I went off on via ad naus, but died eventually for it didn’t reveal anything relevant.
G3: I mulled to 5, 2LED, chrome, 2wish . keep. I play 1st. "pass" i said. he laughed. he drew, dropped a land then go. I draw, then the judge informed us that its last 5 turns, then looked at the card that I drawn. It’s a petal! Petal, chrome imprinting wish, LED, LED, wish, crack LEDs for 3B 3R. wished for IT then ETW. two Turns were enough for me to win with X gob tokens. Yeah \m/
4-1 8-4


RD_6: ID with a U base deck control.

After the swiss. I landed 7th seeded.
And is about to face a UW control in the opening round of the play-offs.

G1: turn two ETW for 16! Was able to hit him once! Bring his life pts to 3. Then he top decked a ratcher bomb! WOW! Talk about top decking skill! I died to Mishra and elspeth v.1.
G2: he mulled to 6. I play turn one xantid it ate a FOW pitching a vendilion. Without any protection I decided to go off at my turn two. ETW for 18 gobs tokens. He didn’t drew any answers. I win. :)
G3:I mulled to 5. I kept a hand with 2 mana accels (rite, dark rit), a fetch and 2 can trips (BS and ponder). At the early part of the game. We were like draw go for several turns. Until I’ve drawn my 8th card. I decided to go off. He let all the spells resolves except for my infernal tutor which it met a spell snare. @_@ I never recovered after. his vendillion and 2 meddling mages (naming TOA and ETW) gave him the win needed to get into the semis.

In the end I still landed 7th.
:)

thanks for reading…

Congrats Rafael, good choice on that deck over Dredge.

Congrats on your finish Paeng, job well done using TES :)

Quote:

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Then I suddenly remembered one of cook’s post “im going to use his fucking ass for my storm” Ok. Let me see if I can do the same. Hmmm…
Casting petal. It resolved.. casting rite, it gets MM, in response, I cast dark rit, he responded with brainstorm, in response, I responded with my brainstorm. Ok, my BS resolved, seeing chant, chrome and a land. I took the chrome. His BS resolves and return two cards off his hands. Then my dark rit resolves, his MM successfully countering my rite. Ok I have 3B. cast my 2nd dark rit. It resolved. Now I have 5B, drop chrome without any imprints and TOA for lethal storm. :) he scooped. I win!

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This was nice. Great job, man!

Good Job dude!!! One proof that this deck can still compete in a blue-infested meta. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by PanderAlexander

Congrats Rafael, good choice on that deck over Dredge.

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thanks. i was just lucky i guess. lol
if it wasn't for the family outing of mike's - i think i wont be on 7th. :D

@ alijichiban = thanks for the jet.

@ chinito = tnx. see you in the next tourney guys! awhoo TJB