2025-07-31 GenCon Secret Lair Spectacular with Esper Goryo's (2-2)

Introduction

Nominally this event is Modern, but it's run as pseudo-regular Rules Enforcement Level due to the Secret Lair mechanic. This is problematic, since there aren't the same safeguards in place that one expects for events that award three-five figures worth of prizing.

Decklist

• Been watching some locals pilot this deck. Looks simple enough, you have a couple of axes to play on - Frog and reanimation mainly, with Solitude+Ephemerate as a side synergy. Variety of interaction between Thoughtseize, counterspells, Solitude, even some Prismatic Ending.
• I based my list off this Alakai list. Mix of removal and threats, not too cute with reanimation targets. Has Fallaji Archaelogist.
• Deck can grind a bit but not naturally, since it relies on refilling your hand with a Goryo's
• Goryo's is ideally a T3+ play since you want to be able to Ephemerate your fatty. 

Swiss

• R1 Grayson Nemets on GR Broodscale LL (0-1)
  Kind of got owned - he put out a continuous stream+variety of threats that I'm unprepared to answer.
• R2 Kinan Abouzelam on Neoform LWW (1-1)
  G1 I'm confused by a turn 1 Disciple of Freyalise as land drop (aka Garden of Freyalise)
  He mentions that he considers my archetype to be one of his worst matchups, presumably due to the countermagic options.
  G3 is the crazy one. I have to mulligan to 5, manage to counter a Neoform, chipping away at him with a Psychic Frog and having a Teferi out. Then he Neoforms into Ureni the Song Unending, which has protection from white and black. I eat an attack for 11 (10 + 1 from Neoform). He casts an extra Hooting Mandrills as insurance. I jump my Psychic Frog and attack to draw a card - Mandrills doesn't have reach. Pass turn at 5 life.
  With me at 5, he swings Mandrills into my Teferi and Ureni (11, remember) at my face.
  In hand I have exactly 3 cards. Griselbrand, Goryo's Vengeance, Ephemerate. With exactly those cards, I pitch Griselbrand, reanimate it, living at 1 life, then Ephemerate it to have lethal next turn.
• R3 Oliver Voegeli on Amulet Titan WLW (2-1)
  G1 and G3 I have the nuts. T2 Frog T3 reanimate Atraxa in both games as I recall. In one of them, Atraxa misses Ephemerate then Frog hit flips it.
  G2, I play loose allowing a Dismember to fully resolve on Psychic Frog without discarding my reanimation target. Immediately topdeck Goryo's Vengeance.
• R4 Robert Pompa on BW Blink LL (2-2)
  Nothing much to write here. G1 he gets a Phelia down and makes a bit of value while I do nothing.
  G2 I keep a 5 lander with a Thoughtseize, figuring I don't want to mulligan much vs a Thoughtseize deck.
  T1 Thoughtseize him and see a triple Thoughtseize hand okay. Doesn't matter die anyways.

Concluding Thoughts

• Made top 16, which is good for a non-foil Lightning Bolt promo. Plus Grayson goes undefeated so I pocket a second non-foil Lightning Bolt. Sell those off to a vendor and my trip is paid for.
• Over the course of the weekend, lost a good bit to BW or Esper Midrange/Blink varieties.
  Not sure whether to keep/board out Thoughtseizes, and play the matchups in general.
• Got stalled out in one of the weekend's Secret Lair Spectaculars by a well-known pro/ex-pro player. That was ugly. tl;dr they thought I won G1, so they stalled out G2 to try and win in sudden death. Except I lost G1, then won G2 and we went to sudden death. I board incorrectly for sudden death (should be fetches out, all white cards to go for double Solitude) and die to T3 triple Amulet nonsense.

2025-05-03 Genesis RCQ with Jeskai Ascendancy (4-0-1, 3-0)

Introduction

Running it back with Jeskai Ascendancy after a semifinals finish. What's neat about the deck is that it can really push the Urza's Saga beatdown plan, unlike Breach. Which is weird to think about, but the density of non-artifact spells in Breach (Underworld Breach, interaction spells, Malevolent Rumble) diluted the artifact count enough that I never found myself doing construct beatdowns (also because you would just win with the combo).

Part of the deck's power is having multiple synergistic packages that play off each other. A list of synergies - italicized for basic ones

• Emry/Tamiyo/Mox Amber
• 0 drops + Emry
• Emry + artifacts
• Cori-Steel Cutter + 0 drops/cheap spells
• Emry + Jeskai Ascendancy + 0 drops (+ Mox)
• Urza's Saga + artifacts + Tamiyo
• Urza's Saga constructs + Cori-Steel Cutter for trample
• Mox Opal + artifacts for metalcraft
• Emry + Cori-Steel Cutter for haste
• Tamiyo + Mishra's Bauble and Preordain - notably, trimmed from this deck
• Stock Up + good cards
• Kappa Cannoneer + artifacts - 1 card package
• Emry + SB Phlage

Decklist & Change Discussion

• Preordain, Flame of Anor, and flipping Tamiyo: aggressive Tamiyo play makes sense online where half the field is seemingly Boros. Local meta is heavily overindexed on UB so less interested in spells that say draw a card.
• Portable Hole - this card is largely for Boros and UB. It's not dead vs other archetypes, but the efficiency and target spread is crucial for those matchups.
  
• Cori-Steel Cutter: Four-of is gas.
• Fetchland mana base: dropped 4 Spire of Industry, added two fetches, added two fetchables. Basic mountain hedges vs Harbinger of the Seas, then flip Flooded Strands to Arid Mesas accordingly.

Swiss

• R1 Asham K on mana-screwed Jeskai Wizards WW (1-0)
• R2 Eric D on UB WLW (2-0)
• R3 Kevin M on Boros Energy (3-0)
  G1 lose the die roll, then they go Guide of Souls > Galvanic Discharge Tamiyo + Ocelot Pride okay
  G3 Pithing Needle on Goblin Bombardment was big game vs double Bombardment hand + Voice of Victory
• R4 Anthony D on UBr WW (4-0)
• R5 ID, 2nd seed going in

Top 8

• QF Eric D (7) LWW
  
• SF Josh M (3) T4 split, concession
• F Sean T (4) on UB WW

Conclusive Thoughts

• Deck is good. Like my Temur Otters time, I benefited a good bit from my opponents not knowing the matchup & therefore not able to assess threats properly.
• Cori-Steel Cutter is a very primary kill axis and adds a lot of agency to the deck.
• Jeskai Ascendancy - I describe this card as the worst card in the deck until it isn't.
  
• Board state management was a little tricky at times. Between several lands, Mox mana, creatures, artifacts, new constructs/monks vs old ones, Cori-Steel Cutter equips ... things get messy. To make things slightly easier for myself, I should source some white sleeves for my monk tokens.
• One thing I made sure not to miss was my own Bauble triggers, perhaps overly so. I checked every upkeep, didn't miss a one - but also checked/double-checked many times when I didn't have one. Probably should be using my reminder token more so it's less disruptive.
• Scheduled to judge some RCQs this season, should probably push for L2. Main requirement would be working a multi-judge event & writing a review.

2025-04-19 D&A RCQ with Jeskai Ascendancy (3-1-1, 1-1)

Introduction

For Modern RCQ season after the Underworld Breach ban, initial consideration was towards Amulet Titan. However, for some reason it seems like it's actually worse now relative to the meta? My current theory on Amulet Titan is that it needs to Titan on T3 to be competitive. Which is problematic - sure the deck might have a 33% chance to have a T3 Titan going, but then quick maths you're expecting to mulligan 3 times per game to get such a hand. But savvy statistics readers will understand that's still a 30% fail rate (0.67 ^ 3).

So instead I elected to play the Breachiest Breachless deck, which is Jeskai Ascendancy + Emry combo. The deck goes off by having the following:

• Emry, Lurker of the Loch without summoning sickness
• Jeskai Ascendancy
• A: Mishra's Bauble in hand/graveyard/battlefield
• B: Two of the same Mox in hand/graveyard/battlefield

This allows you to

1. Make Emry & any other creatures arbitrarily large
2. Loot through your deck one at a time as many times as you want
3. Make infinite mana of any color with Mox Opals
4. Cast all your non-creature artifacts from the graveyard if you like
5. If you had a card in hand to start with, stick a second Jeskai Ascendancy and also cast all the artifact creatures you want out of the yard by targeting them with Emry with your extra untaps
6. Give a creature or two trample + haste via Cori-Steel Cutter

I built the deck for FNM and 0-3'd.

Decklist

Driving home, I reflected on what led to my 0-3's. I narrowed down a few possibilities.

1. I'm playing the deck wrong. Incorrect keeps/mulligans, sequencing, Preordains, land sequencing, holding spells, etc. -- all the decision points
2. My opponents were playing better than me (corollary to 1)
3. The deck is bad / my opponents' decks are better
   
4. The deck isn't tuned for the meta / me

I felt fine about 1, can't do much about 2&3, so I focused on 4.

• Preordain: I think this card is a crutch for bad hands. It can also flip Tamiyo aggressively, but I want to play some Stock Ups. Stock Up is insane - it's card advantage, it's card selection, it's only 3 mana
• Portable Hole: 4-of in online lists. This makes sense in online metas where Boros is #1 and UB #2. Unfortunately my FNM meta is half-Eldrazi and 0% Boros so this is a trim. I would pack 1-2 for FNM, 3 for a local RCQ, 4 for an RC.
• Cori-Steel Cutter: the hot new hotness. A powerful plan B. Having two on board usually takes over the game, I would play more if I had them. Does things with Emry.
•  Kappa Cannoneer: I cut to one, card is great against a lot of stuff but is super high investment. As a standalone plan B it's a solid package.
• Sink Into Stupor: I've yet to see this card or make it work. I think the mana base could use an extra fetchable, and will probably swap it in the future.
• R removal: Flame of Anor, Unholy Heat. I wanted Heat for cheap interaction, can find it easily enough off Stock Up, I don't expect my wizards to live much to really get Flame of Anor value.
  

Swiss

• R1 Brad A on Jeskai Ascendancy WW (1-0)
• R2 Dylan P on UR Steel-Cutter WW (2-0)
• R3 Sam M on Jeskai Steel-Cutter LWL (2-1)
• R4 Max S on UR Demilich (Phoenix MIA) WW (3-1)
• R5 ID
  

Top 8

• QF Joseph B on UR Twin WW
  Knew what he was on, got to keep an Aether Spellbomb in both openers. With that, easy enough to pressure him while he has to play tempo vs Spellbomb
• SF Collin S on Boros Energy LWL
  Really sweaty G2 and G3, RC-level match. Lot of back-and-forth interaction, he Wrath of the Skies'd me to the stone age. I had to use Mox Opal as a Lotus Petal to escape Phlage in G3... twice. Almost escaped it a third time too. Ended up losing to Goblin Bombardment + Ajani shenanigans ... lot of small decisions in that last game that could have done differently, but it ended up coming down to too small of a life total with two Spire of Industry.

Conclusive Thoughts

• Deck is good. I think 3 Ascendancy is a fine number, but I want 4 CSCs.
• Cards I'm looking to trim: Pithing Needle, Sink Into Stupor, Orim's Chant, Strix Serenade
• Remembered all my triggers today, Mishra's Bauble triggers always mess with my memory.
• I think my only oopsie (caught immediately) was trying to attack with a new Monk token, but I had put the CSC on my Emry.
• Will try to judge more this season

2025-02-08 RC Charlotte with Temur Breach (5-4)

Introduction

After 4-4ing with Amulet Titan in Portland, my Grinding Stations finally showed up in the mail.

Played a couple of Modern leagues, did some goldfishing, printed out some tokens to help track game things. Specifically, I think that tracking floating mana via pen & paper for this deck is suboptimal, while manipulating a couple of tokens to represent floating mana is superior.

Tokens I made:

• Floating mana: colorless (Urza's Saga), blue, red, green
• Urza's Saga Ch. III trigger
• Grinding Station untap trigger + mill three cards ability
• Mishra's Bauble trigger reminders (several)
• backside of Tamiyo
• plus Eldrazi Spawn, Clue tokens, Construct tokens, Blood token (for SB Vampire's Vengeance), Swan Song bird token

Decklist

• Copied Beenew's decklist from the previous weekend.
• Decklist is quite tight, basically card is powerful
  
• Stock Up is insane as card selection. My thesis is that the closer to eternal formats you get, the more powerful card selection/cantrips are, and Temur Breach is the most Legacy-like you can get in Modern right now.
  Maybe UB wants it as well.
• Two Breeding Pools, no Hedge Maze, no Stomping Ground, one Commercial District
• If I had to do it again, I'd probably switch those - 1 Breeding Pool, 1 Hedge Maze, 1 Stomping Ground. Sometimes you get into awkward mana situations, mostly when I wanted an untapped red source on later turns but didn't have the opportunity to tutor a R surveil land on earlier turns.
• Put a Surgical Extraction in to be cute, did nothing all day.
  

Swiss

• R1 Brandon Louie on Temur Breach WW (1-0)
  G1 OTD, turn 2 win. Good start.
  G2 We play a little more, he makes me play it out the combo and I'm ??? then he goes for the Consign to Memory replicate 2x on my untap trigger (I have access to Swan Song in the yard). Unfortunately for him my hand contains more artifacts that I am able to cast, untapping my Grinding Station and ggs
• R2 Nate Rooyakkers on Domain Zoo WLW (2-0)
  4 Doorkeeper Thrull in the maindeck but those are really speed bumps
  G1 OTD T2 win hello okay
  G2 I think he found like 4 pieces of hate and I died
• R3 Tyler Fritz on Bw Necro w/ Ketramose WW (3-0)
  I get T1 Thoughtseized both games but win anyways
• R4 Evan Sonnenberg-Rhim on Temur Breach WLL (3-1)
  G1 I win OTD T3
  G2 He shows a slow start, I tap out on T2 for my Grinding Station with Swan Song in hand, he T3 kills me.
• R5 Stephen Crumpton on Rw Hollow One WW (4-1)
  G1 OTP T3 win
  G2 he has an incredibly anemic draw, holding up a relatively obvious Wear // Tear but has no bodies to threaten me so I eventually play through
• R6 Marquel Corrigan on Boros Energy LL (4-2)
  I get clobbered? idk G2 I had to mull to 5 and he had multiple hate pieces
• R7 Mark Bost on Amulet Titan WLW (4-3)
  Solid gaming, G3 I lead with an Urza's Saga + Mox stuff. On turn 3ish I forget to first-main Emry an artifact, so my first swing with a Construct is only a 7/7. I Nature's Claimed him, putting him at 24 .... would have put him on an actual clock forcing blocks, instead he lives at 1 chumping with Collector Ouphe & another thing, then is able to bounceland-Boseiju multiple turns in a row to live.
• R8 Anthony Alaimo on Amulet Titan WW (5-3)
  This match was quite breezy compared to the prev, I guess he just kept less threatening hands?
• R9 Zachary Medford on UB LL (5-4)
  G1 he double-Thoughtseizes me cool
  G2 I keep a 0 lander with double Mox double legend turn 1 that was sick
  Unfortunately I lose because I start off my Breach turn by escaping a Malevolent Rumble with ~12 cards, then the 3 Grinding Stations were all in the bottom 5 cards of the deck. Should have looped Emry-Mox to dig properly & have usable mana, but I think my loose play would have been salvageable if the Grinding Stations were anywhere above the literal bottom 5 cards.

Conclusions

• Deck is dumb, format is dumb
• I started feeling sick (throat soreness Saturday morning) and didn't improve over the day
• Definitely started to feel the drain on hours 9 & 11, made game-losing, match-losing misplays both rounds
• 2-7 on die rolls for the day that was pretty unlucky
• Getting two T2 wins was nutty, the 0 land hand was great. It's insane that there's a deck where those things are possible
• Had a great match in a side event on Sunday vs a UW Affinity player shout out to Ryan G, where my win came from endstep-Otawara on his Mox Opal, taking him off Haywire Mite mana, then he only had the ability to cast one 3 mana counterspell vs my double Breach + 0 mana artifacts + Grinding Station hand. Some solid back and forth while playing interactive Magic.

Ban talk (2025-03-31 waiting room)

• Underworld Breach absolutely should be banned. Card is too good and only ever breaks things.
• There's a chance they ban Malevolent Rumble with the argument that it's an enabler and it goes into multiple decks like Eldrazi. This is nonsense because you're not dealing with the actual problem e.g. Faithless Looting getting banned then Hogaak coming out and being broken.
• Ugin's Labyrinth should be banned. Interacting with it isn't realistic, and banning fast mana was one of the defining format rules (see also: consistent turn 3 kills getting the ban-hammer) until they changed the format identity to being the format where you buy thousands of dollars of direct-to-modern cards + power creep.
• I don't think Mox Opal should be banned. I think it was dumb as hell to unban it without an accompanying reprint though.
• Shifting Woodland should go. It only ever goes in combo decks as a cheesy plan C ex. Nadu, Eldrazi, Breach. It enables the most nonsense thing in Amulet Titan.
• Unban: Fury. Shouldn't have been banned in the first place, keeps RW & other creature decks in check

2025-02-08 RC Portland with Amulet Titan (4-4)

Introduction

Per my last RCQ report, I haven't played in an RC since Denver last year.

Breach is the nemesis of the format, but I don't own a complete set of 3 Grinding Stations yet. I've gotten a decent number of reps in with Amulet Titan, so I decide to jam that for the weekend.

Publishing this morning of 2025-03-23 but backdating it to the event date sorry for the delay

Decklist

• This is a relatively stock Aftermath Analyst for February 2025 with some spicy meatballs. It has the ability to infinite-mana combo with Analyst, which can then go wide with infinite Primeval Titans or just find the one-Dryad and make a copy or infinity while going off.
• I decided to add a Collector Ouphe to the maindeck that I could find with my tutors, as well as one Bojuka Bog. 62 cards maindeck as a result, only three Urza's Sagas, a Hedge Maze and a Misty Rainforest for SB blue cards.
• I think Dryad Arbor is a bad GSZ target if your opponent has any form of interaction ever. If we're in a pure goldfish format, sure go for 0
  

Sideboard

Tried to get cute.

• Colossal Skyturtle and Seal of Removal are theoretically answers to Harbinger of the Seas.
• Collector Ouphe to fight the elephant in the room.
• Consign to Memory for Eldrazi
• Gemstone Caverns for being OTD
• Yasharn hypothetically an answer to Breach - turns out it dies to Unholy Heat and Flame of Anor
• Vexing Bauble solid Saga target
• Keen-Eyed Curator big graveyard hater + beater
  

Swiss

• R1 Quentin Wilebski on Temur Breach on GR ramp LWL (0-1)
  Copied from Discord notes.
  G1 keep a hand with Crumbling Vestige, Mirrorpool, Grazer, Ouphe. Go for the Grazer line. Don't find a green source. Die on turn 3. Could/should have sequenced to T2 Ouphe
  G2 win. Kept a 6 with double Ouphe + Yasharn, draw Selesnya Sanctuary. Op was playing around GY shenanigans, Pithing Needle on Aftermath Analyst. I decline to correct him.
  G3 get 2x Nature's Claim one on Amulet one on Saga, Torpor Orb. Breach Claim my Vexing Bauble Whiffs on lands. Find a Lotus Field with double Amulet and Titan but can't Bog with Orb out
  
• R2 Joseph Peo on GB Cardtypes LL (0-2)
  G1 I Bojuka Bog him with two Nethergoyfs. Off his Saga he finds a Nihil Spellbomb, casts Witherbloom Command and Overlord of the Balemurk to swing with 7/8s
  G2 hand was funky
  Boseiju, Hanweir Battlements, Map, Amulet, 3 GSZ
  I should have run Map out. Got Thoughtseized turns 1 and 2 whatever
• R3 Henry Hughes on Boros Energy LWW (1-2)
  Win G3 at one life ggez
• R4 Noah Schmeissner on 4C Breach WW (2-2)
  My cards work, I guess. No notes, as I recall it was swift.
• R5 Chase Stalsberg on UB Oculus LL (2-3)
  G1 I get counterspelled, G2 I mull to 5 and get T1 Thoughtseized T2 Psychic Frog
  Didn't get to play a whole lot, really. Opponent did mulligan both games fwiw
• R6 Tyler Novak on Temur Eldrazi WLW (3-3)
  G2 got land-destroyed out of the game
  This matchup is nonsense, and is entirely based around whether they have the busted start or a pile of cards.
• R7 Dillon Wernimont on RW Energy LWW (3-4)
  G1 I go for a double Titan play then turns out he has both Galvanic Discharge for 6 + Thraben Charm to kill them. The other two games were quite the beatings, so I kind of won three games (if I had gone for basically any other line G1)
• R8 Spencer Asral on Temur Breach LL (4-4)
  G1 my GSZ eats a Swan Song and he recurred the one-of Haywire Mite with Emry
  G2 notes say that I forgot that Summoner's Pact can just find an Ouphe, then I died

How does the loop work

1. Have an Amulet (or Spelunking) out, ideally two Amulets
2. Find/cast Aftermath Analyst
   Find a way to get Lotus Field onto the field then into your yard
   Primeval Titan, Tolaria West, etc. to do these things
3. Sacrifice Aftermath Analyst, bringing back lands that generate nine or more mana after accounting for Amulet/Spelunking
   (have delirium online, sometimes this requires finding an Urza's Saga as pre-requisite work to sacrifice to Lotus Field for delirium)
4. Sacrifice enough lands to generate nine+ mana when they come back
   
5. Shifting Woodland to copy Analyst in the yard for 2GG with delirium online
   3G to sacrifice it
6. You have now established infinite mana
7. Assuming that a Simic Growth Chamber + Tolaria West was part of step 2, declare that instead of a net positive mana land to loop sacrifice + ETB, you will sacrifice SGC which brings it back allowing you to bounce Tolaria West. SGC couldn't have been part of the loop earlier, because then it would be bouncing lands and not allowing you to loop. I mean, the loop could be performed at instant speed with infinite land-bounce triggers but that is generally suboptimal.
8. Tolaria West transmute for more Pacts, finding a Titan that finds Valakut & Mirrorpool.
   optional: Pact for Dryad of the Ilysian Grove
9. Repeat loop, now with the ability to sacrifice Mirrorpool copying Primeval Titan to find more lands
10. Make (in)finite copies of your Shifting Woodland-copying-an-Aftermath Analyst, milling your deck
11. Copy Aftermath Analyst while holding priority, copy Dryad of the Ilysian Grove in your graveyard
    After Dryad-copy resolves, sacrifice Mirrorpool targeting your Dryad of the Ilysian Grove
    Allow Analyst-copy to resolve, continue looping but now you have Valakut + mountains so your opponent dies

Conclusions & Takeaways

• I should have just been playing Underworld Breach for the weekend deck posted insane win rates
• An Amulet Titan pilot did win the event with a streamlined list, but his semifinals Boros opponent hard-dropped the ball with his Molten Rains
• Most players don't actually understand how Amulet Titan works, to their own detriment
• The only way Amulet is playable atm vs Breach is the ability to T3 infinite loop nonsense. Consistent T4 Titan just isn't enough any more.

2024-09-07 D&A RCQ (4-1, 1-0) + 2024-09-08 Mana Bar RCQ (3-1-1, 1-0)

Introduction

I was jamming Nadu for a while. Did well with it at GenCon but played relatively loose locally. Probably should have been mulliganing for more nut draws than keeping lands & spells.

After the ban (deserved) I opted to pivot to Ring control, an archetype I have some familiarity with. Phlage recoups life and is a VERY quick win condition. It might not be the absolute best archetype, but it can tussle with just about everything.

Quick thoughts on August 26 B&R:

• Modern: good riddance to Nadu. Deck was kind of neat, but had numerous issues - insane card advantage engine, punished interaction, non-deterministic kill, complexity of kill, enormous feelsbad to topdeck, etc.
  The Grief ban was a quite admittance that they should have banned Grief last December. Whether Fury should come back ... idk, RWx energy decks might vanish overnight?
  TOR will probably be banned next year, I think Up the Beanstalk could return, personally.
• Pioneer: top two decks got killed. They should have banned them earlier. 2023 B&R timing was nonsense - last B&R they said they didn't want to touch Pioneer in the middle of RCQ season, then they smacked Nadu down in the middle of modern RCQ season.
• Legacy: UB Scam-Reanimator was clearly a problem as witnessed at the GenCon SLS. Grief was generally too pushed for constructed play in retrospect.
  

Decklist

• Core is the energy removal suite: Galvanic Discharge, Wrath of the Skies, Tune the Narrative
  
• Counterspell suite: Counterspell, Spell Snare, Stern Scolding, Force of Negation
  
• Supporting cast: Prismatic Ending, Teferi Time Raveler, The One Ring, Lorien Revealed, Supreme Verdict
  
• Creatures: 3x Phlage core, Subtlety, Snapcaster Mage
• There's a few flex slots but honestly I think the list is quite tight. The deck is playing insanely high quality removal and there's not enough room to play pet cards like Fact or Fiction much as I would like to.
• Land base: fetches, surveil lands, shock lands, one Xander's Lounge for Prismatic Ending on 4 & the SB Surgicals, *two* utility lands and two Mystic Gates.
  
• Sequencing of lands: I think UR is the priority and consider the deck to be a UR deck splashing WW spells.
• I started sideboarding Surgical Extractions again during my Nadu phase - it could basically solo the game vs Jeskai on Phlage.
• Four Obsidian Charmaws: this deck has to be the beatdown vs Tron & nonsense mana decks, and Charmaw fits the bill to a tee.
   

Saturday Swiss

• R1 Kam Wood on Domain Zoo WW (1-0)
  I have to play around Stubborn Denial, and Leyline-Draco is annoying for my targeted removal. Wrath of the Skies for 4 or 6 can be big game here, as well as Teferi.
  
• R2 Thomas Brisbane on U Affinity WW (2-0)
  Blast from the past. I played against Tom almost a decade ago at my college shop.
  
• R3 Austin Belter on Crabvine LL (2-1)
  Lost to him taking mulligans to 5. Recursion > Removal
• R4 Justin Moses on RW Energy WW (3-1)
  He's pretty fresh to the deck. Major thing was sequencing removal vs Ajani to avoid flipping.
• R5 Michael Nusinov on B Zombie Combo WW (4-1)
  Breakers were weird, it was possible I could have scooped him into top 4 but I didn't trust it. Game 2 he had 3 Spymaster's Vault as his first three land drops which made it straightforward.
  

Saturday Playoff

• Second seed going in
  
• SF vs Tom Brisbane (3) on U affinity LWW
  G1 I draw pretty cold for like 6 turns and Kappa Cannoneer kills me. Game 3 also quite close.
• F concession from Austin Belter
  

Sunday Swiss

• R1 Jerry Gao on UB Murkfrog WLW (1-0)
• R2 Johnathan Garman on 4C Omnath WW (2-0)
  Grindy games but I know his archetype better than he does (borrowing it, first time)
  I just can't let continuous value spells stick.
• R3 Matt Gausebeck on R Storm WLD (2-0-1)
  G1 an impulse spell hits bot his Wishes. I stabilize at 10, and then a counter war into Grapeshot puts me to 2 but I kill him with a Subtlety.
  G2 die to Wish Empty the Warrens
  G3 I think I have him to rights, but still need several turns to kill. G1 was a slog.
  Idk if I could have forced G1 to be faster without insisting upon managing my opponents' storm count & mana for him.
• R4 Leland Bliss on Gx Eldrazi LL (2-1-1)
  Sol lands are good, G2 was maybe winnable if I fetched a third red source to cast more Obsidian Charmaw.
• R5 Matt McComb on UB Murkfrog WW (3-1-1)
  G1 he mulligans to 5 but I think we both miss a ton of land drops? Key to this matchup is not letting Frog stick.
  

Sunday Playoff

• In at 4th seed.
• SF vs Leland Bliss on Gx Eldrazi WW
  Both games he keeps pretty slow hands, very Sol-light. Early turns I remove Utopia Sprawl and also Wrath of the Skies for 0 a Malevolent Rumble spawn token, which are correct plays. G2 I make an oopsie, going turn 2 Damping Sphere into a turn 3 hasted Obsidian Charmaw off Arena of Glory. Realize mistake ~5 turn cycles later, call judge. Opponent got quite unlucky this game, drawing ~1 land in ~7 extra draws from TOR.
• F concession from Matt Gausebeck aka ScoopPhase

Conclusions

• Happy with deck choice. I think I could tune a little more. Drop a Surgical for something else, maybe play around with flex slots (Snapcaster Mage, Subtlety, Supreme Verdict) but these choices are decent enough for local meta.
  
• Gameplay: I could/should pressure opponents to play faster, very unhappy with the unintentional draw. But this is also a format issue with Nadu & Ruby Storm in general - you shouldn't just scoop to non-deterministic combo decks if they aren't presenting a kill. So they might go through the motions for a ten, fifteen, twenty minute turn and then pass turn.
• Matchups: I think the format is relatively weak to graveyard shenanigans right now. White decks can't run Rest in Peace because of their own Phlages, Endurance & Force of Vigor are MIA with no good green decks, Leyline of the Void is so ehhh since you still need to execute your gameplan.
• Card power: the format keeps powering up. It's harder and harder for cards to compete, even the staples of just last year. I don't know how sustainable it is. Yes there is a variety of strategies. Yes, your fringe archetype can compete if you jam Modern Horizons cards and/or TOR. But sometimes you just die to an unloseable turn 2 Psychic Frog or get bodied by 4 bodies on turn 2. The sheer number of cards in hand is often the deciding factor of games.
  

2024-08-02 GenCon Modern Win A Art (3-0-1, 2-1)

GenCon Tournament Reports

• August 1 BLB Sealed RCQ/GenQ
  
• August 2 Modern for Original Art
• August 3 Legacy Secret Lair Showdown Qualifiers
• August 4 MH3 Sealed GenCon Championship

https://melee.gg/Tournament/View/122467 

Introduction

Going in, I've played Nadu a total of three times locally - one FNM, two Monday Moderns. At first I tried a Malevolent Rumble build but having the utility of playing Shifting Woodland wasn't worth playing a non-modern-power-level card. Looking at some other lists, I decided that maximizing mana dorks (Delighted Halfling, Wall of Roots) was cleaner, easier to play, and probably just better overall without relying on a delirium sidequest.

Decklist (Moxfield)

I like this. The Hallowed Fountain is a little weird since it doesn't tap G, and there are a few slots to play with - second Endurance, Volatile Stormdrake, Teferi Time Ravelers. Haywire Mite and Suncleanser are silver bullety, but worth including for general value.

A cool Twitter guy posted a guide which gave me a baseline for working off the build, esp. explaining the SB Urza's Saga.

Various thoughts

• Keep mana acceleration + Shuko access. There are 10 "Nadus" in the deck across Nadu, Chord, and Pact. There are only 6 Shukos, with 2 Urza's Saga.
• 4 Chords adds Outrider en-Kor but that is mana-intensive, while playing Shuko + Nadu on turn 3/4 is very possible
• Springheart Nantuko hands are great. Either they eat removal or you start churning out convoke fuel that turn into Nadu fuel.
• I started bestowing turn 2 Springheart Nantuko a lot. For one, off a dork it's guaranteed triggers. Two, it forces opponents to use two removal spells if they have it but they're scared of the eventual Nadu.
• As an opponent, you can never just tap out. I might slow-roll if counterspells or Galvanic Discharge for 4 are being represented. But tapping out? omae wa mou shindeiru
• Fetching for Dryad Arbor to convoke is real
• Chording for new Nadu is filthy

Swiss rounds

• R1 Dustin Ochoa Nadu mirror WLW (1-0)
  Some dust-ups in G2. While making an insect token, I found a Dryad Arbor in my token stack and immediately called the judge. Picked up a warning, opponent got a pick a card out of my SB and shuffled it in - Burrenton Forge-Tender.
  He assembled the combo before me in G2, but I wasn't willing to concede on the turn since he found Thassa's Oracle no double U source. I ended up explaining to him how to use Sylvan Safekeeper, Endurance to create a second U source for time reasons and play game 3.
  I won game 3.
  
• R2 Nicole Tipple Nadu mirror WW (2-0)
  Like my previous opponent they were on Springleaf Drum as well as SB Swan Song. I don't like Drum - just play more real dorks. Swan Song feels cute, but too niche for where I want to be.
  SB game Slow roll, hold up Boseiju and Dismember. I bestow a Nantuko a little early, when I could have waited a couple turns to start trying to copy Endurance but not huge since I'm stuck on 4/5 lands. Dismember an Endurance with bestow target, Boseiju Shuko in response to Nadu. Almost die to bugs but hit Pact & combo the turn before I die.
  
• R3 Alex Meyer Mardu WW (3-0)
  In a 16 player event, I have the ability to double draw but decide to play for top 8 seeding.
  He applies some pressure but is operating at sorcery speed. Iirc G1 he taps out for Fable and dies, G2 it was Chthonian Nightmare or something into dies.
  It was during this game, I think I shuffled a hand Boseiju in while resolving a Chord for Nadu (3). I tell my opponent it was a Boseiju, mention it's probably one of the worst cards to have in hand. He gets to give me a card from my deck, selects a Nadu. I say nothing then, ask judge to award me a warning since he didn't mention one.
  As I'm going off, I find third Nadu and Chord for final Nadu even with ~9 Nadu triggers on board, since I don't think I have the ability to cast it or if I do it'll be most of my life total gone.
  After new Nadu, opponent realizes how dangerous it was to give me the Nadu.
  
• R4 ID
  

Quarterfinals

Will Weber on Naya Landfall WLW*

So he's playing some sort of landfall deck. I figure it involves Reckless Pyrosurfer since I encountered the card in MH3 and that's probably the main reason to play landfall in 2024. Besides that card, it could be a Kaheera companion deck I believe.

Game 1 he's stuck on 2 lands, combo him out while I'm at a healthy 13.

Game 2 he applies pressure and has a Harsh Mentor. Fair enough. Play out a combo more turns, I think I have a bestowed Wall of Roots, but second Harsh Mentor pre-tty dead.

Game 3 we play out to turn 3 and get into a combat situation involving Outrider en-Kor. It's a lot of permanents for a turn 3, so I've reassembled the board state.

 

My goal is trade off as many creatures as possible, specifically the red creatures so that Ajani can't start going off. I'm playing for a topdeck Nadu since my Outrider will survive. We call a judge to confirm how Outrider works, then because of the wording and a partially recited Gatherer ruling talk ourselves into believing that Outrider en-Kor can spread 1 damage across creatures but only 1 max per creature. This is incorrect. Outrider en-Kor is effectively immortal in combat, if it has a fall guy. All the (first strike) combat damage happens simultaneously, and the replacement effect redirects as much of it as Outrider has been activated.

We played out this game from the ruling. Outrider and all insect tokens die, Ajani flips, Ajani blasts my Halfling this turn and the Nantuko next turn. I draw Teferi into Nadu - remembered very clearly because opponent tries to cast Atarka's in combat and is unable to do so. I die.

Friend comes over. We discuss. We realize the ruling was probably incorrect. With hindsight, if Outrider had played out correctly I probably would have won the game two turns later after drawing and casting Nadu. Instead I got mega-boardwiped and died to cats.

As we clean up, the judges come over. They ask us to re-explain the situation, we re-construct the attacker/blocker state. Some discussion. They bring in a higher judge. We rebuild more of the game state - non-blockers, lands, graveyard. I describe how & why I blocked. The judges confer. We rebuild hand states since we saw what each other played in the following turns. My hand is not good.

It is determined that the incorrect ruling determined the outcome of the game & match. We are offered a choice of continuing from the rebuilt board state or restart from a brand new game. I am playing for a topdeck Nadu, since my hand is entirely air. My opponent has acknowledged the situation, which is ugly. I trust him, and we've been talking through this board state for about twenty minutes at this point.

Please note. This is a deviation from policy, and this kind of back-up is a crazy situation to find ourselves in. No matters what happens, there will be a sour taste in someone's mouth. The hope is that the eventual outcome will be considered the most fair resolution of what occurred.

We shuffle up. He puts his Atarka's Command on top. I make sure to present and he cuts. We resolve combat. First strike, damage goes to the uninvolved insect. Damage. Many creatures die. Ajani flips. He makes a token. Pass the turn. Draw. It's a Nadu.

Semifinals

Friend scoops to me

Finals

Bridger Hahn Jeskai control WLL

Guy plays well, eventually destroys me with momentum of One Ring draws and Phlage.

I board incorrectly. In game 3 I had a Scheming Fence on his The One Ring, have Chord available for 1 but I didn't bring in Burrenton Forge-Tender. I was also aiming to be cute and steal Phlage with Volatile Stormdrake at some point. The tricky part is that it's half an energy deck and half a control deck, Suncleanser isn't a killer but it's still good. Game 1 I get him with a Chord-Suncleanser in response to Wrath of the Skies.

How I think I should have boarded

+2 The One Ring
+2 Veil of Summer
+1 Burrenton Forge-Tender
+1 Scheming Fence

-1 Volatile Stormdrake
-1 Haywire Mite
-1 Noble Hierarch
-1 Boseiju
-1 Otawara
-1 idk

Afterthoughts

The prize pool for this event was juiced, only sixteen players but the field was stacked.

The quarterfinals situation was insane. My opponent was a good sport, we couldn't have rebuilt the board without him and he's also playing against Nadu. Judges helped us through it, props to them (you know who you are). Biggest complaint? Wizards of the Coast for printing a card that is so obscene in the format, probably templated wrong and went unnoticed like Skullclamp in Mirrodin, and then they refused to ban Nadu at the appropriate junctures thereby subjecting us to this game action hellscape. I will be glad to see the bird gone.

2024-02-10 RC Denver with 4C Omnath (4-3-1)

Introduction

I qualified for the RC Denver previously with a Beanstalk Omnath list. Amulet Titan was identified as one of the top decks during winter, so I practiced with it at weeklies. But as the event approached, Rhinos was identified as the top deck and it generally held a 60% or so winrate vs Titan, so I decided that playing a deck weak to the top dog & targeted by everyone else was not the way to go.

The matchup matrices ahead of Denver weekend suggested that 4C "control" was favored into the major decks, and I figured that Teferi + Chalice + removal is a much better deck in open decklist events.

Decklist

• Nothing spicy imo.
• Test of Talents is a choice for specialized Cascade hate & applicable in other matchups. Not great especially against their plan Bs.
  

Rounds

• R1 Ethan King on "5C" (Naya) Creativity LL (0-1)
  
• R2 Logan Christiansen on Temur Rhinos WLD (0-1-1)
  Opponent lined up all their interaction perfectly in G2.
  They misplayed G3 and declined to concede vs a board state of Teferi + Elesh Norn + W6 on turn 5.
  
• R3 on WB Taxes LWL (0-2-1)
  Misplayed horrifically against Archon of Emeria. Fortunately didn't see their Leonin Arbiters.
  
• R4 Joshua Lynn on Rhinos. WW (1-2-1)
  Answered their rhinos in G1 and G2 landed a T2 Teferi.
  
• R5 Jaime Gonzalez on UR Murktide WLW (2-2-1)
  Cut Halflings in this matchup, but generally favored as long as I have fetches on turns 1-2. Especially important on the draw in SB matches. The tricky part is remembering that you can't cast a turn 2 W6 AND get a basic Plains. It just doesn't work like that.
  Also helps when your opponent mulls to 5 in two different games.
  I did Subtlety his T1 Ragavan (me OTP) in G3 with him on a mull to 5. Heads-up play from him, he bottomed it and I cast a Chalice for 1 on turn 2
  
• R6 vs no show (3-2-1)
• R7 Caleb Mears on Living End WW
• R8 Leonard Routh on Amulet Titan LWL
  G1 and G3 he kind of just had unanswered One Ring that took over the game. G1 it was a Ring into Grazer ramp into Cultivator Colossus for roughly ten lands. G3 it was double Amulet into T2 Ring. FoV on the Amulets but no Binding ... doubt that I'm supposed to FoV singleton Amulet.
  Dropped afterwards.
  

Thoughts

• Very happy with my deck choice and card selection.
• Very disappointed with my play in games 2 and 3.
• Woke up from Friday nap with a severe headache, combination dehydration and altitude adjustment. Would recommend overhydrating if traveling to the city in the clouds.
  
• Went to a fantastic steakhouse called Guard + Grace in downtown Denver on Friday night. Every course was excellent, service was fantastic even though they were clearly experiencing an super busy night. My biggest regret was not taking a seat that faced their open kitchen.
• Venue was rough. Low ceiling (20 ft) or so. Decor and amenities not really updated since the aughts. Oh, and the local city government is purchasing the property to turn into a homeless shelter "homeless navigation campus".
  
• Which I find to be crazy. Hypothetically, that convention center can bring in two thousand people per weekend which should be around a million dollars of economic spend. But it must not be that busy, or the homeless problem is so bad, that the city would rather spend 26MM (up-front) and way more in the future rather than have it as an economic driver for the area.
• Vendors lacked new & staple cards, as expected for Dreamhack RCs.
  
• More snow in Denver than Buffalo, wowee.
• Ton of sprawl, from the limited bits of the region I saw. Downtown was dense enough, but the greater metro definitely took the opportunity to spread out a bit.
• Low score, oft-tied Superbowl was intriguing.
• Superbowl ads are fascinating. Some observations:
  Huh I wonder how many locations they shot in for this
  Temu did a mobile gaming ad but for Chinese Amazon. I checked their website. The prices are all worse than Aliexpress, but UX is all about the 90% OFF SALE GET IT NOW OMGGGG!111
  American sportsball imperialism ad. You can tell it was the NFL's because it lacks the urgency of everyone else's thirty second slots.
  and then there's reverse sportsball imperialism
• Since I booked my flight for Monday @ midnight and everyone else flew out in the morning, I hung out in the lobby and basically LFGd for an airport Uber. Of my erstwhile companions, one was a limited lover who had earned a grand TWENTY Festivals in a Box off the MTG Arena event, and the other dropped out of the main to play in Legacy side events, doing fairly well in those.
• So you know how online recipes start off with enormous blobs of nonsense and only provide the recipe at the end? This is that but in reverse.
• I did a learning topic on the subject at work - the problem is that SEO and the online content business model do not incentivize providing you with good recipes. Instead SEO rewards high keyword count, high engagement duration (i.e. scrolling through the whole page), and high uniqueness (a life story followed by a distinct recipe). Also, the website doesn't directly make money from you using the recipe, so they're making money from affiliate links, ad banners, and selling your data in all likelihood.
• Getting back to the RC, after spending more words discussing ancillary subjects than the event itself. This was my most successful run yet (0-3, 2-4) and the most successful of our local contingent (0-4, 1-4, 2-4).
• Thoughts on Modern. Domain Rhinos was definitely the secret sauce for the weekend.
  Rhinos is probably the best deck by a little too much right now, since it has a two-turn clock and the best free interaction.
  Orcish Bowmasters should exit the format, and take The One Ring with it. Bowmasters oppresses X/1s and draw spells. But as long as The One Ring is out there Bowmasters is needed to keep it in check. The other problematic part is that it's too hyper-efficient. You can remove it, yes. But you're going to be trading down on tempo and/or resources every time. The counterplay is to... not play X/1s and draw spells?
• MH3 is almost guaranteed to rotate the format, as well as the Universes Beyond that will inject modern-legal cards. I hold no positive expectations for this. Who knows, maybe we'll see Gut Shot + put the top one card of your library into your hand {R/P}{1} as an answer to Bowmasters.
  

2023-10-07 Dragon Snack Games RCQ with 4C Omnath Win

Introduction

During the previous weekend I traveled down to Pittsburgh to jam some RCQs instead of competing for a Store Championship Moonshaker Cavalry promo - the participation and top 8 promos were bafflingly bad. (Tail Swipe and Transcendent Message !?)

Saturday I ran extremely cold with the 70-card pile. The meta in Pittsburgh was decidedly different - major archetype presences of BR Scam, burn, UR and URx, some 4C, then random one-offs. Major archetype gaps: one player borrowing Rhinos, and no Tron across two days. Might have been one or two cascaders on Sunday.

So for Sunday I played this 64-card list with 4 Leyline of Sanctity and 3 Celestial Purge in the sideboard. Fewer Scam players showed up for day 2, but I think I ended up facing four of four - dispatching two during Swiss, and then in QF & SF where I had a beyond-stupid punt after my opponent misplayed, missing finals.
My cope angle is that I would have lost to the finals opponent on Bring to Light Beanstalk.

Decklist

• Not running 4 Beanstalks, respecting Scam
• Trimmed to 1 Elesh Norn, 2 Fury
• Don't love having a full set of Halflings since it's kind of air, but also want enough to threaten accelerated & uncounterable planeswalkers.
• 2 Lightning Bolts. It's good vs some stuff, and a W6 win-con but only okay compared to the other stuff that the deck can do. It's a bridge to better action.
  
• 2+1 Boseiju and SBing 3 Obsidian Charmaw after seeing Tron players enter the room.
• 4 Chalice of the Void because Buffalo has numerous players on Living End or Crashing Footfalls.
  

Rounds

• R1 Jon B on Amulet Titan WW (1-0)
• R2 Sam M on Mono R Midrange WW (2-0)
• R3 Joe A on G Tron LWL (2-1)
• R4 Jerry G on Scam LL (2-2)
• R5 Steven By on G Tron LWW (3-2)
• (seed 8)
• QF Joe A - scoop
• SF Alex Z on Temur Rhinos WLW
• F Sam M on Mono R Midrange WLW 

Thoughts

• I misplayed R3G3 vs Tron. I had Wrenn & Six + Boseiju but didn't realize they only play 3 Forests now, instead I ran out Omnath and permitted them to play a fifth land which allowed them to actually play the game.
  
• R5 I'm the highest 2-2 for breakers and the top 3 tables can ID in. I'm matched up against a 2-1-1 player and choose to play it out (I end up sneaking in eighth, one of two 3-2s to make top 8)
  I'd seen him on G Tron during earlier rounds, and he acknowledged that it was pretty public as he'd been on turns twice already.
  During the match he tanks several times when he has the ability to play & use KTGC, but I keep an eye on the clock. A minute, okay he can have that. Ninety seconds - I'm gonna need you to do some game actions.
  Keeping the game moving proved crucial when I beat him on turn 1 of extra turns, but he was upset that I "rushed" him, potentially causing him to misplay leading to his loss.
  To which I (now) respond tough luck - he'd already gone to turns twice, and we would have ended in a second unintentional draw had I not kept the game moving.
  I'm airing it out here because that's the precisely the mindset that breeds slow play.
  I get it, Magic turns can be complicated. But if I allow him to tank 3 minutes every time he draws a KTGC all of a sudden that's 15 minutes of the 50 min round gone.
• One of my "tricks" to not timing out with 4C / Beans is to decide on my fetch decision, announce it, cast spells or perform actions that don't care about library order (Halfling, Wrenn & Six) then shuffle as I pass priority.
  

Mono R Midrange

The archetype was really kicked off by MHayashi, the eminent MTGO grinder & deckbuilder. MHayashi decks are characterized by their mono color nature, inclusion of 4-ofs wherever possible, and inability to replicate success by anyone not named MHayashi. Builds you find in the wild might look something more like this.

I think it's a super interesting deck - it plays a lot of red staples, and modern-playables that are on the cusp of being really good - Mishra's Research Desk, Field of Ruin & Demolition Field, Cleansing Wildfire, Flame Slash, Stone of Erech. Also a Brittle Effigy in the side for things Unholy Heat & co. can't remove lol

Mono R Midrange is a super scrappy archetype. It's got removal, it's got land destruction, it's got a ton of card churn with Research Desks and Seasoned Pyromancer. It's got grindy win-cons between Urza's Saga, Seasoned Pyromancer, and Fury. It has just enough graveyard utilization to be powerful but not enough where you start bringing in Leyline of the Void out of your sideboard.
MRM attacks the meta - the red removal suite looks fantastic against Scam, and it punishes all the 3-4 basic decks running around modern right now.

----

The pilot, Sam M, is actually an old acquaintance from college (we took a selfie!).
Back in the day, he played Yugioh and .. Skred Red, so his current deck selection wasn't too surprising.

During round 1, we were seated next to each other so we both knew the matchup going into round 2. Basically Wrenn & Six won the games (in round 2 and the semifinals). He had to evoke Fury to clear W6 off since it neutralizes all of his land destruction spells.

In the finals G2 he was able to take me off red and kill my W6s - I think the trick to this matchup is to sandbag some fetches while fetching shocklands aggressively to maintain access to all my colors of mana. But Stone of Erech is much less scary than Relic of Progenitus vs W6.

2023-09-16 D&A RCQ Top 4 with Omnath Pile

 Decklist: 70 card 4+ Color Omnath

(26 lands - 12 fetches, 3 triomes, 6 shocklands, 3 basics, 2 Boseiju)
4 Flooded Strand
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Windswept Heath
1 Indatha Triome
1 Raugrin Triome
1 Zagoth Triome
1 Breeding Pool
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
1 Island
1 Forest
1 Plains
2 Boseiju, Who Endures

(18 creatures)
4 Delighted Halfling
4 Omnath, Locus of Creation
2 Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines
4 Fury
4 Solitude

(18 "spells")
1 Lightning Bolt
4 Prismatic Ending
4 Up the Beanstalk
4 Leyline Binding
4 The One Ring
1 Murderous Cut

(8 planeswalkers)
4 Wrenn and Six
4 Teferi, Time Raveler

// Sideboard
1 Boseiju, Who Endures
2 Veil of Summer
2 Hallowed Moonlight
4 Obsidian Charmaw
2 Endurance
2 Blossoming Calm
2 Chalice of the Void

Introduction:

• I based the decklist on Danzant's MTGO 75+15 list which adds 3 lands, 4 Up the Beanstalks, and fills out 8 more spells to the stockier 60 card Omnath lists.
• Didn't love Fable of the Mirror-Breaker during testing at weeklies. Feels like air and this deck wants to play a big game, so I cut them.
• With the deck playing 4 Delighted Halflings, Chalice of the Void is really only meant to be cast on 0 so they got moved to the sideboard.
• Added a Murderous Cut as a "fifth Leyline Binding" and switched in another black triome so I wouldn't get cut off Cut
• Mana symbols (not incl. pitch elementals // pitch elementals // plus counting Prismatic and Leyline Binding as 0.5 // total)
  
• White: 22 // 8 // 0 // 30
  
• Blue: 8 // 0 // 4 // 12
  
• Black: 1 // 0 // 4 // 5
  
• Red: 8 // 8 // 4 // 20
  
• Green: 16 // 0 // 4 // 20

Round 1 vs Karim A on Grixis Wizards (WW, 1-0)

Not much to say. Prismatic Ending on Harmonic Prodigy ASAP since that card gets out of hand. Then he got mana screwed on single U source in game 2.

In: 2 Veil of Summer, 2 Endurance
Out: 4 Fury

Round 2 vs Aaron M on UR (WW, 2-0)

Game 1 I dropped a couple Beanstalks, removed his threats and set cruise control to card advantage.
Game 2 he kept a 6 card 1 land Ragavan hand. Dealt with DRC, Ragavan, then just cast spells on curve. Halfling got killed by Ragavan flipping my one-of Bolt zz

In: 2 Veil of Summer, 2 Endurance, 1 Boseiju, 2 Chalice of the Void OTP
Out: 4 Fury, 2 Elesh Norn or something

Round 3 vs Stephen B on Temur Rhinos (LWW, 3-0)

Known quantity. Keep hands with Endings and Teferis.

In: 2 Veil of Summer, 2 Hallowed Moonlight, 2 Chalice of the Void
Out: 4 Fury, 1 Lightning Bolt, maybe an Elesh Norn

Round 4 vs James B on Temur Rhinos (LWW, 4-0)

Game 2 he was clearly sitting on a Commandeer, so I chilled on my Teferi and never drew Ring lol

In: 2 Veil of Summer, 2 Hallowed Moonlight, 2 Chalice of the Void
Out: 4 Fury, 1 Lightning Bolt

Rounds 5-6 Intentional Draws
2-seed going into top 8 cut

Quarterfinal vs Aaron M on UR (WW)

Game 1 kind of crushed
Game 2 got low down to 4 life with Ring, then cycled through them for 1 card replacing them with new Rings and chilled.

Semifinal vs Jon C on Sultai Living End (LL)

Game 1 mulliganed to 6, kept a mediocre hand with Beanstalk Omnath Fury some lands
Game 2 kept a 7 with Halfling Teferi, got Griefed out.
Probably should have mulliganed to Solitude in G1 and to Veil of Summer + other interaction in G2.

Conclusion

• Didn't love Zagoth Triome as my third triome - probably Savai (Mardu) in the future
• 70 is still a lot of cards. Fury copies 3-4 feel a bit redundant
• I don't love Lightning Bolt locally, aggro feels underrepresented but maybe I'm not respecting it sufficiently?
• Obsidian Charmaw - maybe it's correct to surrender the Tron & co. matchups, lean onto other archetypes ex. 3-4 Chalice of the Void, 3 Veil of Summer, Flusterstorm
  

2022-11-09 Casual Dragon with Sultai Reclamation 3-1

 Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/5218165

Introduction:

• Have a car for the week, so hitting up some modern. Haven't played since SCG Syracuse in July + Columbus in September
  
• Yorion ate a ban, so happy not to deal with those slog matchups.
  

Round 1 vs Phil M on 4C !U brew (2-1, 1-0)

So he's playing this neat brew... easiest just to list all the cards I saw:

• Faeburrow Elder
• Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger
• Lightning Skelementals
• Athreos, God of Passage
• Unearth
• Aether Vial
• Skyclave Apparition
• Collected Company
• Grist, the Hunger Tide
  

Overall solid foundation for a brew - powerful enablers, clear synergy (except Aether Vial), and some interactive elements. SB Surgical is good, as is Consume the Meek.

Round 2 vs Steven B on "5C" Rhinos (2-0, 2-0)

Rhinos are scary but realistically the plan is that I only have 4 spells to answer, plus Teferis and Fury. I steal like 4 Rhinos across two games, though he Gones (Dead // Gone)  them a few times. Tutor for Gearhulk because it has good stats into 4/4 Rhinos (5/5 with Ardent Plea), also doesn't get FoN'd, and we do some back and forth fighting on the board.

The deck plays all 5 basic types for Leyline Binding, and I have a fun turn in game 2, where I Assasin's Trophy a Teferi, then Snap-Trophy a Binding on my Gearhulk to cast some 4 drop spell off the Gearhulk.

Opponent has a super awkward hand in game 2 that I see with Surgical on Crashing Footfalls ... 2 Fury (without double red source), Blood Moon (without having seen fetches, also only two basics in the deck), and 1 Force of Negation (with no blue spell to pitch).

Round 3 vs Lindsay M on Rw Burn (2-0, 3-0)

 

Opponent is newer to the format. Kind of assumes that I'm playing legitimately (I am!). Game 1 runs me down to 3 life, but floods out & plays around bluffed? let's call them... loosely-represented counterspells with open mana. I steal a Goblin Guide with Archmage's Charm and my opponent isn't able to figure their way out past my hidden information.

Game 2 I drop some Fatal Push on the Swiftspear, get in front of a Sanctifier en-Vec with Snapcaster, and have a Fatal Push + Life Goes On waiting in the wings that I end up firing for a mere 4 life. Midgame I tutor for my Japanese Weather the Storm and a storm count of 4 puts me up 15 life to a healthy 27. Opp knows they're dead as hell and split my Fact or Fiction into 5-0 piles... twice. I graciously accept their offer by Blue Sun's Zenithing them for 36, after counting 25 cards across hand + battlefield + graveyard + exile (this wins the game for me).

Round 4 vs James on BR "Scam" (0-2, 3-1)

 

Three 3-0s going into this round, I'm at table 1. Game 1 I wait on Pushing Ragavan, only for it to get brought back to life twice (Undying Malice, Feign Death, Undying Evil stuff). Seasoned Pyromancer really pushes him over the top.

Game 2 I kill Ragavan on turn 1, no tricksies this time. He lands a Blood Moon the turn before I draw my first fetchland. I have a basic of each type on field/hand, but then he Boils the basic Island on board... and Seasoned Pyromancer seals the game again. I think I run a removal spell into revive-Pyromancer which is insane. Great example of how Blood Moon should be backed up by pressure.

Opponent compliments my play patterns & the sweet bling I've put into the deck (a Surgical Extraction happened at some point), which I appreciate.

2020-01-28 Dice Dojo with Sultai Reclamation 3-1

Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2663192

Introduction:

• Pretty regular at the store now, so near everyone knows what I'm gonna be on. One of these days I'll bust out something different to surprise 'em.
• Tron and control have been majorly underrepresented. Lot of midrange (mostly Jund), bits of combo, and a fair amount of aggro. Could try cutting Ceremonious Rejection and hope not to be punished hmmm.

Round 1 vs Piper T on 5C Niv (2-1, 1-0)

This is the fourth time we've played the matchup, so we know the score. Ways for me to lose: Wrenn & Six emblem/value, unanswered Teferi Time Raveler stalling me, resolved Niv-Mizzet Reborn/Bring to Light.

Game 1 He has the PW friends. I almost get got by an instant-speed BtL after I Trophy his TTR, but Logic Knot takes care of that. Later I bounce W&6 and let it resolve on the recast, and eventually concedes when I've gained significant card advantage. I always respect and appreciate an opponent who knows when the control deck has "won" even though their win-con isn't present yet.

Game 2 He mulls to 4, and starts off with a bit of a strange t1 sequence: fetch Snow-Covered Swamp into Astrolabe. It's explained on T2 with a Kroxa, and over the next many turns I slowly die to a 4/3 Knight of Autumn (and being relatively flooded).

Game 3 I'm able to counter almost everything relevant he goes for, which is where I want to be in the matchup.

Round 2 vs Rich T on GUw Titan (2-0, 2-0)

Game 1 He's on the play and starts out of the gate with multiple ramp spells and I'm unable to counter a t4ish Titan. However, I do have multiple Cryptic Commands and Snapcaster Mages to buy enough (actually a lot of) turns to assemble 2 Reclamations, Nexus, USZ for 10, then threaten USZ to deck myself & him. Feature from this game: casting Uro 3 times from hand in one turn with one already on the field.

Game 2 Rich doesn't have a lot of ramp going on, but a fair amount of reaction - two Beast Withins on my B-producing lands, and a Blast Zone for my Reclamation. I recognize that he's waiting on a Cavern of Souls, so while I'm waiting around I Teachings for Surgical on the sleeping Uro, checking out a hand of Pact, 3 Primeval Titans, and the 2nd Beast Within. He soon finds a Cavern to start casting Titans. The first one is taken care of by a naturally drawn Summary Dismissal, and the second one receives a pre-tutored Shadow of Doubt. Meanwhile, I've been beating with the Beast tokens and have assembled a mighty pile of lands incl. one Field of the Dead, then swing with my Beasts/Zombies for lethal through a 6/6 blocker by using the ol' 5UU extra combat step instant.

Round 3 vs Brian R on Jund (2-1, 3-0)

Game 1 He's got the Goyf beats and I lose

Game 2 In the midgame Brian runs a Raging Ravine into a known? Gearhulk, then attempts to 2nd main Lili -2. I go for Snap -> target Pulse, intending to sac Snap & Pulse it back EoT, and he concedes here having fetch/shock/pained/Thoughtseized to 7 life already.

Game 3 is a long grind with topdecks, but Field of the Dead gets there in the end. At 10 lands, I topdeck Teachings, hold it, then tutor-cast Fact or Fiction when he goes for a Liliana of the Veil.

Round 4 vs Zak K on Magus of the Moon Cheese (game score, match score)

The moon is made out of cheese! He's got Gemstone Caverns and SSGs for acceleation. On the beaters front, I see Copter, Bonecrusher Giant, and Eidolon of the Great Revels.

Game 1 I lose to a t2 Caverns-powered Magus and only having 1 basic Island.

Game 2 I fumble my first two lands, losing 2 life unnecessarily. I kill the first Magus, and he casts a second but that's not what I lose to. I lose to being stuck on three lands (2 are basic Forest & Island, and I have Manamorphose/Cryptic/Reclamation/Gearhulk/other stuff in hand. I can't do anything on three lands, so I lose to that oof

Thoughts:

• I've been utilizing Mystic Sanctuary for value throughout my matches, so that's pretty good. However, I think it pairs best with Archmage's Charm which I'm only running as a one-of because Archmage's Charm lets you dig deeper than a Cryptic. In those kind of scenarios, Cryptic is a jack of all trades master of none.
• Fact or Fiction & recasting it somehow tends to be the nails in the coffin for my matches. Maybe in the more stock builds they lean on USZ, but I've really shied away from middling USZs (pretty much any USZ for less than 7) and only tutor it when I'm setting up the win.
• Decklist changes: I like it right now. I've been impressed with the Archmage's Charm, mildly underwhelmed with Consume the Meek (but when it's good it's really good), and feel like I'm always trimming Opts.
• Field of the Dead is a great alt-win con, but it hurts that I tend to double up on shocklands, so maybe I should try a BFZ tangoland? Considering cutting basic Swamp... if I'm SBing Manamorphose it can go, but in aggro matchups where I want to save life... hm

2019-12-15 & 2019-12-17 Dice Dojo with Sultai Reclamation combined 6-0

Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2579407

Introduction:

• It's been a while. Went to GP Columbus. Forgot my modern deck. Played a bunch of Mystery Booster draft and had a blast.
• I got off Snow lands because 1) Ice-Fang Coatl didn't feel like it did enough and 2) I want to play Unglued basics again.
• Found out I've been milling incorrectly (need to mill 1 card at a time, in case Nexus gets revealed, then I have a chance of milling it again lolol)
• Adjusted sideboard to account better for Okos (Mystical Dispute) and potential Veil of Summers (Dispel). Abrupt Decay as always is a great card vs 3 mana PWs.

Round 1 vs Cobi R on GW Defender Wild Pair (2-0, 1-0)

Both games he had pretty slow starts (i.e. not doing anything until turn 3). Didn't have a lot of trouble with this deck. I never let a Wild Pair resolve, counterspelled Collected Company a few times, wiped the board with Consume the Meek, then smashed in for the win. Game 2 has a nice USZ for 18.

Round 2 vs Alex F-G on Grixis Death's Shadow (2-0, 2-0)

Game 1:

Another match with a slow start. I remember Alex playing Jund, but he leads on double Bloodstained Mire do nothing?? Turn 3 finally starts casting spells. Both games are pretty close, since Gurmag Angler is hard to answer once it hits the battlefield, I get to Assassin's Trophy twice & stabilize with Torrential Gearhulk (beats Angler in a fight AND can't be Stubbed!). I'm able to switch onto the beatdown since his life total is so low (and no DS on battlefield), and that's game 1 in the books.

Game 2 he doesn't have much in the way of life loss or the DS plan, but iirc I get to Remand Angler, then it sits on the battlefield for a few turns. He runs out The Royal Scions to accrue value, but I'm able to Abrupt Decay one turn before ulting, then I Nexus for a turn with his shields down, USZ for 17 (my entire deck at that point), and beats like this.

Round 3 vs Brendan O on 3/4C Whirza (2-0, 3-0)

Paired down, w/e

Game 1 he just doesn't have a lot going on. Emry rebuys Mishra's Bauble a few times, but I'm able to sit back, play lands, then Teachings for an Abrupt Decay & smash for the win.

Game 2 is way more of a game. He finds more payoffs, esp. Urza but he runs out of gas, while I Consume the Meek some Urza tokens and Fracturing Gust two of his four artifacts for good measure.

Round 4 vs ID (3-0-1)

Thoughts:

• I'm not sure where I'm vs Oko type decks. Need more reps.
• Round 2 was the closest of the night, by far, but he was relatively Stub-light & I was able to get past him with card advantage spells.
• Maindecks Consume the Meek still seems fine, I like my sideboard right now.

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Decklist: The same

Round 1 vs Tony T on Grixis Control (2-0, 1-0)

Both of our respective turn ones are Creeping Tar Pits, leading to a funny little staredown. I admire the cut of his jib - Creeping Tar Pits AND Unglued basics? A kindred spirit. He Thoughtseizes me turn 2, seeing 2 Remands and a Snapcaster Mage, then turn 3 plays a Narset into my other Remand. Turn 4 he leads with Thoughtseize, predicting a follow-up Narset, but this is fine. I have Wilderness Reclamation in hand which is nigh-impossible for Grixis to remove. He finds Nicol Bolas, Dragon-God off the Narset activation, but never plays it for the rest of the game. That turn I also fumble, casting a Remand from hand & not utilizing Snap + Remand, leaving another in hand. I try to get a little feisty with my Creeping Tar Pits, but definitely should have just held them back as mana sources. Doesn't matter, because my mana > his mana, and I'm able to go Teachings-FoF > Teachings-Gearhulk > FoF > Teachings-Nexus.

Game 2 is a bit of back and forth but eventually *he's* the one who gets feisty with Creeping Tar Pits, but I just Teachings for Assassin's Trophy & bounce the other with Cryptic Command.

Round 2 vs Alex F-G on GDS (2-0, 2-0)

Some slow starts from him, but he never has Stubborn Denials esp. in their Negate forms. FoF, Gearhulks clean it up.

Game 2 he again doesn't have much going on, and Devour Flesh on Gurmag Angler seals his action off. Basically, once I get efficient exchanges or card advantage spells off, I'm in the driver's seat (Remand on Angler, Cryptic Command on any relevant spell, Fact or Fiction, Snapcaster + anything)

Round 3 vs Jesse R on UR wizards (2-1, 3-0)

Game 1 She spins her wheels for a while, playing out Delvers and cantripping, but Push and Consume the Meek keep the board clear. I think they Deprived one of my spells on turn 4, when they should have countered my turn 3 EoT Pulse of Murasa.

Game 2 I get turn 3 Blood Moon'd without an answer in hand, and ded.

Game 3 I do a lot of action on her turn to play around those Force of Negations ex. Fatal Push on upkeep. My counterspells on their turn also play around FoN. I have an Abrupt Decay for the Blood Moon they eventually run out, then Gearhulk for the win (can't be countered by Force of Negation, basically immune to their removal!)

Round 4 vs ID on Deck (3-0-1)

Thoughts:

• Repeatedly, I find that Gearhulk is just better choice than a fourth Snapcaster Mage. It does basically all the same things (and better) except flashing back 1-2 CMC spells
• Key decision points of the night: round 1 game 1 Remanding t4 Thoughtseize + letting Narset resolve in order to jam Reclamation, round 3 game 3 playing around Blood Moons and Force of Negation
• I like the deck a lot, but need to identify its bad matchups & tune for those. I still have a lot of outsider advantage, ex. players not recognizing the value of Pulse of Murasa.

2019-09-17 Dice Dojo with Sultai Snow Reclamation 2-2

Round 1 vs Isaac S on Abzan Druid (0-2, 0-1)

Misplayed horribly game 1, decided not to Logic Knot Vizier for some reason

Game 2 kept a weak hand i.e. without Fatal Push and got combod on turn 4. After this match I woke up for real.

Round 2 vs Alex H on Grixis Whirza (2-0, 1-1)

Game 1 I was the beatdown. He didn't find the combo until towards the end, so I pressured his life total, Remanded Urza a few times, USZ for 7 and gg

Game 2 he had quite some stuff going. A turn 1 Grafdigger's Cage, assembling Goblin Engineer + Sword + Thopter in the midgame. Then I dropped a Reclamation, held up Cryptics, used extra mana to Teachings for Fracturing Gust and Surgical off the flashback, wiped his board and smashed in with Gearhulk.

Round 3 vs Adam R on UW Spirits/Flash (0-2, 1-2)

Imo an extremely unfavorable matchup.

Game 1 I Teachings upped a  Consume the Meek, but then he drew double Selfless Spirit and had triple Spell Queller wtfff

Game 2 more of the same. Selfless Spirit and Spell Quellers to invalidate my strategy by forcing me to be reactive to 2 damage clocks.

Round 4 vs Eli on Eldrazi Tron (1-2, 2-2)

Game 1 I got attacked by an Expedition Map what (Karn, TGC)

Game 2 Dropped to 5, blocked his lone Thought-Knot Seer threat with my Torrrential Gearhulk to stabilize. Then pressured with Gearhulk + Tar Pit, Remanded an All is Dust, then next turn he forced my hand with Chalice on 4 into my shown Summary Dismissal into a successful All is Dust. However, I'd put him to 4 on the previous attack and Tar Pit cleaned up over two turns.

Game 3... He dropped a bunch of threats, Ice-Fang Coatls held back for a bit but Eldrazi Trons has access to next-level counters with Walking Ballista and Endbringer. I misplayed by playing out my sixth land, then casting Surgical Extraction for real mana to exile Reality Smashers when I could have flashed back Mystical Teachings. Game was tight and I think my misplay potentially cost me this game/match. I was very far behind - no Tron but he resolved multiple creatures using Cavern of Souls. Plus, he had a Blast Zone on 2 to negate the effects of my Coatls.

2019-09-15 Dice Dojo with Sultai Snow Reclamation 3-0

Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2226390

Round 1 vs Daniel J on Abzan Druid (2-1, 1-0)The trick to this matchup is not "Bolting" the Bird, but rather the Devoted Druids. Vizier of Remedies is a better target, but pilots know this so they tend to play it last. He was a bit new to the deck - tried to Chord without triple G once.

Game 1 I got combod out, game 2 was a close life points race, and game 3 he Chorded for 1 with Kitchen Finks and Vizier out, telegraphing a Viscera Seer. Being a Blue Sun's Zenith deck, I allowed it to resolve - a more experienced Druid combo player would recognize that the infinite life combo isn't good enough, and also that Chording for extra X is a good bluff tactic.

Round 2 vs Nick L on UW Stoneblade (2-0, 2-0)

Game 1 he had an anemic start, and I my card advantage beat his.

Game 2 I was the aggressor, bumping him all the way down to 6 before he SFMd a Batterskull. He stabilized to 14 off a couple attacks, but then I found a Torrential Gearhulk, drew a bunch of cards, took some turns and the rest of his life.

Round 3 vs Matthew F on RW Burn (2-0. 3-0)

Game 1 He had a Goblin Guide and some early creatures, but I cast Pulse of Murasa twice then ended the game with some attackers while holding up double Remand at a comfortable 6 life.

Game 2 He had a lot slower of a start, as did I. He held up an obvious Skullcrack, careful of my lifegain. I dropped to 5 from steady pressure, gained 4 from Life Goes On to 9, then stabilized there. He had nothing versus my counterspells, so I took a half-turn to Teachings for Weather the Storm. Weather the Storm was cast in response to a Bolt, which met his longheld Skullcrack that then received a Spell Snare I too had been sitting on.

Round 4 vs ??? ID

Thoughts:

• Ran pretty hot
• I don't know about my sideboard - it feels like I have such a different package for every deck... I should write up a sideboard guide. Would be a decent exercise

2019-09-10 Dice Dojo with Sultai Snow Reclamation 2-2

Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2226390

Introduction:

• New store just a couple blocks from my apartment
• I seem to have misplaced a Breeding Pool, and have been playing a 3rd Hinterland Harbor instead
• I finally switched my basics to snow basics (T_T my poor Unglued basics) and am trying out Ice-Fang Coatls to combat those creature based decks

Round 1 vs Tony HG on GDS (1-2, 0-1)

Game 1 I just lost to an unanswered Angler. I took Devour Flesh out of the maindeck, but maybe I should put it back?

Game 2 he had nothing going on and I managed to clear him out through combat damage.

Game 3 quick start, deployed Gurmag Angler and Death's Shadow

In this matchup, I think I need to mulligan for hands that are simultaneously resilient to discard and able to compete with what GDS is doing. Maybe another Veil of Summer in the side?

Round 2 vs Patrick C on UB standard reanimator with draft rares (2-0, 1-1)

Poor guy is just starting modern, playing a UB standard draft rares reanimator deck. To be honest, he never stood a chance. I had a slow start game 1 but then found some Reclamations into draw spells. A few turns later, triple Reclamation let me USZ him for 60.

In between games, we make conversation and he shows me a sideboard Thought Distortion. I make a face. Fortunately he never finds it, and I clean him up with a USZ for 9, then beats with my little dudes.

Round 3 vs Vincent R on Jund (0-2, 1-2)

Another guy just starting in modern! Oh wait, he just went turn 1 Verdant Catacombs into turn 2 Wrenn and Six. Honestly, I'm not that scared of his cards. Yes Scavenging Ooze is annoying, Wrenn and Six generates crazy value, and Tarmogoyf/Liliana of the Veil are decent, but the card I'm most scared of is Bloodbraid Elf. It's a friggin' two-for-one that makes my counterspells look silly (esp. Remand)

Game 2 iirc I get stuck on UB mana with G spells in hand, after mulling to 6.

Round 4 vs Kurt D on mono R aggro (2-1, 2-2)

Pretty chill match. Guy lets me do my thing, drawing cards, floating turns, the whole she-bang. Game 1 I verbally bait him into playing out a Flame of Keld off a Light Up the Stage, then clear it with my on-board Blast Zone + Reclamation. I survive, USZ for 26 to draw my deck, take some turns, then make him USZ for 42 cards.

Game 2 I don't have enough going on (i.e. no Fatal Pushes), get run over.

Game 3 is a blowout. I keep his board empty, counter his spells, and he concedes to a Blast Zone killing a 1-drop + Life Goes On.

Thoughts:

• I love Fact or Fiction. I didn't mention it above because I don't have a clear memory of the exact plays, but it's just so much card advantage.
• You know what goes great with Fact or Fiction? Torrential Gearhulk to see 5 more cards! 10 mana over two turns, and I get to see 10 cards hnnngh
• Mana is a bit sketchy, my overall curve might be a bit high. I should probably adjust my manabase, but I'm really considering a Snow build if I can buy 2 Prismatic Vistas
• Sideboard... I don't know about the second Spell Snare, or even the Ice-Fang Coatls. They haven't been stellar performers for me, and it seems like there's a decent amount of U and B at this store, so Veil of Summer sounds really good.

2019-07-11 Iron Buffalo with Sultai Teachings 2-2

Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/2025213#paper

Introduction:

• So I'm not going to be posting every event I go to any more, just the ones I feel like. Sorry!
• Played suboptimally for sure, but I want to focus on my sideboarding decisions this time & possible options/changes
• This is not a high quality post

Round 1 vs Ken on Eldrazi Tron (1-2, 0-1)
Drew poorly, mostly. Thought-Knot Seer was a pain.
Out: 1 Fatal Push, 2 Remand?
In: 1 Ceremonious Rejection, 1 Hero's Downfall, 1 Summary Dismissal
Eldrazi Tron is basically a midrange deck with stompy threats. Remand is good if I can dodge Cavern, but I feel like the two counterspells I boarded in fill the role better. Hurkyl's Recall would be a niche choice for the Karn + Lattice combo, but it's really a gotcha interaction that only works once in the match. However, for the other artifact matchups I feel that Fracturing Gust is already great, as well as Consume the Meek versus the artifact creature decks.
It's possible I should be taking out Blast Zone in this matchup.

Round 2 vs Adam on Neoform (2-0, 1-1)
Game 1 he plays two Waterlogged Groves, then a Yavimaya Coast. My mind is blank, but then he casts an Allosaurus Rider and tries to Eldritch Evolution it. I come back to my senses, manage to tap my two lands for a Remand, and he concedes.
Out: 1 Fatal Push, 1 Surgical Extraction
In: 1 Dispel, 1 Shadow of Doubt
Game 2 is slow. He hits me with a Wild Cantor for about 12 damage because I don't feel pressured & let it live, instead holding up multiple counterspells. I'm sitting on three Cryptics, so after a while I start bouncing his lands end of turn. Eventually I drop Torrential Gearhulk and smash.

Round 3 vs Bill on Jund Shadow/Dreadhorde Arcanist (2-1, 2-1)
I asked a friend what he was playing, then promptly forgot. I then kept a hand with a bunch of 4 drops and lost.
Out: 3 Remand, 1 Torrential Gearhulk
In: 1 Consume the Meek, 2 Fatal Push, 1 Weather the Storm
Games 2 & 3 I keep sturdier hands, draw a bunch of cards, and take over the game through sheer card advantage. Devour Flesh is great in this matchup, and is why I don't replace it with Liliana's Triumph or Diabolic Edict.

Round 4 vs Andrew on 4C Zoo (0-2, 2-2)
Some misplays, got run over. BBE is the bane of this deck's existence.
Out: 1 Opt?, 3 Remand, 1 Surgical Extraction
In: 1 Consume the Meek, 2 Fatal Push, 1 Life Goes On, 1 Weather the Storm

Thoughts:

• General: Played pretty sloppy, kept some loose hands. I think I need more practice with the London mulligan.
• Possible changes: Hurkyl's Recall? Maybe cut Weather The Storm for being too cute? Maybe I should be on the snow plan with Ice-Fang Coatls.

2019-06-05 Dark Forest with Sultai Teachings 2-1

Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1980187#paper

Introduction:

• I've been a bit remiss about recent reports, but suffice it to say that I've 1-3'd and 2-2'd several events with Sultai and a little bit of Mardu Pyro
• So Spring // Mind was a bust
• I've added maindeck Surgical mostly for Phoenix, but haven't seen it much lately.
• Gearhulk as 4th Snapcaster

Round 1 vs Christian on UW Control (2-0, 1-0)

Christian's deck features all the new toys from the recent sets: Narset, 3-feri, Dovin's Veto.

Game 1 I countered all his threats, then USZ'd repeatedly until my deck was all Nexus & USZ, effectively threatening to deck him. Pulse of Murasa & Snap-Pulse was pretty crucial to accumulating enough mana. In total, I cast USZ 4 times for 7, 9, 11, then 9 again to empty my deck.

Game 2 he mulls to 5, but has quite a few Dovin's Veto to win counter wars vs my embarrassing Dispel. I USZ 'dfor 8, Surgical'd Path, then won with a Snapcaster + Gearhulk beats.

Round 2 vs Mike K on not-KCI (2-0, 2-0)

I've played Mike & his deck before, though he previously had access to KCI. There are very clear targets to counter/remove from his deck, so it was a fairly straightforward match. The combo involves Semblance Anvil, Alhammaret's Archive, and Aetherflux Reservoir, alongside a suite of Tron lands, Buried Ruin, and 2 mana cantripping artifacts.

Game 1 he had a Buried Ruin-heavy hand, allowing him to rebuy artifacts a few times. No Reclamation/USZ/Nexus shenanigans, so I just hit him a few times with a Snapcaster for pressure. Teachings for Surgical in response to Buried Ruin on Reservoir led to a relatively early concession.

Game 2 was much the same of the first - non of the shenanigans, turn 1 Spell Snare as a stumbling block. Went draw-go for several turns, and I was holding on to a pile of Cryptics/Remands/Snapcasters that eventually led to double Snapcaster beats with double counter backup. He tried to stall me out with an Elsewhere Flask into Echoing Truth lol.

I appreciate the deck, because it's an interesting proto-brew of the KCI archetype. Admittedly, it lacks the same enablers, payoffs, and resiliency, but it's certainly a combo deck that has the trademark unfairness of modern (oh hey, mana reduction is broken who'd have thought).

Round 3 vs Brendan F on Humans (1-2, 2-1)

Game 1 I managed to chain Cryptics into Gearhulk-Cryptics into just enough swing-Gearhulk-Teachings-Teachings-Nexus-repeat to win.

Game 2 he had the SB cards: an early Sin Collector, Knight of Autumn vs a Reclamation I didn't play with Cryptic backup.

Game 3 I misplay. He has a huge board, and I'm able to stabilize with a Pulse (protecting myself from Vial'd Mantis Riders) and Cryptics. However, Surgical on Thalia reveals that he has a Selfless Spirit, protecting him from my Consume the Meek in hand. I misplay, by using Gearhulk to flashback Cryptic tap-draw when I should have been bouncing Gearhulk to stall. I need a third black source to Push Spirit + Consume on his turn, but then it turns out he topdecked a Phantasmal Image and I can't answer with two lands + CtM in hand.

• Sultai with Growth Spiral on 2 is a very different deck than Sultai without.
• Maybe don't need maindeck Surgical, but it's nice & the opportunity cost is low.
• Among the store owner & players present, I guess I'm known as the brews guy lol. I hope I can find & play more fringe but competitive decks since they're a ton of fun.
• Got foil Mystical Teachings! Not ideal since the deck is part foils & part non-foil, so there's the concern of marked cards.

2019-04-19/20 MagicFest Niagara Falls

Bought the constructed package, since I don't play Legacy.

Friday 11 AM Modern Double-Up with Dredge
Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1821610#paper

Round 1 vs Andy G on Affinity (1-2, 0-1)
Won game 1, then games 2 & 3 he had turn 1 Grafdigger's Cage :/

Round 2 vs David L on Boros Burn (1-2, 0-2)
Won game 1, then lost to RIP in games 2 & 3 though I had a Claim in game 3.
Then I dropped :s

On to the interesting stuff!

Friday 6 PM Modern with Sultai Reclamation
Decklist: https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1774456#paper

Round 1 vs Andrew S on RGb Breach Titan (2-0, 1-0)
Very close games both times. Basically, I didn't counter the ramp spells but was able to go off before his natural land drops killed me. Countered his Through the Breaches and Primeval Titans - Remand is a big tempo play vs both. In game 2 I fired off an Assassin's Trophy on Valakut without a Surgical/Extirpate ready, and he surprised me with his own Pulse of Murasa.

Round 2 vs Tanner on Bant Spirits (2-0, 2-0)
He has a pretty slow start, leading with Noble into a Drogskol Captain. When he casts a Phantasmal Image, I fetch-Push the Captain, leaving him with double Hierarch. Over the next couple turns, he tries to resolve Collected Company. I Remand it twice and when he finally manages to resolve it the third time, it whiffs. Whew. Meanwhile, the Hierarch is swinging for a meager 2 per turn lol
Eventually I land Reclamation. If I remember correctly, he drops Deputy of Detention, I cast Teachings in response, which he then exiles with Spell Queller? and Deputy hits Reclamation. At this point I have 8 lands, Snapcaster in hand, Fatal Push and Pulse of Murasa in the graveyard. I pass the turn. He swings with Noble, and I consider chumping with Snapcaster Mage to trigger Revolt for a flashback Fatal Push. But wait, there's a better line!

1. Opponent attacks with a Noble Hierarch with 2 Exalted triggers
2. Flash in Snapcaster Mage, target Pulse of Murasa.
3. Chump block the Hierarch. Snapcaster dies.
4. End of turn: flash back Pulse, getting back Snapcaster Mage and 6 life.
5. Recast Snapcaster, targeting Fatal Push
6. Push Deputy, get back Wilderness Reclamation. Snapcaster is still alive on board.

Game 2 he has a RIP but I counter it. He applies more pressure than game 1, and also plays out Eidolon of Rhetoric and Damping Sphere. Both are roadblocks, but I push through and finish the game at 1 life.

Went for the 2-0-1 facilitated split. I should probably be writing down how big my USZs are for each game.

Saturday 2:30 PM Modern Double-Up with Sultai Reclamation

Round 1 vs Bethany on Jund (2-0, 1-0)
Bethany was a newbie to modern, apparently only having just borrowed the deck from a friend 30 mins prior. I countered or removed all her threats, and went off. Her inexperience with the deck showed when she tried to play Liliana of the Veil for 4 mana, not using Twilight Mire to filter mana & leave mana open, and not knowing that Raging Ravine could animate into a threat.
That said, I had the answers for most of those things - BBE is the scariest card in her deck.
I dug up my Summary Dismissal and may be adding it to my SB moving forward.

Round 2 vs Stephen on Boros burn (0-2, 1-1)
Beats. Game 2 I'm almost able to stabilize, but I misplay. I land Reclamation, then float some mana and Teachings for Pulse of Murasa. I have Dispel and Snapcaster in hand, but mistakenly think that I should Pulse immediately to play around Skullcrack. Next turn he slams a RIP, when I could have waited with Snapcaster Mage for Spell Snare and Dispel backup! I was at 7 life, which mostly caused my hasty misplay.

Round 3 vs Forrest on Hardened Scales (2-1, 2-1)
Game 1 he goes off with just a Steel Overseer and Animation Module, while I'm sitting around with counterspells.
Post-board is way better. Game 2 I tutor for a Fracturing Gust and sit on it as my back up plan since I'm under pretty low pressure. I tutor for another Teachings, then I decide to Consume the Meek. He has a Karn, Scion of Urza which I bounce with Cryptic then counter on the way back down (hello Ceremonius Rejection). I manage a swing with Snap + Tar Pit, and he concedes knowing the game is over. It felt a little premature, but at the same time I think it's a pretty high level skill to know when the control deck has enough resources that you can simply no longer win. Props to you, Forrest.
Game 3 he keeps a 1 lander while I get to Reclamation & a bunch of mana. His hand was pretty decent, and only needed 1 more land to get off the ground - I think it was something like Forest + Worker + Hardened Scales + 2 drops.

Saturday 6:30 PM Modern with Sultai Reclamation
Round 1 vs Chris M on GDS (1-2, 0-1)
Game 1 he has low pressure, mainly Delve threats. I Devour Flesh his Gurmag Angler and he Dismembers it in response lol
Game 2 he has a quick Zombie Fish, Stubs my spells, and I die. I am able to Surgical him and see 3 Surgical Extraction, 2 Disdainful Strokes. Also a JVP, which wasn't relevant to the game.
Game 3 he lands another early Angler... I'm almost able to stabilize at 8... I Snapcaster to Devour Flesh... he Snaps, putting flashback on Disdainful Stroke, saccing Snap to Devour Flesh... then I go for an end of turn Nexus of Fate forgetting about the Stroke. Oops.

Round 2 vs Reshad on GB elves (2-1, 1-1)
Game 1 he plays out about a half-dozen dorks and beats me in with them. He heckles my deck, asking how my durdle fest can ever beat an Ezuri deck. I nod in agreement and silently sideboard in Consume the Meek + Crypt Incursion. He also reveals that he's sideboarding in 4x Reclamation Sage, but that's totally expected & not really giving away extra information - CtM is the only card that will matter in the matchup.
Game 2... by turn 4 I'm not yet dead, so I tutor up Consume on his end step. His next turn, he plays Ezuri and asks if Consume the Meek prevents regeneration. Yeeeup. Next turn I tutor for that Crypt Incursion and go to 20 from 2 life (iirc I had to shock for Consume mana). He drops some dudes again but I flashback Consume and finish him off.
Game 3 I keep an opener with Crypt Incursion and Teachings. It's a little rough going, since I need to Cryptic-tap to stay alive for a few turns, but then draw Consume naturally!! Crypt Incursion puts me to 28 from 4 and he concedes!! How do I beat Ezuri decks indeed.

Round 3 vs Ken on UR Phoenixs (2-1, 2-1)
Game 1 he has an atrocious start - something like 10 lands drawn by the time I cast a huge USZ.
Game 2 I Surgical his Phoenix on his turn 1, seeing a Blood Moon. He cantrips for several, then plays Blood Moon and I realize I was an idiot.
Game 3 he leads triple Spirebluff, so Blood Moon isn't as much of a threat. He isn't able to turn Phoenixes online until turn 4 or so, which I proceed to Extirpate. I see that he's boarded in Ral Izzet Viceroy (in hand) and a Chandra ToD in the deck, which I counter on the next turn, and later in the game respectively. I accumulate more mana and cards, eventually getting the win with double Creeping Tar Pits.

Sultai:

• Overall game record: 13-6
• Overall match record: 6-2
• Cards drawn: a lot

Cards I'm considering for the 75 / have ordered:

• Torrential Gearhulk
• Spring // Mind
• Far // Away (maaaybe okay?)
• Shadow of Doubt
• Ravenous Trap
• Nimble Obstructionist
• Silumgar's Command (lol)

Draft 1: Accidentally screwed up the seating which messed up the pairings. Sorry judge!
Rakdos with several rares. Don't really know how to draft Rakdos, and could tell that I was splitting the archetype with someone. Lost in round 2 vs a guy with better Rakdos - more removal and two Rix Maadi Revelers

Draft 2: P1P1 Gatebreaker Ram. Don't see any other payoffs, pick up a late Sneak in pack 2 and a Gates Ablaze in pack 3. Cruised off of Ram, mainly. Round 2 was against a guy who spammed irl [shrug emoji] which was a little annoying. Split in round 3.

Draft 3: P1P1 Precognitive Perception. Eventually drifted into Esper, picking up a decent number of guildgates for fixing. P2P1 Kaya, P3P2?  got passed Emergency Powers lol. During deckbuilding, I realized that Undercity's Embrace was terrible with all my aura removal.
Smashed all my opponents by countering or enchanting all of their threats. The ones that I couldn't were blocked by Azorius Knight-Arbiter. Round 1 I actually won my first game through decking with Kaya + EP LOL

https://www.mtggoldfish.com/deck/1832128#paper