Last Friday was another usual Friday Night Magic Standard tournament for the local Ilonggos who would feel to spend that night shuffling cards before the Fate Reforged Prerelease the next day. There were ten participants so that means a four-round tournament.

I piloted White Blue Heroics, with the list based on my previous post and hoped for some lucky draw and curve. That was not meant to be in the first round as I got crushed by Red Green Monsters in two games. One Game 1, I kept a risky hand with scry lands and a Defiant Strike and a few ordeals but with no creatures. I am on the draw but the high chances were there and drawing at least one heroic critter would surely win me the game. There was no site of one after many turns and I just died from a large creature and some burn spells. Game 2 was mull to six with one land, one Favored Hoplite, and again Defiant Strike and Gods Willing. I kept and the second land was just too late and again I was overwhelmed by the opponent’s board.

I was hoping for luck in my second Round as I was faced again on another Red Green matchup, this time against my teammate Arthur. The starting hand was favorable this time and I was able to win both games cruising with a huge unblockable Hero of Iroas or any of the two hoplites.

Round 3 was against Jeskai Ascendancy combo which I needed a god to draw to be able to finish him before he goes off with the combo. Good thing he didn’t get the right cards after a few cantrips and a Dig Through Time. I boarded in my Erases, Glare, and Stubborn Denials to counter his enchantment but in Game 2 he was able to pull off by turn 5. In the decider game, I had my first play on a second-turn Hero of Iroas while he missed his third land by one turn though he got Rattleclaw Mystic to mana ramp. I then just chained from strike to Ordeal of Thassa to hit for large damage to force him to either block or bounce my creature with helix. After a few cantrips and spells with the Jeskai Ascendancy in which he didn’t find a zero to cast artifact, he finally decided for the helix bounce but I got the Gods Willing for protection and he extended the hand.

Round 4 versus Mono Red was a do-or-die match for me to get into the Top 4. He started fast but I was able to recover with a timed Ordeal of Heliod, gaining ten lives. I followed it up with a pilgrim tutor for Aqueous Form to deal lethal damage. My sideboard list has enough cards for life-gain purposes so I just needed to draw one so to be safe from the initial assault. I also boarded the trailblazers for more consistency on turn one. Good thing there were no blunders on my starting hand on Game 2 so it was just elementary: Heroic creature into protection spell into lifegain into unblockable damage.

My final record was 3-1 and made it on fourth place. It was another foil Frenzied Goblin for the card pool and an additional virtual point bonus for the team. Next up would be a report of the Fate Reforged Iloilo Prerelease (which almost never happened because of courier issues) though I might need some time to detail that one.

That is a wrap and until the next post.