I did not actually make the second part of the report regarding my preparation reparations for GP Manila because of time constraints and I think it is already too late so I’ll just have a recap of the event and what were the happenings.

As mentioned on the previous post, the deck that I played for the event was Red Green Aggro and here is the decklist I signed in:

Maindeck
3 Ashcloud Phoenix
2 Boon Satyr
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Fanatic of Xenagos
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Heir of the Wilds
3 Polukranos, World Eater
2 Stormbreath Dragon

3 Crater’s Claws
4 Lightning Strike
3 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker

7 Forest
2 Mana Confluence
7 Mountain
4 Temple of Abandon
4 Wooded Foothills

Sideboard
2 Arc Lightning
1 Barrage of Boulders
1 Burn Away
1 Chandra Pyromaster
1 Fated Conflagration
3 Destructive Revelry
1 Harness by Force
2 Magma Spray
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Savage Punch
1 Xenagos the Reveler

I had really wanted a playset of Stormbreath Dragon because of the expected matchup against Abzan decks but due to card conflicts with that of JayR’s deck (he also played Red Green) and was not able to borrow cards from Gian, I was forced to stick with just two and added a third Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker.

The sideboard plan was similar to what I have played at the Iloilo Champs so the slight changes were unnoticed. I just stick to what cards to board in against the popular decks. The expected decks were Abzan Aggro, midrange and whip versions, Sultai Whip, Jeskai Tokens and Mardu Midrange.

The Manila Trip

It was the first time I to spend the New Year in the city. That is because I don’t want to be late on my flight the next morning at 11:20am. I chose that schedule because I was somewhat late in booking during the promo months of October wherein a few of my friends was able to get a cheap flight on January 2. I ran out of promo for that day so I had to check the January 1 schedule and that was the most reasonable flight to book.

I thought I was alone and the first person in our group to have this flight to Manila but Cheljohn contacted me that he also was on an earlier flight at 10:50am. We met up on the airport and decided that he’ll go with me to the hotel after arriving in Manila. He will be arriving first so he’ll just be going to my terminal via airport bus after he gets his baggage (he is on Terminal 3 while my plane will be on Terminal 4).

It was somewhat drizzling in Manila as the plane prepares to land and I noticed the thick fog that I think was residue of the New Year’s eve fireworks on that midnight. We arrived earlier that the schedule and it was the deplaning that got somewhat delayed. Anyhow, it was still early as after I got off, I just wait for about 20 minutes outside the terminal when Cheljohn arrived. We then took a cab going to the hotel located in Mandaluyong.

After confirming our booking and a few minutes of rest at the hotel room, we headed to Robinsons Pioneer beside to grab our lunch. JayR will be arriving in the evening so there was enough time for us for R&R and a few playtests. It was a mirror match since Cheljohn was also playing Red Green so we just discussed the best possible sideboard and in-and-outs against specific deck matchups.

JayR arrived around 9pm and then we went back to Robinsons for dinner. The mall was near closing but good thing their KFC fastfood was still open. After that we decided to find some place to drink and hangout for the rest of the night since the GP registration will still be in the afternoon the next day. I suggested that we go to Greenfield District since it was just nearby. We went to this place which I called as a 24-hour pub since it accommodates the agents from the call center which was also within the place. After a bucket of San Mig lights and discussions of past Grand Prix experiences, we called it a night.

To be continued…

It’s Tuesday noon and I am still having a hangover from last night’s drinking session and Christmas party with Team M14. I guess I needed to enjoy this short happening before we head out to Manila this weekend for the Magic: the Gathering Grand Prix.

It has been two years since the last one and I am hoping this time to at the least make it to Day 2.

As for the deck archetype of choice, I am currently locked on Red Green Aggro. While I am a fan of Abzan or Mardu decks, the inconsistency of three-color mana is sometimes unavoidable. It is given that these two decks are better than RG, but I don’t want to complicate myself in dealing with mirror matches.

Here is what I based on my current decklist:

2 Boon Satyr
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Fanatic of Xenagos
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Heir of the Wilds
4 Polukranos, World Eater
3 Rattleclaw Mystic
3 Stormbreath Dragon

3 Crater’s Claws
4 Lightning Strike
2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker

7 Forest
1 Mana Confluence
7 Mountain
4 Temple of Abandon
4 Wooded Foothills

Source: http://magic.tcgplayer.com/db/deck.asp?deck_id=1224445

The list is somewhat different from what I played on last weekend’s City Champs because of the absence of the Goblin Rabblemasters but this time I am considering on adding them on the deck.

Today will be the final decks setup with the rest of the teammates that are going to the GP and hopefully, we can decide what will be our final 75.

That is about it for now, and stay tuned for part 2. Thanks for reading. Appreciated it.

The tournament fact sheet for the upcoming Grand Prix Manila 2015 is now released in the mothership site. It contains all of the information regarding the event such as the tournament location, tournament format, byes information, artists and prize structure.

The GP main event registration info are the following:

Main Event Registration Fee: 2000 Peso
Registration online until December 30 at 12 a.m.
Registration will be held on-site Friday, January 2 from 2 p.m. – 9 p.m.
There will be no on-site registration on Saturday.

Upon registration, the player will receive an exclusive promo card foil Griselbrand and a GP Manila 2015 playmat. Tournament format will be Standard and decklists will be required. Make sure you’ve clearly written each of the single card in your deck.

The rest of the details on Grand Prix Manila 2015 can be found here.

Grand Prix Manila will once again be held in the next next week and my preparations are currently, just moderate. One major reason maybe is the lack of cards the card pool currently have. We are still coping with the buy list of Avacyn Restored cards, which was the result of not preordering the cards while they still aren’t their hype price.

Anyhow, I’ve decided to go back to my root colors from the previous Zendikar Standard. These are the colors Black and Red. This time, I am taking on the rotting corpses which got popularized in Innistrad. Here is my current list:

Black Red Zombies by Mark Ian Alloso
Maindeck
Lands
14 Swamp
4 Dragonskull Summit
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
1 Cavern of Souls

Creatures
4 Gravecrawler
4 Diregraf Ghoul
4 Geralf’s Messenger
1 Cemetery Reaper
3 Falkenrath Aristocrat
3 Blood Artist
2 Phyrexian Metamorph
2 Highborn Ghoul

Spells
2 Arc Trail
3 Brimstone Volley
3 Geth’s Verdict
1 Sword of War and Peace
1 Go for the Throat
1 Liliana of the Veil
1 Doom Blade
2 Mortarpod

Sideboard
SB: 3 Distress
SB: 3 Manic Vandal
SB: 1 Act of Aggression
SB: 3 Ratchet Bomb
SB: 2 Nihil Spellbomb
SB: 1 Zealous Conscripts
SB: 2 Appetite for Brains

Since I am expecting Delver will still be the popular deck to use, the main deck adjustments will focus on that. That archetype continue to evolve after each weekend of SCG Open tourneys, with Restoration Angel as the current inclusion in the deck.

I am still debating on Liliana to be replaced or not since she’s pretty much slow for the current meta. Maybe she’ll be switched with a fourth Brimstone.

This will still undergo a last weekend of playtesting and hopefully with all the current Tier 1 and 2 decks. I guess I need more articles to read and ponder on to help finalize the list.

Until next post!