It is a bit late to post this news as it is already 4 days past the recent Grand Prix in Birmingham but I am still glad to share this deck, with me being a big fan of Black Red Aggro deck archetypes. The deck was played by Simon Nielsen, who placed 8th after the 15 initial Swiss rounds. He defeated the Top seed BG Constrictor deck with the lethal Ribbons in the deciding game before winning the Semis Mirror matchup. The finals match was somewhat intense as the favor mostly goes with the UW Control player Leon Lahonen which had defeated Black Red decks left and right on the second day of the GP. Three matches later, Nielsen emerged as the winner and crowned champion of Grand Prix Birmingham. Here below is his decklist for Rakdos Aggro:

25 LANDS
1 Aether Hub
4 Canyon Slough
2 Cinder Barrens
4 Dragonskull Summit
11 Mountain
2 Spire of Industry
1 Swamp

19 CREATURES
2 Glorybringer
4 Goblin Chainwhirler
2 Pia Nalaar
2 Rekindling Phoenix
4 Scrapheap Scrounger
3 Soul-Scar Mage
2 Walking Ballista

9 INSTANTS and SORC.
4 Abrade
2 Magma Spray
3 Unlicensed Disintegration

7 OTHER SPELLS
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
3 Heart of Kiran
2 Karn, Scion of Urza

SIDEBOARD
1 Angrath, the Flame-Chained
2 Chandra’s Defeat
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
1 Cut / Ribbons
1 Doomfall
3 Duress
1 Fiery Cannonade
1 Glorybringer
1 Heartless Pillage
1 Karn, Scion of Urza
1 Release the Gremlins
1 Vraska’s Contempt

For the recent Standard metagame update, Temur Energy dominated the recent Grand Prix which was held in Denver, Colorado. The trophy and title of Champion was claimed by Pro player Brad Nelson and he also faced a mirror matchup with Brian Braun-Duin. The build has recently included Skysovereign, Consul Flagship over Aethersphere Harvester for the previous version of the deck. Here below is the winning decklist:

Creature (24)
4 Bristling Hydra
3 Glorybringer
4 Longtusk Cub
1 Rhonas the Indomitable
4 Rogue Refiner
4 Servant of the Conduit
4 Whirler Virtuoso

Sorcery (4)
4 Attune with Aether

Instant (8)
2 Abrade
4 Harnessed Lightning
2 Magma Spray

Artifact (2)
2 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship

Land (22)
4 Aether Hub
4 Botanical Sanctum
4 Forest
1 Game Trail
1 Island
1 Lumbering Falls
2 Mountain
3 Sheltered Thicket
2 Spirebluff Canal

Sideboard (15)
1 Abrade
2 Chandra, Flamecaller
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Confiscation Coup
4 Negate
2 Radiant Flames
2 Tireless Tracker

Black Green Delirium was the deck to beat in the past weeks in the MTG Standard format. Last weekend’s Grand Prix in Denver though proved that the metagame has once again shifted. Looking at the Top 8 decks of the tournament, no BG Delirium deck was able to make it through. That is maybe because they were thwarted by the rising Aetherworks decks. That again opened the way for agro decks to run rampant and one was able to grab the trophy and championship. Presenting the Mardu Vehicles piloted by Matt Severa.

Maindeck
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
4 Thraben Inspector
4 Toolcraft Exemplar
3 Inventor’s Apprentice
4 Veteran Motorist
3 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
4 Scrapheap Scrounger

3 Harnessed Lightning
4 Unlicensed Disintegration
4 Smuggler’s Copter
3 Cultivator’s Caravan

4 Inspiring Vantage
4 Aether Hub
4 Concealed Courtyard
4 Spirebluff Canal
2 Mountain
4 Plains

Sideboard
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
4 Ceremonious Rejection
1 Fragmentize
2 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
4 Galvanic Bombardment
2 Declaration in Stone

Grand Prix Denver full coverage can be found here:
http://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/gpden16

Checking on the coverage of Grand Prix Minnesota, I have read an article that discusses Sam Black’s innovation with White Humans. As of the recent metagame, Humans has been the fastest aggro deck. Popularized by pro player Craig Wescoe, the mono White versions has been successful as of late, but it is not a bad idea to do a little splash.

Sam is now implementing this idea on this current GP with Red as the second color. The splash purpose was for the R/W manland Needle Spires which he is having in the sideboard. It is maybe used for control matchups as a late-game gas against board sweeps. There is no decklist posted just yet, but I assume this is his partial list:

1 Anointer of Champions
2 Consul’s Lieutenant
2 Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit
4 Dragon Hunter
4 Expedition Envoy
4 Knight of the White Orchid
4 Thalia’s Lieutenant
4 Thraben Inspector
4 Town Gossipmonger
3 Kytheon, Hero of Akros

4 Always Watching
4 Declaration in Stone
3 Gryff’s Boon

The lands would just be Plains and Battlefield Forge. We will stay tuned on how the deck performs on the second day of the Grand Prix which will start tonight PH time.

It is pretty obvious that the Vampire deck archetype will have a comeback in Standard in Shadows over Innistrad. As a tribute, I am recalling and sharing the decklist that I loved which gave me my first professional point in Magic in my first-ever Grand Prix

tournament. The event was GP Singapore way back in June 2011 and I finished in 54th place out of the 600+ participants.

Here is the BR Vampires that I played:

Maindeck
4 Bloodghast
4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Kalastria Highborn
4 Vampire Lacerator
3 Pulse Tracker
2 Viscera Seer
2 Hero of Oxid Ridge
2 Manic Vandal

2 Arc Trail
4 Go for the Throat
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Dismember
1 Dark Tutelage

4 Blackcleave Cliffs
4 Dragonskull Summit
4 Lavaclaw Reaches
3 Marsh Flats
2 Verdant Catacombs
6 Swamp

Sideboard
1 Manic Vandal
1 Arc Trail
1 Dark Tutelage
1 Dismember
2 Act of Aggression
1 Batterskull
1 Doom Blade
4 Duress
2 Skinrender
1 Shatter

The GP Singapore 2011 Coverage can be found here.

I am looking forward to play this archetype again in Shadows over Innistrad Standard with the new creatures and spells to utilize. I can already foresee the look of the deck given the card spoilers that I have checked. Speaking of which, I think the full SOI card spoiler is already out so I might check that one in detail and come up with a draft decklist so stay tuned for that one.

That is about it for this Flashback Friday post. Until the next one and thanks for reading.

The Magic: the Gathering Grand Prix schedule for next year has already been announced and so far our Iloilo team has been deciding on which event location to travel to and join. I had my personal travel plans if the budget permits and so far the target place is Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on the last week of October 2016. The tournament format is Standard which is favored by most of our local players.

My first step there would be to apply as a Floor Judge so I could gain my first experience of judging in a Grand Prix scale. Before, I applied for one in GP Hong Kong last August but was rejected. If this one gets rejected again, then I will be going as a player. I traveled to their previous Grand Prix before back in March 2012 and I was just short of Day 2 when I lost to a Japanese player in the last round (finished 6-3). The deck I played that time was White Black Tokens.

Another target Grand Prix destination for next year is the one that will be held in Japan. I know that it is a long shot to qualify as a Judge there but I had to take my chances. My friend Ramon is planning to play in GP Kyoto (Sealed format) in September and since he had traveled to Japan before, he is my number one guide on how to get a Japan Visa and related travel stuff. A fellow judge, Julio from Bacolod is also interested in going to one of the Japanese Grand Prix, either as a judge or a player.

A third Grand Prix for the year might be impossible but GP Taipei is also on my list if given the financial resources. It is another Standard format event and will be held on June 24-26, 2016. Tonton’s friend Deniz Wong will be my source of travel guide and information if ever.

That is about it for the Grand Prix 2016 travel plans. We are still waiting for the right Seat Sale from Cebu Pacific for the plane tickets for Kuala Lumpur. There are a lot of promos announced every week but so far it is not discounted enough. Maybe we can finally book on the early months of 2016, we will see.

Until the next post.

Green Ramp decks has been seeing tournament play and getting decent top finishes. Ulamog and the planeswalker Ugin are the deck’s straightforward threats although a few are trying other color as splash and at the same time act as plan B of the deck. Today’s ramp deck featured Blue as its second color and utilizes the Mythic sorcery, Part the Waterveil.

Here is the decklist:

Mono Green Ramp – Pavel Matousek
Standard, GP Kobe 2015

Maindeck
8 Forest
3 Island
4 Lumbering Falls
1 Prairie Stream
4 Shrine of the Forsaken Gods
3 Windswept Heath

4 Leaf Gilder
2 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
4 Rattleclaw Mystic
4 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger

2 Dig Through Time
4 Explosive Vegetation
3 Nissa’s Pilgrimage
4 Nissa’s Renewal
4 Part the Waterveil
2 Kiora, Master of the Depths
4 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

Sideboard
2 Conduit of Ruin
3 Dispel
4 Jaddi Offshoot
1 Sanctum of Ugin
1 Void Winnower
4 Winds of Qal Sisma

Here are the Top 8 decklist of the recent Magic: the Gathering Standard Grand Prix which was held in Quebec City last weekend. Dark Jeskai proved its dominance in the current metagame as the deck took home the trophy and title of GP Champion. Here is the winning decklist played by Daniel Lanthier.

Maindeck
4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
4 Mantis Rider
3 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
2 Soulfire Grand Master
1 Dragonmaster Outcast

4 Crackling Doom
3 Fiery Impulse
3 Ojutai’s Command
2 Kolaghan’s Command
2 Wild Slash
2 Dig Through Time
2 Dispel
1 Utter End
1 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker

4 Polluted Delta
4 Flooded Strand
4 Mystic Monastery
4 Bloodstained Mire
2 Mountain
2 Prairie Stream
1 Smoldering Marsh
1 Swamp
1 Plains
1 Island
1 Nomad Outpost
1 Sunken Hollow

Sideboard
1 Dragonmaster Outcast
2 Roast
1 Negate
2 Radiant Flames
1 Painful Truths
1 Virulent Plague
2 Duress
1 Felidar Cub
2 Exert Influence
2 Arashin Cleric

You can check the rest of the Top 8 decklists here.

My recent travel abroad was to join the Grand Prix in Hong Kong last August 7-9, 2015. The preparation for the tournament was somewhat decent but the card pool that was passed to me was below average. I was able to reach

the record of 4-1 before plunging into the remaining rounds. The final record was 4-5.

I just enjoyed the rest of the trip and the good thing was Herbert made it to Day 2 with a 7-2 record. I thought I wanted to share with you guys the pictures that I took during the first day of the Grand Prix. The embedding code of the Facebook album is somewhat not functional at this time so you can just click here on the link to the FB page.

The recently concluded Grand Prix in London has featured another update on the Abzan deck archetype. The deck, piloted by Fabrizio Anteri, featured a playset of Hangarback Walker to work with the usual aggro lineup of Anafenza, Fleecemane Lion, and Siege Rhino.

It also has four copies of Dromoka’s Command to deal with enchantment shenanigans and also adds a bonus counter on the walker.

His final opponent is a mirror match with Matteo Moure and here is the winning decklist:

Maindeck
1 Warden of the First Tree
4 Hangarback Walker
4 Fleecemane Lion
4 Den Protector
4 Anafenza, the Foremost
4 Siege Rhino

1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
1 Ajani, Mentor of Heroes

4 Dromoka’s Command
2 Ultimate Price
4 Abzan Charm
1 Hero’s Downfall

4 Sandsteppe Citadel
4 Temple of Malady
1 Temple of Silence
4 Windswept Heath
3 Llanowar Wastes
3 Caves of Koilos
1 Mana Confluence
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
3 Forest
2 Plains

Sideboard
1 Ultimate Price
4 Thoughtseize
2 Self-Inflicted Wound
2 Tragic Arrogance
2 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
1 Arashin Cleric
1 Surge of Righteousness
1 Glare of Heresy
1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang

The recently concluded Grand Prix in Las Vegas for the Modern Masters Limited format granted two champions (as the tournament was forced to be divided into two events due to its very large attendance of nearly 8000).

Event One’s winner was Aaron Lewis, who drafted White-Blue Skies which composed of flyers like the Indomitable Archangel, Cloud Elemental and sorcery Spectral Procession. He defeated his Finals opponent Lucas Duchow 2-0.

Grand Prix Las Vegas Event Two winner Scott Markeson drafted Artifacts in the Top 8 with the core colors of Blue-White. His Finals opponent David Heineman also did the same though his other picks were powerful flyers in the form of Swans of Bryn Argoll. Markeson overwhelmed his opponent in the decider game on the back of Lodestone Myr powered by various artifacts.

Congratulations to the winners! Complete coverage of the GP can be found on the mothership website.

For another Standard deck feature, here is an archetype that is another variance of the Megamorph strategy of Den Protector and Deathmist Raptor. This was revealed on last weekend’s Grand Prix in Shanghai, China and was piloted by Japanese Pro Yuuya Watanabe.

Here is a decklist played by Paul Cheon for the Week 4 of the Standard Super League:

Maindeck
4 Deathmist Raptor
4 Den Protector
4 Satyr Wayfinder
4 Sylvan Caryatid
3 Courser of Kruphix
3 Dragonlord Ojutai
2 Dragonlord Dromoka
2 Dragonlord Silumgar
1 Dragonlord Atarka

3 Thoughtseize
2 Foul-Tongue Invocation
2 Hero’s Downfall
1 Murderous Cut

2 Forest
4 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
3 Llanowar Wastes
4 Opulent Palace
1 Plains
1 Sandsteppe Citadel
1 Temple of Deceit
4 Temple of Malady
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
3 Windswept Heath

Sideboard
1 Courser of Kruphix
1 Dragonlord Dromoka
2 Foul-Tongue Invocation
2 Bile Blight
2 Ultimate Price
1 Utter End
1 Silumgar, the Drifting Death
1 Duress
1 Self-Inflicted Wound
2 Drown in Sorrow
1 Crux of Fate