This weekend will be a hectic three days of tournament starting with tonight’s Friday Night Magic. The highlight event will be the first leg of the Amateur League tournaments for the beginners and new bloods of the game. Here are the details of the Magic: the Gathering Iloilo Tournaments for this week:

MtG Iloilo Tournaments this Week

September 11, 2015
Friday Night Magic
Standard Constructed format, 80php entry fee.
Top 4 gets an exclusive FNM Promo foil card (Orator of Ojutai) and Magic Origins booster packs
Tourney starts 6:00pm, Rei’s Place

September 12, 2015
Battle for Zendikar PR Pass
Standard Constructed format, 150php entry fee.
Champion gets a free PR pass to the BFZ Prerelease Iloilo this coming September 26th
Tourney starts 1:00pm, Rei’s Place

September 13, 2015
MtG Iloilo Amateur League 1st leg
Scarce Standard, Free Registration
Tourney starts 1:00pm, Hi-Gear Iloilo

Kitakits!

The Planeswalker strategy is still possible in the current Magic: the Gathering Standard metagame dominated by Siege Rhinos and Hangarback Walker. This decklist focuses on the Naya colors in a late-game plan while protecting the life total and keeping the opponent’s board clear with sweep cards.

Here is the deck played by Robert Meeker which got into the Top 4 in the TCGplayer Open 5K Orlando, FL last 8/29/2015:

MAINDECK
4 Courser of Kruphix
3 Den Protector
1 Dragonlord Atarka
4 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
Creatures [12]

1 Ajani, Mentor of Heroes
4 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
2 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
3 Xenagos, the Reveler
Planeswalkers [12]

4 End Hostilities
4 Seismic Rupture
1 Valorous Stance
Spells [9]

4 Forest
2 Mountain
3 Plains
4 Temple of Abandon
4 Temple of Plenty
2 Temple of Triumph
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
Lands [27]

SIDEBOARD
2 Arashin Cleric
2 Celestial Flare
2 Glare of Heresy
4 Hangarback Walker
2 Reclamation Sage
1 Soul of Theros
1 Unravel the Aether
1 Windstorm

This weekend’s Starcity Games Invitationals featured the best players in the SCG circuit along with the unique deck archetypes that they are piloting. One of which is Jeff Hoogland and on this event he played a variance of the Dragons Control deck strategy. He called his build, Grixis Ojutai.

Here is the decklist:

Maindeck
Creatures (8)
4 Stormbreath Dragon
3 Dragonlord Ojutai
1 Silumgar, the Drifting Death

Spells (25)
3 Anticipate
3 Dig Through Time
1 Dissolve
4 Draconic Roar
3 Foul-Tongue Invocation
1 Kolaghan’s Command
2 Magma Spray
2 Murderous Cut
4 Silumgar’s Scorn
2 Roast

Lands (27)
3 Island
2 Mountain
1 Swamp
2 Bloodstained Mire
2 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
4 Mystic Monastery
2 Nomad Outpost
3 Polluted Delta
4 Shivan Reef
3 Temple of Deceit
1 Temple of Epiphany

Sideboard
1 Aetherspouts
2 Disdainful Stroke
1 Foul-Tongue Invocation
1 Magma Spray
1 Negate
2 Ultimate Price
2 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
2 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
1 Anger of the Gods

For the coverage of the SCG Invitational New Jersey, click here.

Here is the deck that Team MtG Iloilo played during the first World Magic Cup Qualifiers PH in Manila last weekend. A big thanks to Boss Eric Borromeo for the huge time on playtesting, doing the card changes and tweaking the list.

Maindeck
Creatures
4 Anafenza, the Foremost
4 Siege Rhino
4 Fleecemane Lion
4 Hangarback Walker
3 Den Protector
2 Wingmate Roc

Instants/Sorceries
3 Abzan Charm
4 Dromoka’s Command
2 Ultimate Price
2 Hero’s Downfall

Planeswalkers
1 Ajani, Mentor of Heroes
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor

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

Sideboard
2 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
3 Herald of Torment
2 Self-Inflicted Wound
4 Thoughtseize
3 Tragic Arrogance
1 Ultimate Price

Here is a decklist I have found while browsing on the Hareruya MtG website which I think the Japanese Pro Tomoharu Saito manages. There have this category on the site wherein decks from the MTGO Standard Daily are posted. This deck features graveyard shenanigans of Satyr Wayfinder and Commune with the Gods and reanimation done by Whip of Erebos.

Here is the list:

Maindeck
6 Forest
2 Jungle Hollow
4 Llanowar Wastes
2 Polluted Delta
4 Swamp
4 Temple of Malady
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Windswept Heath

3 Courser of Kruphix
1 Gilt-Leaf Winnower
3 Hornet Queen
1 Liliana, Heretical Healer
3 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
4 Priest of the Blood Rite
1 Reclamation Sage
4 Satyr Wayfinder
4 Sylvan Caryatid
2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang

3 Commune with the Gods
1 Hero’s Downfall
1 Murderous Cut
2 Ultimate Price
3 Whip of Erebos

Sideboard
2 Reclamation Sage
2 Hero’s Downfall
2 Ultimate Price
2 Bile Blight
2 Doomwake Giant
3 Duress
1 Feed the Clan
1 Garruk, Apex Predator

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

This coming weekend will be the scheduled Gameday tournaments for Magic Origins. The one event Rei sanctioned for MtG Iloilo is on Saturday, August 8. The format is Standard and the entry fee is 300php. Bad thing is I am going to miss this event as I will be going to Hong Kong for the Grand Prix. Anyway, good luck to all my teammates in M14 that will be joining and I hope they playtest well.

Here are the Magic Origins Gameday tournament details:

Magic the Gathering: Origins Gameday Iloilo
August 8, 2015
Standard Format
Round 1 starts @ 1pm
Registration: P300

All participants will receive an Extended Art Conclave Naturalist. Top 8 players will receive 1x Foil Extended Art Languish. Champion gets a Gameday Playmat Sword of the Animist. Magic Origins Booster prize structure depending on the number of participants.

Kitakits at Rei’s Place!

For updates, visit our page https://www.facebook.com/magiciloilo

Here are the Top 8 decklists from the recently concluded Pro Tour: Magic Origins in Vancouver. My favorite was the deck archetype choice of Team Ultra Pro and Face-to-Face Games which I previously featured as a deck tech: Blue Red Artifacts.

Here is the decklist:

UR Artifacts by Mike Sigrist
2nd place, PT Magic Origins

Maindeck
6 Island
4 Darksteel Citadel
4 Shivan Reef
4 Temple of Epiphany
1 Mountain
1 Mana Confluence
1 Foundry of the Consuls

4 Chief of the Foundry
4 Whirler Rogue
4 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Ornithopter
4 Hangarback Walker

4 Shrapnel Blast
3 Stubborn Denial
1 Collateral Damage
4 Ghostfire Blade
4 Ensoul Artifact
3 Springleaf Drum

Sideboard
3 Disdainful Stroke
1 Negate
1 Rending Volley
4 Roast
3 Seismic Rupture
3 Thopter Spy Network

Here are the links to the other Top 8 Decks:

Red Deck Wins by Joel Larsson
Abzan Midrange by Matthew Sperling
Green Devotion by Paul Jackson
Abzan Megamorph by Kentaro Yamamoto

Here is the link to the deck tech article I have posted at the Pinoy Planeswalker website.

Here is another deck tech for Magic Origins Standard which I was supposed to publish last Friday but forgot to do it. The list is a Constellation build that features the new card Starfield of Nyx and the enchantment reprint Sigil of the Empty Throne. I have splashed Black for access to Doomwake Giant in order to deal with random token matchups especially against Hangerback Walker decks.

Here is the decklist:

Lands
4 Temple of Plenty
4 Plains
6 Forest
1 Swamp
4 Sandsteppe Citadel
4 Windswept Heath

Creatures
4 Courser of Kruphix
3 Doomwake Giant
4 Eidolon of Blossoms
4 Herald of the Pantheon
3 Nyx-Fleece Ram

Spells
3 Banishing Light
1 Kruphix’s Insight
4 Font of Fertility
1 Heliod, God of the Sun
3 Commune with the Gods
1 Assault Formation
3 Starfield of Nyx
3 Sigil of the Empty Throne

It turned to be one of the featured decks in this weekend’s Pro Tour: Magic Origins in Vancouver. The deck was piloted by pro player Kyle Boggemes. Here is the link to his featured match.

This weekend’s tournament schedule will be on the boundary of July and August. The last Friday of July is reserved for the last Path to Exile FNM of the month and I am pretty sure a lot of players will be coming to battle for the last four copies of the said FNM promo foil card.

August’s first Saturday will be another Saturday Standard tournament. We will have Magic Origins boosters as prize support for the two events.

Here is the event poster:

The recent deck archetype that was triumphant on last weekend’s StarcityGames Standard Open tournament was Abzan Rally by Ray Tautic. The deck’s initial strategy is to fill up the graveyard with critters while ramping up with the mana dudes. The next plan is to cast a huge Rally the Ancestors getting back all of the creatures and attacking for a lethal damage via a hasty and intimidate Mogis’s Marauder.

Here is the decklist:

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

4 Liliana, Heretical Healer
4 Satyr Wayfinder
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Deathmist Raptor
3 Den Protector
3 Mogis’s Marauder
3 Grim Haruspex
3 Merciless Executioner
2 Fleshbag Marauder
2 Nantuko Husk

4 Collected Company
4 Rally the Ancestors

Sideboard
1 Fleshbag Marauder
3 Anafenza, the Foremost
2 Drown in Sorrow
3 Arashin Cleric
1 Murderous Cut
2 Hero’s Downfall
1 Reclamation Sage
2 Dromoka’s Command

The third session of our playtest on Magic Origins Sealed happened last Sunday afternoon at Lanai Sports Bar and Grill. Tonton lends us the booster packs. Oliver joined us this time and he used the boosters he got from his Origins fatpack.

We took almost an hour to sort the best colors to use in the deck. I have noticed that we all chose White as one of the deck colors. This proved again that it is the best color in the set. We ended up playing with the same colors, White and Red. My build was on the fast aggro route with lots of two drops powered by Consul’s Lieutenant and cheap removals in Lightning Javelin and Suppression Bonds. I also have a late game Gideon’s Phalanx to finish the opponent.

Here is the screenshot of the deck:

The first-round pairings were me vs Fiona and Oliver vs Herbert. I won all of my games against Fiona as her draws were too slow to cope with my aggressive start. A second-turn lieutenant is essential in finishing the game early as it can get Renowned right away and can buff up your creatures for a large attack. I then just use my removals to deal with her late creatures.

We then exchanged partners and I paired with Herbert. He is also on the aggro Red White and he has cheaper removals to deal with my early assault. The overall matchups were still in my favor as he could not stop the attacks from my ideal start.

To conclude, White-based decks are one of the best routes in building your Magic Origins Sealed card pool. I have also observed this from the recent MtG Grand Prix in Dallas. I will have to check again on the featured match coverage on the mothership site on how their decks were built.

I’d like to know your insights in building sealed decks in Magic Origins so just comment them on the box below this blog post.