The Magic: The Gathering scene in Iloilo City has seen a steady rise in Modern format events, creating new energy within the local community. What was once an occasional gathering has grown into a more consistent and organized series of tournaments, drawing both veteran players and newcomers.

This increase reflects not only the popularity of the format but also the dedication of the local player base. A big thanks to the initiative of Magus Games Iloilo owner, Arch. Ralph Hisancha.

One of the most noticeable effects of these growing Modern events is the strengthening of the community itself. Regular tournaments give players more opportunities to meet, compete, and build friendships around a shared interest. It creates a welcoming environment where experienced players can mentor newer ones, helping the overall skill level of the group improve over time.

The rise in events also encourages players to invest more in the format, both in terms of deck building and strategic development. With more chances to compete, players are motivated to refine their decks and stay updated with the evolving metagame. This leads to more dynamic and competitive gameplay, which benefits everyone involved.

Local game stores and organizers also gain from this growth, as increased participation helps sustain events and supports the business side of the hobby. More players attending means better prize pools, more consistent scheduling, and a stronger foundation for future tournaments. In turn, this creates a positive cycle that keeps the community active and engaged.

Overall, the increase in Modern events in Iloilo City has had a clearly positive impact. It brings people together, raises the level of play, and strengthens the local Magic: The Gathering scene.

As the community continues to grow, these events will likely remain a key part of what makes the Iloilo MTG scene vibrant and rewarding.

Thanks for reading.

I will be playing Humans in the coming Grand Prix Hong Kong 2018. On what would be the reason for that final deck choice is due to the presence of Combo archetypes in the Modern format. The deck is somewhat resilient in stopping off these decks from going off with their combo.

What my issue currently though is the time to review and playtest the matchups with the Tier 1 decks in the current metagame. I remembered the last time I played the decks was last April in a Friday Night Magic held at Critical Hit in Atria. A lot has changed especially in the recent major Modern tournaments. The last Pro Tour 25th Anniversary in which the format was Team Trios saw the emergence of the BRVine deck that has explosive openings. It somewhat has copied the speed of the Vengevine deck in Legacy at the time Survival of the Fittest was still legal. It is another deck that can overpower the Combo archetypes as well as the Humans deck. It would matter on the good sideboard setup.

As of this posting, I have just made a few viewing of the MTGO streams of the pros that are using the deck. I then have talked with Ramon to schedule a gauntlet playtest and a good thing is that we have agreed to have it this coming Saturday evening. DURP classes for the first semester is just starting and so there is still no hectic assignment and study of the report just yet.

I have also talked with the store owner of Nth Dimension to hold a Modern FNM on Friday though we are still gathering the participants.

I am hoping this weekend will be a productive playtest of the deck and also to learn a lot with the popular matchups. The final decklist to be posted soon.

Until the next post.  

The Magic Online Championship Series is happening this weekend, and after the second day concluded, the Top 4 players who emerged from the Swiss rounds were decided. MOCS consists of two formats, Modern and Ixalan Booster Draft. Their Modern metagame were consists mostly of Jund decks due to the unbanning of Bloodbraid Elf which was expected.

Here are your Top 4 competitors and their Modern decklists.

Steve Rubin – Jund

Planeswalker (4)
4 Liliana of the Veil

Creature (15)
4 Dark Confidant
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Bloodbraid Elf
3 Scavenging Ooze

Sorcery (8)
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Maelstrom Pulse
1 Dreadbore
3 Thoughtseize

Instant (8)
3 Fatal Push
2 Kolaghan’s Command
3 Lightning Bolt

Land (25)
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
1 Blood Crypt
3 Bloodstained Mire
2 Overgrown Tomb
1 Forest
3 Raging Ravine
1 Stomping Ground
2 Swamp
1 Twilight Mire
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Wooded Foothills
2 Treetop Village

Sideboard (15)
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Anger of the Gods
1 Collective Brutality
4 Fulminator Mage
2 Grim Lavamancer
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Liliana, the Last Hope

Dmitriy Butakov – Bogles

Creature (13)
1 Dryad Arbor
4 Gladecover Scout
4 Kor Spiritdancer
4 Slippery Bogle

Instant (2)
2 Path to Exile

Enchantment (26)
4 Rancor
4 Ethereal Armor
2 Gryff’s Boon
2 Hyena Umbra
4 Leyline of Sanctity
4 Spider Umbra
2 Spirit Mantle
4 Daybreak Coronet

Land (19)
1 Forest
1 Plains
4 Horizon Canopy
4 Razorverge Thicket
3 Temple Garden
4 Windswept Heath
1 Verdant Catacombs
1 Misty Rainforest

Sideboard (15)
2 Path to Exile
3 Gaddock Teeg
2 Rest in Peace
1 Spirit Link
3 Stony Silence
3 Seal of Primordium
1 Grafdigger’s Cage

Niklas Dahlquist – Jund

Planeswalker (5)
4 Liliana of the Veil
1 Liliana, the Last Hope

Creature (15)
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Dark Confidant
3 Scavenging Ooze
4 Tarmogoyf

Sorcery (6)
2 Thoughtseize
1 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Inquisition of Kozilek

Instant (9)
1 Abrupt Decay
2 Terminate
2 Kolaghan’s Command
4 Lightning Bolt

Land (25)
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
1 Blood Crypt
3 Bloodstained Mire
1 Forest
1 Mountain
2 Overgrown Tomb
3 Raging Ravine
1 Stomping Ground
2 Swamp
1 Twilight Mire
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Treetop Village
1 Blooming Marsh

Sideboard (15)
1 Thoughtseize
1 Ancient Grudge
2 Collective Brutality
4 Fulminator Mage
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Hazoret the Fervent
1 Natural State
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Choke

Lars Dam – Grixis Control

Planeswalker (5)
2 Liliana of the Veil
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor

Creature (6)
4 Snapcaster Mage
2 Dire Fleet Daredevil

Sorcery (12)
4 Ancestral Vision
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Thoughtseize
2 Serum Visions
2 Dreadbore

Instant (11)
3 Lightning Bolt
3 Fatal Push
2 Negate
3 Kolaghan’s Command

Enchantment (2)
2 Search for Azcanta

Land (24)
4 Field of Ruin
2 Creeping Tar Pit
2 Darkslick Shores
1 Blood Crypt
2 Island
1 Mountain
2 Swamp
2 Watery Grave
3 Scalding Tarn
4 Polluted Delta
1 Steam Vents

Sideboard (15)
1 Negate
3 Ceremonious Rejection
3 Dispel
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Pithing Needle
1 Izzet Staticaster
1 Keranos, God of Storms
1 Damnation
1 Yahenni’s Expertise
1 Engineered Explosives

Last weekend’s Starcity Games Modern Open garnered a huge variance of decks in the top 16. From aggressive Zoo decks to control-ish Jeskai, I can still say that Modern is still a fun format to play. One of the deck archetypes that got my attention was the Blue Moon deck played by Jack Kiefer. It appears to be a regular Blue Red Counter deck but can lock opponents with the enchantment Blood Moon.

Below is his complete decklist:

Maindeck
Creatures (8)
4 Snapcaster Mage
2 Thing in the Ice
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar

Spells (30)
2 Batterskull
4 Blood Moon
2 Burst Lightning
2 Cryptic Command
2 Electrolyze
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Mana Leak
3 Remand
2 Spell Snare
3 Ancestral Vision
4 Serum Visions

Lands (22)
8 Island
1 Mountain
1 Flooded Strand
4 Polluted Delta
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Steam Vents
1 Sulfur Falls

Sideboard
2 Spreading Seas
2 Dispel
2 Negate
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Keranos, God of Storms
1 Ancestral Vision
3 Anger of the Gods
1 Roast
2 Vandalblast

Source