Versions of an Eldrazi aggro deck has been appearing in Magic Online Daily tournaments and it is obvious that the deck archetype will be one of the cornerstones of Standard after the arrivals of Shadows over Innistrad. One version that I have been looking on for a possibility is Black Red Eldrazi. The initial components would be the following:

Creatures
4 Forerunner of Slaughter
4 Eldrazi Mimic
4 Dust Stalker
4 Reality Smasher
4 Flayer Drone
3 Bearer of Silence
2 Eldrazi Obligator

Spells
4 Transgress the Mind
2 Spatial Contortion
1 Ruinous Path

Looking at the current spoilers list of Shadows over Innistrad, we still have limited options on what new cards we will add in the deck. I am speculating the return of Black Red Vampires so we might want to look for a few components there. Here are the current options:

Heir of Falkenrath
Elusive Tormentor
Mindwrack Demon

The Heir of Falkenrath is a solid two drop in itself though discarding a card can become our drawback in certain scenarios because as an aggro deck, we needed more cards as possible. The tormentor is hard to kill and a 4/4 body for four is already good. What we do not need here though is to pile up the four-drops as it can result to clunky draws.

For removals, we have the one casting cost Sinister Concoction and Fiery Temper but we do not have a discard engine yet.

As for the mana fixing and colorless mana source, we have a few land cards from Oath like Crumbling Vestige and Corrupted Crossroads.

I won’t post the full decklist just yet as we wait for more card previews from Shadows over Innistrad but maybe by next week we will have version one of the deck.

That is a wrap for now. Until the next post.

The Standard deck feature for today comes from the recently concluded Grand Prix Houston wherein Channel Fireball’s Owen Turtenwald took the championship trophy with 4color Rally deck. The deck was played by Cody Lingelbach which finished in the Top 8 of the tournament.

The decklist below:

Maindeck
4 Thopter Engineer
4 Thunderbreak Regent
4 Kolaghan, the Storm’s Fury
4 Hangarback Walker
4 Bearer of Silence
4 Eldrazi Skyspawner

1 Dispel
3 Murderous Cut
4 Draconic Roar
2 Ghostfire Blade

4 Bloodstained Mire
2 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
3 Mountain
4 Polluted Delta
4 Shivan Reef
3 Smoldering Marsh
2 Sunken Hollow
1 Swamp
3 Wooded Foothills

Sideboard
3 Dispel
1 Murderous Cut
1 Disdainful Stroke
3 Self-Inflicted Wound
2 Silumgar, the Drifting Death
4 Transgress the Mind
1 Seismic Rupture

I might try this build if the components in the card pool are vacant but I will change a few cards. We will see how it goes this week. Here is the link of the source of the decks on the Top 8 of GP Houston.

The Standard feature deck for today is a rendition of the Eldrazi aggro deck from Modern but with a touch of Blue. It was piloted by username BSWeitz and finished top 16 in the MTGO Standard MOCS: 2/21. Here is the list after the cut:

Maindeck
4 Dimensional Infiltrator
4 Eldrazi Mimic
4 Eldrazi Skyspawner
4 Reality Smasher
4 Ruination Guide
3 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Whirler Rogue

4 Ghostfire Blade
3 Spatial Contortion

4 Foundry of the Consuls
9 Island
2 Sea Gate Wreckage
4 Shivan Reef
4 Tomb of the Spirit Dragon
3 Yavimaya Coast

Sideboard
3 Disdainful Stroke
3 Dispel
4 Matter Reshaper
2 Reality Shift
2 Stratus Dancer
1 Thought-Knot Seer

Source

It was a success! The second event for Standard Pauper tournament last Sunday garnered a lot of new faces and players. The venue Hi-Gear was jam packed and there were 14 participants, maybe more if I was not late because I overslept after coming back from Bacolod. Anyhow, I was able to distribute almost all of my beginner card packages and was glad to see them excited to build their very first deck. I then started listing the players and paired them for Round 1. There were a few rules questions but I was glad that most of these newbies were able to properly execute each phases of the turn as well as the combat.

After the Swiss rounds, here are the top 4 players:

MtG Iloilo Tournament Results
Sunday Standard Pauper (Feb. 21, 2016)
Top 4:
1st, Ristom (Jeskai Prowess)
2nd, Allen (BW Warriors)
3rd, Christian (Red Black Aggro)
4th, Monty (BW Warriors)

14 players, 4 rounds gameplay

Here are the pics I took during the course of the tournament:

Today’s Standard decklist feature comes from the recent MTGO Standard Constructed League which was held yesterday. The player with the nickname AtogAtog10 finished 4th place in the tournament with the deck which looks like a Grixis upgrade of Blue Red Stormchaser prowess deck with the inclusion of Black for cards like Kolaghan’s Command and Painful Truths.

Below is the decklist:

Maindeck
4 Abbot of Keral Keep
4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
2 Jori En, Ruin Diver
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Stormchaser Mage

4 Fiery Impulse
3 Kolaghan’s Command
2 Painful Truths
2 Roast
4 Treasure Cruise
4 Wild Slash

4 Bloodstained Mire
2 Evolving Wilds
3 Island
3 Mountain
4 Polluted Delta
1 Smoldering Marsh
1 Sunken Hollow
1 Swamp
4 Wandering Fumarole

Sideboard
2 Arc Lightning
2 Disdainful Stroke
2 Dispel
2 Negate
2 Roast
4 Self-Inflicted Wound
1 Zurgo Bellstriker

I have been a fan of Black and White decks before by piloting a B/W Strangler list in BFZ Standard. This time I have found that love in the form of Allies. I have listed this deck build after checking on the Standard Pauper version of Allies for our next local tournament. Its basic strategy is setting the board while taking advantage of the Rally triggers. Oath of the Gatewatch offered Cohort mechanic as another method to use and I included two cards from the new set in Ondu War Cleric and Drana’s Chosen. The cleric is another way to trigger Serene Steward and Drana’s Chosen gets you out of the way in stalled board situations.

Here is version one of the deck B/W Allies:

Creatures
2 Ondu War Cleric
2 Lantern Scout
4 Expedition Envoy
4 Serene Steward
4 Kalastria Healer
1 Drana, Liberator of Malakir
4 Drana’s Emissary
2 Brutal Hordechief
3 Kor Bladewhirl
1 Drana’s Chosen

Spells
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 Grasp of Darkness
1 Ruinous Path
2 Silkwrap
2 Stasis Snare
1 Valorous Stance

Lands
2 Windswept Heath
4 Shambling Vent
2 Bloodstained Mire
4 Ally Encampment
1 Blighted Fen
3 Caves of Koilos
4 Plains
3 Swamp

Coming this weekend, specifically on Saturday is the Oath of the Gatewatch Gameday event. This is the major tournament that the Magic: the Gathering Iloilo Community players anticipate to play and win the Gameday playmat along with booster pack prizes. Below is the details of the event along with the rest of the scheduled MtG tournaments for this week.

***MtG Iloilo Tourney Schedule for this Week***

February 12, 2016
Friday Night Magic
Standard Constructed format, 80php entry fee.
Top 4 gets an exclusive FNM Promo foil card and Oath of the Gatewatch booster packs
Tourney starts 6:00pm, Rei’s Place

February 13, 2016
Oath of the Gatewatch Gameday Iloilo
Standard Constructed format (Decklists required)
Entry fee: P300
Gameday Playmat and Oath of the Gatewatch booster pack prizes
Tourney starts 1:30pm, Rei’s Place

The Eldrazi invasion did not just stop in Zendikar. They proceeded to dominate in Atlanta last weekend and garnered a win on the Pro Tour event. The six Eldrazi decks in the Top 8 slot were mostly owned by the pros from Team Channel Fireball but it was Jiachen Tao with his Blue Red version, mostly composed of cards from Battle of Zendikar and Oath of the Gatewatch, which triumphed in the tournament.

Below is the winning decklist of Pro Tour Oath of the Gatewatch:

Maindeck
4 Drowner of Hope
4 Eldrazi Mimic
3 Eldrazi Obligator
4 Eldrazi Skyspawner
4 Endless One
4 Reality Smasher
2 Ruination Guide
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Vile Aggregate

3 Dismember

3 Cavern of Souls
4 Eldrazi Temple
4 Eye of Ugin
1 Gemstone Caverns
2 Island
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Shivan Reef
2 Steam Vents

Sideboard
2 Chalice of the Void
2 Gut Shot
3 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Ratchet Bomb
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Spellskite
3 Stubborn Denial
1 Tomb of the Spirit Dragon

Source

For today’s Standard deck feature, Oath of the Gatewatch really did an impact on this build. It somewhat completed the features and look of an actual Eldrazi deck. Not to mention the deck that won the Pro Tour last weekend was almost composed of cards from the new set. Anyhow, this Standard version go with the colors Blue and Black. The deck was played by all4non and went 5-0 in the MTGO Standard League last first week of February.

The decklist below:

Maindeck
4 Bearer of Silence
3 Dimensional Infiltrator
4 Fathom Feeder
4 Matter Reshaper
3 Reality Smasher
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Wasteland Strangler

2 Murderous Cut
4 Transgress the Mind
3 Warping Wail

2 Bloodstained Mire
4 Corrupted Crossroads
2 Crumbling Vestige
1 Island
2 Llanowar Wastes
4 Polluted Delta
4 Ruins of Oran-Rief
3 Sea Gate Wreckage
1 Sunken Hollow
2 Swamp

Sideboard
3 Duress
3 Flaying Tendrils
4 Horribly Awry
2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
1 Murderous Cut
2 Virulent Plague

I have again scheduled a Magic: the Gathering Standard Pauper tournament for the new faces in the MtG Iloilo community. Team Carbo will also be playing, together with their recruits. This time, the new set that will be included is Oath of the Gatewatch.

I am excited to see if Eldrazi Devoid based decks will emerged as a tier in the format. The event venue will be returning in Hi-Gear in Marymart Mall old building as the owner, Carlo is now selling Oath of the Gatewatch booster packs.

Here are the details of the tournament:

Sunday Standard Pauper
February 7, 2016
40php entry fee.
Oath of the Gatewatch booster pack prizes (depending on player attendance)
One booster pack to be raffled if the player count reaches 10 or more.
Tourney starts at 1:30pm
Hi-Gear, Marymart Mall

The current Standard Pauper format includes all of the Common cards from the following sets: Khans of Tarkir, Fate Reforged, Dragons of Tarkir, Magic Origins, Battle for Zendikar, Oath of the Gatewatch.

See you guys on Sunday!

I have found a thread on Reddit Magic TCG that discusses the deck tech for Zada, Hedron Grinder utilizing the colors Blue and Red. While these combination offers the best components with cards like Stormchaser Mage, I have thought that White can also be viable because of access to protection and the cantrip Defiant Strike.

With that in mind, I have come up with a version one decklist below:

Creatures
4 Abbot of Keral Keep
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Seeker of the Way
3 Zada, Hedron Grinder

Spells
2 Center Soul
3 Hordeling Outburst
4 Fiery Impulse
3 Defiant Strike
3 Expedite
4 Titan’s Strength
4 Dragon Fodder

Lands
3 Windswept Heath
1 Canopy Vista
3 Battlefield Forge
3 Plains
4 Mountain
1 Cinder Glade
4 Needle Spires
3 Wooded Foothills

We can also adjust the mana a little bit by adding more fetchlands for higher chances to fetch for green mana to enable us to have Become Immense in the deck. For now, let us just stick with the Red-White plan.

Comments and suggestions are very much welcome so just post them on the box below.

Today’s featured Oath of the Gatewatch Standard deck was from the recent StarcityGames Standard Open which was held in Columbus last weekend. The deck is a Blue Green White or Bant version of Collected Company and was piloted by Andy Ferguson. He finished in 2nd place from the said event.

The decklist below:

Maindeck
4 Bounding Krasis
4 Deathmist Raptor
4 Den Protector
4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
4 Reflector Mage
4 Sylvan Advocate
1 Warden of the First Tree

4 Collected Company
4 Dromoka’s Command
2 Ojutai’s Command

2 Canopy Vista
4 Flooded Strand
2 Forest
1 Island
4 Lumbering Falls
3 Plains
2 Prairie Stream
4 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
2 Yavimaya Coast

Sideboard
4 Arashin Cleric
3 Disdainful Stroke
3 Dispel
2 Frost Walker
1 Harbinger of the Tides
1 Silkwrap
1 Valorous Stance