The last real Modern event I played in was at GP Charlotte. I finished 58th with a list that, admittedly, looks like it’s straight out of 2014. I have no shame about it though, this deck has brought me the most success and enjoyment out of any deck I’ve played in this game. I’m always excited to play it and I couldn’t wait until the next chance I got to run it out again, which was...
...now, finally. Through months of watching Standard and Sealed PPTQs fire off week after week, I had been waiting not-so-patiently for Modern PPTQ season. Mostly because last year didn’t quite work out the way I wanted it to.
2015 had a pretty exciting start. I felt like I got exceptionally lucky by winning the first Modern PPTQ I played in. It saved me so much time and energy by not having to grind events for the duration, and that felt great. My plan this year was to try and start the same way, but I had to be realistic. It’s incredibly unlikely to win the first PPTQ you play in, for anyone. Attendants are typically fairly competitive because of the usually high entry fee and the just-okay prize support, and you have to come in first. The amount of variance involved alone makes it unlikely to happen on the first try. A couple bad matchups, a few unfortunate mulligans, and play mistake or twelve can easily knock you out of contention. They’re also usually longer events, and after six rounds and a cut to top 8, it’s just plain tough to clinch that number one spot. I knew all of this though, and that’s part of the appeal of the game in so many ways to me: trying to win when the odds are totally stacked against you. And I was ready to do it again and again until I got the invite.
On the flipside, my RPTQ last year didn’t end up going as well as I intended, and in reflection I think I’ve pinpointed a few reasons for that:
I played poorly. I just did. I didn’t run into anything out of the ordinary, but in two separate matches against Infect I lost to my own mistakes.
My deck wasn’t tuned appropriately. I kept a similar list to what I was playing locally, and I should’ve been tuning as if I were playing in a GP, expecting a wider metagame.
I was distracted. There were personal happenings that had me not entirely in the zone. These things are perpetual and unavoidable though. Over the past year, I’ve become much better at tuning out as much of the non-Magic related happenings in my life while playing.
I played some of my worse matchups. Tron and Infect are pretty rough. I fought incredibly hard in the Tron matchup and it still didn’t work out. Not too much can be done about this, but that’s how Modern goes.
I went to the largest RPTQ in the states. I won’t be doing that this year. My plan is to fly to the location with the lowest projected turnout, which feels a little crazy, but I really want that Pro Tour invite.
I was a little discouraged after that, but I got over it. Like I said, you just can’t expect to win in this game. I’m sure there are tons of people out there who will disagree with me, but I’m just trying to be realistic. It doesn’t change my outlook when I’m playing, I’m still always playing to win, I just don’t beat myself up as much when it doesn’t happen, because I know there’s always next time, another chance for all the pieces to fall into place.
And here I was about to have my next chance.
I left my apartment in the city at 9AM and showed up to TPK at 10 when registration opened. The event was billed to start at 12, but I didn’t want to get turned away in case they hit the player cap. Getting there early worked out though. I signed up, picked up the Engineered Explosives I needed, and still had an hour and a half to grab breakfast. Turns out this is way too much time to eat, so I wrote out my decklist, and ended up spending a good chunk trying to compose myself before the event started. Here’s what I ended up registering:
Jeskai Kiki Control
Creatures (12)
2 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
4 Restoration Angel
3 Snapcaster Mage
3 Wall of Omens
Spells (23)
4 Path to Exile
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Electrolyze
3 Lightning Helix
3 Mana Leak
2 Remand
1 Spell Snare
1 Cryptic Command
1 Sphinx’s Revelation
1 Nahiri, the Harbinger
Lands (25)
4 Celestial Colonnade
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Flooded Strand
3 Steam Vents
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Cascade Bluffs
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Plains
2 Island
1 Mountain
Sideboard
2 Stony Silence
1 Relic of Progenitus
1 Spellskite
1 Celestial Purge
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Izzet Staticaster
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Aven Mindcensor
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Counterflux
1 Logic Knot
1 Dispel
1 Wear // Tear
I’ll talk about the list briefly as it really isn’t much different than other lists I’ve played over the past year or two. Get in touch with me on Twitter if you have any specific questions about my list and I’ll gladly answer them, but the major differences here that I want to touch on are:
Three Lightning Helix main. Following the metagame, I’ve observed it becoming much more aggressive compared to previous iterations of Modern. I’m not a huge fan of Lightning Helix in general, because it doesn’t really do much against Jund-style decks or combo, but I was willing to take the risk at this time. Also not irrelevant is the fact that having more burn spells makes the “burn them out” plan much more viable. The uptick in Helices forced me to go down in Walls, as they serve a similar function.
Three Snapcaster vs four. I know what you’re thinking. “This guy is an idiot, Snapcaster is the best card in the deck,” and...well, you might be right, but I don’t think so. We’re playing more creatures than most control decks, so Snap heavy hands are real and can be detrimental when we need to survive the early turns. We also have the possibility of reusing Snaps between Resto and even Kiki, and I think all of that combined is enough justification to go down to three. I’ve even been testing with two recently and would consider that if it didn’t feel so wrong.
One Sphinx’s Revelation. Yep, still playing this card. No, I don’t have a good reason. This was discussed to be a second Spell Snare, but I dislike Spell Snare, so last minute I went with my gut. If you’re smart, you’ll probably play the second Snare.
One Nahiri. No Emrakul. Stick with me because I swear I think I know what I’m doing. This was actually a suggestion by a fellow Jeskai player. Matt and Nick were offering advice while I was freaking out about the numbers in my list, and while this was previously the slot for Ajani Vengeant, Nick suggested to run the one of Nahiri, which I thought was great for two reasons.
One: she HAS to be answered. If you are my opponent and I play a Nahiri, assuming you can’t win the game in the next three turns, you can’t say “Well, what if they aren’t even playing Emrakul?” and ignore her, because 999 times out of 1000 you’ll be sacrificing 6 permanents and taking 15 to the face before you know it. It throws people off and they have to adjust their game plan to deal with it.
Two: She’s not half bad as a value spell on her own! She exiles problem creatures and enchantments, I’ve yet to find a use for her artifact exile ability but I won’t rule it out (maybe I bring back the one-of Deceiver Exarch?). She helps filter away unneeded cards and search for the answers you need. She makes a fantastic distraction and I definitely won games off of that alone. And finally, she actually can still help us win the game by tutoring up Resto or Kiki for the combo. Playing her as a one of in this build also helps us avoid having to warp our entire main deck around her by playing Serum Visions, Ancestral Vision, and generally do-nothing cards like Timely Reinforcements.
Eventually they announced there were 35 players and we’d be playing six rounds of swiss before the cut to top 8. That’s fine, I thought, six rounds is doable, and I could likely get in at 4-1-1, 4-2 maybe at the worst. Pairings went up, and...
Round 1: Bye / 2 - 0
I had to wait another hour? Ugh. Joking mostly, how could I not be excited to have the bye? It did suck to have to wait a total of three hours before playing, and honestly by the time round 2 was paired my nerves were going wild.
Round 2: Greg / Suicide Zoo / 2 - 0
The last time I played Greg was the first round of the last PPTQ I wrote about. He reminded me that I beat him down with Restoration Angels and I remembered it fondly as I do all memories Resto-related.
He started game one off with Street Wraith into Swiftspear into Mishra’s Bauble into Gitaxian Probe. I mulliganed to six, but thankfully kept a fairly solid hand and eventually burnt him out.
Game two went similarly, but I had a much better hand. I believe my opener was Path, Path, Bolt, Snap, Snare, two lands. He Inquisitioned me and took the Snapcaster, but commented on how good the hand was. He played a few Wild Nacatl and eventually I cleared the board up and burnt him out.
I feel like while this matchup might seem pretty good, I’ve definitely played games against it where I felt like I never stood a chance. I didn’t see a Death’s Shadow at all and that might’ve changed things. If the deck gets under you it can be hard to play catchup.
My sideboard for this match looked something like this:
At my local shop, there’s been a trend of these decks popping up recently and, at the risk of sounding “salty,” I absolutely despise them. They aren’t good against aggressive strategies, and they aren’t remotely enjoyable to play against. I don’t know what could convince someone to sleeve this type of deck up for anything other than trying to get people to quit the game. Needless to say, running into it at this point in the day immediately challenged my mostly positive outlook.
Louis wrecked me in games one and two.
I actually realized I could have won game one, and maybe that would’ve changed things, but it was too late. He had Stone Rain’d and Beast Within’d most of my relevant lands away, until he landed a Blood Moon. I had realized that I wasn’t winning the long game here, so I was attacking with the Beast token and a Snapcaster I had flashed in. Eventually he killed the beast, and I had my lonely Snap. I drew a Kiki-Jiki and cast it, but he had a Sakura Tribe-Elder, so I decided that rather than making a copy of Snapcaster and attacking and losing my original Snapcaster, I would just sit back and hope to draw a Bolt or Resto to end the game. Louis ended up untapped and playing Anger of the Gods, which ruined my plan. Eventually he landed an Inferno Titan, to which I only had a bolt. I bolted his face and put him to 2. It was about then that I realized had I attacked with the Snapcasters I would’ve taken that game. But, hindsight and all that.
I was nervous about this matchup because Geist is such a pain, and the Retreat combo is rough too. I got punished hard by trying to combo out on turn five. Nick Chord’d in response to my Kiki however, and while I couldn’t think of what he could be getting to stop it, he dropped a hint for me in the form of a Reflector Mage on my Resto. The next turn, he Reflector Mage’d my Kiki, and at that point had lethal on the next turn. I mentally noted to not make that mistake again.
Game two, I landed a Nahiri, and after a struggle to kill her by Nick, I eventually ultimate’d her for Kiki with a Resto on board and Dispel backup.
Game three was incredibly grindy. We both were top decking, except he had a Retreat to Coralhelm on board, as well as a Gavony Township and Kessig Wolf Run. I kept drawing answers and he kept drawing the wrong creatures, until he eventually drew a Geist. Thankfully I had drawn a Resto and flashed it in at the end of his turn, and swung back with that and Colonnade on my turn, throwing a Bolt his way to end the game.
Sideboard:
+ Supreme Verdict
+ Anger of the Gods
+ Engineered Explosives
- Remand
- Spell Snare
- Lightning Helix
Round 5: Alex / Affinity / 2 - 0
Alex had a pretty fast start with an early Ravager that I couldn’t cleanly answer and I think this game could serve as a valuable lesson for anyone trying to play control in this format. It was a really tough spot for me, because I had removal in the form of Bolt, but with his board of Ravager, Memnite, Drum, Opal, Citadel and a few blinkmoth lands, I couldn’t fire off the Bolt right away because he could easily sac his way out of it and leave me staring down something huge. I was taking a little damage every turn but I knew I had to wait it out. I left Bolt mana open and countered a few spells as he kept pinging away at me. Eventually I drew the Path, but didn’t fire it off right away just to be safe through the next combat phase. He played a Master of Etherium pre-combat, so at the beginning of combat I Path’d the Ravager. He sac’d a few artifacts and targeted an Inkmoth, which I bolted in response. I could've easily wasted that bolt earlier, whether it have been out of frustration or desperation, but my patience, and a little luck, paid off. Next turn I Snap-Path’d the Master and started to turn things around. He eventually landed an Etched Champion, but I had enough burn spells and Colonnade hits to race.
Game two I had a Stony Silence in my opener that made the match much less difficult for me to take over. Honestly this was the perfect draw against Affinity. Turn two Stony Silence. Turn three Anger. Turn four Resto. Turn five Kiki.
Sideboard
+ Supreme Verdict
+ Anger of the Gods
+ Izzet Staticaster
+ Stony Silence
+ Stony Silence
+ Wear // Tear
+ Engineered Explosives
+ Spellskite
- Wall of Omens
- Wall of Omens
- Wall of Omens
- Restoration Angel
- Nahiri, the Harbinger
- Sphinx’s Revelation
- Remand
- Remand
Round 6: Kevin / Abzan Company / 2 - 0
I really, really, really wanted to intentionally draw this round. I was 4-1, and I knew that I would be locked for top 8 if I drew in. I sat down across Kevin, and I could tell before we even spoke that he wasn’t on the same page as me. I found out he actually was 4-0-1 and had ID’d the previous round versus none other than Louis, the Land Destruction player. Kevin voiced concerns that if we ID’d, he thought he would be paired up against Louis in the first round of top 8, which he was trying to avoid. I don’t blame him, I didn’t want to play against that deck again either but I wasn’t thinking about it now, I just didn’t want to take a loss here. I asked him if he would concede to me, which he considered but ultimately declined. I thanked him for thinking it over and we went into the match.
When he started his first turn and I realized he was on Abzan Company, I felt way better about having to play it out. I think I’m favored in the matchup and with the combo I have I can win through their combo. Game one I stayed alive and tried to keep the board as clear as possible and eventually landed a Nahiri. Kevin fought really hard to kill it, and I thought to myself that this was working exactly as intended. Eventually I got her up to nine and stopped his creatures from damaging her on his turn, and before I could even untap he conceded, presumably because he thought I was going to ultimate and find an Emrakul. I’m not really sure how I feel morally about this? But it’s not like he asked me or said anything, he just picked up his cards and said “Yeah, I’m scooping.” I guess the moral here is always ask them to show you it?
The next game I definitely blindsided him by going straight for Resto into Kiki, and that locked it in for me. I guess it was a good thing I had to play it out, because now I was first seed going into top 8, and man do I love being on the play in Modern.
Sideboard:
+ Supreme Verdict
+ Anger of the Gods
+ Izzet Staticaster
+ Relic of Progenitus
+ Dispel
After that match, I took a much needed break to run and demolish half of a burrito before I had to run back and play.
Quarterfinals: Alex / Affinity / 2 - 1
Affinity again, and I was even more nervous this time. Him knowing what I’m on and influencing his mulligan decisions is terrifying when I have no sideboard cards. Alex did mulligan twice this game, so that gave me a little advantage. Even still, this wasn’t gonna be easy. I have a very timely Spell Snare for his Cranial Plating, but he landed an Etched Champion and we were back to racing again. After a huge grind of life swings and chump blocks for my Colonnades, I eventually powered through at just two life to swing in for lethal.
Game two was much harder. I had a decent opener but no Stony Silence in sight. We went back and forth trading off spells, until an Etched Champion finally landed. It was unassisted though, so it was a slow death I was facing down. I was trying to be careful and attack when profitable but not leave myself open to an alpha strike. Eventually I got him down to 5, and I was at 1. I had a bolt in hand, needed to dodge any of his Galvanic Blasts, and find my own second burn spell quick. Then he cast Day’s Undoing. I couldn’t stop him, so I thought about it a bit and said “Bolt you in response. Sure.” He’s at 2. I’m at 1. All I needed was a burn spell. We shuffled up and drew our sevens. Nothing. I passed the turn and he killed me with the Etched Champion. Kind of anticlimactic.
Game three I finally got the Stony Silence I was looking for. I think I Mana Leaked two back to back Etched Champions until he finally landed the third one uncontested. Even still, once I started attacking in with Colonnade to clear the air I ended up taking the game.
Sideboard
+ Supreme Verdict
+ Anger of the Gods
+ Izzet Staticaster
+ Stony Silence
+ Stony Silence
+ Wear // Tear
+ Engineered Explosives
+ Spellskite
- Wall of Omens
- Wall of Omens
- Wall of Omens
- Restoration Angel
- Nahiri, the Harbinger
- Sphinx’s Revelation
- Remand
- Remand
Semifinals: Kevin / Abzan Company / 2 - 0
Kevin again. We both had dodged Land Destruction for the time being, so we both probably couldn’t be much happier about the matchup. Game one was close. He got me down to about 7 life when he finally assembled the combo. He scried something to the top of his deck, but I had removal to break up the combo on my next turn and save myself from any Murderous Redcap shenanigans. He set his life total to Graham’s Number and I said, as I enjoy so much, “sure, my turn?” And continued on my way to assemble my own combo. Eventually I cleaned up his board, had three Wall of Omens in play, and just waited a few turns to draw my Resto and Kiki.
Game two he was a little light on lands, and I had the combo in hand. I kept him off mana dorks and he kept coming back with more guys. Eventually, I went for the kill. Flashed in Resto at the end of his turn, untapped, went for Kiki, but he Path’d my Resto. I thought this was okay because I still had game, and next turn I drew another timely Resto off the top, with Dispel backup this time.
Sideboard:
+ Supreme Verdict
+ Anger of the Gods
+ Izzet Staticaster
+ Relic of Progenitus
+ Dispel
Finals: Louis / RG Land Destruction
It felt so good to be at this point, and so so bad when I realized that Louis was my opponent.
Was it really going to end like this?
To “Beast Within your Island”?
To Stone Rain?
TO MWONVULI ACID-MOSS?
No, turned out it wasn’t. I talked to the head judge before our match and asked if I could hypothetically propose a prize split, to which he told me we could discuss it, but ultimately the player who wins is the one that receives the invite. The prize support at this point was two boxes of Eldritch Moon and the invite for first, and one box of Eldritch Moon for second. I really wanted the invite, and as I sat down and started mentally trying to figure out how to propose this to Louis, he spoke first and said “I’m really more interested in the cards,” which was the best thing I had heard all day. “I don’t even know if I would be able to go to the RPTQ,” he continued. I asked if he would concede to me, and he obliged, so he left with two boxes of EMN while I ended up with a box and my invite.
I know this is kind of a disappointing end to the story, and I really wish it had ended with me exacting my revenge on the deck I loathe. But at that point, after almost 12 hours, I wasn’t willing to take the chance. And it worked out for both of us. I’m mostly so glad I don’t have to grind PPTQs for the next three months. As I left, the head judge reminded me, “you can’t compete in any PPTQ events until the next season” to which I responded “gladly!”
Recap
Loved the deck. Will keep playing it no matter how many people tell me to stop. Might cut the Revelation for another Spell Snare if I ever get some sense knocked into me.
I’m going to GP Indy in a month or so, and I think Dallas after that, but in the meantime I’ll be practicing hard for this RPTQ so I can try and improve on my last performance. Thanks again for reading if you got this far, and as always feel free to get in touch/ask me questions/let me know if you’re still playing the deck you like regardless of everyone questioning it!
I’d been trying to decide on what variant of Jeskai to play at the GP for a few weeks. I was pretty much set on having Kiki-Resto in the deck, until a certain newer card started to make waves online.
I was skeptical at first, but I’ll admit Nahiri seems like the real deal. As it turns out, tutoring for the best creature in the game and giving it haste isn’t half bad. Between speculation by Jeff Hoogland, Shaun McLaren’s streams, and testing with the Jeskai cabal (one member of which who was on Nahiri even before she started gaining popularity online), I was starting to get nervous. My combo can be easily interrupted by creature removal. Nahiri ticks up to 6 the first turn, can protect herself, and she can deal with a slew of cards that Jeskai usually struggles with. She’s a distraction when she needs to be, and can win the game quickly if left unanswered. I was at the very least intrigued.
The Open
I played in the SCG Open in Indianapolis the weekend before the GP. I wanted the practice and to see what the metagame looked like in this post-eldrazi world. I registered a familiar Kiki Resto build, and didn’t quite make day two due to a combination of bad matchups, some bad luck, and less than optimal play on my part.
Things I took away from this event:
A number of people seemed to be on Nahiri. At the very least, if they were playing Jeskai, they were playing Nahiri.
The players who weren’t on Nahiri decks were tuning their decks in preparation for the Harbinger.
My Tron matchup is still miserable. I lost to Tron round 8 with Stony Silence, Counterflux, and Crumble to Dust in my opening hand on the play because my opponent had natural Tron plus a tower, and Karn and Ulamog in hand. This led me to decide against playing Crumble in my board at the GP. Maybe this is wrong, but I just don’t think the card does enough in the matchup, and I’d even argue than Tron is better now than it was before Eye of Ugin was banned.
The next day, Peter Ingram won the Open with Nahiri. Any skepticism I had left was gone, as that finish proved that Nahiri was here to stay, whether I liked it or not. I’m always a skeptic though. I saw a lot of people playing her, and a lot of people not doing great. I don’t think you NEED to be playing her, but it’s undeniable that she’s a viable option. All of this reflection was well and good, but I still had to decide what I was playing at the GP, and fast.
GP Charlotte: Friday
My flight from Chicago landed early Friday morning in Charlotte. I met up with the guys I was staying with from back home in CT (Avery, Taylor, Pat, and Brendan), and we made our way to the hotel. Almost everyone I was with had byes, and because I hadn’t quite met the threshold this year, I was itching to get down to the tournament center and play in some GPTs while I had time. This went terribly, but I’m glad it did.
I had played at MTGCardMarket’s weekly modern the Wednesday prior, and decided to try out a Geist build. It went fine, and I enjoyed the more proactive nature of the deck. I started to think about how Geist must be great against Nahiri, and consequently started to get a little delusional. I had convinced myself that out of nowhere, this was what I should be playing the coming weekend. What I would come to accept later is: when it comes down to it, I’m not a Geist player. Every time I try to play that configuration I end up doing significantly worse than anything else. I don’t know what it is, but it’s just not in the cards for me. The problem was that I didn’t realize this until the day before the GP.
Trial #1: Bogles
As I was waiting for my trial to fire, I was joking with the guys about people always bring these super linear, glass cannon decks like Bogles to GPTs so they can spike them quick and dirty. Obviously that’s exactly what happened to me when I sat down my first match of the weekend.
Two games were over like that, my Geists just sat there and chumped the superiorly equipped hexproof dudes until I ran out of 2/2s to block with. There is close to 0% chance of me beating that deck if they don’t just lose to themselves.
Trial #2: Jund
I decided to chalk that one up to bad luck and give another trial a shot. Two byes are worth $15 right? Sure, if you win them. I sit down across from my opponent and assure myself that the Bogles player was a fluke. I’ll surely play a real game of magic here. I wasn’t totally wrong.
Joseph swiftly dismantled my hand and my Geists rotted away as Lilianas and Bobs took the game over. Game two was better, Ajani Vengeant and Thundermaw helped me take it, but game three left me feeling like a deck full of burn spells wasn’t where I wanted to be. I knew people were going to be playing Jund in the main event. I didn’t want to come in playing a deck that had a bad Jund matchup. I decided not to play in another event and continue hemorrhaging cash, and Avery offered to help me test as much as I wanted for the remainder of the night.
The Switch
What we did was a mistake. We didn’t realize this until later, but it’s helpful to acknowledge now. We went to check on our other friends who had just started playing a Modern Challenge. Avery and I decided it might be helpful to scout the challenge and see what people were playing, to get a cursory, if not wildly inaccurate, prediction of the metagame. Out of the maybe 100 players in the event, we found the following:
Jund - 10
Abzan Company - 8
Infect - 6
Kiki-Chord - 6
Tron - 6
Elves - 4
Affinity - 3
UW Control - 3
Zoo - 3
Jeksai Harbinger - 3
Eldrazi & Taxes - 3
Scapeshift - 3
Grixis - 2
And everything else had one player or didn’t seem relevant to record.
This data was obviously flawed for a number of reasons. We had a very small sample size, chances are most of these people didn’t have byes, etc. There was just no way this could accurately represent what the breakdown would be at the GP. Either way, I went down this list and asked myself “Do I want Geist in this matchup?” and the answer was a resounding no by the end. Now I had to decide to play a deck I’ve been playing for years, or the new deck that everyone would be expecting. In addition, playing Nahiri, while the shell seems similar, requires a different strategy, and without any practice I wasn’t so sure I would feel comfortable throwing it together last minute. I’m also fundamentally opposed to running Serum Visions in Jeskai decks in modern but that’s probably an argument for another time.
Maybe the decision didn’t matter as much as I thought at the time, but Avery and Taylor both suggested “playing what you know,” which is a common phrase you hear in reference to Modern. There’s some argument as to whether it’s as true as people say it is, but I’ve always thought that my knowledge of the deck and the format is the reason I enjoy piloting it. I sleeved it up, we talked about numbers, and tested a bunch of games against Abzan Company, a deck that I expected to see a fair amount of even though its showing wasn’t so stellar last weekend. The testing felt good and I started to feel better about tomorrow, as I decided to remain faithful to my favorite angel and goblin.
GP Charlotte: Saturday
The Deck
Creatures (14)
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Wall of Omens
4 Restoration Angel
2 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Spells (21)
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
2 Lightning Helix
2 Electrolyze
1 Spell Snare
3 Mana Leak
2 Remand
1 Cryptic Command
1 Ajani Vengeant
1 Sphinx’s Revelation
Lands (25)
4 Celestial Colonnade
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Flooded Strand
1 Arid Mesa
3 Steam Vents
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Cascade Bluffs
2 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Desolate Lighthouse
Sideboard (15)
2 Stony Silence
1 Wear / Tear
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Wrath of God
1 Anger of the Gods
2 Counterflux
1 Dispel
1 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
1 Vendilion Clique
1 Celestial Purge
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Timely Reinforcements
Main Event: Day One
I got up early, showered, grabbed breakfast, and headed down to the tournament center.
Round One: Evan / Jund / 2-0
Game one was a grind. We both eventually got to top decking and eventually I ripped an Ajani and took the game over. Game two was equally grindy, and I ended up swinging with Colonnade for lethal while at one life.
Round Two: Vincent / Affinity / 2-1
The first in what I didn’t realize would be a slew of Affinity decks I would play this weekend. The takeaway from this is: don’t listen to what anyone says about Affinity, just play hate and prepare for it no matter what.
I managed the board game one and took him down with burn spells. Game two I lost to a misplay on my part around an Etched Champion. Game three I combo’d him out fairly early when he had tapped out.
Round Three: Ryan / BUG Tezzeret Control / 2-0
I had no clue what Ryan was playing. I saw blue and black lands as well as Inkmoth Nexus. Eventually he played a Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas which I dealt with quickly. He played Chalice of the Void on two which shut off a lot of the cards in my hand, but eventually I drew Resto and Kiki to end the game. Game two was a little easier because Ajani and burn spells helped me close the game out fast.
Round Four: Mason / Affinity / 2-0
Burn and Restos take game one and two.
Delay
I won’t go into any crazy detail about this as everyone knows what happened at this point. It was annoying, and to be honest I do think it affected my play. I was exhausted by the time we left and I noticed my sharpness going down after this two hour plus break. Also, I didn’t get paired down for any of the “random” rounds.
Round Five: Danh / Lantern / 2-0
Game one he had a slow start and I kind of just ran out my burn and creatures and made sure to keep up countermagic for his two Ensnaring Bridges in hand that I saw from Clique.
Game two was a little more ridiculous. I had worked through a Pithing Needle and Leyline of Sanctity early on, but eventually he developed his board to the point where I was under a lock, facing down two Ensnaring Bridges, Lantern, and one Codex Shredder. This wasn’t so bad though, because my board was Wall of Omens, Snapcaster Mage, Vendilion Clique, Restoration Angel, and Kiki-Jiki. I effectively had him in a soft lock on his draw step by going Kiki > Resto > blink Clique if he ever drew something I couldn’t deal with. Eventually he replayed Leyline so my plan became dig for my Cryptic Command so that I could bounce his Leyline and burn him out for the win, which eventually happened after a very long game.
Round Six: Aaron / Affinity / 2-1
Aaron said he’d been playing affinity for a long time and I could tell. He caught me off guard a bunch, by playing 3 basics, by playing Dispatch, but in games one and three the combo eventually got through.
Round Seven: Justin / Affinity / 0-2
Here’s where my exhaustion started catching up with me. Game one I have the combo in hand, but Justin has a Plating out and I need to win before it kills me. I play a Resto DURING combat and block an unequipped creature, so he switches the plating over to the creature I blocked. Totally unnecessary on my part and I recognize this, but I have another Resto in hand so I shake it off and just remind myself not to do that next time. Just play it on his end step and win the game. I pass turn, he goes to combat, and I literally make the exact same play and lose my second Restoration angel. Whoops. Game two he lands an early Champion and I have absolutely nothing.
Round Eight: Zach / Affinity / 2-0
Two games of me playing burn spells against x/1s and x/2s.
Round Nine: Stephen / RG Tron / 1-2
I dreaded this. Game one was grind but I lost to back to back big threats. Game two I actually took with Ajani. I kept it safe until I could ult. But game three I couldn’t bring anything together and just lost to Ulamog.
I felt really good about day one. My goal was to make day two, and without any byes I was pretty happy with myself for accomplishing that. We got some food late (we got out of the tournament center after midnight) and I went back to the hotel and crashed.
GP Charlotte: Sunday
Main Event: Day Two
We got crepes for breakfast, and I’d like to think those were what helped me through the rest of this event.
Round Ten: Ben / RG Tron / 2-0
Ben was playing a Tron build with Oath of Nissa and Nahiri, which actually might have been scarier than regular Tron for me. Thankfully I had a combo kill for him because he got to 48 life. Game two he landed a Crucible of Worlds but I had an Ajani to set him back to zero and a Resto and Colonnades to close the game out.
Round Eleven: Ross / Jeskai Nahiri / 2-0
I was worried about this matchup. I feel generally favored because Nahiri is sorcery speed and my deck mostly operates at instant speed. Boths games were grindy and came down to me burning and Colonnade’ing my way to victory.
Round Twelve: Jody / Jeskai Control / 1-1-1
This match really put me on tilt. I want to be unbiased in my retelling of what happened so I’m going to try. Game one he drew a ton of burn spells. I was stuck on lands and had three untapped lands and a fetch, and after his bolts and helices I was down to 4. I had to get the fourth land so I could start casting spells so I fetched on his end step and went down to three. He had two cards in hand, and in response to my fetch he played Snapcaster and targeted bolt in his yard, casting it on me. I cast Remand on the bolt. This is where things got messy.
I drew a card, and he brought the bolt back to his hand, so I immediately said “That doesn’t go back to your hand, it’s exiled” because that’s a common mistake I see people make and isn’t anything out of the ordinary, except he then slammed the bolt back down AND the Mana Leak in his hand and said “Mana Leak your Remand.” I said the Remand had already resolved and he can’t Leak it, but he said he never let Remand resolve. I said he did and when he brought it back to his hand and I told him he realized his mistake and wanted to take it back. He started to get super argumentative and claimed he NEVER brought the bolt back to his hand. I wasn’t going to argue so I called a Judge.
The Judge came over and after this guy kept talking over me I patiently waited and explained what happened from my perspective. The Judge ruled that the Remand had resolved and the bolt was exiled, and that my opponent wouldn’t have the opportunity to Mana Leak it now. My opponent appealed this ruling, so after about 10 minutes the Head Judge came over and asked us to explain what happened again. I again waited patiently to speak after my opponent furiously defended himself, claiming the Lightning Bolt never left the table. I told the Head Judge that this was, frankly, a blatant lie. The Head Judge then gave us his ruling, which was that based on the information he’s heard, he “has to assume my opponent knows the winning line of play” so he allowed him to Mana Leak my Remand. This was incredibly frustrating because I didn’t think that in Professional REL we’d be given any assumptions about our plays or mistakes. I tried to brush it off but honestly this was crushing at the time. I felt cheated.
I ended up winning game two and then game three we went to time after our 12 minute extension, which made that ruling feel even worse.
Round Thirteen: Phillip / Abzan Company / 2-0
I had removal and he had creatures. I think this is a good matchup generally. Especially considering we can beat their infinite life combo.
Round Fourteen: Anthony / Jeskai Nahiri / 1-1-1
We went to three games and I had the combo in hand if I had another turn in the last game. My opponent wanted me to concede and I requested the same of him, neither of us did. I really didn’t want to draw but I wasn’t going to take a loss that I felt wasn’t deserved. Of note from this game, he brought in Geist against me but I anticipated it and brought in an Anger because I had seen the Geist in game two with my Clique. These games are also way too grindy and I need to figure out a way to win faster.
Two draws pretty much locked me out of any top contention, but I thought my record was solid and kept playing to cash.
Round Fifteen: Andrew / Affinity / 2-1
Andrew was cool, and this last match was super refreshing compared to some of the others I had played in day two. He had a rough start game one and mulled fairly low, but he eventually landed an Etched Champion and I couldn’t close the game out. Game two I combo’d him out and game three I did the same after dodging a very close Blood Moon that would’ve locked me out had I not fetched for a Plains earlier on.
Final Record: 58th Place / 11-2-2 / 25-9-2
I guess the moral here IS "play what you know." That, or play what's good against seven rounds of Affinity.
Seriously though, overall I’m really satisfied with my performance at the GP. My goal was to make day two and I accomplished that plus some. I feel like I could’ve won one of the matches I lost had I played better, and I could’ve avoided the draws had I played differently. Either way, I’m happy with the deck, and I look forward to continue tweaking it and playing more and lerning from my mistakes. It’s funny because I was definitely feeling a little burnt out on it lately, but this finish completely restored my faith.
Thanks for reading if you got this far! Get in touch if you want to talk Jeskai!
I've been wanting to do a writeup like this for some time, but I hadn't felt like I'd had a good reason to do so yet. Yesterday, that changed. There's a lot here, but I hope someone finds it useful.
I woke up uncharacteristically early this past Sunday. Before my alarm even went off, which is a miracle for me any day. It was entirely because I was nervous. In addition to my normal pre-tournament anxieties, I had worked late the night before, and because my commute varies, it took me longer than I'd anticipated to get home. I had planned to try and adopt some new preparation habits for this event, but those had to be put on hold.
Nothing crazy, just things like eating well the day before, staying hydrated, and getting a good nights sleep. All seemingly simple in theory, but much harder in practice if you aren't used to that kind of regimen. Because of my current travel-intensive job, I've started listening to some magic related podcasts. Specifically a few from The Masters of Modern (which I definitely recommend checking out if you haven't, great content for players who are seriously interested in the format) that really got my mind working on how I should be preparing for an important event. I think doing well in competitive Magic goes beyond viewing it as a game completely separate from the rest of life. This is all probably a discussion for another time though. On to deck choice.
UWR(Jeskai) Kiki Control
Creatures (14)
4 Restoration Angel
4 Snapcaster Mage
3 Wall of Omens
2 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
1 Deceiver Exarch
Spells (20)
4 Path to Exile
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Electrolyze
3 Mana Leak
2 Cryptic Command
2 Remand
1 Spell Snare
1 Sphinx's Revelation
Lands (26)
4 Celestial Colonnade
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Steam Vents
2 Flooded Strand
2 Arid Mesa
2 Tectonic Edge
2 Island
1 Cascade Bluffs
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sulfur Falls
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Ghost Quarter
Sideboard
2 Celestial Purge
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Dispel
2 Timely Reinforcements
2 Stony Silence
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Wrath of God
1 Spellskite
1 Counterflux
1 Wear // Tear
A brief background on myself as a Modern player: I play the format exclusively. Since Innistrad rotated out, like a lot of other players I'm sure, Standard has lost its appeal to me. I enjoy high-power games, and I love the variety and complexity Modern offers. I've been playing UWR something or another for about two-and-a-half years. I love the variety the colors give you, I love interactivity, and those things considered, it doesn't get much better than UWR in my opinion. Switching between Geist of Saint Traft based decks, strict control, and occasionally the Kiki-Resto combo-control variant, with a brief break twice in between when I'd gotten burnt out on the deck (and when Treasure Cruise was legal and I was more or less forced to switch into Delver).
I've had most success with Kiki-Resto control builds, similar to the one popularized by Shaun McLaren at GP Minneapolis. I had done well at a tournament back home in Connecticut with a version of that deck, and I felt like it meshed with my playstyle fairly well, but as time went on I started to like Geist again. I played him to reasonable success in local events, but with the printing of DTK and Magic Origins, I think the format has changed to the point where I find him (regrettably) unfavorable.
If not only to validate my hesitations, I attended the Modern 5k at StarCityGame's Chicago Open last Sunday, and didn't fare as well as I was hoping to. Thankfully, that experience helped me reevaluate where UWR/Jeskai decks stand in the format. As an aside, I don't believe my observations are definitive by any means as far as UWR goes in the current Modern format, but in my experience recently, Geist is just not a playable card. He may get you some easy wins here and there, but consistent he is not. They are a lot of creature-heavy decks between Grixis and Abzan variants, Affinity, and then as far as combo decks in the format go, it's hard to justify tapping out at sorcery speed for cards that don't either answer something problematic or pose an immediate threat. Don't even get me started on the Tron matchup.
Deck Choice
I wanted a deck that didn't have to fight from behind to win, something fair-but-not-really-fair, but I also wanted something I'd be comfortable playing. After a lot of research and consideration, a list got stuck in the back of my head and I just couldn't get it out. This list, piloted by MTGO user dbreezy89, seemed really appealing. Instant wins were possible, but the control elements were all there, and I felt like there wasn't too much sacrifice made inbetween. I tested a few configurations online, found one I liked, sleeved it up, and tried it at Card Market's Wednesday Night Modern. I went undefeated, and at that moment, I knew what I had to play at the PPTQ.
The PPTQ
Some quick info about the PPTQ: There were 49 players, and 6 rounds of Swiss before cut to Top 8.
0-0-0
Round 1: Greg - Grixis Control
The first round started off about as miserably as I could've imagined. I came in to the tournament expecting a lot of aggressive strategies, knowing that my deck, and more importantly myself, would have to bring our best to win it out. I sat down across from my opponent, we exchanged pleasantries, and waited silently until the head judge finished his introduction, collected decklists, and announced that the round had officially started.
I won the dice roll, which felt great. Modern is a fast format, and with this deck I feel being on the play may not be a considerable advantage, but an advantage nonetheless. We looked at our opening hands, and I saw what every player fears most. No lands. I tried to keep my cool. It happens, no biggie. I announce my mulligan, my opponent his keep. I draw my six card hand, and of course, no lands again. I'm already running through my head how this is going to significantly affect our first game, especially considering the fact that I have no idea what my opponent is on. I compose myself and mulligan to five. It's keepable, a few lands and some early interaction. It's not the best, but it'll have to do. I confirm my keep, and we start the match.
Game 1
He opens with a Watery Grave into Serum Visions. I assume he's on Grixis something or other, could be Twin, Delver, or the Control decks that I've been seeing online. We pass back and forth for a few turns and it becomes clear that he's most likely on Control. I haven't played this matchup much, but I felt good about it in my head. I think my instant speed interaction can put me ahead against his larger threats. I play patiently, Pathing and countering his Tasigurs/Gurmag Anglers only when I knew it was going to end in my favor. Again, I can't stress enough how important it is that they have to play most of their threats on their turn. Mana advantage is huge here. Eventually I stick a Restoration Angel, and with a few swings in with Colonnade, the game is mine.
Game 2
My sideboard plan for this matchup was along the lines of:
-3 Lightning Bolt
-1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
+2 Celestial Purge
+1 Counterflux
+1 Dispel
Similarly to the last game, it started slow. I handled early threats and waited for the right time to drop Restoration Angel. Eventually, he ran out of answers and was digging pretty desperately, but the deck provided no answers and I took the match.
I felt good. I didn't stress about the variance in the first game, and instead of worrying about making top 8, I forced myself to focus on playing tight games.
2-0-0
Round 2: Clayton - Bloom Titan
Game 1
We sat down and rolled for first. I got the play again and tried to keep acknowledging that that put me a little bit ahead. We both kept seven, mine was iffy though. I had Scalding Tarn, Plains, Ghost Quarter, and Tectonic Edge, and a Path and some counter magic. It might not have been the best blind keep, but it ended up working out hugely in my favor. I play my land and pass, he untaps and goes land, Amulet of Vigor. I'm immediately tense. This matchup was okay when I was running geist, but I wasn't sure how it would go without an early clock. His next turn, he plays another Amulet of Vigor, and now I'm starting to worry.
I play out my lands we pass back and forth a bit. He eventually casts a Primeval Titan. I have the Path, so after he gives it haste, but before attacks, I Path it. He grabs a land and Summoner's Pacts up another Titan, but can't play it that turn. He passes, I play my Tectonic Edge, and pass with Mana Leak and Path in hand. He untaps, pays for pact, and plays another bounce land to net 4 mana. He casts Titan with three mana floating. Good move, I'm thinking, but I have Path still so maybe I'm okay. He gives the Titan haste and moves to combat. I attempt to Path, but he has Pact of Negation. I think I'm dead, but it turns out he already had his Boros Garrison out and couldn't kill me this turn. He hits me down to 9 and passes. I untap and look at my bleak hand. No real answers to Titan. But then I look at my lands. More importantly my Ghost Quarter, and my Tectonic Edge. I look at his lands. Hiw only blue sources are his two Simic bouncelands. His die on his deck as a reminder to pay for the Pact. I see the win. I Ghost Quarter one bounceland. I Tectonic Edge the other. I pass turn, and he concedes.
Game 2
Sideboard:
-2 Lightning Bolt
-1 Mana Leak
-1 Wall of Omens
+2 Dispel
+1 Counterflux
+1 Wear // Tear
Game two goes much worse for me. I keep a questionable hand. He plays an Azusa, but my only answer is Electrolyze, so he still gets value off of it. He tutors up a Pact of Negation. Then he plays Hive Mind. My only answer is a Remand in my hand. I know he has a Pact, but I don't know what else he has. I didn't see a way out. I let the Hive Mind resolve and he Slaughter Pacts my Angel. I cast Remand on my copy, but forget that he gets a copy as well, and quickly concede.
Game 3
Sideboard:
-3 Lightning Bolt
-1 Wall of Omens
+2 Dispel
+1 Counterflux
+1 Wear // Tear
A little nervous, my first loss that could easily lead to a quick spiral out of contention. And the matchup doesn't seem great for me. I need to win the next game fast. I keep a hand with the natural combo in hand. I have a Path to Exile. It seems like it's okay, as long as I can stall out and not play into removal. We go pack and forth, he Pacts for a Titan, plays it the same turn, and goes to attacks. I'm one turn away from comboing off. I think for a second, and don't think he can go for the kill this turn because he didn't have an amulet in play. He didn't have any open mana. He already had one Pact to pay for and didn't have any blue sources. I think "now or never" and end of turn Restoration Angel. I know these lists run Slaughter Pact, but I was almost certain it was a one-of, and I wasn't going to sit around to see what happens next turn. Resto sticks, I untap, drop my fifth land, and drop Kiki-Jiki on the table. He hadn't seen a Kiki yet, so he takes a second to look it over. He says "Okay" and I make a million Angels to swing in for game.
4-1-0
Round 3: Andrew - Grixis Control
Game 1
I'm on the play again, but while shuffling I got to learn another lesson for consideration before my next event. I had resleeved my deck immediately before the event. While shuffling before my game versus Andrew, my deck slipped and I flipped over a Kiki-Jiki. Possibly the worst card I could've done that with, we both agreed. I don't exactly know how this would affect our games, but it didn't feel good.
We go back and forth playing lands. I put him on Control fairly early because of the near-nonexistent amount of pressure the first few turns. Eventually he lands a Tasigur. I had an opportunity to either Path, or Cryptic draw-bounce his Tasigur. I opted for the second. I had my Sphinx's in hand all game, and I really thought if I could get him to tap out I could take the game over. He recast Tasigur, tapping him out. My turn, I cast Sphinx's main phase for 6 and feel much more confident I could close out the game. Eventually I get to a point where I can Snapcaster Sphinx's for 4, and from there Resto beatdown takes it. At some point in this game, he played a Shadow of Doubt just to cycle it, and I want to make it clear that it was incredibly important for me to keep this information in mind throughout the rest of the series. I wrote down in large bold letters "SHADOW OF DOUBT" on my notepad so I wouldn't get blown out. I reccommend a similar strategy.
Game 2
Sideboard:
-3 Lightning Bolt
-1 Wall of Omens
-2 Snapcaster Mage
+1 Dispel
+1 Counterflux
+2 Celestial Purge
+2 Relic of Progenitus
I'll start this out by saying I believe I sideboarded incredibly poorly in this game. I had a plan coming in, but I decided I would try out Relics against this deck. In retrospect, I think Snapcasters are invaluable and Relic doesn't do enough. I also kept a miserable one land hand with Relic on the draw, and got beaten down by two Snapcasters from Andrew without putting up much of a fight. Never keep one landers.
Game 3
Sideboard:
-3 Lightning Bolt
-1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
+2 Celestial Purge
+1 Counterflux
+1 Dispel
I go back to my original sideboard plan. The games goes on as usual, play lands, I clear the board of his threats effectively enough, and eventually he's low on cards and I'm ahead with Resto and Colonnade.
6-2-0
Round 4: Ryan - Grixis Twin
Game 1
I'm on the play again, I feel like this is getting a little lucky at this point, but I accept it and we start. He mulligans, and after a few Serum Visions, he casts a Pestermite. I quickly Electrolyze it as it was a no brainer in the moment, but to note, I had put him on Grixis Control initially, so it helped me reel it in and not be so presumptious about decks in these colors. A small mistake could've cost me the game. He never really stabilizes from his mulligan and I eventually stick a Resto and ride it to victory.
Game 2
Sideboard:
-2 Wall of Omens
-1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
-1 Lightning Bolt
-1 Remand
+2 Celestial Purge
+1 Counterflux
+1 Dispel
+1 Wear // Tear
Ryan has endless Dispels and lands a Blood Moon on me that I was completely unprepared for. I get locked out and even with my one Plains in play, can't get rid of Blood Moon, and he beats me down with Vendilion Clique and Keranos.
Game 3
Sideboard:
-2 Wall of Omens
-2 Lightning Bolt
-1 Remand
+2 Celestial Purge
+1 Counterflux
+1 Dispel
+1 Wear // Tear
My initial hand for this game was incredibly risky. It was four land, Cryptic, Resto, Kiki. I thought about it for a while and although it probably wasn't the correct keep, I decided to do it. I knew he hadn't seen Kiki in any of our games, and I thought if I could draw a few backup spells I could close the game by surprise.
We go back and forth for a while and I try to draw as many counters out of him as I can. He lands a Spellskite, and then a Keranos. My hand is Cryptic, Snapcaster, Resto, Kiki. He eventually Kolaghan's Commands me, and I have to decide what to pitch. I'm pretty dedicated to the combo at this point, and I feel like Cryptic is better bait, so I pitch my Snapcaster. I pass my turn and I'm still a red mana shy of casting Kiki, so I get nervous. I had made sure to fetch up basics in fear of Blood Moon this game, but I hadn't seen it yet. I pass with open mana. He plays Blood Moon. I attempt to counter and he answers it. This is fine, this is what I needed to happen. He then taps his limited blue mana for Jace, Architect of Thought. This is good. He minuses and I give him a Dispel, knowing he doesn't have a target.
I untap and draw a land. I play it. Only Kiki and Resto in my hand, and he has a massive board. Jace, Keranos, Spellskite, Blood Moon. I know that it's now or never, he only has one blue mana, and a few red sources available and I'm fairly certain his hand at this point is Dispel, Spell Snare, and one unknown. I play Kiki-Jiki. It resolves. I'm almost shaking at this point. I knew this round was important and I didn't want to blow it. I play Resto. It resolves. I target Resto with Kiki's ability. He attempts to redirect to Spellskite. This is an understandable mistake, because it's common for people to assume Splinter Twin and Kiki do the same thing, because in a way, they do, but in this instance, those few words of difference were so important. He concedes, and I make my way outside to collect myself.
8-3-0
Round 5: Jonny - Abzan Company
Going into this round was a little more stressful than I hoped it would be. Three players, including myself, were undefeated at this point. When they posted standings before the round 5 pairings, I found that I was in third place, and that my breakers were also the worst of the three of us. I waited anxiously for pairings to be posted, and when they were, my anxiety doubled. I was paired down. The other two 4-0s got to draw and relax, but I had to play this round out, potentially still on the verge of missing top 8. I got over it quickly and tried to stick to my initial goals of playing good Magic rather than playing for the finish.
Game 1
I sat down across from Jonny and I could immediately tell he was already happy just to play a game. I really enjoy matches like this. We both knew something was on the line, but we both had positive attitudes and ultimately played for the fun of the game, the way Magic should be played in my opinion.
This was my first game on the draw at this event. I was a little nervous, if Jonny was on any kind of aggro build I knew I was going to be at a disadvantage. And, of course, my worries manifested themselves in the form of a turn one Birds of Paradise. I didn't have a bolt for the Birds, but eventually I drew into enough removal to take care of Jonny's board and capitalize on that with a Resto, which I used to put a clock on him until he hit 0.
Game 2
Sideboard:
-2 Remand
-1 Sphinx's Revelation
-1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
+2 Dispel
+1 Wrath of God
+1 Supreme Verdict
I knew this matchup could be rough, an instant speed threat in these aggro decks, whether it be Chord or Collected Company, can be incredibly backbreaking if I don't navigate the game correctly. I had put Dispels in my sideboard if not specifically for these decks, and I was hoping they'd come to my aid in this game two to lock me in top 8.
We started out, and Jonny established a board, but this time, I had more than enough removal for his threats. I didn't end up getting to use my Dispels, but I had enough removal to back me up and close out the game with a combo kill. This locked me into top 8, so I knew during the next round I could finally take a break and compose myself.
A note on this matchup for anyone who might choose to play this deck: The Company decks don't typically run a lot of hard removal, in an effort to capitalize on the effectiveness of Collected Company. This makes them soft to combo. Linvala can be an issue, but you shouldn't need the combo to win, and shouldn't feel like you need to keep it in after game one if you aren't feeling confident in it.
10-3-0
Round 6: Zeke - ID
I don't know what deck Zeke is on, but he had drawn last round, and of course wanted to draw this round. I couldn't turn that down, so we fill out our match slips and I finally get my first break of the day. I run down the street and grab some Gatorade and trail mix from the Walgreens nearby, my first "meal" today, and try to relax as I wait for standings before Top 8.
10-3-3
Top 8
Going into top 8, I was equal parts nervous and confident. I had stressed about having to play an extra round it swiss, but because of that, I was first seed, and I would choose whether to be on the play or draw for my top 8 matches. This felt really good in the moment, as I had a great streak going while on the play today, and I was looking forward to keeping it going.
Quarterfinals: Devang - UWR Geist
Game 1
I had played Devang in the last round at the weekly Modern event last Wednesday, and knew he was on UWR Geist, so it was awesome to see him in top 8. I love UWR decks and players that stick to those colors, so this is a great example of maybe my opinion on Geist is wrong if Devang could navigate his way into top 8. Maybe Geist is a better deck for him, who knows. I knew that Kiki was getting me there today and I was planning on keeping it up.
Regrettably, Devang received a game loss after deck checks before top 8. I'm torn because as someone who wanted the Regional invite, it benefitted me, but as someone who wanted to play fair games, it felt a little wrong. Either way, I expressed my condolences, and we started off on game 2.
Game 2
Devang was on the play, and determined to land a Geist against me. We both knew how powerful that card was against me, considering I had no maindeck answers aside from a well timed block. We also couldn't sideboard because of the game loss, so I couldn't prepare for his impending assault. He landed a Geist, which I handled, as well as a few other threats. I eventually handled the Geist with a block from a Snapcaster. Out of answers, he dropped a Thundermaw and took the game away.
Game 3
Sideboard:
-2 Lightning Bolt
-1 Sphinx's Revelation
-1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
+2 Dispel
+1 Wrath of God
+1 Supreme Verdict
Now the pressure was really hitting me. I had to win before Devang could put a clock on me. I ran out some bait until he seemed to exhaust his resources, and started to dump my threats out. Luckiliy, he never got to a Geist, and he only had three cards in hand. I had two Dispels, Kiki, and Resto in mine, and ran them out. He went Snapcaster, Remand Kiki. I had Dispel. He then went Snapcaster, Remand again. But I had the second Dispel. And after a long, grindy match, Resto and Kiki came together to end the game.
12-4-3
Semifinals: Zeke - Abzan Company
Game 1
Zeke and I talked a little before our match, and he seemed like a really nice dude. Not too serious about the game, but ready to play some good matches.
The first match was intense. I tried to keep the board clear but he kept coming back. Eventually, he had five mana up, a fairly established board, and I had the combo in hand. I flashed in a Deceiver Exarch at the end of his turn and tapped one of his lands down to put him at four mana open. I had Kiki in hand, untapped, drew, and went to play it. He said it was okay, and when I went to activate Kiki's ability targeting Deceiver, he responded with Collected Company.
Like I said before, I know these decks don't have concrete answers in the maindeck, but Zeke surprised me a little here. I assumed this was a last ditch effort to foil my plans, and it worked. He ripped a Fiend Hunter as well as a Voice of Resurgence off the top. He exiled my Kiki with his Fiend Hunter. I thought for a second, and realized that Kiki's ability as still on the stack. I asked "Ability resolves?" Zeke confirmed, and I put my newly created Deceiver token's ability on the stack. I targeted my Steam Vents, untapped it, used the bolt in my hand to kill his Fiend Hunter, bring my Kiki back, and Combo off for the win.
I felt really good about that play. I had liked Deceiver in the deck so far and the utility it provides, and this scenario just exemplified how useful it can be.
Game 2
Sideboard:
-2 Remand
-1 Sphinx's Revelation
-1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
+2 Dispel
+1 Wrath of God
+1 Supreme Verdict
The second game was a little less close. I tried to keep the board as clear as I could, and he actually brought me down to three life, but I had enough of a board state to stay alive, and eventually he just kept topdecking lands until I could find my way to victory with a Restoration Angel.
14-4-3
Finals: Allen - Affinity
I was ridiculously nervous at this point in the night. I had played so many rounds of Magic, I was exhausted in so many ways, but I only had one more to go. Allen asked if I wanted the invite, and I assured him I did, and then we were off to find out who was going to win it.
Game 1
I had played Allen last week as well, so I knew he was on Affinity. This is always a rough match, but I expected it, and was hoping my sideboard would help me out here.
We started game one as expected. He played fast but slow enough to not get blown out. I drew my Electrolyzes and the requisite removal spells to land a Resto and take the game.
Game 2
Sideboard:
-2 Remand
-1 Sphinx's Revelation
-1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
+2 Stony Silence
+1 Wrath of God
+1 Supreme Verdict
This game was rough. Allen established a fantastic board against me, and my deck had finally given up. I drew land, after land, after land. Eventually he overwhelmed me and took the game.
Game 3
Sideboard:
-2 Remand
-1 Sphinx's Revelation
-1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
+2 Stony Silence
+1 Wrath of God
+1 Supreme Verdict
I knew it would come down to this, one game to decide the winner, and by this point, I was ready. I kept a questionable hand on the play with a Mana Leak, Lightning Bolt, and Path. It seemed okay against affinity, but it could've been better. I played a land and passed, and when he passed back, I drew a Stony Silence off the top. I knew how wildly this card could swing this match in my favor, so I wanted to play it safe.
He had an untapped Island and a Memnite out, so I didn't play it right away in fear of Spell Pierce. This might have been a little too safe, but Allen tapped the land next turn to play a Spellskite. This was my window. I untapped, dropped the Stony Silence, and passed. He eventually played his hand out, but Stony Silence was enough. He had multiple Arcbound Ravagers and a Cranial Plating, but without the ability to use them or the Spellskite, I could eventually land a threat and take the game, and the invite, home.
Final record: 16-5-3
Going Forward & Conclusion
I wouldn't change much about the deck going forward at the moment, but there were a few things I noticed.
Relic of Progenitus just didn't seem necessary. Maybe if more graveyard based decks were out there seeing play, but I never really felt like I wanted it against Grixis builds.
I was worried about the number of Spell Snares I was playing. That it might not be enough at just one. But after everything, I feel like I was correct in that number.
I'm lucky I didn't face burn. Cutting Lightning Helix from my deck made me fear this matchup, and I'm not sure if Timely Reinforcements would be enough to hedge it in my favor, but I will test for this going forward.
Otherwise, I felt very good about the deck in the metagame. I think any UWR variant is incredibly skill intensive, and I almost want to say it relies on you knowing the format more than anything. I was advantageous in this because I've dedicated to only playing modern, and I feel like it paid off. I also love the minor tweaks that can be made to the deck, and I love the challenge of trying to figure out the format and how to beat it, and I think this is going to be another event that solidifies UWR as my go to deck.
In closing, I want to thank MTGCardMarket for running a great event, the above resources I mentioned, as well as the players in the event themselves for being awesome. I also want to shout out GreatNate, as his videos have been a fantastic resource over the past few months as another point of reference in my red, white, and blue journey.
I'm excited to play in the RPTQ in Indianapolis this November, and I'm hoping I can bring UWR back to the Pro Tour. If anyone has any questions or anything, feel free to get in touch with me on twitter @adinolfi, or via email. This ended up being way longer than I intended, so if anyone made it this far, thanks a lot, and get in touch!
I previously posted about Transmute, a project I started to experiment with web technologies that I wasn't using professionally. Eventually my ideas evolved, and this second version of Transmute was born.
Rather than building Transmute to act solely as a reference tool, I changed direction to turn it into a full fledged e-commerce platform for buying and selling Magic the Gathering cards. I was considering my options for selling magic cards online one day, and I realized that there is effectively one dedicated service online allowing the everyday user to do this. I decided that it might be profitable to create a competitive service for this niche market.
On Transmute, any user can list their card collection online to sell at prices they determine, with lower fees than eBay, Amazon, and TCG Player. Users can also search for any card and view all listed items by sellers. There is a fully functioning backend for sellers, registration/user system, invoicing system, PayPal integration, shopping cart, database, and search feature.
While still a work in progress, this iteration was built from scratch using PHP, mySQL, HTML, CSS, Javascript, jQuery, PayPal's API, and designed in Photoshop. The current iteration (v3) is being rebuilt based on the same foundation, but updated using the Laravel framework.
What I Did: Concept, Design, Development
Tools I Used: PHP, SQL, HTML, CSS, Javascript, jQuery, Photoshop
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