PPTQ winner for Pro Tour #1 of 2019 at Grey Ogre Games

“一定要跟店买卡的咧,才会拉到。。。“ (Cards must buy from the store leh, then will draw it) Ever heard of this saying? Apparently, there might be some of truth in it!  Let us hear from the PPTQ winner about his winning story.

By Lightning be purged

Name: Daniel

Age: 22

Occupation: Navy regular

Why and how did you start to play MTG: A group of friends invited me to play, but they have all stopped playing...

What attracts you to keep on playing: Mechanics of the game, way better than hearthstone as I was playing it competitively before and was part of Team Abyssus

Where do you usually play: Games Haven (Jurong) & Grey Ogre Games

Is there a community that you play together often with: Yup, the JGH group. Best place to train up for modern and I think the shop has many strong modern players.

What is your best MTG-related story, since you have started playing MTG: 3 masterpieces in 3 different day, opened not more than 10 packs each That's jackpot! KA CHING KA CHING KA CHING! The 3 masterpieces are Steel Overseer, Lotus Petal and Dark Ritual.

What do you like about our Singapore community: Generally the players are friendly, though people might get salty or pissed, but they might just be having it tough. Most of the players would communicate with you, discussing your optimal plays even though it might be competitive.

What do you think that our Singapore community needs to improve on: I would say trading wise. I know that we use overseas sites for price guidance, but I would prefer if the same person sticks to a same site for buy and sell prices, instead of cherry picking the different sites for the best prices to buy and sell...

What do you think of M19: Kinda bad, but few years down the road, some cards might spike as it not many people would be interesting in opening m19.

There are 2 PPTQs on the same day, why did you select this particular store’s PPTQ: I love modern over any other formats, didn’t know that there were another store hosting PPTQ, but most of my friends are going to GOG so why not?

What deck did you play:

Mainboard
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Goblin Guide
4 Monastery Swiftspear
2 Bomat Courier
1 Grim Lavamancer
3 Lava Spike
4 Lightning  Bolt
4 Rift Bolt
3 Searing Blaze
3 Skullcrack
2 Atarka's Command
4 Boros Charm
2 Lightning Helix
3 Arid Mesa
4 Bloodstained Mire
3 Inspiring Vantage
2 Mountain
2 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
4 Wooded Foothills
Sideboard
1 Deflecting Palm
3 Destructive Revelry
3 Path to Exile
2 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Rest in Peace
2 Searing Blood
2 Stony Silence

Describe your SB plan, and how it works: Deck couldn’t beat bridge vines and not many players are bringing burn, so i decided to take out the walkers and put in the bridges. Deck just couldn’t beat them unless dark arts! Nowadays the meta is just about playing the unfair decks and win the game.

How long have you been playing it: 2 years now, still junior

Why did you pick up this deck: At first when I first started to make a modern deck, i was looking at a cheap and easy deck to play as I just left Hearthstone, so I am looking for a deck like face hunter. But as i started to play more, I realise that there were so many more decisions to make when playing this deck. As much as others thought that it is just as easy as 3 x 7 (7 burn spells of 3 damage), so many decisions have led me to a defeat. I had no money to make another deck so I would practice with decks that I lost after matches and understand more on the different matchups and interactions. You must be very familiar with this deck, with this much of practice! As the saying goes, "Practice makes perfect".

One card that you are most impressed with for the day: Shrine of Burning Rage. It has led me to victory. With opponents' Chalice of the Void set for 1 and 2. It is really crippling, but the Shrine has helped to deal an impressive 13 damage!!!

One card that you are least impressed with for the day: Inquisition of Kozilek. It is a hand disruption that doesn't hurt the one casting it, unlike Thoughtseize.

During the top 8 cut, which top 8 player did you not want to be paired with, and played against: I did not want to face the other burn player as my deck was not tuned to fight burn as mentioned above and the 5c humans. It would be a struggling matchup for me and I feel that the ratio is 6:4 in favor of humans.

Toughest matchup for the day: UW miracle, it was a miracle that I won him actually. I think he played too hastily.

Easiest matchup for the day: Storm, a walk in the park with Eidolon of Great Revel. Pew. Pew. Pew.

Are there any portions of the deck that you would like to change, and why: I think that Bomat Courier is flexible to be changed, but it looks like a staple too. The rest of the decks are just pretty fine.

Any tips and advice to players who are grinding for this season's PPTQ: Approach Hafiz (Best merfolk IMO) for some luck management guide. Elephants guide you.

Any positive comments for the store hosting the PPTQ: Buy cards from them and you will have insane draws! Good 40% of my cards from the deck were bought from GOG.

Any points for improvement for the store hosting the PPTQ: Where did my popeyes go? Navy, Seaman and Popeye... Wooded foothills must be the spinach! :D

Last shoutouts: Why's Danny so bad, always come to JGH and 0-2? Ragnaros' favourite quote! "DIE INSECT!" OUCH, that's such a taunt towards him! Just to clarify, this is a friendly banter, and should be treated light-heartedly. We condone no instances of bullying and its likes.

PPTQ winner for Pro Tour #1 of 2019 at Mag-Strength

An analyst during the week, and a title defender during the weekend! Our winner at Mag Strength's PPTQ, has denied other contenders from winning the Mag Strength RPTQ slot for 2 seasons!

Name: Dylan Yeo

Age: 36

Occupation: Analyst

How did you start to play MTG: Started MTG in 1995 after passing by a comics shop in Tiong Bahru and seeing a bunch of people sitting down and playing an interesting card game. Was a big fantasy fan, so the MTG genre appealed to me. Was hooked on the game and played somewhat competitively with the group at Tiong Bahru (“The Force”) for a few years. Stopped playing during the Visions set after losing to Type 1.5 deck (UW good stuff control). Being a student who put all my savings into the game, the blow was too big to handle.

Eventually, I came back to play during the Scars of Mirrodin block at MagStr, and a combination of my childhood memories and cool people at Magstr kept me in the game on and off since.

What attracts you to keep on playing: Been a fairly casual player over recent years due to family and work commitments. But always tried to spend some free time playing MTG because of all the fun friends, and my love for the game and some competition.

Where do you usually play MTG: Mag Strength, and sometimes at Grey Ogre Games and Agorahobby.

Is there a community that you play together often with: The awesome and funny Magstr community. We typically hang out together for FNM and sometimes go out for “expeditions” to other shops on weekends.

What is your best MTG-related story, since you have started playing MTG: Playing at the team RPTQ in KL and my Magstr teammates told me not to take food from people because it means bad luck. Didn’t believe in that, and ate some fries offered by Yong Xin. Guess what, we really kept losing after. The fries taste good though cause we didn’t had lunch! Sorry Wei Teng and Sebas!

What do you like about our Singapore community: The friendly and competitive spirit of Singapore players. Going to any MTG events is like catching up with a bunch of old friends, while everyone is also having a great time trying to win.

What do you think that our Singapore community needs to improve on: I think the Singapore community can be more collaborative to improve our MTG level, advance our tournament scene and create greater MTG content for current and future players. While the community is small compared to other nations, everyone seem to be passionate for the game. We have seen many initiatives recently, which I think are great (e.g. mtgrojak.com, GOG’s streaming content and general effort to help new players, etc.).

There are 2 PPTQs on the same day, why did you select this particular store’s PPTQ: Because it’s at Magstr and we have an internal joke to always try to defend Magstr’s PPTQ. We had collectively been successful over the last 3 PPTQs :D

What color combination did you play during the sealed, and why: U/R splash B/W removal. 4c good stuffs! My pool had limited removals across the colors, with a bunch of complimentary dual lands. So I decided to play all the removals and live the dream or go home. and you lived the dream!

Was locked into U/R main because of [mtg_card]Demanding Dragon[/mtg_card] and other red heavy beaters, as well as [mtg_card]Windreader Sphinx[/mtg_card] with a bunch of filler flyers.

What color combination did you play during the draft, and why: U/B fillers plus [mtg_card]Tezzeret, Artifice Master[/mtg_card]. Pack 1 was depressing for my seat and I ended with [mtg_card]Graveyard Marshal[/mtg_card], 2 [mtg_card]Plague Mare[/mtg_card]s and a bunch of fillers in blue, white and green. Opened Tezzeret in pack 2 and decided to force the color, despite it looking pretty dried up. The final deck still looked pretty bad, but Tezzeret rewarded me with wins in the quarter and semi.

How do you think of M19: M19 seems more fun than the typical core sets. The smaller creatures seems to be irrelevant quickly, making aggro pretty weak, and allowing for longer games. I do love grindy limited formats (preferably with 5 color decks).

During the top 8 cut, which top 8 player did you not want to be paired with, and played against: Ken Hu, fellow defender of Magstr.

Any specific tips and advices to players who are playing for the sealed and the draft portion too: Play your sealed different from your draft. Play your best cards and removals in sealed (or a synergy deck if you are lucked out). Have a plan for draft (aggro, control, value grind, abuse a bomb), even if it means drafting weaker cards.

Any tips and advice to players who are grinding for this season's PPTQ: Try… harder.

Any positive comments for the store hosting the PPTQ: Come to Magstr for a truly unique local PPTQ experience, and fill your tummies with amazing food just next door! :D Oh come on... that's really the great draw! I always look forward to eating over at ABC Brickswork Market everytime I'm there! If you need any recommendations of what to eat! Ask the friendly players over at Mag Strength or me!

Any points for improvement for the store hosting the PPTQ: Sturdier chairs please. Oopssssss... Tell me, have you ever broke any of their chairs... Ahh, I understand, that will remain a secret between us.

Last shoutouts: Dennis for doing these interviews for the SG community. Benedict for being a great sport despite the "chao qiu" AKA "dark arts" in the finals. Do refer to the previous features on who are the Dark Arts master! Kuo Feng for graciously letting me up in the final swiss round.

Feature with the PPTQ winners for Pro Tour #1 of 2019 (Dueller's Point & Brick's Play)

And now... we have our feature of the PPTQ winners. Ah Jian and FBro to the rescue!

Planeswalkers ftw

Name: Joshua Yang "Ah Jian"

Age: Every year 25 年年都25岁,發啊！

Occupation: Membership Executive

How did you start to play MTG: I started during Secondary 2 where my classmate introduced me to an Alliance booster pack. I thought the art looked nice and given my weakness for “kuji” (sure-win lucky draw games), I started to buy more packs and started building decks. However, competitive gaming only started during my polytechnics days when my friend introduced me to Serene Center Ahh, yes, comics mart in Serene Centre and that macdonalds. We used to play most of the premier events like Nationals Qualifier, PTQ in Comics Mart.

What attracts you to keep on playing: Need to be number 1 in lifetime planewalkers points in SG. Ahh, you wanna be the very best, like no one ever was.

Currently second :p The gap is approximately 600 points and I believe you will be able to break through very soon.

Where do you usually play MTG: In alphabetical order: Dueller’s Point, Games Haven (Paya Lebar) and Grey Orge Games

Is there a community that you play together often with: Yes, shoutout to my fellow grinders, Lucas Wong, Chris Tiong and Yong Xin! Four Heavenly Kings -四大天王?

What do you like about our Singapore community: Singaporeans are very hardworking and competitive. We often cheer each other on despite the occasional tilts. Just like you can see that its full house for this PPTQ from their fb video

What do you think that our Singapore community needs to improve on: Need to guide the younger generation of players. My “batch” getting old liao. Hahaha Well, Experience counts -姜还是老的辣 

There are 2 PPTQs on the same day, why did you select this particular store’s PPTQ?  Dueller’s Point is 10 mins from my house! Oh yea~

What deck did you play:

Main Deck
2 Snapcaster Mage
4 Flooded Strand
4 Celestial Colonnade
2 Hallowed Fountain
2 Glacial Fortress
2 Plains
1 Irrigated Farmland
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Detention Sphere
1 Negate
1 Mana Leak
1 Supreme Verdict
2 Search for Azcanta
2 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Serum Visions
2 Logic Knot
4 Terminus
4 Opt
4 Path to Exile
4 Cryptic Command
6 Island
4 Field of Ruin
2 Vendilion Clique

Sideboard
1 Timely Reinforcements
1 Disenchant
1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1 Lyra Dawnbringer
1 Celestial Purge
1 Rest in Peace
2 Damping Sphere
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Stony Silence
2 Dispel
1 Negate

Describe your SB plan, and how it works: No secret tech for my SB, just the usual white hate cards for the appropriate matchups (RIP for GY, Stony Silence for artifacts) and usual blue cards for turning the corners (Dispels, Negate)

How long have you been playing it: I have been playing UW control for 3 weeks.

Why did you pick up this deck: I got bored of aggressive Eldrazi decks and they can’t beat Humans (top tier deck atm), hence I swapped my Eldrazi cards to UW cards. Ka ching! Ka ching! RPTQ slot added for that choice. I also wanted to play with Jace TMS since its unbanning...

One card that you are most impressed with for the day: Vendilion Clique, MVP for trading with the nexus fliers, "cycling" extra Terminus out of hand too. It also created a counter war during my opponent's eot, then I slam down my Teferi

One card that you are least impressed with for the day: Damping Sphere, which sat in my SB the whole day.

Toughest matchup for the day: I was lucky to meet 6 aggressive decks and only 1 control deck the whole day. Toughest matchup was Infect and Shiek beat me 2 weeks ago in a win-a-box finals.

Easiest matchup for the day: Easiest matchup were affinity decks. 1 in swiss and 1 in semis. The 5 board wipes and 4 field of ruin made it easier.

Are there any portions of the deck that you would like to change, and why: I would like to experiment by changing Opt to Peek. U get information on when to land your planeswalkers or if your opponents are sandbagging any important creatures.

Any tips and advice to players who are grinding for this season's PPTQ; Stick to what you know best, just modify your sideboard accordingly to the metagame. Keep trying, don't give up. Modern is a high variance format.

Any positive comments for the store hosting the PPTQ: The event ran very smoothly. Well done!

Last shoutouts: Shout out to my team - Last Magic Event, you guys are the best! :D Most importantly, I wouldn't have been able to do it without my lovely wife's support.

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Haters would say this was photo-shopped.

Name: Faizal Bin Rosmarudin (FBro)

Age: 31

Occupation: Stuffs that you wouldn't want to know

Why and how did you start to play MTG: Started in secondary school when my friend taught me during a school trip.

What attracts you to keep on playing? Competition made me kept playing.

Where do you usually play MTG: Mostly at PPTQs. Sometimes GOG on weekdays, and GH on Fridays.

Is there a community that you play together often with: Chye Hwee and Tan Chin Heng.

What do you like about our Singapore community? SG players are actually good at MTG. The high level of competition is conducive to produce players to capable of competing in the Pro Tour.

What do you think that our Singapore community needs to improve on? Innovation.

What color combination did you play during the sealed, and why? GW Blanchwood Armor – the limited Bogles Deck. It’s the most completed colour combination in my pool (got removal, bomb, decent creatures, etc).

What color combination did you play during the draft, and why? UW artifact. Gearsmith Guardian was pretty good in this format and people underrate it.

What do you think of M19? Boring with low EV. I didn’t want to draft it after my sixth draft.

During the top 8 cut, which top 8 player did you not want to be paired with, and played against? Goh Guo Wei. He’s very good at dark arts.

Any specific tips and advices to players who are playing for the sealed and the draft portion too? This format allows you to splash bombs/removals. X/1s are not very good. Most colour combi in draft works, but I don’t like UG specifically.

Any tips and advice to players who are grinding for this season's PPTQ; Don’t waste time, I’ll be winning the slot in KL. YEAH! make us proud!

Any positive comments for the store hosting the PPTQ: Thanks to Bricksplay for for holding the PPTQ. The staffs are always friendly.

Any points for improvement for the store hosting the PPTQ: Try to make the next sealed PPTQ start earlier. Or on a Sat.

Experiences as 1st time Head Judge in a PPTQ

Apologies for those who are waiting for the weekly feature of the PPTQ winners. We have a hiccup the last week, so we will be postponing the feature to next week instead, while we prepare the post!

Instead, let us feature another topic! From a different role this time round!Once you have experienced being a Head Judge in a PPTQ, there are no look backs! You can no longer use the term as a 1st time in PPTQ. That is your 1st time experience of a Head Judge in PPTQs, your precious and once and only! Once you have stepped into the dark side, you are never going to come back untainted. Well, I'm just exaggerating, it is definitely not to that certain extent, but it should be a personal journey of self exploration and reflection, by being the person with the final authority in resolving the disputes in the tournament. With great power, comes great responsibility.

So, why are we talking about these when all we want to know are about a Head Judge's experience. Well, PPTQs are one of the many events that are run in competitive rule enforcement level (REL), and it is also the most readily available competitive REL event you can get here. So, how does REL impacts the players? It is the method on the level of application of rules on MTG events, and relations between parties in the tournament changes accordingly to the different kind of REL (Regular/Competitive/Professional).

And today, we are honored to invite our guest for this session to talk about his experience as a 1st time Head Judge in a PPTQ! You may have seen him in Nationals, and also during other PPTQ events, but may not know his name! For those who may not know him, he has recently advanced to be able to Head Judge a PPTQ. Hurray! Without further ado, let us welcome Nicholas!

Name: Nicholas Keith Seah

Age: 28

Occupation: Senior Executive, Corporate Communications

When were you introduced to MTG: Back when I was still in secondary school, I was really into trading card games, like Yugioh and Pokemon. But Magic was always a hobby that I felt I could not afford. It was not until I started getting some kind of working allowance as a national serviceman that I decided to dabble in the “Magical” arts XP. My first deck was a pre-constructed deck from Rise of Eldrazi set. I had two very kind bunkmates who helped me learn the basics, as well as getting thrashed by artifact affinity and a White Serra Angel deck. After leaving the army, I did not touch Magic again until 2 years later when I found a play group that I started getting more into playing and brewing. It was also around the same time I got really interested in the mechanics and rules of the game.

Why did you want to become a judge: It started with a curious mind of wanting to know how the stack works, as well as the whole concept of priority passing. It led me to read up on the comprehensive rules unknowingly. The more I read, the more interested I get, and the deeper the “rabbit hole” I fell into. It was then my play group asked that since I have done so much reading, I might as well consider being a judge. That's pretty much how my journey started. Plus, I have always loved spectating and observing more than playing the game itself, so being a judge, kind of provided me an “opening” to be involved in an advanced level of gameplay without me really having to play the game. So win-win for me! 😁

Are there any myths that you would want to dispel about judges and judging? 

I think it is not true that judges are out to get players. In most cases, Judges want to improve the gaming experience through removing the haze of doubts and uncertainties regarding gameplays. One tips for players is that judges would love to provide you key insights during matches, you just need to ask the right questions or phrase the question correctly XP.

What would you recommend, for those who are interested to become a judge.

I would say come check out the experience yourself, because a lot of people became judges for a whole lot of different reasons. Feel free to explore the options and find out what works and does not work for you. Perhaps being in the Judge program will add to your gaming experience even more like how it has done for me.

What does it means to head judge a PPTQ?

For me, being a head judge is to helm the responsibility in amplifying the tournament organiser's intent to provide an enjoyable experience to all the players. Magic is such a game of intellect and strategy, (of course with some luck involved as well I would say), so for most players, enjoyment comes from playing and pitting their wits against each other through gameplay. By simply doing my job as a neutral arbiter of the game, I believe I will already be contributing largely to the goal. Additionally, mentoring new judges towards this goal will be as essential.

What would make the event great?

Finding ways to help reduce delays, at the same time ensuring that players have a conducive environment to play in, contribute to making the event great. But ultimately, it is really the tournament organisers and players participating the event that makes the event exciting and eventful.

Since this is the 1st time that you’re judging a PPTQ, are you nervous? 

Oh hell yaaaas. Hahaa! I think I was quite anxious at the Head Judge announcement before the start of round 1. I asked my fellow floor judges on how I did after, they both kindly and gently mentioned that I sounded nervous too. I guess that as much as I can prepare beforehand, the actual moment of truth never fails to reveal the true feelings.

What are some preparations that you have done?

I think as the event day was nearing, I started reading up on all the recent changes, as well as potential metagames that are currently in the magic community. I also started drafting my HJ announcement scripts (Yes, some of us actually have scripts).

Appeals from Judgelife

What are the challenges that you have faced?

I think one of the initial challenges was the fact that it was the first time being a HJ without another L2, I was unsure of how to start or how to engage all the players. I had to just jump into the “deep end of the water” and start somewhere. Thankfully, everyone was very gracious towards me first delivery.

How do you think the event flow was?

I think the event was pretty smooth. One of my anticipation was the delays and the confusions that might have caused by the Krak-Clan Ironworks (KCI) combo deck, as well as the chain of Storm spells that new players might be unfamiliar with. But it seems like all the games played were in a pretty orderly and timely manner, without much things cropping up. So I would say it went pretty smooth.

What was the most interesting encounter that you had for the day?

I think the most interesting encounter was the KCI combo deck playing against a Knight of Reliquary deck. It is quite apparent to both players that once the KCI player combo fires off, the game is pretty undeniably a guaranteed game in KCI's favor. But I think the opponent felt that he would like to see how the KCI player combo off and deal the finishing blow, he did not scoop. I did not interfere, until time was called and it was clear that the KCI player was still pretty much still starting his combo. I felt that I had to step in and provide a shortcut, and clarify that both players understood the situation, allowing the game to reach the conclusion prompty. That's about it.

Any comments for the players?

Hahaa! Nope, I enjoy watching and getting involved with players and the games played.

Any word of advice for the players?

Asking the right questions can sometimes provide you with essential notes for your gameplay. 😋 To have to repeat it twice, must mean that it is important!

Interview with the PPTQ winners for Pro Tour #1 of 2019 (Games Haven Paya Lebar & Project EXT)

Hello Eric and Fenfei! Congratulations to the both of you for winning the invite to the RPTQ for Pro Tour Ravnica Allegiance. For those who are not familiar with them, we have gotten them to write a quick self-introduction about themselves, before delving into the questions!

Name: Eric Seah

Occupation: Biz Support

Date started playing MTG: I think it was during 5th Ed Era. I was playing the game casually but due to commitment, I had to disappear from the game for a period of time.

Thanks to a friend who kept asking me to rejoin the game. It was around the 2013-2014 season, where I tasted the thrills of my first GP SG and followed by GP Bangkok. Although my results were not good but this inspired me to play the game more seriously.

What deck did you play: Mardu Pyromancer

How long have you been playing it: Less than a month

Why did you pick up this deck: I feel that this deck is well balanced

Where do you usually play MTG: With my friends for practice and FNM/PPTQ tourney held by different shops

There are 2 PPTQs this weekend, why did you select this particular store’s PPTQ? Comfort level with the shop (Games Haven)

Who do you play together often: We have a chat group for Magic discussion and decks practice sessions

And of course, your decklist:

Main Deck
4x Blackcleave Cliffs
2x Blood Crypt
4x Bloodstained Mire
3x Marsh Flats
2x Swamp
1x Plains
1x Sacred Foundry
3x Mountain
4x Young Pyromancer
4x Bedlam Reveler
4x Faithless Looting
2x Fatal Push
3x Inquisition of Kozilek
4x Lightning Bolt
3x Thoughtseize
2x Collective Brutality
1x Dreadbore
1x Manamorphose
1x Terminate
3x Kolaghan’s Command
4x Lingering Souls
2x Blood Moon
1x Liliana of the Veil
1x Liliana, the Last Hope

Sideboard
Sorry, but secret tech!

For the other top 8 decklists, please refer to the Games Haven fb page. Kudos to them for writing them out!

One card that you are most impressed with for the day: I am impressed with all the 75 cards

One card that you are least impressed with for the day: None

Toughest matchup for the day: All my opponents. They are all skilled players and to win them was a very big challenge for me.

Easiest matchup for the day: None

Any portions of your deck that you would like to change: Currently none, unless the meta changes

Any tips and advice to players who are continuing to grind in this season's PPTQ; I always advocate “practice make perfect”. Don't be disheartened by the current poor result, if you are persistent enough, you will see the Dawn from the Darkness.

Last shoutouts: A special mention to one of my opponents (Chong Teng) during this PPTQ event, for he has shown me, we need not just the skill in the game but also the character who I have my utmost respect for him and Thank You. I would also like to thank my family and friends who have  supported me. You know who you are, no need for me to mention names.

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Name: See Fen Fei

Age: 24

Occupation: Student

Date started playing MTG: Magic Origins pre-release 15 July 2015

What deck did you play: RG Scapeshift

How long have you been playing it: 1 week


Why did you pick up this deck: I like the multiple angles of attacks for the deck to win, via ramping and casting a Scapeshift at 7 lands or just the old fashion beat down plan with prime time (Primeval Titan) and BBE (Bloodbraid Elf).

Where do you usually play MTG: Gamersaurus Rex (Queenstown)/Flagship Games

Is there a community that you play with together: Yes I do, usually with the more experienced Grex players for competitive magic, and dino-chicken-rex [or those who are not too sure, a cafe named "dino cafe" exists below Grex, and they serve good food!] for edh and casual stuff.

There are 2 PPTQs this weekend, why did you select this particular store’s PPTQ? I forgot to pre-register for Games Haven's, and since I haven't went to Ubi/Tai Sing before, I want to explore that place.

How is your decklist like? I netdecked it online.

Main Deck
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
4 Bloodbraid Elf
1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
4 Primeval Titan
2 Anger of the Gods
1 Explore
3 Farseek
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Prismatic Omen
3 Scapeshift
4 Search for Tomorrow
2 Summoner's Pact
3 Forest
6 Mountain
4 Cinder Glade
3 Stomping Ground
4 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
1 Verdant Catacombs
2 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills

Sideboard
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Anger of the Gods
2 Damping Sphere
1 Fracturing Gust
2 Grafdigger's Cage
2 Hour of Devastation
2 Obstinate Baloth
1 Reclamation Sage
2 Tireless Tracker

Describe your SB plan, and how it works: I wasn’t expecting anything to be dominant so I just went with a general list. I guess, disruptive cards vs combo decks that are faster than you (eg. storm), and sweepers against creature aggro decks.

One card that you are most impressed with for the day: Prismatic Omen. Managed to shoot Chu Heng for 12 by laying 1 Valakut with 3 other Valakut on board. #Feelsgoodman

One card that you are least impressed with for the day: Grafdigger's cage. Should have listened to Keith and play Relic of Progenitus instead. It is better, since Bridge Vine and KCI archetype are on the rise and Cage doesn't hit those.

Toughest matchup for the day: Vs Malcolm's RB Hollow One. During G2, I top decked a couple of times and the game could have went the other way if I had misplayed and had given him another turn. Almost miscalculated the damage in the end. Burning Inquiry and Goblin Lore really speeds up the game plan of their deck by a lot.

Easiest matchup for the day: Vs Malcolm's RB Hollow One. During G3, he discarded 2 hollow one on T1, due to burning inquiry.

Are there any portions of the deck that you would like to change, and why: I guess, other than the change from Cage to Relic, I would also like to try out the Naya version with Renegade Rallier or the Jund version by PETERSEN, ANDREAS from the PT25 with slaughter games in the sideboard.

Any tips and advice to players who are grinding for this season's PPTQ; I don’t think I am qualified to answer this question as I am still relative new to the modern format.

However, I noticed there are a lot of combo decks at the moment. I think a deck with disruption, together with sweepers that can deal with combo and hyper aggressive graveyard decks (eg. Hollow One/Bridge Vine) might be my direction (Jund Scapeshift by PETERSEN, ANDREAS from PT25 with sb slaughter game and 3 mb sweepers).

Any kudos for the store hosting the PPTQ: Place is big enough to host all the players and not feel very suffocative

Any suggestions for players who are intending to visit the store: The place is hard to find. It took me around 1/2 hour to get there, even though it seems very close from Tai Sing MRT on the map.

Last shoutouts: To the people at Gamersaurus Rex, thank you for helping me learn the deck in the shortest period of time. I have to admit that lady luck was on my side that day and I could have played better. Without the playtest sessions with them, I think I would have made even more mistakes. Also a shout out to Stanley for selling me most of the cards.

That's the end of the interview for the winners! Do join us next week for our weekly Wednesday feature of the PPTQ winners!

We are looking for people who are interested to generate content, and also any comments and feedback from the community of what you all are interested in!

Sarkhan's Horde - By Calvin Chen

Hey Guyss, it's me again! I finally brewed a Dragon deck today!

Let's look at what toys did we get from M19?

*Sarkhan, Fireblood*

*Lathliss, Dragon Queen*

*Demanding Dragon*

*Spit Flame*

*Dragon's Hoard*

Holey shiet... That is alot of cards, my friends.

Sarkhan, Fireblood

We all know 3 cmc walkers should be something to watch out for. But hor.... definitely NOT Sarkhan la... He is not going to be anywhere near the power level of Liliana of the Veil nor Jace Beleren. He can't really protect himself unless played on Turn 5, then using his first ability to drop a Dragon blocker. Other than sandbagging Sarkhan till turn 5, we can also pile up creatures on turn 1 and 2 or to clear the way for him with spells like Abrade and Magma Sprays.

The first ability is very relevant in a midrange deck that is trying to dig deeper for big spells and "cycling" excess lands. In this deck, we can also get to discard Spit Flame which can be recurred back to hand with dragons.

The second ability is what this deck is trying to do. RAMP OUT bigass dragons from turn 4 onwards. Lathliss, being the highest cmc dragon in the deck, is capable of being played on turn 4 with his help. Whatever dragon it is, being able to be played earlier than intended will always be game breaking (Just look at what UrzaTron is capable in modern)

The ultimate is not very amazing as we have seen similar ultimates of himself. Against the correct matchup, the ultimate is definitely going to be a headache, but if you are able to keep Sarkhan alive till seven loyalty, you are probably winning the game, with all the card filtering and ramping out dragons.

Lathliss, Dragon Queen

6 mana 6/6 Flyer with an upside, nothing too powerful. However, when played ahead of curve, she is definitely going to take over the game in a quick succession. Every dragon you cast after the Dragon Queen is definitely going to be value town. Her tokens is going to build up your gold counters on the Dragon Hoard, which is going to net you tons of card advantage.

Dragon's Hoard

Our mana rock/card advantage source! Well, this is one hell of mana rock, with the potential ability to draw multiple cards. For each dragon entering the battlefield, you have the potential to net a card. Imagine, having a few of this artifact on board, you are going to refill you hand, without having to spend additional mana or life (eg. Arguel's Bloodfast). Ramping your dragons one turn ahead of curve, is also going to be very useful. You need to try out this card to be amazed at how good it is.

Spit Flame

A 3 cmc instant speed creature removal that deals for 4 damage, nothing really awesome with it except that YOU CAN REUSE it over and over again as long you have Dragons entering your board. As mentioned with Sarkhan, you are netting card advantage by binning it and retrieving it later on. There are a lot of 4 toughness creature in the format currently that needs to be dealt with immediately like Glorybringer/Steel Leaf Champion/Eternalised.

Demanding Dragon

This is no Glorybringer, but its stats are 5/5. Although, it still can't beat through a Lyra Dawnbringer, it would triumph over opponents' Glorybringer, Rekindling Pheonix, Heart of Kiran or Aethersphere Harvester. Against a control player, if it is not countered, they will are probably take 5 damage to their face before having to deal with it with removals. This dragon is the least important as compared to the rest of the team, however, it still counts toward to number of dragons we can synergise with Sarkhan, Lathliss, Spit Flame and Dragon's Hoard.

Together with the usual successful red spells in standard, Glorybringer, Abrade, Chandra and the not yet popular Verix Bladewing. I smash all of them up together, and present to you this list.

An overseas perspective (Dublin)

Welcome to the first instalment of an overseas perspective from a local, where we talk about overseas MTG experience. Today, we invite Evan Chia, who is a student to comment about his MTG experience in Dublin, Ireland .

Noah Bradley, one of my opponents
in GP Liverpool 2017

Name: Evan En Yao Chia

Location: Based in Dublin, the Republic of Ireland since late 2015. I do come back to Singapore at least twice a year though!

Reason for being overseas: Medical School, expected to graduate in 2020.

Proudest MTG accomplishment: Winning limited master Martin Juza at a sealed CFB foiled again side event, the picture says it all :P This was in 2017, before he got inducted into the Hall of Fame. 

Bragging rights ! :p

Comparison of Overseas MTG Scene:

Ireland is approximately 100+ times larger than Singapore, but the Irish magic community is much smaller. There are only 3 stores located in Dublin, and a few others are all scattered over, both in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (which is part of the UK). Back at home, we are extremely blessed to have so many stores in close proximity.

After coming here, I can relate with the American players that talked about driving for hours just to get to a PPTQ venue. The furthest I’ve ever travelled to compete in a PPTQ was at Derry, in Northern Ireland. The total car ride took 6 hours! I doubt you’ll find a PPTQ venue in Singapore that requires more than an hour of travelling.

Another example would be that their Nationals is a single day event of swiss, followed by the top 8 on the next day, whereas Nationals back home in Singapore is 2 full days.

Also, paper magic isn’t cheap. The cost of a draft is around €16, which is slightly more than S$24. I believe it is due to boxes being more expensive in the EU. Events start earlier too, at 6.30pm or 7.30pm on weekdays, which reflects the difference in pace of life and working hours as well. I really enjoy pre-releases in Dublin, as they are much longer than the ones in Singapore. The longest ones I’ve seen in Singapore are 4 swiss rounds, but the ones in Dublin scale with attendance. The day pre-releases can be as long as 6 swiss rounds, which in my opinion, leads to a more satisfying experience.

A smaller player base also has its perks, as most people would tend to know majority of the community. I found the Irish community to be extremely friendly, both inside and outside the game.

This photo exemplifies it all.

Favourite Story at the overseas LGS:

I was playing at a modern weeknight event at the central Dublin LGS. I was up against Ad Nauseam. Before round 4, I was currently 2-1, and needed to go 3-1 or better to win any prizes (this shop only pays out to those who come in positive). My opponent was 1-2 before round 4, and he graciously conceded to me before round 4 started. We decided to play out the last round for fun. He’s on the play, lays his land, casts his spells and passes the turn. Halfway during my turn, he exclaims that he had forgotten to suspend lotus bloom on his first turn, has a good laugh and says he needs a reminder. Next moment, I see him rummaging around some scrap paper on the table, writing “NOTE TO SELF: SUSPEND LOTUS BLOOM ON TURN 1”, and promptly slides it in front of his glasses, in front of his forehead. It was my turn to have a good laugh. He left that piece of paper there for the rest of the round, and of course he still managed to topdeck his way to the typical turn 4 kill, which he would have anyway if he had suspended his lotus bloom on turn 1. Where else would you find such humor!

Most memorable PPTQ experience:

The most memorable PPTQ I participated in was the one I mentioned earlier, in Derry, Northern Ireland. This PPTQ was memorable in more ways than one. 

First, I would never forget the car ride there and back, which took 3 hours each way. As Ireland is not too warm usually (doesn’t get warmer than 25 degrees), cars aren’t equipped with aircon, and most people wind down part of the window to let the cold air in. However, this was in the early part of June, and it was starting to get warmer and sunnier. We had to drive through farmland (agriculture is quite common throughout Ireland), and you could smell the animals especially when you drove past the more wulu areas.

The attendance was quite dismal at the PPTQ, as 7 people including myself showed up. I suspect the date wasn’t very ideal, along with the location, as the bulk of the PPTQ grinders from Dublin weren’t willing to make such a long trip just to compete. One of the shopkeepers had to fill in as the 8th man, and the PPTQ was going be straight into the top 8 single elimination. This was the first time in my life that I participated in such a small PPTQ. It honestly felt like a FNM with much higher stakes. I was playing a mono red deck similar to the list that won PT DOM. 

In the semifinals, I faced against a Sultai pile, running Muldrotha, the Gravetide, Rite of Belzenlok and all sorts of graveyard shenanigans to recur with Muldrotha. I won game 1 and was all ready to scoop in game 2 when my opponent started to recur Orazca Relic and could consistently gain 3 life. However, I decided to play it out as the matches were untimed. I lost game 2 in the end and was lucky enough to win game 3 after making quite a serious mistake during the game. Interestingly, the finals ended quite quickly and I was fortunate enough to win the entire thing. I suppose the opportunity cost of travelling really dawned on me after winning the PPTQ, as 6 hours of travelling is really no joke. The entire PPTQ didn’t take longer than 2.5 hours though, which was the most memorable part of this story!

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, I’ll be back with more about my experience in competing in the EU GPs!

Writer's Shoutout

Evan is a Singaporean player currently based overseas in Dublin, Ireland. He was first introduced to MTG during his NS days at Khans block. His first taste of competitive magic was at GP Bologna 2016 à la Eldrazi Winter.

Notable achievements include a 34th place finish at GP Guangzhou 2016 (modern). Evan favours aggressive, proactive strategies, and prefers to be the one asking the questions rather than finding the answers. Outside magic, Evan enjoys playing the violin, amidst mugging for medical school.

Interview with PPTQ winner for Pro Tour #1 of 2019 (Gamersaurus Rex)

Congratulations for emerging as the winner of last week's modern PPTQ @ Gamersaurus Rex, amongst 52 participants, and earning yourself an invite to the RPTQ for Pro Tour Ravnica Allegiance.

Let's have a quick self introduction about yourself, before we delve into the questions.

Amulet Bloom Titan

Name: Foo Pee Chun

Age: 28

Occupation: Electronics Engineer

Date started playing MTG: 2008, JC Year 2, playing casually. It wasn’t until 2014, when a good friend of mine won the first PPTQ of the season, whom inspired me and start to play more seriously.

What deck did you play for the event: Amulet Bloom Titan

How long have you been playing it: Starting from 2015, around 2+ ~3 years (took a small break in between after Summer Bloom got banned)

Why did you pick up this deck: When I first saw how the deck played out on coverage during PT Fate Reforged by the hands of Justin Cohen, I was impressed. This good friend then suggested I pick up the deck while the tech is new, and I have never looked back since

Where do you usually play MTG: I usually play MTGO at home to practice for PPTQ or throw tix away on MTGO cube drafting

Who do you play together often: We have a whatsapp group where we mainly talk cock and sometimes discuss magic stuff like board state situation or draft picks. I also have a separate group where we play casual cube

What was your decklist: My decklist can be found

Main Deck
4 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
4 Sakura-Tribe Scout
4 Primeval Titan
1 Walking Ballista
1 Reclamation Sage
4 Amulet of Vigor
4 Explore
4 Summoner’s Pact
1 Engineered Explosives
4 Ancient Stirrings
1 Pact of Negation
4 Simic Growth Chamber
3 Gruul Turf
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
1 Boros Garrison
1 Slayers’ Stronghold
1 Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Radiant Fountain
1 Khalni Garden (best man-land)
1 Bojuka Bog
3 Tolaria West
4 Gemstone Mine
1 Vesuva
1 Grove of the Burnwillow
3 Forest

Sideboard
3 Spell Pierce
2 Abrade
2 Firespout
2 Obstinate Baloth
1 Hornet Queen
1 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Nature’s Claim
1 Tectonic Edge
1 Dismember

Describe your SB plan, and how it works:
Against faster decks like Burn, Affinity and Humans, I bring out slower cards like Explore and Pact of Negation, and bring in removals and either Hornet Queen or Obstinate Baloth for some defense

Against combo decks I want to maintain my combo as much as possible and bring in some disruptions like Spell Pierce and removals to deal with their key permanents

One card that you are most impressed for the day: Amulet of Vigor

One card that you are least impressed for the day: Tectonic Edge, but only because I never board it in the whole day because I never faced any Tron, which is a good thing

Toughest matchup for the day: BR Hollow One, semifinals against Malcolm Song. His deck is simply faster and more explosive

Easiest matchup for the day: Affinity, finals against Xavier Tang. I have a good Affinity playtest pilot (Eugene Wong) and know the matchup very well

Are there any portions of the deck that you would like to change, and why:
Depending on the metagame, I would want an additional Cavern of Souls in the sideboard for the control matchup, or more graveyard interaction against decks like Dredge and Living End

Any tips and advice to players who are grinding for this season's PPTQ;
Stop playing Blood Moon Modern is a format that rewards those who practice and know their matchup well. So practice more and tune your sideboard for weaker matchups

Last shoutouts:
Still waiting for WOTC to unban Summer Bloom. And f*&^% Blood Moon

The New Flame of Keld - By Calvin Chen

Hey wazzup people! Let us welcome Nicol Bolas and his relatives into standard firstly.

Ahh yes, elder dragons, and many other kinds of dragons (UGIN IS MISSING!). For those who have played during the Khans of Takir standard, would know that I'm pretty much in love with DRAGONS!!! But today, I will not be talking about dragons even though I'm very excited about them.

Instead, I will be discussing about Mono Red Aggro, the archetype that I'm most familiar with, the little red men. With 12x 1 drops and 12x direct burn, this deck is capable of winning even after a turn 4 settle the wreckage.

Initial Concept - Mono Red Wizards

Mainboard 4 Bomat Courier

4 Soul-Scar Mage

4 Ghitu Lavarunner

2 Earthshaker Khenra

2 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider

2 Ahn-Crop Crasher

4 Goblin Chainwhirler

4 Hazoret the Fervent

4 Shock

4 Lightning Strike

4 Wizard's Lightning

22 Mountain

Sideboard

2 Fight with Fire

2 Rekindling Phoenix

4 Abrade

4 Chandra's Defeat

3 Chandra, Torch of Defiance

This deck plays out similar to the modern burn deck in terms of burst damage output. During turn 1 to 3, it plays out like a burn deck, attacking with low-cost and efficient creatures. With Soul-Scar Mage and Lavarunner, the Wizard's Lightning costs gets reduced, and allows it functions like a lightning bolt. This also means that putting Hazoret on turn 4, with it capable of sending it straight to your opponent's face.

This deck placed a few top 8s around the world, including Seth Manfield himself playing this list.

What additional tools did M19 bring?

Viashino Pyromancer

Awesome, another wizard count for Wizard's Lightning, its etb ability of 2 damage to the face is like a pseudo unblockable haste, and its ability kill off planeswalkers is just icing on the cake.

Well it wouldn't really fit into a deck mentioned above, when the two drops are already so packed with more powerful threats like Kari Zevs and Earthshakers. So where will this Viashino Wizard fit into?

*Drum roll*

Introduces the RNG character

There was a time when the above mentioned mono red deck did not have Hazoret in it, but included a playset of this. However, too many players got tilted WAY TOO MUCH, drawing two to three lands during the turn for the second chapter. WHAT??!! I thought I'm supposed to draw at least 2 burn spells and win with the third saga! I shouldn't have played this card. Thus, the playset became Hazoret with the addition of a couple more land drops.

So what are we looking to swap out, and regress, to test with in the modified version with our RNG character and Pyromancer?

Let's be bold 

and try out 19 land count (and maybe wear red underwear), similar to a modern deck that doesn't want to have more than 2-3 lands in play.

Remove

-3 Mountain

-4 Hazoret the Fervent

-2 Ahn-Crop Crasher

-2 Earhshaker Khenra

Add

+4 The Flame of Keld

+4 Viashino Pyromancer

+3 Fanatical Firebrand

We are bringing down the curve back to highest of 2 cmc, and betting on The Flame of Keld drawing us minimally two direct damage spells. Previously, we have 12 burn spells in the deck to be drawn from deck, by turn 3/4, the deck would be left with 50 cards, and it means that there is around 24% chance that you will draw into a burn spell.

Now, let's add the playset of Pyromancer, we have 16 burn spells, increasing the percentage to 32%, that is a 8% increase which I think is a pretty big deal. Of course, you can argue that you have the similar percentage of drawing the lands from the deck. But... You will be skipping 3 turns of land draws which ain't that bad too.

What else?

How can we further complement this burn plan? Let's welcome an old friend, Guttersnipe.

Sure, Guttersnipe looks pretty bad for an aggressive deck trying to beat with hasty creatures. However, we are also playing quite an amount of instant spells in our mainboard. It might go even higher after sideboarding, when we bring in Abrades, Defeats and Fires. So how do we squeeze in this value creature in our deck?

We take out the standard menace.

Sure anot, never bluff me? Let me explain why I feel that Goblin Chainwhirler does not belong in this deck, or at least not in the mainboard.

In this deck, most or all of your instant spells are to have an immediate impact (ie, burn spells - being able to damage straight away). Consider that Gobin Chainwhirler is 3 cmc, and the damage output, to opponent's face is only 1. (Let's not assume the potential ability to kill creatures or planeswalkers, because decks that are vulnerable to Chainwhirlers, are no longer as popular, or they usually play around it.) With the 3/3 body, it is as easy to be dealt with as Guttersnipe.

Being able to untap or attack with a Chainwhirler does not spell the end for the opponent. However, it is a very different case for Guttersnipe, whose objective is streamlined with what this variant of red deck is trying to achieve.

Firstly, Guttersnipe acts as your 5th to 8th copy of The Flame of keld, every instant speed burn spell that you are playing is going to deal additional 2 damage. Tell me, what's better than The Flame of Keld, when you can have multiple copies of Guttersnipe in play!

Secondly, we might say that this goblin does not impact the board immediately like how Chainwhirler does. However, we all know that a lot of decks have already altered their decks such that they don't get blown out by the Chainwhirler. With the numbers of Abrade or Fatal Push running about, the chances of Guttersnipe surviving to untap is the same as the Chainwhirler surviving.

Let's do a comparison between these 2 gobbos, if they live until your next untap. Body: 3/3 first striker vs 2/2 Vanilla with the potential to shock as and when you cast your burn spell from your hand. Having 12 direct burns, and 10 more from the sideboard, you can potentially do tons of damage even when removing a creature on the other side of the board. We can argue that if you have no cards in hand, a 3/3 first striker is definitely better.

To be honest, when you have no cards in hand, you are either already ahead on board, or you're losing. A top decked burn spell with Guttersnipe in play might win you the game with additional damage as compared to a top decked burn spell with Chainwhirler in play.

Mainboard
3 Bomat Courier
4 Fanatical Firebrand
4 Ghitu Lavarunner
4 Soul-Scar Mage
2 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
4 Viashino Pyromancer
4 Guttersnipe
4 Shock
4 Lightning Strike
4 The Flame of Keld
4 Wizard's Lightning
19 Mountain

Sideboard
4 Abrade
3 Chandra's Defeat
3 Fight with Fire
2 Rekindling Phoenix
1 Scavenger Grounds
2 Vance's Blasting Cannons

Conclusion

There is still time to brew your own decks to test, and yet still be still "competitive", this deck variant will definitely be a blast to play with. With more players jumping onto the Grixis midrange train, because of the badass Nicol Bolas, you probably need more then just the simple beatdown plan with creatures and set the battlefield in flames instead.

Writer's Shoutout

Hi fellow Singaporean Magic: The Gathering players! My name is Calvin Chen. I'm currently in my 30s, and MTG found me when I was at Pri 5. I did not really play the game until Sec 3. During that time, I was only playing kitchen table games from Invasion block till Mirrodin.

Only during Theros block, did I start to play at FNMs. I have to thank Alex Keng, who brought me to the store for FNMs which sparked me off for competitive gameplay. Since then, I've been grinding PPTQs all over Singapore. My small accomplishments include 5 PPTQs wins, winning LCQ for GOG invitationals.

I really like to play aggressive decks, and subscribe to the beatdown plan. Other than that, I love dragons! My favourite set has been Khans of Takir, which I played a Grixis Dragons list, winning one of the PPTQ back then. I always prefer standard over modern as there's more room for brewing compared to the well established modern play.

As people should have already observed this in my decks, I can't really run away from mountains in standard and my modern decks, with Blood Moons as much as possible. This is my 1st time being tasked to write an article, it is my noobish attempt, but I wish to get better at writing. Please support and try not to flame my lousy articles too much eh!

PPTQ Schedule for Pro Tour Ravnica Allegiance

I've received quite a number of queries with regards to the latest PPTQ schedule.

An update for those who are still using this site to look for the PPTQs event schedule. It can be found on the MTG events calendar tab instead.

Reason for the change is that I'm not particularly good with making tables on the blogger site. Copying and pasting messes up the formatting and does not allows any amendments without affecting the formatting.

Art: Alchemist's Apprentice
Me making tables on blogger

For android users, you can add/update those events into your own google calendar.