Mage's Dawn

~Ooc:Magic
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I can't go to the prerelease. It's our recollection. ~_~ I really want the cards in my wishlist! T_T Here's a peek!

I WANT FOUR OF THIS!!! ~_~

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More Magic

~Ooc:Magic
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And here I am again, fine tuning my M:tG Decklist. I scrapped my Walk the Aeons deck (I'm not sure why I tried that variant), and continued improving on Katsuhiro Mori's decklist. My playtesting is showing solid results - 22 Lands is not enough. So here's my current list:

011507 ~ PickleTron

4x Adarkar Wastes
4x Boreal Shelves (Should've been Hallowed Fountain T_T)

4x Urza's Mine

4x Urza's Powerplant

4x Urza's Tower

2x Urza's Factory (Upped the alternate wincon by 1)

1x Azorius Chancery (No Prahv, It's in the sideboard Jun. Don't Worry. ^^)

1x Vesuva (No Academy Ruins, Since I don't have Trisk)

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24 Lands

2x Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir

2x Vesuvan Shapeshifter

1x Brine Elemental (The Trisk wincon is now a bit more comple semi-stasis lockdown. It's weaker IMO, but I'll try it still.)

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5x Creatures

4x Compulsive Research

4x Remand

4x Azorius Signet

3x Dimir Signet (Prismatic Lens DOES NOT work. But I'll try Spectral Searchlight.)

3x Wrath of God (Four is overkill and clutters my first seven.)

2x Faith's Fetters (I want to squeeze one more though...)

2x Think Twice

2x Annex (I saw this on Mori's "2006 The Finals" winning decklist...)

2x Spell Burst

2x Mana Leak (I'm not sure about this slot... Mori has Tidings here...)

1x Careful Consideration

1x Mystical Teachings
1x Repeal (Utility removal)

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31 Other Spells

The sideboard's situational, but this is my deck right now. I'll try to get some Tidings next time, and squeeze a couple of Faith's fetters (Although I'd like to playtest Temporal Isolation too). Oh and Btw, here's my:

Planar Chaos Wish List!

@White -
4x Dawn Charm (1W;Instant;Common;Choose one - Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn; or, regenerate target creature; or, counter target spell targeting you.) - I love 2cc Counterspells that can save my creatures and myself from lethal damage... ^^; Definitely a 4-of in my deck!
?x Voidstone Gargoyle (3WW;Creature-Gargoyle;Rare;Flying,As Voidstone Gargoyle comes into play, name a nonland card.The named card can't be played.Activated abilities of permanents with that name can't be played.Activated abilities of cards with that name that aren't in play can't be played.;3/3) - Holy Sh*zz, it's Meddling Mage + Pithing Needle! I need at least one of this in my deck!
4x Mana Tithe (W;Instant;Common;Counter target spell unless its controller pays 1) - What's better than a 2cc counterspell? a 1cc Counterspell! A timeshifted Force Spike is still a Force Spike. A powerful card, to be sure.
4x Sunlance (W;Sorcery;Common;Sunlance deals 3 damage to target nonwhite creature.) - Not sure why though... ~_~

@Blue -
?x Body Double (4U;Creature-Shapeshifter;Rare;As Body Double comes into play, you may choose a creature card in a graveyard. If you do, Body Double comes into play as a copy of that card.;0/0) - Again, I'm not sure why, but this card has potential. I'd need four in a deck though...

@Black -
4x Dash Hopes (BB;Instant;Common;When you play Dash Hopes, any player may pay 5 life. If a player does, counter Dash Hopes.Counter target spell.) - It's a lose-lose situation if you're using a Rakdos Deck ^^;
4x Damnation (2BB...Do I really have to write this? It's a freaking Wrath of God!) - Duh.

@Red -
4x Blood Knight (RR;Creature-Human Knight;Uncommon;First strike, protection from white;2/2) - Huge potential. Anything with Pro-White has HUGE potential.

@Green -
I guess I'm giving most of my Green Cards at Jun, so I don't have a wish list for it. ^^; But Magus of the Library (GG;Creature-Human Wizard;Rare;T:Add 1 to your mana pool,T:Draw a card. Play this ability only if you have exactly seven cards in hand.;1/1) is one powerful Control Card... I guess I want a playset of that...

@Multicolor & Lands
None.

I guess that's it! ^^; It's time for my next class, so Ciao!

Me and my Deck

~Ooc: Magic
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It's been a while since I discussed my deck here... Anyway, here it is, a spinoff from Katsuhiro Mori's deck. Mori piloted this until the Top 8 of Worlds, but he lost in the semifinals. Ryo Ogura, on the other hand, played exactly same deck as Mori, and managed to land in the Top 2, but lost in the final game with Mihara, who piloted a Dragonstorm deck. But enough talk, here's my take on TriskeTron:

122006 ~ TriskeTron

4 Boreal Shelf
4 Adarkar Wastes
4 Urza's Mine
4 Urza's Power Plant
4 Urza's Tower
1 Urza's Factory
1 Academy Ruins
1 Prahv, Spires of Order

2 Triskelavus
2 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir

1 Careful Consideration
2 Spell Snare
3 Faith's Fetters
3 Wrath of God
1 Mystical Teachings
4 Remand
2 Spell Burst
2 Mana Leak
2 Think Twice
3 Dimir Signet
4 Azorius Signet
4 Compulsive Research
1 Clutch of the Undercity
1 Rewind

Sideboard:
2 Spell Snare
1 Faith's Fetters
1 Wrath of God
2 Circle of Protection: Red
4 Rune Snag
1 Return to Dust
3 Annex
1 Muse Vessel

There it is. Trisketron, slightly modified from Katsuhiro Mori's list. The main differences are as follows: Obviuosly, the Sideboard is tweaked according to the metagame. Also, I pulled the following cards from Mori's list and replaced them accordingly:

-4 Hallowed Fountain ._. (Just because I don't have the funds right now...)
-1 Island
-1 Commandeer (The price of this piece rocketted to 200ea from 50ea because of Mori's list...)
-2 Tidings (I don't like sorcery speed card draw...)

+4 Boreal Shelf ._. (Hollowed Fountain Proxy)
+1 Prahv, Spires of Order (Against the aggressive metagame)
+1 Rewind (Works like a charm with Spell Burst Lockdown)
+1 Clutch of the Undercity (Transmutes for a lot of things, disables hellbent, and emergency bounce and life loss)
+1 Faith's Fetters (The metagame here's very aggressive.)

There. Criticism are very much welcome.

Magician's Jury

~Ooc: Magic
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Just the other night, a Jun (My guy bestfriend) asked me about the competitiveness of his deck. I'll get to that later - I'd just have to post a few decklists here: One is the list of Yuuichi Miyazaki, 2006 Aichi Standard Champs, 3rd place, and the other one's the list of Kazuya Saitou, 2006 Yamagata Standard Champs, 1st place.

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Yuuichi Miyazaki
2006 Aichi Standard Champs, 3rd place

Main Deck
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1 Pendelhaven
20 Forest
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21 land

4 Birds of Paradise
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Silhana Ledgewalker
4 Scryb Ranger
4 Yavimaya Dryad
4 Spectral Force
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24 creatures

4 Call of the Herd
4 Blanchwood Armor
4 Moldervine Cloak
3 Stonewood Invocation
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15 other spells

4 Spike Feeder
3 Giant Solifuge
3 Serrated Arrows
3 Krosan Grip
2 Greater Good
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15 sideboard cards
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Kazuya Saitou
2006 Yamagata Standard Champs Winner

Main Deck
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2 Island
8 Forest
4 Breeding Pool
4 Yavimaya Coast
1 Pendelhaven
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19 land

4 Llanowar Elves
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Scryb Ranger
4 Plaxmanta
4 Ohran Viper
4 Spectral Force
3 Mystic Snake
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27 creatures

4 Call of the Herd
4 Remand
4 Mana Leak
2 Stonewood Invocation
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14 other spells

1 Mystic Snake
1 Loxodon Warhammer
3 Serrated Arrows
3 Giant Solifuge
3 Krosan Grip
4 Repeal
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15 sideboard cards
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What's the difference? Well, Kazuya's obviously the 1st placer, and Yuuichi only placed third - although it seems unfair of us to judge them this way since they're not from the same district. But still, the point remains. Single colored decks need very good pilots in order to make it to the top lists, while dual colored decks, even simple ones, can be found on the top easily. Proof? On the whole japan, how many mono colored decks have placed in Japan champs? Only one per district in the average: and only Mono-White is populous, and there's only one Mono-Green (Correct me if I'm mistaken here).

Let's take a look closer at the two lists - Both of them utilized the same primary win con - a turn 3 Spectral Force through Scryb Ranger acceleration, finishing with elephant beatdown + stonewood invocation. But Kazuya's list can be found many times through the Japan Champs - most of them placing at the top 3. How come Yuuichi's the only Mono-Green player at the top 3? Because Yuuchi's list is a dedicated aggro-beatdown deck. Meaning, it does nothing but beat you down. Kazuya, on the other hand, used some control elements such as Remand and Plaxmanta. Why? Because a dedicated aggro-beatdown dies to control. Lets take a quick run down, ok?

White:
Wrath of God
Faith's Fetters
Condemn

Blue:
Remand
Cancel
Repeal

Red:
Lightning Axe + Fiery Temper
Pyroclasm
Char

Black:
Sudden Death
Stupor
Persecute

There. The four Control Colors. It very hard to control the game using Green - because it's mainly a beatdown color. We dip to green for creature support - and to every other color for control. Now, enough background, and answer Juner's Question: Is my Mono-Green Beatdown deck competitive?

Short answer: Yes.

Long Answer: It depends. No matter the build of a green deck it will never have the capability to control the game. And herein lies its weakness - it boasts very little removal, so it relies on sheer speed. And so, luck becomes a factor.

ProPlayers very seldom rely on luck.

Thus, most players dip on other colors for control support - musch like how other decks splash green for creature support. Anyhow, I'm starting to feel sleepy, so I'll post this now. I'll probably expand on it later, but for now... Ciao. ^o^;

Time Spiral

~Ooc: Magic
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*WARNING: Major Time Spiral Spoilers ahead!*

So, Umezawa (From Kamigawa Block) is the cause why Nicol Bolas (An Elder Dragon who's also one of the most powerful and oldest Planeswalker) was trapped at the Talon Gates without a body. He's effectively haunting the site. Remember the Haunt mechaninc from Ravnica block? Oh, and Karn was also mentioned near the end of the book. And also, Teferi of Zhalfir, just lost his spark. Yes, he's no longer a planeswalker. Planar Chaos is the next set's name, to be released at january '08. I think a certain Jitte might make it there... ~_~ Darn. It's like Betrayers of Kamigawa all over again...

Btw, I brought a Fat Pack (1,600 pesos worth of crap). That's where I got the Time Spiral Novel by Scott McGough, and I think it's not exactly a prime piece of literature. The narrative was long winded and boring, too much description and telling, not enough showing. Anyway, I kinda hate how he wrote it. The contents of the 6 boosters contained within? Nothing good. Here's the rares:

1x Restore Balance
1x Living End
1x Evangelize
1x Spectral Force
1x Flagstones of Trokair
1x Swarmyard
1x Soltari Priest
1x Avoid Fate
1x Honorable Passage
1x Nicol Bolas
1x Ovinomancer
1x Moorish Cavalry

That's that. Pile of crap... ~_~ Btw, I'll post my decklist here later, with a full 5 game review. ^^;

Decklists galore...

~Ooc: Magic
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My Black/White Rebirth is quite a powerful deck, so powerful in fact that I think it has a higher chance of winning tourneys than my soon-to-be Thallid Deck. Anyways, I'm posting both decklists here, though I'm seriously doubting that I'm gonna continue the Thallid.dec

//Rebirth.dec

//Lands (21x)
11x Snow-covered Plains
6x Snow-covered Swamps
4x Mouth of Ronom

//Creatures (13x)
4x Adarkar Valkyrie
4x Martyr of Sands
3x Children of Korlis
2x Walking Archive

//Spells(26x)
4x Proclamation of Rebirth
4x Faith's Fetters
4x Condemn
4x Mortify
4x Castigate
3x Grim Harvest
2x Sunscour
1x Sacred Mesa

There. The finished Rebirth.dec, although I'm really feeling he lack of sunscours (Or Wrath effects). I think I'll swap the 4x Faith's Fetters for 2x Sunscour and 2x Angel's Grace and swap a Children of Korlis for a Sacred Mesa before calling it a finished product. Oh, and also a couple of swamps for a couple of Snow B/U Tap lands, just in case I need to pump my Walking Archives... Darn it, It look quite powerful with those rare cards... Anyways, Here's the other deck, the projected Thallid.dec, although I really feel the lack of Wrath effects so I'm reconsidering if the deck's worth it's weight.

//Thallid.dec

//Lands(22x)
11x Forest
10x Swamp
1x Pendellhaven

//Creatures(20x)
4x Thallid
4x Deathspore Thallid
4x Thallid Shell-dweller
4x Sporesower Thallid
3x Thelon of Havenwood
1x Savage Thallid

//Spells(18x)
4x Sprout
4x Sudden Death
4x Putrefy
2x Fallen Ideal
2x Verdant Embrace
2x Shielding Plax

There. I've got a Thelon of Havenwood and the Set of Putrefys right now, so all I need are a couple of Preconstructed Decks straight from the stores and it's done! Simple and easy. Darn it, I wish Black or Green has Mass removal of some kind, cuz Silhanna Ledgewalker and Giant Solifuge would own this deck quickly and easily (Not to mention Simic Sky Swallower). *sigh* I wonder what kind of deck's gonna be on the Tier 1 post-Time Spiral...

(G/C)-OLD RUSH

~Ooc: Magic
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Last August 26, we attended the (G/C)-OLD RUSH Tourney at SM Megamall at ortigas. It was a complete letdow though (Suso kaming lahat, so to speak) but I'll write about it anyways. I assumed control of JM's deck after I got a P300 Adarkar Valkyrie from the shop. Here's a quick list:

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23x Plains

4x Leonin Skyhunter
4x Paladin En-Vec
4x White-Shield Crusader
4x Savannah Lion
4x Samurai of the Plae Curtain
3x Jotun Owl Keeper
1x Adarkar Valkyrie
1x Serra Angel

4x Glorius Anthem
3x Shining Shoal
2x Bathe in Light
2x Umezawa's Jitte
1x Wrath of God

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I'll leave the sideboard out. Anyway, my final ranking was somewhere in #80th or somewhere. My standing? 8w-10l. Very Crappy. I owe my wins to Paladin En-Vec though, a very powerful card. It can win games all by itself... Anyways, I learned a valuable lesson there: Never use someone else's deck unless you've playtested it extensively. John Mark (The deck's owner) also used Austin's Grull Beats deck, and although the the deck was above average in power level, We almost ended up in a tie. It's sad. If only Austin is the one who played the Grull deck and John Mark is the one who played the White weenie deck, I have no doubts that at least one of them could have placed somewhere in the winning tables. *sigh* Anyways, past is past. To the next tourney!