Deathmarked

Theros Block Preparations Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Sun, 08 Jun 2014 05:46:00 +0000

*temporary publishing this article on this blog as the main site is under maintenance.

This is a one week delayed update from Thero Block Constructed Gameday in Bacolod but I am still going to post this just to inform you guys. The deck that I have decided to pilot was Esper control primarily because of my familiarization of archetype in Standard, whereas my teammate Oliver played Chapin’s Junk Midrange champion deck from the Pro Tour. Based from the two lists I’ve posted on Part 1, my final build was somewhat their crossbred.

Here is my version of Esper Control for Theros Block:

Maindeck
6 Island
6 Swamp
4 Temple of Silence
4 Temple of Enlightenment
4 Temple of Deceit
2 Plains

3 Prognostic Sphinx

3 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
4 Elspeth, Sun's Champion

4 Hero's Downfall
4 Bile Blight
2 Silence the Believers
4 Divination
3 Thoughtseize
3 Dissolve
1 Drown in Sorrow
1 Gild
1 Deicide
1 Banishing Light

Sideboard
1 Banishing Light
2 Dark Betrayal
1 Dissolve
2 Drown in Sorrow
1 Glare of Heresy
1 Psychic Intrusion
3 Omenspeaker
1 Gainsay
1 Fated Retribution
1 Revoke Existence
1 Thoughtseize

This lot of one-ofs makes my sideboarding open against most of the deck archetypes in the Block, though more of the cards listed were for aggro matchups.

The trip to Bacolod was an ordeal for us. We went to the ferry port late around 10am thinking there was a normal scheduled trip for the three fast craft companies. We then found out that Supercat canceled their trips for the rest of that day and people were scrambling to buy tickets at Ocean Jet. I arrived seeing people lining up while crowding the ticket booth. I immediately called Oliver for the plan B of going to the Dumangas Roro port.

With an extra expense and deal with the taxi, we eventually got ourselves going to the town and we arrived at around 11:20am. A lot of people were also there lining up to buy tickets for the next scheduled trip at 12 noon. We had no choice but to line up and endure the heat while hoping that we can be included as passengers of that trip. The line started moving around 30 minutes later and we then finally bought our tickets and got on the Roro ferry before its departure.

The trip was two hours and we arrived just five minutes before 2pm, the scheduled time of the Gameday tournament. Good thing we had Erson as our contact at the venue and told him that we’ll be a little late. We got the venue at Island Spoon in Lacson Street ten minutes later, and with no time even for a quick lunch. We just did the final double checking of our decklists and sideboard. There were around 22 participants, so that means a five-round tournament expected. Pairings were announced for Round 1 and we wished each other good luck and hoped for Team Iloilo to win.

The summary of my matchups in the preliminary rounds were as follows:

Round 1 vs Junk Midrange – Won 2-1
Round 2 vs Red Green Elspeth – Won 2-0
Round 3 vs Red Green Elspeth – Won 2-0
Round 4 – ID
Round 5 – ID

It was satisfying that the deck performed well against Junk and Red Green which I initially presumed that I will be far behind fast mana accelerators and early planeswalkers. My cards curved perfectly well and answered their threats at the right turns. Thoughtseize helped a lot in determining their sequence of plays and my turn-by-turn decisions as well. I got first in the rankings after the 5 preliminary rounds.

I will cut this part for now so I can discuss in detail my quarterfinal matchup and the turn out of the Bacolod Gameday event. Also, I will share how the Iloilo community welcomed this format with its first Theros Block tournament yesterday.

Thanks for the reading and until next post.

How to Wash your MtG Playmat

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 04:36:00 +0000

*Reposted from my Deathmarked main blog.

Here is a short guide on how to clean wash your Magic: the Gathering playmats. Notice that constant use of the mat to protect your cards while playing in tournaments results in a lot of dust and stains. We even use them in our playtesting sessions in places wherein that mats get the most dirt.

Here's what you will need:
- Sponge with brush pad on one side
- Powdered laundry soap
- Water

The steps:
1. Fill a bucket with water and slightly soak the playmat.
2. Place the powdered soap on the water dipped sponge and then lightly scrub on the designed side of the mat.
3. Dip the playmat on water again and then repeat the brushing, this time with the sponge with no soap.
4. Final rinse on water and then air dry.

Made it to Modern Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 05:48:00 +0000

Got my deck submission on the Honorable Mentions at Gavin Verhey's ReConstructed column at the mothership site so I might as well share it to you guys.

See the article here.

Quick Deck Tech: Dark Gruul Monsters

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 02:48:00 +0000

My weekend was on Manila, in which I played in the Pro Tour Qualifier to Journey into Nyx in Neutral Grounds Sto Domingo in Quezon City. I was short to the top 8 but then I am proud of the performance of the Standard deck I piloted for the event. The deck I played was RG Monsters splash Black which finished 6-2 of the 8-round tournament. Here is just a quick share of the decklist.

Maindeck
Lands
5 Forest
2 Mountain
4 Temple of Abandon
4 Stomping Ground
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Blood Crypt

Creatures
3 Ghor-Clan Rampager
4 Polukranos, World Eater
4 Stormbreath Dragon
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Courser of Kruphix
1 Reaper of the Wilds
2 Xenagos, God of Revels

Spells
2 Mizzium Mortars
2 Xenagos, the Reveler
4 Domri Rade
1 Putrefy
2 Dreadbore

Sideboard
SB: 2 Anger of the Gods
SB: 1 Doom Blade
SB: 2 Golgari Charm
SB: 4 Mistcutter Hydra
SB: 1 Mizzium Mortars
SB: 1 Putrefy
SB: 2 Rakdos's Return
SB: 2 Slaughter Games

MtG Iloilo Tournaments Schedule this Week

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 07:28:00 +0000

We are going to Manila for the PTQ tournament but the weekly events will still push through.

February 12, 2014
Wednesday Night Magic
Standard format, 75php reg.
Starts 6:00pm

February 14, 2014
Friday Night Magic
Standard format, 75php reg. fee.
Top 3 gets an exclusive FNM Promo foil card (Elvish Mystic)
Starts 6:00pm.

February 15, 2014
Saturday Standard
75php reg. fee.
BNG Booster packs for the top finishers
Event starts at 3:00pm.

Wednesday Night Magic Tourney Results (1-29-14)

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 02:32:00 +0000

I finally got to play Magic again after a few weeks break due to a busy schedule. I played Red Green Monsters to get myself familiar with the deck and luckily got the fourth place after losing my first round. Here are the final top 4 of the said event.

MtG Tournament Results
Wednesday Night Magic (1-29-14)

Top 4:
1st, Raoul (Mono Black Devotion)
2nd, Rei (Black splash Red Devotion)
3rd, Herbert (R/W Aggro)
4th, Mark Ian (Gruul Monsters)

10 players, 4 rounds gameplay

Ati-atihan Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Mon, 20 Jan 2014 05:34:00 +0000

Hi guys, sorry for the long silence in this blog as I have just got back from Kalibo, Aklan for the Ati-atihan Festival. I was there for the sideline work with Snapcaster Studios as we covered the four nights of club party at Abregana Bar. It was tiring but I really had a good time on that gig. Bad thing though is I got flu on the last day which I am still having until now. I’d better get some rest before the Dinagyang weekend here in Iloilo.

Anyways, here is the Day 3 Teaser video that Snapcaster Studios did but was uploaded late. Enjoy!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=661776597198416

MtG Iloilo Tournaments Schedule this Week

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 06:20:00 +0000

January 15, 2014
Wednesday Night Magic
Standard format, 75php reg.
Starts 6:00pm

January 17, 2014
Friday Night Magic
Standard format, 75php reg. fee.
Top 3 gets an exclusive FNM Promo foil card
Starts 6:00pm.

January 18, 2014
Saturday Standard
100php reg. fee.
MtG Booster packs for the top finishers
Event starts at 3:00pm

Kitakits!

MtG Iloilo Tournament Results (Jan. 10-11, 2014)

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Sun, 12 Jan 2014 11:34:00 +0000

Friday Night Magic (January 10, 2014)
Top 4:
1st, Emerson (Selesnya Aggro)
2nd, Herbert (Boros Aggro)
3rd, Ericson (Esper Midrange)
4th, Justine (Devotion to Black)

12 players, 4 rounds gameplay

Saturday Regular Tournament (January 11, 2014)
Top 4:
1st, Emerson (Selesnya Aggro)
2nd, Rei (Mono Blue Devotion)
3rd, Tonton (Mono Black Devotion)
4th, Oliver (Mono Black Devotion)

18 players, 5 rounds gameplay

The recent metagame discussion can be found here.

Blue Black Mill

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 00:34:00 +0000

Here is a decklist that I've thought about last Tuesday when I was sorting through other win conditions for control decks. This actually is a remake of a classic deck strategy back when I started playing Magic in the early 2000s. It is called the 'Blue Black Mill Plan'.

Lands
3 Mutavault
4 Temple of Deceit
6 Island
6 Swamp
2 Dimir Guildgate
4 Watery Grave

Spells
1 Jace, Memory Adept
2 Jace, Architect of Thought
3 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
3 Far/Away
1 Dissolve
1 Essence Scatter
4 Pilfered Plans
1 Elixir of Immortality
2 Millstone
4 Psychic Strike
2 Crypt Incursion
1 Ratchet Bomb
3 Hero's Downfall
1 Doom Blade
1 Ultimate Price
2 Devour Flesh
3 Thoughtseize

The deck's details here.

MtG Iloilo Tournament Results January 3-4,2014

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 04:09:00 +0000

Friday Night Magic (January 3, 2014)
Top 4:
1. Carlo (RG Monsters)
2. Mark Ian (Naya Hexproof)
3. Raoul (Devotion to Blue)
4. Oliver (Devotion to Black)

12 players, 4 Rounds of Gameplay

Saturday Standard Tournament (January 4, 2014)
Top 4:
1. Oliver (Esper Midrange)
2. Speedy (UW Control)
3. Rei (UW Control)
4. Jason (RW Devotion)

16 players, 4 Rounds of Gameplay

MtG FNM Tonight at Rei's Place

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Fri, 03 Jan 2014 04:19:00 +0000

It is the usual Friday night for us Magic players which means another Friday Night Magic. The format is still Standard Constructed as most people's deck were and the registration fee is only 50php. Not sure if Rei will have to increase this one to 60 or 75 pesos. Anyhow, the event starts at around 6:00 in the evening and the current prizes will be the exclusive Warleader's Helix FNM Promo foil for the top four finishers (depending on player attendance). I think we will also have Theros boosters as additional prizes.

Of Metal Music and Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Sun, 29 Dec 2013 05:54:00 +0000

A Plurk buddy posted a music video of this band weeks ago and it got me hooked. Japan always have its way into doing weird things & stuff and this is one of them. The band's name is Baby Metal, with the music genre they call Kawaii Metal. According to Wiki, "The group was initially formed as a subunit of the female idol group Sakura Gakuin under the concept of a "fusion of metal and idol [music]" They were founded in 2010 and is currently managed by the Amuse talent agency.

To give detail on their musical style, here is a video of one of their live performances.

MtG Iloilo Tournament Results FNM (Dec. 27, 2013)

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Sat, 28 Dec 2013 05:24:00 +0000

Here are the top four players on yesterday's Friday Night Magic at Rei's Place.

Top 4:
1st, Oliver (WWb Aggro)
2nd, Raoul (Mono Blue Devotion)
3rd, Mik (Selesnya Aggro)
4th, Rei (UW Control)

A total of 10 players joined, with 4 rounds of gameplay.

MTG Iloilo Championships 2013 Top Eight Decks

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 23:07:00 +0000

I was about to post this on my main blog but the bandwidth limit barged in so I'll just have it here. Here are the top eight decks of the recently concluded MTG Iloilo Championships 2013 Day 1 Individual Standard.

Cheljohn (B/G Midrange - Makoy Killer)
Main:
8 Swamp
6 Forest
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Golgari Guildgate
1 Temple of Deceit

2 Polukranos, World Eater
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Reaper of the Wilds
4 Pack Rat
4 Desecration Demon

4 Heroes Downfall
4 Abrupt Decay
3 Golgari Charm
3 Devour Flesh
3 THoughtseize
3 Underworld Connections
1 Duress
1 Whip of Erebos

Side:
3 Duress
3 Mistcutter Hydra
1 Thoughtseize
1 Vraska, the Unseen
1 Erebos, God of the Dead
1 Underground Connections
1 Plummet
1 Deadbridge Chant
1 Ultimate Price
1 Doom Blade
1 Golgari Charm

Mark Ian (R/W Devotion)
Main:
12 Mountin
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Temple of Triumph
3 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
2 Boros Guildgate

4 Ash Zealot
4 Boros Reckoner
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Fanatic of Mogis
4 Frostburn Weird
4 Stormbreath Dragon
2 Purphoros, God of the Forge

3 Chained to the Rocks
3 Mizzium Mortars
2 Hammer of Purphoros
1 Chandra, Pyromaster

Side:
3 Anger of the Gods
3 Boros Charm
3 Warleader's Helix
2 Assemble the Legion
1 Chained to the Rocks
1 Chandra, Pyromaster
1 Mizzium Mortars
1 Wear/Tear

Ralph (G/W Flash)
Main:
8 Forest
7 Plains
4 Temple Garden
4 Selesnya Guildgate

4 Voice of Resurgence
4 Experiment One
4 Mistcutter Hydra
4 Banisher Priest
3 Skylasher
3 Boon Satyr
2 Elvish Mystic
2 Fleecemane Lion
1 Scavenging Ooze

4 Selesnya Charm
4 Advent of the Wurm
1 Last Breath
1 Ajani, Caller of the Pride

Side:
4 Unflinching Courage
3 Witchstalker
2 Glare of Heresy
2 Last Breath
2 Riot Control
1 Boon Satyr
1 Scavenging Ooze

Ramon (B/W Aggro)
Main:
8 Plains
4 Godless Shrine
4 Temple of Silence
4 Mutavault
1 Swamp
1 Orzhov Guildgate

4 Soldier of the Pantheon
4 Dryad Militant
4 Boros Elite
4 Daring Skyjek
4 Precinct Captain
4 Banisher Priest
3 Imposing Sovereign
2 Xathrid Necromancer

4 Brave the Elements
3 Orzhov Charm
2 Spear of Heliod

Side:
3 Doom Blade
3 Dark Betrayal
2 Thoughtseize
2 Profit/Loss
2 Xathrid Necromancer
2 Sin Collector
1 Orzhov Charm

Eric (B/W Midrange) - best in handwriting
Main:
12 Swamp
4 Temple of Silence
4 Godless Shrine
4 Mutavault
1 Plains

4 Pack Rat
4 Desecration Demon
4 Blood Baron of Vizkopa
1 Sin Collector

4 Heroes Downfall
4 Devour Flesh
4 Thoughtseize
4 Underworld Connections
2 Ultimate Price
2 Duress
2 Last Breath

Side:
3 Dark Betrayal
3 Lifebane Zombie
3 Pithing Needle
2 Sin Collector
1 Duress
1 Shrivel
1 Doom Blade

Mark (U/W Control - Anti Mark Alloso Deck)
Main:
8 Plains
8 Island
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Azorious Guildgate
2 Mutavault

1 Aetherling

4 Detention Sphere
4 Supreme Verdict
4 Dissolve
4 Divination
4 Sphinx's Revelation
3 Azorious Charm
3 Jace, Architect of Thought
2 Syncopate
1 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
1 Elixer of Immortality
1 Ratchet Bomb
1 Last Breath
1 Celestial Flare

Side:
3 Fiendslayer Paladin
2 Pithing Needle
2 Gainsay
2 Negate
1 Last Breath
1 Rathcet Bomb
1 Jace, Memory Adept
1 Blind Obedience
1 Celestial Flare
1 Sundering Growth

AJ (Naya halo-halo)
Main:
4 Temple Garden
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Stomping Ground
4 Temple of Abandon
4 Temple of Triumph
3 Mountain
2 Plains

4 Voice of Resurgence
4 Boros Reckoner
3 Loxodon Smiter
3 Stormbreath Dragon

4 Magma Jet
3 Mizzium Mortars
3 Chained to the Rocks
3 Advent of the Wurm
3 Xenagos, the Reveler
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
2 Warleader's Helix
1 Aurelia's Fury

Side:
4 Mistcutter Hydra
2 Selesnya Charm
2 Assemble the Legion
2 Unflinching Courage
2 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
2 Wear/Tear
1 Mizzium Mortars

Alex (R/G Devotion)
Main:
7 Forest
5 Mountain
4 Temple of Abandon
4 Stomping Grounds
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx

4 Elvish Mystic
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Mistcutter Hydra
4 Polukranos, World Eater
4 Stormbreath Dragon
3 Arbor Colossus

4 Domri Rade
3 Mizzium Mortars
2 Xenagos, the Reveler

Side:
4 Nylea's Disciple
3 Ruric Thar, the Unbowed
2 Pithing Needle
2 Destructive Revelry
2 Electrickery
1 Mizzium Mortars
1 Ranger's Guile

New Gunpla Project: MG GM Custom

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 09:25:00 +0000

Reposting:

I was about 95% done with my HG GM Sniper II so I decided to start working on a new Gunpla project. This time, I am back on the Master Grade line with MG 1/100 scale RGM-79N GM Custom. To recall, I bought this kit last June together with the HG Jesta at Great Toys Online in Greenhills (which was also my first time to visit the place). It was priced around 1,400php which I think is a very good deal.

As for the work plan, for now it would be straightforward basic build with standard paints to use.You can find the unboxing pics of the kit on this link.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/79476832@N08/sets/72157635361069556/

Tymaret and the God of the Forge

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Wed, 25 Dec 2013 04:50:00 +0000

I've recently submitted this decklist that got chosen in the honorable mentions of Gavin Verhey's Reconstructed column in the mothership. I hope I could get to build this with the card pool before the second set Born of the Gods is released. Here is the decklist:

Mark Ian Alloso's Tymaret and the God of the Forge
Standard

12 Mountain
3 Swamp
4 Blood Crypt
4 Rakdos Guildgate

4 Young Pyromancer
4 Tymaret, the Murder King
4 Chandra’s Phoenix
4 Purphoros, God of the Forge
2 Stormbreath Dragon

4 Molten Birth
4 Magma Jet
4 Shock
4 Lightning Strike
3 Chandra, Pyromaster

Casting Blog Revive

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Tue, 24 Dec 2013 12:44:00 +0000

Yes, this blog will be back on track. The main blog Deathmarked.info was still having problem with the bandwidth spam which I am still continuously seeking for a concrete fix. The site has again reached its bandwidth limit for the month so I might just wait again for January for the hosting to reset it. As of now, future MtG and Gunpla posts will be added here so I hope you guys bear with this temporary solution.

Thanks for the support and until next post. Merry Christmas!

Am Still Here, Click Me

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 04:36:00 +0000

During the Magic2014 Prerelease in Bacolod

Hi all, how is it going? I do hope you're all well. This is just a quick update of this blog. As for my recent blog posts, you can check them at Deathmarked.info which at the moment had bandwidth limit problems. I am not sure what the cause but I'm trying to get the site up asap. In the worst case, I just would have to wait until December 1 for the reset. We'll see how it goes.

Reminder Again of New Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 03:11:00 +0000

You must be wondering of no new posts on this blog. Well, I've continued updates on Deathmarked dot info. Just click on the link and see you on the other side. Thanks!

Magic 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 12:44:00 +0000

Just wanna say a Happy New Year of Magic: The Gathering to everyone. Hope your fingers are still complete. :)

An Instant Decklist for FNM

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:11:00 +0000

Will be trying this one on Friday. What do you think? :D

UB Persecutor Control
Maindeck
4 Abyssal Persecutor
4 Vampire Nighthawk
2 Malakir Bloodwitch

4 Contaminated Ground
4 Spreading Seas
4 Jace The Mind Sculptor
4 Mana Leak
2 Cancel
2 Deprive
2 Into the Roil
2 Consuming Vapors
2 Infest

4 Drowned Catacombs
4 Jwar Isle Refuge
4 Creeping Tar pits
6 Island
6 Swamp

Potential sideboard could be:
- additional Infest
- Duress
- Negate
- Flashfreeze

Comments and Suggestions are welcome.

The Latest Trending Deck: Valakut Ramp

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 05:20:00 +0000

It seems like Primeval Titan is proving its price worth. Valakut Ramp decks has been gaining top spots recently, both in online and offline. The recent PTQs in Japan and in the US shows at least four of these decks in the top 8. As of the build, they've removed the Bloodbraid elves and the bolts and replaced with the powerful green titan and the Avenger of Zendikar. Here's a list which got 1st from the recent Magic-League trial tourney.

RG Valakut Ramp by BarneyStinso
Maindeck
12 Mountain
6 Forest
4 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
3 Terramorphic Expanse
3 Evolving Wilds

4 Avenger of Zendikar
4 Primeval Titan
4 Siege-Gang Commander

4 Khalni Heart Expedition
4 Cultivate
4 Explore
4 Harrow
4 Rampant Growth

Sideboard
3 Cunning Sparkmage
4 Oracle of Mul Daya
2 Summoning Trap
2 Chandra Nalaar
4 Forked Bolt

What I Lack and What I Need at the Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:32:00 +0000

Watching this video inspired me to post this.

This site never fails to inspire on every new post. Seriously.

Let's Put Your Brilliant Ultimatums for Some Use

noreply@blogger.com (Death Mark) — Thu, 06 May 2010 00:32:00 +0000

Check out this list:

Brilliant Control
by Alex Viksnins
Standard - TCGPlayer.com $5K

Maindeck
4 Marsh Flats
4 Creeping Tar Pit
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Arcane Sanctum
3 Island
3 Plains
3 Swamp

3 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
4 Wall of Omens

1 Path to Exile
4 Ponder
1 Smother
4 Spreading Seas
4 Esper Charm
3 Day of Judgment
4 Brilliant Ultimatum
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Gideon Jura
2 Liliana Vess

Sideboard
4 Negate
4 Kor Firewalker
2 Kor Sanctifiers
1 Identity Crisis
2 Celestial Purge
1 Doom Blade
1 Duress