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Winning last year’s Magic Iloilo Championships 2009 year-ender tournament was truly a memorable experience for me. I was not expecting to win the whole thing at all since I lack preparation particularly in playtesting and I lack some cards in my deck. I resorted to borrowing a Junk deck from Bossing Lori and luckily, I ended up as the tournament’s champion. Well, that was last year and it was history.

Thanks to our local TO’s Franz, Rei, and Makoy, Magic Iloilo Championships 2010 was made possible. It was announced months earlier and it gave me extra time to prepare for the said event. Time is always aloof for me as I am always trying to find a free time to playtest, plus joining the weekly tournament was not easy, given that I’m busy with work as well as my schooling. My only outlet was to play MWS at magic-league if I could find some spare time.

The Preparation

After Scars of Mirrodin became legal, I have been playtesting Blue Black Control with various build. My first version was having Mimic Vat in the main deck, a creatureless control deck since it is good against Ramp decks during the early age of the New Standard. But the metagame is constantly changing wherein different powerful decks show up and crush the top decks. Even the unexpected Vampires became tier 1 wrecking havoc against slow ramp decks and Blue Black Control.

Came in Worlds 2010 last two weeks and I was surprised with the results that Blue Black Control dominates the Standard world even though lots of Vampires were lurking; which I think is UB worst matchup. I was happy to see that the decklist of Guillaume Wafo-Tapa – the one who designed the winning deck that rocks Worlds – looks similar with my own build, especially with the main deck having Ratchet Bomb and lots of Grave Titan to combat the fast and aggressive Vampires.

What only differs is that I’m still using Abyssal Persecutor and Duress instead of Inquisition of Kozilek. That’s because I don’t have the 3rd Grave Titan in my pool. In addition to that, my theory is that the demon and Duress are good against Blue Black mirror and Ramp decks like Eldrazi Green or Valakut; an observation I have after playtesting. I realize that Inquisition of Kozilek is much useful in the metagame given that it is 100% badass versus Vampires and also fine against Control and Ramp Decks. It will help you discard their annoying counter magic and ramps spells respectively. It convinced me then that it is indeed a huge upgrade on my deck.

A week before the event, I and my wife Elena together with my friends Makoy, Mao and Franz (All MTG Boys) took a weekend vacation in Cebu (this time, no Magic involved). In the middle of our trip, we visited a Taoist Temple in Cebu which looks like the temple in Dragon Ball anime or from those Chinese Kung Fu movies. There was this Chinese ritual allowing you to ask questions from the gods with the use of half-rounded wooden objects which will indicate the answer of a Yes, No, or Maybe. You’ll need to drop the two half-rounded wooden objects on the floor after you ask your question. Well, being an MTG player, I can’t avoid questioning something related to Magic so I asked if I am going to win the Year-Ender tournament; the result was: Maybe. Not convinced, I ask another question if I’ll be having a good record at the said event; the result was: Yes. I was so confused about the god’s answers, it was so tricky to believe but I’m satisfied with them, hence I just stopped asking MTG questions. Anyway, I’m not a superstitious guy, so I didn’t believe any of it or take such things seriously.

“Superstition is the weakness of the human mind; it is inherent in that mind; it has always been, and always will be” – Frederick The Great

By the way, we stayed at a very nice hotel which is affordable and accessible to any tourist destination in the city of Cebu. I highly recommend this hotel to all MTG players who are planning to join the annual Regionals in Cebu. My only concern was their Wi-Fi internet which is kind of slow. As a result, no MWS for me during those times; maybe it was a sign for me to enjoy the vacation without MTG.

The lack of serious playtesting makes me feel anxious for the upcoming event, but thanks to the few days of practice and to Team Buckets which made me finalize my decklist. Yet, I still have difficulty of finding the last piece of Grave Titan for my deck. Fortunately, my good friend Gian came to the rescue!

The Craft

This is what I came up after those exhausting and enjoyable playtesting at HQ (Makoy’s hideout), JAQs (Magic & Beer is the perfect match), Bourbons Street (if things get hotter, thanks to their AC) and Magic-League (if I couldn’t make through the playtesting sessions).

Lands (26 cards)
4 Creeping Tar Pit
4 Darkslick Shores
4 Drowned Catacomb
5 Island
1 Misty Rainforest
3 Swamp
4 Tectonic Edge
1 Marsh Flats

Creatures (6 cards)
3 Grave Titan
3 Sea Gate Oracle

Spells (28 cards)
4 Preordain
2 Doom Blade
3 Spreading Seas
2 Ratchet Bomb
1 Consume the Meek
4 Mana Leak
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Jace Beleren
1 Duress
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Deprive
1 Disfigure

Sideboard (15 cards)
2 Doom Blade
1 Spreading Seas
1 Ratchet Bomb
2 Duress
1 Stoic Rebuttal
2 Disfigure
1 Flashfreeze
3 Vampire Nighthawk
1 Mindbreak Trap
1 Mimic Vat

What’s Unusual?

- More mass removal like Ratchet Bomb and one Consume the Meek deals with fast Aggro decks like Vampires, Boros and Weenie Quest.
- Three Spreading Seas on main and one in the sideboard, lessen the dead cards against random mono decks like Mono Green Aggro, Goblins, and Red Deck Wins.
- More Inquistion of Kozilek than Duress in main deck, lower the ineffectively of Duress against Vampires, its worst matchup, or any other Aggro decks.
- A lone Deprive main deck which is cheaper than Cancel or Stoic Rebuttal, plus it is very helpful as a backup counter one turn earlier once you cast it with your finisher like Grave Titan.
- A solitary Mindbreak Trap, the element of surprise against decks that abuses Gaea’s Revenge and Emrakul. It also halts Richochet Trap or Summoning Trap tricks.
- A single Mimic Vat, once online, opponents will surely have trouble dealing against it. It is very effective against Ramp, Blue Black Mirror, as well as other Control decks and sometimes Vampires (removes Bloodghast).
- Vampire Nighthawk holds the line against its opposing brethren, an expert at hugging Grave Titan and a cheap offense against Blue Black Control mirror.

The Battle

I came at JAQs on time but due to waking up at 10 am already, I was not able to take my breakfast. Thanks to the turn of events, the TOs decided to have lunch first before the tournament starts at 1 pm. Since I obviously lack sleep, I decided to only drink a cup of brewed coffee to snatch some energy before playing.

I was surprised with the number of players who joined in the tournament: a whooping 46? It was the largest number of participants since the Gaisano days during the late 90’s. The tournament was set for 6 rounds and I was hoping I could at least get to 4-1-1 status in order to top 8.

So here are the accounts on what took place during those 6 rounds of battle:

Round 1 vs Masyong (Blue White Control)

I am quite upset that I was initially paired against my own teammate, yet there is nothing we can do but to play because early draw is not the best way to win big tourney like this.

Game 1

Early game was a draw-go, crafting my hand with Preordain to win the counter war and I also forced to discard his counter magic but I still lack spot removal to answer his Celestial Colonade. Though I took some damages early, my Tectonic Edge showed up and later on dropped my big daddy Grave Titan with backup counter against his “weapon of ass destruction” Day of Judgment, and that was game.

SB Strategy:
IN: +2 Duress, +1 Stoic Rebuttal, +1 Mindbreak Trap, +1 Doom Blade
OUT: -1 Consume the Meek, -1 Disfigure, -3 Spreading Seas

Game 2

I was able to top deck Inquisition of Kozilek to peel his Luminarch Ascension on my turn one while on draw. Seeing that he is holding high costing cards, I set up my Sea Gate Oracles which gave me time to control the game in my favor. Fortunately for me, Masyong was flooded and my Tar Pits did its job even if my other threats didn’t show up.

Match Record: 1-0
Games Record: 2-0

Round 2 vs Nobel (Black Red Vampires)

Game 1

Nobel’s Vampire deck shows how really aggressive they can be by constantly dropping threats after threats every turn, making my life dwindle rapidly. Although I was able to Inquisition early, I still didn’t have backup kills after I slain some of his Twilight dudes. Having some few land misses, it prevented me from casting Grave Titan on schedule, giving way to his fanged buddies to happily consume me.

SB Strategy:
IN: +1 Spreading Seas, +1 Ratchet Bomb, +2 Disfigure, +3 Vampire Nighthawk, +1 Mimic Vat
OUT: – 2 Doom Blade, -2 Jace Beleren, -1 Duress, -1 Deprive, -2 Mana Leak

Game 2

I kept a heavy removal hand with some Inquisition, just as I wanted. I was able to neutralize the board early on and start beating him with my Tar Pit while waiting for Grave Titan to show up. The Dark Tutelage from Nobel enables him to find those creatures he lost earlier, yet he continues to draws more lands. Turns after, I was able to find the big daddy through Jace’s brainstorming and from that moment, Grave Titan showed why he is the Vampire deck’s worst nightmare.

Game 3

Going draw-first against Vampire’s is heart-pounding, especially seeing Vampire Lacerator on turn one and followed by Pulse Tracker with Duress combo on turn two, taking out my other removal and put me to single digit in no time. My Ratchet Bomb was able to blast off the one casting cost blood suckers, while at the same time disfiguring their Highborn to prevent the Vampire tricks of sac-ing. Spreading Seas also made a big impact by preventing Nobel to finish me with two Burst Lightning stranded in his hand. Moments later, I drop Grave Titan and after just two swings, it was soon all over.

Match Record: 2-0
Games Record: 4-1

Round 3 vs Rap Rap (Valakut)

Another disappointing match for me since I was once again paired with my fellow Team Buckets. Still, it was way too early to draw so we decided to battle it out.

Game 1

I slow roll my discard spell on turn two stripping a ramp spell, allowing me to seize my leak against his Primeval Titan. I was in trouble when I missed some land drop and was stuck on three lands while holding my Ace Jace. On the other hand, Rap is constantly playing lands until he was able to cast Primeval Titan, forcing me to leak the green mean monster. But something greener, meaner and nastier showed up in the form of Gaea’s Revenge via Summoning Trap. Not able to draw my lands on time, I didn’t waste any turns and proceed to game two.

SB Strategy:
IN: +1 Spreading Seas, + 2 Doom Blade, + 2 Duress, + 1 Stoic Rebuttal, +1 Flashfreeze, +1 Mindbreak Trap, +1 Mimic Vat
OUT: – 3 Sea Gate Oracle, -2 Jace Beleren, – 2 Ratchet Bomb, – 1 Consume the Meek, – 1 Disfigure

Game 2

My Spreading Seas played another major role in this game by disabling his manabase, turning Forests into Islands. With the help of Duress and Inquistion, I was able to strip his ramps spells and left him with Titans and Avenger stranded on his hand. Once stabilized, Jace and Grave Titan accomplished what they were supposed to do, lock and load.

Game 3

Just like in game 2, Spreading seas showed up during early turns, yet this time, Rap recovered by ramping more Forests, enabling him to summon two Acidic Slime which destroyed my man lands. Luckily, Jace prevented him from adding more threats while Grave Titan paired with Mimic Vat makes the situation worst for him.

Match Record: 3-0
Games Record: 6-2

Round 4 vs Carl (Black Red Vampires)

Game 1

Another horrifying matchup for me as the blazing fast Vampires of Carl leave me no room to breathe. I struggled to find my 6th land in order for me to hold the line with Grave Titan. But the impending combo of Viscera Seer and Kalastria Highborn was enough for me to scoop.

SB Strategy:
IN: +1 Spreading Seas, +1 Ratchet Bomb, +2 Disfigure, +3 Vampire Nighthawk, +1 Mimic Vat
OUT: – 2 Doom Blade, -2 Jace Beleren, -1 Duress, -1 Deprive, -2 Mana Leak

Game 2

Due to my early Inquisition of Kozileks and Disfigures, they slowed down the so called fast Vamps deck of Carl. Vampire Nighthawk made a debut for him but still, Jace took control of the game, helping me easily find my finisher Grave Titan and it was enough for Carl to pack things up.

Game 3

I kept what I called a good hand playing second which is composed of 2 Preordains, 2 lands, a Sea Gate Oracle, 1 Jace and a Mana Leak. As expected, Carl’s Vamps came out fast with Vampire Lacerator coupled with Pulse Tracker and Viscera Seer. Sometimes, there are unlucky instances that can happen in my life, and this is one of them. Drawing lands from my 2 Preordains (scrying 2 other lands to the bottom) including my draw phases, plus Jace getting discarded via Duress, I was not able to catch up with the Vampire horde.

Match Record: 3-1
Games Record: 7-4

Round 5 vs Jimmy (Elves)

Just before the event, I got to playtest against mono green Elves with my teammate Jay and I couldn’t win any game. Thus, I always fear of getting paired against this deck. Unfortunately, the moment has arrived. With my record of 3-1, I can’t afford to lose a single match anymore; therefore, there’s no room for errors on this match.

Game 1

I was able to neutralize the little green dudes of Jimmy and dropped Jace TMS but Vengevine plus Eldrazi Momunent makes the life short for Jace, while my Sea Gate Oracle was dazed watching how Vengevine flies like MJ. Drawing blanks after the scenario, I quickly pack things up and go to my sideboard.

SB Strategy:
IN: + 2 Doom Blade, +1 Ratchet Bomb, +2 Disfigure, +3 Vampire Nighthawk, + 1 Flashfreeze
OUT: – 3 Sea Gate Oracle, -2 Jace Beleren, -1 Duress, -3 Spreading Seas

Game 2

A barrage of Inquistions took the Fauna Shaman and Archdruid while the resolved ones got controlled by Doom Blade and Disfigure. Some of Jimmy’s big fellow like Leatherback Baloth came in but was tamed by Vampire Nighthawk to stop the beastial madness. While in control, the Grave Titan showed up and won the game in short order.

Game 3

Once again, Inquistions trimmed some of Jimmy’s early aggressive dudes and I was able to drop Vampire Nighthawk for a fatty control early on. Vengevine was able to show up this time but 2 Nighthawks proved too much for the green team, negating the damage done by the mythic rare. Jimmy doesn’t have the answer for the pesky flying vampires and coming on time was Grave Titan to finish things off.

Match Record: 4-1
Games Record: 9-5

Round 6 vs Franz (Black Red Vampires)

Looking at the standings, we were both secure at the top 8 spot if we are going to draw the match. To make things advantageous for us, we made a wise decision to draw and take a rest going for the top 8.

Match Record: 4-1-1
Games Record: 9-5-1

Top 8 vs Carl (Black Red Vampires)

It’s time for my revenge! But first, I really need focus on winning against the blood suckers by making the right calls and mulligan decisions.

Game 1

I was able to take a peek at Carl’s hand using Inquistion of Kozilek but decided to take Viscera Seer since choosing Bloodghast would be buffoonish. Bloodghast seems to be the problem from the start, thus I was obliged to find Grave Titan as soon as possible. Without the help of my removal and too much advantage from Carl’s Dark Tutelage, I was not able to stabilize and the fanged hordes finish me off.

SB Strategy:
IN: +1 Spreading Seas, +1 Ratchet Bomb, +2 Disfigure, +3 Vampire Nighthawk, +1 Mimic Vat
OUT: – 2 Doom Blade, -2 Jace Beleren, -1 Duress, -1 Deprive, -2 Mana Leak

Game 2

This time, no Inquisition showed up but I managed to setup Ratchet Bomb and hold on with some Disfigures and Sea Gate Oracle to stop Bloodghast shenanigans. However, Vampire hordes continued to push through with multiple Gatekeepers dealing with the Human Wizard. Also, Kalastria Highborn joined the action but was cut short with Bomb for two counters. Still, the drain life ability of the Highborn put me to precious 1 life. With the help of Jace which dutifully found Grave Titan and his undead buddies, Carl‘s Gatekeepers stupefied in front of the zombie horde.

Game 3

Carl was again on the fast start, still consistently dropping Vampire Lacerator on first turn. While I setup my hand with Preordain, I was able to summon Vampire Nighthawk just to stop the bleeding. To my demise, Carl’s Dark Tutelage was able to resolve, forcing me to reinforce my Nighthawk with the second one. Negating the army on Carl’s side, my Creeping Tar Pit started to join the amazing race. Thanks to the lifelinks of the two Nighthawks, I was able to survive the counter push and manage to outrace Carl in damage.

Match Record: 5-1-1
Games Record: 11-6-1

Top 4 vs Rap Rap (Valakut)

I’m happy that my worst nightmare turns into a fairy tale after the quarterfinals and was also surprised that Team Buckets made it through the top 4 (more Buckets after the tournament!). I know Rap wants to take revenge after falling to me at round 3, so I didn’t underestimated the matchup and focus my strategy against him.

Game 1

Early turns were draw-go for both of us while Rap is trying to sneak ramp spells with my Mana Leak. Meanwhile, I try to Preordain to have my hand ready for the late game: the Titan plus Summoning Trap combo. Unluckily, I draw more lands and I see no sign for Jace or Grave Titan. Came in the big turn, Rap tried to cast Primeval Titan but it was met by 2 Mana Leaks and as expected, Summoning Trap followed yet I was out of counter magic already. Another Titan came out and super combo finished me with 3 Valakuts and an online Khalni Heart Expedition.

SB Strategy:
IN: +1 Spreading Seas, + 2 Doom Blade, + 2 Duress, + 1 Stoic Rebuttal, +1 Flashfreeze, +1 Mindbreak Trap, +1 Mimic Vat
OUT: – 3 Sea Gate Oracle, -2 Jace Beleren, – 2 Ratchet Bomb, – 1 Consume the Meek, – 1 Disfigure

Game 2

My early Duress gave me info on Rap’s hand and peeled a Cultivate. Seeing that he was holding multiple Acidic Slime, Titan and Avenger with no ramp spells, I opted to Spreading Seas his Forest. While he was stuck on Blue Red, Jace the Mind Sculptor started working by brainstorming into Grave Titan and fatesealed Rap’s deck to seal the deal.

Game 3

I countered Rap’s early ramp spells which left him all fatties stuck in his hand after I Duressed him. Fortunately, he was missing land drops and I controlled his lands with Seas and Tectonic Edge. That gave me time to setup Jace TMS unmolested and Grave Titan with its new toy Mimic Vat to trump the Acidic Slime trying to deathtouch my giant.

Match Record: 6-1-1
Games Record: 13-7-1

Finals vs Rigs (Valakut)

I honestly didn’t expect reaching the finals for there are lots of players who are really good in this game, plus the number of players doubled up compared to last year. I was worried about my chances against Rigs since he already beaten Tonton’s Blue Black Control deck at the quarterfinals. I was astounded with Rigs performance for his first big time tourney event, as the newest member of Team Buckets and also under the training by Player of the Year Pete, him going this far really impressed me. Those practices really paid off for both of us.

“How long? Not long, cause what you reap is what you sow” – Rage Against The Machine

Game 1

I kept a heavy discard hand with Spreading Seas ready. I saw that Rigs was lacking green mana to cast his big spells in hand, so I cleverly focused my Seas on his Forest and lock him with Jace the Mind Sculptor. Grave Titan just soon followed after I chained my Preordain and Sea Gate Oracle. Since Rigs was color screwed, he decided to scoop and rethinks his plans for the next game.

SB Strategy:
IN: +1 Spreading Seas, + 2 Doom Blade, + 2 Duress, + 1 Stoic Rebuttal, +1 Flashfreeze, +1 Mindbreak Trap, +1 Mimic Vat
OUT: – 3 Sea Gate Oracle, -2 Jace Beleren, – 2 Ratchet Bomb, – 1 Consume the Meek, – 1 Disfigure

Game 2

Misfortune struck Rigs before the game starts as he mulligan to five. I saw what was coming as I Duress his only ramp spell and left him with uncastable dudes, thanks to the Seas lock. I capitalize on Rigs bad luck in the midst of Jace TMS and began digging for my MVP Grave Titan while he was stuck on blue and red sources. Just in the nick of time, Grave Titan showed up and outclassed his green bro.

Match Record: 7-1-1
Games Record: 15-7-1

Wrapping Up

What a great way to end my year and this would mean a double celebration for Christmas. After some hard fought battle, I came out victorious once again. At first, I couldn’t believe that it was a repeat since the tournament has now become bigger, more competitive and produced a great amount of players. Luck played an important role in my success and also those few days of playtesting with Team Buckets before the big event. I was bliss to receive my second trophy as Magic Iloilo Champion for two years in a row. I felt blessed despite my lack of preparation for the tournament. Could it be possible for me to win next year going for the grand slam? Well, I’ll just leave you with this quote…

“We can win multiple championships if we take care of business and do it the right way.” – LeBron James