Splinter For The Win with MichaelJ

Kudos to our own Michael J Flores for winning the TCGPlayer.com WWS Big Apple this past weekend with the long-threatened Splinter Twin/Deceiver Exarch combo deck. Mike fought his way through a 200+ person field that was split into two separate flights which merged into a single elimination Top 16. There, he squared off with Chris Leveque and Grixis Twin, GP winner Dave Shiels with Caw-Blade, MOCS competitor Reid Duke with Blue-Black Control, and finally — in a show down between the grizzled veteran Flores and the young upstart Flores — Edgar Flores with Caw-Blade.

We talked the Monday after the tournament about the big win, his individual card choices, and the operational techniques he used to get through the very long and grueling event. Here is the decklist he used and as a bonus I have included Top8Magic intern Matt Ferrando’s Bant Blade list which he played to a Top 16 finish — after winning a SCG IQ qualifier with it last week.

Splinter Twin
Michael Flores — Winner
2011 TCGplayer.com WWS Big Apple

4 Deceiver Exarch
2 Inferno Titan
2 Jace Beleren
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Pilgrim’s Eye
4 Sea Gate Oracle
4 Into the Roil
3 Mana Leak
4 Preordain
2 Spell Pierce
4 Splinter Twin
10 Island
8 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Tectonic Edge

Sideboard:
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Dispel
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Jace Beleren
1 Jace’s Ingenuity
2 Manic Vandal
2 Pyroclasm
2 Spell Pierce
2 Spellskite
1 Trinket Mage

You can find all the Top 16 decklists here but I have singled out Matt Ferrando’s Bant Blade and longtime friend of Top8Magic.com’s Luis Neiman’s Dark Blade below the fold. Read the rest of this entry »

Talking PyroTwin Combo

Mike Flores and I sat down for a nice windy cup of coffee to discuss his burgeoning love affair with the new PryoTwin decks that will be emerging from the post-New Phyrexia Standard format. Mike has always been a proponent of Pyromancer’s Ascension in Standard, going all the way back to last year’s Nationals season, and with the addition of free spells and the extra Splinter Twin combo thanks to the printing of the flashy new Deceiver Exarch he has declared it to be the deck to beat in the coming weeks. Why does he feel so strongly about it? I guess you will have to give a listen to find out.

Enjoy this long podcast with BDM and Flores as they provide a recap of US Nationals!

US Nationals Recap with BDM and Flores

I made a post earlier this week on twitter via @top8games that  “I am amused by people who say “Tier 1 only, no red deck pls” in the Tournament Practice room.” I was trying to test out a PTQ winning decklist and as soon I would play Quest for the Pure Flame, Howling Mine, or Goblin Arsonist I could not get any “serious” players to stay in the game. I ended up hopping over to the 2-Man queues and picking up a virtual third of a box in pretty short order — call it collecting on Goblin insurance Money.

Goblin Insurance Money
Hugh Raynor — Winner
PTQ Amsterdam: Sydney 6/21/10

3 Howling Mine
4 Quest of the Pure Flame
1 Searing Blaze
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Burst Lightning
4 Staggershock
4 Forked Bolt
4 Hell’s Thunder
4 Goblin Arsonist
4 Hellspark Elemental
4 Goblin Guide
16 Mountain
4 Teetering Peaks
Sideboard:
3 Mana Barbs
3 Unstable Footing
3 Mark of Mutiny
3 Punishing Fire
3 Earthquake

According to tournament organizer Lindsay Heming the finals — which saw Hugh facing off against the wildly popular Turboland deck — went something like this:

Hugh led off with Mountain and Goblin Arsonist. His opponent Martin played a land of his own. Hugh untapped and played another Arsonist, laid Quest for the Pure Flame and attacked for one. His opponent played land number two. Hugh topped off his Quest at four counters by playing Hellspark Elemental and attacking with all three creatures — his opponent fell to 14. The opponent played Explore and two lands and passed the turn. Hugh sacrificed the Quest, unearthed the Elemental and attacked for 10 and finished him off with a doubled Burst Lightning.

I did not get the play by play notation for game two but despite his opponent turboing out Jace and a sideboarded Pelakka Wurm the red deck was able to win easily.

Mike Flores, myself and about two dozen other Magic players descended on a previously Magic friendly deli in midtown Manhattan this week to put the new Standard format through its paces. The goal was to run a four round Mock Standard tournament dubbed The Mother Lovin’ Cup (think Lord Stanley’s Cup or the World Cup) and inscribe/sharpie the winner’s name onto a foil Everflowing Chalice. We barely got through two rounds before we were politely — then much less politely — asked to leave. The group broke up and went its different ways but I found myself in a Penn Station coffee shop with Mike Flores, Lauren “Mulldrifting” Lee, Sean McKeown, Morgan Chang and a podcaster.

MisMocking Through Standard Part 4

We discussed the new format, the decks everyone played, and Mike and Lauren even battled for a few games with Mike’s All-American take on the popular blue-white control decks against Mulldrifting’s old-school Jund.

MisMocking Through Standard Part 3

Mike Flores, myself and about two dozen other Magic players descended on a previously Magic friendly deli in midtown Manhattan this week to put the new Standard format through its paces. The goal was to run a four round Mock Standard tournament dubbed The Mother Lovin’ Cup (think Lord Stanley’s Cup or the World Cup) and inscribe/sharpie the winner’s name onto a foil Everflowing Chalice. We barely got through two rounds before we were politely — then much less politely — asked to leave. The group broke up and went its different ways but I found myself in a Penn Station coffee shop with Mike Flores, Lauren “Mulldrifting” Lee, Sean McKeown, Morgan Chang and a podcaster.

We discussed the new format, the decks everyone played, and Mike and Lauren even battled for a few games with Mike’s All-American take on the popular blue-white control decks against Mulldrifting’s old-school Jund.

Mike Flores, myself and about two dozen other Magic players descended on a previously Magic friendly deli in midtown Manhattan this week to put the new Standard format through its paces. The goal was to run a four round Mock Standard tournament dubbed The Mother Lovin’ Cup (think Lord Stanley’s Cup or the World Cup) and inscribe/sharpie the winner’s name onto a foil Everflowing Chalice. We barely got through two rounds before we were politely — then much less politely — asked to leave. The group broke up and went its different ways but I found myself in a Penn Station coffee shop with Mike Flores, Lauren “Mulldrifting” Lee, Sean McKeown, Morgan Chang and a podcaster.

MisMocking Through Standard Part 2

We discussed the new format, the decks everyone played, and Mike and Lauren even battled for a few games with Mike’s All-American take on the popular blue-white control decks against Mulldrifting’s old-school Jund.

Mike Flores, myself and about two dozen other Magic players descended on a previously Magic friendly deli in midtown Manhattan this week to put the new Standard format through its paces. The goal was to run a four round Mock Standard tournament dubbed The Mother Lovin’ Cup (think Lord Stanley’s Cup or the World Cup) and inscribe/sharpie the winner’s name onto a foil Everflowing Chalice. We barely got through two rounds before we were politely — then much less politely — asked to leave. The group broke up and went its different ways but I found myself in a Penn Station coffee shop with Mike Flores, Lauren “Mulldrifting” Lee, Sean McKeown, Morgan Chang and a podcaster.

MisMocking Through Standard Part 1

We discussed the new format, the decks everyone played, and Mike and Lauren even battled for a few games with Mike’s All-American take on the popular blue-white control decks against Mulldrifting’s old-school Jund.

Mike and I sat down last night to discuss recent Magic events, Rise of Eldrazi spoiled cards, and a new/old idea for a deck that has been itching at the back of Mike’s brain recently.

Blink it Like Becker Part 1

Her e is the Kenji list that Mike and I were discussing at the start of these podcasts.

Kenji Control
Kenji Tsumura — Day Two
Grand Prix Yokohama 2010
2  Blood Crypt
3  Cascade Bluffs
3  Island
1  Mountain
4  Scalding Tarn
1  Steam Vents
4  Sunken Ruins
4  Swamp
1  Watery Grave
3  Chrome Mox
1  Compulsive Research
3  Cruel Ultimatum
4  Damnation
4  Dimir Signet
3  Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1  Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker
3  Night of Souls’ Betrayal
4  Remand
3  Repeal
4  Smother
1  Sorin Markov
3  Thirst for Knowledge
Sideboard
4  Leyline of the Void
4  Negate
3  Relic of Progenitus
4  Thoughtseize

Fans,

Enjoy this great Deck Tech from Pro Tour: San Diego 2010 with Zvi!