Solar Flare - Past and Present

Nostalgia is a powerful force in Magic the Gathering. Mechanics and themes have been revisited countless times, from the nostalgia-themed block of Time Spiral to the recent return to the plane of Mirrodin. However, the one realm in which players fall victim to nostalgia the most is in deck building. Every competitive constructed season has a memorable top tier, and particular decks that players found they enjoyed, or feared, the most. 

During the Innistrad spoiler season, we saw hints slipping through the gaps, card by card suggesting the return of the fabled Solar Flare. Rising to dominance during the Nationals’ season in the summer of 2006, Solar Flare was a control deck that dominated the format through force, utilizing the strongest cards available to counter the rock-paper-scissors format of Gruul-Heartbeat-Tron. Starting out as a reanimator deck at the hands of Team Japan, Solar Flare developed through intensive play on MTGO before leading Paul Cheon to victory at US Nationals that year.

In order to gain an understanding of Solar Flare, let’s use Paul Cheon’s Nationals winning list as a point of reference:

Paul Cheons Solar Flare
60 cards, 15 sideboard
4 Azorius Chancery 1 Eiganjo Castle 3 Godless Shrine 1 Hallowed Fountain 1 Island 1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea 1 Minamo, School at Water's Edge 1 Miren, the Moaning Well 2 Orzhov Basilica 1 Plains 1 Shizo, Death's Storehouse 2 Swamp 2 Tendo Ice Bridge 1 Underground River 1 Watery Grave 23 lands 3 Court Hussar 1 Meloku the Clouded Mirror 1 Ink-Eyes, Servant of Oni 1 Kokusho, the Evening Star 2 Yosei, the Morning Star 3 Angel of Despair 11 creatures	4 Azorius Signet 2 Dimir Signet 4 Remand 4 Compulsive Research 3 Mortify 2 Persecute 4 Wrath of God 3 Zombify 26 other spells Sideboard 2 Persecute 4 Castigate 3 Condemn 2 Cranial Extraction 4 Descendant of Kiyomaro 15 sideboard cards

Back to the Beginning

Before even contemplating the translation of the deck over to the present Standard format, we need to gain a feel for the workings of the original Solar Flare at its peak. During the Kamigawa-Ravnica Standard format a solid, balanced metagame was established following the release of Guildpact at Pro Tour Honolulu. Though GWB Rock was expected to dominate the format going into the event, it failed to deliver the good whilst an incredible all-star top 8 formed the basis of the format’s future. RG Gruul and RGW Zoo pushed aggressively with under-costed early animals backed up by burn, BW Hand in Hand gave solid protection knights a jitte and hit the hand to maintain an element of control, and Tron aimed to draw and counter its way into landing a game-changing win condition. Owling Mine and Heartbeat rounded out the top 8 as the unexpectedly reliable combo decks. Owling Mine died down as control established itself, and BW Hand in Hand faded out of the top tier as red-based aggro pushed ahead. 

Gruul, Zoo and Tron formed the format, with the difficult to wield combo of Heartbeat existing as a minor presence throughout the regional season. The arrival of Dissension gave players the ability to play any colour combination with minimal difficulty, proving to be the final piece of the puzzle for Solar Flare to rise. With aggro very much dominant, a powerful removal suite and the surprisingly solid defence provided by Court Hussar allowed Flare to establish control and swing the game with a variety of win conditions that aggro would find difficult to handle. Unlike most recent control decks, the format would not allow Tron to operate reactively at all times, and with Signets and draw spells being vital at sorcery speed powerful hate was possible through Remand and Persecute. 

Truly inspirational deck naming!

The ability to revive fallen win conditions with Zombify seems cute, but discarding an Angel of Despair to Compulsive Research and following up with a turn 4 Zombify proved to be far more brutal than anyone could have imagined at the time. As the format evolved, the variety of monsters altered slightly back and forth, and similarly Castigate and Condemn frequently found themselves in main decks, with Wrath of God and Zombify often finding their numbers cut respectively. But regardless, Solar Flare remained, proving to be a swiss army knife in answering the card pool available whilst maintaining the favour of the players. This dominance was not like those seen by Affinity, Faeries or Caw-Blade. This was a deck that players felt passionately about, providing interesting, memorable games whilst playing exciting cards and powerful technology. 

Initial Innistrad Impact

When Innistrad arrived, you couldn’t read an article about Magic without hearing the name Solar Flare. The community seemed passionately determined to revive this strategy, but as initial results started to flood in players became gradually less convinced, even going so far as to claim that the deck isn’t a real contender. How could players take such a violent turn against the deck they all claimed passion for mere weeks before?

The answer lies in understanding the past, and the truth of the nature of Solar Flare. In approaching a revival of a deck from Magic’s extensive history, players naturally look for cards that replicate the effect of those once played. The eerie parallel is easily made, and frequently it proves true, but right now it simply cannot be done. Sure, Liliana of the Veil can act as a discard outlet akin to Compulsive Research, but aside from that the cards are vastly different. And take Forbidden Alchemy into consideration for a moment. That card is undeniably powerful, but how can you compare it to anything in the 2006 Solar Flare deck, let alone the card pool available at that time? 

In attempting to replicate the feel of the deck, illogical plays can frequently be seen. Discarding Unburial Rites makes it a Zombify, but late in the game you’re essentially losing a win condition by making that play. Despite its roots as a reanimator deck, Solar Flare is not at its best when played with that single goal in mind. The aim of the strategy is advantage whilst maintaining tempo, with Wrath of God and Persecute stopping opponents dead more often than a reanimated monstrosity. Day of Judgment is increasingly crucial in Standard today, but Persecute has no parallel and would likely be a weaker card today with Flashback and Snapcaster Mage proving to be very popular. 

Evolution and Renewal

It is worth making a point at this stage that Solar Flare is far from a dead deck in Standard. Despite the decline in the last couple of weeks the deck continues to perform admirably, particularly in the hands of strong players such as AJ Sacher. Grand Prix Hiroshima is due to enter its second day as I finish writing this article, and yet again it appears that Solar Flare is making a strong presence that’ll hopefully lead to top 8 presence. But why is it that only the few are succeeding?

In working towards a modern Solar Flare, three vital factors need to be focused improved upon. Solar Flare is in no way a deck that has a perfect build that anyone and everyone can play. Most dominant decks, such as Caw-Blade, simply evolve in their use of new technology to improve the mirror match. Solar Flare is as far from that kind of deck as you can get, and requires good, old fashioned work to keep it operating effectively.

1. Mana Base

A quick glance at Paul Cheon’s mana base may seem overwhelming if unfamiliar with the Kamigawa-Ravnica Standard format, but a closer look will reveal the elegant balance present. Blue unsurprisingly comes as the priority, with Remand, Compulsive Research and Court Hussar most frequently being cast before any other non-Signet spell. Turn 4 Wrath of God or Persecute are the true focus of the deck, with Wrath of God on turn 3 being very realistic due to Signets and a minor lean towards white over black. 

Playing for the early game...

...or aiming for the late game?

Though Signets are no longer around, it is possible to run cards like Sphere of the Suns, but to do so would be to try and replicate the past whilst ignoring logic as the power level of the cards are vastly different. Today we have to maintain a careful balance between Shards lands, Core duals and basics. Having been spoilt for options with powerful first turn spells such as Preordain and Inquisition of Kozilek, players are frequently too reckless in their inclusion of Scars lands, whilst not respecting the advantages presented by later plays of the Core duals. Once a solid core to the deck is established, a well-tweaked mana base is key to finding openings for powerful technology, such as Mikokoro and Miren in Cheon’s list.

2. Win Conditions

The original exciting aspect of Solar Flare, inspiring its primordial form as a reanimator deck, was to use and abuse Angel of Despair. In Paul Cheon’s build we can see the Angels supported by a cast of legends from Kamigawa, covering various different aspects of the game. The general idea is to gain advantage upon entering the battlefield or on leaving it. It is this idea that we can and should carry forward to today. Though we lack the incredibly power to Vindicate that the Angel had, Sun Titan has taken up the role of being the primary win condition in today’s Solar Flare. Sun Titan results in a very different approach to the choice of win conditions, and alongside the Flashback keyword on Unburial Rites, inevitably means we no longer need to be so heavy in our use of high-end cards. 

Technology remains a powerful force, and the Sun Titan focus should not prevent the inclusion of interesting and effective boss creatures. Wurmcoil Engine remains a favourite answer to aggro, and very much like Kokusho it remains advantageous following a desperate sweep of the board or removal from the opponent. Though Titans have made 6 cost boss creatures most desirable for control, Solar Flare can very respectively play a variety of interesting, less conventional creatures to advantage. Rune-Scarred Demon, Sheoldred and Elesh Norn are powerful in their respective ways, and should all be considered seriously for the future of the deck. Elesh Norn has received a good amount of respect recently, making the important transition from sideboard to main deck, and I expect further experiments to be carried out by the more daring players in the near future. 

Sunblast Angel and Massacre Wurm present interesting anti-aggro alternatives to Wurmcoil Engine in a format that is finally finding Dismember to be unfavourable as a splashable removal spell. Grave Titan and Bloodline Keeper on the other hand are very reminiscent of Meloku (and Skeletal Vampire from later versions) in being able to control the board and eventually seize the win, whilst also being black can allow them to seize upon unprepared players wielding little more than Doom Blades. A wide variety of potential win conditions exist for players to diversify in the face of the increasing play of Surgical Extraction, Momoricide, and Sever the Bloodline.

3. Format Focus

At the end of the day Solar Flare is just a control deck, and like any control deck it requires a metagame to work against. Though it may appear to be a very proactive deck in playing cards like Liliana of the Veil and Unburial Rites, it remains a deck that aims for the late game. Becoming obsessed with the Rites plan turns the deck into an unstable reanimator deck, which is far from where you want to be. In 2006, Solar Flare was poised to beat aggressive strategies and tap-out control, whilst siding in to answer combo. As today’s standard format begins to stabilize it seems to be a fairly similar state of affairs. Token decks appear to be seizing dominion of the aggro sector, whilst UB control takes the role of playing the typical counterspells and bombs. 

However, the big star of SCG Opens and recent GP’s has undoubtedly been Wolf Run Ramp. Though comparable to both Tron and Heartbeat back in 2006, the deck is far easier to compare to the ominous fiend of the last two years: Valakut. Ramp as a strategy is very linear, but resolving key spells like Primeval Titan and Garruk, Primal Hunter drives the deck towards its end game before you’ve completed setting up your own. These strategies drove players away from Solar Flare with near immediate effect, but the question remains why that was the case. Solar Flare contains potential answers to all of the threats posed by Ramp, but clearly requires a lot of tweaking and testing to beat the simple elegance of the near-mono-coloured Ramp decks. WIth consistency as its focus, Ramp has earned a great deal of respect for its strategy but very little opposition beyond the obvious increase in aggressive decks in the metagame. 

Solar Flare is perfectly poised to answer the current metagame. Increasing counterspells to include a number of copies of Dissipate will strengthen the UB and Ramp match-ups, whilst bumping up the number of Day of Judgment and variety of win conditions such as Elesh Norn aids in the fight against aggro. In the sideboard it is possible to bring balance to these numbers whilst managing specific hate with testing to precision. Flashfreeze is undoubtedly powerful, but how are Revoke Existence and Timely Reinforcement in your metagame? Curse of Death’s Hold seems perfectly poised to help manage tokens, alongside the previously mentioned Sever the Bloodline. Ratchet Bomb and Ghost Quarter have seen consistent play in sideboards since the start of the format, but is it time that they made the transition to the main? The bomb is incredible against tokens, and Ghost Quarter is solid against Ramp, and let’s not forget that both are absolutely incredible in those match-ups when paired with Sun Titan!

Fear the Flare

The aim of this article is to drive players to find the answers to the problems with which they are presented. Solar Flare is simply the name that stuck with the control deck with the minor reanimation strategy that rose to power in arguably the most popular Standard format in history. The name is applicable, and the essence remains. Solar Flare should always be the control deck that seeks to answer the format at hand...with reanimation always the opportunistic option to seize an easy win!

Liverpool Magic the Gathering Store Championship 2011

The cold and quiet Winter season of Magic the Gathering means different things to different people. Professional players begin their tireless perpetration for the World Championship, the remainder of the world's Spike's are traveling to remote Pro Tour Qualifiers to test their skills (and luck) in a fresh and untested Limited format. Casual play persists, but those seeking to refine their skills in the constructed formats are very much left in the dark, with any potential testing for the Spring Pro Tour Qualifier season of questionable value, with both a new set and a B&R update having potential to invalidate any work done testing during the Winter. But one event provides the spark for deck designers every year, and that is the County Champs (States to those across the pond!). 


At least it did, until 2008 when the program drew its past breath. With this in mind, it was with a great cheer that we greeted the revival of Champs as the Store Championship in the UK this year. Despite the various big prize events held across the country, and larger still events held regularly in the US by the likes of Star City Games, there is a special draw to a tournament that grants the title of County (or State) champion.

When I first made the move out of the wilderness of Wales in 2006 for University, I soon discovered that Liverpool would be holding a Champs tournament. I prepared by testing in any free time i had, and eventually settled on an old favorite deck: Solar Flare. Running hot I swept the Swiss rounds without a loss, and made it to the finals only to fall to my greatest enemy: myself. A mis-statement of targets cost me one game, and the embarrassment of such an error led to a series of misplays that cost me the title. The following year presented a much smaller pool of players for me to test out my Mono-Black Korlash deck against, and thankfully everyone I encountered was piloting Kithkin or RG aggro. Deathmark and Tendrils of Corruption led me to claim the title. In 2008 a major resurgence occurred in the Liverpool Magic community, and armed with a new build of Solar Flare I set off to an unsettling start, earning first a draw and then a loss. Seeking a chance for redemption I played on, winning my way through the Swiss into the top 8. Reaching the finals I fell to what I knew to be the better player with the better deck. 

When the new Store Championship date was revealed I expected I would be unable to attend. But with a last minute change of plans a mere two days before the event, I worked intently on reviving Solar Flare once more with the key pieces from Innistrad that I'd luckily preordered. Having not played in near a month due to family issues, I entered with a clear and simple intent in mind: to play the archetype that I love and to play the best Magic I possibly can. As I said, simple...

Deck

With no time to brew a list from scratch and send it through the testing grinder, I scoured the database of decks at starcitygames.com, convinced that one of their recent events must have produced a list that I'd be satisfied with. The key factors to the deck were pretty unsurprising, but supplementing the Flare package with strong Red Deck Wins hate seemed to be the thing to do at SCG Open, considering the success of the deck the previous week. I expected a heavily aggressive metagame and prepared accordingly, entering the following list:

Deck: Solar Flare

//Main
4	Glacial Fortress
4	Seachrome Coast
4	Drowned Catacomb
4	Darkslick Shores
4	Plains
4	Island
2	Swamp
3	Sun Titan
1	Wurmcoil Engine
2	Snapcaster Mage
2	Phantasmal Image
4	Liliana of the Veil
2	Day of Judgment
2	Timely Reinforcements
2	Oblivion Ring
2	Doom Blade
1	Go for the Throat
4	Mana Leak
4	Think Twice
3	Forbidden Alchemy
2	Unburial Rites
//Sideboard
1	Jace, Memory Adept
1	Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1	Wurmcoil Engine
2	Day of Judgment
2	Timely Reinforcements
2	Revoke Existence
2	Flashfreeze
2	Surgical Extraction
2	Ratchet Bomb

 Display Deck Statistics

Round 1 - vs. Tezzeret - 2-0

Upon realizing what my opponent was running I experienced a wave of doubt. A loss to the deck I strongly considered but dismissed due to bad experiences (i.e. Nationals...) would likely prove enough to put me on tilt for the rest of the tournament. In the first game he stumbles on playable cards, never getting into motion whilst I come to grasp the sheer brutality of Sun Titan into Phantasmal Image. Tumble Magnet serves him well, but never truly answers the problem. In game 2 the race starts early with Inkmoth Nexus aggression, but a handily timed double Doom Blade via Snapcaster Mage leaves him too far behind.

Round 2 - vs. Tempered Steel - 2-0

Along with RDW, this was very much my most feared match-up going in to the tournament.  With potential to explode randomly, particularly through Hero of Bladehold, I played carefully to sweep the board with enough life to come back with Sun Titan abuse.

Round 3 - vs. UW Blade - 2-0

This match was tough, with counterspells ensuring we entered a state of draw-go in both games. A state in the second game showed me just how strong Oblivion Ring is with five vital copies on the table between us, as well as proving how overwhelming a fast Elesh Norn can be in the current format. All was well and good until my opponent informed me after the game that I'd carried out a crucial illegal play in our first game, and that we both must have missed it. Early in the game he'd swung in with a Mirran Crusader equipped with a Sword of War and Peace, dropping me to 2 life in a single turn. I remembered how I lacked a second white source despite having Day of Judgment in hand, but I could not recall how I'd answered the Crusader. Thus dawned the grim realization that I'd cast Oblivion Ring in order to exile the threat, despite it having Protection from White thanks to the sword! I felt awful in having accepted the win prior to realizing this, but thankfully avoided becoming overcome with feelings of guilt by focusing solely from this point forward on playing better Magic and not making such an obvious error again.

Round 4 - vs. RGW Pod - 2-0

Though I suspected my opponent might be playing a Birthing Pod deck, I certainly didn't expect the colour combination! Having seen BUG and RUG Pod lists floating about the event, I expected blue to be a certainty. It embarrassingly took me past turn 5 to realize that my opponent wasn't simply experiencing a drought of blue mana! The first game bounced back and forth, with threats meeting solutions back and forth until Sun Titan rose from the grave. The second game consisted of many errors on my part in an attempt to answer the threat that is Thrun. From defending with Wurmcoil Engines to flashing back Day of Judgment to control the rest of the board, it finally clicked that Thrun isn't a description, it's a name! Furious with myself over such an oversight I revive Phantasmal Image to deal with the Last Troll, before pushing for the win.

Round 5 - I.D.

A nice and easy break is truly appreciated!

Quarter Finals - vs. Vampires - 2-0

This match ended up being a testament to the strength of Day of Judgment at the start of the format. Despite getting fair starts, my opponent quickly ran out of steam whilst my removal suite proved its worth.

Semi Finals - vs. Human White Weenie - 2-1

I briefly heard whispers of the white weenie deck my opponent was playing before the round started, and despite the horror stories that came from his victims I felt confident in my ability to defeat aggro, especially when they lack burn's reach. A dodgy keep and a few turns later, Mirran Crusader enchanted with Angelic Destiny snapped me back down to reality as I simply could not accept losing at this stage! Care and patience allowed me to control games 2 and 3, though failing to see a Titan I set my Snapcaster Mages to working overtime by burning through my Unburial Rites to recur the mighty beat sticks and keep up the pressure.

Finals - vs. RGW Pod - 2-1

A rematch of my toughest Swiss round acts as the grand finale to this years event. In the first game I keep a fair, and as my opponent curves out perfectly I see no real action and scoop up quickly. Game 2 allows me to just as swiftly even the odds by landing a Liliana on turn 3, and reanimating Elesh Norn on turn 4. With no ready means to combat the Praetor, we dive straight into the decider. A game full of twist and turns, with problems meeting solutions back and forth until the combination of Sun Titan and Phantasmal Image finally proved overwhelming.

Conclusion - 1st!

Needless to say that I was thrilled with my success. Not only was this a successful return to the form that I expect myself to play at, but I truly felt as though I'd learnt a lot throughout the day. Playing against skillful players whilst being possessed with the Fire is the best kind of training experience you can get. I received my random promo prizes, the qualification to a random Store Finals in the wild outskirts of London faded from my mind, with no word of detail concerning it. After leaving the venue, it was the experience of competition and desire to improve that stuck with me. Let this be a minor stepping stone towards a major improvement in 2012 over the muddled mess that was 2011!

Monthly Yu-Gi-Oh! Tournament - September

Though this event was eagerly anticipated by those with whom I most frequently test, disappointment was to be had. Following the staggering turnout of 20+ players that has since become a regular occurrence, a large turnout was certainly expected for an event offering chase cards such as Steelswarm Roach as prizes. However, a mere 11 players turned up to compete on the day. Whether it was the cost, prizes, time or the expected difficult competition that put people off, this was a major blow for the competitive scene in Liverpool. Following my success in the weekly event, I continued to wield a tweaked version of Agents to a relatively successful finish.

Round 1 - Dragons - 2-1

I essentially hand my first game of the day over to my opponent with a single utterance of “ok” in response to his activation of Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon’s revival effect. Clearly unfocused, I allowed this activation despite having Herald of Orange Light in hand with another Fairy to discard. I calm myself swiftly, and attempt to bring my mind under control as I sideboard. Game 2 starts with his summoning of a Koa’ki Meiru Drago, which paralyses my mind with fear that my ridiculous errors would leave me with a loss in the first round. Thankfully his summoning was merely for tempo, as he proved to have no access to dragons and only sought to set up the dragon for reanimation later. I leapt on the opportunity, and won that game and the one that followed.

Round 2 - Lightsworn - 2-0

Paired against my round 4 opponent from Wednesday, I knew a good match would follow. His practice was evident in skillful plays throughout, but despite that and the powerful tweaks that had been made since the previous match I felt far more confident with the matchup than expected. Thrown into focus by fear in the first round, I continue to push for the win.

Round 3 - Blackwings 0-2

As one of the more unique decks seeing play at the event, I wasn’t quite prepared to face down the winged menace. Though I played carefully around the various traditional pieces of the puzzle, the inclusion of Ryko to feed Black Luster Soldier was a devastating surprise. Both games ran long, with him dutifully pushing through my misplays to seize the win.

Round 4 - Macro Cosmos 2-0

Yet again I’m paired against an opponent from Wednesday night, and yet again the deck and player have greatly improved. Having pushed consistently to improve upon my play since my initial misstep at the start of the day, I’m very much in the zone as I fight past the grave hate and seize every opportunity presented to efficiently win.

Quarter Final - Gladiator Beasts - 2-0

Following a lengthy break the quarter finals begin, and I am dreading it. Having built momentum throughout the constant play of the last three rounds, I could feel myself lacking in focus as the match began. With little experience against Gladiators I was incredibly wary of the use of my counters. Extensive experience in using counterspells in Magic allowed me to gauge the right timing for my limited responses, and I managed to push for the win in both games.

Semi Final - Blackwings - 0-2

I fall to the naive mindset of hoping to face Lightsworn in the semis, and so it was inevitable really that I face Blackwings yet again! The match plays out quite similarly to the previous one, though in this case with the added difficulty factor of drawing numerous copies of Mystical Shine Ball. Once my Gachi Gachi Gantetsu’s fall, the match up is lost yet again.

Conclusion - 3/4th

I’m relatively happy with my result, especially considering my lack of time for preparation. The turnout was very disappointing, but the concentration of solid players with strong decks made it worthwhile. With another Agent deck falling to Blackwings in the finals, to very much the same horrendous draws as I saw in my semi final match, I felt at least confident that I am finally on track to developing my skills ready for the next wave of competitive events.

Wednesday Night Yu-Gi-Oh! 14.09.11

This week I turned to the dark side. Or perhaps that should be the light side, as I set aside Reborn Tengu and Debris Dragon to seize the raw power of Agents. I’d been working on the deck for some time, and having finally got a hold of the Heralds of Orange Light I felt it was time to test the deck before the weekend’s big local tournament. With a turnout of 20+ players, five rounds make for a challenging trial run!

Round 1 - Lightsworn - 1-1-1

The first game swung back and forth, but I seized the win through relatively solid play, bolstering my confidence in the deck and myself. That confidence was torn apart in the following game when I horribly misplay my use of Honest in response to Honest. Instead of thinking and running through the required timing steps, I eagerly just drop Honest onto the table. As a result, my Kristya still dies, jumps to the top of my deck and locks me out of responses next turn. Epic fail isn’t even a strong enough description. The match results in a draw, which surprises me as it is the first time I’ve seen a draw enforced in Yu-Gi-Oh!, and it leaves me fairly disheartened. The one thing I am determined to do tonight as a result, is play the game better!

Round 2 - Macro Burn - 2-0

An obvious pairing with a player with a single loss leads to a very unexpected deck. The use of Macro Cosmos and similar banishing effects slows my deck to a crawl, but building up a critical mass in order to sweep and explode, seizing control of the board in one fell swoop seems to be my route to victory.

Round 3 - Macro Cosmos - 2-0

Defeating an opponent maindecking graveyard hate left me a little bit more confident in my ability to play the game well when focused. What I didn’t expect was yet another banishing deck! Patience yet again led to answers, allowing me to grind my way through each game, and thankfully getting some unexpected use of Leviair in returning his Cyber Valley to give me the advantage to turn the game around. Caius proves to be a spectacular answer to Kristya right now, but thankfully the brutal speed at which Master Hyperion allows you to react makes Monarchy little more than a speed bump.

Round 4 - Lightsworn 2-1

Though seemingly a match with plays carried out at blinding speed, the sheer force of will behind each set of actions resulted in the lead being passed back and forth as fast as priority was passed between players! The true highlight of the match was when Mist Wurm was selected as a preferable target to Trishula, utterly destroying my field presence in a way the dragon never could. In time I managed to push through for enough damage to win on life points, and though doing so always makes me feel a step away from an actual win, it does leave me feeling far more confident and comfortable with my deck.

Round 5 - Agents - 2-1

As the first time playing both the mirror match and one of the most skilled players in the local group, nervous doesn’t quite describe my state of mind when I shuffled up. With an unshakable grin masking my fear, and my focus bouncing around the room in the least useful manner, the match begins. My opponent handily seizes first blood when I gamble in negating his Venus’ summoning with Solemn Judgment, only to be beaten down when he casts Monster Reborn. This punishing play serves as a wake up call to the competitive player deep within. Gears start to turn, my focus narrows and the desire to win rises to the surface. I play carefully throughout both of the following games, making misplays but adapting and learning from my mistakes swiftly. Careful calculation and fortunate draws allow me to win the following games, surpassing my own expectations for sure.

Conclusion - 4-0-1, 1st

This night I felt as though I had truly earned my victory, Having played against several strong players and a mixed field of top tier decks and anti-meta hate, I eagerly look forward to the competition to follow on the weekend. 

Wednesday Night Yu-Gi-Oh! 07.09.11

This will be a relatively brief recap of the event, but I was thoroughly thrilled to be able to give my Tour Guides a shot in Plants, despite the rules change.

Round 1 - Bye!

Round 2 - Fabled - 2-1

Fabled decks always prove to be quite stressful for me to face, as a strong first turn off the die roll is often unbeatable. Thankfully I manage to grind my way through to victory, simply through being patient and not letting my focus waver.

Round 3 - Psychics 2-0

A difficult match in which the opponent was always little more than a turn away from victory, but explosive synchro abuse remains as powerful as ever.

Round 4 - Agents 0-2

This is a matchup that I have no real idea on how to approach. Plants is a solid control deck in having access to a variety of Synchro and Xyz monsters for all sorts of situations...but once Kristya lands, there’s little I can do to turn the tide.

Conclusion - 3-1, 1st

Through colossal luck with tiebreakers, I managed to win the event, though I certainly don’t feel it was deserved. Though I feel I played solid games against my round 2 and 3 opponents, the bye feels unbelievably cheap and the total destruction by Agents in the final round makes me feel far less a winner than one should feel in this position.

Plants were quite an enjoyable deck to play, but my list was far from refined. Despite what many will say, the deck is far from dead, but as a player I need further practice and need to learn how to handle the latest powerhouse deck in the format, Agents.

A Return to Form!

It’s certainly been a while since I last posted, and it’s about time that changed! With the start of a new term at work as well as personal emergencies, working on any serious posts simply couldn’t happen. As things are now slowly settling, I intend to push through a wave of posts. Here are the highlights I’m working on for the near future:

Magic the Gathering

Innistrad Reviews - I will be working through a review of the set for Standard, Modern, Legacy over the coming weeks, focusing on actual testing and results. A limited review will follow if and when time allows!

Deck Features - I will be carrying out new deck features, both of my own and those that break out at large events, with a focus on the design, function and potential of the decks. Expect the format focus to shift towards the most important formats with each qualifier season.

Yu-Gi-Oh!

Reviews - With a strong wave of releases between September and December, I will carry out reviews of multiple new releases at once. Konami plan their releases in such a way that this is the best means of gaining a full view of the evolving game.

Deck Features - As with Magic, I will be carrying out new deck features, both of my own and those that break out at large events, with a focus on the design, function and potential of the decks. The first such feature will be on the Agent deck that has led me to great success most recently!

Poke’mon - yes, I will finally be featuring articles on the game!

Format Analysis - An overview of the evolution of the HeartGold&SoulSilver onwards format, particularly focused on the impact of the Black&White sets thus far.

Deck Features - As with the other games, I will be carrying out new deck features, both of my own and those that break out at large events, with a focus on the design, function and potential of the decks. These features will come slowly as I (hopefully!) gain experience in the game over time.