The Rundown is a new weekly feature that shows the results of local tournaments in Montreal and interesting decks around the world that we find for you guys to try out at your next FNM. No elaborate discussion, just list after list after list.
In this week’s Rundown, we show the results of this past weekend’s $500 FacetoFaceGames.com Standard tournament and a GB Birthing Pod deck by Kenji Tsumura.
$500 FacetoFaceGames.com Standard Tournament
35 participants
Prize structure: 200-100-50-50-25-25-25-25
[deck title=Mono Red by Michael Oberman (1st)]
[Lands]
4 Teetering Peaks
4 Arid Mesa
13 Mountain
2 Scalding Tarn
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
4 Ember Hauler
4 Goblin Chieftain
4 Goblin Guide
3 Spikeshot Elder
2 Hero of Oxid Ridge
3 Goblin Wardriaver
3 Goblin Bushwhacker
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Searing Blaze
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Dismember
4 Shrine of Burning Rage
[/Spells]
[Sideboard]
4 Arc Trail
3 Manic Vandal
3 Act of Aggression
4 Combust
1 Dismember
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
[deck title=UG Vengevine by Thomas Marsan (2nd)]
[Lands]
4 Razorverge Thicket
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Misty Rainforest
2 Verdant Catacombs
2 Stirring Wildwood
4 Forest
3 Island
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
4 Lotus Cobra
4 Vengevine
4 Fauna Shaman
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Stoneforge Mystic
3 Acidic Slime
1 Viridian Corruptor
1 Frost Titan
2 Spellskite
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Sword of War and Peace
2 Batterskull
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
[/Spells]
[Sideboard]
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
4 Dismember
3 Obstinate Baloth
2 Flashfreeze
1 Spellskite
1 Batterskull
3 Mental Misstep
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
[deck title=Twin-Blade by Justin Richardson (3rd-4th)]
[Lands]
4 Seachrome Coast
3 Glacial Fortress
2 Celestial Colonnade
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Arid Mesa
1 Evolving Wilds
3 Island
3 Mountain
2 Plains
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
4 Deceiver Exarch
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Stoneforge Mystic
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Jace, The Mind Sculptor
2 Dismember
1 Lightning Bolt
4 Preordain
3 Splinter Twin
1 Sword of War and Peace
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Batterskull
2 Mana leak
2 Gitaxian Probe
1 Dispel
[/Spells]
[Sideboard]
1 Combust
3 Pyroclasm
1 Dispel
1 Inferno Titan
3 Divine Offering
2 Celestial Purge
1 Twisted Image
1 Mental Misstep
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Batterskull
1 Mutagenic Growth
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
[deck title=Mono Red by Eric Gaudreault (3rd-4th)]
[Lands]
20 Mountain
4 Teetering Peaks
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
4 Goblin Guide
2 Spikeshot Elder
4 Ember Hauler
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Staggershock
4 Burst Lightning
2 Dismember
4 Koth of the Hammer
4 Shrine of Burning Rage
4 Searing Blaze
[/Spells]
[Sideboard]
1 Dismember
3 Manic Vandal
3 Combust
3 Act of Aggression
2 Vulshok Refugee
1 Arc Trail
2 Crush
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
[deck title=Twin-Blade by Kar Yung Tom (5th-8th)]
[Lands]
4 Arid Mesa
3 Glacial Fortress
1 Halimar Depths
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Seachrome Coast
2 Terramorphic Expanse
3 Island
3 Mountain
2 Plains
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
1 Consecrated Sphinx
4 Deceiver Exarch
4 Stoneforge Mystic
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Batterskull
1 Sword of War and Peace
3 Splinter Twin
2 Dismember
2 Dispel
1 Lightning Bolt
3 Mana Leak
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
3 Gitaxian Probe
4 Preordain
[/Spells]
[Sideboard]
1 Consecrated Sphinx
2 Emeria Angel
2 Celestial Purge
3 Mental Misstep
2 Shatter
2 Twisted Image
3 Pyroclasm
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
[deck title=Twin-Blade by Sébastien Alarie (5th-8th)]
[Lands]
4 Arid Mesa
4 Scalding Tarn
1 Halimar Depths
1 Evolving Wilds
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Island
3 Mountain
2 Plains
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
4 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Deceiver Exarch
1 Consecrated Sphinx
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Splinter Twin
2 Dismember
2 Into the Roil
4 Preordain
1 Lightning Bolt
2 Mana Leak
2 Spell Pierce
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Gitaxian Probe
2 Batterskull
[/Spells]
[Sideboard]
2 Spellskite
2 Mental Misstep
2 Dispel
3 Divine Offering
1 Dismember
1 Consecrated Sphinx
3 Pyroclasm
1 Lightning Bolt
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
[deck title=UR Splinter Twin by Robert Pambianchi (5th-8th)]
[Lands]
4 Tectonic Edge
4 Scalding Tarn
10 Island
7 Mountain
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
4 Sea-Gate Oracle
4 Deceiver Exarch
2 Inferno Titan
1 Consecrated Sphinx
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Preordain
2 Gitaxian Probe
3 Dispel
4 Into the Roil
4 Mana Leak
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
3 Splinter Twin
[/Spells]
[Sideboard]
3 Spellskite
4 Calcite Snapper
2 Shatter
4 Pyroclasm
2 Lightning Bolt
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
[deck title=Pyromancer Ascension by Alexander Hayne (5th-8th)]
[Lands]
4 Halimar Depths
4 Scalding Tarn
8 Mountain
7 Island
[/Lands]
[Spells]
4 Pyromancer Ascension
4 Preordain
4 Into the Roil
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Mana Leak
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Staggershock
2 Call to Mind
3 Foresee
4 Jace Beleren
[/Spells]
[Sideboard]
4 Cancel
4 Burst Lightning
4 Combust
2 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Karn Liberated
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
GB Birthing Pod
[deck title=GB Birthing Pod by Kenji Tsumura]
[Lands]
13 Forest
6 Swamp
4 Verdant Catacombs
[/Lands]
[Creatures]
4 Birds of Paradise
3 Llanowar Elves
3 Viridian Emissary
1 Spellskite
1 Pilgrim’s Eye
1 Vampire Nighthawk
1 Glissa, the Traitor
1 Entomber Exarch
1 Skinrender
1 Obstinate Baloth
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
3 Acidic Slime
1 Mitotic Slime
1 Massacre Wurm
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Sheoldred, Whispering One
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
1 Voltaic Key
4 Go for the Throat
2 Mimic Vat
4 Birthing Pod
[/Spells]
[Sideboard]
1 Spellskite
1 Viridian Corrupter
1 Vengevine
3 Obstinate Baloth
4 Duress
2 Doom Blade
3 Memoricide
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]
Kenji is one of the best players the game has ever known, but with school taking up most of his time, he has not been able to display his skills to the world. However, he has been brewing. While everyone else has been mashing Birthing Pod with the Splinter Twin combo, Kenji has decided to go another direction. The result is a solid deck, but after discussing the deck with him last night, he told me that he did not think this was a good choice for an upcoming tournament due to its bad matchup against Valakut.
See you next week,
KYT
Kar Yung Tom (KYT) is the Digital Content Manager for Face to Face Games. He oversees the F2FTour.com and Magic F2F websites. He is also the lead host of the First Strike podcast.
