Modern PTQ Wrap-up

I've been delinquent in writing reports about the last few modern PTQs I played in. I try to write about all my tournaments, good or bad, but I haven't felt like writing. I'm going to try to catch up now.

PTQ Baton Rouge

I played RG Aggro. Something like:

4 experiment one
4 kird ape
4 goblin guide
4 burning tree emissary
4 tarmogoyf
4 flinthoof boar
1 simian spirit guide
1 grim lavamancer
3 ghor-clan rampager

4 lightning bolt
4 seal of fire
3 searing blaze

4 stomping ground
4 scalding tarn
4 arid mesa
4 verdant catacombs
3 mountain
1 forest

sb
4 blood moon
2 ancient grudge
2 deglamer
2 grim lavamancer
3 burning-tree shaman
2 tormod's crypt


deck was ok. won vs RUW, Monowhite Vial, Jund, then lost to RG Tron. Then I beat Infect played by Tom Ross, lost to the car-mate in RUW, and lost to affinity to finish 4-3. The tron matchup felt awful, but my opponent had the nuts both games. The RUW matchup was good, but I missed too many land drops game 3 and got remanded out of the game. I changed the sb from the original Shatterstorms to Ancient Grudge, and lost to Affinity as a result. I would go back to shatterstorm if i played in the future.

the next week was a PTQ in Austin. I couldn't find a deck that beat both turn 2 liliana and turn 3 karn, so i decided to play one of the two. I played bloodhall jund:

4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Dark Confidant
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Putrid Leech
3 Bloodhall Ooze

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Liliana of the Veil
3 Thoughtsieze
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Terminate
2 Abrupt Decay

4 Raging Ravine
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Marsh Flats
2 Blood Crypt
2 Overgrown Tomb
1 Stomping Ground
1 Forest
1 Swamp

SB
2 Obstinate Baloth
1 Oliva Voldaren
2 Sowing Salt
2 Torpor Orb
1 Batterskull
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Slaughter Games
2 Go For The Throat
1 Rakdos Charm


I went 0-3, losing round 1 to Gobin swarm with Goblin Grenade, round 2 to Jund Aggro, similar to the RG deck above but with deathrite shaman, and round 3 to Runeflare Trap. It was not my day.

i managed to go 5-2 in a side event with Joel Larsson Lucky Charm deck in standard, but I wasn't super impressed with it.

for the last ptq of the season, I made the 9 hour drive to Lubbock Texas. After reconsidering what i was doing in this format, i decided i should have been playing merfolk all along. I tested the deck without any countermagic, and it didn't seem to hurt it at all, so this is what i played:

4 aether vial
4 vapor snag
4 spreading seas
1 pithing needle

4 cursecatcher
4 silvergil adept
4 lord of atlantis
4 master of the pearl trident
4 merrow reejery
4 phantasmal image
1 kira, great glass spinner
1 sygg, river cutthroat
1 spellskite

13 island
4 mutavault
2 ghost quarter
1 cavern of souls

SB
3 Spellskite
3 Torpor Orb
3 Relic of Progenitus
3 Hurkyl's Recall
2 Threads of Disloyalty
1 Delay

ghost quarter proved to be better than tectonic edge, and pithing needle was surprisingly amazing.

I won r1 vs RUW, then lost r2 to RG tron when he had All Is Dust that i didn't see coming. I then won vs Affinity and BUG, but lost a close match to kiki-pod when i kept one-landers game 1 and 3 and didn't get there. I final round win vs URW twin, and then i'm done with modern for hopefully quite some time.

i actually don't mind modern too much, it seems better than standard at the moment, but maybe playing more standard in the coming weeks will change my mind. Next i have to get ready for the SCG invitational so I'll be playing mostly standard and legacy. if anyone has suggestions, please let me know.

-Ty