RPTQ Prep blog part 1

RPTQ is soon, going to type up some stuff about my prep so far.

I played some with the 5 color humans deck. It's a very nice deck, capable of some amazing starts, but can easily be thwarted and not being able to play non-creature spells really hurts your sideboard options. It has potential but I think I'm staying away.

I went to the local store tonight to play the weekly modern. I planned on playing updated Merfolk once I purchased the new cards I needed, but I do not own Botanical Sanctum and the store had zero. So instead I went with my PPTQ winning deck, changing a couple of cards. I cut a retreat for fourth Path, and cut a Scavenging Ooze for a Grasping Dunes. I would have cut the second Retreat for the fourth Excavator but didn't have access to that either. I kept the same sideboard.

Round 1 vs Grixis Tapout
Maybe not exactly tapout, but he had Goblin Dark Dwellers and Ancestral Vision, but no Cryptic Command. Game one he mulligans to five and doesn't draw much action. Game two he gets me with Blood Moon into Young Pyromancer and I couldn't draw any basics. Game three was interesting as I didn't have a lot of pressure but had Dunes for his Pyromancer and then Path when he brought it back with Kolaghan's Command, also using a Dramoka's Command to save a Noble Hierarch. He played a Grafdigger's Cage and two Blood Moon, so the Collected Company in my hand did nothing. I drew a bunch of lands with Courser but couldn't get a clock on him. Finally I drew a Knight, and his draws of GDD and Snapcaster Mage didn't do anything thanks to the Cage. Eventually he ran out of chumps for the Knight and he died.
1-0

Round 2 vs Ad Nauseam
Game one my hand is garbage for the matchup. He takes is time setting it up, then casts Ad Nauseam asking if I have any responses. I say no then he tries to play Angel's Grace. I get the judge to explain to him that this isn't going to work the way he wants it to, but then I concede after he lets me see his deck. Game two I have Birds in Knight and Unified Will with Eternal Witness. Knight kills him in short order. Game three I have Birds into Courser with 3x Unified Will, and I never really cast another spell. I could have cast another threat at some point with still 2x Will available, but I didn't think I could lose if I held up all 3x indefinitely so I did that and eventually poison him through Unlife.
2-0

Round 3 vs Lantern Control
Game one interesting moment when I know he has Whir of Invention in his hand, but he has Grafdigger's Cage revealed on the top of his library. Instead of making the play I planned on, I let him draw Cage and then cast Company when he tries to resolve it, hoping he only has the one Cage in the deck. He does so I end up with two Knight of the Reliquary in play and he has no Bridge. They kill him from 19 life. Game two I keep a one land Hierarch hand with Unified Will and Fracturing Gust. He Inquisitions my Hierarch and then keeps me off of 3 land for the entire game. Game 3 I keep two mana dude Excavator plus Gust. He reveals Thoughtsieze on his library around turn 4 so I use gust to kill 3 artifacts and keep him from Whirring for Bridge. I get a few attacks in with a Knight so even if he has a Bridge he can't beat the 2x Noble Hierarch and I win the match.
3-0

Round 4 vs Bant Knightfall
Game one I have two Collected Company and a Path. I bait a Knight and Excavator for his Queller, use Path to get Knight back, and then the double Company lets me set up a lock with GQ and Dunes. Game two I have Linvala, two Path, and Dromoka's Command to keep him from doing much of anything serious. His Company only hits one creature so it was more than enough.
4-0

I didn't mind 24 land, it can't be completely wrong. Still might want 4th Birds. Retreat seems completely unnecessary, so maybe I can cut the Hallowed Fountain. I'm a bit worried about main deck islands with the strength of Merfolk, and I have no Storm hate in the SB as it is. Gust has done serious work so I hesitate cutting it. Intervention has done nothing so it can probably go. 3rd Stony is always an option. 3rd Canopy also an option.

The real question mark right now is Voice of Resurgence. It is always your best card against Death's Shadow and very good in plenty of other matchups, but it doesn't do a whole lot for the deck as a whole. I can see cutting down to 3 like Todd Stevens has done lately for another Ooze or Tracker or Witness (but probably not for the Bird/Land spot). I'll have to reevaluate what I think the metagame will look like to decide on it.