I’ve been trying to get Billy Moreno to play Magic again. Ever since he moved back to Texas from New York, he’s been too busy with his wedding nonsense and the delicious Amberlicious to spend any nutritious Magical time with Sanchalicious. It’s been weighing on me heavily, so I decided to make the 45 minute drive to San Marcos to pick him up last week for an FNM and PTQ weekend!
It was his first gaming weekend in a while, and FNM proved a suitable testing ground to dust off his tournament skillz, winning the whole damn thing with Nassif’s Five-Color Control deck. I didn’t see it at the time, mostly because I 0-2’d FNM and was drowning my sorrows with Grey Goose and Pink Lemonade, but there was a spark reignited in his eyes that would fuel his triumphant return to the Texas PTQ stage.
Me? I was all ready to play Jon Loucke’s Kiki-Jiki deck, but wanted to experiment a bit before committing to playing his version, so I tried a few different versions out. The most notable was a focused Faerie fueled folly that looked to set up Kiki / Pestermite by using Vendilion Clique, Mistbind Clique, and Bitterblossom for early defense.
4 Pestermite
3 Vendilion Clique
3 Spellstutter Sprite
3 Mistbind Clique
3 Kiki-Jiki, the Mirror Breaker
4 Ancestral Vision
4 Thirst for Knowledge
4 Bitterblossom
4 Engineered Explosives
3 Condescend
2 Umezawa’s Jitte
3 Chrome Mox
4 Polluted Delta
4 Bloodstained Mire
3 Steam Vents
1 Watery Grave
1 Blood Crypt
4 Cascade Bluffs
1 Island
1 Swamp
1 Mountain
Sideboard:
3 Persecute
3 Starstorm
2 Volcanic Fallout
1 Umezawa’s Jitte
3 Gigadrowse
3 Shattering Spree
That was the version I tested… It was pretty decent. I liked the mana a lot, the sideboard was inspiring with lots of options, and I’m a big fan of “I WIN!” combos based around your run-of-the-mill Blue decks when the opponent doesn’t see it coming. On the drive up, in a delirious stupor, I kept trying to squeeze some more power with 61 or 62 cards.
“I really just don’t give a f*** about this PTQ, I wanna have some fun for once!” I told Billy.
“Kyle, 61 cards is still giving a f***. 62 cards and you’re beginning to make a statement. 64-plus is when you don’t give a f***.”
“So true…”
During the first hour of our three-hour trip to H-Town, Billy and I brewed up a 70-card concoction, which soon became 69 for perverted comedic value. I hadn’t had much sleep for a couple of days, so I dozed off before I was able to complete it.
An hour later, I awoke refreshed with a rejuvenated mind and realized what a pile of trash I had built. This is a pretty big lesson, because I’m pretty sure a lot of Magicians do their deck building with barely open eyes and yawning mouths. I hadn’t built my deck on the car ride to a tournament in a long time, and I forgot the sleepy seduction of playing 60+ had on a fatigued mind. Things just make so much more sense when you can’t think about them to analyze their flaws.
Anyway, after borrowing some Trinket Mages, I decided to play this similar version without the Gifts package that didn’t excite me from the few times I played JL’s version on MWS.
4 Vendilion Clique
4 Pestermite
3 Trinket Mage
3 Kiki-Jiki the Mirror Breaker
4 Ancestral Vision
3 Thirst for Knowledge
3 Engineered Explosives
3 Umezawa’s Jitte
1 Chalice of the Void
1 Sigil of Distinction
1 Executioner’s Capsule
4 Condescend
2 Mana Leak
4 Bloodstained Mire
3 Polluted Delta
3 Steam Vents
1 Watery Grave
1 Blood Crypt
2 Great Furnace
1 Seat of the Synod
4 Cascade Bluffs
1 Island
1 Mountain
1 Swamp
1 Academy Ruins
1 Riptide Laboratory
Sideboard:
3 Persecute
3 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
4 Starstorm
1 Relic of the Progenitus
2 Threads of Disloyalty
2 Chalice of the Void
My main goal for this PTQ was to play with Ancestral Vision and Thirst for Knowledge in the same deck. I just wanted to draw a lot of cards this weekend. Trinket Mage looked to fill some holes while being a quality equipment target in the process.
I really don’t feel like talking about this deck. You probably don’t feel like reading about it. I mean, this is a PTQ report on an all-but-extinct format. I still fancy the way it played so smoothly, and the effortless fashion in which I won all the games. I don’t really want to recommend this deck for anybody for their last PTQ, but most of the games I played I felt completely in control, able to win at my leisure or when the right resources showed up, which is something I’d been struggling to find in this format all season.
– Jitte is a problem for this deck, so I play 3.
– Sigil is amazing.
– Chrome Mox should have been a 2-of.
– I’d rather have actual card draw than Gifts.
– I should have probably squeezed in a pair of Spellstutter and a 3rd Threads.
– Vendilion Clique is one of the best Blue creatures ever printed*.
Round 1 — Nate Anderson with G/B Retrace Rock
Game 1
He got his early game hand disruption going with Crime/Loam, but I had an Ancestral Vision suspended that filled my hand up with gas after Trinket took out a Goyf with Executioner’s Capsule. He got a Profane Command off which dealt me 8 damage in fear and life loss from a 4-power Goyf to put me at 1. Kiki-Jiki then teamed up with Trinket Mage to clog the ground while Vendilion Clique picked up a Sigil to become an 8/6 that he couldn’t deal with.
Sideboarding: +2 Chalice, +1 Relic, +2 Threads, – 3 Umezawa’s Jitte, -2 Mana Leak
Game 2
He got Raven’s Crime going again, this time without Life from the Loam though. He landed a Goyf on turn 3 or 4, and I used Threads of Disloyalty to take the little critter. A couple turns later he landed another Goyf, but I luckily had another Threads and a Condescend for his Crime / Punishment.
1-0
Billy: 1-0
Round 2 — Lucas Martinez with Storm
Game 1
I hadn’t really thought about my Storm matchup before the tournament. I was aiming to beat G/B, Faeries, along with any and all fringe decks that I could trick into playing against me like I’m Faeries.
Vendilion Clique showed me he had a respectable chance at combo’ing me off with a pair of Peer Through Depths and Seething Song in hand, so I used Engineered Explosives to take care of his Lotus Bloom. He cast the two Peer in response, putting some red mana spells in his grip. I used a Chalice on 1 to shut off his Ponder and Rite of Flames leaving him helpless against my incoming Vendilion Clique.
I topdecked a Sigil the turn after his Bloom died, which put a two-turn clock on him that he wasn’t able to answer.
Sideboarding: +3 Persecute, +2 Chalice, +2 Teferi, -3 Jitte, -3 Explosives, -1 Capsule
Game 2
He led out with a pair of Lotus Bloom, to which I countered with a Chalice on zero. We played the Remand Clique battle for a couple turns before I used Persecute on Red to nab three spells, leaving him with Minds Desire and Pact of Negation.
2-0
Billy: 2-0
Round 3 — Jason Cartagena playing G/B Retrace Reliquary Rock
Game 1
I used my Blue permission to stop his Thoughtseize and Knight of the Reliquary early on. Vendilion Clique cleared the way for Pestermite, which was soon followed by Kiki-Jiki, enabling the first combo of the day.
Sideboarding:- +2 Chalice, +1 Relic, +2 Threads, – 3 Umezawa’s Jitte, -2 Mana Leak
Game 2
I dealt with an early Knight with Executioner’s Capsule while he emptied his hand Retracing Raven’s Crime. Problem was I had a pair of Ancestral Vision in Exile and when they went off the game fell completely out of his control. He kept wasting resources on Ghost Quarter while I was banging with Trinket Mage. A second Mage arrived, fetching the all mighty Sigil to create a big enough clock to seal the match.
3-0
Billy: 3-0
Round 4 — Andrew Kocen playing Storm
He mulled to four this game, but still had a Lotus Bloom on turn 2. Engineered Explosives stopped that, and Sigil on Clique ended the game.
Sideboarding: +3 Persecute, +2 Chalice, +2 Teferi, -3 Jitte, -3 Explosives, -1 Capsule
This was another awkward game for him. He suspended two Blooms, which my Chalice preyed upon. I Cliqued his hand to see two-drops so I followed it up with a Chalice on 2, leaving him no Echoing Truth outs.
4-0
Billy: 4-0
Round 5 — Rachel Epperly playing Affinity
This was Rachel’s second PTQ, and she’d been learning the deck from Mandee (one of the guys I rode up with). I had the low down on her deck going into the round, but I honestly wasn’t sure where I stood in the Affinity match. I wasn’t particularly worried about it, since their only way to stop my combo is Path.
Game 1
She started a little slow, but still had Ravager and Plating, which fell to an Engineered Explosives. After a Thoughtcast, she slammed down a couple of Workers, but Trinket fetched up another Engineered Explosives to potentially deal with them and her Springleaf Drum. However, Trinket Mage just picked up a Jitte instead and won the game.
Sideboarding: +4 Starstorm, -2 Mana Leak, -2 Condescend
Game 2
She had a much quicker start this time, but Trinket Mage into Engineered Explosives put her Ravager and Plating to shame again. She had a Myr Enforcer and a Frogmite this time, but a pair of Pestermite halted her attacks before becoming a 6/5 three-turn clock. She chumped with Orni a couple of times, but I rode my countermagic and Explosives to victory.
5-0
Billy: 5-0
At this point we’re both feeling really good. I hadn’t lost a game the entire day, and Billy finally figured out how the Mirror Entity/Wirewood Symbiote interaction worked in round 5**. We were both poised to finish the tournament strong, like the good ol’ days when we’d dominate the swiss and I’d scoop to him in the Top 8 because I was a stupid kid at the time. No such concession were on my agenda today, and I knew I’d have to face Billy if I wanted the invite.
Round 6 — Casey Stewart playing Naya Zoo
Game 1
He had an Ape and a couple of Goyf on offense, but a pair of Pestermites saved me a bunch of damage and he was severely mana flooded. Explosives dealt with the Goyfs, while Vendilion traded with Kird Ape and cleared the way for Kiki-Jiki. I was low on life and he had a Mogg Fanatic in play, but luckily I had a spare Pestermite. I waited until his end-of-turn to copy, he killed the Pestermite in response, and I untapped and killed him.
Sideboarding: +4 Starstorm, +2 Threads, -4 Condescend, -2 Mana Leak
The sideboard might not have been right, but Casey was a pretty good player which meant I could do a decent job at bluffing countermagic to alter his plays. I really wanted to set up some sick Starstorm action.
Game 2
BLOWOUT!
Sure, I mulliganed a couple times, but I didn’t have a realistic answer to his stupid Wild Nacatl and Woolly Thoctar, curve and I sure as hell couldn’t break through two freaking Mogg Fanatics.
Game 3
This one was super close. He answered my first Kiki/Pestermite attempt with Lightning Helix on Kiki Jiki. I fell to one life after a couple Goyf attacks and waited for my Vision to resolve. From there I was able to assemble another combo, through Vendilion Clique this time, and stall his Goyf with Pestermite until I lead with another Kiki-Jiki, to which he didn’t have a response.
6-0
Billy: 5-1
Billy lost that round and didn’t have the luxury to draw in, so I ate some delicious Bacon, Egg, and Cheese tacos in front of him. He won his seventh round, and drew into this large 180-person PTQ at 6-1-1. Unfortunately the person he drew with didn’t make the cut, while Billy squeaked in at 8th.
Top 8 — Andrew Kocen playing Storm
Young Andrew was experiencing his first PTQ top 8, and is a very skilled mage given his boyish complexion and equally curly locks. Reminds me of myself when I was a sprawling youth learning the complexities of Dominaria.
Game 1
He Pondered the hell out of his library, using three copies in the first two turns, but apparently couldn’t find what he was looking for. Pestermite started a slow clock and beat in for a few turns before I cast Kiki-Jiki. He played Electrolyze in response to Kiki, I motioned to put Pestermite in yard before saying, “you probably want Kiki, right?” He said yes, unaware I had a backup Goblin in my hand to combo his face off on the next turn. [Hmmm… – Craig, intrigued.]
Sideboarding: +3 Persecute, +2 Chalice, +2 Teferi, -3 Jitte, -3 Explosives, -1 Capsule
Game 2
He Remanded my end-of-turn Vendilion Clique, so I followed it up with a Persecute, to which he removed two charge counters to Remand. I didn’t think he had double Remand to begin with, but he must have happened into the combo from the cards he drew since he killed me on the next turn, giving me my second game loss of the day.
Game 3
I was having no such shenanigans for the next game. Persecute on Red took care of three Rituals in his hand, and I was able to ride a pair of Chalice on 0 and 2 to the quarterfinals.
Billy took forever to win his match, so the rest of the Top 8 was left waiting for him for what felt like an eternity.
Top 4 — Daniel Posey playing Affinity
This was Daniel’s last Texas PTQ, as he had a flight to some San (Diego, Francisco, Juan?) in California to head some department of Yu-Gi-Oh next week.
Game 1
His turn 1 Worker was followed by a turn 2 Springleaf Drum, I looked at my six-card opening hand of three land, Umezawa’s, Kiki-Jiki, Condescend and used Condescend to mana screw him for the next three turns. He didn’t have a second land, but exploded on me later on with triple Myr Enforcer that dealt a couple huge chunks of damage. Pestermite stopped some of the bleeding, and on my final turn I drew a Kiki-Jiki to win out of nowhere when he was 18.
Sideboarding: +4 Starstorm, -2 Mana Leak, -2 Condescend
Game 2
He smashed me this game with the nutty Affinity draw.
Game 3
This was a pretty brutal one, since the end result is completely my fault. He beat me down in the early game, but I managed to stabilize on the back of Executioner’s Capsule and Engineered Explosives. He was left with an Ornithopter with a +1/+1 counter and a Frogmite, while I was at seven with an Ancestral suspended at 4.
My hand was Pestermite, Bloodstained Mire, Steam Vents, Starstorm with five lands already in play. I played the Steam Vents and passed the turn. I was planning on playing Starstorm to clear his two dudes, but for some reason he led with a precombat Myr Enforcer. This screwed my Starstorm plan up since I’d have to take an attack to four before clearing his board out with Starstorm.
Post-Starstorm he landed another Enforcer, and I was faced with playing Pestermite at end-of-turn to set up my recently drawn Jitte, or buying more time to let my Ancestral resolve. He had two cards in his hand, so I could safely assume he had Soul’s Fire or Path to Exile, and I played the defensive route.
I drew a blank on my turn and tapped his Myr Enforcer with Pestermite during his attack step. He passed back and I drew another blank. I was pretty sure in my read on Path, so I thought about not playing Jitte and hoping he’d let me chump block so my Vision would resolve, but eventually just cast the Jitte and hoped for the best…
He had the Path to Exile, and I was heading down the path of PTQ exile.
Billy beat the crap out of the Naya Zoo guy I played round 6, then beat the crap out of the Affinity player in the finals, earning his fifth Texan envelope in six Top 8s. Man I wish I could bend it like Billy, but it’s a nice condolence to live vicariously through his success, since, y’know, I’m the actual brains behind the operation. If you don’t think so, just ask him who was the dominate head when we won 2HG States…
After a long day of bingeing on five-hour energy, tacos, winning a lot, losing when it counted, coupled with extreme mental fatigue, Billy won yet another Texas PTQ. The crazy part is that I was in the Top 8 of four of his five wins, making me the glorified boobie, and presenting a frightening realization that I just can’t get it up to finish a damn PTQ! I swear I don’t have this much trouble finishing in real life, so why has Magic cursed me so?
Will I ever win a PTQ? Will Billy ever finish better than 200th at a Limited PT? Will his new resurgence in Texas Magic provide the kick to the jewels I need to rise to the occasion? Will GP: Seattle crumble beneath our collective fists after I turn the Standard metagame upside down?
Who knows? And more importantly, who cares?! One thing is for sure…
Billy Moreno is effin back!
My Billy’s back and you’re gonna be in trouble,
(Hey-la-day-la, my Billy’s back)
You see him comin’ better cut out on the double,
(Hey-la-day-la, my Billy’s back)
Look out now, cause he’s won a damn PTQ,
(Hey-la-day-la, my Billy’s back)
King of Constructed, he’s brewing something new for Honolulu!
(Hey-la-day-la, my Billy’s back!)
Thanks for reading…
Kyle
…
* I really don’t see why people play two / three of them in Extended… it’s a perfectly acceptable four-of given that it dies so frequently. People don’t pay Clique the respect it deserves. In Standard, Bitterblossom and Spectral Procession really keep it neutered offensively, but I’m fairly certain that it will go down as one of the best creatures of all time. It might be a bit controversial, but it’s a freaking instant speed Serendib Efreet with complimentary hand disruption, which makes it the best Blue hand peek card ever. EVER!
** He’d been testing the deck on MWS a few days prior and knew how it worked, but its about a 50/50 whether or not Billy knows how to play the deck he’s piloting. Just guess how many times he cast Circular Logic for 0 at PT: LA, and how many turn 1 Utopia Sprawls he’s lost in feature matches to a turn 2 Karoo land.