Top 8 Magic » Coverage

Podcast: Splinter For The Win with MichaelJ

bdm | 02:01PM on Tue May 24 2011

Splinter For The Win with MichaelJ

Kudos to our own Michael J Flores for winning the TCGPlayer.com WWS Big Apple this past weekend with the long-threatened Splinter Twin/Deceiver Exarch combo deck. Mike fought his way through a 200+ person field that was split into two separate flights which merged into a single elimination Top 16. There, he squared off with Chris Leveque and Grixis Twin, GP winner Dave Shiels with Caw-Blade, MOCS competitor Reid Duke with Blue-Black Control, and finally — in a show down between the grizzled veteran Flores and the young upstart Flores — Edgar Flores with Caw-Blade.

We talked the Monday after the tournament about the big win, his individual card choices, and the operational techniques he used to get through the very long and grueling event. Here is the decklist he used and as a bonus I have included Top8Magic intern Matt Ferrando’s Bant Blade list which he played to a Top 16 finish — after winning a SCG IQ qualifier with it last week.

Splinter Twin
Michael Flores — Winner
2011 TCGplayer.com WWS Big Apple

4 Deceiver Exarch
2 Inferno Titan
2 Jace Beleren
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Pilgrim’s Eye
4 Sea Gate Oracle
4 Into the Roil
3 Mana Leak
4 Preordain
2 Spell Pierce
4 Splinter Twin
10 Island
8 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Tectonic Edge

Sideboard:
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Consecrated Sphinx
1 Dispel
1 Elixir of Immortality
1 Jace Beleren
1 Jace’s Ingenuity
2 Manic Vandal
2 Pyroclasm
2 Spell Pierce
2 Spellskite
1 Trinket Mage

You can find all the Top 16 decklists here but I have singled out Matt Ferrando’s Bant Blade and longtime friend of Top8Magic.com’s Luis Neiman’s Dark Blade below the fold. Read the rest of this entry »

Comments: 3 Comments »
Categories: Coverage, Decks, Podcasts, Strategery, Tournament Reports
Tags: Bant Blade, Caw Blade, Chris Leveque, Dark Blade, Dave Shiels, Deceiver Exarch, Edgar Flores, Luis Neiman, Matt Ferrando, Michael J Flores, MichaelJ, Reid Duke, Splinter Twin, Standard

Mike Flores: Deckade Available on Kindle Now!

Matt Wang | 01:09AM on Thu Aug 19 2010

Top8Magic Fans,

We are proud to announce that Deckade is now available on Amazon for the Kindle. Click on the link below to order your copy.

Michael J. Flores: Deckade at Amazon’s Kindle Store

We hope to have the iBook, Nook and Google Edition out in the next month.

Also, stay tuned for exciting news regarding My Files Part 1 and some new Top8Magic books!

Best

Matt and BDM

Comments: No Comments »
Categories: Coverage, Nerdly Thing, News
Tags: deckade, flores, mike flores

Goblin Lightning Strikes in Sydney

bdm | 12:20PM on Tue Jun 22 2010

I made a post earlier this week on twitter via @top8games that “I am amused by people who say “Tier 1 only, no red deck pls” in the Tournament Practice room.” I was trying to test out a PTQ winning decklist and as soon I would play Quest for the Pure Flame, Howling Mine, or Goblin Arsonist I could not get any “serious” players to stay in the game. I ended up hopping over to the 2-Man queues and picking up a virtual third of a box in pretty short order — call it collecting on Goblin insurance Money.

Goblin Insurance Money
Hugh Raynor — Winner
PTQ Amsterdam: Sydney 6/21/10

3 Howling Mine
4 Quest of the Pure Flame
1 Searing Blaze
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Burst Lightning
4 Staggershock
4 Forked Bolt
4 Hell’s Thunder
4 Goblin Arsonist
4 Hellspark Elemental
4 Goblin Guide
16 Mountain
4 Teetering Peaks
Sideboard:
3 Mana Barbs
3 Unstable Footing
3 Mark of Mutiny
3 Punishing Fire
3 Earthquake

According to tournament organizer Lindsay Heming the finals — which saw Hugh facing off against the wildly popular Turboland deck — went something like this:

Hugh led off with Mountain and Goblin Arsonist. His opponent Martin played a land of his own. Hugh untapped and played another Arsonist, laid Quest for the Pure Flame and attacked for one. His opponent played land number two. Hugh topped off his Quest at four counters by playing Hellspark Elemental and attacking with all three creatures — his opponent fell to 14. The opponent played Explore and two lands and passed the turn. Hugh sacrificed the Quest, unearthed the Elemental and attacked for 10 and finished him off with a doubled Burst Lightning.

I did not get the play by play notation for game two but despite his opponent turboing out Jace and a sideboarded Pelakka Wurm the red deck was able to win easily.

Comments: 4 Comments »
Categories: Coverage, Decks
Tags: bdm, Goblin Arsonist, PTQ, Quest for Pure Flame, Red decks, Standard, Sydney, Top8games