Gamers' Lounge Year-End Tournament Info

Date: December 30, 2009 
Registration: PHP 400 
Venue: Gamers' Lounge Lagro Bristol 
Registration Starts @ 12:00NOON 
Tournament Starts @ 3:00PM 
Format: STANDARD

Date: December 31, 2009 
Registration: PHP 400 
Venue: Gamers' Lounge Lagro Bristol 
Registration Starts @ 12:00NOON 
Tournament Starts @ 3:00PM 
Format: EXTENDED  

Prize Structure: 
1st - PHP 5000 
2nd - PHP 2500 
3rd - PHP 500 + Booster Packs 
Rest of Top 12 - Booster Packs
 
A Lucky Player will win an Ultra Pro Deck Protector every round! 
Additional details about the tournament will be posted in this site.
See you there.

Gamers' Lounge Year-End Tournament

Gamers' Lounge Lagro Year-End Tournament  

Date: December 31, 2009 
Registration: PHP 400 
Venue: Gamers' Lounge Lagro Bristol 
Registration Starts @ 12:00NOON 
Tournament Starts @ 3:00PM 
Format: EXTENDED  

Prize Structure: 
1st - PHP 5000 
2nd - PHP 2500 
3rd - PHP 500 + Booster Packs 
Rest of Top 12 - Booster Packs
 
A Lucky Player will win an Ultra Pro Deck Protector every round! 
Additional details about the tournament will be posted in this site.
See you there.

Events this week at Lagro

November 26, 2009 (Thursday Magic)

Format: Standard
Registration Starts: 5:00PM
Tournament Starts: 6:00PM
Registration PHP 100

November 27, 2009 (FNM)

Format: Standard
Registration Starts: 5:00PM
Tournament Starts: 6:00PM
Registration PHP 100

November 28, 2009 (SNM)

Format: Standard
Registration Starts: 5:00PM
Tournament Starts: 6:00PM
Registration PHP 100

Booster Packs and Other Prizes at stake.
See you there.

Events @ Lagro

November 19, 2009 (Thursday Magic)

Format: Standard
Registration Starts: 5:00PM
Tournament Starts: 6:00PM
Registration PHP 100

November 20, 2009 (FNM)

Format: Standard
Registration Starts: 5:00PM
Tournament Starts: 6:00PM
Registration PHP 100

November 21, 2009 (SNM)

Format: Standard
Registration Starts: 5:00PM
Tournament Starts: 6:00PM
Registration PHP 100

Booster Packs and Other Prizes at stake.
See you there.

2010 Grand Prix Schedule - Manila

Good news!
Magic Grand Prix returns to Manila in 2010.
So far this is the information posted at MTG.com.
Date: June 12-13
Format: Standard
If last year's GP freebie was Chrome Mox, now it's, Umezawa's Jitte. Enjoy

Interesting Game

For all you gamers out there check this out, I got this from MTG.com.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2L4LUZUIg0

It seems like Wizards is going into video games now, starting with Duels on Xbox360 and now with MTG Tactics.

Events This Week @ Lagro

October 29, 2009 (Thursday Magic)

Format: Standard
Registration Starts: 5:00PM
Tournament Starts: 6:00PM
Registration PHP 100


October 30, 2009 (FNM)

Format: Standard
Registration Starts: 5:00PM
Tournament Starts: 6:00PM
Registration PHP 100


October 31, 2009 (SNM)

Format: Standard
Registration Starts: 5:00PM
Tournament Starts: 6:00PM
Registration PHP 100

Booster Packs and Other Prizes at stake.
See you there.

Top Decks: Pro Tour - Austin

Here's the top 8 decks of Pro Tour - Austin. Enjoy.

Baneslayer Zoo (Brian Kibler)
Lands 4 Arid Mesa 1 Ghost Quarter 4 Grove of the Burnwillows 2 Marsh Flats 4 Misty Rainforest 1 Mountain 1 Plains 1 Sacred Foundry 2 Stomping Ground 1 Temple Garden 2 Treetop Village 1 Forest Creatures 3 Baneslayer Angel 4 Knight of the Reliquary 3 Noble Hierarch 3 Qasali Pridemage 4 Tarmogoyf 4 Wild Nacatl Other Spells 4 Lightning Bolt 2 Lightning Helix 4 Path to Exile 4 Punishing Fire	Sideboard 1 Kataki, War's Wage 4 Meddling Mage 3 Ancient Grudge 3 Blood Moon 3 Ghost Quarter 1 Hallowed Fountain

Spectral Zoo (Tsuyoshi Ikeda)
Lands 4 Arid Mesa 1 Forest 4 Marsh Flats 2 Misty Rainforest 1 Mountain 1 Plains 1 Sacred Foundry 1 Stomping Ground 3 Temple Garden 1 Treetop Village 3 Verdant Catacombs Creatures 4 Kird Ape 4 Knight of the Reliquary 4 Qasali Pridemage 4 Tarmogoyf 4 Wild Nacatl Other Spells 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Lightning Helix 4 Path to Exile 4 Spectral Procession 2 Umezawa's Jitte	Sideboard 2 Countryside Crusher 2 Riftsweeper 2 Otherworldly Journey 3 Ravenous Trap 3 Volcanic Fallout 2 Flashfires 1 Ghost Quarter

Dredge (Naoki Shimizu)

Lands 2 Breeding Pool 1 Forest 1 Island 4 Misty Rainforest 1 Overgrown Tomb 2 Scalding Tarn 1 Swamp 4 Verdant Catacombs 2 Watery Grave Creatures 1 Bloodghast 1 Dryad Arbor 1 Flame-Kin Zealot 4 Golgari Grave-Troll 2 Greenseeker 4 Hedron Crab 1 Iona, Shield of Emeria 4 Magus of the Bazaar 4 Narcomoeba 1 Sphinx of Lost Truths 4 Stinkweed Imp Other Spells 1 Darkblast 4 Dread Return 4 Ideas Unbound 2 Life from the Loam 4 Bridge from Below

Sideboard 3 Tombstalker 1 Darkblast 3 Echoing Truth 4 Thoughtseize 4 Leyline of the Void

Landfall Zoo (Hunter Burton)
Lands 4 Arid Mesa 1 Forest 1 Mountain 1 Plains 3 Sacred Foundry 4 Scalding Tarn 3 Stomping Ground 1 Temple Garden 1 Treetop Village 4 Verdant Catacombs Creatures 4 Kird Ape 2 Knight of the Reliquary 4 Plated Geopede 4 Steppe Lynx 4 Tarmogoyf 4 Wild Nacatl Other Spells 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Lightning Helix 3 Path to Exile 4 Molten Rain	Sideboard 1 Duergar Hedge-Mage 4 Ethersworn Canonist 3 Gaddock Teeg 2 Kitchen Finks 2 Ancient Grudge 3 Ravenous Trap

Hypergenesis (Evangelos Papatsarouchas)
Lands 1 Calciform Pools 4 Forbidden Orchard 3 Fungal Reaches 1 Gemstone Caverns 4 Gemstone Mine 4 Reflecting Pool 4 Tendo Ice Bridge Creatures 1 Akroma, Angel of Fury 4 Angel of Despair 4 Bogardan Hellkite 4 Progenitus 4 Simian Spirit Guide 4 Sundering Titan Other Spells 3 Thirst for Knowledge 4 Violent Outburst 2 Demonic Dread 3 Firespout 3 Hypergenesis	Sideboard 1 Akroma, Angel of Fury 1 Ingot Chewer 3 Meddling Mage 3 Venser, Shaper Savant 3 Vexing Shusher 2 Putrefy 1 Firespout 1 Fungal Reaches

Dredge (Yuuya Watanabe)
Lands 2 Breeding Pool 2 Island 4 Misty Rainforest 4 Scalding Tarn 1 Steam Vents 3 Verdant Catacombs 3 Watery Grave Creatures 3 Bloodghast 4 Drowned Rusalka 1 Flame-Kin Zealot 4 Golgari Grave-Troll 4 Hedron Crab 1 Iona, Shield of Emeria 4 Narcomoeba 1 Sphinx of Lost Truths 4 Stinkweed Imp Other Spells 3 Dread Return 4 Glimpse the Unthinkable 3 Ideas Unbound 1 Life from the Loam 4 Bridge from Below	Sideboard 2 Ancient Grudge 2 Darkblast 3 Echoing Truth 1 Life from the Loam 3 Thoughtseize 4 Leyline of the Void

Tribal Zoo (Martin Juza)
Lands 4 Arid Mesa 1 Blood Crypt 1 Godless Shrine 4 Marsh Flats 1 Mountain 1 Sacred Foundry 4 Scalding Tarn 1 Steam Vents 1 Stomping Ground 1 Temple Garden 2 Verdant Catacombs Creatures 3 Gaddock Teeg 4 Goblin Guide 4 Kird Ape 4 Steppe Lynx 4 Tarmogoyf 4 Wild Nacatl Other Spells 4 Lightning Bolt 2 Lightning Helix 3 Might of Alara 3 Path to Exile 4 Tribal Flames	Sideboard 1 Duergar Hedge-Mage 3 Kitchen Finks 1 Yixlid Jailer 1 Ravenous Trap 3 Oblivion Ring 1 Tormod's Crypt 2 Umezawa's Jitte 3 Ghost Quarter

Dark Depths (Paulo Vito Damo da Rosa)
Lands 4 Dark Depths 1 Ghost Quarter 4 River of Tears 4 Sunken Ruins 1 Swamp 4 Tolaria West 2 Underground River 4 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth Creatures 4 Dark Confidant 4 Vampire Hexmage 3 Vendilion Clique Other Spells 4 Muddle the Mixture 3 Repeal 3 Beseech the Queen 4 Thoughtseize 4 Chalice of the Void 4 Chrome Mox 3 Engineered Explosives	Sideboard 1 Meloku the Clouded Mirror 1 Yixlid Jailer 1 Doom Blade 1 Slaughter Pact 2 Damnation 4 Bitterblossom 2 Threads of Disloyalty 1 Pithing Needle 2 Tormod's Crypt

SNM: October 24

October 24, 2009 (SNM)

Format: Standard
Registration Starts: 5:00PM
Tournament Starts: 6:00PM
Registration PHP 100

Booster Packs, FNM Cards and Other Prizes at stake.
See you there.

FNM: October 23

October 23, 2009 (FNM)

Format: Standard
Registration Starts: 5:00PM
Tournament Starts: 6:00PM
Registration PHP 100

Booster Packs, FNM Cards and Other Prizes at stake.
See you there.

Thursday Magic: October 22

October 22, 2009 (Thursday Magic)

Format: Standard
Registration Starts: 5:00PM
Tournament Starts: 6:00PM
Registration PHP 100

Booster Packs and Other Prizes at stake.
See you there.

Events at Lagro

Starting this week, due to requests from players, The Gamers' Lounge Lagro will increase its tournament frequency from two to four. Aside from the regulars Thursday Magic and Saturday Night Magic (SNM) we have added Casual Monday and Friday Night Magic (FNM). Casual Monday is a non-rated tournament that let you play test your deck in a tournament setting without having to worry about your points a word of advice though, if you really want to have fun on Casual Monday, I urge you to play unique and fun decks. Friday Night Magic (FNM), also a new addition to the roster of tournaments at Lagro, will be held every Friday. Thursday Magic and the ever popular Saturday Night Magic (SNM) complete the list of events. A special tournament will also be held during regular holidays. To wrap things up, we start the week off with Casual Monday – prepare to battle against never before seen decks, then as we near the weekend, prepare for fiercer competition on Thursday Magic and FNM. To cap off the week, on Saturday, the SNM where almost the whole community plays, prepare to battle against a wide variety of decks. If you happen to be near the area in any of these days please feel free to stop by, play, trade, and make friends.

Lots of prizes at stake ranging from Booster Packs, Intro Packs, Singles, Alternate art foil cards, and other Magic accessories.

All other information regarding tournaments will be posted on this site. Please stay tuned. Enjoy.

Extended Combo

This combo is the new buzz in extended.

FNM: October 16

October 16, 2009 (FNM)


Format: Standard
Registration Starts: 5:00PM
Tournament Starts: 6:00PM
Registration PHP 100

Zendikar Intro Pack, Alara Reborn Booster Packs, Rise from the Grave DCI Foil and Other Prizes at stake.
See you there.

SNM: October 17

October 17, 2009 (SNM)


Format: Standard
Registration Starts: 5:00PM
Tournament Starts: 6:00PM
Registration PHP 100

Booster Packs and Other Prizes at stake.
See you there.

Thursday Magic: October 15

October 15, 2009 (Thursday Magic)
@ The Gamer's Lounge Lagro

Format: Standard
Registration Starts: 5:00PM
Tournament Starts: 6:00PM
Registration PHP 100

Booster Packs and Other Prizes at stake.
See you there.

Top Decks: StarCityGames.com $5k

Here's a rundown of the winners of this weekend's StarCityGames.com standard $5k tournament.

1st - Jund Aggro
2nd - Boros Bushwacker
3rd - RDW
4th - Jund Aggro
5th - Jund Aggro
6th - Jund Aggro
7th - Vampires
8th - Jund Aggro

Here are decklists of some decks in the Top 8

1st - Jund Aggro (Jack Wang)
Lands 4 Verdant Catacombs 4 Savage Lands 4 Rootbound Crag 3 Dragonskull Summit 4 Forest 2 Mountain 4 Swamp Creatures 4 Bloodbraid Elf 3 Broodmate Dragon 4 Putrid Leech 4 Sprouting Thrinax Other Spells 3 Bituminous Blast 4 Lightning Bolt 2 Resounding Thunder 2 Terminate 4 Blightning 3 Maelstrom Pulse 2 Garruk Wildspeaker	Sideboard 4 Goblin Ruinblaster 4 Jund Charm 4 Duress 1 Pyroclasm 2 Thought Hemorrhage

2nd - Boros Bushwacker (Christian Calcano)
Lands 4 Arid Mesa 4 Marsh Flats 3 Mountain 4 Plains 4 Scalding Tarn 4 Teetering Peaks Creatures 4 Elite Vanguard 2 Goblin Bushwhacker 4 Goblin Guide 4 Kor Skyfisher 4 Plated Geopede 3 Ranger of Eos 4 Steppe Lynx Other Spells 4 Burst Lightning 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Path to Exile	Sideboard 3 Baneslayer Angel 1 Ranger of Eos 4 Celestial Purge 4 Harm's Way 3 Magma Spray

3rd - RDW (Zach Becker)
Lands 4 Arid Mesa 12 Mountain 4 Scalding Tarn 4 Teetering Peaks Creatures 4 Ball Lightning 4 Goblin Guide 4 Hell's Thunder 4 Hellspark Elemental 1 Obsidian Fireheart 4 Plated Geopede Other Spells 4 Burst Lightning 4 Lightning Bolt 1 Resounding Thunder 3 Earthquake 3 Elemental Appeal	Sideboard 4 Goblin Ruinblaster 4 Unstable Footing 2 Act of Treason 1 Earthquake 2 Mark of Mutiny 2 Chandra Nalaar

7th- Vampires (Ted Renner)
Lands 4 Marsh Flats 4 Verdant Catacombs 16 Swamp Creatures 4 Bloodghast 4 Gatekeeper of Malakir 3 Malakir Bloodwitch 3 Vampire Hexmage 4 Vampire Nighthawk 4 Vampire Nocturnus Other Spells 3 Disfigure 4 Tendrils of Corruption 2 Mind Sludge 4 Sign in Blood 1 Eldrazi Monument	Sideboard 1 Malakir Bloodwitch 1 Vampire Hexmage 1 Disfigure 3 Deathmark 4 Duress 3 Marsh Casualties 2 Mind Sludge

Lucky Streak: Tournament Report

by Jaq
Thursday Magic October 8

The Deck: Landfall Rampage (Budget)

This is a midrange deck that aims to ramp up to big threats like Broodmate Dragon and Rampaging Baloths. It can also have an aggressive start with Plated Geopede and Bloodbraid Elf. The ideal play would be: turn 1 Savage Lands, turn 2 Rampant Growth or Geopede, turn 3 Harrow, turn 4 Elf, ramp and filter as needed until you are able to cast the Dragon or Baloths. Ideally you would cast the Dragon before the Baloths so you can immediately get a 4/4 beast token from your land the turn you cast it or two tokens if your land is a Terramorphic Expanse. The Acidic Slime is a metagame inclusion for the apparent rise of enchantments like Honor of the Pure and the Ascensions cycle. Vines of Vastwood protect your win conditions as well as pump creatures if needed. You can also be sneaky and use it to stop them from targeting their own creatures. For a higher budget build I would recommend replacing the Expanses with Verdant Catacombs and the Terminates with Maelstrom Pulses.

Landfall Rampage
Lands 4 [ALA] Savage Lands 3 [ZEN] Mountain 2 [ZEN] Swamp 10 [ZEN] Forest 1 [M10] Rootbound Crag 4 [M10] Terramorphic Expanse Creatures 4 [ZEN] Plated Geopede 4 [ZEN] Grazing Gladehart 4 [ARB] Bloodbraid Elf 2 [M10] Acidic Slime 3 [ZEN] Rampaging Baloths 3 [ALA] Broodmate Dragon Spells 4 [ZEN] Vines of Vastwood 4 [M10] Rampant Growth 4 [ZEN] Harrow 4 [ARB] Termina	Sideboard 4 [CFX] Volcanic Fallout 4 [M10] Deathmark 3 [ALA] Caldera Hellion 4 [ZEN] Summoning Trap

This is my first ever tourney report, so please forgive me if I can’t recall much of the details of what transpired each round.


Round 1: Ron B. with UW Baneslayer
Ron was mana tight both games and I was quickly able to ramp up to my threats. Acidic Slime helped delay his mana. 2-0.

Round 2: Ross with Ob Nixilis Warp
Ross made quick work of me with double Bogardan Hellkite in game 1. In games 2 and 3 I was the beatdown and cascading into ramp spells along the way while delaying his acceleration by destroying his lands and Khalni Expedition. 2-1.

Round 3: Father with Mono White Soldiers
No HotP for Father in the first game although I had an Acidic Slime in my hand. I was on 30+ life because of 2 Gladeharts. For the second game I boarded in 4 Fallouts and 3 Hellions. Talk about weenie hate. I didn’t get to face the Vampire deck though. 2-0.

Round 4: Dexter with Naya Baneslayer
In game 1 he dropped an early Thoctar and followed up with a Thornling which I perceived was the greater threat and Term’d it. Then he went to cast a Baneslayer Angel. I boarded in 4 Deathmarks for the second game just to be sure. For that game and the last one he didn’t get enough land drops to cast his bombs which I took advantage with Acidic Slime making an appearance each game.

MVP: Surprisingly, Acidic Slime was better than I expected. It helped in keeping the opponents mana in check as well as destroying any important enchantments along the way.


Heavy Hitter: Rampaging Baloths. Vines with kicker, ‘nuff said.

Removal Fodder: Plated Geopede. In one game I have 2 of them swinging for 7 First Strike damage. A must answer threat indeed.

Top Decks: Merfolk

During the last weeks of Lorwyn in Standard this deck has been finishing consistently in the Top 4 of several tournaments. Getting another lord from M10, and utilizing the tested Merrow Reejerey -- Stonybrook Banneret engine, certainly helped the Merfolks of Lorwyn get some decent finishes. It also helps that Merfolk Sovereign and Sygg, River Guide can make a pumped up Wake Thrasher unblockable to deal insane damage.

UW Merfolk
Lands 2 Mystic Gate 6 Island 4 Mutavault 4 Wanderwine Hub 3 Windbrisk Heights 4 Glacial Fortress Creatures 4 Wake Thrasher 4 Merrow Reejerey 4 Silvergill Adept 3 Sygg, River Guide 4 Sower of Temptation 4 Stonybrook Banneret 4 Merfolk Sovereign 2 Reveillark Other Spells 4 Cryptic Command 4 Sage's Dousing	Sideboard 4 Path to Exile 4 Burrenton Forge-Tender 3 Celestial Purge 2 Hallowed Burial 2 Glen Elendra Archmage

Events this week at Lagro

October 8, 2009 (Thursday Magic)

Format: Standard
Registration Starts: 5:00PM
Tournament Starts: 6:00PM
Registration PHP 100



October 10, 2009 (SNM)


Format: Standard
Registration Starts: 5:00PM
Tournament Starts: 6:00PM
Registration PHP 100

Zendikar Booster Packs and Other Prizes at stake.
See you there.

Top Decks: Zendikar Limited

Here are decks from the Zendikar Prerelease and Launch Party. Enjoy.

Zendikar Prerelease 4-0 Deck

Lands 10 Swamp 9 Mountain Creatures 1 Shatterskull Giant 1 Goblin Shortcutter 1 Torch Slinger 1 Bladetuck Boar 1 Vampire Hexmage 1 Heartstabber Mosquito 1 Bloodseeker Shaman 1 Giant Scorpion 1 Crypt Ripper 1 Guul Draz Vampire 1 Malakir Bloodwitch Other Spells 1 Magma Rift 2 Zektar Shrine Expedition 1 Inferno Trap 1 Burst Lightning 2 Vampire's Bite 1 Disfigure 1 Soul Stair Expedition 1 Explorer's Scope

Zendikar Booster Draft 3-0 Deck
Lands 1 Graypelt Refuge 5 Forest 4 Plains 7 Islands Creatures 3 Oran-Rief Survivalist 1 Baloth Woodcrasher 1 Mold Shambler 1 Umara Raptor 2 Tempest Owl 1 Kor Skyfisher 1 Windrider Eel 1 Seascape Aerialist 2 Reckless Scholar 1 Lotus Cobra 1 Roil Elemental Other Spells 3 Journey to Nowhere 1 Arrow Volley Trap 2 Whiplash Trap 1 Khalni Gem 1 Explorer's Scope

Zendikar is out

Zendikar products are now on sale at the Gamers' Lounge Lagro. So get your booster packs, intro packs, and other Zendikar products.
We also have events lined up this weekend, weather permitting.

As of today standard is comprised of the following expansions:
Shards of Alara, Conflux, Alara Reborn, M10, and Zendikar.
So get your post rotation decks ready for our tournaments next week.

See you there. Enjoy.

Zendikar Launch Party Information

Zendikar Launch Party Weekend
The launch party will be held on Saturday and Sunday

Date: October 3 & 4, 2009
Venue: Gamer's Lounge Lagro Bristol
Event Starts: 5:00PM

Each player receives a Launch Party Foil Card (while supplies last)

October 3 (Saturday)
Format: Sealed Deck
Registration: PHP1000

Each player receives six (6) Zendikar Booster Packs
Each win gets you one (1) Zendikar Booster Pack

October 4 (Sunday)
Format: Booster Draft
Registration: PHP550

Plus other prizes at stake.

See you there.

Events This Week

September 30, 2009 (Special Tournament)

Format: Standard
Registration Starts: 5:00PM
Tournament Starts: 6:00PM
Registration PHP 100


October 1, 2009 (Thursday Magic)

Format: Standard
Registration Starts: 5:00PM
Tournament Starts: 6:00PM
Registration PHP 100

Zendikar Booster Packs and Other Prizes at stake.
See you there.

Note: Zendikar Block is not yet legal for the said events.

Prerelease Announcement

Due to heavy rains and flooding caused by Typhoon "Ondoy" the Zendikar Prerelease at Gamers' Lounge Lagro will be moved to SUNDAY, September 28, 2009. Sorry for the inconvinience. See you there.


Ondoy as of 11:30PM

Zendikar Spoiler and Announcement

With the prerelease just days away, the spoiler at mtgsalvation is now complete. If you are planning to play at prereleases be it at Lagro or anywhere else I suggest you read up on the cards of Zendikar. I can't list all the cards spoiled because the post will be too long, but there's a link somewhere on the sidebar. Thanks and Enjoy.

Lagro Prerelease Announcement:

Prerelease will be held on SATURDAY and SUNDAY at will start at 5:00PM. Registration is PHP1000. Read this post for more info: http://mtgfairview.blogspot.com/2009/09/zendikar-prerelease-information-ii.html

Our Saturday Regular Tournament (SNM) will be moved next week to make way for the Prerelease Events this weekend.

Zendikar Fetch Lands and Card

Here's the new set of fetch lands from Zendikar. Enjoy.

Day of Judgement

Wrath is back in Zendikar. Only creatures can now regenerate.

Ask the Judge I

Before You Ask...
The Top Ten Rules Questions!
by Judge Chris


About 35% of the questions we get here in the Ask The Judge deal with the same basic problems over and over again - questions on the fundamentals of the game. Before you ask the judge, check these ten most-confusing questions to see if you can get an answer right here and now!

Removing The Source Of An Effect
Will Not Prevent The Effect

It doesn't matter whether you destroy a Birds of Paradise in response to your opponent tapping it for mana, or whether you destroy a Prodigal Sorcerer in response to him tapping for one damage - the effect is already on the stack, and it's too late to do anything about it. Think of me, throwing a hand grenade at you; sure, you can shoot me, but that grenade is still coming towards you.

(You can do something to neutralize the ability on the stack - for example, you can cast a Healing Salve to prevent the damage - but you can't stop the spell or ability from going there in the first place.)

Protection From A Color
Means Four Things

* All damage dealt to the protected card by sources of that color is reduced to zero, no matter where that damage came from. Pilgrim of Justice can block a 12/12 creature and the 12 damage will be reduced to zero, and the damage dealt to the Pilgrim by an Earthquake for 12 will also be reduced to zero.

* You cannot target the card with any effects or cards of the protected color. You can't even start to point a Shock at a Pilgrim of Justice; doing so is illegal. You can't target it with a Goblin Sharpshooter's ability. You can't play a Custody Battle on it, since playing a creature enchantment involves targeting it. Likewise, if you have a Words of War, you can't target that Pilgrim to do two damage to it. You just can't touch it.

* You cannot block a protected creature with a creature that is of the protected color. The Pilgrim of Justice can block that 12/12 red fattie all day long, since its damage will be reduced to zero, but the 12/12 red creature can't block the Justice.

* You cannot enchant a creature with a card of the protected color. As stated in the last rule, you can't even target a protected creature with an enchantment of the protected color... But if a creature suddenly gains protection from a color, all enchantments of that color will "fall off" and go to the graveyard.

Global, Non-Damage Effects
Will Still Destroy Protected Creatures
Protection from white will not protect a creature from a Wrath of God, nor will being untargetable like Blastoderm. Protection from blue will not keep a creature on the table once Upheaval resolves. Protection from black means bupkiss if the Mutilate is large enough.

You Can't Tap Someone's Lands "In Response"
To Prevent Them From Playing A Spell
Part of playing a spell is paying all of its costs - one of which is paying the mana. You cannot use any effects or cast any spells when someone is in the "paying costs" stage of a spell - and as such, by the time you get priority to do anything that would tap their lands, the mana is already in their pool. Jon Kaus wrote an excellent article that discusses costs and priority, and explains this in more detail.

(Opposition decks do a tricky thing - they tap someone's lands during their draw phase. Since sorcery and creature spells can only be cast played during one of the two main phases, and you can't carry mana over from one phase to the next, this effectively prevents their opponent from casting playing sorcery spells or creatures. However, there's nothing to stop a clever player from playing an instant like Naturalize in response.)

You Can't Destroy A Creature
In Response To Someone Sacrificing It
If a player plays a spell like Culling the Weak or Cabal Therapy where sacrificing a creature is a part of the cost of the spell, you won't get priority to do anything in response. It's the same reason as the one given above.

You Can't Tap A Creature In Response
To It Being Declared As An Attacker
By the time you've tapped it, it's already too late; it's attacking, and the only thing you've accomplished is giving your opponent an untapped creature that's still going to smash your face in.

What you want to do is tap it in the Beginning of Combat Step, before your opponent chooses what he's attacking with. (Combat has five steps: Beginning of Combat, Declare Attackers, Declare Blockers, Combat Damage, and End of Combat; read this article for a step-by-step explanation of Combat.) If you wait until he's declared it, tough luck for you.

Keep in mind that your opponent must give you a chance to respond during the Beginning of Combat. He can't say, "IattackwithaShivanDragonnotakebacks!" and pound on you. On the other hand, you can't wait to see what he's attacking with and then tap the biggest thing he sends your way; you have to choose which creature to tap before he chooses the creatures he'll be attacking with. (And yes, if you tap his big creature, he can choose not to attack with anything.)

You Cannot Sacrifice One Thing
To Two Separate Effects
Each effect requires its own sacrifice. If you have a Mogg Fanatic and someone plays a Chainer's Edict on you, you can sacrifice your Fanatic to do a point of damage... But that won't count as a creature that you sacrificed to the Edict. You canot get double-duty out of a creature you sacrifice to an Edict (or Braids, Cabal Minion, or Innocent Blood) by sacrificing it to something else in response.

You Cannot Discard A Card
To Two Separate Things
No, you can't use a card that your opponent forced you to discard via Duress to pump up your Wild Mongrel. Nor can you discard a land card to fuel both a Seismic Assault and a Patrol Hound.

(There is a distinct difference between cards where discarding is a cost you pay in order to get a benefit - like Wild Mongrel - and cards like Megrim, which do things whenever cards are discarded. As a rule, if the card says something like, "Discard a card: Do x," that's a cost and you must pay it.)

Token Creatures Go To The Graveyard Long
Enough To Trigger Any Graveyard Effects
Tokens do not exist anywhere but in play; the minute they are removed from the game for any reason (bounce, Astral Slide, et cetera), they cease to exist and will not come back. However, a card that's watching for just such an effect will "see" the token hit the graveyard just before it vanishes forever.

(Note, however, that some cards say "cards" and not tokens, like Compost. Compost will not care if a token hits the graveyard; it's waiting for cards. The wording on the card is very important!)

"Loss Of Life" Gets Around
Circles Of Protection And Worship
...And you can't prevent it, either. It's different from damage.

Zendikar Prerelease Information II

Zendikar Prerelease Weekend
The prerelease will be held on Saturday and Sunday

Date: September 26 & 27, 2009
Venue: Gamer's Lounge Lagro Bristol
Event Starts: 5:00PM
Registration: PHP1000
Preregistration Ongoing at venue

Each player receives a Prerelease Foil Card (Rampaging Baloths)
Each player receives six (6) Zendikar Booster Packs
Each win gets you one (1) Zendikar Booster Pack
Players with 4-0 standing receives a Zendikar T-shirt
See you there.

Zendikar Prerelease Information

Date: September 26, 2009
Venue: Gamer's Lounge Lagro Bristol
Event Starts: 5:00PM
Registration: PHP1000
Preregistration Ongoing at venue

Each player receives a Prerelease Foil Card (Rampaging Baloths)
Each player receives six (6) Zendikar Booster Packs
Each win gets you one (1) Zendikar Booster Pack
Players with 4-0 standing receives a Zendikar T-shirt

About the Prerelease

The Zendikar Prerelease is less than a week away, and almost half of the cards have been spoiled. If you're looking forward to playing at the prerelease, which I'm sure a lot will, then it won't hurt to read the spoilers and see which cards interact well with others.

Zendikar Prerelease at Lagro:

This prerelease is the first for the Fairview community and as with the other prereleases around the world, the format that will be used is Sealed Deck. Each player will be given six booster packs and from those cards you will create a 40-card minimum deck. The cards are yours so I suggest getting some protective sleeves on them when the game starts. Bringing some basic lands will also help, maybe six to seven of each land would suffice, the store may not have enough lands.

After you have constructed your deck from your cards, its game time. The games will go like the usual tournaments you may have played in, except that each win will earn you a pack and winning all four rounds get you a Zendikar T-shirt.

I myself can't wait to open my first Zendikar pack and see the goodies that lie inside. Prereleases are fun and I hope you are as excited as I am for saturday. Until next time. See you at the prerelease. Enjoy.

September 21 Holiday Tournament

September 21, 2009

Format: Standard
Registration Starts: 5:00PM
Tournament Starts: 6:00PM
Registration PHP 100

DCI Cards and Booster Packs and Other Prizes at stake. First Place gets an Honor of the Pure.
See you there.

SNM September 17

September 12, 2009

Format: Standard
Registration Starts: 5:00PM
Tournament Starts: 6:00PM
Registration PHP 100

FNM Cards and Booster Packs and Other Prizes at stake.
See you there.

New Duals from Zendikar

Yesterday I posted about the Zendikar Dual Land Cycle with thier text somewhat covered. Here they are now, saw these in Jacob Van Lunen's column at MTG.com he previewed these new lands. What do you think?

Zendikar Prerelease Card

For those playing in the Zendikar Prerelease event in less than two weeks, you're gonna be getting this. Enjoy.