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Introduction and Event Overview
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What event did you attend, and where was it held?
The event that I went to is a APAC league qualifier for MTG held at the Iligan branch of Top Deck PH.
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What made you decide to participate in this tournament?
I wanted to experience in participating in a tournament and lucky enough some of my friends joined to compete as well.
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What was the overall atmosphere like at the beginning of the event?
It had a air or a mood of nervousness all-around and I had the giddiness of a small child experiencing a new feeling.
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Preparation and Strategy
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How did you prepare for the tournament?
I used MTG arena to use and practice the deck that I build in tabletop to be able to know what can be considered as a good hand, what to sideboard when playing against a certain deck and how to do great trades in game.
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What deck did you decide to use, and why?
The deck that I used is a Simic Dread, A blue and green deck that uses the Manifest Dread as the core gameplan. it was my first deck that I ever built in my life, I've been playing Magic for about 1 and a half months of playing at that time so it had a bit of sentimental value for me.
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Were there any specific strategies or combos you planned to utilize?
One key strategies was swarming the board with Dread which is a 2/2 colorless creature and suprise them by flipping up and transforming a 2/2 creature into a 6/5 creature suprising them when they don't block a mesly 2/2 creature. Most cards in my deck also have some kind of interaction with face-down creatures like disguise or dread. Like the card [Obblivious Bookworm] which is my card engine and when a face-down permanent enters I get to draw a card in my end step or [Greenbelt Radical] that gives all of my creatures one +1/+1 counter and Trample to be able to plow through any blockers.
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How did you feel about your preparation as you entered the tournament?
I thought that I had prepared enough, whatever happens during the tournament happens and I will enjoy every second of being there to compete with the other players.
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During the Tournament
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Describe your experience in the initial rounds. How did the first few games go?
My first opponent was a Mono-black Discard, A tough battle nonetheless. In game 1 I won by a sliver of health of 5 but the opponent thought the manifested dread creature was just a 2/2 and did not block it which I transformed the 2/2 into a 9/8 big creature. Game 2 was a landslide against me, all of my key pieces and my card engine was discarded by [Deep-Cavern Bat] and [Bandit's Talent] and all was lost in game 2 and moved on in Game 3 which also a close game having both me and the opponent healths below 5 but the [Greenbelt Radical] was clutch and gave all of my creatures "Trample" which means the excess damage goes to the opponent when blocked the creature gets blocked by another creature, Making me the winner for game 3.
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What were some memorable plays or critical matches?
The aforementioned [Greenbelt Radical] giving all of my creatures "Trample" which made me won the final game in round 1 was so much fun and both me and the opponent was laughing in what was happening.
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How did you adapt your strategy based on your opponents' actions and decks?
During the time of competing I had little to none to use for sideboard and was just hoping that I could out pace my opponent before the opponent gets a foot bearing of the battlefield
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Were there any particular challenges or tough opponents? How did you overcome them?
All of rounds that I had played was hard and challenging, Having no sideboard to switch my cards during moving into the next games was challenging. The luck of the draw was really the key factor, I was just lucky and sometimes my opponent gets unlucky.
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Results and Achievements
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What was your final standing in the tournament?
I won 3rd overall in the tournament
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What were some of your standout victories or key moments of success?
During the 3rd round when I played against a Mono-Black Midrange and bounced/returned his [Phyrexian Obliterator] multiple times and opponent conceded winning me the first game.
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What prizes or recognition did you receive?
All of the top 3 got Promo and Booster packs. I got lucky when I opened my Promo pack which contain a [Overlord of the Hauntwoods] and [Thornspire Verge].
- Reflection and Community Interaction
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How did participating in the tournament affect you as a player?
It gave me skill development when facing different people which is much different and natural than fighting online in MTGA and also it was an opportunity to connect with other players, exchange ideas, and be inspired by their dedication and passion
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What did you learn from other participants?
I learned from the others is that to be calm, have a steady composure and have fun even under pressure because everybody plays the game to have fun and enjoy
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How did you interact with the community, and what was the community response?
I was interacting by talking about deck building, cheering on great plays and asking questions on things I don't understand about mechanics and overall the community was welcoming and supportive. It looked like they appreciated my passion, which made my experience of my first tournament more enjoyable
- Would you participate in another tournament based on this experience? Why or why not?
It may depend on the time because I'm a College student so I may prioritize my studies rather than participating in tournaments but I will join if possible
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Conclusion and Looking Forward
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What are your final thoughts on the tournament?
I'm grateful for the opportunity of competing in the tournament, I'm grateful for other players teaching me skills and strategies to adopt when playing against certain decks and The tournament was intense and fun, would join again depedening in the studies situation
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How has this experience influenced your approach to playing TCGs?
learned that each game as an opportunity to grow. Wins are rewarding, but losses have become valuable lessons that help me in my future games and facing different kinds of decks and playstyles showed the need of flexibility in my tactics like sideboarding.
- What are your plans for participating in future tournaments?
I plan to join more tournaments to gain more and more experience, improving my skills, and build friendship within the community. Balancing my studies and participating in the tournaments
