Magic The Gathering - Malaysia

Hi! My apologies for not covering this event myself as I was busy playing for the Cup itself - I came within a single game's reach of clinching the title in last year's edition and I was pretty stoked at a second chance when I managed to lock myself into the top 8 after a 5-0-2 performance in the swiss. I know it's a poor excuse - I ended up crashing in the Semis, totally dejected, but I know the event coverage was in good hands because Buzzpop.net's own Nik was on board - even doing round by round feature match coverage!

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2011 Malaysian Champion - Lee Eing Yung


2011 Malaysian National Championships Top 8 (L-R): Tommy Cheaw, Au Yong Wai Kin, Chye Yian Hsiang, Hiew Chee Choong, Joe Soh, Rick Lee, Lee Eing Yung, Nico Surinindran

Valakut made a huge resurgence to the top of the metagame but it was 'Penang-Kia' Lim Eing Yung's unique Valakut variant: putting the Exarch-Twin combo in the good ol' Primeval Titans and Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle shell that took the title, crushing Hiew Chee Choong's White Weenie chance to taking down the title with a rogue deck.

It was a good weekend for Hiew however, with this 2nd place finish he is now assured of a back to back Pro Tour appearance after recently being qualified for Pro Tour Philadelphia.

The Top 8 consisted of 3 Valakut, 2 Tempered Steel, 1 Valakut-Twin, 1 White Weenie and 1 UG Cobra deck.

Meanwhile, Rick Lee relegated 4-time National Team member Au Yong Wai Kin to just alternate status in the 3rd place playoff to book his spot as the 3rd member of the National team in a Valakut mirror match.


Top 4, L-R: Au Yong Wai Kin, Hiew Chee Choong, Lee Eing Yung, Rick Lee

2-time champion Joe Soh barely missed the mark to make the Top-4 3 years in a row when he was knocked out by Rick Lee in the quarters, piloting another unique rogue deck to the top of the national competition, a blue green Cobra concoction.

Notable players Tommy Cheaw, Chye Yian Hsiang, both piloting Tempered Steel decks, Nico Surinindran with Valakut fills out the rest of the top 8.

Top 8 Decklists

Quarterfinals - Hiew Chee Choong vs Nico Surinindran - Coverage Report

Semifinals - Hiew Chee Choong vs Au Yong Wai Kin - Coverage Report

Finals - Lee Eing Yung vs Hiew Chee Choong - Coverage Report

Photo Gallery

End of Report

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Congratulations Darren, David, Izzaidi and E-Foong!

Photo Gallery - HERE

Decklists will not be posted due to this being a 2-week long format before it becomes M12-legal Standard/

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Matthew Wong and his ELFdrazi stomped through 3 CawBlade decks in a Top 8 infested with the equipment-bearing flying menace, with 5 CawBlade and 1 DarkBlade, with a lone Grixis Twin deck being the other non-CawBlade deck.



Wong defeated Chye Yian Hsiang's DarkBlade and Vincent Gan's CawBlade, while his final opponent, Carlson Chan's CawBlade had to go through Jeffery Chan's Grixis Twin and Chapman Sim's CawBlade. Uzair Faruqi and Yew Yu Win, both with CawBlade made up the rest of the top 8.

Photo Gallery - Facebook Gallery

Quarterfinals Report - Matthew Wong [Eldrazi] vs Chye Yian Hsiang [DarkBlade]

Semifinals Report - Postponed until after GP Singapore (if ever)

Top 8 Decklists - Link here

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Two Boros decks climbed on top of a top 8 filled with Caw-Blade (with a URB Planeswalker control hidden in between) and Hiew Chee Choong was the last man standing, defeating Ryan Luo to clinch the invite and flight ticket to Philadelphia, USA!

Along the way, Hiew had to take down back to back Caw-Blade with Soh Weng Heng in the Quarters before meeting Stanley Sim in the Semis. On his way to the Finals, Ryan also had to take down back to back Caw-Blade with Brendan Soo in the Quarters and Tay Jun Hao in the Semis.

Tay Jun Hao defeated Eddy Ng with URB Planeswalker control while Stanley Sim defeated Chen Tze Kang with Caw Blade in the other Quarterfinals matchup.

Photo Gallery - Facebook Gallery

Semifinals Report (Hiew vs Sim) - here

Finals Report (Hiew vs Luo) - here

Top 8 Decklists - here

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Siew Fung's +11/+11 Elves overrun Koh's Wurmcoil Engines to win the tournament and 3-Round byes to Grand Prix Singapore! The locals put up a fight as they squeezed in 3 players into the top 8, with Koh going all the way into the finals but the overrunning elves proved to be too much even for Koh's double Wurmcoil Engine to handle.



22 Players joined the tournament with 5 rounds of swiss.

Quarterfinals

Koh Kee Leong (UB Control) [WON] VS Yeap Soon Yong (Mono Blue Architect)

Freddy Wong (UW CawBlade) [WON] VS Hari Muralitheran (Esper CawBlade)

Chong Siew Fung (Elves) [WON] VS Lim Yong Chin (Valakut)

Kelvin Tan (GW Aggro) [WON] VS Jaywin Kok (White Weenie)

Semifinals

Kelvin Tan (GW Aggro) VS Chong Siew Fung (Elves) [WON]

Koh Kee Leong (UB Control) [WON] VS Freddy Wong (UW CawBlade)

Finals

Chong Siew Fung (Elves) [WON] VS Koh Kee Leong (UB Control)

Image Gallery - LINK

Top 8 Decklists below

Champion - Chong Siew Fung
Deck Name: Elf
Deck Designer: [Blank]

4 Arbor Elf
1 Copperhorn Scout
4 Elvish Archdruid
3 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
4 Fauna Shaman
4 Joraga Treespeaker
4 Joraga Warcaller
1 Leatherback Baloth
4 Llanowar Elves
2 Nissa's Chosen
4 Vengevine
2 Garruk Wildspeaker
2 Eldrazi Monument
2 Nissa Revane
16 Forest
3 Oran-Rief, the Vastwood

Sideboard

1 Acidic Slime
3 Autumns' Veil
1 Garruk Wildspeaker
3 Leyline of Vitality
3 Nature's Claim
4 Tectonic Edge

Runner-up - Koh Kee Leong
Deck Name: Koh KL
Deck Designer: Me!!

4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Wurmcoil Engine
3 Grave Titan
2 Gatekeeper of Malakir
4 Preordian
4 Inquistiion of Kozilek
2 Mana Leak
2 Stoic Rebuttal
1 Black Sun Zenith
2 Disfigure
2 Go For the Throat
2 Doom Blade
3 Seagate Oracle

1 Misty Rainforest
1 Verdant Catacombs
4 Creeping Tar Pit
4 Drakslick Shores
4 Drowned Catacomb
5 Island
4 Swamp
4 Tectonic Edge

Sideboard

2 Duress
2 Ratchet Bomb
2 Memoricde
1 Mana Leak
1 Into the Roil
2 Flashfreeze
2 Negate
1 Black Sun Zenith
1 Spell Pierce
1 Stoic Rebuttal

Semifinalist - Freddy Wong
Deck Name: U/W Tempo
Deck Designer: Freddy

1 Misty Rainforest
1 Marsh Flats
1 Mystifying Maze
4 Plains
4 Island
4 Tectonic Edge
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Celestial Colonnade

3 Gideon Jura
4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Sword of Body and Mind
2 Sword of Feast and Famine
3 Oust
4 Squadron Hawk
4 Stoneforge Mystic
3 Hero of Bladehold
4 Preordain
3 Mana Leak
3 Spell Pierce

Sideboard

2 Baneslayer Angel
1 Sword of Body and Mind
1 Sun Titan
1 Jace Beleren
2 Divine Offering
3 Kore Firewalker
3 Flashfreeze
2 Journey to Nowhere

Semifinalist - Kelvin Tan
Deck Name: [Blank]
Deck Designer: Kelvin Tan

4 Stoneforge Mystic
2 Birds of Paradise
3 Viridian Emissary
4 Day of Judgement
2 Phyrexian Rebirth
3 Cultivate
2 Baneslayer Angel
3 Acidic Slime
3 Plains
6 Forest
4 Razorverge THicket
4 Tectonic Edge
4 Sinpetal Grove
3 Stirring Wildwood
2 Green Sun Zenith
1 Sun Titan
1 Elspeth Tirel
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
1 Sword of Vengence
1 Baslik Collar
1 Nature's Claim
3 Thrun the Last Troll
2 Explore

Sideboard

1 Tajuru Presever
1 Nature's Claim
1 Strata Scythe
4 Lone Missionary
4 Journey to Nowhere
4 Mirran Crusader

Quarterfinalist - Jaywin Kok
Deck Name: All Hail Britannia!!!
Deck Designer: Rajesh Ganesan

4 Kor Firewalker
4 Mirran Crusader
3 Leonin Arbiter
4 Hero of Bladehold
2 Leonin Relic-Warder
3 Baneslayer Angel
4 Honor of the Pure
3 Journey to Nowhere
3 Brave the Elements

3 Mana Leak
2 Spell Pierce

4 Celestial Colonnade
4 Glacial Fortress
4 Seachrome Coast
3 Tectonic Edge
10 Plains

Sideboard

3 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Divine Offering
1 Leonin Arbiter
2 Ratchet Bomb
2 Devout Lightcaster
2 War Priest of Thune
1 Negate
2 Flashfreeze

Quarterfinalist - Hari Muralitheran
Deck Name: Barney Stinson 1.2
Deck Designer: Barney Stinson

4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Gideon Jura
2 Tumble Magnet
2 Day of Judgement
3 Stoneforge Mystic
3 Mana Leak
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Squadron Hawk
3 Preordain
2 Go For the Throat
1 Condemn
1 Doom Blade
1 Grave Titan
2 Sword of Feast and Famine

2 Celestial Colonnade
4 Creeping Tar-Pit
4 Darkslick Shores
4 Seachrome Coast
3 Tectonic Edge
3 Plains
1 Island
1 Swamp
4 Marsh Flats

Sideboard

1 Revoke Existence
4 Flashfreeze
3 Disfigure
2 Duress
2 Divine Offering
1 Baneslayer Angel
1 Deprive
1 Volition Reins

Quarterfinalist - Lim Yong Chin
Deck Name: Valakut
Deck Designer: Me

4 Primeval Titan
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Feen Sun's Zenith
4 Harrow
3 Khalni Heart Expedition
3 Explore
3 Overgrown Battlement
4 Pyroclasm
3 Cultivate
4 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
2 Raging Ravine
4 Evolving Wilds
2 Terramorphic Expanse

11 Mountain
5 Forest

Sideboard

4 Nature's Claim
2 Thrun, the Last Troll
3 Gaea's Revenge
2 Obstinate Baloth
2 Koth of the Hammer
2 Acidic Slime

Quarterfinalist - Yeap Soon Yong
Deck Name: [Blank]
Deck Designer: [Blank]

4 Everflowing Chalice
4 Grand Architect
4 Treasure Mage
3 Kudoltha Forgemaster
2 Ratchet Bomb
3 Tumble Magnet
3 Kraken Hatchling
4 Preordain
3 Thrumming Bird
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Lodestone Golem
1 Mindslaver
1 Knowledge Pool
1 COntagation Engine
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Blightsteel Colossus

4 Misty Rainforest
10 Island
4 Halimar Depth
1 Inkmoth Nexus

Sideboard

2 Ratchet Bomb
1 Argent Sphinx
4 Flashfreeze
1 Knowledge Pool
4 Mana Leak
3 Stoic Rebuttal
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2-Time National champion, who is also 4th from this year's National Championships, Joe Soh, wins the 2010 Comics Corner Super Cup winning the title and RM2,000!

1st place RM2000 + Trophy - Joe Soh
2nd place RM600 - Gan
3RD & 4th place RM400 - Yii Terh Kuen, Kin Leong
5th till 8th place RM200 - Shamsul, Chye Yian Hsiang, Caleb Tan, Kenneth Wong

Here's a quick top 8 recap, thanks to J]-[UN on 1mtg.org

Quarters

Joe Soh (Boros) Win 2-0 Yian (URG Cobra)
Kin Leong (BUG Cobra) Win 2-0 Shamsul (U/W Control)
Yii (U/W Control) Win 2-0 Caleb (Mono Red Kudoltha Rebirth)
Gan (URG Cobra) Win 2-1 Kenneth Wong (Valakut)

Semis

Gan (URG Cobra) Win 2-0 Kin Leong (BUG Cobra)
Joe (Boros) Win 2-0 Yit (U/W Control)

Finals

Joe VS Gan

Joe wins 2-1.....

Official Coverage from BuzzPop.net available - here, including pictures, metagame breakdown and decklists.

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Jason Ng is your 2010 Malaysian National Champion!


Top 4 - (L-R) Kong Chong Teng, Jason Ng, Joe Soh, Ben Chio


Top 8 - (L-R) Jason Ng, Ken Lim, Justin Lim, Wesley Ng, Terry Soh, Joe Soh, Ben Chio, Kong Chong Teng

Jason on his very first National Championships rode his winning streak all the way into the top, defeating two big names, GP Manila 2008 Top 8 competitor Ken Lim in the Quarterfinals and defending and 2-time National Champion Joe Soh in the Semifinals to set up a Finals between him and Kong Chong Teng whom he eventually overcame en route to be come Malaysian National Champion 2010.

After 12 grueling rounds, the top 8 players of the 2010 Malaysian National Championships has been revealed! Leading the top of the standings is defending champion, Joe Soh, 2010 National Champion.

He is tightly followed by Kong Chong Teng, Ben Chio, Jason Ng, Wesley Ng, Justin Lim and Terry Soh, who beat out 5 others with same points by tiebreakers.

Twitter coverage can be found at http://twitter.com/qjwong !

Decklists, pictures and coverage report to follow.

Final Top 8 Standings

1. Jason Ng (Jund)
2. Kong Chong Teng (Jund)
3. Ben Chio (RG Elves / Vengevine)
4. Joe Soh (RG Ramp)
5. Ken Lim (Jund)
6. Wesley Ng (UG Ramp)
7. Justin Lim (Naya)
8. Terry Soh (UW Control)

Quarterfinals

Ken Lim (Jund) vs Jason Ng (Jund)[Won][0-2] [Coverage Report]
Joe Soh (RG Ramp) [Won] vs Terry Soh (UW Control) [2-0]
Wesley Ng (UG Ramp) vs Ben Chio (RG Elves/Vengevine) [1-2]
Justin Lim (Naya) vs Kong Chong Teng (Jund) [1-2]

Semifinals

Joe Soh (RG Ramp) vs Jason Ng (Jund) [Won] [1-2] [Coverage Report]
Ben Chio (RG Elves/Vengevine) vs Kong Chong Teng (Jund) [Won] [0-2]

3rd Place Playoff

Joe Soh (RG Ramp) vs Ben Chio (RG Elves/Vengevine) [Won] [1-2]

Finals

Kong Chong Teng (Jund) vs Jason Ng (Jund) [Won] [1-2] [Coverage Report]

Top 16 standings after the 12 swiss rounds

1. Soh, Joe
2. Kong, Chong Teng
3. Chio, Ben
4. Ng, Jason
5. Lim, Ken
6. Ng, "Wei San, Wesley"
7. Lim, Justin
8. Terry Soh
9. Muralitheran, Hari
10. Wei Han, Chin
11. Teh, Soon Leong
12. Tan, Ian
13. Hussein, Rudy
14. Shee, Dexter
15. Chee Yoong, Goh
16. Yap, Teng Fong

Faceboook Photo Gallery - here

Top 8 Decklists - here

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Grand Prix Manila 2010 Top 32 finisher, Arif Kamaruddin won the PTQ last Sunday with Conscription Bant, defeating a mirror matchup in the finals against Kenneth Wong. The rest of the top 8 consisted of a RUG Land-Destruction deck by Qu, Hsueh M, a RW Control deck by Kelvin Tan, Lim Teng Howe's UW Control, RDW by Razif Rosdin, another UW Control by Eddy Ng and lastly, Au Yong Wai Kin's RG Monument.

This writer ended up at a heartbreaking 9th place, missing out the top 8 by 1.11% in tie breaks. :(

Top 16 Final Standings

1. Han, Kelvin Tan Choon 15
2. Kenneth, Wong 14
3. Rosdin, Razif 14
4. Kamaruddin, Arif b 13
5. Au Yong, Wai Kin 13
6. Ng, Eddy 13
7. Lim, Teng Howe 13
8. Qu, Hsueh M 12
9. Wong, Qin Jin 12
10. Neo, Alvin 12
11. Yang, Joshua 12
12. Luo, Ryan 10
13. Soon Yong, Yeap 9
14. Chye, Yian Hsiang 9
15. Chong, Kin Leong 9
16. Karfatt, Calson C 9

Full matchups, decklists (Top 8, including some interesting top finishers) below!

Top 8 Pairings

Han, Kelvin Tan Choon vs Qu, Hsueh M (Qu won)
Au Yong, Wai Kin vs Kamaruddin, Arif b (Arif won)
Rosdin, Razif vs Ng, Eddy (Eddy won)
Kenneth, Wong vs Lim, Teng Howe (Kenneth won)

Top 4 Pairings
Qu, Hsueh M vs Kamaruddin, Arif b (Arif won)
Kenneth, Wong vs Ng, Eddy (Kenneth won)

Finals Pairings
Kenneth, Wong vs Kamaruddin, Arif b (Arif won)


Arif defeated Kenneth to win the Pro Tour Qualifier Amsterdam!!!



Top8 decklist as below:



Name : Qu, Hsueh M
Deck Name : Land-D
Deck Designer : Qu, Hsueh M

Main Board
4 Jace, the Mind Sculpter
4 Spreading Seas
4 Lotus Cobra
4 Nest Invader
4 Acidic Slime
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Roiling Terrain
3 Golbin Ruinblaster
4 Lightning Bolt

4 Scalding Torn
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Rootbound Crag
4 Raging Ravine
3 Island
3 Forest
3 Mountain

Side Board
1 Burst Lighting
4 Basilisk Collan
4 Cunning Sparkmage
2 Mold Shambler
2 Oracle of Mul Oaya
2 Spellbreaker Behemoth

 
Name : Han, Kelvin Tan Choon
Deck Name :
Deck Designer : Han, Kelvin Tan Choon

Main Board
3 Ajani Vangeant
1 Elspeth, Knight Errant
3 Siege-Gang Commander
2 Chandra Nallar
1 Baneslayer Angel
3 Earthquake
4 Kor Firewalker
4 Wall of Omens

4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
4 Volcanic Fallout
1 Oblivian Ring
4 Terramorphic Expanse
4 Arid Mesa
2 Tectonic Edge
8 Mountain
8 Plains

Side Board
4 Luminarch Ascension
3 Celestial Purge
3 White Knight
4 Goblin Ruinblaster
1 Oblivion Ring


 
Name : Lim, Teng Howe
Deck Name : UW Control
Deck Designer :

Main Board
4 Wall of Omens
3 Baneslayer Angel
1 Sphinx of Jwar Isle
2 Emeria Angel

3 Path to Exile
4 Spreading Seas
3 Everflowing Chalice
3 Elspeth, Knight Errant
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Day of Judgement
1 Gideon Jura
2 Deprive
2 Mind Spring
1 Journey to Nowhere
6 Plains
5 Island
4 Celestial Colonnade
4 Glacial Fortress
3 Sejiri Refuge
3 Tectonic Edge
1 Scalding Tarn

Side Board
3 Negate
1 Emeria Angel
1 Path to Exile
1 Kor Firewalker
1 Jace Beleren
2 Celestial Purge
2 Kor Sanctifiers
2 Oust
2 Day of Judgement


Name : Rosdin, Razif
Deck Name :
Deck Designer :

Main Board
2 Quenchable Fire
4 Golbin Guide
4 Blightning
4 Hellspark Elemental
4 Hells Thunder
4 Ball Lightning
4 Searing Blaze
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Burst Lightning
3 Earthquake
4 Arid Mesa
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Dragonskull Summit
4 Lavaclaw Reaches
8 Mountain


Side Board
2 Cunning Sparkmage
3 Golbin Ruinblaster
2 Manabarbs
2 Quenchable FIre
2 Deathmark
2 Doomblade
 

Name : Eddy, Ng
Deck Name :
Deck Designer :

Main Board
4 Sea Gate Oracle
4 Wall of Omens
4 Path to Exile
4 Spreading Seas
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
3 Elspeth, Knight Errant
3 Day of Judgement
3 Oblivion Ring
2 Gideon Jura
2 Deprive
1 Mind Spring
1 Martial Coup
4 Celestial Colonnade
4 Glacial Fortress
2 Sejiri Refuge
2 Tectonic Edge
2 Arid Mesa
7 Island
5 Plains

Side Board
3 Baneslayer Angel
3 Kor Firewalker
3 Negate
2 Flashfreeze
2 Celestial Purge
1 Sphinx of Jwar Isle
1 Sphinx of Lost Truths

 
Name : Kenneth, Wong
Deck Name : Bant is the Best !!!@!
Deck Designer :

Main Board
2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
2 Gideon Jura
3 Baneslayer Angel
3 Soveriegns of Lost Alara
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Eldrazi Conscription
4 Rhox War Monk
4 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Lotus Cobra
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Noble Hierarch

2 Sunpetal Groove
3 Celestial Colonnade
2 Sejiri Steppe
1 Stirring Wildwood
4 Misty Rainforest
3 Verdant Catacombs
1 Evolving Wilds
2 Plains
4 Forest
3 Island

Side Board
2 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
3 Celestial Purge
2 Bant Charm
2 Oblivion Ring
1 Rampaging Baloths
1 Sphinx of Jwar Isle
4 Negate


Name : Kamaruddin, Arif
Deck Name :
Deck Designer :

Main Board
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Dauntless Esort
4 Baneslayer Angel
4 Soveriegns of Lost Alara
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Gideon Jura
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
4 Lotus Cobra
2 Eldrazi Conscription
4 Birds of Paradise

4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Celestial Colonnade
2 Sunpetal Groove
1 Stirring Wildwood
2 Sejiri Steppe
4 Forest
2 Plains
2 Island

Side Board
2 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
2 Negate
2 Deprive
2 Path to Exile
2 Bant Charm
2 Sphinx of Jwar Isle
2 Mold Shambler
1 Vines of Vastwood

 
Name : Au Yong, Wai King
Deck Name :
Deck Designer :

Main Board
4 Noble Hierarch
2 Birds of Paradise
4 Lotus Cobra
4 Nest Invader
2 Borderland Ranger
4 Vengevine
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Siege-Gang Commander
2 Garruk Wildspeaker
2 Kozilek’s Predator
4 Eldrazi Monument
1 Overrun

4 Misty Rainforest
3 Scalding Tarn
2 Raging Ravine
2 Khalni Garden
4 Rootbound Crag
5 Forest
3 Mountain

Side Board
4 Cunning Sparkmage
1 Island
2 Basilisk Collar
2 Forked Bolt
3 Manabarbs
3 Vapor Snare



Some other interesting decks that did quite well from the weekend:

Name : Ryan, Luo
Deck Name :
Deck Designer :

Main Board
4 Siege-Gang Commander
4 Eldrazi Monument
4 Noble Hierarch
2 Birds of Paradise
4 Vengevine
4 Seagate Oracle
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Nest Invader
4 Bloodbraid Elf
2 Lotus Cobra
2 Leatherback Baloth

2 Tectonic Edge
4 Misty Rainforest
3 Scalding Tarn
4 Forest
3 Island
2 Mountain
4 Raging Ravine
3 Rootbound Crag

Side Board
3 Flame Slash
2 Into the Roil
3 Basilisk Collar
2 Sphinx of Jwar Isle
4 Cunning Sparkmage
1 Leatherback Baloth
 

Name : Wong, Qin Jin
Deck Name : Dredgevine
Deck Designer : The Internet!

Main Board
4 Sedraxis Alchemist
4 Extractor Demon
4 Enclave Cryptologist
4 Hedron Crab
2 Grim Discovery
4 Renegade Doppelganger
2 Eldrazi Monument
4 Bloodghast
4 Vengevine

2 Mistvein Borderpost
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Scalding Tarn
4 Creeping Tar Pit
6 Island
2 Swamp


Side Board
4 Doom Blade
4 Calcite Snapper
4 Deprive
3 Inquisition of Kozilek


Source - Bananafish at 1mtg.netRead more!

Melaka Regionals 2010 Competitors

29 players from all directions traveled to historical city, Melaka for a historical first National-Championship-qualifying event in the Southern side of the peninsula, with players from KL, Melaka and even Johor taking part in the event.

Jund decks of different flavors dominated the top 8 taking up half of it, while 2 R/B Aggro/Control, a U/W control and a Polymorph deck took up the remaining half. With the nationals invite given out to the top 4, after the quarterfinals, all the tension was gone, but the top 4 players decided to battle it out anyways, for fame and glory!

While Robb Chew ensured that the players winning the invites would not be entirely dominated by Jund with his U/W Control, Yeap Soon Yong, Brendan Soo and Chye Yian Hsiang however managed to pilot 3 different distinct types of Jund to the top 8. When the dust settled, however, it was Yeap Soon Yong's Vengevine variety that came up on top.


Yeap Soon Yong, Melaka Regionals Champion

Top 8 Standings

[1st] Yeap Soon Yong
[2nd] Brendan Soo
[3rd/4th] Robb Chew
[3rd/4th] Chye Yian Hsiang
[5th-8th] Janagan Rajee
[5th-8th] Kasyfi Johan
[5th-8th] Darren Ng
[5th-8th] Izwan Shah

Top 8 Matchups

Quarterfinals

Yeap Soon Yong (Vengevine Jund) [Won] - Janagan Rajee (BR Aggro/Control) [2-1]
Darren Ng (Monument Jund) - Robb Chew (U/W Control) [1-2]
Izwan Shah (Polymorph) - Chye Yian Hsiang (Sarkhan Jund) [0-2]
Kasyfi Johan (BR Aggro/Control) - Brendan Soo (Monument Jund) [1-2]

Semifinals

Yeap Soon Yong (Vengevine Jund) [Won] - Robb Chew (U/W Control) [2-1]
Chye Yian Hsiang (Sarkhan Jund) - Brendan Soo (Monument Jund) [0-2]

Finals

Yeap Soon Yong (Vengevine Jund) [Won] - Brendan Soo (Monument Jund) [0-2]

Top 8 Decklists and Photos - here

Hit the pages below for more pictures on the event!


"I pay 2GG, summon a Kryptonite." "Nooo.........!"


"Oh my, I won?"


"Hey, Brendan, how it's going?" "I think I can win lah."


"Uh... wait"


"I lost. :("


The T-shirt says it all.


Semifinals - Chye Yian Hsiang vs Brendan Soo


Semifinals - Robb Chew vs Yeap Soon Yong

Read more!

Vincant Gan Opened the Vaults and Found Free Flights and GP Manila 2010 Byes at Cardmaster GPT Manila 2010!


GPT Winner, Vincent Gan

Perhaps hampered by the high entry fee, or a reluctance to spend money before the Pre-release, Cardmaster's Grand Prix Trial Manila received lukewarm support and only 5 rounds was played to determine the top 8. The top 8 of the last high level local event consisted of 3 Jund decks, 3 U/W Tapout decks, 1 Grixis Control and 1 Open the Vaults.


GPT Top 8, From Left to Right - Eddy Ng, Hiew Chee Choong, QJ Wong, Chye Yian Hsiang, Yii Terh Kuen, Mohd Hafiz, Vincent Gan, Uzair Faruqi

Top 8 Decklists - here

Top 8 matchup reports written by GPT Top 8 regular, Chye Yian Hsiang is posted below, taken from the MTG-Malaysia.com forums.

QUARTERFINALS

Eddy Ng (U/W Tapout) VS Uzair Faruqi (U/W Tapout) , Winner Uzair Faruqi
QJ Wong (Jund) VS Camlok (U/W Tapout) , Winner QJ Wong!
Chee Chong (Jund) VS Vincent Gan (Open the Motherfukin' Vaults), Winner Vincent Gan 2-1

Yian Hsiang (Grixis Discard) VS Md Hafiz (Jund)

I managed to do coverage of this match because....I was in it

Game 1 - I win the die roll and Hafiz starts off with a mulligan, I congratulate him for being my first opponent of the day to mulligan against me whereas I was mulliganning almost every round. Happy with his 6, I begin the game with a Crumbling Necropolis, Hafiz follows up with a Raging Ravine. I promptly Spreading Seas the Ravine and draw into another Seas. I follow it up with a Slavering Null which manages to survive as Hafiz only has a tapland and doesn't have the Black mana required to Terminate it. Two Spreads later, the rest of Hafiz's manabase gets turned into the Lost city of Atlantis and he's forced to discard to multiple hits from the Null and blightning.

Game 2 - I mulligan a hand consisting of 2 Duress, 2 Gatekeeper of Malakir and an assortment of U/B lands, into a 1 lander hand, and finally into 1 Duress, 1 Gatekeeper, and 3 lands of the U/B variety Hafiz starts applying early pressure with multiple Thrinaxes and a timely Blightning from him limits my options. I'm forced to Gatekeeper his Thrinax and chumpblock his tokens with Slavering Nulls and Ruinblasters while I annoy him by locking him out of Green mana with Spreading Seas. Finally with about 2 turns left to live (or 1 turn if he draws a bolt), I'm forced to make a decision as to whether I should terminate his attacking thrinax or lone saproling token (I'm on an empty board with 5 lands) or risk taking 4 damage putting me down to 3 life, but may potentially turn the game around if I draw into my only out, Slave of Bolas. I finally chicken out and terminate the Thrinax, and Lady Luck promptly kicks me in the nuts and gives me Slave of Bolas as my next spell. I die to a swarm of tokens 2 turns later, with my final two draws being a Swamp and a helpful Creeping Tar Pit.

Game 3 - I keep an iffy hand on the play of 1 Island, 1 Crumbling Necropolis, 1 Spreading Seas, 2 Ruinblasters, Chain Reaction and Slave of Bolas. I probably should have shipped it back but I guess I got greedy with the potential for double Ruinblasters on the play. Two draw steps later I've yet to hit a land but I'm saved with a timely Swamp enabling me to cast the Sedraxis Spectre I drew earlier. The Spectre is promptly bolted during its next attack phase though and I draw another U/B source, missing out on my chance to cripple Hafiz's manabase. Hafiz follows up with a Bloodbraid cascading into an unkicked Ruinblaster, I draw and cast a Slavering Null to chumpblock, Hafiz casts another Bloodbraid and cascades into Lightning Bolt taking out my Null and crashing in for another 8, I follow up with Gatekeeper of Malakir, he follows up with Bituminous Blast into Bloodbraid into Blightning into Win. Bleh.


SEMI-FINALS

Vincent Gan VS Uzair Faruqi , Winner Vincent Gan (2-0)

Nothing in U/W tapout can disrupt the Vault combo game 1, and game 2 Khairul?Khalid? didn't draw into any negates (or draw spells for that matter).

QJ Wong VS Md Hafiz , Winner Md Hafiz (2-1)


FINALS

Vincent Gan (Open the Motherfuckin' Vaults) VS Md Hafiz (Jund. Just Jund)

Game 1 - Hafiz wins the roll but ends up having to go to Paris twice. Both players don't have much early action but I recall Vincent casting Sphinx of Lost Truth twice (discarding double Journey to Nowhere instead of one of the Oblivion Rings in hand) and Hafiz following each Sphinx up with a Bloodbraid cascading into a Terminate(or some other removal). Vincent clears the board with a Day of Judgement but is forced to prematurely cast Open the Vaults bringing back an Architect of Will, Glassdust Hulk and....2 Journey to Nowhere which ends up taking out the Glassdust Hulk hmm... He architect's Hafiz's library but is dismayed to find Siege Gang Commander, Bloodbraid Elf and some gas waiting for him. Can't really remember the next few turns in detail, but I recall a Filigree Angel or two hardcasted by Vincent to cushion his life total to 38, the Angel then dying to removal, Vincent casting a DoJ on Hafiz's lone Putrid Leech which he promptly follows up with Siege Gang Commander which takes out Vincent's Jace the Mindsculptor but is cold against Celestial Colonnade dealing the last few points of damage for the win.

Game 2 - Vincent mulligans into a relatively weak hand and draws dead, Hafiz's Jund engine does what its supposed to do and seals the game in about 5 turns.

Game 3 - Hafiz is the aggressor in the deciding match with an early Thrinax providing relatively early beatdown but he's kept a land heavy hand. Vincent is more than happy to discard a Filigree Angel and a land to Hafiz's turn 4 Blightning as he has an Open the Vaults in hand, but Hafiz follows up with a turn 5 Bloodbraid Elf which cascades past another 2 Bloodbraid Elves into....Duress! Both players are threatened with a sudden lack of oxygen as all the spectators suck air. Hafiz is literally one turn away from winning when Vincent topdecks another Open the Vaults which he promptly casts, the double Filigree Angels boosting his life total to 40 and all but sealing the game. A Malakir Bloodwitch provides Hafiz with a glimmer of hope, but he gets baited into blocking a Filigree Angel with it which is shortly returned by Shaarum of the Hegemon. A couple swings later from the Esper flying army seals the deal for Vincent.

Vincent Gan wins 2-1!

- Chye Yian Hsiang, MTG-Malaysia.com forums
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Due to family obligations, I was unable to attend today's GPT in Decards.

Thanks to J]-[UN aka multiple GPT Top 8er Chye Yian Hsiang however, we have a snapshot view of what happened at the top tables at the end of the day, through the MTG-Malaysia.com forums.

Thank you J]-[UN!

For those interested (sorry but I don't wanna reply to each and every individual SMS I received),

Icky and Dexter won the 3 round byes at today's (24th Jan) GPT in Summit.

Icky used Goblin Deck Wins running Predatory Dragon over Quest for the Pure Flame beating Wayne's Sedraxis Jund running Noble Hierachs in a really close semi-final match, with Wayne managing to stabilise despite getting screwed over with triple Ancient Ziggys and ended up dying to a topdecked Dragon with the board finally wiped clean.

Dexter's Ori-Jund (running leeches) beat Eddy Ng's America Control (running extra counters over Wall of Denial). Final 3rd game was rather anti-climatic as Eddy's deck refused to give him the answers he needed despite Mind Springing twice.

The only Quarter-Final matches I remember is Dexter's Jund beating MK's Vampires and Eddy's America Control doing what it's supposed to do VS Johan's Jund (aka screwing his mana with Seas & Ajanigeddon).

Source: http://mtg-malaysia.com/smf2/index.php/topic,1292.0/topicseen.htmlRead more!

Discuss about this post here at MTG-Malaysia.com's forums!

QJ Wong and Freddy Wong Wins CCEGAMES GPT: KL ’10 (17th Jan)!


Winner - Wong Qin Jin (QJ Wong)


Finalist - Freddy Wong

Vampires and Trap surged to the top with the Trap deck, featuring mana accelerators into a Summoning Trap to spring out a very fast game-breaker - Iona, Shield of Emeria came out of nowhere to put 2 players onto the top 8 along with Vampires, 2 Jund decks, Grixis Control, Boros and Mono Red. 36 players attended the GPT, awarding the 3-round byes to winner QJ Wong and finalist Freddy Wong, as Chye Yian Hsiang, Phang Kok Fai, Freddy Wong and Ng Wei San coming back for repeat performances at the top 8, showcasing these players mastery of the format with such consistent finishes.

QJ Wong and his Vampires fought off Ng Wei San’s Grixis Control’s challenge for the 3-round byes in the Semifinals, but not before defeating Chye Yian Hsiang and his Trap deck in the Quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Freddy Wong and his Trap deck dispatched Alex Hew’s Jund in the Semifinals after fighting off Phang Kok Fai’s Jund in the Quarterfinals. Nik’s Mono-Red fell to Ng Wei San’s Grixis Control while Hiew Chee Choong’s Boros lost to Alex Hew’s Jund in the other 2 Quarterfinals matchup.

Top 8 Matchups

Quarterfinals

Freddy Wong (Trap) [won] vs Phang Kok Fai (Jund)
Alex Hew (Jund) [won] vs Hiew Chee Choong (Boros)
QJ Wong (Vampires) [won] vs Chye Yian Hsiang (Trap)
Nik Nadzru Iskandar (Mono-Red) vs Ng Wei San (Grixis Control) [won]

Semifinals

QJ Wong (Vampires) [won] vs Ng Wei San (Grixis Control)
Freddy Wong (Trap) [won] vs Alex Hew (Jund)

Finals

Freddy Wong (Trap) conceded to QJ Wong (Vampires) [won]

Top 8 Decklists – here

Pictures of the rest of the top 8 below:


Semifinalist - Ng Wei San


Semifinalist - Alex Hew


Quarterfinalist - Chye Yian Hsiang


Quarterfinalist - Phang Kok Fai


Quarterfinalist - Hiew Chee Choong


Quarterfinalist - Nik Nadzru IskandarRead more!

Shawn Khoo and Tommy Cheaw Wins Comics Corner GPT: KL ’10 (3rd Jan 10)!


Winner - Shawn Khoo


Finalist - Tommy Cheaw

Mono White Tokens takes the top spot 2 weeks in a row! Control also makes a statement declaring its reemergence as well as it took the 2nd 3-byes spot along with 2 other control decks as Shawn Khoo takes the top spot with a concession from Tommy Cheaw at the Comics Corner GPT with 42 players showing up to battle.

3 players proved their master of the Standard format with back to back top 8s as Shawn Khoo, Chye Yian Hsiang and Arif Kamaruddin came back for a repeat performance. Shawn Khoo with his Mono White Tokens however knocked Chye Yian Hsiang and his UWR Control out of the fight before knocking off Clement Lim’s Jund in the semifinals. Tommy Cheaw is a old time veteran that haven’t been seen in tournament tables in a while, much less on a top 8 table, but that is exactly what he did on his return, winning his 3-round byes right out with his Grixis Control, earning a concession from Arif Kamaruddin who already won his 3-round byes, piloting another Grixis Control to the top tables this time, but not before ending Adlin Yusman and his Naya’s bid for the 3-round byes. Arif knocked out Eddy’s R/G Valakut Ramp in the quarterfinals while Clement Lim defeated Woo Wei Jun in a Jund mirror quarterfinals match.

Top 8 Decklist - [HERE]

Top 8 Matchups

Quarterfinals

Arif Kamaruddin (Grixis Control) [won] vs Eddy Ng (R/G Valakut)
Tommy Cheaw (Grixis Control) [won] vs Adlin Yusman (Naya)
Shawn Khoo (Mono White Tokens) [won] vs Chye Yian Hsiang (UWR Control)
Clement Lim (Jund) [won] vs Woo Wei Jun (Jund)

Semifinals

Arif Kamaruddin (Grixis Control) [conceded] vs Tommy Cheaw (Grixis Control) [won]
Shawn Khoo (Mono White Tokens) vs Clement Lim (Jund)

Finals

Arif Kamaruddin (Grixis Control) [conceded] vs Shawn Khoo (Mono White Tokens) [won]

Top 8 players and event photos below!


A totally civil and friendly quarterfinals match between Tommy Cheaw and Adlin Yusman


Winner - Shawn Khoo


Finalist - Tommy Cheaw


Semifinalist - Clement Lim


Semifinalist - Arif Kamaruddin


Quarterfinalist - Chye Yian Hsiang


Quarterfinalist - Eddy Ng


Quarterfinalist - Woo Wei Jun


Quarterfinalist - Adlin Yusman


Quarterfinals - Eddy Ng vs Arif Kamaruddin


Quarterfinals - Chye Yian Hsiang vs Shawn Khoo


Quarterfinals - Tommy Cheaw vs Adlin Yusman


Quarterfinals - Clement Lim vs Woo Wei Jun
Read more!

Talk about this event at MTG-Malaysia.com's forums here!

Daniel Kong and Arif Kamaruddin Wins Decards GPT: KL ’09 (27th Dec)!


Daniel Kong


Arif Kamaruddin

Mono White Tokens and Jund emerged victorious in a top 8 that is radically diverse with a whopping 6 different archetypes! Daniel Kong takes the top spot with a concession from Arif Kamaruddin, but as far as they’re concerned, they’ve both won the GPT with the 3-round Byes extended to the top 2 players with the Decards GPT having a 42 player Trial.

For Arif, it was a joyous tournament as he finally broke his Quarterfinals losing streak, and was able to go all the way. While Daniel Kong had to fight for his top 8 spot in the Swiss rounds the hard way after a 1st-round defeat. On their way to the grand prize, Daniel Kong and his Mono White Tokens halted Christopher Lee’s Naya advance in the Quarterfinals before fighting off Chye Yian Hsiang and his ‘Kazakhistan Kontrol’ (UWR Control) to get his 3-round byes. Meanwhile Arif and his Jund had to fight off a fellow Jund player (with a Vampire twist), Icky (Mohd Ikmal Mohd Nasir) in the Quarterfinals, before winning his byes with the defeat of Boros player Alvin Chan. The other 2 Quarterfinalists are Ng Wei San and his ‘Blue Aggro’ 4-color Control who lost to Chye in a control on control matchup and Shawn Khoo’s Mono White Tokens to Alvin.

Top 8 Matchups

Quarterfinals

Arif Kamaruddin (Jund) [won] vs Icky / Mohd Ikmal Mohd Nasir (Jund)

Shawn Khoo (Mono White Tokens) vs Alvin Chan (Boros) [won]

Ng Wei San (4c-Control) vs Chye Yian Hsiang (UWR Control) [won]

Christopher Lee (Naya) vs Daniel Kong (Mono White Tokens) [won]

Semifinals

Arif Kamaruddin (Jund) [won] vs Alvin Chan (Boros)

Daniel Kong (Mono White Tokens) vs Chye Yian Hsiang (UWR Control)

Finals

Arif Kamaruddin (Jund) conceded to Daniel Kong (Mono White Tokens) [won]

Top 8 Decklists - here

Read below for some event pictures of the top 8 Quarterfinals matches.

Photo Gallery


Daniel Kong vs Christopher Lee


Chye Yian Hsiang vs Ng Wei San


Arif Kamaruddin vs Icky / Mohd Ikmal Mohd Nasr


Shawn Khoo vs Alvin Chan

Read more!

Smalltalk: I have an important presentation on Thursday between moving into my new apartment room and a finals paper on Sunday. Please excuse the seemingly random and sudden updates!

Update (Friday) - Top 8 decklists posted

Defending Champion Shamsul Bahrin does it again!


Champion, Shamsul Bahrin

Shamsul Bahrin takes the title of Decards Enterprise's year end major cash tournament once again. The dominance of Jund has been exaggerated - although he stood the only control player with his 'Atoibolan Control' (Esper Control) in the top 8, the rest of the top 8 consisted of only 2 Jund decks while a Mono Red Aggro/Burn, 2 Boros Bushwhacker, a Mono White Aggro/Tokens and a Blue White Tokens deck rounded off the top 8.


The top 8 with Decards Enterprise owner, Mr Tea. (From L-R: Irwin Leong, Woo Yit Hang, Gan Zheng Xin, Hang Sheng Kwang, Mr Tea, Dennis Yee, Chong Kin Leong, Shamsul Bahrin, Yii Terh Kuen)

After strong persuasion from his hungry and tired friends, Woo Yit Hang with his Boros Bushwhacker conceded the title to Shamsul Bahrin in the finals as Shamsul fought off Dennis Yee's Mono Red Aggro/Burn with ease after defeating Gan Zheng Xin and his Boros Bushwhacker in the quarterfinals while Woo Yit Hang halted the advance of Yii Terh Kuen's Blue/White Tokens in the other semifinals but not before he defeated Chong Kin Leong's Mono White Aggro/Tokens in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, Dennis Yee defeated Irwin Leong and his Jund in the other quartefinals while Yii Terh Kuen dispatched Hang Sheng Kwang with his Jund.

Final Top 8 Standings

[1st] Shamsul Bahrin - RM 1,500
[2nd] Woo Yit Hang - RM 750
[3rd/4th] Yii Terh Kuen - RM 300
[3rd/4th] Dennis Yee - RM 300
[5th-8th] Hang Sheng Kwang - RM 100
[5th-8th] Chong Kin Leong - RM 100
[5th-8th] Gan Zheng Xin - RM 100
[5th-8th] Irwin Leong - RM 100

Top 8 Decklists - [HERE]

Top 8 Single Elimination Rounds

Quarterfinals

Shamsul Bahrin (won) vs Gan Zheng Xin [2-0] [Coverage Report - Coming Soon]

Hang Sheng Kwang vs Yii Terh Kuen (won) [0-2]

Woo Yit Hang (won) vs Chong Kin Leong [2-0]

Irwin Leong vs Dennis Yee (won) [1-2]

Semifinals

Shamsul Bahrin (won) vs Dennis Yee [2-0] [Coverage Report - Coming Soon]

Woo Yit Hang (won) vs Yii Terh Kuen [2-1]

Finals

Shamsul Bahrin (won) vs Woo Yit Hang [conceded]

Top 8 profile pictures and photos below!


5K Competitors




Learn to play here!


[1st] Shamsul Bahrin


[2nd] Woo Yit Hang


[3rd/4th] Yii Terh Kuen


[3rd/4th] Dennis Yee


[5th-8th] Hang Sheng Kwang


[5th-8th] Chong Kin Leong


[5th-8th] Gan Zheng Xin


[5th-8th] Irwin Leong


Quarterfinals - Shamsul Bahrin vs Gan Zheng Xin


Quarterfinals - Chong Kin Leong vs Woo Yit Hang


Quarterfinals - Irwin Leong vs Dennis Yee


Quarterfinals - Hang Sheng Kwang vs Yii Terh Kuen


Read more!