"Fate Reforged Pre-Release: Reforging Ones Fate"

"Fate Reforged PR: Reforging Ones Fate"

by:

Virgilio F. De leon Jr. 

I love playing in a Magic Pre-Release event. After the rather one sided defeats I suffered in the latest GP Manila I was looking forward to an environment where I could relax , have fun and the 1st Midnight PR in Gmasters did not disappoint. Aside from playing a very even playing field I was also happy to be a part of Gmasters History. 

Now on to the PR , Did I have fun because I got a Ugin planeswalker? Nope sadly Ugin was not able to come to my aid that day. I did get a Windswept Heath in the lone Khans of Tarkir pack in the PR kit and a whole slew of creatures that I considered bombs. I was looking at all the possibilities before me and I was happy that this time around there were so many choices for me to go with. There were certain PR event in Ravnica which simply limited my deck building but this one was wide open and I had to make a decision in which path to take. Talking about Reforging Ones Fate right? So yeah I was happy because after GP I can again open a pack , feel excited with the new cards and feel excited about competing again.

I ended up playing Jeskai Colors with a mix of Manifest and Bolster. The colors was so I could play Shu Yun , Dragonscale General and the 2 Shockmaw Dragons that I got...oh and the 3 Collateral Damage. Still even with this mix I could have gone with the White/Green Selesnya colors. Bolster and Landfetch/Bolster plus some strong removal in White and Green was pushing me to go Selesnya. I simply could not decide and with barely enough time ended up with the 50 card deck that I wanted.

The first match was an exciting one for me because I felt like I was in my element again , playing a match with an opponent who neither appeared hostile or too friendly. We were simply mages slinging spells and when we were tied a game apiece , the final turn where I would be attacking with a Shockmaw Dragon and Bolster creatures to end the round , I was blindsided with a Friendly Fire! I had a Treasure Cruise , a Land and Shockmaw Dragon in my hand...I was down to 6 life and I had my opponent randomly choose a card...the 6 mana on my dragon did me in. I simply could not help but smile and shake my head. Close matches , this was what it was all about. Pulling a win out of thin air  , with cards that surprised you with their interesting interactions.

Fate Reforged cards would simply have a lot of high mana costing cards like the Dragons and Friendly Fire was an ideal foil to most players plans with Dragons , my opponents took note of that and put in 2 of these. Though I lost despite having a dominant board position I was in high spirits , it was a thrilling win to pull off.

My 3rd match was up against my very own Uncle , the kind of cool uncle who introduces you to magic and comes back after a long absence to whoop your ass in a PR game. This was the first time we would ever face in any tournament and I had come to realize that people dont really forget about the game after being out for a long time. It just builds up a certain blood lust in you and you have to play again. Also it would help if you had 2 Silumgar , the Drifting Death in your deck. The fight with my Uncle Gabay Forlales was my most lop-sided of the night but I had fun in that too because hey this was the guy who taught me a lot about Magic and made me want to be a Reanimator and he was playing again. Who could be disappointed getting beaten with 3/7 Hexproof dragon right? It was good as money in the bank. How do you deal with a dragon who not only can fly but also wont be affected by any of your spells,

Of course the night also resulted in wins and those wins were mostly via the Dragonscale General , Manifest creatures and the awesome Sandsteppe Outcast who was always a 2 for 1 creature. I love the guy so much he is in with my Selesnya Tiny Leader deck with Seller of Songbirds. My two wins came via the bolster that my singleton Dragonscale General always gave me. I would attack with 2 creatures and then cast him on my 2nd main phase , because there are 2 tapped creatures I would look at the one with least toughness and add a +2/+2 counter on it. It got even worse when I started attacking with the Dragonscale Genereal himself because now there were be a creature who would benefit from a +3/+3 counter. 

I am seriously looking at Manifest and Bolster cards to try out when once I get my hands on some Fate Reforged boosters. There is simply so much more to play with in Standard , EDH , Tiny Leaders and Standard Pauper. Time to brew some more awesome decks. And this time around I will be Reforging my own Fate.