Singapore Nationals 2017
14th - 15th Oct
Suntec Convention Centre, Summit Room 2
It was truly an exciting weekend. For the first time since 2011, the Nationals have returned to the world, split up among 3 weekends across the globe! Singapore was in the third and final batch, and only our batch had the vastly different metagame created by the inclusion of Ixalan (the previous 2 Nationals weekends were before the XLN release). 185 determined players joined us at Suntec Convention Centre to battle it out for the 2 finalist spots, which also would be the 2 spots crowning the members of Team Singapore. Alongside the captain of Team Singapore, Platinum Pro Kelvin Chew, freshly returned from Worlds, these 3 members will represent the country to compete for glory in the World Magic Cup in Nice, France in December!
Many took the new XLN Standard metagame to heart, and took inspiration from the 3 strong decks represented at the highest level at Worlds. The “Big Three” of Ramunap Red, Temur Energy and UB Scarab God control were all well-represented in large amounts. Some players had decided that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and were playing the lists of the pros, card for card. Others made their own innovations to the sideboards and main decks to varying degrees, mostly to try and capitalise on good old Singaporean kiasu-ism.
Some players tried to one-up the competition by taking inspiration from elsewhere. After all, Worlds is an incredibly focused and small metagame of professional Magic players all trying to mind-read each other. BW and Abzan tokens turned up in surprising numbers, to the absolute dismay of the Ramunap Red pilots. UW Approach returned for the 2nd time (heh) in force, trying to beckon the Second Sun into the wonderfully air-conditioned building. Even Mardu Vehicles returned to the tables, albeit in an incredibly different form than its counterpart from different seasons. We even had players who decided that the coast was clear for everyone’s favourite dinosaur, the implacable death lizard Carnage Tyrant, since it was not played at all in Worlds. These players tried to sneakily insert Carnage Tyrant into every build under the (2nd) sun that could reasonably support it, turning up in Bant Approach Ramp, Temur Energy, and the odd Gruul-saurus deck.
After the two days of cutthroat competition, we finally arrived at our Top 8. And among these valiant 8, 6 walked away with sweet sweet cash, and our 2 finalists who won an air ticket to France and the indisputable title of Team Singapore members were Lim Zhongyi and David Lim! Many many congratulations to both of them, and we wish them well at WMC! Singapore represent!!
And now for the Standard decklists:
Temur Energy piloted by Lim Zhong Yi
1st Place
Main Deck
4x Servant of the Conduit
4x Longtusk Cub
4x Rogue Refiner
4x Whirler Virtuoso
3x Bristling Hydra
3x Glorybringer
1x Carnage Tyrant
4x Attune with Aether
4x Harnessed Lightning
1x Abrade
2x Magma Spray
2x Essence Scatter
2x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
4x Forest
1x Island
2x Mountain
4x Botanical Sanctum
4x Aether Hub
3x Rootbound Crag
3x Spirebluff Canal
1x Sheltered Thicket
Sideboard
2x Chandra’s Defeat
1x Abrade
1x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
1x Carnage Tyrant
1x Aethersphere Harvester
1x Confiscation Coup
2x River’s Rebuke
1x Spell Pierce
1x Jace’s Defeat
3x Negate
1x Slice in Twain
Ramunap Red piloted by David Lim
2nd place
Main Deck
4x Soul-Scar Mage
4x Bomat Courier
4x Earthshaker Khenra
2x Pia Nalaar
2x Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
4x Ahn-Crop Crasher
3x Hazoret the Fervent
2x Glorybringer
4x Lightning Strike
4x Shock
1x Magma Spray
2x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
15x Mountain
4x Ramunap Ruins
4x Sunscorched Desert
1x Scavenger Grounds
Sideboard
2x Chandra’s Defeat
1x Magma Spray
2x Abrade
1x Aethersphere Harvester
3x Rampaging Ferocidon
1x Sweltering Suns
1x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
1x Vance’s Blasting Cannons//Spitfire Bastion
1x Hazoret the Fervent
1x Glorybringer
1x Scavenger Grounds
Ramunap Red piloted by Khoo Aik Seng
3rd Place
Main Deck
4x Hazoret the Fervent
3x Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
4x Bomat Courier
4x Soul-Scar Mage
4x Earthshaker Khenra
2x Harsh Mentor
4x Ahn-Crop Crasher
4x Shock
3x Abrade
4x Lightning Strike
15x Mountain
4x Ramunap Ruins
4x Sunscorched Desert
1x Scavenger Grounds
Sideboard
3x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
3x Aethersphere Harvester
2x Glorybringer
3x Rampaging Ferocidon
2x Pia Nalaar
2x Chandra’s Defeat
Abzan Tokens piloted by Nicholas Tang
4th place
Main Deck
4x Anointer Priest
2x Sacred Cat
4x Fumigate
4x Fatal Push
1x Start//Finish
4x Hidden Stockpile
4x Anointed Procession
4x Cast Out
4x Legion’s Landing//Adanto, the First Fort
2x Vraska, Relic Seeker
4x Renegade Map
4x Evolving Wilds
4x Concealed Courtyard
4x Shefet Dunes
1x Field of Ruin
5x Plains
4x Swamp
1x Forest
Sideboard
3x Crested Sunmare
2x Angel of Sanctions
4x Duress
2x Arguel’s Blood Fast//Temple of Aclazotz
2x Sacred Cat
1x Essence Extraction
1x Vraska, Relic Seeker
Sultai Energy piloted by Liu Zuoren
Top 8
Main Deck
4x Glint-Sleeve Siphoner
4x Gifted Aetherborn
2x Deathgorge Scavenger
4x Rogue Refiner
2x Gonti, Lord of Luxury
2x Hostage Taker
2x The Scarab God
1x Demon of Dark Schemes
2x Harsh Scrutiny
4x Fatal Push
2x Walk the Plank
2x Doomfall
2x Vraska’s Contempt
1x Liliana, Death’s Majesty
1x Vraska, Relic Seeker
4x Aether Hub
4x Blooming Marsh
3x Botanical Sanctum
4x Drowned Catacomb
4x Fetid Pools
4x Swamp
1x Island
1x Forest
Sideboard
3x Duress
3x Negate
2x Appetite for the Unnatural
2x Never//Return
1x Vraska’s Contempt
1x Arguel’s Blood Fast//Temple of Aclazotz
1x Noxious Gearhulk
1x Demon of Dark Schemes
1x Vraska, Relic Seeker
Temur Energy piloted by Link Lee
Top 8
Main Deck
4x Longtusk Cub
4x Servant of the Conduit
4x Whirler Virtuoso
4x Rogue Refiner
4x Bristling Hydra
3x Glorybringer
4x Attune with Aether
2x Magma Spray
4x Harnessed Lightning
1x Abrade
2x Essence Scatter
1x Commit//Memory
1x Confiscation Coup
1x Island
2x Mountain
4x Forest
4x Botanical Sanctum
3x Spirebluff Canal
4x Aether Hub
4x Rootbound Crag
Sideboard
2x Appetite for the Unnatural
1x Confiscation Coup
1x Supreme Will
1x Chandra’s Defeat
1x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2x Cartouche of Knowledge
1x Spell Pierce
4x Negate
1x Aethersphere Harvester
1x Abrade
Ramunap Red piloted by Leong Dingyuan
Top 8
Main Deck
4x Bomat Courier
4x Soul-Scar Mage
4x Earthshaker Khenra
3x Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
2x Harsh Mentor
4x Ahn-Crop Crasher
1x Pia Nalaar
4x Hazoret the Fervent
4x Shock
4x Lightning Strike
2x Abrade
4x Ramunap Ruins
4x Sunscorched Desert
1x Scavenger Grounds
15x Mountain
Sideboard
2x Glorybringer
2x Pia Nalaar
4x Rampaging Ferocidon
2x Chandra’s Defeat
2x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
3x Aethersphere Harvester
UW Approach piloted by Yang Zhijian
Top 8
Main Deck
4x Approach of the Second Sun
4x Glimmer of Genius
4x Opt
3x Censor
3x Fumigate
3x Supreme Will
2x Settle the Wreckage
2x Essence Scatter
1x Hieroglyphic Illumination
4x Cast Out
2x Search for Azcanta//Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin
1x Aether Meltdown
2x Gideon of the Trials
4x Glacial Foretress
4x Irrigated Farmland
3x Ipnu Rivulet
1x Scavenger Grounds
1x Field of Ruin
4x Island
8x Plains
Sideboard
4x Authority of the Consuls
4x Regal Caracal
2x Torrential Gearhulk
2x Negate
1x Jace’s Defeat
1x Vizier of Many Faces
1x Wakening Sun’s Avatar
