Blue-red Sealed deck, with Blue-black splash red pivot, and some extra flex sideboard cards

Blue-red draft deck, with top sideboarding candidates and the rest of the sideboard

I made it back to the PT via PTQ at MagicCon Chicago! Huge thanks to Sam Black to scooping to me in the finals. I started UR in G1s in Sealed, frequently boarding into UB splash red in grindy situations with no mill threat. Both decks got to do disgusting things with full engines assembled!

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We are sad to announce that we have been told by Wizards that they will no longer support the VML program with either funding or invites to Organized Play events. Without this support - especially the invites - it is impossible for the league to continue, and there will be no more VML seasons going forward. Over the past five years, we’ve radically changed competitive Magic for the better. When we started the program with 26 players back in Season 1, we never thought that we would end up having served hundreds of competitors and with over a thousand people in our community. We have sent cohorts of people to the Set Championships, Regional Championships, and Pro Tour. As a result of our program, representation of people of marginalized genders at the highest levels of play has multiplied from a handful at each event to over twenty who will play at PT Chicago. Several of our team members and players have gone on to be hired to work at Wizards. We are also proud of the change we’ve created in the broader sense. The Magic community is a much more diverse, vibrant, and inclusive place than it was five years ago. The gender balance at in-person events has improved significantly, and the overall image of the game has changed for the better. We don’t claim to have caused all of that, but we are happy knowing our efforts have played a part. We want to thank all the organizations who have worked with us and supported the cause: Good Luck High Five, Lodestone Coffee, NRG, Team Arclight, MTG Melee, BOP!, and the many wonderful creators, personalities, and players who have contributed. To everyone who has been a part of the team here: you have all been brilliant, and without your passion and dedication we would not have made it this far. Every single one of you has gone above and beyond, giving your time and effort generously to the program and you should be extremely proud of yourselves. Finally, to our awesome community: we’re sorry that we couldn’t keep this projec…

We are sad to announce that we have been told by Wizards that they will no longer support us with either funding or invites to Organized Play events.

Without this support - especially the invites - it is impossible for us to continue, and there will be no more VML seasons going forward.

If the Aetherdrift Pro Tour does not have 32 copies of Kendrick's GNX in the top 8 it will be a disappointment

My next event will be the Limited PTQs at MC Chicago. After looking through all the Standard legal cards in Scryfall countless times, the Limited prep will be a nice change of pace. See y'all there and let me know if you find any success with any of these ideas!

3 Mazemind Tome 1 The Irencrag 3 Beza, the Bounding Spring 4 Overlord of the Mistmoors 1 Nowhere to Run 4 Cut Down 2 Sheoldred's Edict 1 Anoint with Affliction 3 Blot Out 1 Outrageous Robbery 4 Concealed Courtyard 4 Caves of Koilos 2 Fountainport 3 Demolition Field 4 Shadowy Backstreet 2 Restless Fortress 5 Plains 2 Swamp 3 Split Up 2 Pest Control 1 Dreams of Steel and Oil 2 Deadly Cover-Up 3 Go for the Throat 4 Duress 1 Authority of the Consuls 1 Rest in Peace 1 Outrageous Robbery 2 Dreams of Steel and Oil 1 Destroy Evil 1 Surge of Salvation 1 Pest Control 2 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse 1 The End

Idea: beat UB, red aggro, and Pixie, board heavily for decks like Domain and Caretakers. Felt solid, but I preferred to be more proactive for the GP. Had an extra Tome and a Sunfall originally. The End would fit the main except for clashing at the 4 mana spot.

4 Flowerfoot Swordmaster 4 Manifold Mouse 4 Emberheart Challenger 4 Heartfire Hero 1 Screaming Nemesis 3 Mabel, Heir to Cragflame 2 Sheltered by Ghosts 2 Shardmage's Rescue 4 Monstrous Rage 4 Burst Lightning 2 Lightning Helix 4 Inspiring Vantage 4 Battlefield Forge 3 Restless Bivouac 3 Rockface Village 4 Mountain 4 Plains 1 Cavern of Souls 2 Cheeky House-Mouse 1 Lost Jitte 2 Urabrask's Forge 2 Screaming Nemesis 1 Devout Decree 4 Destroy Evil 3 Torch the Tower 2 Lithomantic Barrage 1 Scorching Dragonfire

Explored this before others caught on to Mabel and crew. Liked the ability to go wide in the face of spot removal. Lost Jitte experimental.

3 The Enigma Jewel 3 Mazemind Tome 4 Stormchaser's Talent 4 Nowhere to Run 4 This Town Ain't Big Enough 4 Cut Down 2 Go for the Throat 2 Sheoldred's Edict 1 Three Steps Ahead 1 Blot Out 3 Fountainport 2 Demolition Field 4 Darkslick Shores 4 Gloomlake Verge 2 Restless Reef 4 Undercity Sewers 2 Underground River 3 Swamp 2 Island 1 Jace, the Perfected Mind 3 Deadly Cover-Up 1 Get Out 1 The End 1 Get Out 1 Outrageous Robbery 3 Duress 2 Dreams of Steel and Oil 2 Negate 2 Change the Equation 2 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse 1 Malicious Eclipse 1 Ghost Vacuum

Jewel does its Sol Ring approximation with Talent loops. High power ceiling, but it felt difficult to be reactive in the wide meta.

2 Mockingbird 4 Nurturing Pixie 4 Spiteful Hexmage 4 Optimistic Scavenger 3 Floodpits Drowner 4 Fear of Isolation 4 Knight-Errant of Eos 4 Stormchaser's Talent 4 Nowhere to Run 4 This Town Ain't Big Enough 4 Darkslick Shores 4 Concealed Courtyard 4 Seachrome Coast 1 Swamp 4 Adarkar Wastes 3 Underground River 3 Caves of Koilos 1 Tithing Blade 1 Loran of the Third Path 1 Defiled Crypt/Cadaver Lab 1 The Witch's Vanity 2 No More Lies 2 Destroy Evil 1 Cut Down 1 Go for the Throat 3 Kaito, Bane of Nightmares 1 Pest Control 1 Shrouded Shepherd

Looping Hopeless Nightmare is sweet, but looping Knight is even sweeter. Convoke for 2 is good enough. Huge challenge to find the right non/creature balance.

I went deep into Standard for #SpotlightFoundations. Knight Pixie, Enigma Jewel Talent, true Mice, and WB Midrange were decks almost good enough, just needing more polishing and testing. Decks below! 🧵