As the FacetoFaceGames.com Open Series travels the country from coast to coast we’ve started to see specific individuals become the stars of their regions. From Josh Breau out east to Kyle Gellert in the prairies, this country has shown us its rising stars with each passing weekend.

This past weekend it was Stephen Kerr who added his name to that list by taking down our Barrie, ON Modern Open with Azorius Control.

Now, if Kerr’s face looks familiar to you I wouldn’t be surprised. Just a few weeks back he lost in the finals of our most recent Toronto Open+ with the same Azorius Control deck.

That’s one trophy and back to back finals appearances with an extremely difficult to navigate deck in a wide open format like Modern. Quite the feat if you ask me.

Unsurprisingly, Kerr registered a very similar list to the one he had success with in Toronto featuring the cheeky maindeck [Card]Surgical Extraction[/Card] that he’s added as a concession to the popularity of Dredge and Izzet Phoenix. Azorius Control is a deck many have advocated for if you’re looking to play fair in this world of graveyard-centric combo decks and Kerr is certainly making a case for its power. One notable addition to Kerr’s list was a sideboard copy of [Card]Cataclysmic Gearhulk[/Card] as a hay-maker to bring in against the quickly surging Whir Prison deck.

Kerr was able to defeat another repeat Top 8 competitor in Ben Lu in the finals who brought the same Amulet Titan deck that he recently Top 8’d another Toronto Open+ with. Lu has really started to make a name for himself in the Toronto Magic scene and seems to be in the elimination rounds every weekend playing an extremely challenging deck.

Rounding out our Top 8 was Jason Qian playing Izzet Phoenix, Andy Liang with Golgari Midrange, Caleb Keung sporting a wild Sultai Midrange deck, two copies of Grixis Death’s Shadow and Thomas Ainsborough playing Humans.

It’s worth nothing that Grixis Death’s Shadow seems to show up in multiples in all of our Ontario Open Top 8s. I think this is one of the decks to beat so make note before you come out to our May 11 London Open.

In addition to all the action in our main event, we had players battling all day long in both Commander Pods and constructed queues. Commander in particular was booming. A total of 11 pods fired over the course of the day.

Congratulations again to our champion Stephen Kerr from everyone at Face to Face Games! Additionally, we’d like to extend our thanks to both our Open Series sponsor — Ultimate Guard — who hooked up everyone in the Top 8 with some awesome swag and to our amazing judge staff! The next stop on the series is coming up in Kelowna, B.C. on April 13 where we’ll be hosting a Modern Open. Make sure to pre-register and we’ll see you out west!

[Deck Title=First Place, Azorius Control – Stephen Kerr]
[Creatures]
3 Snapcaster Mage
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Detention Sphere
2 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
1 Condemn
3 Cryptic Command
1 Gideon of the Trials
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Logic Knot
1 Mana Leak
1 Negate
4 Opt
4 Path to Exile
1 Remand
1 Search for Azcanta
2 Serum Visions
1 Surgical Extraction
4 Terminus
1 Timely Reinforcements
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Celestial Colonnade
4 Field of Ruin
4 Flooded Strand
1 Glacial Fortress
2 Hallowed Fountain
7 Island
2 Plains
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Baneslayer Angel
1 Cataclysmic Gearhulk
2 Celestial Purge
1 Ceremonious Rejection
1 Circle of Protection: Red
1 Disdainful Stroke
2 Dispel
1 Negate
1 Rest in Peace
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Timely Reinforcements
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

[Deck Title=Second Place, Amulet Titan – Ben Lu]
[Creatures]
4 Sakura Tribe-Scout
4 Primeval Titan
4 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
1 Walking Ballista
1 Hornet Queen
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Ancient Stirrings
4 Amulet of Vigor
4 Summoner’s Pact
2 Engineered Explosives
2 Coalition Relic
1 Pact of Negation
1 Primal Command
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Forest
4 Gemstone Mine
4 Selesnya Sanctuary
4 Simic Growth Chamber
3 Tolaria West
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Boros Garrison
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Khalni Garden
1 Slayers’ Stronghold
1 Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
1 Vesuva
1 Kabira Crossroads
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
4 Path to Exile
2 Negate
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Spell Pierce
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Thragtusk
1 Chameleon Colossus
1 Tireless Tracker
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Tragic Arrogance
1 Ramunap Excavator
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

[Deck Title=Third Place, Izzet Phoenix – Jason Qian]
[Creatures]
4 Thing in the Ice
4 Arclight Phoenix
2 Crackling Drake
2 Snapcaster Mage
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Thought Scour
4 Serum Visions
4 Opt
4 Faithless Looting
4 Manamorphose
3 Gut Shot
2 Lightning Axe
1 Izzet Charm
4 Lightning Bolt
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Flooded Strand
4 Island
2 Mountain
2 Steam Vents
4 Spirebluff Canal
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Dispel
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Abrade
3 Surgical Extraction
1 Beacon Bolt
3 Blood Moon
2 Spell Pierce
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

[Deck Title=Fourth Place, Golgari Midrange – Andy Liang]
[Creatures]
4 Dark Confidant
2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
3 Scavenging Ooze
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Tireless Tracker
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Assassin’s Trophy
1 Collective Brutality
4 Fatal Push
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Thoughtseize
4 Liliana of the Veil
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Blooming Marsh
4 Field of Ruin
2 Hissing Quagmire
2 Overgrown Tomb
2 Treetop Village
4 Verdant Catacombs
4 Swamp
2 Forest
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Collective Brutality
1 Damnation
1 Languish
1 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Kitchen Finks
3 Fulminator Mage
1 Damping Sphere
1 Nissa, Vital Force
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

[Deck Title=Fifth Place, Sultai Midrange – Caleb Keung]
[Creatures]
1 Vendilion Clique
4 Snapcaster Mage
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Remand
4 Cryptic Command
1 Spell Snare
4 Fatal Push
4 Assassin’s Trophy
4 Opt
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Search for Azcanta
1 Batterskull
2 Damnation
2 Pulse of Murasa
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Polluted Delta
1 Breeding Pool
1 Watery Grave
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Fetid Pools
3 Creeping Tar Pit
3 Field of Ruin
5 Island
2 Swamp
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Negate
1 Disdainful Stroke
1 Thragtusk
2 Collective Brutality
1 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Hostage Taker
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Unmoored Ego
2 Liliana, the Last Hope
1 Nihil Spellbomb
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

[Deck Title=Sixth Place, Grixis Death’s Shadow – Erik Traikov]
[Creatures]
4 Street Wraith
4 Gurmag Angler
2 Snapcaster Mage
4 Death’s Shadow
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Faithless Looting
3 Fatal Push
4 Thoughtseize
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Sleight of Hand
4 Thought Scour
4 Stubborn Denial
3 Mishra’s Bauble
1 Lightning Bolt
2 Dismember
2 Temur Battle Rage
[/Spells]
[Lands]
2 Scalding Tarn
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Polluted Delta
1 Steam Vents
2 Watery Grave
2 Blood Crypt
1 Island
1 Swamp
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
3 Surgical Extraction
2 Kolaghan’s Command
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
1 Liliana of the Veil
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Disdainful Stroke
2 Ceremonious Rejection
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Engineered Explosives
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

[Deck Title=Seventh Place, Grixis Death’s Shadow – Nolan Mcdonald]
[Creatures]
4 Death’s Shadow
4 Gurmag Angler
4 Street Wraith
2 Snapcaster Mage
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Temur Battle Rage
4 Thought Scour
4 Thoughtseize
2 Dismember
2 Faithless Looting
3 Fatal Push
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Lightning Bolt
3 Mishra’s Bauble
2 Serum Visions
4 Stubborn Denial
[/Spells]
[Lands]
2 Blood Crypt
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Island
1 Swamp
2 Watery Grave
4 Polluted Delta
2 Scalding Tarn
1 Steam Vents
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Anger of the Gods
1 Cast Down
2 Disdainful Stroke
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
1 Lightning Bolt
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
2 Rise//Fall
1 Snapcaster Mage
3 Surgical Extraction
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

[Deck Title=Eighth Place, Humans – Thomas Ainsborough]
[Creatures]
4 Champion of the Parish
4 Noble Hierarch
3 Kitesail Freebooter
4 Meddling Mage
4 Phantasmal Image
4 Thalia’s Lieutenant
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Mantis Rider
2 Tajic, Legion’s Edge
4 Reflector Mage
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Aether Vial
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Ancient Ziggurat
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Horizon Canopy
1 Island
1 Plains
1 Seachrome Coast
4 Unclaimed Territory
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Anafenza the Foremost
1 Kambal, Consul of Allocation
1 Chalice of the Void
2 Dampening Sphere
2 Knight of Autumn
2 Deputy of Detention
4 Auriok Champion
2 Dismember
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]