Welcome to another weekly Showdown Recap, where we take a look at what happened at Face to Face Games Toronto’s weekly Sunday Showdown, a series of 1k events feeding into the Ultimate Showdown 5k Invitational. This week, players battled in Standard to get prepared for next weekend’s Canadian National Championship.

The Top 8 of this event looked strangely similar to another big event that happened over the weekend, of exactly equal importance—the World Magic Championship. Yep, Temur Energy, U/B Control and Hazoret Red made up almost the entirety of the Top 8 with Temur both taking down the event and dominating the elimination decklists.

As you might expect with Nats so close, this event was a star-studded affair. Platinum Pro Paul Dean made Top 8 with an extremely “ran-the-numbers” Temur Energy deck while Daniel Fournier also Top 8’d with his own Temur pile of four-ofs. Eric Li was able to take down the event with the U/B Control deck that gained popularity at the World Championship this weekend. Holding it down for the aggressive mages was Face to Face Games Toronto staple Patrick Gaudio who also did well with his usual pile of basic Mountains.

We’ve certainly landed in a healthy Standard format leading into Nats. You have a control, midrange and aggro option among top tier decks and finding the best way to strategize within that cycle is going to pay someone off big-time next weekend. Is it going to be Temur, Red or Control that takes it down next week? Is there another brew out there? Join us Saturday at the International Centre to find out.

With his win this weekend Eric qualifies himself for the next Face to Face Games Ultimate Showdown and the rest of the Top 8 have started their march toward the top of the Showdown leaderboard. As mentioned, next weekend is Nats so there’ll be no in-store Showdown. But, if the main event doesn’t go well for you don’t forget your Brainstorms and come play our Legacy Sunday Showdown on-site!

First Place, Eric Li, U/B Control

[Deck]
[Creatures]
2 The Scarab God
3 Torrential Gearhulk
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Censor
4 Disallow
2 Essence Extraction
4 Essence Scatter
4 Fatal Push
1 Glimmer of Genius
4 Hieroglyphic Illumination
3 Vraskas Contempt
3 Search for Azcanta
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Drowned Catacomb
4 Evolving Wilds
4 Fetid Pools
3 Field of Ruin
6 Island
5 Swamp
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Arguels Blood Fast
4 Duress
1 Essence Scatter
3 Gifted Aetherborn
2 Gonti, Lord of Luxury
2 Hostage Taker
2 Negate
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Second Place, Gokulan Balakrishnan, Sultai Energy

[Deck]
[Creatures]
3 Glint-Sleeve Siphoner
4 Hostage Taker
4 Longtusk Cub
2 Rishkar, Peema Renegade
3 Rogue Refiner
1 The Scarab God
4 Walking Ballista
4 Winding Constrictor
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Attune with Aether
3 Blossoming Defense
4 Fatal Push
3 Vraskas Contempt
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Aether Hub
4 Blooming Marsh
4 Botanical Sanctum
3 Fetid Pools
4 Forest
1 Island
2 Swamp
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Aethersphere Harvester
2 Bristling Hydra
2 Deathgorge Scavenger
2 Doomfall
2 Duress
1 Lost Legacy
2 Negate
1 The Scarab God
1 Vraskas Contempt
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Third Place, Elliott Tzaneteas, Hazoret Red

[Deck]
[Creatures]
4 Ahn-Crop Crasher
4 Bomat Courier
4 Earthshaker Khenra
4 Hazoret the Fervent
3 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
4 Soul-Scar Mage
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
3 Abrade
4 Lightning Strike
4 Shock
[/Spells]
[Lands]
15 Mountain
4 Ramunap Ruins
1 Scavenger Grounds
4 Sunscorched Desert
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Abrade
2 Aethersphere Harvester
3 Chandras Defeat
3 Glorybringer
2 Harsh Mentor
2 Pia Nalaar
1 Rampaging Ferocidon
1 Vances Blasting Cannons
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Fourth Place, Adrien Foucal, Temur Black

[Deck]
[Creatures]
3 Bristling Hydra
4 Glorybringer
4 Longtusk Cub
4 Rogue Refiner
4 Servant of the Conduit
1 The Scarab God
3 Whirler Virtuoso
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Abrade
1 Essence Scatter
4 Harnessed Lightning
2 Magma Spray
4 Attune with Aether
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Aether Hub
4 Botanical Sanctum
4 Forest
1 Island
2 Mountain
2 Rootbound Crag
2 Sheltered Thicket
2 Spirebluff Canal
1 Swamp
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Cartouche of Ambition
3 Chandras Defeat
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Confiscation Coup
4 Negate
1 Nissa, Vital Force
1 Rivers Rebuke
2 Spell Pierce
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Fifth Place, Daniel Fournier, Temur Energy

[Deck]
[Creatures]
4 Bristling Hydra
4 Glorybringer
4 Longtusk Cub
4 Rogue Refiner
4 Servant of the Conduit
4 Whirler Virtuoso
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Attune with Aether
3 Abrade
1 Essence Scatter
4 Harnessed Lightning
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Aether Hub
4 Botanical Sanctum
4 Forest
1 Island
2 Mountain
2 Rootbound Crag
2 Sheltered Thicket
3 Spirebluff Canal
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Aethersphere Harvester
2 Chandras Defeat
2 Essence Scatter
3 Negate
2 Nissa, Vital Force
2 Spell Pierce
1 Struggle // Survive
1 Vizier of Many Faces
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Sixth Place, Paul Dean, Temur Energy

[Deck]
[Creatures]
3 Bristling Hydra
4 Glorybringer
4 Longtusk Cub
4 Rogue Refiner
4 Servant of the Conduit
4 Whirler Virtuoso
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Attune with Aether
1 Confiscation Coup
1 Abrade
2 Essence Scatter
4 Harnessed Lightning
2 Magma Spray
1 Struggle // Survive
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Aether Hub
4 Botanical Sanctum
4 Forest
1 Island
2 Mountain
4 Rootbound Crag
3 Spirebluff Canal
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Abrade
1 Aethersphere Harvester
2 Appetite for the Unnatural
1 Chandras Defeat
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
1 Glimmer of Genius
4 Negate
1 Struggle // Survive
1 Supreme Will
2 Torrential Gearhulk
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Seventh Place, Ben Mancuso, Temur Myriarch

[Deck]
[Creatures]
4 Bristling Hydra
3 Majestic Myriarch
4 Rogue Refiner
4 Servant of the Conduit
4 Whirler Virtuoso
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
1 Nissa, Steward of Elements
1 Nissa, Vital Force
2 Samut, the Tested
4 Abrade
1 Harnessed Lightning
4 Magma Spray
4 Attune with Aether
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Aether Hub
4 Botanical Sanctum
4 Forest
4 Island
3 Mountain
4 Rootbound Crag
1 Sheltered Thicket
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
4 Blossoming Defense
2 Disallow
2 Negate
1 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
1 Sorcerous Spyglass
3 Spell Pierce
2 Supreme Will
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Eighth Place, Patrick Gaudio, Hazoret Red

[Deck]
[Creatures]
4 Ahn-Crop Crasher
4 Bomat Courier
4 Earthshaker Khenra
4 Hazoret the Fervent
4 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
4 Lathnu Hellion
4 Rigging Runner
4 Soul-Scar Mage
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Lightning Strike
4 Shock
[/Spells]
[Lands]
12 Mountain
4 Ramunap Ruins
4 Sunscorched Desert
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
4 Abrade
4 Harsh Mentor
4 Kari Zevs Expertise
3 Magma Spray
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]