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 Team Trios, so we saw the full spectrum of decklists in action.

As I’ve said before, Team Magic is just the best way to play the game. Sunday was a packed event at Face to Face Games Toronto, and with a highly-interactive Standard format, a fresh Modern format and a unique local Legacy metagame the event was awesome to be a part of.

Jeff Swaluk, Simon Tubello and Andrew Gordon were able to take down the whole event with solid decks in all three formats. Gordon in particular, brought a spicy Elves deck with sideboard Blood Moons. Simon told me that he didn’t drop a match on Jeskai and Swaluk was the model of consistency as usual on Grixis. This team definitely would have been one of my favourites before the event, and they did not disappoint.

Looking at the Top 4, across all formats it’s almost comical how typical the decks are for an event like this. Aside from Philip Wong’s fun and interactive Blood Moon strategy, I’m not surprised by any of the results.

Michael Chan has been praying on Dlever decks — and also prayed on me at this event — with his Dead Guy Ale deck for months and this was no exception. Reuben Musselman also looks like he did well to tune his Grixis Delver deck for the room, as maindeck Grim Lavamancer sure would have been gas on Sunday.

The last thing I want to point out is whatever Matt Foster did to get Bloodbraid Elf into that Elves deck in Modern. That’s some serious brewing, and the deck looks sweet!

With their win on Sunday Andrew, Jeff and Simon qualify themselves for the next Face to Face Games Ultimate Showdown. Next week we have a Masters 25 release Showdown. Come on out and play some high-powered Sealed Magic and open up some value!

First Place, Swaluk, Tubello and Gordon

Standard, Jeff Swaluk- Grixis Energy

[Deck]
[Creatures]
4 Glint-Sleeve Siphoner
4 Whirler Virtuoso
3 The Scarab God
2 Torrential Gearhulk
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
1 Search for Azcanta
2 Glimmer of Genius
2 Fatal Push
4 Harnessed Lightning
4 Vraskas Contempt
3 Doomfall
2 Magma Spray
3 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Aether Hub
3 Canyon Slough
4 Dragonskull Summit
4 Drowned Catacombs
3 Fetid Pools
1 Island
2 Mountain
2 Swamp
3 Spirebluff Canal
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
3 Negate
3 Duress
1 Search for Azcanta
1 Arguels Blood Fast
1 Jace’s Defeat
2 Abrade
1 Chandras Defeat
2 Confiscation Coup
1 Essence Scatter
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Modern, Simon Tubello- Jeskai Control

[Deck]
[Creatures]
4 Snapcaster Mage
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Path to Exile
2 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
3 Supreme Verdict
2 Cryptic Command
2 Mana Leak
2 Logic Knot
1 Negate
3 Electrolyze
1 Spell Snare
2 Opt
3 Jace, the Mindsculptor
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Search for Azcanta
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Celestial Colonnade
4 Flooded Strand
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Steam Vents
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
3 Island
2 Sulfur Falls
1 Plains
1 Field of Ruin
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Dispel
1 Celestial Purge
3 Geist of Saint Traft
1 Izzet Staticaster
1 Ceremonious Rejection
2 Stony Silence
1 Negate
1 Wear // Tear
1 Elspeth, Suns Champion
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Assemble the Legion
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Legacy, Andrew Gordon- Elves

[Deck]
[Creatures]
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Wirewood Symbiote
4 Quirian Ranger
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Heritage Druid
4 Nettle Sentinel
1 Birchlore Rangers
1 Reclamation Sage
2 Craterhoof Behemoth
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
1 Crop Rotation
2 Natural Order
1 Nissa, Vital Force
4 Glimpse of Nature
4 Green Suns Zenith
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Gaeas Cradle
4 Wooded Foothills
3 Windswept Heath
1 Verdant Catacombs
2 Forest
2 Bayou
1 Pendalhaven
2 Dryad Arbor
1 Taiga
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Karakas
3 Abrupt Decay
3 Thoughtseize
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Cabal Therapy
1 Nissa, Vital Force
1 Scavenging Ooze
2 Blood Moon
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Second Place, Fekete, Foster and Goodman

Standard, Kris Fekete- Mardu Vehicles

[Deck]
[Creatures]
4 Bomat Courier
4 Toolcraft Exemplar
4 Veteran Motorist
4 Scrapheap Scrounger
1 Pia Nalaar
1 Ammit Eternal
3 Hazoret the Fervent
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Heart of Kiran
4 Lightning Strike
4 Unlicensed Disintegration
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
1 Shock
[/Spells]
[Lands]
2 Dragonskull Summit
1 Canyon Slough
4 Inspiring Vantage
4 Concealed Courtyard
4 Spire of Industry
2 Aether Hub
1 Shefnet Dunes
3 Plains
3 Mountain
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Angrath, the Flame-Chained
2 Glorybringer
2 Rekindling Phoenix
2 Cast Out
2 Aethersphere Harvester
2 Abrade
2 Magma Spray
2 Duress
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Modern, Matt Foster- Elves

[Deck]
[Creatures]
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Heritage Druid
4 Elvish Mystic
3 Boreal Druid
1 Fauna Shaman
4 Dwynens Elite
1 Beastcaller Savant
4 Shaman of the Pack
4 Elvish Archdruid
1 Elvish Champion
3 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
4 Bloodbraid Elf
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Collected Company
1 Lead the Stampede
[/Spells]
[Lands]
2 Horizon Canopy
1 Forest
1 Pendelhaven
4 Copperline Gorge
3 Guilt-Leaf Palace
3 cavern of Souls
4 Unclaimed Territory
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Gut Shot
3 Reclamation Sage
1 Lifecrafters Bestiary
2 Scavenging Ooze
1 Chameleon Colossus
1 Choke
1 Relic of Progenitus
2 Essence Warden
1 Dismember
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Legacy, Ryan Goodman- Grixis Delver

[Deck]
[Creatures]
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Deathrite Shaman
2 Gurmag Angler
2 True-Name Nemisis
3 Young Pyromancer
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Brainstorm
4 Daze
4 Force of Will
2 Spell Pierce
1 Kolaghans Command
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Ponder
[/Spells]
[Lands]
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
4 Wasteland
3 Volcanic Island
2 Underground Sea
1 Tropical Island
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Izzet Staticaster
1 Diabolic Edict
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Abrade
2 Pyroblast
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Hydroblast
1 Flusterstorm
3 Cabal Therapy
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Pithing Needle
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Third Place, Hawton, Strnad and Musselman

Standard, Matthew Hawton- Grixis Energy

[Deck]
[Creatures]
1 Torrential Gearhulk
4 Glint-Sleeve Siphoner
1 Gonti, Lord of Luxury
4 The Scarab God
4 Whirler Virtuoso
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
1 Commit // Memory
1 Confiscation Coup
2 Essence Scatter
4 Vraskas Contempt
1 Abrade
3 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
4 Harnessed Lightning
3 Magma Spray
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Drowned Catacombs
4 Ather Hub
4 Canyon Slough
3 Fetid Pools
1 Island
2 Mountain
3 Spirebluff Canal
1 Swamp
4 Dragonskull Summit
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Torrential Gearhulk
1 Abrade
1 Arguels Bloodfast
1 Chandras Defeat
1 Commit // Memory
2 Doomfall
2 Duress
1 Magma Spray
3 Negate
1 Nicol Bolas, God-Pharoah
1 Spell Pierce
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Modern, Brandon Strnad- Jund

[Deck]
[Creatures]
4 Dark Confidant
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Scavenging Ooze
4 Bloodbraid Elf
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Liliana of the Veil
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
3 Thoughtseize
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Maelstrom Pulse
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Kolaghans Command
1 Abrupt Decay
3 Terminate
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
1 Blooming Marsh
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Bloodstained Mire
1 Wooded Foothills
2 Overgrown Tomb
1 Blood Crypt
1 Stomping Ground
1 Forest
2 Swamp
3 Raging Ravine
1 Treetop Village
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
4 Fulminator Mage
1 Duress
2 Collective Brutality
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Grafdiggers Cage
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Jund Charm
1 Bontus Last Reckoning
1 Tireless Tracker
1 Kitchen Finks
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Legacy, Reuben Musselman- Grixis Delver

[Deck]
[Creatures]
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Young Pyromancer
2 True-Name Nemesis
1 Vendillion Clique
1 Grim Lavamancer
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Forked Bolt
4 Daze
4 Force of Will
1 Diabolic Edict
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Scalding Tarn
4 Polluted Delta
2 Underground Sea
1 Badlands
2 Volcanic Island
1 Tropical Island
4 Wasteland
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Flusterstorm
2 Pyroblast
1 Life from the Loam
1 Pithing Needle
3 Surgical Extraction
1 Forked Bolt
2 Marsh Casualties
2 Cabal Therapy
2 Abrade
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Fourth Place, Balakrishan, Wong and Chan

Standard, Gokulan Balakrishan- G/R Aggro

[Deck]
[Creatures]
4 Bomat Courier
4 Ahn-Crop Crasher
3 Fanatical Firebird
3 Resilient Khenra
4 Hazoret The Fervent
1 Glorybringer
4 Earthshaker Khenra
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Shock
3 Abrade
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Rootbound Crag
1 Forest
13 Mountain
4 Sheltered Thicket
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Blossoming Defense
1 Abrade
2 Glorybringer
2 Rekindling Phoenix
1 Kari Zevs Expertise
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
3 Chandras Defeat
2 Carnage Tyrant
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Modern, Philip Wong- Jeskai Control

[Deck]
[Creatures]
4 Simian Spirit Guide
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Nahiri the Harbinger
4 Lightning Helix
3 Wrath of God
3 Anger of the Gods
2 Cast Out
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
1 Journey to Nowhere
1 Emrakul, Aeons Torn
2 Gideon of the Trials
2 Gideon Jura
4 Leyline of Sanctity
4 Blood Moon
[/Spells]
[Lands]
9 Plains
3 Sacred Foundry
1 Mountain
4 Temple of Triumph
4 Arid Mesa
2 Rugged Prairie
1 Gemstone Cavern
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Elspeth, Suns Champion
1 Gemstone Cavern
1 Abrade
3 Stony Silence
3 Rest in Peace
1 Dampening Matrix
3 Stone Rain
1 Outpost Siege
1 Wrath of God
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Legacy, Michael Chan- Dead Guy Ale

[Deck]
[Creatures]
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Dark Confidant
3 Stoneforge Mystic
1 Tombstalker
1 Sanctum Prelate
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
1 Cabal Therapy
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Thoughtseize
2 Hymn to Tourach
2 Vindicate
3 Lingering Souls
3 Liliana of the Veil
4 Sword to Plowshares
1 Abrupt Decay
1 Engineered Explosives
3 Chrome Mox
1 Batterskull
1 Umezawas Jitte
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Marsh Flats
2 Polluted Delta
1 Bloodstained Mire
3 Scrubland
1 Bayou
2 Swamp
1 Plains
4 Wasteland
1 Karakas
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Humility
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Sanctum Prelate
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Zealous Persecution
1 Collective Brutality
1 Path to Exile
1 Enlightened Tutor
1 Gaddock Teeg
1 Pithing Needle
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]