You read it in the headline, but I just want to reiterate it here for you to start off this article — Daniel Fournier has finally won a trophy.
Too bad he doesn’t get to keep it!
In what was honestly a painful-to-watch return to form, Fournier correctly predicted that somehow his beloved Jeskai colour trio would be well-positioned in the room and he prevailed against all odds. Fournier put together a nice brew featuring the powerful combination of [Card]Geist of Saint Traft[/Card] and the newly printed [Card]Force of Negation[/Card] which allows his deck to both be simultaneously proactive and reactive in a way that it has never had access to before.
If I’m being honest, there have been very few times in my life I’ve seen Fournier quite as happy as he was playing Jeskai on Sunday.
Fournier was able to edge out Fedor Mirkovic and his Mono-Red Phoenix deck in the finals. This deck has also gained a couple new additions as of late with the reprinting of [Card]Lava Dart[/Card] and the printing of the extremely powerful [Card]Finale of Promise[/Card].
Joining them in the Top 8 was newly minted MCQ champion Andrew Gordon playing Humans, Stephen Kerr with his classic Azorius Control deck, Simon Tubello on Jeskai, Marc Cernele playing Tron, Omar Beldon wielding Izzet Phoenix featuring [Card]Aria of Flame[/Card] and Ryan Sandrin playing Modern’s newest boogeyman — Hogaak Bridgevine.
This new set really has shaken up Modern from where I sit. Obviously something needs to be done about Hogaak, whether that means bans or the format adjusting accordingly. But, on Sunday we saw a lot of new cards have real effects on a highly competitive tournament. From [Card]Giver of Runes[/Card] in the hands of Matthew Dilks and Edgar Magalhaes, to Fournier’s [Card]Force of Negation[/Card] deck to the more subtle adds like [Card]Force of Vigor[/Card] policing artifact decks. There’s a lot to learn about how the format is going to play out going forward and I’m interested to see where the metagame will go from here.
Before I leave you I’d just like to say a quick thanks from everyone here at Face to Face Games Toronto to those that compete in our Showdown Series every year. It’s truly special to have such a great group in the store every weekend making the community we’ve built stronger all the time. We’re truly lucky to have you all!
Congratulations to Fournier once again from everyone at Face to Face Games Toronto. As always if you’re interested in your Ultimate Showdown point total during the upcoming season, you can check it out here. If you’d like to inquire about your point total or report a discrepancy, please email Toronto@facetofacegames.com. This upcoming weekend at Face to Face Games Toronto we’ll be starting the climb towards the next Ultimate Showdown with Legacy. Get those [Card]Brainstorm[/Card] ready, make sure to pre-register and we’ll see you there!
[Deck Title= First Place, Jeskai Geist – Daniel Fournier]
[Creatures]
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Geist of Saint Traft
2 Vendilion Clique
2 Restoration Angel
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Path to Exile
4 Serum Visions
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Mana Leak
3 Lightning Helix
2 Electrolyze
3 Force of Negation
2 Cryptic Command
[/Spells]
[Lands]
3 Celestial Colonnade
4 Flooded Strand
2 Hallowed Fountain
2 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Spirebluff Canal
3 Steam Vents
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Force of Negation
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Lyra Dawnbringer
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Narset, Parter of Veils
2 Rest in Peace
1 Abrade
4 Spreading Seas
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]
[Deck Title= Second Place, Mono-Red Phoenix – Fedor Mirkovic]
[Creatures]
4 Arclight Phoenix
4 Soul-scar Mage
4 Monastery Swiftspear
2 Bedlam Reveler
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Finale of Promise
4 Manamorphose
4 Gut Shot
4 Lava Spike
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Faithless Looting
3 Lava Dart
3 Light up the Stage
[/Spells]
[Lands]
16 Mountain
1 Fiery Islet
1 Sunbaked Canyon
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Flame Slash
2 Shrine of Burning Rage
2 Blood Moon
3 Surgical Extraction
3 Abrade
3 Dragon’s Claw
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]
[Deck Title= Third Place, Hogaak Bridgevine – Ryan Sandrin]
[Creatures]
4 Hogaak, Risen Necropolis
4 Gravecrawler
4 Carrion Feeder
4 Stitcher’s Supplier
4 Insolent Neonate
4 Vengevine
3 Bloodghast
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Bridge From Below
4 Altar of Dementia
1 Lightning Axe
4 Faithless Looting
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Blood Crypt
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
2 Overgrown Tomb
1 Swamp
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Polluted Delta
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Shenanigans
3 Nature’s Claim
1 Assassin’s Trophy
2 Lightning Axe
4 Leyline of the Void
4 Thoughtseize
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]
[Deck Title= Fourth Place, Jeskai Control – Simon Tubello]
[Creatures]
3 Snapcaster Mage
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Path to Exile
2 Lightning Bolt
1 Lightning Helix
2 Supreme Verdict
2 Mana Leak
1 Logic Knot
3 Force of Negation
2 Electrolyze
1 Spell Snare
4 Thought Scour
2 Magmatic Sinkhole
2 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
2 Teferi, Time Raveler
3 Narset, Parter of Veils
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
[/Spells]
[Lands]
3 Celestial Colonnade
4 Flooded Strand
4 Scalding Tarns
2 Steam Vents
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
3 Island
1 Glacial Fortress
1 Plains
1 Mountain
3 Field of Ruin
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Dispel
1 Celestial Purge
1 Vendilion Clique
2 Timely Reinforcements
1 Stony Silence
1 Damping Sphere
3 Surgical Extraction
1 Force of Negation
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Pillage
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]
[Deck Title= Fifth Place, Humans – Andrew Gordon]
[Creatures]
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Champion of the Parish
3 Kitesail Freebooter
4 Reflector Mage
4 Phantasmal Image
4 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
4 Mantis Rider
1 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
4 Thalia’s Lieutenant
4 Meddling Mage
1 Deputy of Detention
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Aether Vial
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Unclaimed Territory
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Ancient Ziggurat
4 Horizon Canopy
1 Island
1 Plains
1 Seachrome Coast
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Auriok Champion
2 Militia Bugler
1 Collector Ouphe
1 Gaddock Teeg
2 Deputy of Detention
3 Dismember
1 Ravenous Trap
3 Damping Sphere
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]
[Deck Title= Sixth Place, Mono-Green Tron – Marc Cernele]
[Creatures]
3 Wurmcoil Engine
2 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
2 Walking Balista
1 World Breaker
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Oblivion Stone
2 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
4 Chromatic Star
4 Chromatic Sphere
4 Ancient Stirrings
4 Sylvan Scrying
4 Expedition Map
4 Karn Liberated
3 Relic of Progenitus
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Urza’s Mine
4 Urza’s Tower
4 Urza’s Power Plant
4 Forest
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Blast Zone
1 Sanctum of Ugin
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
4 Nature’s Claim
2 Warping Wail
3 Thragtusk
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Thought-knot Seer
2 Spatial Contortion
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]
[Deck Title= Seventh Place, Azorius Control – Stephen Kerr]
[Creatures]
4 Snapcaster Mage
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
1 Spell Snare
1 Serum Visions
4 Path to exile
2 Oust
4 Opt
1 Detention Sphere
2 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
2 Jace, the MindSculptor
3 Cryptic Command
2 Supreme Verdict
1 Wrath of God
2 Force of Negation
2 Narset, Parter of Veils
2 Teferi, Time Raveler
1 Logic Knot
1 Mana Leak
[/Spells]
[Lands]
3 Glacial Chasm
1 Prismatic Vista
6 Island
2 Plains
2 Hallowed Fountain
4 Flooded strand
4 Field of Ruin
2 Celestial Colonnade
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Celestial Purge
1 Force of Negation
1 Timely Reinforcements
2 Restoration Angel
4 Rest in Peace
1 Disdainful Stroke
1 Stony Silence
1 Lyra Dawnbringer
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]
[Deck Title= Eighth Place, Izzet Phoenix – Omar Beldon]
[Creatures]
4 Arclight Phoenix
4 Thing in the Ice
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Finale of Promise
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Lava Dart
2 Aria of Flame
2 Magmatic Sinkhole
4 Serum Visions
4 Thought Scour
4 Sleight of Hand
4 Faithless Looting
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Manamorphose
[/Spells]
[Lands]
1 Flooded Strand
2 Polluted Delta
4 Island
1 Mountain
2 Steam Vents
4 Spirebluff Canal
4 Scalding Tarn
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Narset, Parter of Veils
1 Aria of Flame
3 Force of Negation
2 Alpine Moon
2 Spell Pierce
2 Ravenous Trap
2 Anger of the Gods
1 Shenanigans
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]