Matthew Dilks has won his third consecutive Winter Ultimate Showdown title. Yes, this guy is a monster.

Dilks went off the beaten path and played Death & Taxes in Legacy during the first three rounds and then cleaned up the Modern rounds with his bread and butter Amulet Titan deck.

Completed the hat trick, third @F2FToronto Ultimate Showdown Champ.

— Matt Dilks (@MattDilks) December 23, 2019

He defeated fellow SCG Player’s Championship competitor, Amulet Specialist and close friend Edgar Magalhaes in the finals.

Edgar played Jund Food in Standard and Simic Urza in the Modern rounds on the way to the finals. The finals match ended with an incredible come-from-behind victory for Dilks as he was able to rebound from a Mulligan to five, establish three [Card]Field of the Dead[/Card]s and amass and insurmountable advantage that ended in his victory. I was sitting just inches away from this match as game three was taking place and Dilks looked down for the count on about turn three. Little did us spectators know he’d end up turning it around.

The Top 8 of this tournament was truly for the ages. This event started at 11 a.m. and I did not leave the building until the last card was drawn after 11 p.m. in the evening.

I was lucky enough to be involved in the Top 8, playing 74 of the same Simic Urza cards as Edgar made the finals with. We played an hour-and-a-half Urza mirror in the quarterfinals, and then Edgar doubled down and played a two-and-a-half hour Urza mirror against local hero Daniel Fournier in the semis. A few spectators stuck it out even as they got uncomfortable in their seats watching what ended up being a roughly five hour long Top 8.

Playing the @FaceToFaceGames Toronto end of season invitational showdown today. Field includes @EdgarMTG @MattDilks @tirentu @BeldonOmar and @dominharvia. First and second 1000$ cash. You could say my LGS is competitive.

— Keith (@KeithCapstick) December 22, 2019

In all seriousness, as someone who was there to the bitter end, the level of play on display during the elimination rounds of this event was something to behold. It really made me proud to call F2F Toronto my Local Game Store. Not only the play, but the fact that we get this opportunity to battle it out twice a year.

Joining us in the Top 8 was Lucas Worrell playing Burn, yet another master in Dominic Harvey who played an awesome Simic Titan deck, Showdown staple Chris Ha on his beloved foil Jund deck and Brian Ching playing Bant Snow.

As for Modern as a whole, well I’ve got a few words for you: [Card]Oko, Thief of Crowns[/Card]. Of the eight players in the elimination rounds on Sunday, only two resisted the urge to cast the powerful three mana planeswalker. This card is completely taking over every format it’s not banned in, and if you have a Modern event coming up I’d suggest registering whatever Oko deck you like best.

Congratulations once again to Matthew Dilks on his third consecutive Winter Ultimate Showdown title! And a special thank you goes to everyone who attended any of our Showdown events this season from everyone here at Face to Face Games Toronto. Without your support and enthusiasm we wouldn’t be able to put on these events and we appreciate you coming out and building this awesome community.

On Sunday, December 29 we’ll be taking a break from the Showdown series. But don’t worry, just a few days later on New Year’s Day — January 1 — we’ll be hosting a Modern Showdown to kick off the new year in style. Make sure to pre-register and we’ll see you in 2020!

[Deck Title= First Place, Amulet Titan – Matthew Dilks]
[Creatures]
4 Sakura-Tribe Scout
4 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
4 Primeval Titan
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Amulet of Vigor
4 Summoner’s Pact
2 Oko, Thief of Crowns
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Pact of Negation
4 Ancient Stirrings
4 Once Upon a Time
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Simic Growth Chamber
2 Selesnya Sanctuary
1 Gruul Turf
1 Boros Garrison
1 Slayers’ Stronghold
1 Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
1 Gemstone Mine
1 Vesuva
1 Cavern of Souls
2 Forest
1 Snow-Covered Forest
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Radiant Fountain
1 Field of the Dead
3 Breeding Pool
2 Castle Garenbrig
3 Tolaria West
1 Ghost Quarter
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Field of the Dead
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Obstinate Baloth
1 Force of Vigor
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Tireless Tracker
1 Ramunap Excavation
2 Engineered Explosives
3 Dismember
3 Mystical Dispute
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

[Deck Title= Second Place, Sultai Urza – Edgar Magalhaes]
[Creatures]
4 Gilded Goose
4 Urza, Lord High Artificer
4 Emry, Lurker of the Loch
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Mox Opal
4 Mishra’s Bauble
1 Aether Spellbomb
2 Thoughtseize
4 Arcum’s Astrolabe
2 Abrupt Decay
2 Archmage’s Charm
4 Oko, Thief of Crowns
2 Cryptic Command
3 Engineered Explosives
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Polluted Delta
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Flooded Strand
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Breeding Pool
1 Watery Grave
2 Mystic Sanctuary
4 Snow-Covered Island
1 Snow-Covered Forest
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
3 Damping Sphere
2 Veil of Summer
3 Mystical Dispute
2 Disdainful Stroke
2 Fatal Push
2 Assassin’s Trophy
1 Tireless Tracker
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

[Deck Title= Third Place, Bant Urza- Daniel Fournier]
[Creatures]
4 Gilded Goose
4 Emry, Lurker of the Loch
4 Urza, Lord High Artificer
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Mox Opal
4 Mishra’s Bauble
3 Engineered Explosives
4 Arcum’s Astrolabe
4 Oko, Thief of Crowns
2 Metallic Rebuke
4 Archmage’s Charm
3 Cryptic Command
[/Spells]
[Lands]
2 Polluted Delta
4 Flooded Strand
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Breeding Pool
2 Mystic Sanctuary
5 Snow-Covered Island
1 Snow-Covered Forest
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
4 Damping Sphere
3 Path to Exile
2 Timely Reinforcements
2 Teferi, Time Raveler
2 Tireless Tracker
2 Veil of Summer
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

[Deck Title= Fourth Place, Burn – Lucas Worrell]
[Creatures]
4 Goblin Guide
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Lava Spike
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Boros Charm
4 Lightning Helix
4 Searing Blaze
4 Rift Bolt
4 Skewer the Critics
[/Spells]
[Lands]
3 Arid Mesa
1 Bloodstained Mire
2 Fiery Islet
4 Inspiring Vantage
5 Mountain
2 Sacred Foundry
3 Sunbaked Canyon
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
3 Path to Exile
2 Deflecting Palm
3 Kor Firewalker
4 Skullcrack
3 Smash to Smithereens
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

[Deck Title= Fifth Place, Sultai Urza – Keith Capstick]
[Creatures]
4 Urza, Lord High Artificer
4 Gilded Goose
4 Emry, Lurker of the Loch
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Oko, Thief of Crowns
4 Mishra’s Bauble
4 Mox Opal
4 Arcum’s Astrolabe
3 Engineered Explosives
3 Abrupt Decay
2 Archmage’s Charm
2 Cryptic Command
2 Thoughtseize
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Breeding Pool
1 Watery Grave
2 Mystic Sanctuary
4 Snow-Covered Island
1 Snow-Covered Swamp
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
3 Mystical Dispute
3 Damping Sphere
2 Fatal Push
2 Veil of Summer
2 Assassin’s Trophy
2 Disdainful Stroke
1 Tireless Tracker
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

[Deck Title= Sixth Place, Bant Snow – Brian Ching]
[Creatures]
4 Ice-Fang Coatl
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Stoneforge Mystic
4 Spell Queller
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Mana Leak
1 Batterskull
1 Sword of Feast and Famine
3 Oko, Thief of Crowns
2 Teferi, Time Raveler
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Path to Exile
4 Arcum’s Astrolabe
3 Force of Negation
[/Spells]
[Lands]
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Snow-Covered Forest
2 Snow-Covered Plains
2 Snow-Covered Island
2 Waterlogged Groves
2 Field of Ruin
1 Windswept Heath
3 Prismatic Vista
3 Flooded Strand
1 Breeding Pool
1 Temple Garden
1 Hallowed Fountain
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Disdainful Stroke
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Ceremonious Rejection
2 Dampening Sphere
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
2 Mystical Dispute
2 Timely Reinforcements
2 Veil of Summer
2 Rest in Peace
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

[Deck Title= Seventh Place, Jund – Chris Ha]
[Creatures]
2 Dark Confidant
4 Bloodbraid Elf
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Tarmogoyf
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Thoughtseize
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Fatal Push
2 Kologhan’s Command
3 Assassin’s Trophy
3 Wrenn and Six
4 Liliana of the Veil
[/Spells]
[Lands]
1 Mountain
1 Nurturing Peatland
1 Blood Crypt
1 Stomping Ground
2 Raging Ravine
2 Wooded Foothills
1 Baren Moor
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Overgrown Tomb
2 Swamp
1 Forest
2 Bloodstained Mire
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Plague Engineer
2 Collector Ouphe
2 Collective Brutality
1 Tireless Tracker
3 Fulminator Mage
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Ashiok, Dream Render
2 Kitchen Finks
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

[Deck Title= Eighth Place, Simic Ramp – Dominic Harvey]
[Creatures]
4 Arboreal Grazer
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
4 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
4 Primeval Titan
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Once Upon a Time
4 Summoner’s Pact
1 Pact of Negation
4 Oko, Thief of Crowns
1 Explore
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Simic-Growth Chamber
1 Golgari Rot Farm
3 Field of the Dead
4 Castle Garenbrig
3 Cavern of Souls
1 Radiant Fountain
1 Blast Zone
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Tolaria West
2 Breeding Pool
4 Misty Rainforest
2 Forest
1 Snow-Covered Forest
1 Island
1 Snow-Covered Island
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
4 Damping Sphere
3 Mystical Dispute
1 Bojuka Bog
2 Dismember
1 Veil of Summer
1 Obstinate Baloth
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Chameleon Colossus
1 Courser of Kruphix
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]