This past weekend the FacetoFaceGames.com Open Series traveled to Halifax, Nova Scotia and we crowned a champion in Karn versus Karn combat. The Mono-Green Tron mirror. Two decks, 16 Karns between them, and only one champion could emerge.
Gavin Grant lifted the Halifax Open trophy.
Grant triumphed over Travis Benedict — who took down our Moncton Open in August with Tron — in the finals.
Tron has underwent a metamorphosis as of late, as has a lot of the Modern format, after the release of War of the Spark. The addition of [Card]Karn, the Great Creator[/card] has allowed the deck some increased versatility, a combo kill and an alternative angle of attack that has given it even more to do with all of it’s mana.
As always, Tron does a good job of policing the midrange decks of the format, while it struggles to keep up with linear decks like Burn or Infect. If you take a look at our Top 8, these two Tron decks were able to prey on a swath of controlling decks.
Joining Benedict and Grant in the Top 8 was notable east coast Open star Josh Breau playing his bread and butter Azorius Control deck, Alexander Arab who played an awesome Elves deck, Andrew Spicer on Infect, Tyler MacBride who played Bant Spirits, Steven Sarty on Grixis Shadow and Phillippe Leger who played a sweet Bant Control deck featuring [Card]Oko, Thief of Crowns[/Card].
One massive standout to me from the Top 8 is that there were zero copies of [Card]Urza, Lord High Artificer[/Card] in the elimination rounds. This is a pretty big shock given how dominant Urza decks have been in Modern as of late and on the Open Series. That said, Tron decks featuring the [Card]Karn, the Great Creator[/Card] can be pretty punishing to opposing artifact strategies. So maybe Tron is the place to be if you want to dethrone Urza!
As usual when we head to the east coast, the staff from Face to Face Games were blown away by the reception from the community. Both the main event and all the side events were busy all day long! We had players drive in from PEI, Moncton and Fredricton to battle and of course Gavin Grant — a PEI local — was able to lift the trophy. Thanks to everyone who came out and hung out with us on Saturday!
Before I leave you for the week I’d just like to quickly plug all of Face to Face Games’ upcoming WPN qualifier events. Wizards of the Coast has added a new system to their competitive framework to allow players to qualify for the upcoming Player’s Tour at the local level. Below are the dates of our upcoming Open+ events which will qualify the winner for the PT and check out this article to find out how you can qualify at your local Face to Face location as well. This Saturday in Toronto we’ll be sending someone to the Player’s Tour, so don’t miss out on your chance to battle!
Congratulations to our champion Gavin Grant from everyone at Face to Face Games! We’d also like to thank our awesome judge staff who ran a smooth event all day long!
With our tournament series growing every week we’ve added a feedback point of contact to our workflow in order to create the best events possible for you all in the future. If there are any changes you’d like to see from our events email us at: feedback@facetofacegames.com.
The next stop on the series is coming up this weekend on Saturday Nov. 16 when we’ll be traveling to Toronto, ON for a Modern Open+! We’ll also be hosting multiple side events, including a PIONEER event and buying and selling cards all day long. Make sure to pre-register and we’ll see you there!
[Deck Title= First Place, Mono-Green Tron – Gavin Grant]
[Creatures]
2 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
1 Walking Ballista
4 Wurmcoil Engine
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Oblivion Stone
1 All is Dust
2 Relic of Progenitus
4 Expedition Map
4 Chromatic Star
4 Chromatic Sphere
4 Sylvan Scrying
4 Karn Liberated
4 Ancient Stirrings
4 Karn, the Great Creator
2 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Urza’s Tower
4 Urza’s Power Plant
4 Urza’s Mine
3 Forest
1 Blast Zone
1 Sanctum of Ugin
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
3 Thragtusk
2 Warping Wail
1 Heart of Kiran
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Trinisphere
1 Mycosynth Lattice
1 Liquimetal Coating
1 Walking Ballista
3 Nature’s Claim
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]
[Deck Title= Second Place, Mono-Green Tron – Travis Benedict]
[Creatures]
1 Emrakul, the Promised End
3 Thragtusk
3 Wurmcoil Engine
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Ancient stirrings
4 Expedition Map
4 Chromatic Sphere
4 Chromatic Star
1 Relic of Progenitus
4 Sylvan Scrying
1 Warping Wail
2 Dismember
4 Oblivion Stone
4 Karn, the Great Creator
4 Karn Liberated
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Urza’s Mine
4 Urza’s Power Plant
4 Urza’s Tower
3 Forest
1 Sanctum of Ugin
1 Blast Zone
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Mycosynth Lattice
1 Liquimetal Coating
1 Trinisphere
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Walking Ballista
1 Grafdigger’s Cage
3 Nature’s Claim
3 Leyline of Sanctity
3 Veil of Summer
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]
[Deck Title= Third Place, Azorius Control – Josh Breau]
[Creatures]
4 Snapcaster Mage
2 Vendilion Clique
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Narset, Parter of Veils
2 Teferi, Time Raveler
2 Jace, The Mind Sculptor
1 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
1 Detention Sphere
4 Path to Exile
1 Oust
4 Opt
2 Spell Snare
2 Mana Leak
2 Force of Negation
2 Cryptic Command
2 Supreme Verdict
1 Fact or Fiction
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Flooded Strand
1 Polluted Delta
3 Celestial Colonnade
2 Hallowed Fountain
2 Glacial Fortress
1 Mystic Sanctuary
4 Field of Ruin
1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
5 Island
2 Plains
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Celestial Purge
2 Stony Silence
1 Force of Negation
2 Ceremonious Rejection
2 Monastery Mentor
2 Timely Reinforcements
1 Disenchant
1 Ashiok, Dream Render
2 Surgical Extraction
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]
[Deck Title= Fourth Place, Elves – Alexander Arab]
[Creatures]
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Scavenging Ooze
3 Elvish Clancaller
4 Devoted Druid
1 Fauna Shaman
4 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
4 Elvish Archdruid
2 Mirror Entity
2 Vizier of Remedies
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Boreal Druid
4 Elvish Mystic
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Leyline of Abundance
4 Collected Company
1 Once Upon a Time
[/Spells]
[Lands]
1 Nurturing Peatland
4 Forest
2 Temple Garden
4 Wooded Foothills
3 Razorverge Thicket
2 Cavern of Souls
1 Horizon Canopy
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Collector Ouphe
1 Scavenging Ooze
2 Force of Vigor
2 Damping Sphere
2 Kitchen Finks
2 Lead the Stampede
4 Veil of Summer
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]
[Deck Title= Fifth Place, Infect – Andrew Spicer]
[Creatures]
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Blighted Agent
4 Glistener Elf
2 Spellskite
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
1 Become Immense
3 Blossoming Defense
2 Dismember
2 Distortion Strike
3 Groundswell
4 Might of Old Krosa
4 Once Upon a Time
3 Scale Up
4 Vines Of Vastwood
[/Spells]
[Lands]
2 Breeding Pool
1 Dryad Arbor
4 Inkmoth Nexus
4 Misty Rainforest
2 Pendelhaven
2 Snow-Covered Forest
2 Waterlogged Grove
3 Windswept Heath
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Ceremonious Rejection
1 Flux Channeler
2 Kitchen Finks
2 Return to Nature
2 Pithing Needle
2 Spell Pierce
3 Veil of Summer
1 Viridian Corrupter
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]
[Deck Title= Sixth Place, TitanShift – Tyler MacBride]
[Creatures]
4 Sakura Tribe-Elder
2 Courser of Kruphix
1 Obstinate Baloth
4 Primeval Titan
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Summoner’s Pact
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Farseek
4 Explore
4 Search for tomorrow
4 Scapeshift
2 Sweltering Suns
[/Spells]
[Lands]
1 Windswept Heath
1 Prismatic Vista
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Verdant Catacombs
4 Wooded Foothills
1 Field of the Dead
1 Sheltered Thicket
1 Forest
1 Snow-Covered Forest
3 Mountain
3 Snow-Covered Mountain
4 Stomping Ground
2 Cinder Glade
4 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Veil Of Summer
2 Force of Vigor
2 Obstinate Baloth
2 Damping Sphere
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Collector Ouphe
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Beast Within
1 Tireless Tracker
2 Relic of Progenitus
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]
[Deck Title= Seventh Place, Grixis Death’s Shadow – Steven Sarty]
[Creatures]
3 Snapcaster Mage
4 Street Wraith
4 Gurmag Angler
4 Death’s Shadow
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
1 Drown in the Loch
1 The Royal Scions
2 Dismember
4 Fatal Push
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Mishra’s Bauble
4 Stubborn Denial
2 Temur Battle Rage
4 Thought Scour
4 Thoughtseize
[/Spells]
[Lands]
1 Blood Crypt
4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Flooded Strand
1 Island
4 Polluted Delta
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Steam Vents
1 Swamp
1 Verdant Catacombs
2 Watery Grave
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Ceremonious Rejection
2 Collective Brutality
2 Damping Sphere
2 Disdainful Stroke
1 Dreadbore
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Kolaghan’s Command
1 Mystical Dispute
2 Plague Engineer
1 The Royal Scions
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]
[Deck Title= Eighth Place, Bant Control – Phillippe Leger]
[Creatures]
4 Ice-Fang Coatl
3 Snapcaster Mage
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Cryptic Command
3 Force of Negation
2 Mana Leak
3 Opt
4 Path to Exile
2 Spell Snare
2 Supreme Verdict
4 Arcum’s Astrolabe
2 Jace, The Mind Sculptor
3 Oko, Thief of Crowns
1 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
3 Teferi, Time Raveler
[/Spells]
[Lands]
1 Breeding Pool
2 Field of Ruin
3 Flooded Strand
1 Hallowed Fountain
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Prismatic Vista
2 Snow-Covered Forest
5 Snow-Covered Island
1 Snow-Covered Plains
1 Temple Garden
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Celestial Purge
2 Damping Sphere
1 Disdainful Stroke
2 Mystical Dispute
2 Rest in Peace
1 Stony Silence
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
2 Timely Reinforcements
2 Veil of Summer
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]
