Welcome back to the RCQ Recap series! For our second set of entries we’re doing two things a little differently. For one, we’re covering both the Toronto and Montreal RCQs from this week, but in separate articles. For another, these RCQs aren’t RCQs at all… they’re LCQs!
September 6th saw 31 players competing at our Toronto store for one of four last-minute invites to the Round 1 Regional Championship in Ottawa. After five rounds of Swiss and a cut to top eight, Daniel Ohashi ended up triumphing with Izzet Prowess!
Due to an unfortunate run in with some gremlins, the fifth-eighth place decklists were irretrievably destroyed. If you made top 8 in this event and remember what your decklist was, please email events@facetofacegames.com.
Player Profile: Daniel Ohashi
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Modern Deck: Izzet Prowess
First Set: Lost Caverns of Ixalan
Q: Why did you play this deck today?
A: To be honest, I decided to play last minute and it was the only deck I had built and ready to go.
Q: What’s your favorite thing about it?
A: That you get to make so many game decisions. DRC surveils, Preordain scries, Bauble into fetch lines, etc. I like the agency that gives the deck.
Q: What was the most difficult match you played today?
A: Either the quarterfinal or semifinal against Esper Goryo’s. They have good answers against Prowess (Solitude, Wrath of the Skies, Fatal Push, etc.) but can also close the door on you very quickly if they use Goryo’s to reanimate Atraxa. I find the matchup very difficult (but fun) to navigate.
Q: Which game today was your favorite to play?
A: I played a mirror match against a friend in round 3, which is always enjoyable. I was able to steal the first game on the draw at when I was at 2 life by dealing 16 damage on turn 3. Those lethal lines where you deal a ton of damage are super fun to figure out.
Q: What event are you most looking forward to playing next?
A: I am taking a bit of a break from paper Magic for a few months so I’m looking forward to (hopefully) playing in basically any big paper event after Regional Championship Ottawa.
The above answers have been edited for length and clarity
Top 4 Decklists
Izzet Prowess – Daniel Ohashi (1st)
Izzet Prowess – Peter Zhang (2nd)
Esper Goryo’s – Stephen Lippitt (3rd)
Planeswalkers (1)
Esper Goryo’s – Christopher Davis (4th)
??? – Connor Lynch (5th)
??? – January Adams (6th)
??? – Will Wang (7th)
??? – Alvaro Alvarenga (8th)
Alex Sowa is a writer, coder and Level 2 Magic Judge. While she runs events of all formats, she mostly plays Commander. You can find her by calling JUDGE… or at one of the links below.