Welcome back to the RCQ Recap series! It’s October, and we’re deep into the midsts of Standard Season. Montreal players had a slightly shorter but no less fierce competition than their compatriots in Toronto this week, with 14 players battling it out through five rounds of Standard for one of four invites to the Round 2 Regional Championship in Vancouver.
Since their event featured a cut to Top 4, the remaining players battled it out for glory rather than the invite – and gloriously did Clément Harvey emerge on his particular variant of Mono-Green Landfall, beating out a surprising, off-meta Mono-White Control list from Marc-Antoine Boucher. While we were unable to grab any remarks from Mr. Harvey at this time, we did get some answers from another Top 4 player.
Player Profile: Walid Jabri
Favorite Color: Red
Favorite Set: Kaldheim
Favorite Plane: Lorwyn
Q: Why did you play this deck today?
A: I love how unassuming Elusive Otter is as a card. Before my opponent even realizes, it’s swinging for lethal and none of their blockers can do anything about it.
Q: What was the most difficult match you played today?
A: Mono White Control. They play so much interaction and so many board wipes, so it becomes really important to pick your spots. My opponent was also playing Authority of the Consuls post-board, which counters my deck’s biggest strength against control (haste).
Q: Which game today was your favorite to play?
A: My Round 1 opponent was playing Boros Dwarves. It’s such a cool deck and it was fun to see who could create the largest attacking creature the fastest.
Q: What event are you most looking forward to playing next?
A: I’m looking forward to competing at the Vancouver RC in February. It’s going to be a completely new Standard format and I’m excited to see what new decks emerge from the tournament.
The above answers have been edited for length and clarity
Top 8 Decklists
Mono-Green Landfall – Clément Harvey (1st)
Mono-White Control – Marc-Antoine Boucher (2nd)
Izzet Prowess – Walid Jabri (3rd)
4c Control – Alexandre Leikam (4th)
Creatures (1)
Artifacts (4)
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.