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The F2F Tour made its exciting stop in St. John’s, where 55 players gathered to compete in the Modern Super Qualifier. The event was a showcase of skill and strategy, with players bringing their best decks to the battlefield. In the end, it was Sean Staples who emerged victorious, piloting his innovative Boros Energy deck to a well-deserved win. Let’s dive into the details of this thrilling event and hear from the champion himself.
Top 8 Finishers:
The competition was fierce, but these players rose to the top with their impressive deck choices:
- Sean Staples – Boros Energy
- Marcel Warr – Bant Nadu
- Arrick Chaulk – Ruby Storm
- Noah Carew – Boros Aggro
- Cameron Hopkins – Bant Nadu
- Lawrence Bouzane – Jeskai Grinding Breach
- Rielly Mitchell – Domain Zoo
- Micheal Warr – Boros Energy
Interview with Sean Staples, Winner of the St. John’s Modern Super Qualifier
KYT: First off, I would love to know a bit about your history with MTG and your relationship with Modern and competitive MTG.
Sean: I’ve been playing Magic on and off for the better part of 20 years, with my first set being Judgment. I really started getting into more competitive Magic in university, pretty close to when Modern first started as a format. My first Modern deck was Merfolk back when they still played Cursecatcher and Silvergill Adept. Happy to see it starting to come back into the meta in 2024!
These days I have a young family, so I don’t have as much time for Magic as I used to, but it’s still my competitive outlet, and I think it’ll always be my favorite game.
Boros Energy – Sean Staples (1st)
Artifacts (4)
Enchantments (4)
KYT: How did you land on your deck, and can you talk about what decks have been popular in St. John’s?
Sean: Boros Energy was one of the new decks from Modern Horizons 3 that looked to have everything I wanted in a Modern deck: a high level of interaction, proactive play patterns, and strong options to grind. It really feels like a 2024 Jund deck.
As for the popular decks in St. John’s, I actually came from Nova Scotia for this event, but a few of my friends in St. John’s were able to gather some meta intel ahead of time. We expected Energy decks (Boros and Jeskai) to be the biggest share, and we knew that since Nadu was public enemy number one, he was bound to show up as well.
KYT: Was there anything unique about your list that you liked or something that overperformed for you personally that you’d love to share with my readers?
Sean: The only really unique thing about my list was the maindeck Harsh Mentor. I knew my Nadu matchup wasn’t great, and I wanted an extra sideboard slot to fit in a second Suncleanser for the mirror. But really, it was just put in the main as more of a fun-of. It ended up coming in clutch as I drew it in game one of the finals against Nadu.
That said, I only had access to three Ocelot Pride at the event, and would have easily played four. The card was insane every time I played it, usually making multiple cat tokens throughout the game, and it was very easy to trigger even without attacking with it.
KYT: Is there anything you’d like to add about your tournament experience?
Sean: Overall, I had a great time playing. I’m glad I made the trip up. My matchups were varied and dynamic; there’s been a lot of discourse online about Nadu and the health of the format, but I feel that besides that one outlier, the format feels great as a whole.
KYT: Thanks a lot for your answers, Sean!
Sean: Anytime! And thanks to Face to Face Games for putting on another successful event.
As we conclude our recap of this event, we’re already looking forward to the next exciting stop on the F2F Tour. Don’t miss the action in Winnipeg on July 20, where we expect even more intense Magic: The Gathering battles and memorable experiences.
For more details on the upcoming event, visit F2F Tour St. John’s.
Kar Yung Tom (KYT) is the Digital Content Manager for Face to Face Games. He oversees the F2FTour.com and Magic F2F websites. He is also the lead host of the First Strike podcast.
