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The F2F Tour returned to the Maritimes for a two-day Modern Super Qualifier weekend in Halifax, bringing together a deep field of competitive players chasing trophies, RC invites, and strong finishes across both Saturday and Sunday.
With two separate Super Qualifiers running over the weekend, the event showcased the breadth of the Modern format. Golgari Yawgmoth, Izzet Prowess, Amulet Titan, and a wide mix of archetypes all made appearances in the Top 8s, reinforcing just how open the format remains when piloted by experienced players.
By the end of the weekend, two players stood atop the standings. Sebastian Steffe claimed the Saturday Super Qualifier with Golgari Yawgmoth, while Bayley Roy took down Sunday’s event with Izzet Prowess.
Decklists for both winners can be found below.
Golgari Yagmoth – Sebastian Steffe (1st)
Planeswalkers (2)
Artifacts (4)
Enchantments (3)
Izzet Prowess – Bayley Roy (1st)
Saturday Super Qualifier Winner: Sebastian Steffe (Golgari Yawgmoth)
Sebastian Steffe’s victory on Saturday added another major result to an already established competitive resume. A longtime competitor with success across formats, Steffe navigated a demanding Modern field with Golgari Yawgmoth, a deck that rewards tight sequencing, deep format knowledge, and careful planning.
When asked how this win fits into his overall competitive journey, Steffe reflected on both the result and the process that led to it.
“Winning one of these is always a great feeling, and it reminds me that I’m not totally washed. This one is especially important because it brings my Face to Face Open trophy count to four, while Maritime Magic main character Travis Benedict only has three. But seriously, these events are always fun and there are great players in the Maritimes, so getting the trophy is really rewarding because there are no easy rounds.”
Over time, Steffe’s approach to preparation has evolved. Rather than defaulting to what is considered the objectively strongest deck, he has leaned into strategies he genuinely enjoys playing.
“Back in the day, I often found success by just playing the best deck and having a plan for every matchup. Over time I’ve learned that I enjoy testing a lot more and retain information better when I actually like the deck I’m piloting. It’s also a good way to avoid burnout, because even if I have a bad tournament, I still have fun playing decks I enjoy and then look forward to whatever tournament is next.”
That mindset made Golgari Yawgmoth a natural choice. Steffe has long gravitated toward creature-combo strategies, and Yawgmoth offers both a powerful combo finish and a strong fair game when needed.
“I’ve always been really drawn to creature-combo decks. It’s a rare treat when one of them is actually a good deck. There are two popular builds of Yawgmoth: a toolbox version with Chord of Calling, and a version with Dredger’s Insight and Walking Ballista that can gain infinite life more easily. For paper Magic, the general consensus is that the Dredger’s Insight version is a bit better because most decks can’t beat infinite life, so that’s what I went with.”
Steffe credited much of his preparation to the broader Yawgmoth community.
“Basically every deck in Modern has a dedicated Discord server now. It makes it much easier to bounce ideas off people and learn play patterns more quickly. I got my list from Meat_mtg, who has played the deck for a long time, so I trusted his build.”
Throughout the event, Yawgmoth repeatedly demonstrated its flexibility, especially in games where the combo was not immediately available.
“The most fun turns for Yawgmoth are when you can’t just win outright, but you can still do broken things to build a huge advantage. A lot of times, two random creatures exiled with Agatha’s Soul Cauldron end up forming some kind of combo anyway.”
One moment in particular stood out.
“I was facing lethal and drew a fetchland. I fetched a surveil land, put Grist into my graveyard, exiled it with Soul Cauldron that already had Walking Ballista under it, and suddenly my Young Wolf was making an absurd number of Insect tokens. That completely flipped the game.”
For Steffe, that versatility is what makes the deck so rewarding to pilot.
“The deck’s Plan B of just playing a fair game and grinding value is still really strong when the combo isn’t coming together.”
Despite his competitive success, Steffe emphasized that his relationship with Magic has changed for the better over time.
“Magic will always be a competitive outlet for me. I have the most fun when I’m preparing for and competing in a tournament that matters to me. Something I wish I learned a lot earlier was not treating every event as win-or-bust. I now often use Magic as a reason to see other Magic friends, and running deep in a tournament is just a bonus. The cliché of ‘the best part about Magic is the gathering’ is pretty accurate.”
When it came time for shout-outs, Steffe kept things light.
“Pretty much everything I learned about Yawgmoth came from Tom Ross’ Discord, which is kind of the unofficial Yawgmoth server. I also watched every Meat_mtg stream. My fiancé asked me to shout her out too, but I don’t remember her helping with testing, so that’s probably a lesson learned for her.”
Before wrapping up, Steffe shared one final thought:
“Thanks for everything. I’m really looking forward to playing in the Face to Face Magic Spotlight Series in Toronto next month.”
What’s Next
The F2F Tour continues this weekend in Edmonton with a full slate of events beyond the Modern Super Qualifier. Players can expect a packed schedule featuring multiple competitive qualifiers, Commander pods, limited events, and on-demand play throughout the weekend, giving everyone plenty of ways to jump into games regardless of format preference.
Sign up now for Edmonton:
https://facetofacegames.com/collections/category-shopify-tour-events-round-12-edmonton
Looking ahead, attention then turns to the Magic: The Gathering Spotlight Series – Toronto, taking place February 6–8, 2026 at the Queen Elizabeth Building. As the Tour’s premier event of the year, Spotlight Toronto will feature high-stakes main events, extensive side events across formats, vendors, special guests, and the kind of atmosphere Toronto Magic players consistently bring.
Register now for Spotlight Series Toronto:
https://facetofacegames.com/SpotlightSeriesToronto
Whether you’re chasing RC invites, battling in side events with friends, or settling in for a full weekend of Magic, we’ll see you at the next stop on the Tour.
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.
