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The F2F Tour continued in Ottawa with 430 players competing for a Regional Championship title and a spot at the Pro Tour. The event saw high-level play throughout the weekend, with many notable performances.
The Regional Championship: A Fight for Worlds
After two days of competition, Simon Piché took first place, piloting Boros Energy.
Boros Energy – Simon Piché (1st)
Top 8 – Regional Championship
1st Place: Simon Piché (Boros Energy)
2nd Place: Max Dore (Orzhov Blink)
3rd Place: Jacob Richer (Four-Colour Breach)
4th Place: Aidan Mirabelli (Boros Energy)
5th Place: Edgar Magalhaes (Four-Colour Breach)
6th Place: Nicolas Cosgrove (Belcher)
7th Place: Dominic Harvey (Amulet Titan)
8th Place: Martin-Éric Gauthier (Boros Energy)
Interview with Max Dore
We caught up with Max Dore, the runner-up, who secured a spot at the Magic World Championship with his second-place finish.
1. I’ve seen you find success at a number of Tour events over the years. You came Top 4 at the Toronto weekend in 2023, coming so close to clinching a Worlds berth back then. This time, you finally did it with your 2nd-place finish. How surreal does it feel, and what are your thoughts when you look back on your journey to this point?
Definitely surreal – Not sure if it’s like this for every competitive magic player, but every time I come close to something great, and don’t get there, I feel like it’ll just never happen. Or every time you Q for a pro tour, and then don’t re-Q, you just tell yourself, well that was that. Probably will never qualify again! So, I was just happy to get to play another Pro Tour – which are honestly so fun to play, and Worlds is a colossal, shiny cherry on top.
2. What deck did you play, and how did you prepare for this event?
I played Orzhov Blink – I knew I didn’t have interest in the ‘top’ decks, namely Breach, Boros and Occulus – in a format like Modern, there is so much room for innovation, that there just had to be other options. I found the deck a few weeks ago and it seemed to have potential. I worked on the list with Rob Anderson, and after a few tweaks, we started winning a lot. I was locked on the deck and most of the 75 about a week and a half before the RC, which is unheard of for me! So I knew I had a good one.
3. Were there any key moments during the weekend—whether in gameplay or otherwise—that stood out to you?
I 3-0’d my Legacy challenge on the Friday, which was a good omen! In terms of games, I got lucky enough Day 1 to face many good matchups. Day 2 started off against Storm, which was probably the worst pairing I could get out of all the decks at X-0 or X-1. That match was insane and I pulled a victory out of the tightest of margins. I think that set the tone for the rest of the day nicely!
And of course, Game 3 of the Semifinals, which is on camera, is probably one of the craziest games I’ve ever played, with the biggest possible stakes.
Outside of games, it’s just always so cool how much people rally around you and are excited to see you doing well. Through RCs, I’ve made friends with players from all over Canada – even people I’ve had only a few interactions with were so hyped to see me doing well. It’s a good community!
4. The competition has been fierce all season. Were there any players or strategies you specifically wanted to beat going into the event?
Players not really! I think I wanted to play something that made games go a little longer, and provided both myself and my opponents with a lot of decision points. The more complex the games, the more I felt I could eke out percentage points in my favour. So as far strategies I wanted to beat, I wasn’t thinking about that as much as how I wanted the games to go.
5. With a Worlds spot secured, how are you planning to get ready for the big event?
I’ve never been a big team guy in terms of prepping for Magic events, but I do have a few people I discuss strategies with. My buddy Ha Pham is invited because of his awesome Top 8 performance (coincidentally, he is the person who beat me in the Toronto RC to get Top 2, to get to Worlds), and likely I’ll discuss with him a bit. My Limited game is fairly weak compared to Constructed, so every Pro Tour that’s my focus – become at least ‘ok’ at high-level Limited.
Orzhov Blink – Max Dore (2nd)
Artifacts (4)
Interview with David Rood
Former Pro Tour champion David Rood secured a Top 12 finish, earning a Pro Tour invite.
1. How would you describe your approach to competitive MTG these days?
I always Q for the RCs I can drive to in Limited RCQs.
2. What was your testing process like?
I tested on MTGO for a few weeks before the event and probably played like 15 leagues total. I only tested Boros and Mardu Energy. I knew I had to land on a deck that Shawn could play on 0 reps, so Breach was out.
I got the sideboard guide from Ginger and talked about his Breach plan, which I disagreed with, but for the rest, we used his guide while adjusting for our list. People didn’t respect BW Sewer (we had Containment Priest and Wear // Tear) and Eldrazi enough. We went undefeated against those decks with our four Charmaw in the sideboard and Phelia in the maindeck.
3. Did team discussions influence your deck choices?
Yeah, we talked on the trip there, but also, it’s easier to play an aggro deck on 0 reps than a combo deck.
4. Any interesting moments from the event?
Dom offered Shawn the ID in the last round for them to lock up 11th and 12th for the invite, but he doesn’t care about MTG PTs much anymore and wanted to play for Top 8 and aim for the win. He did the same thing at the RC in Montreal (the last one he played) and he Top 4ed.
(David explained his thoughts on why Shawn should have taken the draw, but ultimately respected his decision.)
We are like 25% into Amulet—I built the deck hoping to dodge it, and I lost to it on Day 2.
Beyond the Regional Championship
The weekend featured additional events and champions across various competitions.
Interview with Mathew Stein
While the Regional Championship was the highlight of the weekend, there was still high-level competition taking place outside of it. Mathew Stein emerged victorious in the $5K Sunday Open, adding another major win to his record.
Underworld Breach proved to be the dominant force once again, and Mathew believes the deck may have outstayed its welcome in Modern. “Underworld Breach is definitely the best deck in Modern and likely needs to be banned soon,” he said after his win. “Just warps the format too much. Mox Opal just makes the deck too powerful. Flame of Anor with Tamiyo is just such a good plan B to dodge hate.”
Mathew credited his success to his preparation with team Worldly Counsel, stating, “I couldn’t have done it without them!” His victory further reinforced the team’s impact on the event, as several members performed well throughout the weekend.
Looking Ahead: F2F Tour Hamilton
The next stop on the F2F Tour is Hamilton on February 8. Whether you’re looking to compete or enjoy a weekend of Magic, find all the details here.
Thank you to all players, judges, and staff who made F2F Tour Ottawa a success. We’ll see you at the next event!
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.
