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The Calgary Regional Championship brought 374 players to Alberta for one of the most anticipated events of the season, and by the end of Sunday it was Owen who rose above the field. Piloting Jeskai Blink through some of Modern’s strongest strategies, he put together a composed run that earned him the RC title and a seat at the Magic: The Gathering World Championship.
Owen’s win reflects how much he has grown as a player. He talked about moving beyond his old reputation as an aggro specialist, learning from stronger players, and becoming more comfortable playing a wide range of decks. He also credited a calmer mindset for helping him treat the event like any other tournament, which he believes played a major role in his success. His victory was made even more special when his mother arrived just in time to watch him finish the finals.
Jeskai Blink – Owen Turcotte (1st)
Planeswalkers (2)
With Calgary in the books and a Top 8 that included Jeskai Blink, Boros Energy, Simic Titan, Simic Birthing Ritual, and more, the F2F Tour now turns its attention to upcoming stops in Halifax and Toronto as the 2026 season continues.
Interview with Regional Championship Winner Owen
KYT: In 2019, you had won the London Open. Are you from that area and how has your relationship with MTG evolved since that win?
Owen:
I’m from London and still live there. I think I’ve changed a lot as a Magic player since then. Back then I really only played aggro decks, but since then I’ve pushed myself to play a variety of different decks that challenge me to improve.
I think expanding my range as well as talking with better players has really taught me about how much depth this game has and how much more I have to learn. In 2019 I felt like I knew everything but now I feel like I barely know anything (not sure if that makes sense).
One other way that my relationship with Magic has changed in just the past few months is that I realized that if I was ever going to be more than just an RCQ end boss and actually do well on the bigger stages I needed to learn to relax more when playing larger events and treat them the same way I would treat an RCQ. I came into Calgary with the mindset that I wasn’t there to win — I was just there to hang out, play some cards, and have fun. I truly believe this mindset is why I won.
KYT: I think that’s truly awesome! Did you prepare with many people or just test online for this event? What led to your eventual deck choice?
Owen:
I prepared by myself doing some testing online but mostly theory crafting. I knew I wanted to play a Phlage deck so I was either going to play Boros Energy, Domain Zoo, or Jeskai Blink. Ultimately while Zoo and Energy are more consistent and explosive decks, I went with Blink because it felt like it was still capable of having powerful starts but had the raw power into the late game that I found Zoo and Energy lacked.
In terms of the exact list I played, I took a lot from Misplacedginger’s guide on the deck as well as Vinnie Fino / Ivan Pablo’s Jeskai Blink guide. Both guides provided a ton of information on card choices but often times contradicted each other. For example, Ginger wrote about cutting Phelia from the deck entirely in favor of Ephemerate while the Fino/Pablo guide went the other way, cutting Ephemerates in order to go up to 4 Phelias.
I think because I had access to two differing perspectives on the same deck that were both well explained, I was able to pick and choose what I felt was the best reasoned from each side and build the best aggregate list.
KYT: What was the expected meta in your mind? Did it play out the way you thought?
Owen:
I expected the metagame to be roughly what it ended up being. In particular, the thing I expected most that ended up happening was for there to be a large falloff in terms of Eldrazi Temple decks. This was part of the reason I chose to play 0 Obsidian Charmaws in my sideboard even though up to this point it was stock for decks to have 3–4 copies.
The only small surprises were that I did think Amulet Titan was going to be slightly more popular than it ended up being and I thought Simic Birthing Ritual would be slightly less popular than it actually was.
KYT: Can you tell us how it felt as you progressed toward the final win? Were there nerves, especially with Worlds qualification on the line?
Owen:
I think throughout Top 8 I was really just focused on playing each game, being in the moment, and having fun while making the most out of the opportunity. I only really fell out of that state twice during the Top 8.
The first time was when I was down a game in the semifinals. I had lost to the same deck earlier in the tournament and knew it was a fairly close matchup, so in the back of my head I felt like my back was against the wall and that it was possible my run would be ending. Thankfully I was able to refocus and win the match.
The second time was in the final game when I was able to successfully Ephemerate my Solitude to clear my opponent’s board and untap to play Fable on my turn. At that point I knew I had effectively won the tournament but just needed to go through the motions to make it official.
KYT: Can you even put into words what it was like to win that final game? And then taking that awesome photo with your mom?
Owen:
It’s unbelievable and a dream come true. It honestly kind of feels like it was meant to be. My mom was only in Calgary that weekend because she had a work conference of sorts there the same weekend as the RC and was done on Sunday just in time to come watch me play in the Top 8.
My parents have always been my biggest supporters and they would always happily drive me to tournaments when I was younger. I think the last time my mom was at a tournament was about 10 years ago so it’s just incredible that she happened to be there when I won, and it truly means so much that she was able to be there. The tournament staff, judges, coverage, and other players were so good to her and this will be an amazing memory we share forever.
KYT: Thank you so much for sharing your time with me, Owen. Is there anything else you’d like to share?
Owen:
Thanks KYT! One last thing is that I want to thank my Round 13 opponent that I played on coverage, Liam Samaha. He conceded to me when we hit the end of turns but I was incredibly far ahead. We hadn’t made any prior agreement to concede if either one of us was far ahead at the end of turns and he simply did it because he felt it was the right thing to do.
That was very cool of him and I think more people in the community should aim to be like Liam. I know in the future I will look to show my opponents the same level of sportsmanship Liam showed me.
What’s Next
With Owen punching his ticket and delivering one of the most memorable runs of the season, the F2F Tour rolls on — and your next chance to compete is right around the corner.
Up first, we kick off the new year at F2F Tour Halifax – Round 12, taking place January 3–4, 2026 at the beautiful Halifax Marriott Harbourfront. Expect two full days of Magic action on the waterfront, including main events, side events, vendors, and more.
Sign up now for Halifax:
https://facetofacegames.com/collections/category-shopify-tour-events-round-12-halifax
Then in February, the Tour heads to Ontario for the Magic: The Gathering Spotlight Series – Toronto Weekend, happening February 6–8, 2026 at the Queen Elizabeth Building. This marquee event brings main events, side events for all skill levels, vendors, special guests, and the electric energy Toronto players always bring.
Register now for Spotlight Series Toronto:
https://facetofacegames.com/SpotlightSeriesToronto
Whether you’re chasing an RC invite, grinding side events with friends, or just enjoying a full weekend of Magic, we hope to 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.
