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The F2F Tour stopped in Saskatoon on January 24-25 for a weekend of Modern Super Qualifiers, with RC invites and Tour momentum on the line. Saturday’s event produced a Top 8 that reflected Modern’s current landscape, featuring Izzet Affinity, Esper Midrange, Golgari Yawgmoth, multiple Blink variants, and other competitive strategies.
Kody Lyons took down Saturday’s tournament with Izzet Affinity, defeating his brother Nik in the finals. Sunday’s qualifier was won by Jesse Speers, closing out the weekend with another RC invite awarded.
Saturday Super Qualifier – Top 8
- Kody Lyons – Izzet Affinity
- Nik Lyons – Esper Midrange
- Kyle Gellert – Golgari Yawgmoth
- george ren – Jeskai Blink (Obosh)
- RobH45
- Tyler Utman
- Jameslam
- etib5
Saturday Super Qualifier Winner: Kody Lyons (Izzet Affinity)
Kody Lyons has been a consistent presence on the F2F Tour circuit, with notable finishes across multiple formats. In Saskatoon, he brought his experience with Izzet Affinity—a deck he had recently piloted at the Calgary Regional Championship—and converted his preparation into a trophy finish. His path to victory included a finals match against his brother Nik, adding a personal dimension to an already competitive weekend.
After his 5-1-1 Swiss performance and Top 8 run, we caught up with Kody to discuss his approach to the deck, the role of key cards like Tamiyo and Quantum Riddler, and what it’s like to face family across the table in high-stakes matches.
You’ve shown versatility across formats, with a 2nd place finish in Red Deer playing Azorius Omniscience Combo in Standard. What draws you to these synergy-driven, combo-oriented strategies, and what made Izzet Affinity the right choice for this event?
I’ve always been drawn to combo or high synergy decks with multiple angles of attack, or dynamic plan B strategies. The Izzet Metalcraft deck can play explosive aggressive gameplans with Cori Steel Cutter, as well as incredibly grindy and interactive midgames off the back of Tamiyo, Emry, and Urza’s Saga. The Standard Azorius Omniscience deck at the time had a very midrange heavy sideboard plan based around flickering Overlord of the Mistmoors, which I enjoyed a lot. For this event I was reasonably practiced with the Izzet Metalcraft deck after playing it at the recent Calgary RC so I wanted to run it back, I love playing strategies or combos that I feel my opponents will be unprepared for!
Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student has been making waves in Modern Affinity builds. How critical was she to your game plan, and were there any matches where she really took over and showcased why she belongs in the deck?
Tamiyo is an incredible magic card, absolutely central in the gameplan of this deck, generating a clue to get your artifact count up to 3 early is essential, and the threat of flipping it on turn 2 is very real. Using the ultimate ability is essentially game over, which I was able to do several times this event.
You faced your brother Nik in the finals. He finished 2nd playing Esper Midrange. What’s it like playing against family in a high-stakes match, and how did those games play out?
Yes Nik is my brother! Whenever we play its usually quite relaxed actually, we have a strong mutual respect for each other’s skills and just enjoy the gameplay between the two of us. Not much trashtalk, unless one of us makes a colossal misplay maybe haha. Our games were pretty back and forth and very interactive, great Magic played!
Looking back at your 5-1-1 run and playoff matches, what do you think was the key to keeping the wins coming throughout the day?
I think what kept the wins coming was having access to quantum riddler, it really helps refuel the hand and keep the wheels turning all tournament long. Its not as prominent as it is in Jeskai Blink for example, but even without blinking it, Quantum Riddler is an insane magic card.
Before we wrap up, any shout-outs you’d like to give to people who helped you along the way?
Shout out to Kyle Gellert who lent me the entire deck barring the single copy of Erayo, Soratami Ascendant that I included, which I used to send him to the Shadow Realm in our 3rd game in the semis. Thanks Kyle!
Izzet Affinity – Kody Lyons (1st)
Enchantments (4)
Jesse Speers closed out the weekend with a victory in Sunday’s Modern Super Qualifier, adding another RC invite awarded in Saskatoon.
W-U-R-G – Jesse Speers (1st)
What’s Next
Attention now turns to the Magic: The Gathering Spotlight Series – Toronto, taking place this weekend 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 in Toronto.
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.
