It was a winning weekend for two standout players at F2F Tour Toronto. On Saturday, NJ Pandes shook off two prior finals losses to finally earn their first F2F Tour trophy, winning the 85-player Modern Super Qualifier with Boros. Then on Sunday, Noel Herbert took down the 23-player Standard Super Qualifier with Jeskai Control.

Also making waves was Andy Peters, who showcased his format versatility with a rare back-to-back Top 8 in both Super Qualifiers—Mono-Blue Charbelcher on Saturday and Azorius Control on Sunday.

We caught up with NJ after their win to talk about their deck decisions, a crucial sideboard call, and what this win means moving forward.

Interview with Nj Pandes – Boros Champion

Congrats on winning the Modern Super Qualifier this weekend! You mentioned this was a big deal after two previous finals losses—what was it like to finally take down the trophy?

Because I had lost in finals twice before, winning this event really was a huge deal to me. After the match, I was honestly just relieved because I was worried about losing in finals for the third time. As for my approach to Top 8, I think confidence is really important, which is why I always go into Top 8 telling myself I’m gonna win the whole thing. That’s also why I don’t split prizes. The main difference between this event and the two other Opens I made finals in was probably how I approached the actual finals match. I usually get a bit stressed in finals, which leads me to overthink my plays, so I reminded myself to not overthink and just play how I normally would.

Your Boros list looks well-positioned—how did you land on this version, and were there any specific card choices that overperformed?

The maindeck is pretty stock, but the sideboard was tuned for decks rising in popularity like Amulet and Domain. Since Eldrazi has lost a lot of popularity, cutting most of the Molten Rains really opened up a lot of slots. The card that stood out the most was probably Seasoned Pyromancer. I was previously on two Fable, two Pyromancer, but felt like Fable was a bit slow against combo and overall had less synergy with the deck.

Any key games where that sideboard tuning or a specific card really paid off?

Spyro didn’t really swing a game, it sort of just works well with the rest of the deck. There was one match (my Round 5 win-and-in) where I made a semi-risky sideboarding decision and it paid off. In Game 3 against Frog, I brought in my two Clarion Conquerors (which I don’t normally do) because they had Engineered Explosives in the deck. I was behind on board facing two Frogs, and Clarion completely saved me—stopped their Frogs from flying and growing, and then eventually killed them.

Sounds like you knew your deck well. How much of that was pre-event prep versus just having reps and playing tight?

I think the majority had to do with playing tight, as a result of having many reps with the deck. I didn’t really focus too hard on a specific meta because paper is less predictable than MTGO. I based my sideboard around the decks that seem good right now.

So with this win—was it your first F2F Tour Stop trophy after those two previous finals, or had you picked up a win before? And what’s next on your schedule—are we seeing you at RC Calgary or other big events this year?

Yeah, it was my first trophy. I’ll hopefully be going to Calgary.

Any shout-outs—testing partners, local stores, or friends—that helped make this run happen?

Noe Offman for help with the list, Noel Herbert for getting me into competitive Modern (he also won the Standard Super Qualifier), and my LGS Hairy Tarantula.

Modern Super Qualifier – Top 8

Boros – NJ Pandes (1st)

9 7 39 20

Creatures (26)

4

Guide of Souls

4

Ocelot Pride

4

Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer

4

Ajani, Nacatl Pariah

2

Voice of Victory

4

Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury

4

Seasoned Pyromancer

Spells (6)

4

Galvanic Discharge

2

Thraben Charm

Enchantments (5)

2

Static Prison

3

Goblin Bombardment

Lands (23)

3

Arena of Glory

4

Arid Mesa

2

Elegant Parlor

4

Marsh Flats

1

Mountain

2

Plains

3

Sacred Foundry

4

Windswept Heath

Cards (60)

Sideboard (15)

2

Orim's Chant

2

Celestial Purge

2

High Noon

1

Wrath of the Skies

2

Blood Moon

2

Clarion Conqueror

1

Molten Rain

2

Wear // Tear

/

1

Showdown of the Skalds

Standard Super Qualifier – Top 8

Jeskai Control – Noel Herbert (1st)

12 13 43 7

Creatures (11)

1

Runescale Stormbrood

/

4

Shiko, Paragon of the Way

2

Marang River Regent

/

1

Twinmaw Stormbrood

/

3

Overlord of the Mistmoors

Spells (21)

2

Three Steps Ahead

2

Dispelling Exhale

4

Get Lost

4

Lightning Helix

2

Scrollshift

2

Split Up

4

Stock Up

1

Day of Judgment

Enchantments (2)

2

Roiling Dragonstorm

Lands (26)

1

Adarkar Wastes

2

Cori Mountain Monastery

3

Elegant Parlor

4

Floodfarm Verge

1

Island

4

Meticulous Archive

3

Plains

2

Riverpyre Verge

3

Sunbillow Verge

3

Thundering Falls

Cards (60)

Sideboard (15)

1

Abrade

1

Destroy Evil

1

Dispelling Exhale

2

Negate

1

The Filigree Sylex

2

Aven Interrupter

2

Clarion Conqueror

1

Kutzil's Flanker

1

Temporary Lockdown

2

Tishana's Tidebinder

1

Magmatic Hellkite

Next Stop: Calgary – August 16–17

The F2F Tour rolls into Alberta this August with F2F Tour Calgary—a weekend packed with high-level competition, casual play, promos, and more.

🟦 Modern Super Qualifier – Saturday @ 10:00 AM
🟥 Standard Super Qualifier – Sunday @ 10:00 AM
💠 Qualifier+ Events each day
🎲 Chaos Sealed, Ultimate Guard Draft, Edge of Eternities Sealed
🎭 On-demand Commander Pods (Plus and Regular)
💥 cEDH Double Ups all weekend

📍 MacEwan Conference and Event Centre (MacEwan Hall AB)
🗓️ August 16–17, 2025
🕘 Hall Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

🔗 Full event details and registration at f2ftour.com

Kar Yung Tom

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.