Welcome back to the RCQ Recap series! Another four-list post this week, though thankfully this time it’s not due to technical errors but simply because this event was a cut to Top 4.
September 20th saw 9 players competing at our Toronto store for one of four invites to the Round 2 Regional Championship in Vancouver. There were three different Izzet decks in top cut, but Larry Li ended up securing the win for Mardu Discard!
Player Profile: Larry Li

Least Favorite Color Pair: Selesnya
Favorite Plane: Arcavios
First Set: March of the Machine
Q: Why did you play this deck today?
A: I really like decks that are finnicky and have lines that are not intuitive at first glance, and I think Mardu Discard has a lot of those. Sometimes you want to hold your lands in hand instead of playing them, because it’s better to hold them as a resource to discard later.
I like decks that present unique puzzles that no other does, and I think Mardu Discard is one of those unique puzzles.
Q: What was the most difficult match you played today?
A: It was definitely the one against January [during Swiss]. She was playing Izzet Prowess, and her deck was really reactive. She had a lot of the good answers to the stuff I was doing, and it was also really aggressive. So she presented a fast clock while killing my creatures. Really tough for me.
Q: Which game today was your favorite to play?
A: In the semifinals match against Holly I was stuck on three lands. But because of the way my deck operates, I could still cast all my spells, and I was activating my Iron Shield Elf, and once I had a Monument in place, I was out grinding out the control deck. I thought that was really cool.
Q: What event are you most looking forward to playing next?
A: Definitely the Limited Championship Qualifier on the Sunday at the coming Regional Championship in Ottawa.
The above answers have been edited for length and clarity
Top 4 Decklists
Mardu Discard – Larry Li (1st)
Enchantments (4)
Izzet Elementals – Boston Schatteman (2nd)
Izzet Prowess – January Adams (3nd)
Izzet Lessons – Holly Meinert-Rita (4th)
Artifacts (2)

Alex Sowa is a writer, coder and Level 2 Magic Judge. While she runs events of all formats, she mostly plays Commander. You can find her by calling JUDGE… or at one of the links below.