ModernStandard

Showdown Recap: April 1-2 – North Bay Modern Open and Standard Showdown

Welcome to another installment of the Showdown Recap, where we take a look at the results of events run by Face to Face Games Toronto last weekend! We’ve got another special double recap for you this week, with a Facetofacegames.com North Bay Modern Open alongside a Standard Sunday Showdown back home in Toronto. Let’s get started!

Saturday brought the Facetofacegames.com Tournament Series road trip to North Bay, Ontario, where a solid 62 players showed up to play a Modern Open. There have been rumours of the format being solved as of late, with [card]Death’s Shadow[/card] variants being heralded as the alpha and the omega of the format. Not only was that card absent from this top 8, some other staples of the format didn’t make an appearance at the top tables: no Jund or Abzan, and no blue-based control decks. In fact, all decks in the single-elimination point of the tournament are different more-or-less linear strategies.

Jeffrey Braid took down the event with a new build of an aggressive [card]Reckless Bushwhacker[/card] Zoodeck, featuring a bunch of Aether Revolt cards with the Revolt mechanic. [card]Kird Ape[/card] might be a powerful 2/3 for R, but how about a 2/3 deathtouch for G? [card]Narnam Renegade[/card] is ahead of the curve, but the deck’s real strength lies in its ability to chain an absurd number of [card]Hidden Herbalists[/card] and [card]Burning-Tree Emissary[/card] into a [card]Reckless Bushwhacker[/card] with [card]Atarka’s Command[/card] as backup. The sheer amount of damage this deck can put out, thanks to fetchland-fueled Revolt cards, is completely absurd. This lightning-fast strategy was, unsurprisingly, able to take down Emerson Stillar’s Titan Shift deck in the finals, a powerful, yet slow and lumbering, combo deck.

The semifinalists, Ken Rydzik and Brendan Jarrett, brought Lantern Control and RG Tron respectively, two powerful decks that make up the diverse top tier of Modern strategies – but mostly bring out the worst in people. You haven’t played Lantern until your opponent rants about how it’s everything wrong with the game, and there isn’t a Jund player in the universe who hasn’t gone off about “Tron Guys” before. I hope they amassed some quality tilted opponent stories over the course of the day!

I’ve been saying for a while that [card]Ad Nauseam[/card] is the premier combo deck of the format. It’s fairly fast, it’s surprisingly resilient, and it’s able to win certain matches disturbingly easily thanks to the power of [card]Angel’s Grace[/card]. It should be no surprise, then, that Shawn Seguin put up a quarterfinals finish with the deck. He was able to prey on the lack of [card]Thoughtseize[/card] decks to power through the field of slower, less interactive linear strategies. Chris Edmunds also made a deep run with the perenially-powerful Bant Eldrazi, featuring a maindeck [card]Thragtusk[/card]. If you thought it was good with [card]Restoration Angel[/card], imagine [card]Eldrazi Displacer[/card]!

Our last two decks are probably the most interesting. [card]Collected Company[/card] hasn’t had the same impact on Modern as it did on Standard, of course, but every once in a while, we see a few non-Melira decks take up the card, typically to mixed results. Erik Duhamel used the card as a powerful midrange engine in a big Zoo deck, featuring [card]Knight of the Reliquary[/card] and [card]Renegade Rallier[/card] alongside the smaller [card]Wild Nacatl[/card]. His sideboard featured a plethora of Modern’s best [card]Collected Company[/card] targets, from [card]Kataki, War’s Wage[/card] to [card]Kor Firewalker[/card]. Take note of this deck – a resilient creature midrange strategy!

Last, but not least, is Al Gauthier’s UW Merfolk deck. Traditionally, the deck might play a few cards like [card]Wanderwine Hub[/card] to play around [card]Boil[/card] or [card]Choke[/card], but Al took full advantage of the many “free” white-splash lands available to him to add [card]Path to Exile[/card] to his deck, a notable upgrade to the stock [card]Vapor Snag[/card] in a world where [card]Death’s Shadow[/card] is king. Between that, [card]Spreading Seas[/card], and [card]Harbinger of the Tides[/card], it’s quite possible that Merfolk has the weapons necessary to fight back against Modern’s public enemy #1!

Thanks again to everybody who came out, and congratulations to all our top finishers! Stick around for the Standard Showdown after the decklists.

Facetofacegames.com North Bay 1.5k Modern Open Top 8

Jeffrey Braid – Revolt Zoo – 1st

[deck]
[Creatures]
2 Ghor-Clan Rampager
2 Simian Spirit Guide
3 Experiment One
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Goblin Guide
4 Hidden Herbalists
4 Kird Ape
4 Narnam Renegade
4 Reckless Bushwhacker
4 Wild Nacatl
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Atarka’s Command
4 Lightning Bolt
[/Spells]

[Lands]
1 Forest
1 Mountain
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Temple Garden
2 Stomping Ground
3 Windswept Heath
4 Arid Mesa
4 Wooded Foothills
[/Lands]

[Sideboard]
2 Boros Charm
2 Deflecting Palm
3 Natural State
2 Path to Exile
2 Rest in Peace
2 Stony Silence
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Emerson Stillar – Titan Shift – 2nd

[deck]
[Creatures]
4 Primeval Titan
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Search for Tomorrow
4 Scapeshift
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Explore
3 Khalni Heart Expedition
2 Farseek
2 Summoner’s Pact
2 Anger of the Gods
1 Primal Command
1 Prismatic Omen
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
4 Stomping Ground
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Cinder Glade
2 Windswept Heath
1 Misty Rainforest
7 Mountain
2 Forest
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
3 Chalice of the Void
2 Engineered Explosives
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Seal of Primordium
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Beast Within
2 Crumble to Dust
2 Obstinate Baloth
1 Inferno Titan
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Ken Rydzik – Lantern Control – 3rd

[deck]
[Spells]
4 Mox Opal
3 Mishra’s Bauble
4 Lantern of Insight
4 Codex Shredder
3 Ghoulcaller’s Bell
1 Pyxis of Pandemonium
4 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Ancient Stirrings
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Thoughtseize
2 Collective Brutality
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
2 Pithing Needle
2 Abrupt Decay
1 Spellskite
[/Spells]
[Lands]
3 Spire of Industry
4 Glimmervoid
4 Blooming Marsh
2 Academy Ruins
2 Inventor’s Fair
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Forest
1 Swamp
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Spellskite
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Pithing Needle
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Pyxis of Pandemonium
2 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Welding Jar
1 Crucible of Worlds
2 Nature’s Claim
2 Seal of Primordium
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Brendan Jarrett – RG Tron – 4th

[deck]
[Creatures]
3 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
2 Wurmcoil Engine
2 World Breaker
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Karn Liberated
4 Ancient Stirrings
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Ugin the Spirit Dragon
4 Chromatic Star
4 Chromatic Sphere
4 Sylvan Scrying
4 Expedition Map
3 Lightning Bolt
3 Oblivion Stone
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Urza’s Mine
4 Urza’s Tower
4 Urza’s Power Plant
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
2 Sanctum of Ugin
1 Forest
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
3 Nature’s Claim
2 Ancient Grudge
3 Pyroclasm
1 Crumble to Dust
2 Spellskite
2 Feed the Clan
2 Warping Wail
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Shawn Seguin – Ad Nauseam – 5th

[deck]
[Creatures]
4 Simian Spirit Guide
1 Laboratory Maniac
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Serum Visions
4 Lotus Bloom
3 Spoils of the Vault
4 Angel’s Grace
3 Pact of Negation
4 Sleight of Hand
1 Slaughter Pact
4 Ad Nauseam
3 Phyrexian Unlife
4 Pentad Prism
1 Lightning Storm
[/Spells]
[Lands]
1 Dreadship Reef
4 Darkslick Shores
2 Plains
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Temple of Deceit
4 Gemstone Mine
1 Temple of Enlightenment
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
4 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Thoughtseize
1 Patrician’s Scorn
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Echoing Truth
2 Darkness
2 Fatal Push
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1 Silence
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Chris Edmunds – Bant Eldrazi – 6th

[deck]
[Creatures]
4 Matter Reshaper
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Reality Smasher
4 Eldrazi Displacer
4 Noble Hierarch
3 Drowner of Hope
1 Eternal Witness
1 Thragtusk
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Ancient Stirrings
4 Path to Exile
2 Engineered Explosives
1 Blessed Alliance
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Eldrazi Temple
4 Windswept Heath
3 Brushland
1 Wastes
1 Island
1 Forest
1 Plains
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Temple Garden
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Breeding Pool
2 Yavimaya Coast
3 Cavern of Souls
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Blessed Alliance
1 Worship
1 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Disenchant
2 Stony Silence
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Disdainful Stroke
2 Negate
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Erik Duhamel – Naya Company – 7th

[deck]
[Creatures]
4 Noble Hierarch
1 Birds of Paradise
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Voice of Resurgence
4 Wild Nacatl
2 Scavenging Ooze
2 Qasali Pridemage
4 Knight of the Reliquary
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
2 Renegade Rallier
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Path to Exile
3 Collected Company
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Arid Mesa
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Forest
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Raging Ravine
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Stony Silence
3 Kitchen Finks
2 Selfless Spirit
3 Aven Mindcensor
1 Kataki, War’s Wage
2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
2 Kor Firewalker
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Al Gauthier – Merfolk – 8th

[deck]
[Creatures]
1 Kira, Great Glass-Spinner
3 Merrow Reejery
4 Master of the Pearl Trident
3 Harbinger of the Tides
4 Silvergill Adept
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Cursecatcher
4 Master of Waves
1 Phantasmal Image
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
1 Spell Pierce
3 Path to Exile
4 Aether Vial
4 Spreading Seas
[/Spells]
[Lands]
5 Island
4 Seachrome Coast
4 Mutavault
4 Wanderwine Hub
2 Flooded Strand
1 Hallowed Fountain
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Mana Leak
1 Spell Pierce
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Stony Silence
1 Meddling Mage
2 Burrenton Forge-Tender
2 Tidebinder Mage
2 Vendilion Clique
1 Path to Exile
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Mardu is the best deck in Standard! Nothing else can compete! It’s a one-deck format! Wrong. There are, in fact, three decks – and there’s plenty of deckbuilding decisions to be made within these archetypes! We’ll start with the lone outlier – Shawn Dhaliwal, with Jund Energy, who made it to the finals. There are tons of variations to [card]Winding Constrictor[/card] decks – look at last week’s recap for the full lowdown. Shawn’s deck is, in my not-so-humble opinion, the best by a significant margin. It’s relentlessly aggressive, which is essential for the deck to be able to beat [card]Saheeli Rai[/card] strategies, and gets to play [card]Unlicensed Disintegration[/card] effectively, by far the best removal spell and aggro card in the format. When this deck wins the dice roll and draws well, you can bet almost anything on it winning.

Next, we have 4-colour [card]Saheeli Rai[/card] variants, which presented a massive flavour fail by putting five copies in the top 8 without adding any black cards to the deck. Here we have the same two major archetypes as I went over last week – except the Delirium builds are adding a single copy of [card]Verdurous Gearhulk[/card] to help punch through the board stalls that the mirror match can create.

Last, but certainly not least, we have ourselves two variants of Mardu Vehicles decks. First off, we have Former Pro Tour Competitor Ryan Sandrin with the [card]Walking Ballista[/card] variant of this deck. It’s gained popularity over the [card]Veteran Motorist[/card] version of the deck over the course of the format thanks to its consistent reliability and improved 4-colour Saheeli matchup, but mostly due to its immense power with the unbelievable [card]Archangel Avacyn[/card]. [card]Grasp of Darkness[/card] was one of the premier removal spells in the format for quite a while, and Avacyn is generally poor against Black-Green decks. With those mostly out of the picture, however, she’s back and ready to rumble, and is by far the most impactful card in the two most prevalent matchups – the mirror and 4-colour. Avacyn’s power is multiplied by [card]Walking Ballista[/card], which allows you to flip her on a whim. You don’t usually lose the game after flipping Avacyn. Ryan’s list is extremely good and I strongly recommend it going forward.

I can’t just gloss over Liam Kane’s list, however, as he won the whole event, much to the chagrin of our deposed king, Chris Ha, who I convinced to drive me to a PPTQ on Sunday over playing this event. Liam’s list is a more traditional one, playing [card]Veteran Motorist[/card] and [card]Shock[/card] for a more red-centric deck. This has some upsides. [card]Chandra, Torch of Defiance[/card] is objectively stronger than [card]Nahiri, the Harbinger[/card], and [card]Shock[/card] is significantly better than [card]Fatal Push[/card] against the popular 4-colour deck. Overall, I can’t get behind this, and much prefer the strict adherence to the church of [card]Archangel Avacyn[/card], but Liam proved that it’s nothing to be ignored! His win pushes him back to where he belongs at first place in the standings, while Shawn’s finals appearance gives him enough points to qualify for the Ultimate Showdown!

For the first time in three weeks, we’ve only got one major event this weekend – a Legacy Showdown which is a Grand Prix Trial for Vegas! Get your byes and Planeswalker Points! See you there!

Standard Sunday Showdown

Liam Kane – Mardu Vehicles – 1st

[deck]
[Creatures]
4 Toolcraft Exemplar
4 Thraben Inspector
4 Scrapheap Scrounger
4 Veteran Motorist
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
1 Pia Nalaar
2 Archangel Avacyn
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
3 Shock
4 Heart of Kiran
1 Cultivators Caravan
4 Unlicensed Disintegration
3 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
[/Spells]

[Lands]
4 Inspiring Vantage
4 Concealed Courtyard
4 Spire of Industry
4 Mountain
4 Plains
1 Smoldering Marsh
1 Shambling Vent
1 Needle Spires
[/Lands]

[Sideboard]
1 Aether Hub
1 Archangel Avacyn
1 Cultivator’s Caravan
3 Fatal Push
1 Nahiri, the Harbinger
2 Painful Truths
2 Release the Gremlins
1 Shock
2 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
1 Skywhaler’s Shot
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Shawn Dhaliwal – Jund Energy – 2nd

[deck]
[Creatures]
4 Winding Constrictor
4 Longtusk Cub
4 Scrapheap Scrounger
4 Walking Ballista
3 Tireless Tracker
2 Rishkar, Peema Renegade
2 Verdurous Gearhulk
4 Greenbelt Rampager
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Attune with Aether
4 Fatal Push
4 Unlicensed Disintegration
[/Spells]
[Lands]
3 Evolving Wilds
2 Hissing Quagmire
4 Blooming Marsh
4 Aether Hub
5 Forest
2 Swamp
1 Mountain
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
3 Transgress the Mind
4 Glint-sleeve Siphoner
2 Natural State
2 Natural Obsolescence
2 Lathnu Hellion
2 Gonti, Lord of Luxury
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Eric Li – 4-colour Saheeli – 3rd

[deck]
[Creatures]
4 Servant of the Conduit
4 Rogue Refiner
3 Whirler Virtuoso
4 Felidar Guardian
1 Tireless Tracker
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Oath of Nissa
4 Attune with Aether
4 Harnessed Lightning
4 Saheeli Rai
3 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
1 Tamiyo, Field Researcher
3 Oath of Chandra
[/Spells]
[Lands]
2 Game Trail
4 Aether Hub
4 Botanical Sanctuary
2 Spirebluff Canal
1 Inspiring Vantage
5 Forest
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Island
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
3 Walking Ballista
1 Tireless Tracker
2 Bristling Hydra
2 Negate
2 Natural State
1 Baral’s Expertise
2 Release the Gremlins
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Ryan Sandrin – Mardu Ballista – 4th

[deck]
[Creatures]
3 Archangel Avacyn
3 Walking Ballista
4 Scrapheap Scrounger
4 Thraben Inspector
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
4 Toolcraft Exemplar
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Heart of Kiran
4 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
4 Unlicensed Disintegration
3 Fatal Push
[/Spells]
[Lands]
2 Shambling Vents
4 Inspired Vantage
4 Concealed Courtyard
4 Spire of Industry
3 Aether Hub
4 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Mountain
2 Smoldering Marsh
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
3 Oath of Liliana
2 Shock
1 Anguished Unmaking
1 Fatal Push
2 Nahiri, the Harbinger
1 Sorin, Grim Nemesis
2 Painful Truths
2 Release the Gremlins
1 Ob Nixilis, Reignited
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Pasha Meshkati – 4-colour Saheeli – 5th

[deck]
[Creatures]
1 Tireless Tracker
4 Rogue Refiner
3 Whirler Virtuoso
4 Servant of the Conduit
4 Felidar Guardian
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
1 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
4 Oath of nissa
4 Saheeli Rai
3 Oath of Chandra
4 Harnessed Lightning
4 Attune with Aether
3 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
[/Spells]
[Lands]
2 Spirebluff Canal
2 Game Trail
1 Inspiring Vantage
1 Island
5 Forest
1 Mountain
1 Plains
4 Aether Hub
4 Botanical Sanctum
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Dispel
1 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
2 Natural State
2 Release the Gremlins
1 Tireless Tracker
1 Authority of the Consul
2 Negate
2 Baral’s Expertise
1 Walking Ballista
1 Bristling Hydra
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Sean Burke – 4-colour Delirium – 6th

[deck]
[Creatures]
2 Walking Ballista
4 Servant of the Conduit
3 Rogue Refiner
3 Whirler Virtuoso
4 Felidar Guardian
1 Ishkanah, Grafwidow
1 Verdurous Gearhulk
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Saheeli Rai
3 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
4 Oath of Nissa
2 Oath of Chandra
2 Attune with Aether
1 Shock
3 Traverse the Ulvenwald
4 Harnessed Lightning
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Aether Hub
4 Botanical Sanctum
2 Evolving Wilds
4 Forest
2 Game Trail
1 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Authority of the Consuls
1 Dispel
2 Natural State
1 Natural Obsolescence
2 Negate
2 Tireless Tracker
1 Bristling Hydra
1 Nahiri, the Harbringer
2 Baral’s Expertise
1 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Brad Burden – 4-colour Saheeli – 7th

[deck]
[Creatures]
3 Whirler Virtuoso
2 Tireless Tracker
4 Rogue Refiner
4 Felidar Guardian
4 Servant of the Conduit
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Attune with Aether
4 Harnessed Lightning
4 Saheeli Rai
2 Tamiyo, Field Researcher
2 Oath of Nissa
2 Oath of Chandra
1 Chandra, Flamecaller
1 Incendiary Flow
1 Traverse the Ulvenwald
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Forest
4 Botanical Sanctum
4 Aether Hub
2 Game Trail
2 Spirebluff Canal
1 Lumbering Falls
1 Inspiring Vantage
1 Island
1 Plains
1 Mountain
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Authority of the Consuls
1 Tireless Tracker
1 Bristling Hydra
1 Dispel
1 Baral’s Expertise
1 Quarantine field
2 Confiscation Coup
2 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
3 Negate
2 Natural State
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Phil Bickle – 4-colour Delirium – 8th

[deck]
[Creatures]
2 Walking Ballista
4 Servant of the Conduit
3 Rogue Refiner
3 Whirler Virtuoso
4 Felidar Guardian
1 Ishkanah, Grafwidow
1 Verdurous Gearhulk
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Saheeli Rai
3 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
1 Attune with Aether
1 Shock
4 Traverse the Ulvenwald
4 Harnessed Lightning
4 Oath of Nissa
2 Oath of Chandra
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Aether Hub
4 Botanical Sanctum
2 Evolving Wilds
4 Forest
2 Game Trail
1 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Dispel
1 Natural State
2 Release the Gremlins
1 Natural Obsolescence
2 Negate
2 Lifecrafter’s Bestiary
2 Tireless Tracker
2 Nahiri, the Harbringer
1 Ishkanah, Grafwidow
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

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