While I was tilting-off about my heinous 7-2 into 8-7 finish at Grand Prix Atlanta a few weeks ago gold Pro and Toronto-local Paul Dean familiarized me with the phrase, “it’s not about the Magic, it’s about The Gathering.” At the time this was simply some words of advice to help justify the time I was spending playing and travelling for what is ultimately—just a game.

Despite how vomit-inducingingly mushy this turn-of-phrase felt at the time, I’ve thought about it a lot since then, and even more this morning prior to sitting down to write this. The inaugural Forest City Cup took place last weekend, a community run event put-on by Greater Toronto Area judge Mike Gyssels as a way to bolster the London, Ont. Magic scene and raise some money for charity. The event was a guaranteed 2k Modern tournament with a big Legacy side event. At the end of the day, Mike and the contestants had raised $2,000 for PFlag, a national charity organization committed to supporting the LGTBQ2+ communities across the country. And also, Quinn Gregg won another tournament.

I’m obviously very invested in this community at this point, but it never ceases to amaze me the way that such a niche hobby can allow strong people to build off of each other in order to amplify the spaces we all love. Mike has started judging across the province in the last year and to see the way he was able to build-up his own community with this event is a testament to him and the Ontario Magic scene. I sincerely regret not being able to make it out to London, and you can bet that next year I’ll be in a car at 7:00 a.m. on my way west from Toronto and ready to get beat by Quinn.

As for the decklists, there were a lot of basic Mountains, and like I said before, Quinn Gregg won again with Eldrazi Tron. The Top 8 was way more linear than we’re used to seeing in the Greater Toronto Area, featuring Ad Nauseum, two Burn decks and a Skred deck. Modern is obviously the perfect format for this kind of event because it allows for everyone to bring their pet Modern deck and battle for a chance for success.

Below are the decklists and some more photos from the event, be on the lookout next year for the second instalment of the Forest City Cup !

First Place, Quinn Gregg– Eldrazi Tron
[Deck]
[Creatures]
4 Walking Ballista
4 Matter Reshaper
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Reality Smasher
2 Endbringer
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Karn Liberated
2 All is Dust
4 Chalice of the Void
4 Expedition Map
2 Dismember
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Warping Wail
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Urzas Tower
4 Urzas Powerplant
4 Urzas Mine
4 Eldrazi Temple
3 Ghost Quarter
1 Cavern of Souls
1 Seagate Wreckage
1 Sanctum of Ugin
2 Wastes
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Grafdiggers Cage
2 Hangarback Walker
2 Ratchet Bomb
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Warping Wail
1 Basilisk Collar
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Pithing Needle
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Second Place, Hayden Auterhoff– Storm
[Deck]
[Creatures]
3 Goblin Electromancer
4 Baral, Chief of Compliance
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Opt
4 Sleight of Hand
4 Serum Visions
1 Noxious Revival
4 Manamorphose
4 Pyretic Ritual
4 Desperate Ritual
3 Remand
3 Grapeshot
2 Past in Flames
4 Gifts Ungiven
[/Spells]
[Lands]
3 Steam Vents
4 Spirebluff Canal
4 Shivan Reef
3 Island
2 Snow-Covered Island
1 Mountain
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Gigadrowse
2 Shattering Spree
3 Lightning Bolt
1 Dismember
1 Wipe Away
4 Pieces of the Puzzle
2 Empty the Warrens
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Third Place, Owen Turcotte– Burn
[Deck]
[Creatures]
4 Goblin Guide
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Lighting Bolt
4 Lava Spike
4 Rift Bolt
4 Searing Blaze
4 Skullcrack
4 Lighting Helix
4 Boros Charm
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Bloodstained Mire
3 Arid Mesa
3 Inspiring Vantage
2 Sacred Foundry
1 Stomping Ground
3 Mountain
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
3 Path to Exile
2 Deflecting Palm
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Kor Firewalker
4 Destructive Revelry
2 Shattering Spree
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Fourth Place, Clinton Prince– Skred
[Deck]
[Creatures]
4 Simian Spirit Guide
2 Eternal Scourge
3 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
3 Stormbreath Dragon
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Koth of the Hammer
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
1 Dismember
4 Relic of Progenitus
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Skred
2 Anger of the Gods
4 Blood Moon
[/Spells]
[Lands]
23 Snow-Covered Mountain
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
3 Shattering Spree
3 Dragons Claw
2 Ensnaring Bridge
4 Molten Rain
3 Goblin Rabblemaster
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Fifth Place, Darren Kovac– Burn
[Deck]
[Creatures]
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Goblin Guide
4 Monastery Swiftspear
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Boros Charm
4 Lava Spike
4 lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Rift Bolt
4 Searing Blaze
4 Skullcrack
[/Spells]
[Lands]
1 Arid Mesa
3 Bloodstained Mire
3 Inspiring Vantage
5 Mountain
3 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
3 Wooded Foothills
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
3 Destructive Revelry
2 Path to Exile
2 Rest in Peace
2 Deflecting Palm
2 Kor Firewalker
1 Exquisite Firecraft
1 Grim Lavamancer
2 Molten Rain
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Sixth Place, Matt Pinsky– Ponza
[Deck]
[Creatures]
2 Stormbreath Dragon
2 Obstinate Baloth
2 Birds of Paradise
1 Scavenging Ooze
2 Primeval Titan
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
1 Inferno Titan
4 Arbor Elf
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Lightning Bolt
3 Bonfire
2 Molten Rain
2 Garruk, Wildspeaker
2 Blood Moon
4 Utopia Sprawl
4 Stone Rain
4 Mwonvuli Acid-Moss
1 Beast Within
[/Spells]
[Lands]
5 Forest
4 Raging Ravine
2 Mountain
2 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Stomping Ground
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Crumble to Dust
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Choke
1 Grafdiggers Cage
1 Creeping Corrosion
1 Abrade
1 Shatterstorm
2 Kitchen Finks
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Anger of the Gods
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Seventh Place, Graham Schofield– Ad Nauseum
[Deck]
[Creatures]
1 Laboratory Maniac
4 Simian Spirit Guide
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Gideon of the Trials
4 Angels Grace
4 Lotus Bloom
4 Sleight of Hand
4 Serum Visions
4 Ad Nauseum
3 Spoils of the Vault
1 Lightning Storm
3 Pentad Prism
2 Phyrexian Unlife
3 Censor
2 Pact of Negation
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Temple of Enlightenment
1 Mikokoro, Center of the Sea
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Island
1 Gemstone Mine
3 Darkslick Shores
2 Seachrome Coast
2 Temple of Deceit
3 City of Brass
1 Plains
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Pact of Negation
1 Fatal Push
2 Thoughtseize
2 Disenchant
4 Leyline of Sanctity
1 Echoing Truth
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1 Wrath of God
1 Slaughter Pact
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

Eighth Place, Raymond Li- B/G Midrange
[Deck]
[Creatures]
4 Dark Confidant
2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Tireless Tracker
1 Fulminator Mage
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Thoughtseize
2 Maelstrom Pulse
3 Abrupt Decay
3 Fatal Push
1 Victim of Night
1 Heros Downfall
4 Liliana of the Veil
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Blooming Marsh
2 Forest
3 Hissing Quagmire
2 Overgrown Tomb
4 Swamp
4 Field of Ruin
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Bloodstained Mire
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Go For the Throat
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Ghost Quarter
2 Liliana the Last Hope
1 Grafdiggers Cage
1 Flaying Tendrils
2 Fulminator Mage
2 Kitchen Finks
3 Collective Brutality
[/Lands]
[/Deck]