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Showdown Recap: January 1st – Modern

Welcome to our first weekly Showdown Recap, where we take a look at what happened at Face to Face Games Toronto’s weekly Sunday Showdown, a series of 1k events feeding into the Ultimate Showdown 5k Invitational. This weekend ushered in 2017 with a special New Year’s Day Modern event, featuring a cozy late start and delicious waffles from the store’s cafe. Almost 50 players showed up to battle despite the holiday (and hangovers), and the field showcased the raw diversity present in the format. There’s been a ton of complaints about Modern from the playerbase as of late, but this event showed off a refreshing slice of the Modern of old, with plenty of “fair” decks fighting against a room full of innovative strategies. Nothing highlights this more than the presence of not only one, but two [card]Shared Fate[/card] combo decks!

There was plenty of innovation to be found in the top 8 alone, as Jason Fielder brought a fascinating take on Jeskai Control to the event. Forgoing the typical [card]Ancestral Vision[/card] gameplan for big beaters like [card]Restoration Angel[/card] and Kaladesh Standard all-star [card]Torrential Gearhulk[/card], Jason effectively cut all of the weak cards out of his deck and stacked it high with burn spells and high-impact cards like Cryptic Command, looking to ensure that every single one of his plays was as high-impact as possible.

Matt Mealing also helped revitalize the trend of RG Ponza decks placing well at Sunday Showdown events, making it to the semifinals before being taken down in a tight rematch of the last Frontier Showdown finals. Unlike previous champion David Neganiwina’s list, full of [card]Harmonize[/card] and powerful planeswalkers like [card]Garruk, Primal Hunter[/card], Matt takes a bit more of a proactive approach with [card]Stormbreath Dragon[/card] and [card]Bonfire of the Damned[/card].

With very little Death’s Shadow, Infect, or Affinity to be found, one of the top performing archetypes from the tournament were the many Eldrazi variants stomping around the top tables. With Seth Black’s Bant Eldrazi making it to the finals, and Gokulan Balakrishnan’s Eldrazi Tron in the quarters, the colourless monsters were well-represented throughout the tournament. In the end, however, Daniel Fournier (hey! that’s me!) was able to take down the tournament with a traditional Jund list, the perennial Modern staple. [card]Reality Smasher[/card] might be a 5/5, but it can’t trample through a 5/6 [card]Tarmogoyf[/card].

With his (my?) win, Daniel is the first player to qualify for the Ultimate Showdown! Seth is also practically as good as qualified, already earning 43 of the requisite 50 points. Maybe there will be yet another rematch between the two at the big event!

Congratulations to our top 8, and thanks to everyone for coming! Make sure to check out our exciting weekend of events in Toronto, with a Facetofacegames.com 3k Modern Open on Saturday and our second Frontier Sunday Showdown the following day. Preregister now for both events to ensure your spot!

1st – Daniel Fournier – Jund

[deck]
[Creatures]
4 Dark Confidant
3 Scavenging Ooze
4 Tarmogoyf
2 Kalitas, Traitor Of Ghet
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Thoughtseize
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Kolaghan’s Command
4 Liliana of the Veil
1 Anger of the Gods
3 Terminate
2 Abrupt Decay
[/Spells]

[Lands]
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Wooded Foothills
3 Bloodstained Mire
2 Swamp
1 Forest
1 Twilight Mire
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
2 Overgrown Tomb
1 Blood Crypt
1 Stomping Ground
3 Raging Ravine
[/Lands]

[Sideboard]
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Crumble To Dust
1 Damnation
3 Kitchen Finks
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Thoughtseize
1 Night of Souls Betrayal
1 Chandra, Pyromaster
1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

2nd – Seth Black – Bant Eldrazi

[deck]
[Creatures]
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Eldrazi Displacer
4 Eldrazi Skyspawner
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Reality Smasher
4 Drowner of Hope
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Ancient Stirrings
4 Path to Exile
3 Engineered Explosives
2 Talisman of Progress
1 Dismember
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Eldrazi Temple
4 Windswept Heath
3 Cavern of Souls
3 Brushland
2 Yavimaya Coast
2 Forest
1 Plains
1 Breeding Pool
1 Temple Garden
1 Sea Gate Wreckage
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Blessed Alliance
1 Disdainful Stroke
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
2 Natural State
4 Rest in Peace
2 Stubborn Denial
2 Worship
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

3rd – Matt Mealing – RG Ponza

[deck]
[Creatures]
2 Birds of Paradise
4 Arbor Elf
3 Kitchen Finks
2 Obstinate Baloth
4 Stormbreath Dragon
2 Thundermaw Hellkite
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Utopia Sprawl
2 Beast Within
4 Stone Rain
4 Blood Moon
3 Mwonvuli Acid Moss
3 Bonfire of the Damned
1 Primal Command
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
3 Stomping Grounds
1 Kessig Wolf Run
2 Mountain
8 Forest
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Ancient Grudge
3 Sudden Shock
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Engineered Explosives
1 Kitchen Finks
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Chameleon Colossus
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
2 Relic of Progenitus
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

4th – Liam Kane – RG Scapeshift

[deck]
[Creatures]
4 Sakura Tribe Elder
2 Tireless Tracker
4 Primeval Titan
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Search for Tomorrow
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Explore
4 Khalni Heart Expedition
2 Farseek
2 Anger of the Gods
4 Scapeshift
[/Spells]
[Lands]
3 Wooded Foothills
3 Windswept Heath
1 Bloodstained Mire
7 Mountain
3 Forest
3 Stomping Ground
3 Cinder Glade
4 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Anger of the Gods
2 Ravenous Trap
1 Chandra, Flamecaller
3 Obstinate Baloth
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Nature’s Claim
1 Tireless Tracker
1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
2 Sudden Shock
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

5th – Jason Fielder – Jeskai Control

[deck]
[Creatures]
4 Snapcaster Mage
2 Restoration Angel
2 Torrential Gearhulk
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Path to Exile
3 Spell Snare
2 Negate
4 Cryptic Command
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Nahiri, the Harbinger
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
3 Electrolyze
[/Spells]
[Lands]
1 Scalding Tarn
4 Flooded Strand
3 Celestial Colonnade
2 Prairie Stream
2 Steam Vents
4 Spirebluff Canal
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
4 Island
2 Plains
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Torrential Gearhulk
2 Timely Reinforcements
2 Wrath of God
1 Sphinx’s Revelation
4 Leyline of Sanctity
3 Dispel
1 Celestial Purge
1 Wear // Tear
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

6th – Gokulan Balakrishnan – Eldrazi Tron

[deck]
[Creatures]
4 Matter Reshaper
4 Reality Smasher
4 Thought-Knot Seer
2 Emrakul, the Promised End
3 Endbringer
1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
1 World Breaker
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Ancient Stirrings
4 Spatial Contortion
3 Warping Wail
4 Expedition Map
1 All is Dust
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Urza’s Mine
4 Urza’s Tower
4 Urza’s Power Plant
4 Forest
1 Ghost Quarter
4 Eldrazi Temple
1 Wastes
1 Sanctum Of Ugin
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 All is Dust
4 Relic of Progenitus
4 Natural state
1 Spellskite
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Warping Wail
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

7th – Darren Mancini – Death’s Shadow

[deck]
[Creatures]
4 Steppe Lynx
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Wild Nacatl
3 Death’s Shadow
4 Street Wraith
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Dismember
4 Gitaxian Probe
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Become Immense
3 Temur Battle Rage
4 Mutagenic Growth
[/Spells]
[Lands]
3 Wooded Foothills
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Windswept Heath
1 Arid Mesa
2 Stomping Ground
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Blood Crypt
1 Godless Shrine
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Dismember
3 Relic of Progenitus
3 Ancient Grudge
1 Apostle’s Blessing
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

8th – Tyler Nightingale – Dredge

[deck]
[Creatures]
4 Insolent Neonate
4 Golgari Grave-Troll
4 Stinkweed Imp
4 Narcomoeba
4 Bloodghast
4 Prized Amalgam
1 Scourge Devil
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Faithless Looting
4 Cathartic Reunion
3 Life from the Loam
3 Conflagrate
1 Darkblast
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Copperline Gorge
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Blood Crypt
2 Dakmor Salvage
2 Stomping Ground
2 Mountain
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
4 Nature’s Claim
2 Bojuka Bog
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Darkblast
2 Gnaw to the Bone
2 Lightning Axe
2 Vengeful Pharaoh
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

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