Jund Jolts Jeremy to the Top

Grand Prix Lyon 2012

Jund Jolts Jeremy to the Top

November 3-4, 2012

Grand Prix Lyon 2012

France, for the last couple of years, had Raphael Levy as its standalone bastion at the Grand Prix circuit. This weekend, he was flanked by his fellow Hall of Famers Gabriel Nassif and Olivier Ruel. For much of the day, it looked like both of these past masters of the game would make it to the final eight. In the end, Nassif was halted, but Ruel added a record 27th (!) Grand Prix Top 8 to his resume.

The rest of France also stepped up its game, with fully half of the Top 8 stocked with home talent. The final few matches were fought with tension and excitement, but in the end it was Jeremy Dezany who claimed the victory for France.

Modern proved to be a ton of fun and ultra-versatile, with enough archetypes running around the top tables to keep the most ardent deck tinkerer happy for weeks. Every color in Magic was there in the finals, but in the end the Black, Red and Green triumphed over the Blue and White.

Congratulations to Jeremy Dezany, our Grand Prix Lyon 2012 Champion!


top 8 bracket

Quaterfinals

(1) Peter Dun

(8) Jeremy Dezani

(4) Mathieu Hautot

(5) Clement Sarton

(2) Olivier Ruel

(7) Davide Colla

(3) Emanuel Sutor

(6) Jonas Köstler

Semi-finals

Jeremy Dezani, 2-0

Mathieu Hautot, 2-0

Davide Colla, 2-0

Emanuel Sutor, 2-1

Finals

Jeremy Dezani, 2-1

Emanuel Sutor, 2-1

Champion

Jeremy Dezani, 2-1

Day 2 Coverage Day 1 Coverage

EVENT COVERAGE

INFORMATION

   
1. Jeremy Dezani $3,500
2. Emanuel Sutor $2,300
3. Mathieu Hautot $1,500
4. Davide Colla $1,500
5. Olivier Ruel $1,000
6. Peter Dun $1,000
7. Clement Sarton $1,000
8. Jonas Köstler $1,000

pairings, results, standings

Final

Pairings

15 14 13 12 11 10

Results

15 14 13 12 11 10

Standings

15 14 13 12 11 10

Green Bracket

Pairings

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Results

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Standings

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Blue Bracket

Pairings

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Results

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Standings

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Saturday, 6:32 p.m. - Matchup Madness

by Frank Karsten

Over 1000 matches of Modern have been played here in Lyon today. That provides a lot of raw data that an analytical crusader such as myself loves to sink his teeth in. On my flight to Lyon, I had prepared a spreadsheet that could automatically combine the metagame classification with the match results. (The metagame classification is a collection of rows stating "Gabriel Nassif: Affinity", "Olivier Ruel: Storm", etc., which I compiled this morning. A match result is, e.g., "Olivier Ruel defeats Gabriel Nassif in Round 13". By translating that to "Storm defeats Affinity" and adding up all of those Sunday match results, I could get an overview of how the various matchups panned out.)

Here are the matchup results I found between the five most popular decks today:

 
  Jund Robots Infect UW Mid-range Birthing Pod
Jund XXX 17-23 (43%) 16-14 (53%) 13-4 (76%) 8-6 (57%)
Robots 21-17 (57%) XXX 8-10 (44%) 11-4 (73%) 4-5 (44%)
Infect 14-16 (47%) 10-8 (56%) XXX 4-7 (36%) 7-2 (78%)
UW Mid-range 4-13 (24%) 4-11 (27%) 7-4 (64%) XXX 3-2 (60%)
Birthing Pod 6-8 (43%) 5-4 (56%) 2-7 (22%) 2-3 (40%) XXX
 

So, Jund played Robots a grand total of 17+23=40 times today, and Robots won 23 of those encounters (i.e., Robots is a 43% favorite in the matchup).

Looking at these numbers, it would appear that UW Mid-range and Birthing Pod are somewhat ill-positioned in the current field.

Top 8 Decklists

by Frank Karsten
 

Peter Dun
Download Arena Decklist
Decklist Stats Sample Hand
Creature (14)
4 Grim Lavamancer 4 Pestermite 4 Deceiver Exarch 2 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
Sorcery (11)
4 Serum Visions 4 Sleight of Hand 3 Inquisition of Kozilek
Instant (6)
3 Dispel 3 Spell Pierce
Enchantment (4)
4 Splinter Twin
Land (25)
4 Misty Rainforest 4 Scalding Tarn 1 Arid Mesa 3 Steam Vents 1 Stomping Ground 1 Watery Grave 2 Sulfur Falls 2 Cascade Bluffs 3 Halimar Depths 3 Island 1 Mountain
60 Cards
Sideboard (15)
1 Dispel 2 Duress 3 Blood Moon 2 Cyclonic Rift 3 Ancient Grudge 3 Spellskite 1 Mizzium Skin
Deal Another Hand

Olivier Ruel
Download Arena Decklist
Decklist Stats Sample Hand
Creature (3)
3 Goblin Electromancer
Sorcery (18)
4 Sleight of Hand 4 Gitaxian Probe 4 Serum Visions 3 Grapeshot 3 Past in Flames
Instant (20)
4 Manamorphose 4 Seething Song 3 Desperate Ravings 4 Pyretic Ritual 4 Desperate Ritual 1 Increasing Vengeance
Enchantment (3)
3 Pyromancer Ascension
Land (16)
3 Shivan Reef 2 Steam Vents 3 Misty Rainforest 4 Scalding Tarn 1 Mountain 3 Island
60 Cards
Sideboard (15)
1 Grapeshot 4 Lightning Bolt 3 Empty the Warrens 2 Goblin Bushwhacker 2 Shatterstorm 3 Tormod's Crypt
Deal Another Hand

Emanuel Sutor
Download Arena Decklist
Decklist Stats Sample Hand
Creature (19)
1 Baneslayer Angel 4 Snapcaster Mage 3 Vendilion Clique 3 Geist of Saint Traft 2 Blade Splicer 2 Wall of Omens 4 Restoration Angel
Instant (16)
4 Spell Snare 4 Mana Leak 4 Path to Exile 2 Cryptic Command 2 Dismember
Land (25)
4 Celestial Colonnade 4 Seachrome Coast 4 Tectonic Edge 1 Plains 1 Eiganjo Castle 2 Scalding Tarn 1 Misty Rainforest 1 Arid Mesa 4 Island 2 Hallowed Fountain 1 Moorland Haunt
60 Cards
Sideboard (15)
1 Baneslayer Angel 1 Vendilion Clique 2 Aven Mindcensor 2 Celestial Purge 2 Negate 2 Rest in Peace 3 Stony Silence 2 Supreme Verdict
Deal Another Hand

Davide Colla
Download Arena Decklist
Decklist Stats Sample Hand
Creature (26)
3 Arcbound Ravager 3 Master of Etherium 4 Memnite 4 Ornithopter 4 Signal Pest 4 Steel Overseer 4 Vault Skirge
Sorcery (4)
4 Thoughtcast
Artifact (14)
4 Springleaf Drum 4 Cranial Plating 4 Mox Opal 2 Welding Jar
Land (16)
4 Blinkmoth Nexus 4 Inkmoth Nexus 4 Darksteel Citadel 3 Glimmervoid 1 Island
60 Cards
Sideboard (15)
4 Etched Champion 2 Ancient Grudge 2 Thoughtseize 2 Rest in Peace 2 Ethersworn Canonist 3 Dismember
Deal Another Hand

Clement Sarton
Download Arena Decklist
Decklist Stats Sample Hand
Creature (26)
4 Vault Skirge 3 Steel Overseer 4 Signal Pest 4 Ornithopter 4 Memnite 4 Arcbound Ravager 3 Master of Etherium
Sorcery (4)
4 Thoughtcast
Artifact (14)
4 Springleaf Drum 4 Mox Opal 4 Cranial Plating 2 Welding Jar
Land (16)
4 Blinkmoth Nexus 4 Darksteel Citadel 4 Inkmoth Nexus 3 Glimmervoid 1 Island
60 Cards
Sideboard (15)
4 Etched Champion 2 Spell Pierce 2 Relic of Progenitus 2 Dismember 2 Ancient Grudge 1 Torpor Orb 2 Whipflare
Deal Another Hand

Mathieu Hautot
Download Arena Decklist
Decklist Stats Sample Hand
Planeswalker (2)
2 Liliana of the Veil
Creature (18)
4 Dark Confidant 4 Deathrite Shaman 4 Tarmogoyf 3 Vendilion Clique 3 Snapcaster Mage
Sorcery (6)
1 Thoughtseize 4 Inquisition of Kozilek 1 Duress
Instant (11)
3 Disfigure 2 Doom Blade 3 Abrupt Decay 3 Mana Leak
Enchantment (1)
1 Threads of Disloyalty
Land (22)
1 Breeding Pool 1 Watery Grave 1 Overgrown Tomb 1 Forest 1 Island 4 Misty Rainforest 4 Verdant Catacombs 3 Darkslick Shores 3 Creeping Tar Pit 2 Tectonic Edge 1 Scalding Tarn
60 Cards
Sideboard (15)
2 Tectonic Edge 2 Threads of Disloyalty 2 Deprive 3 Spreading Seas 2 Grafdigger's Cage 1 Creeping Corrosion 2 Hurkyl's Recall 1 Damping Matrix
Deal Another Hand

Jeremy Dezani
Download Arena Decklist
Decklist Stats Sample Hand
Planeswalker (4)
4 Liliana of the Veil
Creature (16)
4 Deathrite Shaman 4 Tarmogoyf 4 Dark Confidant 4 Bloodbraid Elf
Sorcery (9)
3 Thoughtseize 3 Inquisition of Kozilek 2 Blightning 1 Maelstrom Pulse
Instant (7)
4 Lightning Bolt 2 Abrupt Decay 1 Terminate
Land (24)
4 Blackcleave Cliffs 4 Verdant Catacombs 4 Treetop Village 2 Misty Rainforest 2 Marsh Flats 1 Twilight Mire 2 Overgrown Tomb 1 Stomping Ground 1 Blood Crypt 2 Swamp 1 Forest
60 Cards
Sideboard (15)
1 Thoughtseize 1 Flame Slash 2 Batterskull 2 Obstinate Baloth 2 Ancient Grudge 2 Creeping Corrosion 2 Rakdos Charm 1 Melira, Sylvok Outcast 1 Spellskite 1 Darkblast
Deal Another Hand

Jonas Köstler
Download Arena Decklist
Decklist Stats Sample Hand
Creature (31)
4 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker 4 Restoration Angel 3 Wall of Omens 3 Avacyn's Pilgrim 4 Noble Hierarch 4 Birds of Paradise 1 Zealous Conscripts 1 Glen Elendra Archmage 2 Deceiver Exarch 1 Kitchen Finks 1 Eternal Witness 1 Phantasmal Image 1 Spellskite 1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
Sorcery (2)
2 Commune with Nature
Artifact (4)
4 Birthing Pod
Land (23)
4 Misty Rainforest 3 Arid Mesa 1 Stomping Ground 1 Temple Garden 1 Steam Vents 1 Hallowed Fountain 1 Sacred Foundry 4 Grove of the Burnwillows 3 Rugged Prairie 1 Snow-Covered Mountain 1 Snow-Covered Plains 1 Snow-Covered Forest 1 Snow-Covered Island
60 Cards
Sideboard (15)
2 Path to Exile 2 Dispel 2 Ancient Grudge 1 Qasali Pridemage 1 Harmonic Sliver 1 Tormod's Crypt 2 Ethersworn Canonist 1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence 1 Thrun, the Last Troll 1 Sigarda, Host of Herons 1 Oblivion Ring
Deal Another Hand

Quarterfinals - Olivier Ruel (Storm) vs. Davide Colla (Robots)

by Frank Karsten

This quarterfinals threw together Hall of Famer Olivier from France and Davide Colla from Italy, playing in his first Grand Prix Top 8.

Game 1

Olivier got to play first as a result of being the higher seed in the Swiss standings, but had to mulligan down to 6 in search of a keepable hand. He led off with Gitaxian Probe, which revealed 2 Inkmoth Nexus, Darksteel Citadel, Cranial Plating, Steel Overseer, Signal Pest, and Memnite. Not a bad hand from Colla; it represented a turn 4 kill, and Olivier knew he would have to try to win on his fourth turn.

A topdecked Mox Opal from Colla changed that equation, as it allowed him to equal Cranial Plating on his second turn already and attack Olivier down to 13 life.

Davide Colla rocking the Robots.

Could Olivier go off on turn 3? Well, since he only had Past in Flames, Seething Song, and Pyromancer Ascension, but no further card draw spells, the answer to that was no.

Olivier reluctantly passed the turn and, sure enough, a bunch of additional artifacts came down on the next turn. Davide managed to take the game with an impressive turn 3 kill.

Olivier Ruel 0 - Davide Colla 1

Game 2

Now it was time for Davide to take a mulligan down to 6. Gitaxian Probe from Olivier revealed Ethersworn Canonist, Arcbound Ravager, Cranial Plating, Steel Overseer, Inkmoth Nexus, Blinkmoth Nexus. Not the most explosive draw, and without a white source for the potentially devastating Ethersworn Canonist.

Olivier, however, failed to draw a second land, and had to discard his next two discard steps. In the meantime, Davide was building up his army of Robots, with double Steel Overseer turning them into respectable threats.

Olivier Ruel, hoping to draw an Empty the Warrens

Dead to an attack next turn, it was time for Olivier to draw a land. He slammed the top card of his deck on the table, and it was Misty Rainforest! This allowed him to go Pyretic Ritual, Desperate Ritual, Shatterstorm. Now Davide only had an Inkmoth Nexus and a Blinkmoth Nexus left.

Over the course of the next few turns, it looked like Olivier was actually playing a control deck.

Steel Overseer? Grapeshot.

Arcbound Ravager and Cranial Plating? Another Shatterstorm.

Memnite? Grapeshot.

Ethersworn Canonist? Lightning Bolt!

Empty the Warrens

Rest in Peace came down for Davide, meaning that any Pyromancer Ascension or Past in Flames shenanigans from Olivier would be taken out. But Olivier was not planning to win the match with those graveyard-reliant cards. In fact, he had boarded most of them out in anticipation of graveyard hate. His game plan was to make a ton of Goblin tokens with Empty the Warrens.

But to succeed with that plan, you actually need to draw an Empty the Warrens, and Olivier mostly encountered a slew of land instead. By the time he had finally found an Empty the Warrens, multiple Inkmoth Nexus boosted by Master of Etherium had already poisoned him.

Olivier summed up the game nicely as follows: "That was the worst mana screw and mana flood of the entire tournament ... in the same game!" Disappointed but another Top 8 appearance richer, he extended his hand and wished his opponent good luck in the semifinals.

Olivier Ruel 0 - Davide Colla 2

Davide Colla advances to the semifinals!

Top 8 - Player Profiles

by Tobi Henke

Peter Dun

Age: 25
Hometown: London, England/Brussels, Belgium
Occupation: Student
 

Guild:
Orzhov

Previous Magic accomplishments:
Build Elves with Glimpse of Nature, Enduring Ideal, and Eldrazi Ramp. Also Top 8 at UK Nationals 2008.

What deck are you playing and why did you choose it?
Splinter Twin with Grim Lavamancer. Lavamancer is very good versus all aggro decks, Jund, and creature-based combo decks like Infect, Twin, Affinity. The deck has a high velocity and is immune to Spell Snare since it has no 2-drops.

What was the best card in your deck/sideboard?
Grim Lavamancer/Mizzium Skin.

What was the worst card in your deck/sideboard?

Maindeck was perfect/Duress.

Emanuel Sutor

Age: 26
Hometown: Saarbrücken, Germany
Occupation: Student
 

Previous Magic accomplishments:

Nothing worth mentioning, but since you asked:
two Pro Tour qualifications and one money finish at a Grand Prix.

What deck are you playing and why did you choose it?
Blue-White Angels, because it has a decent Jund match-up , no really bad match-ups in the format, and a lot of play to it. It's kind of like a (better) blue-white Jund deck.

What was the best card in your deck/sideboard?
The flash creatures combined with all the instants making it really hard for opponents to play around everything/no sideboard card in particular. (Blue-white just has really good sideboard cards in general.)

What was the worst card in your deck/sideboard?

I chose my cards very deliberately.

David Colla

Age: 20
Hometown: Parma, Italy
Occupation: Shop assistant
 

Guild:
Selesnya

Previous Magic accomplishments:
Some PTQ Top 8s, day two at Grand Prix Milan.

What deck are you playing and why did you choose it?
Robots, because Mattia Rizzi gave me that the morning of the tournament.

What was the best card in your deck/sideboard?
Arcbound Ravager, he wins on its own.

What was the worst card in your deck/sideboard?

All tournament long, I never boarded in Ethersworn Canonist.

Jonas Köstler

Age: 22
Hometown: Fürth, Germany
Occupation: Having the best girlfriend in the world
 

Guild:
No guild!

Previous Magic accomplishments:
Top 8 at GP Bochum, Barcelona, and Lille. Sixth place at Team Grand Prix San Jose.

What deck are you playing and why did you choose it?
RUGW Pod. I just love to durdle with Birthing Pod.

What was the best card in your deck/sideboard?
Birthing Pod. Not close.

What was the worst card in your deck/sideboard?

Thalia, Guardian of Thraben and Tormod's Crypt.

Olivier Ruel

Age: 31
Hometown: Lille, France
Occupation: Bartender, local wrestling federation manager
 

Guild:
No guild affiliation

Previous Magic accomplishments:
Lots in the previous decade, a National Top 8 since then.

What deck are you playing and why did you choose it?
Blue-Red Storm, because I couldn't manage a good enough version of my five-color control decks. It's good to play a deck with which you don't get insulted by opponents on Magic Online when you cast Snapcaster Mage and Rest in Peace on the same turn. Less stylish, of course, but probably producing better results.

What was the best card in your deck/sideboard?
I could pretend it's Increasing Vengeance so I didn't just copy but improve the Finkel-Martell deck. In truth, though, it's definitely Empty the Warrens. Actually, the best is probably Manamorphose, but Empty was the best surprise.

What was the worst card in your deck/sideboard?

Shatterstorm, I really wish I had Shattering Spree instead, and at least three of them. Not that Shatterstorm is bad, but Shattering Spree is just better.

Clément Sarton

Age: 31
Hometown: Grenoble, France
Occupation: Industrial engineer
 

Guild:
Izzet

Previous Magic accomplishments:

P?
ro Tour Kobe 2006, several French Nationals.

What deck are you playing and why did you choose it?
Robots, because I didn't test a lot.

What was the best card in your deck/sideboard?
Arcbound Ravager.

What was the worst card in your deck/sideboard?

Torpor Orb.

Jérémy Dezani

Age: 22
Hometown: Orleans/Paris, France
Occupation: Student, cube drafter
 

Guild:
Orzhov

Previous Magic accomplishments:
Top 8 at GP Paris 2009, Top 32 at GP Paris 2011, Top 64 at GP Brussels and Lyon in 2010.

What deck are you playing and why did you choose it?
Jund, because I love to play mirror matches, and because with Jund you can win every match-up.

What was the best card in your deck/sideboard?
Deathrite Shaman/Darkblast.

What was the worst card in your deck/sideboard?

Abrupt Decay because it doesn't kill Treetop Village or Inkmoth Nexus/Melira, Sylvok Outcast.

Mathieu Hautot

Age: 26
Hometown: Le Havre, France
Occupation:
 

Guild:
Dimir

Previous Magic accomplishments:
Top 64 at GP Amsterdam, played in Pro Tour Hollywood.

What deck are you playing and why did you choose it?
Blue-Green-Black.

What was the best card in your deck/sideboard?

Damping Matrix.

Quarterfinals - Jonas Köstler (Birthing Pod) vs. Emanuel Sutor (Blue-White)

by Tobi Henke

In this all-German quarterfinal, Jonas Köstler was clearly the more experienced player, with three previous Grand Prix Top 8s to Emanuel Sutor's none. Experience may have favored Köstler, but when the players discussed their match-up while pouring over their opponents' deck lists, it appeared Sutor might be at a more tangible advantage in that regard.

Game 1

Both kept their opening seven. Köstler led with Birds of Paradise, and followed it up with Avacyn's Pilgrim, Noble Hierarch, and Avacyn's Pilgrim, all on turn two. Both laughed at the explosive start that somehow failed to accomplish much of anything.

Jonas Köstler

Sutor's first play of the match was Blade Splicer, but that was enough to stop all of Köstler's creatures as well as a freshly-cast Kitchen Finks. On Sutor's turn, the first-striking 3/3 Golem went to attack. When Köstler dared to attack with his Kitchen Finks, however, Sutor had Restoration Angel, blinking Blade Splicer and creating another token, which ate Kitchen Finks.

Now Sutor had two 3/3s and one 3/4 flier and was beating down hard. Köstler bought time by chumping with his Finks and regrowing that via Eternal Witness. But those were only stop-gap measures, not solutions. Köstler's deck finally gave him those with Zealous Conscripts and his own Restoration Angel, but it was too late. Sutor's Dismember, Snapcaster Mage, and Dismember flashback left the attackers and blockers mismatched enough for Sutor to punch through the final points of damage.

Jonas Köstler 0-1 Emanuel Sutor

Noble Hierarch

Game 2

Köstler went first, had Noble Hierarch, followed by Kitchen Finks, then more Noble Hierarch and Wall of Omens. Once again, Sutor's first play came on turn three, this time a Vendilion Clique which picked Birthing Pod out of Köstler's hand. But this time, Köstler was already smashing in with 5/4 Kitchen Finks (thanks to double Noble Hierarch) and even redoubled with Restoration Angel.

Sutor was forced to chump with Vendilion Clique and use Dismember just to stay alive at 4, while Köstler summoned Thrun, the Last Troll. On his turn, Sutor did actually have Supreme Verdict to clear the board ... if not for Thrun, the Last Trolls regeneration.

Jonas Köstler 1-1 Emanuel Sutor

Game 3

For the first time, there was no mana acceleration for Köstler. Instead, he began the match on Wall of Omens and Kitchen Finks. At end of turn, after Köstler had used Misty Rainforest, Sutor summoned Aven Mindcensor.

"That was bad," admitted Sutor. Köstler could only agree: "Tobi, you need to mention in the coverage that I didn't deserve to lose." Done.

Emanuel Sutor

However, Köstler wasn't exactly losing just yet. Sutor had a Restoration Angel, but so had Köstler, and he also got a Birthing Pod past Cryptic Command with the help of Dispel.

Next, Path to Exile took out Köstler's Angel, clearing the path for Sutor's fliers, which soon were joined by Vendilion Clique. Köstler was forced to try and use Birthing Pod, sacrificing Kitchen Finks, but the top four cards of his library (the limitation imposed by Aven Mindcensor) proved uncooperative. The next attack brought Köstler to 4. He drew his next, possibly last card, thought long and hard, then picked up his cards.

Jonas Köstler 1-2 Emanuel Sutor

Congratulations to Emanuel Sutor for advancing to the semifinals and qualifying for Pro Tour Gatecrash!

Semifinals - Jeremy Dezani (Jund) versus Mathieu Hautot (BUG)

by Frank Karsten

At first glance, the two French players in this semifinals appeared to be playing the same decks. Indeed, they were both running the same black-green base: Deathrite Shaman, Dark Confidant, Tarmogoyf, Liliana of the Veil, and Inquisition of Kozilek. But they opted for a different third color. Hautot runs Vendilion Clique, Snapcaster Mage, and Mana Leak, whereas Dezani has Lightning Bolt and Bloodbraid Elf.

Which would be better; the blue cards or the red cards? Let's find out!

Game 1

Hautot led off with a turn 1 Deathrite Shaman, while Dezani cast Inquisition of Kozilek on his first turn. Given the choice between Liliana of the Veil and Threads of Disloyalty, he chose to discard the planeswalker.

An Inquisition of Kozilek from Hautot revealed Blightning and Dark Confidant, and he chose to send Blightning to the graveyard. Makes sense, as Dark Confidant didn't appear to pose a problem with the Threads of Disloyalty still lurking in Hautot's hand. Nevertheless, Dezani fearlessly cast his 2/1 creature. He showed why when he destroyed Threads of Disloyalty with Abrupt Decay on the subsequent turn.

Mathieu Hautot

A topdecked Liliana from Hautot got rid of the Dark Confidant. After a Treetop Village attack dealt with Liliana, the sole nonland permanent left standing was Hautot's Deathrite Shaman, which started nibbling down Dezani's life total.

A while later, a new Dark Confidant came down for Dezani, and Hautot did not have a way to remove it this time around. In short order, the card advantage generated by Dark Confidant become overwhelming. Dezani was drawing two answers to every threat Hautot found: Lightning Bolt dealt with Creeping Tar Pit, another Lightning Bolt dealt with Deathrite Shaman, Liliana of the Veil dealt with Vendilion Clique and Deathrite Shaman, etcetera

A couple turns later, Dark Confidant had handed the game to Dezani. Drawing two cards per turn is a good strategy in the game of Magic!

Jeremy Dezani 1 - Mathieu Hautot 0

Game 2

Dezani started with two Deathrite Shaman and Dark Confidant, but they didn't stay on his side of the board for long. Disfigure and Abrupt Decay dealt with two of them, and the last one was stolen with Threads of Disloyalty.

Hautot then moved into mana denial mode, with double Spreading Seas taking out Dezani's access to black and red mana. Unable to cast any spells, Dezani could only shake his head and continually pass the turn, while Dark Confidant, Deathrite Shaman, and Vendilion Clique slowly whittled him down to 0 life.

Jeremy Dezani 1 - Mathieu Hautot 1

Jeremy Dezani

Game 3

This game could be summed up as follows: Hautot had the Dark Confidant advantage early on, but got down to a dangerously low life total quickly. Next, two hasty cascading Bloodbraid Elf from Dezani turned the game around. All in all, the red cards had proven to be better than the blue ones in this matchup.

To get a more complete feel of all the discard spells, Darkblast dredging, Obstinate Baloth foiling Liliana of the Veil, Dark Confidant playing decisions, and more, you can check out the magicprotour archives on Twitch.tv, as this match was covered on video with excellent commentary by Simon Görtzen and Matej Zatlkaj.

Jeremy Dezani 2 - Mathieu Hautot 1

Decklists of the 9-16 Place Finishers

by Frank Karsten

Kenny Oberg, 9th place
Download Arena Decklist
Decklist Stats Sample Hand
Creature (3)
3 Goblin Electromancer
Sorcery (18)
4 Gitaxian Probe 4 Sleight of Hand 3 Past in Flames 3 Grapeshot 4 Serum Visions
Instant (20)
4 Manamorphose 4 Seething Song 3 Desperate Ravings 4 Pyretic Ritual 4 Desperate Ritual 1 Increasing Vengeance
Enchantment (3)
3 Pyromancer Ascension
Land (16)
3 Shivan Reef 2 Steam Vents 3 Misty Rainforest 4 Scalding Tarn 1 Mountain 3 Island
60 Cards
Sideboard (15)
1 Pyromancer Ascension 3 Shatterstorm 3 Lightning Bolt 3 Empty the Warrens 3 Negate 2 Echoing Truth
Deal Another Hand

Yohan Dudognon, 10th Place
Download Arena Decklist
Decklist Stats Sample Hand
Planeswalker (3)
3 Liliana of the Veil
Creature (8)
3 Deathrite Shaman 3 Snapcaster Mage 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite 1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
Sorcery (13)
4 Lingering Souls 1 Maelstrom Pulse 1 Crime // Punishment 1 Life from the Loam 1 Raven's Crime 3 Inquisition of Kozilek 1 Thoughtseize 1 Unburial Rites
Instant (11)
4 Gifts Ungiven 3 Path to Exile 2 Abrupt Decay 2 Remand
Land (25)
4 Marsh Flats 4 Verdant Catacombs 1 Watery Grave 1 Hallowed Fountain 1 Temple Garden 1 Breeding Pool 1 Overgrown Tomb 1 Godless Shrine 1 Island 1 Plains 1 Forest 1 Swamp 2 Creeping Tar Pit 1 Celestial Colonnade 1 Ghost Quarter 1 Twilight Mire 1 Drowned Catacomb 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
60 Cards
Sideboard (15)
1 Abrupt Decay 3 Vendilion Clique 1 Aven Mindcensor 1 Negate 1 Duress 1 Supreme Verdict 1 Damnation 1 Timely Reinforcements 1 Wurmcoil Engine 1 Darkblast 1 Noxious Revival 1 Stony Silence 1 Damping Matrix
Deal Another Hand

Michael Milis, 11th Place
Download Arena Decklist
Decklist Stats Sample Hand
Planeswalker (4)
4 Liliana of the Veil
Creature (20)
4 Deathrite Shaman 4 Bloodbraid Elf 4 Geralf's Messenger 4 Dark Confidant 4 Tarmogoyf
Sorcery (4)
2 Inquisition of Kozilek 2 Thoughtseize
Instant (8)
2 Abrupt Decay 2 Terminate 4 Lightning Bolt
Land (24)
1 Misty Rainforest 3 Treetop Village 1 Blood Crypt 1 Stomping Ground 1 Raging Ravine 4 Blackcleave Cliffs 2 Overgrown Tomb 4 Verdant Catacombs 3 Marsh Flats 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth 1 Forest 2 Swamp
60 Cards
Sideboard (15)
3 Ancient Grudge 1 Jund Charm 2 Maelstrom Pulse 3 Fulminator Mage 2 Surgical Extraction 1 Thrun, the Last Troll 1 Olivia Voldaren 1 Obstinate Baloth 1 Batterskull
Deal Another Hand