Top 8 Coverage
The spirits are high in Kuala Lumpur a great metropolitan city of rapid socio-economic and cultural development that's reminiscent of Kaladesh. 769 players showed up with their eyes on the Top 8 and a run at the trophy. At the end of it all, it was Fumiya Matsumoto who rose to the top, doing so with Mardu Vehicles against the sea of White-Blue Flash, which was exactly what Mark Lawrence Tubola had piloted all the way to the finals in his very first Grand Prix Top 8.
Matsumoto made the Top 8 a month ago at Grand Prix Kyoto and followed that up with a win here at Kuala Lumpur. Yet, he wasn't the only one on a roll. Yuuki Ichikawa took down Kyoto – so he was threatening a two-peat this evening, while Platinum Pro and Pro Tour Eldritch Moon Top 8 competitor Yuta Takahashi continues his winning streak. Teruya Kakumae was also hoping for his third Grand Prix title this weekend, but fell along the wayside.
Mark Lawrence Tubola from the Philippines, Anthony Lee from Australia, and Marcus Oh from Singapore might not have as tenured careers as the four Japanese players but have displayed mastery by not only going 9-0 in Day 1, but also cruising through Day 2 into their very first Grand Prix Top 8.
Last but not least, Malaysia's very own Au Yong Wai Kin is back in the Top 8 after a sixteen year hiatus! He came in 3rd place at the inaugural Grand Prix Kuala Lumpur in 2000 and is the nation's only hope of keeping the trophy on local soil! However, it was not to be because Matsumoto will forever be remembered for zooming past the entire competition here at Kuala Lumpur.
Hearty congratulations once again!
Day 2 Coverage
After 9 rounds of contest, the field of 769 is down to just 245. There are three 9-0 players, namely Tubola Mark Lawrence from the Philippines, Marcus Oh from Singapore and Anthony Lee from Australia.
In addition, there are a whole lot of talented players who have made the Day 2 cut, including Yuuki Ichikawa, Yuta Takahashi, Au Yong Wai Kin, Chye Yian Hsiang and Teruya Kakumae at 8-1. Close behind are Nicholas Wong, Kelvin Chew, Tomoharu Saito, Kenji Tsumura, Ken Yukuhiro and Kentaro Yamamoto among other big names!
While it looks like the Spell Quellers are dominating in Kuala Lumpur, it is still hard to say which deck is the best until the very end. Together with Grand Prix Providence taking place this weekend, we hope to offer an inspiring vantage of the Standard metagame!
Day 1 Coverage
The spirits are high in Kuala Lumpur, a great metropolitan city of rapid socio-economic and cultural development that's reminiscent of Kaladesh. 769 players showed up with their eyes on the Top 8 and a run at the trophy. Despite being a smaller-sized Grand Prix than say, Grand Prix Providence, it doesn't mean that it was going to be a walk in the park. Due to the high number of three-bye players as well as seasoned veterans, it was nothing but a rough road to the top.
After 9 rounds of contest, there are three 9-0 players, namely Tubola Mark Lawrence from the Philippines, Marcus Oh from Singapore, and Anthony Lee from Australia. All three players are playing White-Blue Flash, even if they had slightly different takes on their respective decklists.
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