Baumeister's New Jersey Win Proves Herding Cats is Possible

Top 8 Coverage

It was a stacked Top 8, with two Hall of Fame players making the semifinals, and two regular Grand Prix competitors making the finals.

In three surprisingly quick games, Corey Baumeister leveraged 4-Color Copy Cat’s midrange value creatures, and the combo that earned the deck its name, in a mirror match against Ben Friedman. After losing game 1, Baumeister pressured a mana-light Friedman with Tireless Trackers in game 2. Then, in game 3, Baumeister took advantage of Friedman tapping out, and landed the final game-winning combo.

Congratulations to Corey Baumeister, and to all the players at Grand Prix New Jersey this weekend!

Day 2 Coverage

Day 2 of Grand Prix New Jersey began with 500 players – pared down from 1,627 – sitting down to the first of the remaining six Swiss rounds. Vying for a spot in the Top 8, they shuffled up their Saheeli Rais, Heart of Kirans, and a few surprises, and faced off.

Seven players remained undefeated at the end of Day 1, and those seven will have to face in today's opening rounds, whittling down the ranks of those with perfect records until one - or none - remains. In the meantime, we eagerly await finding out if any deck will be able to break 4-Color Copy Cat and Mardu Vehicles' grip on the format, and seeing who will emerge victorious at the end of nine more demanding matches.

Catch the action on the live video broadcast, and stay tuned throughout the day for more Standard action and decklists, and for all the latest straight from the battlefield of Grand Prix Barcelona 2017.

Day 1 Coverage

Over 1600 players arrived at the Meadowlands Exposition Center this morning, ready to either commit to their choice in the Rock-Paper-Scissors decision between 4-Color Copy Cat, Mardu Vehicles, and Black-Green Constrictor, or to break the current Standard mold and gain an edge on unsuspecting opponents.

Nine rounds later, seven players – Paul Rietzl, Ari Lax, Brad Nelson, Jarvis Yu, Peter Maginnis, Charles League, and Nate Sturm – stood undefeated, their decks a sampling of Standards most well know, and most powerful, cards. Well-known players pack the top of the standings, a testament to the skill needed to navigate the current environment. Tune in tomorrow to see exactly how it all shakes out, and to see which deck, and which player, will emerge victorious at the end.