TOP 8 COVERAGE
The largest Grand Prix Toronto has seen has come to a close, and it was Robert Lombardi and his Esper Dragons deck that came out on top. Navigating a field dominated by Green-White Tokens — including Jon Stern’s deck in the finals — Lombardi took on all comers to claim victory in Toronto.
Standard underwent another transformation this weekend, as Steve Rubin’s Pro Tour-winning deck from a week ago became the go-to deck of Standard, painting a huge target on its back. And players showed up ready to hit that target, and though it didn’t stop Green-White Tokens from being the most-played deck of the weekend, Top 8 appearances by Oliver Tiu and Robert Lombardi with control decks showed that the format is far from solved.
It was a redemption weekend for Stern, who is back onto the Pro Tour for the foreseeable future with his second-place finish, and a transformative one for Lombardi, who is no longer just another good local Toronto player.
He’s a Grand Prix champion.
Day 2 Coverage
The largest-ever Grand Prix in Toronto is headed into its final day of competition, and more than 400 players have returned to play on Sunday. Leading the way are Mark Jacobson, Brian Larter, Josh Buitenhuis and Jonathan Morawski at 9-0, but a number of notable players including Brian Braun-Duin, Magnus Lantto, Jon Stern Andrew Baeckstrom and Pro Tour champion Steve Rubin lurk just behind.
It may be rainy outside, but it’s clear skies at the Grand Prix, provided you’re playing what is unsurprisingly the most popular deck of Shadows Over Innistrad Standard — Green-White tokens in the style of Rubin’s Pro Tour-winning deck a week ago. Nearly a fourth of the top 100 performing players on Day 1 came armed with the token-generating machine, and it’s undoubtedly the deck to beat as players jockey for the Top 8 today.
That’s not to say there isn’t innovation, as Jacobson and Buitenhuis’ innovative decks showed. But will they have what it takes to knock off the green-white threat? Tune into Twitch.tv/magic to find out.
Day 1 Coverage
Mark Jacobson leads eight undefeated players at Grand Prix Toronto, cruising through a loaded field that will enter Sunday’s rounds with plenty left on the line. The decks the eight played ran the spectrum of Shadows Over Innistrad Standard, from the traditional powerhouses of Bant Company and XX to more innovative decks featuring both hordes of small creatures to some big Eldrazi to hold off the swarm.
There were 1,727 players who arrived in Canada to compete in the first Standard tournament since last week’s Pro Tour, and they showed that the Shadows Over Innistrad format that put eight distinct decks into the Top 8 in Madrid is still far from solved. While the usual suspects were present — and in force — there were plenty of combatants still exploring what Innistrad’s best had to offer. From fast-paced tribal decks to measured control builds, it was made clear that there are plenty of ways to find success in Standard.
Nearly 500 players will return for action on Sunday, and lurking right behind the leaders are Brian Braun-Duin, Magnus Lantto, Jon Stern, Andrew Baeckstrom and top-ranked Seth Manfield. With a stacked field, who will emerge on this weekend? Tune into twitch.tv/magic to find out!
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