After fourteen rounds of Swiss, four teams emerged ahead of the rest. Here are your GP Toronto Top 4 teams!
Team McLaughlin/Harabas/Siow
Name: Morgan McLaughlin
Hometown: Windsor, ON
Occupation: Robotics Engineer
Previous Magic Accomplishments:
- GP Montreal Top 4
- first PT qualification beating Lucas in PTQ final (PT Journey into Nyx)
- Team Siow basement draft camp champion
Which format and what deck did you play this weekend, and why?
Standard, BW Vehicles
We wanted to beat UW and RB and okay throwing all other match-ups
How did your team form?
scraps from Siow's basement
Is there a particular moment that stands out from this weekend?
Getting carried by Chris
What does this Top 4 mean to you?
Back to back PTs, Bronze status and not needing to play PPTQs
Name: Chris Harabas
Hometown: Toronto
Occupation: Student
Previous Magic Accomplishments:
Won last night’s team draft
Which format and what deck did you play this weekend, and why?
Modern, Humans
Lucas told me to, and it’s a great deck
How did your team form?
Team Lucas Siow’s basement group chat
Is there a particular moment that stands out from this weekend?
I played a 1-1 split of Kessig Malcontents and Restoration Angel and I’m glad I never drew Angel.
What does this Top 4 mean to you?
Firt GP Top 4, excited to play my first PT as a team PT with friends.
Name: Lucas Siow
Hometown: Toronto
Occupation: Protein Qure - Quantum Computing Startup
Previous Magic Accomplishments:
4 GP Top 8s
2 Nats Teams
Which format and what deck did you play this weekend, and why?
Legacy, 4-Color Control - I thought it was good versus blue decks
How did your team form?
Morgan has no friends - asked me to come out of retirement. We asked Jamie. He said no. Found Chris.
What does this Top 4 mean to you?
Chris and Morgan are great. Basement is great. Protein Qure is TBD.
Team Crotts/Blum/Smith
Name: Jennifer Crotts
Hometown: Calgary
Occupation: Registered Nurse
Previous Magic Accomplishments:
None
Which format and what deck did you play this weekend, and why?
Standard, RB Midrange. We felt it was good against the field.
How did your team form?
Robert and Tyler have teamed together for a long time and they invited me to join them.
Is there a particular moment that stands out from this weekend?
Losing Round 1 and rallying back to win 12 in a row.
What does this Top 4 mean to you?
So much. This will be my first Pro Tour and it’s a great feeling to get there with two amazing players.
Name: Tyler Blum
Hometown: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Occupation: Recruiting
Previous Magic Accomplishments:
GP Chicago 2015 Champion
Top 4 GP San Jose 2015
Silver Pro
Which format and what deck did you play this weekend, and why?
Modern, Mardu Pyromancer - Robert ran the numbers on the format and pyromancer had the best win rate
How did your team form?
Took the best players in the area.
Is there a particular moment that stands out from this weekend?
Winning Round 13 on the back of 3x Pyromancer and 3x Souls
What does this Top 4 mean to you?
Back to the Pro Tour!
Name: Robert Smith
Hometown: Calgary
Occupation: pricing analyst
Previous Magic Accomplishments:
3 GP Top 8s
GP Seattle Champion
Which format and what deck did you play this weekend, and why?
I played Elves in Legacy. I expected lots of fair decks, which are all good match-ups.
How did your team form?
We’re all competitive players from Calgary.
Is there a particular moment that stands out from this weekend?
Losing round 1 and then winning out.
What does this Top 4 mean to you?
I’m very likely to get Silver.
Team Tiu/Tomajko/Walker
Name: Oliver Tiu
Hometown: Cambridge, MA
Occupation: student
Previous Magic Accomplishments:
Top 4 Worlds 2015-2016
2015-2016 Rookie of the Year
Which format and what deck did you play this weekend, and why?
Standard, UW Control. Everything else was unimpressive
How did your team form?
We’re all good friends.
Is there a particular moment that stands out from this weekend?
Only losing one individual match this weekend.
What does this Top 4 mean to you?
Means a lot, nothing is better than doing well with the help of your friends.
Name: Oliver Tomajko
Hometown: mom’s basement
Occupation: tiny dancer
Previous Magic Accomplishments:
Beat my 3 fathers at a team GP
Birthing Mike Soles who just won a PPTQ
Which format and what deck did you play this weekend, and why?
Hollow One in Modern. Our chat has perfected the hollowed bois. Check the last Modern GP where Max McVety Top 8’ed.
How did your team form?
Tinder match
Is there a particular moment that stands out from this weekend?
Getting a concession in the last round from our awesome opponents!
What does this Top 4 mean to you?
I’M NOT WASHED.
Name: Noah Walker
Hometown: Amhert, MA
Occupation: Magic pro
Previous Magic Accomplishments:
4 GP Top 8s
Which format and what deck did you play this weekend, and why?
Grixis Delver, you know the deal
How did your team form?
The boys come together
Is there a particular moment that stands out from this weekend?
Nicest last round opponents in the world
What does this Top 4 mean to you?
More points!!!!
Team Nelson/Manfield/Braun-Duin
Name: Brad Nelson
Hometown: Roanoke, VA
Occupation: Magic
Previous Magic Accomplishments:
Helping these two fools win Worlds.
Which format and what deck did you play this weekend, and why?
Standard, WU Control. I’m the best Standard player and WU Control is the best deck.
How did your team form?
I like BBD and accidentally agreed to an oath under duress. It didn’t hold up in court.
Is there a particular moment that stands out from this weekend?
When BBD and I won our matches in our win and in, and Seth asked his opponent if he wanted to finish the match.
What does this Top 4 mean to you?
I’ve wanted a team Top 4 for some time.
Name: Seth Manfield
Hometown: Columbia, MD
Occupation: pro Magic player
Previous Magic Accomplishments:
2015 World Champion
Pro Tour Ixalan winner
some good GP results
Which format and what deck did you play this weekend, and why?
Jeskai Control. I wanted to take a long time to win.
How did your team form?
We took the Hilton Garden Oath together.
Is there a particular moment that stands out from this weekend?
Winning the last match for Top 4
What does this Top 4 mean to you?
My first ever team GP Top 4!
Name: Brian Braun-Duin
Hometown: Roanoke, VA
Occupation: Magic the Gathering player and TCG writer
Previous Magic Accomplishments:
2016 World Champion
12 GP Top 8s
Which format and what deck did you play this weekend, and why?
Legacy, 4C Leovold. I knew it the best and it has almost all good match-ups. My only loss was a mirror.
How did your team form?
We met at a Hilton Garden Inn and decided to form a “Hilton Garden Oath”
Is there a particular moment that stands out from this weekend?
Losing the first two rounds on day 2 and then powering through to win the last 4
What does this Top 4 mean to you?
Brad and Seth’s first Team Top 4!