
By David Whitfield
Reforging one's fate isn't always about time traveling and saving an extinct species. Maybe you're trying to eat more greens. Perhaps you want to learn a new word every day. Maybe you want to become so good at Fate Reforged that one day your name will be memorialized within a cool old scroll.
Scroll of the Masters | Art by Lake Hurwitz
In this regard, these sixteen competitors are certainly on the right track. Congratulations to the Fate Reforged Championship finalists!
Fate Reforged Limited Championship Finalists | Fate Reforged Standard Championship Finalists |
Comebackkid2 DieForFame GPJedi lapiso littledarwin Neo-DINO NumotTheNummy pokerswizard |
Balestra Kazaner3000 im2g00t4ubarn Calad Hampuse1 Enotpaniker madchild Rusty Shackleford 91788 |
The final match came down to pokerswizard versus lapiso in the Fate Reforged Limited Championship Final, and im2g00t4ubarn and madchild in the Fate Reforged Standard Championship Final. How did the victors triumph over their competition? Read on to see the details of each match.
lapiso
vs.
pokerswizard
Lapiso drafted a straightforward Mardu deck, with a splash of blue. This is a deck meant to deal damage quickly early on with cheap creatures and burn, plus the added benefit of unmorphing certain creatures to get bigger threats on the field later in the game.
Pokerswizard went with a Blue/Black Control deck. Cheap, versatile Blue and Black creatures like Jeskai Elder and Hooded Assasin, combined with manifest and removal helped pokerswizard gain control in the early game, then finish the match with fliers like Mindscour Dragon and Silumgar, the Drifting Death.
Will lapiso be able to overwhelm his opponent early on for the victory, as is the Mardu way? Will pokerswizard be able to keep a vice-grip on the field until there's enough land in play to get a big flier out? Read on and find out who emerged victorious!
Game One
The game was off to a rough start for lapiso. The first four turns held nothing for but lands, meanwhile, pokerswizard's Jeskai Elder was able to get through for several unblocked attacks, stacking up card advantage all the while.
On turn five, lapiso started the turn off by playing a fifth land and a first creature, Ankle Shanker. Five turns of nothing to play is always a bummer but, of all the five-drops to come along, Ankle Shanker was a good one. Unfortunately for lapiso, pokerswizard had a Throttle tucked away in case something came along to threaten the Jeskai Elder and manifest creature.
Another attack from Jeskai Elder brought pokerswizard's hand up to eight. At the end of pokerswizard's turn, Bloodsoaked Champion was discarded to bring pokerswizard's hand down to seven—a crafty move since pokerswizard could just cast it from the graveyard with its raid ability the next turn.
With nothing to play but a Jeskai Banner, lapiso passed the turn. Pokerswizard attacked with Jeskai Elder and the manifest creature then cast Bloodsoaked Champion from the graveyard with raid and Write into Being. Seemingly out of steam, lapiso was forced to concede the first match
Game Two
Game two didn't start off much better for lapiso. Dealing with mana issues, lapiso passed turns three and four, forced to discard Ankle Shanker with no lands to play it in sight. Meanwhile, pokerswizard cast a Hooded Assassin on turn three and a Sultai Skullkeeper on turn four, milling two Swamps with its ability.
Attempting to carve away at pokerswizard's growing forces, lapiso cast Bathe in Dragonfire, targeting pokerswizard's Krumar Bond-kin, then attacked with a morph creature on the following turn, trading with pokerswizard's manifest creature. Comboing off the attack, lapiso cast Mardu Heart-Piercer, triggering its raid ability to deal two damage to the Sultai Skullkeeper.
The tide seemed to be turning in lapiso's favor. Pokerswizard cast Throttle on the Mardu Heart-Piercer, but lapiso cast Master of Pearls on the next turn, a good match against the one-toughness Hooded Assassin pokerswizard controlled. Pokerswizard cast Mindscour Dragon only to have lapiso use a Mardu Charm to destroy it. Normally, Mindscour Dragon would be a great target for a Mardu Charm, but it seems that the dragon was simply a decoy for a more dangerous Dragon.
On the next turn, pokerswizard cast Silumgar, the Drifting Death. With no answer to the legendary Dragon, lapiso conceded the game.
Congratulations to
pokerswizard
for winning the Fate Reforged Limited Championship Finals!
Check out pokerswizard's winning decklist below. For a look at how the Fate Reforged Limited Champion handles a Draft, you can check out the Draft Viewer for this Event here.
Criatura (11)
1 Jeskai Elder 1 Bloodsoaked Champion 1 Disowned Ancestor 1 Hooded Assassin 1 Krumar Bond-Kin 1 Mindscour Dragon 1 Mystic of the Hidden Way 1 Orc Sureshot 1 Silumgar, the Drifting Death 1 Sultai Skullkeeper 1 Wetland SambarConjuro (6)
1 Bitter Revelation 1 Dead Drop 1 Rite of the Serpent 1 Treasure Cruise 2 Write into BeingEncantamiento (1)
1 Debilitating InjurySideboard (21)
2 Island 1 Ancestral Vengeance 1 Archers of Qarsi 1 Archers' Parapet 1 Bloodfell Caves 1 Brave the Sands 1 Dutiful Return 1 Fearsome Awakening 1 Firehoof Cavalry 1 Heir of the Wilds 1 Jungle Hollow 1 Kin-Tree Warden 1 Leaping Master 1 Mardu Shadowspear 1 Rotting Mastodon 1 Taigam's Scheming 1 Tasigur's Cruelty 1 Temur Runemark 1 Thornwood Falls 1 Tormenting VoiceAzul (12)
1 Jeskai Elder 1 Mindscour Dragon 1 Mystic of the Hidden Way 1 Sultai Skullkeeper 1 Wetland Sambar 1 Crippling Chill 1 Treasure Cruise 1 Waterwhirl 1 Whisk Away 2 Write into Being 1 Taigam's SchemingNegro (17)
1 Bloodsoaked Champion 1 Disowned Ancestor 1 Hooded Assassin 1 Krumar Bond-Kin 1 Orc Sureshot 1 Bitter Revelation 1 Dead Drop 1 Debilitating Injury 1 Rite of the Serpent 2 Throttle 1 Ancestral Vengeance 1 Dutiful Return 1 Fearsome Awakening 1 Mardu Shadowspear 1 Rotting Mastodon 1 Tasigur's CrueltyVerde (5)
1 Archers of Qarsi 1 Archers' Parapet 1 Heir of the Wilds 1 Kin-Tree Warden 1 Temur RunemarkMulticolor (1)
1 Silumgar, the Drifting DeathIncoloro (22)
1 Dismal Backwater 10 Island 8 Swamp 1 Bloodfell Caves 1 Jungle Hollow 1 Thornwood Falls1 (5)
1 Bloodsoaked Champion 1 Disowned Ancestor 1 Firehoof Cavalry 1 Kin-Tree Warden 1 Mardu Shadowspear2 (11)
1 Jeskai Elder 1 Sultai Skullkeeper 1 Wetland Sambar 1 Debilitating Injury 1 Ancestral Vengeance 1 Archers' Parapet 1 Brave the Sands 1 Heir of the Wilds 1 Leaping Master 1 Taigam's Scheming 1 Tormenting Voice5 (6)
1 Krumar Bond-Kin 1 Mystic of the Hidden Way 2 Throttle 1 Fearsome Awakening 1 Rotting Mastodon6 (5)
1 Mindscour Dragon 1 Silumgar, the Drifting Death 1 Rite of the Serpent 1 Waterwhirl 1 Tasigur's Cruelty8 (1)
1 Treasure Cruise10 (1)
1 Dead DropComún (50)
1 Dismal Backwater 10 Island 8 Swamp 1 Disowned Ancestor 1 Hooded Assassin 1 Krumar Bond-Kin 1 Mystic of the Hidden Way 1 Sultai Skullkeeper 1 Wetland Sambar 1 Bitter Revelation 1 Crippling Chill 1 Debilitating Injury 1 Rite of the Serpent 2 Throttle 1 Treasure Cruise 1 Whisk Away 2 Write into Being 1 Ancestral Vengeance 1 Archers of Qarsi 1 Archers' Parapet 1 Bloodfell Caves 1 Dutiful Return 1 Firehoof Cavalry 1 Jungle Hollow 1 Kin-Tree Warden 1 Leaping Master 1 Rotting Mastodon 1 Taigam's Scheming 1 Tasigur's Cruelty 1 Temur Runemark 1 Thornwood Falls 1 Tormenting VoicePoco común (9)
1 Jeskai Elder 1 Mindscour Dragon 1 Orc Sureshot 1 Dead Drop 1 Waterwhirl 1 Brave the Sands 1 Fearsome Awakening 1 Heir of the Wilds 1 Mardu Shadowspearim2g00t4ubarn
vs.
madchild
Im2g00t4ubarn piloted a White/Green Devotion deck that uses its huge mana potential to manifest and get even more big, green threats onto the field.
Madchild entered the Finals with a fast Jeskai deck packed with a lot of burn and removal to trigger prowess.
The Standard Championship Finals promised to be a good match with two very different decks up against each other. Madchild could overpower the early game and rush to victory, or im2g00t4ubarn could get the cogs of the Green Devotion mana machine up and running to steamroll madchild with enormous Hydras, monstrous, and manifest creatures. Who came out on top? Read on!
Game One
Both players started out game one on the right track. By turn four, madchild had two Seeker of the Ways on the field and had used a Wild Slash to take out Voyaging Satyr, a key part of im2g00t4ubarn's mana-ramp. Even without the Voyaging Satyr, im2g00t4ubarn still had a Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx and three devotion to green with the newly-played Genesis Hydra.
By the end of turn five, it seemed like madchild had enough of a lead to win the rest of the game. Even at a 28-life deficit, im2g00t4ubarn began to gain ground. A turn-seven Courser of Kruphix, combined with Mastery of the Unseen, allowed im2g00t4ubarn to gain significant chunks of life back through careful play.
With im2g00t4ubarn's life total so low, madchild was on the attack. Madchild swung in with both Seeker of the Way, which were blocked by im2g00t4ubarn's Fleecemane Lion and Genesis Hydra. Madchild had anticipated this, and cast Lightning Strike on im2g00t4ubarn's Elvish Mystic, triggering prowess to trade the two Seeker of the Way for Genesis Hydra and Fleecemane Lion.
After the dust cleared, madchild played Mantis Rider, hoping to fly over for the remaining points of damage needed to win the game, which was up to 9 from a low of 4 thanks to im2g00t4ubarn's Courser of Kruphix and Mastery of the Unseen. Unfortunately for madchild, im2g00t4ubarn flipped a previously manifested Polukranos, World Eater, with plenty of land and Green Devotion for it to become monstrous on the next turn.
Polukranos, World Eater became monstrous and targeted Mantis Rider with its ability, destroying it. It only took a few swings at madchild's empty field and huge life total to bring the two players even. With Green Devotion in full swing, madchild conceded.
Game Two
In game two, it looked as if madchild had mana, but no creatures to play with it. Lands dropped onto the field but, with no creatures to attack or block, madchild was forced to burn and exile the key pieces out of im2g00t4ubarn's mana ramp. Madchild was able to Wild Slash im2g00t4ubarn's turn-one Elvish Mystic…
…Lightning Strike another Elvish Mystic, the only available target with the 4 toughness Courser of Kruphix and the Hexproof Sylvan Caryatid on the field…
…take a Valorous Stance to destroy the potentially enormous Arbor Colossus…
…use Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker's -3 ability to deal 4 damage to the Courser of Kruphix…
…and, finally, Erase im2g00t4ubarn's Mastery of the Unseen.
Out of ways to slow im2g00t4ubarn's deck, and with a huge force of green and manifest creatures on the board, madchild conceded the game.
Congratulations to
im2g00t4ubarn
for winning the Fate Reforged Limited Championship Finals!
You can find im2g00t4ubarn's full winning decklist below.