Murders at Karlov Manor Store Championship Recap
The second Standard tournament of the season brought out 10 players to duel for victory, prizes, and Store Championship promos! Our last Standard event saw the rise of the aggro decks in a new environment. This isn’t out of the ordinary, as when Standard is new and unfamiliar, it’s often best to just turn the critters sideways. As the metagame shifts, perhaps more people had the aggressive decks like Boros Convoke or Gruul Aggro in their minds as this tournament was dominated by larger strategies. Our Top 4 is full of Midrange, Control, and some familiar faces!
Phil Samms (1st) – UB Midrange:
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Adam Joyce (2nd) – Domain:
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Brad Perry (3rd-4th) – BW Control:
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Luke Nicholson (3rd-4th) – Esper Midrange:
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I had the chance to talk to our Store Champion Phil “PSamms” Samms about the deck he chose for this event, why he thinks it might be a better choice than the popular Esper Midrange deck, and what cards over-performed through the tournament. Here’s what he had to say:
“The main reason I chose this deck is that my favourite cards in the format are the black midrange cards like Preacher and Gix. I like them more than I like the white midrange cards like Raffine and Wedding Announcement. The mana is way better in UB vs Esper, and having access to Mirrex is pretty big in these midrange fights. Also I don’t want to buy Raffine’s and Shattered Sanctums, so there’s that.
As far as best cards, obviously some part of that is matchup based, but I played a bunch of midrange matchups so cards like Faerie Mastermind and Preacher stood out. Mastermind vs Raffine was particularly relevant, drawing both of us out of land heavy draws. Then Preacher is just one of the best cards in the format and one of the main reasons I played the deck.”
Congratulations to Phil and the rest of our Top 4 on the finish! Stay tuned for our next event on March 23rd where we will be diving into the Modern format!
