Boyan Bosschem adds vegetables to his food combo for the win

By Niels Viaene

2 Elementals players entered the top 4 to contend for the bye but it was GW enchantments and Jund Food that duked it out in the finals. There were also 2 decks focused on Staggering Insight but they still seem to need some optimisation to reach competitive status.

You can find video coverage of the Top 4 below:

Boyan Bosschem
Winner
BRG Food

Maindeck (60) 6 Swamp 4 Forest 3 Mountain 2 Rugged Highland 3 Bloodfell Cliffs 3 Jungle Hollow 4 Evolving Wilds 3 Cauldron Familiar 4 Sanitorium Skeleton 4 Mayhem Devil 4 Fierce Witchstalker 1 God-Eternal Bontu 1 Korvold, Fae-cursed King 4 Spark Harvest 4 Witch’s Oven 2 Heartfire 2 Scorching Dragonfire 4 Trail of Crumbs 1 Vraska, Golgari Queen 1 Liliana, Dreadhorde General

Sideboard (15) 2 Return to Nature 2 Dead Revels 4 Duress 2 Ob Nixilis’ Cruelty 1 Audacious Thief 2 Heartfire 2 Scorching Dragonfire

We knew the Red Black Aggro version has what it takes to take a bye, but now Boyan shows you can have a slower, more methodical plan as well. Adding Green lets you squeeze unseen amounts of card advantage and card selection out of Trail of Crumbs to allow you to bury youropponents under an ever growing avalanche of card advantage. The hardest part with this deck is to survive the early game but after that you have the tools and the power to bury any opposition.

Ian Ide
Finalist
WG Auras

Main deck (60) 4 Blossoming Sands 2 Selesnya Guildgate 5 Forest 11 Plains 2 Healer’s Hawk 4 Alseid of Life’s Bounty 1 Gingerbrute 1 Pious Wayfarer 1 Transcendent Envoy 1 Shepherd of the Flock 1 Barkhide Troll 1 Bronzehide Lion 4 Heliod’s Pilgrim 1 Setessan Champion 1 Heliod, Sun-Crowned 4 Karametra’s Blessing 1 Sentinel’s Eyes 2 All that Glitters 1 Angelic Gift 2 Warbriar’s Blessing 4 Season of Growth 1 Setessan Training 3 Hydra’s Growth 1 Dreadful Apathy 1 Gideon Blackblade

Sideboard (15) 1 Warbriar Blessing 2 Healer’s Hawk 2 Omen of the Sun 2 Return to Nature 1 Setessan Training 3 Revoke Existence 1 Nexus Wardens 2 Dreadful Apathy 1 Plummet

Ian shows yet again he is not afraid of bringing a fresh brew into the Leaderboard events and surprised everyone with the power of his Green-White Auras deck. The list looks decidedly unfinished but really showed the potential. Considering he did not even play Siona, Captain of the Pyleas, a card many consider to be the backbone of what this archetype should look like will likely turn some heads and make people reconsider how you should build this deck.

Kobe Keymeulen
semi-finalist
RUG Elementals

Main deck (60) 4 Mountain 4 ISland 4 Forest 4 Rugged Highlands 4 Swiftwater Cliffs 4 Thornwood Falls 4 Leafkin Druid 4 Risen Reef 4 Cloudkin Seer 2 Thrashing Brontodon 1 Omnath, locus of the Roil 4 Scampering Scorcher 1 Thassa, Deep-Dwelling 1 Cavalier of Flame 1 Chillbringer 1 Meteor Golem 4 Neoform 4 Scorching Dragonfire 4 Teferi’s Time Twist 1 Finale of Devastation

Sideboard (15) 4 Negate 2 Return to Nature 3 Kasmina’s Transmutation 1 Omen of the Forge 2 Run Away Together 3 Opt

Kobe seems to be on a quest to make sure he has played every single deck in the format this season, like everything is a huge testing session for the Gentry Open on April 11th. Here we see him bringing Elementals, a very established deck, to the fray, sporting a few interesting new card choices. Thassa, Deep dwelling has solidified her position in the deck and makes a great soft-lock together with Chillbringer for a single problematic creature.

Schuer Alan
Semi Finalist
RUG Elementals

Main deck (61) 5 Island 5 Forest 4 Swiftwater Cliffs 4 Rugged Highlands 2 Bloodfell Cliffs 4 Thornwood Falls 4 Leafkin Druid 2 Creeping Trailblazer 4 Cloudkin Seer 4 Risen Reef 1 Thassa, Deep-dwelling 4 Scampering Scorcher 3 Thicket Crasher 1 Omnath, Focus of the Roil 1 Chillbringer 1 Cavalier of Gales 1 Yarok, the Desecrated 1 Meteor Golem 4 Neoform 3 Teferi’s Time twist 3 Scorching Dragonfire

Sideboard (15) 3 Unsummon 3 Healer of the Glades 3 Negate 3 Return to Nature 1 Mystical Dispute 2 Sagittar’s Volley

We have come to know Alan as the person who chooses and really sticks with a deck. He dabbles from time to time in other options but usually gravitates towards a deck and really makes it his own. This season is no different, as we see in his decklist that has Creeping Trailblazer flavor coupled with a few more harder hitters than the more common lists we see.

Conclusion

Ian showing there is always a deck hiding in a corner no one is expecting is what we take away from this event. GW Auras has not really been on people’s radar though everyone is trying to break the format using Hydra’s Growth.

Another conclusion is that the Competitive Leaderboard formula is not working. The next events are canceled and the leaderboard will continue as it was before, with a monthly event on the third Thursday evening of every month.

May your auras never fall off,
Niels Viaene