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
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
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
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
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