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After a brief freakout about Nexus of Fate dominating Standard, Red decks took back the mantle of best deck(s) in Standard by dominating both Grand Prix last weekend.
In Los Angeles, Logan Nettles won the GP with BR Aggro, defeating Ben Friedman’s UB Midrange deck in the finals. Across the country, Daniel Duffle won GP Providence with Mono-Red Wizards, defeating Oliver Tiu’s UW Control Deck in the finals.
In addition to winning both GPs, Red decks were also the most popular decks by far. In LA, 14 of the Top 32 decks were Red decks, with 11 of those being BR Aggro. In Providence, well, just take a look at this Day 2 metagame breakdown:
Three of the most played archetypes on Day 2 of GP Providence were Red decks, making up over 45% of the metagame. That’s…just, wow.
Alex Bertoncini Makes Top 8 of GP LA
Alex Bertoncini, he of double Explore infamy, returned from his latest ban last year to the consternation of many in the Magic community. After doing well at GP Sacramento earlier this year and earning Bronze status in the Pro Player’s Club, Bertoncini made the Top at at GP LA…and was promptly booed.
Bertoncini then lost in the quarterfinals, but his continued presence on the tournament scene has lit up MTG Twitter. Combine that with Pro Tour Hall of Fame discussions leading to accusations of well-known players being guilty of various cheats, plus someone getting DQ’d for playing with fake cards in Providence, and it was a really weird weekend.
We’re Giving Away a Full Set of 2018 SDCC Promo Planeswalkers!
Yes, you read that right. This year’s SDCC promos quickly sold out but we managed to grab one! And it could be yours if you enter here by 8/27—luck permitting!
Thanks for reading!
Your friendly neighborhood robot,
David McCoy (@dmccoy)
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