This afternoon, Matias Leveratto defeated Brad Nelson in the Grand Finals of Mythic Championship III Las Vegas. It was Magic: the Gathering’s first Mythic Championship played on MTG Arena, and Matias was one of the 16 players who qualified for the Mythic Championship through the Mythic Championship Qualifier Weekend events on MTG Arena.
Nelson, who made the Grand Finals from the loser’s bracket, piloted his Esper Hero deck to victory over Leveratto’s Simic Nexus deck 2-0 in the first match. The match was dominated by Nelson drawing the correct answers to stop the Leveratto’s Nexus combo. However, since Nelson emerged from the loser’s bracket, he had to defeat Leveratto twice in order to win the Mythic Championship. In the second match, Nelson won the first game, but Leveratto was able to claw to a victory an incredibly close Game 2 and then defeat Nelson once more to win Mythic Championship III.
Leveratto and Nelson played each other on three different occasions during the Mythic Championship. While Nelson took their first match in the Swiss rounds, Leveratto defeated Nelson in the upper semifinals, leading into their two-match re-rematch in the grand finals.
This was Leveratto’s second Mythic Championship and his first victory. His is the second Argentinian to win a premiere level Magic event, joining his close friend Luis Salvatto.
Mythic Championship III featured a single format, Best-of-Three Standard Constructed, and featured two different cuts. The Top 16 competitors from Day 1 came back on Day 2 to compete in a double-elimination bracket, after which the Top 4 players returned on Day 3 a final double-elimination bracket.
Matias Leveratto, Brad Nelson, Shahar Shenhar, and Kai Budde were the four players who competed in Day 3, with Shenhar and Budde playing Mono-Red Aggro and Esper Hero respectively. Shenhar was eliminated by Budde in the lower quarterfinals, while Budde was eliminated by teammate Nelson in the lower semifinals.
Matias Leveratto's Standard Simic Nexus
| Planeswalkers (6) 3 Tamiyo, Collector of Tales 1 Nissa, Who Shakes the World 2 Narset, Parter of Veils Spells (21) 1 Callous Dismissal 4 Opt 1 Blink of an Eye 4 Growth Spiral 3 Chemister’s Insight 4 Nexus of Fate 4 Root Snare Enchantments (7) 3 Search for Azcanta 4 Wilderness Reclamation | Lands (26) 3 Memorial to Genius 5 Island 4 Breeding Pool 4 Hinterland Harbor 5 Forest 3 Blast Zone 1 Mobilized District 1 Simic Guildgate Sideboard (15) 1 Nissa, Who Shakes the World 2 Crushing Canopy 3 Negate 4 Paradise Druid 3 Biogenic Ooze 2 Bond of Flourishing |
Brad Nelson's Standard Esper Hero
| Creatures (9) 4 Hero of Precinct One 3 Elite Guardmage 2 Hostage Taker Planeswalkers (11) 4 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria 4 Teferi, Time Raveler 3 Narset, Parter of Veils Spells (11) 4 Thought Erasure 1 Command the Dreadhorde 3 Tyrant’s Scorn 2 Despark 1 Mortify Enchantments (3) 3 Oath of Kaya | Lands (26) 4 Glacial Fortress 4 Godless Shrine 4 Hallowed Fountain 4 Isolated Chapel 4 Watery Grave 4 Drowned Catacomb 1 Swamp 1 Island Sideboard (15) 1 Despark 1 Command the Dreadhorde 2 The Elderspell 2 Duress 1 Arguel’s Blood Fast 2 Enter the God-Eternals 2 Kaya’s Wrath 2 Cry of the Carnarium 2 Dovin’s Veto |