Jason Fleurant won the Season Finals of MagicFest Season 2 Sunday evening with Temur Clover, defeating Hall of Famer Gabriel “Yellowhat” Nassif (on Jeskai Lukka Fires) in the finals two games to one.
Nassif wasn’t the only Hall of Famer that Fleurant had to defeat in the Top 8. After defeating Garrison “DoomenStein” Fogt (Boros Cycling) in the quarterfinals, Fleurant faced World Champion, two-time Pro Tour winner, and most-decorated-Magic-player-of-all-time Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa (Bant Yorion) in the semis. After Damo da Rosa took an epic Game 1, he got stuck on five lands in Game 2, which allowed Fleurant to continually apply pressure. Game 3 turned into another drawn out affair, but ended suddenly when Damo da Rosa used Dovin’s Veto to counter a Lucky Clover, tapping him out of double Blue for his remaining Neutralize on Fleurant’s lethal Expansion // Explosion.
The Top 8 bracket at the MagicFest Online Season 2 Finals
In a prolonged Game 1 of the finals, Nassif built up an imposing board with Teferi, Time Raveler, Narset, Parter of Veils, and Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast. Lukka turned a Soldier from Omen of the Sun into an Agent of Treachery, which took Fleurant’s only Lucky Clover, but Fleurant’s follow up Storm’s Wrath wiped the board of creatures and Nassif’s three Planeswalkers. Nassif, who was left with only an Omen of the Sea in hand to Fleurant’s stacked hand—and exile zone—drew for his turn and conceded.
Game 2 went much quicker, as Nassif was able to go Turn 2 The Birth of Meletis, Turn 3 Teferi, Time Raveler, Turn 4 Narset, Parter of Veils, Turn 5 Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast. Lukka exiled a Wall token but missed on an Agent of Treachery, instead netting him a Dream Trawler. The “miss” was fortunate in this case, though, as Fleurant’s biggest play by that point in the game had been a Lucky Clover and Fae of Wishes to get Storm’s Wrath and Escape to the Wilds. The Dream Trawler plus Yorion, Sky Nomad were enough negate the Storm’s Wrath and combine for a quick win.
It all came down to a decisive Game 3, in which Fleurant played the essential Turn 2 Lucky Clover, followed by double ramp with a Beanstalk Giant and two cards from his sideboard with Fae of Wishes. A second Lucky Clover and Brazen Borrower cleared Nassif’s only action—two Wall tokens and a Teferi, Time Raveler—and set Fleurant up to cast his Escape to the Wilds. The new cards and two Lucky Clovers allowed Fleurant to build a huge board of three Soldiers, an Edgewall Innkeeper, and a Lovestruck Beast with just two cards.
Nassif untapped and played a Fires of Invention into an Agent of Treachery. But Fleurant cast the Brazen Borrower from exile at the end of Nassif’s turn, then untapped and used triple (thanks to two Lucky Clovers) Stomp to clear out a blocker and attack for 11, knocking Nassif down to 13 life. Nassif, with only four lands and an Omen of the Sun in hand, drew for his turn; it was another land. The Omen of the Sun and Yorion, Sky Nomad cast as a Companion wasn’t enough to keep Nassif in the game, as Fleurant cast another Escape to the Wilds to continue burying Nassif in card advantage while also dominating the board.
Fleurant’s choice of Temur Clover was one of only two decks in the Top 8 that didn’t feature a Companion—the other being a Temur Reclamation deck piloted by Ivan Floch. Six decks in the Top 8 each played a companion: two played Yorion, Sky Nomad (Jeskai Lukka Fires and Bant Ramp), two played Obosh, the Preypiercer (Mono-Red), and two played Lurrus of the Dream-Den (Boros Cycling).
During the event, ChannelFireball said that Season 2 will be the last season of MagicFest Online in its current configuration. The event was originally conceived of as a response to COVID-19 forcing the cancellation of in-person MagicFests until at least July, but Wizards announced last week that significantly changes to its Organized Play structures were coming soon. It appears that MagicFest Online will be changing, as well.
MagicFest Online Season 2 Top 8 Deck Lists
Standard Temur Clover by Jason Fleurant (1st Place)
| Creatures (24) 4 Beanstalk Giant 4 Bonecrusher Giant 4 Brazen Borrower 4 Edgewall Innkeeper 4 Fae of Wishes 4 Lovestruck Beast Spells (9) 2 Adventurous Impulse 3 Escape to the Wilds 4 Lucky Clover | Lands (27) 4 Breeding Pool 5 Forest 4 Island 2 Ketria Triome 2 Mountain 4 Steam Vents 4 Stomping Ground 1 Temple of Abandon 1 Temple of Mystery Sideboard (15) 1 Aether Gust 2 Disdainful Stroke 1 Escape to the Wilds 1 Expansion // Explosion 1 Flame Sweep 1 Fling 1 Grafdigger’s Cage 1 Mystic Repeal 1 Negate 1 Once and Future 1 Redcap Melee 1 Return to Nature 1 Shadowspear 1 Storm’s Wrath |
Standard Jeskai Lukka Fires (Yorion) by Gabriel ''Yellowhat'' Nassif (2nd)
| Creatures (3) 3 Agent of Treachery Planeswalkers (12) 4 Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast 4 Narset, Parter of Veils 4 Teferi, Time Raveler Spells (29) 3 Shatter the Sky 1 Aether Gust 4 Elspeth Conquers Death 4 Fires of Invention 1 Omen of the Forge 4 Omen of the Sea 4 Omen of the Sun 4 Shark Typhoon 4 The Birth of Meletis | Lands (36) 3 Castle Ardenvale 2 Castle Vantress 3 Fabled Passage 4 Hallowed Fountain 4 Island 1 Mountain 4 Plains 4 Raugrin Triome 4 Sacred Foundry 4 Steam Vents 3 Temple of Epiphany Sideboard (15) 1 Yorion, Sky Nomad 3 Aether Gust 2 Deafening Clarion 3 Dovin’s Veto 1 Dream Trawler 3 Mystical Dispute 1 Solar Blaze 1 The Wanderer |
Standard Bant Ramp (Yorion) by Paulo Vitor ''PVDDR'' Damo da Rosa (3rd-4th)
| Creatures (5) 2 Brazen Borrower 3 Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath Planeswalkers (9) 3 Narset, Parter of Veils 2 Tamiyo, Collector of Tales 4 Teferi, Time Raveler Spells (29) 3 Shatter the Sky 2 Dovin’s Veto 4 Growth Spiral 4 Mystical Dispute 4 Neutralize 4 Elspeth Conquers Death 4 Omen of the Sea 4 Shark Typhoon | Lands (37) 4 Breeding Pool 1 Castle Vantress 4 Fabled Passage 2 Forest 4 Hallowed Fountain 3 Island 2 Plains 1 Raugrin Triome 4 Temple Garden 4 Temple of Enlightenment 4 Temple of Mystery 4 Temple of Plenty Sideboard (15) 1 Yorion, Sky Nomad 2 Dovin’s Veto 4 Glass Casket 2 Knight of Autumn 4 Nightpack Ambusher 1 Shatter the Sky 1 Tale’s End |
Standard Boros Cycling (Lurrus) by Rigel ''RigelB'' Berg (3rd-4th)
| Creatures (16) 4 Drannith Healer 4 Drannith Stinger 4 Flourishing Fox 4 Valiant Rescuer Spells (26) 2 Boon of the Wish-Giver 4 Go for Blood 4 Memory Leak 4 Frostveil Ambush 4 Startling Development 4 Zenith Flare 4 Footfall Crater | Lands (18) 5 Mountain 9 Plains 4 Sacred Foundry Sideboard (15) 1 Lurrus of the Dream-Den 3 Apostle of Purifying Light 1 Deafening Clarion 2 Devout Decree 2 Fight as One 3 Fry 2 Grafdigger’s Cage 1 Light of Hope |
Standard Boros Cycling (Lurrus) by Garrison ''DoomenStein'' Fogt (5th-8th)
| Creatures (16) 4 Drannith Healer 4 Drannith Stinger 4 Flourishing Fox 4 Valiant Rescuer Spells (26) 2 Boon of the Wish-Giver 4 Go for Blood 4 Memory Leak 4 Frostveil Ambush 4 Startling Development 4 Zenith Flare 4 Footfall Crater | Lands (18) 5 Mountain 9 Plains 4 Sacred Foundry Sideboard (15) 1 Lurrus of the Dream-Den 3 Apostle of Purifying Light 2 Devout Decree 3 Fight as One 3 Fry 3 Soul-Guide Lantern |
Standard Temur Reclamation by Ivan ''Law'' Floch (5th-8th)
Standard Mono-Red Aggro (Obosh) by Yuta ''Kevin1212'' Hirosawa (5th-8th)
| Creatures (26) 4 Anax, Hardened in the Forge 4 Bonecrusher Giant 4 Fervent Champion 4 Grim Initiate 2 Phoenix of Ash 4 Scorch Spitter 4 Tin Street Dodger Spells (12) 4 Light Up the Stage 4 Shock 4 Heraldic Banner | Lands (22) 4 Castle Embereth 18 Mountain Sideboard (15) 1 Obosh, the Preypiercer 3 Act of Treason 2 Blazing Volley 2 Chandra, Acolyte of Flame 1 Irreverent Revelers 4 Redcap Melee 2 Tibalt, Rakish Instigator |
Standard Mono-Red Aggro (Obosh) by Simon Goertzen (5th-8th)
| Creatures (27) 4 Anax, Hardened in the Forge 4 Bonecrusher Giant 4 Fervent Champion 4 Grim Initiate 3 Phoenix of Ash 4 Scorch Spitter 4 Tin Street Dodger Spells (11) 4 Light Up the Stage 3 Shock 4 Heraldic Banner | Lands (22) 4 Castle Embereth 18 Mountain Sideboard (15) 1 Obosh, the Preypiercer 2 Act of Treason 1 Blazing Volley 3 Chandra, Acolyte of Flame 2 Claim the Firstborn 1 Irreverent Revelers 2 Legion Warboss 3 Redcap Melee |