Shota Yasooka won the Pearl Division of the Magic Pro League Eldraine Split on Saturday with Simic Food. He defeated Matt Nass on Sultai Food in two Grand Finals matches, becoming the third player to receive a bye to Day 2 of Mythic Championship VII, along with William Jensen from the Ruby Division and Piotr Głogowski from the Sapphire Division.
Nass won two Sultai Food mirror matches in the Lower Bracket, first against Andrea Mengucci and then against Shahar Shenhar, both in three games. Yasooka won his Upper Finals match against Shenhar’s Sultai Food in two games and went straight to the Grand Finals.
The Top 4 bracket of the MPL’s Pearl Division
The Grand Finals
In Game 1 of Match 1, both players started the game with Turn 1 Gilded Goose. Nass cast Noxious Grasp targeting Yasooka’s Goose to try and slow him down, forcing Yasooka to play a Paradise Druid while Nass cast a Turn 2 Oko, Thief of Crowns and made a food token.
Yasooka continued to ramp by playing another Paradise Druid and Nass played a Hydroid Krasis for two and turned the food token into an elk. At end of turn, Yasooka casted Once Upon a Time and got a Wicked Wolf, which then fought the food token turned elk, using his own food token to make the wolf indestructible this turn.
Nass also had a Wicked Wolf and his wolf fought Yasooka’s, who then cast a Nissa, Who Shakes the World and animated a Forest and attacked Oko for five. Noxious Grasp from Nass took care of the Nissa. Yasooka continued to attack the opposing Oko and Nass played another Gilded Goose, made a food token into an elk, and attacked with his Wicked Wolf. Another Wicked Wolf from Yasooka fought the Gilded Goose and he scryed a Questing Beast on top. Nass made another food into an elk and attacked for the win.
In Game 2, both players began with ramping with Yasooka playing a Paradise Druid and then a Gilded Goose while Nass played Gilded Goose into Paradise Druid. Yasooka made a small Hydroid Krasis which a Wicked Wolf from Nass fought down.
Yasooka had no threats but he did have a hand of three Aether Gusts and a Veil of Summer. Nass made a Hydroid Krasis for four and Aether Gust from Yasooka put Wicked Wolf on top of the library. Yasooka played Oko, Thief of Crowns and made a food token into an elk. Nass played Vraska, Golgari Queen, which was met with another Aether Gust from Yasooka, sending it to the bottom of Nass’s deck. Nass also tried to destroy Oko with Noxious Grasp but Yasooka cast Veil of Summer to save him. Yasooka then played Nissa, Who Shakes the World, animated a Forest, and attacked with all. Nass attempted to replay Wicked Wolf but was met with the third Aether Gust from Yasooka and he conceded.
Nass started Game 3 with a Once Upon a Time, finding a Watery Grave, then played Fabled Passage for the turn. Yasooka played Gilded Goose into Paradise Druid and Nass played a Paradise Druid. A Wicked Wolf from Nass fought Yasooka’s Gilded Goose.
Yasooka targeted the tapped Paradise Druid with Aether Gust, after which Nass attacked with the Wicked Wolf and attempted to replay Paradise Druid…but was met with another Aether Gust.
Yasooka played a Paradise Druid and passed. Nass attacked with his wolf again and tried to cast another Paradise Druid…but another Aether Gust put it on the bottom of his library. Yasooka played Nissa, Who Shakes the World and animated a Forest and attacked. Once Upon a Time found Brazen Borrower and Nass decided he had seen enough and conceded, giving Yasooka Match 1.
Game 1 of Match 2, both players started with a Gilded Goose. Nass played a Turn 2 Oko, Thief of Crowns and made a food token, while Yasooka played a Paradise Druid and another Gilded Goose. Nass turned his food token into an elk but Yasooka found Oko, Thief of Crowns of his own and turned a food token into an elk and attacked the opposing Oko down to four.
Nass played Nissa, Who Shakes the World and animated a Forest and attacked Oko. Yasooka continued to attack the other Oko and made a Hydroid Krasis…then turned it into an elk to make it bigger. Nass also had a Hydroid Krasis and continued to attack with Forests and elks. Wicked Wolf from Yasooka fought a Gilded Goose and he made a food token. Nass also had a Wicked Wolf and fought a Gilded Goose and he used Oko to switch a food token for the Paradise Druid. Yasooka conceded.
Game 2 began with Yasooka playing two Paradise Druids and Nass played a Once Upon a Time getting a Wicked Wolf and then playing a Paradise Druid of his own. Nass attempted to play Oko, Thief of Crowns but it was met with an Aether Gust. Yasooka followed up with Nissa, Who Shakes the World and animated a Forest and then played Oko, Thief of Crowns and made a food token. Nass played a Paradise Druid and a Noxious Grasp on Nissa. Yasooka turned the food token into an elk and attacked with all. A Wicked Wolf from Nass fought with a tapped Paradise Druid. Yasooka played a Gilded Goose and swapped a food token for the Wicked Wolf and won.
In Game 3, Nass played two Gilded Goose and Yasooka played Gilded Goose and Paradise Druid. Wicked Wolf from Nass fought Yasooka’s Gilded Goose. Yasooka continued to ramp by playing another Paradise Druid and Nass played Oko, Thief of Crowns and made a food token.
Yasooka played a Nissa, Who Shakes the World with Veil of Summer backup. Nass tried to Noxious Grasp the Nissa and Yasooka cast the Veil of Summer in response to save her. Nass used Oko to swap the Gilded Goose and animated Breeding Pool, but Yasooka cast Petty Theft on the Gilded Goose so there was no exchange.
Nass had another Noxious Grasp for Nissa and played a Gilded Goose. Yasooka attacked with all at Oko and the Wicked Wolf blocked a land and sacrificed a food to live while Oko died. Nass played Vraska, Golgari Queen and drew a card and at the end of the turn Yasooka played Brazen Borrower. Vraska was attacked with the Borrower but Gilded Goose blocked.
Yasooka played Oko, Thief of Crowns and turned a food token into an elk. Nass played another Gilded Goose and attacked Oko with Wicked Wolf which Yasooka blocked with a Paradise Druid. Oko was destroyed with a -3 from Nass’s Vraska, after which Yasooka animated Mobilized District, which attacked and killed Vraska. A couple of unlucky Once Upon a Times from Nass found Gilded Goose and a land while Petty Theft from Yasooka bounced the Wicked Wolf and he played Brazen Borrower. Yasooka continued to attack with all and Nass never found anything to deal with the creatures, making Yasooka the winner of the Grand Finals.
Shota Yasooka is the third player to earn a bye to Day 2 of Mythic Championship VII. The final division to play in the Magic Pro League’s Eldraine Split is the Emerald Division, the Top 4 of which will be broadcast on November 16 at 12 PM Pacific on twitch.tv/magic.
Deck Lists
Standard Simic Food by Shota Yasooka
| Creatures (22) 4 Gilded Goose 4 Paradise Druid 4 Wicked Wolf 4 Hydroid Krasis 2 Questing Beast 4 Brazen Borrower Spells (6) 4 Aether Gust 2 Once Upon a Time Planeswalkers (8) 4 Nissa, Who Shakes the World 4 Oko, Thief of Crowns | Lands (24) 5 Island 3 Temple of Mystery 2 Mobilized District 4 Breeding Pool 10 Forest Sideboard (15) 2 Negate 3 Veil of Summer 1 Questing Beast 2 Voracious Hydra 4 Lovestruck Beast 1 Disdainful Stroke 2 Mystical Dispute |
Standard Sultai Food by Matt Nass
| Creatures (16) 4 Gilded Goose 4 Wicked Wolf 4 Paradise Druid 4 Hydroid Krasis Spells (10) 4 Noxious Grasp 4 Once Upon a Time 2 Vraska, Golgari Queen Planeswalkers (9) 1 Liliana, Dreadhorde General 4 Nissa, Who Shakes the World 4 Oko, Thief of Crowns | Lands (25) 1 Island 7 Forest 4 Overgrown Tomb 2 Swamp 4 Watery Grave 4 Breeding Pool 3 Fabled Passage Sideboard (15) 2 Thrashing Brontodon 2 Legion’s End 3 Veil of Summer 2 Massacre Girl 2 Negate 2 Assassin’s Trophy 2 Duress |