Austin Bursavich won the 2020 Season Grand Finals Sunday night, defeating Aaron Gertler in the finals two matches to zero in one of the weekend’s many Omnath Adventures mirrors.
The Grand Finals was a split-format event that featured both Standard and Historic, three rounds of each on both Days 1 and 2, with the Top 8 being Standard. Bursavich, along with the majority of the 32-player field, brought Omnath Adventures in Standard. He also chose to play an Omnath, Locus of Creation deck in Historic in the form of Omnath Ramp, as did ten other players.
Bursavich finished the Swiss rounds in first place at 11-1. He was joined in the Top 8 by Autumn Burchett (Gruul Adventures in Standard/Omnath Ramp in Historic), Patrick Fernandes (Omnath Adventures/Omnath Ramp), Aaron Gertler (Omnath Adventures/Omnath Ramp), Emma Handy (Gruul Adventures/Omnath Ramp), Raphaël Lévy (Omnath Adventures/Four-Color Midrange), Seth Manfield (Dimir Rogues/Jund Sacrifice), and Gabriel Nassif (Omnath Adventures/Four-Color Midrange).
Bursavich was paired against the eighth seed, Lévy, for a Omnath Adventures mirror in the upper bracket quarterfinals. Lévy beat him in two games, dropping Bursavich to the lower bracket and a loss away from being eliminated. He proceeded to eliminate half of the bracket himself, including winning his rematch with Lévy, on his way to face Gertler in the best-of-three match finals.
Gertler, who was also on Omnath Adventures, had a much easier path to the finals by going undefeated in the upper bracket. But he lost a competitive first match to Bursavich 2-0 and then couldn’t find a third land to open the second match, quickly putting Bursavich a game away from victory. Gertler finally got on the board by winning the second game of Match 2, but Bursavich won the third game, match, and Grand Finals in the way he’d be winning all day—by Flinging a giant creature at his opponent for lethal.
Omnath Dominates Both Formats
The release of Zendikar Rising, Magic’s newest set, two weeks ago was accompanied by the annual rotation of Standard where four sets—Guilds of Ravnica, Ravnica Allegiance, War of the Spark, and Core Set 2020—left the format.
The weeks following rotation is traditionally an exciting time in which the format is wide open for new decks. But it only took three days for Wizards to recognize that the Standard format had already coalesced around a dominant deck: Four-Color Omnath, featuring Omnath, Locus of Creation from Zendikar Rising. They decided to ban Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath in order to weaken the archetype, while leaving its namesake card—a brand new mythic—untouched.
It’s unclear how much Wizards thought banning Uro would weaken Omnath decks heading into the Grand Finals. Despite the ban, over 70% of players registered either Omnath Adventures (59.4%) or Omnath Ramp (12.5%) for the Standard rounds of the 2020 Grand Finals.
Even more impressive was the fact that 30 out of the 32 players registered Bonecrusher Giant in their deck.
Omnath wasn’t satisfied with merely taking over Standard, though. It also made its way to Historic, where the core of the Standard Omnath Ramp deck was augmented by banned-in-Standard Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath and banned-in-pre-rotation-Standard Growth Spiral.
Historic Omnath ramp replaced Muxus Goblins in the Historic metagame, which was the most popular deck at the previous Historic event, last month’s Mythic Invitational. Both Jund Sacrifice and Four-Color Midrange (Sultai Midrange splashing White for Yasharn, Implacable Earth) remained the second and third most popular archetypes.
After the Grand Finals ended, Wizards tweeted Sunday night that they would be making another Banned and Restricted list update on Monday morning. Last week, “we indicated that we would continue monitoring the evolution of the Standard and Historic metagames, making further changes if necessary,” they said. “Following this weekend’s tournament results and analysis of play data over the last few weeks, there will be an update tomorrow impacting Standard, Historic, and Brawl.”
UPDATE: Wizards banned Omnath, Locus of Creation, Lucky Clover, and Escape to the Wilds in Standard and suspended Omnath, Locus of Creation in Historic.
The Conclusion of an Upended Season
The Grand Finals marks the end of the 2020 partial season, a season that ended up looking significantly different than the one Wizards of the Coast had originally envisioned.
Originally, the season was intended to serve as an eight-month bridge to the September-August 2020-21 season. That full season would embrace the new organized play structure of three Players Tours and three Mythic Invitationals per year. That system was to make its debut during the partial season with two Players Tours, two Players Tour Finals, and two Mythic Invitationals.
Players Tour Series 1 was held in-person at the end of January and beginning of February, after which the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic forced Wizards to cancel the rest of the 2020 season and restructure the remaining events into a single Players Tour and Mythic Invitational that culminated in this weekend’s Grand Finals. The impacts of COVID-19 will also extend the 2020-21 season, which will scrap the new Players Tour system for shorter, set-based championships, the first of which will be this Fall’s Zendikar Rising Championship.
Top 8 Deck Lists
Standard Omnath Adventures by Austin Bursavich (1st Place, 2020 Season Grand Finals)
Creatures (26) 4 Beanstalk Giant 4 Bonecrusher Giant 4 Edgewall Innkeeper 4 Fae of Wishes 4 Omnath, Locus of Creation 2 Brazen Borrower 2 Giant Killer 2 Lotus Cobra Spells (4) 3 Escape to the Wilds 1 Shatterskull Smashing Artifacts (4) 4 Lucky Clover | Lands (26) 4 Branchloft Pathway 4 Ketria Triome 3 Fabled Passage 2 Cragcrown Pathway 2 Raugrin Triome 4 Forest 4 Island 2 Mountain 1 Plains Sideboard (15) 1 Fling 1 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Once and Future 1 Fabled Passage 1 Return to Nature 1 Blazing Volley 1 Neutralize 1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon 1 Redcap Melee 1 Negate 1 Primal Might 1 Escape to the Wilds 2 Mystical Dispute 1 Storm’s Wrath |
Historic Omnath Ramp by Austin Bursavich (1st)
Creatures (14) 4 Omnath, Locus of Creation 4 Lotus Cobra 2 Yasharn, Implacable Earth 1 Kenrith, the Returned King 3 Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath Planeswalkers (1) 1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon Spells (15) 4 Escape to the Wilds 4 Explore 3 Genesis Ultimatum 2 Growth Spiral 1 Cultivate 1 Shatterskull Smashing Enchantments (1) 1 Felidar Retreat | Lands (29) 4 Fabled Passage 4 Ketria Triome 4 Raugrin Triome 3 Hinterland Harbo 3 Temple Garden 1 Breeding Pool 1 Sacred Foundry 3 Forest 3 Island 2 Mountain 1 Plains Sideboard (15) 4 Aether Gust 1 Dovin’s Veto 1 Grafdigger’s Cage 1 Pact of Negation 3 Deafening Clarion 1 Kenrith, the Returned King 2 Scavenging Ooze 2 Mystical Dispute |
Standard Omnath Adventures by Aaron Gertler (2nd)
Creatures (26) 4 Beanstalk Giant 4 Bonecrusher Giant 4 Edgewall Innkeeper 4 Fae of Wishes 4 Omnath, Locus of Creation 2 Brazen Borrower 2 Giant Killer 2 Lotus Cobra Spells (4) 3 Escape to the Wilds 1 Shatterskull Smashing Artifacts (4) 4 Lucky Clover | Lands (26) 4 Branchloft Pathway 4 Ketria Triome 3 Fabled Passage 2 Cragcrown Pathway 2 Raugrin Triome 4 Island 4 Forest 2 Mountain 1 Plains Sideboard (15) 1 Fling 2 Shredded Sails 1 Blazing Volley 1 Once and Future 1 Inscription of Abundance 1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon 1 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Escape to the Wilds 1 Storm’s Wrath 1 Negate 1 Neutralize 1 Fabled Passage 1 Redcap Melee 1 Mystical Dispute |
Historic Omnath Ramp by Aaron Gertler (2nd)
Creatures (14) 4 Lotus Cobra 4 Omnath, Locus of Creation 3 Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath 2 Yasharn, Implacable Earth 1 Kenrith, the Returned King Planeswalkers (1) 1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon Spells (15) 4 Escape to the Wilds 4 Explore 3 Genesis Ultimatum 2 Growth Spiral 1 Cultivate 1 Shatterskull Smashing Enchantments (1) 1 Felidar Retreat | Lands (29) 4 Fabled Passage 4 Ketria Triome 4 Raugrin Triome 3 Hinterland Harbor 3 Temple Garden 1 Glacial Fortress 1 Sacred Foundry 3 Forest 3 Island 2 Mountain 1 Plains Sideboard (15) 1 Kenrith, the Returned King 4 Aether Gust 3 Deafening Clarion 1 Oracle of Mul Daya 1 Pact of Negation 2 Mystical Dispute 1 Negate 1 Scavenging Ooze 1 Grafdigger’s Cage |
Standard Omnath Adventures by Gabriel Nassif (3rd)
Creatures (25) 4 Beanstalk Giant 4 Brazen Borrower 4 Edgewall Innkeeper 4 Omnath, Locus of Creation 1 Giant Killer 4 Fae of Wishes 4 Bonecrusher Giant Spells (3) 3 Escape to the Wilds Artifacts (4) 4 Lucky Clover | Lands (28) 4 Fabled Passage 3 Branchloft Pathway 3 Cragcrown Pathway 3 Ketria Triome 3 Raugrin Triome 5 Island 4 Forest 2 Mountain 1 Plains Sideboard (15) 1 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Mystical Dispute 1 Neutralize 1 Embercleave 1 Banishing Light 1 Escape to the Wilds 1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon 1 Storm’s Wrath 1 Shatter the Sky 2 Chainweb Aracnir 1 Redcap Melee 1 Branchloft Pathway 1 Return to Nature 1 Negate |
Historic Four-Color Midrange by Gabriel Nassif (3rd)
Creatures (9) 4 Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath 3 Hydroid Krasis 2 Yasharn, Implacable Earth Planeswalkers (4) 4 Nissa, Who Shakes the World Spells (19) 4 Growth Spiral 4 Thoughtseize 3 Aether Gust 3 Extinction Event 2 Eliminate 2 Essence Scatter 1 Mythos of Nethroi | Lands (28) 4 Breeding Pool 4 Fabled Passage 4 Indatha Triome 4 Zagoth Triome 2 Watery Grave 1 Drowned Catacomb 1 Glacial Fortress 1 Overgrown Tomb 1 Temple Garden 2 Forest 2 Island 1 Plains 1 Swamp Sideboard (15) 3 Shark Typhoon 3 Narset, Parter of Veils 1 Witch’s Vengeance 2 Yasharn, Implacable Earth 1 Elder Gargaroth 1 Negate 3 Leyline of the Void 1 Grafdigger’s Cage |
Standard Omnath Adventures by Raphaël Lévy (4th)
Creatures (25) 4 Beanstalk Giant 4 Edgewall Innkeeper 4 Omnath, Locus of Creation 3 Brazen Borrower 1 Giant Killer 1 Kenrith, the Returned King 4 Fae of Wishes 4 Bonecrusher Giant Spells (3) 3 Escape to the Wilds Artifacts (4) 4 Lucky Clover | Lands (28) 4 Fabled Passage 3 Branchloft Pathway 3 Cragcrown Pathway 3 Ketria Triome 3 Raugrin Triome 5 Island 4 Forest 2 Mountain 1 Plains Sideboard (15) 1 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Mystical Dispute 1 Neutralize 1 Embercleave 1 Banishing Light 1 Escape to the Wilds 1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon 1 Storm’s Wrath 1 Shatter the Sky 2 Chainweb Aracnir 1 Redcap Melee 1 Branchloft Pathway 1 Return to Nature 1 Negate |
Historic Four-Color Midrange by Raphaël Lévy (4th)
Creatures (9) 4 Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath 3 Hydroid Krasis 2 Yasharn, Implacable Earth Planeswalkers (4) 4 Nissa, Who Shakes the World Spells (19) 4 Growth Spiral 4 Thoughtseize 3 Aether Gust 3 Extinction Event 2 Eliminate 2 Essence Scatter 1 Mythos of Nethroi | Lands (28) 4 Breeding Pool 4 Fabled Passage 4 Indatha Triome 4 Zagoth Triome 2 Watery Grave 1 Drowned Catacomb 1 Glacial Fortress 1 Overgrown Tomb 1 Temple Garden 2 Forest 2 Island 1 Plains 1 Swamp Sideboard (15) 3 Shark Typhoon 3 Narset, Parter of Veils 1 Witch’s Vengeance 2 Yasharn, Implacable Earth 1 Elder Gargaroth 1 Negate 3 Leyline of the Void 1 Grafdigger’s Cage |
Standard Gruul Adventures by Autumn Burchett (5th)
Creatures (30) 4 Bonecrusher Giant 4 Brushfire Elemental 4 Edgewall Innkeeper 4 Gemrazer 4 Kazandu Mammoth 4 Lovestruck Beast 4 Stonecoil Serpent 2 Scavenging Ooze Spells (6) 4 Primal Might 2 Shatterskull Smashing Artifacts (4) 4 Embercleave | Lands (20) 4 Cragcrown Pathway 4 Fabled Passage 2 Evolving Wilds 6 Forest 4 Mountain Sideboard (15) 3 Embereth Shieldbreaker 3 Chainweb Aracnir 3 Thundering Rebuke 2 Vivien, Monsters’ Advocate 2 The Great Henge 2 Ranger’s Guile |
Historic Omnath Ramp by Autumn Burchett (5th)
Creatures (14) 4 Lotus Cobra 4 Omnath, Locus of Creation 3 Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath 2 Yasharn, Implacable Earth 1 Kenrith, the Returned King Planeswalkers (1) 1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon Spells (16) 4 Escape to the Wilds 4 Explore 3 Genesis Ultimatum 2 Growth Spiral 2 Bala Ged Recovery 1 Aether Gust | Lands (29) 4 Fabled Passage 4 Ketria Triome 4 Raugrin Triome 1 Breeding Pool 1 Clifftop Retreat 1 Evolving Wilds 1 Glacial Fortress 1 Hallowed Fountain 1 Rootbound Crag 1 Stomping Ground 1 Terramorphic Expanse 3 Forest 3 Island 2 Mountain 1 Plains Sideboard (15) 3 Aether Gust 2 Yasharn, Implacable Earth 2 Grafdigger’s Cage 1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger 1 Plains 2 Negate 4 Deafening Clarion |
Standard Omnath Adventures by Patrick Fernandes (6th)
Creatures (25) 4 Beanstalk Giant 4 Bonecrusher Giant 4 Edgewall Innkeeper 4 Fae of Wishes 4 Omnath, Locus of Creation 3 Brazen Borrower 2 Giant Killer Spells (4) 3 Escape to the Wilds 1 Shatterskull Smashing Artifacts (4) 4 Lucky Clover | Lands (27) 4 Cragcrown Pathway 4 Fabled Passage 2 Branchloft Pathway 2 Ketria Triome 2 Raugrin Triome 2 Riverglide Pathway 5 Island 3 Forest 2 Mountain 1 Plains Sideboard (15) 1 Once and Future 3 Mystical Dispute 1 Fling 1 Negate 1 Redcap Melee 1 Escape to the Wilds 1 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Neutralize 1 Storm’s Wrath 1 Return to Nature 1 Stern Dismissal 1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon 1 Primal Might |
Historic Omnath Ramp by Patrick Fernandes (6th)
Creatures (14) 4 Lotus Cobra 4 Omnath, Locus of Creation 4 Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath 1 Golos, Tireless Pilgrim 1 Kenrith, the Returned King Planeswalkers (1) 1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon Spells (13) 4 Escape to the Wilds 4 Explore 3 Genesis Ultimatum 1 Cultivate 1 Growth Spiral Enchantments (2) 2 Felidar Retreat | Lands (30) 4 Fabled Passage 4 Ketria Triome 4 Raugrin Triome 3 Hinterland Harbor 2 Temple Garden 1 Indatha Triome 1 Stomping Ground 1 Terramorphic Expanse 1 Zagoth Triome 3 Island 3 Forest 2 Mountain 1 Plains Sideboard (15) 3 Shark Typhoon 2 Yasharn, Implacable Earth 2 Redcap Melee 2 Magma Spray 3 Aether Gust 3 Mystical Dispute |
Standard Dimir Rogues by Seth Manfield (7th)
Companion (1) 1 Lurrus of the Dream-Den Creatures (12) 4 Soaring Thought-Thief 4 Thieves’ Guild Enforcer 4 Vantress Gargoyle Spells (27) 4 Drown in the Loch 4 Frantic Inventory 4 Heartless Act 4 Into the Story 2 Agadeem’s Awakening 2 Bloodchief’s Thirst 2 Lofty Denial 2 Mystical Dispute 2 Silundi Vision 1 Cling to Dust | Lands (21) 4 Clearwater Pathway 4 Temple of Deceit 4 Zagoth Triome 2 Castle Locthwain 4 Island 3 Swamp Sideboard (14) 3 Agonizing Remorse 1 Bloodchief’s Thirst 1 Skyclave Shade 4 Lullmage’s Domination 1 Eliminate 2 Negate 1 Mystical Dispute 1 Cling to Dust |
Historic Jund Sacrifice by Seth Manfield (7th)
Creatures (24) 4 Woe Strider 4 Mayhem Devil 4 Cauldron Familiar 4 Dreadhorde Butcher 3 Midnight Reaper 4 Priest of Forgotten Gods 1 Korvold, Fae-Cursed King Spells (8) 4 Claim the Firstborn 4 Collected Company Artifacts (4) 4 Witch’s Oven | Lands (24) 4 Blood Crypt 4 Dragonskull Summit 4 Overgrown Tomb 4 Stomping Ground 2 Sheltered Thicket 2 Woodland Cemetery 1 Cragcrown Pathway 1 Phyrexian Tower 2 Swamp Sideboard (15) 1 Korvold, Fae-Cursed King 2 Reclamation Sage 4 Thoughtseize 2 Liliana’s Defeat 1 Midnight Reaper 1 Noxious Grasp 1 Scavenging Ooze 2 Redcap Melee 1 Kitesail Freebooter |
Standard Gruul Adventures by Emma Handy (8th)
Creatures (30) 4 Bonecrusher Giant 4 Brushfire Elemental 4 Edgewall Innkeeper 4 Gemrazer 4 Kazandu Mammoth 4 Lovestruck Beast 4 Stonecoil Serpent 2 Scavenging Ooze Spells (6) 4 Primal Might 2 Shatterskull Smashing Artifacts (4) 4 Embercleave | Lands (20) 4 Cragcrown Pathway 4 Fabled Passage 2 Evolving Wilds 6 Forest 4 Mountain Sideboard (15) 3 Embereth Shieldbreaker 3 Chainweb Aracnir 3 Thundering Rebuke 2 Vivien, Monsters’ Advocate 2 The Great Henge 2 Ranger’s Guile |
Historic Omnath Ramp by Emma Handy (8th)
Creatures (14) 4 Lotus Cobra 4 Omnath, Locus of Creation 3 Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath 2 Yasharn, Implacable Earth 1 Kenrith, the Returned King Planeswalkers (1) 1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon Spells (16) 4 Escape to the Wilds 4 Explore 3 Genesis Ultimatum 2 Growth Spiral 2 Bala Ged Recovery 1 Aether Gust | Lands (29) 4 Fabled Passage 4 Ketria Triome 4 Raugrin Triome 1 Breeding Pool 1 Clifftop Retreat 1 Evolving Wilds 1 Glacial Fortress 1 Hallowed Fountain 1 Rootbound Crag 1 Stomping Ground 1 Terramorphic Expanse 3 Forest 3 Island 2 Mountain 1 Plains Sideboard (15) 3 Aether Gust 2 Yasharn, Implacable Earth 2 Grafdigger’s Cage 1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger 1 Plains 2 Negate 4 Deafening Clarion |