Jake Beardsley, piloting Rakdos Evoke, defeated Christian Calcano and his Mono-Green Tron deck three games to two in the finals to win Pro Tour The Lord of the Rings.
It was quite the weekend for Beardsley—not only did he become a Pro Tour champion at his very first Pro Tour, but it was also his birthday weekend.
He played the most popular deck at the tournament, Rakdos Evoke, which made up nearly 20% of the field. The deck sometimes play out like a midrange deck but its best starts are those of a combo deck, combining “pitch” evoke creatures like Fury and Grief with either Undying Malice or Feign Death to get two enters the battlefield triggers from his evoke creatures and a giant threat…all on Turn 1.
Beardsley faced Calcano in the finals, who is a long time veteran of the Pro Tour circuit and made his first Top 8 at Pro Tour The Lord of the Rings with Mono-Green Tron. Tron is focused on assembly the three Urza lands—Urza’s Mine, Urza’s Power Plant, and Urza’s Tower—as early as possible to make a ton of mana to play expensive, game-ending threats like Karn Liberated and Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger.
The finals was a back and forth affair. In Game 1, Calcano was able to assemble Tron plus Karn, the Great Creator to take over the game. Beardsley roared back in Game 2 by playing Dauthi Voidwalker on Turn 2, then using Thoughtseize on Turn 3 to force Calcano to discard Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger, which was exiled by Beardsley’s Dauthi Voidwalker, allowing Beardsley to sacrifice the Voidwalker and cast Ulamog for the Turn 3 win.
Game 3 saw Calcano mulligan to five cards, while Beardsley started with a Turn 1 Fury plus Feign Death to begin attacking for eight damage a turn…which quickly overwhelmed Calcano’s much slower start.
That set up a decisive Game 4 in which Beardsley managed to play a Turn 2 Blood Moon thanks to a Treasure token off of a Turn 1 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer,, shutting off Calcano’s Tron lands. But Calcano fought his way back and stabilized at five life behind an Ensnaring Bridge. Beardsley had a potential six damage in his hand between Kroxa, Titan of Death’s Hunger and Lightning Bolt—but he needed Calcano to either play out his last card to ensure Kroxa would deal three damage or for that card to be a land. On Calcano’s turn, he agonized as to weather to play out his last card—a Chromatic Star—and eventually chose to keep it in hand. Beardsley then played the Kroxa, Calcano discarded the Chromatic Star to take no damage, and then Calcano proceeded to win the game a force Game 5.
After such an intense Game 4, Game 5 turned out to be much shorter and far less stressful. Beardsley had a Turn 1 Grief plus Undying Malice to strip Calcano of any relevant plays, then proceeded to beat Calcano down to win the game, match, and Pro Tour The Lord of the Rings.
Pro Tour The Lord of the Rings Top 8 Modern Decks
Modern Rakdos Evoke by Jake Beardsley (1st Place)
| Creatures (21) 4 Fury 4 Grief 4 Orcish Bowmasters 1 Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger 4 Dauthi Voidwalker 4 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer Sorceries (4) 4 Thoughtseize Instants (10) 2 Terminate 3 Undying Malice 3 Feign Death 2 Fatal Push Enchantments (5) 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker 1 Blood Moon Land (20) 2 Verdant Catacombs 2 Marsh Flats 2 Bloodstained Mire 3 Polluted Delta 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire 3 Blackcleave Cliffs 4 Blood Crypt 3 Swamp | Sideboard (15) 2 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse 1 Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger 1 Terminate 2 Lightning Bolt 1 Pithing Needle 1 Nihil Spellbomb 3 Chalice of the Void 2 Engineered Explosives 2 Blood Moon |
Modern Mono-Green Tron by Christian Calcano (2nd Place)
| Creatures (4) 2 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger 2 Wurmcoil Engine Planeswalkers (7) 1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon 2 Karn Liberated 4 Karn, the Great Creator Sorceries (8) 4 Sylvan Scrying 4 Ancient Stirrings Instants (2) 2 Warping Wail Artifacts (21) 3 The One Ring 3 Oblivion Stone 3 Relic of Progenitus 4 Expedition Map 4 Chromatic Star 4 Chromatic Sphere Land (18) 1 Gemstone Caverns 4 Urza’s Mine 4 Urza's Power Plant 4 Urza’s Tower 2 Boseiju, Who Endures 3 Forest | Sideboard (15) 1 Jegantha, the Wellspring 1 Cityscape Leveler 1 Sundering Titan 2 Haywire Mite 1 Walking Ballista 1 The One Ring 1 Ensnaring Bridge 1 Oblivion Stone 1 Liquimetal Coating 1 The Stone Brain 1 Pyrite Spellbomb 1 Tormod’s Crypt 1 Engineered Explosives 1 Chalice of the Void |
Modern Amulet Titan by Dom Harvey (3rd-4th Place)
| Creatures (15) 1 Cultivator Colossus 4 Primeval Titan 4 Dryad of the Ilysian Grove 2 Azusa, Lost but Seeking 4 Arboreal Grazer Instants (4) 4 Summoner’s Pact Artifacts (9) 4 The One Ring 1 Expedition Map 4 Amulet of Vigor Enchantments (4) 4 Urza's Saga Land (33) 4 Urza's Saga 1 Gemstone Caverns 3 Forest 2 Crumbling Vestige 2 The Mycosynth Gardens 2 Tolaria West 4 Golgari Rot Farm 1 Slayers' Stronghold 1 Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion 2 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle 1 Boros Garrison 1 Selesnya Sanctuary 4 Simic Growth Chamber 3 Boseiju, Who Endures 1 Vesuva 1 Otawara, Soaring City | Sideboard (15) 1 Generous Ent 1 Wurmcoil Engine 1 Endurance 3 Dismember 2 Tear Asunder 1 Swan Song 1 Pact of Negation 1 Tormod’s Crypt 1 Engineered Explosives 1 Radiant Fountain 1 Khalni Garden 1 Bojuka Bog |
Modern Mono-Green Tron by Simon Nielsen (3rd-4th Place)
| Creatures (5) 2 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger 2 Wurmcoil Engine 1 Walking Ballista Planeswalkers (5) 1 Karn Liberated 4 Karn, the Great Creator Sorceries (7) 3 Sylvan Scrying 4 Ancient Stirrings Instants (4) 3 Dismember 1 Warping Wail Artifacts (21) 4 The One Ring 4 Oblivion Stone 1 Talisman of Resilience 3 Relic of Progenitus 4 Expedition Map 1 Chromatic Star 4 Chromatic Sphere Enchantments (2) 2 Urza's Saga Land (18) 2 Urza's Saga 3 Forest 4 Urza’s Mine 4 Urza's Power Plant 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 4 Urza’s Tower | Sideboard (15) 1 Sundering Titan 1 Cityscape Leveler 1 Wurmcoil Engine 1 Phyrexian Metamorph 2 Haywire Mite 1 Walking Ballista 1 Ensnaring Bridge 1 The Stone Brain 1 Liquimetal Coating 1 Pithing Needle 1 Grafdigger’s Cage 1 Chalice of the Void 1 Engineered Explosives 1 Tormod’s Crypt |
Modern Temur Rhinos by Kai Budde (5th-8th Place)
| Creatures (9) 1 Murktide Regent 2 Questing Beast 2 Subtlety 4 Shardless Agent Sorceries (8) 4 Lórien Revealed 4 Crashing Footfalls Instants (22) 4 Dead 4 Fire 4 Force of Negation 4 Violent Outburst 2 Dismember 4 Mystical Dispute Land (21) 1 Steam Vents 1 Scalding Tarn 4 Wooded Foothills 2 Island 1 Stomping Ground 1 Ketria Triome 4 Misty Rainforest 2 Gemstone Caverns 2 Forest 1 Otawara, Soaring City 1 Breeding Pool 1 Boseiju, Who Endures | Sideboard (15) 2 Fury 1 Subtlety 4 Endurance 1 Force of Vigor 3 Flame of Anor 2 Blood Moon 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 1 Gemstone Caverns |
Modern Temur Rhinos by Marco Del Pivo (5th-8th)
| Creatures (11) 2 Murktide Regent 1 Fury 4 Subtlety 4 Shardless Agent Sorceries (8) 4 Lórien Revealed 4 Crashing Footfalls Instants (20) 4 Dead 4 Fire 4 Violent Outburst 2 Prismari Command 4 Force of Negation 2 Mystical Dispute Land (21) 2 Gemstone Caverns 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 4 Wooded Foothills 1 Breeding Pool 1 Stomping Ground 1 Steam Vents 1 Mountain 1 Forest 2 Island 1 Otawara, Soaring City 1 Ketria Triome 4 Misty Rainforest 1 Fiery Islet | Sideboard (15) 2 Obsidian Charmaw 2 Fury 4 Endurance 1 Magus of the Moon 1 Commandeer 2 Force of Vigor 1 Mystical Dispute 1 Blood Moon 1 Boseiju, Who Endures |
Modern Mono-Green Tron by Javier Dominguez (5th-8th Place)
| Creatures (5) 2 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger 2 Wurmcoil Engine 1 Walking Ballista Planeswalkers (5) 1 Karn Liberated 4 Karn, the Great Creator Sorceries (7) 3 Sylvan Scrying 4 Ancient Stirrings Instants (4) 3 Dismember 1 Warping Wail Artifacts (21) 4 The One Ring 4 Oblivion Stone 1 Talisman of Resilience 3 Relic of Progenitus 4 Expedition Map 1 Chromatic Star 4 Chromatic Sphere Enchantments (2) 2 Urza's Saga Land (18) 2 Urza's Saga 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 3 Forest 4 Urza’s Mine 4 Urza's Power Plant 4 Urza’s Tower | Sideboard (15) 1 Cityscape Leveler 1 Sundering Titan 1 Wurmcoil Engine 1 Phyrexian Metamorph 2 Haywire Mite 1 Walking Ballista 1 Ensnaring Bridge 1 Liquimetal Coating 1 The Stone Brain 1 Pithing Needle 1 Grafdigger’s Cage 1 Tormod’s Crypt 1 Engineered Explosives 1 Chalice of the Void |
Modern Temur Rhinos by Stefano Vinci (5th-8th Place)
| Creatures (12) 1 Murktide Regent 2 Fury 4 Subtlety 1 Brazen Borrower 4 Shardless Agent Sorceries (8) 4 Lórien Revealed 4 Crashing Footfalls Instants (19) 4 Fire 4 Dead 4 Force of Negation 3 Mystical Dispute 4 Violent Outburst Land (21) 1 Ketria Triome 1 Breeding Pool 2 Steam Vents 4 Misty Rainforest 1 Stomping Ground 4 Wooded Foothills 1 Forest 1 Otawara, Soaring City 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 2 Gemstone Caverns 1 Fiery Islet 2 Island | Sideboard (15) 2 Fury 2 Questing Beast 1 Brazen Borrower 4 Endurance 1 Magus of the Moon 2 Commandeer 2 Force of Vigor 1 Mystical Dispute |