The Japanese city of Kyoto was host to the Champions Cup Final, a Regional Championship for Japan and Korea. Over 380 players were in attendance playing Standard for invitations to the Pro Tour and the World Championship. After two days of Swiss rounds and a cut to Top 8, it was the seemingly unstoppable Ma Noah, playing Bant Rhythm, who emerged victorious!
Ma Noah has not only had success at the Champions Cup before, winning one in February last year, but he's also been very impressive at the Pro Tour level, with a Top 8 appearance at Pro Tour Modern Horizons 3. His dominance was once again on display this weekend as he dropped just one match across the Swiss and cruised to victory in the Top 8, clinching the trophy with a 2-1 win over Yuya Tase.
An interesting mix of decks made up the Top 8. Ma was joined by Koki Hara on Bant Rhythm, while three players—Kento Izumi, Atsushi Nakashima, and Masakuni Hamaguchi—all piloted Mono-Green Landfall. There were two Izzet players, Horiuchi Makoto and Onoha Kenji on Prowess and Lessons respectively, and a lone Mono-White Aggro player, the finalist Yuya Tase. The Top 8 demonstrated that certain strategies, namely green aggressive decks, were well-positioned this weekend.
Dimir decks did not have a good time of it. Despite blue-black decks holding a significant metagame share between Dimir Midrange and Excruciator decks, the highest-finishing Dimir player came in 32nd place. Similarly, despite Izzet Prowess being the most popular deck by a wide margin, it struggled to put up numbers, with the majority of those playing it failing to make Day Two. Izzet strategies are still very strong in Standard, of course, but decks like Mono-Green and Bant Rhythm showed they have what it takes to contest Izzet's dominance.
These events are always about so much more than just the world of high-level tournament Magic, of course. Across the weekend, the Players Convention hosting the Champions Cup Final was filled with all sorts of other Magic-related activities: panels, competitions, prize giveaways, tournaments for all skill levels, and events ranging from casual to competitive. If you'd like to get involved in an event like this one, why not try your hand at qualifying for your next Regional Championship? Check to see where you can find the next qualifier near you!
