The beautiful city of Adelaide, Australia, hosted the ANZ Super Series Final last weekend, where almost 200 players gathered to play Standard. There were cash prizes, Pro Tour invitations, and a spot at Magic World Championship 32 on the line. Perhaps most importantly, there was an archetype with a clear target painted on it: Izzet Prowess. It was the deck to beat, and players came prepared. One such player was Riley Beck, who took down the tournament with a finely tuned Selesnya Landfall list!
Beck didn't have an easy path to victory, with every one of his Top 8 matches going 2-1. But his build of Selesnya Landfall was up to the task, emerging victorious in a quarterfinals mirror match, winning against Mardu Discard, and beating Kikkawa's Temur Prowess list in the final. A combination of tight play, judicious sideboarding, and sheer tenacity helped Beck in getting through two days of fierce competition and hoist the trophy.
Selesnya Landfall was strongly represented in the Top 8, with three copies making it through in the hands of Riley Beck, Samuel Taubman, and former ANZ Super Series champion Thomas Bot. Izzet-based strategies were represented with the two copies of Temur Prowess played by Dillon Kikkawa and Mia Fountain, illustrating the extra power the green splash offers. Rounding out the Top 8 were some spicier builds: Samuel Beard's Selesnya Ouroboroid, Scott Aitchinson's Mardu Discard, and Zhou Hanbin's wild Temur Omniscience Combo deck.
Despite Izzet Prowess being the most played deck by a comfortable margin, it didn't manage to convert this to a Top 8 appearance (although, as mentioned, two Temur Prowess decks did). There were a range of decks all looking to challenge Izzet's dominance over Standard. While Four-Color Control didn't put up numbers and Dimir Excruciator was nowhere to be seen at the top tables, Selesnya Landfall seemed to be supremely well-positioned this weekend and is likely a list to keep an eye on moving forward.
The weekend's event didn't just host those looking to flex their competitive muscle in the Regional Championship. There was also a CommandFest for fans of more casual formats, side events for all sorts of other Constructed formats, and a huge Limited Championship Qualifier with a $5,000 prize pool on Sunday. These events are always huge fun for everyone. Why not check where the next qualifier near you is being held and come along?