What does it feel like to be on a winning streak? You landed the job, got the girl, or conquered the Ottawa Old School monthly. The thrill is undeniable—but the real question is, what’s next?
With the Merlin Cup approaching, I was eager to redeem myself after a 2-2 performance at the April X-Point monthly. A tough loss against a Kobolds deck in round two had made Fred’s day—maybe even his year—but I saw it as a wake-up call. My deckbuilding, play, and sideboarding needed refinement, and I was ready to put in the work.
Digging into top-tier Atlantic decks like Shops and The Deck, I explored different strategies for X-Point. The Deck thrives on sheer power and restricted cards, while Shops proves formidable without necessarily relying on the Power Nine. A turn one Su-Chi with a Mox and Workshop is strong, but even a turn two Su-Chi can be just as decisive against the numerous aggro decks in Ottawa’s meta.
Drawing from two years of Shops experience, I refined my Grixis build—originally based on Rich Bourque’s 2023 Lobstercon deck with Lightning Bolts. In order to adapt it to X-Points, I looked at the most successful Shops lists in the past. Michael Sheffenacker reached the Final of X-Point 16 and placed in the Top 8 of X-Point 17 using an Esper Shops deck. I particularly liked the way the points were distributed in his build: 10 cards, each valued at 1 point (2x The Abyss, 4x Mishra’s Workshop, and 4x Mishra’s Factory). I adapted the rest of the deck based on my latest iteration of Shops with Bolts, doubling up Falling Star, Earthquake and Terror in the sideboard to deal with low to the ground creature strategies.
Then came game day. Chelsea on Mono White (2-1), Jimmy on UW Shops (2-1), Joe on Mono Green (2-1), Louis-Gabriel on Rukh Combo (2-0), Jason on Trolls (2-0). Close calls early on, but I hit my stride in the final rounds. I faced LG again in the top four, repeating my earlier success, and then squared off against Ottawa end boss, Lorenzo, in the finals. I seized a hard-fought 2-1 victory, earning the Beta Elvish Archer and going undefeated at 7-0.
Momentum carried me into the May monthly at the Oak, this time in Boreal format. I piloted Lion Tog mirroring Svante Landgraf’s exact 75 from the 2024 Re-Invitational in Switzerland. While it hadn’t made waves at major events, my testing proved promising—the deck flowed smoothly, winning with burn over the top or a game-ending Atog.
At the Oak, I took on Alex’s BW Abyss deck first, clearing his Juggernauts and White Knights with Bolts and land disruption. Then came the real test—Matt Parker, fresh off a win against Lorenzo, with an Atog deck modelled after Svante’s 2023 Winter Derby-winning list. It was a battle, but I pulled off a 2-1 victory. Paul’s Ernham and Burn’em deck fell next, followed by Glen’s Power Monolith. A well-timed Hurkyl’s Recall sealed the deal in both the second round and final match.
Now, two consecutive tournament wins had put a spotlight on me—would I go for the three-peat or mix things up? I knew I didn’t want to run Shops again in X-Point, so I explored alternatives. Lucas Glavin’s Lion-Dib-Bolt deck? An updated UWR Skies build? Maybe Mono Black Aggro for nostalgia? In the end, I chose UWR Skies—my most original deck.
Round one, Ryan on Goblins. A pair of perfectly timed Counterspells on Blood Moon and Wheel of Fortune kept me ahead. Round two, Pat McElligott in a mirror match without blue. Knowing Pat’s track record, I had a feeling the winner of our match could take the whole tournament. I won game one decisively but hit a wall in game two with a Circle of Protection: Red and three Maze of Ith locking me out. I conceded, then narrowly took game three after turns on Orb flips—my lucky streak was intact.
Round three, Paul on Mono White. A clutch Counterspell on Armageddon secured game one, and Falling Star swept game two. The final round was against Kostas, running a budget Mono White build. The outcome was familiar—I closed out the match and secured my second monthly in a row, going an impressive 15-0 from the Merlin Cup onward.
The streak continues, but the question remains: What’s next?
