From 207 players and sixteen rounds of play—including both Standard and Outlaws of Thunder Junction Draft—the showdown in Seattle slimmed to its final eight competitors. Congratulations to the Top 8 players of Pro Tour Thunder Junction!
Lucas Duchow
The online master adds a tabletop Top Finish. Duchow came to Seattle via Magic Online, where his consistent performances earned him a spot on the leaderboard. The longtime player—he picked up his first Magic card in 1997—has quietly been winning events online for years, and now he has a career-defining finish at Pro Tour Thunder Junction. His build of Esper Midrange was able to survive the storm of decks poised to challenge, and he'll now look to add even more to that finish on Sunday.
Sean Goddard
The two-time Magic Online Champions Showcase competitor had close calls before. But now, in Seattle, his breakthrough arrived. With a strong performance across multiple Pro Tours and now a strong Standard performance with Temur Analyst, he looks to take home his first premier trophy in the Seattle Sunday Top 8 where both will come to bear.
Arne Huschenbeth
Arne Huschenbeth's career can be described with two words: consistent excellence. With several Top Finishes under his belt, including victory at the Kaldheim Championship, Huschenbeth's exuberance and joy when playing are plain to see. Joining Team ChannelFireball-Ultimate Guard just in time for Pro Tour Thunder Junction, he is the last member standing amid the Top 8—and one ready to claim his second trophy on a Pro Tour Sunday.
Yoshihiko Ikawa
The new three-time Top Finisher is one of Japan's Magic stalwarts. After finding emergent success as a finalist at Mythic Championship I, Yoshihiko Ikawa returned to the Pro Tour via the road of the Regional Championship, where he clinched a win at the Champions Cup: Yokohama 2024. A member of the dominant team Moriyama Japan, Ikawa locked his Sunday ticket in first by reaching twelve wins before anyone else. Now "WanderingOnes" can take home an even more impressive trophy.
Takumi Matsuura
Another standout of team Moriyama Japan, Takumi Matsuura has had consistent success across Pro Tours—starting with a Top 8 appearance at Pro Tour Phyrexia in 2023—that brought him to Seattle. Alongside teammate Yoshihiko Ikawa, he now returns to the Top 8 stage for another Top Finish with a Boros Convoke deck ready to claim the trophy.
Yuta Takahashi
The "King of Faeries" Yuta Takahashi has a storied career with six Top Finishes now, including victory at Magic World Championship XXVII. His 0-3 start at the event is often forgotten as he not only rallied back to make Top 8 but also decisively won—and immortalized himself as the Faerie Mastermind card. Now, as part of the triple Top 8 dominance of team Moriyama Japan, the legend is back to claim another trophy win.
Jason Ye
Jason Ye put itself onto the map with a breakout success at the $100k Wilds of Eldaine Limited event at MagicCon: Las Vegas 2023. With an invitation to Pro Tour Murders at Karlov Manor, it proved it was on the cusp of another breakthrough after falling just short of Top 8 success. Now, at Pro Tour Thunder Junction, Ye finished what it started in Las Vegas and earned its first Top Finish. Alongside Sanctum of All teammate Rei Zhang, Ye can claim another major win—this time taking a trophy home to show.
Rei Zhang
Rei Zhang, better known as "cftsoc" online, kicked off the Aftermath Analyst-based decks with their breakout performance with one at the $75k Secret Lair Showdown at MagicCon: Chicago. It's perhaps no surprise that the combo builder and renown deck designer—alongside their teammates in Sanctum of All—brought a polished, powered, and well-positioned Four-Color Legends deck to Seattle. With the team performing well and positioned to put Jason Ye (and what could have been several more teammates) into the Top 8, the combo master seemed poised to take the Pro Tour Thunder Junction trophy.
