This past weekend, 163 of the best Magic players from across Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean gathered in Mexico City for The Gathering Showdown, the culmination of months of qualifying events. On the line were not only four Pro Tour slots but also the title of Regional Champion and the corresponding World Championship seat. After eight rounds of Pioneer competition followed by a Top 8 playoff, the trophy was claimed by Archibal Raziel Sánchez Peralta—Archi Peralta for short—piloting a thrilling Gruul Vehicles deck!

Congratulations to Archi Peralta, winner of the Regional Championship for Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean!

Archi Peralta, whose biggest previous Magic accomplishment was a Top 8 finish at the 2016 Super Sunday Series Championship, qualified via RCQ at Hobby Mart in Mexico City. On his choice of Gruul Vehicles, he said: “I believe it is one of the best decks of the format because is prepared against the metagame.” His list featured Voldaren Thrillseeker and Embercleave, enabled large amounts of burst damage out of nowhere.

Josué Escalante and Archi Peralta shuffle up for the finals of The Gathering Showdown.

In the finals, Archi Peralta defeated Josué Escalante from El Salvador, who had sleeved up Abzan Greasefang, hoping for fast matches. The Esika’s Chariot mirror match was indeed fast, but not in the way Josué Escalante may have hoped. A turn-four Parhelion II was raced by Embercleave in the first game, and the powerful vehicle was nowhere to be found in the second game. Archi Peralta emerged victorious, locking up an invitation to World Championship XXIX.

TOP 4 PLAYERS QUALIFIED FOR THE PRO TOUR

Top 4, left-to-right: Josue Escalante, Jesús Solano, Archi Peralta, Antonio Guzman.

With four Pro Tour invites on the line, it was a tense quarterfinals. Congratulations to the Top 4 players in the final standings of The Gathering Showdown, who earned invites to Pro Tour The Lord of the Rings, to be held at MagicCon: Barcelona on July 28–30. We look forward to seeing you represent your region there!

The Top 8 decklists featured six different archetypes, with Rakdos Midrange appearing three times. The Mana Vortex, in collaboration with After Office, provided a VOD of the live streamed matches. After the high-stakes quarterfinals, four players secured a seat to the Pro Tour. You can see the Top 4 decklists below in final standing order.

A MEMORABLE EVENT WITH A RAKDOS-HEAVY METAGAME

In line with many players’ expectations, Rakdos Midrange was the most popular Pioneer deck by far at the Regional Championship in Mexico. Given its dominance in the metagame, it was no big surprise to see three copies of the deck in the Top 8. Nevertheless, the deck is beatable, as both of the finalists showed. Meanwhile, Pioneer never fails to surprise, as eight players brought Omnath to Light and Bring to Light to the tournament. As an additional surprise, two identical Azorius Lotus Field decks made the Top 16, demonstrating the formidable potential of the archetype.

All in all, it was a terrific weekend full of hard-fought matches, high-level competition, and opportunities to celebrate anything Magic. The Gathering Showdown was a focal point for Magic in the region, and besides the Regional Championship the event also featured a Command Zone, artists, and cosplayers—something for every Magic fan.

163 players gathered in Mexico City to do battle across two days of Pioneer.

The Top 8 players had to duke it out in high-stakes quarterfinals to decide who would clinch the four Pro Tour invites.

Big celebrations as Archi Peralta received his first-place trophy and giant novelty check.

Day 3 #TheGatheringShowdownSeries continued. A few more snapshots from the big event. #YellowRabbit #MTG pic.twitter.com/REGKHQ5hka

— Jeff Laubenstein - MAGIC SHOWDOWN - CDMX June 3-4 (@IllustratorJeff) June 4, 2023

Be part of the next cycle of Regional Championships by joining a qualifying event near you! You can find events via the Store & Event Locator or your regional organizer's website.