On the second weekend in March, over 140 of the best Magic players from across South America gathered in Santiago, Chile for the South America Magic Series Regional Championship. It was the culmination of months of qualifying events, and two invitations to Pro Tour Thunder Junction, one invitation to the World Championship at MagicCon Vegas, and the title of Regional Champion were all on the line.

Congratulations to Guillermo Loli, winner of the South America Magic Series!

After eight rounds of Modern followed by a Top 8 playoff, Guillermo Loli, from Peru, claimed the title and the trophy piloting Living End in what would turn out to be Violent Outburst's final weekend in Modern. Loli defeated Daniel Lopez from Ecuador, playing Golgari Yawgmoth, in the finals.

Guillermo Loli plays in the finals.

Loli qualified for the Regional Championship via an RCQ hosted by MagicSur in Chile. This won't be Loli's first trip to the Pro Tour, as his previous Magic accomplishments include playing the World Magic Cup in 2015 and 2018, being Peru's national champion in 2018, and playing in Pro Tour Rivals of Ixalan in Bilbao in 2018. Loli played Living End at the RC because "I think it was a general good choice in the format because it has a great game 1 against most decks."

Daniel Lopez plays in the finals.

Lopez qualified for the RC via a qualifier at MonkeyPlanet in Ecuador. Lopez also has a national champion title to his name, as Ecuador's champion in 2013. He was also the captain of Ecuador's World Magic Cup team on multiple occasions. He played Golgari Yawgmoth at the Regional Championship because "all around, it doesn't really have a bad match."

Congratulations to the Top 8

At the end of eight Swiss rounds of Modern, eight players advanced to the Top 8, including 2016-17 Constructed Master Sebastian Pozzo, who played Goryo's Blink, an emerging presence in the weekend's metagame. Notably, not a single Top 8 player was on Rhinos of either the Temur or Domain variety.

Top 2 Qualify for the Pro Tour

Congratulations to Daniel Lopez and Guillermo Loli!

It was a tense Top 8 at the South America Magic Series, as players vied for a spot in the finals and a Pro Tour invite. You can see the decklists of the two Pro Tour qualifying players below:

In recent weeks, Temur and Domain Rhinos have risen to the top of both the Modern metagame and the standings, but the weekend of the South America Magic Series would prove to be the last hurrah for one of the deck's key cards, Violent Outburst. It was an anemic showing for Rhinos, which failed to put a single copy into the Top 8.

Living End will also have to bid farewell to Violent Outburst, and it performed significantly better over the weekend, putting two copies into the Top 8. Only time will tell if it, and Rhinos, can survive the departure of their instant-speed cascade effect.

Congratulations again to this weekend's players on a great tournament of terrific and hard-fought matches and excellent competition. Catch the next South America Magic Series during the next Regional Championship cycle!

Find out more about how you can qualify for the Regional Championship and the Pro Tour by visiting here and finding out more from your regional organizer!