Over 200 players gathered in Santiago, Chile for the first South American Regional Championship of the year. Ten Pro Tour invites and two seats at the World Championship were on the line, and after eight Standard Swiss rounds and a Top 8 playoff, Joao Quege from Brazil emerged victorious with Boros Dragons. This was the 41-year-old Brazilian player's first Regional Championship Top 8, and his first Pro Tour qualification.
Quege played Boros Dragons because it had "aggressive and evasive creatures, great sideboard options, and dragons are awesome!" He faced Isael Feitosa on Mono-Green Landfall in the finals. Feitosa's finish also qualified him for the Pro Tour, it will be his third appearance there. Feitosa played Landfall because "I like decks with a lot of triggers."
The weekend showcased the diverse Standard metagame, with six different decks represented in the Top 8. Mono-Green Landfall had by far the most dominant performance, with three copies in the Top 8. Each of the other decks – Boros Dragons, Azorius Tempo, Dimir Excruciator, Dimir Midrange, and Izzet Lessons – appeared only once. You can see all ten of the Pro Tour qualifying decklists here.
Many of the players in the Top 8 had previous Regional Championship successes. Adriano Melo won one RC in 2023 and finished third at another, and rolled those successes into two additional Pro Tour invitations. Carlos Torrico finished second at an RC in 2024, and Victor Esquici had a third-place finish this time last year. This was the third RC Top 8 for Rodrigo Pinheiro, who has also had an appearance in the MOCs finals, and Guillermo Loli is a former National Champion.
Mono-Green Landfall having three copies in the Top 8 is particularly surprising given that it was only the fourth most popular deck of the weekend. Dimir Midrange, Dimir Excruciator, and Izzet Lessons all had more players on them, and all were represented in the Top 8.
Standard continues to morph in the weeks following Pro Tour Lorwyn Eclipsed, with far more players trying out Dimir Excruciator, which Christoffer Larsen piloted to Pro Tour victory in Richmond. Ouroboroid decks were out of favor in Santiago, while Boros Dragons and Jeskai Control climbed the ranks, along with newcomer Azorius Tempo. There are still more weekends of Regional Championships before the season is over, so this may not yet be the format's final form.
Congratulations again to South American Regional Champion Joao Quege, and to all 10 of the players who earned a Pro Tour invitation!