Last weekend, over 400 of the best Magic players from across Canada gathered in Montreal for the Face to Face Tour Weekend and Canada's Regional Championship. It was the culmination of months of qualifying events. The stakes were high; twelve invitations to the Pro Tour, two invitations to the World Championship, and the title of Canada's Regional Champion were all on the line. After fourteen rounds of Standard followed by a Top 8 playoff, Linden Koot from Surrey, British Columbia, claimed the title and the trophy with Azorius Omniscience.

Congratulations to Linden Koot, winner of Canada's Regional Championship!

"I felt that I could tune the deck to beat Prowess and Mono-Red decks while remaining a combo deck against grindy, non-Dimir decks," Koot said of his decision to play Azorius Omniscience.

Linden Koot with Group, caption: Linden Koot and friends celebrate his Regional Championship win.

Koot defeated well-known deck builder and Pro Tour Thunder Junction Top 8 finisher Rei Zhang on Izzet Prowess in the finals. Zhang had their own take on Izzet Prowess that included four copies of Monastery Swiftspear and three copies of Drake Hatcher in addition to the usual threats of Stormchaser's Talent and Cori-Steel Cutter.

"Obviously, Cori-Steel Cutter and Stock Up are the two best cards in the deck. But recently, there has been some hatred of the card Monastery Swiftspear by people I know and respect, and I must say, I disapprove," Zhang said. "Monastery Swiftspear is kind of nice."

Rei Zhang and Linden Koot prepare to play in the finals.

Congratulations to the Top 8!

Congratulations to the Top 8!

At the end of fourteen Swiss rounds of Standard, players advanced to the Top 8, many of them repeat Top 8 Regional Championship finishers. Repeat Top 8 finishers included finalists Rei Zhang and Linden Koot, as well as Mohamad Qadi, Noé Offman, and Kevin Anctil.

While aggressive decks dominated the Top 8 field, Koot's belief that he could tune his deck to beat them proved true, allowing the Azorius Omniscience deck to make its way through the bracket unscathed. The Top 12 finishers in Montreal earned invites to the Pro Tour, and you can see the decklists of all Top 12 Canadian RC players here.

Aggro Takes the Metagame

The Standard metagame continues to change shape, but Aggro decks remain the favorite. Izzet Prowess was the most popular deck in Montreal, followed by Mono-Red Aggro. Jeskai Oculus and Zur enchantment decks have lost the favor they had this past spring, with Azorius Omniscience and Jeskai Control taking the top two spots after the aggro decks.

Notably, Izzet Prowess held onto its metagame share between Day One and Day Two, while Mono-Red Aggro doubled its share at the expense of the slower, more control-oriented decks.

Congratulations again to this weekend's players on a great tournament of terrific, hard-fought matches and excellent competition. Catch the next Face to Face Tour Weekend 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!