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Ovington Tips the Scales in Indianapolis

June 02, 2025
Corbin Hosler

Magic Spotlight: Secret Lair had it all: a popular destination, huge prizes, Pro Tour invitations on the line, and the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the winner to consult on a Secret Lair drop.

Just days following the completion of the historic city's iconic race, thousands of Magic players flocked to Indiana for SCG CON Indianapolis. There, they sprinted through fifteen rounds of Modern. When the dust settled, the most popular deck in the room had been bested, a series of fresh decks made the Top 8, and Hunter Ovington took down the title and the chance to consult on a future Secret Lair drop. Along the way, we saw some of the most interesting Modern matchups in years and were treated to several great matches and new developments.

Congratulations to Hunter Ovington, winner of Magic Spotlight: Secret Lair!


Here's how we got there.

Eight for the Pro Tour

While the Secret Lair collaboration stole the headlines, there were eight total Pro Tour invites on the line for the Top 8 competitors at the showdown. As was to be expected, the first day of the event showcased an eclectic collection of decks alongside updated versions of classic decks.

Living End lists, for instance, look very different than they did a year ago, and both Mono-Blue and Mono-Red versions of Goblin Charbelcher found some success. Meanwhile, Cori-Steel Cutter is the latest addition to hyper-aggressive Izzet Prowess, which also run Lava Dart and Mutagenic Growth for extremely explosive turns.

By and large, though, the Orzhov Blink shell utilizing Emperor of Bones; Overlord of the Balemurk; Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd; Flickerwisp; anda host of powerful creatures was extremely strong. With two Top 8 finishers playing Orzhov Blink (with a third player on an Esper variant), it was a very good weekend for small creatures.

Emperor of Bones Overlord of the Balemurk Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd Flickerwisp

Here's how the full Top 8 broke down:

  • Hunter Ovington (Gruul Broodscale)
  • Andrew Bailey (Esper Reanimator)
  • Raja Sulaiman (Esper Blink)
  • Justin Schabel (Izzet Prowess)
  • Burke Methena (Azorius Affinity)
  • Christopher Kral (Orzhov Blink)
  • Geoff Mullin (Orzhov Blink)
  • Ian Starkebaum (Domain Zoo)

In the end, it was the not-all-in Broodscale Combo list that took it down in the hands of Ovington, who defeated Starkebaum's Domain Zoo in the quarterfinals before winning two straight games over Justin Schabel's Izzet Prowess in the semis to punch his ticket to the finals against Andrew Bailey, who awaited on the other side of the bracket. Bailey had been consistently late to dinner thus far, meaning Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Griselbrand had consistently closed games.

But it wasn't meant to be in the finals, where Ovington scaled his way to the top and Emrakul, the Promised End awaited, promising more than just a quick end to the match. The Eldrazi titan brought him his first trip to the Pro Tour.

"I chose Gruul Broodscale because it's a fast combo deck that can grind and go long if it needs to," Ovington explained. "Eldrazi Temple into turn-two Glaring Fleshraker is not fair."

Neither is the deck's actual namesake combo of Basking Broodscale and Blade of the Bloodchief, which combine with the Fleshraker to end the game on the spot. Kozilek's Command ties it all together, giving Ovington way more options than opponents might originally suspect from a combo Gruul deck.

4 Basking Broodscale 4 Glaring Fleshraker 4 Walking Ballista 4 Writhing Chrysalis 2 Emrakul, the Promised End 1 Haywire Mite 4 Ancient Stirrings 4 Malevolent Rumble 4 Kozilek's Command 4 Blade of the Bloodchief 1 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Springleaf Drum 1 Vexing Bauble 4 Urza's Saga 4 Eldrazi Temple 4 Grove of the Burnwillows 3 Wooded Foothills 2 Boseiju, Who Endures 2 Cavern of Souls 2 Forest 1 Stomping Ground 3 Pyroclasm 3 Thief of Existence 2 Damping Sphere 2 Dismember 1 Gemstone Caverns 1 Grafdigger's Cage 1 Nature's Claim 1 Pithing Needle 1 Vexing Bauble

You can find all the Top 8 lists here.

A Mixed-Up Modern Metagame

Modern was the star of the show in Indianapolis, as longtime players brought their long-time favorite decks or newest loves, with decks ranging from Boros Energy to Izzet Prowess to Amulet Titan.

Then there was Corey Burkhart. If the 2020 Pro Tour Champion from 2020 has a brand (besides being generally gregarious), it's being the master of Grixis. And in Indianapolis, this master went to work—his deep, on-camera run brought him a Top 16 finish at the event.

He was far from the only player to find success going their own way. In fact, while the top of the Modern metagame looked mostly as expected, almost 200 players—or about a quarter of the field—registered a deck that less than two percent of the rest of the field did.


Boros Energy was the most popular deck in the field, but by the end, it didn't crack the Top 16 (though one Mardu Energy did). Instead, we were treated to a veritable buffet of decks, with seven different decks making up the Top 8 and twelve different lists making up the Top 16.

That included what may have been the breakout deck of the tournament, if not for Ovington's innovative Broodscale Combo list—Azorius Affinity.

"Kappa Cannoneer is the best card in the deck," explained Burke Methena on his way to a Top 8 appearance. "I've been on this deck since before the Mox Opal unban and feel comfortable with it, prophecy dictated I do well with it I guess."

4 Emry, Lurker of the Loch 4 Kappa Cannoneer 4 Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student 3 Thought Monitor 1 Haywire Mite 4 Thoughtcast 3 Metallic Rebuke 2 Force of Negation 4 Mishra's Bauble 4 Mox Opal 3 Portable Hole 2 Mox Amber 1 Aether Spellbomb 1 Lavaspur Boots 1 Pithing Needle 1 Shadowspear 1 Tormod's Crypt 4 Urza's Saga 4 Spire of Industry 3 Razortide Bridge 2 Darksteel Citadel 1 Hallowed Fountain 1 Island 1 Otawara, Soaring City 1 Seachrome Coast 4 Consign to Memory 3 Damping Sphere 3 Dispatch 2 Force of Negation 2 Whipflare 1 Wear // Tear

Looking Ahead

The Magic Spotlight Series in Indianapolis is behind us; the Magic Spotlight Series event in Chiba, Japan, is ahead of us. Coming at the end of the month, a Standard metagame that includes Magic: The Gathering?—FINAL FANTASY? will be showcased at Magic Spotlight: FINAL FANTASY. You can find the full list of Spotlight events here.

Ovington joins the select few who have a Spotlight Series title to their name, and before he'd settled in at home, Ovington was making his Pro Tour plans. Congrats!

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