Peng Zer Shiuan Triumphs with Abzan Greasefang at South East Asia Championships

November 05, 2023

Frank Karsten

This past weekend, 165 of the best Magic players from across Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand gathered in Singapore for the South East Asia Championship, 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 Peng Zer Shiuan, piloting Abzan Greasefang!

Congratulations to Peng Zer Shiuan, winner of South East Asia's Regional Championship!

Peng Zer Shiuan, who qualified via RCQ at Classroom Café in Malaysia, chose Abzan Greasefang because he liked the deck after playing it "for a long time". He didn't lose a match all weekend, winning most of the games by returning powerful vehicles from the graveyard with Greasefang, Okiba Boss.

Peng Zer Shiuan's main deck was fairly stock, but his sideboard stood out.

Peng Zer Shiuan's sideboard contained 4 Fatal Push and 11 one-ofs. The singletons provided him with a multitude of options, especially when Traverse the Ulvenwald could fetch Murderous Rider, Knight of Autumn, or Mosswood Dreadknight. In addition, given the nature of the open decklist tournament, they surely left his opponents scratching their heads in confusion, never sure what to expect after sideboard.

Peng Zer Shiuan played in the finals of the South East Asia Championship.

In the finals, Peng Zer Shiuan faced Christian Wijaya, a Magic veteran from Indonesia whose best finish to date was a 24th place at Pro Tour Dominaria in 2018. He had brought the 80-card combo brew that can generate infinite mana with Rona, Herald of Invasion; put Atraxa, Grand Unifier onto the battlefield with Lukka, Coppercoat Outcast; or tutor Valki, God of Lies with Bring to Light. After this strategy was unveiled by Samuele Estratti at the European Championship several weeks ago, it had ticked up in popularity, and this weekend marked yet another breakout result. According to Wijaya, the deck is "fun to play" with a "good matchup vs Mono-Green Devotion".

Finalist Christian Wijaya had a disruptive start, but it was to no avail.

In the deciding game, Christian Wijaya initially looked ahead after ramping into a turn-three Karn, the Great Creator and immediately grabbing Tormod's Crypt. However, he was unable to assemble any of his game-winning combos. This allowed Peng Zer Shiuan, even without his graveyard or the ability to activate his vehicles, to stage a comeback. He summoned a vast army of creatures, turned them sideways, and locked up his invitation to World Championship 30 in 2024.

Top 4 Players Qualified for the Pro Tour

Top 4, left-to-right: Loh Mun Kit, Christian Wijaya, John Jerson Po, Peng Zer Shiuan

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 South East Asia Championships, who earned invites to Pro Tour Pro Tour Murders at Karlov Manor, to be held at MagicCon: Chicago on February 23–25, 2024. We look forward to seeing you represent your region there!

The Top 8 decklists featured six different archetypes, with Mono-White Humans and Mono-Green Devotion both appearing twice. 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.

[deck]

Name: Peng Zer Shiuan

Title: Abzan Greasefang

[deck]

Name: Christian Wijaya

Title: Rona to Light

[deck]

Name: Loh Mun Kit

Title: Mono-Green Devotion

[deck]

Name: John Jerson Po

Title: Mono-White Humans

The overarching theme in the deck choices of the Top 4 players was familiarity and experience. Peng Zer Shiuan had played his deck for a long time, and Loh Mun Kit echoed this sentiment, saying that Mono-Green Devotion "is the deck that I am most familiar with".

A Memorable Event With a Rakdos-Heavy Metagame

In line with many players' expectations, Rakdos Midrange was the most popular Pioneer deck at the South East Asia Championship. Nevertheless, the deck is beatable. Despite the metagame dominance, none of the Rakdos Midrange players were able to convert to a Top 8 finish.

All in all, it was a terrific weekend full of high-level competition. The South East Asia once again put on display the talent and skill of players from across the region, propelling the best players to Magic's biggest stages. Congratulations again to Peng Zer Shiuan, and to organizer Oracle Events on another great Regional Championship.

155 players gathered at the Legacy Function Hall in Singapore to do battle across two days of Pioneer.

Izzet Phoenix, bolstered by Sleight of Hand and Picklock Prankster, was a popular choice in Pioneer, but the graveyard-based strategy struggled against Leyline of the Void.

The event was a focal point for Magic in the region, featuring artist signings and amazing collections to peruse.

An excellent team of judges supported the event logistics, answered rules questions, and adjudicated any disputes.

The Top 8 players battled for four Pro Tour slots, the title of Regional Champion, and the corresponding World Championship seat.

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.