From a field of over 340 players, eight standout competitors have emerged. Congratulations to the Top 8 players of Pro Tour Aetherdrift!

James Dimitrov

3 Cavern of Souls 2 Floodfarm Verge 2 Forest 2 Hedge Maze 4 Hushwood Verge 1 Island 4 Lush Portico 1 Meticulous Archive 1 Plains 2 Shadowy Backstreet 1 Swamp 2 Wastewood Verge 1 Elspeth's Smite 2 Analyze the Pollen 3 Get Lost 4 Up the Beanstalk 2 Pest Control 1 Split Up 1 Beza, the Bounding Spring 4 Zur, Eternal Schemer 1 Ride's End 2 Sunfall 3 Overlord of the Mistmoors 4 Overlord of the Hauntwoods 4 Leyline Binding 1 Herd Migration 2 Day of Judgment 1 Atraxa, Grand Unifier 1 Tear Asunder 1 Pest Control 1 Doppelgang 1 Beza, the Bounding Spring 2 Rest in Peace 1 Authority of the Consuls 2 Jace, the Perfected Mind 3 Obstinate Baloth 1 Negate 1 Nissa, Ascended Animist

James Dimitrov is playing in his first Pro Tour after battling it out to qualify at his Regional Championship. Armed with one of the most popular Standard decks in Domain Overlords, DImitrov recovered from a difficult start that saw him fall to 2-2 before reeling off Constructed victories. With a victory in a Round 15 win-and-in, he took an important step to his season goal: win a Pro Tour. It's an audacious goal but one that is suddenly just three wins away for the New York native.

Lucas Duchow

4 Heartfire Hero 4 Monastery Swiftspear 4 Emberheart Challenger 4 Might of the Meek 4 Turn Inside Out 4 Monstrous Rage 3 Snakeskin Veil 2 Callous Sell-Sword 4 Cacophony Scamp 4 Slickshot Show-Off 4 Leyline of Resonance 7 Mountain 4 Thornspire Verge 4 Karplusan Forest 4 Copperline Gorge 4 Questing Druid // Seek the Beast 1 Ghost Vacuum 1 Dreadmaw's Ire 2 Pawpatch Formation 2 Burst Lightning 2 Manifold Mouse 3 Lithomantic Barrage

Lucas Duchow is no stranger to the Sunday spotlights. With two Magic Online Champions Showcase events, a deep Magic World Championship 30 run, plus a Pro Tour Thunder Junction Top 8–all in 2024–he's making his case as one of the top competitors around. Playing the "out-of-favor" Gruul Leyline deck was the right call as he notched his win-and-in to the Pro Tour Aetherdrift Top 8 in the penultimate round, and Duchow follows up a ninth-place tiebreaker finish at the World Championship by leaving no such doubt this time on his way to the Sunday stage.

Zevin Faust

4 Up the Beanstalk 4 Swamp 4 Huskburster Swarm 1 Forest 4 Hollow Marauder 2 Chitin Gravestalker 4 Overwhelming Remorse 4 Overlord of the Balemurk 4 Souls of the Lost 4 Blooming Marsh 3 Llanowar Wastes 4 Underground Mortuary 4 Wastewood Verge 4 Molt Tender 4 Cenote Scout 4 Gnawing Vermin 2 Harvester of Misery 3 Terror Tide 1 Cut Down 1 Harvester of Misery 2 Obstinate Baloth 4 Scrapshooter 1 Starving Revenant 1 Duress 2 Haywire Mite

Zevin Faust qualified from his Regional Championship with one mission in mind for Pro Tour Aetherdrift: earn a qualification to the next Pro Tour. In Chicago, he did that and more–and did it with style–making it to the Top 8 to qualify for the next Pro Tour and Magic World Championship 31 later this year. Making his Pro Tour debut, Faust cut through with an off-the-radar Standard deck that surprised the competition and put him into trophy contention on Sunday.

Kenta Harane

4 Abhorrent Oculus 4 Spirebluff Canal 4 Helping Hand 4 Seachrome Coast 2 Recommission 4 Fear of Missing Out 4 Inspiring Vantage 4 Spyglass Siren 4 Torch the Tower 3 Proft's Eidetic Memory 4 Steamcore Scholar 2 Bitter Reunion 3 Inti, Seneschal of the Sun 1 Into the Flood Maw 4 Shivan Reef 2 Battlefield Forge 2 Thundering Falls 2 Adarkar Wastes 2 Spell Pierce 1 Bounce Off 1 Ghost Vacuum 2 Pyroclasm 2 Negate 3 Destroy Evil 2 The Filigree Sylex 3 Chandra, Spark Hunter 2 Brotherhood's End

Kenta Harane stands among the elite of Japan's players. After winning a national title and battling to the Team World Championship in 2017, multiple Grand Prix Top 8s, and a Top Finish at Players Tour Nagoya 2020, Harane catapulted back to the top with a victory at his Regional Championship, securing a Pro Tour invitation at Magic World Championship 30. Now, he's taking the innovative Jeskai Oculus deck through to Top 8, where he's ready to convert his second Top Finish into first Pro Tour trophy in Chicago.

Christopher Leonard

1 Island 1 Lumbering Worldwagon 2 Ride's End 3 Overlord of the Mistmoors 4 Hushwood Verge 2 Floodfarm Verge 4 Overlord of the Hauntwoods 1 Beza, the Bounding Spring 1 Pest Control 4 Leyline Binding 2 Shadowy Backstreet 4 Lush Portico 2 Hedge Maze 2 Meticulous Archive 3 Cavern of Souls 2 Forest 2 Plains 1 Swamp 2 Day of Judgment 1 Herd Migration 4 Zur, Eternal Schemer 1 Atraxa, Grand Unifier 2 Elspeth's Smite 1 Sunfall 4 Up the Beanstalk 2 Get Lost 2 Analyze the Pollen 2 Negate 2 Authority of the Consuls 1 Tear Asunder 3 Obstinate Baloth 1 Sunfall 1 Get Lost 1 Doppelgang 3 Rest in Peace 1 Pawpatch Formation

Christopher Leonard came to Pro Tour Aetherdrift with a simple goal: play in all three Pro Tours and World Championship 31 this year. Things didn't go according to plan as Leonard dropped his first two matches, but with the dust and nerves shaken loose and his back against the wall, Leonard turned in textbook play with the popular Domain Overlords deck from there–all the way up through a Round 15 win-and-in for the Top 8.

By converting his Regional Championship Top 8 into a Pro Tour Top 8, he's most of the way to his goal of playing in every Pro Tour. With an interesting tweak on the popular Domain Overlords deck, putting one-ofs like Lumbering Worldwagon and Atraxa, Grand Unifier to work, Leonard finally broke through to lock in his first Top Finish.

Yuchen Liu

1 Burst Lightning 4 Copperline Gorge 4 Emberheart Challenger 1 Forest 4 Heartfire Hero 4 Hired Claw 3 Innkeeper's Talent 4 Karplusan Forest 4 Manifold Mouse 4 Monstrous Rage 5 Mountain 1 Obliterating Bolt 2 Pawpatch Recruit 2 Questing Druid 1 Restless Ridgeline 2 Rockface Village 3 Screaming Nemesis 2 Soulstone Sanctuary 4 Thornspire Verge 4 Torch the Tower 1 Witchstalker Frenzy 3 Lithomantic Barrage 1 Obliterating Bolt 3 Pawpatch Formation 2 Questing Druid 1 Screaming Nemesis 2 Sentinel of the Nameless City 2 Sunspine Lynx 1 Witchstalker Frenzy

Yuchen Liu returns to the Sunday stage after making his first Top Finish at Pro Tour Aether Revolt in 2017. The two-time Regional Championship Top 8 and five-time Grand Prix competitor brought the popular Gruul Mice deck, but squeaked out a win ahead of his contemporaries, narrowly missing a win-and-in before finishing just inside the Top 8. Now, the trophy is just three matches away.

Matt Nass

3 Floodfarm Verge 2 Wastewood Verge 4 Hushwood Verge 2 Razorverge Thicket 3 Shadowy Backstreet 3 Hedge Maze 4 Lush Portico 1 Plains 1 Island 1 Swamp 1 Forest 4 Up the Beanstalk 2 Analyze the Pollen 2 Get Lost 3 Temporary Lockdown 1 Beza, the Bounding Spring 4 Overlord of the Mistmoors 4 Overlord of the Hauntwoods 4 Leyline Binding 4 Ride's End 4 Zur, Eternal Schemer 2 Day of Judgment 1 Sunfall 2 Negate 1 Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines 2 Nissa, Ascended Animist 2 Rest in Peace 1 Elspeth's Smite 1 Tear Asunder 3 Obstinate Baloth 1 Pawpatch Formation 1 Stock Up 1 Atraxa, Grand Unifier

With two prior Top Finishes–making the Top 8 of the 2020 Mythic Invitational and Pro Tour Kaladesh in 2018–and years of Grand Prix success, it has been some time since we saw renowned combo expert Matt Nass in the Pro Tour spotlight. Earning an invitation back by making the Top 8 at the MagicCon: Las Vegas $100,000 Limited Open, Nass claimed his third Top Finish and the chance to take home the Sunday trophy seven years after his first Top 8. With a Top Finish in the first Pro Tour of the year, 2025 could be a big year for one the game's best minds to make a return.

Ian Robb

4 Emberheart Challenger 4 Heartfire Hero 4 Manifold Mouse 4 Hired Claw 4 Monstrous Rage 15 Mountain 4 Rockface Village 4 Screaming Nemesis 4 Burst Lightning 2 Witchstalker Frenzy 4 Lightning Strike 3 Soulstone Sanctuary 4 Monastery Swiftspear 4 Lithomantic Barrage 3 Torch the Tower 4 Sunspine Lynx 2 Witchstalker Frenzy 2 Ghost Vacuum

Ian Robb took aim at the Pro Tour looking to spend time with friends. Battling to earn a Regional Championship invitation, Robb didn't let it go to waste by putting in the practice then paying it off with a Top 8. Now, just like and alongside teammate Zevin Faust, Robb looks to convert his Pro Tour breakthrough into a win. His Mono-Red Aggro deck battled everything but the Domain Overlord deck it preys upon, but cut through the competition and landed as the eighth seed for Sunday where he hopes to run down the Domain decks.

Watch the Pro Tour Aetherdrift Top 8 showdown at MagicCon: Chicago unfold beginning at 11 a.m ET (8 a.m. PT) on Sunday, February 23!