Magic history has a way of repeating itself. Sometimes breakout archetypes echo past decks from former eras. Memorable runs from tournament competitors evoke memories of Pro Tours past. The language repeats itself. Everything old is new again, given enough time.
But even so—never quite like this.
"The first big event I ever played was a 200-player Second-Chance Qualifier 5K here, which was over 10 years ago now," recalled 26-year-old Will Krueger. "That was also in Milwaukee, probably in that same building. In that event, I drew a match with Phil Silberman in the Top 8. I drew with him again into the Top 8 on Sunday of the Regional Championship, which is insane."
That's one way to put it. But Krueger was feeling a bit nostalgic in a true full-circle moment following his victory at the US Regional Championship in Milwaukee last weekend. He'd come a very long way from a 200-person event, but good Magic remains good Magic, and that's why all these years later Krueger found himself drawing into the Top 8 of a tournament with the same elite Magic players.
Except this one had a much bigger finish.
Will Krueger is your @PlayMTG Magic Regional Champion at #SCGMILWAUKEE! 🏆
— Star City Games (@StarCityGames) February 23, 2026
Huge congrats to the whole Top 8 and everyone who qualified for the Pro Tour this weekend! 💪
TOP 8: Will Krueger • Elijah Herr • Matthew Oomkes • Tyson Roylance • Maxx Kominowski • John Wager •… pic.twitter.com/C5TydF7eSm
It wasn't Krueger's first big win—more on that later—but it was the breakthrough that he's been close to achieving for the last several years. He's no stranger to the Pro Tour, having first qualified a decade ago, but it was a big moment for the Illinois native when he made it back to the Pro Tour in 2024, qualifying through a Regional Championship in Dallas. Krueger prefers online events and is an active player on the Magic Online and MTG Arena streets, but he's been a consistent presence at DayTwo of Regional Championships since the return to tabletop play in 2023.
Heading into the Regional Championship in Milwaukee—one of three major events last weekend, along with a Regional Championship in Canada and Arena Championship 11—Krueger prepared the same way he usually does: chatting with friends, theorizing about the metagame, and hitting a ton of Magic Online queues. He felt most comfortable with the Izzet Lessons deck that broke out at Magic World Championship 31 before subsequently being matched by a handful of decks in the dynamic Standard metagame. In some ways, the fact that the deck was no longer as targeted was a boon to dedicated Izzet players like Krueger, who were free to untap with their copies of
Krueger ran the gauntlet on his way to his win in Wisconsin, with as much stress as can come; He started the tournament 1-2 and had his back against the wall early on Saturday morning.
Krueger's path to the title from that point was as impressive as it was unlikely. After losing to his friend Robert "Fireshoes" Taylor in the third round, Krueger's next seven rounds came against seven different decks—all of which he beat. In fact, through eighteen rounds of play, Krueger played against the same deck only a handful of times. He played against Mono-Green Landfall four times, Izzet Lessons three times, and Dimir Excruciator twice. That's a perfect representation of the wide-open Standard metagame at the moment, and Krueger's Top 8 path through Maxx Kominowski in the mirror, Matthew Oomkes on Izzet Elementals, and Elijah Herr on Simic Rhythm in the finals was a showcase of everything the Lessons deck had to offer—not to mention a shining example of a competitor once again playing at the top of his game.
I won the US Regional, totally unreal. Beyond grateful, can’t believe it
— Will Krueger (@Will__Krueger) February 23, 2026
I say "once again" because, while this Regional Championship is the victory that landed Krueger on the Magic map in 2026, it's not his first taste of high-level competition—or of winning at it. Just a few weeks ago he narrowly missed the Top 8 at Magic Spotlight: The Avatar in Atlanta in what turned out to be a preview of the longtime competitor's return to form. I mentioned that Krueger qualified for the Pro Tour previously, but he has actually done much more than that. He won a Magic Online Championship Series (MOCS) event in 2022 in his sole career Top Finish to date.
Now, he has added a Regional Championship title, another trophy, and a ticket back to the Pro Tour to his list of winnings. He also earned one more thing that he's been chasing ever since he first learned about competitive Magic while playing with cards from Zendikar in his high school cafeteria: a World Championship invitation.
"I think this is kind of tied with winning the MOCS," he reflected in the days after his victory. "The cash prize for both events was exactly $20,000, so I can't really compare that, but this did queue me for Worlds, which the MOCS didn't. So, this is probably better than the MOCS win. Which is awesome, because I never thought I'd top that."
It's the dream start to the Magic year for Krueger, and one he credited to his group of friends and Magic teammates who helped him through countless hours in Discord preparing for events over the last several years. He hopes this win will catapult him toward greater heights. While he's obviously proud of his multiple wins and ecstatic to have won the Regional Championship, he's still hungry for more.
"I would really like to have some good finishes at the Pro Tour level," he explained. "Those events are so fun and competitive, and there are no freebies.
"My ultimate goal is to win Worlds because that's the best tournament with the best players and the highest prizes," he added. "I don't really know what's next, I just want to try to play as many Pro Tours and other cool tournaments as I can like the World Championship, the MOCS, and Arena Championships. This event changes that I'm qualified for some more events, so I have the chance to play more, but I plan to pretty much just keep doing what I'm doing and try my best at the Pro Tour and Worlds and hopefully some more Pro Tours!"
I wrote about my experience at RC Milwaukee this weekend. It's long, kind of rambly, and unedited, so be warned. https://t.co/62xgt198AU
— Will Krueger (@Will__Krueger) February 24, 2026