It was Walking the Planes that first hooked Dawson Courson on the idea of Magic and the Pro Tour. That whimsical look at the Pro Tour from an outsider's perspective not only brought the Pro Tour to a generation of players, but it also brought us a viral early-internet Magic moment with "Infinity Faeries." It came at a time of rising streaming success across Magic, and a young Dawson Courson was swept up in the wave.

"My history with competitive Magic, and Magic in general, started at pretty much the same time. I was watching Walking the Planes too much and becoming enamored with the Pro Tour and its cast of players," the now 27-year-old explained. "I would play in the odd Grand Prix that was in driving distance or at other local competitive events."

Walking the Planes has sunsetted in the years since, but Courson has grown up with Magic and now finds himself in a place he had only seen in Walking the Planes: as a champion, holding a trophy and giving winner interviews. After the incredible run that the Toronto native put on at the Face to Face Games Regional Championship for Canada, Courson now finds himself as the subject of the coverage—because he's the latest Regional Champion and is headed to the Magic World Championship.

Dawson Courson is your winner in Ottawa! Courson won the Regional Championship in Canada this week with an innovative Mardu Discard list that debuted a few weeks ago at the Pro Tour! pic.twitter.com/JI0AzH9Cgf

— PlayMTG (@PlayMTG) May 17, 2026

It's a massive achievement for Courson, who has also found success on the Pro Tour. His victory is the natural progression of a competitive Magic journey that really began in earnest in 2024. That was when a Regional Championship Top 12 finish qualified him for Pro Tour Aetherdrift, which took him to three more Pro Tours before his streak ended.

Until now, that is. The newly crowned Regional Champion now has several Pro Tour invitations and has already punched his ticket for the Magic World Championship later this year.

"I think this might be my number-one Magic accomplishment," he said after defeating Noah Michaud's explosive Momo deck in the finals. "I've obviously had some relatively decent results at the Pro Tour, which might be more impressive due to the level of competition. But there's just no better feeling than actually winning the event. I am really lucky to have an incredible community around me, and the celebration with my friends was incredibly humbling. My friends and community are very important to me. It's an experience I am extremely grateful for and hope others can have."

The Regional Championship victory is the culmination of Courson's growth as a player over the last several years, from his deep Pro Tour runs to his ability to read and adapt to the metagame. It's that latter skill that was on full display at the Regional Championship, as Courson took a major risk when he chose to bring the new Mardu Discard list that Team Main Phase debuted at Pro Tour Secrets of Strixhaven, which was coming off a finals appearance at Magic Spotlight: Secrets the week before.

"In watching coverage of the Spotlight Series in London the week prior to the Regional Championship where [Mardu Discard] made it to the finals, I got to see some of the powerful draws that the Mardu Deck was able to produce. That combined with my personal adoration of Bloodghast brought me to MTG Arena to spend some wildcards to put the deck together," he reminisced. "I instantly felt like the deck had power behind it, being a strong aggressive strategy that could also sometimes play out like a combo deck. Another point that pushed me toward it was how many angles the deck attacked from that were relatively difficult to interact with. I did feel as though the list was a bit unrefined, specifically in the mana base and sideboard. Lucky for me, my good friend Edgar Magalhaes had also taken an interest in the deck and already begun putting his brain to refining it. After a few days of testing, we had a list we were happy with."

If you wanted the RC winning decklist, you could have had it this weekend on the @MidweekMetagame podcast. I think our Mardu list was relevently better than the stock build. It's just as important to make sure your mana base is optimal as it is your spells

— Edgar Magalhães (@EdgarMTG) May 17, 2026

And so, Courson had his list. What remained was a Regional Championship circuit where he experienced both the highs of deep runs and the emotional drain of a run that comes up short or misfires before things get going. It's an experience that Courson has had before and helped shape his mindset coming into the tournament.

"It's definitely been a year of growth, both in terms of technical play but also improving my communication and preparation skills for big tournaments," he explained. "After falling off the Pro Tour in February, I took a step back and reevaluated my relationship with the game. Balancing a demanding job with the time needed to prepare for every big event I want to play in is a lot. I decided to prioritize my time better and be more methodical with my preparation.

"I have played every Regional Championship since they started, and they've been pretty hit or miss for me. I have experienced the full spectrum of emotions from trainwreck Day Ones to now winning the whole thing. Funnily enough, while I was seeing moderate success on the Pro Tour, I was unable to make Day Two at my regional events. Magic really does always find a way to humble you."

But Magic also rewards you—sometimes—for the work you put in. Bloodghast has been a pet card of Courson's for years. After he and Magalhaes were done with the decklist, they shot out to a perfect 5-0 record to start the tournament before Courson fell to longtime Canadian high-level player Philippe Gareau. But Courson would drop just one more match on Day One of the Regional Championship in Ottawa. Before long, he found himself locked in tilts against Izzet decks from both Alexandre MacIsaac and Ryan Primdahl in the Top 8 before beating Noah Michaud in the finals of the event.

Not bad for bunch of Bloodghasts.

Bloodghast
Bloodghast
Bloodghast
Bloodghast

"The obvious person for me to shout out is Edgar for all his work on the deck and its sideboard, not that he needs it. I'm pretty sure the world is well aware of how cracked he is," Courson said. "But generally, I want to give a shout to the entire Toronto Magic community. It's a privilege that at any given event, I have people to root for and cheer on. I think that's the real joy of competing."

With a title under his belt, Courson is looking to take the next step in his documentary-worthy rise through the Magic ranks.

"The last year in terms of Magic has been pretty surreal. It felt like I had been trying to get on the Pro Tour forever. Then I blinked and I was 7-0 playing against Ben Stark on the main stage that I had seen countless times on coverage," he reflected. "I am lucky enough to now be qualified for the Pro Tour in Amsterdam and the World Championship, so those are the two big things I am looking forward to. I lost a win-and-in for the World Championship last year at Pro Tour Edge of Eternities, so I am beyond excited to compete this year.

"As for the future, I am just going to keep competing and looking to improve. I've invested fifteen years into the game and don't see myself stopping. I've invested in and created such an incredible community of players for myself, from all corners of the world. I am incredibly grateful."

I gotta say a massive thanks to everyone who supported me throughout the event. But a special thank you to @EdgarMTG for doing most of the heavy lifting on the deck building and sideboarding.

— Dawson (@BugsyOP) May 17, 2026