This past weekend, 316 of the best Magic players from across Canada gathered in Toronto for the F2F Tour Championship, the culmination of months of qualifying events. On the line were not only eight Pro Tour slots but also the title of Regional Champion and the corresponding World Championship seat. After 13 rounds of Pioneer competition followed by a Top 8 playoff, the trophy was claimed by Théo Jacques-Griffin, piloting a flashy Azorius Spirits deck!

Congratulations to Théo Jacques-Griffin, winner of the East Canada Regional Championship!

Théo Jacques-Griffin, a 17-year-old player from Montréal, picked up paper Magic in September 2022. After qualifying for his first Regional Championship via an RCQ at Boutique Awesome, the young talent opted to bring Azorius Spirits because it resembled Merfolk—a deck he had experience with in Modern. By making the most of Mausoleum Wanderer, which he praised as the best one-drop ever for a Spirits deck, the tournament couldn’t have gone better for him.

In the finals, Patrick Wu and Théo Jacques-Griffin played a high-stakes match for the trophy.

In the finals, Théo Jacques-Griffin defeated white-blue control specialist Patrick Wu, who made his second Regional Championship Top 8 in a row. His Pioneer deck used Strict Proctor and Discontinuity to avoid the downside of Lotus Field, allowing him to ramp into a set of sweepers, planeswalkers, and card draw spells that could outgrind even Mono-Green Devotion. Against the disruptive Azorius Spirits deck, however, the strategy faltered, and Théo Jacques-Griffin was able to clinch the trophy and lock up the coveted invitation to World Championship XXIX.

TOP 8 PLAYERS QUALIFIED FOR THE PRO TOUR

Top 8, left-to-right: Jack Potter, Patrick Wu, Liam Kane, Derek Pite, Kyle Gellert, Théo Jacques-Griffin, Daniel Lozinski, Dominic Harvey.

Congratulations to the Top 8 players in the final standings of Toronto’s F2F Tour Championship, who earned invites to Pro Tour The Lord of the Rings. The Top 8 featured a mix of veterans and newcomers to the tabletop Pro Tour.

Jack Potter, Kyle Gellert, Théo Jacques-Griffin, and Daniel Lozinski all qualified for their first tabletop Pro Tour. For Patrick Wu, Dominic Harvey, Derek Pite, and Liam Kane, their Top 8 marked a return to the big stage. But that didn’t temper their enthusiasm: “Back on the Pro Tour in my favourite format in my favourite city in the world,” Dom Harvey excitedly shared, referring to the Modern format that would be on display in Barcelona on July 28–30. We look forward to seeing all Top 8 players represent their region there!

The Top 8 decklists featured five different archetypes. Even though Rakdos Sacrifice, Rakdos Midrange, and Mono-Green Devotion all appeared twice, it was the two different Azorius decks that advanced to the finals, showing that anything is possible in Pioneer. You can find the event's top 8 decklists here.

A MEMORABLE EVENT WITH SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

The metagame at the event reflected the enduring popularity of Mono-Green Devotion in Canada. Out of all regions, the deck put up the best results in Canada during the first cycle of Regional Championships in 2022, and this trend continued at Toronto’s F2F Tour Championship last weekend. Besides that, the metagame also showed the rising popularity of Izzet Creativity and plenty of spice. From among the deck that came close to the Top 8, with a record of 8-5 or better, the most surprising lists included Possibility Storm, BitterStern Creativity, and Jeskai Ascendancy Combo.

All in all, it was a terrific event full of hard-fought matches, high-level competition, and opportunities to celebrate anything Magic. Besides the Regional Championship, the event also featured side events with exclusive prizes, artists, cosplayers, a Command Zone, and more. There was something for every Magic fan, and Canadian players can look forward to the next F2F Tour Championship in Edmonton on June 16–18.

316 players gathered in Toronto to do battle across two days of Pioneer.

Jaya cosplayed by Purplerogue; Avacyn cosplayed by Bunny Bombshell.

A heartfelt thank you to the judge staff this weekend! The event wouldn't be possible without you! #F2FYYZ #MTG pic.twitter.com/Rs4AF6KbCI

— Face to Face Games (@FaceToFaceGames) June 4, 2023

We weren't kidding when we said you can win exclusive items from the Prize Wall! #F2FYYZ #MTG pic.twitter.com/vBLOpZi9zZ

— Face to Face Games (@FaceToFaceGames) June 3, 2023

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.