January 25 and 26 kicked off an exciting first weekend of Regional Championships for 2025, with events in Brazil, Europe, and Canada qualifying players for the Pro Tour and World Championship. Read more about each of these events and their champions below!

And remember, you can be part of the next cycle of Regional Championships by participating in a qualifying event near you! Explore upcoming events through the Store & Event Locator, or by visiting your regional organizer's website for more details.

Alex Rohan victorious at Ultimate Guard European Magic Series – Regional Championship Prague

By Frank Karsten

This past weekend, 996 of the top Magic: The Gathering players from across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa gathered in a high-stakes showdown for the latest Regional Championship of the 2024–25 season. With $130,000 in prizes, two coveted World Championship invitations, and 36 Pro Tour invitations on the line, the competition was fierce. After fourteen grueling Swiss rounds of Modern Constructed, followed by an intense Top 8 playoff, Alex Rohan claimed victory with Temur Breach!

1 Steam Vents 1 Hedge Maze 1 Breeding Pool 1 Stomping Ground 1 Island 4 Urza's Saga 4 Misty Rainforest 3 Scalding Tarn 2 Shifting Woodland 1 Sink into Stupor 3 Mox Amber 4 Mox Opal 4 Mishra's Bauble 1 Haywire Mite 1 Aether Spellbomb 1 Soul-Guide Lantern 3 Grinding Station 4 Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student 4 Emry, Lurker of the Loch 1 Thassa's Oracle 4 Malevolent Rumble 4 Underworld Breach 2 Preordain 1 Unholy Heat 1 Spell Snare 1 Flame of Anor 1 Otawara, Soaring City 1 Swan Song 4 Consign to Memory 2 Nature's Claim 2 Flame of Anor 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 1 Unholy Heat 1 Mystical Dispute 1 Spell Pierce 1 Pyroclasm 1 Jace, Wielder of Mysteries 1 Pithing Needle

Alex Rohan, a 20-year-old Londoner, has been steadily climbing the competitive Magic: The Gathering ranks. After several solid Pro Tour finishes and a string of strong online performances, he has now solidified his reputation as one of the game's rising stars by claiming victory this weekend.

Rohan's weapon of choice was Temur Breach, an archetype that leverages the recently unbanned Mox Opal to power its explosive combo. By looping zero-mana artifacts via Grinding Station and Underworld Breach, Rohan could close out games in a flash. "Clearly broken deck," he remarked. But it wasn't all about fast wins. Rohan also used his deck's flexibility to dominate longer games, turning to Urza's Saga tokens, Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student transformations, or Flame of Anor value plays after sideboard to overwhelm opponents.

Rohan's Top 8 performance was an exemplary demonstration of Temur Breach's intricate lines. His opponents came prepared, deploying a barrage of answers that ranged from graveyard hate to enchantment removal. But Rohan's ability to sequence his plays and adjust his approach kept him one step ahead. Even when his graveyard was exiled or his key pieces were removed, Rohan found creative ways to assemble his win condition, demonstrating a deep understanding of his deck's flexibility and resilience.

4 Sowing Mycospawn 4 Devourer of Destiny 2 Writhing Chrysalis 3 World Breaker 3 Emrakul, the Promised End 3 Karn, the Great Creator 4 Malevolent Rumble 3 Kozilek's Return 4 Kozilek's Command 4 Talisman of Impulse 4 Utopia Sprawl 1 Bojuka Bog 1 Commercial District 4 Eldrazi Temple 3 Forest 1 Ghost Quarter 1 Sanctum of Ugin 2 Stomping Ground 4 Ugin's Labyrinth 2 Wooded Foothills 3 Windswept Heath 2 Dismember 1 Kozilek's Return 3 Stone Rain 1 Haywire Mite 1 Soulless Jailer 1 Tormod's Crypt 1 Ensnaring Bridge 1 Engineered Explosives 1 Liquimetal Coating 3 The Stone Brain

In the finals, Alex Rohan faced off against Fernando Palmero García, a 24-year-old from Tenerife, Spain. Palmero García piloted Eldrazi Ramp, a deck that could hit four mana as early as turn two or three, use Sowing Mycospawn to get further ahead, and eventually deploying massive threats like Emrakul, the Promised End. His aggressive mulligan strategy and the inclusion of innovative tech like Writhing Chrysalis helped push him to the finals. "It's a good enabler and good threat," he explained. "People weren't expecting it, and it overperformed basically every time I drew it."

Both finalists earned invitations to Magic World Championship 31, set for December of this year. Yet, after a hard-fought finals match which went for the full three games, it was Alex Rohan who emerged victorious, claiming the trophy, title, and $20,000 first-place prize.

Top 36 Players Qualified For The Pro Tour

While the Top 8 competitors played for the big prizes, the Top 36 eligible players in the final standings who were not yet qualified for Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering®—FINAL FANTASY™ earned an invitation to that tournament. It will take place on June 20–22, 2025, at MagicCon: Las Vegas. We look forward to seeing all qualified players there!

The Top 8 decks featured three Boros Energy decks and three Temur Breach decks, in addition to Mono-Green Broodscale and Eldrazi Ramp. Furthermore, the Top 36 decks reinforced the diverse state of competitive Modern, featuring Doman Zoo, Tameshi Belcher, Jund Sagavan, Samwise Gamgee Combo, and various other top-tier decks. You can find the event's Top 36 decklists here.

A Memorable Event With A Diverse Metagame

Following December's seismic banned and restricted announcement, the Modern metagame at the Ultimate Guard Regional Championship in Prague seemed to settle largely in line with earlier events from the first weeks of January. Four archetypes accounted for over 50% of the field: Boros Energy, Dimir Oculus, Temur Breach, and Eldrazi Ramp. Beyond these "Big Four", there was a sharp drop-off; no other individual archetype claimed more than 4% of the metagame.

Fanfinity organized an outstanding weekend brimming with high-level competition. Live coverage of both Day One and Day Two aired on Fanfinity's streaming channels, allowing fans to follow the action closely. While the Regional Championship spotlighted the remarkable talent of players across Europe, the event hall was bustling with hundreds of additional players in Last Chance Qualifiers, the $20,000 Modern Open, and various side events. It was a memorable weekend of camaraderie and fierce competition, and we eagerly anticipate the next Ultimate Guard Regional Championship in Bologna on April 25–27, 2025!

Piché Powers his Way to Regional Championship Title in Ottawa

By Corbin Hosler

A Magic format reborn–and largely untested–after a quartet of iconic cards return. A massive field of more than 400 proven Magic players–the best in the country. Pro Tour and even Magic World Championship invitations on the line–and an opportunity to kick off the new year by kicking the door in on the Pro Tour.

Welcome to the first Magic Regional Championship weekend of the year, where the reinvigorated Modern format is finally put through its paces by the world's best as they tussle over the next two months for substantial prize pools and coveted Pro Tour and World Championship invites.

In Ottawa, 430 competitors embarked on a fourteen-round odyssey to the Top 8 promised land–or at least the top twelve, who would all earn Pro Tour invitations–as well as the World Championship invites that would go to the winner and runner-up of the event. With a diverse metagame that saw no deck crack 20% of the field, it was the decidedly new school flavor of Boros Energy that lapped the field, putting three copies into the Top 8 and winning it all in the hands of Simon Piché.

Piché Wins With Boros Energy

Piché's run to the title was classic big-tournament Magic. Nine of his first ten rounds came against unique Modern archetypes–including Charbelcher and Mill—among others, and he entered Day Two with two losses and his back up against the wall if he hoped to secure the goal of a Pro Tour invite.

He did that and more with a flawless run that included wins over some of Canada's best, including Dominic Harvey early on Sunday and then a Top 8 gauntlet that included wins over Nicolas Cosgrove, Jacob Richet, and Max Dore in the finals.

4 Ajani, Nacatl Pariah 3 Arena of Glory 4 Arid Mesa 2 Elegant Parlor 2 Flooded Strand 4 Galvanic Discharge 3 Goblin Bombardment 4 Guide of Souls 4 Marsh Flats 1 Mountain 4 Ocelot Pride 4 Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury 2 Plains 3 Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer 2 Ranger-Captain of Eos 3 Sacred Foundry 4 Seasoned Pyromancer 3 Static Prison 2 Thraben Charm 2 Windswept Heath 2 Ghost Vacuum 1 Lithomantic Barrage 4 Obsidian Charmaw 2 Orim's Chant 1 Showdown of the Skalds 2 Stony Silence 1 Wear // Tear 2 Wrath of the Skies

Piché's run also made everything old look ... well, old. Splinter Twin was nowhere to be found, while Mox Opal, Faithless Looting, and Green Sun's Zenith decks have settled into new and familiar Modern archetypes. But it was the new-to-the-scene Boros Energy deck that Piché rolled with, and rolled to a 14-2 record with in matches played. With the win, Piché punched his ticket for 2025, and can look forward to playing in the Magic World Championship.

Simon Piché is the Canadian Regional Champion!

Piloting Boros Energy he defeated 430 players! Goodluck at the Pro Tour and World Championship!

Thanks to everyone who joined us this weekend. We love organizing these events for you and can't wait for the next one!

Visit… pic.twitter.com/qqdtzOWfbP

— Face to Face Games (@FaceToFaceGames) January 27, 2025

Top 12 Earn Pro Tour Invitations

The large field also meant that there were a dozen invites available for the Pro Tour, adding drama to the final round that went being the Top 8. But when the dust did settle on the eight who would play the single-elimination rounds for the title, the trophy and the champion's prize share, it was a mix of new and old faces of Canadian Magic.

• Simon Piché (Boros Energy)
• Max Dore (Orzhov Blink)
• Jacob Richer (Four-Color Breach)
• Aidan Mirabelli (Boros Energy)
• Edgar Magalhaes (Four-Color Breach)
• Nicolas Cosgrove (Charbelcher)
• Dominic Harvey (Amulet Titan)
• Martin-Éric Gauthier (Boros Energy)

You can find the top twelve decklists here. The event kicked off the 2025 Regional Championship season, and it brought together the best of Canada's thriving Magic community!

Perrini Emerges Victorious in Brazil

By Corbin Hosler

The City Class Games Showdown began with nearly 200 players, dozens of new (and renewed) Modern archetypes, and one shared dream: to win Brazil's Regional Championship and qualify for the Magic World Championship.

After eight skill-testing rounds of play plus a pressure-cooker of a Top 8, six players walked away with Pro Tour invites and one player—Piraciaba native Pedro Perrini—earned that seat at the World Championship later this year. All it took was what was perhaps the best weekend of Magic of his life, where he posted a 9-1 record in matches played and survived a stacked Top 8 field that included William Bossaneli Araujo making an incredible fifth Top 8 appearance.

The reason it's not the best weekend of Magic of his life is that this is actually the second Regional Championship title the 22-year-old has taken down in the last 12 months. Two trophies later, and Perrini is stringing together a great run of events that will afford him plenty more opportunities at the Pro Tour and now the World Championship.

While others were building around the return of Mox Opal or Faithless Looting, Perrini went back to a different pair of old cards to round out his Temur Eldrazi list: Karn, the Great Creator and World Breaker. Alongside newer hits like Nulldrifter and Kozilek's Command, the deck served Perrini well all weekend. He beat three very different decks in his Top 8 run, winning in the mirror, against Temur Underworld Breach combo, and Gabriel Lopes's Orzhov Blink in the finals.

2 Talisman of Impulse 4 Utopia Sprawl 4 Malevolent Rumble 2 Talisman of Curiosity 1 Sanctum of Ugin 4 Sowing Mycospawn 3 Devourer of Destiny 4 Forest 1 Hedge Maze 4 Misty Rainforest 1 Cavern of Souls 4 Kozilek's Command 4 Eldrazi Temple 4 Ugin's Labyrinth 3 Nulldrifter 1 Breeding Pool 3 Emrakul, the Promised End 1 Stomping Ground 1 Bojuka Bog 3 Kozilek's Return 2 World Breaker 4 Karn, the Great Creator 1 Soulless Jailer 1 The Stone Brain 1 Cityscape Leveler 1 Kozilek's Return 1 Engineered Explosives 1 Ensnaring Bridge 1 Tormod's Crypt 1 Liquimetal Coating 2 Dismember 1 Haywire Mite 3 Consign to Memory 1 Cursed Totem

The finals match against Lopes' Blink deck featuring its own "combo" of Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd and Overlord of the Balemurk, showcasing the diversity of the Modern metagame. Six different decks made the Top 8 , and six players qualified players for the Pro Tour. While Boros Energy was the top deck of the weekend, it only put one copy into the elimination rounds in the hands of Victor Santos Esquici. But it was the Eldrazi deck, with the World Championship invitation on the line, that came through to secure Perrini his second Regional Championship title.

You can find the other Pro Tour qualifying decklists here.

A Memorable Gathering

The Regional Championship brought together not just the best players in the region, but one of the most vibrant communities in all of the Magic-playing world. Which is quite large, evidenced by the other two Regional Championships taking place around the globe at the same time Perrini was etching his name in the history books as a two-time Regional Championship winner.