What started with over 300 players battling it out has distilled to just the remaining eight. Congratulations to the Top 8 competitors at Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering®—FINAL FANTASY™!

Christian Baker

6 Island 4 Opt 1 Roaring Furnace // Steaming Sauna 4 Stormchaser's Talent 2 Monstrous Rage 1 Abrade 4 Torch the Tower 2 Vivi Ornitier 3 Into the Flood Maw 3 Mountain 1 Spell Pierce 4 Cori-Steel Cutter 3 Astrologian's Planisphere 4 Stock Up 2 This Town Ain't Big Enough 4 Riverpyre Verge 4 Spirebluff Canal 4 Shivan Reef 4 Sleight of Hand 1 Disdainful Stroke 1 Vivi Ornitier 2 Get Out 2 Enduring Curiosity 2 Unable to Scream 1 Twinmaw Stormbrood 1 Abrade 1 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Ral, Crackling Wit 2 Lithomantic Barrage 1 Fire Magic

Christian Baker came to Las Vegas like many Pro Tour players do: qualifying from a Regional Championship and hoping to just make it back to the next Pro Tour. But, unlike most of the field, he did far better than that by notching a Top 8 seat and the World Championship 31 invitation–all after going undefeated on Day One. By recovering from a rocky road to returning on Sunday, he's proven he has what it takes to play with, and defeat, the best of the competition this weekend.

Percy Fang

4 Magebane Lizard 4 Manifold Mouse 4 Emberheart Challenger 16 Mountain 4 Burst Lightning 4 Monstrous Rage 4 Rockface Village 4 Witchstalker Frenzy 4 Heartfire Hero 4 Hired Claw 2 Soulstone Sanctuary 2 Monastery Swiftspear 4 Screaming Nemesis 1 Twinmaw Stormbrood 4 Torch the Tower 4 Sunspine Lynx 3 Lithomantic Barrage 3 Ghost Vacuum

Percy Fang is a player on the rise. After competing in Pro Tours Khans of Tarkir and Magic Origins, Fang has found his footing again with successful runs at Regional Champions as well as through the digital battles on MTG Arena, qualifying for this weekend through Arena Championship 8.

From across Arena Championship 8 and his last two Regional Championships, Fang's record of 34-10-1 stands out as elite level performance—and all of it coming with the Mono-Red Aggro list he, Quinn Tonole, and others have perfected—he'll be looking to prove it again in the Top 8 here in Las Vegas.

Andy Garcia-Romo

3 Magebane Lizard 4 Manifold Mouse 4 Emberheart Challenger 16 Mountain 4 Burst Lightning 4 Monstrous Rage 4 Rockface Village 1 Scorching Shot 4 Witchstalker Frenzy 4 Heartfire Hero 4 Hired Claw 2 Soulstone Sanctuary 2 Monastery Swiftspear 4 Screaming Nemesis 3 Torch the Tower 4 Sunspine Lynx 3 Lithomantic Barrage 1 Magebane Lizard 2 Case of the Crimson Pulse 2 Ghost Vacuum

A perfect Day One draft for Garcia-Romo looked early on like it might go by the wayside, after a difficult start to Standard left him in a 3-2 hole and his work more than cut out for him if he wanted to survive to the next day. But with an incredible run that included an overall 5-1 draft record—and most importantly a four-round winning straight to end Day Two—he secured the final Top 8 berth by just fractions of a tiebreaker point. But once Top 8 play begins none of that matters, and now Garcia-Romo has all of his dreams in front of him.

Yuchen Liu

3 Magebane Lizard 4 Manifold Mouse 1 Twinmaw Stormbrood 16 Mountain 4 Emberheart Challenger 4 Burst Lightning 4 Monstrous Rage 4 Rockface Village 3 Witchstalker Frenzy 4 Heartfire Hero 4 Hired Claw 2 Soulstone Sanctuary 3 Opera Love Song 4 Screaming Nemesis 1 Witchstalker Frenzy 1 Obliterating Bolt 4 Soul-Guide Lantern 2 Torch the Tower 2 Lithomantic Barrage 4 Sunspine Lynx 1 Magebane Lizard

After a narrow finish over the line to make Top 8 at Pro Tour Aetherdrift, Yuchen Liu decisively clinched his second Top 8 in a row at Las Vegas, winning his critical twelfth victory in the penultimate round of the event. Eschewing the Izzet Prowess so popular with other players, Liu chose Mono-Red Aggro to speed by the competition all weekend. With back-to-back appearances, this could be the Top 8 where Liu finally takes home a trophy.

Toni Portolan

1 Thundering Falls 5 Island 4 Opt 4 Stormchaser's Talent 2 Monstrous Rage 3 Torch the Tower 3 Vivi Ornitier 4 Into the Flood Maw 3 Mountain 2 Wild Ride 1 Spell Pierce 4 Cori-Steel Cutter 4 Stock Up 4 Riverpyre Verge 4 Spirebluff Canal 4 Shivan Reef 4 Sleight of Hand 4 Monastery Swiftspear 1 Disdainful Stroke 1 Dissection Tools 1 Get Out 2 Roaring Furnace // Steaming Sauna 1 Ghost Vacuum 3 Unable to Scream 2 Ral, Crackling Wit 1 Abrade 1 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Spell Pierce 1 Negate

One of the standout competitors of Croatia, including several team World Championship appearances in the past, Toni Portolan had a simple goal coming into the weekend: Play in all four premier events (three Pro Tours, and World Championship 31) this year. After a strong 11-5 finish at Pro Tour Aetherdrift, Portolan unlocked an invitation to Las Vegas. And by earning Top 8 here he's locked in invitations to both Pro Tour Edge of Eternities and Magic World Championship 31. With the season's goal out of the way, is the next step taking home a Pro Tour trophy?

Ian Robb

1 Thundering Falls 6 Island 4 Opt 4 Stormchaser's Talent 3 Monstrous Rage 4 Torch the Tower 4 Vivi Ornitier 2 Mountain 2 Wild Ride 2 Into the Flood Maw 1 Spell Pierce 4 Cori-Steel Cutter 4 Stock Up 3 Drake Hatcher 4 Riverpyre Verge 4 Spirebluff Canal 4 Shivan Reef 4 Sleight of Hand 1 Disdainful Stroke 2 Abrade 1 Get Out 2 Spell Pierce 3 Unable to Scream 2 Ral, Crackling Wit 2 Soul-Guide Lantern 2 Lithomantic Barrage

At Pro Tour Aetherdrift, Ian Robb blew past goal to make it back for another one: he earned a Top 8 appearance for both an invite to both this weekend and Magic World Championship 31. So, what did he do with the return ticket? Repeat his performance and earn his second Pro Tour Top 8 in as many events. Playing the most popular archetype, Izzet Prowess, has proven powerful in the hands of the veteran card gamer. Now it's just the Sunday showdown for him to clear.

David Rood

7 Island 4 Opt 4 Stormchaser's Talent 3 Monstrous Rage 4 Torch the Tower 2 Vivi Ornitier 3 Into the Flood Maw 2 Mountain 1 Spell Pierce 1 Thundertrap Trainer 4 Cori-Steel Cutter 4 Stock Up 1 This Town Ain't Big Enough 4 Drake Hatcher 4 Riverpyre Verge 4 Spirebluff Canal 4 Shivan Reef 4 Sleight of Hand 2 Disdainful Stroke 1 Vivi Ornitier 1 This Town Ain't Big Enough 2 Unable to Scream 1 Twinmaw Stormbrood 2 Ral, Crackling Wit 1 Abrade 1 Soul-Guide Lantern 3 Lithomantic Barrage 1 Spell Pierce

"Experience is the best teacher" is a maxim that holds true in many things, and Magic: The Gathering is among them. 20 years ago, David Rood won a team Pro Tour in Atlanta alongside Gabriel Nassif and Gabriel Tsang. That was following his 2002 team Pro Tour loss against the indomitable Phoenix Foundation, composed of Kai Budde, Dirk Baberowski, and Marco Blume.

Now, his experience yielded fruit. Earning qualification to this weekend from a great finish in a Canadian Regional Championship, David Rood returns to the Sunday stage for a third time with the weekend's most popular deck: Izzet Prowess. Will this storied player claim an individual Pro Tour trophy to join his team's?

Ken Yukuhiro

3 Magebane Lizard 4 Manifold Mouse 4 Emberheart Challenger 16 Mountain 4 Burst Lightning 4 Monstrous Rage 4 Rockface Village 4 Heartfire Hero 4 Hired Claw 2 Soulstone Sanctuary 4 Twinmaw Stormbrood 1 Tersa Lightshatter 4 Screaming Nemesis 1 Self-Destruct 1 Lightning Strike 2 Soul-Guide Lantern 2 Suplex 3 Torch the Tower 2 Lithomantic Barrage 1 Magebane Lizard 2 Case of the Crimson Pulse 3 Sunspine Lynx

Ken Yukuhiro is no stranger to the Sunday spotlight. His first appearance came at Pro Tour Avacyn Restored in 2012; he now earned his eighth Pro Tour Top 8 this weekend. It's rare to find "the best" decks, whatever it may be, in his hands for an event and in Las Vegas it's no different. Instead of Izzet Prowess like so many others, Yukuhiro put on a masterclass playing Mono-Red Aggro to blitz through the field. The question that remains is this: can his speed carry him through the competition and to the trophy tomorrow?