When asked about his previous Magic accomplishments Jose Manuel Gómez Porral just answered, “Nothing noteworthy.” That made him the underdog in this match against Carlos Moral, as Moral could boast a Top 8 at a Modern Grand Prix a couple of years ago as well as a Top 50 finish at Pro Tour Dragons of Tarkir last year.

Carlos Moral in the Top 8 feature match

Carlos Moral in the Top 8 feature match

Gómez Porral had brought Jund, while Moral was playing Blue-Black Faeries. So it was going to be a battle between past Standard favorites which successfully had transitioned to Modern.

Game 1

Due to his higher finish in the Swiss rounds, Gómez Porral was playing first and, due to a mulligan, Moral didn't even get the benefit of an extra card.

The actual match began slowly, with the first spells being cast on Gómez Porral's third turn, when his Dark Confidant ran into Moral's Mana Leak. Moral made his first move on turn three as well, suspending Ancestral Vision and casting Bitterblossom. This left an opening for Gómez Porral to summon Tarmogoyf, but things were not going well for the Jund player.

Over the next couple of turns, Vendilion Clique died to Lightning Bolt and a second Tarmogoyf was countered by Cryptic Command. Meanwhile, Gómez Porral was able to get rid of Bitterblossom with Abrupt Decay.

However, Moral had a replacement and Gómez Porral lost a spell and his sole creature to more Cryptic Command and, eventually, Spellstutter Sprite. He was also losing life to various Fae folk now as well as Mutavault. He managed to dig himself out of his predicament with the help of Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet which only snuck past another Spellstutter Sprite, Moral's fourth Faerie, thanks to Lightning Bolt.

The mighty, legendary Vampire was able to recoup a lot of life and completely changed the math of the game. Throw in some Zombies, and through a couple of removal spells Gómez Porral did, you have yourself a game winner. In reality, things still took a long, long time after Kalitas had made its triumphant entrance, especially with Bitterblossom providing a steady stream of chump blockers for Moral, but the Traitor of Ghet proved the game winner yet.

After the match, Moral said that he had probably thrown away this game. “When I attacked with that Mutavault for a couple of points of extra damage,” he said. “If I hadn't done that, my Spellstutter Sprite could have countered Kalitas even despite his Lightning Bolt. I just figured if he had one, he would've used it already.”

Jose Manuel Gómez Porral 1-0 Carlos Moral

Game 2

Jose Manuel Gómez Porral had claimed the lead and he was now much closer to the semi finals!

Jose Manuel Gómez Porral had claimed the lead and he was now much closer to the semi finals!

Gómez Porral mulliganed to four and couldn't keep up with Moral resources. He may have had an Abrupt Decay for Moral's first Bitterblossom, but Moral's second Bitterblossom stuck. As did his Liliana of the Veil and his Vendilion Clique.

The best thing about this game was that it didn't take very long.

Jose Manuel Gómez Porral 1-1 Carlos Moral

Game 3

For the deciding game, Moral was on the draw and was always one step behind Gómez Porral. Things began with the latter's Grim Lavamancer. Next, Moral had Spell Snare for Dark Confidant, but Gómez Porral's Tarmogoyf and Liliana of the Veil resolved uncontested.

As did Night of Souls' Betrayal. Which was quite the problem for Moral whose game plan relied on various 1-thoughness Faeries. Moral fought valiantly, countered Kalitas and bounced Liliana with Cryptic Command, then used his own Liliana to kill Tarmogoyf. However, he was fighting at a serious disadvantage. He almost managed to stabilize anyway, beating Liliana down with Creeping Tar Pit, and finally rid himself of Gómez Porral's last threat with Smother.

But Gómez Porral drew and cast Lightning Bolt to deal the final damage, and Moral extended his hand in concession.

Jose Manuel Gómez Porral 2-1 Carlos Moral