On the eve of MKM Series Prague, it was once again time for us to follow long-standing tradition and to review what happened last time at the MKM Series. Nine weeks ago, players from all over Europe gathered in Hamburg for the third stop of the MKM Series 2018, including 393 masters of Modern …

Deck of the Tournament

The Modern finals at the previous stop had already seen the age-old battle of Jace, the Mind Sculptor versus Bloodbraid Elf, even if both were played in some untraditional shells back then. In Hamburg, it was Elf versus Jace once more.

This time, though, it was classic Jund on one side and a control build on the other. It also was the Mind Sculptor's turn to claim the trophy for a change. Nicklas Krull's deck, however, had some special tricks up its sleeve, including Gifts Ungiven/Unburial Rites, and it made spectacularly good use of Teferi, Hero of Dominaria!

Nicklas Krull – Esper Gifts

Main Deck:
  • 1 Snow-Covered Island
  • 2 Island
  • 1 Swamp
  • 1 Plains
  • 2 Hallowed Fountain
  • 1 Watery Grave
  • 1 Godless Shrine
  • 1 Celestial Colonnade
  • 1 Creeping Tar Pit
  • 4 Polluted Delta
  • 4 Flooded Strand
  • 1 Marsh Flats
  • 4 Field of Ruins
  • 3 Snapcaster Mage
  • 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
  • 2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
  • 1 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
  • 2 Search for Azcanta / Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin
  • 2 Lingering Souls
  • 4 Serum Visions
  • 1 Opt
  • 4 Path to Exile
  • 3 Fatal Push
  • 1 Supreme Verdict
  • 1 Wrath of God
  • 1 Collective Brutality
  • 2 Logic Knot
  • 2 Mana Leak
  • 3 Gifts Ungiven
  • 1 Unburial Rites
  • 1 Cryptic Command
  • 1 Spell Snare
Sideboard:
  • 2 Celestial Purge
  • 2 Damping Sphere
  • 2 Timely Reinforcements
  • 1 Nihil Spellbomb
  • 2 Thoughtseize
  • 1 Inquisition of Kozilek
  • 1 Negate
  • 1 Settle the Wreckage
  • 1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
  • 1 Engineered Explosives
  • 1 Surgical Extraction
txt version

Nicklas Krull – Esper Gifts
Main Deck:
1 Snow-Covered Island
2 Island
1 Swamp
1 Plains
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Watery Grave
1 Godless Shrine
1 Celestial Colonnade
1 Creeping Tar Pit
4 Polluted Delta
4 Flooded Strand
1 Marsh Flats
4 Field of Ruins
3 Snapcaster Mage
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
1 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
2 Search for Azcanta / Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin
2 Lingering Souls
4 Serum Visions
1 Opt
4 Path to Exile
3 Fatal Push
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Wrath of God
1 Collective Brutality
2 Logic Knot
2 Mana Leak
3 Gifts Ungiven
1 Unburial Rites
1 Cryptic Command
1 Spell Snare
Sideboard:
2 Celestial Purge
2 Damping Sphere
2 Timely Reinforcements
1 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Thoughtseize
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
1 Negate
1 Settle the Wreckage
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Surgical Extraction

Match of the Tournament

The aforementioned final match of the tournament between Jacob Heiring Soerensen and Nicklas Krull was a nailbiter. In the first game, Teferi was cast with five lands in play and only barely survived an attack when Snapcaster Mage threw itself into harm's way. Post-combat, Soerensen added a Dark Confidant to his side of the board, only to get everything wiped away with a topdecked Wrath of God!

In the second game, one Bloodbraid Elf cascaded into Maelstrom Pulse when the board was empty, and another Bloodbraid Elf cascaded into Liliana of the Veil when Jace, the Mind Sculptor was already active. Both times, the blue planeswalkers stuck around to the end of the game …

Notable Finishes

Hamburg's Modern Top 8ers Fabien Petrick and Nicklas Krull had both already placed in the Modern Top 8 at MKMS Frankfurt earlier this year. For Krull, however, this marked his fifth time to the playoffs at the MKM Series overall, a feat rivaled by no more than a handful of players ever. He also completed his excellent run by claiming his first title!

Modern champion Nicklas Krull

You can read more about Modern at MKM Series Hamburg 2018 in our archives!