On the eve of the Cardmarket Series Ghent, it's once again time for us to follow long-standing tradition and to review what happened last time at the Series. Twelve weeks earlier, on the weekend of January 18–20, players from all over Europe gathered in Bologna, Italy, for the Series's first stop of the year. Here are the big stories that came out of the Standard main event …

Deck of the Tournament

Golgari Midrange was the most played deck in the event, taking up a third of the field, and it was the most played deck in the Top 8 too, with three entries. But a more unusual design ended up in first place. Tommaso Magnoli ran what looked like a standard Jeskai Control until the endgame, at which point Magnoli would take all the turns with Nexus of Fate.

Tommaso Magnoli – Jeskai Nexus

Main Deck:
  • 3 Clifftop Retreat
  • 4 Glacial Fortress
  • 5 Island
  • 1 Plains
  • 4 Sacred Foundry
  • 4 Steam Vents
  • 4 Sulfur Falls
  • 2 Chemister's Insight
  • 4 Deafening Clarion
  • 1 Justice Strike
  • 1 Negate
  • 4 Nexus of Fate
  • 4 Opt
  • 3 Revitalize
  • 1 Settle the Wreckage
  • 2 Spell Pierce
  • 2 Karn, Scion of Urza
  • 1 Ral, Izzet Viceroy
  • 2 Seal Away
  • 2 Search for Azcanta / Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin
  • 4 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
  • 2 Treasure Map / Treasure Cove
Sideboard:
  • 1 Cleansing Nova
  • 1 Invoke the Divine
  • 1 Ixalan's Binding
  • 1 Justice Strike
  • 3 Legion Warboss
  • 2 Lyra Dawnbringer
  • 2 Negate
  • 1 Niv-Mizzet, Parun
  • 2 Shivan Fire
  • 1 Star Extinction
txt version

Tommaso Magnoli – Jeskai Nexus
Main Deck:
3 Clifftop Retreat
4 Glacial Fortress
5 Island
1 Plains
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Steam Vents
4 Sulfur Falls
2 Chemister's Insight
4 Deafening Clarion
1 Justice Strike
1 Negate
4 Nexus of Fate
4 Opt
3 Revitalize
1 Settle the Wreckage
2 Spell Pierce
2 Karn, Scion of Urza
1 Ral, Izzet Viceroy
2 Seal Away
2 Search for Azcanta / Azcanta, the Sunken Ruin
4 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
2 Treasure Map / Treasure Cove
Sideboard:
1 Cleansing Nova
1 Invoke the Divine
1 Ixalan's Binding
1 Justice Strike
3 Legion Warboss
2 Lyra Dawnbringer
2 Negate
1 Niv-Mizzet, Parun
2 Shivan Fire
1 Star Extinction

Match of the Tournament

The finals between Magnoli and Riccardo Cristofaro, the last Golgari mage standing, showcased the resilience of the Jeskai deck beautifully. Not even multiple “giant, implacable death lizards” were able to help Cristofaro overwhelm his opponent's defenses.

Riccardo Cristofaro vs. Tommaso Magnoli

In the second game, Magnoli killed Thrashing Brontodon and Cristofaro's first Carnage Tyrant with Cleansing Nova, then had Star of Extinction for the replacement Carnage Tyrant. The poor Dinosaurs never stood a chance.

Notable Finishes

Riccardo Puglia returned to the Top 8 after making the final Draft at the Limited main event the day before, while champion Tommaso Magnoli already had some noteworthy GP finish to his name. But the most famous of the players in the playoffs, and likely in the whole tournament, was Mun Tian-Fa, the reigning Italian national champion and World Magic Cup semifinalist.

Read more about Standard at Cardmarket Series Bologna 2019 in our archives!