Elarar Repeats In Montreal

Being National Champ was so nice that Jay Elarar decided to do it twice. The longtime Canadian pro was the 2009 National Champion, and after a gruelling weekend in Montreal he's picked up a second title. He fought through a field of 111 players from across Canada, needing to win his last round in the Swiss for a berth in the Top 8. His weapon of choice in Standard Constructed? Blue-White Control.

Joining him at Worlds in Japan is finalist Vincent Thibeault, who led the pack at a perfect 7-0 at the end of Day 2. Thibeault was piloting the darling of M11 Standard, Titan/Valakut. Elarar got up to a quick two-game lead in the final match, thanks in part to two unlucky Summoning Traps from Thibeault. Elarar faltered in the third due to mana trouble, and it looked like he would suffer the same fate in the fourth. Starved for a second blue mana, Elarar was on the back foot constantly, but a shortness of threats from Thibeault allowed him back into the game, where his card draw from Little Jace and Big Jace took over.

Rounding out the team is Pascal Maynard, who edged out Kyle Duncan in a tight five-game playoff. It came down to the fifth game, Maynard's Red-Green-Blue Destructive Force deck on the play against Duncan's Monument Jund. Life gain from Obstinate Baloth and Pelakka Wurm forced the two into a standoff, and Maynard's deck was kinder: Garruk Wildspeaker, setting up a lethal Overrun.

Congratulations to the 2010 Canadian National Team, and to Jay Elarar, 2010 Canadian National Champion!

Jay Elarar

Canada Nationals 2010 - Top 8

Main Deck 60 cards
1  Arid Mesa 4  Celestial Colonnade 4  Glacial Fortress 4  Island 4  Plains 2  Scalding Tarn 3  Sejiri Steppe 4  Tectonic Edge 26 lands 4  Baneslayer Angel 4  Wall of Omens 8 creatures	3  Day of Judgment 2  Elspeth, Knight-Errant 3  Essence Scatter 2  Jace Beleren 2  Jace, the Mind Sculptor 4  Mana Leak 1  Negate 2  Oblivion Ring 3  Path to Exile 4  Spreading Seas 26 other spells Sideboard 2  Celestial Purge 1  Day of Judgment 4  Flashfreeze 1  Jace Beleren 3  Leyline of Sanctity 3  Negate 1  Sphinx of Jwar Isle 15 sideboard cards

Kyle Duncan

Canada Nationals 2010 - Top 8

Main Deck 60 cards
2  Dragonskull Summit 1  Evolving Wilds 3  Forest 3  Mountain 4  Raging Ravine 4  Savage Lands 3  Swamp 4  Verdant Catacombs 24 lands 4  Bloodbraid Elf 4  Lotus Cobra 4  Nest Invader 1  Obstinate Baloth 4  Putrid Leech 3  Siege-Gang Commander 4  Sprouting Thrinax 24 creatures	4  Eldrazi Monument 4  Lightning Bolt 4  Maelstrom Pulse 12 other spells Sideboard 4  Blightning 4  Doom Blade 4  Goblin Ruinblaster 3  Obstinate Baloth 15 sideboard cards

Matthew Macmullin

Canada Nationals 2010 - Top 8

Main Deck 60 cards
4  Dragonskull Summit 3  Forest 3  Mountain 4  Raging Ravine 1  Rootbound Crag 4  Savage Lands 3  Swamp 4  Verdant Catacombs 26 lands 4  Bloodbraid Elf 4  Obstinate Baloth 4  Putrid Leech 4  Sprouting Thrinax 16 creatures	2  Bituminous Blast 4  Blightning 4  Lightning Bolt 4  Maelstrom Pulse 2  Sarkhan the Mad 2  Terminate 18 other spells Sideboard 3  Doom Blade 4  Goblin Ruinblaster 2  Malakir Bloodwitch 2  Necrogenesis 4  Overgrown Battlement 15 sideboard cards

Benoit Desrosiers

Canada Nationals 2010 - Top 8

Main Deck 60 cards
2  Dragonskull Summit 3  Forest 2  Lavaclaw Reaches 3  Mountain 4  Raging Ravine 1  Rootbound Crag 4  Savage Lands 3  Swamp 4  Verdant Catacombs 26 lands 4  Bloodbraid Elf 4  Putrid Leech 3  Siege-Gang Commander 4  Sprouting Thrinax 15 creatures	3  Bituminous Blast 4  Blightning 4  Lightning Bolt 4  Maelstrom Pulse 2  Terminate 2  Thought Hemorrhage 19 other spells Sideboard 4  Deathmark 4  Duress 4  Goblin Ruinblaster 2  Obstinate Baloth 1  Thought Hemorrhage 15 sideboard cards

Vincent Thibeault

Canada Nationals 2010 - Top 8

Main Deck 60 cards
3  Evolving Wilds 4  Forest 12  Mountain 3  Terramorphic Expanse 4  Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle 26 lands 3  Avenger of Zendikar 4  Oracle of Mul Daya 1  Overgrown Battlement 4  Primeval Titan 4  Siege-Gang Commander 16 creatures	4  Cultivate 4  Khalni Heart Expedition 4  Lightning Bolt 4  Rampant Growth 2  Summoning Trap 18 other spells Sideboard 3  Back to Nature 2  Burst Lightning 3  Obstinate Baloth 3  Overgrown Battlement 2  Pithing Needle 2  Ricochet Trap 15 sideboard cards

Noah Long

Canada Nationals 2010 - Top 8

Main Deck 60 cards
4  Forest 2  Halimar Depths 4  Island 2  Khalni Garden 4  Misty Rainforest 3  Mountain 4  Raging Ravine 2  Scalding Tarn 25 lands 4  Primeval Titan 4 creatures	2  Cultivate 3  Destructive Force 3  Explore 2  Flashfreeze 3  Garruk Wildspeaker 2  Into the Roil 4  Jace, the Mind Sculptor 2  Jace's Ingenuity 3  Lightning Bolt 4  Mana Leak 3  Rampant Growth 31 other spells	Sideboard 1  Destructive Force 2  Earthquake 2  Flashfreeze 4  Negate 4  Obstinate Baloth 2  Pelakka Wurm 15 sideboard cards

Pascal Maynard

Canada Nationals 2010 - Top 8

Main Deck 60 cards
5  Forest 1  Halimar Depths 4  Island 2  Khalni Garden 4  Misty Rainforest 3  Mountain 4  Raging Ravine 2  Scalding Tarn 25 lands 4  Primeval Titan 4 creatures	4  Cultivate 4  Destructive Force 3  Everflowing Chalice 2  Garruk Wildspeaker 3  Into the Roil 4  Jace, the Mind Sculptor 1  Lightning Bolt 4  Mana Leak 2  Mind Spring 4  Rampant Growth 31 other spells Sideboard 2  Lavaball Trap 4  Negate 4  Obstinate Baloth 2  Pelakka Wurm 3  Terastodon 15 sideboard cards

Grayson Moore

Canada Nationals 2010 - Top 8

Main Deck 60 cards
3  Dragonskull Summit 3  Forest 1  Lavaclaw Reaches 3  Mountain 4  Raging Ravine 1  Rootbound Crag 4  Savage Lands 3  Swamp 4  Verdant Catacombs 26 lands 4  Bloodbraid Elf 2  Obstinate Baloth 4  Putrid Leech 4  Siege-Gang Commander 4  Sprouting Thrinax 1  Sylvan Ranger 19 creatures	4  Blightning 4  Lightning Bolt 3  Maelstrom Pulse 1  Sarkhan the Mad 3  Terminate 15 other spells Sideboard 2  Doom Blade 4  Goblin Ruinblaster 1  Maelstrom Pulse 2  Malakir Bloodwitch 2  Obstinate Baloth 3  Overgrown Battlement 1  Sarkhan the Mad 15 sideboard cards

Flanked by a sea of spectators, the two got down to business.

Thibeault had to mulligan to start, and his draw was unexciting. Elarar played a pair of Walls of Omens, and had Essence Scatter for Thibeault's first play of Siege-Gang Commander off all red mana. Thibeault sprung the Summoning Trap and looked at his top seven, then he frowned. He put Overgrown Battlement into play.

Elarar removed it with Oblivion Ring, not wanting to give Thibeault access to green mana. Thibeault played a second Siege Gang. Elarar played Path to Exile on one of his Walls, then untapped and cleared the board with Day of Judgment. Thibeault could do nothing but play a second Valakut, still two mountains away from triggering them.

Elarar dropped Baneslayer Angel. Thibeault played mountain number five. Elarar swung and played a second Angel, hoping it would survive. Thibeault drew... and passed. Elspeth made it thirteen in the air and left Thibeault at two. The top of his deck was no miracle.

Jay Elarar

Elarar 1 - Thibeault 0

The two paired off lands, and on Thibeault's fourth turn he tried Oracle of Mul Daya. Elarar frowned and played the Mana Leak, hoping there was no Trap waiting for him.

Of course there was, but fate continued to be unkind to Thibeault, this time giving him no creature whatsoever. Elarar built up cards with Little Jace, conspicuously keeping counter mana open. Thibeault eventually tried a Primeval Titan but of course Elarar had Essence Scatter. There was no second Summoning Trap.

Elarar cashed out Jace Beleren and upgraded to Jace, the Mind Sculptor, rigging the top of Thibeault's deck. Thibeault drew and passed, and then when Elarar went to rig it again, he simply conceded rather than give away information when the win was out of his hands.

Elarar 2 - Thibeault 0

Elarar mulliganed, then thought hard about his one land, Spreading Seas hand. With a shrug, he kept. He stalled on just Scalding Tarn while Thibeault played Khalni Heart Expedtion and Rampant Growth. Elarar hit a second land and caught Oracle of Mul Daya with Flashfreeze. He drew a second Spreading Seas, but after playing it still had no third land.

Another turn passed and Elarar found nothing. Thibeault, on the other hand, found Siege-Gang Commander. Rather than draw out the inevitable, Elarar conceded.

Vincent Thibeault

Elarar 2 - Thibeault 1

Elarar played Spreading Seas on Thibeault's opening forest, and then Mana Leak to stop Khalni Heart Expedition. He found himself stuck on Celestial Colonnade, plains, and Arid Mesa and allowed a Cultivate. Mana Leak stopped a second one.

A turn later he found Scalding Tarn and held off cracking it. Thibeault had no play on his abundant mana, and after drawing Glacial Fortress, used both his fetchlands and played Jace Beleren with counter mana up. Little Jace got him all the mana he needed while mana seemed to be all Thibeault could find.

After drawing three, Elarar moved up to Big Jace and Brainstormed. Thibeault tried Summoning Trap at the end of his turn and was Negated. "OK," said Elarar, now tapped out, "go nuts."

Thibeault untapped and played... Pithing Needle on Jace, the Mind Sculptor.

Elarar sat straight up in his seat to untap. Down came Baneslayer Angel with two mana open. Thibeault played Oracle of Mul Daya, and rather than counter it, Elarar simply used Tectonic Edge on Thibeault's Valakut. Siege-Gang Commander clogged the top of Thibeault's deck.

Elarar hit for five. Thibeault tried his Commander but Elarar had Essence Scatter ready. A second Baneslayer made it a one-turn clock. Thibeault drew, and extended his hand in concession as the crowd applauded.

Jay Elarar is the Canadian National Champion!