Pro Tour Outlaws of Thunder Junction
| Pro Tour Outlaws of Thunder Junction | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | April 26-28, 2024 | |||
| Location |
 Seattle, Washington, United States | |||
| Attendance | 207 | |||
| Format | Standard and Booster draft | |||
| Prize pool | $500,000 | |||
| Winner |
 Yoshihiko Ikawa | |||
| ||||
Pro Tour Outlaws of Thunder Junction was the second Pro Tour of the 2022–23 season. It took place on April 26-28 in Seattle, Washington, United States. It was a standalone Pro Tour without an associated MagicCon. The format was Outlaws of Thunder Junction Booster Draft and Standard Constructed.[1]
Standard
The full scope of the new three-year rotation is realized with the release of Outlaws of Thunder Junction, the twelfth set of the format. Esper Midrange kept its top position by a wide margin of 31% of the field, with Rest in Peace and Pest Control being critical white sideboard cards that Dimir Midrange can't access. Boros Convoke gained Inspiring Vantage to up its consistency and pulled the second-highest number of pilots at just over 10%. The last glimpse of Standard during the Open at Chicago (won by eventual 5th-place Rei Zhang) brought forth the Aftermath Analyst combo deck with 9.2%, using the fetch lands of Streets of New Capenna to buffer the life total and accelerate into a lethal Worldsoul's Rage. Atraxa, Grand Unifier Ramp and 4C Slogurk, the Overslime Legend decks made up the next category, and most of the remaining fields were classic two-color decks. It was noted that Bant Toxic with its Venerated Rotpriest and March of Swirling Mist combo had completely vanished, potentially from its vulnerability to Pest Control.
Day One
Featured drafters: Seth Manfield
Manfield drafted a fast Red-White deck that was considered reasonable, but he posted a disappointing 0-2 into 1-2, placing one ranking above the 0-3s. The pod was won by newcomer Justin Warden on Black-Red, defeating Cain Reinhardt. The overnight leader was former MPL player Yoshihiko Ikawa on Domain Ramp; the small field and more draws meant only four 7-1 players of Lucas Duchow, Rei Zhang, Javier Dominguez and Muhan Yu, all players with accomplishments to their names.
[2]
The top eight players after day one:
| Rank | Player | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yoshihiko Ikawa
|
24 |
| 2 | Lucas Duchow
|
21 |
| 3 | Rei Zhang
|
21 |
| 4 |  Javier Dominguez
|
21 |
| 5 |  Muhan Yu
|
21 |
| 6 | Jason Ye
|
19 |
| 7 |  Kevin Anctil
|
19 |
| 8 |  Kenny Öberg Falguera
|
19 |
Day Two
Featured drafters: Yoshihiko Ikawa
Ikawa took a loss in the draft but still posted the first twelve-win spot by winning the first two Standard rounds, with Javier Dominguez winning the pod. Drafters that went 6-0 were Jose Neves, Gregory Michel and Arne Huschenbeth. In Round 15, Rei Zhang defeated Karl Sarap and Takumi Matsuura defeated Huschenbeth, who himself would defeat Dominguez in round 16 for a spot. The remaining spots were taken by Lucas Duchow over Nicole Tipple, Yuta Takahashi over Karl Sarap, and Sean Goddard drew with Jason Ye. Unusually, three players entered with a 11-3-2 record, contrasting with the previous Pro Tour where there was an extra 12-4.[3]
Top 8
| Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | |||||||||||
| 1 | Yoshihiko Ikawa | 3 | |||||||||||
| 8 | Sean Goddard | 2 | |||||||||||
| 1 | Yoshihiko Ikawa | 3 | |||||||||||
| 5 | Arne Huschenbeth | 0 | |||||||||||
| 4 | Lucas Duchow | 1 | |||||||||||
| 5 | Arne Huschenbeth | 3 | |||||||||||
| 1 | Yoshikiko Ikawa | 3 | |||||||||||
| 7 | Yuta Takahashi | 1 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Takumi Matsuura | 3 | |||||||||||
| 6 | Jason Ye | 2 | |||||||||||
| 3 | Takumi Matsuuri | 1 | |||||||||||
| 7 | Yuta Takahashi | 3 | |||||||||||
| 2 | Rei Zhang | 1 | |||||||||||
| 7 | Yuta Takahashi | 3 | |||||||||||
Finals
The standout teams in the field of ChannelFireball and Handshake took a backseat to the up-and-coming team Sanctum of All, but more so to the Japanese powerhouse of Moriyama, with three of the top four and strong results all-round.[4] Ikawa's Domain Ramp overcame the bad Analyst Combo matchup and skated past Huschenbeth's Esper Midrange. Takahashi's control deck was ill-equipped against the Cavern of Souls and Up the Beanstalks of Ikawa, who took two sideboard games and the trophy.[5]
Results
| Place | Player | Deck | Prize | POTY Points | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yoshihiko Ikawa
|
Domain Ramp | $50,000 | 27 | Third Top Finish |
| 2 | Yuta Takahashi
|
Azorius Control | $15,000 | 23 | Sixth Top Finish |
| 3 | Tatsumi Matsuura
|
Boros Convoke | $15,000 | 20 | Second Top Finish |
| 4 |  Arne Huschenbeth
|
Esper Midrange | $15,000 | 20 | Third Top Finish |
| 5 | Rei Zhang
|
Four-Color Legends | $10,000 | 18 | |
| 6 | Lucas Duchow
|
Esper Midrange | $10,000 | 18 | |
| 7 | Jason Ye
|
Four-Color Legends | $5,000 | 18 | |
| 8 |  Sean Goddard
|
Temur Analyst | $5,000 | 18 |
References
- ↑ Wizards of the Coast (November 17, 2023). "The 2024 MagicCon Schedule". Magic.gg.
- ↑ Corbin Hosler (April 26, 2024). "Pro Tour Outlaws of Thunder Junction, Day One Highlights". Magic.gg.
- ↑ Corbin Hosler (April 27, 2024). "Pro Tour Thunder Junction, Day Two Highlights". Magic.gg.
- ↑ Corbin Hosler (April 29, 2024). "Pro Tour Outlaws of Thunder Junction Top 8 Highlights". Magic.gg.
- ↑ Corbin Hosler (April 29, 2024). "The Finals of Pro Tour Outlaws of Thunder Junction". Magic.gg.