Top Decks And Winners From SCG CON Denver

This past weekend, thousands of gamers made their way to the Mile High City for three days of trading card game action at SCG CON Denver.

Magic Spotlight: Dragons

Magic: The Gathering’s long-awaited return to large, open-style Limited events, Magic Spotlight: Dragons boasted a field of over 1200 players, eager to dive into the newly released Tarkir: Dragonstorm.

On Day 1, players battled through eight rounds of Tarkir: Dragonstorm Sealed, which saw all players who reached at least 18 match points moving on to Day 2 where they would participate in two drafts – one for Rounds 9-11 and another for 12-14.

At the conclusion of Round 14, the Top 8 was locked in and one last draft ensued before players would battle to determine who would be crowned champion.

Magic Spotlight: Dragons Top 8 from left to right: Andrew Baeckstrom, Lee Webb, Josh Morton, Mike Hron, Christian Valenti, Nathaniel Hoffman, Jody Keith, Charles Wong.

The Top 8 featured several familiar faces, including Jody Keith, Andrew Baeckstrom, Charles Wong, and Limited legend Mike Hron. With a roster of fierce competitors, the elimination rounds lasted well into the evening, but eventually the stage for the finals was set between Jody Keith and Andrew Baeckstrom.

Keith’s path to the finals started with drafting a five-color deck packed with dragon synergies which he leveraged to a 2-1 victory over Charles Wong in the quarterfinals and Josh Morton in the semifinals.

Five-Color

Jody Keith

2nd Place at Magic Spotlight Dragons on 04-13-2025

Limited

Creatures (12)

Lands (17)

Across the table, Baeckstrom drafted a four-color deck based in Temur colors with a manabase that accommodated a black splash for key removal spells like Caustic Exhale and Dragon’s Prey, plus a single copy of Death Begets Life. In the quarterfinals, Baeckstrom started off with a swift 2-0 over Nathaniel Hoffman before moving on to the semifinals against Christian Valenti which resulted in a 2-1 victory.

Four-Color

Andrew Baeckstrom

1st Place at Magic Spotlight Dragons on 04-13-2025

Limited

Creatures (11)

Lands (17)

Just after midnight, the battle of the four and five-color decks commenced, but ultimately Baeckstrom was able to best Keith to claim the title of Magic Spotlight: Dragons champion!

With this win, the Denver native takes home the trophy, along with $10,000, an invitation to Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering—FINAL FANTASY, a full case of Tarkir: Dragonstorm Collector Booster boxes, and more!

, $10K, #MTG Pro Tour Invite, full case of Tarkir: Dragonstorm Collector Booster boxes……and a PLUSH UGIN!

Congrats Andrew Baeckstrom on winning the #SpotlightDragons championship at #SCGDENVER!

The Denver native bested a field of over 1,200 players on his way to… pic.twitter.com/3nJIttkFSJ
— Star City Games (@StarCityGames) April 14, 2025