Damo Da Rosa, Cifka Lock Up MPL For Final Season After May Strixhaven League Weekend

Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa and Stanislav Cifka earned enough match wins in the May Strixhaven League Weekend to secure spots in the MPL for the final season and qualified for Magic World Championship XXVII.

Damo da Rosa finished 8-4 for a total of 48 points to claim the top spot in the MPL after the penultimate League Weekend, holding off Seth Manfield who went 10-2 on the weekend but now sits at 45 points. Gabriel Nassif was also in position to take the top spot, but only went 2-10 to end the weekend with 43 points. Damo Da Rosa will return to the MPL for its final season, and his qualification to World Championship XXVII will pass down to the MPL Gauntlet because he’s already qualified via being the reigning World Champ. Damo da Rosa played Sultai Ramp (Yorion) in Standard and Dimir Tainted Pact (Lurrus) in Historic.

Sultai Ramp (Yorion)

Paulo Vitor Damo Da Rosa

1st Place at May Strixhaven League Weekend on 05-15-2021

Standard

Creatures (8)

• 2 Polukranos, Unchained
• 2 Elder Gargaroth
• 1 Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider
• 1 Valki, God of Lies
• 2 Quandrix Cultivator

Lands (32)

• 3 Forest
• 2 Swamp
• 3 Island
• 3 Temple of Malady
• 4 Fabled Passage
• 4 Zagoth Triome
• 1 Ketria Triome
• 4 Clearwater Pathway
• 4 Barkchannel Pathway
• 4 Darkbore Pathway

Spells (40)

• 4 Cultivate
• 2 Mystical Dispute
• 4 Omen of the Sea
• 4 Wolfwillow Haven
• 1 Kiora Bests the Sea God
• 1 Elspeth's Nightmare
• 2 Extinction Event
• 4 Heartless Act
• 4 Emergent Ultimatum
• 2 Eliminate
• 1 Pelakka Predation
• 1 Sea Gate Restoration
• 2 Jwari Disruption
• 2 Shadows' Verdict
• 4 Binding the Old Gods
• 2 Alrund's Epiphany

Sideboard

• 4 Duress
• 1 Elspeth's Nightmare
• 1 Yorion, Sky Nomad
• 1 Elder Gargaroth
• 2 Eliminate
• 1 Mazemind Tome
• 1 Kaervek, the Spiteful
• 2 Koma, Cosmos Serpent
• 2 Test of Talents

Dimir Tainted Pact (Lurrus)

Paulo Vitor Damo Da Rosa

1st Place at May Strixhaven League Weekend on 05-15-2021

Historic

Creatures (3)

• 1 Augur of Bolas
• 2 Thassa's Oracle

Lands (25)

• 1 Swamp
• 1 Island
• 1 Lonely Sandbar
• 1 Barren Moor
• 1 Snow-Covered Island
• 1 Snow-Covered Swamp
• 1 Watery Grave
• 1 Hallowed Fountain
• 1 Drowned Catacomb
• 1 Bojuka Bog
• 1 Temple of Deceit
• 1 Fetid Pools
• 1 Ifnir Deadlands
• 1 Castle Vantress
• 1 Castle Locthwain
• 1 Fabled Passage
• 1 Zagoth Triome
• 1 Clearwater Pathway
• 1 Brightclimb Pathway
• 1 Riverglide Pathway
• 1 Barkchannel Pathway
• 1 Blightstep Pathway
• 1 Darkbore Pathway
• 1 Hengegate Pathway
• 1 Ice Tunnel

Spells (32)

• 1 Brainstorm
• 1 Duress
• 1 Grim Tutor
• 1 Memory Lapse
• 1 Scrabbling Claws
• 1 Aether Spellbomb
• 1 Mind Stone
• 1 Opt
• 2 Tainted Pact
• 1 Pact of Negation
• 1 Thoughtseize
• 1 Negate
• 1 Inquisition of Kozilek
• 1 Anticipate
• 1 Yahenni's Expertise
• 1 Fatal Push
• 1 Censor
• 1 Mastermind's Acquisition
• 1 Thought Erasure
• 1 Expansion
• 1 Ritual of Soot
• 1 Narset's Reversal
• 1 Mystical Dispute
• 1 Wishclaw Talisman
• 1 Omen of the Sea
• 1 Cling to Dust
• 1 Eliminate
• 1 Silundi Vision
• 1 Agadeem's Awakening
• 1 Solve the Equation
• 1 Baleful Mastery

Sideboard

• 1 Pack Rat
• 1 Swan Song
• 1 Languish
• 1 Cry of the Carnarium
• 1 Tyrant's Scorn
• 1 Thought Distortion
• 1 Legion's End
• 1 Noxious Grasp
• 1 Glimpse of Freedom
• 1 Lurrus of the Dream-Den
• 1 Heartless Act
• 1 Mazemind Tome
• 1 Bloodchief's Thirst
• 1 Shadows' Verdict
• 1 Test of Talents

Rivals League member Cifka also went 8-4 on the weekend and finished in a tie with Matt Sperling, who went 6-6, at 45 points, leading to playoff match to determine who would claim the slot for the MPL and World Championship XXVII. The two battled in a best-of-three matches tiebreaker, with Cifka winning two matches of Standard Sultai Ramp (Yorion) mirrors to break the tie and claim the rewards.

Sultai Ramp (Yorion)

Stanislav Cifka

1st Place at May Strixhaven League Weekend on 05-15-2021

Standard

Creatures (4)

• 2 Polukranos, Unchained
• 1 Elder Gargaroth
• 1 Valki, God of Lies

Planeswalkers (1)

• 1 Professor Onyx

Lands (34)

• 3 Forest
• 2 Swamp
• 3 Island
• 4 Temple of Malady
• 4 Fabled Passage
• 4 Zagoth Triome
• 1 Ketria Triome
• 4 Clearwater Pathway
• 1 Cragcrown Pathway
• 4 Barkchannel Pathway
• 4 Darkbore Pathway

Spells (41)

• 1 Duress
• 1 Negate
• 4 Cultivate
• 1 Disdainful Stroke
• 3 Mystical Dispute
• 4 Omen of the Sea
• 4 Wolfwillow Haven
• 2 Extinction Event
• 4 Heartless Act
• 4 Emergent Ultimatum
• 3 Sea Gate Restoration
• 2 Shadows' Verdict
• 4 Binding the Old Gods
• 2 Alrund's Epiphany
• 1 Behold the Multiverse
• 1 Esika's Chariot

Sideboard

• 3 Duress
• 2 Disdainful Stroke
• 1 Shark Typhoon
• 1 Yorion, Sky Nomad
• 2 Elder Gargaroth
• 4 Eliminate
• 1 Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider
• 1 Koma, Cosmos Serpent

Grixis Tainted Pact (Lurrus)

Stanislav Cifka

1st Place at May Strixhaven League Weekend on 05-15-2021

Historic

Creatures (4)

• 1 Augur of Bolas
• 1 Fae of Wishes
• 2 Thassa's Oracle

Lands (26)

• 1 Swamp
• 1 Island
• 1 Snow-Covered Island
• 1 Snow-Covered Swamp
• 1 Watery Grave
• 1 Godless Shrine
• 1 Steam Vents
• 1 Blood Crypt
• 1 Hallowed Fountain
• 1 Dragonskull Summit
• 1 Drowned Catacomb
• 1 Sulfur Falls
• 1 Temple of Deceit
• 1 Temple of Malice
• 1 Temple of Epiphany
• 1 Dismal Backwater
• 1 Spirebluff Canal
• 1 Fetid Pools
• 1 Canyon Slough
• 1 Castle Locthwain
• 1 Fabled Passage
• 1 Zagoth Triome
• 1 Clearwater Pathway
• 1 Riverglide Pathway
• 1 Blightstep Pathway
• 1 Ice Tunnel

Spells (30)

• 1 Brainstorm
• 1 Duress
• 1 Grim Tutor
• 1 Memory Lapse
• 1 Mind Stone
• 1 Opt
• 2 Tainted Pact
• 1 Pact of Negation
• 1 Thoughtseize
• 1 Negate
• 1 Spell Pierce
• 1 Inquisition of Kozilek
• 1 Languish
• 1 Yahenni's Expertise
• 1 Fatal Push
• 1 Censor
• 1 Supreme Will
• 1 Thought Erasure
• 1 Tyrant's Scorn
• 1 Wishclaw Talisman
• 1 Drown in the Loch
• 1 Omen of the Sea
• 1 Underworld Breach
• 1 Cling to Dust
• 1 Eliminate
• 1 Mazemind Tome
• 1 Silundi Vision
• 1 Behold the Multiverse
• 1 Solve the Equation

Sideboard

• 1 Tainted Pact
• 1 Doom Blade
• 1 Pack Rat
• 1 Enter the God-Eternals
• 1 Legion's End
• 1 Noxious Grasp
• 1 Mystical Dispute
• 1 Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger
• 1 Soul-Guide Lantern
• 1 Lurrus of the Dream-Den
• 1 Heartless Act
• 1 Miscast
• 1 Bloodchief's Thirst
• 1 Shadows' Verdict
• 1 Flunk

Sperling will have another chance at punching his ticket to the MPL and World Championship XXVII in the final League Weekend on July 3-4. Sperling holds a one point lead over Luis Scott-Vargas, who went 8-4 on the weekend to reach 44 points.

Eight more players were relegated this weekend. Brian Braun-Duin, Shahar Shenhar, and Autumn Burchett will drop down into the Rivals League after finishing at the bottom of the MPL after this weekend. Rivals members Matt Nass, Ryuzo Fujie, Lucas Esper Berthoud, Matias Leveratto, and Greg Orange will be relegated down to challenger status.

The Strixhaven Championship takes place on June 4-6, leaving it and the final League Weekend as the last events before the Gauntlets, which will finalize the rosters for the MPL and Rivals League in their final season in 2021-2022.

See all the Standard and Historic decklists from the weekend.