This past weekend, MagicFest Austin played host to not only the first Grand Prix of 2020, but also the epic conclusion to the 2019 Team Series.
The two teams, comprised of some of the best Magic players in the world, were first split into two three-player sub-teams for two rounds of Theros Beyond Death Team Draft, a full week before the set’s official prerelease.
Ultimate Guard Pro Team
Andrew Cuneo 
Jon Finkel 
Matt Sperling
Paul Rietzl 
Reid Duke 
William Jensen
Photos courtesy of Wizards of the Coast
Ultimate Guard Pro Team, comprised of Hall of Fame and MPL members Reid Duke, Huey Jensen, Hall of Famers Jon Finkel and Paul Rietzl, plus MPL members Andrew Cuneo and Matt Sperling, took Round 1.
Hareruya Sword
Javier Dominguez 
Jérémy Dezani 
Kelvin Chew
Andrea Mengucci 
Grzegorz Kowalski 
Lee Shi Tian
Photos courtesy of Wizards of the Coast
Team Hareruya Sword, comprised of current World Champion Javier Dominguez, Hall of Famer and MPL member Lee Shi Tian, MPL members Andrea Mengucci and Grzegorz Kowalski, plus Jérémy Dezani and Kelvin Chew, fought back hard, winning Round 2 and forcing a deciding Round 3.
The final round came down to Mengucci versus Rietzl. Mengucci had drafted an aggressive Orzhov deck, while Rietzl opted for a more controlling Esper deck. Ultimately, Mengucci’s low-to-the-ground strategy got the best of Rietzl, making Team Hareruya Sword the 2019 Team Series Champions.
With the conclusion of the 2019 Team Series, Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has announced this will be the last Team Series event for the foreseeable future, as they focus more on developing the Magic Esports scene.