Kato, Sultai Ramp (Yorion), Wins SCG Tour Online $5K Kaldheim Championship Qualifier #9

Kensuke Kato won Sunday’s SCG Tour Online Standard $5K Kaldheim Championship Qualifier #9 with Sultai Ramp (Yorion).

Sultai Ramp (Yorion)

Kensuke Kato

1st Place at Kaldheim Championship Qualifier #9 on 02-07-2021

Standard

Creatures (6)

• 1 Yorion, Sky Nomad
• 2 Tangled Florahedron
• 1 Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider
• 2 Valki, God of Lies

Lands (30)

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

Spells (45)

• 4 Cultivate
• 4 Omen of the Sea
• 1 Kiora Bests the Sea God
• 3 Elspeth's Nightmare
• 2 Shark Typhoon
• 2 Extinction Event
• 4 Heartless Act
• 4 Emergent Ultimatum
• 3 Eliminate
• 2 Mazemind Tome
• 1 Bala Ged Recovery
• 2 Sea Gate Restoration
• 2 Jwari Disruption
• 3 Shadows' Verdict
• 4 Binding the Old Gods
• 2 Alrund's Epiphany
• 2 Esika's Chariot

Sideboard

• 2 Duress
• 3 Negate
• 2 Mystical Dispute
• 1 Cling to Dust
• 1 Yorion, Sky Nomad
• 1 Eliminate
• 1 Shadows' Verdict
• 2 Toski, Bearer of Secrets
• 2 Koma, Cosmos Serpent

Kato earned an invite to the Kaldheim Championship and $1,500 by winning the 314-person event, dropping a single match in the second round of the Swiss before rattling off eleven straight wins with the latest build of assorted Sultai cards. Despite bannings of ramp-centric cards like Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath, Omnath, Locus of Creation, and many others, Kato found another build of ramp, using Cultivate and Binding the Old Gods along with a swath of midrange powerhouses, to take down the first SCG Tour Online Championship Qualifier since the release of Kaldheim.

Kato veered away from the more controlling builds of Sultai, relying on just two counterspells in Jwari Disruption in the maindeck. Instead, the deck slams haymaker after haymaker with cards like Vorinclex, Monstrous Raider, Kiora Bests the Sea God, Esika’s Chariot, and Alrund’s Epiphany. The deck is tied together by four copies of Emergent Ultimatum, which allows Kato to search up any three of those cards in addition to other more situational spells, forcing the opponent to choose their own fate in how they lose.

Kato advanced to the finals with wins over Romain Exposito on Rakdos Sacrifice (Jegantha) in the Wildcard Playoff round, Pedro Urquisa Barbosa on Rakdos Midrange (Lurrus) in the quarterfinals, and Robert Vaughan on Jund Sacrifice (Jegantha) in the semifinals. Kato faced Lukas Twist on Sultai Control (Yorion) in the finals, winning a three-game set to take the title.

Sultai Control (Yorion)

Lukas Twist

2nd Place at Kaldheim Championship Qualifier #9 on 02-07-2021

Standard

Creatures (15)

• 2 Polukranos, Unchained
• 3 Yorion, Sky Nomad
• 4 Llanowar Visionary
• 4 Valki, God of Lies
• 2 Koma, Cosmos Serpent

Planeswalkers (2)

• 2 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

Lands (35)

• 2 Forest
• 2 Swamp
• 2 Island
• 4 Temple of Deceit
• 4 Fabled Passage
• 4 Zagoth Triome
• 2 Ketria Triome
• 4 Clearwater Pathway
• 1 Cragcrown Pathway
• 1 Riverglide Pathway
• 4 Barkchannel Pathway
• 1 Blightstep Pathway
• 4 Darkbore Pathway

Spells (28)

• 4 Negate
• 4 Omen of the Sea
• 2 Cling to Dust
• 4 Elspeth's Nightmare
• 4 Extinction Event
• 4 Heartless Act
• 2 Eliminate
• 4 Binding the Old Gods

Sideboard

• 4 Disdainful Stroke
• 4 Mystical Dispute
• 2 Shark Typhoon
• 1 Yorion, Sky Nomad
• 2 Elder Gargaroth
• 2 Shadows' Verdict

The Top 12 had ten different archetypes with Sultai Control (Yorion) being the only deck with multiple copies at three. Rakdos was represented with a Midrange build based around Lurrus of the Dream-Den and a Sacrifice build with Jegantha, the Wellspring. From there, one-ofs filled out the top performing decks.

Jund Sacrifice (Jegantha)

Robert Vaughan

4th Place at Kaldheim Championship Qualifier #9 on 02-07-2021

Standard

Creatures (24)

• 3 Korvold, Fae-Cursed King
• 4 Bonecrusher Giant
• 4 Woe Strider
• 2 Kroxa, Titan of Death's Hunger
• 1 Jegantha, the Wellspring
• 4 Skyclave Shade
• 3 Valki, God of Lies
• 3 Immersturm Predator

Lands (24)

• 1 Forest
• 3 Swamp
• 2 Mountain
• 2 Temple of Malice
• 4 Fabled Passage
• 4 Cragcrown Pathway
• 4 Blightstep Pathway
• 4 Darkbore Pathway

Spells (13)

• 4 Claim the Firstborn
• 3 The Akroan War
• 4 Village Rites
• 2 Kazuul's Fury

Sideboard

• 3 Duress
• 1 The Akroan War
• 2 Klothys, God of Destiny
• 2 Ox of Agonas
• 2 Elspeth's Nightmare
• 2 Heartless Act
• 1 Jegantha, the Wellspring
• 1 Toski, Bearer of Secrets
• 1 Masked Vandal

Izzet Midrange❄

Guilherme Merjam

6th Place at Kaldheim Championship Qualifier #9 on 02-07-2021

Standard

Creatures (12)

• 4 Bonecrusher Giant
• 4 Brazen Borrower
• 4 Goldspan Dragon

Lands (25)

• 4 Snow-Covered Mountain
• 7 Snow-Covered Island
• 4 Fabled Passage
• 4 Riverglide Pathway
• 3 Volatile Fjord
• 3 Faceless Haven

Spells (23)

• 2 Negate
• 3 Essence Scatter
• 2 Disdainful Stroke
• 4 Shark Typhoon
• 1 Sea Gate Restoration
• 2 Shatterskull Smashing
• 4 Frost Bite
• 3 Behold the Multiverse
• 2 Saw It Coming

Sideboard

• 1 Negate
• 3 Mystical Dispute
• 2 Scorching Dragonfire
• 2 Redcap Melee
• 3 Ox of Agonas
• 1 Phoenix of Ash
• 2 Soul-Guide Lantern
• 1 Demon Bolt

The metagame breakdown for decks with more than two pilots in the event can be seen below.

View the Top 12 decklists.