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The SCG Louisville Team Preview!

Get to know 15 notable teams heading to SCG Louisville to compete in the second Team Constructed Open on the SCG Tour!

After the rousing success that was the first Team Constructed Open in
Baltimore earlier this year,
#SCGKY
looks to keep the fun going. SCG Baltimore capped at 300 teams, leading the
Louisville Open to up the cap to 350 teams. Even more exciting is that
Legacy and Standard have been hit with recent bannings, while Modern has
seen new decks pop up since the last Team Open. Whether you’re a fan of
Standard, Modern, Legacy, or all three,
#SCGKY
will provide something exciting to watch!

For everything #SCGKY,
check out Cedric Phillip’s FAQ
article on the event.


Unfortunately, the Baltimore winning team of Sam Pardee, Matt Nass, and Ben
Stark won’t be in Louisville to defend their title, but plenty of teams
will be looking to become the reigning team champions. Notably, the
runners-up, Paul Lynch, Asa Snyder, and Levi Pospichal will be back and
aiming for a finish one spot better. Here’s a quick preview of fifteen
teams to watch this weekend:

Ben Friedman – Jim Davis – Frank Skarren

Team MGG’s only team for #SCGKY slots its two
newest members alongside the team captain, Jim Davis. Two-time Grand Prix
winner Frank Skarren and five-time Invitational Top 8’er Ben Friedman join
up with 2015 Players’ Champion Davis for one of the highest profile teams
in the tournament. Skarren and the Jessup brothers from Team MGG finished
in ninth place at Baltimore though the brothers won’t be making the trip
this weekend. Davis teamed with New York friends Jay Imperiale and Max
Tietze while Friedman played with Adam Yurchick and Frank Vanderwall at the
previous Team Constructed Open. Friedman, Davis, and Skarren combine for 25
Open Top 8s, three Open wins, and seven Invitational Top 8s.

Tannon Grace – Todd Stevens – Brennan DeCandio

Team Dapper is one of a handful of teams to run back its same squad from
SCG Baltimore and are looking to improve on their results at the first Team
Constructed Open. While the squad started things off with a 5-0 start in
Baltimore, Day 2 wasn’t in the cards for the sharp-dressed team of Todd
Stevens, Brennan DeCandio, and Tannon Grace. The team is keeping each
player in the same spot with Grace on Legacy, Stevens on Modern, and
DeCandio on Standard. DeCandio is coming off a 34th-place finish at Pro
Tour Amonkhet, has two Open wins in the past six months, and holds
the lead in the Season One SCG Tour standings. Stevens is third in the
seasonal standings, bringing three of his six Open Top 8s in the Modern
format. Meanwhile, Grace brings “The” in front of his name and a PPTQ win
last weekend.

Paul Lynch – Asa Snyder – Levi Pospichal

The second-place team from SCG Baltimore is back at it, headlined by Legacy
aficionado Paul Lynch. Lynch, a Baltimore-based player, teamed with two
friends from Wisconsin and made it to the finals of the first Team
Constructed Open before falling to Sam Pardee, Matt Nass, and Ben Stark.
While Lynch knew his way around the Miracles deck in Legacy, the Eternal
player will need a new deck following the banning of Sensei’s Divining Top.
His teammates still have access to Grixis Control in Modern and Mardu
Vehicles in Standard if they so choose. Can the trio improve on their
finish in Baltimore this weekend?

Jody Keith – Austin Bursavich – Tom Ross

The Bayou Boys, or as Tom Ross says, “the OG Louisiana squad” are getting
the band back together for #SCGKY. Three names
Southern Magic players fear come together, headlined by 2016 SCG Tour
Player of the Year The Boss. Austin Bursavich is coming off a Modern Open
win in Dallas with Jund Death’s Shadow after not touching Constructed Magic
for a number of months. Jody Keith, a master of fringe decks, took down the
Modern Classic at the same Dallas Open with Living End. For this event,
Keith will handle Legacy, Bursavich will stick to Modern, and Ross will
fill the Standard spot.

Nate Barton – Eli Kassis – Ted Felicetti

Two recent Open winners, Eli Kassis and Ted Felicetti, join up with a
growing name in the Legacy world. Both Kassis and Felicetti are Top 16
players on the SCG Tour rankings with Kassis’ win coming last month at the
Worcester Legacy Open. Kassis defeated Nate Barton in the finals of that
event, and now the two will work together. Barton is no stranger to success
in Louisville, coming off a Top-4 finish in the Legacy Grand Prix there at
the start of the year. Barton will take the Legacy seat and most likely
stick with Grixis Delver, while Kassis takes on Modern, a format he has had
strong results with his particular take on Bant Retreat. Felicetti was on
the sixth-place team in Baltimore alongside Joshua Taylor and Michael
Derczo.

Emma Handy – Jake Humphries – Jadine Klomparens

No. 14 Jadine Klomparens and No. 25 Emma Handy are back with their team
from before. The team is keeping the seats the same with Handy on Legacy,
Klomparens on Standard, and Jake Humphries on Modern. Handy is coming off a
Top-32 finish at the Atlanta Standard Open, while Klomparens went 9-6,
missing out on Top 64. Though the squad missed out on Day 2 in Baltimore,
all three formats have changed since the previous team event.

Korey McDuffie – Arya Roohi – Dylan Donegan

The seventh-place team from SCG Baltimore are returning after losing their
win-and-in for Top 4, looking for a record with one more victory. The team
of young guns – all 25 years old or younger – are headlined by Dylan
Donegan in the Standard seat, who won an Open with Jeskai Saheeli and a PTQ
with Mardu Vehicles in the past five months. Korey McDuffie, a two-time
Open winner, takes the Legacy seat and is all too familiar with Stoneforge
Mystic, a strategy he might go back to following the ban of Sensei’s
Divining Top. Arya Roohi will be playing Modern, most likely on Burn. The
group has eleven Open Top 8s, three Open wins, and one Invitational Top 8
and win.

Rudy Briksza – Jonathan Job – Joe Lossett

An interesting team with three potential Legacy specialists puts West Coast
players Joe Lossett and Jonathan Job with Rudy Briksza from the East Coast.
While Lossett is the most experienced Legacy player, the former Miracles
master will handle Standard for #SCGKY following his
preparation for Pro Tour Amonkhet. Briksza will tackle Legacy
while Job fills the middle seat on Modern. The trio combines for 33 Open
Top 8s, seven Open wins, and two Invitational Top 8s. Lossett and Job
didn’t play in the first Team Open, though Briksza finished in 10th with Kazu Negri and Aaron Kasprzak.

Devin Koepke – Jacob Baugh – Justin Uppal

Two Cardhoarder teammates join forces with Midwest SCG Tour grinder of
years past, Justin Uppal. Jacob Baugh and Devin Koepke have had their share
of success on the SCG Tour recently with Invitational and Open wins between
them, respectively. Baugh is the reigning Invitational champ, still having
his Energy Reserve tokens handed out at Opens, and Koepke took down the Eldritch Moon release week Standard Open. While Uppal hasn’t been
as active of late due to going to college, the youngster still has nine
Open Top 8s to his name. The group combines for 24 Open Top 8s, three Open
wins, and one Invitational Top 8 and win.

Jeff Hoogland – Kent Ketter – Mat Bimonte

Between Jeff Hoogland and Kent Ketter, no team can rival their amount of
second-place finishes in Opens. Hoogland and Ketter combine for 22 Open Top
8s without a trophy. Perhaps the teaming of the two can overcome the curse
of “second or ninth” as Ketter puts it. The two SCG Tour regulars are
joined by Mat Bimonte, who joined them in winning a local Team Constructed
event with 31 teams a few weeks back. The team will look to continue their
winning ways with Hoogland on Legacy, Ketter on Modern, and Bimonte on
Standard.

Anuraag Das – Bob Huang – Zan Syed

Team Lotus Box is another partial team from SCG Baltiomre that started off
hot, posting an 8-1 record on Day 1. Anuraag Das and Zan Syed paired with
Neeraj Shukla in Baltimore, but will be teaming with Bob Huang for #SCGKY. Das is another
Miracles player (with plenty of strong results) that will be looking for a
new deck in Legacy while Syed sticks with Standard. Huang, often thought of
as a Legacy specialist, takes on Modern for this event. Though Huang has a
Legacy World Championship title, he also warped Modern by putting the
Goryo’s Vengeance deck with Nourishing Shoal and Worldspine Wurm on the
map.

Aaron Kasprzak – Andrew Shrout – Jarvis Yu

Grand Prix Seattle champion Jarvis Yu joins with Pro Tour Dragon ‘s Maze Top 8’er Andrew Shrout, and Grand Prix Columbus
Top 8er Aaron Kasprzak for a strong team across all formats. Kasprzak,
another Miracles pilot without his deck of choice, will be back in the
Legacy slot after finishing in 10th with Kazu Negri and Rudy Briksza in
Baltimore. Shrout, a player with a wide range, will be playing Modern while
Yu will be playing Standard after going 9-7 at Pro Tour Amonkhet.

Brian Coval – Chris Stagno – Alex Bastecki

Brian Coval and Chris Stagno started 8-0-1 in Baltimore with Alexis
Ostrander, but struggled to convert on Day 2. This time, 2015 New Jersey
Invitational champion Alex Bastecki will join Coval and Stagno. Like many
Legacy enthusiasts, Stagno piloted Miracles for his team in Baltimore.
Stagno will be moving to Modern for #SCGKY, leaving Legacy
to Coval, and Standard to Bastecki. For a squad with only one Open Top 8 to
its name, Coval, Stagno, and Bastecki make up a perfect sleeper pick for
the event.

Spencer Garnier – Clay Spicklemire – Chris Andersen

Longtime SCG Tour player Chris Andersen teams up with up-and-coming players
Spencer Garnier and Clay Spicklemire. With nineteen Open Top 8s, Andersen
is fifth all-time on that list, and most recently made the Top 8 of the
2016 Atlanta Invitational. Spicklemire made his name by winning Grand Prix
Columbus with Infect in 2016, defeating Joe Lossett in dramatic fashion in
the finals. Garnier will be playing Legacy, however, leaving the Legacy
Grand Prix winner on Modern, and Andersen on Standard.

Bill Comminos – Bernie Wen – Ben Wienburg

Three Midwest grinders and SCG Tour veterans team up for a close-to-home
team event. Ben Wienburg made many Top 8s in the early years of the SCG
Tour and has a win in 2014 to his name, along with an Invitational
runner-up finish to Reid Duke in Los Angeles in 2012. Bill Comminos is a
combo player through and through, with a notable Top 8 in the Modern Open
in Cincinnati in 2016 with Amulet Bloom, winning a game on a mulligan to
six without playing a card on the first turn. Comminos will be on Legacy,
Wienburg on Standard, and Bernie Wen will be filling the middle seat on
Modern. The group combines for eighteen Open Top 8s with one win.