2017 Highlander Top 8 Player Profiles

The year end Top 8 is fast approaching and we are excited to bring you a full breakdown of the players, their accomplishments, and our predictions for the Top 8!

Top 8 Profiles

1st Place – Chris Sutherland – 24 QP

Azorius Control
Dark Jeskai
Grixis Tempo
Gruul Midrange
Jeskai Control
Jeskai Midrange
Royal Jund Aggro
RUG Control
Simic Ramp
Bant Tempo*
Grixis Control*
Grixis Vault-Twin*

 

I usually play tempo decks that lean more towards the control side than the agro side. I find these decks are the most fun for me to play.What was this season like for you?

Finishing in the top spot is feels pretty good. I learnt how to play slightly faster (I’m still working on that though). I also had some really great games down at the bottom tables. Sure, I was at the top tables quite a bit, but I played nearly every tournament last season so I also spent a lot of time at the bottom tables. Never underestimate the fun you can have at the bottom tables and don’t give up a chance to learn more. I think I dropped once all year. Nothing wrong with going 0/4 or 1/3.

What were some meta shifts or deck choices that worked for you?

Burn decks are back in full force, so I’ve been playing more white with lifelink creatures or life gaining spells.

How do you feel going into the Top 8?

Not super confidant. Everyone in the top 8 are top tier players, so it will be some stiff competition. Let’s hope lady luck is on my side. Regardless of the outcome though, I’m looking forward to just being a part of it.

What are some of your favourite pet cards?

Jace, Unraveler of Secrets, Custodi Leech, Sarkhan Unbroken, Opposition

Editors Thoughts

(Spencer): Chris has had his most successful, and lucky, season ever. This powerful Mage has a long standing history in the Highlander community, and a reputation for interesting and innovative card choices. Winning with so many different builds has led to the “Sutherland Hat Trick” winning three consecutive tournaments with different archetypes. I would expect Chris to pilot something Blue to enable him to sculpt a better hand than the one he already misered. Although combo is in his wheelhouse, I would be shocked if he didn’t sleeve up a tempo or midrange control strategy for this one. As to his first pick option, it’s pretty interesting. Several creature archetype players are up for grabs, which could let a devious Chris hedge his bets pretty hard. However, will that lead to a successful overall tournament and the coveted win? We will find out.

(Liam): There are two things that you can usually count on when you sit across from him. Firstly he’s playing blue cards and secondly he’s probably going to play that blue deck extremely well. Known for his love of card advantage I would be pretty shocked if we didn’t see Chris on a blue deck for this tournament. Typically he favours playing 3 colour blue decks for overall increased card quality but as far as what the two colours that end up accompanying blue are I think anything is possible. I would expect him to choose to play Kevin Bosta in round since he is most likely to play a creature deck and it’s a match up Chris likely feels comfortable in.

2nd Place – Benjamin Wheeler – 19 QP

Blue Moon
Eggs
Jeskai Midrange
Omni-Tell
Paradox Engine
Pattern Rector aka “Sandra Bullock”
Worldgorger Combo
4C Greedy-Jiki*
Izzet Tempo*

How long have you been playing Highlander?

I’ve been playing since Torment (2002, 16 years) and took a short break after Saviors of Kamigawa. I dabbled during the caveman era in 2004/2005, but really started playing in 2009

What would you describe as your deck style?

I like playing combo. Not a huge fan of stuff like Hermit Druid or Flash-Hulk, but more in line with Eggs, Storm & Sandy B

What was this season like for you?

Season went pretty well, but it was another year of 2nd place on the leaderboard. Jeskai ended up sitting on the bench, and I ended up playing primarily combo strategies. Blue based control was dominant for a majority of the year, and I mostly capitalized on playing against that and racing vs. RDW.

How do you feel going into the Top 8?

Tough competition for sure, but I feel pretty relaxed going into it. Keep loose, play tight and draw well.

What are some of your favourite pet cards?

Favourite/Pet Cards: Walking Ballista & Rings of Brighthearth. Better through Lightning Angel in there as well.

Editors Thoughts

(Spencer): Ben certainly has many strengths going into this years Top8, and I am not talking about his ability to copy/port Germanlander decks. Ben has the triumvirate of excellent deck knowledge, mechanics, and meta call. Part of Ben’s strength is his ability to play both islands or goblin guides, and feel relatively comfortable with either. This season really displayed Ben’s ability to go deep on the combo front, and I would be surprised if he didn’t play a combo deck such as Eggs or Paradox engine that he has put some reps in with. As for his bracket choice, I would wonder if he opts for the creature players ( Pat, Adam, and Kevin) or tries to slug it out with the other Blue mage Stefan. Either way, one thing is for certain, the matches will be fascinating.

(Liam): Ben is one of the hardest players in the top 8 to predict. His range is enormous and his reads on metagames are often fairly unique. His wins from last season would indicate that he’s likely to play either a combo deck or some kind of blue control deck but that could all go out the window and he might sleeve up Mono Red. Most recently he’s had the most success playing artifact based combo decks so if I had to guess I would probably put him on either Eggs or Paradox Engine Storm. I believe that he will elect to play against Pat if Kevin is taken by Chris because his decks typically line up well against creatures.

3rd Place Jeremy White – 16 QP

Azorius Control
BUG Midrange
High Tide
Mono-Blue Control
Naya Midrange
Selesnya Midrange
Food Chain*
Mono-Black Control*
Naya Zoo*
Orzhov Midrange*
RUG Scapeshift*

How long have you been playing magic, and how long have you been playing HL?

Casually since ~Lorwyn, Highlander since about Zendikar.

What would you describe as your deck style?

I play everything, from mono red to 5 colour heartbeat storm and everything in between. 

What was this season like for you?

Pretty good, but definitely felt long and grindy towards the end. I still got to play a bunch of different decks and experiment though which is cool.

What were some meta shifts or deck choices that worked for you?

I had some success on Black based midrange decks that not many other people have played or had success with.

How do you feel going into the Top 8?

It’s a little weird to be in the top half this time. It’s interesting how different it is in terms of preparation.

What are some of your favourite pet cards?

Aluren, Panoptic Mirror, Esper Charm.

Editor’s Thoughts

(Spencer): Jer had a great season this year and really demonstrated some flexibility with some successful decks. Known for playing a multitude of decks, but winning a lot with midrange, I would be surprised to see Jer sleeve up combo for this top8. Although they like to trough up a challenge, and are capable of playing any deck, Jer has a great sense of meta and an ability to develop decks that have the answers. I would expect some form of U/W/ midrange with some very tuned pieces of hate.

(Liam): Similarly to Ben Jer has a very large range when it comes to what he might play in the tournament. While blue decks are his typical wheelhouse he also put up wins this year with a wide variety of archetypes. The struggle for him is finding a deck that matches up well against either Adam or Stefan, these players have somewhat disparate deck pools and so finding a deck he can be happy to play against either may prove challenging. Ultimately I would expect him to come packing blue cards but if he shows up with a deck like GW aggro I also wouldn’t be shocked.

4th Place – Robin Sorensen – 14 QP

Azorius Control
Blue Moon
Jeskai Midrange

How long have you been playing magic, and how long have you been playing HL?

I’ve been playing magic since revised, and I’ve been doing highlander as long as there has been highlander. Although I did take a break playing between ice age and homelands.

What would you describe as your deck style?

I don’t really have a particular deck style, I just like to be tricky in the games I play. If a mirror match feels like a toss up, and there’s lots of people playing it, then I won’t be on the same deck for long.

What was this season like for you? What were some meta shifts or deck choices that worked for you?

This year didn’t start great for me, my storm deck wasn’t working well with the points, I was playing blue moon and not liking it, I hadn’t won a tournament in over a year. But I stuck with it, and rebuilt blue white and started winning again, I switched back to blue moon with a different outlook, and I found the groove and started racking up wins. If ever you feel defeated, don’t stop, keep trying and learning and good things will happen!

How do you feel going into the Top 8?

When it comes to the top 8, I am just excited to play. I don’t really have many expectations for it. Being in fourth is a totally different tournament experience than my past years playing (1st and 7th) because I don’t really know how much of a choice I’m going to have to make. But when the time comes, I will do my best against whoever is in front of me.

What are some of your favourite pet cards?

Some of my favourite creatures are: jackal pup, phyrexian negator, quiron dryad, old man of the sea, weathered wayfarer, su-chi and flood gate

Editor’s Thoughts

(Spencer) : Robin has a reputation in the community for combo, but this season saw them take the notorious control deck Blue Moon to new heights. Equally capable of slugging out blue mirrors or tapping creatures sideways, Robin has a keen understanding of the game that comes with his vast experience. Although I suspect he would consider a last minute audible to RDW or Combo, as a player who once preferred to ask the question, I can’t seem them resisting the siren call of the one of the most successful Highlander decks of all time, Blue Moon.

(Liam): Robin is the type of player who wants to get a lot of reps in with a deck before he feels comfortable bringing it to a big tournament. One of the most technically proficient players in Victoria you can expect him to more often try to levy that advantage rather than trying to find the perfect deck. This year he saw great success with Blue Moon even when the deck had a massive target on its head so I would expect him to bring that deck. There is an outside chance that he instead opts to bring something like burn as he has been playing that for the last several weeks. As the fourth player his choices are likely to be slightly more limited than any of the top 3 ultimately I would expect him to likely avoid match ups with Stefan as he dislikes playing mirror matches.  

5th Place – Adam Thorne – 14 QP

Dark Jeskai
Death & Taxes
Jeskai Midrange
4C Kiki-Pod

How long have you been playing magic, and how long have you been playing HL?

I have been playing Highlander for roughly a year and a half, but have played Magic on-and-off with several large breaks since Onslaught block in the early 2000s.

What would you describe as your deck style?

I like to be proactive with my gameplan, be it combo or creature-based aggression, but also have access to a certain amount of interaction or “resistance” to my opponent’s game plan. I’m a big fan of aggro and tempo-based strategies, and creature combo is likely my favourite archetype to try and pilot.

What was this season like for you? What were some meta shifts or deck choices that worked for you?

I played a lot of mono-white aggro, known in Legacy as ‘Death and Taxes’, to some success. I was pretty consistent with the archetype until the second half of the year, but my results have definitely fallen off with the deck in recent months. When it seemed like there would be a lot of Blue Moon and/or RDW (which was very often this year), I wanted to bust out mono-white. However I found when the meta is shifting into tech against RDW, the same cards tend to do okay against D&T (unless it’s someone else running Kor Firewalker). I played some other archetypes, but I haven’t held onto anything like I have D&T.

How do you feel going into the Top 8?

As far as what I’ll play, I’ve narrowed down my choices to a couple archetypes, but I haven’t locked in my deck yet. I definitely think knowing your deck is important, but if I don’t think a deck is going to be a good choice I’m probably going to steer clear. I think it’s an interesting tournament where you have a lot of players who can play nearly any style, although some players may be more locked into a lane than others. It’s an intimidating group of players, so I’m just stoked to be able to play in the tournament.

What are some of your favourite pet cards?

Palace Jailer and Restoration Angel probably don’t count as pet cards, but the only deck I’ve played without them was a 4-colour no-white value deck for a couple tournaments. No guarantees on including them in my deck for the top8, though!

Editor’s Thoughts

(Spencer): Adam is a relatively recent addition to the Highlander scene, and already he has left a lasting impact with his drive for deck mastery and excellence. Rarely seen not sleeving up plains, Adam demonstrated flexibility with Jeskai and Pod, but his true drive for success was found in his relentless tuning of Death and Taxes, or mono white. I would be highly suspect of any deck choice without some of his favourite hatebears, as he has demonstrated time and time again deck knowledge and matchup analysis earn you wins.

(Liam): Adam had two starkly different halves to the year. He came out of the gate red hot and picked up most of his wins in the the early to mid stages of the year. In the latter half of the year he played less often and had a weaker conversion rate when he was in the later rounds of events though it’s worth noting that was still frequently at the top tables. He’s a player who tunes decks extremely well and his builds of Jeskai, Death and Taxes, and 4C Kiki-Pod are always among the best in the room. I think he’ll bring Mono White Death and Taxes, it’s a deck that is well suited for some of the metagame and a deck that he understands better than maybe anyone else so he can likely gain some advantages from that as well.

Stefan J 6th Place – 11 QP

Blue Moon
BUG Aggro

How long have you been playing magic, and how long have you been playing HL?

My first prerelease was Exodus, and I was playing for a few months before that. I switched from legacy to canlander about two years ago.

What would you describe as your deck style?

I primarily play combo decks, but they tend to get banned out of most formats. I play a lot of control as well.

What was this season like for you? What were some meta shifts or deck choices that worked for you?

The 2017 season was very interesting for me. After switching from BUG control to Blue Moon late 2016, I picked up my first Highlander win at Yellow Jacket near the end of January. After rattling off three more wins before the end of February, I became quite interested in making the year end top 8. My one issue was that I knew I was moving from Victoria in early September so needed to make ever week count. I did so by playing a lot, and playing Blue Moon almost every Monday (with it’s higher QP EV) and on Thursdays when I felt I needed more points. My only QP from a different deck came from a Thursday win with BUG aggro, a deck I built to beat Blue Moon after I got rattled by a few scary rounds versus Black Mold. Not to say I’m a one trick pony, I tried to play different decks every Thursday (and really got funky for Satlander), from 4C Lands to Zombie Hunt, Jeskai Blitz playing all the Time Walks to Paradox Engine before it was cool 😉  I even goldfished John Kilby’s Goblins deck twice!

In general, the 2017 meta has been the rise of Blue Moon. My previous decks of BUG control and RUG tempo had a distinct weakness to mono red decks, with Madcap Experiment I finally found a great tool to fight them. Blue Moon has been pointed a lot since a year ago, but I do think that people still have not adapted to playing versus Blood Moons.

How do you feel going into the Top 8?

I feel a bit mixed going into the Top 8. After leaving Victoria I got a good month in playing Canlander at Geek Fortress, but haven’t played competitively since.  I’ve been thinking a lot, watching coverage, and talking with a lot of good players though, so we’ll see how it goes!

What are some of your favourite pet cards?

My favorite pet card is undoubtedly Gigadrowse. From playing it in Standard Dragonstorm, to Modern Scapeshift, the number of times people read this innocuous card as it sets up a kill is thrilling. More Canlander focused, a card I think I’ve made a staple in control that many people didn’t know existed is Overwhelming Denial.

Editor’s Thoughts

(Spencer): Stefan really demonstrated himself over time to be a very methodical and ingenious deck builder, and although many thought he would break the format with a combo deck, it was his invention and tuning of Blue Moon that really left his mark on the format. It would be hard to see him not playing Moon, even with a target on it. If not , then some form of combo deck could work its way easily into his hands. What will be interesting is to see if the Americans time spent away has left him with a soft edge, or if he has a clear and innovative approach to this years top8. One things for certain, if Stefan and Ben play the best wizard will win.

(Liam): Stefan is one of the mad scientists of the Highlander Community and I’m not just referring to his affinity for Madcap Experiment (seriously go look at that art). He innovated much of what we now think of as the stock Blue Moon deck most notably by introducing the Madcap Experiment combo to the deck. Additionally he is one the originators of the Paradox Storm deck that Ben subsequently had a lot of success with this year. Stefan had to move away from Victoria part of the way through this year but he’s back for this event to put his stamp on the format. While the best bet is on Stefan playing Blue Moon I think that there is a world where he has designed a yet undiscovered deck while living in the woods of upstate New York.

7th Place – Kevin Bosta 10 QP

4C Bosta Midrange
Gruul Aggro
Gruul Monsters

How long have you been playing magic, and how long have you been playing HL?

Let me think. I’m pretty sure I got into it around the same time as Pokemon in Elementary school, so I must have been 8 or 9. Competitively I showed interest when I was 13 or 14, learning how to draft and going to my first Regionals under the wing of Nanaimo’s own Pro Tour Competitor Greg Gilks.

Highlander I began playing in Tim MacInnis’ basement in Nanaimo with Nathan Hogman roughly 5 years ago. 2017 was my first year playing in Victoria, and probably the first time playing the format in a few years.

What would you describe as your deck style?

Jund ‘em. I like playing grindy or aggro-slanted midrange decks.

What was this season like for you? What were some meta shifts or deck choices that worked for you?

I played some pet cards in a mediocre archetype and tuned it to a level I was satisfied with and won. Red green monsters is Theros-era standard at its core, and I loved playing that deck. I shifted toward 4C Bosta (Midrange) later in the season to switch it up and play objectively stronger cards, which seemed to work well enough.

How do you feel going into the Top 8?

I didn’t play very much of the season and didn’t expect to be in the top 8 all things considered. I think the decks I enjoy/jam in this format are generally close enough to the 50% mark when tuned appropriately for the meta that my matches should come down to skill, barring any crazy variance swings.

I enjoy competitive magic. I hope this turns out to be the most competitive Highlander event I’ve ever played in, and I want to have some great games.

What are some of your favourite pet cards?

Arc Slogger (Thanks Robin), Verdurous Gearhulk, Fire Covenant. Domri Rade and Bloodbraid Elf are near and dear to my heart, but they’re pretty common place.

Editor’s Thoughts

(Spencer): Kevin climbed this years leaderboard on the back of great gameplay mechanics and an intuitive understanding of creature based midrange. With a methodical approach, Kevin displayed a lot of innovative meta adaptations to his various G/R/xx decks. Will this players desire to topple blue be realised? I certainly am excited by the prospect, down with Islands!

(Liam): When you look at the archetypes that Kevin won with this year you’ll notice a theme. There are Green and Red cards in them and they are slanted fairly aggressively. Kevin likes to dictate the pace of the game and play to the board where his year of competitive play give him a leg up on much of the competition. Kevin is the top 8 competitor who played in the fewest events this year so dismissing him for his 7th place finish would be foolish. I don’t expect Kevin to stray from what got him to this position in the first place, powerful Green and Red cards, my bet is that he may include some other non-Blue colours as well but his deck is virtually guaranteed to start with Taiga and Stomping Ground.

8th Place Pat Berdusco -10 QP

4c Birthing Pod
Grixis Vault Control

How long have you been playing magic, and how long have you been playing HL?

Been playing magic ten years+ on and off. Highlander for atleast over 3 years.

What would you describe as your deck style?

My deck style is anything with a strong A or B gameplan as well as a combo gameplan you can use to pressure your opponent with.

What was this season like for you? What were some meta shifts or deck choices that worked for you?

This season was another exciting nail biter, Squeaked into the top 8 near the tail end of the year. Some meta choices I made were things like putting huntmaster into pod when more people are playing red decks or playing voice of resurgence when blue decks are doing well. I tried grixis and ub control/vault to success throughout the year as well.

How do you feel going into the Top 8?

I’m 8th place in the top 8 so I have no decisions prior to actually playing a match of magic and I always go second. I am just going to let people come to me and I feel fine going into the top 8.

What are some of your favourite pet cards?

My favourite pet cards are goblin settler and raven familiar.

Editor’s Thoughts

(Spencer): Pat has cemented his hold on the format through his development and relentless tuning of the 4C Birthing Pod deck he bubblered into existence. Pats knowledge of the creature combo deck has enabled a toolbox approach to every matchup, and with so many games under his belt, there is no easy wins taken from this great player. What will be interesting is if any silver bullets make there way into his list, and if so will they serve or hinder his desire to stand at the top of the Highlander pyramid.

(Liam): Pat is another extremely technically skilled player, he squeezes every bit of advantage he can out of the decks that he plays. While he is most clearly associated with playing the archetype he basically birthed 4C Kiki-Pod or Pat Pod he also was able to pick up a wide variety of decks this year and pilot them to some success. Pat Pod suffered significantly from the recent points change of Time Walk so that might cause Pat to audible to Time Vault combo but I think that he is equally likely to bring out old faithful for at least one more ride.

Tune into the 2017 Highlander Top 8 Feb. 4th at Noon PST over at twitch.tv/loadingreadyrun to watch the action go down!

By Liam Coughlan and Spencer Kanaka Sacht-Lund