2016 Magic World Championship Finals (Standard): Brian Braun-Duin vs. Márcio Carvalho

The finals of the 2016 Magic: The Gathering World Championship came down to an electric best three-of-five match between Grand Prix Master Brian Braun-Duin and Draft Master Márcio Carvalho.

[@Ghaespar]

LSV deserves a reward for his dedication to the game. After playing the whole tournament, loosing the chance to become Championship winner, he still sits in the booth and comments on the games that he could have played. Really a great player and a person.

[@doomtomb3]

Really a person?

[@sylvain1s]

he's REALLY a person

[@shadowcatX2000]

Yes. A lesser person could have been sullen up and resentful.

[@-bdl2696]

believe the implication is great-person, but har-har nevertheless.

[@brettjacobson4600]

dudes been playing professional magic about as long as there's been professional magic, hasn't he? probably aren't many people who know more about this game than him except MaRo lol

[@benjaminshinobi]

Also because wizards can't be bothered to edit videos: game 1 --> 1:39 game 2 --> 7:27 game 3 --> 25:14 game 4 --> 1:37:38

[@theawesomeleprechaun]

This has nothing to do with the way videos are edited.

[@vingtmilledommages]

Sorry you did not get an invite.

[@benjaminshinobi]

not sure if I tried to reply to this before, I meant they could edit out the shuffling in the middle of games. Sometimes they do talk about relevant cards, but some time stamps would be nice.

[@benjaminshinobi]

ha was this in reply to me?

[@theawesomeleprechaun]

Benjamin Santiago I think it would be really disjointed if they skipped loads, it doesn't really take that long anyway plus there is always commentary.

[@nikolickia]

Brian Braun-Doing it right this time. Awesome man started watching him on the vs videos over on starcity was sad to see him go but he came to CFB and won the world championship thats amazing

[@Sreyam86]

Hands down one of my favorite matches of all time, this was fun to watch.

[@khazraknotreal7224]

I'm not a fan of Bant company. but I will be rewatching this match many times in the near future, the pilot skill demonstrated by both pilots is a feat to behold.

[@khazraknotreal7224]

Side note: If Marshal could sit down with BBD and do commentary on the replay that would be amazing!! love to get insight into the thought process that went on during this match.

[@Oceanss12]

^ this!!!

[@doomtomb3]

They flew like true aces in the sky

[@CoryI]

Ironic that the Grand Prix master wins the title after WotC, in their infinite wisdom, decided to cut that invite for the next year's tournament.

[@laurencebrown3822]

Great games, great commentary. This was Magic at its best, what a way for the World Championship to go!

[@sixcycle]

Until I played at a GP I never could have fathomed the amount of stress on the players at a competitive level. It's absolutely amazing how these guys are keeping their composure in such a complicated and stressful situation while all eyes are upon them. Kudos to BBD!

[@rustygray5058]

Rewatching this years later. Game 3 is amazing. I thought that the Tamiyo trigger was missed, but LSV on commentary is on top of everything.

[@kuroshinko427]

After that awesome game 3, you can hear the judge was yelling to Marcio Carvalho for a shuffling offense warning.

[@vingtmilledommages]

Sorry you didnt get an invite

[@blackred1032]

whats a shuffling offence?

[@Krokodilius]

he said: you're shuffling your cards with their faces upwards.

[@crackyhoss]

didn't see that myself... fucking hour long game with $70k on the line, i'd probably make a mistake or two as well.

[@Foozefighter]

the resemblance between Ian Duke and Brian David-Marshall cannot be unseen

[@vanthadoun1]

Im watching this in 2019 and it is still very fascinating all the details and the amount of memory that goes into the match. It was so Key that Reflector Mage bounced Avacyn, and BBD remember the delay of recasting it. I for one, would have forgotten that ability and might have forgotten to call it out. But thats why you have judges around you during a big tournament like this. awesome match!

[@brningpyre]

Brian's smile at the end is just beautiful. Well played!

[@ChaosSpike17]

So glad to see BBD win!

[@cooper6614]

ChaosSpike shouldn't be looking in the comments lol my fault

[@ChaosSpike17]

Sorry dude :( lol

[@ChrisJones-xd1re]

1:02 Perhaps the Tireless Tracker, 3 clues and 9 lands on Carvalho's side were the key to making sure his Dromoka's Command was not wasted. Avacyn some other time. Also it seems like Avacyn is a card that BBD's deck would benefit from more, with all those counters flying around.

[@cyrusterzievthelin1779]

that match was so sick. stoked that high level paper magic is back!

[@isphus]

That awkward moment when you have so many lands you dont even care about an Omniscience.

[@colinderue8095]

Never

[@nuncet]

@ 13:15 they state marcio COULD cast spellqueller in his turn even though he got refelctor maged in bbds endsetp. could anyone explain that to me please?

[@SinSephiroth]

I dont play magic since i'm a kid but i'm impressed a portuguese is in the finals. Grats Marcio

[@cooper6614]

Leandro Santos I'm 11 I play magic lol

[@Rune2Hander]

well deserved BBD, grinding to the top.

[@JukesMcGee]

1:13:40 This turn from BBD was an incredible comeback.

[@DarkJester3]

Oh wow, around 1:46-ish Brian played the Lambholt Pacifist that the Reflector Mage bounced last turn. That may have swung the entire game in his favor in the end. How did no one notice this?

[@droidean]

LSV explained it at the Butcher was reflector maged. Since it is a flip card, and the butcher (not the pacifist) was returned to hand, it is legal to play Pacifist on his BBD's next turn.

[@doritogemas]

GRANDA MARCIO CHEGASTE A FINAL E REPRESENTASTE O PAÍS !!!!

[@DanielRodrigues-pi6yw]

Eduardo Antunes ele esteve quase 😥😥

[@Tatradomis]

I normally dislike watching Standard because I think the format is boring, but this was one of the most well played matches I've seen in a long time. BBD has come a long way in the past year or two.

[@marcbauerett1232]

Thanks LSV for the Sundering Titan reference which everyone in the booth seems to have missed (at about 2:06:00).

[@seppel310]

What an epic game 3!!!

[@apandreson]

Congrats to Brian! You earned it and glad to see you winning.

[@Kavou]

Damn that game 3!You know it's a long game when you finish your coffee watching it.

[@Biilzebub]

hey! check your audio~video is a turn or so behind on times.

[@MunecoIsBrave]

Hell yea, Brian. You showed them.

[@alanyuan8565]

I assume Marcio kept spell queller a post board? Why didn't we see any game 2-3?

[@LA_VOZ_DEL_ODIO]

I think in 2:03:35 Carvalho casts the reflector mage for no reason, he should save the mage for the next turn after the tragic arrogance to bounce the big creature. If he had done that he would be at 19 instead of 4 ( 2:11:07 ) and BBD at 4 so the next turn he can take the damage, cast the Archangel of avacyn at the end of the turn and kill BBD.

[@MrObasiah]

im new to magic and i have no idea what happened in game one. they started then the bald guy died faster then i make a turn.

[@scottminikhiem1399]

Loved the handshake at the end. They should have done something to congratulate the guy in second at least

[@koboldgeorge2140]

Scott Austin What, you mean the biggest loser of them all? Why would they waste time with that?

[@DaNyAaLcEc]

OMG that 3rd match!! thumbs up yeah...

[@romo4359]

I love to hear the comments.

[@chanm01]

For me, table top gaming fulfills a need for social interaction that multiplayer screen-based gaming just doesn't... that said, I think game 3 really illustrates how Magic, as a tabletop game, could be improved by some electronic bookkeeping assistance.

[@TherealCCChasarrived]

does anyone know the name of those dice they were using as counters?

[@MrInfernoblade10]

Such an amazing match, 2hrs of solid pro play piloted by 2 great players with a lot of luck

[@ChrisJones-xd1re]

1:35:33 Is there any reason for this order other than showing off? Why not just cast the Collected Company first?

[@jackiesingleton2351]

Wow game 3 was amazeballs! That was Magic at its best. As an older player I love games that go long, have huge boards, & complicated interactions. I have a distaste for turn 3 wins, and degenerate combos. Both players were great in that game. A solid hour of great play. P

[@JustMonikaOk]

Any particular reason Cavalio did not flash in Avacyn earlier in the game, and swing threaten it's flip trigger for a board wipe?

[@scottminikhiem1399]

rigged

[@thomascooper4554]

2015 world championships: abzan mirror 2016 world championships: bant mirror 2017 world championships: jeskai mirror please

[@lbp7693]

2018 world championships: Reflector mage deck mirror a.k.a. "Mirror mirror"

[@Sallet]

Considering the KLD pro-tour, seems like a jeskai mirror might be indeed happening.

[@MistaHoward]

I'm pretty sure one of the earlier world championships ended with a jeskai mirror. That was actually before Tarkir though, and in that championship the finals were modern, not standard. I could be mistaken though; that might have been the semifinals. Regardless, a jeskai deck did win at least one world championship.

[@Lefsler]

Can you put a card on the field after declaring the attack?

[@johannesvanlaken7797]

What is with the headphones anyway?

[@saullayman3899]

Anyone know the bant humans deck list?

[@theawesomeleprechaun]

What is wrong with you, why do you keep saying this?

[@dillpickle694]

Is it some rule that makes you have to touch the card you draw to the table before putting it in your hand

[@scottduffy5552]

what are they wearing headsets for?

[@Ciowan]

Tough to watch this as a person who hasn't played Magic in like 17 years lol. I wish I knew what was going on, or I could see every card and what they do.

[@xcver]

what a crazy game 3

[@tvsveryown]

Where's game 1?

[@K_Renegade]

2:08:53 Watching this all these years later and noticing that after the Thalia’s Lieutenant has 12 counters on it and the dice are oriented to say “69” LSV just goes “nice”

[@rorylippert247]

I really like the bant deck. Too bad it was completely broken.

[@liamspeirs2969]

At 1:00:00 Marcio taps only 4 lands for his Avacyn, not that it ends up mattering

[@JC-pz2nk]

Otherside of duskwatch recruiter

[@liamspeirs2969]

Ah ok, missed that

[@KlowdStr1fe]

ashton kutcher plays magic?

[@CoastalWizard]

I really hope that one day Marcio can convert a finals appearance 😅😅

[@saltedllama2759]

After an exhausting several days of grindy Magic against the best players in the world, and then to sit down for a best-of-5 to decide it all in front of an audience, and on stream, in a pseudo mirror match that makes for games like game 3 that go over an hour long... Remarkable focus, decision making, and endurance by these guys. And unlike control mirrors where it's draw-go until you build up enough counterspells for one turn of spell-fights before you win, this had tempo, complicated combats and decisions where one mistake could cost it all... People who act like Magic, or a game like chess, for example, aren't sports have no idea. You burn hundreds of calories from the sheer brain cooking (verified, look it up), and it is absolutely exhausting.

[@alanyuan8565]

Why do bant company decks play Tamiyo instead of Gideon?

[@HustleL0ve]

is it not allowed to play an anoter deck?

[@Renataki_]

the headsets make it so funny aesthetically hahaha

[@SpearoChris]

I quit MTG a year ago and this is what I noticed in this game. BBD got fat. More uncommons in a deck than rares (Weird). those headphone dont actually block out the announcers cause when they speak it gets transferred from the mic.

[@Elibancondondv3r]

Anyone knows why do they use headphones, and mic?

[@joechek330]

They use headphones to cancel out the sound of the crowd and commentators. If you watch Carvalho's semi-final match, you can see at the beginning that both players report being able to hear the commentators and crowd. They use the microphones so that they can communicate with each other.

[@KhanGarth]

oh look, Bant vs Bant. how exciting.

[@SunniestAutumn]

The other player leaves up 4 mana. What could he possibly be holding. The suspense is killing me.

[@fxyang1989]

It turned out to be sacing a clue into a dromoca's command off the top. That was a big top deck.

[@guioioghuippi2310]

Still doesn't change the amount of thought that went into it. With match ups like that, you have to think of every possibility and the probability an opponent will react a certain way. Sure, bant is OP and nobody is sad to see it go, but it still was intense to watch.

[@KhanGarth]

oh for sure, its just great when the final match doesnt come up to the same deck.

[@thunderbug8640]

Apart from theyre not really the same deck.

[@evoluti0n09]

Gotta love all the times there's a complicated board state, and instead of showing the board the coverage gives us a shot of the players faces. Fucking wotc....

[@christopherbuckley6695]

sometime i wish i could join a tournaments

[@Big_Sixer]

What are the headsets for?

[@lyserg1k]

its explained in the first 5 mins

[@RomeoBarnes]

So they can't hear the commentators. Marshall says that at the beginning of the video when Marcio is his headset on

[@Chonchey]

Every time they say reflector mage take a drink

[@RogerLoUSPSA]

why do they wear headsets now?

[@sofer2230]

They'd be able to hear the announcers otherwise.

[@-bdl2696]

they are in a big arena this time that has speakers that would let them hear commentary from the announcers, so they have them wear the headsets to remove that possibility. It's not like they do it for World Champ competitions regularly.

[@PashaDefragzor]

They need to add feature to see the cards instead of players.... I cant see the cards... Its only for pros who know latest cards and features... I've seen tables from Pokerstars tournaments - where players sitting on the round table with cameras inside a walls and top camera with 2d graphics interface to emulate cards... Peoples around looks weird, judges need to see all stuff through the cameras... or add 1 judge Dredd ^^ like in snooker. Shadows falling on a players hands with cards... lighting designer needs for sure

[@captainstash8645]

why was the first game so short and it eneded at 4 hp someone explain please I'm a novice to mtg please can someone explain :D

[@gewurzgurke4964]

Brian Braun-Duin first off all did not draw the mana he needed, he then decided to not play a card one turn to flip the two cards he had, Lambholt Pacifist 3/3, can only attack when you control a creature with 4 attack or greater, into Lambholt Butchers 4/4. Márcio then countered with "Declaration in Stone" a spell that exiles a target creature + every creature that has the same name, so both Lambholt Butchers got removed. BBD then conceded the match.

[@killusstreakus9142]

I thought reflector mage was ban?

[@hi00118]

Killus Streakus it was banned after this

[@JeffreyPhamigo]

didnt know Daniel Negranu hosts the tournament...

[@Degmxn]

I remember watching a world championship MTG tournament and being so disgusted by it... hope this feeling doesn't repeat itself.

[@HurriccaneGTX]

wieso nimmt er die karte aus der hülle und steckt sie weider rein? xD

[@davidm5415]

I have a question. Recently, at my local game store, most of the people there believed that MTG was a dying game. This has been on my mind for the past few weeks. What Is your opinion on this? is MTG really a dying game?

[@Statue_Smasher]

it's probably just your local scene losing interest. the game has only been expanding for years

[@TheDinoDump]

No, but standard is just a huge cash cow now, so for me its totally dead. The older formats and EDH are still cool.

[@BlackdragonChaos1]

I started playing back in 2001 and I can tell u thir is no stop to this game at this point it's probably when up about 100x in size since then

[@TheCo3333]

i'm 25 and been playing since I was 17 feel like older (old is over 30 year old imo) players are quitting standard while younger players are getting into stander more. Younger players have only seen standard with good decks being over 500 dollars, while older players have been playing since you could easily get a tier one standard deck for 200. A couple of years ago we could barely start a draft weekly, now we have at least 2 going on at fnm. Also I have seen alot of older players play only drafts and edh

[@TheDinoDump]

Yea that sounds right. It's really silly how standard, the format that rotates, is also super expensive. I'm flabbergasted that people buy into that idea at all! You gotta be a either a moron or a spoiled kid to throw away money like that. Standard should not be played AT ALL. There's no room to explore. You're just making greedy Wizards rich. At least EDH never rotates, and the old card pool is utterly massive and fun to research. You can still look forward to new cards and select the ones you want in your deck. I find it enjoyable, with a grain of salt.

[@TheDinoDump]

GO BRIAN! YES!

[@xXErr4rXx]

I don't even know what mtg is about. You guys actually understand what is going on? Do they just play very standard linear decks so you know what they do and think? Do you recognise cards from that far?

[@sherklastic6073]

haha if you're one of these guys you've made the mega meta deck and you probably know every currently legal card at least

[@ChilleDINJerseY]

Yes. No, but we generally know what cards are in the deck. Yes.

[@user-vi4sn9eh5l]

wow no lsv sad days

[@CraigsCreations]

It's very weird that 2 players playing the same game not on a computer have to wear headsets to play with eachother. Figure it out Wizards of the Coast!

[@_skywalk]

at 1h:02m:50s BBD forget to draw a card from carvalhoe tireless tracker, carvalhoe doesnt remind him off

[@KumanoMTG]

You just can't play with such ugly and mismatched basics and think you can become the world champion with that :D

[@KumanoMTG]

What are you talking about? He of course lost ;)

[@australianemily]

It's possible that someone just deleted their comment.

[@maciejnowak666]

Dude, i love using old ass basic mana from Portal or Arabian Nights and all that

[@Kavou]

For some old players,oldschool lands are far supreme to the new full art ones.When it comes to me it reminds me the first epic moments I had when I first started playing Magic,so many players feel good when they use old lands.

[@supaaznjigga]

Imo, Marcio made several serious mistakes.. Game 2 attacking into the board with really poor attacks as a literal bluff that only worked out for him in that he was forced to sacrifice a clue and DRAW that dromoka's command off the top, which was the only card that would have saved that crappy attack decision. That ALMOST got him back into that game, but I really feel like he was too comfortable with just building his board and sitting back, opening himself up to tragic arrogance. He only needed to make this all-out attack in desperation because he didn't sacrifice a bunch of clues and go all in on his 2 tireless trackers when he attacked and Brian blocked with 4 creatures several turns before this exchange.. He should have kept them both alive and drawn a bunch of cards several turns before needing to make such a dumb attack that he forced upon himself. Moreover, he kept using his recruiter's 2G ability to find creatures rather than sacrificing clues to draw actual spells that could alter the board state significantly in the late game.. He was way too focused in on the Avacyn plan, so much that he entirely forgot about the reflector mage the turn before and caused the judges to correct him ZzZzz.. The last game was pretty much the same deal, relying on Gideon for chump block token generation on the giant Thalia's lieutenant when he only needed to do that once.. He should have started using Gideon's +1 ability to immediately go for the Gideon Emblem while taking out a chump blocker on Brian's side.. Relying on clues to draw chump blockers of his own to block the giant lieutenants. I also don't understand why he refused to use Gideon for an emblem making his attacks and blocks much better. That was key. Finally, seeing him cast that reflector mage instead of keeping one back in case of tragic arrogance that won the previous game should have been in his head, so that was really fail.

[@JohnSmith-oy2so]

if one of these ppl understood interpersonal skills better, they could intimidate their opponent so easily.

[@aggressiva242]

i missed a handshake at the beginning

[@alanyuan8565]

I also don't understand, BBD can (and has) made his creature huge with his Thalia's lieutenants, why doesn't he just attack, force Marcio to do double, or triple blocks to kill one of his creatures and keep forcing thought instead of casting tragic arrogance

[@Justbadluckman]

The AI is heavily favored in the MTG game, play if you want to rage, otherwise just stick to physical cards

[@KryXun]

fuckk, scrolled down to far, ruined the match for mself :(

[@tysonkrehnke2835]

Always good to see a no good cheater lose.... wish he wasn't even allowed in the finals.

[@christophergodden5803]

Yes, Marcio used to cheat back in the days when it was more acceptable, but when push came to shove, Marcio cut out the cheating and still showed utter mastery of the game in top situations when he was playing fairly. You don't accidentally make the finals of the world championship if the only reason you're good is because you cheat.

[@matthewkoehn5242]

Don't make them wear headsets

[@alanyuan8565]

That 1 hour match

[@kiria1975]

Umm… 1 hour game

[@user-zg4lp4ep4t]

I dont even know how to play this

[@oriondx72]

me either now since I haven't played since the mid 90's lot has changed for sure.

[@DanOfAwsome]

aaand this is why reflector mage is banned

[@rerobfrvr]

Brasil

[@scottminikhiem1399]

I dont understand this shit at all

[@YnseSchaap]

Where's the weed..........and the beer ?

[@benjaminshinobi]

I know players like to trick out their decks with full art lands and alternate language versions of cards, but would it be totally ridiculous, at least for the top 8/finals to have multiple copies of a deck (preshuffled) so that we don't have to watch players shuffle for 10 minutes between games? It feels terribly "un-hype" to me. I imagine wotc could work something out with vendors before hand to make it easier to accomplish. They sleeved all the cards for the drafts in SOI and EDM (at least for the pro tour) so I imagine this isn't a terrible amount of work to get some interns to sleeve a bunch of cards.

[@VanessaOrgia]

Just no.

[@tempestandacomputer6951]

Mmmmm where would the fun be if we didn't see them shuffle?

[@benjaminshinobi]

+Tempest and a Computer in all honesty I do like seeing people like Seth Manfield with his "stomach fuck" technique. The time it is really difficult is when they are looking in on like 3 games and you just want to see the main match

[@benjaminshinobi]

but why tho? Seriously why?

[@tempestandacomputer6951]

***** haha!

[@tdot8280]

Man .. they dont even look at each other at the beginning ... whats that shit? Magic is supposed to be a social game.

[@space_dui829]

Playing with headphones on seems really annoying, I would not be a fan.

[@cooper6614]

I'm from va and dats dank

[@kirk5649]

Coop Hawk me too I’m from Roanoke but live in Lynchburg

[@blackred1032]

why dont anyone use like ulamog the ceaseless hunger or in garruks wake in these championships?