Pro Tour Avacyn Restored: Top 8 Quarterfinals

[@Spycobra004]

My favorite pro tour. Still watching in 2024

[@sukottogai8697]

1:00:15 best sportsmanship in magic by both players

[@clidake]

The respect for Jon Finkel has increased one thousandfold for me.

[@Nr4747]

At around 1 hour in, really big moment for me, the way Finkel shows sportsmanlike behavior in a situation where a lot of players would have taken the (more than likely) free win.

[@Arsolon618]

The coverage has gotten so much better in just the span of months between this and dark ascension. My only request, if I may be so bold, I would love to hear the chit chat between the players, especially after a match has been decided. The chat between Alexander Hayne & Jon Finkel at the end would be priceless.

[@StevenOyston]

Shout out to all the peeps coming back for this epic comp

[@Emeraldraven777]

Hayne has such a cool deck. miracle is a cool ability and its always cool to see a deck based around it kicking ass.

[@Thabeanieboy]

Cheated? He made an honest mistake and CALLED HIMSELF OUT. That's not cheating. That's good sportsmanship by both Finkel and Hayne.

[@Wyther57]

Love the "First World Problems" reference, rofl XD. Also VERY impressed with John Finkel, he has shown an immense amount of character in a situation where he had so much to lose. I've played with people who show poorer character when all that was at stake was their standing in my local FNM. More people should strive to show the sportsmanship that Mr. Finkel has shown today :)

[@PsychoMatter1]

+Jacob Smith At the time of this Pro Tour, there was a rule that you needed to always have 15 cards in your sideboard. Having 65 cards in your deck was legal, but having only 10 in your sideboard was not.

[@cardexpert101]

Actually I believe he did. I think it was in the Walking The Planes episode covering this pro tour they mentioned that after Hayne called it out on himself, the head judge gave Finkel the decision of whether he wanted Hayne to take a game (and therefore match) loss or to play their final deciding game.

[@triblood5]

love Finkel's sportsmanship..and I can't wait to test out my new green/blue soulbond aggro deck this friday!

[@indiebandit1]

Round four was indeed miraculous.

[@BIueharvest]

Surprised Rich didn't launch into some advertising for that Red Bull Finkel's drinking.

[@PartisanGamer]

Damn that Alexander Hayne deck is amazingly funny to watch ...how he turned that 4th game around was just bad ass !

[@wonderboy8917]

Vast improvement on including a card viewer on the right hand side. Well done!

[@MaleficArken]

You have to understand that they are in a very high stakes games and they are trying to think ahead. Also, if you already have lands on the field and you shuffle your cards around after a draw, you have to try to bluff that you have an answer to whatever they drop on the field.

[@swedishfool91]

Alexander Hayne's deck seems SOOO much fun! Expensive, but fun.

[@RobBubble]

Wait, so if John had not said that he's fine with taking out the card, he would have gotten a win for the game? What would have been the normal resolution if the player presents a faulty deck?

[@BoomtaxRISEtrons]

Omg, I know this is an old comment, but you have no idea how much that just made me laugh. He ABSOLUTELY does! Lmao.

[@Knels94]

I dont know a thing of what is going on...but I cant stop watching...

[@adrianjellinek4591]

try your best, and take your time never rush.

[@iplaycallofdutynaked]

I was almost yelling at my computer. That was ridiculous, these guys are in the Pro Tour. Damn

[@HueJaynis]

Typically it would result in a game loss, but since Alexander Hayne called it on himself and called the head judge, they brought the penalty down to just a warning The combo of Alex calling it on himself and John being a ridiculous sportsman and saying "I'd rather play a 5th game than have you take a game loss" just made it so that they could go on to a last game.

[@lavit2099]

The rule is you have X cards in your deck (60 in this case) and 15 in your sideboard. Between games you can swap cards from deck to sideboard but you have to start the game with the SAME number of cards that you started with. Basically he brought 5 cards from his sideboard but forgot to pull out 5 cards from his deck. Since it was before the game started and didn't help him, he was given a warning (2 warnings and you drop a game) instead of having to lose the game.

[@CaptainShapiro]

Miracle reads "when you draw it if it's the first card you drew this turn." Miracles can be played anytime you would draw your card, so long as it's the first card you draw THAT turn (yours or your opponents'). Otherwise, miracle sorceries would be uncastable, as they're cast during the draw step, not your main phase, if drawn as part of your own draw step.

[@RobBubble]

Why is rookie of the year determined already? I thought that would happen in Seattle?

[@lonewolf975]

its to keep the opponent guessing and to really see which of your mana you need most in order to adapt to your opponent.

[@shadowofthewarriors]

my respect for finkel just went through the roof

[@XBOX360VIRUSps3]

thank you

[@MSNking14]

cause those are so pretty!

[@bachaumtg6092]

Same thing, it's block constructed that ended with Avacyn so you can call it either. They're on the plane of Innistrad though so that's the correct term.

[@stebobibo]

I thought you were allowed to play more than 60 cards in deck after game 1. Isn't it only a rule for the start of a match that the deck needs to be the size its registered at? In this case it was game 4 not game 1. Also, what's up with both players sacking their geists when they both had one? Was that how the old legend rule was?

[@MrTopping]

Yes that is how the old legend rule worked. Also you could play more than 60 cards in your deck and you MUST have a 15 card sideboard. Alex called his deck illegal because it should have been 60, not 65. Also he had 10 cards in his sideboard which broke the rules at the time

[@stebobibo]

@@MrTopping Thanks for answering!

[@Braashyy]

THE CARD VIEWER IS AMAZING!

[@trysephiroth007]

Spectral flight gets a good amount of play in a lot of formats.

[@Exolithus]

Magic Tournement Rules 3.9 Card Shuffling Once the deck is randomized, it must be presented to an opponent. By this action, players state that their decks are legal and randomized. The opponent may then shuffle it additionally. Cards and sleeves must not be in danger of being damaged during this process. If the opponent does not believe the player made a reasonable effort to randomize his or her deck, the opponent must notify a judge.

[@animedude3000]

I think it was great that Jon Finkel said no to the game loss, but isn't the decision supposed to be an automatic game loss and not something that you can accept or decline as a player?

[@ThunderfallFilms]

It's ultimately up to the judge, but you are correct, it SHOULD have been a game loss, considering Hayne played the previous game with 65 cards as well. However, it is ultimately up to the Head Judge, and since it couldn't be verified conclusively (without reviewing the video, which judges don't like to do for a variety of reasons) it was up to the discretion of the head judge. Was Finkel's attitude influential on the decision? I think it absolutely was. But when it comes to discretionary decisions like this, mitigating factors DO matter. The fact Hayne called himself on it, mixed with Finkel's good sportsmanship, and the fact nobody wants a match to end in a game loss for an accident that would influence the game only marginally, steered the judge in this direction. I think it was the right call, and I can't see it really becoming a problem in future decision-making, since it is a choice based on a head judge's discretion.

[@drop0ut606]

In a situation like this where you have cameras and stage lights on a young player in his first pro tour, playing against the Michael Jordan of MTG. Simple mistakes like the one he made should be completely understandable, especially given that he caught the mistake himself and pointed it out prior to game start.

[@dylanmcla]

Shane Wallick I dont think he used 65 during the game

[@lutherboy95]

Dylan McCollum he didn't it was after shuffling up he realized he presented a larger deck

[@IFlyStealth]

Alexander Hayne is my new favorite player cuz that deck and he is Canadian.

[@GeneralGabp]

thank you :D

[@4S4L3]

Id love to see it.

[@YoshiOfADown]

INSANE HAYNE

[@Skiizolicious]

Not sure when you're talking about, but the land he lays can possibly make a difference on what he miracles if he even does.

[@MSNking14]

If he did it at the end of turn, most of the time they just put it into play untapped because they're next phase is to untap. Just sort of an understood courtesy between players.

[@AverageAngel]

i love alexander hayne's miracle deck

[@trymantha]

they wait to do it at the end of the oppenents turn, this way they have the most information when they use it, depending on the play their oppenent makes they can fetch a different land if needed for there turn, they do it at the last moment so they ahve the most information to make thier descion

[@nandersonpage]

Oh.. and yes, If you watch Alex's deck tech.. he named the deck: Hallelujah (coz of all those miracles)

[@natewoo9796]

temporal mastery + tamiyo= awesome

[@Tophisthebest226]

What kind of sleeves is Hayne using? They dont look shiny like the ones most of us use, and Finkel himself is using. I really like them.

[@TheUrbanleg]

great job with the card viewer!

[@Tophisthebest226]

Thanks :DD

[@motox3rider13]

Is playing with Alpha or Beta lands a status thing?

[@VexaPT]

cool card photo display to better follow up the match, at last

[@TheDubCollective]

Sound is to soft... but this convinced me to go play more miracles

[@Idetectintrospective]

Congratulations Alex, way to rep Canada!

[@Option42B]

@ Orthinology... that U/W deck makes me wanna play sever the bloodline

[@richurro20]

I want a deck like Alexander Hayes but man is it expensive lol.

[@Hakkology]

As long as you have other friends to play with, just order some lots from ebay and some singles to help you make a good start. Thats what i did and its awesome now :).

[@neilo11]

is this standard or block?

[@Shaharazad221]

No pressure!

[@Deastoryer]

how did alexander lay entreat the angels with only 2 plains. did he play the flash back or what?

[@justskate2292]

they TRULY do a much better job of covering these pro tours now, only issue i have is the video is a bit quiet lol

[@JamSamJackx]

as long as silverheart is not already bond then when the angel hits the field the soulbound triggers and goes on stack.

[@IFlyStealth]

they got to increase the sound on these videos

[@Averion083]

They start playing at 8:26

[@guitarfreek009]

probably just basic black set of ultra pro the backs are like a thing textured backing. Should be easy to find.

[@Anton0witch]

oooh nice :D

[@ATRSKody]

I just got done proxying a miracle deck :D

[@RobBubble]

Did you watch it? In the match between John and Alex, in Game 5, Alex presents his deck, then realizes that he presented his deck with 65 cards, which is a rule violation, because he registered 60, and after sideboarding, the deck has to have an equal number of cards as were registered. But because he called it on himself and just realized it to late, and John was nice and allowed him to continue, this was counted as warning and not the game loss it would have usually been.

[@bodines1]

ya i winced when i saw that entire play from blocking start to finish

[@Rewwgh]

if this wouldn't be a block constructed I would play a card like Commandeer in Hayne's deck :D

[@saltedllama2759]

Jon could have taken the easy win, Alexander called himself for making an error. Both guys realized it was the kind of mistake anyone could make, no one gained an advantage, results in a warning. Perfect way to handle that by both players and the judges. Shame Jon ultimately lost the match, but I guarantee you, he still believes it was the right way to handle it. Unlike the guy who ensured Chapin would take a match loss when the corner of a card he got off of Ejani touched the corner of one of the cards in his hand when moving the others to the bottom of his library. Even though no advantage had been gained, and the card hadn't disappeared into his hand before being revealed, his opponent sat there, arms crossed, acting confused and cheated until the judge gave Chapin a loss.

[@DrAwesome532]

Jon reminds me of the ninth doctor.

[@MSNking14]

That would depend on the advise you're looking for. If you're starting out, do some research on how the game is played so you can make educated decisions about buy cards. Probably best thing to do is buy an Intro Deck and a Fat Pack of M13. That will give you brand new stuff that will be in Standard for a long time and you can build from there. Most importantly... have fun!

[@RottingCorpse100]

That UG deck makes me want to play more Tribute to Hungers

[@ZenCommentaries]

Temporal mastery exiles itself

[@VanVendel]

Why do the players wear a microphone, when the only sound we hear from them is, the "clunck", when they take the mic off and put it on the table?! (1:50:24)

[@Fired88]

how come he doesn't use the dual lands?

[@BarlowFlip]

because they've just fixed the face it's in BOTH headphones! baby steps haha

[@fantasmagorico2008]

On Pro Tour's top 8 is a 3 out of 5 match, instead of 2 out of 3

[@Wyther57]

*by "today" I meant "in this tournament" :P

[@Meekle58]

Yeah they are Pro Matte, I find them much better to use.

[@Bladerune]

Ken yukuhiro so nervous.....

[@zdevereux]

This is block constructed. The duals are enemy not allied pairs

[@00005153]

All these cards are in standard as of now, but this is block constructed.

[@lonewolf975]

finkel likes red bull. i suddenly want a pack of red bull.

[@FSMxEvoLution]

Can someone explain to me why when Jon won 2 games out of the 3 they kept playing?

[@prn_Melatonin]

0:57:09 That temporal mastery!

[@gedwashere91]

"Que Serra Serra" hahahahahahahaha sneaky BDM

[@ThatCrazyHobo47]

It's not a waste man, I just got into it about three weeks ago, as long as you have a shop in town that hosts mtg games you'll have fun. Just don't listen to MrMadden613, he's just ticked cause his mom told him he was to old to be breast feeding.

[@tomanocucaralhoporra]

1:11:08 Dude in the back is like "How did he do that?"

[@WFBxFilms]

CAN YOU SOULBOUND FROM SILVERHEART TO THE ANGEL THAT THE GEIST OF SAINT THRAFT PUTS OUT????

[@modestiny85]

Not enough energy drinks, drink more energy drinks

[@Pallytankful]

Truthfully I find them rather difficult to shuffle the cliche way (cliche for this game anyway.) I see Hayne going with the oldschool shuffle, which was the only way I could find myself able to shuffle with these.

[@HJR98]

Then turn it up...

[@dflyman]

Why is it that they don't sacrifice Evolving Wilds the turn they play it? Seems odd that they would wait a turn to do so.

[@cat4luny4]

if u want it u can buy it

[@panos907]

What are you talking about,who's playing a faulty deck??

[@relivia]

anyone else realize in the rachid vs yukuhiro game that when yukuhiro played his resto angel blinking huntmaster he should have just blinked his fiend hunter put his own huntmaster under it then next turn blasphemous act and keep the huntmaster? seemed pretty obviously insane

[@bachaumtg6092]

Innistrad Block Constructed

[@mitch1734]

People like you worry me for playing this game =/