Pro Tour Dark Ascension: Top 8 Semifinals

[@Casemister36]

Really good match! A little disappointed at the lack of Mesa Falcons, but I guess the Pros weren't considering that high level of tech at that time.

[@vivid_swatch2091]

I see you too came to watch this game after cgb and rarran's video 😂

[@zergon13]

There will be more Mesa Flacons here in the comments :P

[@AbaoA_Qu]

Mesa falcon blocks delver and infect lands, and butt breathing counteracts kessig wolf run at a more efficient rate. What a missed opportunity.

[@vivid_swatch2091]

@@AbaoA_Qu BUTT BREATHING 😂

[@JesusGrohl]

CGB sent me here. Well worth it! Mesa Falcon Gang!

[@kingguy3]

After I watched the cgb vid, it was suddenly suggested to me by the algorithm

[@kristofferbishop3511]

Still my favorite block and time period for MTG. I got back into MTG when Dark Ascension came out, Innistrad was sooo good, DKA kept the flavor rolling, and then Avacyn Restored had all these Angels and Griselbrand, and I was hooked again. I watched this video when it first came out 9 years ago, and here I am, back for more.

[@Paranoiddruid2]

Same here man. So good back then!

[@steet2]

it's a shame to see how much worse MTG and WotC has become since then

[@cavemanben]

Same here, mirrodin was great, then right into Innistrad. Such a great era.

[@varcynal]

Every so often I like to go back and watch this Match, I love watching these two play so seeing the two of them duke it out makes for great magic.

[@WBRamsesIII]

Enjoying a fantastic rewind in 2015! Best match I've ever watched

[@WBRamsesIII]

11 years later and still the best match I've ever watched

[@nerdstrong]

Some of the best play at the top levels AND a Sheldon cameo! This video has it all!

[@michaelbismarckii9139]

I've gotten so used to Kibler shuffling, I've begun to enjoy it

[@WisecrackJax]

By far one of the best matches I've ever seen. The second Whipflare was insane.

[@revengeonmrgrape09]

I have lost track of how many times I have watched this match

[@MSNking14]

Rewatching in 2024

[@richurro20]

god i miss old mtg. take me back.

[@Charge183IF]

Starting to learn this game at 23 (watching this to learn from the best). I'm amazed by it's complexity and style, so I can't understand how anyone could say it's "for kids". Everyone playing should try to make Magic as popular and known as poker or chess.

[@jacobalarcon5171]

this might just be generational bias but I sincerely believe Innistrad is responsible for the best standard format in the games history. Also I really miss Kibler at the pro tour 😢

[@thenoobdestroyer100]

inistrad RTR was heaven

[@patricioramosnegrete1192]

@@thenoobdestroyer100 Innistrad/Mirrodin with all 6 sets was godly as well, but a little too dominated by Delver. Innistrad-RTR was incredible

[@loganhhs2010]

Yep. I had just started playing competitively in Mirrodin/Innistrad standard. That period, plus RTR has stayed my favorite period of the format. Just such diversity in the format and so much fun.

[@itsthekid9815]

@@patricioramosnegrete1192 the thing about the full format people started to realize delver couldn't beat green white midrange.

[@keyes53ljh]

one of my favorite matches, the thought process between turns for finkel and kibler was amazing. great match.

[@CharstarAlmighty]

I think it is amazing that you were able to switch games in the middle like that when there was an issue. Very good coverage.

[@chris5036]

PRO TOUR GALVANIC BLAST NEVERFORGET

[@ILIKEITSIMPLE]

I love how almost 300.000 people have seen this video, and not even 100.000 have seen the Finals video.

[@tbguillermo98]

Ladies and gentlemen who are confused. This is one of the greatest Magic duels that have ever happened. It was staggering and daggering indeed.

[@M0mentum11]

This match was incredible

[@Zeferet.]

this video was what got me into magic, and i do not regret it!!

[@FunkmasterA997]

"I tap out and play Lingering Souls, your turn." "I tap out and play Primeval Titan, your turn."

[@Drecon84]

Sick topdeck for Kibler. Really cool to see two of the best players in the world battle it out.

[@LearnAndReflect]

that's amazing, the last play. the ONE time that Jon Finkel is a teeny bit hasty, it costs him a spot in the finals. Just absolutely stunning.

[@al0ndite]

Definitely, without doubt, the most exciting match for all of PTDKA.

[@drop0ut606]

This standard all the way til the end of the summer was probably the funnest in recent memory.

[@richurro20]

Agreed. I also liked Avacyn and m13 Standard. New standard is so lame.

[@0doral]

They reset the board state because they had cameras. Finkel just won when they continued to play and the casters didn't show or talk about it. They simply mentioned there was a Drogskull at the end.

[@Ajudge9]

One of the best matches I have seen

[@alcapownage44]

That mistake of not blocking cost him at least 10 thousand dollars. I wouldn't be able to sleep for days. Awesome match though most exciting I have seen in a while.

[@Ox5f3759df]

It makes it so that your opponent doesn't even try to see what you've been holding since your opening hand. It also gets to be habit after a while and you just do it without noticing.

[@Trivedi_Tuesdays]

The fact that finkel got so far in this terrible matchup speaks volume on his greatness. It was just kibler’s time to shine, the dragonmaster’s legendary run

[@4mped]

This was in my recommended videos... and I have no freaking clue what's going on here.

[@tyler71989]

anyone else coming back to this in 2018?

[@masondyer7604]

yep, gotta watch some GOOD standard every now and again

[@tylerschafer412]

I honestly dont know why he didn't block his 2/2 at the end. I mean he knew at the very least kibler was running red in the deck, In my opinion thats enough knowledge to at least start blocking when your at 10 or less health.

[@Greydjinn]

great match! So crazy to see the disputed wolf token be the difference! Classy pros, great games...i'm so glad I am playing Magic again!

[@cadaverdoggy]

why not block? finkel c'mon

[@bobrossasaurus]

I agree 100%. Shuffling your cards in your hand like a maniac doesn't make you a better Magic player, it doesn't look cool, and it stalls the game. For example, at one point Kibler shuffled his hand for about 30 seconds straight, then played a Mountain and passed the turn. I was so furious after that. If I were Finkel, I would've raged.

[@Stillson14]

Maaaan. The double Whipflare play is just as awesome the second time.

[@MTGNetDecker]

He shuffles even more. MIND BLOWN

[@tamserenity]

It would be kinda cool if you posted deck list to look at for more information.

[@oPoptartz]

Had to come here after PT Hour of Devastation top 8. Watching misplays like that just hurt, but at least the match was fantastic.

[@x3p5i10nx]

CGB didn't mention fellow Mesa Falcon Sheldon in the video!

[@rhysieboy999]

In older formats there are cards that specifically reference a card in the graveyard by order placed, for instance 4th card in the graveyard etc. Hence changing it effects these cards

[@TatsuMakiSeppuKyaku]

You're supposed to do that. It stops observant players from tracking which cards you have in your hand and where they are. There are a lot of layers to Magic beyond just playing with the cards

[@TheSlowDesign]

random question: I recently put a card into my green white populate deck called "Trostani, voice of selesnya" it's main ability is that i gain health equal to the amount of toughness a creature has when it enters the field under my control. If i were to populate Trostani, would the ability multiply depending on how many tokens of her i own?

[@kyleashby3422]

also does anyone know either A how to qualify ingeneral or if u can use mtg arena to qualify ?????????

[@StallordD]

I noticed that they tend to update damage not often enough. They may have just been compensating for earlier turns.

[@MusicManHartsock]

Crazy end result there. Wow.

[@TheIntelife]

That was the most self-screwed loss I've ever seen, but I don't think anyone could reasonably expect three galvanic blasts...

[@gildrop]

@neveSykcuL what wolf token thing? I only watched the kibler match, but i saw nothing wrong there. Let me know what match it is and i'll go check it out

[@Murphator]

does anybody know what the second image shown in this video is? that is like THE coolest creature I've ever seen! anyone know the name of that thing?

[@PAVN]

Where can I get kibler's awesome tiger scarf thing1?

[@That1GamerDude7]

does that mean they cant be obtained in stores then? since they are custom? I am actually new to magic (played 9 years ago, but wasnt that good) what are some great places to buy both old and new cards from? is there a newsletter I can get signed into to always know whats new and on the way?

[@7mean7bunny7]

The judge said this was the first time they ever rolled back a game state before. What is DCI policy if something like this happened and it wasn't on camera?

[@isaaclopez5998]

+7mean7bunny7 They must have recently changed policy about making that kind of review. Pro Tour Dragons of Tarkir, Patrick Chapin received a game loss after he failed to reveal a card off of Ajani, Mentor of Heros. He urged the judges to review the recording to prove that the card he was identifying was the card off Ajani. It was clear from video which card he got off the Ajani, yet he received a game loss for something like 'drawing extra cards'. Judges made a statement afterwards that the feature area does not receive extra benefits, such as review of recording.

[@simonotaku]

Anyone know where I could find Finkel's deck list from this vid?

[@zhengjing1]

@awdett what about autmn's viel+untapped land+titan+combust+g-blast(the last 2 finkel knew about) I am trying really hard to see if in ANY case of kibler's hand finkel was correct. And i think finkel had 6 tokens, which is why kibler took 6.

[@NeoNeko99]

Personally I found the absolute best way to get the hang of Magic was Duels of the Planeswalker. I love it and it introduces you to all the mechanics and makes it really easy to learn the turn order etc. Free to download the basic version on iPad too. Really recommend it.

[@CalleLidbom]

You can find them at the official site for Ascension under Purchase >> Official Ascension Sleeves.

[@derekadams32]

Am I missing something? At 1:10:00 , Finkel could have played the captain, copied it with the image, and swung for lethal (12 in the air via lingering souls). I must be missing something because there is no way he would have missed that.

[@zhengjing1]

@awdett Maybe slag storm+titan then? If finkel blcks, he goes down to 5 token, kibler cast titan, to maintain lethal damage, u have to manaleak it. Which which case kibler dont pay and play slagstorm instead? As to if he doesn't block, finkel lets the titan comes down, shoots down 3 tokens puts finkel on 4 tokens, still lethal?

[@WadeGriffith]

It's still very popular. Got any of your old cards still? I'll buy em! haha

[@pitadude9836]

Does everyone do the sway when they pile shuffle?

[@josecohen1983]

Stupid question: any particular reason to play Whipflare instead of Pyroclasm? Doesn't want to kill his Solemn Simulacrums?

[@Andreitism]

ive never seen this game played before... but a triple galvanic blast!!?!??!?! wow amazing play

[@Oiltuber]

@notme222 Link to video showing Estratti vs Martell?

[@Jakemana2]

what is the red green land that brian is using called?

[@kyleashby3422]

this is one of my favorite and im still looking for jons deck list ten years later and yes i am an idiot

[@PerhapsOOTMM]

Rich Hagon may talk a lot, but he doesn't say much.

[@awdett]

@Oiltuber He said it on his twitter account. During the game he thought he was playing around Inferno Titan, but later realized if he played Snapcaster->Mana Leak, that would tap Kibler out (9 lands) to let Finkel safely play his lord w/ Negate backup for the win.

[@StarlitHalo]

@Anyguy4321: this was their first broadcast on TwitchTV. I'm sure they were worried much more about their quality of streaming more than their camera personnel's positioning and angles. Wizards has no control over that.

[@That1GamerDude7]

what kind of sleeves is brian using, I cant tell what they have on them, but they do look kinda cool....

[@Saritenite]

Famous words from Rich Hagon, "There's almost no way a Game 5 can top it"

[@cannedpears6050]

I enjoy how the old stream layout is significantly better than the current.

[@MonsterM4sh]

+Cole Thompson I don't enjoy it, but you're not lying.

[@AvantTom]

Does anyone have a timestamp for when they tell you the judges ruling for the whole wolf and spirit debacle?

[@ncclgrc]

finkel said in the interview after the match that he didn't block because he was expecting an inferno titan. he could mana leak the inferno titan or even if it resolves, will leave him with 2 more spirits which would have been lethal next turn with drogskoll captain. he can handle 2 galvanic blasts but lucky for kibler he had three. good match!

[@jeromewilliams8630]

if anyone knows what sleeves Finkel is using here, please let me know. they look like KMCs? i think? or Dragon Shields maybe? they definitely aren't UltraPro

[@cubik124]

I don't know if I would have blocked in that situation for fear of galvanic blasts, but with knowing their hands, there was soo much tension when he said "no blocks"

[@jackkick1697]

at 46sec what card is that in the background?

[@mattm7798]

What were the two deck names Kibler and Finkel were playing? Funny enough, I like the graphics more back then but they don't show close ups of the cards nor say the deck names. I assume one was Delver something but what was Kibler playing?

[@XxNovaz]

+Matt M I believe Kibler was playing wolfrun ramp and Finkel was play spirits.

[@spoopyboi1882]

wolfrun ramp vs delver spirits i think

[@annabellethorpe2542]

correct, kibler team was the wolfrun deck

[@StarCraftBlink]

Did I miss something? at around 1:10:00 couldn't Finkel have just gone Drogskul Captain copy it swing for lethal? I thought he had a phantasmal image in hand but I guess I could have mis seen it.

[@Drojdier]

@23:39 why only 3 dmg? captain 2/2, spirit 2/2. What am I missing?

[@schilke237]

Congrats to both players, we probably should've seen Jon Finkel in the finals, but nobody can say that they would have expected to see three galvanics if you were in his shoes.

[@coldhank]

What were the in-out sideboards of Brian Kibler's deck?

[@Metroidam11]

Is there a link to their decks?

[@xTobsecretx]

Galvanic blast you … Galvanic blast you Negate Galvanic blast you What a moment!

[@JeremyHoffman]

Link to their decklists should really be in the video description! I can't post a URL in a KZbin comment, but search for "Pro Tour Dark Ascension Top 8 Decks" on Google.

[@xx415pato7xx456]

@neveSykcuL What was illegal play?

[@zhengjing1]

Ok forget my earlier train of thought, I had a look at finkel's hand. The cars he was playing around is as follows: autumn's veil+titan+untap land+g-blast and combus(the last 2 he knows about.)

[@chiazach3972]

amazing comback at the end

[@DigiBullet23]

is magic still popular i mean i used to play it back when well grade 4 and 5 and i am 26 now...it was fun tho

[@dragonestea]

To elaborate: Magic may have more overlap, but it also has way more cards, a much broader range of abilities (such as abilities that cause subgames, control opponent's turns, bring cards into play from outside the game, etc) and a superior economics system. The game state is also subject to a lot more change as a lot of cards straight up change the rules of the game. finally, has a lot more multiplayer associated with it. Just a few reasons why i say it's more complex.

[@awdett]

Lots of people are missing that Finkel had 7 spirits in play at the time he chose not to block (two are offscreen). Finkel admitted that even if Kibler had Inferno Titan, Finkel could Snapcaster ->Mana Leak it to tap out Kibler to still win.

[@WhosNick]

24:45 is the wolf token misplay, it seems both players forgot about the Drogskull trigger even when Jon double blocked with the first wolf when he could have straight traded.

[@wowimbeasty]

what is a ramp deck?

[@mmogeek1]

Brian Kibler - 1 colorless - legendary artifact At the beginning of your upkeep, start shuffling your hand in a very annoying manner and put a piss off counter on Brian Kibler. Once there is 3 counters on Brian Kibler, you may shuffle your hand at an increasing speed. If this effect persists for a full turn, you make your opponent jump over the table and try to hit you, effectively winning the game by disqualification.

[@huron994]

1:40:02 yes i am enjoying a fantastic rewatch. What a set of games!

[@pallybynight]

he plays the combust in response to the phantasmal image on the stack. If you watch it he is contemplating it for a bit, to combust now or to blow slagstorm to live.

[@Espelleanthus]

kibler seems to be a fair and a pleasant player to play with

[@Jarrywoot]

Curious about what bonus the ravager gives to a wolf.....

[@Rajitak]

20:00 I don't understand how he went from 24 to 19. Can someone explain? 3 flyers went through, should have brought him to 21?

[@lilkitsune]

It wouldn't as both doubling season and parallel life are replacement effect ( they don't put the token themselves but state that the source put double what it should). In a similar the 2 PL +1DS will create 8 of the tokens and not 6 ( X*2*2*2=x*8) Basically it's goes up in powers of 2(if you got the full 8 pieces set you'll get 256 times the original amount of tokens).

[@MSNking14]

why did the rootbound crag at 1:17:00 enter untapped? he only controlled Copperline Gorge.