Pro Tour Magic 2015 - Quarterfinals - Matt Sperling vs. Ivan Floch

It's a battle from opposite ends of the spectrum, as Matt Sperling's Boros Burn deck challenges Ivan Floch's White/Blue Sphinx's Revelation Control deck in the Quarterfinals of Pro Tour Magic 2015.

[@QibingZero]

Props to Sperling for not only playing it out and letting Floch have some fun, but also keeping a good attitude and joking around about it as it happened.

[@MultiMYLOS]

Matt Sperling is just a great guy for putting up with control for an hour and 15 minutes.

[@briancavanaugh5651]

+MultiMYLOS i stopped playing standard for a little while during RTR cuz i couldnt do it...

[@lucablankenship9247]

really appreciate sperling's good sport till the end, made the game much more enjoyable.

[@Fatlord27]

I love watching Ivan's deck at work. It's like watching a concerto that climaxes for half an hour

[@daisyxcutter]

Every match with Ivan's deck is just so disgusting and I love it.

[@Hoangapalooza]

Good man that Matt Sperling, he is definitely the type of mtg player I would like to aspire to :)

[@eyeforaneye8785]

Ivan floch deck is just amazing... absolutely the most refined version of u/w control I've seen playing in standard. just so classy, so old school... the quicken/planar cleansing/verdict/divination interaction is so underrated, apparently irrelevant, and in fact so brilliant. lol at those who complain about the lack of win cons in this deck is... just learn the basics of card advantage in magic you noobs !

[@dimitrisp5941]

Nice :-)

[@thomasdameron390]

I built a casual control deck based on this deck, and my only win condition aside from Elixir is 4 Faerie Conclaves (until I can upgrade them to Colonnades). It's amusing to watch the look of horror that slowly appears on people's faces as they realize you only need the Elixir itself as your win condition.

[@lucas13110]

Thomas Dameron I made the deck able to play on Legacy and it works just fine. It can easily beats a Legacy Death n Taxes, Monastery Mentor is a way way better win con though.

[@jakehearn432]

And now a days nothing like that worked in the mirror cause of teferi and it's sad cause pioneer needs answers other than lock outs

[@KenKotsuNoGarp]

That feeling when you have 100% control of a game, and your oponent is playing top deck, and you know that he cant draw anything that can lose you the game... is the reason i play control. Most satisfying feeling in the game for me :P

[@dannyloyiii]

Ricardo you like blue don't you

[@oreos7904]

I was using my black white midrange against a blue white control. I exiled every single win condition card (about 4) but slowly milled myself. With no cards in my library, I played debt to the deathless, X was 19. The look on his face when he didn't have a counter and he lost when he only needed to survive one turn. One turn loss, his life went from 32 to -6, the biggest fuck you to control decks.

[@MrHpotte]

IntoTheFlame haha

[@Nr4747]

(Late comment, I know): So true, one of my few Magic regrets is that I didn't play Azorius Control even more often and never got to cast a Revelation for more than 14 in Standard (most were for 12 or less) !

[@PlumbknuckleWasTaken]

My god that's such a beautiful Blue/White deck.

[@justinzarzycki8246]

matt sperling. 'are you having fun' ivan floch "actually yes. me cant stop laughing floch is a troll and i love it

[@zorac91]

Playing versus these type of "good sport" players makes you enjoy the match like no other, either you are winning or losing. Awesome match!

[@bipidyboo1274]

This is why i love control decks. I like playing as long as possible!

[@henrymildenstein81]

Wached this Mach a million times

[@josiahlehrke9876]

Whoever has to keep track of Floch's cards in-hand is not being paid enough...his hand seems like 7 new cards every turn :P

[@TeddyBH20]

Always love watching control as not only do I play it soulfully but I think it is so much more enjoyable to know that lifetotal doesn't determine who is ahead

[@MirrorAshes]

Props to Sperling for keeping it light in the face of the loss. Congrats Ivan!

[@Timmmmm42y]

Its almost a decade later and I still come back to this match for a good time. Also can we stop to appreciate how amazing standard was before wotc broke it? This format was so good that both burn and uw control made it to the quarter finals. Thats what standard should be. Inistastrad, Thero's, Khans and so on before we got 3 dozen bans, splinter twin in standard and Vehicles

[@Timmmmm42y]

I watch this match quite frequently but something I just noticed. Floch didn't take the 2 off of the Jace ult. He's casting a spell.

[@jessiesandoval1269]

Playing modern in standard, i love it

[@sunburn8956]

I took floch’s deck and modern-ified it and definitely one of my favorite decks I’ve ever played.

[@Joelthelobo]

Ivan Floch has the be there most enjoyable control player to watch. He makes it look soo enjoyable

[@movieswithsauce4301]

I love how zack phrases things. He makes the whole match sound like a novel while giving good strategical points. I'm sad he isn't doing commentary anymore 😪

[@lordofcinder0693]

20:16 Dude just attacks with a creature he just played. It did not have haste.

[@ChewyMorales13]

Ngl I'm high af rn homie and I was like what??? It didn't have haste ??

[@lordofcinder0693]

@@ChewyMorales13 it’s true. The dude just put his dude out and swung with that shit🤣

[@bud.e8890]

Okay but if somehow his elixir of immortality gets countered or destroyed is that game for floch? Can he keep it up without losing/running out of cards?

[@austinolet8236]

Who else wishes Zach still did commentary

[@danmcgoogleaccount6954]

flufffleece fluff was the obvious mvp of the pro tour.

[@hagorrangaming8160]

Idiots saying Burn has no thoguht process, that control has no thought process there both better then most of us at theese decks shut up and watch and learn.

[@MartinKincl1993]

They should have made Sphinx's Revelation a sorcery. This way it is too powerful basically resetting the game with you having often more than seven cards in hand and a bunch of lands in play. They made Rakdos's Return a sorcery, because as an instant, it would be just as powerful if not slightly more.

[@MartinKincl1993]

Torvak Mendelek True, but still...

[@Stefanish]

Can't wait for Sphinx's Revelation to fall out of rotation

[@arsenalfanrichi]

Seen one Azorius control deck and you've seen them all. Stall stall counter anything you see and wipe on 4, repeat and eventually draw a couple of cards

[@Overweightrabbit]

19:50 Eidolon has haste??

[@skyaro2766]

Overweightrabbit i am just watching this and just saw this that should have been caught by a commentator or player or judge at this level

[@salsaespacial]

@@skyaro2766 21:50

[@Deeke777]

If only Sperling didn't tap RRR to cast Chandra's Phoenix. He could have Searing Blooded his own Phoenix and put it into the graveyard instead. I've done some nifty ass things with Searing Blood...one of my favorite cards ever printed. I love going Ash Zealot, move to first strike damage, and using Searing Blood. Suddenly a Stormbreath Dragon just vanishes.

[@johnhaahr9255]

why does spedling not have pyromancer's gauntlet in his deck? It makes all burns spells so much stronger.

[@NobleMason117]

Because it's 5 mana and bad

[@Blu3_Mage]

It's realllllll bad

[@allidoiznguyen]

Yea control!!!! Burn deck had no chance there..

[@MSUHitman]

David Nguyen Get your Skullcracks, Mutavaults, and Phoenix's and you can burn them up fairly quickly.

[@Clackerr]

Tighter plays might have pulled Sperling through in game one. Game 2 wasn't happening. You can't constantly rep the skullcrack, sometimes you have to make tempo plays to keep the pressure on and if they rev for 2-4, you have all of next turn to free cast anything you can at them.

[@Clackerr]

plus keeping in all of your 4 mana cost spells against control is wrong.

[@gregheffley7285]

1:58 why does it have to be perfectly in the graveyard? this isn't Magic: The Cleaning

[@John7Uzumaki]

1:03:23 Hahaha Marsall's description of the situation was epic xD

[@LosKrachosHD]

This ivan is a amazing player, love his matches !

[@Its_McKennon]

Uuuuh, I think Ivan Flock cheated... at 1:03:25 He casts 2 quickens on Matt's endstep. He draw 2 Revelations. Both of them are upside down. Those aren't random cards. Usually, if you have cards flipped, and there is not pattern (like 1 island, 1 syncopate, and 1 Jace), it's a warning, but it would be pretty hard to argue that having the most powerful spells in your deck oriented differently as an accident.

[@Daero1]

Is this modern or standard?

[@Swisheals]

how much would these guys decks be worth ?

[@fluffy5443]

+Sandels The Demo Warlock I know that Ivan's deck is around $230

[@Swisheals]

arhh cool thanks

[@Level99Chickens]

you can make a budget version without the mutavaults and shocklands, which usually you don't even need since the deck is so slow. I built one for ~$35 a little while ago and most of that was just Sphnx's Revelations.

[@krosnest0713]

Arjahn ! How did u do that? Not put in supreme verdict as well? Playset of supreme verdict and sphinxs revelation cost a couple bucks under $40 just for a playset of each.

[@krosnest0713]

Arjahn ! Not trying to be a dick about. I actually built this deck and then switched it to be my own and also make it a lot quicker with newer cards. But would like to build one that's closer to this without having to spend the money again. Thanx!

[@lymn2002]

Edidion the red card was quickened and supreme verdicted. How come floch didn't lose life for the quicken?

[@__Philip__311]

I believe Quicken was cast while EGR was still on the stack.

[@JoseAquinoHidroquino]

exactly that happens Jackal Plow

[@TheKaneECO]

So wait.... how does Ivan plan to WIN games? he never does damage? Is the plan to just get lots of mana and hp to a point where his opponent will just run out of cards?

[@estark3219]

If the opponent doesn't concede, yes it will go to that. Floch will just keep countering his cards, gaining life and drawing cards from revelation. Elixir of Immortality will keep Floch from decking out

[@TheKaneECO]

Wow!

[@chrischeng2922]

His end game is "inevitability," in which the opponent literally cannot play magic. He also has the Jace Ultimate which takes the win condition from his opponent's deck.

[@isambo400]

why did ivan's mutavault die game 1?

[@TopdeckNuII]

searing blood. 2 damage to a creature and 3 to that creatures controller

[@ralex3697]

Burn decks run out of cards too fast ! They have to hit hard quickly, but Floch's deck answers to lots of stuff Great match !

[@Ethryas]

Floch should have taken two from the free cast of pyromancer off Jace ultimate. Probably would have changed the outcome of that game.

[@weirdguy60]

Sphinx's revelation is so beyond broken, it's ridiculous

[@fluffy5443]

+Nathan Stalter It's definitely not broken

[@rafaeljesusbenedicto3747]

As a control player i approve

[@brittdaniels7778]

Iven flock is my fair magic player, I,m growing to meet he Sam day.

[@RhysticStudies]

how the fuck does Floch win, apart from forcing concession?

[@charliekellie4086]

Main Deck - Jace ultimate, damage via Mutavault and Elspeth. Sideboard - Archangel of Thune and Jace Memory Adept The opponents concede because they realize Floch has complete control over the game and regardless of what they do, Floch will have an answer, card advantage and life to nullify anything they do. We call this "inevitability". When a deck reaches that point, players just concede and move on and not waste anymore energy.

[@SpartanDeluxe]

Jin Zhao Elspeth was not in his main deck.

[@charliekellie4086]

Did not realize that. It is still a win condition, however.

[@austinbach3731]

With Elixir of Immortality, he can also win by decking the opponent very slowly because he can never run out of cards in library.

[@INinjaCash55]

Elspeth and jace both have win con.

[@afk5112]

Love Ivan's deck!

[@LeafhopperV]

When it went dark, that looked kinda cool.

[@jjmangelsweet]

Sperling lost because he did not play aggressive enough..

[@ievgeni.fesenko5636]

Well done!

[@kobisjeruk]

Man I love Donais5C but all these new re-imagining pisses me off.

[@alinahanke984]

they forgot the eidolon trigger for casting young peezy of of jace ultimate :D

[@poyos5237]

This match was so painful that I couldn't even finish watching game 2. Talk about a horrible matchup for RW Burn.

[@luc4242]

even today this deck is okay in modern. just change the sideboard. I even beat urza tron at fnm in legacy with this deck

[@frankl5506]

Who is playing tron in legacy?

[@modernminded5466]

Which of them? Because the better of the 2 (UW control) is a terrible Tron matchup.

[@peewee130946]

Luc Medio same this is my modern deck my main and sideboard have 0 creatures I just elspeth and psychic spiral my opponent to death

[@MrChowstardust]

Lol shame Ivan didn't BM harder with a planar cleansing to a dissolve, then a dispel for the dissolve, to a dissolve for the planar cleansing for more tokens and would still have enough mana for mutavault. xD Ps. If you notice, one of his Hallowed fountains didn't untap for two turns... O-O

[@YeOldeStalin]

Holy balls I am so sick of UW Rev decks. Khans cannot get here soon enough.

[@arran2264]

YeOldeStalin I know I'm two years too late but just stop, you probably then said I hate abzan shadows over innistarad cant come soon enough, then wanted to get rid of bant coco, then aetherworks marvel. Stop hating and just play the game, hate it so much build a deck that will lose against everything but the deck you design it to beat

[@YeOldeStalin]

You're not just late, you're wrong.

[@jonathanemontgomery]

1:01:05 😂

[@liamsmith1755]

So awesome

[@movieswithsauce4301]

Floch should totally run the Ajani, caller of the pride. Make 100s of cat tokens. XD

[@nicholassmith889]

Whom would he give the counter

[@a7sinatra385]

Nicholas Smith doesn't the version of Ajani(which was used against Flock and got the ultimate off before he Supreme Verdicted the field) say up to? That means he can use it without having to target something, right? I'm not trying to bash you or make anyone feel stupid. I'm just trying to point out that Ajani can do all that, but it's almost bad synergy for Flocks deck at that time. No doubt he thought about Ajani lol

[@movieswithsauce4301]

yes, it says up to one

[@tristantaylor3868]

Awesome

[@Moonmerism]

Shock the floch

[@jarkonewtonstrauss7651]

i love ivan deck

[@MaikTM68]

I prefer Condescend instead syncopate

[@estark3219]

Right, i'd prefer that too if i weren't playing against some cards that have Flashback

[@Level99Chickens]

Yeah there was a lot of graveyard shenanigans in this block, Syncopate hits Phoenixes and, without them, the matchup vs. burn would've been a lot more rough.

[@Optamisim_is_Sustainable]

I love to troll on my u/w

[@brandonwebb9428]

Hitler would have played U/W control So god damn boring

[@austinbach3731]

That's very offensive to me My great-grandfather was a burn player

[@UnavailableUser96]

Pretty sure hitler would have played RDW with the quick, blitzkrieg-like, attacks and the... well burning...

[@-bdl2696]

ROFL 59:37

[@chrischeng2922]

I also like how Floch instinctively reacts by flicking his cards a little, ready to counter and crush any hope he might have lol

[@Blu3_Mage]

Lol 57:45

[@anthonycancellara8392]

Floch`s deck is so boring :(

[@fluffy5443]

+Cancellara Anthony Floch's deck is amazing

[@cashincheks9231]

UW Sphinx's Revelation was the gayest deck in MTG history. It is like playing Magic with yourself, so boring.

[@Cafuba12]

There are MANY decks that were worse to play against.

[@ItsCayboo]

Never played an eggs or storm deck I see...

[@Zane917]

I fell asleep watching all the matches with ivan.. the U/W control deck is just so boring with no interaction or thought process.

[@str8xdevast843]

ozfan6 not sphinx controll, otherwise you're correct.

[@victoraguirre7486]

No interaction? With verdicts, counterspells, charms, removal from last breath, decision making with Jace's +/-, then trying to survive to cast the revelation, with enough mana to counter a possible skullcrack? Come on man, this has been one of the best control decks after caw blade.