In a field filled with Uros and Nissas, it was the pure control deck that found a way to best them all. Brad Barclay took his Azorious control deck to a first place finish in the Zendikar Rising Championship tournament. Barclay finished the title run with a spectacular 12-0 record.
Congratulations to #ZNRChamps winner Brad Barclay!
Barclay maintained his perfect Historic record with his rogue Azorius Control deck, and went from being the champion of Scotland's heart to champion of Zendikar Rising. 🏆 pic.twitter.com/F8QQZsdOlz
— PlayMTG (@PlayMTG) December 7, 2020
Barclay surprised the rest of the Top 8 by being the only blue/white deck in the field. In fact, besides co-finalist Autumn Burchett, the other six decks were a variation of Sultai or Four-color Midrange. It looks as though the midrange decks couldn’t quite plan for both aggressive and control decks in the later stages of the tournament.
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Barclay and Burchett battled it out in the finals, with the winner needing two match wins to take home the trophy. While Burchett was able to bring each match to the brink, it was a flurry of strong draws and timely removal spells that gave Barclay the edge in the matchup. After six back and forth games, it was Barclay taking the win over Burchett, 2-0.
This top-place finish is the first for Brad Barclay in the Magic: the Gathering Arena circuit. Check out Barclay’s undefeated deck list here.
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