Jon is coming off his bye, but faces Jim with a trip to semifinals on the line. Will Jon continue his winning ways with Abzan Aggro or will Jim ramp past him with G/R Eldrazi?
Game 1
Jon is bringing the beats in this matchup.
Jon kicked things off with a Warden+of+the+First+Tree and leveled it up to attack for three on the second turn as Jim played a couple of Forests. Jon bashed for three more and deployed another Warden and a face-up Den+Protector to keep up the pressure, while Jim missed his third land drop and had to discard an Ulamog%2C+the+Ceaseless+Hunger.
Jon turned his team sideways, leveling up the second Warden and added an Heir+of+the+Wilds to his board, and passed the turn with 10 power in play. Jim looked at his next card and didn't see a land and picked up his cards.
Jon 1, Jim 0
Game 2
Jim looks to ramp his way into the semis.
Both players threw away their openers and Jon kept his six while Jim went to five on the play and started the game with a Forest. Jon's first play came on the second turn with a Den+Protector while Jim hit Map+the+Wastes on three to ramp and find a Mountain. Jon attacked for two and played an Heir+of+the+Wilds and a Shambling+Vent before passing.
Jim kept ramping with Explosive+Vegetation, getting two more Forests and Jon hit him for three while adding Anafenza%2C+the+Foremost to his board. Jim Dragonlord Atarka, killing a Warden and Anafenza, and passed back with Jon stuck on lands this game. Jon untapped and played a replacement Anafenza and shipped the turn.
Jim flew across for eight and decided to replace his Dragonlord with another one, killing off Jon's other two creatures. Jon fetched down to 11, played a Warden and passed with three open mana. Jim sent his Dragonlord across but Jon had the Abzan+Charm to exile it. Jim ended his turn by ramping more, this time with Nissa's Pilgrimage and Explosive+Vegetation to have 11 lands, including a Plains and a Mountain.
Jon got in for one with his Warden and followed up with a Siege+Rhino, but Jim erased his board rather quickly with a Roast on the Rhino and Ugin%2C+the+Spirit+Dragon ticking up to kill the Warden. Jon dashed in Pitiless+Horde and knocked Ugin down to four loyalty. Jim looked to protect himself and his Ugin for a few turns and played Hangarback+Walker for three and killed it by upping his Ugin to make three Thopters. Jon played a Morph and passed back, knowing he couldn't connect with his Horde.
Jim opted to hit the Morph with Ugin and Jon flipped the Den+Protector to get back a Siege+Rhino. Jim followed up his turn with an Oblivion+Sower, getting a Windswept+Heath, and attacked with two Thopters. Jon took his next draw but had seen enough.
Jon 1, Jim 1
Game 3
Jon, on a mulligan to six, started the deciding game with a Shambling+Vent while Jim opted for a Wooded+Foothills. Jon fetched up a Forest and played Heir+of+the+Wilds as Jim went to 19 for a Mountain. Jim played a Forest and made a Hangarback+Walker for one to slow down Jon and passed the turn. Jon played a Pitiless+Horde and attacked with his Heir, getting in for three when Jim decided not to block.
Jim added a Sanctum+of+Ugin to his board and ramped up with Nissa's Pilgrimage while Jon took two in his upkeep from his Horde. Jon attacked with his team and Jim blocked the Horde with his Walker, getting a Thopter and taking three. Jon played a post-combat Duress to take Ugin%2C+the+Spirit+Dragon from Jim's grip. Jim played a Morph on his next turn and passed.
Jon went to 15 from his Horde and attacked with both creatures again. Jim put his Morph in front of the Horde and flipped his Den+Protector to get back Ugin as Jon used Abzan+Charm to put a +1+1 counter on each creature, allowing him to get through for four damage. Jim ramped up two more with an Explosive+Vegetation and attacked for one with his Thopter. Jon took another hit from his Horde and attacked with his team, but Jim fogged the attack with Winds+of+Qal+Sisma. Jon dug deeper into his deck with Abzan+Charm and passed after playing a Flooded Stand.
Jim went for Ugin and sacrificed his Sanctum+of+Ugin to find a Hangarback+Walker and wiped Jon's board with Ugin, ticking down three loyalty. Jon fetched a Plains to go to 7, untapped, played a Smoldering+Marsh, and played a Warden and Gideon%2C+Ally+of+Zendikar, making a Knight token. Jim found Ulamog%2C+the+Ceaseless+Hunger, and played it for the first time in the match, choosing to exile a Plains and a Shambling+Vent, then used Ugin to clear away the token and the Warden with a -1 activation.
Jon had a land to play a Siege+Rhino and made another Knight token before passing back, leaving Jim at 6 and Jon at 10. Jim used Ugin to kill the Knight and attacked Jon with Ulamog, exiling 20 cards from Jon's deck. Jon had to chump with his Rhino and Jim ended his turn with a five-power Hangarback+Walker. Jon drew his next card, counted his library of 22 cards, but didn’t find a line to get him out alive and wished Jim luck in the semifinals.
Jim 2, Jon 1
