The last slot in the Top 8 is up for grabs and it comes down to Season Three Invitational winner and the Season Three points champion. Will Alex and Four-Color Rally move on or can Danny and Abzan Aggro power through one more match?
Game 1
Alex looks to rally his way to the Top 8.
Both players went land-go for the first two turns and Alex started the action on the third turn with an Elvish+Visionary while Danny fetched a Forest and had Anafenza%2C+the+Foremost on his third turn. Alex played a fourth land and passed with no action as Danny attacked with Anafenza and played Siege+Rhino to drop Alex to 12, who then went to 10 to fetch an Island and a Swamp and played Collected+Company at the end of the turn to get Catacomb+Sifter and Sidisi's Faithful, bouncing the Anafenza with the Faithful, which sacrificed the Scion.
Alex untapped and played another Collected+Company to get Nantuko+Husk and another Faithful, bouncing the Rhino by sacrificing the previous Faithful. Alex attacked for three and passed the turn. Danny started his fifth turn by fetching a Smoldering+Marsh and replayed Anafenza and Alex responded by sacrificing the Faithful and the Visionary to scry two cards away before it resolved. Alex played another Faithful and scarified itself to bounce Anafenza and followed it up with a Visionary and an attack for four from the Husk. Alex ended his turn with Jace, Vryn's Prodigy.
Danny could only replay the Anafenza and ship the turn back. Alex began his next turn with a Rally+the+Ancestors for two, bringing back the Visionary and two Faithfuls, bouncing Anafenza by sacrificing the Visionary then bouncing the second Faithful with the second and attacked with his team, dropping Danny to 8. Danny replayed Anafenza once again and passed after adding a Warden+of+the+First+Tree to his board.
Alex used his Faithful to bounce Anafenza by sacrificing the Visionary, played a Zulaport+Cutthroat, looted with Jace to flip it and ticked up, targeted the Warden, played a Grim+Haruspex and attacked with his Husk and Sifter. Danny put his Warden in front of the Husk and dropped to 6, losing the one-drop, and Alex passed the turn. Danny played an Abzan+Charm at the end of the turn, targeting the Haruspex, and Alex responded by sacrificing the Faithful and the Haruspex to the Husk to draw two, drain two, and scry two in response.
Danny, once again, replayed Anafenza and the Rhino, then ended his turn by playing another Warden. Alex flashed back Collected+Company with Jace, finding two copies of Elvish+Visionary, and attacked with the Husk. Danny put the Rhino on the Husk and Alex sacrificed both Visionaries to kill the Rhino. Alex deployed another Husk and shipped the turn. Danny sent both attackers at Jace and Alex offered no blocks, sending Jace to the graveyard. Danny made a post-combat Wingmate+Roc, with raid, and a Warden+of+the+First+Tree.
Alex took a look at his next card and said, "That's a really good draw" before playing Rally+the+Ancestors for three getting Liliana, Heretical Healer, Jace, Husk, and two copies of Sidisi's Faithful. With the Faithful triggers on the stack, Danny responded by using Murderous+Cut on the Cutthroat, but Alex sacrificed it to the non-summoning sick Husk. Alex used the first Faithful to bounce Anafenza exploiting itself, then bounced the bird token by sacrificing itself as well. Alex got to flip Liliana, getting a Zombie token, the used Liliana to bring back the Faithful to bounce the Roc, getting to scry and draw. Alex found a Cutthroat to play then attacked with his team and was able to combo off from there to get in lethal damage.
Alex 1, Danny 0
Game 2
Danny and Siege+Rhino have big plans.
Danny, on a mulligan to six, led off by searching for a Forest and playing Warden+of+the+First+Tree as Alex simply played a Windswept+Heath and took three from the Warden after Danny leveled it up. Alex fetched a Prairie+Stream, untapped and used a Sidisi's Faithful to bounce the Warden and passed after playing another Heath. Danny added a Sunken+Hollow to his board and replayed the Warden, getting to use his two other mana to kill Alex's Jace at the end of his turn.
Danny knocked Alex down to 13 after pumping his Warden and played a face-up Den+Protector to end his turn. Alex played land-go and Danny attacked with the team. Alex fetched to 11 for two lands and played Collected+Company before blockers. Alex found an Elvish+Visionary and a Nantuko+Husk and put the 1/1 in front of the Warden and his Husk on the Den+Protector. They moved to damage and Danny was left with a Warden then played a Morph before passing.
Alex used a one-mana Murderous+Cut on the Morph and passed, getting to play Collected+Company when Danny attacked, but only got a Catacomb+Sifter and put both halves of it on the Warden. Danny killed the 2/3 body and played a raided Wingmate+Roc to get the bird token as well. Alex untapped, fetched to 10, and played Liliana and passed back.
Danny opened his next turn with Duress, but only saw a Cutthroat and a Fleshbag+Marauder. Danny attacked and triggered the Roc and ended his turn by playing another Warden. Alex played the Cutthroat and Marauder, with Alex pitching the Marauder while Danny sacrificed the Warden, allowing Alex to flip Liliana and get a Zombie token. Alex used Liliana to get back his Faithful to bounce the bird token and drain one then attacked with his Scion for one. Danny went to 17 with his Roc and killed the Liliana.
Alex found another Marauder and Danny animated his Shambling+Vent in response to sacrifice it while Alex got rid of the Scion, draining one with the Cutthroat. Alex attacked Danny to 13 and passed the turn. Danny attacked, going up to 14 and bringing Danny to 4, and ended his turn with Gideon%2C+Ally+of+Zendikar making a Knight token. Alex attacked with his Zombie and the Marauder and played a Catacomb+Sifter after combat.
Danny played a Silk Wrap and targeted the Cutthroat before making an emblem with Gideon and attacked for lethal in the air.
Alex 1, Danny 1
Game 3
Alex went to six on the play and led off with an Evolving+Wilds while Danny opened up with a Warden+of+the+First+Tree after fetching a Forest. Alex passed after playing a Polluted+Delta and took a hit from the Warden as Danny played a Shambling+Vent for his second land. Alex got to the board on the third turn with a Catacomb+Sifter Danny used a Duress to get a Murderous+Cut from Alex and attacked with is Warden, Alex double blocked so Danny fetched a Plains and pumped his Warden to take down the 2/3, leaving Alex with a Scion.
Alex got in for one with his Scion and passed after adding a Zulaport+Cutthroat to his board. Danny had no play other than an attack from his Vent and passed. Alex evened up life totals at 16 with his attack and played a Sidisi's Faithful with no exploit. Danny fetched down to 15, but went back to 18 with a Siege+Rhino that left Alex at 13. Alex played a Fleshbag+Marauder and Danny responded by killing the Cutthroat with a murderous Cut. Alex ditched his Faithful while Danny lost his Rhino to the Marauder and Alex finished his turn by attacking for one.
Danny simply played a Morph for his turn and passed back. Alex dropped Danny to 13 with a hit from the Marauder and shipped the turn with four mana up as Danny flipped his Den+Protector to get back a Siege+Rhino. Danny replayed the Rhino and attacked with his Den+Protector. Alex considered his options but decided on taking the hit and went 8 and then fetched down to 7.
Alex had no plays, Danny attacked with his creatures and prompted Alex to play Rally+the+Ancestors for three, getting back Catacomb+Sifter, Zulaport+Cutthroat, and Sidisi's Faithful. Danny used a Dromoka's Command to grow his Den+Protector and have the Rhino kill the Cutthroat before the Sifter and Faithful triggers then used a Murderous+Cut on the Faithful before its exploit trigger, leading Alex to go to blocks. Alex put all of his creatures on the Rhino, Danny killed the Marauder with a Murderous+Cut and traded his Rhino for all the creatures as it still had damage from the fight with the Cutthroat.
Alex played another Sifter and passed back, still facing down the Den+Protector. Danny ripped a Duress to see Alex's hand was nothing but a land and a Liliana, meaning the Den+Protector was lethal to take the match.
Danny 2, Alex 1
