Hello everyone! On February 7th, I participated in and won the Italian Premodern National Championships. This is the story of how it happened.
Background
I started playing Premodern in 2020 during COVID. I really wanted to play Magic, Premodern seemed fun, and there were webcam tournaments. The idea of playing with physical cards was very appealing. After experimenting with The Rock and 
Landstill, I designed Mono Blue Storm and achieved excellent results, including a second-place finish in the monthly webcam tournaments. During that time, Robert Cuellari was having great success with what I consider the first version of Survival Elves, which caught my interest. I started playing it and immediately won the next two monthly tournaments. The deck was incredibly strong and very fun. This cemented my love for the Survival Elves archetype. To be honest, it wasn't difficult, as I had played a lot of Elves in Extended, a deck that also earned me my first Pro Tour invite.
After this period, I played much less Premodern, except for the Dutch Nationals and Euro Champs, but I love the community. Attending a tournament means meeting old friends and making new ones. When I play, I always do so in live tournaments, because I think they are the most fun. Also, I don't like to test, so I often go into tournaments with zero practice games under my belt.
The Deck
Euro Champs and Cradle Control
2025 arrived, and the Finnish community organized the Euro Champs. A great excuse to visit Finland. The untimely passing of Jens Jaeger made the event special: many people in my circle came together, and it was a way to process the grief together. It was very emotional. Anyway, I got a good result there too. I switched from Survival Elves to Cradle Control because it solved the red matchups. Being stronger against Sligh and Goblins was crucial. I followed Fran's (Fpawlusz) Cradle Control list, changing a few cards to adapt them to the meta and my style. Also, Orcish Settlers seemed like an excellent card in the current meta.
Anton and Seb recorded a Monster of the Week podcast episode with me to talk about the deck. I finished third, and the deck seemed very powerful in the meta dominated by Parallax Tide. However, I wasn't convinced that Sylvan Library was that strong, except in control and midrange matchups. Rishadan Port, on the other hand, was overperforming. For the Dutch Nationals, I changed the list a bit.
I added an extra Wall of Blossoms in place of a Sylvan Library, a lifegain creature in the sideboard, and increased the number of Pyroclasms. During that tournament, I still missed an additional Wirewood Symbiote and Multani’s Acolyte to handle longer games. I finished 5-2. In round 7, Phil and I couldn't draw despite both being 5-1. He was playing Life combo, the worst imaginable matchup. Of course, I lost, and Phil became champion. I was still satisfied though.
Deck Tweaks and Preparation
After this, Fpawlusz told me he was experimenting with Goblin Bombardment. I love that card, and I think it makes you even stronger against red decks. Goblins players either have a Naturalize, or they lose. Even against Sligh, cards like Ball Lightning and Grim Lavamancer become mediocre. For the Italian Nationals, I arrived at this version.
The list is leaner. I have a 2/2 split between Wirewood Symbiote and Multani’s Acolyte. No Sylvan Library because I considered it too situational. I kept two Wall of Blossoms and one Wall of Roots. The sideboard was also revamped. I hate Tangle Wire: compared to a classic Elves deck, here there are no Quirion Ranger and Wirewood Symbiote to tap to fuel it. The only change I now consider wrong in hindsight was swapping Masticore and Goblin Sharpshooter between the main deck and side. With Goblin Bombardment, I thought Goblin Sharpshooter deserved the main, but I'd prefer the power level of Masticore which wins certain matches on its own. I also swapped a Tormod’s Crypt for a Gaea’s Blessing as defense against mill combo decks like Devourer and Storm.
Orcish Settlers is the last card to mention. It's been in and out of the deck often (along with Genesis), but with the ban of Parallax Tide, I expected more Enchantress and midrange decks. This is where the Orcs shine. But back to the tournament weekend! The week before, I got the flu. Badly. My wife got sick the previous weekend, and I got it on Sunday. I was supposed to leave Wednesday to go to my friend Danny de Rooij's, but I could barely leave the house. I had to postpone the flight to Friday. To be honest, I was still feeling ill on Friday, but between Strepsils and paracetamol, I felt acceptable. Not the best preparation, but I didn't want to give up. I arrived Friday evening at the venue, a very nice community center in Lugo, a quiet historic town. I met Danny while he was playing a special Premodern event with limitations instead of bans. I finally met Anji, Giamma, Valerio, and the other organizers. I wanted to see what Premodern was like in Italy and I was not disappointed.
The Tournament
Saturday, still half-sick, it was time to play. 189 players, more than double the Dutch Nationals.
Round 1: Jacopo Borrelli on Enchantress
Jacopo is the owner of the local store Magic Time and is a very kind soul. In G1, I had a quick Orcish Settlers, which met a Swords to Plowshares, after which my Survival of the Fittest was hit by Seal of Cleansing and we ended up in a board stall. I played a Rishadan Port to keep his Serra’s Sanctum tapped, while building a better board turn by turn until I got an alpha strike to bring him to 1 life. He managed to start the combo with Opalescence and Parallax Wave, but a hasty Goblin Sharpshooter took away his last life point.
Sideboarding: -1 Goblin Bombardment -1 Goblin Sharpshooter -1 Thornscape Battlemage -2 Wall of Blossoms -1 Wall of Roots -1 Multani’s Acolyte -1 Wirewood Symbiote +3 Naturalize +1 Tranquil Domain +3 Winter Orb +1 Nantuko Vigilante
After sideboarding, you want to be able to play a prison role as well. Winter Orb + Port or Settlers into Port are really strong lines. I like to keep a single Goblin Bombardment as a way to have some reach in case they have Elephant Grass and you just need to push some damage through. Most of the card-drawing creatures come out of the deck as they can use them to kill you with the Wave combo. In G2, I had a very strong start supported by two Naturalizes. He started with Forest, Forest signaling no white mana. I used my first Naturalize on his Mirri’s Guile. I was right, he didn't play a single white land for the next 3 turns, which gave me all the time to close the game there. Jacopo was unlucky enough to be paired against Danny next round and lost. After that, he won all his matches for a clean 5-2 record. Well done! Result: 2-0
Round 2: Gabriele Costa on BW Control
In G1, I landed an early Survival of the Fittest and got an additional creature every turn, which is great against a control deck. At some point he got rid of my Survival but I had a second one and the card advantage was simply too much for Gabriele to overcome. These games are not the most interesting as they seem inevitable for my opponent to lose.
Sideboarding: -1 Goblin Sharpshooter -1 Goblin Bombardment -2 Wall of Blossoms -1 Fyndhorn Elves -1 Priest of Titania +3 Winter Orb +1 Nantuko Vigilante +2 Naturalize
You want to cut some elves to be less vulnerable to Engineered Plague, as they usually bring in three. Besides that, just add the Winter Orbs. BW has a hard time beating that card, except when they can Disenchant it. In G2, I again got an early Winter Orb and a Survival. The Survival was destroyed quickly, but not before I got a Quirion Ranger. That card makes me get mana every turn. Two Wrath of Gods followed, but thanks to two Wirewood Symbiotes I kept my Ranger alive. Slowly but surely I pushed through damage, while he had neither the mana nor the time to deploy an Exalted Angel due to Winter Orb. He managed to Vindicate my Winter Orb, but I get a fresh untap, deploy some threats and land a second Orb to win the game on the spot. Result: 2-0
This was Gabriele’s first Premodern tournament. He ended up 5-2 after this, which is great for a first tournament!
Round 3: Antonio Capone on Enchantress
Another round, another Enchantress opponent. This time my opponent curved out perfectly in G1. Turn 1 Mirri’s Guile, Turn 2 Argothian Enchantress. The only thing I could do was put some fast pressure on the board. I got a Goblin Bombardment and a Deranged Hermit on turn four bringing him to 9. On his turn 5 he got Wave and Opalescence. In response I shot him to 2 life with the Bombardment, giving me three draw steps to draw Thornscape Battlemage or a Survival of the Fittest, but I drew neither, so I lost G1.
Sideboarding: -1 Goblin Bombardment -1 Goblin Sharpshooter -1 Thornscape Battlemage -2 Wall of Blossoms -1 Wall of Roots -1 Multani’s Acolyte -1 Wirewood Symbiote +3 Naturalize +1 Tranquil Domain +3 Winter Orb +1 Nantuko Vigilante
In G2, I mulled to five cards, and fate seemed to have turned against me. However, I managed to get Ranger + Winter Orb into play, and with a Rishadan Port I could keep tapping down his mana sources. Little by little I got back into the game, and he never recovered. I was able to establish a board presence, and he never developed his mana well enough to cast the Wave + Opalescence that were stuck in his hand. In G3, we both had great draws. I got rid of his Enchantress’s Presence and his second draw engine was a bit slower, so we had to fight an even game. I managed to hit him a couple of times with a Nantuko Vigilante followed by another Vigilante. He drew an Argothian Enchantress and kept drawing extra cards. Unfortunately, he tapped his mana a bit weirdly one turn and couldn't attempt Opal + Wave; he didn't block with his Argothian when I attacked with the Vigilante duo, and a Goblin Bombardment dealt the last four points of damage. Result: 2-1 Antonio managed to make top 16 with a 6-1 record but unfortunately lost in the top 16. A great run by him.
Round 4: Sebastiano Gabrielli on Mono Black Moneyball
In G1, I mulled to five and kept Goblin Bombardment, Skyshroud Poacher, Birds of Paradise, and two lands. He started with Duress on Ravenous Rats. I had drawn a Sharpshooter, which I discarded, putting all my eggs in one basket with the Poacher. I played the Poacher on turn three and hoped. He tapped his mana and it was just a Hypnotic Specter, ouch! I already had a Gaea’s Cradle. I searched for a Quirion Ranger on my turn, untapped the Poacher, searched for a Deranged Hermit and played my second Cradle. On his turn I searched for two more Hermits and he conceded.
In G2, I mulled to five again. My Survival got Cabal Therapy'd, then a Dystopia took care of my Birds. I decided not to play any more cards. He let his Dystopia go, and I was able to play some creatures again. In the meantime, he built a board of Nantuko Shade, Ravenous Rats, and a Withered Wretch. At some point I had six mana and topdecked a Masticore. With him also having six lands in play and being tapped out, I chose the line of pinging his Shade. He had no removal, and the Masticore killed the other two creatures while I kept two mana open from then on. The Masticore won the rest of the game by itself. Result: 2-0
A strong start for Sebastiano. Unfortunately, he finished 4-3 after this.
Round 5: Marco Pioli on Pandeburst Replenish
This match was on camera and, to be honest, it wasn't very interesting to watch as I was just goldfishing against him. In G1 he mulled to five. I got a quick Skyshroud Poacher and he played a turn four Gigapede off a Mox Diamond. I searched for two Hermits and the game was over.
Sideboarding: -2 Goblin Bombardment -1 Goblin Sharpshooter -2 Wall of Blossoms -1 Priest of Titania -1 Genesis +3 Naturalize +1 Tranquil Domain +1 Nantuko Vigilante +1 Tormod’s Crypt +1 Gaea’s Blessing He played Mox Diamond
in G1, so I was expecting Engineered Plagues. You can also side out the Settlers, or you could even go for the Winter Orb plan since the Pandeburst deck needs high mana turns to win. But this was a bit of a different build, so I chose the safer route. In G2, I kept a fast hand with no interaction but able to produce a quick clock. When I had him at 9 life he had an Attunement. He bounced it and discarded a Wave and other cards. I expected a Replenish, none came, and I was able to get him to 1 with a Rishadan Port in play that would kill him next turn by tapping his City of Brass. He conceded. Result: 2-0
Wow, what a great start to the tournament! I could probably already be confident of top 16 based on ratings, even if I lost the last two matches. However, it's time to fight again. I still wasn't feeling great, so I decided to have a couple of drinks since it wouldn't get worse anyway. Marco finished in the top 16 with a 5-2 record, excellent performance! But unfortunately, he lost in the top 16.
Round 6: Nacho Barrachina on Gro-A-Tog
Nacho and I are building quite a head-to-head history. In Finland, we faced each other twice, but the matchup was great for me, and I won both. This time he was playing Gro-A-Tog, and that matchup is more balanced than Mono Blue Tide.
In G1, I managed to stick an early Survival of the Fittest, which simply wins in this matchup, especially pre-side. After a couple of counterspells on my bombs, I managed to land a Deranged Hermit and that was all. Against Gush decks, you cannot bring in Winter Orb. Gro-A-Tog decks usually have Pyroclasm and not Plagues, but you still need to respect Plague a bit and, worst case, Naturalize kills a Mox Diamond which can also take away red for Pyroclasm. No need to bring in all the Naturalizes though; two seems to be the magic number.
Sideboarding: +1 Vigilante +2 Naturalize -1 Sharpshooter -1 Priest of Titania -1 Fyndhorn Elves
You can, of course, bring in Masticore and/or keep the Sharpshooter if you expect them to have Meddling Mage. I saw Nacho play an earlier round and I didn't expect him to have them. Even if he doesn't, it might be correct as it's a great parachute against Pyroclasm and the Masticore can block a Tog all day. If I had known Nacho didn't have Wonder in his list, I would have done it for sure.
G2 was quite fast for him. I didn't get a Survival in play, and Nacho handled everything cleanly using Pyroclasm on my board twice, after which he finished me off with a very large and healthy Psychatog.
Psychatog
Creature — Atog
Discard a card: This creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
Exile two cards from your graveyard: This creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
G3 was a GRIND. I got a Survival in play and played a couple of walls that could absorb some damage from the Tog. Nacho had three Pyroclasms in this game, forcing me to grind down almost all my threats. But Survival is banned in all other formats for a reason. Bit by bit I got rid of all his answers, even though his Xerox build went through almost his entire deck. And in the additional turns I got my third hasty Hermit and won the game at the last possible moment. Phew, what a match! This is usually a matchup I like to play, but it's always such a drain post-side. Fortunately, I made it. Result: 2-1
With a 6-0 record, I could confidently say I had locked up top 16 and the last match was just for seeding, probably for first or second seed. And I already knew who I was playing against, because there was only one other person on 6-0, Conor Brown, our (now) adopted Dutchy, playing his Future Sight Thought Lash combo deck (Perfect Future). That matchup doesn't make me comfortable at all, but we'll see. Nacho lost the last round to my round 3 opponent, Antonio, but he got great ratings and managed to sneak into top 16 as 15th seed. He even managed to make it to the semifinals where he unfortunately lost to Andrea and his UB Zombie Infestation deck.
Round 7: Conor Brown with Perfect Future
Perfect Future
- 4 × Enlightened Tutor
- 4 × Intuition
- 3 × Earthquake
- 3 × Replenish
- 4 × Future Sight
- 3 × Thought Lash
- 1 × Seal of Cleansing
- 4 × Lion's Eye Diamond
- 4 × Lotus Petal
- 1 × Lodestone Bauble
- 1 × Soldevi Digger
- 4 × Gemstone Mine
- 2 × Saprazzan Skerry
- 2 × Shivan Reef
- 1 × Tarnished Citadel
- 3 × Meddling Mage
- 2 × Gaea's Blessing
- 2 × Seal of Cleansing
- 1 × Anarchist
- 1 × City of Solitude
- 1 × Meltdown
- 1 × Oath of Druids
- 1 × Pyroclasm
- 1 × Replenish
- 1 × Show and Tell
- 1 × Tranquility
I won the die roll and kept a mana denial heavy hand. I started with Birds and on turn 2 a mana dork, Porting his land in his upkeep. He played a City of Traitors. I attempted an Orcish Settlers and tapped his land again, this time the City of Traitors. He played no land, but made Lotus Petal and Earthquake for 1. Settlers and mana dork down, but luckily my Birds of Paradise fly. I developed some board with Survival, went for Genesis and got my Settlers back. He either wasn't drawing many lands or refused to play them and the Port was doing the lord's work. The Settlers (and more of my board) met another Earthquake. By now I could make hasty Hermits and those won the game for me with Conor still on two lands.
Sideboarding: +3 Naturalize +1 Tormod’s Crypt +1 Gaea’s Blessing +1 Tranquil Domain -2 Goblin Bombardment -1 Goblin Sharpshooter -1 Fyndhorn Elves -1 Thornscape Battlemage
That is probably how I sided. He plays Replenish, you need to respect that card. And he needs both Future Sight and Thought Lash in play to combo, hence the enchantment removal. Bombardment seems too situational. He might have Engineered Plague (I keep mentioning that card, I am not that scared of it to be honest, but it will still give ample targets to your Naturalize effects as those will be coming in anyway). That is why I usually cut some 1/1 elves here and there. In G2, Conor went for Intuition for three Future Sights; after he played one, I had the Naturalize. With one more Naturalize in hand, I thought if I got rid of his fourth Sight, I could win the game by exiling his graveyard with Tormod’s Crypt. However, it never came to that. I got a Settlers into play and this time there was no answer. This means... I got to blow up all four lands Conor had. After that, it didn't matter much what happened anymore, and I just had to clean up, which I did. Result: 2-0
Holy cow, 7-0, incredible. After feeling like crap all week, I was just happy to be there. Being the only undefeated player in the room was not in the plans. You won't hear me complaining though. I wasn't playing badly or anything, but I felt like I could sleep for hours. But no rest for the wicked because there was a top 16 to play. My opponents also did great in the Swiss. Four of them made top 16 while the other three finished 5-2, 5-2, and 4-3, which is almost insane.
Quarterfinals: Simone Fumagalli on RG Goblins
Rg Goblins
- 4 × Goblin Lackey
- 4 × Goblin Matron
- 4 × Goblin Piledriver
- 4 × Goblin Ringleader
- 4 × Goblin Warchief
- 4 × Mogg Fanatic
- 3 × Gempalm Incinerator
- 3 × Siege-Gang Commander
- 1 × Goblin Goon
- 1 × Goblin King
- 1 × Goblin Sharpshooter
- 3 × Naturalize
- 9 × Mountain
- 4 × Karplusan Forest
- 4 × Wooded Foothills
- 3 × Wasteland
- 2 × Rishadan Port
- 1 × City of Brass
- 1 × Forest
- 3 × Pyrokinesis
- 3 × Red Elemental Blast
- 3 × Tormod's Crypt
- 2 × Mogg Salvage
- 2 × Tranquil Domain
- 1 × Gempalm Incinerator
- 1 × Pyroblast
Matchups like these are why I play this deck instead of regular Survival Elves. Normally, Goblins are extremely difficult for Elves, but Cradle Control has a decent chance. I play first as the first seed of the Swiss and in G1 open with mana dork into Goblin Bombardment. Simone starts with Goblin Lackey, but my start prevents him from connecting. We both develop our boards and Simone chooses the value route, hoping to outgrind me, but I have a Survival and start producing Wall of Blossoms and a Wall of Roots. After that came the Deranged Hermits and those, along with the Bombardment, meant he could never overcome me, as each Hermit acts as a pretty clean Pyrokinesis. Genesis ended up in the graveyard and when I could start recurring Hermits too, he conceded.
Sideboarding: +3 Pyroclasm +1 Masticore -2 Nantuko Vigilante -1 Orcish Settlers -1 Quirion Ranger
You could also take out Genesis as it's quite slow. I like the late game that comes with that card in the deck though, and Quirion Ranger usually doesn't have much untap potential. In G2 Simone had Lackey into Goblin Warchief and Goblin Piledriver. I did have a Pyroclasm though, which was brutal there. He followed up with Goblin Matron into Goblin Ringleader, but this gave me enough time to rebuild my board, including a Survival. He had the Naturalize, but I had a second copy of Survival and slowly but surely I was bringing the game into my favor. He had a Sharpshooter, but I had a Thornscape Battlemage. I mean, if we get to the late midgame with me having an active Survival, it felt over. He could still Pyrokinesis some stuff, but ultimately I just got further and further ahead each turn until I could start landing Hermits and that was all. Result: 2-0
Quarterfinals: Davide Zoli on Red Ponza
Ponza
- 4 × Grim Lavamancer
- 4 × Mogg Fanatic
- 4 × Veteran Brawlers
- 3 × Avalanche Riders
- 1 × Rorix Bladewing
- 4 × Lightning Bolt
- 4 × Pillage
- 4 × Stone Rain
- 3 × Burning Wish
- 1 × Firebolt
- 2 × Cursed Scroll
- 9 × Mountain
- 4 × Mishra's Factory
- 4 × Rishadan Port
- 4 × Wasteland
- 2 × Ghitu Encampment
- 2 × Wooded Foothills
- 1 × Barbarian Ring
- 2 × Pyroblast
- 2 × Tormod's Crypt
- 2 × Zuran Orb
- 1 × Aftershock
- 1 × Anarchy
- 1 × Boil
- 1 × Cave-In
- 1 × Earthquake
- 1 × Meltdown
- 1 × Pyroclasm
- 1 × Red Elemental Blast
- 1 × Threaten
I knew Davide had just won against Jan on Goblins and that he was playing a mono-red land destruction deck, which prompted me to keep a pretty land-heavy hand. My first mana dorks were burned, three land destruction spells followed, and I got a Survival. He played a couple of Veteran Brawlers and a Grim Lavamancer. Yeah, this was a real grind, and I was trying to keep up with his Lavamancer. But thanks to Survival I never needed to tap out, so the Brawlers were just on defensive duty. This meant Davide never got me into burn range. At some point I found a red source so I could play Thornscape Battlemage to kill his Grim Lavamancer. After that I could start developing for real, and so I did. I got to a huge board with tons of squirrels. Davide drew a Rorix Bladewing, but even that didn't get him out of the situation.
Unfortunately for Davide, he got mana screwed in G2, so the game wasn't very exciting. He did Burning Wish for an Earthquake, but my Ports kept him off his mana long enough that he couldn't even cast the Earthquake in this game. Result: 2-0
Semifinals: Vittorio Piatti on RG Goblins
Rg Goblins
- 4 × Goblin Lackey
- 4 × Goblin Matron
- 4 × Goblin Piledriver
- 4 × Goblin Ringleader
- 4 × Goblin Warchief
- 4 × Mogg Fanatic
- 3 × Gempalm Incinerator
- 3 × Siege-Gang Commander
- 1 × Goblin King
- 1 × Goblin Sharpshooter
- 1 × Goblin Tinkerer
- 1 × Skirk Prospector
- 3 × Naturalize
- 8 × Mountain
- 4 × Karplusan Forest
- 4 × Wooded Foothills
- 3 × Rishadan Port
- 2 × Wasteland
- 1 × Forest
- 1 × Mossfire Valley
- 3 × Pyrokinesis
- 3 × Tormod's Crypt
- 2 × Pyroblast
- 2 × Red Elemental Blast
- 2 × Tranquil Domain
- 1 × Anarchy
- 1 × Crumble
- 1 × Naturalize
I got to play first again and went turn 1 mana dork into Goblin Bombardment again. The same line I had in the game against Simone. Vittorio had two Lackeys but they weren't doing much. Interestingly, Vittorio chose a very aggressive line taking more Goblin Piledrivers with his Goblin Matrons instead of Goblin Ringleader, which I think might be correct as he probably won't win the long game against an active Goblin Bombardment anyway. However, I was curving well and by the time I got a Deranged Hermit into play I was miles ahead and that lead was never surrendered.
Sideboarding: +3 Pyroclasm +1 Masticore -2 Nantuko Vigilante -1 Orcish Settlers -1 Quirion Ranger
In G2, Vittorio had Lackey into Goblin Warchief. I cleaned both with Pyroclasm and we started playing some real Magic. My Survival got hit by Naturalize and he again chose an aggressive line. I got my Masticore with my single Survival activation. He immediately drew a Gempalm Incinerator and pushed his advantage from there. He made it, but it was close and the Incinerator was needed to not lose the game from the Masticore. In G3, I again had a Pyroclasm hand, but started with turn 1 elves. He had no 1-drop. So I landed double Multani’s Acolytes which both traded for Goblin Piledrivers, which I don't mind. This meant the Pyroclasm wouldn't be cast in the near future. I got a couple of Wall of Blossoms and I was firmly in the driver's seat with a Pyroclasm still in hand. I traded some of my smaller stuff until he landed a double Siege-Gang Commander. Now, it was time for a Pyroclasm. After that, a Survival showed up and I could clean up the game and the match. Result: 2-1
Finals time! Nacho and Andrea were still playing, but ultimately Andrea won so I got to play against UB Zombie Infestation, which seems like a decent matchup.
Finals: Andrea Riva on UB Zombie Infestation
Ub Zombie Infestation
- 4 × Squee, Goblin Nabob
- 1 × Krovikan Horror
- 1 × Wonder
- 4 × Accumulated Knowledge
- 4 × Gush
- 3 × Counterspell
- 3 × Foil
- 2 × Chain of Vapor
- 2 × Intuition
- 2 × Smother
- 1 × Forbid
- 4 × Duress
- 4 × Portent
- 1 × Deep Analysis
- 4 × Zombie Infestation
- 1 × Powder Keg
- 10 × Island
- 4 × Polluted Delta
- 3 × Underground River
- 2 × Swamp
- 3 × Engineered Plague
- 2 × Annul
- 2 × Blue Elemental Blast
- 2 × Hydroblast
- 2 × Ivory Tower
- 2 × Tsabo's Web
- 1 × Hibernation
- 1 × Psychatog
In G1, I kept a hand with Survival, Genesis, and lands (one Port), which was very weak to Duress but great for the rest. Andrea had already mulled. He had the Duress, I got Birds and a Thornscape Battlemage and played my Genesis on turn 4. Andrea found a Zombie Infestation but the hits from my Battlemage and Genesis had already brought him to the point where he almost had to block the Genesis every turn. With only one Squee, Nabob found, it meant he had to discard a card every turn to make a zombie. An Orcish Settlers was countered, but a Deranged Hermit resolved and that was G1. One more win and I will be the Italian Premodern National Champion. The pressure was on, even though it felt like playing a friendly event.
Sideboarding: +1 Tormod’s Crypt +1 Masticore +1 Gaea’s Blessing +1 Nantuko Vigilante +3 Naturalize -2 Goblin Bombardment -1 Thornscape Battlemage -1 Fyndhorn Elves -1 Quirion Ranger -1 Priest of Titania -1 Llanowar Elves
I sided something like that. If I could keep Zombie Infestation off the board I would probably win, as he only had a Psychatog and Krovikan Horror as alternative win conditions.
In G2, Andrea came out of the blocks strong with a turn two Zombie Infestation. I had a Naturalize, but he made a Zombie in response discarding a Wonder, which is the card I fear the most as my "control" plan doesn't work very well with that card in the graveyard. A new Infestation came down and after that a Psychatog and I just couldn't keep up. He made more zombies and was attacking for six damage a turn in the air, and the game was over in a couple of minutes. In G3, I saw a great opening hand with some early elves and a Survival, to set up the card advantage loop. He didn't have an Annul. He did have a Powder Keg for some of my early plays, but it wasn't really stopping me. I made a Wall of Roots and landed a Skyshroud Poacher. He didn't find an answer, and two activations later the game and the title were mine! Result: 2-1 I can now say it: I am the new Italian Premodern National Champion!!!
I never thought I'd be able to say that in my life. Not only did I win it, but I did it without losing a single match, which still feels unreal as I write. The deck overperformed by a lot. I got lucky a couple of times but I was also happy with how I played and how I built the deck. Ironically, I never faced Stiflenought or Sligh, but those decks also underperformed A LOT during this event, with only one deck in top 16 and a couple of others in top 32. After this, I joined the stream with Danny, Valerio, and Martin and got to eat some pizza and have a drink. After all this, Gordon convinced me to drink some more, and we went to a nice wine bar in town.
Conclusion
Regarding the decklist: I would probably swap the Sharpshooter and Masticore again. The Masticore is just a bit more stable of a card. I sided out Goblin Bombardment a lot, but I also won some crucial matches with that card. The card certainly earned its spot and I was extremely happy to have it. When it was good, it was crazy. I've already given some sideboarding strategies, but here are some more for matchups I didn't face. I make these kinds of lists before tournaments to know I have enough cards to take out, but I always sideboard by feel during matches as you might always make a mistake or face some off-meta cards from certain decks. So, take it with a grain of salt and keep thinking about what is correct even with a written side guide.
Stiflenought: +3 Naturalize +1 Nantuko Vigilante -2 Goblin Bombardment -1 [card]Goblin Sharpshooter[/card] -1 [card]Goblin Settlers[/card]
Tide Control:
+3 Winter Orb
+2 Naturalize (for Humility or Mishra’s Factory)
-2 Wall of Blossoms
-1 Wall of Roots
-1 Anger
-1 Goblin Bombardment
Sligh: +1 Spike Feeder +2 Naturalize +1 Masticore -1 Orcish Settlers -1 Skyshroud Poacher -1 Priest of Titania -1 Deranged Hermit
The Rock: +3 Winter Orb +1 Nantuko Vigilante +2 Naturalize -2 Goblin Bombardment -1 Priest of Titania -1 Quirion Ranger -1 Fyndhorn Elves -1 Anger
Finally, some thanks: All the organizers of Romagna’s Calling. It was a blast. Very well organized, all rounds went at a reasonable speed, the food was great and I liked that all the families and friends chipped in as well. Danny for being my travel buddy and hype coach. Conor and Gordon for being generally awesome to hang out with and also Conor for playing an incredible deck to a great finish. All my opponents and anyone who reached out during the event. This was the warmest welcome I've ever experienced at a tournament. You guys made the event special for me. My wife, Aliki, for driving me to Brussels to catch my flight on Friday.
If you made it this far, thanks for reading and you will probably see me around at some Nationals in Europe and certainly at the Uthden Troll Cup.
Stay well, Frank
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Original English Article: https://premodernmagic.com/blog/italian-nationals-2026-winners-report/
