Battle Hardened Richmond has come to a close, and with it the last chance to secure a PTI to qualify for Pro Tour: Baltimore!
93 players rocked up those country roads to duke it out at SCGCON, ending up in a nail biting mirror match for the top spot.
Hosted by Star City Games, Battle Hardened Richmond unveiled a strong snapshot of what the Classic Constructed meta could look like heading into the upcoming Pro Tour.
Players were greeted by a wall of ice, with Lexi and Oldhim being the second and third most represented decks. Their powerful control tools have halted aggressive decks like Fai to a standstill, with only one brave player repping the Draconic Ninja through the storm.
But melting through the glacier was the empress of dragons, as Dromai turned many dreams to ash in a puff of smoke. The most represented hero, Dromai’s ability to counter control decks by building an armada of dragons quicker than the opponent can remove them was quintessential in overwhelming the forces of ice and arrows to claim a spot in the top 8.
Following close behind were the underdog-turned-monster Azalea, cutting edge newcomer Uzuri, and fan favourite showman Bravo. Each of these heroes were able to hold their own with their unique disruptive tools, each securing a foothold in the top cut.
Venturing into the unknown from the streets of Metrix was the iconic Dash, though lower in numbers she proved that a little bit of ingenuity can boost you to high places.
Previously popular Elemental heroes like Briar and Iyslander seem to have fallen off the radar a bit, only accounting for a few pockets of the field and ultimately falling short of a top spot.
When the dust settled, our final top 8 was quite diverse, featuring 2 Oldhim, 1 Lexi, 1 Dash, 1 Bravo, 1 Uzuri, 1 Azalea, and 1 Dromai.
It was raining razors as Matthew McInnis piloted Lexi against the young prodigy Brodie Spurlock on Azalea, but ultimately the Ace in the Hole found her mark.
Merrick Kemp stepped on the gas with the Inventor Extraordinaire against Trenton McBride’s fatigue Oldhim, but the rock solid defense proved to be too much of an uphill battle.
Lucas Bannigan’s Bravo put on a showstopping performance against Jodie Burney’s Dromai, but the mighty dragons of Volcor prevailed.
Devin Rattenni tried to corner the frosty giant with Uzuri, but Pat Eshghy’s midrange Oldhim pushed back hard, and the Boss missed the target by a hair’s breadth.
Brodie Spurlock moved onto his next prey in the semi-finals, but this time Azalea’s arrows couldn’t pierce Trenton McBride’s unwavering defense.
Jodey Burney also tried to take down the Grandfather of Eternity, using every last scrap of Ash possible, but Pat Eshghy stood tall, hammering through the illusions and stopping Dromai’s advances dead in her tracks.
The two Elemental Guardians faced off in a grueling mirror match for the title of Battle Hardened Champion, neither giving up an inch - until eventually Pat Eshghy overwhelmed his opponent, burying them in an avalanche of ice, and claiming his well-earned Gold Foil, prize money, and PTI.
Congratulations to everyone who made Top 8, and especially to Pat Eshghy for taking out the main event. Thank you to all the players who joined us in Richmond for great games, and we look forward to seeing you at Pro Tour: Baltimore!
Top 8
1st: Pat Eshghy - Oldhim, Grandfather of Eternity
2nd: Trenton McBride - Oldhim, Grandfather of Eternity
3rd-4th: Brodie Spurlock - Azalea, Ace in the Hole
3rd-4th: Jodey Burney - Dromai, Ash Artist
5th-8th: Devin Rattenni - Uzuri, Switchblade
5th-8th: Lucas Bannigan - Bravo, Showstopper
5th-8th: Merrick Kemp - Dash, Inventor Extraordinaire
5th-8th: Matthew McInnis - Lexi, Livewire