Matt Nass (Domain Overlords) wins Pro Tour Aetherdrift

American Matt Nass is the champion of Pro Tour Aetherdrift after defeating James Dimitrov by 3-2, both piloting the Domain Overlords deck, which consolidated itself as the standout strategy of the event, with one of the best win rates in the Metagame and placing three players in the Top 8.

Matt also went undefeated on day one of the Pro Tour and finished the Swiss rounds with just one loss.

The final matches were filled with removal trades and highlighted the importance of Up the Beanstalk in the current Metagame, with victory often culminating in whoever managed to extract more value from the Wilds of Eldraine enchantment that has become the pillar of several strategies in Standard.

The last game was defined by activations of Zur, Eternal Schemer to transform enchantments into creatures, with James transforming Leyline Binding and one Overlord of the Mistmoors and reaching 59 life while Matt took advantage of the two copies of Overlord of the Mistmoors in play to maintain board advantage and secure blockers for the opponent's threats.

The first decisive play was made by Matt through Stock Up, a card from Aetherdrift that delivered Leyline Binding and Negate for the player, ensuring the safety of not losing against a possible Nissa, Ascended Animist from James's topdeck.

James then found an Atraxa, Grand Unifier from the top, ensuring a Day of Judgment and one Doppelgang with a draw of Up the Beanstalk, but Matt sequenced Leyline Binding and Tear Asunder to deal with Atraxa and other blockers, and a Get Lost from the top dealt with James' last token, culminating in Matt taking his time doing tons of math to make sure he had enough damage for lethal before his opponent conceded.

In addition to the finals, the Domain Overlords deck also stood out in the semifinals and quarterfinals matches in a Top 8 that also featured the Mono Red Aggro, Gruul Mice, Gruul Leyline, Golgari Mill and Jeskai Oculus decks. You can check all the Pro Tour Aetherdrift Top 8 decklists here.