If you have not already checked out the coverage of Spanish, Japanese and Australian Nationals for fresh from the oven M10 Standard tech, you should do so right now. The Elvish Archdruid-powered Combo deck took the top spot in Australia and dominated the Japanese event with three Top 8 finishes although Shuhei Nakamura hoisted the trophy with Cruel Control. Cruel Control also won Spanish Nationals with nary an Elf Combo deck to be found in the elimination rounds.

Based on a handful of Twitter comments it sounds like a lot of American players are gnashing their teeth right now over the tremendous performance of the Elves Combo deck. It would have been a great deck to have in your back pocket going into US Nationals but now everyone will either be playing it or have a firm plan for playing against it. Osyp, who ended up making the finals of a massive PTQ in Edison, NJ, compared the raw power of the deck to that of Affinity. How people prepare for and with the deck will be one of the dominant storylines next weekend as Bill Stark and I cover Nats in KC.

The 2009 Singapore National team

In the meanwhile I have the Top 8 decklists from Singapore Nationals which featured some interesting non-Elf concoctions including a Sanity Grinding/Time Warp deck by Pro Tour Barcelona Top 8 competitor Albertus Law. He went 6-0 in the Swiss rounds of Standard, including multiple victories over Kithkin, but fell to one of the two Kithkin finalists in the quarterfinals. The other really interesting deck was the 5Color deck featuring Brion Stoutarm that ended up earning a spot on the National team. Thanks to Jun-Wei Hew for the decklists and the photo of the team! (Decklists appear below the fold. Click to keep on reading!)

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Thanks to everyone who followed along on Saturday. Hope you enjoyed the admittedly truncated coverage. The Top 16 decklists from the event went up on Star City Games this morning and can be found here. The winning list and Osyp’s list are both listed as Vengeant Weenie but Osyp’s list is actually the Kowal Boat Brew which is a Reveilark based deck while the winning list is a more traditonal White Weenie variant. Keep in mind that Jacob Van Lunen went 7-2 with a similar “Boros” list although his 20th place finish would be less likely to have as profound an impact on the metagame as the winning list will surely have on Worlds’ Standard portion.

Vengeant Weenie
Corey Mann — Winner
Philly 5K Standard Open

3 Burrenton Forge-tender
4 Cloudgoat Ranger
4 Figure Of Destiny
4 Goldmeadow Stalwart
4 Knight Of Meadowgrain
4 Wilt-leaf Liege
4 Wizened Cenn
4 Ajani Vengeant
4 Spectral Procession
6 Plains
4 Battlefield Forge
3 Mutavault
4 Rugged Prairie
4 Rustic Clachan
4 Windbrisk Heights

Sideboard:
1 Burrenton Forge-tender
4 Reveillark
3 Stillmoon Cavalier
4 Unmake
3 Ajani Goldmane

With one round to be played four slots in the Top 8 were settled. Osyp drew in with David Irvine. Both players were running Reveillark decks — Osyps was the Kowal version while Irvine was playing an off the radar version with Scullers and other surprises.

In the other match Dan Jordan was drawing with his friend David Kilmartin. The two of them drove down from upstate New York and were happy to share a Top 8. Dan was playing Faeries while David was playing MonoDred — look at his hair and you will know why it is called that — featuring Tattermunge Maniac over Gouger.

The tournaments penultimate Swiss matchup was between Pro Tour Champion Osyp Lebedowicz and PTQ stalwart Michael Lapine. Osyp was playing a red-white Reveilark deck while Lapine was playing Hollywoodish Elves.

Game one

Lapine led off with good ol Llanowar Elves. Osyp tucked something away under Windbrisk Heights and carefully noted the order he put the other cards under his deck: “Just in case the game goes long.”

Lapine played a pair of Kitchen Finks while Osyp made a Mindstone. On the next turn Osyp played Knight of the White Orchid.

“I just want to say that I learned how to do this from watching Mile Flores’ videos. I hope I do it right.”

“God bless that man,” teased Osyp as he used sudden surge of mana to play Finks. Lapine killed the Knight with Eyeblight and attacked with both Finks.

Osyp clawed his way back with Ajani Vemjeant and Mogg Fanatic while Lapine played Colossus.

Osyp played Reveilark. He locked down Colossus after it killed Lark and brought back Fanatic and White Orchid. Siege-Gang. They traded beats for a couple of turns until Osyp played another Seige-Gang.

Kitchen Finks for Lapine but Osyp was at a critical mass of goblins and when he went all-in he dealt 14 using combat, sacrificing goblin tokens, and the Helix ability of the Planeswalker.

Game two

Osyp mulliganed but still had Figure on the draw in the second game. It attacked for two and was joined by Fanatic a turn later. Finks for Lapine could only watch as the 4/4 rumbled in a turn later. It would meet an Eyeblight’s Ending a turn later.

Lapine was able to start attacking with Treetop Village and Finks. Osyp pitted both his Fanatics at the Finks and then reinforced with Seige Gang. Lapine reset the game with Infest.

Finks for Osyp was taken down a notch by Shriekmaw but Osyp killed that with Murderous Redcap. Lapine played Colossus. Osyp restocked his hand with a pair of Figures thanks to Ranger of Eos.

Osyp was under pressure from the Colossus which was joined by a second but Osyp had the Wrath. Lapine Infested away the freshly played Figure and attacked for 5 with his manlands.

Profane Command killed the next Figuare — which Osyp had immediatley pushed to. 4/4 — and returned Chameleon Colossus. Osyp reached for his sideboard when his deck yielded nothing to stem the tide.

Game three

Osyp had no play on the opening turn which was going to make racing with Wren’s Run Vanquisher and Treetop pretty tough. Osyp had Kitchen Finks to eat the Village and stay at 20. Ajani Vengeant locked down the Vanquisher.

Lapine played another Vanquisher and a Llanowar Elves while Osyp laid down a protective coating of Kitchen Finks on his side.

Garrack put Osyp under some pressure to play the game more aggresively and he had to send in Kitchen Finks which ate the Llanowar. Now Osyp had to decide if he wanted to do 3 to the Planeswalker with his Ajani. Instead he continued to lock down the Vanquisher and played Seige-Gang.

Lapine popped his Garrack and played Infest. Osyp flung a goblin at and traded hia persisrent Fink with the Vanquisher in combat.

Reveilark for Osyp and Bitterbllossom for Lapine. A second Vanquisher for Lapine came down at full price. Osyp Wrathed back his Seige-Gang only to get it promptly Infested.

That was Lapines last hurrah in the match though as Ajani was about to go ultimate.

“I am just playing Kowal’s Boat Brew. Flores and Ravitz told me to play it. Ranger of Eos is soooo good.”