Magic The Gathering - Malaysia

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Update - Top 8 decklists added!

Former National Champion Joe Soh returns to become the 2009 Malaysian National Champion!


Joe Soh receiving his trophy from Head Judge Wearn Chong

The stage was set for a grand battle between champions for the crown and title as the two former National Champions fought it out for the honor to become returning champions as Joe Soh faces off against Wong Weng Sheng.

After 12 long exhausting rounds, the top 8 finally emerged from the field of 84 hopefuls, and what an amazing top 8 it is.

Pro Tour Honolulu 5th placed Zac Hill is looking forward to hoist the Malaysian flag in Rome at the World Championships this year made it along with the lone player who went undefeated on Day 1, Yin Zhen Yao. He would have stood on top of the standings yet again, if it wasn't for Sam Eng who took the lead on the standings as the one who only dropped a single match and picked up a draw throughout the whole 12 rounds of Swiss. 3 former National Champions also joined the line-up with Joe Soh, Wong Weng Sheng and Michael Tan within the top ranks. Rounding the rest of the top 8 is PT Yokohama contender Ong Whey Whey and competitive level tournament regular Bryan Chen.

In the finals, Joe Soh's RG Aggro deck is too fast for Wong Weng Sheng's BW Tokens as he fell in 3 quick games. Joe stopped Zac Hill and his 5CB from advancing into the finals on his semifinals match but not before he dispatched Sam and his Swans Combo on his quarterfinals.

Meanwhile Wong Weng Sheng met his teammate Ong Whey Whey who was also playing BW Tokens on his quarterfinals match who conceded his spot to his friend who really wanted to play in the World Championships later this year at Rome, before fighting off Bryan Chen and his GW Tokens for a place in the final 2 during the semifinals.

Bryan Chen then had to play against Zac Hill for a 3rd place playoff to see who gets to be on the final slot on the national team which Bryan managed to defeat Zac in 4 games. Bryan sent off Yin Zhen Yao and his BW Tokens in the quarterfinals to advance into the semifinals while Zac Hill defeated Michael Tan in a full set of 5 games against his RG Aggro.


The 2009 Malaysian National Top 4! (From L-R: Zac Hill [4th], Wong Weng Sheng [2nd], Bryan Chen [3rd], Joe Soh [1st])

Final Top 16 Standings

[1st] USD1800 – Joe Soh
[2nd] USD1400 – Wong Weng Sheng
[3rd] USD900 – Bryan Chen
[4th] USD700 – Zac Hill
[5th] USD350 – Sam Eng
[6th] USD350 – Yin Zhen Yao
[7th] USD250 – Michael Tan
[8th] USD250 – Ong Whey Whey

[9th] Wong Qin Jin (QJ Wong)
[10th] Mohd Hafiz Mokhtaruddin
[11th] Jason Yap
[12th] James Lau
[13th] Vincent Gan
[14th] Nico Surinindran
[15th] Chen Tze Kang
[16th] Mohd Ikmal Mohd Nasir (Icky)

Full Standings – click here

Standard Decks Breakdown and Analysis - click here

Top 8 Decklists – click here

Top 8 Single Elimination Rounds

Quarterfinals

Sam Eng vs Joe Soh (won) [2-3]

Michael Tan vs Zac Hill (won) [2-3] [Coverage Report]

Wong Weng Sheng (won) vs Ong Whey Whey [3-2]

Bryan Chen (won) vs Yin Zhen Yao [3-1]

Semifinals

Joe Soh (won) vs Zac Hill [3-1] [Coverage Report]

Wong Weng Sheng (won) vs Bryan Chen [3-0]

3rd / 4th Place Playoff

Zac Hill vs Bryan Chen (won) [1-3]

Finals

Joe Soh (won) vs Wong Weng Sheng [3-0] [Coverage Report]

Photos from the event below!

A full photo gallery can be found here - click here


2009 Malaysian National Champion Trophy


The sign outside the tournament venue


The top 8, ready to begin!

The Top 8


Michael Tan


Zac Hill


Wong Weng Sheng


Ong Whey Whey


Bryan Chen


Yin Zhen Yao


Sam Eng


Joe Soh


Quarterfinals - Michael Tan vs Zac Hill


Quarterfinals - Ong Whey Whey vs Wong Weng Sheng


Quarterfinals - Yin Zhen Yao vs Bryan Chen


Quarterfinals - Joe Soh vs Sam Eng


Semifinals - Joe Soh vs Zac Hill


Semifinals - Wong Weng Sheng vs Bryan Chen


3rd Place Playoffs - Zac Hill vs Bryan Chen


Finals - Joe Soh vs Wong Weng Sheng