Six players with a record of 7-1 remain going into round 9. The top three tables featured matches whose winners would virtually be assured a Top 8 finish. Here’s how they went:

Table 1: Shane Wiggins vs. Lawson Sutherland

This Evil Medical School vs. Sentinels  game ended on turn 9. Any guesses which deck won? Dr. Light did the trick after Shane made a questionable play, searching for Have a Blast! very early in the game. By his own admission, this play may have been premature (he explained that he was worried about Total Anarchy, which never made an appearance). It didn’t matter, though, when Lawson’s plan to continually play Sentinel Mark IIs eventually petered out to Psimon.

Table 2: Michael Dove vs. Sam Gilly

In round 7, Dove won by playing two copies of The Mutant Menace. This time, it was three Menaces on turn 7 that sent him and The New Brotherhood on to the Top 8.

Table 3: Michael Jacob vs. Josh Wiitanen

Josh’s Titans jumped out to a quick lead against Jacob’s Mutant Nation deck, but things slowed down when he missed his fifth turn Garth ◊ Tempest. Josh flipped USS Argus, but Jacob had three Global Dominations. This essentially caused Josh to lose six cards over three turns, and with Wiitanen failing to draw Teen Titans Go!, Jacob advanced to the Top 8.