Jacob Hershberger came into round 8 as the last man standing, the only player who managed to circumvent losses in the first seven rounds. With only eight other players sporting less than two losses, the matches on tables 1 through 5 started shaping our impressions of what the Top 8 might look like.

Table 1: Jacob Hershberger vs. David Bauer

Another round, and another Curve Sentinel match at table 1. Both Bauer and Hershberger were running purple machines. Both players seemed to feel the match, which lasted seven turns, was decided on the die roll when David got the odd initiative. That meant his Magneto, Master of Magnetism got dibs on attacking the turn it hit play. That was good enough, ending Jacob’s streak and leaving the field wide open.

Table 2: Andrew Macht vs. David de Michele

De Michele’s been the last man playing in approximately half the rounds today, but his fastidious approach is apparently doing the trick. This one lasted until turn 7, but as Macht put it, “You can put in there that Andrew lost on turn 3.” That was when he used Overload too aggressively instead of saving it for Garth ◊ Tempest, who made the difference in the game.

Table 3: Michael Gemme vs. Luke Evich

Michael Gemme continued to take matches without having the optimal options at his disposal. This time, Colossus came to play without boost, but it was enough, as the X-Men triumphed over Evich’s Teen Titans on turn 6.

Table 4: Kenneth Choi vs. Milton Figueroa

Choi, who a round earlier was sitting at table 1, took another step in the wrong direction when on turn 4, he unintentionally drew extra cards, causing a game loss. The two played out the game out of curiosity, with Figueroa’s The Brave and The Bold giving Choi the small consolation that he’d likely have lost, regardless of the technicality.

Table 5: Antonino DeRosa vs Job Figueroa

Milton’s brother Job insisted, “I don’t want to be called Milton’s brother,” when their family’s success today was mentioned. Tough luck, bud. DeRosa was the 5-2 player with the fortune to be paired up. His X-Stall deck took full advantage of that, with Professor X, World’s Most Powerful Telepath showing up for a couple of attacks before the game ended on turn 8.