Seth Manfield wins the Pro Tour Murders at Karlov Manor

After a Top 8 full of surprising decks and unexpected moments, Seth Manfield became the Pro Tour Murders at Karlov Manor champion.

Playing the tournament's breakout deck, Rakdos Vampires, Seth defeated Jean-Emmanuel Depraz (Izzet Phoenix) in the quarterfinals for 3-1, and scored a quick victory in the semifinals against Mingyang Chen (Lotus Combo), who he had defeated another Vampires player in the quarterfinals - Samuel Pardee.

On the other side, the 2023 Player of the Year, Simon Nielsen (Boros Heroic) reached the finals after one of the most unusual matches in the history of competitive Magic in the semifinals against Christoffer Larsen (Abzan Amalia), where the match lasted seven games because Simon managed to transform the Amalia Benavides Aguirre combo into an infinite loop by giving indestructible to Wildgrowth Walker, forcing a draw.

In the finals, Seth Manfield defeated Simon Nielsen 3-1 after the pre-Sideboard matches ended 1-1, where Seth lost the second game after going five turns without finding a second land drop.

In the last game, a Showdown of the Skalds put Nielsen very close to victory after establishing a powerful board with Favored Hoplite, Monastery Swiftspear and Tenth District Legionnaire, being able to win in the next turn if he found Monstrous Rage or Ancestral Anger to trample over Seth's blockers.

Manfield found, at the top of his deck, a Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord, which granted lifelink for Vein Ripper and allowed the player to attack for seven damage and keep three blockers - Simon's chances remained on the possibility of finding a way to give Trample to his creatures.

When revealing Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance from the top, Simon extended his hand, conceding the victory and the title of Pro Tour MKM champion to Seth Manfield.

You can check out the Pro Tour Murders at Karlov Manor top 8 decklists here.