First Costa Rican Premodern Nationals 2025 Report
Introduction
This August, Costa Rica made Premodern history. For the first time ever, the local community hosted a six-round national championship — doubling the length of any previous Premodern event in the country. What started two years ago with three/four player casual meetups has now grown into a full-fledged scene with fierce competition, prize support, and international visibility.
✨ The event also marked the 2-year anniversary of Sociedad Premodern Costa Rica — a milestone worth celebrating with top-level play, generous prize support, and community-driven energy.
About Us
In addition to players from all corners of the country, the tournament welcomed one visiting player from Chile and featured 15 players who have been playing Premodern for less than 6 months, a sign of incredible growth and inclusivity.
The 2025 Costa Rican Premodern Nationals, held during Haru Fest, brought together 36 players, all battling for the title of national champion. Players began arriving as early as 7:00 AM to receive their registration package, which included:
- ⛰️ Stamped FBB CHN Mountain
- 🧷 Custom enamel pin
- 🎨 Stickers
- 🧵 Embroidered patch
- 🔥 Exclusive playmat
- 👕 Event T-shirt
- 🦁 Altered Masticore (WC)
- 🎲 Custom dice bag
Metagame
The metagame featured an impressively diverse field, with 19 unique archetypes represented across 36 players. While classic strategies like Sligh, Stiflenought, and Tide Control remained popular, the event also showcased a range of fringe and innovative decks, including Devourer Combo, Pit Rack, and Treva Control. Aggro, control, and combo archetypes were all well-represented, reflecting a healthy format where no single strategy dominated the field.
| Archetype | Decks | % of Field |
|---|---|---|
| Goblins | 5 | 13.5% |
| Survival Rock | 3 | 8.1% |
| Stiflenought | 3 | 8.1% |
| Sligh | 3 | 8.1% |
| Reanimator | 2 | 5.4% |
| Zombies | 2 | 5.4% |
| White Weenie | 2 | 5.4% |
| Tide Control | 2 | 5.4% |
| Tidestill | 2 | 5.4% |
| Psychatog | 2 | 5.4% |
| Elves | 2 | 5.4% |
| Devourer Combo | 1 | 2.7% |
| Treva Control | 1 | 2.7% |
| The Rock | 1 | 2.7% |
| Pit Rack | 1 | 2.7% |
| GW Oath Ponza | 1 | 2.7% |
| GW Midrange | 1 | 2.7% |
| BW Control | 1 | 2.7% |
| 4c Terrageddon | 1 | 2.7% |
Top 8
Top 8 Story
The Top 8 elimination bracket brought drama, redemption, and unforgettable plays — but none more thrilling than the semifinal clash between David Araya (Devourer Combo) and Jose Rojas (Tide Control). With both players at the brink in Game 3, the tension peaked when David resolved a Covetous Dragon, threatening to end the game in the air. Jose, flooded and clinging to hope, dug desperately for a Chain of Vapor to bounce a Mind Stone and take the dragon down. But the dragon kept swinging, forcing a Faerie Conclave chump.
Then, with Jose at 2 life and holding a single card, David went all-in — flinging the dragon for lethal. The table held its breath. Was it Counterspell? No — just a Force Spike. But David had Ancient Tomb, paid the one, and sealed the match to thunderous applause.
Meanwhile, in another semifinal, Ale Focardi avenged his Swiss loss by taking down Sebas García's Elves, setting up a final between two warriors who had already faced defeat — and come back stronger.
In the end, Ale's 4c Terrageddon triumphed over David's explosive combo, completing a storybook run to become the champion of the event.
Elimination Bracket
Finals Decklists
Champion — 4c Terrageddon
Finalist — Devourer Combo
The Gathering
Event Superlatives
Goblin Bombardment vs Exalted Angel
In a classic underdog moment, Sebas García, piloting Elves, faced down a fully online Exalted Angel — a card that has decided many games in Premodern history. But instead of folding to its inevitability, he turned the tables with a play that had the crowd talking.
With Goblin Bombardment in play and a freshly summoned Deranged Hermit bringing along a token army of squirrels, Sebas used his furry forces for full-scale assault. By sacrificing his squirrels one by one to the Bombardment, he took down the exalted threat before it could gain more life, leaving the Angel humbled and the audience in awe.
Top 4 — Elves
This moment reminded everyone that in Premodern, board state and synergy often trump raw power. Even a handful of 1/1 tokens can swing a match when combined with clever tech and perfect timing.
🐘 Card of the Day: Call of the Herd
Few cards were as consistent, powerful, and emblematic of midrange dominance as Call of the Herd. Over the course of the day, this green workhorse rumbled onto the battlefield again and again, often from the graveyard, showcasing its grindy value.
Whether in 4c Terrageddon, Elves, or The Rock, Call proved to be the elephant in every room — demanding an answer and enabling players to keep up pressure while holding interaction. It was never flashy, but always impactful.
🕯️ Nostalgic Play of the Day: Haunting Echoes vs Phyrexian Dreadnought
Some cards are rare to see in modern metas, but when they show up — they leave an impression. A Haunting Echoes resolved targeting a graveyard filled with Stifles, Vision Charms, Counterspells and Cantrips. The payoff? A complete exile of the combo package, and a total shutdown of the Dreadnought engine.
It was a blast from the past in the best way — the kind of play that sparks laughter, disbelief, and admiration. That's Premodern: full of surprises, callbacks, and cards you thought you'd never see again — until they win the game.
Atmosphere & Community
The event took place during Haru Fest, a major geek/otaku culture convention in San José. Players enjoyed:
- A large, clean venue
- Food trucks
- On-site stream
- Viewers from US, Brazil, Chile, and more
- Judge Diego (MagicCon veteran) handled only 5 calls in 6 rounds + Top 8
The community spirit was the true highlight:
- Many of the 15 new players were attending their first large tournament
- Veterans helped with deck loans, rules questions, and support
- Having a Chilean representative further strengthened the regional bonds
🙏 Special thanks to Javier Córdoba, owner of Olympus Garden, for providing the physical space to host the tournament.
🧠 The entire tournament — from planning and logistics to media and player experience — was organized by Emanuel Cianfanelli (@junglemagic).
🎥 Stream Notes
Emanuel also set up and managed the event's live stream on Twitch, which attracted viewers from across the continent — including Brazil, Chile, Spain and the United States. There were a few challenges:
- ❌ Audio problems due to ambient noise from the festival
- 🌞 Glare on the stream table
- 🔊 Some background interference that made commentary tough
But for a first-ever attempt at live-streaming a Premodern event in Costa Rica, it was a meaningful success — and a clear sign of bigger things to come.
"Everything is a learning opportunity. We now know what we need to improve to level up for the next event." — Emanuel
What's Next?
The Nationals confirmed what we already knew — Costa Rica has a thriving Premodern scene, and it's only getting stronger.
Liga Premodern Online (Monthly)
August: Low Tier (Extended Ban List)
Top prizes:
- 4x Tempest Reanimate (TEM)
- 2x Exalted Angel (ONS)
- 1x Foil Living Wish (JD)
- 5x raffles
Two Monthly IRL Tournaments
- Olympus Garden
- Burro Singles
Big December Event
Nationals-style tournament under a new name, end-of-year blowout
Innovative Formats Ahead
Based on community surveys: tribal events, team formats, new mechanics
Final Words
From new players to seasoned grinders, this tournament felt like a celebration of everything Premodern represents: community, nostalgia, depth, and fun.
Beyond the prizes, standings, and decklists, what truly made this event special was The Gathering — the coming together of people with a shared passion.
Whether you're playing Devourer Combo, Sligh, or a rogue brew, Magic: The Gathering is about community. It's about friendship, mutual respect, competition rooted in joy, and the stories we create together across the table. Events like this remind us that formats come and go, but the spirit of The Gathering is timeless. And that's what we'll keep building — one event, one handshake, one shuffled deck at a time.
If this was your first event — welcome. If you've been here since the start — thank you.
🖤 Long live Premodern.
