Clashground: Makati Recap | Top 8, Bounties & Decklists
Clashground: Makati brought 44 Clashers together this past weekend for two days of competition and community, and once again proved why the Philippines is one of the strongest Alpha Clash regions in the world. With the Bounty system and the event card, Adaptive Portal, in play, the tournament produced a deep and varied Contender field battling for the Champion prize card (Clarity, Harbinger of Death) and the Top 8 prize card (Alpha Empowerment).
Five Bounty Contenders were up for grabs, with players stepping in to prove themselves as the best pilot of each character and claim the reward. Nearly half the field arrived with a Bounty Contender in tow, a clear sign of how much the system continues to shape deckbuilding decisions heading into an event.
Meta Breakdown
Clarity, Ready for Trials led the field as the most represented Contender with 6 pilots, followed closely by Death, Chaos Bringer with 5. The Absence, Voice of the Void and War, Legion Commander were tied at 3 apiece, with a long tail of single copies rounding out the rest of the non-Bounty field: Conquest, the Indestructible, Lord Krung, Leader of the Horde, Magnate, Indomitable Will, Moxie, Vanguard of Earth, Pestilence, Prince of Plagues, Sinai, the Protector, and Torque, the Diabolical.
Among the Bounty Contenders, Kilimanjaro, Power Erupting and Master Zephyrion, Ancient Disciple each drew 5 pilots, Genesis, Emissary of Chaos brought in 4, and Cadavros, Prophet of Despair and Gearwin, Steampunk Engineer each saw 3.
Swiss to Top 8
After six rounds of Swiss, the standings were locked in and the following eight Clashers punched their ticket to the playoff bracket:
Edison Curameng (eddyzone01) - The Absence, Voice of the Void
Melvin Sta. Maria (melvinism) - The Absence, Voice of the Void
Patrick Bernardo (tragic) - Clarity, Ready for Trials
Sam Parts (gaitherookiecontender) - Clarity, Ready for Trials
Christian Tan (cristan67) - Gearwin, Steampunk Engineer
Josef Jose (josef) - Clarity, Ready for Trials
Rampador Pareja (deathram05) - Cadavros, Prophet of Despair
Karlo Luigi Bonillo (darkarmed098) - Genesis, Emissary of Chaos
The bracket delivered a great mix of matchups on Day 2, with three different Contenders fighting through to the semifinals before Edison Curameng and Melvin Sta. Maria squared off in an all-Absence final. Curameng came out on top to claim the title, capping off the weekend as Clashground: Makati Champion.
Top 8 Decklists
Champion: Edison Curameng (eddyzone01) - The Absence, Voice of the VoidDeck List
Runner-up: Melvin Sta. Maria (melvinism) - The Absence, Voice of the VoidDeck List
Top 4: Patrick Bernardo (tragic) - Clarity, Ready for TrialsDeck List
Top 4: Sam Parts (gaitherookiecontender) - Clarity, Ready for TrialsDeck List
Top 8: Christian Tan (cristan67) - Gearwin, Steampunk Engineer Deck List
Top 8: Josef Jose (josef) - Clarity, Ready for TrialsDeck List
Top 8: Rampador Pareja (deathram05) - Cadavros, Prophet of DespairDeck List
Top 8: Karlo Luigi Bonillo (darkarmed098) - Genesis, Emissary of ChaosDeck List
Bounty Winners
Kilimanjaro, Power Erupting: Juls Caraos (youjulzz)
Cadavros, Prophet of Despair: Rampador Pareja (deathram05)
Master Zephyrion, Ancient Disciple: Darwin Mariano (tokwafu)
Genesis, Emissary of Chaos: Karlo Luigi Bonillo (darkarmed098)
Gearwin, Steampunk Engineer: Christian Tan (cristan67)
Three of the five Bounty winners went on to finish in the Top 8 with the very Contender that earned them their Bounty, a strong showing for the depth of the Philippines metagame.
A special thank you goes out to everyone who helped make this weekend happen, from the players and judges to the organizers on the ground in Makati, and our partner, Toy Shogun. We'll see you soon on the Clashground!