Huge Tarkir: Dragonstorm Tournament Spotlights Two Hall of Fame Pros

Last updated on April 11, 2025

Savage Punch – illus. Wesley Burt

In a coverage practice not seen since all the way back in 2018, StarCityGames will be shadowing two Hall of Famers for Tarkir: Dragonstorm Sealed this weekend! This pair of Hall of Famers are none other than Luis Scott-Vargas and Reid Duke, two of the game's most iconic players. They'll be battling it out in Denver tomorrow for the latest Magic Spotlight, so be sure to check out the stream.

Introducing the Hall of Famers

If you don't follow much competitive Magic, you may not be familiar with either, so here's a brief intro to each player:

Luis Scott-Vargas

source: magic.gg

Luis Scott-Vargas (better known as “LSV”) has been playing Pro Tours for nearly two decades now, but is known for much more than just that. He wrote popular articles, set reviews, and produced videos for one of the largest MTG sites (ChannelFireball) for many years, and never missed an opportunity to drop a pun in any of them. LSV also gave the MTG community a “celebrity marriage” of sorts, with his wedding to then-popular streamer (and now WotC employee) Gaby Spartz: They were the talk of the town years ago.

While LSV's writings and community presence sometimes overshadow his professional achievements, he was made a Hall of Famer in 2013 for a reason. With 16 GP Top 8s and 11 top finishes, this is a player whose gameplay you will not want to miss. You can expect his Sealed deck to be greedy, powerful, and full of card draw spells!

Reid Duke

source: StarCityGames

Reid Duke is more or less the game's Charming Prince; a dashing, consummate professional who everyone seems to get along with. Don't let his pleasant demeanor fool you though; Reid is deadly at this game, which his 24 GP Top 8s and 7 Pro Tour Top 8s should make clear! His many accomplishments lead to his induction into the Hall of Fame in 2019.

Reid has been playing Pro Tours for fifteen years now. He's known for his affinity for midrange decks in Constructed formats, especially anything Jund. I'd also highly recommend his free “Level One” article series, which contains all kinds of great information for aspiring competitors.

What Kind of Tournament is This?

source: StarCityGames

The tournament is Magic Spotlight Series: Denver, which is happening at SCGCon this weekend. This Magic Spotlight will feature Tarkir: Dragonstorm Limited, specifically Sealed for Day 1, and Draft for day 2. The tournament will begin April 12th at 10 AM ET, with the Day 2 portion happening the next day at 9 AM ET. You can follow along on social media with #SpotlightDragons, and watch the stream live on Youtube or Twitch.

How Will it all Work?

So long as the two players are still live for Day 2, coverage will continue to follow them! LSV will be the primary player (i.e., the player whose matches are featured first), with Reid Duke as the player for backup matches. The tournament will begin with an interview for each player, who will give their thoughts on their Sealed pools and how they constructed their decks.

One of the last instances of coverage like this was Grand Prix Richmond 2018, a Legacy event where Reid Duke was followed for fifteen rounds! Coverage of the event was so popular that some even refer to the event as “GP Reid Duke”.

How has Tarkir: Dragonstorm Limited been?

In a word, awesome! We've only had the set out for a couple of days, but community reception seems miles more positive than Aetherdrift. Early stats online are not showing any significant color imbalances, which is a great departure from Aetherdrift's miles and miles of green. Here's a bit on Sealed and Draft for this format to help you know what to expect.

Sealed

Multicolor piles are king, more or less. Opening good bombs, removal, and fixing seems essential to success, though you could always try your hand at aggro if you don't. Expect lots of splashing and greedy decks on camera, as 4c seems to the sweet spot for most pools. Usually that will be a wedge clan deck splashing 1-2 cards for more bombs/removal, though we'll have to see how LSV and Reid Duke handle their pools!

Draft

The main overperformers in Draft so far are Dragons, which feels highly appropriate for the set! All of the “Exhale” commons have been great, especially Dispelling Exhale and Piercing Exhale. The same goes for the set's common and uncommon Dragons, all of which have felt at least solid. All of the clans seem viable too, so staying open and finding the right lane seems vital for players' success.

In Conclusion

With well-designed cards that make for dynamic gameplay and an unbeatable art style, Tarkir: Dragonstorm has been a gargantuan hit. You won't want to miss two of Magic's most formidable contenders clash in what is largely considered the best Limited format in a very long time.