TJ's Eternal Weekend 2025 – Pittsburgh (Event Report)

TJ Houston

TJ Houston

— 4 min read
TJ's Eternal Weekend 2025 – Pittsburgh (Event Report)

Summary

  • Modern: TJ went 3–0 in one event and 1–2 in another, with a key win over Scepter Chant.
  • Legacy Main (Tony): Made Day 2 and finished 26th in a field of ~950.
  • High Roller (Tony): Top 8 and won very clean Bayous, on-brand for a Cradle Control pilot.
  • Pauper Showdown (TJ): 3rd place with Mono-White Heroic; only loss to Matt Strand on Mardu Blink.
  • Community: After-hours hangs and shared lunches were the highlight. Big thanks to the BCDL crew.

Schedule & Results

Thursday — Arrival & Opening Party

  • Travel, check-in, scouting the room, catching up with friends and the BCDL crew.

Friday — Modern Side Events (TJ)

  • Event A: 3–0.
    • Broodscale combo was a lot faster then I thought. Held up interaction for getting rid of combo pieces and running the bowmasters in the mirror ended up helping me win by using arena to bring in 2 creatures with haste.
  • Event B: 1–2.
    • Notable win: vs. Scepter Chant. I have been killed by this deck multiple times online,, finally broke through the matchup by being agressive and bringing in the thrulls and clarion conqueror to keep up pressure.

Saturday — Legacy Main Day 1 (Tony) / Travel (TJ)

  • Tony registered for the Legacy Main; strong run through Day 1.
  • TJ drove back to Ohio to photograph a wedding.
  • End-of-day update: Tony made Day 2.

Sunday — Legacy Main Day 2 (Tony) / Pauper Showdown (TJ)

  • Tony: Closed out 26th overall in ~950 players. Full matchup report incoming from him (sideboard maps, how to play guide, and his spicy tech).
  • TJ: Entered Pauper Showdown with Mono-White Heroic, finished 3rd.
    • Loss: Matt Strand on Mardu Blink (snowballed value, difficult to punch through once established).
    • What worked: Protection spells lined up, clean threat sequencing, tight combat math.

Event Highlights

  • High Roller Event for Duals (Tony): Top 8 and took home Bayous which is a funny flavor win for Mr. Cradle Control.
  • Modern Milestone (TJ): Win over Scepter Chant, a big personal matchup breakthrough.
  • Pauper Podium (TJ): Mono-White Heroic continues to be a solid choice if you respect removal and time your protection.
  • Community: The best part was the people hands down. After-hours dinner and putt putt and lunches with friends old and new. Eternal Weekend brought thousands together to play the game we love.

Quick Notes & Learnings

TJ – Modern

  • Mulligans: Be ready for how fast Reanimator and Broodscale can pop off.
  • Sequencing: Plan fetches two turns ahead to keep shields up (counter/protection).
  • Sideboarding: Felt ok for the version I was playing but making a pivot off of Bowmasters.

TJ – Pauper (Mono-White Heroic)

  • Game plan: Early threat + protection > steady pressure.
  • Vs Blink: You must close before repeated ETBs take over and grind.

Tony – Legacy (Preview)

  • Strengths: Patient lines, clean pivots, understanding when to press advantages.
  • Full write-up: Coming soon from Tony (we’ll link it here once live).

Decklists

Modern - Domain (TJ):

https://moxfield.com/decks/ceNGtboHkkSyt1gH9XomiQ

Pauper - Mono-White Heroic (TJ)

https://moxfield.com/decks/Bx2GG82wi0OApsIL97Frzg

Legacy - Cradle Control (Tony)

https://moxfield.com/decks/rCsSNEdC_ke3yIa0RtEhzg

Shoutouts

  • BCDL crew for the laughs, logistics, and support.
  • Everyone who shared a table, a line, a tech tip, or a lunch run thank you.

What’s Next

  • Post Tony’s full Legacy report and sideboard maps.
  • Tune TJ’s Modern 75 (artifact/graveyard hate counts) and refine Pauper plans vs Blink.
  • See you all next year! I am already counting down the days.

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