The week before Pro Tour Amonkhet saw three Grand Prix across the globe. The Grand Prix Beijing, Bologna, and Richmond all showcased the new Limited format with Sealed play on Day One and Draft on Day Two. Due to Amonkhet’s early release on Magic Online, players came to these events more prepared than they would have in the past.

First to finish was Grand Prix Beijing. Just over 1,000 players showed up to battle with the freshest Magic set but as always only 8 players stood a chance of glory at the end of Sunday. Included in those final eight was Tomoharu Saito who briefly broke a tie with Martin J?za and Yuuya Wantanabe for third on the all-time Grand Prix Top 8 list. Saito’s 25 Grand Prix Top 8s placed him three behind Olivier Ruel and two behind Shuhei Nakamura, Hall of Famers both.

Saito was not able to add to his trophy case. That honor belonged to Kelvin Chew of Team MTG Mint Card. The Singapore native piloted an aggressive Red-White deck with five copies of Cartouche of Zeal. The win, Chew’s first in three trips to the Sunday stage at a Grand Prix, put the pro just a few points short of hitting Platinum status. With two more Pro Tours this season netting a minimum of six pro points, Chew finds himself needing two more to hit the coveted status.

White-Red ? Amonkhet Limited | Kelvin Chew, Winner Grand Prix Beijing

• Creatures (15)
• 1 Ahn-Crop Crasher
• 1 Battlefield Scavenger
• 1 Bloodlust Inciter
• 1 Bloodrage Brawler
• 1 Devoted Crop-Mate
• 1 Emberhorn Minotaur
• 1 Flameblade Adept
• 1 Nimble-Blade Khenra
• 1 Pathmaker Initiate
• 1 Vizier of Remedies
• 2 Sacred Cat
• 3 Nef-Crop Entangler

• Instants (1)
• 1 Mighty Leap

• Enchantments (8)
• 1 Cartouche of Solidarity
• 1 Compulsory Rest
• 1 Trial of Solidarity
• 5 Cartouche of Zeal

• Lands (16)
• 8 Mountain
• 8 Plains

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Next on the docket was Grand Prix Bologna with nearly 1,670 players descending on Italy. Mere hours after Saito claimed third on the list he was joined by Martin J?za who made the elimination rounds as well. In a Top 8 that also featured Pascal Vieren and Simon Nielsen, J?za battled all the way to the finals with a Blue-Black cycling deck but fell in three games to Corrado De Sio and his aggressive White-Blue strategy that leaned on two copies of Aven Wind Guide.

White-Blue ? Amonkhet Limited | Corrado De Sio, Winner Grand Prix Bologna

• Creatures (15)
• 1 Binding Mummy
• 1 Devoted Crop-Mate
• 1 Gust Walker
• 1 Sacred Cat
• 1 Supply Caravan
• 1 Those Who Serve
• 1 Vizier of Remedies
• 1 Aven Initiate
• 1 Curator of Mysteries
• 1 Naga Oracle
• 1 River Serpent
• 1 Shimmerscale Drake
• 1 Tah-Crop Skirmisher
• 2 Aven Wind Guide

• Sorceries (1)
• 1 Open into Wonder

• Instants (6)
• 1 Commit // Memory
• 1 Djeru's Resolve
• 1 Galestrike
• 1 Mighty Leap
• 2 Impeccable Timing

• Enchantments (2)
• 1 Compulsory Rest
• 1 Cartouche of Knowledge

• Lands (16)
• 8 Plains
• 7 Island
• 1 Evolving Wilds

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Blue-Black ? Amonkhet Limited | Martin J?za, Finalist Grand Prix Bologna

• Creatures (9)
• 1 Archfiend of Ifnir
• 1 Baleful Ammit
• 1 Pitiless Vizier
• 1 River Serpent
• 2 Ruthless Sniper
• 3 Wasteland Scorpion

• Sorceries (6)
• 1 Sacred Excavation
• 1 Wander in Death
• 2 Compelling Argument
• 2 Stir the Sands

• Instants (7)
• 1 Cancel
• 1 Essence Scatter
• 1 Scarab Feast
• 2 Hieroglyphic Illumination
• 2 Splendid Agony

• Enchantments (2)
• 1 Lay Claim
• 1 Liliana's Mastery

• Lands (16)
• 7 Island
• 7 Swamp
• 1 Canyon Slough
• 1 Evolving Wilds

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Finally the circuit traveled to Richmond where the Grand Prix drew just under 1,600 players. Current World Champion Brian Braun-Duin ran the table during the Swiss portion by going 15-0 (including his byes). Braun-Duin was a lock for the Top 8 with a few rounds to go and was joined by Pro Tour Dragons of Tarkir Champion Martin Dang and Brazilian Pro Thiago Saporito. It would be Dang who handed the World Champion his first match loss of the weekend in the Quarterfinals before Dang himself fell in the semifinals. In the end it was veteran Eli Kassis in his third Grand Prix Top 8 against Michael Baraniecki playing in his first. Kassis had another White-Blue deck up against Baraniecki’s strong Black-Red build. Featuring Liliana, Death's Majesty, Neheb, the Worthy, Bontu the Glorified, and Insult // Injury, Baraniecki took the title in three games.

Black-Red ? Amonkhet Limited | Michael Baraniecki, Winner Grand Prix Richmond

• Creatures (16)
• 1 Baleful Ammit
• 1 Bontu the Glorified
• 1 Cursed Minotaur
• 1 Desert Cerodon
• 1 Emberhorn Minotaur
• 1 Festering Mummy
• 1 Horror of the Broken Lands
• 1 Minotaur Sureshot
• 1 Neheb, the Worthy
• 1 Pathmaker Initiate
• 1 Warfire Javelineer
• 2 Pitiless Vizier
• 3 Doomed Dissenter

• Planeswalkers (1)
• 1 Liliana, Death's Majesty

• Sorceries (2)
• 1 Unburden
• 1 Insult // Injury

• Instants (5)
• 1 Final Reward
• 1 Splendid Agony
• 1 Supernatural Stamina
• 1 Electrify
• 1 Fling

• Enchantments (2)
• 1 Lay Claim
• 1 Liliana's Mastery

• Lands (16)
• 8 Swamp
• 7 Mountain
• 1 Evolving Wilds

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All told 4,293 players came out to test their mettle in Amonkhet Sealed. Only three could claim victory at the end of the day, barely 0.07% of the total field. Magic is a skill testing game and with the variety of strategies on display all weekend long the Pro Tour is sure to have some excitement in the Limited rounds.