UNITY LEAGUE EUROPEAN MAGIC CUP 2026

Bologna, 21-22 February 2026

From left to right: Sam (me), Filipe, Sick Trophy, Random #washed player (Pascal Grossmann)

Dearest gentle readers, let me tell you the story of our tournament at the European Magic Cup in Bologna.
For those unfamiliar, this is an invitational team event: three rounds of Team Sealed, followed by five rounds of Team Constructed, plus a Top 8, featuring Standard, Pauper, and Modern.

Top players from more than 20 European countries qualified, so the level of competition was, as expected, very high.

You can see all the tournament’s decklists here: https://unityleague.gg/events/21966/

Team Presentation

Pascal “3000” Grossmann:

An absolute beast, perhaps the single best player in Switzerland. He reached an almost 80% win rate in 2025, but remains humble and considers himself #washed. Personally, I am approx. 1-10 in matches against him (and I am not sure about the 1). He is playing Mono-Blue Terror in Pauper for the tournament.

Filipe Sousa:

Ultra solid player. He wanted to retire from Magic (yes, I know…not the smartest idea), but luckily the Magic Gods decided otherwise… After deciding to retire, he made the mistake to follow Pascal’s advice and play Amulet at the RC. As a result, he Top 32ed the RC then qualified for the Pro Tour (where he crushed the pros in standard). He also randomly won an RCQ he attended “just to give back some cards”. Not bad. He is playing his 4C Elementals deck he built for the Pro Tour in Standard.

Sam Marti (me):

Apparently, I am the 72th best player in Switzerland (according to Twitter). But I always come with a smile! I am playing my good old, trusty, honest Boros Aggro in Modern.

Source: Trust me bro, I saw it on Twitter

In sum, our team had two of the best players in Switzerland!! Nothing was going to prevent us from bringing the trophy home!! I am very happy to play together as we are actually already all part of the same team: Team Birdwatch!

The preparation

Since I had such a great team around me, I had to put in some work to properly display the strength of the 72nd best player in Switzerland.
I practiced a lot with Esper Blink, the deck I qualified with, but the results were not where I wanted them to be. At one point I went 0-4 in a MTGO league, skipped the fifth match, and made a last minute decision to switch decks.
I went back to Boros, which had treated me well in the past, especially back when it was even more broken with Rings and Raptors. The switch paid off immediately. I went 9-1 across two leagues. Solid.
I also drafted quite a bit leading up to the event, so I am feeling much more confident in Limited now.

Here is my Boros deck:

A pretty stock list, just slightly tuned for Storm with the two Rangers in the main deck. Not completely sold on the Dalkovan Encampment , but it did come up and proved useful.

Pascal built like 1,000 Team Sealed pools to prepare for the event, so we were confident we would squeeze the maximum out of whatever we opened. He also trophied with basically every relevant Pauper deck, so I was not too worried on that front.

Filipe went 7-3 in Standard at the last Pro Tour, so that seat should be just fine as well.

The Friday

Smartly, we took Friday off and headed down early to enjoy beautiful Bologna.

After a smooth journey filled with stunning scenery, lakes and mountains, which felt like a thousand of them, plus even more “creative” Italian drivers (who treat road rules as gentle suggestions) and what seemed like an endless number of toll booths, we finally arrived in sunny Bologna.

The drive was not wasted time, though. We semi convinced Pascal that even if he is clearly #washed, he is still a good-ish player. We heard all the Pro Tour stories and even developed a revolutionary Team Sealed strategy:

“Put all the bad cards in one pile, then never touch that pile again.”

Pascal "3000" Strategy Guide™.

Once in Bologna, we met some other Swiss fishes for dinner:

Léo Thiémard: Swiss number one on the leaderboard. Not only will he crush you with one of his many combo decks, he will also simply always be there. Any tournament. Anywhere. Anytime. Forever.

On top of that, he is a genuinely great guy.

He decided to register Jeskai Ascendancy in Modern. A courageous choice.

Gaëtan Bossy: Winner of the latest Swiss Magic Masters in Modern. Member of MTG La Farce, one of the strongest teams in Romandie. He is on Bant Cub in Standard after recently Top 8ing a GP with it. Solid.

We spent the afternoon at the apartment cracking absurd Team Sealed pools (double [[Thunder Flocks]], double Grub's Command ...) and just relaxing. At some point we combined aperitivo with a draft, which felt like optimal preparation.

Dinner was next level. An apparently infinite stream of delicious Italian food, all kinds of limoncello, and eventually we managed to sideboard in the last two remaining fish who had been stuck in traffic:

Luca “Perlino” Fessia: The youngest on the team, but definitely also one of the strongest. He somehow managed to steal a qualification slot in Spain and seems to be friends with half the pro scene. He regularly Top 8s or wins MTGO Challenges, so clearly he knows what he is doing.

He registered the infamous UW Cat Lifegain Tapland deck (Caw Gates) in Pauper, which, if you ask me, looks pretty weak.

A last minute addition: Alexey Paulot, fresh off a GP win in Liverpool and a 6-0 Limited run at the Pro Tour. He is backed by a very solid French team, so expectations were, understandably, high.

After a sick Marti-Pistachio ice-cream topdeck on the street we went back home to jam some Limited and share a few good stories.

Clearly a first pick in the format!

The Saturday – the tournament starts: Day 1!

I reminded my team of a saying from an old, wise, and very humble friend: “Day 1 is mostly for fun. The real competition usually starts on Day 2.”

When we arrived at the tournament center, a very nice venue inside a hotel, I immediately recognized plenty of familiar faces. The field was stacked. Nobody here qualified by accident.

The Unity League team had prepared custom playmats for everyone, each featuring the player’s name. I have to admit, that was pretty cool.

By Alberto S. Ballesteros

We did not open a stellar pool and had to work hard to build something reasonable. An “okay” Elementals deck, an Elf-Goblin pile with a questionable curve featuring five common Changelings, and a Merfolk-Kithkin "aggro/ tempo" deck featuring a surprising number of cards from Pascal’s “unplayable” pile, but at least had a solid curve.

After deckbuilding, I was a bit disappointed. We had tested a lot and felt well prepared, but the pool was not doing us any favors. It was going to be tough...

My Merfolk-Kithkin "aggro-tempo" deck is weak but it can definitely steal games by curving out and removing blockers with efficient removal effects.

Round 1: vs Amanda (International Team) with a good GW Kithkin deck

I managed to win a tricky game one after almost losing to an unexpected [[Morningtide’s Light]] which removed all my blockers and saved on creature from my pacifism.
Lost game 2 to an aggressive draw.

With only 10 minutes left, we jumped into a hasty game of Magic, and I finally managed to convert a strong, aggressive draw in extra turns.

The two Keep Out s I had left in the sideboard were excellent. At one point, I even pulled off a nice pen trick and used it at exactly the right moment.

1-0

Round 2: vs the excellent Danish Team (Christensen, Madsen and Lave)

This team was pretty stacked, likely one of the strongest in the tournament.

My opponent had a solid Merfolk deck with two Disruptor of Currents and at least one lord. In game one, we had an interesting judge call when he bounced my Thoughtweft Imbuer in response to the trigger from Gravelgill Scoundrel .

Fortunately, I was able to tap Wary Farmer and save the Scoundrel from what would have been a devastating double block.

I lost game two to a clean curve into Harmonized Crescendo , but managed to steal game three with a perfect draw and removal off the top, while he never found the second blue source for his bounce spell.

A bit lucky, but I will take it.

2-0

Round 3: versus Team Poland (Mikita, Przemyslaw & Bartosz)

I managed to win a grindy game one against a solid Goblin deck, with Slumbering Walker generating just enough value to carry me through.

In game two, he came out strong with Champion of the Weird , but fortunately I had boarded in my Moonlit Lamenter , which lined up well.

Thanks to my opponent’s Champion of the Weird , I was able to generate an absurd amount of value with Moonlit Lamenter and claw my way back into a very difficult game.
Somehow, I ended up winning two grindy games with my Merfolk-Kithkin Treefolk tempo deck.
It really highlights how important sideboard cards are in Limited.

Unfortunately, we lost the match due to an out-of-control Sanar, Innovative First-Year generating infinite value for Filipe’s opponent.

2-1

In the end, we were all quite happy with a 2-1 result in Limited, especially considering the decks we had to work with.

Alexey’s French team was sitting at 3-0, which came as no surprise.

Time to move on to Constructed!

Round 4: vs Balazs from Team Hungary

My opponent was on 5C Domain and proceeded to demolish me in game one with Leyline of the Guildpact + Scion of Draco .

I managed to steal a game with a turn three Blood Moon , which felt nice. My opponent played very well throughout.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Filipe completely dismantling his Izzet Lessons opponent without breaking a sweat. Pascal had already won his match as well!

Not a bad start to Constructed.

3-1

Round 5: vs Team UK (with Gordon-Brown, Zhou & Tyler)

I recognize these players. I think they are pretty good.

I had the absolute nuts in game one and still died on turn three to Storm.
Game two was not much better. My only real threat got exiled, and I proceeded to draw what felt like 10,000 lands in a row.

Luckily, Pascal managed to win on a mulligan to five against Mono Red, and Filipe out valued Jeskai Control in Standard.

Good to have teammates to carry me!

4-1

Round 6: vs the Polish Team (featuring Andrzejewski, Sodek & Piękosz)

I have been a big fan of Sodek for a long time. He was one of the reasons I picked up Dredge, which treated me very well across several tournaments. So playing against his team felt like an honor.

My opponent was on a very cool Grixis Midrange deck with Psychic Frog , Quantum Riddler , and plenty of solid removal. I lost game one despite having Blood Moon in play. At one point I made a bad attack and got blown out by the one of Orcish Bowmasters , which ended up costing me the game.

Game two was going well for me, and I felt in control, when Filipe suddenly told me to stop playing...I was convinced we had won the round, but apparently both of them had lost. I was a bit confused & surprised… they really lost?I had to ask twice to make sure. It really happened. Crazy, I know.

Filipe, as it turns out, lost to a perfectly timed one of Snakeskin Veil . He was not thrilled about it.

I will include a small schematic of the situation in a nice frame, so we can all remember this rare moment forever:

The Stomping of Filipe, Bologna 2026

On his end, Pascal lost on the draw against Sodek’s Heroic deck.

4-2; It is not over

Round 7: vs PieGonti and his Italian team

I was paired against RG Eldrazi Ramp, which is a pretty bad matchup for me. They have instant speed boardwipes with Kozilek's Return and an absurd late game.

Game one, I somehow demolished him with double Guide of Souls plus Ocelot Pride . Game two was less exciting. I got boardwiped multiple times and never really recovered.

At that point, I was unsure about the Blood Moon s. In the end, I decided to keep one in on the play, which was probably a mistake. In game three, I had a strong aggressive start and just needed a little more gas to close it out, but instead I drew lands and stared at a completely useless Blood Moon in my hand. Not my finest decision.

Pascal quickly dispatched PieGonti's Dredge deck, but Filipe’s match went very long. It was a super grindy Elementals versus UB Doomsday battle. Filipe was ahead, but could not quite convert before the fifth extra turn. It happens, even to the best.

4 wins 2 losses 1 draw

Round 8: vs Francesco, Matteo & Alessio from Italy

My opponent was on Blink, a matchup I know well since I have played it many times from the other side of the table. It is definitely tricky and not an easy pairing, but I managed to navigate it with some strong draws while my opponent struggled a bit to get things going.

Pascal and Filipe also picked up their matches.

5 wins 2 losses 1 draw; TOP 8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was not very happy with my play in Modern. I made quite a few mistakes, which is not shocking given the last minute deck switch. Still, we got through it. And now, the real competition begins.

As a team, I think we played well. We did not interfere with each other too much and mostly focused on our own matches. We only checked in on the others once our own games were finished. I believe that is the right approach. Otherwise, you risk losing focus just to give questionable advice in a game you are not even playing.

Saturday night

After these exhausting & intense 8 rounds, what should we do?

Aperol Spritz & a huge Pizza!! We even top decked Filipe’s friend who was somehow in Bologna that same weekend to play a different card game (imagine that, playing something other than Magic...).

Pascal & Léo went to the Amulet shop to restock on “Turn-2 Titan” hands.

Sunday, the Top 8

As expected, the Top 8 was stacked with powerhouses like TSPJendrek’s Polish team, Sodek’s squad, Oscar Christensen’s Danish lineup, and plenty of other familiar faces from GPs and Pro Tours. Alexey’s French team unfortunately missed out, despite their perfect Limited record.

There was some discussion about splitting the Top 8 prizes, but in the end we agreed to just play it out. For me, the most important things were the trophy and the stories I could tell.

The Top 8 was played in a double elimination bracket, which means you are not out until you lose twice. That said, we were not planning on losing at all.

As Filipe put it: “It is possible to beat one of us, but very hard to beat two of us.”

Since I was not exactly thrilled with my Modern performance so far, I started with, “Yes, well, I will try my best…”

He immediately cut me off: “Come on, we will crush them.”

So I corrected myself:
“Yes, I will try my best… not to dirty my shoes while we stomp our opponents.”

With these very philosophical words, we entered the Top 8:

Round 1/4: Rematch against Team Poland, who beat us in the Swiss rounds

This time, everything went according to plan. I played much tighter and managed to out value the Grixis Midrange deck. Thankfully, he did not find a Pyroclasm at any point.

And, even more importantly, Filipe’s opponent did not have the devastating one of Snakeskin Veil this time!

1-0

Round 2/4: vs Team Portugal (Rodrigues, Santana & Castanheira)

Filipe was not exactly thrilled that I had to face Amulet on the draw. But I know the matchup well and felt confident.

I stole game one with a fast aggressive start, backed up by a timely Thraben Charm on his Urza's Saga . Game two was even better. I had the absolute nuts with two Blood Moon s. That one was not particularly close.

Filipe also won easily against a UG small "non-Elementals" deck.

2-0

Round 3/4: vs Fedi, Ciampolini & Faggin from Italy

My opponent was on Affinity with four Galvanic Blast s in the main deck, which is not exactly what you want to see.

I had an awkward start with multiple tap lands but still managed to put up a fight. In the end, he slowly out valued me with Weapons Manufacturing . If I had played tighter, I might have had a real shot, but I did not.

Game two was very close. I mistimed a Wear // Tear , casting it at sorcery speed on his Engineered Explosives and Weapons Manufacturing , only to die to his top decked Saga. Not ideal.

Luckily, Filipe & Pascal both won their matches without breaking a sweat!

3-0

Because of the double elimination structure, we had what felt like 100 hours between round three and the finals.

We could order food, went for a walk, came back, drafted online, went for another walk, watched some of the other matches, went out again, grabbed a drink, or even did a small photo shoot.
At one point, I went to the hotel reception to ask if they had a soccer ball we could borrow. Unfortunately, they did not?
In Italy? I thought Italy was known as the country of soccer?? The heroes of my youth: Pirlo, Inzaghi, Gattuso and Buffon would all be disappointed.

I swear to always bring a ball to Magic tournaments in the future.

Round 4/4: The Finals vs. the Danish Team!!

It was no surprise to face them again after so many rounds. I genuinely think they were the strongest team in the tournament, and on top of that, they were very friendly and great people.

Since we were 3-0 in the double elimination bracket, the Danish team would have to beat us twice to take the tournament. And if we follow Filipe’s principle, “It is possible to beat one of us, but very hard to beat two of us,” things should be fine.

I played the Boros mirror againt Ole Lave. Pascal faced Oscar Christensen on Jund Wildfire, and Filipe battled Mick Madsen’s UR Spellementals.

I felt reasonably confident because I had practiced the mirror quite a bit (Thanks, Yves!). It is a very swingy and tricky matchup where a single small decision can decide the game. His list was probably better tuned for the mirror, but I had two very important Celestial Purge s in my sideboard that he did not.

Ole Lave, Mick Madsen, Oscar Christensen, “Massive Trophy”, Pascal "3000", Filipe Sousa, Sam Marti

Just before we started the finals, something funny happened.

My opponent kept on the play and I open with the following hand:

Would you keep this on the draw against Boros?

I decided to keep.

Then we were told to wait a bit for coverage before starting. During that time, I started regretting the decision. It was not a great hand, but there was a non zero chance I could steal the game with an unexpected Blood Moon .

Still, the longer we waited, the worse the keep felt.

So I asked the judge whether I was allowed to change my decision. After a short deliberation, he told me I could mulligan if I wanted, since I had not received any additional information.

Game 1:

My opponent led with Ragavan, Nimble Pilferer , removed my blocker, and even cast Ajani, Nacatl Pariah // Ajani, Nacatl Avenger off the top of my deck. Not ideal. Luckily, I managed to rebuild. I played much tighter this time and kept his graveyard small, which allowed me to reanimate Phlage, Titan of Fire's Fury before he could. At some point, I even transformed it into an 8/8 flyer, which is not easy to beat.

Game 2:

We both had strong starts again, but I gained a solid tempo advantage. At one point, I took a questionable risk and reanimated my Phlage with haste while he had his own copy and three cards in the graveyard. If he top decked a fetch land, I would have been in serious trouble. Fortunately for me, he did not.

If I could replay that spot, I would handle it differently. Luckily, I was not punished.

Meanwhile, Pascal lost to Oscar’s grindy Jund deck. When I finished my match, Filipe was up a game against Mick. It was tense. He was relatively low on life facing large Elementals, but at least he had a reasonable board.

Then he drew a card, and the Danish team made a very disappointed face. If you have ever played a team tournament, you know that is an extremely bad sign.

We were dispatched shortly after by runner runner Eddy.

Pretty cool card by the way

Luckily, on the play in game three, Filipe had some excellent draws. He flipped Ashling, Rekindled // Ashling, Rimebound on turn three and followed it up with huge value Elementals every single turn after that.

Very well played by Filipe! He barely lost a match in Constructed!

We won!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Many thanks to the Unity League and MOLE for the organization. It is truly amazing to have the European Unity League. All of our opponents were friendly, fair, and great to compete against. Huge credit as well to the judges, who ran the tournament smoothly from start to finish.

It was an incredible moment. Experiences like this make me want to practice more and play even more tournaments.

We won this time, but we are fully aware that there is still plenty we can improve. There is a lot of room to grow. Personally, I tend to take too many risks when I see a window to close out a game. Sometimes the better approach is to slow down, stay disciplined, and secure the win a few turns later instead of forcing it immediately.

It was an honor to represent Switzerland at the Unity League European Magic Cup!

We will be back next year!!!

Thanks a lot for reading,

Sam from Team Birdwatch

Left: Pascal “3000” Grossmann, Right: Sam Marti, Standing: Filipe Sousa, just above Filipe: The number of rounds we lost that day.