Sometimes a random new unranked challenger makes it through only to play a ranked deck from the same year metagame. So, would it be a close match? Turns out… no.

G1: Superfriends has no blockers so has to play Day of Judgment but Bant still has lots of cards. Gideon buys some time for Superfriends. Baneslayer meets a Path to Exile. Eventually Bant gets a Sphinx and a Scute Mob, which get through thanks to Jace bouncing Gideon. Bant 1-0.

G2: Lots of 0/4 and 1/3 creatures make for a slow development on both sides and several Spreading Seas create a hassle for Bant who has no white mana. Bant tries Jace but O-ring takes him out. Superfriends plays Elspeth and Jace. That Jace also meets an O-ring from Bant but the Elspeth stays and is joined by Gideon. After a Day of Judgment clears a messy board, Gideon becomes a flying creature with +3/+3 and that settles things. THAT felt like a Superfriends deck! 1-1.

G3: Lots of sideboarding. Bant takes out all the wall creatures and gets counterspells. Bant jumps out to a quick start with a turn 3 Ranger of Eos, then a Scute Mob with Negate backup. Day of Judgment gets countered. Superfriends has one window of opportunity to do a second Day of Judgment but gets greedy and waits, only to have Bant draw another Negate on the next turn. Sphinx of Jwar Isle (shroud!) enters with Negate backup. DoJ #2 gets countered. Superfriends tries Gideon to buy time but even that meets an O-ring. Bant 2-1.

G4: Superfriends decides to keep Spreading Seas since it was so good in game 2 but it is useless in this game. Baneslayer #1 gets countered. Baneslayer #2 gets bounced three times by a Jace. Superfriends tries to play Jace but it is countered. Superfriends tries to O-ring an opposing Jace but… yep, countered. Bant uses Bant Charm on Baneslayer #2. Too many counters! Drew three of the four counterspells from the sideboard, which was pretty lucky. Anyway, after all that interference there were lots of attackers and Superfriends fell to the onslaught. Bant 3-1.