The first weekend in March had over 200 of the best Magic players from across Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean gathered in Mexico City for The Gathering Showdown Series, the area's Regional Championship. It was the culmination of months of qualifying events, and two invitations to Pro Tour Thunder Junction, one invitation to the World Championship at MagicCon Vegas, and the title of Regional Champion were all on the line.

Congratulations to Dagoberto Silva, winner of The Gathering Showdown Series!

After eight rounds of Modern followed by a Top 8 playoff, Dagoberto Silva, from Mexico, claimed the title and the trophy piloting Living End. Silva defeated Victor Pérez on Boros Burn in the finals.

Victor Pérez and Dagoberto Silva play in the finals.

Silva qualified for the Regional Championship via an RCQ at Boardgeekz in Guadalajara. This won't be Silva's first trip to the Pro Tour, nor is it his first significant win. In 2018, he, alongside teammates Daniel Becerra and Marcelino Freeman, won GP Liverpool. That event was Team Modern, and Silva played the since-banned Krark-Clan Ironworks combo.

Congratulations to the Top 8

At the end of eight Swiss rounds of Modern, eight players advanced to the Top 8, including Marcelino Freeman, Silva's 2018 teammate. Temur Rhinos, a Modern powerhouse in the current cycle of Regional Championships, put only a single copy into the Top 8, while Living End had a great day and had three copies. The rest of the Top 8 highlighted Modern's flexibility, with Mono-Blue Tron, Domain Zoo, Boros Burn, and Merfolk all cracking the Top 8.

Top 2 Qualify for the Pro Tour

Congratulations to Victor Pérez and Dagoberto Silva!

It was a tense Top 8 at the Gathering Showdown Series, as players vied for a spot in the finals and a Pro Tour invite. Silva defeated Freeman in the quarterfinals, then won a Living End mirror in the semifinals to secure his spot. Pérez defeated Mono-Blue Tron in the quarterfinals, followed by Merfolk in the semifinals.

You can see the decklists of the two Pro Tour qualifying players below:

The Metagame: Where Were the Rhinos?

In recent weeks, Temur and Domain Rhinos have risen to the top of both the Modern metagame and the standings. With only a single copy of Temur Rhinos in the Gathering Showdown Series Top 8, you might wonder if the deck was at the tournament at all.

The answer is yes, Domain Rhinos was the second-most played deck of the tournament, coming in just behind Living End. The deck had a rough weekend though, with a win rate around 43% and no copies in the Top 8. Temur Rhinos was much less popular, reflecting a growing preference among Modern players for the Domain build of the deck. Despite having a copy in the Top 8, the deck did even worse than Domain Rhinos, ending the weekend with a sub-40% win rate.

Leyline of the Guildpact continues to be Murders at Karlov Manor's most impactful Modern card, creating an avenue for both Domain Rhinos and Domain Zoo. Rakdos Evoke is still holding on, though it has continued to fall in popularity. Living End was the best-performing deck that had more than three copies in the field, with a 53% win rate.

Congratulations again to this weekend's players on a great tournament of terrific and hard-fought matches and excellent competition. Catch the next Gathering Showdown Series during the next Regional Championship cycle!

Find out more about how you can qualify for the Regional Championship and the Pro Tour by visiting here and finding out more from your regional organizer!