The World of Warcraft Minis World Championship has come and gone, and one man stands atop the mound: Derek Richardson. Team RIW is a well-known TCG powerhouse, but Derek proved that Michigan knows how to play Minis as well, finishing in first with a trio sporting two Elanna Starbreeze and the deadly Jaina Proudmoore. This Zoo variant featured Bloodclaw and Greater Water Elemental, and the animals carved up the competition all weekend long.

The Top 8 was star-studded, with several DMF Top 8 finishes between the competitors. Of course, players like Ben Isgur and Michael Pozsgay have a habit of tipping such scales. Ben Isgur came sporting one of the most unique armies in the tournament: double Goblin Shredder plus Rethilgore. Healing Potions and Fog of Wars let Ben control the flow of combat, and the standard Lycanthropy made his party especially dangerous come nightfall. Ben's Shredders capped flags all day long, dodging in and out of combat to score points.

Pozsgay's team was incredibly different, and significantly more popular. Michael Pozsgay, Pierre Malherbaud, and hans Joachim Hoh all made it to the Sunday stage with identical parties, sporting triple Zomm Hopeslayer. The team, affectionately named “Zoom, Zoom, Zoom,” was one of the biggest hits of the tournament. Sap and Evasion gave Zomm the ability to outmaneuver nearly any opponent, and Zomm was adept at capping flags and making kills, a dual threat on the World Championships map.

Rounding out the Top 8, we have Nathan Westlake on a conventional Zoo configuration, and Stefan Rondolino on a standard Lady Vashj/Rethilgore/Bloodscale Wavecaller party. Azshara Realm Champion Michael Ayars also made the Top 8, with a unique configuration using 2 Amalar Ironhoof alongside Ona Skyshot.

The finals came down to Zomms vs. Zoo, and Derek vanquished Pozsgay in two games, outshooting the Rogues in matchup that seemed to revolve around carefully managed combat. Pozsgay is beginning to accrue quite the collection of runner-up trophies, but I have a feeling he'll find victory in 2010. His consistent finishes are certainly nothing to sneeze at, and I suspect that he'll be putting his prize money to good use on plane tickets over the next year.

The Darkmoon Faire final was also decided on Sunday, and was equally contested. DMF Charlotte winner Tony Faber and DMF Indy semifinalist Sam Black met for battle in the last match of the day, and the matchup featured plenty of monstrous miniatures. The Top 8 draft went well for both players—Sam was running Rethilgore, Illiana Sunshield, and Sarmoth with Signet of Eternal Life, which gave him a small honor advantage over Harvest Golem, Felguard Legionnaire, and Frostmane Troll. What Sam might have not been prepared for was Tony's lucky husk of corn!

It was a close match, and it eventually came down to a single attack from Illiana Sunshield . . . but she fell short against Felguard Legionnaire. The VP hexes gave Tony the victory on tick 20, marking his second DMF championship title. Sam Black would have to wait another day to claim one for himself.