After fourteen rounds of play split between Magic: The Gathering®—Avatar: The Last Airbender™ Draft and Standard Constructed for the 126 competitors at Magic World Championship 31, the Top 8 is set. These players either achieved ten wins early in the tournament—Sam Pardee was the first to qualify in Round 11—or finished in the final eight when the dust settled on Round 14. After a final Top 8 playoff, one of them will be crowned the next Magic World Champion. Let's meet our potential champions!

Sam Pardee

6 Island 4 Gran-Gran 4 Stormchaser's Talent 4 Boomerang Basics 1 Agna Qel'a 4 Combustion Technique 3 Mountain 3 Iroh's Demonstration 4 Multiversal Passage 4 Firebending Lesson 4 Monument to Endurance 4 Accumulate Wisdom 3 Abandon Attachments 4 Riverpyre Verge 4 Artist's Talent 4 Spirebluff Canal 2 Price of Freedom 1 Annul 1 Torch the Tower 1 Iroh's Demonstration 1 Spider-Sense 1 Pyroclasm 3 Quantum Riddler 2 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Spell Pierce 1 Negate 1 Broadside Barrage

This marks an incredible seventh career Top Finish for Sam Pardee, the Strixhaven Championship winner in 2021 who also made it to the Top 8 of that year's World Championship. Since then he's continued his strong and consistent play as a part of Team TCGplayer at this event, and he qualified for Magic World Championship 31 on the back of his strong 2025 season where he made it to Day Two of every Pro Tour he played. Now he has a chance to one-up his longtime friend Matt Nass, who won Pro Tour Aetherdrift earlier this year.

Jean-Emmanuel Depraz

9 Island 2 Frostcliff Siege 4 Stormchaser's Talent 1 Abrade 1 Pyroclasm 2 Tiger-Seal 4 Torch the Tower 4 Boomerang Basics 3 Winternight Stories 2 Roaring Furnace // Steaming Sauna 2 Mountain 4 Multiversal Passage 4 Duelist of the Mind 2 Into the Flood Maw 4 Fear of Missing Out 4 Riverpyre Verge 4 Spirebluff Canal 4 Quantum Riddler 1 Disdainful Stroke 1 Hydro-Man, Fluid Felon 2 Get Out 1 Iroh's Demonstration 1 Ghost Vacuum 2 Spell Pierce 1 Ruinous Rampage 2 Annul 2 Spider-Sense 1 Pyroclasm 1 Fire Magic

Four years ago, Jean-Emmanuel Depraz lost in the finals of the World Championship, narrowingly missing out on completing his career resume after winning the World Magic Cup in 2018. He only redoubled his efforts after that loss, and two years later he won Magic World Championship 29.

Fast forward two years: Depraz is back in the Top 8 for a third time in his career, and now may claim the title of World Champion once again. He's put up formidable results at every single Pro Tour this year, which is fitting given he'll appear on Formidable Speaker in Lorwyn Eclipsed. If his testing with Team Cosmos Heavy Play pays off, he'll appear on another Magic card in the near future.

Seth Manfield

7 Island 4 Gran-Gran 4 Stormchaser's Talent 3 Boomerang Basics 1 Agna Qel'a 4 Combustion Technique 2 Mountain 3 Iroh's Demonstration 4 Multiversal Passage 4 Firebending Lesson 4 Monument to Endurance 4 Accumulate Wisdom 3 Abandon Attachments 4 Riverpyre Verge 1 It'll Quench Ya! 4 Artist's Talent 4 Spirebluff Canal 2 Negate 1 Annul 1 Torch the Tower 1 Iroh's Demonstration 1 Abandon Attachments 1 Abrade 1 Pyroclasm 2 Quantum Riddler 2 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 It'll Quench Ya! 1 Spell Pierce 1 Broadside Barrage

Seth Manfield has one of the most storied and stellar resumes of any Top 8 player. He won the 2015 World Championship, Pro Tour Ixalan, the 2020 Mythic Invitational, and Pro Tour Murders at Karlov Manor. The Hall of Famer earned his spot here when he made the Top 8 of last year's World Championship, so he's no stranger to the excitement Sunday will bring. He's already proved he can overcome the nerves to win the biggest matches in Magic. The question isn't "Does Seth have what it takes?" After all, he rattled off the wins to clinch Top 8 early after a 0-2 start. Instead, we should ask "Does Seth have room in his trophy case for another piece of Magic history?"

Ken Yukuhiro

1 Swamp 2 Willowrush Verge 2 Underground Mortuary 1 Hedge Maze 2 Harvester of Misery 4 Awaken the Honored Dead 4 Bringer of the Last Gift 4 Breeding Pool 1 Island 3 Wastewood Verge 1 Cavern of Souls 3 Blooming Marsh 3 Ardyn, the Usurper 4 Superior Spider-Man 4 Bitter Triumph 4 Broodspinner 1 Multiversal Passage 1 Undercity Sewers 3 Analyze the Pollen 4 Oblivious Bookworm 3 Watery Grave 1 Terror of the Peaks 4 Overlord of the Balemurk 1 Webstrike Elite 3 Deep-Cavern Bat 4 Intimidation Tactics 1 Urgent Necropsy 2 Glarb, Calamity's Augur 1 Cavern of Souls 1 Disruptive Stormbrood 2 Soul-Guide Lantern

The Heartfire Hero is in the Top 8 of the World Championship and is 2025's Player of the Year! Ken Yukuhiro brought the heat at Pro Tour Magic: The Gathering®—FINAL FANTASY™, where he claimed victory and a seat at Magic World Championship 31. For Yukuhiro this represents an incredible ninth career Top Finish, and he'll be one of two Japanese competitors in the Top 8 trying to bring the World Championship title back to Japan for the first time since Yuta Takahashi won it in 2021.

Yukuhiro's Sultai Reanimator deck served him well this weekend, especially after a near-disastrous 1-2 start left him with his back up against the wall early; he went on to win nine of his next ten rounds to advance to the Top 8.

Shaun Henry

1 Willowrush Verge 4 Botanical Sanctum 1 Forest 3 Bushwhack 4 Stormchaser's Talent 2 Ral, Crackling Wit 4 Stomping Ground 4 Torch the Tower 4 Boomerang Basics 2 Analyze the Pollen 2 Song of Totentanz 3 Badgermole Cub 2 Roaring Furnace // Steaming Sauna 4 Breeding Pool 1 Mountain 2 Island 2 Multiversal Passage 3 Thundertrap Trainer 4 Enduring Vitality 4 Stock Up 2 Valley Floodcaller 2 Riverpyre Verge 1 Disdainful Stroke 1 Annul 1 Torpor Orb 1 Frostcliff Siege 2 Ghost Vacuum 1 Iroh's Demonstration 1 Valley Floodcaller 3 Pawpatch Formation 2 Pyroclasm 1 Fire Magic 1 Negate

Shaun Henry has become accustomed to Top 8s appearances over the last two years, with two Regional Championship Top Finishes in Australia and one at a Magic Online Champions Series event showing that Henry can compete with the best in the world regardless of the venue, and heading into the World Championship Henry was among the players who had a longshot at earning the Player of the Year title. And while that trophy will go to Ken Yukuhiro after his own Top 8 run, this is yet another major finish for Henry.

Henry's Temur Otters deck was seen combo-ing out his opponents all weekend, and we can look forward to seeing Bloomburrow's cutest critters in the Top 8. Going into this season of competitive Magic, Henry's goal was to win a Pro Tour or the World Championship. After putting up amazing results at each Pro Tour this year, he has one more chance to accomplish that goal on Sunday.

Arne Huschenbeth

4 Botanical Sanctum 3 Song of Totentanz 4 Bushwhack 1 Forest 4 Stormchaser's Talent 2 Starting Town 4 Torch the Tower 3 Stomping Ground 4 Boomerang Basics 1 Analyze the Pollen 4 Badgermole Cub 3 Roaring Furnace // Steaming Sauna 4 Breeding Pool 1 Mountain 2 Island 4 Enduring Vitality 2 Pawpatch Formation 4 Stock Up 2 Valley Floodcaller 2 Riverpyre Verge 1 The Legend of Kuruk 1 Spirebluff Canal 1 Disdainful Stroke 2 Negate 1 Cryogen Relic 1 The Unagi of Kyoshi Island 1 Pawpatch Formation 2 Annul 1 Soul-Guide Lantern 2 Pyroclasm 1 The Legend of Kuruk 2 Essence Scatter 1 Fire Magic

Arne Huschenbeth's season goal was to make the Top 8 of an event, a modest aim for the four-time Top Finisher and Kaldheim Championship winner. After the longtime competitor narrowly missed that benchmark at Pro Tour Aetherdrift (where he was one of four players to miss on tiebreaks), Huschenbeth bounced back in a big way at the World Championship. His testing with Team Handshake Moxfield brought him to the Temur Otters deck, and his deck choice paid off this weekend.

Derrick Davis

8 Island 4 Gran-Gran 2 Eddymurk Crab 4 Stormchaser's Talent 2 Starting Town 4 Boomerang Basics 4 Combustion Technique 1 Roiling Dragonstorm 2 Iroh's Demonstration 4 Multiversal Passage 4 Firebending Lesson 4 Accumulate Wisdom 4 Abandon Attachments 2 Stock Up 3 It'll Quench Ya! 4 Riverpyre Verge 4 Spirebluff Canal 2 Negate 1 Essence Scatter 2 Abrade 2 Torpor Orb 2 Ghost Vacuum 2 Iroh's Demonstration 1 Roiling Dragonstorm 1 Stock Up 2 Spider-Sense

Day One's undefeated player has broken the curse and made it to the Top 8! Davis qualified for the World Championship following his Top 32 performance at Pro Tour Edge of Eternities, continuing a long history of competitive Magic greatness that includes digital and tabletop Top 8 appearances. Now, Davis plans to teach his opponents an (Izzet) lesson and claim the title of World Champion.

Akira Shibata

2 Opt 6 Island 4 Stormchaser's Talent 1 Torch the Tower 4 Boomerang Basics 1 Agna Qel'a 1 Roaring Furnace // Steaming Sauna 4 Combustion Technique 2 Mountain 1 Iroh's Demonstration 3 Firebending Lesson 4 Multiversal Passage 4 Monument to Endurance 2 Abandon Attachments 4 Accumulate Wisdom 2 It'll Quench Ya! 4 Riverpyre Verge 4 Artist's Talent 4 Spirebluff Canal 3 Gran-Gran 1 Disdainful Stroke 2 Torpor Orb 2 Ghost Vacuum 2 Annul 1 The Legend of Kuruk 1 Soul-Guide Lantern 1 Ral, Crackling Wit 2 Essence Scatter 1 Spell Pierce 2 Fire Magic

Akira Shibata is on an ascendant season. Jumping out of the gate with a hot start at the Regional Championship for Japan and Korea, Shibata turned an 8-0 run into a finals finish. Qualifying for Pro Tour Edge of Eternities and Magic World Championship 31, he went on to notch a respectable 10-6 in Atlanta ahead of the final showdown of the season. Battling to make the cut in the final round, Shibata went from Regional challenger to Top 8 contender in a few months—and he has just one more day to potentially become our next Magic World Champion.