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Metagame Mentor: Duskmourn Shines at Brazil's Regional Championships

October 03, 2024
Frank Karsten

Hello, and welcome back to Metagame Mentor, your weekly guide to the top decks and latest Constructed developments on the path to the Pro Tour. This past weekend, the Pioneer Regional Championships kicked off with Brazil's Regional Championship: the City Class Games Showdown. After eight rounds of Swiss competition followed by a Top 8 playoff, Vinícius Karam emerged victorious with Azorius Control!

Congratulations to Vinícius Karam, the new Regional Champion from Brazil!


Karam's winning list, which we'll discuss later in this article, made good use of Floodfarm Verge in its mana base. Many other decks in the Top 8 also used cards from Duskmourn: House of Horror, so the set has already made quite an impact. In this article, we'll take a closer look at the best-performing Pioneer decks from Brazil and the most-important additions from Valgavoth's collection of cards.

The Pioneer Regional Championship Schedule

Before analyzing the decks, let's look at the full schedule of this round of Regional Championships:

Regional Championships are important competitive events where some of the best players in each region come to test their mettle. Next weekend features the United States Regional Championship in Washington DC, which will have live video coverage. Once the United States Regional Championship gets started, you'll be able to find the decklists and standings on Melee.


These Regional Championship events award substantial prizes. During this round, each participant gets a non-foil copy of the Secret Lair Seasoned Pyromancer promo card, while Top Finishers in the Regional Championship also get a traditional foil copy. There are also monetary prizes and invitations to the first Pro Tour of 2025 on the line, with invites varying by region. In Brazil, the top six eligible players earned an invite. The winners of each Regional Championship—as well as the finalists from the events held in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Japan—will also qualify for Magic World Championship 31, happening later in 2025. As a result, Vinícius Karam is one of the first players on the invite list for Magic World Championship 31.

The Metagame and Win Rates

There were 207 decklists submitted at the City Class Showdown this past weekend. After fixing and homogenizing archetype names, I determined the combined metagame share and the match win rates (non-mirror, non-bye, non-draw) of every archetype in the Swiss rounds. Note, however, that sample sizes are small, so it's difficult to draw statistically significant conclusions from the win rates. The raw numbers are provided in the following table. In this table, each archetype name hyperlinks to a well-performing decklist close to the aggregate of that archetype.

Archetype Percentage of Field Match Win Rate
1. Rakdos Prowess 14.5% ↑↑ 50.6%
2. Jund Food 13.0% 43.7%
3. Azorius Control 10.6% ↑↑ 59.6%
4. Izzet Phoenix 9.7% ↓↓ 53.1%
5. Rakdos Midrange 7.2% 45.2%
6. Mono-Green Devotion 5.3% 38.9%
7. Abzan Greasefang 4.8% 56.9%
8. Boros Tokens 4.3% ↑↑ 49.0%
9. Enigmatic Incarnation 3.4% 51.3%
10. Lotus Field Combo 2.4% 55.2%
11. Rakdos Transmogrify 1.9% 59.3%
12. Quintorius Combo 1.9% 35.7%
13. Niv to Light 1.4% 47.8%
14. Boros Convoke 1.4% ↓↓ 33.3%
18. Other 17.4% 51.1%

The "Other" category included such deck archetypes as Mono-White Humans, Azorius Spirits, Azorius Lotus Field, Boros Prowess, Selesnya Angels, Gruul Prowess, Mono-White Tokens, Abzan Angels, Jund Analyst, Dimir Rogues, Izzet Creativity, Dimir Lutri, Temur Creativity, Selesnya Auras, Selesnya Company, Mono-Blue Spirits, and more.

Following the bans of Amalia Benavides Aguirre and Sorin, Imperious Bloodlord, the metagame at the Brazil Regional Championship was fairly similar to the Magic Online metagame from early September, which I analyzed in my recent format primer. However, several archetypes had ticked up, whereas others have fallen. In particular, Rakdos Prowess, Azorius Control, and Boros Tokens had become more popular, while Izzet Phoenix and Boros Convoke had a reduced representation.

Overall, the metagame appears healthy and diverse. The Top 8 in Brazil featured seven different archetypes, with Rakdos Prowess represented twice. There was even a spicy Dimir Rogues deck in the Top 8!

2 Spell Pierce 4 Thieves' Guild Enforcer 3 Faerie Mastermind 3 Sheoldred's Edict 4 Fatal Push 2 Brazen Borrower 2 Kaito Shizuki 2 Shipwreck Marsh 3 Nighthawk Scavenger 4 Drown in the Loch 4 Soaring Thought-Thief 2 Archfiend of the Dross 3 Thoughtseize 2 Into the Story 1 Mutavault 1 Restless Reef 1 Cavern of Souls 4 Watery Grave 3 Darkslick Shores 2 Castle Locthwain 1 Hive of the Eye Tyrant 1 Otawara, Soaring City 1 Hall of Storm Giants 1 Swamp 1 Island 1 Gloomlake Verge 1 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire 1 Drowned Catacomb 2 Unlicensed Hearse 2 Mystical Dispute 2 The Meathook Massacre 1 Cut Down 2 Path of Peril 2 Grafdigger's Cage 1 Crypt Incursion 1 Unmoored Ego 2 Duress

Even though Pedro Guilherme Lemes lost in the quarterfinals, his performance shows that off-meta strategies are absolutely capable of finding success. I don't think anyone was expecting Dimir Rogues to make a big splash (much less make the Top 8), but this makes me wonder what sort of surprises the next few Regional Championships might have.

The Most-Played Cards from Duskmourn

Duskmourn introduced a number of powerful cards for archetypes both old and new. The following table reveals the twelve most-played new-to-Pioneer cards across the Regional Championship decklists I analyzed.

Card Name Total Copies Main Deck Sideboard
1. Floodfarm Verge 31 31 0
2. Hushwood Verge 30 30 0
3. Overlord of the Hauntwoods 28 27 1
4. Overlord of the Balemurk 21 21 0
5. Turn Inside Out 20 20 0
6. Blazemire Verge 13 13 0
7. Overlord of the Boilerbilges 13 13 0
8. Say Its Name 12 12 0
9. Leyline of Resonance 12 12 0
10. Overlord of the Mistmoors 11 9 2
11. Enduring Innocence 11 9 2
12. Pyroclasm 9 0 9

Competitive decks live and die by the consistency of their mana base. As such, a large variety of decks adopted Duskmourn's new Verge lands. Various other cards, including most of the Overlords, also made a big impact. To showcase last weekend's top-performing decks while highlighting the most important homes for some of these new Duskmourn cards, let's go over seven decks that you should know from Brazil's Regional Championship.

Azorius Control with Floodfarm Verge

1 Change the Equation 2 Deduce 3 Deserted Beach 3 Dovin's Veto 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire 1 Farewell 3 Field of Ruin 4 Floodfarm Verge 1 Fountainport 2 Get Lost 1 Hall of Storm Giants 4 Hallowed Fountain 3 Island 4 March of Otherworldly Light 2 Memory Deluge 4 No More Lies 1 Otawara, Soaring City 3 Plains 4 Portable Hole 3 Restless Anchorage 1 Supreme Verdict 2 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria 4 The Wandering Emperor 2 Three Steps Ahead 1 Settle the Wreckage 3 Beza, the Bounding Spring 2 Chrome Host Seedshark 1 Dovin's Veto 1 Hullbreaker Horror 2 Knockout Blow 2 Mystical Dispute 2 Shark Typhoon 2 High Noon

After qualifying via RCQ at the Nerdz store in Porto Alegre, Vinícius Karam took down the Regional Championship and cemented himself as Brazil's Azorius Control master. "The deck seemed well positioned after the Pioneer bans," he explained. The recent addition of Beza, the Bounding Spring from Bloomburrow also helps shore up weaknesses against aggro decks after sideboard.

While most Azorius Control decks used Kaheera, the Orphanguard as their companion, Karam chose not to use it. This frees up a sideboard slot and does not lead to conflicts when boarding in Chrome Host Seedshark or Hullbreaker Horror. Whether that is the right call remains a point of contention, but it worked perfectly for Karam.

Traditionally, Azorius Control does well in Pioneer Regional Championships, especially in the hands of experienced control players. This past weekend, it had high representation, a high win rate, and the highest-possible finish. For upcoming Regional Championships, Azorius Control will be one of the main decks to defeat, and you should prepare well for the match-up. One way to get an edge against Azorius Control is to limit the amount of spot-removal spells in your main deck, as you will be hard pressed to find useful creature targets in game one.

From Duskmourn, four copies of Floodfarm Verge greatly improved the consistency of the mana base. It's essentially a basic Plains with upside, making it similar to Hengegate Pathway. However, unlike the Pathway that it replaced, Floodfarm Verge can act like a full dual land, adding blue for Three Steps Ahead on turn three and white for The Wandering Emperor on turn four. Speaking of that planeswalker, Vinícius Karam called it his best card of the weekend: "Please play four in your Azorius lists!"

Enigmatic Incarnation with Overlord of the Hauntwods

4 Portable Hole 3 Chained to the Rocks 3 March of Otherworldly Light 4 Leyline Binding 4 High Noon 4 Up the Beanstalk 2 Nylea's Presence 1 Skyclave Apparition 1 Glasspool Mimic 1 Moon-Blessed Cleric 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker 1 Beza, the Bounding Spring 4 Enigmatic Incarnation 3 Overlord of the Hauntwoods 1 Linvala, the Preserver 2 Overlord of the Boilerbilges 1 Atraxa, Grand Unifier 1 Titan of Industry 1 Marina Vendrell 4 Spara's Headquarters 4 Indatha Triome 4 Stomping Ground 4 Steam Vents 4 Sacred Foundry 3 Hushwood Verge 1 Mountain 1 Plains 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 3 Jetmir's Garden 1 Ketria Triome 3 Hinterland Harbor 2 Floodfarm Verge 3 Knockout Blow 2 Rest in Peace 3 Chandra, Awakened Inferno 1 Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines 1 Archon of Emeria 1 Knight of Autumn 1 Yorion, Sky Nomad 1 Dovin's Veto 2 Reckoner Bankbuster Yorion, Sky Nomad

Jonathan Lobo Melamed, who won the previous City Class Games Showdown, came very close to becoming a repeat champion. He lost a tight match in the finals to Vinícius Karam, but his performance over the past two Regional Championships has been very impressive overall.

Anticipating a metagame with players who want to cast multiple spells per turn, he opted for an enchantment-based strategy. Four main deck copies of High Noon limit the effectiveness of Hidden Strings, Arclight Phoenix, Emberheart Challenger, and so on. Given today's Pioneer metagame, High Noon is a nicely positioned card. In fact, when asked how he arrived at his Enigmatic Incarnation list, Melamed had a clear answer. "It's the best High Noon deck."

Whereas previous iterations of this deck might've used Fires of Invention, the composition of the deck changed after Duskmourn, replacing Fires of Invention with the new Overlords. Overlord of the Hauntwoods can ramp you on turn three, immediately unlocking full domain for Leyline Binding. Moreover, since its mana value is 5 even when cast for its impending cost, it triggers Up the Beanstalk and can be sacrificed to Enigmatic Incarnation, allowing you to fetch Linvala, the Preserver as early as turn four. Overlord of the Boilerbilges provides similar synergies by turning into Atraxa, Grand Unifier or Titan of Industry.

In terms of other Duskmourn additions, this deck makes good use of Hushwood Verge and Floodfarm Verge. They easily enabled the Triomes. The resulting five-color mana base makes it possible to cast Marina Vendrell. There are no Rooms in the deck, but you can expect to get two point two enchantments on average, making her a sweet addition. Overall, the archetype gained a lot from Duskmourn and has returned as a force to be reckoned with in Pioneer.

Rakdos Prowess with Turn Inside Out

4 Kumano Faces Kakkazan 4 Monastery Swiftspear 4 Heartfire Hero 4 Emberheart Challenger 4 Slickshot Show-Off 4 Ancestral Anger 4 Monstrous Rage 4 Callous Sell-Sword 2 Reckless Rage 2 Fatal Push 4 Turn Inside Out 1 Sokenzan, Crucible of Defiance 2 Mountain 4 Blood Crypt 1 Blightstep Pathway 2 Den of the Bugbear 2 Ramunap Ruins 4 Blackcleave Cliffs 4 Sulfurous Springs 1 Jegantha, the Wellspring 4 Thoughtseize 2 Fatal Push 2 Ob Nixilis, the Adversary 1 Redcap Melee 2 Feed the Swarm 3 Claim /// Fame Jegantha, the Wellspring

The main story of Brazil's Regional Championship was one of incredible repeat performances. For William Bossaneli Araujo, last weekend's event marked his fourth Regional Championship Top 4 in a row! To my knowledge, there is no one in the world with a better ongoing Regional Championship streak. William Bossaneli Araujo can be rightfully called the ultimate end-boss in Brazil. Not only that, he made all of these results with aggressive red decks, confirming his mastery of red-based aggro across Constructed formats.

Rakdos Prowess is a relative newcomer in Pioneer, but it has been performing well online. This past weekend, it proved it was the real deal. With 14.6% of the metagame, it was the most-played archetype overall, claiming two slots in the Top 4. Both the 3rd-place and 4th-place finishers—William Bossaneli Araujo and Marcos Henrique Borges Ferreira—showed their prowess with Rakdos Prowess.

Fueled by Emberheart Challenger and Heartfire Hero from Bloomburrow, the deck combines the valiant mechanic with pump spells like Monstrous Rage and Ancestral Anger for lightning-fast aggression. Callous Sell-Sword's Adventure, Burn Together, is awesome. If a 7-power Heartfire Hero connects in combat, then Burn Together plus the Hero's death trigger adds up for lethal damage. This can lead to blazingly fast kills. In recognition of the deck's rising popularity, the latest lists have been adapted for the mirror match, adding Fatal Push and Reckless Rage as pieces of interaction. To make room, most lists shaved down on Dreadhorde Arcanist and Claim // Fame.

Most Rakdos Prowess decks at Brazil's Regional Championship, including the one registered by Marcos Henrique Borges Ferreira, did not use any cards from Duskmourn. William Bossaneli Araujo, however, replaced Titan's Strength with Duskmourn's Turn Inside Out. Against an opposing Fatal Push, manifest dread can be far more useful than an extra point of toughness. Moreover, Turn Inside Out can turn Burn Together into a reasonable spot-removal spell. You can pump a creature to deal burst damage, sacrifice it to burn an opposing threat, then manifest dread to make up for it. William Bossaneli Araujo has an incredible track record with aggressive red strategies, so I would trust his card choices. Turn Inside Out may turn out to be the perfect card for this slot.

Jund Food with Undead Sprinter

2 Blooming Marsh 3 Ygra, Eater of All 4 Scavenger's Talent 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker 4 Blackcleave Cliffs 4 Fatal Push 4 Bloodtithe Harvester 4 Deadly Dispute 1 Darkbore Pathway 4 Blightstep Pathway 2 Claim the Firstborn 1 Mountain 4 Blood Crypt 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth 1 Overgrown Tomb 4 Mayhem Devil 4 Cauldron Familiar 4 Witch's Oven 1 Swamp 1 Hive of the Eye Tyrant 1 Den of the Bugbear 1 Thornspire Verge 1 Undead Sprinter 1 Abrupt Decay 1 Jegantha, the Wellspring 2 Ob Nixilis, the Adversary 1 Molten Collapse 4 Thoughtseize 2 Haywire Mite 2 Chandra's Defeat 1 Go Blank 1 Duress Jegantha, the Wellspring

Gabriel Martinez made Top 8 at the City Class Games Showdown with Jund Food, featuring Undead Sprinter and Thornspire Verge. Thornspire Verge is basically a Mountain that can cast Ygra, Eater of All, making it easier to set up the infinite-drain loop with two copies of Cauldron Familiar. Undead Sprinter provides a recursive, aggressive threat, and having access to even a single copy can make a big difference in a long game against Azorius Control. Undead Sprinter took a slot that might otherwise be dedicated to Unlucky Witness.

"The deck is a mix of midrange and combo," Martinez said about his deck choice. "You can shift the way you are playing according to the match, which is awesome." Strategic flexibility is highly valuable, and the sideboard also seems well-tuned for the new metagame. Chandra's Defeat helps against Rakdos Prowess while Haywire Mite can keep Enigmatic Incarnation under wraps. Little tweaks like these can go a long way.

Abzan Greasefang with Overlord of the Balemurk

4 Thoughtseize 4 Overlord of the Balemurk 1 Altanak, the Thrice-Called 4 Greasefang, Okiba Boss 4 Raffine's Informant 1 Skysovereign, Consul Flagship 4 Parhelion II 4 Esika's Chariot 3 Bitter Triumph 4 Grisly Salvage 4 Say Its Name 3 Razorverge Thicket 4 Temple Garden 1 Overgrown Tomb 2 Blooming Marsh 1 Godless Shrine 1 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse 3 Concealed Courtyard 1 Plains 4 Darkbore Pathway 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 1 Swamp 1 Forest 3 Temporary Lockdown 2 Abrupt Decay 3 Duress 1 Haywire Mite 2 Unlicensed Hearse 4 Fatal Push

Lucas Hervás went 6-2 at Brazil's Regional Championship with Abzan Greasefang, featuring four copies of Overlord of the Balemurk. Traditionally, Grisly Salvage is one of the best cards in the deck, giving you five chances to mill Parhelion II while digging for Greasefang, Okiba Boss. Overlord of the Balemurk provides a similar effect. Although it only goes four cards deep and cannot return lands, it eventually turns into a must-answer threat if the game goes long. I don't know if it is better or worse than Grisly Salvage, but you don't have to make the choice. You can run four copies of each, making the deck more consistent.

Say Its Name, another new Duskmourn addition, is a pseudo-Grisly Salvage that only digs three cards deep. Nevertheless, extra copies of this sort of effect are always useful. Moreover, there is the dream of putting Altanak, the Thrice-Called onto the battlefield for free. This enormous 9/9 is nothing to scoff at. In a deck with so much self-mill, you're likely to find three copies of Say Its Name in your graveyard eventually, providing good value. While only a small number of Abzan Greasefang decks this past weekend included the Altanak package, it has a lot of potential. Once every 192 games or so, you might even play Say Its Name, mill two other copies, and get a lucky Altanak as early as turn two!

Boros Tokens with Overlord of the Mistmoors

3 The Wandering Emperor 4 Sunfall 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker 4 March of Otherworldly Light 4 Caretaker's Talent 3 High Noon 3 Get Lost 4 Carrot Cake 3 Torch the Tower 4 Sunken Citadel 4 Sacred Foundry 2 Needleverge Pathway 1 Westvale Abbey 4 Fountainport 1 Mountain 2 Plains 3 Field of Ruin 1 Castle Ardenvale 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire 2 Battlefield Forge 2 Overlord of the Mistmoors 1 Enduring Innocence 2 Skrelv's Hive 1 Authority of the Consuls 3 Rest in Peace 3 Portable Hole 1 Farewell 1 High Noon 3 Warping Wail 1 Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines

Boros Tokens is another newcomer in Pioneer that's based around Bloomburrow's Caretaker's Talent. The deck features a lot of spot removal and sweepers to make the game go long, along with High Noon to stop opposing big turns. This gives you the time to level up Caretaker's Talent and leverage it as a card-advantage engine. Adding to the package of Carrot Cake, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, and other token creators, Duskmourn introduced Overlord of the Mistmoors. It immediately creates two tokens, survives Sunfall as long as it's not a creature, and is incredible to copy with Reflection of Kiki-Jiki.

Vitor Mendonca went 5-2-1 at Brazil's Regional Championship with two copies of the new Overlord, along with a singleton Enduring Innocence to make the tokens even more appealing. This deck indeed seems like a solid home for Overlord of the Mistmoors. When it comes to Enduring Innocence, however, one deck stood out even more.

Selesnya Company with Enduring Innocence

4 Llanowar Elves 4 Elvish Mystic 4 Prosperous Innkeeper 4 Voice of Resurgence 2 Charming Prince 2 Keen-Eyed Curator 4 Skyclave Apparition 4 Sanguine Evangelist 2 Toby, Beastie Befriender 1 Fortune, Loyal Steed 1 Werefox Bodyguard 4 Enduring Innocence 2 Delney, Streetwise Lookout 4 Parting Gust 4 Collected Company 4 The Wandering Emperor 4 Plains 4 Hushwood Verge 4 Temple Garden 4 Branchloft Pathway 4 Brushland 4 Restless Prairie 4 Razorverge Thicket 1 Boseiju, Who Endures 1 Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire 4 Archon of Emeria 4 Aven Interrupter 4 Portable Hole 2 Knight of Autumn 1 Yorion, Sky Nomad Yorion, Sky Nomad

One of the joys of Brazil's Regional Championship was seeing Tulio Jaudy's latest brew, and he didn't disappoint with this 80-card Selesnya Company deck. It makes great use of Hushwood Verge to cast a mana-producing creature on turn one, but the hot, new Duskmourn card is Enduring Innocence, which provides never-ending card advantage. In fact, pretty much every creature in his deck triggers it.

Llanowar Elves? That's a cantrip. The Wandering Emperor creating a Samurai token? That's another cantrip. Delney, Streetwise Lookout? They're drawing two cards! As a result, the deck will almost never run out of gas. "Turns out, a Necropotence that gains you life and doesn't get removed easily is a great card!" Jaudy said. In the tournament, he went 6-2, narrowly missing Top 8.

Another new Duskmourn card is Toby, Beastie Befriender, which can be blinked by Charming Prince; Yorion, Sky Nomad; or Parting Gust. The stream of 4/4 tokens can quickly overwhelm the opponent. The blink effects also combine with Skyclave Apparition to handle opposing permanents, which is an important feature of the deck. Overall, this spicy brew reveals Duskmourn's power, depth, and potential for innovation. If the decks from Brazil are any indication, then it's bound to be an exciting round of Regional Championships!

The Road to Magic World Championship 30

The upcoming Pioneer Regional Championships will award qualifications for the 31st Magic World Championship, happening later in 2025. But that's still far in the future. A few weeks from now on October 25–27, 2024, the 30th Magic World Championship takes place at MagicCon: Las Vegas, inviting Regional Champions from the 2023–24 season. This group of Regional Champions includes Jonathan Lobo Melamed and William Bossaneli Araujo—two of the top players from Brazil who were highlighted earlier in this article. Meanwhile, as Corbin Hosler and I count down the weeks leading up to Magic World Championship 30, each week, I'm looking at a great deck from a past Magic World Championship.

At Magic World Championship XXVIII, 32 competitors came to Las Vegas to compete across Domaria United Draft, Standard, and Explorer. Amongst them was Nathan Steuer, one of the youngest players in the field but already one of the most-feared opponents online. Indeed, he'd won a Magic Online Champions Showcase tournament to earn his seat. Rising through the ranks with his crisp, skillful play, he ultimately took the trophy with Grixis Midrange in the Standard playoffs.

4 Shipwreck Marsh 4 Fable of the Mirror-Breaker 4 Invoke Despair 2 Takenuma, Abandoned Mire 3 Sheoldred, the Apocalypse 2 Duress 3 Make Disappear 4 Bloodtithe Harvester 2 Cut Down 4 Haunted Ridge 4 Swamp 3 Infernal Grasp 4 Xander's Lounge 2 Reckoner Bankbuster 1 Liliana of the Veil 4 Shivan Reef 4 Sulfurous Springs 4 Corpse Appraiser 2 Abrade 2 Reckoner Bankbuster 1 Kaito Shizuki 1 Cut Down 1 Duress 1 Disdainful Stroke 2 Rona's Vortex 2 Abrade 1 Infernal Grasp 2 Negate 2 Atsushi, the Blazing Sky

The Standard metagame at Magic World Championship XXVIII was dominated by Raffine, Scheming Seer. An incredible 22 out of 32 players (68.8% of the field) registered Esper Midrange, which seemed to have it all: good removal, great mana, and phenomenal card quality. The typical mana curve for Esper Midrange featured Dennick, Pious Apprentice or Tenacious Underdog on turn two, then Wedding Announcement or Raffine, Scheming Seer on turn three, and curved out with Sheoldred, the Apocalypse or The Wandering Emperor on turn four. Such perfect curve-outs would often lead to easy wins.

With more than two-thirds of the World Championship field on the archetype, it was Esper Midrange against the world. Steuer, however, decided to go a different route. He was the only player in the tournament to register Grixis Midrange, which ultimately proved to be the best way to tackle the metagame. The color combination unlocked Corpse Appraiser, allowing you to get ahead while exiling Tenacious Underdog or Dennick, Pious Apprentice. More importantly, it provided access to a formidable trio of individual cards.

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Steuer's Grixis deck made great use of Invoke Despair, Fable of the Mirror-Breaker, and Reckoner Bankbuster. Fable of the Mirror-Breaker offered multi-creature and -card selection in an unmatched resource-generating package. Invoke Despair was an incredible curve-topper that could generate card advantage and keep the battlefield under control. It even dealt with the enchantments and planeswalkers from Esper Midrange. Finally, Reckoner Bankbuster secured additional card advantage, combining early-game board presence and late-game staying power.

All three cards were supremely powerful, and they would dominate Standard for months after Magic World Championship XXVIII. In 2023, all three cards would get banned in Standard. Nathan Steueur definitely had the best deck for the tournament. He proved not only that it had an edge against Esper Midrange but also that that he was the best Magic player in the world at the time. Steuer's likeness was featured on Duelist of the Mind earlier this year.

Nathan Steuer, Magic World Champion XXVIII


The upcoming Magic World Championship 30 features Standard and Duskmourn Draft, with $1,000,000 in prizing up for grabs. It will be an awesome celebration of competitive Magic and the stories it creates, so don't miss it on October 25–27, 2024. Even if you aren't at MagicCon: Las Vegas to see the action unfold from the sidelines in person, all three days of the event will be broadcast live on twitch.tv/magic as well as on the Play MTG YouTube channel!

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