GP Chicago, Legacy and Classic Deck Archetypes  

Constructed Pro Tours and Grand Prix generally define the metagame for their formats, at least until another set is released.  Grand Prix Chicago was huge, full of name players, and will define the Legacy metagame for quite a while.  Now Legacy is not quite the same format as Classic, but it is pretty close.  We saw many of the same combos - Stifle/Dreadnought, Painter's Servant/Grindstone, Natural Order/Progenitus - and some similar archetypes.  We also saw a few differences.  I'll look at the highly successful decks, and what they need to compete in Classic.  Some of these are just waiting for cards, while others are just a turn to slow to battle decks like Necrospike and others running cards that are restricted in Legacy.

Just for reference, here are the cards that are in print online, and are banned in the paper Legacy Demonic Consultation, Earthcraft, Entomb, Flash, Goblin Recruiter, Gush, Imperial Seal, Mana Crypt , Mind's Desire, Necropotence, Skullclamp, Vampiric Tutor, and Worldgorger Dragon.   I can also add Demonic Tutor - it is supposed to appear in the next duel deck.  It is also banned in Legacy. 

That banned list does have some impact.  A lot of Legacy decks would like access to many of those cards, and those cards enable Classic decks that cannot appear in paper Legacy.  Necrospike, Desire and the Elf combo decks that refuel via Skullclamp are obvious examples.  However, the Legacy format does allow for some of the common Classic archetypes, and it does show a bit of what may be in store for those decks, once a few more cards are online.  For example, I heard a few pros talking about the Phyrexian Dreadnought / Stifle combo during the weekend.  The concensus - it was great against creature decks, but lost to anything that played spells.  The later decks bounced the Dreadnought, countered the Stifle or otherwise two-for-oned the Nought player.  The result was that I saw a lot Stifle /Nought day one, but after the 1,230 players were cut to the top 132 players for day two, Stifle/Nought was scarce, and not on the top tables.

(Quick note:  This isn't just a narrow sample of what I faced - I was judging.  I watched a lot of matches on a lot of tables, as well as table judging half of the top 8 matches.)

One great part about judging - I got to watch Gabriel Nassif, and other great players, play out their matches.  Watching a world class player play live beats any online replay all to pieces.  You can see when they hesitate, what they study, when they count graveyards, libraries or read cards, and - for the player I was standing behind at least - what's in their hand.  These people are good.    

Okay, enough gloating about haveing been there - what I want when I read an article like this are decklists.  Here's the winner. 

CounterTop Goyf

Gabriel Nassif, Winner, GP CHicago

Creatures 4 Dark Confidant 2 Sower of Temptation 4 Tarmogoyf 2 Trygon Predator 12 cards Other Spells 4 Brainstorm 4 Counterbalance 3 Daze 4 Force of Will 1 Krosan Grip 2 Ponder 4 Sensei's Divining Top 4 Swords to Plowshares 2 Vedalken Shackles 28 cards

Lands 4 Flooded Strand 2 Island 4 Polluted Delta 3 Tropical Island 3 Tundra 4 Underground Sea  20 cards Sideboard 1 Blue Elemental Blast  1 Burrenton Forge-Tender 1 Darkblast 1 Energy Flux  1 Engineered Plague 1 Enlightened Tutor 1 Hydroblast 1 Kataki, War's Wage  1 Krosan Grip 1 Perish 1 Relic of Progenitus 1 Threads of Disloyalty 1 Tormod's Crypt 1 Umezawa's Jitte 15 cards

The coverage does a pretty good job of assessing what was played, and how the matches played out.  Legacy game play is also not that interesting to many MTGO only players, so I'm not going to talk about why a particular deck is built a particular way.  What I will write about is what cards are not available online, and what impact that has on the decks.  In short, some of these decks could be used in an MTGO Classic PE, but would not work.  Others would - and some will once they get their last few parts.  Nassif's deck is almost 100 percent availiable online, but the exceptions are significant.

 Of course, if you are as good as Gabriel Nassif, those differences probably don't matter all that much.

;" href="http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?id=97#">	MTGO does have Hydroblast, which is almost the same card.  The difference is subtle.  The current Oracle wording of BEB is Choose one - Counter target red spell; or destroy target red permanent.  The current wording of Hydroblast is Choose one - Counter target spell if it's red; or destroy target permanent if it's red.  They are subtly different - the difference is that you can Swerve Hydroblast onto a blue target or a land, in which case it will fizzle (unless the land is red, of course.)	;" href="http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?id=1038#">	Energy Flux is simply not available online.  It is a very potent Affinity hoser - and, unlike Kataki, War's Wage - it can be fetched with Enlightened Tutor.  Energy Flux was reprinted in Mercadian Masques, which will appear online, in a couple years.  It is also a likely candidate for MED III or IV.
This is actually better than Leyline of the Void, if you can only run a single copy, but have Enlightened Tutor to find it.  Planar Void has been a standard answer to reanimator and dredge decks any time it was legal - and it will appear online when Urza arrives, four or five Classic sets from now.	;" href="http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?name=planar void#">	Let's also state the obvious here.  The other five dual lands will appear in MED III, and they are needed.  A lot of games ended with a control player at only a couple life.  Ravnica duals would have either slowed that player down, or eaten those life points.  Almost every Legacy deck runs lots of true duals, and they are critical.  Nassif needed to be able to pull up painfree green on demand, while not exposing his lands to Wasteland before he needed it.  That is only possible with a true dual.	;" href="http://ww2.wizards.com/gatherer/CardDetails.aspx?id=285#">

Let's move on to the second place finisher.  Here's the deck that Nassif faced in the finals.

Creatures 3 Sower of Temptation 4 Tarmogoyf 3 Trinket Mage 10 cards Other Spells 4 Brainstorm 4 Counterbalance 1 Engineered Explosives 4 Force of Will 2 Krosan Grip 1 Pithing Needle 3 Ponder 4 Sensei's Divining Top 3 Spell Snare 2 Vedalken Shackles 28 cards

Lands 2 Academy Ruins 4 Flooded Strand 6 Island 3 Tropical Island 2 Volcanic Island 4 Polluted Delta 1 Underground Sea  22 cards Sideboard 2 Ancient Grudge 3 Duress 3 Firespout 2 Hydroblast 1 Krosan Grip 1 Pithing Needle 2 Tormod's Crypt  1 Relic of Progenitus 15 cards

There is really not all that much to say.  This deck is almost all online already, and many of the current online decks are similar.  The Counterbalance / Top core is hardly new or unknown.  All this really wants, for online play, are the dual lands.  If you have played much Classic constructed, you are probably familiar with all the outgrowths of old Thresh decks, so let's move on. 

Rock - more or less

Paul Rietzl, Third place, GP Chicago

Creatures 2 Dark Confidant 4 Hypnotic Specter 4 Nantuko Shade 4 Tarmogoyf 2 Tombstalker 16 cards Other Spells 4 Dark Ritual 1 Diabolic Edict 2 Duress 4 Hymn to Tourach 4 Sinkhole 2 Snuff Out 4 Thoughtseize 1 Umezawa's Jitte 22 cards

Lands 4 Bayou 4 Bloodstained Mire 4 Polluted Delta 6 Swamp 4 Wasteland  22 cards Sideboard 1 Choke 1 Diabolic Edict 1 Dodecapod 4 Engineered Plague 4 Leyline of the Void 1 Pithing Needle 3 Seal of Primordium 15 cards

This deck does have some differences.  I have ssen similar GB control decks played in PEs, and have played one myself.  The paper version, however, has two real boons.  These cards are critical - and we know that Snuff Out will, eventually, appear.  I don't know about Sinkhole.  Wizards is not a big fan of land destruction. 

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One of the worst things opponent could do in the old days was start with Dark Ritual into Hypnotic Specter.  Almost as bad - and occassionally worse - was Ritual, Duress, and, seeing that you were land short, Sinkhole.  Sinkhole - on the play or with Ritual - was one of the very few LD spells that could hit before the opponent had counterspell mana, or Counterbalance.  It is critical to this deck's disruption suite.  The deck is not as good with just Hymn to Tourach.

Snuff Out is, arguably, the second best alternative casting cost spell printed.  Force of Will, of course, is best.  The Pacts are close, Snuff Out is markedly better than Slaughter Pact.  Over the weekend, I saw a lot of Snuff OUts being cast, both for the alternative cost, and the straight up converted mana cost.  It is also expensive enough to generally dodge Counterbalance - the only downside is that we will have to wait for Mercadain Masgues to get out hands on it.

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 I should not that I am just making up names, here.  If this deck has a common or official name, I don't know it.  I considered calling it All In Red, but it isn't quite as inconsistent as that deck.  However, like All In Red, this deck often wins with a turn two Blood Moon, which eats the mana bases of other decks for breakfast. 

Red Moon

James Mink, Fourth Place, GP Chicago

Creatures 4 Arc-Slogger 4 Gathan Raiders 4 Magus of the Moon 4 Rakdos Pit Dragon 4 Simian Spirit Guide 3 Taurean Mauler 23 cards Other Spells 2 Blood Moon 4 Chalice of the Void 4 Chrome Mox 4 Seething Song 4 Trinisphere 18 cards

Lands 4 Ancient Tomb 4 City of Traitors  11 Mountain 19 cards Sideboard 1 Blood Moon 4 Boil  3 Powder Keg 1 Pithing Needle 4 Pyroclasm  2 Umezawa's Jitte 15 cards

The deck has two critical cards that are not avaialble in Classic, at least not yet. 

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Powder Keg is Engineered Explosives for mono-colored decks.  It kills tokens immediately, and all other creatures and artifacts just a bit more slowly.

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City of Traitors is one of the the biggest, most important lands  in the deck.  It, along with Ancient Tomb, ensures that you can get three mana on turn two, and this, plus Chrome Mox, can mean a turn one Blood Moon.  In a format full of mutilcolored decks and fetchalnds, a fast Blood Moon is often game.  City of Traitors also allows for fast fatties - I have also seen this deck cast Rakdos Pit Dragon or Arc Slogger on turn two - thanks to City of Traitors, Ancient Tomb and Chrome Moxen.

The next deck had a real shot at a much higher finish.  Unfortunately, BK was tired and hungry going into this round, and he made a number of serious mistakes - the final one a rules violation that he had made twice already that tournament.  A third repetiotion of that mistake - a missed trigger - results in a game loss.  That's bad, when you are in game three of the match.  It's also one huge difference between online and paper magic - online prompts you with every trigger, while in paper Magic, the players have to remember and resolve every trigger.  I'm not arguing which is better - but having played both a lot, online is infi easier in this respect.

Vindicate Rock

Brian Kowal, Fifth place, GP Chicago

Creatures 4 Dark Confidant 4 Mesmeric Fiend 4 Tarmogoyf 3 Tombstalker 15 cards Other Spells 4 Dark Ritual 4 Hymn to Tourach 3 Sensei's Divining Top 4 Swords to Plowshares 4 Thoughtseize 4 Vindicate 23 cards

Lands 4 Bloodstained Mire 4 Bayou 4 Scrubland 1 Plains 1 Swamp 4 Wasteland 4 Windswept Heath 22 cards Sideboard 4 Duress 4 Engineered Plague 3 Extirpate 4 Pernicious Deed 15 cards

Once again, all the deck is missing are the duals.  Everything else is online, although the INvasion block cards are not cheap.  Vindicate and Deed both - ouch.

I like seeing the Mesmeric Fiends over the newer, but harder to cast, Tidehollow Sculler. 

Let's move on to the top finishing combo deck.  Remember, Mind's Desire, Necropotence and the like are not legal in the format.  Nonetheless, combo can work.

Ad Nauseam 

Tommy Kolowith, Sixth place, GP Chicago

Other Spells 2 Ad Nauseam 4 Brainstorm 4 Burning Wish 2 Cabal Ritual 3 Chrome Mox 4 Dark Ritual 4 Duress 1 Ill-Gotten Gains 3 Infernal Tutor 4 Lion's Eye Diamond 4 Lotus Petal 3 Mystical Tutor 1 Orim's Chant 2 Ponder 4 Rite of Flame 1 Tendrils of Agony 46 cards

Lands 1 Badlands 3 Bloodstained Mire  1 Volcanic Island  4 Gemstone Mine 3 Polluted Delta 2 Underground Sea 14 cards Sideboard 1 Empty the Warrens 1 Ill-Gotten Gains 1 Infernal Tutor  2 Meltdown 2 Pyroclasm 1 Rushing River 1 Telemin Performance 1 Tendrils of Agony 1 Orim's Chant 1 Thoughtseize 3 Vexing Shusher 11 cards

 The deck has two main missing pieces, and both of those should show up in the next year or so.  Urza's Saga is coming. 

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Ill-Gotten Gains is a very solid method of refilling your hand while going off - and would be even better with some of the Classic goodness, like Mind's Desire.  Note that the deck runs four Burning Wishes, so RFG is not really that bad an option.  The deck aslo runs one in the sideboard, so it is accessible via Wish.

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Meltdown is a great artifact hoser.  It can wipe out the mana base of Affinity decks, but in this format, it is a cheap, Burning Wish fetchable, answer to cards like Phyrexian Dreadnought.

 Moving on, we see one of the few true Threshold decks left in the format.  It still runs Nimble Mongoose.   

Red Thresh

David Caplan, Seventh Place, GP Chicago

Creatures 4 Nimble Mongoose 4 Tarmogoyf 8 cards Other Spells 4 Brainstorm 4 Daze 4 Fire // Ice 4 Force of Will 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Ponder 1 Rushing River 4 Spell Snare 4 Stifle 1 Wipe Away 34cards

Lands 4 Tropical Island 4 Volcanic Island 3 Flooded Strand 3 Polluted Delta 4 Wasteland 18 cards Sideboard 4 Disrupt 1 Engineered Explosives 1 Krosan Grip 2 Pyroblast 1 Pyroclasm 2 Red Elemental Blast  4 Submerge 15cards

The deck is fine.  It just needs the dual lands, and these two cards.  The duals are the big part.

Submerge is another card with a highly playable alternative casting cost.  Time Ebb effects are always powerful - and one that can be played at instant speed and for free is even better.  The only down side - that's the Nemesis expansion symbol.  Stronghold, Exodus, Saga, Legacy, Destiny, Mercadian Masques - then Nemesis.  It will be a while.

Red Elemental Blast has the same basic advantages as Blue Elemental Blast.  (See above.)  I would not be all that surprised to see REB and BEB in MED III.

And on to the final top 8 deck - a zoo deck.  In addition to the lands,

Zoo

Brian Six, Eight place, GP Chicago

Creatures 3 Grim Lavamancer 4 Kird Ape 4 Tarmogoyf 4 Wild Nacatl 15 cards Other Spells 4 Chain Lightning 3 Fireblast 4 Lightning Bolt 1 Lightning Helix 4 Magma Jet 4 Price of Progress 3 Rift Bolt 15 cards

Lands 4 Bloodstained Mire 3 Mountain 2 Plateau 3 Taiga 3 Wasteland 3 Windswept Heath 4 Wooded Foothills 22 cards Sideboard 3 Ethersworn Canonist 3 Krosan Grip 2 Pyroblast 4 Pyroclasm 3 Vexing Shusher 15 cards

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Chain Lightning is the alternative Lightning Bolt.  It is a classic burn spell, and I expect it to be inclusioned in a future Masters Edition set.  It is too good, and too important to Legacy to ignore.

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Price of Progress will arrive shortly.  I have to admit that I am not happy about this.  I lost to Price of Progress too many times in the past.  Against multicolored decks running lots of duals, it is an amazingly effecient burn spell.  I have even seen players hiding behind Moat and Ivory Mask, with ways of locking out fliers and so on - lose to Price of Progress.  It is coming - probably this fall.  Stronghold - then Exodus.

That rounds out the top eight.  I have been looking for additional decklists from the GP - if I find enough interesting ones, I'll do a sequel.  I haven't touched on the Natural Order / Progenitus or 42 Lands decks - or any of the other strange options.  I'll be looking.

PRJ

"one million words" on MTGO