Category Archives: Article & Video

This week we return to legacy for our power rankings and what an exciting week it was. As always the power rankings are done by going through the top top decks of a given event or weekend, and assigning points based on finish. 6 points for 1st place, 5 for 2nd, 4 for top 4, 3 for top 8, 2 for top 16, and 1 for top 32 if available. 

5-Infect 6 points

Legacy infect is similar but very distinct from its modern counterpart, still capable of blazing fast kills the power level of Berserk and Invigorate mean that you need less cards to kill quickly. Inversely the power level of legacy means that you need more interaction for your opponent so removing some of the less powerful pump spells allows the deck to play Force of Will and Daze to disrupt the opponent and protect your own combo. 

Infect by Tom Ross
4 Blighted Agent
4 Glistener Elf
4 Noble Hierarch
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Forest
4 Inkmoth Nexus
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Tropical Island
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Wasteland
1 Pendelhaven
1 Sylvan Library
1 Become Immense
2 Berserk
4 Brainstorm
1 Crop Rotation
3 Daze
3 Force of Will
4 Invigorate
2 Spell Pierce
2 Vines of Vastwood
3 Gitaxian Probe
1 Green Sun’s Zenith
1 Ponder
SB: 1 Necropede
SB: 1 Viridian Corrupter
SB: 1 Seal of Primordium
SB: 1 Crop Rotation
SB: 1 Dismember
SB: 1 Flusterstorm
SB: 1 Force of Will
SB: 1 Hydroblast
SB: 1 Krosan Grip
SB: 2 Submerge
SB: 1 Surgical Extraction
SB: 1 Bojuka Bog
SB: 1 Wasteland
SB: 1 Karakas

4-Miracles 9 points

Sometime playing magic is an art but sometimes it’s a science and when it comes to Miracles it is definitely a science. Relying on the powerful miracle mechanic from Avacyn Restored with Sensei’s Divining Top to keep the floating near the top of your deck until you need them. Which also interacts with Counterbalance by giving you agency over what cards are on top of your deck to reveal allowing you to counter more of your opponent’s spells. Miracles is a true control deck  trying to keep safe in a hostile and inhospitable world. 

Miracles by Rich Cali
2 Monastery Mentor
3 Snapcaster Mage
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
3 Island
2 Plains
2 Arid Mesa
4 Flooded Strand
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Polluted Delta
3 Tundra
3 Volcanic Island
4 Sensei’s Divining Top
4 Counterbalance
4 Brainstorm
2 Counterspell
4 Force of Will
4 Swords to Plowshares
1 Council’s Judgment
1 Entreat the Angels
4 Ponder
3 Terminus
SB: 2 Containment Priest
SB: 1 Izzet Staticaster
SB: 1 Blood Moon
SB: 1 Rest in Peace
SB: 3 Flusterstorm
SB: 2 Pyroblast
SB: 1 Red Elemental Blast
SB: 2 Wear
SB: 2 Vendilion Clique

3-Lands 10 points

I managed to avoid talking about this deck last time we were on Legacy but couldn’t get there this time #neverlucky. Lands is a deck that primarily wins with its lands. Surprising I know but there are a couple of ways it can accomplish this. First by combining Dark Depths and Thespian’s Stage to make a 20/20 creature and instant speed, and using life from the loam to keep bringing them back as many times as needed. Second by using either Molten Vortex or a Punishing Fire engine with Grove of the Burnwillows, this is obviously a grindier win but is much more powerful at disrupting your opponent’s creatures. You combine these 2 powerful strategies with a very constricting Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale and Maze of Ith control plan, this deck can be almost impossible to outlast. 

Lands by David Long
1 Forest
1 Bayou
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Glacial Chasm
3 Maze of Ith
2 Misty Rainforest
4 Rishadan Port
3 Taiga
4 Thespian’s Stage
2 Tranquil Thicket
2 Verdant Catacombs
4 Wasteland
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
3 Dark Depths
4 Mox Diamond
4 Exploration
3 Molten Vortex
3 Abrupt Decay
4 Crop Rotation
4 Gamble
4 Life from the Loam
SB: 2 Sphere of Resistance
SB: 3 Dark Confidant
SB: 1 Ancient Grudge
SB: 2 Krosan Grip
SB: 1 Mindbreak Trap
SB: 1 Duress
SB: 4 Thoughtseize
SB: 1 Dark Depths
2-Grixis delver 12 points

In a world of lawlessness and degeneracy someone has to keep the peace, and that someone is Delver of Secrets. An extremely disruptive strategy of wastelands and cheap permission and interaction makes Delver a nightmare for the unprepared. When you back up all of this disruption with powerful cheap creatures like its name sake as well as Young Pyromancer and Deathrite Shaman it can give you very little time to recover from the early disruption. Delver has been a major mainstay in Legacy for years and doesn’t seem to be going anywhere; due to the fact that its disruption is powerful against every strategy that relies on having lands in play or casting spells. 

Grixis Delver by Noah Walker
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Delver of Secrets
2 Gurmag Angler
3 Young Pyromancer
1 Vendilion Clique
4 Flooded Strand
4 Polluted Delta
1 Tropical Island
2 Underground Sea
3 Volcanic Island
4 Wasteland
4 Brainstorm
4 Daze
4 Force of Will
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Spell Pierce
2 Cabal Therapy
1 Forked Bolt
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Ponder
SB: 1 Engineered Explosives
SB: 1 Pithing Needle
SB: 2 Baleful Strix
SB: 1 Grim Lavamancer
SB: 1 Ancient Grudge
SB: 1 Darkblast
SB: 1 Dismember
SB: 2 Pyroblast
SB: 2 Surgical Extraction
SB: 1 Cabal Therapy
SB: 2 Painful Truths

1-Eldrazi 18 points
So, this is new a legacy take on the modern Eldrazi deck with twice as many lands that produce multiple mana and a format much more punished by chalice of the void this is a new take on an old favorite  deck that the worst people you know play called stompy that basically tries to lock you out of casting spells with chalice of the void and thorn of amethyst and then kill you with whatever threats they can scrounge up. Well now they have certainly found a powerful one in the form of the new Eldrazi from Oath of the Gatewatch. What remains to be seen is if the strategy is still viable in the modern era, however at least this week it has turned Legacy on its head.

Eldrazi by Gerry Thompson
4 Eldrazi Mimic
1 Endbringer
4 Endless One
4 Matter Reshaper
4 Reality Smasher
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Cavern of Souls
4 City of Traitors
4 Eldrazi Temple
4 Wasteland
3 Eye of Ugin
1 Karakas
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Chalice of the Void
2 Mox Diamond
4 Thorn of Amethyst
3 Dismember
1 Warping Wail
SB: 2 Pithing Needle
SB: 2 Sphere of Resistance
SB: 3 Faerie Macabre
SB: 1 Dismember
SB: 3 Warping Wail
SB: 2 Umezawa’s Jitte
SB: 2 All Is Dust

This week we are going to take a trip down memory lane and look at decks using cards legal from all of magic’s history in Legacy. As always I have awarded 6 points for 1st, 5 points for 2nd, 4 for top 4, 3 for top 8, and 2 for top 16. Then I add it all up and figure out what the best decks are performing the best.

5-Goblins 6 Points
A deck that wad once a constant contender in Legacy but has fallen out quite a bit recently; has come roaring back with a big win at the SCG Classic in Atlanta. This deck is base red but can splash any colors pretty easily depending on the meta game. This deck is much grindier and controlling that what might pop into your head when you hear the word Goblins. So don’t expect many blazing fast kills. But what you can expect is a lot of card advantage generated by Goblin Ringleader, and to an extent Gempalm Incinerator, and Goblin Sharpshooter and even direct tutoring for your favorite goblins with Goblin Matron. As well as a powerful mana disruption angle with Wasteland and Rishadan Port. This deck can attack from a variety of angles. The biggest short coming of the deck is it is guilty of Legacy’s unforgivable sin of not playing blue. Which can expose you as easy picking for the more unfair decks.

Goblins by John-Peter Reiland
1 Earwig Squad
1 Gempalm Incinerator
1 Goblin Chieftain
4 Goblin Lackey
4 Goblin Matron
3 Goblin Piledriver
4 Goblin Ringleader
1 Goblin Sharpshooter
4 Goblin Warchief
1 Siege-Gang Commander
1 Skirk Prospector
1 Stingscourger
1 Tuktuk Scrapper
1 Grenzo, Dungeon Warden
2 Krenko, Mob Boss
3 Mountain
4 Arid Mesa
1 Badlands
1 Bloodstained Mire
4 Cavern of Souls
4 Rishadan Port
1 Taiga
4 Wasteland
1 Wooded Foothills
4 AEther Vial
1 Warping Wail
2 Tarfire
SB: 3 Chalice of the Void
SB: 3 Relic of Progenitus
SB: 1 Goblin Sharpshooter
SB: 1 Tin Street Hooligan
SB: 1 Ancient Grudge
SB: 2 Krosan Grip
SB: 3 Pyrokinesis
SB: 1 Warren Weirding

4-Elves 7 Points
Next up we have everyone’s favorite little green men Elves! This deck was long considered to be the best kept secret in Legacy. With the most powerful card advantage engine ever printed in Glimpse of Nature, and a couple of degenerate tutors in Natural Order and Green Sun’s Zenith, as well as unfair amounts of mana generated by Gaea’s Cradle and Heritage Druid. This deck can put boots on the ground really quickly and still have cards left in hand to show for it. Capable of combo kills on turn 3 or grinding your opponent to dust this deck can attack in so many ways that it is considered one of the hardest decks in the format to play correctly.

Elves by Andrew Tenjum
2 Birchlore Rangers
2 Craterhoof Behemoth
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Elvish Visionary
4 Heritage Druid
4 Nettle Sentinel
4 Quirion Ranger
4 Wirewood Symbiote
2 Dryad Arbor
2 Forest
2 Bayou
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Verdant Catacombs
4 Windswept Heath
4 Gaea’s Cradle
1 Pendelhaven
4 Glimpse of Nature
4 Green Sun’s Zenith
4 Natural Order
SB: 1 Null Rod
SB: 1 Pithing Needle
SB: 1 Reclamation Sage
SB: 1 Scavenging Ooze
SB: 1 Sylvan Library
SB: 3 Abrupt Decay
SB: 1 Progenitus
SB: 3 Cabal Therapy
SB: 3 Thoughtseize

3-Shardless 11 Points
Do you feel like there is nothing on this Earth better than a nice 2 for 1? Because this deck is stuffed to the gills with them. Starting with the most basic 2 for 1 imaginable Hymn to Tourach, you play 1 card they lose 2 so far so good. Then on the other side we have Ancestral Visions you spend 1 card then draw 3. Even better you say? Well the hits keep coming this deck also has it’s namesake card Shardless Agent to help you hit these cards as well as its powerful other threats in the form of Tarmogoyf and  Deathrite Shaman. Then to top it off we have Jace, the Mind Sculptor
and Lilliana of the Veil. All together you have almost the grindiest most midrange deck imaginable, plus for the first time in this list you get to play Brainstorm and Force of Will allowing you to beat non mana screwed combo opponents.

Shardless Bug by Collin Mullins
1 Baleful Strix
4 Shardless Agent
4 Deathrite Shaman
4 Tarmogoyf
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
2 Liliana of the Veil
1 Forest
1 Swamp
2 Bayou
1 Creeping Tar Pit
3 Misty Rainforest
3 Polluted Delta
1 Scrubland
2 Tropical Island
3 Underground Sea
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Wasteland
4 Abrupt Decay
4 Brainstorm
3 Force of Will
3 Ancestral Vision
4 Hymn to Tourach
2 Thoughtseize
1 Toxic Deluge
SB: 2 Nihil Spellbomb
SB: 3 Meddling Mage
SB: 1 Sylvan Library
SB: 3 Disfigure
SB: 1 Force of Will
SB: 1 Golgari Charm
SB: 1 Vendilion Clique
SB: 1 Duress
SB: 1 Thoughtseize
SB: 1 Toxic Deluge

2-Miracles 20 Points
Now we’re in the heavy hitters the true control deck of the format, a deck that goes by many names; Miracles,
Countertop, That deck everyone hates that always goes to time. Regardless of what you call it the idea is the same this deck attempts to lock it’s opponents out of the game by combing Sensei’s divining top and Counterbalance to form an impenetrable barrier through which no spells will resolve. Also using Sensei’s Divining Top to set up its miracle draws to keep Terminus and Entreat the Angels near the top of the deck but not on top until you’re ready for them. This allows for very powerful interactions enabling you to cast miracles on your opponent’s turn by drawing them with the divining top. There are many ways to build this deck by either including or excluding creatures, Ponders, or Blood Moon, or older versions using a combo kill. In order to play this deck you must play very quickly and be proficient with your divining top activations, but it is very rewarding if you do master it.

Miracles by Joe Lossett
1 Monastery Mentor
3 Snapcaster Mage
3 Vendilion Clique
2 Venser, Shaper Savant
3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
5 Island
1 Plains
1 Arid Mesa
2 Cavern of Souls
4 Flooded Strand
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Tundra
1 Volcanic Island
2 Karakas
4 Sensei’s Divining Top
4 Counterbalance
4 Brainstorm
4 Force of Will
1 Pyroblast
3 Swords to Plowshares
2 Ponder
4 Terminus
SB: 1 Pithing Needle
SB: 1 Containment Priest
SB: 2 Izzet Staticaster
SB: 2 Rest in Peace
SB: 3 Flusterstorm
SB: 1 Pyroblast
SB: 1 Red Elemental Blast
SB: 2 Submerge
SB: 2 Wear

 1-Delver Decks 27 Points 
How many spells do you like to play against in a game? How many lands do you want your opponent to have when it’s over? What percentage of the fun do you want your opponent to have? Did you answer Zero to all or some of those questions? Then you like me are a monster and should play a Delver deck. There are more variations to the Delver decks than any other playing 2,3, or 4 colors depending on preference and meta games. But what they all have in common is that incorrigible little fly and all of the cheap disruption you can get your hands on. Delver decks play extremely low to the ground on their mana curve nearly never paying more than 2 mana for a spell and only spending any when they truly must. This allows the deck to play an insanely low land count thus drawing more spells than your opponent. Using Stifle and Wasteland to eliminate your opponents lands, using cheap countermagic to make the lands they get not matter, all backed up by a fast clock this deck is a nightmare to play against for nearly all strategies.

Rug Delver by Jacob Ross
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Nimble Mongoose
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Flooded Strand
4 Misty Rainforest
3 Tropical Island
3 Volcanic Island
4 Wasteland
4 Brainstorm
4 Daze
2 Dismember
4 Force of Will
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Spell Pierce
4 Stifle
4 Ponder
SB: 1 Winter Orb
SB: 1 Mana Maze
SB: 1 Sulfuric Vortex
SB: 1 Ancient Grudge
SB: 1 Krosan Grip
SB: 2 Price of Progress
SB: 2 Pyroblast
SB: 2 Submerge
SB: 2 Surgical Extraction
SB: 2 Rough