Like Day 1 of Mythic Championship IV Barcelona, Day 2 was full of Hogaak decks—but at an even higher rate than on Day 1.

While the Hogaak Vine deck made up 21.4% of the Day 1 metagame at Mythic Championship IV, the deck climbed to 24.2% of the Day 2 metagame. Most other decks, like Izzet Phoenix, Eldrazi Tron, Azorius Control, Humans, Jund, etc, appeared in similar percentages in Day 2 as the appeared in Day 1.

Day 2 metagame at Mythic Championship IV

Despite Hogaak’s huge share of the metagame, the deck did not manage to dominate the Top 8 of Mythic Championship IV. Only one Hogaak Vine deck made the Top 8 in the hands of Martin Müller.

Over the last few years, multiple Pro Tours (before their rebranding as Mythic Championships) have seen single archetypes take over the tournament without having as high of a metagame share as Hogaak at Mythic Championship IV. Pro Tour Amonkhet (2017) had four Aetherworks Marvel decks in the Top 8, while Pro Tour Hour of Devastation (2017) had five Ramunap Red decks in the Top 8, and Pro Tour Oath of the Gatewatch (2016) had six Eldrazi decks in the Top 8.

All three of those Pro Tours resulted in bannings—Aetherworks Marvel, Ramunap Ruins, and Eye of Ugin (among others), respectively.

Match of the Day

As Round 16 began, six of the Top 8 players had already been decided. One of the two remaining to slots would be filled by the winner of the match between Hall of Famer Jelger Wiegersma and Juan José Rodríguez López.

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The match began with two quick games that showed of the power of each player’s deck. Game 1 saw Wiegersma land a Turn 2 Hogaak, Arisen Necropollis and win easily with his Hogaak Vine deck. Game 2, on the other hand, allowed Rodríguez López to return the favor with a nut draw of his own from his Mono-Red Phoenix deck.

The decisive Game 3 played out in a much more exciting fashion. Rodríguez López appeared to be on the front foot the start the game, but Wiegersma was able to get his engine going and stabilize with a Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis. Wiegersma looked to have turned the corner at nine life and made a massive attack, forcing Rodríguez López to chump block with three of his five creatures, falling to two life himself.

Rodríguez López’s back was up against the wall—he had to find a way to win on his final turn or die to a lethal attack on Wiegersma’s turn. With access to two Soul-Scar Mages on the battlefield, two Manamorphoses, and a Faithless Looting cast with flashback, he was able to find a third Manamorphose plus two Lightning Bolts to pump his Soul-Scar Mage and remove Wiegersma’s two blockers, allowing Rodríguez López to attack for lethal to win both the game and match and lock his spot in the Top 8 of Mythic Championship IV Barcelona.

A Diverse Top 8

While Hogaak dominated the metagame at Mythic Championship IV Barcelona, it didn’t manage to convert that into a high percentage of the Top 8.

Only Martin Müller made the Top 8 of Mythic Championship IV with Hogaak Vine—and he made Top 8 after getting his deck stolen five minutes before Round 12 was about to begin. He was joined in the Top 8 by David Mines and Zhiyang Zhang who both played Jund, Manuel Lenz on Grixis Urza, Sean Gifford on Eldrazi Tron, Alvaro Fernandez Torres on Hardened Scales Affinity, Thoralf Severin on Tron, and Juan José Rodríguez López on Mono-Red Phoenix.

Martin Müller's Modern Hogaak Vine from Mythic Championship IV

Creatures (31)
Bloodghast
Carrion Feeder
Gravecrawler
Stitcher’s Supplier
Insolent Neonate
Satyr Wayfinder
Vengevine
Hogaak, Arisen Necropolis

Spells (8)
Faithless Looting
Lightning Axe
Assassin’s Trophy

Enchantments (2)
Leyline of the Void
Lands (19)
Blackcleave Cliffs
Blood Crypt
Bloodstained Mire
Overgrown Tomb
Polluted Delta
Snow-Covered Swamp
Stomping Ground
Verdant Catacombs

Sideboard (15)
Leyline of the Void
Assassin’s Trophy
Engineered Explosives
Fatal Push
Nature’s Claim
Rotting Regisaur
Shenanigans
Thoughtseize

David Mines's Modern Jund from Mythic Championship IV

Creatures (10)
Scavenging Ooze
Tarmogoyf
Tireless Tracker
Bloodbraid Elf

Spells (17)
Inquisition of Kozilek
Thoughtseize
Fatal Push
Surgical Extraction
Lightning Bolt
Abrupt Decay
Assassin’s Trophy

Planeswalkers (9)
Liliana of the Veil
Vraska, Golgari Queen
Wrenn and Six
Lands (24)
Barren Moor
Blackcleave Cliffs
Blood Crypt
Bloodstained Mire
Forest
Mountain
Nurturing Peatland
Overgrown Tomb
Stomping Ground
Swamp
Tranquil Thicket
Verdant Catacombs
Wooded Foothills

Sideboard (15)
Collective Brutality
Collector Ouphe
Engineered Explosives
Fulminator Mage
Ghost Quarter
Leyline of the Void
Plague Engineer
Weather the Storm

Zhiyang Zhang's Modern Jund from Mythic Championship IV

Creatures (14)
Dark Confidant
Seasoned Pyromancer
Scavenging Ooze
Tarmogoyf
Bloodbraid Elf

Spells (16)
Inquisition of Kozilek
Thoughtseize
Maelstrom Pulse
Fatal Push
Lightning Bolt
Abrupt Decay
Kolaghan’s Command

Planeswalkers (7)
Liliana of the Veil
Wrenn and Six
Lands (23)
Blackcleave Cliffs
Blood Crypt
Bloodstained Mire
Forest
Mountain
Nurturing Peatland
Overgrown Tomb
Raging Ravine
Stomping Ground
Swamp
Verdant Catacombs
Wooded Foothills

Sideboard (15)
Ancient Grudge
Collective Brutality
Collector Ouphe
Fulminator Mage
Leyline of the Void
Nihil Spellbomb
Plague Engineer

Manuel Lenz's Modern Grixis Urza Thopter Sword from Mythic Championship IV

Creatures (7)
Urza, Lord High Artificer
Goblin Engineer

Spells (4)
Whir of Invention
Galvanic Blast

Artifacts (27)
Thopter Foundry
Arcum’s Astrolabe
Ensnaring Bridge
Grafdigger’s Cage
Ichor Wellspring
Mind Stone
Mishra’s Bauble
Mox Opal
Nihil Spellbomb
Pithing Needle
Pyrite Spellbomb
Spine of Ish Sah
Sword of the Meek

Planeswalkers (2)
Teferi, Time Raveler
Lands (20)
Gemstone Caverns
Hallowed Fountain
Polluted Delta
Scalding Tarn
Snow-Covered Island
Snow-Covered Mountain
Snow-Covered Swamp
Steam Vents
Watery Grave

Sideboard (15)
Teferi, Time Raveler
Ancient Grudge
Ceremonious Rejection
Dead of Winter
Fatal Push
Leyline of the Void
Sai, Master Thopterist
Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas
Thoughtseize

Sean Gifford's Modern Eldrazi Tron from Mythic Championship IV

Creatures (17)
Endbringer
Matter Reshaper
Reality Smasher
Thought-Knot Seer
Walking Ballista

Spells (5)
All Is Dust
Dismember
Warping Wail

Artifacts (10)
Chalice of the Void
Expedition Map
Mind Stone

Planeswalkers (4)
Karn, the Great Creator
Lands (24)
Blast Zone
Cavern of Souls
Eldrazi Temple
Ghost Quarter
Scavenger Grounds
Urza’s Mine
Urza’s Power Plant
Urza’s Tower
Wastes

Sideboard (15)
Walking Ballista
Basilisk Collar
Ensnaring Bridge
Grafdigger’s Cage
Leyline of the Void
Liquimetal Coating
Mycosynth Lattice
Mystic Forge
Pithing Needle
Spatial Contortion
Tormod’s Crypt
Wurmcoil Engine

Alvaro Fernandez Torres's Modern Hardened Scales Affinity from Mythic Championship IV

Creatures (18)
Arcbound Ravager
Arcbound Worker
Hangarback Walker
Metallic Mimic
Walking Ballista

Spells (4)
Ancient Stirrings

Artifacts (13)
Animation Module
Mox Opal
Throne of Geth
Welding Jar

Enchantments (5)
Evolutionary Leap
Hardened Scales
Lands (20)
Blinkmoth Nexus
Darksteel Citadel
Forest
Inkmoth Nexus
Llanowar Reborn
Pendelhaven
Phyrexia’s Core

Sideboard (15)
Damping Sphere
Dismember
Grafdigger’s Cage
Nature’s Claim
Torpor Orb

Thoralf Severin's Modern Tron from Mythic Championship IV

Creatures (9)
Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
Walking Ballista
Wurmcoil Engine

Spells (9)
Ancient Stirrings
Sylvan Scrying
All Is Dust

Artifacts (17)
Chromatic Sphere
Chromatic Star
Expedition Map
Oblivion Stone
Relic of Progenitus

Planeswalkers (6)
Karn Liberated
Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
Lands (19)
Blast Zone
Forest
Sanctum of Ugin
Urza’s Mine
Urza’s Power Plant
Urza’s Tower

Sideboard (15)
Dismember
Emrakul, the Promised End
Leyline of the Void
Nature’s Claim
Spatial Contortion
Thragtusk
Veil of Summer
Warping Wail

Juan José Rodríguez López's Modern Mono-Red Phoenix from Mythic Championship IV

Creatures (13)
Arclight Phoenix
Bedlam Reveler
Monastery Swiftspear
Soul-Scar Mage

Spells (28)
Faithless Looting
Finale of Promise
Lava Spike
Light Up the Stage
Gut Shot
Lava Dart
Lightning Bolt
Manamorphose

Enchantments (1)
Blood Moon
Lands (18)
15 Mountain
Sunbaked Canyon

Sideboard (15)
Abrade
Alpine Moon
Dragon’s Claw
Kozilek’s Return
Ravenous Trap
Saheeli, Sublime Artificer
Shenanigans
Shrine of Burning Rage
Tormod’s Crypt

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