World Championship XXVI kicks off this Friday in Honolulu, Hawaii, where 16 players will battle for $1 million in prizes. The event will feature the new Standard format and will be the first time we get to see Standard with Magic’s newest set, Theros Beyond Death, at Magic’s highest level.
The last time we saw a premiere level Standard tournament was last December at Mythic Championship VII, where Piotr Glogowski emerged victorious with Jund Sacrifice. Since then, Standard has fallen out of the spotlight thanks to Pioneer, which has been the the center of attention in the lead up to Players Tours Nagoya, Brussels, and Phoenix. The competitors at the World Championship chose five different Standard archetypes for the tournament, giving us an idea of how Standard has evolved since December with the addition of Theros Beyond Death.
We’re celebrating World Championship XXVI with fantasy leagues over on Thousand Leagues! Join one of our public leagues and you could win a Magic: the Galloping or some of this weekend’s Secret Lair drops!
Temur Reclamation
Wilderness Reclamation was a key component of the Simic Nexus decks from last year’s Standard format but it has been out in the wilderness since then.
Rotation meant the deck lost it’s combo finish with Nexus of Fate and Search for Azcanta, forcing it to change its plan away from generating large amounts of mana and taking infinite turns. Now, Temur Reclamation focuses on making use of its mana on both its own turn, with spells like Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath, Hydroid Krasis, and Storm’s Wrath, as well as during its opponents’ turns, with cards like Brazen Borrower and Thassa’s Intervention.
Don’t count out the deck’s ability to generate a ton of mana, though—a Wilderness Reclamation or two can still power out a huge, game-ending Expansion // Explosion.
Four players chose to play Temur Reclamation at World Championship XXVI: Autumn Burchett, Jean-Emmanuel Depraz, Chris Kvartek, and Matias Leveratto.
Standard Temur Reclamation by Autumn Burchett
| Creatures (9) 4 Brazen Borrower 2 Hydroid Krasis 3 Uro, Titan of Nature’s Wrath Spells (18) 4 Growth Spiral 4 Thassa’s Intervention 3 Storm’s Wrath 4 Expansion // Explosion 1 Scorching Dragonfire 2 Opt Enchantments (6) 4 Wilderness Reclamation 2 Omen of the Sea | Lands (27) 2 Forest 2 Island 1 Mountain 4 Breeding Pool 2 Castle Vantress 2 Fabled Passage 4 Steam Vents 4 Stomping Ground 3 Temple of Epiphany 2 Temple of Mystery 1 Temple of Abandon Sideboard (15) 3 Aether Gust 3 Mystical Dispute 2 Fry 2 Negate 3 Scorching Dragonfire 2 Nightpack Ambusher |
Mono-Red Aggro
Like the Reclamation decks, Mono-Red Aggro was also forced to change direction after rotation. Previous iterations of the deck really leaned into the combo-like interaction between Runaway Steam-Kin, Experimental Frenzy, and cards like Light Up the Stage and cheap burn spells.
The current version of Mono-Red Aggro is all about playing aggressive creatures that can wield an Embercleave and get to deal more damage thanks to Torbran, Thane of Red Fell. This deck isn’t looking for a long game and might help speed along the Standard rounds at the World Championship.
Four players will play Mono-Red Aggro this weekend: Andrea Mengucci, Eli Loveman, Seth Manfield, and Sebastian Pozzo.
Standard Mono-Red Aggro by Andrea Mengucci
| Creatures (31) 4 Scorch Spitter 4 Fervent Champion 4 Rimrock Knight 4 Runaway Steam-Kin 4 Robber of the Rich 4 Bonecrusher Giant 4 Anax, Hardened in the Forge 3 Torbran, Thane of Red Fell Spells (4) 4 Light Up the Stage Artifacts (3) 3 Embercleave | Lands (22) 4 Castle Embereth 18 Mountain Sideboard (15) 1 Experimental Frenzy 4 Lava Coil 2 Chandra, Acolyte of Flame 4 Unchained Berserker 3 Redcap Melee 1 Tibalt, Rakish Instigator |
Jeskai Fires
Jeskai Fires was the most popular deck at Mythic Championship VII and the addition of Theros Beyond Death didn’t bring too many changes. The deck’s goal is to play a Fires of Invention on Turn 4 into a free spell then untap and cast two free spells per turn while dumping its mana into the activated abilities of the Cavaliers or Kenrith, the Returned King.
Four players brought Jeskai Fires to World Championship XXVI: Marcio Carvalho, reining World Champion Javier Dominguez, Raphael Levy, and Gabriel Nassif.
Standard Jeskai Fires by Javier Dominguez
| Creatures (19) 4 Sphinx of Foresight 4 Bonecrusher Giant 4 Cavalier of Flame 2 Cavalier of Gales 3 Kenrith, the Returned King 2 Dream Trawler Planeswalkers (4) 4 Teferi, Time Raveler Spells (6) 3 Deafening Clarion 2 Aether Gust 1 Shimmer of Possibility Enchantments (4) 4 Fires of Invention | Lands (27) 1 Plains 2 Island 2 Mountain 4 Hallowed Fountain 2 Castle Vantress 3 Temple of Epiphany 4 Steam Vents 3 Sacred Foundry 3 Temple of Triumph 3 Fabled Passage Sideboard (15) 4 Mystical Dispute 1 Disenchant 1 Aether Gust 1 Devout Decree 1 Deafening Clarion 1 Elspeth Conquers Death 3 Legion Warboss 1 Tithe Taker 1 Shatter the Sky 1 Justice Strike |
UW Control
Lately, control decks haven’t had a very good go of it in Standard, but this new enchantment-focused version was the choice of three competitors: Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa, Ondrej Strasky, and Thoralf Severin. The overall power level of the deck doesn’t seem to be very high, at least compared to the other decks in the tournament, but Teferi, Time Raveler remains one of the best cards in Standard and you should probably pay attention to a deck when Damo da Rosa chooses to sleeve it up.
Standard UW Control by Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa
| Creatures (2) 1 Dream Trawler 1 Archon of Sun’s Grace Planeswalkers (6) 4 Teferi, Time Raveler 2 Narset, Parter of Veils Spells (15) 2 Mystical Dispute 3 Shatter the Sky 4 Absorb 3 Thirst for Meaning 3 Dovin’s Veto Enchantments (12) 3 Elspeth Conquers Death 4 Omen of the Sea 2 Banishing Light 3 The Birth of Meletis | Lands (25) 3 Plains 7 Island 1 Field of Ruin 4 Temple of Enlightenment 4 Hallowed Fountain 1 Castle Vantress 3 Castle Ardenvale 2 Fabled Passage Sideboard (15) 1 Glass Casket 2 Archon of Sun’s Grace 4 Aether Gust 1 Dovin’s Veto 2 Mystical Dispute 1 Narset, Parter of Veils 2 Commence the Endgame 2 Cerulean Drake |
Jund Sacrifice
Look, it’s hard to begrudge Piotr Glogowski—the only person that’ll be playing Jund Sacrifice this weekend—his choice to play the same deck that he won Mythic Championship VII with in December. But it isn’t very well-positioned in a field full of combo, aggro, and control decks that either aren’t looking to grind out a long game or pack plenty of interaction.
That said, it would be foolish to bet against Glogowski, who is one of the hottest Magic players going into the World Championship with a win at MCVII and a second place finish at Players Tour Brussels.
Standard Jund Sacrifice by Piotr Glogowski
| Creatures (22) 4 Gilded Goose 4 Cauldron Familiar 3 Korvold, Fae-Cursed King 4 Mayhem Devil 1 Murderous Rider 2 Massacre Girl 3 Thrashing Brontodon 1 God-Eternal Bontu Planeswalkers (1) 1 Liliana, Dreadhorde General Spells (4) 4 Agonizing Remorse Artifacts (4) 4 Witch’s Oven Enchantments (4) 4 Trail of Crumbs | Lands (25) 4 Forest 4 Overgrown Tomb 4 Fabled Passage 4 Blood Crypt 4 Stomping Ground 1 Mountain 3 Swamp 1 Castle Locthwain Sideboard (15) 2 Noxious Grasp 2 Lovestruck Beast 2 Epic Downfall 2 Shifting Ceratops 1 Kroxa, Titan of Death’s Hunger 2 Duress 2 Disfigure 1 Liliana, Dreadhorde General 1 Casualties of War |
Those are the five decks that we’ll see at World Championship XXVI this weekend. Go ahead and use this information to draft your own team of players or cards in our World Championship XXVI fantasy leagues over on Thousand Leagues! Join one of our public leagues and you could win a Magic: the Galloping or some of this weekend’s Secret Lair drops!