After strong showings at Players Tours Nagoya and Brussels, UB Inverter of Truth continued to be the most popular deck in Pioneer at Players Tour Phoenix this weekend, making up 20% of the field. It was joined by Bant Spirits (13%), Mono-Red Aggro (10%), Lotus Breach (9%), Sultai Delirium (8%), and Mono-Black Aggro (8%) as the Tier 1 decks at the tournament.
Don’t miss our coverage Day 2 and the Top 8 of PT Phoenix, as well as our coverage of Day 1, Day 2, and Top 8 of PT Brussels or Day 1 and the Top 8 of PT Nagoya.
The Pioneer metagame at Players Tour Phoenix
UB Inverter of Truth was the most successful deck last weekend with six copies across two Top 8s. This weekend, Lotus Breach is putting up similarly impressive numbers—at least through Day 1. After eight rounds, five of which were Pioneer, there are seven Lotus Breach players in the Top 20. Thats more than the number of Inverter of Truth decks (six) despite making up half as much of the Pioneer metagame.
Pioneer Lotus Breach by Luis Scott-Vargas
| Creatures (14) 4 Arboreal Grazer 4 Fae of Wishes 2 Satyr Wayfinder 4 Vizier of Tumbling Sands Spells (19) 4 Hidden Strings 4 Pore Over the Pages 4 Strategic Planning 4 Sylvan Scrying 1 Dig Through Time 1 Expansion // Explosion 1 Mystical Dispute Enchantments (3) 3 Underworld Breach | Lands (24) 1 Blast Zone 4 Botanical Sanctum 2 Breeding Pool 1 Forest 4 Lotus Field 1 Sheltered Thicket 4 Temple of Mystery 4 Thespian’s Stage 3 Yavimaya Coast Sideboard (11) 1 Mystical Dispute 1 Underworld Breach 1 Anger of the Gods 1 Jace, Wielder of Mysteries 1 Lost Legacy 1 Natural State 1 Supreme Verdict 1 Thought Distortion 1 Tome Scour 1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon 1 Unravel the Aether |
Note: The quantities of sideboard cards will not be known until later this weekend.
Lotus Breach is a unique, storm-like combo deck. While UB Inverter of Truth plays like the Splinter Twin combo decks of old, Lotus Breach looks to abuse Lotus Field with various untap effects like Hidden Strings and continually recast those untap effects from the graveyard thanks Underworld Breach.
Eventually, the deck will use the Granted side of Fae of Wishes to grab Tome Scour from its sideboard and either mill the opponent out or mill its own library and win with Jace, Wielder of Mysteries or Expansion // Explosion.
Check out all of the decklists from Players Tour Phoenix.
The Top of the Standings
Players Tour Phoenix standings at the end of Day 1
Only Patrick Tierney (Lotus Breach) made it through eight rounds unscathed and will head into Day 2 with an undefeated record of 8-0. The 11 players at 7-1 are mainly comprised of an early look at the new best decks in Pioneer: Lotus Breach, UB Inverter, and Sultai Delirium.
William Jensen is the highest ranked member of the Magic Pro League after Day 1, while Sebastian Pozzo and Matt Nass are the highest ranked members of the Magic Rivals League, all at 7-1.
Day 2 of Players Tour Phoenix begins Saturday at 11 AM Eastern on twitch.tv/magic.