In celebration of Eternal Masters, Magic Online is running the Legacy Gauntlet using thirteen top Legacy decks.
What Is the Legacy Gauntlet?
Much like the Pro Tour Gauntlet that runs after each Pro Tour, the Legacy Gauntlet is a way to test-drive decks that have been successful in tournaments. When you sign up for the Legacy Gauntlet, you will get a randomly selected phantom deck from the decks listed below. You'll be able to play the deck during the queue, but you won't get to keep the cards at the conclusion of the event.
Why Legacy?
Typically, the Pro Tour Gauntlet follows each Pro Tour and uses top-finishing decks in those tournaments. However, the Pro Tour is never Legacy, and we wanted to give you the opportunity to test-drive a sampling of Legacy decks. The upcoming release of Eternal Masters contains many cards that you will see in the Legacy Gauntlet (as well as other Legacy decks).
What Decks Are in the Legacy Gauntlet?
When selecting the decks, we did not have the luxury of a Pro Tour to pick and choose decklists from. Instead, we chose decks we feel represent a cross section of decks that make the Legacy format feel unique. We scoured decklists from both Magic Online and paper Magic, took those, and adjusted them to be representative of what an average decklist for the archetype might look like.
Let's take a look at the decklists!
Planeswalker (3)
3 Jace, the Mind SculptorArtifact (4)
4 Sensei's Divining TopEnchantment (4)
4 CounterbalanceLand (22)
2 Plains 4 Scalding Tarn 4 Flooded Strand 2 Volcanic Island 4 Island 2 Arid Mesa 3 Tundra 1 KarakasSideboard (15)
1 Vendilion Clique 1 Wear // Tear 2 Rest in Peace 2 Disenchant 2 Red Elemental Blast 2 Flusterstorm 2 Monastery Mentor 2 Blood Moon 1 Containment PriestMiracles: The key card in this deck is Sensei's Divining Top. It allows you to manipulate the top of your library, which is important for countering spells with Counterbalance and for drawing miracles at the right time. Brainstorm, Ponder, and Jace, the Mind Sculptor can manipulate the top of your library in a pinch as well, but Sensei's Divining Top allows this to be the premier control deck in Legacy.
Planeswalker (2)
2 Jace, the Mind SculptorLand (23)
2 Creeping Tar Pit 3 Wasteland 3 Underground Sea 2 Tropical Island 2 Bayou 1 Swamp 4 Polluted Delta 4 Verdant Catacombs 2 Misty RainforestSideboard (14)
1 Baleful Strix 1 Thoughtseize 1 Toxic Deluge 1 Maelstrom Pulse 1 Disfigure 2 Pithing Needle 2 Hymn to Tourach 2 Sylvan Library 2 Grafdigger's Cage 1 FlusterstormShardless Sultai: This deck has the greatest amount of card advantage of any deck in Legacy. It starts with Ancestral Vision (often cast via Shardless Agent), but Baleful Strix and Jace, the Mind Sculptor provide card advantage, which is relatively difficult to do in a format as fast as Legacy. Past that, this deck is a hyper-efficient set of creatures and spells—Deathrite Shaman, Brainstorm, Force of Will, Wasteland, and Tarmogoyf basically read like a list of the best cards in the entire Legacy format, and they are all here in one deck.
Sorcery (24)
3 Cabal Therapy 2 Dark Petition 3 Duress 4 Gitaxian Probe 4 Infernal Tutor 1 Past in Flames 4 Ponder 2 Preordain 1 Tendrils of AgonySideboard (15)
3 Abrupt Decay 2 Chain of Vapor 2 Empty the Warrens 1 Hurkyl's Recall 2 Massacre 1 Rebuild 1 Surgical Extraction 1 Tropical Island 2 Xantid SwarmStorm: This is one of the premier combo decks of the format. The goal of this deck is to cast nine or more spells, then finish with the single copy of Tendrils of Agony. The easiest ways to get extra spells are Ad Nauseam and Past in Flames. One important synergy is using Duress or Gitaxian Probe to know what's in your opponent's hand prior to Cabal Therapy. However, the most important interaction is between Infernal Tutor and Lion's Eye Diamond. If you cast Infernal Tutor, then respond by sacrificing Lion's Eye Diamond (on Magic Online, hold the control key as you cast Infernal Tutor), you will have hellbent for the Infernal Tutor, and you will have the mana from Lion's Eye Diamond to cast the spell.
Planeswalker (1)
1 Jace, the Mind SculptorArtifact (4)
4 Lotus PetalEnchantment (4)
4 Sneak AttackLand (19)
3 Ancient Tomb 2 City of Traitors 1 Flooded Strand 3 Island 1 Misty Rainforest 1 Mountain 1 Polluted Delta 4 Scalding Tarn 3 Volcanic IslandSideboard (15)
1 Flusterstorm 1 Wipe Away 2 Red Elemental Blast 3 Blood Moon 3 Through the Breach 2 Grafdigger's Cage 3 PyroclasmSneak and Show: This is all about cheating huge creatures onto the battlefield. Show and Tell and Sneak Attack can be used to put either Griselbrand or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn onto the battlefield, which will often end a game. The rest of the deck is mostly composed of fast mana, blue cantrips, and counterspells to help protect the combo.
Creature (7)
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite 1 Grave Titan 3 Griselbrand 1 Inkwell LeviathanArtifact (3)
3 Lotus PetalLand (15)
4 Polluted Delta 1 Bayou 3 Underground Sea 4 Verdant Catacombs 1 Tropical Island 1 Island 1 SwampSideboard (15)
3 Abrupt Decay 2 Pithing Needle 1 Surgical Extraction 2 Duress 1 Tidespout Tyrant 1 Echoing Truth 1 Golgari Charm 3 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy 1 MassacreReanimator: This is the other deck that can cheat huge creatures onto the battlefield. When compared to Sneak and Show, this deck is often more disruptive due to its discard spells, but also more vulnerable to graveyard hate. Deathrite Shaman is particularly difficult to deal with once it gets active. Entomb is the key card in the deck, as it both selects the correct creature for the situation and puts it directly into your graveyard, which is generally preferable to putting it into your hand for this deck.
Artifact (4)
4 Mox DiamondLand (35)
4 Thespian's Stage 4 Dark Depths 4 Rishadan Port 4 Wasteland 3 Maze of Ith 1 Glacial Chasm 1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale 2 Tranquil Thicket 4 Grove of the Burnwillows 1 Misty Rainforest 1 Verdant Catacombs 1 Windswept Heath 1 Wooded Foothills 2 Taiga 1 Bayou 1 ForestSideboard (15)
1 Pithing Needle 1 Bojuka Bog 2 Tireless Tracker 1 Abrupt Decay 3 Krosan Grip 3 Sphere of Resistance 4 ThoughtseizeLands: There are tons of powerful lands in Legacy, as well as a few cards that are very powerful when your deck contains 37 lands. Life from the Loam and Wasteland (with an assist from Rishadan Port) can often lock opponents out of mana, while Punishing Fire and Grove of the Burnwillows can take out creatures repeatedly, and eventually the opponent. If you make Thespian's Stage a copy of Dark Depths (and keep the copy with the "legend rule"), you'll end up with a Dark Depths with no counters on it, which means a 20/20 Marit Lage token. Gamble is the perfect card with Life from the Loam, as you rarely care if the card you searched for ends up the graveyard.
Creature (26)
4 Flickerwisp 1 Mirran Crusader 4 Mother of Runes 4 Phyrexian Revoker 3 Serra Avenger 2 Spirit of the Labyrinth 4 Stoneforge Mystic 4 Thalia, Guardian of ThrabenInstant (4)
4 Swords to PlowsharesSideboard (15)
2 Mirran Crusader 1 Spirit of the Labyrinth 2 Containment Priest 2 Council's Judgment 3 Ethersworn Canonist 2 Pithing Needle 3 Rest in PeaceDeath and Taxes: This is a mono-white deck full of "hatebears"—creatures that disrupt your opponent while providing a small battlefield presence. Æther Vial is a key card that allows you to play creatures to the battlefield in addition to using the abilities of your lands for disruption. Mother of Runes is also very important in this deck, as it can protect your other creatures from removal. As a rule, it is not worth attacking with Mother of Runes unless you are sure that your opponent can't remove one of your other creatures.
Sorcery (4)
4 Gitaxian ProbeInstant (24)
2 Berserk 3 Become Immense 4 Brainstorm 2 Crop Rotation 4 Force of Will 4 Invigorate 2 Vines of Vastwood 3 DazeLand (19)
1 Forest 4 Inkmoth Nexus 2 Pendelhaven 4 Tropical Island 4 Windswept Heath 4 Wooded FoothillsSideboard (15)
2 Dismember 2 Krosan Grip 1 Maze of Ith 1 Pithing Needle 2 Tormod's Crypt 3 Submerge 1 Bojuka Bog 1 Wasteland 1 Karakas 1 FlusterstormInfect: If you've played Modern, then you're likely familiar with this strategy. Play a creature with infect, then use pump spells to get to ten poison counters as soon as the second turn. In legacy, the pump spells are supercharged—Invigorate plus Berserk provides ten poison from a 1-power creature, and there are zero-mana ways to protect your combo in the form of Force of Will and Daze.
Creature (31)
2 Dryad Arbor 1 Craterhoof Behemoth 1 Progénitus 4 Deathrite Shaman 4 Elvish Visionary 1 Fyndhorn Elves 4 Heritage Druid 1 Llanowar Elves 4 Nettle Sentinel 4 Quirion Ranger 1 Reclamation Sage 4 Wirewood SymbioteSideboard (15)
2 Abrupt Decay 3 Cabal Therapy 1 Elderscale Wurm 2 Mindbreak Trap 1 Scavenging Ooze 2 Surgical Extraction 4 ThoughtseizeElves: Elves is one of the most unique decks in Legacy. While there aren't many cards in Elves that appear in other decks in Legacy, don't mistake that for a lack of power. Gaea's Cradle is one of the most powerful lands in Legacy, worth playing the full four copies despite its legendary status and the fact that it can't produce mana on the first turn. This deck has a multitude of synergies layered within the Elf tribe. Heritage Druid plus Nettle Sentinel allows you to produce tons of mana, while Glimpse of Nature allows you to draw more Elves as you cast more Elves. Wirewood Symbiote protects your creatures from opposing removal while letting you return Elvish Visionary as a secondary draw engine. Natural Order has lots of functions in this deck, providing a finisher in Craterhoof Behemoth or a nearly unstoppable creature in Progenitus.
Creature (23)
4 Eldrazi Mimic 1 Endbringer 4 Endless One 4 Matter Reshaper 4 Reality Smasher 2 Simian Spirit Guide 4 Thought-Knot SeerLand (25)
4 Ancient Tomb 4 Cavern of Souls 3 City of Traitors 4 Eldrazi Temple 4 Eye of Ugin 1 Karakas 4 Mishra's Factory 1 Urborg, Tomb of YawgmothSideboard (15)
1 Endbringer 1 Warping Wail 3 Faerie Macabre 2 Grafdigger's Cage 2 Pithing Needle 2 Ratchet Bomb 4 Thorn of AmethystEldrazi: Once the scourge of Modern, Eldrazi are powered out by the presence of many lands that produce more than one mana. Ancient Tomb, City of Traitors, Eye of Ugin, and Eldrazi Temple provide a significant base to be able to cast cards such as Thought-Knot Seer on turn two with regularity. The Eldrazi creatures are supported by disruptive spells such as Warping Wail and Chalice of the Void. A turn-one Chalice of the Void for one can be disastrous for many other decks.
Instant (25)
4 Brainstorm 4 Daze 2 Dismember 4 Force of Will 4 Lightning Bolt 3 Spell Pierce 4 StifleSideboard (15)
2 Destructive Revelry 3 Flusterstorm 2 Red Elemental Blast 2 Rough // Tumble 3 Submerge 2 True-Name Nemesis 1 Grafdigger's CageTemur Delver: The ultimate tempo deck, Temur Delver attempts to use a combination of Stifle, Daze, and Wasteland to prevent the opponent from playing their normal game. Meanwhile, some hyper-efficient creatures can chip away at the opponent.
Planeswalker (3)
3 Liliana of the VeilCreature (11)
4 Knight of the Reliquary 4 Dark Confidant 1 Dryad Arbor 1 Gaddock Teeg 1 Scavenging OozeEnchantment (1)
1 Sylvan LibraryLand (26)
1 Badlands 1 Barren Moor 2 Bayou 1 Dark Depths 1 Forest 3 Grove of the Burnwillows 1 Maze of Ith 1 Karakas 1 Savannah 1 Scrubland 1 Taiga 1 Thespian's Stage 1 Tranquil Thicket 4 Verdant Catacombs 4 Wasteland 1 Windswept Heath 1 Wooded FoothillsSideboard (15)
1 Choke 1 Containment Priest 1 Garruk Relentless 3 Leyline of the Void 1 Maelstrom Pulse 1 Phyrexian Revoker 1 Reclamation Sage 2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben 2 Thoughtseize 2 Toxic DelugeFour-Color Punishing Knight: This deck overlaps quite a bit with Lands, using Life from the Loam with the Punishing Fire-Grove of the Burnwillows and Dark Depths-Thespian's Stage combinations. The big difference with this deck is the use of creatures, specifically Knight of the Reliquary.
Planeswalker (2)
2 Jace, the Mind SculptorInstant (16)
4 Brainstorm 1 Counterspell 4 Force of Will 1 Kolaghan's Command 4 Lightning Bolt 2 Spell SnareLand (19)
2 Bloodstained Mire 2 Island 1 Misty Rainforest 1 Mountain 4 Polluted Delta 3 Scalding Tarn 1 Swamp 2 Underground Sea 3 Volcanic IslandSideboard (15)
2 Blood Moon 1 Dread of Night 3 Flusterstorm 2 Grim Lavamancer 1 Murderous Cut 2 Red Elemental Blast 2 Pithing Needle 2 Surgical ExtractionGrixis Pyromancer: This deck is focused on Young Pyromancer and various synergies related to Young Pyromancer. Cabal Therapy is especially potent, as you'll be able to sacrifice an Elemental token to flashback Cabal Therapy, while creating a replacement Elemental. It is also possible to chain blue card-drawing spells together to fuel Young Pyromancer (or Thing in the Ice).
Sorcery (3)
3 PonderArtifact (21)
4 Grindstone 3 Lion's Eye Diamond 3 Mox Opal 3 Great Furnace 3 Seat of the Synod 4 Sensei's Divining Top 1 Tormod's CryptLand (13)
2 City of Traitors 2 Ancient Tomb 1 Arid Mesa 1 Scalding Tarn 1 Polluted Delta 3 Volcanic Island 1 Island 2 Misty RainforestSideboard (15)
1 Red Elemental Blast 1 Tormod's Crypt 2 Electrickery 2 Blood Moon 1 Pyrite Spellbomb 1 Ensnaring Bridge 1 Academy Ruins 1 Meekstone 1 Trinket Mage 1 Pithing Needle 1 Grafdigger's Cage 2 FlusterstormPainter Combo: This deck has a number of strange interactions. Painter's Servant should name blue, so that your Red Elemental Blasts can stop anything. However, the deck is built around Painter's Servant and Grindstone, which will mill your opponent completely unless they have a Progenitus or Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. Make sure you have a Tormod's Crypt to prevent Emrakul from reshuffling!
The unique interactions don't stop there! If you tap Sensei's Divining Top to draw a card, you can respond by sacrificing it to Goblin Welder and still draw a card, without putting Sensei's Divining Top on top of your library. This can be a card-drawing engine if you have two Tops. Finally, Lion's Eye Diamond is commonly used to activate Grindstone, but it can also be used in response to Intuition in the same way that Infernal Tutor plus Lion's Eye Diamond works in the Storm deck. Make sure you hold the control key as you cast Intuition!
Wow! That's quite a bit to take in, and that's just scratching the surface. Legacy is an incredibly deep format, with tons of really cool interactions and powerful cards. Legacy can be challenging, but even the most experienced players constantly learn new things about the format. If you've always wanted to try out Legacy yourself, now is the time!
The Legacy Gauntlet runs from June 8 through June 16 on Magic Online.
See you in the Legacy Gauntlet.
—Adam Prosak, Magic R&D