The Mythic Invitational 2020 is now in the books, making history as the first major Historic tournament to date. The tournament was played remotely on MTGA and broadcasted on Twitch. Seth Manfield was crowned the champion after a really tough gauntlet of matches. Let’s examine the top 2 decks and see how they bent the meta and what propelled them all the way to the top 2!
We’ve been keeping our finger on the pulse of Historic lately. The format is growing in popularity, the meta is fun to play, and this recent high-profile tournament assures its long-running support and future.
- READ MORE: MTGA Tier List: Competitive Historic Decks
And that’s great, because now some of the best Magic players are here, bringing their own meta-changing decks. Finalists Seth Manfield and Gabriel Nassif brought variants of popular decks but altered them just enough to make them the best Historic decks in the world. Let’s examine them!
Gabriel Nassif’s MTGA Historic Jund Sacrifice
4 Woe Strider3 Midnight Reaper4 Mayhem Devil4 Cauldron Familiar4 Claim the Firstborn4 Witch's Oven2 Swamp4 Stomping Ground1 Lovestruck Beast1 Bonecrusher Giant4 Dreadhorde Butcher4 Priest of Forgotten Gods4 Collected Company4 Dragonskull Summit1 Phyrexian Tower4 Blood Crypt2 Woodland Cemetery4 Overgrown Tomb2 Sheltered Thicket
1 Vraska, Golgari Queen2 Korvold, Fae-Cursed King2 Reclamation Sage1 Scavenging Ooze4 Witch's Vengeance2 Act of Treason2 Leyline of the Void1 Jegantha, the Wellspring
This is a spin of the very popular Rakdos Sacrifice deck, utilizing the cat-oven combo that triggers Mayhem Devil for tons of damage over the course of the game. This is a toolbox deck with many synergies that is all about playing the hand you’ve drawn and not relying on a single card to win you the game but a bunch of lower impact cards that synergize together. Steal a creature with Claim the Firstborn and sacrifice it to Priest of Forgotten Gods for maximum value, pump up a fat Dreadhorde Butcher, or escape a Woe Strider - there are many paths to victory for this deck.
What’s interesting in Nassif’s version is the splashed green, giving him access to an all-star card in Collected Company. If you’re in a tight spot, this will fetch you a much-needed Cauldron Familiar or even the Mayhem Devil himself. This was the move that saved Nassif on multiple occasions during the Top 8 Bracket and got him all the way up to the finals.
Seth Manfield’s MTGA Historic Sultai Midrange
4 Nissa, Who Shakes the World4 Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath3 Hydroid Krasis1 Extinction Event2 Languish1 Maelstrom Pulse4 Thoughtseize1 Essence Scatter3 Eliminate4 Growth Spiral4 Aether Gust1 Hinterland Harbor2 Island2 Forest4 Zagoth Triome4 Fabled Passage4 Breeding Pool4 Overgrown Tomb2 Drowned Catacomb2 Fetid Pools2 Swamp1 Castle Locthwain
1 Disdainful Stroke2 Narset, Parter of Veils1 Elder Gargaroth2 Cry of the Carnarium2 Witch's Vengeance2 Negate1 Heartless Act1 Grafdigger's Cage1 Grafdigger's Cage4 Shark Typhoon
The champion’s deck is all about control. Notice all the removal spells allowing him to get rid of creatures large and small. He can even clear up the entire board with Languish, or better yet – counter the spells before they even hit the battlefield.
Ramp up as much mana as you can using Nissa, Who Shakes the World, and Growth Spiral. Use it to cast a huge Hydroid Krasis and escape Uro, Titan of Nature's Wrath. Dominate your opponent with perfect information granted by Thoughtseize. With so many powerful rare and mythic cards, it is no wonder this deck took down the entire tournament and is now the top dog of the Historic meat game on MTGA.
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