So [Card]Wrenn and Six[/Card] is banned and the Legacy format has once again been turned on it’s head for what feels like the second or third time in the last few years. What happens now?

Well, unsurprisingly, at our first Legacy Showdown since the ban, [Card]Delver of Secrets[/card] continued to be as consistent as maybe any one single strategy in all of Magic. Boston Schatteman took down the event with Grixis Delver.

For months Grixis was overtaken by Temur as the Delver deck of choice after the printing of Wrenn in Modern Horizons. In the early stages, this banning seems to have really worked to reduce the homogenizing of all of the blue decks in the format. For a while it felt like if you were going to play blue — Delver or otherwise — you had to start with [Card]Wrenn and Six[/Card]. Whereas now, with Wrenn gone, we had Boston winning with Grixis and Andrew Gordon making Top 8 with a sweet Bant Midrange deck.

Boston defeated Evan Costa and his Reanimator in the finals. Joining them in the Top 8 was Wilkin Chau on his bread and butter Dead Guy Ale deck, John O’Keefe on Pox, Gordon with his sweet Bant Snow deck, Anthony Evangelista playing Storm, Elliott Tzaneteas on Depths and James Everson playing Pox.

It wouldn’t be a Toronto Legacy event without two copies of Pox in the Top 8 now would it?

In all seriousness, the diversity in our Top 8 really works to show just how much this one little ban helped things. x/1 creatures are no longer completely unplayable, and Temur Delver is no longer super-charged in such a way where it can compete with controlling decks while also preying on combo.

Here are the nearly 1,600 Legacy decklists submitted for Grand Prix Bologna in final standing order: https://t.co/FgsliqlStM#MTGBologna pic.twitter.com/81EgZRuxoo

— ChannelFireball (@ChannelFireball) December 1, 2019

There was also a Legacy Grand Prix this past weekend in Europe where we saw similar deck diversity. Sultai looked to be the Delver deck of choice and midrange decks featuring [Card]Oko, Thief of Crowns[/Card] were really popular amongst the top performers. Obviously we’re still in the early stages of this new Legacy world, but I have high hopes for the format going forward after going over this weekend’s results.

Now, before I leave you for the week, I have to give you an update on the Open Series if you haven’t heard yet. As we announced last week, in 2020 we’re bringing you the F2F Tour — your path from LGS to Players Tour. This change will be bringing you everything you loved about the Open Series, plus the addition of our F2F Tour Weekends, which will give you a shot to qualify for the Player’s Tour in your hometown. For all the details — check out our announcement.

Oh and incase you hadn’t heard yet, we’re bringing you a TON of formats next year:

With his win on Boston cements his spot in the upcoming Ultimate Showdown, while the rest of our Top 8 have begun their march up the leader board to qualify. If you’re interested in your Ultimate Showdown point total, you can check it out here. If you’d like to inquire about your point total or report a discrepancy, please email Toronto@facetofacegames.com.

This upcoming weekend at Face to Face Games Toronto we’re hosting our first ever PIONEER Showdown! That’s right, fresh off the banning of [Card]Once Upon a Time[/Card], [Card]Field of the Dead[/Card] and [Card]Smuggler’s Copter[/Card] you’re going to be able to explore this brand new format with us! Make sure to pre-register and we’ll see you at the shop!

[Deck Title= First Place, Grixis Delver – Boston Schatteman]
[Creatures]
4 Delver of Secrets
4 Dreadhorde Arcanist
2 Young Pyromancer
2 Brazen Borrower
2 Gurmag Angler
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
2 Preordain
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Fatal Push
4 Force of Will
2 Force of Negation
4 Daze
2 Spell Pierce
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Flooded Strand
4 Polluted Delta
3 Underground Sea
3 Volcanic Island
4 Wasteland
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Abrade
1 Bitterblossom
1 Hydroblast
3 Nihil Spellbomb
2 Plague Engineer
3 Pyroblast
2 Thoughtseize
1 True-Name Nemesis
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

[Deck Title= Second Place, Reanimator – Evan Costa]
[Creatures]
4 Chancellor of the Annex
4 Griselbrand
1 Tidespout Tyrant
1 Ashen Rider
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Animate Dead
2 Cabal Therapy
4 Dark Ritual
4 Entomb
4 Exhume
4 Faithless Looting
4 Lotus Petal
4 Reanimate
2 Thoughtseize
4 Unmask
[/Spells]
[Lands]
2 Badlands
1 Bayou
3 Bloodstained Mire
3 Polluted Delta
1 Scrubland
2 Swamp
2 Verdant Catacomb
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Coffin Purge
1 Archetype of Endurance
1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
2 Pyroblast
2 Serenity
1 Shenanigans
2 Wear // Tear
3 Reverent Silence
1 Massacre
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

[Deck Title= Third Place, Mono-Black Helm – Wilkin Chau]
[Creatures]
4 Dark Confident
2 Murderous Rider
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Karn, the Great Creator
3 Liliana of the Veil
2 Liliana, the Last Hope
4 Leyline of the Void
3 Helm of Obedience
3 Liliana’s Triumph
4 Chalice of the Void
3 Ensnaring Bridge
3 Dark Ritual
3 Lotus Petal
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Ancient Tomb
1 City of Traitors
3 Bayou
1 Marsh Flats
1 Verdant Catacombs
2 Castle Locthwain
1 Karakas
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
7 Swamp
1 Bloodstained Mire
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
3 Abrupt Decay
1 Murderous Rider
1 Bitterblossom
1 Plague Engineer
2 Toxic Deluge
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Tormod’s Crypt
1 Wurmcoil Engine
1 Helm of Obedience
1 Mycosynth Lattice
1 Liquidmetal Coating
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

[Deck Title= Fourth Place, Pox – John O’Keefe]
[Creatures]
1 Nether Spirit
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
1 Trinisphere
4 Dark Ritual
2 Chalice of the Void
1 Bitterblossom
4 Smallpox
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Cursed Scroll
3 Hymn to Tourach
4 Sinkhole
4 Liliana of the Veil
1 Liliana, the Last Hope
3 Ashiok, Dream Render
1 Toxic Deluge
1 Crucible of Worlds
2 Ensnaring Bridge
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Mishra’s Factory
4 Wasteland
3 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Castle Locthwain
1 Blast Zone
1 Cabal Pit
9 Swamp
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
2 Pithing Needle
2 Liliana’s Triumph
2 Null Rod
1 The Elderspell
1 Engineered Plague
1 Underworld Dreams
2 Helm of Obedience
4 Leyline of the Void
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

[Deck Title= Fifth Place, Bant Snowko – Andrew Gordon]
[Creatures]
2 Ice Fang Coatl
3 Snapcaster Mage
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
1 Teferi, Time Raveler
3 Oko, Thief of Crowns
2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
4 Arcum’s Astrolabe
4 Swords to Plowshares
2 Force of Negation
1 Counterspell
4 Force of Will
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
2 Veil of Summer
1 Entreat the Angels
3 Terminus
[/Spells]
[Lands]
2 Mystic Sanctuary
1 Snow-Covered Plains
1 Snow-Covered Forest
5 Snow-Covered Island
1 Tundra
1 Tropical Island
1 Polluted Delta
4 Misty Rainforest
4 Flooded Strand
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Volcanic Island
3 Pyroblast
1 Flusterstorm
1 Surgical Extraction
1 Back to Basics
2 Return to Nature
1 Veil of Summer
1 Monastery Mentor
1 Celestial Purge
1 Terminus
1 Containment Priest
1 Pithing Needle
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

[Deck Title= Sixth Place, Storm – Anthony Evangelista]
[Spells]
1 Tendrils of Agony
1 Ad Nauseum
2 Past in Flames
4 Infernal Tutor
1 Dark Petition
4 Dark Ritual
4 Cabal Ritual
4 Lotus Petal
4 Thoughtseize
4 Duress
4 Brainstorm
4 Ponder
4 Preordain
[/Spells]
[Lands]
4 Polluted Delta
3 Misty Rainforest
1 Verdant Catacombs
2 Underground Sea
1 Volcanic Island
1 Tropical Island
1 Bayou
1 Snow-Covered Island
1 Snow-Covered Swamp
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Carpet of Flowers
3 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Massacre
2 Veil of Summer
2 Abrupt Decay
2 Flusterstorm
3 Chain of Vapor
1 Empty the Warrens
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

[Deck Title= Seventh Place, Golgari Depths – Elliott Tzaneteas]
[Creatures]
4 Elvish Reclaimer
4 Vampire Hexmage
3 Dark Confident
1 Sylvan Safekeeper
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Abrupt Decay
1 Assassin’s Trophy
4 Crop Rotation
3 Duress
4 Mox Diamond
2 Sylvan Scrying
4 Thoughtseize
[/Spells]
[Lands]
3 Bayou
1 Bojuka Bog
4 Dark Depths
1 Forest
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Nurturing Peatland
1 Sejiri Steppe
1 Swamp
4 Thespian’s Stage
4 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Wasteland
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
1 Assassin’s Trophy
1 Force of Vigor
1 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Karaks
2 Liliana, the Last Hope
2 Pithing Needle
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Sylvan Safekeeper
1 Toxic Deluge
2 Veil of Summer
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

[Deck Title= Eighth Place, Pox – James Everson]
[Creatures]
4 Dark Confidant
4 Bloodghast
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Liliana of the Veil
2 Liliana, the Last Hope
4 Smallpox
4 Hymn to Tourach
3 Chalice of the Void
4 Dark Ritual
2 Liliana’s Triumph
2 Nether Void
2 Ensnaring Bridge
1 Buried Alive
[/Spells]
[Lands]
8 Swamp
4 Mishra’s Factory
4 Wasteland
3 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
3 Polluted Delta
[/Lands]
[Sideboard]
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Helm of Obedience
1 The Elderspell
2 Surgical Extraction
2 Toxic Deluge
2 Null Rod
2 Trinisphere
1 Damping Sphere
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]