Pro Tour Dominaria Top 8 Decklists: A Deep Dive
Hey there, fellow Magic: The Gathering fans! As someone who has been playing the game for years, I always look forward to the Pro Tour events. The latest one, Pro Tour Dominaria, was no exception. After three days of intense competition, we finally have our Top 8 decklists. In this article, I’ll be breaking down each deck and sharing my thoughts on their strengths and weaknesses. So, without further ado, let’s get started!
Main Curiosities, Top Statistics, Facts, and Interesting Information
- The Top 8 features two red-black aggro decks, two green-black midrange decks, one mono-red aggro deck, one blue-black control deck, one white-blue control deck, and one green-blue ramp deck.
- The most popular card in the Top 8 is Goblin Chainwhirler, which appears in four of the decks.
- All eight players in the Top 8 are from the United States.
- The youngest player in the Top 8 is 21-year-old Wyatt Darby, while the oldest is 34-year-old Ben Hull.
- The total prize pool for Pro Tour Dominaria is $500,000.
1. Red-Black Aggro – Andrew Elenbogen
Andrew Elenbogen’s deck is a classic red-black aggro list, featuring a ton of cheap creatures and burn spells. The goal of this deck is to deal as much damage as possible in the early game and finish the opponent off with direct damage spells. Here’s the full decklist:
- 4 Bomat Courier
- 4 Fanatical Firebrand
- 4 Ghitu Lavarunner
- 4 Soul-Scar Mage
- 4 Viashino Pyromancer
- 4 Goblin Chainwhirler
- 4 Lightning Strike
- 4 Shock
- 3 Abrade
- 2 Cut // Ribbons
- 2 Unlicensed Disintegration
- 4 Dragonskull Summit
- 4 Ramunap Ruins
- 11 Mountain
I’ve always been a fan of red-black aggro decks, and Elenbogen’s list is no exception. The deck is incredibly fast and can deal a ton of damage in just a few turns. The addition of Goblin Chainwhirler is a stroke of genius, as it can wipe out opposing creatures and deal damage to the opponent at the same time. The only weakness of this deck is its lack of card draw, so if Elenbogen doesn’t get a good start, he could run out of gas quickly.
2. Green-Black Midrange – Wyatt Darby
Wyatt Darby’s deck is a green-black midrange list that focuses on controlling the board and grinding out value with powerful creatures and planeswalkers. This deck has a lot of ways to generate card advantage and can outvalue almost any other deck in the format. Here’s the full decklist:
- 4 Llanowar Elves
- 4 Merfolk Branchwalker
- 4 Jadelight Ranger
- 4 Ravenous Chupacabra
- 3 Thrashing Brontodon
- 3 Walking Ballista
- 2 Rishkar, Peema Renegade
- 2 Vraska, Relic Seeker
- 1 Gonti, Lord of Luxury
- 4 Fatal Push
- 4 Vraska’s Contempt
- 2 Cast Down
- 4 Blooming Marsh
- 4 Woodland Cemetery
- 8 Forest
- 6 Swamp
This deck is a bit slower than Elenbogen’s list, but it makes up for it with its ability to generate card advantage. The combination of Merfolk Branchwalker, Jadelight Ranger, and Walking Ballista can help Darby dig through his deck and find the cards he needs to win. The planeswalkers in the deck, Vraska and Gonti, provide additional sources of card advantage and can help Darby pull ahead in long games. The weakness of this deck is its vulnerability to aggro decks, as it doesn’t have a lot of early-game interaction.
3. Mono-Red Aggro – Ben Hull
Ben Hull’s deck is another aggro list, but this time it’s mono-red. This deck features a lot of the same creatures and burn spells as Elenbogen’s deck, but it trades some of the black cards for more burn spells. Here’s the full decklist:
- 4 Bomat Courier
- 4 Fanatical Firebrand
- 4 Ghitu Lavarunner
- 4 Soul-Scar Mage
- 4 Viashino Pyromancer
- 4 Shock
- 4 Lightning Strike
- 4 Wizard’s Lightning
- 4 Abrade
- 2 Hazoret the Fervent
- 4 Ramunap Ruins
- 17 Mountain
This deck is even faster than Elenbogen’s deck, as it has access to more burn spells. The addition of Wizard’s Lightning is a huge boon, as it can deal four damage for just two mana if Hull has a wizard in play. The downside of this deck is its lack of resilience, as it doesn’t have many ways to recover from a board wipe or a bad draw.
4. Green-Black Midrange – Eli Loveman
Eli Loveman’s deck is another green-black midrange list, but it’s a bit more aggressive than Darby’s list. This deck features a lot of the same creatures as Darby’s deck, but it has fewer planeswalkers and more removal spells. Here’s the full decklist:
- 4 Llanowar Elves
- 4 Merfolk Branchwalker
- 4 Jadelight Ranger
- 4 Walking Ballista
- 4 Ravenous Chupacabra
- 2 Thrashing Brontodon
- 2 Vraska, Relic Seeker
- 2 Vraska’s Contempt
- 3 Cast Down
- 3 Fatal Push
- 4 Blooming Marsh
- 4 Woodland Cemetery
- 8 Forest
- 6 Swamp
This deck is a bit more well-rounded than Darby’s deck, as it has a mix of early-game creatures and removal spells. The planeswalkers in the deck, Vraska and Vraska’s Contempt, provide additional sources of removal and can help Loveman pull ahead in long games. The downside of this deck is its lack of card advantage, as it doesn’t have many ways to draw extra cards.
5. Blue-Black Control – Grzegorz Kowalski
Grzegorz Kowalski’s deck is a blue-black control list, featuring a lot of counterspells and removal spells. The goal of this deck is to keep the board clear and prevent the opponent from playing their spells. Here’s the full decklist:
- 3 Torrential Gearhulk
- 2 The Scarab God
- 2 Vizier of Many Faces
- 4 Fatal Push
- 4 Essence Scatter
- 4 Disallow
- 4 Glimmer of Genius
- 3 Commit // Memory
- 3 Vraska’s Contempt
- 2 Doomfall
- 2 Search for Azcanta
- 1 Moment of Craving
- 4 Fetid Pools
- 4 Drowned Catacomb
- 4 Aether Hub
- 7 Island
- 3 Swamp
This deck is all about control, and Kowalski has packed it full of counterspells and removal spells. The addition of Torrential Gearhulk gives Kowalski a way to reuse his spells and generate card advantage. The downside of this deck is its vulnerability to fast aggro decks, as it doesn’t have many early-game plays.
6. White-Blue Control – Luis Salvatto
Luis Salvatto’s deck is another control list, but this time it’s white-blue. This deck features a lot of the same counterspells and removal spells as Kowalski’s deck, but it also has access to some powerful planeswalkers. Here’s the full decklist:
- 2 Teferi, Hero of Dominaria
- 2 Gideon of the Trials
- 2 Cast Out
- 3 Fumigate
- 4 Seal Away
- 4 Disallow
- 4 Glimmer of Genius
- 2 Hieroglyphic Illumination
- 3 Essence Scatter
- 3 Negate
- 1 Pull from Tomorrow
- 2 Search for Azcanta
- 4 Glacial Fortress
- 4 Irrigated Farmland
- 6 Island
- 6 Plains
This deck is a bit slower than Kowalski’s deck, but it makes up for it with its ability to generate card advantage and control the board. The planeswalkers in the deck, Teferi and Gideon, provide additional sources of card advantage and can help Salvatto pull ahead in long games. The downside of this deck is its vulnerability to decks that can go over the top of it, as it doesn’t have many ways to deal with big threats.
7. Green-Blue Ramp – Matt Severa
Matt Severa’s deck is a green-blue ramp list that focuses on generating a ton of mana and playing huge creatures. This deck has a lot of ways to ramp up its mana production and can play some truly massive threats. Here’s the full decklist:
- 4 Llanowar Elves
- 4 Servant of the Conduit
- 4 Merfolk Branchwalker
- 4 Jadelight Ranger
- 4 Rogue Refiner
- 4 Whirler Virtuoso
- 1 The Scarab God
- 3 Confiscation Coup
- 3 Essence Scatter
- 2 Negate
- 2 Search for Azcanta
- 1 Nissa, Steward of Elements
- 1 Commit // Memory
- 4 Botanical Sanctum
- 4 Aether Hub
- 4 Hinterland Harbor
- 7 Forest
- 3 Island
This deck is all about ramping up its mana production and playing big creatures. The combination of Llanowar Elves, Servant of the Conduit, and Whirler Virtuoso can help Severa generate a ton of mana early on, and the big creatures in the deck, like The Scarab God and Nissa, Steward of Elements, can help him close out games quickly. The downside of this deck is its vulnerability to control decks, as it doesn’t have many ways to protect its big threats.
8. Green-Black Midrange – Allen Wu
Allen Wu’s deck is the final green-black midrange list in the Top 8, and it’s a bit more aggressive than Loveman’s list. This deck features a lot of the same creatures as the other green-black lists, but it also has access to some powerful removal spells. Here’s the full decklist:
- 4 Llanowar Elves
- 4 Merfolk Branchwalker
- 4 Jadelight Ranger
- 4 Walking Ballista
- 4 Ravenous Chupacabra
- 3 Thrashing Brontodon
- 2 Vraska, Relic Seeker
- 3 Vraska’s Contempt
- 3 Cast Down
- 4 Fatal Push
- 4 Blooming Marsh
- 4 Woodland Cemetery
- 8 Forest
- 6 Swamp
This deck is a bit more well-rounded than Loveman’s deck, as it has a mix of early-game creatures and removal spells. The planeswalkers in the deck, Vraska and Vraska’s Contempt, provide additional sources of removal and can help Wu pull ahead in long games. The downside of this deck is its lack of card advantage, as it doesn’t have many ways to draw extra cards.
FAQs
1. What is Pro Tour Dominaria?
Pro Tour Dominaria is a Magic: The Gathering tournament featuring some of the best players in the world. The tournament takes place over three days and features a wide range of formats.
2. How are the Top 8 decklists chosen?
The Top 8 decklists are chosen based on the performance of the players over the course of the tournament. The eight players with the best records at the end of the tournament qualify for the Top 8.
3. Which deck is the best in the Top 8?
It’s hard to say which deck is the best in the Top 8, as each deck has its own strengths and weaknesses. However, the red-black aggro decks seem to be the most popular and have performed well in the tournament so far.
4. Are there any surprise deck choices in the Top 8?
Not really. All of the decks in the Top 8 are fairly standard for the current Standard format. However, it’s worth noting that all eight players in the Top 8 are from the United States, which is a bit unusual.
5. When is the final round of the tournament?
The final round of Pro Tour Dominaria takes place on Sunday, June 3rd.
6. How much money can the Top 8 players win?
The total prize pool for Pro Tour Dominaria is $500,000. The Top 8 players will split a portion of that prize pool based on their final rankings.
7. Where can I watch the tournament?
The tournament is being streamed live on Twitch.tv and can be watched on the official Magic: The Gathering channel.
8. How can I get involved in Magic: The Gathering?
If you’re interested in playing Magic: The Gathering, the best way to get started is to find a local game store that hosts events. You can also download the official Magic: The Gathering app, which has a tutorial mode and lets you play against other players online.
Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into the Top 8 decklists from Pro Tour Dominaria!