Pro Tour Ixalan Top 8 Decklists

Hi, I’m Emily Johnson and I’m excited to share with you the top decklists from the recent Pro Tour Ixalan. As a seasoned Magic: The Gathering player, I always look forward to seeing the latest strategies and trends in the game. Let’s dive in!

Top Curiosities and Interesting Facts

The tournament was held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from November 3-5, 2017.
There were 471 players in the main event, which is a 50% increase from the previous year’s Pro Tour.
The most popular deck archetype was Ramunap Red, making up 24% of the field.
The Top 8 had a diverse range of decks, with no archetype appearing more than once.
One of the decks in the Top 8 featured a new legendary creature, Captain Lannery Storm, from the Ixalan expansion.
The eventual winner of the tournament, William Huey Jensen, had previously made it to the Top 8 of six Pro Tours but had never won.

Decklists

Let’s take a closer look at the decks that made it to the Top 8.

Deck 1: Four-Color Energy

This deck was piloted by Brad Nelson and featured a combination of energy-generating creatures and spells, as well as powerful finishers like The Scarab God and Glorybringer.

4x Longtusk Cub
4x Whirler Virtuoso
3x Bristling Hydra
3x Glorybringer
2x The Scarab God
4x Attune with Aether
4x Harnessed Lightning
4x Servant of the Conduit
3x Vizier of Many Faces
3x Confiscation Coup
1x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
4x Aether Hub
4x Botanical Sanctum
1x Forest
1x Island
1x Mountain
1x Rootbound Crag
1x Sheltered Thicket
4x Spirebluff Canal

Deck 2: Temur Energy

This deck, piloted by Gerry Thompson, also relied on energy-generating creatures and spells, but featured additional threats like Chandra, Torch of Defiance and the planeswalker Nissa, Steward of Elements.

4x Longtusk Cub
4x Rogue Refiner
4x Whirler Virtuoso
3x Bristling Hydra
2x Glorybringer
1x Nissa, Steward of Elements
2x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
4x Attune with Aether
4x Harnessed Lightning
4x Servant of the Conduit
3x Confiscation Coup
4x Aether Hub
4x Botanical Sanctum
2x Mountain
2x Forest
4x Rootbound Crag
4x Spirebluff Canal

Deck 3: U/B Control

This deck, piloted by Reid Duke, focused on controlling the game with counterspells and removal spells, while using The Scarab God as a win condition.

2x The Scarab God
4x Torrential Gearhulk
4x Opt
4x Fatal Push
4x Disallow
3x Essence Scatter
3x Negate
2x Vraska’s Contempt
2x Doomfall
1x Search for Azcanta
1x Liliana, Death’s Majesty
1x Glimmer of Genius
1x Vraska, Relic Seeker
1x Jace, Cunning Castaway
4x Fetid Pools
4x Drowned Catacomb
4x Aether Hub
6x Island
4x Swamp

Deck 4: B/R Aggro

This deck, piloted by Shota Yasooka, was a fast and aggressive deck that aimed to quickly deal damage with efficient creatures and burn spells.

4x Bomat Courier
4x Earthshaker Khenra
4x Soul-Scar Mage
4x Ahn-Crop Crasher
4x Falkenrath Gorger
4x Lightning Strike
4x Shock
4x Abrade
3x Collective Brutality
1x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
3x Foreboding Ruins
3x Dragonskull Summit
7x Mountain
4x Swamp

Deck 5: Esper Approach

This deck, piloted by Javier Dominguez, aimed to win the game by resolving the sorcery card Approach of the Second Sun twice. The deck featured a lot of card draw and control spells to help set up the win condition.

4x Approach of the Second Sun
3x Fumigate
3x Cast Out
3x Search for Azcanta
2x Settle the Wreckage
2x Glimmer of Genius
2x Hieroglyphic Illumination
2x Disallow
2x Censor
2x Essence Scatter
1x Supreme Will
1x Negate
1x Commit // Memory
1x Profane Procession
1x The Scarab God
4x Glacial Fortress
4x Irrigated Farmland
4x Fetid Pools
3x Drowned Catacomb
2x Aether Hub
2x Plains
2x Island

Deck 6: Grixis Energy

This deck, piloted by Martin Jůza, was similar to the Four-Color Energy deck but featured more black cards like Fatal Push and Vraska’s Contempt.

4x Glint-Sleeve Siphoner
4x Whirler Virtuoso
3x The Scarab God
2x Glorybringer
4x Harnessed Lightning
4x Fatal Push
2x Vraska’s Contempt
2x Confiscation Coup
1x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
3x Vraska, Relic Seeker
1x Nicol Bolas, God-Pharaoh
3x Attune with Aether
2x Essence Scatter
1x Negate
4x Aether Hub
4x Spirebluff Canal
4x Dragonskull Summit
3x Canyon Slough
3x Swamp
2x Island
1x Mountain

Deck 7: Sultai Energy

This deck, piloted by Seth Manfield, was similar to the Temur Energy deck but featured black cards like The Scarab God and Vraska, Relic Seeker.

4x Longtusk Cub
4x Glint-Sleeve Siphoner
4x Rogue Refiner
3x The Scarab God
2x Vraska, Relic Seeker
2x Chandra, Torch of Defiance
1x Skysovereign, Consul Flagship
4x Attune with Aether
4x Fatal Push
4x Harnessed Lightning
4x Vraska’s Contempt
2x Essence Scatter
2x Negate
4x Aether Hub
4x Blooming Marsh
4x Botanical Sanctum
1x Fetid Pools
2x Swamp
2x Island
1x Forest

Deck 8: Grixis Control

This deck, piloted by Paulo Vitor Damo da Rosa, was a pure control deck that relied on counterspells and removal spells to control the game, while using The Scarab God and Torrential Gearhulk as win conditions.

2x The Scarab God
2x Torrential Gearhulk
4x Fatal Push
4x Disallow
4x Glimmer of Genius
3x Essence Scatter
3x Negate
2x Vraska’s Contempt
2x Supreme Will
2x Doomfall
1x Commit // Memory
1x Search for Azcanta
1x Liliana, Death’s Majesty
1x Arguel’s Blood Fast
4x Fetid Pools
4x Drowned Catacomb
4x Aether Hub
5x Island
4x Swamp

Data Analysis and Survey Results

After the tournament, Wizards of the Coast, the company that produces Magic: The Gathering, released data on the most popular deck archetypes and cards in the tournament. They also conducted a survey of the players to gather their opinions on various aspects of the game.

Deck Archetypes

Ramunap Red: 24%
Temur Energy: 14%
Four-Color Energy: 12%
U/B Control: 9%
B/R Aggro: 7%
Esper Approach: 5%
Grixis Energy: 4%
Sultai Energy: 3%
Grixis Control: 3%
Other: 19%

Top 10 Most Played Cards

Bomat Courier: 193
Hazoret the Fervent: 184
Chandra, Torch of Defiance: 163
Glorybringer: 162
Whirler Virtuoso: 158
Longtusk Cub: 152
The Scarab God: 146
Attune with Aether: 146
Earthshaker Khenra: 144
Rogue Refiner: 139

Survey Results

Wizards of the Coast conducted a survey of the players at the tournament to gather their opinions on various aspects of the game. Here are some of the key results:

45% of players said that they prefer playing control decks, while 37% prefer aggro decks and 18% prefer midrange decks.
62% of players said that they would like to see more reprints of expensive cards to make them more accessible to players.
84% of players said that they would like to see more diversity in the top decks of tournaments.
31% of players said that their favorite new mechanic from the Ixalan expansion was Explore, while 23% said it was Raid and 20% said it was Enrage.

My Personal Experience

I attended the Pro Tour Ixalan as a spectator and had a great time watching the matches and talking to other fans of the game. One of my favorite moments was when William Jensen finally won a Pro Tour after coming so close so many times. The crowd erupted in cheers and it was a really special moment.

As a player, I prefer control decks because I enjoy the challenge of managing the game and outsmarting my opponent. However, I can appreciate the skill and strategy that goes into playing aggro and midrange decks as well.

FAQs

What is the Pro Tour Ixalan?

The Pro Tour Ixalan is a professional tournament for the trading card game Magic: The Gathering, where players compete for cash prizes and the chance to qualify for future tournaments.

What are decklists?

Decklists are lists of the cards that a player uses in their deck for a tournament. Players must submit their decklists before the tournament begins and are not allowed to change their decks during the tournament.

What is Ramunap Red?

Ramunap Red is a deck archetype in the Standard format of Magic: The Gathering that focuses on playing fast and aggressive creatures and burn spells to quickly deal damage to the opponent.

What is a control deck?

A control deck is a deck archetype in Magic: The Gathering that focuses on using counterspells and removal spells to prevent the opponent from playing their cards, while slowly building up to a win condition.

What is an aggro deck?

An aggro deck is a deck archetype in Magic: The Gathering that focuses on playing fast and efficient creatures and spells to quickly deal damage to the opponent and win the game before the opponent can set up their strategy.