Actually, the "Esper Control" is a BW Mentor Midrange with Jace, Vryn's Prodigy and Thought Scour as the only blue cards. Calling it "Control" or "U-deck" is ridiculus.
(The deck is interesting, though).
You've seen his list? I know Sakomoto, who went 9-0, played esper midrange mentor, but he ended up 80th place.
People used to play Jötun Grunt lol. This was way back in the day, long before Tasigur was an option if you were splashing black, before D&T got Restoration Angel or Eldrazi.
Dredge is in the finals of another GP. Ironically it's performing better after GGT got banned ¯¯\__(ツ)__/¯¯
Pretty sad to see little Amonkhet cards in the T8 of Kobe. There's just the Glory-Bound Initiates and a SBed Cast Out. When (if) they post the T16/32/64 we might see Company and Living End decks that didn't make the cut.
The Jeskai deck strikes me as something that could use Censor, cutting Serum Visions or Logic Knot. Everything in the main is an instant or creature with flash, and it's more threatening to pass the turn with 4 mana and an unknown Censor in hand, than to play Serum Visions and pass the turn with 3 mana.
Company seems to have done better in Copenhagen. I noticed an inordinate number of Human tribal decks, perhaps Harsh Mentor has something to do with that.
edit: more or less locked for T8 at Copenhagen: Lantern, Living End, Grixis DS
Very disappointed there's no data posted for day 2 meta in any of these GPs.
They probably want to use the Top 8 to represent the events as much as possible, because seeing the Day 2 would likely paint a much more negative picture.
Copenhagen T8
Rizzi Grixis DS
Stroh Lantern
Ortiz Ros Living End
Halonen Titanshift
Muller Storm
Le Francois Dredge
Steinecke Counters Company
Geissler DS Zoo (yes, the one with Wild Nacatls. Renegade Rallier included)
edit: some of the T32
10 Carvalho Jund DS
11 Van Der Linden Eldrazi Tron
12 Perbet Dredge
13 Murphy Grixis DS
15 Holtmann Jund DS
16 Juza Elves
17 Chronopoulos Dredge
18 Vontitsos Dredge
19 Andersen Counters Company
21 Ballester Titanshift?
22 Aldeia Burn
23 Wohrle Burn
25 Eskildsen Jeskai Copycat
26 Larsen Counters Company
27 Brandt Burn
2 death's shadow (grixis, zoo), titanshift, UR Storm, living end, dredge, lantern control, counters company
Fun and interactive format.
It's great. It's super diverse.
Meanwhile in Kobe, 12 Snaps and 6 Cryptics in the top 8.
Get out and play the damn game, it's at it's finest!
Top 32 is also an important measure and the 2 control decks at Kobe appear to be the only ones is either top 32. People can feel however they want about that though. I've enjoyed watching this weekend and the top 8 at Copahagen looks like it'll be fun too.
2 death's shadow (grixis, zoo), titanshift, UR Storm, living end, dredge, lantern control, counters company
Fun and interactive format.
It's great. It's super diverse.
Meanwhile in Kobe, 12 Snaps and 6 Cryptics in the top 8.
Get out and play the damn game, it's at it's finest!
The kobe meta is surprising.
As for diversity, sure it is diverse. However decks like titanshift, UR Storm, living end, dredge, lantern control, counters company are anything but interesting to watch. IMO
Japan usually has weird metas that don't line up with the rest of the world. Not necessarily a bad thing, but a trend nevertheless. Although looking at their top 32, it looks like those U decks snuck in, as the rest of it is the same fast/linear/aggro/combo stuff we've been watching in Copenhagen.
Living End wins vs Dredge and advances to the semi finals.
Due to a mistake of deck building - I'm assuming Remi decided to play Abrupt Decays rather than something like Nature's Claim, which left him to no outs against Leyline of the Void out of the Living End sideboard.
Private Mod Note
():
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Well, I can saw a woman in two, but you won't wanna look in the box when I'm through.
Top 4 Copenhagen
Grixis Shadow
Lantern
UR Storm
Living End
MEHHHHHHH. Hopefully Shadow does well, but it looks like every match is just going to be a race/topdeck war for some fascinating, rich, and engaging games to watch...
Legacy: UWR Miracles [https://deckstats.net/decks/44442/1092831-uwr-miracles-2]
UWRUWR Delver/Lynx TempoUWR-------UWRUWR Midrange GeistUWR-------UWRUWR Nahiri ControlUWR-------UWRUWR SaheeliUWR
BGRJund / Jund ShadowBGR-------BGWAbzan / Abzan ShadowBGW
Commander (Leviathan/MTGO): UWGeist of Saint TraftUW
You've seen his list? I know Sakomoto, who went 9-0, played esper midrange mentor, but he ended up 80th place.
UWRUWR Delver/Lynx TempoUWR-------UWRUWR Midrange GeistUWR-------UWRUWR Nahiri ControlUWR-------UWRUWR SaheeliUWR
BGRJund / Jund ShadowBGR-------BGWAbzan / Abzan ShadowBGW
Commander (Leviathan/MTGO): UWGeist of Saint TraftUW
http://coverage.mtg-jp.com/gpkob17/decklist/018960/
Affinity has 1 Collected Company
Esper deck has Glory-Bound Initiate
Jeskai deck has 4 of every spell and creature (including Spell Queller) main
The fair blue decks were all playing Ceremonious Rejection in the SB, even those that didn't T8 but were featured.
| Ad Nauseam
| Infect
Big Johnny.
Dredge is in the finals of another GP. Ironically it's performing better after GGT got banned ¯¯\__(ツ)__/¯¯
| Ad Nauseam
| Infect
Big Johnny.
UB Faeries (15-6-0)
UWR Control (10-5-1)/Kiki Control/Midrange/Harbinger
UBR Cruel Control (6-4-0)/Grixis Control/Delver/Blue Jund
UWB Control/Mentor
UW Miracles/Control (currently active, 14-2-0)
BW Eldrazi & Taxes
RW Burn (9-1-0)
I do (academic) research on video games and archaeology! You can check out my open access book here: https://www.sidestone.com/books/the-interactive-past
Frontier: UBR Grixis Control | BRG Jund Delirium
The Jeskai deck strikes me as something that could use Censor, cutting Serum Visions or Logic Knot. Everything in the main is an instant or creature with flash, and it's more threatening to pass the turn with 4 mana and an unknown Censor in hand, than to play Serum Visions and pass the turn with 3 mana.
Company seems to have done better in Copenhagen. I noticed an inordinate number of Human tribal decks, perhaps Harsh Mentor has something to do with that.
edit: more or less locked for T8 at Copenhagen: Lantern, Living End, Grixis DS
| Ad Nauseam
| Infect
Big Johnny.
UB Faeries (15-6-0)
UWR Control (10-5-1)/Kiki Control/Midrange/Harbinger
UBR Cruel Control (6-4-0)/Grixis Control/Delver/Blue Jund
UWB Control/Mentor
UW Miracles/Control (currently active, 14-2-0)
BW Eldrazi & Taxes
RW Burn (9-1-0)
I do (academic) research on video games and archaeology! You can check out my open access book here: https://www.sidestone.com/books/the-interactive-past
UWRUWR Delver/Lynx TempoUWR-------UWRUWR Midrange GeistUWR-------UWRUWR Nahiri ControlUWR-------UWRUWR SaheeliUWR
BGRJund / Jund ShadowBGR-------BGWAbzan / Abzan ShadowBGW
Commander (Leviathan/MTGO): UWGeist of Saint TraftUW
They probably want to use the Top 8 to represent the events as much as possible, because seeing the Day 2 would likely paint a much more negative picture.
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
where can we find it?
http://magic.wizards.com/en/events/coverage/gpkob17/top-8-decklists-2017-05-28
Legacy: UWR Miracles [https://deckstats.net/decks/44442/1092831-uwr-miracles-2]
http://coverage.mtg-jp.com/gpkob17/decklist/018970/
9 Naya Counters Company
10 Titanshift
11 Grixis DS
12 Eldrazi Tron
13 Titanshift
14 Counters Company
15 Abzan
16 Eldrazi Tron
17 Jund DS
18 Counters Company
19 Counters Company
20 Dredge
21 Storm
22 Boros Burn
23 Affinity
24 Grixis DS
25 Boros Burn
26 Bant Eldrazi
27 BG (no splash)
28 Knightfall w/ Vizier
29 Knightfall w/ Vizier
30 Esper DS
31 Dredge
32 Rakdos Reanimator
| Ad Nauseam
| Infect
Big Johnny.
Rizzi Grixis DS
Stroh Lantern
Ortiz Ros Living End
Halonen Titanshift
Muller Storm
Le Francois Dredge
Steinecke Counters Company
Geissler DS Zoo (yes, the one with Wild Nacatls. Renegade Rallier included)
edit: some of the T32
10 Carvalho Jund DS
11 Van Der Linden Eldrazi Tron
12 Perbet Dredge
13 Murphy Grixis DS
15 Holtmann Jund DS
16 Juza Elves
17 Chronopoulos Dredge
18 Vontitsos Dredge
19 Andersen Counters Company
21 Ballester Titanshift?
22 Aldeia Burn
23 Wohrle Burn
25 Eskildsen Jeskai Copycat
26 Larsen Counters Company
27 Brandt Burn
| Ad Nauseam
| Infect
Big Johnny.
Top 32 is also an important measure and the 2 control decks at Kobe appear to be the only ones is either top 32. People can feel however they want about that though. I've enjoyed watching this weekend and the top 8 at Copahagen looks like it'll be fun too.
Japan usually has weird metas that don't line up with the rest of the world. Not necessarily a bad thing, but a trend nevertheless. Although looking at their top 32, it looks like those U decks snuck in, as the rest of it is the same fast/linear/aggro/combo stuff we've been watching in Copenhagen.
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate
Due to a mistake of deck building - I'm assuming Remi decided to play Abrupt Decays rather than something like Nature's Claim, which left him to no outs against Leyline of the Void out of the Living End sideboard.
Grixis Shadow
Lantern
UR Storm
Living End
MEHHHHHHH. Hopefully Shadow does well, but it looks like every match is just going to be a race/topdeck war for some fascinating, rich, and engaging games to watch...
UR ....... WUBR ........... WB ............. RGW ........ UBR ....... WUB .... BGU
Spells / Blink & Combo / Token Grind / Dino Tribal / Draw Cards / Zombies / Reanimate