World Championship Decks 2001

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Eighteen-year-old Alex Borteh came on strong in the last half of the 2000—2001 Pro Tour™ season. He posted an impressive Top 8 finish at U.S. Nationals and followed that up by coming within one match of winning this year's Worlds. The soon-to-be Ohio State University freshman played a monoblue combo deck that he liked to call "Da Folk." This deck wins by using Opposition and Static Orb to establish a lock down while legions of Merfolk overrun opponents' immobilized defenses.

Alex Borteh Bio

Alex Borteh Decklist

A member of the famous Team Block Ops, Antoine Ruel, a native of Aubervilliers, France, took his blue-black-red control deck to a third-place finish at this year's World Championships. Ruel credits his teammate Laurent Pagorek for the deck that he calls "AK-Go." The deck, which Ruel played to a 5—1 record during the Standard portion of the tournament, relies on card drawing (most notably Accumulated Knowledge, or "AK" for short), countermagic ("Go," for short), red for board control, and Nether Spirits for the win.

Antoine Ruel Bio

Antoine Ruel Decklist

Jan Tomcani, from Bratislava in the Slovak Republic, came out of nowhere to stun everyone by posting a perfect 6—0 record in the Standard portion of this year's Worlds. Tomcani then proved that his run was no fluke by working his way up to the quarterfinals, where he lost to Alex Borteh in a close five-game match. Tomcani played a version of "Fires," the green-red deck that defined much of this year's metagame. Tomcani's version, which splashed black, follows the normal Fires archetype of playing cheap creatures followed by Fires of Yavimaya and big creatures like Blastoderm or Spiritmonger.

Jan Tomcani Bio

Jan Tomcani Decklist

Tom van de Logt is the 2001 Netherlands National Champion as well as one of an elite group of players who have posted back-to-back World Championship Top 8 performances. Currently a student in Groesbeek, van de Logt posted an impressive 5—1 record in the Standard portion of this year's Worlds. He described his aggressive black-red "Machine Head" deck as "the deck that beats the deck that beats 'Fires.'" He liked the explosive "I win" draws that his deck provided, and he especially liked the way it performed against blue decks.

Tom van de Logt Bio (2001)

Tom van de Logt Decklist (2001)

Instant

Draw a card, then draw cards equal to the number of cards named Accumulated Knowledge in all graveyards.

Accumulated Knowledge

Kicker—Sacrifice a land. (You may sacrifice a land in addition to any other costs as you cast this spell.)
Return target nonland permanent to its owner's hand. If this spell was kicked, return another target nonland permanent to its owner's hand.

Rushing River

Enchantment

At the beginning of your upkeep, you draw a card and lose 1 life.

Phyrexian Arena

Creature — Phyrexian Zombie

Kicker—Pay 3 life. (You may pay 3 life in addition to any other costs as you cast this spell.)
If this creature was kicked, it enters with two +1/+1 counters on it.

Phyrexian Scuta

Reveal the top five cards of your library. An opponent separates those cards into two piles. Put one pile into your hand and the other into your graveyard.

Fact or Fiction

Players can't cast spells that share a color with the spell most recently cast this turn.

Mana Maze

Mine Security

Flametongue Kavu

Creature — Kavu

When this creature enters, it deals 4 damage to target creature.

Scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom.)
Draw a card.

Counterspell

Creature — Merfolk

{U}: Return this creature to its owner's hand.

Darting Merfolk

Creature — Human Wizard

Kicker {1}{B} and/or {G} (You may pay an additional {1}{B} and/or {G} as you cast this spell.)
When this creature enters, if it was kicked with its {1}{B} kicker, target player discards two cards.
When this creature enters, if it was kicked with its {G} kicker, destroy target enchantment.

Thunderscape Battlemage

Counter target spell or ability an opponent controls that targets a land you control. If a permanent's ability is countered this way, destroy that permanent.
Draw two cards.

Teferi's Response

Return all green permanents to their owners' hands.

Hibernation

You may return two Islands you control to their owner's hand rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Draw two cards.

Gush

Other Merfolk get +1/+1 and have islandwalk. (They can't be blocked as long as defending player controls an Island.)

Lord of Atlantis

When this creature enters, draw a card, then discard a card.

Vodalian Merchant

Sorcery

Return all permanents of the color of your choice to their owners' hands.

Wash Out

You may exile a blue card from your hand rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Change the target of target spell with a single target.

Misdirection

Creature — Merfolk Rogue

Merfolk Looter

Merfolk of the Pearl Trident

Choose a color. Target player reveals their hand and you choose a card of that color from it. That player discards that card.

Addle

Tap an untapped creature you control: Tap target artifact, creature, or land.

Opposition

Creature — Human Wizard Sorcerer

{T}: This creature deals 1 damage to any target.

Prodigal Sorcerer

Creature — Elf Wizard

Kicker {R} and/or {W} (You may pay an additional {R} and/or {W} as you cast this spell.)
When this creature enters, if it was kicked with its {R} kicker, it deals 2 damage to any target.
When this creature enters, if it was kicked with its {W} kicker, destroy target artifact.

Thornscape Battlemage

Creature — Angel

Flying, protection from white
When this creature enters, return target blue or red creature card from your graveyard to your hand.

Crypt Angel

Choose one —
• Return target permanent to its owner's hand.
• Destroy target nonblack creature. It can't be regenerated.
• Destroy target artifact.

Crosis's Charm

Creature — Cat

This creature gets +3/+3 as long as you control no untapped lands.

Scoria Cat

Creature — Beast

Shroud (This creature can't be the target of spells or abilities.)
Fading 3 (This creature enters with three fade counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a fade counter from it. If you can't, sacrifice it.)

Blastoderm

You may return three Islands you control to their owner's hand rather than pay this spell's mana cost.
Counter target spell.

Thwart

Fading 7 (This enchantment enters with seven fade counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a fade counter from it. If you can't, sacrifice it.)
Remove a fade counter from this enchantment: Create a green Saproling creature token. It has "This token's power and toughness are each equal to the number of fade counters on Saproling Burst."
When this enchantment leaves the battlefield, destroy all tokens created with this enchantment. They can't be regenerated.

Saproling Burst

Creature — Merfolk Spellshaper

{U}, {T}, Discard a card: Return target creature to its owner's hand.

Waterfront Bouncer

Creature — Phyrexian Horror

At the beginning of your upkeep, this creature deals 1 damage to each creature and each player.
When this creature dies, it deals 1 damage to each creature and each player.

Plague Spitter

Whenever this creature deals damage to a creature, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.
{B}: Regenerate this creature.
{G}: This creature becomes the color of your choice until end of turn.

Spiritmonger

Fire deals 2 damage divided as you choose among one or two targets.

Fire

Creature — Phyrexian Zombie Assassin

{T}: Destroy target creature if it shares a color with the most common color among all permanents or a color tied for most common. A creature destroyed this way can't be regenerated.

Tsabo's Assassin

Destroy target creature. It can't be regenerated.

Terminate

Choose a creature type. Target player reveals their hand and discards all creature cards of that type. Then destroy all creatures of that type that player controls. They can't be regenerated.

Tsabo's Decree

Dark Ritual

Target opponent reveals their hand. You choose a noncreature, nonland card from it. That player discards that card.

Duress

As this enchantment enters, choose a creature type.
All creatures of the chosen type get -1/-1.

Engineered Plague

Land

{T}: Add {C}.
{T}: Add {B} or {G}. This land deals 1 damage to you.

Llanowar Wastes

{T}: Add {C}.
{T}: Add {U} or {R}. This land deals 1 damage to you.

Shivan Reef

Creature — Spirit

At the beginning of your upkeep, if this card is the only creature card in your graveyard, you may return this card to the battlefield.

Nether Spirit

Choose a color. Target player reveals their hand and discards all cards of that color.

Persecute

This spell can't be countered.
Destroy all artifacts, creatures, and lands. They can't be regenerated.

Obliterate

Creature — Elemental

Kicker {R} (You may pay an additional {R} as you cast this spell.)
Trample, haste
At the beginning of the end step, if this creature wasn't kicked, sacrifice it.

Skizzik

Destroy target nonblack creature. It can't be regenerated. You lose life equal to that creature's toughness.

Vendetta

Choose a card type. Target opponent reveals their hand. Blood Oath deals 3 damage to that player for each card of the chosen type revealed this way. (Artifact, battle, creature, enchantment, instant, kindred, land, planeswalker, and sorcery are card types.)

Blood Oath

Boil

Kicker {8}{R} (You may pay an additional {8}{R} as you cast this spell.)
This spell can't be countered.
Urza's Rage deals 3 damage to any target. If this spell was kicked, instead it deals 10 damage to that permanent or player and the damage can't be prevented.

Urza's Rage

This spell can't be countered.
{G}: This creature becomes the color of your choice until end of turn.

Kavu Chameleon

Pyroclasm deals 2 damage to each creature.

Pyroclasm

Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn.
Each attacking creature doesn't untap during its controller's next untap step.

Tangle

Creature — Bird

Birds of Paradise

Creature — Specter

Flying, haste
Whenever this creature deals combat damage to a player, that player discards a card.

Blazing Specter

Creatures you control have haste.
Sacrifice this enchantment: Target creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.

Fires of Yavimaya

Marwyn's Kindred

Creature — Elf Druid

Llanowar Elves

Target player reveals their hand, then you choose a card other than a basic land card from it. Search that player's graveyard, hand, and library for all cards with the same name as the chosen card and exile them. Then that player shuffles.

Lobotomy

Counter target spell. Its controller loses 3 life.

Undermine

Destroy target nonblack creature. It can't be regenerated.

Malice

Spite

Artifact

Creatures with power 3 or greater don't untap during their controllers' untap steps.

Meekstone

When this artifact enters, draw a card.
Each land with an activated ability that isn't a mana ability doesn't untap during its controller's untap step.

Tsabo's Web

As long as this artifact is untapped, players can't untap more than two permanents during their untap steps.

Static Orb

Rishadan Port

This land enters tapped.
{T}: Add {U} or {B}.

Salt Marsh

Whenever this land becomes tapped, it deals 1 damage to you.
{T}: Add one mana of any color.