World Championship Decks 2003

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The Top 8 is familiar territory for professional Magic player Dave Humpherys. With over $130,000 in career winnings and a Pro Tour championship on his resume, "The Hump" advanced to the Worlds semifinals for the second year in a row where he lost to eventual champion Daniel Zink. The blue-green madness deck he played has been a Standard mainstay for more than a year. It revolves around Torment madness cards like Basking Rootwalla and Circular Logic, together with discard-enablers like Aquamoeba and Wild Mongrel. Humpherys, who recently earned his Ph.D. from MIT, credits this version of the deck to Norway's Sigurd Eskeland.

Dave Humpherys Bio

Dave Humpherys Decklist

Daniel Zink, a student from Bochum, Germany, players the control deck that defined this year's World Championships. The white-blue-green "Wake" deck is named after the powerful enchantment that's the heart of the deck. Once Mirari's Wake is in play, the deck produces more mana, draws more cards, counters more spells, and makes more Soldiers than opponents can possibly handle. Zink had help from fellow German and 2002-2003 Player of the Year Kai Budde in adapting the "Wake" deck to the post—Eigth Edition environment.

Daniel Zink Bio

Daniel Zink Decklist

Hometown hero Peer Kröger played his own version of the classic "Reanimator" deck to an impressive record during this year's World Championships. The twenty-eight-year-old communications and computer science student nicknamed his deck "Herbert Wise" after the famous H. P. Lovecraft work "Herbert Wise—Reanimator." Winning with this deck is a two-step process: Step 1. Use Entomb or Buried Alive to quickly get daunting creatures into the graveyard. Step 2. Bring the creature back to life with Zombify or Doomed Necromancer. The mostly black deck also uses Burning Wish to find just the right answers to deal with opponents' plans.

Peer Kröger Bio

Peer Kröger Decklist

Wolfgang Eder introduced this black-red "Goblin Bidding" deck to the world at this year's European Championships. The twenty-two-year-old student from Weinheim, Germany, says the inspiration for the deck came from trying to give the typical Goblin tribe something to do in the midgame. He achieved this by adding black to the deck for Patriarch's Bidding, which brings every Goblin in the graveyard back to play. And with cards like Goblin Warchief and Siege-Gang Commander, those Goblins have haste and bring friends with them! A resolved Patriarch's Bidding is usually game over.

Wolfgang Eder Bio

Wolfgang Eder Decklist

Angel

Soldier

Sorcery

Create X 4/4 white Angel creature tokens with flying.
Cycling {2}{W} ({2}{W}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle this card, you may pay {X}. If you do, create X 1/1 white Soldier creature tokens.

Decree of Justice

Instant

Destroy target enchantment.
Flashback {G} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)

Ray of Revelation

As an additional cost to cast this spell, discard X cards.
Exile X target attacking creatures.

Vengeful Dreams

Creature — Elemental Beast

Discard a card: Switch this creature's power and toughness until end of turn.

Aquamoeba

Target player sacrifices an attacking creature of their choice.
Storm (When you cast this spell, copy it for each spell cast before it this turn. You may choose new targets for the copies.)

Wing Shards

Morph

Creature — Angel

Flying
Whenever this creature deals damage, you gain that much life.
Morph {2}{W}{W} (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for {3}. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)

Exalted Angel

Counter target spell unless its controller pays {1} for each card in your graveyard.
Madness {U} (If you discard this card, discard it into exile. When you do, cast it for its madness cost or put it into your graveyard.)

Circular Logic

Enchantment

{1}{U}, Discard a card: Draw a card.
{1}{U}, Sacrifice this enchantment: Draw a card.

Compulsion

Target player draws two cards.
Flashback—{1}{U}, Pay 3 life. (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)

Deep Analysis

You may reveal an instant card you own from outside the game and put it into your hand. Exile Cunning Wish.

Cunning Wish

Envelop

Destroy target artifact or enchantment.
Flashback {4}{W}{W} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)

Ray of Distortion

Enchantment — Aura

Enchant creature
When this Aura enters, draw a card.
Enchanted creature's activated abilities can't be activated.

Stupefying Touch

Search target player's library for up to three cards with flashback and put them into that player's graveyard. Then the player shuffles.

Quiet Speculation

You gain 6 life.
Cycling {1}{W} ({1}{W}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle this card, you may gain 2 life.

Renewed Faith

Creature — Incarnation

Flying
As long as this card is in your graveyard and you control an Island, creatures you control have flying.

Wonder

Target player sacrifices a creature of their choice.
Flashback {5}{B}{B} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)

Chainer's Edict

Destroy all creatures. They can't be regenerated.

Wrath of God

Choose a nonland card name. Target player reveals their hand and discards all cards with that name.
Flashback—Sacrifice a creature. (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)

Cabal Therapy

Legendary Creature — Wizard

{T}: Draw three cards.
{2}{U}{U}: Return Arcanis to its owner's hand.

Arcanis the Omnipotent

Creature — Horror

Fear (This creature can't be blocked except by artifact creatures and/or black creatures.)
Whenever this creature attacks and isn't blocked, defending player loses 1 life for each card in their graveyard.

Guiltfeeder

Careful Study

Return target creature card from your graveyard to your hand.
Threshold — Return that card from your graveyard to the battlefield instead if there are seven or more cards in your graveyard.

Stitch Together

Haste
As long as this card is in your graveyard and you control a Mountain, creatures you control have haste.

Anger

You may reveal a sorcery card you own from outside the game and put it into your hand. Exile Burning Wish.

Burning Wish

As an additional cost to cast this spell, discard X cards.
Sickening Dreams deals X damage to each creature and each player.

Sickening Dreams

Counter target spell unless its controller pays {3}.

Mana Leak

Damage can't be prevented this turn.
Flashback {R} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)

Flaring Pain

Creature — Goblin

Cycling {1}{R} ({1}{R}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)
When you cycle this card, you may have it deal X damage to target creature, where X is the number of Goblins on the battlefield.

Gempalm Incinerator

Creature — Goblin Warrior

Goblin spells you cast cost {1} less to cast.
Goblins you control have haste.

Goblin Warchief

Provoke (Whenever this creature attacks, you may have target creature defending player controls untap and block it if able.)

Goblin Grappler

Goblin

When this creature enters, create three 1/1 red Goblin creature tokens.
{1}{R}, Sacrifice a Goblin: This creature deals 2 damage to any target.

Siege-Gang Commander

At the beginning of each player's upkeep, this enchantment deals 2 damage to that player.
If a player would gain life, that player gains no life instead.

Sulfuric Vortex

Return target creature to its owner's hand.

Unsummon

Search your library for up to three creature cards, put them into your graveyard, then shuffle.

Buried Alive

Creature — Wurm

Trample
Madness {2}{G} (If you discard this card, discard it into exile. When you do, cast it for its madness cost or put it into your graveyard.)

Arrogant Wurm

Creature — Lizard

{1}{G}: This creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn. Activate only once each turn.
Madness {0} (If you discard this card, discard it into exile. When you do, cast it for its madness cost or put it into your graveyard.)

Basking Rootwalla

Beast

Create a 4/4 green Beast creature token.
Storm (When you cast this spell, copy it for each spell cast before it this turn.)

Hunting Pack

Target player shuffles up to two target cards from their graveyard into their library.
Flashback {1}{G} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)

Krosan Reclamation

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

Dark Banishing

Creature — Centaur Spirit

Protection from black
This creature enters with three +1/+1 counters on it.
If damage would be dealt to this creature, prevent that damage. Remove a +1/+1 counter from this creature.

Phantom Centaur

Exile up to three target cards from a single graveyard.

Decompose

Creature — Insect Druid Mutant

Morph {1}{G} (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for {3}. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)
When this creature is turned face up, destroy target artifact or enchantment.

Nantuko Vigilante

Search your library for a card, put that card into your graveyard, then shuffle.

Entomb

Creature — Frog Beast

Discard two cards: Exile this creature. Return it to the battlefield under its owner's control at the beginning of the next end step.

Anurid Brushhopper

Creatures you control get +1/+1.
Whenever you tap a land for mana, add one mana of any type that land produced.

Mirari's Wake

Creature — Human Cleric Mercenary

{B}, {T}, Sacrifice this creature: Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.

Doomed Necromancer

Land

This land enters tapped.
{T}: Add {C}.
{2}, {T}, Sacrifice this land: Search your library for a Forest card and a Plains card, put them onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.

Krosan Verge

Exile all cards from target player's graveyard other than basic land cards. For each card exiled this way, search that player's library for all cards with the same name as that card and exile them. Then that player shuffles.

Haunting Echoes

Each player sacrifices a creature of their choice.

Innocent Blood

Discard any number of cards. Target player reveals their hand, then you choose a nonland card from it for each card discarded this way. That player discards those cards.

Last Rites

Each player chooses a creature type. Each player returns all creature cards of a type chosen this way from their graveyard to the battlefield.

Patriarch's Bidding

Target player loses 4 life and you gain 4 life.

Soul Feast

Destroy target creature with mana value 3 or less. It can't be regenerated.

Smother

Return target creature card from your graveyard to the battlefield.

Zombify

Creature — Zombie Barbarian

{1}{B}, Discard a card: Return this card from your graveyard to your hand. Activate only during your upkeep.
Cycling {1}{B} ({1}{B}, Discard this card: Draw a card.)

Undead Gladiator

Legendary Creature — Gorgon

Flying
{T}: Destroy target creature. It can't be regenerated.

Visara the Dreadful

Demolish

Creature — Cat Beast Spirit

Trample
This creature enters with seven +1/+1 counters on it.
Whenever this creature deals damage, you gain that much life.
If damage would be dealt to this creature, prevent that damage. Remove a +1/+1 counter from this creature.

Phantom Nishoba

Protection from blue (This creature can't be blocked, targeted, dealt damage, or enchanted by anything blue.)
Whenever this creature attacks, it gets +2/+0 until end of turn for each other attacking Goblin.

Goblin Piledriver

This creature doesn't untap during your untap step.
Whenever a creature dies, untap this creature.
{T}: This creature deals 1 damage to any target.

Goblin Sharpshooter

Sacrifice a Goblin: Target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.

Goblin Sledder

Pyroclasm deals 2 damage to each creature.

Pyroclasm

{1}{R}: Target Goblin creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
Morph {R} (You may cast this card face down as a 2/2 creature for {3}. Turn it face up any time for its morph cost.)

Goblin Taskmaster

Target sorcery card in your graveyard gains flashback until end of turn. The flashback cost is equal to its mana cost. (Mana cost includes color.)
Flashback {3}{R} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)

Recoup

Skirk Prospector

{T}: This creature deals X damage to target creature and X damage to you, where X is the number of Goblins on the battlefield.

Sparksmith

Prevent all combat damage that would be dealt this turn.
Flashback {2}{G} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)

Moment's Peace

Wurm

Create a 6/6 green Wurm creature token.
Flashback {3}{G} (You may cast this card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)