World Championship Decks 2001

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

Counter target spell.

Counter target spell.

Counter target spell.

Counter target spell.

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

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.

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.

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.

Return all green permanents to their owners' hands.

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

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

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

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

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.

{T}: Draw a card, then discard a card.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.)

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

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.

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

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.

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.

{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.

Destroy target creature. It can't be regenerated.

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.

Add {B}{B}{B}.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.)

Destroy all Islands.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

Pyroclasm deals 2 damage to each creature.

Pyroclasm deals 2 damage to each creature.

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

Flying {T}: Add one mana of any color.

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

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

{T}: Add {G}.

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.

Counter target spell. Its controller loses 3 life.

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

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.

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

{T}: Add {C}. {1}, {T}: Tap target land.

{T}: Add {C}. {1}, {T}: Tap target land.

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

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

({T}: Add {G}.)

({T}: Add {G}.)

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

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

({T}: Add {U}.)

({T}: Add {U}.)

({T}: Add {U}.)

({T}: Add {U}.)

({T}: Add {U}.)

({T}: Add {U}.)

({T}: Add {U}.)

({T}: Add {U}.)

({T}: Add {U}.)

({T}: Add {U}.)

({T}: Add {U}.)

({T}: Add {U}.)

({T}: Add {U}.)

({T}: Add {U}.)

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

({T}: Add {U}.)

({T}: Add {U}.)

({T}: Add {U}.)

({T}: Add {R}.)

({T}: Add {R}.)

({T}: Add {U}.)

({T}: Add {U}.)

({T}: Add {U}.)

({T}: Add {B}.)

({T}: Add {B}.)

({T}: Add {B}.)

({T}: Add {B}.)

({T}: Add {R}.)

({T}: Add {R}.)

({T}: Add {R}.)

({T}: Add {R}.)

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

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

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

({T}: Add {G}.)

({T}: Add {G}.)

({T}: Add {B}.)

({T}: Add {G}.)

({T}: Add {G}.)

({T}: Add {B}.)

({T}: Add {G}.)

({T}: Add {G}.)

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

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.

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.

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.

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.