After my 8-2 performance at Eternal Weekend in Prague, where I made the last-minute decision to play 2 Thorn of Amethyst main alongside my 4 Sphere of Resistance, I tweaked my deck slightly, hoping to qualify again for the European Legacy Masters (ELM) in Bologna this September. Despite a strong 11-1 record at our last three Friday Night Magic* (FNM) sessions with this setup, I continued to test RG, RGu, and even builds without Sphere of Resistance in the 75 online. Following extensive testing and discussions with Alli, a renowned Lands Master, we both agreed that GW Sphere Lands was the strongest build, fitting well into the current meta.

*Note: Our local FNM in Haarlem, the Netherlands, has been quite successful, delivering 2 of the 4 Dutch ELM players last season, and already 3 for this year!

I opted for no main deck removal, a decision I had also made in Prague.

My Decklist:

4 Life from the Loam
4 Mox Diamond
4 Exploration
4 Sphere of Resistance
2 Sylvan Library
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Pithing Needle
1 Expedition Map
1 Shadowspear
1 Soul-Guide Lantern

3 Maze of Ith
1 The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale
3 Thespian’s Stage
1 Bojuka Bog
1 Ghost Quarter
1 Blast Zone
1 Karakas
1 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills
4 Crop Rotation
1 Forest
2 Ancient Tomb
4 Urza’s Saga
4 Wasteland
1 Boseiju, Who Endures
2 Yavimaya, Cradle of Growth
2 Dark Depths
1 Horizon Canopy
2 Savannah
2 Rishadan Port

SB:
2 Surgical Extraction
3 Force of Vigor
4 Swords to Plowshares
3 Choke
1 Torpor Orb
1 Drop of Honey
1 Ghostly Prison

Thoughts/Choices/Conclusions:

2 Sylvan Libraries are great. A turn 1 Sylvan Library is one of the most powerful fair things you can do. With this setup you have most often either turn 1 Sphere or turn 1 Sylvan Library.

I’m not a big fan of Crucible, but it fits well in this deck, particularly as insurance if Loam gets Surgically Extracted.

With a strong focus on the saga plan, the four 1 cmc artifacts are excellent.

Shadowspear is crucial for drawing cards with Sylvan Library and mitigating life loss from Ancient Tombs.

As my 61st card, I added the third Maze of Ith, which turned out to be the star of the tournament.

Ghostly Prison was okay, can also be a Celestial Purge.

I liked Drop of Honey. You can do without.

I really like Choke. I can see playing two and have an extra slot (Surgical?), but I like three. Draw them, jam them and win.

Torpor Orb is a flex slot, but I think it has some text in the current meta and in bigger tournaments there will always be a Oracle player.

I thought about switching the third Maze for a Plains and play two Windswept Heath, but I don’t think I will do that. I am confident in this setup to beat Magus of the Moon.

The tournament:

Round 1 vs. R/W Initiative 2-0

After a long drive of about 2.5 hours, I arrived in Herne. I was fully prepared and excited until I was paired against R/W Initiative in round 1, a matchup that is quite unfavorable for us. I was on the play and kept seven cards, as did my opponent. I played a Mox and a Saga, while my opponent had a turn 1 Caves of Chaos Adventurer. A start that’s usually a losing battle.

I played a land and passed the turn. My opponent attacked and played a Simian Spirit Guide. At the end of his turn, I made a construct and then took my turn. He had two creatures, and I Crop Rotated my Saga away in response to the trigger. I fetched a Maze of Ith and Shadowspear. My opponent decided not to block as I had trample and a Maze for his Chaos Adventurer, so he needed the second creature. I took the initiative and played my land for the turn: a second Maze.

With two Mazes, I kept the initiative and eventually won a fairly long game. The key to my victory was holding the initiative, building large Saga constructs (with Shadowspear), and a well-timed Crop Rotation for my third (!) Maze of Ith in response to a Forth Eorlingas.

My second game featured one of the greatest plays I have made with this deck:

I mulliganed to 5 while my opponent kept 7. He played turn 1 Petal, Spirit Guide, Cavern: Magus of the Moon. I played a Forest and a Drop of Honey on turn 1. On turn 2, he attacked and played no land. With the Drop of Honey trigger on the stack during my turn 2 upkeep, I Crop Rotated for a Dark Depths. My opponent sacrificed his Magus, and I got a 20/20 Marit Lage. I played a land, hoping my opponent had nothing. He drew a card and showed his hand: no white mana for his Swords to Plowshares.

After the match, some Lands players who had been watching came over to compliment me on game 2. It was great to hear, and throughout the tournament, they approached me a few more times, still discussing that play. Awesome to see haha 😊

Matches: 1-0

Round 2 vs. Mono Black Aggro 2-1

This round was recorded on camera, but I’m not sure if it will be broadcasted. I played against Kevin, who was on Mono Black Aggro. Whenever I face Mono Black decks, I usually think of Helm decks with quirky tricks. However, this was a deck with black creatures, which is a favorable matchup for us. Kevin mentioned that there were quite a few players with that deck, which was good to hear.

Game 1, I was on the play and had a dream start: Mox, Saga into Library. My opponent didn’t do much on turns 1 and 2, but in response to my Saga trigger, he played an Opposition Agent, which took over the game. I lost this one, 0-1.

Game 2, I quickly made a 20/20 and won.

Game 3, I mainly created Saga tokens to play around Edict effects. I held Swords for an Agent and kept him busy with Saga tokens connected with Shadowspear. I played all the answers out of his hand and eventually made a Marit Lage. I won 2-1.

Matches: 2-0

Round 3 vs G/W Depths 0-2

I played against Arne on G/W Depths and lost 2-0. This is a difficult matchup if the player knows what they’re doing. Game 1, I had Mox, Saga, and Sphere on the play—a perfect start. My opponent slowly played around it by making land drops, answering a saga token, and played Zenith for Liberator. He gradually took control, and I conceded to have enough time for the next games.

Game 2, I mulliganed to six. It was a slow hand that was all-in on Marit Lage. When I could have summoned her, I sensed he had an answer, and then I had nothing. I decided to keep playing, and it turned into a Lands-like standoff. He eventually went for it, and I decided to Crop Rotate for a Karakas instead of a Wasteland to stop his combo. That was a bad choice, as he had a Legolas in hand. I lost 0-2.

Matches: 2-1

Round 4 vs ANT 2-0

I had seen my opponent play earlier and knew he was on ANT. I was again on the play and mulliganed to 4! Tomb, Yavimaya, Sphere, Sylvan Library. I played a t1 Sphere, t2 Library, t3 another Sphere. It turned out to be a relatively long game, where my opponent wisely waited until I had a clock. I had Wastelands, Crucible, Ghost Quarter, Ports, and when I finally played Saga, my opponent conceded.

Game 2: My opponent mulliganed to 4, and I kept 7. He played Sea, Petal. I played Mox, Exploration, Saga, Wasteland, Sphere. A turn later, I Wastelanded his Sea, had two Saga tokens, and he conceded.

Matches: 3-1

Round 5 vs Doomsday 2-1

I played against another Dutch player, Yannick, known for getting results with multiple decks but also for playing Lands. Game 1, I kept 7 cards on the draw, and he went to 6. He played Island, Ponder, go, and I suspected he wasn’t on Lands. I didn’t have Sphere or a fast clock, but I played a Pithing Needle on The One Ring, delaying him for a while. Still, I lost that game.

Game 2, I had a turn 2 Marit Lage on the play. Game 3, he went off quickly. He made a pile, and I had double Crop, one for Ghost Quarter on his Underground Sea, another for Rishadan Port in his upkeep, and a Surgical in his draw step for an Underground Sea. That was too much, and he conceded.

Matches: 4-1

Round 6 vs Mono Black Aggro 2-0

I played against Nicolai on Mono Black Aggro. I was on the draw and kept seven cards. He kept six and started with ritual, ritual into Troll cycle, and 2x Thoughtseize. I went for Saga with Constructs and Shadowspear, which he couldn’t beat. Game 2, again Saga’s with Shadowspear and Soul-Guide to control his graveyard. These were easy, quick games. 5-1

Matches: 5-1

Round 7 vs 4c Beans 2-0

Win and in against Dennis on 4c Beans. I was on the play and kept seven. He also kept seven cards. I attacked his mana in the early turns. I think he had a turn 1 Force of Will on my Sphere. He certainly had an early Force of Will. I Loamed 2 Wastelands back and continued attacking his mana. I built up some mana myself, and as soon as he tapped out for Triumph of Saint Katherine, I did an end of turn Crop Rotation for Marit Lage.

Game 2: I played an early Loam and he had Surgical. He saw my hand containing a Choke and a Maze. Nevertheless, he decided to tap out the next turn for Saint Katherine and had no counter for my Choke. I took five damage, but the following turn I played Maze. I Crop Rotated for Port and kept his mana under control until he gave up. I made it to the top 8! The Swiss rounds ended with me at 6-1, finishing fourth.

Matches: 6-1. Fourth place in the Swiss.

Quarterfinals vs Grixis Stalker Tempo 2-1

I was on the play against Grixis Stalker Tempo and kept five cards. My opponent had seven. I activated my Loam engine and my opponent was light on lands. I Wastelanded him out of the game and controlled his Stalker. He couldn’t do much. Game 2, we both kept seven, but I kept a hand without colored mana and acceleration, a rookie mistake. I nearly stabilized in the endgame, but a second Price of Progress was too much for me.

Game 3: It was a long game and I was mindful of his two Price of Progress. After taking a hit from the first Price, I went all-in on Saga token with Shadowspear. He dealt 15 damage in his last turn with bolt + PoP, but it wasn’t enough as Shadowspear had brought me back from 8 to 16 life.

Semifinals vs 4c Beans 2-0

Again against Dennis on 4c Beans. Game 1, I got off to a slow start due to some counters and a fast clock from his side, but once I had Sphere, Crucible, and Exploration, I stabilized well. When I played Expedition Map uncountered, we both knew it was Maze o’clock. From there, I couldn’t lose.

Game 2: It was a very long game, getting late, and we were tired. He had enough early counters and played it out very well. After that, before we started the third game, Dennis decided to concede. We realized that the other finalist was also a Lands player and he didn’t want another long game against me and, if he won, another lengthy match against a Lands deck.

A good opponent with a beautiful deck.

Finals vs RUG Lands 2-1

A Lands mirror match after waking up at six, driving 2.5 hours, and playing 9 rounds of Magic with Lands. Tassilo, a well-known Lands player from the Lands Discord, had been sitting next to me the last two rounds in the Swiss, and we had already made a deal to reach the top 8 and later to play the final.

We both kept seven cards and I was on the draw. He had a fast start with Mox, Exploration, and Saga, but without Loam. I had a slightly slower hand, but with an answer to Saga and a Loam. Eventually, I got my engine going, and my opponent drew three Explorations. Though we were playing without time limits, it was wise of him to concede.

Game 2 showed why he is such a good player. Even though he had Surgical on my Wastelands and I had Surgical on his Sagas, he took the right lines with a Loam plan and slowly but surely dissected my deck. Well played.

Game 3: I had a mediocre start and we both played a bit of land-go, without really playing spells. Being cautious, also playing around Force of Vigor. Eventually, he got ahead and I had no choice but to blindly go for a Marit Lage in his upkeep. I thought, if he has an answer, I concede immediately.

He debated between Loam dredging or a regular draw. He opted for a regular draw and… laid his cards open: he had no answer! Sometimes you steal a game by simply making a 20/20 indestructible flyer.

Conclusion

I thank Tassilo for the fun and good games. Couldn’t have hoped for a better final opponent. And also thanks to all the other opponents, the Lotus Vale organization for a top-notch tournament, and the Lands players who kept coming to watch my matches and reminded me of the Drop of Honey play in round 1.

Exhausted, my buddy Sven drove us back, and due to missing some turns, we took a 48-kilometer detour. It was a long day, but very enjoyable, and I’m happy to be going to the ELM again!

I forgot to write down the sideboard choices, but I will work on an SB guide. I saw Alli has published one which I will check and discuss.

Thanks for reading. I have some more tournaments coming up soon, hopefully, they go well, and I’ll write another report.