As you’re reading this, Pro Tour: San Diego will have just concluded.  While the metagame didn’t shift as dramatically as many had hoped or expected, there were some surprise cards that will see value changes as a result.  Let’s start with the Quarter-Finalists.

Daniel Grafsteiner’s deck featured the popular non-Shard combination of White, Black and Green, and utilized the most expensive cards in the format.  Playsets of Baneslayer Angels, Knight of the Reliquary, Lotus Cobra, and Maelstrom Pulse.  The important cards in his list to notice are Knight of the Reliquary, Noble Hierarch, and Stirring Wildwood.  We’ll come back to these cards as we continue analyzing the Top 8.

Junk, Daniel Grafensteiner

Lands (24) 4 Forest 4 Marsh Flats 4 Plains 1 Sejiri Steppe 3 Stirring Wildwood 1 Sunpetal Grove 2 Swamp 1 Tectonic Edge 4 Verdant Catacombs Creatures (24) 4 Baneslayer Angel 2 Borderland Ranger 4 Emeria Angel 4 Knight of the Reliquary 4 Lotus Cobra 1 Master of the Wild Hunt 4 Noble Hierarch 1 Thornling Other Spells (12) 2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant 4 Maelstrom Pulse 2 Marshals Anthem 4 Path to Exile Sideboard (15) 4 Celestial Purge 3 Identity Crisis 4 Luminarch Ascension 1 Marshals Anthem 1 Thornling 2 World Queller

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Niels Viaene’s Esper-colored list was far more interesting than most of the other decks that shared its spotlight.  While many were taking the over-under on the number of Jaces that would crack the Top 8, anyone who took the over on 0 Filigree Angels came away a big winner.  The cards of note in this list are Open the Vaults and Filigree Angel.

Open the Vaults, Niels Viaene

Lands (20) 2 Celestial Colonnade 4 Glacial Fortress 4 Island 2 Kabira Crossroads 2 Marsh Flats 3 Plains 1 Swamp 2 Terramorphic Expanse Creatures (17) 4 Architects of Will 4 Filigree Angel 4 Glassdust Hulk 1 Sharuum the Hegemon 4 Sphinx of Lost Truths Other Spells (24) 3 Couriers Capsule 3 Day of Judgment 2 Fieldmist Borderpost 2 Jace, the Mind Sculptor 2 Journey to Nowhere 1 Mistvein Borderpost 3 Oblivion Ring 4 Open the Vaults 4 Spreading Seas Sideboard (15) 1 Day of Judgment 3 Flashfreeze 2 Hindering Light 1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor 2 Journey to Nowhere 4 Negate 1 Oblivion Ring 1 Sanguine Bond

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Yoshihiko Ikawa took a fairly stock Jund list to the top taples, with the only significant deviation from previous lists being the three copies of Siege-Gang Commander.  Raging Ravine was expected to be a four-of, and it appeared as such.  Other than the expected Man-Lands and Siege-Gang Commander, there were no surprises.

Jund, Yoshihiko Ikawa

Lands (26) 4 Dragonskull Summit 3 Forest 4 Mountain 4 Raging Ravine 4 Savage Lands 3 Swamp 4 Verdant Catacombs Creatures (21) 4 Bloodbraid Elf 2 Broodmate Dragon 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Putrid Leech 3 Siege-Gang Commander 4 Sprouting Thrinax Other Spells (13) 3 Bituminous Blast 4 Blightning 3 Maelstrom Pulse 3 Terminate Sideboard (15) 4 Duress 4 Goblin Ruinblaster 1 Liliana Vess 1 Maelstrom Pulse 3 Master of the Wild Hunt 2 Mind Rot

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