On September 30th, 2011, Innistrad was released. The Gothic horror plane introduced transforming cards, Curses, and Miracles and completely changed how Legacy was played forever.
Ancient Lore
In 2011, just before Innistrad’s release, Mental Misstep was banned because of its homogenizing effect on deck construction. Top decks included some that look familiar to the modern scene, with Dredge, Reanimator, a deck that looks a lot like Maverick, RUG and BUG tempo decks, Stoneblade, and even 12 Post. Other decks look like strange offshoots of decks to come in the likes of Countertop or entirely different amalgamations like Zoo or Growth decks.
GrimGrowth by Marco Lucaferri
| Lands (18) 2 Flooded Strand 1 Island 3 Polluted Delta 1 Scalding Tarn 4 Tropical Island 4 Volcanic Island 3 Wasteland Creatures (8) 4 Grim Lavamancer 4 Quirion Dryad Spells (30) 4 Brainstorm 3 Counterspell 3 Fire / Ice 4 Force of Will 4 Gitaxian Probe 3 Lightning Bolt 4 Mental Misstep 4 Ponder 1 Predict Enchantments (4) 1 Sylvan Library 3 Unknown Card | Sideboard (16) 2 Ancient Grudge 1 Dismember 2 Pyroblast 3 Red Elemental Blast 4 Relic of Progenitus 1 Submerge 2 Threads of Disloyalty 1 Tormod’s Crypt |
Team America by Alessandro Ferrantini
| Lands (20) 1 Bayou 4 Misty Rainforest 4 Polluted Delta 2 Tropical Island 4 Underground Sea 1 Verdant Catacombs 4 Wasteland Creatures (9) 4 Tarmogoyf 3 Tombstalker 2 Vendilion Clique Spells (30) 4 Brainstorm 3 Daze 1 Dismember 4 Force of Will 2 Go for the Throat 4 Hymn to Tourach 4 Mental Misstep 3 Ponder 1 Putrefy 4 Stifle Enchantments (1) 1 Pernicious Deed | Sideboard (15) 1 Engineered Explosives 1 Extirpate 2 Flusterstorm 2 Krosan Grip 1 Perish 2 Submerge 2 Sylvan Library 2 Tormod’s Crypt 2 Trygon Predator |
ThopterTop by Marco Fioravanti
| Lands (22) 1 Academy Ruins 2 Arid Mesa 4 Flooded Strand 6 Island 3 Plains 3 Scalding Tarn 1 Seat of the Synod 2 Tundra Spells (21) 4 Brainstorm 2 Counterspell 4 Enlightened Tutor 4 Force of Will 3 Mental Misstep 4 Swords to Plowshares Enchantments (7) 1 Back to Basics 4 Counterbalance 1 Moat 1 Oblivion Ring Artifacts (8) 1 Ensnaring Bridge 4 Sensei’s Divining Top 1 Sword of the Meek 2 Thopter Foundry Planeswalkers (3) 3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor | Sideboard (15) 1 Cursed Totem 1 Energy Flux 1 Ensnaring Bridge 1 Ethersworn Canonist 1 Humility 1 Phyrexian Metamorph 1 Pithing Needle 1 Seal of Cleansing 3 Spell Pierce 1 Sundial of the Infinite 1 Wheel of Sun and Moon 2 Wrath of God |
Stoneblade by Manuel Zanella
| Lands (22) 3 Flooded Strand 1 Island 3 Marsh Flats 3 Polluted Delta 1 Scrubland 1 Swamp 3 Tundra 3 Underground Sea 4 Wasteland Creatures (7) 4 Stoneforge Mystic 2 Tombstalker 1 Vendilion Clique Spells (24) 4 Brainstorm 3 Daze 4 Force of Will 4 Hymn to Tourach 4 Mental Misstep 1 Ponder 4 Swords to Plowshares Artifacts (3) 1 Batterskull 1 Sword of Fire and Ice 1 Umezawa’s Jitte Planeswalkers (4) 1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor 3 Unknown Card | Sideboard (15) 1 Diabolic Edict 2 Extirpate 1 Hurkyl’s Recall 1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor 2 Nihil Spellbomb 2 Perish 1 Phyrexian Metamorph 2 Spell Pierce 1 Timely Reinforcements 1 Tormod’s Crypt 1 Vendilion Clique |
Reanimator by Tommaso De Michele
| Lands (17) 1 Bloodstained Mire 1 Flooded Strand 2 Island 1 Misty Rainforest 4 Polluted Delta 2 Swamp 4 Underground Sea 2 Verdant Catacombs Creatures (10) 1 Blazing Archon 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite 1 Empyrial Archangel 2 Hapless Researcher 1 Iona, Shield of Emeria 3 Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur 1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind Spells (34) 4 Brainstorm 4 Careful Study 4 Daze 4 Entomb 4 Exhume 4 Force of Will 4 Mental Misstep 4 Reanimate 2 Animate Dead | Sideboard (15) 2 Echoing Truth 2 Flusterstorm 1 Null Rod 2 Pithing Needle 2 Show and Tell 3 Stifle 3 Thoughtseize |
The format was much slower and more methodical than what we are used to now. Control decks were already Counterblance/Sensei’s Divining Top engine to smother opposing plays and provide constant fuel. Reanimate was already bringing back haymakers in Iona, Shield of Emeria, Blazing Archon, and Jin-Gitaxias, Core Augur. Ad Nauseum Tendrils, aka ANT, was around largely in the same form as today, with exceptions in Gitaxian Probe and Ill-Gotten Gains.
Probably the most defining deck of the pre-Innistrad era was Bant. Whether under the Mythic, Order, or Zenith banner, these decks combined recent powerhouse cards with older controlling cards. Knight of the Reliquary, Dryad Arbor, Noble Hierarch, and Tarmogoyf form the backbone of the fair plan. Jace the Mind Sculptor, Swords to Plowshares, Daze, and Counterspell allow for a controlling gameplan. Natural Order and Proginitus allowed for a combo finish. Green Sun’s Zenith provided toolbox and ramp elements.
Friday the 30th
Innistrad was released with little initial aplomb. While there was a lot of hype around Snapcaster Mage, not many others seemed to catch the eye of people out of the gates. People thought Liliana of the Veil was alright, but not something that was quite good enough for high-level constructed formats. Geist of Saint Traft was seen as the premier threat of the set. Laboratory Maniac was appropriately given a niche, old format look. Past in Flames was given appropriate rating as either insane or unplayable for combo archetypes.
Perhaps most notably, a little card called Delver of Secrets managed to slip through the cracks. Luis Scott-Vargas gave it a 2.0 rating, equivalent to a niche-archetype card. Evan Erwin classified it as a limited bomb, while Gerry Thompson thought it compared poorly to other options. “If you’re living the dream, it’s just a 3 power creature on turn 1. It’s not Wild Nacatl, where it kills you every game.”
By the time Dark Ascension released, on February 3rd of the next year, Canadian Threshold, aka RUG Delver, had become an established deck in the Legacy metagame. Playing a mana denial plan with large creatures and countermagic, the deck exploded into popularity. The ability to play both proactively and reactively as needed gave the deck and later archetype game against almost any other.
Canadian Threshold by Alessandro Riva
| Lands (18) 1 Island 4 Misty Rainforest 3 Scalding Tarn 3 Tropical Island 3 Volcanic Island 4 Wasteland Creatures (11) 4 Delver of Secrets 3 Nimble Mongoose 4 Tarmogoyf Spells (31) 4 Brainstorm 4 Daze 2 Dismember 2 Fire / Ice 4 Force of Will 4 Lightning Bolt 4 Ponder 3 Spell Snare 4 Stifle | Sideboard (15) 2 Ancient Grudge 2 Mind Harness 2 Pithing Needle 1 Pyroblast 2 Red Elemental Blast 2 Spell Pierce 1 Submerge 3 Surgical Extraction |
Past in Flames found its home as a replacement for Ill-Gotten Gains in Storm lists as early as the month after Innistrad released. By stopping opposing recursion of countermagic, allowing more spells to be recast, and being harder to shut off because of Flashback, Storm lists gained exponentially more power for only a single new card. New lines opened up by discarding and flashing back Past in Flames with Lion’s Eye Diamond, further opening options for the archetype.
Ad Nauseam by Camille 'Assassin' Pouliquen
| Lands (16) 1 Badlands 1 Island 4 Polluted Delta 4 Scalding Tarn 1 Swamp 1 Tropical Island 2 Underground Sea 1 Verdant Catacombs 1 Volcanic Island Spells (36) 1 Ad Nauseam 4 Brainstorm 4 Cabal Ritual 3 Cabal Therapy 4 Dark Ritual 4 Duress 4 Gitaxian Probe 2 Grim Tutor 4 Infernal Tutor 1 Past in Flames 4 Ponder 1 Tendrils of Agony Artifacts (8) 4 Lion’s Eye Diamond 4 Lotus Petal | Sideboard (15) 2 Chain of Vapor 1 Echoing Truth 3 Empty the Warrens 1 Hurkyl’s Recall 1 Krosan Grip 1 Sadistic Sacrament 2 Slaughter Pact 4 Xantid Swarm |
Liliana of the Veil started appearing in both midrange and controlling black lists. In particular, she appeared in decks looking to empty hands fast. Nic Fit decks, utilizing the Veteran Explorer/Cabal Therapy engine, typically found themselves in topdecking situations early on. Pox decks loved keeping both their own hands and their opponent’s hands as empty as possible. Both archetypes paved the way for Liliana of the Veil in future archetypes.
Nic Fit by Cristian Caligari
| Lands (23) 4 Bayou 1 Dryad Arbor 4 Forest 4 Misty Rainforest 1 Phyrexian Tower 1 Savannah 3 Swamp 4 Verdant Catacombs 1 Windswept Heath Creatures (14) 1 Deranged Hermit 1 Eternal Witness 2 Grave Titan 1 Kitchen Finks 2 Scavenging Ooze 1 Thrun, the Last Troll 4 Veteran Explorer 1 Wall of Blossoms 1 Wickerbough Elder Spells (17) 4 Cabal Therapy 2 Dismember 1 Go for the Throat 4 Green Sun’s Zenith 2 Hymn to Tourach 3 Maelstrom Pulse 1 Skeletal Scrying Planeswalkers (2) 2 Liliana of the Veil Enchantments (3) 3 Pernicious Deed Artifacts (2) 2 Sensei’s Divining Top | Sideboard (15) 1 Damnation 1 Diabolic Edict 2 Duress 1 Eternal Witness 2 Extirpate 1 Gaddock Teeg 1 Liliana of the Veil 3 Mindbreak Trap 2 Nihil Spellbomb 1 Tormod’s Crypt |
A Darker Calling
When the previews started rolling in for Dark Ascension, many people were finally talking about Delver as an archetype in both Standard and eternal formats. Perhaps as a result of how many powerful cards had emerged from Innistrad, or perhaps as a result of simply more straightforward cards, the general consensus was higher on many of the right cards.
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben was universally praised for her potential chops in Death and Taxes. Grafdigger’s Cage was lauded as a fantastic option against many kinds of shenanigans. Faithless Looting was met with a mixed-positive reactions, mostly comparing it to Careful Study. Lingering Souls was the biggest add in many people’s minds, as the efficiency of the effect was unprecedented at the time.
Within a month, many decks began to utilize Lingering Souls, most notably Stoneblade. Utilizing the massive utility of Stoneforge Mystic, the deck attempted to play a tempo game. The lists largely looked the same as pre-Dark Ascension, just adding Lingering Souls as a recursive value card to generate threat. Largely, it replaced cards like Tombstalker, as having two shots at resolving a threat was generally better than having only one.
Delver of Secrets finally spread to other archetypes. Team America would slowly change into BUG Delver, the most thematic of decks for Insectile Aberration, utilizing a discard-heavy spell suite including Hymn to Tourach and Liliana of the Veil backed by countermagic and big threats in Tombstalker and Tarmogoyf. It dropped the Stifles from RUG Delver because Hymn to Tourach played a similar role in being a spell that attacked lands.
Team America by Maximilian Lorenz
| Lands (20) 2 Bayou 3 Misty Rainforest 2 Polluted Delta 1 Tropical Island 4 Underground Sea 4 Verdant Catacombs 4 Wasteland Creatures (11) 4 Delver of Secrets 4 Tarmogoyf 3 Tombstalker Spells (26) 4 Brainstorm 4 Daze 4 Force of Will 4 Hymn to Tourach 2 Maelstrom Pulse 4 Ponder 1 Preordain 3 Snuff Out Planeswalkers (2) 2 Liliana of the Veil Enchantments (1) 1 Sylvan Library | Sideboard (15) 2 Darkblast 2 Dread of Night 2 Ghastly Demise 2 Grafdigger’s Cage 1 Maelstrom Pulse 2 Nihil Spellbomb 4 Spell Pierce |
Delver also found a home in a blue-red shell. A cross between Burn and tempo, UR Delver upped the speed of the deck with cards like Goblin Guide and Price of Progress. Snapcaster Mage and Grim Lavamancer provided inevitability. This deck took the ethos just needing long enough to carry out its gameplan to a near-extreme.
UR Delver by Andrew Schneider
| Lands (20) 4 Arid Mesa 2 Island 4 Misty Rainforest 2 Mountain 4 Scalding Tarn 4 Volcanic Island Creatures (15) 4 Delver of Secrets 4 Goblin Guide 3 Grim Lavamancer 4 Snapcaster Mage Spells (25) 4 Brainstorm 4 Chain Lightning 1 Daze 3 Force of Will 4 Lightning Bolt 3 Ponder 3 Price of Progress 3 Spell Pierce | Sideboard (15) 1 Force of Will 1 Price of Progress 2 Pyroblast 2 Smash to Smithereens 3 Submerge 2 Sulfuric Vortex 4 Surgical Extraction |
Thalia, Guardian of Thraben found her immediate home in Death and Taxes and brought White Weenie back to prominence almost single handedly. Paired with other mana-taxing elements in Wasteland and Rishadan Port and using Aether Vial to get around mana constraints, the deck was able to stonewall the cantripping power of decks like Delver and stymie the plans of Storm variants almost by accident. Swords to Plowshares provided near-universal coverage of creature threats, and Mother of Runes and Flickerwisp made the deck hard to interact with.
Death and Taxes by Brian Ku
Faithless Looting hadn’t yet found a home, but some lists were trying, mostly with cards like Goblin Welder. It was being paired with Reanimate in these shells, a prelude of things to come.
A Miraculous Third Set
Avacyn Restored was released in May of that year, bringing with it the final pieces of Innistrad’s legacy and a brand new mechanic: Miracle. Entreat the Angels and Terminus were the most powerful of the options present, and both were looked at for tournament viability off the bat. But Miracles were not alone, with Griselbrand, Cavern of Souls, Craterhoof Behemoth, and others being talked about or tested.
Within the month of its release, Miracles as a deck was already a relevant metagame threat. By setting the top of the library up with repeated activations of Sensei’s Divining Top, Miracles could ensure they got the right card at the right time, even drawing them during combat. Every list included the full playset of Terminus in its 75, as well as some number of Entreat the Angels. Some lists went further into the Miracle side of things, playing Banishing Stroke or Temporal Mastery. Others went for the harder control, adding Counterbalance and bringing new power to the old CounterTop strategies. In the end, these versions won out and shaped Legacy, for better or for worse, quite significantly until just recently.
UW Miracles by Daniel Ballestín
| Lands (22) 4 Flooded Strand 2 Glacial Fortress 4 Island 1 Karakas 2 Plains 4 Polluted Delta 3 Tundra 2 Wasteland Creatures (4) 3 Snapcaster Mage 1 Vendilion Clique Spells (21) 4 Brainstorm 2 Counterspell 2 Entreat the Angels 4 Force of Will 2 Spell Pierce 4 Swords to Plowshares 3 Terminus Enchantments (3) 3 Counterbalance Planeswalkers (4) 1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant 3 Jace, the Mind Sculptor Artifacts (4) 4 Sensei’s Divining Top | Sideboard (15) 2 Disenchant 2 Flusterstorm 3 Peacekeeper 2 Pithing Needle 3 Surgical Extraction 1 Terminus 2 Timely Reinforcements |
Faithless Looting had by this time begun to creep up in usage. Mainly a mainstay in LED Dregde where discarding your hand to Lion’s Eye Diamond to flashback Faithless Looting was a good play, these decks proved the sometimes-repeatable nature of Faithless Looting to be worth having less blue in your deck.
Dredge by Justin Haas
| Lands (14) 4 Cephalid Coliseum 4 City of Brass 4 Gemstone Mine 2 Undiscovered Paradise Creatures (23) 4 Golgari Grave-Troll 4 Golgari Thug 3 Ichorid 4 Narcomoeba 4 Putrid Imp 4 Stinkweed Imp Spells (15) 2 Breakthrough 4 Cabal Therapy 4 Careful Study 1 Dread Return 4 Faithless Looting Enchantments (4) 4 Bridge from Below Artifacts (4) 4 Lion’s Eye Diamond | Sideboard (15) 1 Blazing Archon 2 Chain of Vapor 1 Dread Return 3 Firestorm 1 Flame-Kin Zealot 1 Flayer of the Hatebound 1 Griselbrand 3 Nature’s Claim 2 Nether Shadow |
Griselbrand found immediate homes in places where people wanted to cheat huge threats into play. The combination of evasion in Flying, the ability to get out of dangerous life totals with Lifelink, and the ability to immediately refill your hand meant that Griselbrand was the premiere threat to put into play without paying his mana cost. Some players, like Reid Duke, put it into decks like Reanimator, while others opted for Sneak and Show. Both proved to be permanent homes for the best of Liliana’s demons.
Reanimator by Reid Duke 1st Place SCG Worcester
| Lands (18) 2 Flooded Strand 2 Island 1 Marsh Flats 4 Polluted Delta 3 Swamp 4 Underground Sea 2 Verdant Catacombs Creatures (8) 1 Angel of Despair 1 Blazing Archon 4 Griselbrand 1 Hapless Researcher 1 Sphinx of the Steel Wind Spells (34) 4 Brainstorm 4 Careful Study 4 Daze 4 Entomb 4 Exhume 4 Force of Will 3 Ponder 4 Reanimate 3 Thoughtseize | Sideboard (15) 1 Blazing Archon 2 Echoing Truth 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite 2 Massacre 2 Perish 3 Pithing Needle 2 Show and Tell 2 Tormod’s Crypt |
Sneak and Show by Jelle Gyselinck
| Lands (19) 3 Ancient Tomb 2 City of Traitors 1 Flooded Strand 3 Island 1 Mountain 2 Polluted Delta 4 Scalding Tarn 3 Volcanic Island Creatures (8) 4 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn 4 Griselbrand Spells (25) 4 Brainstorm 4 Force of Will 2 Intuition 3 Misdirection 4 Ponder 1 Preordain 4 Show and Tell 3 Spell Pierce Artifacts (4) 4 Lotus Petal Enchantments (4) 4 Sneak Attack | Sideboard (15) 2 Echoing Truth 3 Flusterstorm 4 Leyline of Sanctity 4 Leyline of the Void 1 Pyroblast 1 Red Elemental Blast |
Cavern of Souls became an instant favorite of some tribal decks. While Elves! was the top dog by the numbers among tribal decks, Goblins began the trend of utilizing Cavern of Souls to circumvent blue decks’ counterspells. The tribe was able to utilize the small amount of fixing given by Cavern to cast off-color haymakers, particularly Earwig Squad. The deck was already great at punishing blue decks by outdrawing them with Goblin Ringleader, but with Cavern of Souls, it became the de facto blue-hoser.
Goblins by Enrique Piñonosa
| Lands (22) 4 Badlands 4 Bloodstained Mire 4 Cavern of Souls 6 Mountain 4 Wasteland Creatures (32) 3 Earwig Squad 3 Gempalm Incinerator 2 Goblin Chieftain 4 Goblin Lackey 4 Goblin Matron 3 Goblin Piledriver 4 Goblin Ringleader 4 Goblin Warchief 3 Mogg Fanatic 2 Stingscourger Spells (2) 2 Warren Weirding Artifacts (4) 4 Aether Vial | Sideboard (15) 3 Phyrexian Revoker 4 Pyrokinesis 3 Red Elemental Blast 2 Surgical Extraction 3 Tormod’s Crypt |
Finally, Misthollow Griffin was immediately identified as a combo piece with Food Chain. Previously, Food Chain decks used Squee, Goblin Nabob as the fuel, but Misthollow Griffin allowed for a better baseline card in a 3/3 flier while also pitching to Force of Will’s alternative cost for basically free. The combination took a while to get its first results but has always been a workhorse Tier 1.5-2.5 deck.
Food Chain by Rikki Diaz
| Lands (19) 2 Forest 1 Gaea’s Cradle 2 Island 4 Misty Rainforest 2 Savannah 4 Tropical Island 1 Tundra 3 Windswept Heath Creatures (35) 1 Aethersnipe 4 Birds of Paradise 2 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn 3 Fierce Empath 1 Iona, Shield of Emeria 1 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth 3 Misthollow Griffin 4 Mulldrifter 4 Noble Hierarch 4 Raven Familiar 4 Wall of Blossoms 4 Wall of Omens Spells (2) 2 Enlightened Tutor Enchantments (4) 4 Food Chain | Sideboard (15) 1 Aethersnipe 2 Deathforge Shaman 4 Force of Will 1 Krosan Grip 3 Summoning Trap 4 Thorn of Amethyst |
To Horizons Unknown
Presently, all the cards mentioned see play to some extent save for Geist of Saint Traft and Lingering Souls. Within the space of a single block, the face of Legacy began to change forever. There is a clear line in the sand between pre-Innistrad Legacy and post-Innistrad Legacy on what the format looked like that few other blocks can begin to claim to match.
The only other time that Legacy has shifted so radically in such a short space of time has been between War of the Spark and Modern Horizons. Comparing numbers, Innistrad Block brought 18 cards that saw widespread play at some point, with 14 still seeing play to this day. WAR and MH1 have cumulatively brought 21 by my estimation. While the format is undergoing massive changes, this isn’t a completely unprecedented era of Legacy.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the dive into the past of Legacy and have a haunting Halloween.
