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MTG Grand Prix Taipei champion Kim Seok Hyun
Image via Wizards of the Coast Magic: The Gathering

Here are the top 8 deck archetypes and MTG Grand Prix Taipei champion

An unexpected archetype lands in the top eight while Bant Ramp rules the day.
This article is over 5 years old and may contain outdated information

Taipei hosted the largest Magic: The Gathering Grand Prix tournament the city has ever seen this weekend and Kim Seok Hyun won the $35,000 prize pool with a Bant Ramp deck.

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With over a 1,000 MTG players showing up to MagicFest in Taipei and competing in the $35,000 Grand Prix Standard tournament, Hyun edged out the competition and the most popular archetype deck brought to the event. Playing a Bant Ramp deck, Hyun relied on Hydroid Krasis to overpower Atsuki Kihara’s Esper Superfriends Control deck.

Gruul Midrange dominated the archetype popularity contest, but not a single player who brought it to the Grand Prix in Taipei ended up in the top eight.

Here are the top eight finishers and their deck archetypes at the Magic: The Gathering Grand Prix in Taipei.

  • First place: Hyun playing Bant Ramp
  • Second place: Kihara playing Esper Superfriends Control
  • Third place: Teruya Kakumae playing Boros Feather
  • Fourth place: Shota Takano playing Jund Warriors
  • Fifth place: Ruey Jer Yeh playing Grixis Bolas
  • Sixth place: Kazuki Yada playing Simic Nexus
  • Seventh place: Yuya Sugiyama playing Bant Ramp
  • Eighth place: Du Xuetong playing Grixis Bolas

Of all the archetypes in the top eight, Boros Feather is the most surprising. Kakumae and his unique Feather build could revive a deck many thought would never evolve past tier-two status.

Here’s Kakumae’s Boros Feather deck:

Main deck

  • Four Adanto Vanguard
  • Four Tenth District Legionnaire
  • Four Dreadhorde Arcanist
  • Three Legion Warboss
  • Four Feather, the Redeemed
  • Dire Fleet Daredevil
  • Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants
  • Three Sheltering Light
  • Four Shock
  • Four Reckless Rage
  • Two Gideon Blackblade
  • Four Defiant Strike

Sideboard

  • Three Prison Realm
  • Two of Ixalan’s Binding
  • Three Tocatli Honor Guard
  • Two Dire Fleet Daredevil
  • Two Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants
  • Two Lava Coil
  • Demystify

As for the champion of the MTG Taipei Grand Prix, here’s Hyun’s winning Bant Ramp deck:

Main deck

  • Four Llanowar Elves
  • Four Paradise Druid
  • Four Incubation Druid
  • Three Hydroid Krasis
  • Two Frilled Mystic
  • Two Shalai, Voice of Plenty
  • Four Teferi, Time Raveler
  • Four Nissa, Who Shakes the World
  • Three Mass Manipulation
  • Two Entrancing Melody
  • Finale of Glory
  • The Immortal Sun
  • Time Wipe

Sideboard

  • Two Entrancing Melody
  • Two Negate
  • Two Trostani Discordant
  • Two Ripjaw Raptor
  • Two Tolsimir, Friend to Wolves
  • Two of Ixalan’s Binding
  • The Immortal Sun
  • Thrashing Brontodon

The next Magic: The Gathering MagicFest and Grand Prix tournaments are in Copenhagen and Washington D.C. from June 14 to 16. Both Grand Prix events will be played in the Limited format.


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Author
Image of Danny Forster
Danny Forster
Staff writer, lead beat writer for MTG and TFT
Danny has been writing for Dot Esports for over five years, first as a freelancer and now as a staff writer. He is the lead beat writer for Magic: The Gathering and Teamfight Tactics. Danny is also a solid Monopoly GO player, having beaten every main event without spending a dime. When Danny isn't writing or gaming, he's chilling by the water in Spacecoast Florida with his family and friends. He's always got a tan, because touching grass is important, and loves playing strategic digital and tabletop games. Past outlets Danny has written for include TheGamer and ScreenRant.