Carlos Romão MPL Pearl Division champion M20 split

Image via Wizards of the Coast Magic: The Gathering

Orzhov Vampire conquers Magic: The Gathering Pearl Division in MPL

Are vamps a passing phase in the meta?

Danny Forster

Published: Aug 12, 2019 08:24 pm

This article is over 5 years old and may contain outdated information

The reign of Orzhov Vampires has continued in the MTG Standard meta, but may just be temporary.

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Week one of the Magic Pro League (MPL) M20 split featured six Orzhov Vampire decks out of eight competitors in the Pearl Division. For the moment, the archetype remains a tier-one deck in Standard. With the release of Throne of Eldraine, however, several main cards are rotating out, leaving some to wonder if Orzhov Vampire decks are a passing trend.

Carlos Romão stuck with his Orzhov Vampire deck, taking him all the way to the finals this past weekend against Autumn Burchett and the notorious Mono-Red Aggro. Prevailing over the most popular deck in Standard, Romão clinched the Pearl Division and earned himself a day-one bye to the MTG Arena Mythic Championship V.

While @AutumnLilyMTG put up a good fight with Mono Red Aggro in a series of 3 close games, @Jabsmtg's Vampires were able to put out the fire!

Carlos Romão secures the very first victory of the Core Split as your Pearl Division Champion! pic.twitter.com/LGIJzMeFKj
— PlayMTG (@PlayMTG) August 10, 2019

The days of vampires seem numbered, though, as many expect the archetype to suffer too many heavy losses come fall rotation. Within Romão’s winning deck, 10 cards (four duel lands) are rotating out from the main deck.

Not all is doom and gloom, though. Mark Rosewater announced at San Diego Comic-Con that Throne of Eldraine would have a fairy tale theme. And with the new set should come a handful of new or reprinted vampire cards.

Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord MTG War of the Spark Planeswalker — Image via Wizards of the Coast Magic: The Gathering

The loss of Adanto Vanguard and Isolated Chapel are huge. Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants can be replaced with SorinVengeful Bloodlord, which opens up the early aggro gameplay.

Legion’s Landing is another huge loss to the Orzhov Vampire archetype, but there are replacements. Combined with Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord, Vampire of the Dire Moon is a cheap and effective replacement for Legion’s Landing. And despite not being a Vampire, Haazda Marshal could be an option for creating tokens.

Image via Wizards of the Coast Magic: The Gathering

Related: Lack of MTG tabletop coverage leads to top 8 prank

One card most have missed and underestimated its importance in an Orzhov Vampire deck is Icon of Ancestry. Able to bypass Narset, Parter of Veil’s static ability in search of cards, it also boosts a chosen type of creature (Vampire) by plus one/plus one.

Orzhov Vampire might dominate for only a short time longer in Standard, but come rotation it could remain as a top archetype within MTG.

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Author

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.