Written by ForceofPhil

The SorceryCon 2026 Constructed Championship top 8 displayed that water threshold Necromancer and fire threshold Pathfinder as the mono-element archetypes to beat, air threshold is arguably the strongest element pairing post-Gothic, the death of Druid post-nerf was greatly exaggerated, and that earth threshold needed help.

earth threshold was not represented in that top 8. Was actually unplayable? Was it impossible to build a competitive mono deck to compete with mono fire threshold , mono water threshold , or mono air threshold ?

If you are like the SCGCon Richmond 2026 seventh-place finisher Seraph, then you certainly laugh in the face of such a blasphemous question. Of course earth threshold can compete!

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SCGCon Richmond 2026 7th Place — Archimago by Seraph

Note: Seraph seventh place list was slightly tweaked from Cuckworthy’s list.

Aura (1)

1 Crusade

Artifacts (3)

1 Ring of Morrigan
1 Algor Omphalos
1 Orb of Baal Berith

Minions (17)

1 Cemetery Rats
4 Kettletop Leprechaun
1 Saint of Redemption
1 Sister Stefania
3 Root Spider
2 Gargantula
2 Paladins of Bazia
1 Archangel Michael
2 Stone-gaze Gorgons

Magics (39)

2 Assorted Animals
3 Divine Healing
1 Pendragon Legacy
1 Tithe
4 Common Sense
2 Consecrate
1 Dispel
4 Gift of the Wolf
3 Border Militia
4 Bury
4 Landmass
3 Cave-In
1 Smite
2 Earthquake
2 Guards!
2 Craterize

Collection (10)

3 Consecrated Groud
3 Bind Evil
4 Exorcism

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Seraph’s discipline is demonstrated in the choice of artifacts or lack thereof. Toolbox is the most noticable omission. Every decklist in the top 8 of SorceryCon 2026 featured at least one Toolbox. Eighteen of a possible 24 Toolboxes appeared in that top 8. Seraph also forewent Silver Bullet, which is less surprising. Only MightyMouths fifth-place list from SorceryCon 2026 featured it.

Archimago wants Magics. Every Magic Archimago draws is equivalent to 1.3 cards since Archimago can flashback Magic by banishing three Magics from the cemetery. The three artifacts Seraph included pay off casting Magic, draw more Magics, or copy Magics. No Onyx Core, no Shrine of the Dragonlord, no nonsense.

Likewise, the Minions included function as card draw, removal, or are spellcasters.

Cemetery Rats discards cards to speed up future flashbacks.
Kettletop Leprechaun draws a site so Archimago can spend draw steps drawing spells.
Saint of Redemption, Sister Stefania, Root Spider, Gargantula, Stone-gaze Gorgons, and Archangel Michael are disruption/removal.
Paladins of Bazia are sticky spellcasters.

The Magics, which comprise nearly two-thirds of the Spellbook, are all the classic Archimago cards but lean hard on Landmass and Border Militia to bridge the early game to the late game. Gift of the Wolf is a cantrip that can turn incidental Foot Soldiers into legit threats for positive trades.

The Consecrates are likely the most valuable tools for Archimago against the new hate printed in Gothic. Navigating a Foot Soldier or other minion onto an opposing Garden of Eden or Mismanaged Mortuary to Consecrate it can be the difference between operating smoothly or being unable to function.

The cheekiest inclusion is the pair of Assorted Animals. Not only does it function as card advantage via additional copies of Root Spider, Gargantula, or the miser Cemetery Rats, but it can also be cast for [0] to provide easy fodder for faster flashbacks. A clever choice indeed.

Babyface Archimago

Before Gothic, Archimago was among the heel Avatars that would garner groans from opponents when revealed. Post-Gothic, perhaps Archimago has turned babyface by keeping earth threshold alive at the top tables.