Written by ForceofPhil

2026 SorceryCon was an absolute blast. I piloted a Magician build to subpar results, but learned that the avatar is more than a meme.

Players who didn't play Magician, however, showed up at the top tables with decklists and strategies that are sure to influence the competitive metagame going forward.

Let's take a look at each of the Top 8 decklists!

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2026 SorceryCon Top 8 Decklists

First Place — Necromancer by Ceej

Aura (1)

• 1 Atlantean Fate

Artifacts (5)

• 1 Ring of Morrigan
• 1 Pnakotic Manuscript
• 2 Toolbox
• 1 Dank Omphalos

Minions (37)

• 1 Pied Piper of Hameln
• 1 Aino
• 3 Coy Nixie
• 2 Fey Changeling
• 3 Lugbog Cat
• 3 Order of the Sacred Oak
• 1 Sir Pelleas
• 2 Abaddon Succubus
• 1 Failed Mutation
• 1 Lord of Unland
• 1 Ruler of Thul
• 2 Sacred Stag
• 2 Selfsame Simulacrum
• 1 Archangel Raphael
• 1 Daperyll Vampire
• 2 Lacuna Entity
• 1 Lilith
• 1 Maiden, Mother, Crone
• 3 Gnarled Wendigo
• 1 The Green Knight
• 2 Dormant Monstrosity

Magics (18)

• 1 Plague of Frogs
• 2 Pollimorph
• 2 Grapple Shot
• 3 Swap
• 1 Symmetric Suffering
• 1 Into the Abyss
• 1 Mesmerism
• 2 Shapeshift
• 3 Whirling Blades
• 2 Call of the Sea

Sites (30)

• 3 Babbling Brook
• 1 Bureau of Occult Control
• 1 Dark Tower
• 1 Garden of Eden
• 1 Gilman House
• 1 Gothic Tower
• 1 Innsmouth Dock
• 1 Joyous Garde
• 3 Lighthouse
• 1 Lone Tower
• 1 Maelstrom
• 2 Mismanaged Mortuary
• 2 River Rapids
• 3 Thin Ice
• 1 Tintagel
• 3 Troll Bridge
• 2 Watchtower
• 2 Wuthering Heights

Collection (10)

• 1 Zap!
• 1 Disenchant (scr)
• 1 Riptide
• 1 Drown
• 1 Grapple Shot
• 4 Horrible Hybrids
• 1 Murder of Crows

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKjwSMs-SQc

Second Place — Druid by PeterTheGreat

Auras (2)

• 1 Sphere of Animosity
• 1 Atlantean Fate

Artifacts (7)

• 1 Ring of Morrigan
• 1 Torshammer Trinket
• 3 Toolbox
• 1 Dank Omphalos
• 1 Drums of Doom

Minions (37)

• 2 Adept Illusionist
• 1 Highland Princess
• 1 Pied Piper of Hameln
• 1 Sir Tom Thumb
• 3 Coy Nixie
• 3 Lugbog Cat
• 1 Nelly Longarms
• 1 Order of the Sacred Oak
• 3 Sir Pelleas
• 2 Abaddon Succubus
• 1 Bane of Aventis
• 3 Failed Mutation
• 3 Gyre Hippogriffs
• 1 Ruler of Thul
• 2 Sacred Stag
• 1 Selfsame Simulacrum
• 3 Daperyll Vampire
• 2 Hounds of Ondaros
• 1 Legion of Gall
• 1 Lilith
• 1 Questing Beast
• 2 Lord of Lies

Magics

• 1 Blink
• 1 Lightning Bolt (scr)
• 2 Pollimorph
• 3 Grapple Shot
• 3 Swap
• 1 Mesmerism
• 2 Whirling Blades
• 1 Call of the Sea

Sites (30)

• 1 Dark Tower
• 4 Den of Evil
• 3 Floodplain
• 1 Garden of Eden
• 1 Gothic Tower
• 3 Lighthouse
• 1 Lone Tower
• 1 Maelstrom
• 2 Mismanaged Mortuary
• 4 Pond
• 1 River Rapids
• 3 Thin Ice
• 3 Troll Bridge
• 2 Wuthering Heights

Collection (10)

• 1 Zap!
• 1 Blink
• 2 Disenchant (scr)
• 1 Grievous Insult
• 1 Lightning Bolt (scr)
• 1 Mortality
• 1 Riptide
• 1 Drown
• 1 Grapple Shot

It appears the efficiency and card quality of combined with the movement flexibility in is the macro-strategy to beat.

Third Place — Pathfinder by jsala76

Auras (2)

• 1 Jihad
• 1 The Great Famine

Artifacts (8)

• 1 Ring of Morrigan
• 3 Torshammer Trinket
• 2 Toolbox
• 1 Char Omphalos
• 1 Torrid Omphalos

Minions (38)

• 3 Redmane Hyena
• 3 Sinterfee
• 4 Vile Imp
• 3 War Horse
• 2 Wild Fanatic
• 3 Colicky Dragonettes
• 1 Morgana le Fay
• 3 Quarrelsome Kobolds
• 3 Redcap Powries
• 1 Boudicca
• 3 Saracen Raiders
• 3 Siege Giant
• 1 Courtesan Thais
• 1 Rebecks
• 1 The Inquisition
• 1 Balor of the Evil Eye
• 2 Infernal Legion

Magics (12)

• 1 Immolation
• 2 Gift of the Serpent
• 1 Blaze
• 1 Blaze of Glory
• 2 Disintegrate
• 2 Infiltrate
• 1 Shatter Strike
• 2 Betrayal

Sites (30)

• 1 Accursed Desert
• 1 Active Volcano
• 1 Arid Desert
• 1 Bonfire
• 1 Desert Bloom
• 1 Forge
• 1 Funeral Pyre
• 1 Hellmouth
• 1 Horns of Behemoth
• 1 Kor Crematory
• 1 Leadworks
• 1 Mismanaged Mortuary
• 1 Molten Maar
• 1 Oasis
• 1 Plague Pits
• 1 Poisoned Well
• 1 Red Desert
• 1 Remote Desert
• 1 River of Blood
• 1 River of Flame
• 1 Road to Perdition
• 1 Ruins
• 1 Shifting Sands
• 1 Smokestacks of Gnaak
• 1 Steppe
• 1 Temple of Moloch
• 1 Vast Desert
• 1 Vesuvius
• 1 Vindictive Nation
• 1 Wizard Den

Collection (10)

• 1 Detonate
• 1 Just a Rock
• 1 Gift of the Serpent
• 1 Boil
• 1 Flame Strike
• 1 Hamlet Ablaze!
• 1 Hellhounds
• 1 Minor Explosion
• 1 Angry Mob
• 1 Flayer

A potential way to beat Necromonsters is to just push damage as fast as possible. The "Red Deck Wins" of Sorcery: Contested Realm (SCR) is a winning deck choice.

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Fourth Place — Necromancer by jams

Auras (2)

• 1 The Black Plague
• 1 Atlantean Fate

Artifacts (5)

• 1 Pnakotic Manuscript
• 3 Toolbox
• 1 Dank Omphalos

Minions (38)

• 2 Polar Explorers
• 2 Winter Nymph
• 1 Aino
• 3 Coy Nixie
• 1 Jack the Ripper
• 3 Lugbog Cat
• 3 Order of the Sacred Oak
• 1 Sir Pelleas
• 2 Abaddon Succubus
• 3 Failed Mutation
• 1 Ruler of Thul
• 2 Sacred Stag
• 1 Archangel Raphael
• 3 Daperyll Vampire
• 2 Lacuna Entity
• 1 Maiden, Mother, Crone
• 1 Questing Beast
• 3 Gnarled Wendigo
• 2 Lord of Lies
• 1 The Green Knight

Magics (15)

• 2 Pollimorph
• 2 Grapple Shot
• 3 Swap
• 2 Into the Abyss
• 1 Mesmerism
• 3 Whirling Blades
• 2 Call of the Sea

Sites (30)

• 3 Babbling Brook
• 1 Bureau of Occult Control
• 1 Dark Tower
• 2 Floodplain
• 1 Garden of Eden
• 1 Gothic Tower
• 3 Lighthouse
• 1 Lone Tower
• 2 Mismanaged Mortuary
• 2 River Rapids
• 3 Thin Ice
• 3 Troll Bridge
• 2 Undertow
• 3 Watchtower
• 2 Wuthering Heights

Collection (10)

• 1 Zap!
• 1 Disenchant (scr)
• 1 Displace
• 1 Led Astray
• 1 Riptide
• 1 Drown
• 1 Extinguish
• 1 Grapple Shot
• 1 Murder of Crows
• 1 Screamer

A powerful detail of these Necromancer builds is the three sites that hose Archimago for free: two Mismanaged Mortuary and the Garden of Eden, the latter of which also outright shuts down Sorcerer.

Having three free ways to combat the basic function of other powerful avatars is a challenge those avatars will have to solve to get back to the top tables. Mirror Realming a Mismanaged Mortuary can reverse the effect. Sinkhole and Heirloom Lost are -mana ways to tag the problematic sites.

Fifth Place — Necromancer by MightyMouths

Auras (3)

• 2 Mariners Curse
• 1 Atlantean Fate

Artifacts (9)

• 1 Aquamarine Core
• 1 Ring of Morrigan
• 1 Torshammer Trinket
• 1 Pnakotic Manuscript
• 1 Poisonous Dagger
• 2 Silver Bullet
• 2 Toolbox

Minions (34)

• 2 Aaj-kegon Ghost Crabs
• 1 Pied Piper of Hameln
• 3 Coy Nixie
• 1 Fey Changling
• 3 Lugbog Cat
• 1 Nelly Longarms
• 2 Order of The Sacred Oak
• 3 Tufted Turtles
• 2 Abaddon Succubus
• 1 Evil Twin
• 1 Hyperparasite
• 1 Lord of Unland
• 1 Ruler of Thul
• 2 Sacred Stag
• 2 Selfsame Simulacrum
• 1 Archangel Raphael
• 2 Lacuna Entity
• 1 Lilith
• 1 Questing Beast
• 2 Lord of Lies
• 1 The Green Knight

Magics (14)

• 1 Plague of Frogs
• 1 Geyser
• 1 Pollimorph
• 3 Riptide
• 2 Swap
• 1 Mesmerism
• 2 Shapeshift
• 2 Snowball
• 1 Call of the Sea

Sites (30)

• 3 Babbling Brook
• 2 Crossroads
• 1 Garden of Eden
• 2 Gnome Hollows
• 1 Innsmouth Dock
• 1 Kelp Cavern
• 1 Maelstrom
• 1 Mirror Realm
• 1 Mismanaged Mortuary
• 1 Pillar of Zeiros
• 1 Pond
• 2 River Rapids
• 1 Sinkhole
• 2 Stinging Kelp
• 1 Tadpole Pool
• 3 Thin Ice
• 3