I ranked the #1 Magician player at the 2026 Grand Contest Baltimore. Was I the only Magician player? Yes. Did I sit atop The Immortal Throne? Also yes.
Going Deep
Most recently, I've looked at Deep-sea Mermaids as a tutor more than a random draw, like its oft-compared-to counterpart Apprentice Wizard. Between the mulligan, Browse, Return to Nature, and Dhol Chants, there are many ways to stack the bottom of the Spellbook. I aimed to leverage that to find and cast the same Unique spells multiple times.
A cool trick that happens with Dhol Chants is revealing Deep-sea Mermaids and the spell you want but don't want to cast yet. You can choose to cast Deep-sea Mermaids, which can draw the actual card you want after stacking it on the bottom of the Spellbook.
A friend from my local suggested I re-explore 
since Forgotten Tomb is a really convenient way to stack the bottom five cards of a Spellbook.
Immortal Throne Magician
Spells
1 Amethyst Core
1 Aquamarine Core
1 Browse 
1 Dream-Quest
1 Kythera Mechanism
2 Mix Aer
2 Mix Aqua
1 Plague of Frogs 
1 Ring of Morrigan
1 Four Waters of Paradise
3 Gift of the Frog
1 Highland Princess
1 Occult Ritual
1 Pnakotic Manuscript
3 Return to Nature
1 Shrine of the Dragonlord
1 Toolbox
4 Deep-Sea Mermaids
2 Salmon of Knowledge
3 Sunken Treasure
1 The Lady of the Lake
1 13 Treasures of Britain
3 Four Fat Frogs
1 The Immortal Throne
1 Atlantean Fate
2 Dhol Chants
1 Chaoswish
Sites
1 City of Plenty
4 Croaking Swamp
1 Dark Tower
3 Deep Sea
1 Dozmary Pool
1 Gothic Tower
1 Lone Tower
1 Mountain Peaks
2 Standing Stones
1 Tadpole Pool
2 Wizard's Den
Collection
1 Blink
1 Disenchant
1 Return to Nature
1 Sea Witch
1 Wiccan Tools
1 Bury
1 Drown [drown]
1 Extinguish
1 Murder of Crows
1 Raise Militia
Opens TCGPlayer Mass Entry with the full decklist pre-loaded.
Select Sorcery: Contested Realm as the Product Line, then click Add to Cart.
Befriending the Realm
Before diving into the quick round-by-round, huge congrats to Christian for winning the tournament with 
Imposter. Thank you to everyone who attended, the judge staff, and all my opponents for making the event a great time, as is always the case in the Sorcery community.
2026 Grand Contest Baltimore Recap
Round One vs. Geomancer | L
There might have been a lot of action, but from my point of view, the only card that mattered was Mock Court. Upon its entrance into the Realm, I immediately understood how backbreaking it was against Frogs.
Four Fat Frogs and Plague of Frogs costing make them blank cardboard. I found my Atlantean Fate to disable Mock Court, but an Arjaro Exorcist rid the Realm of my saving grace.
Lesson learned: respect the court. I was extremely underprepared to contend against the courts and hoped to dodge any more going forward.
Round Two vs. Geomancer | L
My opponent played a Court of Equity as their second site. There might have been a lot of action, but from my point of view, the only card that mattered was Court of Equity.
The court alone was worth more than a handful of turns during which their insurmountable advantage was accrued.
Lesson learned: respect the courts.
Round Three vs. Flamecaller | W
My opponent's slower draw of thick midrange threats would likely have been strong against an aggressive strategy deploying minions into the middle of the Realm. I, however, was happy to sit on my side of the Realm and convert a relatively fast The Immortal Throne win.
Round Four vs. Avatar of Air | W
Many game actions required proper sequencing, which I executed poorly. Ultimately, the combination of Kythera Mechanism and 13 Treasures of Britain enabled me to scale The Immortal Throne quickly.
Round Five vs. Interrogator | L
This was the only match in the tournament where it felt like I was actually crushed by my opponent's game plan rather than an individual card. I knew blunt aggression was a pinch point for me, and my opponent provided it in spades.
Round Six vs. Imposter | L
The Magician is not without its fail rate, but it didn't rear its head until round six. After mulliganing three cards, I did not hit my second site until my opponent was already through development and with an insurmountable advantage.
The risk of playing Magician is it not playing with you.
Round Seven vs. Druid | W
Arguably the cleanest combo of the day. I developed toward the left corner of the Realm where a Standing Stones housed a half-dozen frogs and a Highland Princess, all of whom performed the Occult Ritual together for , more than enough to scale The Immortal Throne.
Shout-out to Mike Herbig, who gifted me a foil, artist-signed The Immortal Throne.
It's my favorite card.
What's Next?
I'm as enthralled with Throne Magician as I was on day one building the deck. This tournament taught me that the Court site cycle is to be respected. They can solo a game and must be taken seriously.
I'm never unhappy to have more outs against Garden of Eden, though I dodged it all event, so I will circle back to the drawing board to determine the best plan of action against hate sites. Heirloom Lost? Acid Rain? Blightstone? splash for site destruction?
Submit Your Tournament Recap!
If you competed in the Grand Contest in Baltimore and would like to share your tournament report, Eternal Durdles will happily publish it:
Submit Your Article To Eternal Durdles
Until next time, keep contesting the Realm!
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Featured image: Mock Court by Franck Pawlowski
