The 2026 Grand Contest Baltimore occurred on September 12-13. The event featured 65 players and a diverse Avatar meta. I landed in 27th place as the lone Magician player in the field. My Common Sense podcast co-host, Zac Clark, ranked 12th overall playing his trusty Enchantress.
Christian V. stood atop the podium, racking up gold with 
Imposter!
Christian played against Gideon M.'s 
Necromancer and made one of the coolest plays in the event. On turn four, Gideon cast Shapeshift into a Mester Stoor Worm that killed a Colicky Dragonettes on arrival, and it already felt like it would be a fast final match.
A follow-up Swap put the Mester Stoor Worm on in front of Imposter and obliterated a Lugbog Cat. In a super creative line that even surprised Gideon, Christian used Floodplain to flood his River of Flame and then Riptided the Mester Stoor Worm onto it. As a Waterbound minion, the Mester Stoor Worm was disabled.
The Common Sense podcast got video footage of every match in the top 8, so subscribe to the channel to see that footage soon!
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2026 Grand Contest Baltimore Top 8 Decklists
First Place — Imposter by Christian V.
Spellbook
2 Dodge Roll
1 Aquamarine Core
1 Immolation
1 Key to the City
1 Plague of Frogs
1 Ring of Morrigan
1 Ruby Core
2 Adept Illusionist
2 Gift of the Serpent
2 Pollimorph
2 Redmane Hyena
2 Riptide
1 Shrine of the Dragonlord
3 Vile Imp
3 War Horse
2 Acid Rain
2 Colicky Dragonettes
1 Fey Changeling
3 Lugbog Cat
2 Minor Explosion
1 Morgana le Fay
3 Quarrelsome Kobolds
3 Redcap Powries
1 Sir Agravaine
2 Swap
3 Failed Mutation
1 Mesmerism
1 Ruler of Thul
2 Sacred Stag
2 Selfsame Simulacrum
1 Archangel Raphael
1 Atlantean Fate
3 Poison Nova
1 Questing Beast
1 The Inquisition
1 Balor of the Evil Eye
2 Infernal Legion
1 The Green Knight
Atlas
3 Active Volcano
2 Arid Desert
3 Babbling Brook
3 Floodplain
1 Mirror Realm
3 Oasis
2 Overflowing Court
1 Red Desert
2 Remote Desert
2 River of Blood
1 River of Flame
2 River Rapids
3 Troll Bridge
2 Valley of Delight
Collection
1 Archimago
1 Deathspeaker
1 Enchantress
1 Flamecaller
1 Interrogator
1 Ironclad
1 Pathfinder
1 Sorcerer
1 Waveshaper
1 Witch
Opens TCGPlayer Mass Entry with the full decklist pre-loaded.
Select Sorcery: Contested Realm as the Product Line, then click Add to Cart.
Second Place - Necromancer by Gideon M.
Spellbook
1 Ring of Morrigan
2 Adept Illusionist
1 Pnakotic Manuscript
2 Pollimorph
3 Riptide
3 Coy Nixie
4 Grapple Shot
3 Lugbog Cat
1 Nelly Longarms
3 Order of the Sacred Oak
2 Ribble Boggart
1 Sir Pelleas
3 Swap
2 Abaddon Succubus
1 Algor Omphalos
1 Dank Omphalos
2 Hyperparasite
1 Mesmerism
1 Ruler of Thul
2 Sacred Stag
2 Selfsame Simulacrum
2 Shapeshift
1 The Black Plague
1 Archangel Rafael
1 Atlantean Fate
1 Lilith
1 Whirling Blades
2 Call of the Sea
3 Gnarled Wendigo
2 Lord of Lies
2 Mester Stoor Worm
1 The Green Knight
2 Dormant Monstrosity
Atlas
2 Dark Tower
3 Floodplain
1 Gilman House
2 Gothic Tower
1 Innsmouth Dock
3 Lighthouse
3 Lone Tower
1 Maelstrom
1 Mirror Realm
2 Mismanaged Mortuary
2 River Rapids
1 Tadpole Pool
3 Thin Ice
3 Troll Bridge
2 Wuthering Heights
Collection
1 Disenchant
1 Geyser
2 Lightning Bolt
1 Drown
4 Horrible Hybrids
1 Anui Undine
Opens TCGPlayer Mass Entry with the full decklist pre-loaded.
Select Sorcery: Contested Realm as the Product Line, then click Add to Cart.
Third Place - 
Elementalist by Professor V.
Spellbook
1 Key to the City
1 Ring of Morrigan
2 Torshammar Trinket
2 Arjaro Exorcist
2 Blink
4 Bosk Troll
1 Disenchant
1 Geyser
4 Gift of the Wolf
1 Highland Princess
1 Lady Iseult
3 Redmane Hyena
2 Silver Bullet
1 Sir Tom Thumb
3 War Horse
3 Autumn Unicorn
3 Grapple Shot
2 Onslaught
3 Quarrelsome Kobolds
1 Sir Bors the Younger
2 Apply Alkahest
2 Gargantula
1 King Arthur
2 Pudge Butcher
1 Sir Gawain
1 Sir Ironside
1 Sir Lamorak
1 Sir Priamus
1 The Black Plague
1 Archangel Michael
1 Atlantean Fate
1 Book of the Dead
2 Daperyll Vampire
2 Hound of Ondaros
Atlas
1 Blessed Village
1 Dark Tower
2 Fertile Earth
1 Forlorn Keep
1 Garden of Eden
1 Gothic Tower
1 Haystack
4 Humble Village
2 Lighthouse
1 Lone Tower
1 Mirror Realm
1 Peculiar Port
1 Pillar of Zeiros
2 Rustic Village
1 Simple Village
2 Sinkhole
1 The Colour Out of Space
1 Tintagel
1 Town
2 Windmill
2 Wizard's Den
Collection
1 Geyser
1 Begone
1 Blaze
1 Horrible Hybrids
1 Onslaught
1 Penitent Knight
1 Scatter
1 Swap
1 Poison Nova
1 Whirling Blades
Opens TCGPlayer Mass Entry with the full decklist pre-loaded.
Select Sorcery: Contested Realm as the Product Line, then click Add to Cart.
Fourth Place - Necromancer by Joe G.
Spellbook
1 Ring of Morrigan
3 Torshammar Trinket
3 Exhume
3 Gift of the Serpent
1 Jihad
2 Sinterfee
3 Toolbox
4 Vile Imp
3 War Horse
3 Barging Barghest
1 Blaze of Glory
2 Bury
3 Colicky Dragonettes
2 Mazuj Ifrit
1 Morgana le Fay
3 Onslaught
3 Quarrelsome Kobolds
3 Redcap Powries
1 Boudicca
2 Infiltrate
3 Rolling Boulder
3 Saracen Raiders
3 Siege Giant
2 Betrayal
2 Earthquake
Atlas
3 Active Volcano
2 Boulevard of Bones
4 Common Village
4 Leadworks
2 Mobbed Court
3 Poisoned Well
2 Rift Valley
1 River of Flame
3 Rustic Village
1 Smokestacks of Gnaak
1 Temple of Moloch
2 Vast Desert
Collection
1 Detonate
1 Just a Rock
1 Dispel
1 Entombed
1 Firebolts
1 Gift of the Serpent
1 Boil
1 Bury
1 Heat Ray
1 Minor Explosion
Opens TCGPlayer Mass Entry with the full decklist pre-loaded.
Select Sorcery: Contested Realm as the Product Line, then click Add to Cart.
Fifth Place - Sorcerer by Tom H.
Spellbook
1 Amethyst Core
1 Aquamarine Core
2 Divine Healing
1 Key to the City
1 Onyx Core
1 Philosopher's Stone
1 Ring of Morrigan
1 Ruby Core
3 Torshammar Trinket
3 Frontier Settlers
4 Gift of the Wolf
4 Kettletop Leprechaun
1 Shrine of the Dragonlord
2 Silver Bullet
2 Acid Rain
1 Aino
3 Autumn Unicorn
3 Lugbog Cat
3 Order of the Sacred Oak
3 Order of the White Wing
2 Abaddon Succubus
2 Gargantula
1 Mesmerism
2 Paladins of Bazia
2 Sacred Stag
1 Sir Bedevere
1 Archangel Michael
1 Atlantean Fate
1 Lilith
1 Queen of Midland
1 Vivien the Enchantress
2 Call of the Sea
2 Lord of Lies
Atlas
3 Aqueduct
4 Autumn Bloom
3 Deep Sea
3 Fertile Earth
3 Haystack
1 Mount Ussar Sanctuary
3 Pebbled Paths
1 Pillar of Zeiros
4 Pond
2 Valley of Delight
Collection
1 Divine Healing
1 Demon Hunter
1 Coy Nixie
1 Heretics of Seth
1 Root Spider
1 [Swap} [3]
1 Tragedy Worrywart
1 Cave-In
1 Stormy Seas
1 Poison Nova
Opens TCGPlayer Mass Entry with the full decklist pre-loaded.
Select Sorcery: Contested Realm as the Product Line, then click Add to Cart.
Sixth Place - Necromancer by Scott G.
Spellbook
1 Browse
1 Key to the City
1 Pnakotic Manuscript
4 Riptide
2 Toolbox
3 Coy Nixie
1 Drown
2 Grapple Shot
3 Lugbog Cat
1 Nelly Longarms
1 Sir Pelleas
3 Swap ]
2 Abaddon Succubus
1 Bane of Aventis
1 Black Mass
1 Dank Omphalos
1 Evil Twin
3 Failed Mutation
2 Hyperparasite
1 Mesmerism
1 Ruler of Thul
2 Sacred Stag
2 Shapeshift
1 Atlantean Fate
3 Daperyll Vampire
2 Gloam Toads
2 Hounds of Ondaros
2 Lacuna Entity
1 Lilith
3 Whirling Blades
3 Gnarled Wendigo
1 The Green Knight
1 Yog-Sothoth
1 Great Old One
Atlas
2 Bottomless Pit
1 Dark Tower
3 Deep Sea
1 Gilman House
1 Innsmouth Dock
3 Lighthouse
1 Lone Tower
1 Merlin's Tower
2 Mountain Peaks
2 Observatory
2 River Rapids
1 The Manor at Daperyll Hill
3 Thin Ice
3 Troll Bridge
2 Wuthering Heights
Collection
1 Lure
1 Zap
1 Blink
1 Disenchant
1 Displace
1 Drown
1 Grapple Shot
2 Horrible Hybrids
1 Murder of Crows
Opens TCGPlayer Mass Entry with the full decklist pre-loaded.
Select Sorcery: Contested Realm as the Product Line, then click Add to Cart.
Seventh Place - Pathfinder by Robert G.
Spellbook
1 Ring of Morrigan
1 Torshammar Trinket
2 Firebolts
2 Gift of the Serpent
1 Jihad
3 Redmane Hyena
3 Sinterfee
2 Toolbox
3 War Horse
1 Blaze of Glory
3 Colicky Dragonettes
1 Disintegrate
2 Mazuj Ifrit
1 Minor Explosion
1 Morgana le Fay
3 Quarrelsome Kobolds
3 Redcap Powries
1 Angry Mob
1 Boudicca
1 Char Omphalos
2 Firebreathing
2 Hillock Basilisk
2 Infiltrate
2 Monstrous Lion
3 Siege Giant
1 The Great Famine
1 Torrid Omphalos
2 Askelon Phoenix
2 Betrayal
1 Balor of the Evil Eye
2 Infernal Legion
Atlas
1 Accursed Desert
1 Active Volcano
1 Arid Desert
1 Bonfire
1 Bower of Bliss
1 Cursed Land
1 Forge
1 Funeral Pyre
1 Garden of Eden
1 Horns of Behemoth
1 Kor Crematory
1 Leadworks
1 Mirror Realm
1 Molten Maar
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 Sinkhole
1 Smokestacks of Gnaak
1 Steppe
1 Vast Desert
1 Vesuvius
1 Vindictive Nation
1 Wizard's Den
Collection
1 Detonate
1 Critical Strike
1 Boil
1 Hamlet's Ablaze
1 Heat Ray
1 Hellhounds
1 Joust
1 Minor Explosion
1 Angry Mob
1 Flayer
Opens TCGPlayer Mass Entry with the full decklist pre-loaded.
Select Sorcery: Contested Realm as the Product Line, then click Add to Cart.
Eighth Place - Geomancer by Chris B.
Spellbook
2 Arjaro Exorcist
1 Blink
2 Common Sense
1 Dispel
1 Mover of Mountains
1 Saint of Redemption
1 Sister Stefania
2 Toolbox
3 Autumn Unicorn
2 Bury
3 Grapple Shot
2 Landmass
3 Root Spider
2 Sturmgeist
2 Tombstone Warden
3 Avenging Angel
2 Dalcean Phalanx
2 Gargantula
1 Gigantism
2 Paladins of Bazia
2 Pudge Butcher
1 Archangel Michael
2 Atlas Wanderers
3 Daperyll Vampire
2 Earthquake
2 Hounds of Ondaros
1 Sir Galahad
3 Whirling Blades
1 Returned King
1 King of the Realm
1 Talamh Dreig
2 Wraetannis Titan
1 Craterize
Atlas
4 Autmn Bloom
2 Common Village
1 Dark Tower
1 Gothic Tower
2 Haystack
1 Humble Village
1 Lone Tower
2 Mock Court
3 Rustic Village
2 Simple Village
2 Sinkhole
4 Twilight Bloom
2 Valley of Delight
3 Windmill
Collection
1 Zap
1 Blink
1 Dispel
1 Exorcism
1 Scent Hounds
1 Tactical Move
1 Bury
1 Grapple Shot
1 Murder of Crows
1 Smite
Opens TCGPlayer Mass Entry with the full decklist pre-loaded.
Select Sorcery: Contested Realm as the Product Line, then click Add to Cart.
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Featured image: Imposter by Séverine Pineaux
