Being a Latin American Magic: The Gathering (MTG) player in Europe is a wild experience.
From stores where events barely fire to multiple events of your favorite format every week.
From scouring Facebook groups, randoms’ binders, and dubious singles sites to collect a playset you need one card at a time to arguably the best digital card marketplace.
From barely seeing dual lands and not even hearing about Power 9 to chill dudes at the local game store (LGS) lending you whatever you need for the Legacy weekly while they test Vintage and Old School for the next team trios.
Don’t get me wrong, there was a dude back home in Chile who lent us premium cardboard, but I doubt every LGS has their own “Nefasto.”
I landed in Hamburg on March 29th, accompanied by my parents who wanted to drop me off at Uni one final time, for which I’m wholeheartedly grateful. I signed my PhD contract on the 31st, and started working on April 1st, no joke.
Impractical Joke by Caroline Gariba
There were difficulties settling in thanks to a severe German lady crashing culturally with my very Chilean parents, but I’m peacefully navigating the Hanseatic routine. Because of the “getting used to” that Germany demanded of me, it wasn’t until the 12th of June that I attended a local Legacy weekly event.
Armed with my “Burnito Supreme” burn deck – the only one I could build optimally at the time, since I owned only one Volcanic Island, my basic German skills, which were powerful enough to ask if English is okay, and no playmat thanks to the nerves making me forget it at my apartment, I arrived at Olli’s Spielcenter ready to meet and bolt some new faces.
Burnito Supreme by Juan Andrés
Creatures (12)
4 Goblin Guide
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
Sorceries (19)
4 Boltwave
4 Chain Lightning
4 Lava Spike
2 Light Up the Stage
2 Rift Bolt
2 Skewer the Critics
1 Exquisite Firecraft
Instants (12)
4 Fireblast
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Price of Progress
Lands (17)
2 Arid Mesa
2 Barbarian Ring
2 Bloodstained Mire
7 Mountain
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Wooded Foothills
Sideboard
2 Roiling Vortex
3 Searing Blaze
4 Smash to Smithereens
4 Leyline of the Void
1 Cave-In
1 Pyrokinesis
Opens TCGPlayer Mass Entry with the full decklist pre-loaded.
Select Magic: The Gathering as the Product Line, then click Add to Cart.
Thankfully, the guy at the counter spoke English well enough to sign me up for the event. I went downstairs to the playing area and found there were few to no people. Was this it? Had I arrived at a city with no Legacy players? Will I have to switch formats and play STANDARD!? My anxiety soon calmed as more players trickled in, until 13 of us were ready to play. Even Germany is free of late players.
Run Behind by Nereida
The people were great. After the first-round pairings were announced with the chirp of everyone’s phones sounding the Companion notification, I realized I had a bye. Very ironic! So I just stood there, beside the table that was playing closest to me for a while, so as not to be the new guy who gets a bye and starts scouting.
A few minutes in, one of the players asks, in full “your-eyes-are-blue-so-you-must-be-German” German, if I had a bye. “Great, I understood this,” I think, so I answer “Ja.” He whipped back in German with something that didn’t elicit a similar reaction. I said, “Sorry, my German is not so good; can we speak English?” — a phrase I practiced over and over in my head during the train ride over. “Sure!” he responded. From there, I was one more Hamburg Legacy Spieler.
Everyone was extremely welcoming, asking where I was from, what formats I played, and whether I was visiting or staying longer. And as soon as I said I was here for a PhD, they'd go, “So I guess we’ll be seeing you more often!” I couldn’t have encountered a nicer community if I tried.
Explosive Welcome by Mathias Kollros
Through this community, I was motivated to attend the NEWGAME Legacy Tournament at Neumünster organized by the KeepSeven team from Lübeck. I secured a spot on a ride with some of the guys from Hamburg and arrived at the venue on Saturday, July 4, 2026, about an hour before the event started. This was actually my first event at a convention, so it was cool to see vendors, gaming tournaments, artists, cosplayers, and all the people gathered.
I had been playing my Miracles list basically since I arrived, so everyone assumed I was on that for the tournament, but I actually switched to another control list I built after the recent Jeskai ones, based on results on online event aggregators; thus, “UWr Mirac-less” was born.
Miracles by Juan Andrés
Creatures (3)
3 Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student
Instants (21)
1 Force of Negation
4 Force of Will
1 Thwart
4 Brainstorm
2 Erode
1 March of Otherwordly Light
4 Swords to Plowshares
2 Predict
2 Brainsurge
Sorceries (13)
4 Ponder
2 Flow State
1 Wrath of the Skies
1 Entreat the Angels
2 Lorien Revealed
3 Terminus
Planeswalker (1)
1 Comet, Stellar Pup
Enchantments (3)
3 Counterbalance
Lands (19)
4 Flooded Strand
2 Island
2 Meticulous Archive
4 Mystic Sanctuary
1 Plains
3 Scalding Tarn
2 Tundra
1 Volcanic Island
Sideboard
1 Mountain
2 Blue Elemental Blast
2 Consign to Memory
2 Pyroblast
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Doorkeeper Thrull2 {Lavinia, Azorius Renegade
2 Null Rod
1 Hullbreacher
Opens TCGPlayer Mass Entry with the full decklist pre-loaded.
Select Magic: The Gathering as the Product Line, then click Add to Cart.
Mirac-less by Juan Andrés
Instants (18)
2 Force of Negation
4 Force of Will
1 Consign to Memory
4 Brainstorm
2 Erode
1 Spell Pierce
4 Swords to Plowshares
Sorceries (15)
4 Ponder
2 Prismatic Ending
4 Flow State
2 Forth Eorlingas
2 Wrath of the Skies
1 Lorien Revealed
Planeswalkers (3)
2 Teferi, Time Raveler
1 Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Enchantments (3)
1 Dress Down
2 Back to Basics
Lands (21)
4 Flooded Strand
3 Island
1 Meticulous Archive
1 Mountain
1 Mystic Sanctuary
2 Plains
1 Plateau
2 Prismatic Vista
2 Scalding Tarn
2 Tundra
1 Volcanic Island
1 Karakas
Sideboard
3 Consign to Memory
2 Deafening Silence
2 Hydroblast
3 Pyroblast
2 Surgical Extraction
1 Containment Priest
2 Triumph of Saint Katherine
Opens TCGPlayer Mass Entry with the full decklist pre-loaded.
Select Magic: The Gathering as the Product Line, then click Add to Cart.
The choices for this list followed three core principles:
The Fantasticar go vroom.
Answer early threats
I don’t have dead cards, you have dead cards!
This is the rationale for mainboard Consign to Memory and Spell Pierce, the Erode-Prismatic Ending split, and no creatures. The same rationale applies to the rest of the Consign to Memory playset, two Deafening Silences, and two Triumph of Saint Katherines in the board.
I switched a Lórien Revealed for Dress Down last minute because I was afraid of Urza's Saga.
The list is a more or less stock Jeskai control otherwise, leveraging Back to Basics against greedy The Fantasticar manabases, an even spread of removal and countermagic, a pair of wrath effects, card advantage via Flow State, and closing with a couple Forth Eorlingas as the win condition. Jace the Mind Sculptor is backup for grindy matchups.
Jace, the Mind Sculptor by Jason Chan
Round One vs. Yorion Taxes | Win
About 30 players were registered for the event. I played against this opponent before in a Saturday weekly, so I had the information advantage.
Game One
On the draw, I kept a hand of removal and cantrips, including Prismatic Ending for a possible Aether Vial. Indeed, I Prismatic Endinged an Aether Vial. I Brainstormed on turn two with a fetch available, and my opponent cast and resolved an Orcish Bowmasters. I fetched and cast Swords to Plowshares with Brainstorm still on the stack.
I found my next land drop and a pair of Flow States. I answered every threat, resolved Jace, the Mind Sculptor, and the opponent conceded after flashing a trio of dead Swords to Plowshares.
Game Two
I kept Force of Will for an early Aether Vial, cantrips, and removal. I counter their turn-one Aether Vial cast off their Wasteland; I make a mental note to prioritize basics.
My opponent cast Thoughtseize on turn two to discard Forth Eorlingas and followed with another Aether Vial. I drew Containment Priest. I answered threats until I fetched Mystic Sanctuary for Forth Eorlingas. With Teferi, Time Raveler on board, I was insulated from interaction, including the Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd that was bounced by Karakas. Three knight tokens and the monarchy drew the concession.
Worldgorger Dragon by
Round Two vs. Worldgorger Reanimator | Win
Game One
I thought my opponent was playing Up the Beanstalk beside me in round one, so I kept a slow hand on the draw comprising cantrips, Erode, and Back to Basics. I was suspicious when he mulled down to four, and surprised when he slammed Lotus Petal, Dark Ritual, Collective Brutality, discarding Griselbrand, discarding Erode, and Reanimate.
After drawing 7 cards and going to 7 life, he dropped a surveil land and passed. I drew Swords to Plowshares. Turn two, he played Swamp, cast Dark Ritual, Unmarked Grave for a Worldgorger Dragon, and Animate Dead. He looped infinite mana and infinite surveils until Archon of Cruelty hit the yard. He showed me another Animate Dead to loop for infinite life drain.
Games Two & Three
I boarded in all the hate, and my opponent was unprepared for Containment Priest.
The Fantasticar by Maxim Ruabtsev
Round Three vs. Urza’s Garage (The Fantasticar Tron) | Win
My opponent was Jeremy, a lovely dude from Hamburg, against whom I’ve played a few times before, including last Tuesday after the Candelabra of Tawno ban. I knew what he was playing, so I mulliganed accordingly.
Game One
On the draw, I kept Consign to Memory but had to dodge a turn one kill. Guess what happened!
Game Two
I countered an early The Fantasticar, and wrathed a pair of Urza’s Saga to earn a concession.
Game Three
More back-and-forth until Triumph of Saint Katherine closed the gap, before enough resources were piled up on the opposite side of the board.
Two draws should get me to the Top 8!
Triumph of Saint Katherine by David Astruga
Round Four vs. Urza’s Garage | Unintentional Draw
Opposing pilot was Timo, the driver who very kindly offered me a ride. Given we were Table two and both 3-0, I offered the intentional draw (ID). He looked at the standings and saw there were already draws, so he opted to play it safe and declined.
Game One
I had played Timo on Friday, so I knew he was also on Urza's Garage. I kept a defensive hand and resolved Back to Basics on turn three or four when he was mostly tapped out. He drew many Urza’s lands, including Urza’s Workshop, and enough spells to trigger a The Fantasticar for lethal.
Game Two
I answered everything in a timely manner and dropped an early Triumph of Saint Katherine to close the game.
Game Three
Very swingy, but I only cast Triumph of Saint Katherine when time was called, and Timo was at 22 life.
Goblin Welder by Scott M. Fischer
Round 5 vs. Welder Cam Combo | Intentional Draw
Opponent was Christopher, another Hamburg dude with a 3-0-1 record. We ID'd and went for lunch at a nearby McDonald's with other ID'ers in the Top 8.
Quarterfinals vs. Urza’s Garage (Rematch Against Jeremy)
I took the play as second seed.
Game One
I mulled to five for a hand with a Force effect and cantrips. I answered his first barrage to get enough time to cast a small Forth Eorlingas for the monarch. Unfortunately, I missed several draw triggers, which was catastrophic. Urza's Saga snuck a construct through to take the monarchy, which gave him enough resources to combo Glaring Fleshraker plus a popped The Fantasticar to seal the deal.
Game Two
I shake off my mistake and windmill slam Deafening Silence on turn one. I Ponder on turn two, setting Triumph of Saint Katherine up for next turn and draw Consign to Memory. The turn three miracle went coast to coast as I countered follow-up attempts with The Fantasticar.
Game Three
The early turns were tight. I answered his threats and developed a Deafening Silence, but after Glaring Fleshraker stuck, I had to Wrath of the Skies with = to nuke Urza's Saga, Mox Opal, Manifold Key, and Grim Monolith. I nearly stabilized but was low on resources. Glaring Fleshraker entered the red zone as it was clear I was floundering. Jeremy resolved The One Ring, a second Glaring Fleshraker, and spells to burn me out. GGs Jeremy!
The Monarch by Mike Bierek
Result
I won a €50 coupon for my fifth place finish, which I used to grab a Time Spiral Remastered booster box to hopefully draft with some of the Legacy pals in Hamburg. Jeremy went on to win the whole thing! We were technically each other's only defeats, so that makes me feel better.
The mistakes I made were critical, as are most mistakes for control. Missed triggers aren’t a decision, so next time I'll tighten up and focus. I only had a few games with Forth Eorlingas, having only played the Friday weekly with them before this event; rookie mistake.
Overall, the deck felt tight and well positioned for the “Northern Germany” meta. There was another Jeskai deck at the event, but that list had Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student and Snapcaster Mage, so maybe my “no creatures” decision was right.
I played a match against Hawk (another Hamburg dude) on Dark Bant Beans for fun after losing my quarterfinal while we waited for the rest to finish (and a car ride back). He swept me! Up the Beanstalk card advantage runs over everything.
Ranking fifth in my first “big” Legacy event in Germany gave me hope for the rest of my stay. Being a Latin American MTG player in Europe is a wild experience. Many things are different, but in the end, the community, the plays, and the punts are the same.
About the Author
Juan Andrés is a self-described “Weeklies Grinder” from Chile who recently moved to Hamburg, Germany, for his PhD in Applied Maths. He plays mostly in Legacy and Pauper, favoring tempo and hard-control strategies. He sometimes dips into Dark Ritual for Doomsday or Cycle Storm. Juan likes to read and write poetry, brew barely viable MTG decks, and play and listen to music.
Find Juan on Instagram as @Juanchetumare or on Discord, and on Moxfield as @Shoutouts.
Submit Your Article To Eternal Durdles
Subscribe to Eternal Durdles on YouTube!
Subscribe to Common Sense: Sorcery podcast on YouTube!
Featured image: Forth Eorlingas by Filipe Pagliuso
