The first ever Mythic Championship has come and gone, and for the most part it was what we expected.

The top tables contained the usual Mono-Blue Aggro, Mono-White Aggro, Sultai Midrange, and various Nexus of Fate deck, with an appearance from Gruul Aggro or Esper Control here and there as well. But don't let the Top 8 tell you the whole story.

Split format events are always notoriously difficult to read, because the players that go 9-1 or 10-0 in Constructed don't always make the Top 8 (I know, I've done it sadly). If you're able to 6-0 your two draft pods, you can sneak into Top 8 with a barely over .500 Constructed record of 6-4, meaning that doing well in Limited matched with a decent Constructed record is usually the recipe for a Top 8.

But there are always decks that do great in Constructed that don't get noticed because of poor Limited performances...

Time Stamps:

Match 1 - 00:05:28

Match 2 - 00:34:01

Match 3 - 00:44:28

Match 4 - 01:07:40

Match 5 - 01:15:29

Merfolk | Allegiance Standard | Raphael Levy, 8-2 Constructed Mythic Championship

• Creatures (30)
• 2 Merfolk Trickster
• 4 Benthic Biomancer
• 4 Deeproot Elite
• 4 Jade Bearer
• 4 Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca
• 4 Kumena's Speaker
• 4 Merfolk Mistbinder
• 4 Silvergill Adept

• Sorceries (4)
• 4 Incubation // Incongruity

• Enchantments (4)
• 4 Deeproot Waters

• Lands (22)
• 5 Forest
• 5 Island
• 4 Breeding Pool
• 4 Hinterland Harbor
• 4 Unclaimed Territory

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Crushing Canopy
• 2 Disdainful Stroke
• 4 Kraul Harpooner
• 1 Merfolk Trickster
• 4 Negate
• 1 Spell Pierce
• 2 Tempest Caller

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Hall of famer Rapheal Levy brought an exciting and unexpected Merfolk deck to the Mythic Championship, utilizing the better mana that Breeding Pool brings as well a few new cards from Ravnica Allegiance added on top of a solid and low-curve take on the Ixalan Merfolk deck.

Benthic Biomancer gives the deck another solid 1-drop and extra flood protection, with the looting ability playing very well with all of the +1/+1 counter effects in the deck. It's not hard to trigger Benthic Biomancer many times in a game, making sure you don't flood and draw the right threats.

Speaking of drawing the right threats, Incubation // Incongruity is essentially your Ancient Stirrings, helping you to find our payoff cards early and often. Kumena, Tyrant of Orazca is the reason to play Merfolk at all in Standard, so making sure you have access to him at all times is extremely important.

Both cards give the deck much needed consistency, and what we're left with is a very interesting aggressive deck that also plays very well into the midgame with all of the card draw effects. Without proper removal spells the deck seems a little soft to flying creatures and utility creatures, Tocatli Honor Guard especially, but it is able to create a very powerful board presence and then has all of the great sideboard counterspells for the control and combo matchups.

Despite being much maligned since being printed in Ixalan, Merfolk actually seems quite good!