Magic is a game of numbers: sixty cards, 20 life, draw two cards, take 7 damage, and add three counters. There are even more numbers surrounding the game—facts and figures, prices and trivia, they are everywhere. In Affinity for Numbers, I uncover and highlight some of the more interesting numbers in Magic.

1 Eldrazi Deck

The Star City Games Invitational in Columbus provided a good look at the new Modern metagame after the banning of Eye of Ugin. Not only was Modern part of the Invitational, but the weekend also featured an SCG Classic. Of the deck lists published–Modern decks of the Top 8, those that went 7–1 or better, and the Top 16 of the Classic event—there was only one Eldrazi deck. R/G Eldrazi took thirteenth place at the SCG Classic.

R/G Eldrazi ? Modern | Jacob Milicic

• Creatures (19)
• 3 World Breaker
• 4 Endless One
• 4 Matter Reshaper
• 4 Reality Smasher
• 4 Thought-Knot Seer

• Spells (17)
• 1 Dismember
• 4 Kozilek's Return
• 4 Lightning Bolt
• 4 Ancient Stirrings
• 4 Talisman of Impulse

• Lands (24)
• 1 Mountain
• 2 Forest
• 1 Cavern of Souls
• 1 Kessig Wolf Run
• 1 Tendo Ice Bridge
• 3 Ghost Quarter
• 3 Sanctum of Ugin
• 4 Eldrazi Temple
• 4 Grove of the Burnwillows
• 4 Karplusan Forest

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Warping Wail
• 2 Natural State
• 1 Feed the Clan
• 2 Grafdigger's Cage
• 3 Spellskite
• 1 All Is Dust
• 1 World Breaker
• 2 Ancient Grudge
• 1 Pithing Needle

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2 Creatures

Gerry Thompson finished eighth at the SCG Invitational in Columbus. His Modern deck was perhaps the most interesting in the field, relying on Thopter Foundry to generating Sword-carriers rather than creature cards, of which he only played two.

W/U Thopter Gifts ? Modern | Gerry Thompson

• Creatures (2)
• 1 Snapcaster Mage
• 1 Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite

• Spells (35)
• 2 Spell Snare
• 3 Gifts Ungiven
• 3 Muddle the Mixture
• 4 Path to Exile
• 4 Thirst For Knowledge
• 1 Unburial Rites
• 2 Supreme Verdict
• 4 Serum Visions
• 1 Detention Sphere
• 1 Oblivion Ring
• 1 Engineered Explosives
• 2 Talisman of Progress
• 3 Sword of the Meek
• 4 Thopter Foundry

• Lands (23)
• 2 Plains
• 3 Island
• 1 Ghost Quarter
• 1 Polluted Delta
• 1 Tolaria West
• 1 Watery Grave
• 2 Celestial Colonnade
• 2 Glacial Fortress
• 2 Hallowed Fountain
• 2 Mystic Gate
• 4 Flooded Strand
• 2 Academy Ruins

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy
• 2 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
• 1 Timely Reinforcements
• 2 Dispel
• 1 Iona, Shield of Emeria
• 1 Celestial Purge
• 2 Gut Shot
• 1 Negate
• 1 Disenchant
• 1 Wrath of God
• 1 Hurkyl's Recall

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3 Abzan Company Decks

The Eldrazi have fallen to the ban hammer, and the MTG world anxiously awaits the crowning of a new metagame king. Three of the Top 8 players at the SCG invitational in Columbus played Abzan Company in Modern. Do we have more of these mirror matches in our future?

4 Copies of Ancestral Vision

Ancestral Vision is no longer banned in Modern and has found its way into a few different decks, including Grixis Control, Jeskai Control, and Scapeshift since then. The sixth-place deck at SCG Classic Columbus played a full set in the main deck. Oh, and more Thopters.

Jeskai Thopter Foundry ? Modern | David Buccelli

• Creatures (5)
• 4 Snapcaster Mage
• 1 Vendilion Clique

• Planeswalkers (2)
• 1 Ajani Vengeant
• 1 Gideon Jura

• Spells (29)
• 1 Spell Snare
• 1 Sphinx's Revelation
• 2 Cryptic Command
• 2 Lightning Helix
• 2 Remand
• 4 Lightning Bolt
• 4 Path to Exile
• 1 Supreme Verdict
• 4 Ancestral Vision
• 1 Crucible of Worlds
• 2 Engineered Explosives
• 2 Sword of the Meek
• 3 Thopter Foundry

• Lands (24)
• 1 Mountain
• 1 Plains
• 2 Island
• 1 Sacred Foundry
• 2 Ghost Quarter
• 2 Hallowed Fountain
• 2 Steam Vents
• 4 Celestial Colonnade
• 4 Flooded Strand
• 4 Scalding Tarn
• 1 Academy Ruins

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Celestial Flare
• 1 Dispel
• 1 Izzet Staticaster
• 1 Jace, Architect of Thought
• 2 Negate
• 1 Porphyry Nodes
• 2 Vandalblast
• 2 Vedalken Shackles
• 1 Wear // Tear
• 2 Wheel of Sun and Moon

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13 Unique Decks

It seems that the banning of Eye of Ugin was successful. Of the Top 16 decks at SCG Classic Columbus, thirteen were unique, and as mentioned above, only one was an Eldrazi deck.

19 Bant Company Decks

Collected Company is making its move in Modern, as seen above, and it seems to be continuing Standard dominance as well. The Top 32 of SCG Open Columbus—the separate Standard event—consisted of nineteen Bant Company decks. This one, by Daniel Fournier, finished second.

Bant Company ? Modern | Daniel Fournier

• Creatures (27)
• 3 Tireless Tracker
• 4 Bounding Krasis
• 4 Duskwatch Recruiter
• 4 Reflector Mage
• 4 Sylvan Advocate
• 2 Archangel Avacyn
• 2 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
• 4 Jace, Vryn's Prodigy

• Spells (8)
• 1 Ojutai's Command
• 3 Dromoka's Command
• 4 Collected Company

• Lands (25)
• 2 Island
• 3 Forest
• 3 Plains
• 1 Fortified Village
• 1 Port Town
• 3 Canopy Vista
• 4 Evolving Wilds
• 4 Lumbering Falls
• 4 Prairie Stream

• Sideboard (15)
• 3 Declaration in Stone
• 3 Clip Wings
• 2 Den Protector
• 2 Dragonlord Ojutai
• 2 Ojutai's Command
• 3 Negate

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20% Increase

According to Hasbro's first-quarter-financial-results conference call, attendance at Shadows over Innistrad prereleases was up 20%. Brian Goldner, the biggest of Hasbro big wigs, credits the move to a two-set block for the increase but is nonspecific as to why. To be fair, Mr. Goldner probably has no idea what a set or block really is.

50% Win Rate

Fabrizio Anteri won his last game, and Grand Prix Barcelona, with a big-damage combo. Even more amazing is his success at GPs once he reaches the Top 8: It was his fifth GP win in ten Top 8 appearances.

312% Increase

We've all seen it: a heretofore underappreciated card makes a splash at a Pro Tour and rockets up in price. Over the last three Pro Tours, a nonland rare making the Top 8 increases its price by 312%, on average, or 130% for mythics. Check out all the math and analysis here.

65,000 Players

More interesting numbers out of Hasbro's conference call: Sixty-five thousand players appear in "premier events," which I think we can assume means Grand Prix, Pro Tours, World Championships, and the like. Coverage of these events is specifically mentioned, as is an intent to "both grow the number of events and the player base," which runs counter to the reduction in GPs we saw this year.

Those are all the numbers I have for you today. If you also have an affinity for numbers, and have one you think I should share, let me know on Twitter @MrVigabool.