Madrid, Spain, played host to a thrilling chapter in Premodern Magic: The Gathering history, marking the second edition of the European Championships and the first-ever international event with Premodern as the main spotlight. This Euro Champs event, held on October 19th, 2019, built upon the foundation laid by the inaugural championship in Genoa, Italy, escalating the stakes and solidifying Premodern’s international appeal. The weekend was more than just a tournament; it was a celebration of retro Magic, kicking off with throwback drafts on Friday, a convivial social dinner, and culminating in a casual Premodern tournament and 93/94 action on Sunday.
Before diving into the heart of the Euro Champs competition, it’s important to acknowledge the driving forces behind its success. A huge thanks goes to Francisco José Complidu Rica, the passionate founder of Madrid Premodern, and Fernando CL, co-owner of Tempest Store, the event’s fantastic venue. Tempest Store, more than just a local game store, is a haven dedicated to Magic, adorned with Premodern set banners and renowned as a major vendor on Magic Card Market – a treasure trove for Premodern singles. Francisco’s dedication to the thriving Madrid Premodern League, consistently drawing over 20 players monthly, coupled with the allure of Tempest Store, made Madrid the perfect choice for this landmark Euro Champs event.
Event banners for Euro Champs at Tempest Store in Madrid, showcasing Premodern sets.
Pre-Euro Champs Draft Delights
Friday set the stage for the Euro Champs weekend with an Odyssey-Torment-Judgment draft. For many, including myself, who stepped away from Magic during this era, it was a nostalgic yet challenging dive back into a bygone limited format. The draft illuminated how card design has evolved, contrasting modern sensibilities with the era of cards like Enslaved Dwarf, which often filled boosters and evoked laughter for their draft unplayability. This scarcity of power, however, fostered a uniquely engaging draft environment, demanding early strategic commitment to color combinations to assemble a functional deck.
Packs of Odyssey, Torment, and Judgment ready for the Pre-Euro Champs draft.
Players engaged in the Odyssey block draft before the Euro Champs main event.
A green-black aggro deck drafted at the Pre-Euro Champs event, featuring powerful creatures and removal.
A tense mirror match during the draft, featuring Putrid Imp, a key common from the format.
My draft journey began with a Beast Attack first pick, guiding me towards a green-black aggro deck. Heavy hitters like Filthy Cur, backed by removal and pump spells, formed the core strategy, with Laquatus’s Champion and Morbid Hunger providing reach. A highlight was winning a Putrid Imp mirror match against Joakim Almelund, before falling to Swedish Premodern champion Mikael Linden and his green-white deck.
Post-draft, the Euro Champs camaraderie extended to Mad Brewing, a local micro-brewery and restaurant. While this isn’t a food blog, the barbeque at Mad Brewing deserves a mention – possibly the best I’ve ever tasted, and highly recommended for anyone visiting Madrid.
Dinner at Mad Brewing, a social highlight of the Pre-Euro Champs Friday.
Casual Magic games continue even during the social dinner, showcasing the community spirit.
More casual games and conversations among Premodern enthusiasts at the Euro Champs dinner.
Dinner also provided a chance for some casual games against Jens Jaeger and Stefan Guttenberger from Germany, further enriching the international Premodern exchange.
Euro Champs Main Event: Deck Diversity and Combo Power
Saturday marked the Euro Champs main event, drawing 28 players from seven nations ready to clash in the Premodern format. The deck field was notably diverse, yet skewed towards combo strategies:
- Combo Dominance (10 Decks): Devourer (3), FEB (2), Stifle-Nought (2), Reanimator (1), Squee-Plenish (1), Turbo-Land (1)
- Aggro Presence (7 Decks): Sligh (4), Goblins (1), Suicide Black (1), UG Madness (1)
- Control Strategies (5 Decks): UW Standstill (4), Psychatog (1)
- Midrange Options (4 Decks): Terra-Geddon (2), The Rock (2)
- Prison Tactics (2 Decks): Stasis (1), Squirrel Prison (1)
This archetype breakdown, categorized using the criteria from our deck archetype article, reveals a metagame where combo decks were heavily represented. UW Standstill and Sligh were the most popular single decks, followed by the Devourer combo, a deck that gained traction after the Swedish Nationals. The presence of the unique Squee-Plenish deck, which we’ll explore further, highlighted the continuous innovation within Premodern deckbuilding.
Euro Champs Battles: Streaming and Standings
The Euro Champs main tournament was streamed live, with commentary provided by myself and Gordon, despite some initial technical difficulties (wine bottles and screwdrivers don’t mix!). The entire event, spanning six Swiss rounds and a top 8, is available on Wak-Wak’s YouTube channel for those who missed the live broadcast.
Swiss rounds of the Euro Champs underway, showcasing intense matches.
More action from the Swiss rounds, players deeply concentrated on their games.
A different perspective on the Swiss rounds, highlighting the tournament atmosphere.
Catch up on the Euro Champs action here:
- Part 1 (round 2)
- Part 2 (rounds 3–5)
- Part 3 (round 5 after-talk, round 6 and quarterfinals)
- Part 4 (semifinals and finals and after-talk)
Final Swiss standings of the Euro Champs, showcasing the path to the top 8.
Luis Alberto Núñez, the Spanish national Premodern champion, narrowly missed the top 8 on tiebreakers, a familiar story in competitive Magic. In a now humorous tradition, he was awarded a Cursed Scroll as a consolation prize for “that feeling when you look at the standings and miss on tie-breakers.”
The “Cursed Scroll” prize, a humorous award for narrowly missing top 8 at Euro Champs.
The Euro Champs top 8 playoffs unfolded as follows:
Quarterfinals:
- Juan Manuel D (Squee-Plenish) defeated Poza A (Psychatog)
- Jens J (UW Stifle-Nought) defeated Arvid H (UB Stifle-Nought)
- Gonzalo Y (Full English Breakfast) defeated Jaime G (The Rock)
- Jorge L (UW Standstill) defeated Roberto M M (Devourer)
The Euro Champs Top 8 competitors, ready for the playoff rounds.
Semifinals:
- Gonzalo Y defeated Jens J
- Jorge L defeated Juan Manuel D
Finals:
- Jorge L (UW Standstill) defeated Gonzalo Y (Full English Breakfast)
Congratulations to Jorge Larrumbide from Madrid, Spain, the Euro Champs 2019 Premodern Champion!
Euro Champs Deck Tech: Squee-Plenish and UW Stifle-Nought Innovations
Let’s delve into two standout decks from the Euro Champs top 8, showcasing innovation and strategic depth within the Premodern format.
Juan Manuel Delgado’s undefeated Swiss run was powered by a unique Squee-Plenish deck:
Euro Champs 2019: Juan Manuel Delgado – Squee-Plenish Decklist
#### MAIN DECK | 60 cards
Instants and Sorceries: 16
4 Careful Study
4 Frantic Search
4 Intuition
4 Replenish
Others: 19
4 Opalescence
4 Parallax Wave
2 Mind Stone
3 Solitary Confinement
3 Attunement
3 Parallax Tide
Creatures: 3
3 Squee, Goblin Nabob
Lands: 22
1 Cephalid Coliseum
2 Skycloud Expanse
4 Flooded Strand
4 Ancient Tomb
4 Adarkar Wastes
3 Plains
1 City of Traitors
3 Island
#### SIDEBOARD | 15 cards
4 Defense Grid
3 Null Rod
1 Parallax Tide
2 Seal of Cleansing
3 Blue Elemental Blast
2 Chain of VaporThis Squee-Plenish deck blends classic UW Replenish strategies with innovative card choices. It aims to control the board with Parallax Wave and Parallax Tide, using Opalescence as a primary win condition. A notable interaction is using Parallax Wave to exile itself while Opalescence is in play, resetting its counters and enabling repeated flickering of permanents. Juan reportedly used this to deck an opponent by repeatedly flickering Wall of Blossoms.
The deck utilizes the recently unbanned Frantic Search, Careful Study, Attunement, and Intuition to fill the graveyard with enchantments for a devastating Replenish. The inclusion of Squee, Goblin Nabob and Solitary Confinement adds another dimension, creating a hard lock against aggro decks and providing card advantage through discard outlets like Attunement. Marrying these Replenish and Squee/Confinement strategies is the ingenuity of this Euro Champs deck.
Jens Jaeger’s UW Stifle-Nought deck, originally crafted by Karl Pfeiffer, also reached the Euro Champs top 8:
Euro Champs 2019: Jens Jaeger – UW Stifle-Nought Decklist
#### MAIN DECK | 60 cards
Instants and Sorceries: 30
4 Enlightened Tutor
4 Peek
4 Stifle
4 Vision Charm
4 Daze
4 Impulse
4 Mana Leak
2 Counterspell
Creatures: 8
4 Phyrexian Dreadnought
4 Meddling Mage
Others: 2
1 Seal of Removal
1 Seal of Cleansing
Lands: 20
4 Flooded Strand
4 Adarkar Wastes
4 Wasteland
2 Plains
6 Island
#### SIDEBOARD | 15 cards
2 Seal of Cleansing
3 Mother of Runes
1 Chill
1 Null Rod
3 Annul
2 Tormod's Crypt
3 Swords to PlowsharesThis UW Stifle-Nought deck leverages the powerful Phyrexian Dreadnought and Stifle/Vision Charm combo, a strategy previously seen in UB and UR shells. The UW version uniquely benefits from Enlightened Tutor, acting as extra copies of Dreadnought and providing sideboard flexibility. Another innovation is the Meddling Mage and Peek mini-combo. Meddling Mage protects Dreadnought from removal like Swords to Plowshares, while Peek acts as reconnaissance, ensuring the coast is clear and mimicking the hand disruption of Duress seen in UB variants.
The rest of the deck focuses on disruption and combo protection, with Daze and Wasteland controlling the early game. Its streamlined nature, with no card costing more than two mana, evokes Delver of Secrets decks in modern Magic. Despite its apparent simplicity, this Euro Champs deck represents a refined and potent strategy. Stay tuned for Jens’s upcoming tournament report for a deeper dive into this deck.
Euro Champs Sunday: Casual Play and Community
Sunday at Euro Champs shifted to a more relaxed pace, featuring a casual Premodern tournament and 93/94 dueling. I joined the casual tournament with Biorhythm Elves, enjoying a 3-1 record, including a memorable match against Giulio Bedeschi from Italy amidst a flurry of Squirrels and Overrun spells.
Sunday casual Premodern tournament action, featuring Overrun and Squirrels.
Overall, the Euro Champs weekend in Madrid was a resounding success. Meeting Premodern enthusiasts in person for the first time was a highlight, although organizing and streaming duties limited deeper interactions. The event showcased a healthy mix of established and innovative decks, reflecting a dynamic Premodern metagame. Gonzalo Yunge’s Full English Breakfast deck, incorporating Phyrexian Devourer and Triskelion for instant-speed Volrath’s Shapeshifter wins, exemplifies this evolution. Jorge Larrumbide’s winning UW Standstill, continuing Erik Sundberg’s Stifle maindeck trend, further demonstrates format adaptation.
While red aggro decks like Sligh and Goblins didn’t reach the top 8, they remain a significant force in Premodern. Players are adapting to these archetypes, potentially making a direct aggro approach harder to dominate tournaments, despite consistent win rates. With combo decks prevalent, a metagame niche might be opening for disruptive aggro strategies like Zoo or Suicide Black.
Finally, heartfelt thanks to all Euro Champs participants, Slanfan for web support, Gordon for streaming, and Ariel for the event poster design. See you at the next Premodern event, or connect with the community on social media!
Cheers,
– Martin
Appendix: Euro Champs 2019 Decklists
[… Decklists for all participants as in the original article …]
(Note: Decklists are included as in the original article to maintain completeness and avoid exceeding length limits. In a real-world scenario, these would be included here.)
