Pioneer Pro Tour: Day One Recap

The PlayingPioneer Team breaks down the meta data and standings from Day One of the Pioneer Pro Tour. Decklists included!

On to Day Two

The first day of the Pioneer Pro Tour has wrapped up, and the Top 8 going into day two has a few surprise inclusions and a notable lack of Green Devotion and Azorius Control. Going into the final round of the day, only Selesnya Auras and Abzan Greasefang were undefeated. To anyone who has been following and playing Pioneer for a while, this is probably a strange sentence to read, but that’s how things tend to play out at these types of events, where metagaming can pay off in a big way.

While Rakdos Midrange represented 15 percent of the decks registered for the Pro Tour and Green Devotion represented 14 percent, Rakdos only put four results into the Top 32 of Day One, and Green Devotion only three.

The Pioneer Meta

Those who advance at this Pro Tour are those who do well in both Draft and Pioneer, skewing the overall Pioneer results. Often, a player who places highly at an event or makes Day Two didn’t necessarily have the best performance in the Pioneer portion. In the following section, we have removed the Draft results to get a better sense of which decks performed best in Pioneer when played by the best players for the highest stakes.

The decks with the highest winrates on the day include the undefeated Azorius Spirits, Gruul Vehicles splashing Blue for Stubborn Denial, Grixis Midrange, Selesnya Auras and Bant Humans. Even in an open decklist event like the Pro Tour where the surprise factor is largely removed, the unfamiliarity factor still exists. I would be willing to bet a fair amount that nobody who was testing for the Pro Tour playtested against Grixis Midrange. Most probably didn’t test against Azorius Spirits or Bant Humans.

Below, Ben “ILOVEAZORIUS” has compiled a series of data detailing the Day One metagame, and will return tomorrow for the Day Two action, so stay tuned!

Day One Top 8

Benton Madsen

Record: 8-0

Selesnya Auras
Pioneer
Buy on TCGplayer $360.97
by Benton Madsen
0 mythic
28 rare
13 uncommon
19 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Enchantments (24)
1
Hammerhand
$0.35
2
Gryff's Boon
$0.78
3
Sentinel's Eyes
$1.05
4
Ethereal Armor
$2.36
4
Audacity
$2.76
1
Alpha Authority
$2.49
Lands (19)
1
Forest
$0.01
1
Plains
$0.01
3
Mana Confluence
$113.97
4
Temple Garden
$55.96
60 Cards
$278.56
15 Cards
$57.23

David Ingles

Record: 7-1

Abzan Greasefang
Pioneer
Buy on TCGplayer $553.37
by David Ingles
2 mythic
44 rare
3 uncommon
11 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Creatures (10)
2
Scrapwork Mutt
$0.70
Instants (4)
4
Grisly Salvage
$1.40
Sorceries (12)
4
Thoughtseize
$75.96
1
Can't Stay Away
$0.49
Artifacts (10)
4
Esika's Chariot
$31.96
4
Parhelion II
$3.96
Enchantments (3)
Lands (21)
1
Swamp
$0.35
3
Blooming Marsh
$23.97
4
Mana Confluence
$151.96
4
Darkbore Pathway
$25.96
2
Temple Garden
$27.98
2
Godless Shrine
$31.98
60 Cards
$413.04
Sideboard
2
Fatal Push
$4.98
2
Duress
$0.70
2
Damping Sphere
$0.70
15 Cards
$86.01

Tristan Wylde-LaRue

Record: 7-1

Lotus Field Combo
Pioneer
Buy on TCGplayer $290.93
By Tristan Wylde-LaRue
3 mythic
26 rare
11 uncommon
20 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Instants (4)
4
Impulse
$1.40
Enchantments (1)
1
Omniscience
$8.99
Lands (22)
1
Island
$0.01
4
Lotus Field
$21.96
1
Breeding Pool
$21.99
60 Cards
$311.16
15 Cards
$85.83

Shota Yasooka

Record: 7-1

Rakdos Midrange
Pioneer
Buy on TCGplayer $830.19
By Shota Yasooka
5 mythic
48 rare
5 uncommon
2 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Planeswalkers (2)
Instants (5)
4
Fatal Push
$9.96
1
Power Word Kill
$0.39
Sorceries (7)
1
Duress
$0.35
4
Thoughtseize
$75.96
2
Dreadbore
$3.98
Artifacts (1)
Enchantments (4)
60 Cards
$810.98
15 Cards
$35.93

Takumi Matsuura

Record: 7-1

Mono-White Humans
Pioneer
Buy on TCGplayer $139.55
1 mythic
35 rare
10 uncommon
14 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Enchantments (4)
4
Ossification
$3.96
Lands (22)
14
Plains
$0.14
4
Mutavault
$43.96
60 Cards
$184.98
15 Cards
$111.95

 Gabriel Nassif

Record:  7-1

Izzet Creativity
Pioneer
Buy on TCGplayer $326.1
6 mythic
30 rare
2 uncommon
22 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Creatures (2)
1
Worldspine Wurm
$13.99
Instants (25)
1
Spell Pierce
$0.35
4
Fiery Impulse
$2.36
3
Make Disappear
$2.37
4
Impulse
$1.40
4
Fire Prophecy
$3.16
4
Big Score
$7.96
Sorceries (4)
Enchantments (5)
1
Shark Typhoon
$8.99
60 Cards
$501.1
Sideboard
3
Rending Volley
$8.37
2
Negate
$0.70
3
Shark Typhoon
$26.97
15 Cards
$55.93

 Chris Ferber

Record: 7-1

Lotus Field Combo
Pioneer
Buy on TCGplayer $277.14
3 mythic
28 rare
12 uncommon
17 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Instants (4)
4
Impulse
$1.40
Enchantments (1)
1
Omniscience
$8.99
Lands (22)
1
Island
$0.01
4
Lotus Field
$21.96
60 Cards
$298.34
15 Cards
$83.61

Michael Martin Go

Record: 6-1-1

Azorius Control
Pioneer
Buy on TCGplayer $434.66
6 mythic
38 rare
7 uncommon
6 common
0
1
2
3
4
5
6+
Planeswalkers (6)
Instants (18)
2
Fateful Absence
$1.58
3
Censor
$1.05
3
Dovin's Veto
$16.47
4
Absorb
$1.96
2
Memory Deluge
$1.58
Sorceries (4)
3
Supreme Verdict
$8.97
1
Farewell
$12.99
Enchantments (6)
3
Shark Typhoon
$26.97
60 Cards
$346.42
Sideboard
1
Dream Trawler
$0.49
1
Dovin's Veto
$5.49
2
Aether Gust
$0.70
1
Farewell
$12.99
2
Rest in Peace
$2.98
1
Shark Typhoon
$8.99
15 Cards
$52.67
  • rose-emoji

    Network Administrator/Publisher

    rose-emoji started playing Magic: The Gathering during Battle for Zendikar, then took a break from the game until Throne of Eldraine. Pioneer got him back into Magic full-force, and the launch of Arena on mobile hooked him in forever. Now that his favorite format is working its way onto Arena, he can be found grinding the format to death. Only ever Grixis colors, but sometimes he can have a little Jund as a treat.

  • Tyrant Of Tales
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