This Week in Legacy: Never Ending Spoiler Season
Howdy folks! It's time yet again for another edition of This Week in Legacy! I'm your host, Joe Dyer, and this week we're diving into a new Standard set in the form of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I've also got an update on the MTGO Decklist debacle from last week (a good one!) and a paper event from BCDL 24 (originally postponed due to weather from last month) and Challenges from last week.
Without further ado, let's dive right in!
MTGO Decklist Update
We have an update on the MTGO Decklist Debacle from last week. In what amounted to functionally 3-4 days worth of community feedback and pressure, Wizards of the Coast has decided to reverse the decision and revert the change entirely back to the existing Top 32 publications of decklists that existed prior to the announcement last Tuesday. You can find the announcement here.
The community pressure on this change was overwhelmingly against it, and for a lot of good reasons. The official reasoning for this was a claim that players were somehow inferring incorrect metagame information from online results to tabletop events. Reducing available information however will never force players to be "more creative about the metagame" or make better decisions about the metagame (the age old "puzzle" metaphor. Especially in older formats, it makes the formats look even worse, not better.
Wizards does state in their announcement that much of this decision was driven by the fact that there's a lot of MTGO data compared to tabletop data, and would like to figure out better ways to give aggregators (like Goldfish) a better representation of tabletop data and would be going back to the drawing board to figure out how to do this. Much of this relates solely to Standard, where they are trying to further drive tabletop engagement. There's a lot of ideas thrown about on how they can achieve this, so if you have feedback for them please reach out constructively and give it!
Thankfully Wizards was able to hear the feedback and listen to the community on this. I really appreciate seeing everyone recognize what an issue this was and step in and provide solid constructive feedback on the change.
Now back to our regularly scheduled programming!
Never-Ending Spoiler Season, Heroes in a Half Shell... Turtle Power
It really does seem like we just had Lorwyn Eclipsed doesn't it? It really does feel like we're stuck in the...
Okay yeah I had to use this joke. You're welcome. I hope it made you sing it in your head. It did for me. Anyways, yes we are looking ahead to a new Standard set, this time focused on the titular Turtles from New York in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I have to admit, I am pretty less upset over Universes Beyond sets in general, and I know this one has struck a nerve with some people. I do think it is a bit of a weird stretch for UB even, but we already got Spider-Man so here we are. We're going to look and see what cards could be playable in Legacy from this set. If you think I've missed something here, let me know in the comments so I can follow up on it.
One of the big new mechanics in this set is Sneak, which is like Ninjutsu, but can be put on noncreature spells as well as creatures. There are a number of interesting cards to talk about, so let's get to it... or as the kids say: Cowabunga? (This is funny to me because I am old enough to remember when this series originally came out)
Sewer-veillance Cam
There's been a bit of hubbub over this one, simply because it goes infinite with another artifact and Goblin Welder. That's pretty cool in of itself, so it is certainly in the realm of "potentially Legacy playable". Whether its good enough to really do well in Painter, or something similar, is a time will tell scenario, especially since Painter in general doesn't seem to be doing so great at the moment.
Splinter, Hamato Yoshi
Cheap Ninja lord can be very interesting. It being a 1/3 is nice, and Ninjas may be fringe but there's bound to be any number of interesting Ninjas in this set for that kind of strategy.
Splinter's Technique
Tamiyo flies and is usually unblocked. Just saying. Demonic Tutor anyone?
Super Shredder
This seems kind of neat. Crack a fetch, put a counter on. Crack a Bauble, put a counter on. We've seen how big Moonshadow gets but part of that is also the other ways that card can grow. Still, this could be sweet to play alongside Moonshadow.
Raphael's Technique
I don't know if this has any sort of play anywhere, but putting Wheel of Fortune on a sneak is kind of cute.
Skateboard
This card is ultra relevant because of Urza's Saga piles, and being able to just tap down a threat or a land or just about anything when ETB and then still getting similar bonus to Lavaspur Boots is pretty cool. I don't think the Ward matters as much to Lavaspur as one would think so this is a pretty solid upgrade.
Also, just imagine Marit Lage doing kickflips in a halfpipe. SIIIIIICK.
Tokka & Rahzhar, Terrible Twos
An uncounterable hate bear with menace? Woof. Also just being able to deal some damage up top for trying to counter stuff (cuz obviously people aren't hardcasting Force a lot) is pretty cool.
Buffalo Chicken Dip Legacy 24 - Houston, TX
This past weekend was the Buffalo Chicken Dip Legacy 24 event. Originally, this event was supposed to take place on January 24, but was rescheduled due to the weather to February 22nd. This event took place at Asgard Games in Houston, TX. This event had 58 players competing for some great prizes!
You can find all the decklists for this event here and the data sheet here.
Dimir Tempo was the most played deck of this event, but its win rate was decidedly awful. Of the decks, Boros Energy did the best by putting both its pilots into the Top 8.
Let's take a look at the Top 8.
| Deck Name | Placing | Player Name |
|---|---|---|
| Death and Taxes - BW (Yorion) | 1st | Colin Logan |
| Boros Energy | 2nd | London Glenn |
| Eldrazi | 3rd | Alan Beltran |
| Boros Energy | 4th | Quincy Huhn |
| Azorius Stoneblade | 5th | Jacob Lombas |
| Lands | 6th | Graeme Roberts |
| Aluren and Tell | 7th | Sean Stone |
| Aluren and Tell | 8th | Michael Batista |
Half of the Top 8 was just Boros and Aluren! Neat thing to see. At the end of the event, it was D&T that won in the hands of Colin Logan.
This looks pretty solid for D&T. I know we've seen a fair bit of Mono White creeping back up here or there, but cards like Overlord of the Balemurk are pretty hard to ignore.
In Second Place, we had London Glenn on Boros Energy.
Jegantha is kind of interesting as a bit of a late game threat you can play out if you grind that long. I also really like the main deck Forth Eorlingas!
Looking for Feedback - Challenge Event Coverage
It's still early enough in 2026, and one thing I would like to start doing is to try to refine things within the article series and see what people might like to see from a Challenge Event Coverage perspective. Right now, I cover every Challenge event in a week, which when we only had 2-3 Challenges a week was not so bad, but now we have FIVE Challenges per week and that doesn't include other events that can occur like RC Qualifiers, Showcase events, etc.
The end result of this as you are aware is that the article can often feel like a decklist dump, especially during slow news weeks in the format. Often times it also means that a lot of the lists end up being the same as I am generally covering the 1st/2nd place list and at least one other list either in the Top 8 or Top 32 that wasn't one that showed up in the other events. Again, it certainly does end up being a lot.
I have an official feedback form linked here as to collect feedback on a few ways that I could approach a change to this. Here are the options laid out on the form:
- Keep everything the same as it has been. This means zero changes and people like the way it's working right now.
- Providing a weekly graphical breakdown: There are three sets of options associated with this, but essentially, I would aggregate the events for the week and display it as graphical data to give people a sense of where the metagame was specifically for that week. This is something I've considered doing anyway, because I think it could be valuable information. It is a slightly larger bit of work, but not a huge lift.
- Option 1 of this is to do the weekly graph and still keep everything the same
- Option 2 is to do the weekly graph and then only cover an event in depth if anything is interesting or worth talking about in that event. This would mean I would link to all of the data sheets/top 32s for each event that week, but then only events that have something worth talking about would be covered with their own graph, etc.
- Option 3 is to do the weekly graph and stop covering 1st/2nd Place and only cover any interesting decklists in the event (which possibly could also be in 1st/2nd place). I personally like this option the least because I know people who make it to the finals of events love to see their names in lights.
I would absolutely appreciate it if you used the form linked above to provide this feedback as to what you might like to see. I really appreciate all the readers and I think it's important to grow and change over time, and I would rather make a change that people are interested in seeing the execution of than throwing darts at a board on it.
Legacy Challenge 32 2/18/2026
The first Challenge event of the week was the Wednesday event. This event had 53 players in it, thanks to the MTGO website. This one was also unfortunately the lone event posted during the Decklist debacle so we only have Top 8.
You can find the Top 8 decklists for this event here and the data sheet here.
Dimir Tempo was the most played deck of the event, and despite a Top 8 it had a less than 50% win rate. Beans did very well, as did Oops and Mardu.
Let's take a look at the Top 8.
| Deck Name | Placing | MTGO Username |
|---|---|---|
| Affinity Stompy | 1st | kasa |
| Dimir Tempo | 2nd | mechrataal |
| Oops! All Spells | 3rd | choutin |
| Mardu Energy | 4th | cicciogire |
| Beanstalk Control (Non-Yorion) | 5th | Harry1232 |
| Red Stompy | 6th | The_Lion1 |
| Beanstalk Control (Non-Yorion) | 7th | TeaW1thRum |
| Beanstalk Control (Non-Yorion) | 8th | kyataoka |
Good amount of Beans here, but the event was won by Affinity.
Memory Guardian as just a big old 3/4 flier for U is pretty cool. It's pretty easy to gum up the air combat with those kinds of stats or just have evasion to close the game out.
In Second Place, we had Dimir Tempo.
This is pretty straightforward and stock. Not much to really say here.
Also in the Top 8 we had Mardu Energy.
I have seen a few lists that have built in Hexing Squelcher to this deck, but I think that card works best for Boros variants, as Mardu is just too stretched and you have to consider the overlap with Voice of Victory. I like this particular list. It's great to see Cabal Therapy as a Legacy card again.
Legacy Challenge 32 2/20/2026
The second Challenge event of the week was the Friday event. This event had 50 players in it thanks to the MTGO website.
You can find the Top 32 decklists for this event here and the data sheet here.
Dimir Tempo was the most played deck but it got absolutely dumpstered in win rate with a 34.78% non-mirror. Izzet did much better, as did Oops and Sneak.
Let's take a look at the Top 8.
| Deck Name | Placing | MTGO Username |
|---|---|---|
| Sneak and Show | 1st | silenttrigger |
| Azorius Riddler | 2nd | Chris_McNasty |
| Aluren and Tell | 3rd | Otazz |
| Izzet Tempo | 4th | JoaoCelestini |
| Izzet Tempo | 5th | swarmofbees |
| Red Stompy | 6th | _Batutinha_ |
| Rakdos Reanimator | 7th | Magic_Dads71522 |
| Umori Energy | 8th | DominiqueTutor |
Pretty interesting Top 8. At the end of the event, it was Sneak and Show that won.
I think it's pretty safe to say that Hexing Squelcher is a major sideboard card for this deck. It seems like a really good way of ensuring you can push through your threats.
In Second Plac,e we had Azorius Riddler.
I love Stifle with both Phelia and Riddler. Lots of ways that you can abuse both card's effects with it. Blink out an opponent's blocker? Stifle the return trigger and it stays gone forever. Warping in Riddler and stifling the end step trigger is also pretty common.
At the bottom of this Top 8 we had Umori Energy.
Absolutely wild continuing to see this deck. I hope this deck is good, not going to lie. It seems super duper sweet.
Legacy Challenge 32 2/21/2026
The third Challenge event of the week was the Saturday event. This event had 41 players in it thanks to the MTGO website.
You can find the Top 32 decklists for this event here and the data sheet here.
Both Dimir and Oops were the most-played decks of the event, and both had really good win rates. Eldrazi was also great here, as was Omni. Izzet and Sneak and Show seemed to suffer.
Let's take a look at the Top 8.
| Deck Name | Placing | MTGO Username |
|---|---|---|
| Dimir Tempo | 1st | Venom1 |
| Oops! All Spells | 2nd | choutin |
| Selesnya Depths | 3rd | Sol-e22558 |
| Rakdos Reanimator | 4th | Capitano_CL |
| Oops! All Spells | 5th | TheGrimLavamancer |
| Dimir Tempo | 6th | Oceansoul92 |
| Affinity Stompy | 7th | eyeofugin |
| Omni-Tell | 8th | RIDDLE0423 |
Half the event is Dimir and Oops, so its fitting that the winner was Dimir.
This is indeed a Dimir Tempo list! At the very least it's not playing Hymn to Tourach.
In Second Place we had Oops.
The primary juke here is the Belcher juke, but the deck also has some ways to interact from the sideboard with Force of Vigor. Choutin had a pretty good run this week with two out of the five events.
Outside of the Top 8 we had some Beans.
The big thing that stuck out at me here was the copy of Aang, Swift Savior. You can use Aang to airbend out your Riddlers so you can cast them for 2 on a follow-up turn, which is pretty sweet. You can also just keep blinking Aang with Phelia to keep it up.
Legacy Challenge 32 2/22/2026 - 1
The fourth Challenge event of the week was the first Sunday event. This event had 38 players in it thanks to the MTGO website.
You can find the Top 32 decklists for this event here and the data sheet here.
Dimir Tempo was the most played deck of the event, and it had a good win rate. Oops did very well here, as did Izzet.
Let's take a look at the Top 8.
| Deck Name | Placing | MTGO Username |
|---|---|---|
| Oops! All Spells | 1st | choutin |
| Doomsday | 2nd | wumbowizard |
| Izzet Tempo | 3rd | kentaro_hokori |
| Dimir Tempo | 4th | Sergio702 |
| Dimir Reanimator | 5th | Eureka22422 |
| Eldrazi | 6th | ayukawa |
| Dimir Tempo | 7th | nekoyama2 |
| Oops! All Spells | 8th | TheGrimLavamancer |
Fair bit of Tempo here. At the end of the event it was Oops that one, by choutin.
I have always found choutin's deckbuilding pretty interesting. It generally seems to be a build that very much works for their play style and tends to be very different than other Oops builds out there.
In Second Place we had Doomsday.
Very focused on the ABCD's (Always Be Casting Doomsday), and I like it. It's clean and straightforward, and doesn't need a Tamiyo to be good. Spectral Restitching is also a super sweet card out of the sideboard.
Also in this Top 8 we had Dimir Reanimator.
I had to do a bit of a double-take here because usually Eureka is a Doomsday player. This is a cool list. I like Tainted Indulgence quite a bit. Very neat card.
Legacy Challenge 32 2/22/2026 - 2
The final Challenge event of the week was the second Sunday event. This event had 72 players in it thanks to the MTGO website.
You can find the Top 32 decklists for this event here and the data sheet here.
Dimir Tempo was the most played deck of the event, and it had a strong win rate. Aluren did very well, as did Cradle Control.
Let's take a look at the Top 8.
| Deck Name | Placing | MTGO Username |
|---|---|---|
| Dimir Tempo | 1st | minyafriend |
| Doomsday | 2nd | wonderPreaux |
| Doomsday | 3rd | monkeyscantcry |
| Aluren and Tell | 4th | einstein9998 |
| Esper Vial | 5th | Carroz |
| Lands | 6th | Poliser |
| Dimir Tempo | 7th | Aced5 |
| Dimir Tempo | 8th | demmers |
Pretty Tempo-heavy Top 8. At the end of the event, it was Dimir Tempo.
This is fairly stock. Not much of a big shift in anything here.
In Second Place, we had Doomsday.
This has a bit of the Tempo game plan with Tamiyo and a Bowmasters. There's also a fair number of cards in the sideboard that boost a Tempo plan like Barrowgoyf.
Also in this Top 8 we had Esper Vial.
There's some pretty cool cards here. I love Aang, Swift Savior in these kinds of lists. It gets to really abuse the ETBs of a bunch of cards and that's pretty cool.
Legacy RC Qualifier 2/21/2026
This past weekend was also a Legacy RC Qualifier event, in which the two finalists earn a qualification for an upcoming Regional Championship event. This particular event had 106 players in it thanks to the MTGO website, which is pretty solid!
You can find the Top 32 decklists for this event here and the data sheet here.
Sneak and Show was the most played deck of the event, but its overall win rate was pretty medium. Dimir and Izzet tied for metagame, but Izzet performed way better. Lands also performed very well. Oops did not do well here.
Let's take a look at the Top 8.
| Deck Name | Placing | MTGO Username |
|---|---|---|
| Lands | 1st | theMutz |
| Izzet Tempo | 2nd | Gabri091 |
| Boros Energy | 3rd | Suzukiii |
| Doomsday | 4th | rootpon |
| Izzet Tempo | 5th | TrueHero |
| Lands | 6th | CCdsmash |
| Orzhov Energy | 7th | Rosiedog88 |
| Izzet Tempo | 8th | O_danielakos |
Very interesting Top 8. Good amount of Izzet Tempo. However, the event was won by Lands.
Vibrance is pretty sweet as an option for Lands, I feel. You can do some pretty groovy stuff with it, and realistically it's a land in a pinch if you need it. Since it gets any land, that's pretty sweet.
In Second Place we had Izzet Tempo.
Main deck Hexing Squelcher is pretty gross, especially if you can drop at least two of them. Making removing your Murktides a pain while also making your stuff uncounterable is groovy.
Also in this Top 8 we had Boros Energy.
I like the pair of Squelchers here as a boost to the Voice of Victory effect, but it also has the upside of making your creatures hard to get rid of with targeted removal. Sand Scout is also amusing, since it can go find Lazotep Quarry which can then Eternalize a threat that's died. Really sick stuff.
Around the Web
- IN RESPONSE has a new episode! Check it out here.
- Fenruscloud is playing some Dimir Reanimator. Check it out here.
The Spice Corner
Now that Leagues are posted throughout the week, let's find some Spice!
How many Shadows? ALL THE SHADOWS.
Wrapping Up
That's all the time we have this week, folks! Thanks for continuing to support the column and join us next week as we continue our journey into Legacy!
As alway,s you can reach me at all my associated links via my Link Tree! In addition, I'm always around the MTGGoldfish Discord Server and the MTGLegacy Discord Server.
Until next time!
