Extended Academy deck

Academy is a blue-based combo deck that warped the metagame during the Combo Winter of 1998-99. The deck used Tolarian Academy and Mind Over Matter together with numerous card draw and artifact mana-producing cards to produce a game winning Stroke of Genius on the opponent. Most notably, the deck went to win the Pro Tour Rome in 1998.

The deck would attempt to put artifacts into play together with Tolarian Academy to produce large quantities of mana. Mind Over Matter would then be used to to repeatedly untap Academy for more mana. Cards to discard to Mind Over Matter would be drawn via Time Spiral and Windfall or occasionally a self-targeted Stroke of Genius. Once enough mana was produced, Stroke of Genius would be cast targeting the opponent, where that player's deck would be overdrawn.

While the deck was relatively short lived, since Mind Over Matter and Windfall would be banned not long after, there is still some discussion how the deck was to be best built for that time. Tommi Hovi won Pro Tour Rome in 1998 with a straight forward approach, going so far as the omit Wasteland maindeck in a format dominated by Academy decks. However, Mike Flores gave the opinion that Team CMU member Erik Lauer's approach in the same tournament was superior due to its increased speed and flexibility through Vampiric Tutor, one Stroke of Genius, one Mind Over Matter and its multi-faceted sideboard.^[1] The deck has been contrasted with Kai Budde's High Tide deck of the same period.

In 2008, Mike Flores called it the 4th best Extended deck of all time.^[2]

Academy - Tommi Hovi - Pro Tour Rome 1998