Early 2000s Throwback Standard Gauntlet League
| Early 2000s Throwback Standard Gauntlet League | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magic: The Gathering Online | |||||
| Event Details | |||||
| Event date | May 31 to June 7, 2007 | ||||
| Format | Standard | ||||
| Themes and mechanics | Historical decks from Odyssey block Standards. | ||||
| Number of decks | 10 decks | ||||
| Deck size | 75 cards | ||||
| Magic Online Gauntlets | |||||
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| Digital preconstructed decks | |||||
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The third Throwback Standard Gauntlet on Magic Online covered the Masques block/Invasion block, Invasion block/Odyssey block and Odyssey block/Onslaught block eras[1]. It was held between May 31 and June 7, 2007.
Battle of Wits
A 259 card 
deck built around the alternate win-condition card Battle of Wits.
| “ | Yes, seriously. William Jensen made Top 8 of that same GP Milwaukee with a 244-card deck and swears to this day that it was a good deck choice and not a gimmick. He even convinced his teammate, Brock Parker, to run it in a Masters Series event. It's even better on Magic Online, of course, where you don't have to worry about shuffling it.[1] | ” |
Battle of Wits was the worst performing deck in the gauntlet[2]. It later featured in the Standard: Through the Ages Gauntlet in 2021[3].
Fires
A 
aggro deck.
| “ | The Fires deck burst onto the scene at Pro Tour Chicago in 2000, the first major event after Invasion was launched, when five different red-green beatdown decks made the Top 8. One even splashed white for Rith, the Awakener, which Brian Kibler famously enchanted with Armadillo Cloak and used to kill Jon Finkel, thus earning Kibler the "Dragonmaster" nickname he enjoys to this day. When Planeshift came out, the deck got even better by adding Flametongue Kavu, and when Apocalypse launched, most people added Fire // Ice to their lists. Throughout the year, the combo at the heart of the deck was the haste from Fires of Yavimaya, plus Blastoderm and especially Saproling Burst. Those two cards were balanced via fading, so getting in an extra attack step greatly increased their power level, and each card became capable of winning the game on its own.[1] | ” |
Creatures (20)
Instants (4)
Artifacts (4)
Fires was the fourth best performing deck in the Gauntlet[2].
Goblin Bidding
A Goblin typal deck. The list used for the event is Wolfgang Eder's from the 2003 World Championships, where he finished in the Top 8.
| “ | Goblin decks received a huge boost thanks to the Onslaught block. Goblin Piledriver and Goblin Warchief have become staples in many different formats, and the block includes plenty of other good utility goblins as well. This version of the goblin deck splashes black for Patriarch's Bidding, which gives the deck the ability to recover from enemy sweepers—usually the bane of an aggressive weenie swarm—or even to combo off with things like Goblin Sharpshooter and/or Siege-Gang Commander.[1] | ” |
Goblin Bidding was the best-performing deck in the event, with a win rate of 60%. It consequently was featured in the follow-up Best of Throwback Standard Gauntlet[2] and then later in 2021’s Standard: Through the Ages Gauntlet event[3].
There was a gold-bordered World Championship deck released of this deck in 2003.
Madness
A Tempo deck which took advantage of the synergy between the Madness and Flashback mechanics. This version was designed by the English player Ben Ronaldson.
| “ | When it was time to pick a decklist for Madness, I did the same thing everyone did back in the day: I asked Jeff Cunningham. While "ffeJ" had his biggest successes with the deck in Extended, he was quite influential on Standard as well, and his articles pretty much determined what people would be playing the next weekend. The version I'm using here comes from Invasion–Odyssey Standard because Yavimaya Coast was a better addition to the deck than anything in the Onslaught block. The list Jeff recommended is actually from another great deckbuilder: Ben Ronaldson. His "Hampton Court Palace" team crushed English Nationals in 2002 with a version they called Deep Dog, and all the versions that followed in the next year leaned heavily on their shell.[1] | ” |
Madness was the second best performing deck in the Gauntlet[2]. It later featured in 2021’s Standard: Through the Ages Gauntlet event[3].
Mono-black Control
A monoblack control deck as played by Justin Gary.
| “ | Good old Swamps; nothing beats Swamps. While it was most successful in Odyssey-block Constructed (thanks primarily to the black-focused Torment set), mono-black control did also cross over into Standard. Justin Gary used this version to make the US National team in 2003, and a similar version made the Top 8 of the European Championship that same summer. This deck has all the "Swamp matters" cards you would expect, along with the ability to sideboard in Nantuko Shades when it's time to beat down.[1] | ” |
This deck later featured in 2021’s Standard: Through the Ages Gauntlet event[3].
Psychatog
A control deck featuring the card Psychatog, as played by Carlos Romão to victory in the 2002 World Championships.
| “ | "Dr. Teeth" is one of the most famous creatures of its era, and the game plan of casting Upheaval while floating enough mana to follow up with a Psychatog remained incredibly powerful throughout the time those cards were in Standard. The rest of the deck is a solid control shell—removal, card drawing, and counterspells, but it's the 'Tog that ties it all together. Not only does it block, but it also fuels the Madness Counterspell Circular Logic and gains extra value from Flashback cards, but it also attacks for one gigantic hit thanks to all the cards that wind up in the graveyard naturally just from playing Magic. Especially when you cast Fact or Fiction. Players who lived through this era probably recognize the acronym EOTFOFYL. For the rest of you, prepare for "End of turn: Fact or Fiction. You lose." The version of the deck we're using here is, of course, the one Carlos Romão used to win the 2002 World Championship.[1] | ” |
This deck had also been released as part of the World Championship Decks series.
Rebels
A Rebel typal deck, as played by Kai Budde at Pro Tour Chicago.
| “ | Fires may have been the breakout deck at that Pro Tour Chicago, but it was a certain German Juggernaut who won the event using the main mechanic from the previous block: Rebels. At the time, Ramosian Sergeant was perhaps the most powerful one-mana creature ever printed due to its ability to recruit an entire army into play. The secret weapon in this deck, though, has to be Parallax Wave. Anyone who has drafted it in Cube can attest to the power of this enchantment. Between the Wave and the ability to sideboard in multiple Wrath of God variants and/or Armageddon, Kai was able to succeed despite all the new big monsters that had come out to play.[1] | ” |
Creatures (22)
Instants (4)
Artifacts (4)
Enchantments (4)
Sideboard (15)
Slide
A cycling-based control deck built around Astral Slide and Lightning Rift.
| “ | Gabe Walls Top 8'ed both US Nationals and also Worlds in 2003 with decks based around Astral Slide, Lightning Rift, and cycling cards. At Nationals, he splashed green, primarily for Krosan Tusker, but once Scourge came out, he was able to streamline things and play a two-color version at Worlds, complete with a Burning Wish sideboard.[1] | ” |
Sideboard (15)
1 Demolish
Slide was the third best performing deck in the Gauntlet[2].
Squirrel Opposition
A deck which generated Squirrel Tokens to activate the card Opposition, locking its opponent out of the game.
| “ | Wizards didn't use to run very many Grand Prix using the Standard format. When they held one in Milwaukee in May of 2002, it was the first Standard GP in three and a half years. It was also the most highly attended GP in North American history at the time (at 652 people) and, more interestingly, it had four different future Hall of Famers make the Top 8.
Mike Turian may be known primarily for his skill at Limited, but he made Top 4 in Milwaukee with a deck that then became a fixture in Standard, winning US Nationals (in the hands of teammate Eugene Harvey) and also make Top 8 at Worlds (in the hands of another member of Turian's playtesting team, Ken Krouner): Squirrel Opposition. Other versions of the same basic archetype took 2nd in Milwaukee in the hands of Patrick Chapin and 5th at Worlds via Sim Han How. The key to the deck is just what it sounds like from the title: make a horde of squirrels (with Squirrel's Nest) and use them to fuel Opposition, making your opponent's life miserable. Often, the right play is to tap their lands in their upkeep so they can't cast any more spells. Note that you can make your lock even stronger by sideboarding in the Static Orbs, which will turn off if you tap them on your opponent's end step, so you get all your permanents untapped every turn and they only get two (which you then probably tap with Opposition, of course).[1] |
” |
Creatures (17)
The Squirrel Opposition deck, played by Sim Han How to a Top 8 finish at the 2002 World Championships, was released as part of the World Championship Decks series.
Wake
A control deck featuring Mirari's Wake. The version used in the Gauntlet was played by Daniel Zink to win the 2003 World Championships.
| “ | Daniel Zink won Worlds in 2003 with this essentially creatureless control deck while three other versions of the deck also made the Top 8. The key to the deck is the eponymous enchantment Mirari's Wake. Once it's in play, the one-sided "mana flare" effect gives the Wake player tons of extra mana that can be used to deal with whatever threats the opponent is presenting, plus draw extra cards to steadily pull further and further ahead. (Note that the rules for Cunning Wish have changed such that you can no longer wish for cads that are in exile.)[1] | ” |
References
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Randy Buehler (May 24, 2017). "Throwback Standard Gauntlet 3: Early 2000s (website)". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on May 29, 2017. Retrieved on May 20, 2025.
- ↑ a b c d e Randy Buehler (November 29, 2017). "Best of Throwback Standard Gauntlet (website)". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved on May 20, 2025.
- ↑ a b c d David McDarby (October 5, 2021). "Standard: Through the Ages (website)". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on October 17, 2021. Retrieved on May 13, 2025.