Hello everyone, my name is Fioletti Niccolò, and on MTGO I'm known as Lemure90. I'm one of the organizers of the PGG League in Vicenza, along with Gazzola Gianluca and Giglio Luca: a community that has kept my desire to play this format alive. I'd like to take this opportunity to give my first, much-deserved thanks to the founders of the League — Toni Creazza, Max Scalchi, and Ace (Alessandro) Ventura — because, without their desire, about ten years ago, to create and maintain this community (based in Vicenza but extending to Triveneto and our friends in Ferrara), neither Alex Matteazzi nor I would probably have reached the Top 8 at Eternal Weekend Europe.
I've been playing Magic for about fifteen years, and I got into Legacy 7–8 years ago, coming from Modern. Ever since I started playing competitive tournaments, I've always had a very clear characteristic: I've never played a Tier 1 deck in my life, because I don't find satisfaction in winning with something already established.
My definitive transition from Modern to Legacy happened by experimenting with Humans in Legacy, initially almost as a joke: I wanted to approach the format with an inexpensive deck, not yet having the duals, and Humans was a choice that allowed me to enter Legacy without excessive investment.
I put it to the test at my first real Legacy tournament, the Nebraska’s War. And that's where one of my biggest satisfactions came, before a few days ago: making Top 8 in both Modern and Legacy with Humans.
In subsequent years, Magic took a backseat, and I always played purely for fun, until about a year and a half ago, when the desire to play seriously and competitively returned.
Following this return, about eight months ago, I drafted the first version of this deck. In the following months, through testing, modifications, and continuous games, the deck evolved, reaching the version that led to the results we'll discuss in this article.
The Tournament
- Event: Eternal Weekend Europe – Legacy-
- Location and date: Lucca, Italy – November 29-30, 2025
- Number of players: 965, very high competitive level
- Personal goal: to test my Orzhov Tokens deck after many months of testing, in the most important Legacy format tournament.
I want to congratulate the organizers (4Season&Boose) for the splendid event: it was my first EW, but everything went smoothly, and the food was fantastic!
Deck Genesis
Where the idea for the deck comes from: Initially I wanted to play Force of Will, Daze, and Thoughtseize, but the more I tried to make lists, the more I realized I wouldn't be able to bring anything different from others. So I came to the conclusion that I wanted to play without blue and build a deck based on Thoughtseize + Cabal Therapy, suffering more from main deck combos in exchange for favorable matchups against tempo/midrange decks.
The first versions: from Rakdos to a white splash: The project started with a very aggro Rakdos list, built around Cabal Therapy, Cori-Steel Cutter, Amped Raptor, Dragon's Rage Channeler, Mishra's Bauble, and Urza's Bauble.
From there, a slight white splash emerged to introduce Ajani, Nacatl Pariah, Swords to Plowshares, and some key sideboard cards. This Mardu version had very high potential, but at the same time, it self-destructed due to the lands (many specific colored 1-drops and you often died to Wasteland).
White becomes indispensable: What was supposed to be a simple splash quickly turned into a fundamental color. White provided structure, reliable removal, clean answers, and a resilience that Rakdos completely lacked.
Given the metagame at the time, I couldn't afford to give up Wasteland, and playing Mardu made everything too fragile (the same applies to the latest Mardu Energy version). So I definitively switched to Orzhov.
Deck Evolution: The Three Main Changes
First change – Invitational Legacy
The first significant version concerns the list I played at the Legacy Invitational. This list was less explosive and focused more on control thanks to 2-for-1 cards, and with it, I managed to reach Top 8.
Pikula Tokens
- 4 × Ajani, Nacatl Pariah
- 4 × Orcish Bowmasters
- 4 × Overlord of the Balemurk
- 4 × Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
- 4 × Solitude
- 2 × Barrowgoyf
- 2 × Witch Enchanter
- 4 × Swords to Plowshares
- 4 × Cabal Therapy
- 4 × Thoughtseize
- 4 × Staff of the Storyteller
- 4 × Marsh Flats
- 4 × Wasteland
- 2 × Karakas
- 2 × Plains
- 2 × Polluted Delta
- 2 × Scrubland
- 2 × Swamp
- 1 × Prismatic Vista
- 1 × Shadowy Backstreet
Prima Versione
I liked this version of the deck because it had a lot of permanents capable of generating board advantage, such as Staff of the Storyteller, Overlord of the Balemurk, Orcish Bowmasters, and Ajani, Nacatl Pariah. Every card was somehow a "plus one," and the deck aimed to pressure the opponent by forcing them to use removals and resources to deal with each threat.
Second Change – Four Seasons
Four months later, in preparation for the Four Seasons, noting that the deck suffered against aggressive strategies like UR with Cori-Steel Cutter, I introduced Guide of Souls and Ocelot Pride to increase the number of 1-cost cards, redistributing some 2-cost spells to improve the curve. These changes allowed me to reach Top 8 at the Four Seasons with the following deck:
Pikula Tokens
- 4 × Guide of Souls
- 4 × Ocelot Pride
- 4 × Orcish Bowmasters
- 4 × Solitude
- 3 × Ajani, Nacatl Pariah
- 3 × Overlord of the Balemurk
- 3 × Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
- 2 × Witch Enchanter
- 4 × Swords to Plowshares
- 4 × Cabal Therapy
- 4 × Thoughtseize
- 2 × Staff of the Storyteller
- 4 × Marsh Flats
- 4 × Wasteland
- 2 × Karakas
- 2 × Plains
- 2 × Scrubland
- 2 × Swamp
- 1 × Polluted Delta
- 1 × Prismatic Vista
- 1 × Shadowy Backstreet
- 4 × Disruptor Flute
- 3 × Faerie Macabre
- 2 × Deafening Silence
- 2 × Prismatic Ending
- 2 × Stony Silence
- 2 × Surgical Extraction
Seconda Versione
Third Change – Eternal Weekend
In preparation for Eternal Weekend, I waited for the Banned List to check for any necessary changes. Subsequent tests led to only one main change compared to the Four Seasons list, related to the mana base, as about 50% of the lands did not provide black mana, often forcing me to mulligan.
Furthermore, I also updated the sideboard, removing some graveyard hate cards and adding Static Prison, which allowed me to better manage key threats like Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student, Barrowgoyf, and Murktide Regent, utilizing the synergy with Guide of Souls and, if desired, with Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd (not to mention being able to remove my own Overlord of the Balemurk and then return it to gain 2 energy), and Damping Sphere to have an additional solution against UB Post, Forg ia, Eldrazi, and various combos.
This is the list I put together that helped me fulfill a dream:
Pikula Tokens
- 4 × Ajani, Nacatl Pariah
- 4 × Guide of Souls
- 4 × Ocelot Pride
- 4 × Orcish Bowmasters
- 3 × Overlord of the Balemurk
- 3 × Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
- 3 × Solitude
- 4 × Swords to Plowshares
- 4 × Cabal Therapy
- 4 × Thoughtseize
- 2 × Staff of the Storyteller
- 4 × Marsh Flats
- 4 × Scrubland
- 4 × Wasteland
- 2 × Arid Mesa
- 2 × Karakas
- 2 × Plains
- 1 × Bloodstained Mire
- 1 × Shadowy Backstreet
- 1 × Swamp
- 4 × Disruptor Flute
- 4 × Static Prison
- 2 × Deafening Silence
- 2 × Stony Silence
- 2 × Surgical Extraction
- 1 × Damping Sphere
Top 4 - Eternal Weekend Europe 2025 @ Lucca
If anyone wonders why I didn't include Voice of Victory, the reason is simple: you tap two and do nothing. It's one thing to have an evasive Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd possibly protected by Karakas; it's another to—at best—eat one mana from your opponent only for them to cast removal the next turn. Without Guide of Souls, a flipped Ajani, Nacatl Pariah, or at the very least, Staff of the Storyteller, it does little in this deck: I preferred to lose the possibility of dealing damage with Ajani and instead have the chance to win some games with Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd/Overlord of the Balemurk, which is a card that generates advantage even on its own, can mill for Cabal Therapy, and retrieves Solitude when needed.
Before the tournament, I expected a very diverse metagame, partly due to the recent banned list, with many tempo decks like UB/UR, which I felt slightly favored against, and combos like Doomsday, Show, Sneak&Show, and Forgia, as well as Cradle, Affinity, and UB Post. My goal was to avoid all decks that set up on turn 1 by winning the die roll: my number one enemy was Oops All Spells, followed by Forgia and Affinity.
Moreover, I was "terrified" by the synergies with the new mole Badger-Mole Cub from Cradle, a recently released card against which I had few matches under my belt (I felt better about Katara and Wan Shi Tong thanks to Karakas and discards).
Without further ado: let's start with the report!
Eternal Weekend Report
As I said before, I never expected to make Top 8, so I only have the nicknames Melee gives me for the players, and I have some gaps in many games, as I didn't keep a game-by-game report (I hope I haven't mixed up the order of some matchups).
Day 1
Round 1 – Artsipappa | GR Stompy 2/0
G1 I win the die roll, start with land + Guide of Souls. Opponent plays Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes on turn one. I play Wasteland, Ajani, Nacatl Pariah, attack the planeswalker. He plays Taiga and taps it and Ancient Tomb for Broadside Bombardiers; pumps the Bombardiers on the planeswalker. I cast Solitude from hand (third energy of Guide). He passes without attacking: next turn I play two Wasteland on two lands and attack the planeswalker again (he concedes).
G2 he starts with Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes again, I bounce with Karakas, slowly gain advantage and win.
Side in: 4 Static Prison and 2 Disruptor Flute
Side out: 4 Cabal Therapy and 2 Staff of the Storyteller
Round 2 – _Pady_ | Grixis Wizards 2/1
I don't remember the specifics very well: G1 I win it quite easily thanks to Thoughtseize + Cabal Therapy + Ajani, Nacatl Pariah.
Side in: 3 Static Prison
Side out: 2 Ocelot Pride and 1 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
G2 seems won on board with high life totals for both; he plays Mystic Sanctuary and puts Brainstorm on top with nothing in hand and "Otter" down. From there he'll cast 3 Flame of Anor in 3 turns and turn the game around.
G3 he doesn't see the third color and I play my game.
Side in: 2 Ocelot Pride
Side out: 1 Static Prison and 1 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
Round 3 – Enrico Donisi | UB splash G 0/2
G1 he starts with Island + Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student (the worst non-combo opening I can face). I open with 2x Swords to Plowshares, Solitude, Karakas, 3x land, and Guide of Souls. I think about it a lot: if Tamiyo flips, I lose, but if I use two removals immediately (Plow and Solitude), I'm left with an empty hand. I decide to risk a Brainstorm next turn and play Karakas. Brainstorm arrives: Solitude is countered by Force of Will and we go to G2 in 4 turns.
G2 I start with land + Ocelot Pride; he plays Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student. I cast Swords to Plowshares, which resolves because he doesn't have Force of Will and has to play Orcish Bowmasters on Ocelot. From there, he'll play 3 Nethergoyf
and a Barrowgoyf: nothing I can do. I lack one removal to stall and then gain advantage with Staff of the Storyteller + flipped Ajani.
Side in: 3 Static Prison
Side out: 2 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd, 1 Overlord of the Balemurk
G4 and G5 | UR Delver 2/0
I think I played against UR Delver first, then an Italian guy with UB Tempo: unfortunately I'm not sure, and the nicknames on Melee don't help (Cmr83 and LorG18).
G1 I lose the die roll and he starts with Dragon's Rage Channeler. I don't remember the subsequent plays, but I decide to go down to 4 life to play safe and then recover with two Guide of Souls. He doesn't have double Lightning Bolt and I win.
G2 I don't remember it at all; I know I was more aggressive than him and closed with two Static Prison in hand.
Side in: 4 Static Prison
Side out: 2 Cabal Therapy and 2 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
- UB Tempo 2/0
I don't remember the specifics (after months of testing, they're always the same). My apologies to my opponent: we then stopped for a few minutes to chat about the decks and about his turn 1 Thoughtseize discarding Ajani, Nacatl Pariah with Overlord of the Balemurk in hand, which I then retrieved the next turn.
Side in: 3 Static Prison
Side out: 2 Ocelot Pride and 1 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
Round 6 – Alessio Fedi | Jeskai Wizards 2/1
My heart warms when I read his name: besides being a friend and a wonderful person, he is also a very high-level opponent.
Since these were long games, I don't remember the exact flow. I know that in G1 I won with discards and he couldn't resolve Flame of Anor.
G2 was balanced: I couldn't gain an advantage, and the first Anor broke my legs; I never recovered (if I remember correctly, he closed with Back to Basics).
G3 I opened with Thoughtseize + Cabal Therapy and kept. I cast Seize and he played Force of Will. Next turn I drew another Seize and from there I destroyed his hand (which also contained Wrath of the Skies).
Side in: 2 Surgical Extraction and 2 Static Prison
Side out: 3 Solitude and 1 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
Round 7 – Il_Divino_Menca | Sneak&Show 2/0
A very pleasant and friendly guy who, despite the loss, stayed to chat. He also qualified for Day 2.
G1 he mulligans to 5. I set up well; at one point he's low on life, and on his last turn, he finds the last combo piece. He casts Show and Tell, and I have an untapped mana and in hand Ajani, Nacatl Pariah/Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd/Staff of the Storyteller. I decide to put down two pieces with Staff; he casts Sneak Attack and Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. I draw hoping for Solitude and I draw it. Sacrificing lands, Staff, and some tokens, I would have had lethal in two turns, but I prefer to cast Solitude and win two turns later.
G2 I don't remember it well. I know I cast Thoughtseize on him, seeing land, petal, Show and Tell, Emrakul, and Sneak in hand. Instead of taking Emrakul, I decide to risk a turn because the following turn he could only draw Ancient Tomb or petal to cast Sneak and activate it. He doesn't draw it, he plays a land, and the next turn I cast Disruptor Flute on Sneak; from there, within 1–2 turns, I discard Emrakul and win.
Side in: 4 Disruptor Flute, 4 Static Prison, 2 Surgical Extraction
Side out: 4 Swords to Plowshares, 3 Overlord of the Balemurk, 3 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
Round 8 – Michel Kohn
Mix between Post and Show (no Post lands, only Tower/Glimmerpost/Tomb) 1/1, draw with a dramatic ending.
G1 he starts with Once Upon a Time and fetches a Tower: I think it's Gpost. Turn 2 he plays Glimmerpost and Stock Up; I play... I don't remember exactly what, but he casts Force of Will removing Tamiyo. I would need a Thoughtseize/Cabal Therapy for information, but it doesn't arrive. At one point I have lethal on board and he plays The One Ring. I have Orcish Bowmasters, I draw Seize but he has protection. He will spend the next three turns playing Rings and searching, then closing in one turn with Show and Tell, Omniscience, Emrakul, Show, etc.
G2 I immediately assert myself with creatures and discards. I have two Wasteland in hand but he starts with three Islands: he can't make the chain of Rings, he doesn't close the combo and concedes.
G3 I think I'm winning it: I play Damping Sphere and have the combo Guide of Souls + Ocelot Pride
. He plays The One Ring. I set up more; on his turn he finds Karn, the Great Creator and gets Engineered Explosives. I reach 26 life with many tokens, I can't close and I kill Karn. He plays Explosives for 2, sacrifices them to break the Sphere (along with flipped Ajani and other things) and has the mana to cast Show and Tell, Omni and takes an additional Emrakul turn. He untaps and makes me draw everything to search for the second Emrakul: he casts Atraxa, Grand Unifier, looks at the last 10 cards and it's not there. He attacks and I'm left at 11 by sacrificing 6 tokens. He starts doing nonsense in main phase 2 (like Tamiyo), probably hoping I would concede. I ask him if it's over and offer my hand for the draw: he says yes and the drama begins. After 20 minutes of reconstruction with various judges, the draw is confirmed.
Side in: 4 Disruptor Flute, 1 Damping Sphere
Side out: 4 Swords to Plowshares, 1 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
I finished Day 1 with a 6/1/1 record.
Day 2
Round 9 – Eduardo Ancini | UB Tempo 2/0
G1 I don't remember it; I think he mulliganed, and I left him behind on lands with Wasteland.
G2 he casts a Brainstorm
to no effect, failing to find a land.
Side in: 3 Static Prison
Side out: 2 Ocelot Pride and 1 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
Round 10 – Alexander Kohles | UB Tempo 2/1
G1 I win the die roll, apply pressure, and gain advantage with Cabal Therapy and board.
Side in: 3 Static Prison
Side out: 2 Ocelot Pride and 1 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
G2 we both mulligan to 6. I keep a one-land hand because I have all 1-cost cards and I risk it: I get Wasteland on turn 2, the second land arrives late, and he draws two more Wastelands on my subsequent lands.
Side in: 2 Ocelot Pride
Side out: 1 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd, 1 Overlord of the Balemurk
G3 balanced game: at one point I draw Ajani, flip him with Therapy in the graveyard, and then enter the Ajani/Staff combo, winning in the long run by drawing two cards per turn.
Round 11 – Giuseppe Campana | Oops All Spells 2/1
I end up on camera with my worst matchup: perfect. The game is on Twitch, I won't transcribe it turn by turn. I'll just note that in G3, after a mulligan, he drew the eighth card by mistake, allowing me to look at his hand and make him put a card on the bottom of his library.
Side in: 4 Disruptor Flute, 2 Surgical Extraction, 2 Deafening Silence (no Stony Silence because I know he doesn't side in Belcher)
Side out: 3 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd, 3 Overlord of the Balemurk, 2 Orcish Bowmasters
Round 12 – Clemènt Rieutort | Red Eldrazi 2/0
He was the guy who later reached the final. Against Eldrazi, I lose if he starts with Chalice of the Void and I don't see Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd; otherwise, in tests, I almost always won (here he doesn't see Chalice).
Side in: 1 Damping Sphere and 4 Static Prison
Side out: 4 Cabal Therapy and 1 Orcish Bowmasters
Round 13 – Eyal Zucherman | UB Tempo 2/1
I was on camera, but the match isn't published. He seemed unsociable but turned out to be friendly and kind.
I win G1 and G3. I only know that he played Wan Shi Tong, which I always discarded or bounced with Karakas and then discarded with Cabal Therapy, like Tamiyo, Inquisitive Student.
Standard sideboarding against Dimir: it depends on whether I'm on the play or on the draw if I keep two Ocelot Pride, because of Orcish Bowmasters.
Round 14
There are three of us with the same result; we can draw for Top 8. I have the luck (and joy) of finding my teammate Alex Matteazzi: we jump for joy and both secure our spot in Top 8. I finish the Day 2 Swiss with an honest 5/0/1.
Top 8
I immediately faced Eyal Zucherman again. A friendly but serious match.
I win 2/0.
G1 a flipped Ajani slips past him and he can't deal with it.
Being an open list, I see he doesn't have Engineered Explosives/Toxic Deluge, but the classic Barrowgoyf, edicts; I have to be careful of Consign to Memory (especially on Phelia's enters-the-battlefield triggers) and, if he wishes, Harbinger of the Seas.
G2 he starts fetch-island-Tamiyo and I realize he's having trouble with lands. I don't have Plow, so I bounce with Karakas. He plays an Island and stays open; I play Wasteland and Guide. He plays blue mana and Daze, end Brainstorm. Next turn Island + Ponder, shuffles, then doesn't play a land for a turn: I have three turns to gain advantage and I set up Staff of the Storyteller + flipped Ajani. He sees a swamp, but without mass removal, he has no chance.
Side in: 3 Static Prison
Side out: 2 Ocelot Pride and 1 Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd
Top 4 – Tommaso Ciampolini | Affinity 1/2
Friendly atmosphere. I look at his list and see he's playing the version with Chalice of the Void: disaster.
G1 he starts (first in Swiss). I mulligan and keep a hand with Island/Wasteland/Phelia, Exuberant Shepherd and 3 black cards. I keep hoping he plays Chalice, then I can return it to 0 with Phelia. And so it was: I win without ever seeing a black land, with 5 black cards in hand (including Overlord of the Balemurk from the opening hand: an additional reason why I kept).
Side in: 2 Stony Silence, 2 Disruptor Flute, 2 Static Prison
Side out: 2 Staff of the Storyteller, 4 Cabal Therapy
At this point I start hoping I can make it, being better positioned with the sideboard.
G2 an inconsequential hand. He starts with Thought Monitor, 4 flyers, and Patchwork Automaton. I try for a turn and concede.
Side in: 2 Deafening Silence
Side out: 2 Orcish Bowmasters
G3 I mulligan. I see a decent hand because I have Deafening Silence; the rest is a bit slow (Overlord, removal…). He immediately forces the Silence and starts strong with Patchwork Automaton and Urza's Saga on turn 1. I don't see any other sideboard cards. At one point I play Overlord hoping for Solitude or Ajani, but it doesn't mill creatures. He then plays Ancient Tomb, Haywire Mite, and Aether Spellbomb. He attacks; I have Plow and draw Phelia with 3 mana. His end step he makes a Construct: if he doesn't draw a 0-cost card in the two cards (one from Spellbomb) I can hope to save myself. Instead, he gets Lavaspur Boots, makes mana to equip; I Plow, he sacrifices Spellbomb and attacks for lethal. Phelia has to block and so my adventure ends.
Conclusions
Perhaps 4 Static Prison were excessive: I will definitely trim 1–2 to go back to playing Prismatic Ending, which is more effective against decks like UR Delver, Cradle, Forg ia, Mardu, etc. Until a few days before the tournament, I also played a mono-copy Serenity, which could fit in place of a Prison; I removed it, accepting to lose to overly fast starts.
The deck performed as I expected against tempo decks. I was lucky to find many UB matchups, especially on Day 2, and to avoid decks like Forg ia which, if they set up on turn 1 in G1, you never catch up.
At least 50% of my opponents were not perfectly familiar with Guide of Souls, Ocelot Pride, and Ajani, Nacatl Pariah. I therefore deduce that some made evaluation errors or underestimated the potential of the cards and synergies.
I found the current metagame very diverse and quite balanced; my impression is that everyone was super-equipped to beat Forg ia, which in my opinion always has an edge (despite not having achieved a good result).
Before saying goodbye, I wanted to thank all my league mates and beyond who supported me: you are fantastic. A special thank you to David Peretti who, despite myself, is one of the dearest people I have in and outside MTG and is the only person with whom I share everything concerning game strategies, testing, predictions, etc.
It was a pleasure to tell you about my adventure; I hope I haven't bored you! If anyone has questions, you can write to me privately on social media.
Greetings from Lemure.
