After a grueling competition of the top Magic: The Gathering pro players, Jean-Emmanuel Depraz takes home the crown wielding an Esper Legends Deck.
Wizards of the Coast held the MagicCon: Las Vegas from September 22nd to the 24th. The 2023 Magic World Championship XXIX saw over a hundred pro players vying for $1,000,000 in prizes. After the Wilds of Eldraine Draft and MTG Standard Constructed on the first two days, the Top 8 battled until only two remained for the finals.
105 of the best Magic: The Gathering players around the world vied for the title. This was after taking part in Regional championships and Pro Tours over the course of the 2022-2023 MTG tournament season. Ultimately, Jean-Emmanuel Depraz took home the crown after besting Japan’s Kazune Kosaka.
🌍🏆Congratulations to Jean-Emmanuel Depraz, winner of Magic World Championship XXIX!🏆🌍
With this win, Depraz realized his dream of adding an individual World Championship title to his 2018 World Magic Cup win.
Congratulations again, JED! pic.twitter.com/hDydXQyKh3
— PlayMTG (@PlayMTG) September 24, 2023
Check out MTG World Champion XXIX Jean-Emmanuel Depraz’s Esper Legends deck card list:
29 Creature cards
- 2x Ertai Resurrected
- 4x Sheoldred, the Apocalypse
- 4x Raffine, Scheming Seer
- 2x Lord Skitter, Sewer King
- 4x Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
- 4x Dennick, Pious Apprentice
- 2x Rona, Herald of Invasion
- 3x Faerie Mastermind
- 4x Skrelv, Defector Mite
4 Instant Spells
- 3x Go for the Throat
- 1x Make Disappear
27 Lands
- 4x Plaza of Heroes
- 3x Otawara, Soaring City
- 4x Seachrome Coast
- 2x Eiganjo, Seat of the Empire
- 4x Caves of Koilos
- 1x Swamp
- 2x Shipwreck Marsh
- 1x Shattered Sanctum
- 2x Takenuma, Abandoned Mire
- 4x Darkslick Shores
15 Sideboard cards
- 2x Ao, the Dawn Sky
- 1x Blot Out
- 2x Disdainful Stroke
- 1x Negate
- 4x Cut Down
- 1x Surge of Salvation
- 4x Wedding Announcement
Jean-Emmanuel Depraz’s Esper Legends deck holds no surprises. The 2023-2024 MTG season has seen a flood of decks abusing Sheoldred, The Apocalypse with the extremely cheap mana cost for a 4/5 Deathtouch critter that has both life gain (for the player) and life loss (for the opponent) every turn.
Meanwhile, Raffine, Scheming Seer provides a cost-effective early flying blocker and Connive to boost attackers with +1/+1 counters. Dennick, Pious Apprentice, Rona, Herald of Invasion, and the counterspell Make Disappear rounded out the recurring offense and defense against the most common strategies other players employ (such as other Esper decks that use Sheoldred).
Depraz has been a staple in the MTG Pro Circuit and regularly made the top finishers over the past five years. The French MTG veteran placed at the Magic World Championship XXVII held in 2021, but failed to overcome Yuta Takahashi who ultimately won that year.
You can find all the Magic: The Gathering Standard Constructed deck lists at the official Magic World Championship site at this link.
For his victory, Jean-Emmanuel Depraz takes home the $100,000 prize money. And aside from the bragging rights, Depraz will have his likeness forever etched in a future Magic: The Gathering card.
Meanwhile, second placer Kazune Kosaka took the $50,000 reward and the rest of the Top 8 finalists received $20,000 (Top 5-8) and $25,000 (Top 3-4). The Top 8 MTG World Championship XXIX finalists are also automatically invited to all the Pro Tour and World Championship events for the 2023 to 2024 season. The rest of the 104 World Championship XXIX players received cash prizes of at least $4,000.
Congratulations to Jean-Emmanuel Depraz for his Magic: The Gathering XXIX Championship win! And what did you think about the champ’s winning MTG Standard Constructed deck? Do you think Magic: The Gathering is still the #1 collectible card game in the world despite recent controversies?
Meanwhile, you can still try your hand for this year’s Magic: The Gathering Arena Championship to be held on October 7-8, 2023. The MTG Arena Championship will have a $200,000 prize pool and the winners will receive an invitation for the next Magic World Championships in 2024.
