Quest for the Best Pioneer Deck Ever

What was the best Pioneer deck of all time? We asked the community to vote for decks from every year since 2019, ran a tournament with sixteen candidates, and now bring you each match of the Top 8. Join us on our quest for the best Pioneer deck in Magic history!

Pioneer is the most recent addition to the canon of competitive Magic formats, but it has already built up a lot of history in just a few years. Whether it's combining with , creating infinite copies with , or taking infinite turns with , the first pioneers' gameplay would be unrecognizable to today's Pioneer players. Let's take a trip down memory lane and figure out which strategy was the most powerful of them all.

Followers of our YouTube channel helped us select two to three decks for each year from 2019 to 2024. This gave us sixteen candidates for a four-round Swiss-style tournament, which in turn narrowed the field down to a Top 8. The following links allow you to jump to each of the decklists, to the Swiss results, and to the Top 8 playoffs, published on YouTube between February 27 and April 10.



Copycat, 2019

Copycat, Pioneer 2019
Main DeckSideboard
  • 4
  • 2
  • 2
  • 2
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  • 4
  • 1
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  • 2
  • 1
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  • 3
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  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
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  • 1
  • 2
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  • 2
  • 2
  • 2
  • 1
  • 2
  • 2



Field of the Dead Ramp, 2019

Field of the Dead Ramp, Pioneer 2019
Main DeckSideboard
  • 4
  • 4
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  • 1
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  • 4
  • 1
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  • 1
  • 1
  • 2
  • 1
  • 1
  • 3
  • 1
  • 1
  • 6
  • 1
  • 1
  • 4
  • 1
  • 4
  • 4



Nexus of Fate, 2019

Nexus of Fate Fog, Pioneer 2019
Main DeckSideboard
  • 4
  • 1
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  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
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  • 4
  • 3
  • 1
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  • 4
  • 4
  • 7
  • 1
  • 1
  • 2
  • 2
  • 4
  • 2
  • 2
  • 1
  • 2
  • 4
  • 4



Inverter Combo, 2020

Inverter of Truth Combo, Pioneer 2020
Main DeckSideboard
  • 4
  • 4
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  • 1
  • 1
  • 2
  • 2
  • 2
  • 4
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  • 1
  • 1
  • 2
  • 2
  • 2
  • 4
  • 4
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  • 5
  • 3
  • 1
  • 2
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 2
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1



Lotus Breach, 2020

Lotus Breach, Pioneer 2020
Main DeckSideboard
  • 4
  • 4
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  • 2
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  • 4
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  • 2
  • 1
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  • 4
  • 4
  • 2
  • 4
  • 1
  • 1
  • 4
  • 3
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 4
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1



Landless Spy, 2020

Landless Spy, Pioneer 2020
Main DeckSideboard
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
  • 2
  • 1
  • 1
  •  
  • 4
  • 2
  • 1
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
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  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
  • 1
  • 1
  • 3
  • 2
  • 3
  • 1
  • 3
  • 1
  • 1



Sultai Control, 2021

Sultai Control, Pioneer 2021
Main DeckSideboard
  • 4
  • 4
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  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
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  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
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  • 2
  • 2
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
  • 2
  • 2
  • 2
  • 2
  • 4
  • 1
  • 2



Jund Sacrifice, 2021

Jund Sacrifice, Pioneer 2021
Main DeckSideboard
  • 1
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
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  • 1
  • 3
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  • 4
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  • 1
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  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
  • 2
  • 2
  • 2
  • 2
  • 4
  • 1
  • 2



Izzet Phoenix, 2021

Izzet Phoenix, Pioneer 2021
Main DeckSideboard
  • 4
  • 4
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  • 4
  • 2
  • 1
  • 4
  • 4
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  • 4
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  • 1
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  • 2
  • 2
  • 4
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  • 4
  • 2
  • 2
  • 2
  • 1
  • 2
  • 4
  • 2
  • 2



Naya Winota, 2022

Naya Winota, Pioneer 2022
Main DeckSideboard
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
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  • 1
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  • 4
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  • 2
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
  • 3
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4



Green Devotion, 2022

Green Devotion, Pioneer 2022
Main DeckSideboard
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
  • 1
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  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
  • 1
  • 4
  • 4
  • 1
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  • 13
  • 4
  • 2
  • 2
  • 2
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1



Black-Red Midrange, 2022

Black-Red Midrange, Pioneer 2022
Main DeckSideboard
  • 4
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  • 2
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  • 1
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  • 1
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  • 1
  • 1
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  • 2
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  • 2



Geological Appraiser Combo, 2023

Geological Appraiser Combo, Pioneer 2023
Main DeckSideboard
  • 4
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  • 4
  • 1
  • 1
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  • 4
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  • 4
  • 2
  • 5
  • 4
  • 1
  • 4
  • 4
  • 1
  • 4
  • 2
  • 4
  • 4



Izzet Phoenix, 2023

Izzet Phoenix, Pioneer 2023
Main DeckSideboard
  • 4
  • 4
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  • 4
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  • 2
  • 4
  • 4
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  • 4
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  • 2
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  • 1
  • 4
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  • 1
  • 4
  • 2
  • 4
  • 2
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 2
  • 1



Black-Red Vampires, 2024

Black-Red Vampires, Pioneer 2024
Main DeckSideboard
  • 4
  • 4
  • 3
  • 2
  • 1
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  • 2
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  • 1
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  • 1
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  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
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  • 1
  • 2
  • 2
  • 1
  • 2
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1



Amalia Combo, 2024

Amalia Combo, Pioneer 2024
Main DeckSideboard
  • 4
  • 4
  • 4
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  • 3
  • 2
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  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
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  • 4
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  • 3
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  • 1
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  • 1
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  • 1
  • 1
  • 1
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  • 2



The Swiss Rounds & Results

Deck Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4
Copycat (2019) 1-2 vs. Winota 2-1 vs. Phoenix 23 2-1 vs. B/R Mid 2-1 vs. Lotus
Field (2019) 2-0 vs. Spy 1-2 vs. Phoenix 21 0-2 vs. Winota 2-0 vs. Jund
Nexus (2019) 2-0 vs. B/R Mid 2-0 vs. Appraiser 2-1 vs. Amalia 1-2 vs. Inverter
Inverter (2020) 2-1 vs. Vampires 2-1 vs. Winota 2-1 vs. Phoenix 21 2-1 vs. Nexus
Lotus (2020) 1-2 vs. Sultai 2-1 vs. Vampires 2-0 vs. Devotion 1-2 vs. Copycat
Spy (2020) 0-2 vs. Field 1-2 vs. Devotion 2-1 vs. Phoenix 23 2-0 vs. Vampires
Sultai (2021) 2-1 vs. Lotus 0-2 vs. Amalia 2-0 vs. Appraiser 0-2 vs. Phoenix 21
Jund (2021) 1-2 vs. Phoenix 21 1-2 vs. B/R Mid 2-1 vs. Vampires 0-2 vs. Field
Phoenix (2021) 2-1 vs. Jund 2-1 vs. Field 1-2 vs. Inverter 2-0 vs. Sultai
Winota (2022) 2-1 vs. Copycat 1-2 vs. Inverter 2-0 vs. Field 2-0 vs. Amalia
Devotion (2022) 1-2 vs. Appraiser 2-1 vs. Spy 0-2 vs. Lotus 1-2 vs. Phoenix 23
B/R Mid (2022) 0-2 vs. Nexus 2-1 vs. Jund 1-2 vs. Copycat 2-1 vs. Appraiser
Appraiser (2023) 2-1 vs. Devotion 0-2 vs. Nexus 0-2 vs. Sultai 1-2 vs. B/R Mid
Phoenix (2023) 0-2 vs. Amalia 1-2 vs. Copycat 1-2 vs. Spy 2-1 vs. Devotion
Vampires (2024) 1-2 vs. Inverter 1-2 vs. Lotus 1-2 vs. Jund 0-2 vs. Spy
Amalia (2024) 2-0 vs. Phoenix 23 2-0 vs. Sultai 1-2 vs. Nexus 0-2 vs. Winota

Round 1

Sultai Control 2-1 Lotus Breach: The main-deck discard and made this matchup very challenging for Lotus Breach.

Copycat 1-2 Naya Winota: Naya Winota was simply too explosive and consistent for Copycat's weaker creatures to find any kind of foothold. But curving into into on turn three still showed why the deck is banned.

Jund Sacrifice 1-2 Izzet Phoenix 2021: Izzet Phoenix's high density of removal spells and proved to have too many tempo swings for Jund to get to a point in the game where it could start its grind plan.

Landless Spy 0-2 Field Ramp: exiled the two copies of , meaning the Spy deck would mill itself and lose on the next turn if it tried to combo. Spy lost to back-to-back in game two.

balustrade spy amalia

Amalia Combo 2-0 Izzet Phoenix 2023: Both games were close but Amalia's life gain really gave it a racing edge. The more modern Phoenix would have really liked a Thing in the Ice for this matchup.

B/R Midrange 0-2 Nexus of Fate: This matchup felt comically unbalanced. Rakdos does not put up pressure quickly enough and has a bunch of dead removal spells in game one. This is the kind of deck is meant to prey upon.

Inverter Combo 2-1 B/R Vampires: Incredibly close games. The amount of removal in Inverter goes a long way but not as much as Inverter just being a 6/6 flier for four mana does.

Green Devotion 1-2 Geological Appraiser: A rather uninteractive matchup, this was essentially just a race. Monogreen does not have interaction so when didn't lose to itself, it got two easy wins.

Round 2

Inverter Combo 2-1 Naya Winota: Inverter really showed how it could oppress creature-based decks back then. Only one Winota trigger all match, but when it did happen, it won the game shortly after.

Amalia Combo 2-0 Sultai Control: Amalia was really flexing its resilience here. won the game after a flurry of removal spells in both games.

Field Ramp 1-2 Izzet Phoenix 2021: Even having reach couldn't quite fight off the endless Phoenix attacks. Although this matchup may seem like it should favor the ramp deck, Phoenix managed to pull out a match win after two long grindy post-sideboard games.

world breaker geological appraiser

Geological Appraiser 0-2 Nexus of Fate: This matchup felt nigh unwinnable for the Appraiser combo. The deck simply isn't fast enough to race Nexus and only wins by attacking.

Jund Sacrifice 1-2 B/R Midrange: Games were long and grindy, but some of the key hate pieces, like a well-timed , ended up clinching the match for the Rakdos deck.

Lotus Breach 2-1 B/R Vampires: The Vampire deck had some slightly slow starts and ended up being outraced by Breach, but the games were extremely close and the die roll could have swung the match the other way.

Copycat 2-1 Izzet Phoenix 2023: The games were close. It's hard to tell who is favored in general. Teferi and his ability, defended by , made a big difference in protecting the Copycat combo.

Landless Spy 1-2 Green Devotion: Landless Spy won a game where Devotion mulliganed into oblivion, but generally this matchup felt unfavorable for the Spy deck. Even when they went off, their battlefield seemed a little underwhelming compared to the battlefield the Devotion deck could build within the same number of turns.

Round 3

Inverter 2-1 Izzet Phoenix 2021: These were close games, but being a 6/6, dodging Phoenix's removal felt very relevant in the game Inverter won with beatdown. Kalitas out of the sideboard pulled heavy weight in the third game.

Field Ramp 0-2 Naya Winota: The ramp deck tried, but Winota was just too fast.

Sultai Control 2-0 Geological Appraiser: The Appraiser deck wasn't able to beat the removal and hand disruption.

Copycat 2-1 B/R Midrange: Copycat's midrange plan proved surprisingly powerful. As Rakdos tried its best to disrupt the combo, it got beat down by Brazen Borrower, , and .

brazen borrower vantress gargoyle

Amalia Combo 1-2 Nexus of Fate: and out of the sideboard were quite the problem, but Nexus's sideboard plan of switching to a midrange deck with and really paid off.

Lotus Breach 2-0 Green Devotion: This matchup is largely uninteractive, and the breach deck is just one or two turns too fast.

Landless Spy 2-1 Izzet Phoenix 2023: The matchup seems challenging for Izzet Phoenix. The deck had to rely on finding many early Phoenixes to put on pressure if it wanted to win.

Jund Sacrifice 2-1 B/R Vampires: The match was probably decided by the Vampires player having trouble finding . The board became too clogged to get through damage in two of the games and Sacrifice's life total was too high to be raced by the time Sheoldred and Ripper hit the battlefield.

Round 4

Inverter Combo 2-1 Nexus of Fate: doesn't really have ways to interact with the Inverter combo outside of racing it. On the flip side, the Nexus deck has so much recursion that the opposition's counterspells aren't as effective. Several copies of were able to slow down Nexus enough to combo in time twice.

Amalia Combo 0-2 Naya Winota: The matchup seems extremely play/draw dependent. Both decks are extremely consistent creature combo decks and Winota won game one mostly because it was on the play. But a few Brutal Cathars back to back in game two managed to snag a win too.

Sultai Control 0-2 Izzet Phoenix 2021: ended up a dead card in game one, giving Sultai essentially a double mulligan by drawing it again and again in the early turns. A few key and some early Phoenixes shut down the second game quite early as Sultai was struggling to establish a foothold.

aether gust eidolon of rhetoric

Lotus Breach 1-2 Copycat: Between and , Copycat has some really strong sideboard hate for this matchup. Lotus Breach won the first fair and square but simply got crushed by the hate pieces in the following games.

B/R Midrange 2-1 Geological Appraiser: There was too much removal for the Appraiser combo to find a win. Ironically, being a sorcery did allow it to sneak in a win in game one.

Field Ramp 2-0 Jund Sacrifice: Sacrifice simply felt underpowered against the speed and power of the ramp deck. The grindy game plan of the deck simply doesn't do much in the face of Ugin and Ulamog.

Landless Spy 2-0 B/R Vampires: Games felt like a bit of a steal, but two lucky hands had Spy easily race the Vampire deck.

Green Devotion 1-2 Izzet Phoenix 2023: Green needs its to win this matchup and they simply never came.



The Top 8

Rank Deck Points Record OMW GW OGW
1 Inverter (2020) 12 4-0 64.58% 66.67% 59.24%
2 Winota (2022) 9 3-1 68.75% 70.00% 59.03%
3 Nexus (2019) 9 3-1 58.33% 70.00% 50.25%
4 Phoenix (2021) 9 3-1 58.33% 63.64% 50.76%
5 Copycat (2019) 9 3-1 52.08% 58.33% 51.59%
6 Amalia (2024) 6 2-2 58.33% 55.56% 55.20%
7 Field (2019) 6 2-2 58.33% 55.56% 55.00%
8 B/R Mid (2022) 6 2-2 54.17% 45.45% 49.51%
9 Sultai (2021) 6 2-2 52.08% 44.44% 51.77%
10 Lotus (2020) 6 2-2 47.92% 54.55% 43.12%
11 Spy (2020) 6 2-2 37.50% 50.00% 40.40%
12 Phoenix (2023) 3 1-3 52.08% 36.36% 50.06%
13 Jund (2021) 3 1-3 52.08% 36.36% 49.49%
14 Appraiser (2023) 3 1-3 52.08% 30.00% 49.07%
15 Devotion (2022) 3 1-3 41.67% 36.36% 43.56%
16 Vampires (2024) 0 0-4 58.33% 27.27% 51.89%

Once live, you can find the video of each Top 8 match embedded below. Here's the schedule:

  • Quarterfinal #1, Nexus versus Copycat: February 27, 18:00 CET