World Championship Decks/2002

2002 World Championship Decks, Sydney The 2002 World Championship took place on August 14–18, 2002 in Sydney, Australia. Four decks were released as part of the World Championship Decks series with gold-bordered cards.

Carlos Romao, World Champion
"Romão's blue-black 'Psychatog' deck was the defining deck of the tournament. A control deck at heart, with lots of card drawing and countermagic, it wants to stall an opponent until it can play a devastating Upheaval and Psychatog on the same turn. While many people at this year's World Championship played this style of deck, Carlos simply played his version better than everyone else played theirs."  Creatures 4 Nightscape Familiar 4 Psychatog

Instants 3 Circular Logic 4 Counterspell 3 Cunning Wish 3 Fact or Fiction 3 Memory Lapse 4 Repulse

Sorceries 3 Chainer's Edict 3 Deep Analysis 2 Upheaval

Lands 10 Island 2 Cephalid Coliseum 1 Darkwater Catacombs 4 Salt Marsh 3 Swamp 4 Underground River

Sideboard 1 Coffin Purge 4 Duress 1 Fact or Fiction 1 Gainsay 3 Ghastly Demise 1 Hibernation 1 Mana Short 1 Recoil 1 Slay 1 Teferi's Response 

Sim Han How, Quarterfinalist
"Han How's blue-green-red 'Squirrel Opposition' deck can be aggressive with cards like Wild Mongrel and Flametongue Kavu, or it can play the stalling game with a Squirrel Nest - Opposition combo. Beware the Roar of the Wurm in the sideboard!"  Creatures 4 Birds of Paradise 3 Flametongue Kavu 3 Llanowar Elves 4 Merfolk Looter 3 Phantom Centaur 4 Wild Mongrel

Enchantments 4 Opposition 3 Squirrel Nest

Instants 4 Circular Logic 3 Fire/Ice

Sorceries 3 Deep Analysis

Lands 8 Forest 5 Island 3 Karplusan Forest 2 Shivan Reef 4 Yavimaya Coast

Sideboard 1 Flametongue Kavu 3 Gainsay 3 Quiet Speculation 2 Ray of Revelation 4 Roar of the Wurm 2 Simoon 

Brian Kibler, 11th Place
"Kibler's green-white-red 'Red Zone 2K2' deck loves to put creatures into the 'Red Zone'; that is, attack with them! This aggressive deck can put over thirty creatures on the board. And with Glory in the graveyard, few defenses can prevail against their onslaught."  Creatures 4 Anurid Brushhopper 4 Birds of Paradise 4 Flametongue Kavu 3 Glory 3 Llanowar Elves 4 Phantom Centaur 4 Wild Mongrel

Instants 4 Call of the Herd 3 Fire/Ice 2 Wax/Wane

Sorceries 3 Living Wish

Lands 7 Forest 4 Brushland 2 City of Brass 4 Karplusan Forest 2 Mountain 3 Plains

Sideboard 1 City of Brass 1 Genesis 2 Global Ruin 1 Glory 1 Intrepid Hero 1 Phantom Nishoba 3 Reprisal 2 Simoon 1 Sylvan Safekeeper 1 Thornscape Battlemage 1 Thunderscape Battlemage 

Raphael Levy, 16th Place
"Levy's blue-green 'Le Wonder Goose' deck features a ton of small green creatures like Nimble Mongoose and Werebear. With Careful Study and Mental Note to get to threshold, however, those small creatures quickly turn into real monsters!"  Creatures 2 Genesis 4 Nimble Mongoose 3 Setons Scout 4 Werebear 4 Wild Mongrel 4 Wonder

Instants 4 Mental Note 1 Rushing River

Sorceries 4 Breakthrough 4 Careful Study 4 Roar of the Wurm

Lands 8 Forest 10 Island 4 Yavimaya Coast

Sideboard 4 Compost 3 Disrupt 3 Phantom Centaur 2 Ray of Revelation 2 Repulse 1 Rushing River 