Mythic Championship Qualifier - Top 8 Decklists and Metagame Breakdown

Here's a quick breakdown of the decks from the Mythic Championship Qualifier that took place in Ottawa on May 25th. Between 119 players, only one deck had more than 10% representation. Here is the breakdown of the decks in the tournament followed by the Top 8 decklists (representation in the Top 8 are in square brackets).

Mono-Red Aggro 20 [1] - 16.8%

Despite being the largest percentage of the field, only a single copy of Mono-Red Aggro made the Top 8. Fifteen of the decks played 20 Mountains, three had 19, and two played only 18 in the main deck.

One of the biggest debates seen was the number of card advantage cards needed in the main deck. Here's the division of Experimental Frenzy vs. Chandra, Fire Artisan that saw main deck play.
3 Experimental Frenzy and 2 Chandra, Fire Artisan - 8
2 Experimental Frenzy and 3 Chandra, Fire Artisan - 2
4 Experimental Frenzy and 0 Chandra, Fire Artisan - 1
3 Experimental Frenzy and 1 Chandra, Fire Artisan - 2
2 Experimental Frenzy and 2 Chandra, Fire Artisan - 1
1 Experimental Frenzy and 3 Chandra, Fire Artisan - 1
0 Experimental Frenzy and 3 Chandra, Fire Artisan - 1
2 Experimental Frenzy and 0 Chandra, Fire Artisan - 2
0 Experimental Frenzy and 0 Chandra, Fire Artisan - 2

Jeskai Planeswalkers 11 [1] - 9.2%

One copy of this deck made it into the Top 8. The biggest difference between variants of this deck was whether to play copies of Fblthp, the Lost or not. Only three of the 11 decks decided to go for the full playset of Fblthp, the Lost. Players also seemed to opt away from playing Gideon Blackblade, with only two players placing them in the main deck.

Gruul Midrange 11 - 9.2%

No showing in the Top 8 here. Eight Grull Midrange decks played four copies of Growth-Chamber Guardian, while the others played none. Rekindling Phoneix appeared in every deck but ranged from two to four copies in the main deck. The biggest difference between these decks was the number of Planeswalkers included, with anywhere between zero and nine featured in them.

Izzet Phoenix 10 [1]- 8.4%

One of the only decks to play Narset, Parter of Veils in the main deck made the Top 8. Seven of the 10 decks chose to run copies of Saheeli, Sublime Artificer in the main deck. Most decks ran 12 creatures, though some went up to 14. All but one chose to run between one to three copies of Finale of Promise in hopes of getting some great value.

Esper Hero 10 [2] - 8.4%

The only deck to have multiple copies make the Top 8. With a heavy Mono-Red presence in the tournament, the choice for creatures to help with lifegain was divided. Six players played Elite Guardmage, while two went with Basilica Bell-Haunt. The other two decided to play both in their deck.

4-Color Dreadhorde 10 [1] - 8.4%

The only copy of this deck that made Top 8 decided to go with variety, featuring six different Planeswalkers. Seven out of 10 decks chose to run one to two copies of Massacre Girl in the hopes of clearing out a battlefield full of Mono-Red creatures, and three players decided to main deck Assassin's Trophy in hopes of hitting those decks with little to no basic lands.

Esper Control 8 - 6.7%
Bant Midrange 5 - 4.2%
Esper Planeswalkers 4 - 3.4%
Azorius Aggro 3 - 2.5%
Dimir Control 3 - 2.5%
Simic Nexus 3 [1] - 2.5%
Mono-White Aggro 2 - 1.7%
Grixis Control 2 - 1.7%
Bant Nexus 2 [1] - 1.7%
Sultai Dreadhorde 2 - 1.7%
Sultai Midrange 2 - 1.7%
Golgari Midrange 2 - 1.7%
Other (9 decks, 1 copy each) - 7.6%

Here are the Top 8 decks from the MCQ! There was quite a lot of diversity with seven different decks between the eight players!

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