317 players. Two days. One champion.
The North American Premodern Championship at Lobstercon 2026 is now the largest Premodern tournament ever held — anywhere in the world. Hosted by the Duress Crew in Cambridge, Massachusetts on May 1st and 2nd, this year’s event obliterated last year’s record of 280 players and cemented Premodern as one of the fastest-growing competitive Magic formats.
Registration had sold out in 90 seconds back in December, with 335 registrants for a 320-player cap. The final field of 317 battled through 9 rounds of Swiss on Day 1, with players needing 18 match points (6-3 or better) to advance to Day 2. The survivors faced 5 more rounds of Swiss before a cut to the Top 8 single-elimination bracket.
The event also served as a charity fundraiser for Room to Grow, a Boston-based nonprofit — continuing Lobstercon’s tradition since 2018.
Day 1: 317 players, 9 rounds of Swiss
The Day 1 metagame told a familiar story at the top, with some notable shifts deeper in the field.
Stiflenought led the field at 8.8% — the most-played deck for the second year running. But the real headline was Mono Black right behind it at 8.5%, a massive jump from its usual mid-tier position. The “Moneyball Black” variant that emerged over the past year clearly attracted a lot of pilots who wanted to attack Stiflenought’s dominance with hand disruption and Engineered Plague.
Goblins held steady at 7.2%, followed by Replenish at 6.0% and Enchantress at 5.3%. The defending champion Rich Shay won Lobstercon 2025 with Enchantress, and the archetype remained a top contender heading in.
Psychatog and Terrageddon each claimed 4.7%, while Elves and Sligh sat at 4.4%. Full English Breakfast at 4.1% and Oath Ponza at 3.8% rounded out the named archetypes, with Landstill, Devourer Combo, Madness, and Red/Green Aggro each around 2.5–3.1%.
The “Other” category at 27.4% reflects Premodern’s incredible diversity — dozens of archetypes from Stasis to Aluren to Iggy Pop to various Oath builds, each bringing a handful of dedicated pilots.
After 9 rounds, players with 18+ match points advanced to Day 2.
Day 2: The field narrows
75 players advanced to Day 2, facing 5 more rounds of Swiss before the Top 8 cut. The Day 2 metagame shifted dramatically from Day 1 — the cream rose to the top.
Replenish dominated Day 2 with 7 copies (9.3%), converting at a much higher rate than its Day 1 representation. Enchantress and U DN (mono-blue Stiflenought) each had 5 copies (6.7%). Esper Tog, HFEB (Hermit Full English Breakfast), Black Midrange, and UW Standstill each placed 4 copies (5.3%).
Notable Day 2 performers included GWR Terrageddon and Angry/Naughty Hermit at 4.0% each, plus rogue entries like Tinker Fling, Terra DN, and ZIMS at 1.3% each — proof that Premodern rewards format mastery and creative deckbuilding.
The diversity was staggering: over 20 distinct archetypes made Day 2. No single deck held more than 9.3% of the field. This is a healthy, wide-open format.
Top 8
After 14 rounds of Swiss across two days, eight players earned their seats in the single-elimination bracket.
Quarterfinals
| Seed | Player | Deck |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galen Lemei | Full English Breakfast |
| 8 | Stuart Ziarnik | Sligh |
| 4 | Jeff Rabovsky | Moneyball Black |
| 5 | Brian Siu | Replenish |
| 2 | Ben Bauer | Elves |
| 7 | Bryan Gulotta | Replenish |
| 3 | Nicholas Mostovych | Pit Rack |
| 6 | Claire Ackerman | GW Ponza Oath |
An incredible Top 8 featuring six different archetypes. Two Replenish pilots made it through, but the rest was pure diversity — Full English Breakfast as the 1-seed, Elves as the 2, a Pit Rack build at 3, and Moneyball Black at 4. Sligh and GW Ponza Oath round out the bracket as the 8 and 6 seeds.
Here are the top 8 decklists:
Instants
[13]Sorceries
[4]Enchantments
[17]Land
[26]Sideboard
[14]Creatures
[4]Instants
[10]Sorceries
[4]Enchantments
[17]Land
[25]Sideboard
[15]Creatures
[4]Instants
[6]Sorceries
[8]Enchantments
[6]Artifacts
[8]Land
[28]Sideboard
[15]Creatures
[24]Instants
[1]Sorceries
[8]Enchantments
[5]Land
[22]Sideboard
[15]Creatures
[13]Instants
[14]Sorceries
[2]Enchantments
[4]Artifacts
[4]Land
[23]Sideboard
[15]Creatures
[39]Enchantments
[4]Land
[17]Sideboard
[15]Creatures
[10]Instants
[12]Sorceries
[6]Enchantments
[2]Artifacts
[8]Land
[22]Sideboard
[15]Creatures
[16]Instants
[7]Sorceries
[9]Artifacts
[6]Land
[22]Sideboard
[15]Take a look at all 317 decklists here!
By the numbers
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Total players | 317 |
| Day 1 rounds | 9 (Swiss) |
| Day 2 qualifiers | ~75 |
| Day 2 rounds | 5 (Swiss) + Top 8 |
| Most-played Day 1 | Stiflenought (8.8%) |
| Most-played Day 2 | Replenish (9.3%) |
| Day 2 archetypes | 20+ |
| Top 8 archetypes | 6 distinct |
| Previous record | 280 (Lobstercon 2025) |
Congratulations to Brian Siu for taking the entire tournament with a fantastic display of skill with his Replenish deck!
The state of Premodern
317 players at a single event. Registration selling out in 90 seconds. Organizers already scouting larger venues for 2027. A two-day main event format adopted for the first time. Over 20 archetypes making Day 2.
Premodern isn’t a niche format anymore. It’s one of the most exciting competitive Magic scenes in the world — driven entirely by the community, with no corporate backing, no Arena client, and no product tie-ins. Just players who love the game as it was played from 4th Edition through Scourge.
Congratulations to the Duress Crew — Nick Mayo, Jay, and the entire organizing team — for pulling off a flawless event at an unprecedented scale. And congratulations to every one of the 317 players who made the trip to Cambridge this weekend.
See you at Lobstercon 2027.
Event organized by Duress Crew. Lobstercon is a charity fundraiser for Room to Grow, a Boston-based nonprofit. Metagame graphics courtesy of Duress Crew. For community discussion, join the Premodern Discord. For more Premodern coverage, check out BANDING by Phil Nguyen and the Hardcast podcast.