This past weekend, Sorcerers from around the world gathered in Indianapolis for Gen Con 2026. Four days of Sorcery: Contested Realm, two Grand Contests Championships, and one tornado. Gen Con 2026 had it all.
Spoilers ahead.
Two Championships, One Weekend
First up was our Limited Grand Contest Championship. With limited play, there are no decklists to lean on, no months of prep, just instinct and 6 packs of Gothic. With 102 players in the event, it was going to take more than luck to make it to the top where Grand Contest prizing and an Uncut Gothic Print Sheet awaited the victor. Ultimately, Sean Depottey out-built and outwitted the field and walked away champion. We'll have gameplay with commentary of his match on the Sorcery YouTube channel, as you'll certainly want to see how this finals game played out.
Next up was the Constructed Grand Contest. With 126 competitors, each bringing months of preparation to one of the largest Constructed events of the season. With 19 Necromancers in play, and the Archimago taking the most recent European Grand Contest, there was plenty of speculation on what Avatar would win the contest. It was Erika Ivey's Avatar of Air.
You can find her deck list here.
We'll be back later this week with full Constructed Finals coverage and official Erik's Curiosa commentary. This was another exciting match, and we can't wait to share it with you all at the end of the week.
Top 8 Decklists
- Erika Ivey (Avatar of Air)
- Marcus Payne (Imposter)
- Cameron Panten (Druid)
- Ira Fay (Deathspeaker)
- Taylor Gamblin (Sorcerer)
- Corey Ohlson (Necromancer)
- Christian Vaughan (Imposter)
- Chris Florczak (Druid)
Popular Doesn't Mean Unbeatable
Necromancer walked into Gen Con as the deck to beat. Not necessarily because it was so dominant, but because there were so many of them. With 19 pilots, it was easily the most-played Avatar of the weekend. Sorcerer and Elementalist trailed behind at 9 and 8. Avatar of Air, Battlemage, and Imposter tied at 7, with Deathspeaker and Interrogator right on their heels at 6.
And then Necromancer didn't win. In fact, only one Necromancer made it into the Top 8. Erika Ivey's Avatar of Air took the title instead, proof, once again, that the realm doesn't hand out trophies for popularity. From Dragonlord and Duplicator to Waveshaper and Witch, the field was stacked with strategies nobody could fully prepare for. If Sorcery had a fifth element, we'd like to think it'd be the element of surprise.
When the Realm Fought Back
Just when we thought the biggest threat of the weekend was Necromancer, the weather stepped in.
It started with Water dripping through the ceiling into the event space. Then came the tornado warning. With one Swiss round left to play, the call was made. Let's shelter first and play Sorcery later. Players, judges, volunteers, Gen Con staff, and the Erik's Curiosa team packed up in minutes and got everyone to safety.
As a result, the Constructed Grand Contest tournament ended early. We made the call to extend prizing from everyone who finished 5-2 or better to those who finished 4-2, and Top Avatar honors went to anyone at 3-3 or better instead of 4-3.
Even sheltering from a tornado, couldn't dampen the Sorcery communities spirit, with volunteers sharing Sorcery themed snacks like Ruby Core Doritos, Pathfinder Trail Mix, Rolling Boulder M&Ms. We think it's safe to say that Sorcerers find a way to have fun anywhere.
Once it was safe, the finalists regrouped at a nearby location to finish what the storm interrupted. Full commentary drops later this week.
Sixty Grey Wolves. Zero Regrets.
Being strictly a limited player, rather than build a deck Tyler "CUTS Cards" Olson decided that for his first time playing Constructed that he'd build a statement instead. Sixty Grey Wolves, one Sorcerer Avatar, nothing else.
That it happened to coincide with the debut of the 2026 Grey Wolves convention promo was just icing on the cake.
As for inspiration? "I live way up in Wisconsin," Tyler shares. "We have a lot of wolves around here." While Tyler played since Beta, this was his first Constructed event ever.
The pack ended up running wild over his opponents. Four wins in his first five matches, an improbable run all the way to the semifinals, and all against players who'd been grinding this format for years. His two losses in the event weren't blowouts either. In each match that he lost, his wolves managed to get his opponent to Death's Door while still being at full health himself. One Archimago narrowly escaped behind a wall of Root Spiders, while his final opponent managed to survive an imminent strike on Death's Door with a perfectly timed Feast for Crows, wiping the realm clean of Wolves in one swing.
While Tyler didn't take home the championship, he took a story nobody at Gen Con will forget, and a stack of Grey Wolves promos from the Erik's Curiosa team to replace the ones Feast for Crows banished.
We also now have a good answer to "How well does a full Grey Wolves deck do?"
Better than anyone expected!
More Than a Tournament
While the event tables were full, so was everything around them. We had over 300 new players come through our Learn-to-Play tables, and Sorcery artists Drew Tucker and Alan Pollack spent the weekend signing cards, meeting players, and debuting brand-new Gen Con exclusive prints. If you've ever had an artist sign your favorite card, you already know - that moment can outshine a championship match. We're incredibly grateful to have such great artists as partners with Sorcery.
The Realm Keeps Growing
A deck nobody saw coming, a first Learn to play, signed cards, and the countless little moments between games. These are what help shape what Sorcery feels like.
Thank you to everyone who showed up for Sorcery this weekend.
Next stop: Auckland, New Zealand for New Zealand's biggest Sorcery event yet. Then the Organized Play season continues on at Dallas, Germany, Baltimore, Italy, Adelaide, London, Los Angeles, Montreal, Hartford, and Belgium.
The realm keeps growing. We'll see you at the next Grand Contest.
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