Jund, Jund ... Jund. From the 112 that started on Friday, 45 Jund players were left battling here in San Diego. We all knew Jund would be here in force, and it has proven once again that cascade spells have a way of swinging games to your favor. Many of the top players, including the historically inventive Japanese pros, had opted for this old standby. Over a fourth of the field had chosen a variation of the archetype on Day 1, and 40% of them made it to Day 2.

Second was the deck that won “most improved performance at a Pro Tour” this weekend, White Weenie. Honor the Pure fueled creatures, including the problematic Kor Firewalker from Worldwake, had been swarming battlefield at the top tables Friday. This deck was not totally new as players had toyed around with lists during and after Worlds last year, but thanks to this new efficient pro-red beater on the team, the Jund and Naya matchups don’t look as bad as before. Many pros had been seen sporting Emeria Angel tokens Day 1, and Saturday wouldn’t be any different, as 20 players advanced with White Weenie.

Bant and All-American Control represented Day 2 solidly tied at third. Knight of the Reliquary was trading Forests and Plains for Celestial Colonnade and Stirring Wildwood all weekend long. That combined with powerful land fall abilities, the strength of the exalted mechanic and versatile removal spells put 33% of the Day 1 Bant decks into Saturday competition. All-American Control also advanced a little over a third of its players to Day 2. Worldwake has livened up this deck’s card drawing with Treasure Hunt and the hot, hot Jace, the Mind Scuptor.

Rounding out the top represented decks, we have Coimbra-style Naya and Vampires tied at 9. Both decks have stood the test of time during this Standard season. Vampires gained new life with the ever so slight decline of Jund decks. This coupled with new Worldwake additions like Kalastria Highborn had carried over a forth of its pilots on to the next day. Naya had taken one of the more innovative approaches with Worldwake additions Stoneforge Mystic and Basilisk Collar. Only 22 players played Naya on Friday, yet over 40% of those players were still in contention on Saturday.

Of course, this was only the top 6 archetypes. Many other decks were still in the thick of things, like Mono-Red, Junk, Boros, Summoning Trap, and White-Blue Control. Would theses decks have what it takes to win a Pro Tour? Would we have another Jund-filled Top 8? These are questions to be answered on Sunday.