Summary
Store Championships areMagic: The Gatheringevents held by local game stores, where players can come and compete for special promo cards that cannot be obtained any other way. Originally, these were cards with the same art used in the set, but with a special stamp listed the store for WPN Premium stores. The format went away in 2018 before returning in 2022.
Store Championship promos now have unique art from (mostly) popular cards from across all of Magic’s formats. Each participant gets a participation promo, with a card for those that make top eight and a full art, textless card for winners of the event.
30Aether Channeler
Weak Card, Great Art
Aether Channeler was a bulk rare when it came out, so it was a bit odd it was chosen to be one of the three cards to be featured as a Store Championship promo.
Outside of the Dominaria United Limited format, Aether Channeler didn’t see play in any other format. It was the reward for top 8 finishers, and working that hard for something so weak left a lot to be desired.
29Transcendent Message
Lots Of Card Draw
The art is absolutely stunning on Transcendent Message, but the card itself leaves a lot to be desired.
It was another bulk rare card in the set it was released in, but there’s some merit for it to be played in certain Commanderdecks that can convokeit easily to draw a ton of cards. While not very constructed playable, it has a home in Commander.
28Angel Of Despair
Destroy Anything
Although aniconic card, Angel Of Despairin the modern age isn’t something that many are interested in.
It costs a lot of mana, though lets you destroy any permanent for no downside, which in certain decks can come up. It’s a niche card by today’s standards, but a decent card none the less with great art.
27Tail Swipe
Them’s Fighting Cards
It’s not the most exciting card in the world, but Tail Swipe is a decent enough green removal spell, something the color is lacking.
Fighting is the main way green handles removal, especially in formats that don’t have Beast Within.
26Strangle
Get Rid Of Problems
Strangle is a rather basic effect, but acts as a one-mana removal spell for a lot of one and two drops in multiple formats.
It’s not widely played anymore as other, better options have been used, but being able to target both creatures and planeswalkers helps to get rid of two potential problematic permanents, giving it versatility that other, similar cards don’t have.
25Flame Slash
Sideboard Tech
Flame Slash is a great sideboard option, dealing for damage for just one mana.
It does not see much play in many decks, but does see inclusion in the sideboard in Ruby Storm and other red decks in Modern as a low-cost way to take care of any problem creatures that are hindering your ability to storm.
24Annex Sentry
Perfect For Toxic
Annex Sentry is a card with an alright effect, but found a home in Standard Toxic decks that are focused on getting your opponent to ten poison counters quickly.
It doesn’t see much play outside of Toxic, but it is a great top-end for the deck to clear the battlefield of a blocker to get thoselast few poison countersand saw great success there.
23Mortify
Commander Staple
While constructed formats have long outgrown the need for Mortify, it is still a card that sees plenty of use in Commander in Orzhov (black/white) decks.
Needing to destroy a creature or enchantment is something that comes up frequently in the format, and it’s decent-priced mana-wise for the effect it offers. But in the wider pool of Magic formats, Mortify isn’t anything special.
22Gifted Aetherborn
A Devotion Classic
The deck has fallen off in recent years, but Mono-Black Devotion is a deck that cares about having as many black pips of mana on the battlefield to raise your devotion count.
Gifted Aetherborn is a big part of that strategy, giving you two black devotion while having a decent statline and abilities. In terms of power, it’s average, but in the grander deck of Mono-Black Devotion, it has a lot of applications.
21Koth, Fire Of Resistance
The Only Promo Planeswalker
Koth, Fire of Resistanceis the only time a planeswalker was used as one of the Store Championship promos, and it’s a decent card.
Koth sees some niche play in the sideboard in mono-red decks, helping the deck in the grind game if the “Plan A” of an aggro deck fails.
