Extended Academy deck

Academy is a blue-based combo deck that warped the metagame during the Combo Winter of 1998–99. The deck used <c>Tolarian Academy</c> and <c>Mind Over Matter</c> together with numerous card draw and artifact mana-producing cards to produce a game-winning <c>Stroke of Genius</c> on the opponent. Most notably, the deck went to win the Pro Tour Rome in 1998.
The deck would attempt to put artifacts into play together with Tolarian Academy to produce large quantities of mana. Mind Over Matter would then be used to repeatedly untap Academy for more mana. Cards to discard to Mind Over Matter would be drawn via <c>Time Spiral</c> and <c>Windfall</c> or occasionally a self-targeted Stroke of Genius. Once enough mana was produced, Stroke of Genius would be cast targeting the opponent, where that player's deck would be overdrawn.
While the deck was relatively short-lived, since Mind Over Matter and Windfall would be banned not long after, there is still some discussion about how the deck was to be best built for that time. Tommi Hovi won Pro Tour Rome in 1998 with a straightforward approach, going so far as the omit <c>Wasteland</c> main deck in a format dominated by Academy decks. However, Mike Flores gave the opinion that Team CMU member Erik Lauer's approach in the same tournament was superior due to its increased speed and flexibility through <c>Vampiric Tutor</c>, one Stroke of Genius, one Mind Over Matter and its multi-faceted sideboard. The deck has been contrasted with Kai Budde's High Tide deck of the same period.
In 2008, Mike Flores called it the 4th best Extended deck of all time.
<d title="Academy - Tommi Hovi - Pro Tour Rome 1998">
Lands
4 Ancient Tomb
3 City of Brass
4 Tolarian Academy
4 Tundra
4 Volcanic Island
Artifacts
4 Lotus Petal
4 Mana Vault
4 Mox Diamond
2 Scroll Rack
3 Voltaic Key
Enchantments
3 Mind Over Matter
Spells
3 Abeyance
3 Intuition
3 Power Sink
4 Stroke of Genius
4 Time Spiral
4 Windfall
Sideboard
1 Arcane Denial
4 Chill
4 Gorilla Shaman
2 Red Elemental Blast
4 Wasteland
</d>
<d title="CMU Academy - Erik Lauer - Pro Tour Rome 1998">
Lands
3 City of Brass
4 Tolarian Academy
3 Tundra
4 Underground Sea
3 Volcanic Island
4 Wasteland
Artifacts
4 Lotus Petal
4 Mana Vault
1 Mind Over Matter
4 Mox Diamond
3 Scroll Rack
2 Urza's Bauble
Enchantments
1 Mind Over Matter
Spells
3 Abeyance
2 Counterspell
4 Impulse
1 Stroke of Genius
4 Time Spiral
3 Vampiric Tutor
4 Windfall
Sideboard
1 Abeyance
1 Capsize
4 Chill
1 City of Solitude
1 Gloom
1 Gorilla Shaman
2 Hydroblast
1 Perish
3 Pyroblast
</d>
==References==
Category:Tournament decks