1997 World Champion Jakub Šlemr came within two matches of becoming the first person to repeat as World Champion. The 22-year-old Prague native earned a flawless 6—0 resord during the Standard portion of the Swiss rounds. Šlemr, along with fellow teammate and quarterfinalist Gary Wise, played a mono-black deck coined "Black Control." He used discard effects early with cards like Ravenous Rats, Duress, and Stupor. However, the majority of his deck was dedicated to board control with Cursed Scrolls, Powder Kegs, and Phyrexian Plaguelords.
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