Time flies! It’s that time of the year again – World Champs season! On 9/21/26 we hosted the third Fallen Empires 40 World Championships at Shuffler’s Den (the Elven Fortress of NE Ohio)! Folks from all around came to sling some of the most niche cardboard around (sleeves optional), in what has quickly risen to be one of my favorite events of the year! As usual, the event was heavy on door prizes and giveaways, as well as talent and respect for some of the deeper cuts of early MtG.

If unfamiliar with Fallen Empires 40, the format is a unique “rubber band” OS-adjacent format that uses Fallen Empires as the core set. “Traditional” FE40 gained some international popularity via webcam leagues beginning in 2022, and has established itself as a beloved constructed format in Northeast Ohio and beyond. 15 mages set out to see who could control the fall of empires…

What would FE champs be without its swag? – matters were taken into format moderator Craig’s own hands to provide the slickest player lanyards I have ever seen for an event (I’ve been to a lot).

We were also lucky enough to have Mitch Harmon back as our “feature artist” and the talent behind the beloved FE promo lands seen now throughout many veins of the OS community! (If interested in these lands, you can reach out directly)

The Tournament

Unlike last year’s event, which was rather Thallid/control heavy, rounds went quickly, with only a few games going to time, and only 1 drawn game! A diverse meta with some truly interesting deckbuilds highlighted what was a chess-board state, for 4 rounds of swiss. Fallen Empires can get a bad rep for various reasons, but this set design never was explored or flourished as I saw it this day. Truly, as I think Garfield would have intended it.

After 3 rounds, Akron legionnaires Adam and Matt faced off for the finals. After a very hard fought and interesting match (and a massive spore cloud), for the second year running, Matt Shields took the Trophy! This time with B/G Thallids! His thoughts here.

The 2026 FE Champs list:

Matt took full advantage of the “aggro” side of green.

Rather than the more often seen “spore flower control” build, he put the pedal to the metal and pushed every turn featuring Thallid Devourer and Derelor (a worthy splash in place of what could have been removal). Ferral Thallid and no Fungal Bloom were spicy as heck, and he cruised to a clean 4-0 record.

Adam took second place with 8-order,

This deck was sharp and resilient. Adam was a force to be reckoned with, including spirit shield to protect orders (often vulnerable to FE removal) and some excellent game play! Congrats Adam for making the finals with another unique build!

Top 4 included Craig Snook and Herb Wilson, both format veterans. Herb was in the finals in the very first online league, and succumbed to Matt last year in the ’25 championship game. He may be the winningest FE player without a trophy (and will be out for blood)… And we all know Craig – We wouldn’t be here without him <3

Craig Snook – B/R

Herb Wilson – very light pink weenie

some other decklists and highlights

A very diverse meta made for some outstanding games – in almost no particular order:

John Ekleberry – Troy Drinkard WC ’24 (5th place)

Fin Tindari – BG Thrulls (6th place)

Kurt Shubach – RG Goblins (Furthest traveled!)

Mike Klements – Merfolk (someone had to play blue)

Pat Hlafcsak – Mono Black

Jim Demko – DIY Lobstercon

Brian Petsche – B/R Thrulls

Jeff Toich – W/R Orgg (That’s a regular Orgg, I promise!)

Mitch Harmon –Pink good stuff

Closing Remarks

Thanks again all who make this event possible and all those who support Fallen Empires 40! We were able to demolish a couple dozen donuts, raise some money for charity (UOAA), and importantly highlight the importance of “the gathering”. Spread the word – this format is pretty fun, and the people are even better.

<3

See you at Ornithoptoberfest (oct 4th) -Mike