Thanks to Ghost Galaxy's Vault Tour summary articles, we have reliable data from KeyForge's high-level Organized Play season. Below are the lists of how each set is performing in each event, with % of field (what % of the group stage the set made up), and % of top 8, so you can see what people are bringing to the field, what converts to Top 8, and how that changes over the course of the season.
Remember to follow KeyForge Public Radio wherever you listen to podcasts! In the coming weeks, we'll release a podcast episode diving even further into the 2023 competitive season, and I'm bringing on one of KeyForge's most consistent strategic voices for the occasion.
Observations - Set Performance in Archon
- Let's start at the end, and the beginning: the first Archon World Championship deck, five years after the game's launch, is a first-print-run Call of the Archons deck with two houses including only two creatures. This limit was increased to three creatures in the second print run. Dorian, our first Archon World Champion, won the Florence Vault Tour with this deck - Geir Tsong.
- Winds of Exchange rapidly gained ground in Archon as the season progressed, both increasing its % of field and outperforming its % of field in Top 8 conversions. Winds of Exchange is the set to beat, and expect to see Unfathomable, Brobnar, Mars, and Ekwidon well-represented.
- Winds of Exchange has highly diverse token creatures among Top 8 decks.
- Half of all non-Unfathomable Winds of Exchange Top 8 deck placements were Team SAS's The Ooze That Trains All Three Houses.
- By mid-season, Nova of Team SAS established herself as the player to beat, piloting a Worlds Collide deck - Jacques - to victory at a Vault Tour and a National Championship.
- Dark Tidings continues to suffer competitively, with very low % of field and no Top 8 conversions.
- A small number of Vault Master 2023 decks have been entered into the field, but the sets has no Top 8 conversions, and none were entered into World Championship.
- Call of the Archons has six Top 8 placements; notably, three of them were Team SAS's Adm. Inslang, the Pink Fraud. One is the now world champion, Geir Tsong.
- Mass Mutation struggled to gain Top 8 placements early in the season, but made up 50% of the Dallas Top 8, and overall had a strong presence which correlates with its reputation as a strong Archon set.
- Age of Ascension averages a very low field %, and has only three Top 8 conversions; and yes, it's GENKA, and Nathan Starwalt's (of TTR) famous deck, Kantphage. Kantphage made it to the finals at Vegas.
Archon Set Performance by Vault Tour
Winds of Exchange Season Performance - Archon
| City (# of players) | % of Field | % of Top 8 (#) |
| Philadelphia (99) | 21.4% | 12.5% (1) |
| Indianapolis (66) | 34.8% | 37.5% (3) |
| Roseville (48) | 39.6% | 50% (4) |
| Seattle (47) | 51.1% | 75% (6) |
| Dallas (58) | 62.1% | 75% (6) |
| Shanghai (53) | 45.3% | 37.5% (3) |
| Florence (84) | 20.2% | 12.5% (1) |
| Vegas (51) | 60.8% | 62.5% (5) |
| Worlds (32) | 9.4% | 25% (2)** |
Dark Tidings Season Performance - Archon
| City | % of Field | % of Top 8 (#) |
| Philadelphia (99) | 3.1% | 0% (0) |
| Indianapolis (66) | 1.5% | 0% (0) |
| Roseville (48) | 4.2% | 0% (0) |
| Seattle (47) | 3.8% | 0% (0) |
| Dallas (58) | 0% | 0% (0) |
| Shanghai (53) | 0% | 0% (0) |
| Florence (84) | 3.6% | 0% (0) |
| Vegas (51) | 0% | 0% (0) |
| Worlds (32) | 0% | 0% (0) |
Mass Mutation Season Performance - Archon
| City | % of Field | % of Top 8 (#) |
| Philadelphia (99) | 29.6% | 50% (4) |
| Indianapolis (66) | 21.2% | 25% (2) |
| Roseville (48) | 20.8% | 25% (2) |
| Seattle (47) | 26.9% | 12.5% (1) |
| Dallas (58) | 10.3% | 0% (0) |
| Shanghai (53) | 26.4% | 37.5% (3) |
| Florence (84) | 32.1% | 37.5% (3) |
| Vegas (51) | 3.9% | 12.5% (1) |
| Worlds (32) | 18.8% | 25% (1) |
Worlds Collide Season Performance - Archon
| City | % of Field | % of Top 8 (#) |
| Philadelphia (99) | 14.3% | 12.5% (1) |
| Indianapolis (66) | 21.2% | 12.5% (1) |
| Roseville (48) | 14.6% | 12.5% (1) |
| Seattle (47) | 12.8% | 12.5% (1) |
| Dallas (58) | 10.3% | 12.5% (1) |
| Shanghai (53) | 17% | 25% (2) |
| Florence (84) | 15.5% | 25% (2) |
| Vegas (51) | 13.7% | 12.5% (1) |
| Worlds (32) | 25% | 0% (0) |
Age of Ascension Season Performance - Archon
| City | % of Field | % of Top 8 (#) |
| Philadelphia (99) | 12.2% | 0% (0) |
| Indianapolis (66) | 9.1% | 0% (0) |
| Roseville (48) | 4.2% | 12.5% (1) |
| Seattle (47) | 4.3% | 0% (0) |
| Dallas (58) | 1.7% | 0% (0) |
| Shanghai (53) | 5.7% | 0% (0) |
| Florence (84) | 8.3% | 12.5% (1) |
| Vegas (51) | 13.7% | 12.5% (1) |
| Worlds (32) | 18.8% | 0% (0) |
Call of the Archons Season Performance - Archon
| City | % of Field | % of Top 8 (#) |
| Philadelphia (99) | 17.3% | 25% (2) |
| Indianapolis (66) | 12.1% | 25% (2) |
| Roseville (48) | 14.6% | 0% (0) |
| Seattle (47) | 12.8% | 0% (0) |
| Dallas (58) | 12.1% | 12.5% (1) |
| Shanghai (53) | 3.8% | 0% (0) |
| Florence (84) | 19% | 12.5% (1) |
| Vegas (51) | 3.9% | 0% (0) |
| Worlds (32) | 9.4% | 25% (1) |
**Top 4
Alliance Set Performance by Vault Tour
Observations - Set Performance in Alliance
- The Jaypower Mass Mutation control archetype took the first Vault Tour win and was the boogeyman of the early season, and the set maintained a strong presence with a variety of archetypes across top cuts throughout the season.
- Sorry, Dark Tidings. No top cuts for you, again! Hardly any attempts, too.
- Winds of Exchange started strong with half of the top cut in Philly, and maintained a regular presence in top cuts, with a wide variety of archetypes.
- Two of the four Winds of Exchange decks in the Philly top cut were Whirlpool + Cleric decks, an archetype which came as a surprise to many but would not repeat another top cut placement during the season.
- Age of Ascension found the most success with GENKA builds, with AV8R's inclusion of Heart of the Forest becoming the gold standard as the season progressed.
Winds of Exchange Season Performance - Alliance
| City | % of Field | % of Top 8 (#) |
| Philadelphia (19) | 33.3% | 50% (4) |
| Indianapolis (39) | 15.4%* | 25% (2) |
| Roseville (18) | 55.6% | 50% (4) |
| Seattle (26) | 34.6% | 25% (2) |
| Dallas (25) | 37.5% | 25% (2) |
| Shanghai (14) | 57.1% | 50% (2)** |
| Florence (53) | 18.9% | 12.5% (1) |
| Vegas (23) | 39.1% | 25% (1)** |
| Worlds (32) | 40.6% | 50% (2)** |
Dark Tidings Season Performance - Alliance
| City | % of Field | % of Top 8 (#) |
| Philadelphia (19) | 0% | 0% (0) |
| Indianapolis (39) | 2.6% | 0% (0) |
| Roseville (18) | 0% | 0% (0) |
| Seattle (26) | 0% | 0% (0) |
| Dallas (25) | 3.8% | 0% (0) |
| Shanghai (14) | 0% | 0% (0)** |
| Florence (53) | 1.9% | 0% (0) |
| Vegas (23) | 0% | 0% (0)** |
| Worlds (32) | 3.1% | 0% (0)** |
Mass Mutation Season Performance - Alliance
| City | % of Field | % of Top 8 (#) |
| Philadelphia (19) | 16.7% | 12.5% (2) |
| Indianapolis (39) | 12.8%* | 25% (2) |
| Roseville (18) | 11.1% | 12.5% (1) |
| Seattle (26) | 26.9% | 25% (2) |
| Dallas (25) | 25% | 50% (4) |
| Shanghai (14) | 28.6% | 50% (2)** |
| Florence (53) | 20.8% | 50% (4) |
| Vegas (23) | 17.4% | 0% (0)** |
| Worlds (32) | 15.6% | 0% (0)** |
Worlds Collide Season Performance - Alliance
| City | % of Field | % of Top 8 (#) |
| Philadelphia (19) | 16.7% | 0% (0) |
| Indianapolis (39) | 10.3%* | 0% (0) |
| Roseville (18) | 5.6% | 12.5% (1) |
| Seattle (26) | 0% | 0% (0) |
| Dallas (25) | 16.7% | 12.5% (1) |
| Shanghai (14) | 14.3% | 0% (0)** |
| Florence (53) | 26.4% | 12.5% (2) |
| Vegas (23) | 8.7% | 0% (0)** |
| Worlds (32) | 12.5% | 25% (1)** |
Age of Ascension Season Performance - Alliance
| City | % of Field | % of Top 8 (#) |
| Philadelphia (19) | 16.7% | 12.5% (1) |
| Indianapolis (39) | 10.3% | 25% (2) |
| Roseville (18) | 16.7% | 25% (2) |
| Seattle (26) | 11.5% | 12.5% (1) |
| Dallas (25) | 12.5% | 12.5% (1) |
| Shanghai (14) | 0% | 0% (0)** |
| Florence (53) | 18.9% | 12.5% (1) |
| Vegas (23) | 21.7% | 50% (2)** |
| Worlds (32) | 18.8% | 25% (1) |
Call of the Archons Season Performance - Alliance
| City | % of Field | % of Top 8 (#) |
| Philadelphia (19) | 16.7% | 12.5% (1) |
| Indianapolis (39) | 10.3% | 25% (2) |
| Roseville (18) | 5.6% | 0% (0) |
| Seattle (26) | 23.1% | 37.5% (3) |
| Dallas (25) | 4.2% | 0% (0) |
| Shanghai (14) | 0% | 0% (0)** |
| Florence (53) | 13.2% | 0% (0) |
| Vegas (23) | 13% | 25% (1)** |
| Worlds (32) | 9.4% | 0% (0) |
**Cut to Top 4 instead of Top 8.
World Championship Invites
The dedicated volunteer at Archon Arcana are keeping a current list of all 2023 World Championship invitees for Archon and Alliance. See that list here.
The two largest, most established, and long-running KeyForge teams in the USA are Team Reapout and Team SAS; Team AFK (France) is a notable contender as well.
Team Reapout earned five World Championship invites this season, two in Alliance and three in Archon.
Team SAS earned ten total World Championship invites this season, five in Archon and five in Alliance. Interestingly, if you count invitees instead of invites, Team SAS has eight invitees.
Team AFK earned seven total World Championship invites this season.
The Alliance World Champion, donutsdad, hails from the Ancient Bear Republic team, and our Archon World Champion Dorian is the Italian team Senza Nome.
