SPRING LEAGUE 2025: THE EVENT! Here are the most-played decks and the champions’ deck lists!

Fellow Illumineers, your Samir is back on the Lore League blog with some very exciting news.

No need for a thousand introductions because I know you’re all itching to find out which colors were played the most and to see the deck lists of the top players from the Spring League 2025.

And here they are!

Out of 416 players, as many as 117 chose Sapphire and Steel for their decks, split between 48 using the item version (with Lucky Dime and Tamatoa – So Shiny) and 69 who preferred the “aggro” version (also known as Kiwi).

But which was the most-played deck overall? With a staggering 87 players, Ruby-Sapphire dominated the popularity rankings.

Next down the list is Amethyst-Steel with 59 participants. 

Following that, 49 people chose Steel Song.

24 Illumineers jumped into the fray with Amber-Emerald, split evenly between the “Green-Song” version and the brand-new ChernaDOG (featuring Tramp, Lady, and Chernabog).

And what happened to the beloved Ruby-Amethyst? 

A slump with no precedent, chosen by only 18 players, the same number as Emerald-Amethyst.

17 players opted for Emerald-Steel, followed by 10 Blurple (Sapphire-Amethyst).

Bringing up the rear: 5 Ruby-Steel, 5 Amber-Ruby, 4 Sapphire-Emerald, and a single Amber-Amethyst.

A decidedly varied metagame, but only in its top half, given that 218 players chose Sapphire to pair with something else.

Now, let’s move on to the part you’ve all been waiting for.

The deck lists of the strongest players in the Spring League 2025

Here, I’ll only show you the top eight lists that rose to the top of the standings.

But fear not: the entire TOP 32 has already been uploaded!

Follow Lore League because soon you’ll be able to get your hands on these valuable informations.

Eighth place was claimed by Manfredi Sanfilippo with a noteworthy Ruby-Sapphire list.

What might seem at first glance like a “standard list” for this color combo actually packs quite a few unconventional cards.

Starting with Merlin’s Carpetbag, a very handy item for retrieving a Lucky Dime that has “accidentally” ended up in the discard pile due to your opponent.
And the possibility of replaying it for free with Tamatoa – Happy as a Clam during a “quest break” is quite the surprise!

Seventh place was also taken by a Ruby-Sapphire deck, this time piloted by Luca Cuelli.

A player very close to the Lore League staff, he fought his way to the top with one victory after another!

Unlike other builds, Luca’s list has a distinctly more “board control” flavor. 

Be Prepared, Kuzco, Let it Go, and other resources in very few copies serve as answers to a wide range of threats in the current meta. And his seventh-place finish rewarded every insight he had.

International players also performed splendidly during the Spring League. That’s the case for Rafaelo Sarmiento!

In this deck, Action cards take center stage, providing a host of tools to dominate opponents. Sound familiar? That’s because it looks like the classic Sapphire-Ruby deck that dominated in Set 6, updated for today.

A clever approach that earned Rafaelo sixth place.

Luca Rinaldi became, like it or not, a crowd favorite during the live coverage.

Why? Because he was the only Top 8 player running a deck WITHOUT Sapphire.

His Green Song deck was truly on fire throughout the Swiss rounds, soaring to the upper ranks of the tournament.

Between discard effects, bounce, and mass removals, he controlled the board with ease in his matches.

An outstanding fifth-place finish that reminds us: if you’re good at playing a deck, you can always achieve results.

We return to Ruby-Sapphire with Jonathan Rey Pareja and his superb fourth-place finish.

A classic list featuring all the most popular cards for this color combination.

The image above doesn’t do justice to the talent Jonathan showed during the competition. Every move was carefully calculated, even though to most people his deck might look predictable.

And despite that, he achieved a remarkable result!

Bronze medal goes to Silvio Guerresi and his Steel-Sapphire.

One word comes to mind when looking at this list: solidity.

Almost every card is a 4-of, as if to say: “I know exactly what I need to do.”

And indeed, Silvio stayed the course in a tournament full of top-tier players and claimed a prominent position.

A functional, decisive, and “solid” deck that further reinforced the dominance of this archetype.

Riccardo Tafuri earned second place with an exceptional deck.

Yes, it’s yet another Sapphire-Ruby. However, his version omitted both Tamatoas (the “old” one and the “new” one) to maximize Maui – Half Shark, a slew of actions, and a board-control strategy beyond imagination.

No fewer than four Be Prepared, Scar, Lady Tremaine, and Brawl to handle any tricky situation. And what about the four Pirate’s Life? If the opponent starts to run away with the score, he can keep them at bay.

Well done, Riccardo!

Ladies and Gentlemen, here we are at last with the King of Kings.

Luca Panini and his great Sapphire-Steel.

If you missed the final match, you really should check it out!

It was a nail-biting showdown where it was impossible to predict the winner at any given moment.

Those who watched live will definitely remember the moment he played both Pete and Ariel in a single turn.

That’s the key to this deck.

Ariel is ready to provide a whopping 5 lore points with no risk of being removed by the typical “burn spells” in the current metagame, thanks to its Ward keyword.

And if Lucky Dime is also on the field, Ariel almost always secures 10 lore.

But the deck contains many other techniques and strategies that helped Luca climb to success, one step at a time, with his version of the most feared deck this season.

An exceptional player who built a hyper-accessorized, ready-for-anything list!

So what happens next? When’s the next Lore League Italia event?

As you know, whenever a 4Season tournament ends, we wait for the next one to begin.

The Spring League was a true watershed moment, hosting 416 players and about 100 more people including Staff, Vendors, and Artists.

It was an unprecedented event, among the most attended in Europe, with players from every corner of the continent.

Not to mention the champions seated at the tables: Luca Lazzara and Michele Assirelli (representing Italy in the next World Championship), as well as Domingo Martinez Rodenas, the current European champion.

High-profile individuals who are always a delight to see in the community, like the incredible Erica De Matteis, Giulia Amici, and Silvia “Escilgioco” Fossati.

In short, if the Spring League turned into an unforgettable party, we owe it all to you, who follow us so passionately and push us to improve time and time again.

And it is you who deserve our heartfelt thanks!

The next 4Season will be the Summer League, which this year will be scheduled a bit later than usual.

Stay tuned to our channels: the official dates will be announced soon, as well as how to sign up for the next tournament!

Will you be there?

We can’t wait to find out!

See you soon,

Samir

Follow me @inked.broom