These were the cards that shaped the tournament, that sparked discussions and were the most debated, the cards that won games and turned Grand Prix Kyōto into an event to remember.

Pyroblast

It is no secret that Legacy is a surrounded by a sea of blue. With so many important blue cards that define Legacy, Pyroblast gives the red decks a great boost. For a mere mana, it kills Delver of Secrets, counters Dig Through Time, negates Force of Will, and destroys Omniscience. Almost every red deck can find space in their sideboards for this very crucial and efficient card, and for good reason. Some players are even running multiple copies in the maindeck as a metagaming move!

Delver of Secrets

Transform

Around a quarter of all competitors in Day 2 were playing with this pesky Human. It never stays a Wizard for very long, thanks to Brainstorm and Ponder and despite being an Insect, it bites almost as hard as your neighbor's pit bull terrier. Delver variants in assorted color combinations have been an integral part of this tournament, a trend that is unlikely to fade away any time soon.

Tendrils of Agony

Despite not being represented in large numbers, Kai Thiele showed that Storm was a force to be reckoned with by breaking into the Top 4. Efficient card selection and tutoring alongside fast mana and quick kills makes this deck not only fun to play but also terrifying to play against.

Show and Tell

If you're the kind who enjoys unfair games, perhaps this card is your best bet. The top pros such as Shota Yasooka, Yuuya Watanabe, and Kentaro Yamamoto have unanimously agreed that it was the best time to cheat Omniscience and Emrakuls into play, now that Treasure Cruise is out of the picture.

Counterbalance

With almost everything in Legacy being so efficiently costed, Counterbalance is great against most strategies. The ability to disrupt your opponent's game plan and randomly turn calculations askew is what makes it such an awesome card. In conjunction with Brainstorm and Sensei's Divining Top, it almost always counters a relevant spell, or downright lock away your opponent's chances of winning. As a matter of fact, its presence was felt all weekend seeing how both the finalist Kazuya Murakami and champion Yuuta Takahashi ran a total of 8 copies between them!