Two more qualifiers, the same tables
After EMEA #1 (20 October) and AMER #2 (21 October), Koin Games published on its official Discord the same two tables as after the first qualifier: the ban phase of every Legendary and the 20 most played cards in the decks submitted. With three qualifiers out of five, the numbers can now be compared: what holds from one qualifier to the next, and what changes between Europe and the Americas. For the first one, AMER #1, see our Meta Report of 20 October.
Van Helsing first, Merlin second, three times out of three
The ban rate is how many times a Legendary was banned out of the times an opponent found it at the ban (decklists stay hidden until the top 4, so at the ban you only see the Legendaries: the rules).
| Legendary | AMER #1 | EMEA #1 | AMER #2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Helsing | 44.4% | 51.1% | 48.4% |
| Merlin | 42.2% | 48.6% | 47.5% |
| Three Not So Little Pigs | 32.8% | 34.9% | 36.1% |
| Dorothy | 23.1% | 10.0% | 33.3% |
| King Arthur | 22.7% | 6.3% | 24.0% |
| Robin Hood | 11.8% | 19.6% | 18.6% |
| Mulan | 20.3% | 15.3% | 14.0% |
| Legion of the Dead | 19.2% | 15.4% | 10.6% |
| Queen of Hearts | 21.0% | 8.0% | 12.0% |
| Dracula | 14.1% | 14.5% | 9.2% |
| Wicked Stepmother | 11.1% | 0% | 8.3% |
Van Helsing was banned 139 times out of 272 in EMEA #1 and 90 out of 186 in AMER #2: in Europe more than one time in two. Merlin is second in all three qualifiers, even though it is in less than one deck in ten. Dorothy and Wicked Stepmother were seen at the ban fewer than 30 times per qualifier (9 times for Dorothy in AMER #2): their numbers swing a lot and don't say much.
King Arthur: banned in the Americas, almost never in Europe
The biggest gap between qualifiers is King Arthur: banned 15 times out of 66 in AMER #1 (22.7%), 4 out of 63 in EMEA #1 (6.3%) and 18 out of 75 in AMER #2 (24.0%). The samples are similar, so it is not noise: in the two Americas qualifiers players banned it about one time in four, in Europe almost never. Queen of Hearts shows a smaller gap in the same direction (21.0% and 12.0% in the Americas, 8.0% in Europe). Our reading: the Americas fear the King Arthur deck more; EMEA #2 will tell whether Europe sees it differently.
Robin Hood is not the least feared any more
After AMER #1 Robin Hood was the least banned of the Legendaries seen at least 30 times (11.8%). In the next two qualifiers it was banned almost one time in five: 20 times out of 102 in EMEA #1 and 8 out of 43 in AMER #2. Now the least feared are others: King Arthur in Europe (6.3%), Dracula (9.2%) and Legion of the Dead (10.6%) in AMER #2. Legion is banned less each time (19.2%, 15.4%, 10.6%) while it is still in about one deck in ten.
Pigs, the most brought, and banned a little more each time
Share of the decks in Koin's table with each Legendary:
| Legendary | AMER #1 | EMEA #1 | AMER #2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three Not So Little Pigs | 23.3% | 23.4% | 24.0% |
| Van Helsing | 18.7% | 19.7% | 20.1% |
| Legion of the Dead | 9.3% | 9.7% | 9.8% |
| Merlin | 9.8% | 9.7% | 9.0% |
| Dracula | 7.4% | 5.8% | 7.2% |
| Mulan | 6.7% | 8.3% | 7.0% |
| King Arthur | 6.4% | 5.7% | 6.5% |
| Robin Hood | 7.2% | 7.7% | 6.5% |
| Queen of Hearts | 6.5% | 6.7% | 6.5% |
| Dorothy | 3.2% | 2.3% | 2.2% |
| Wicked Stepmother | 1.5% | 0.9% | 1.2% |
Three Not So Little Pigs is in almost one deck in four in every qualifier (216 decks in EMEA #1, 214 in AMER #2), and its ban rate goes up each time: 32.8%, 34.9%, 36.1%. Pigs and Van Helsing together are in more than four decks in ten. The order of the others barely moves: the meta of the tournament is stable.
The cards: Baby Bear first, 15 cards always in the top 20
Share of all the decks submitted that contain the card, as Koin publishes it, in the order of AMER #2. A dash means the card is not in that qualifier's top 20: it is not zero, and we don't estimate it.
| # | Card | AMER #2 | EMEA #1 | AMER #1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baby Bear | 46.1% | 50.1% | 47.2% |
| 2 | Mind Palace | 33.8% | 33.0% | 31.7% |
| 3 | Spellbook | 32.5% | 32.5% | 32.4% |
| 4 | Roo | 31.3% | 32.6% | 33.7% |
| 5 | Trash for Treasure | 29.0% | 31.0% | 29.9% |
| 6 | Golden Egg | 27.9% | 29.3% | 30.2% |
| 7 | Ali Baba | 26.9% | 28.8% | 28.2% |
| 8 | Scarecrow | 25.9% | 25.6% | 22.1% |
| 9 | Dark Omen | 25.7% | 28.7% | 27.4% |
| 10 | Impundulu | 24.7% | 21.1% | 22.3% |
| 11 | Bagheera | 23.5% | 22.7% | — |
| 12 | Tin Woodman | 23.3% | 25.4% | 21.6% |
| 13 | Sandman | 23.2% | 22.8% | 23.9% |
| 14 | Mummy | 22.2% | 26.6% | 24.9% |
| 15 | Bullseye | 21.8% | — | 21.6% |
| 16 | Defense Matrix | 21.2% | — | 22.1% |
| 17 | Forbidden Knowledge | 21.1% | 23.2% | 22.3% |
| 18 | En Passant | 21.0% | 23.5% | 21.7% |
| 19 | Shahrazad | 20.8% | — | 20.3% |
| 20 | Stroke of Midnight | 20.5% | 23.1% | — |
Baby Bear is the most played card in all three qualifiers, in half of the decks in Europe (50.1%). Spellbook doesn't move (32.4%, 32.5%, 32.5%). Fifteen cards are in the top 20 of every qualifier. Bagheera and Stroke of Midnight entered in EMEA #1 and stayed in AMER #2; in EMEA #1 the top 20 also had Obliterate (23.8%), Jekyll (21.2%) and Reinforcements (21.0%), which are not in the AMER #2 table.
What it means for APAC and EMEA #2
The last two qualifiers, APAC and EMEA #2, are played on 22 October. Our reading:
- Van Helsing and Merlin get banned almost one time in two everywhere: whoever brings them should expect to play with the other two decks;
- Pigs is the most brought Legendary and the one banned more each time: the more it is brought, the more it draws the ban;
- in Europe King Arthur has almost never been banned so far: if EMEA #2 confirms it, it is the Legendary most likely to stay on the table there.
All the qualifiers side by side
Our Crimson Cup page has a new section, the qualifiers compared: ban rate, decks brought and most played cards with one column per qualifier, all of them together and the change from one qualifier to the next. The page of each qualifier stays as it was, with the comparison with the ladder; the card pages, like King Arthur and Baby Bear, show the numbers of the latest qualifier.
Where this comes from
- The tables Koin Games published on the official Discord after EMEA #1 (read on 21 October 2026) and after AMER #2 (read on 22 October 2026).
- For AMER #1, the tables read on 20 October 2026, in our first Meta Report.
Source
Cards in this update
Frequently asked questions
- Which Legendary is banned most across the Crimson Cup qualifiers?
- Van Helsing, in all three qualifiers with official numbers: 44.4% in AMER #1, 51.1% in EMEA #1 and 48.4% in AMER #2, according to Koin Games. Merlin is second every time (42.2%, 48.6%, 47.5%).
- Is the Crimson Cup meta different in Europe and in the Americas?
- Mostly not: the same Legendaries are banned and brought, and Baby Bear is the most played card everywhere. The exception is King Arthur, banned 6.3% of the time in EMEA #1 against 22.7% and 24.0% in the two Americas qualifiers.
- Where can I see the numbers of every Crimson Cup qualifier?
- On our Crimson Cup page in Analytics: one tab per qualifier, with Koin's tables and the comparison with the ladder, and a section that puts all the qualifiers side by side.
Written by Pierluigi “Aldry” Cella · The whole editorial team
OriginsMeta is an independent project and is not affiliated with Koin Games.
