1997 World Champion Jakub Šlemr came within two matches of becoming the first person to repeat as World Champion. The 22-year-old Prague native earned a flawless 6—0 resord during the Standard portion of the Swiss rounds. Šlemr, along with fellow teammate and quarterfinalist Gary Wise, played a mono-black deck coined "Black Control." He used discard effects early with cards like Ravenous Rats, Duress, and Stupor. However, the majority of his deck was dedicated to board control with Cursed Scrolls, Powder Kegs, and Phyrexian Plaguelords.

1997 World Champion Jakub Šlemr came within two matches of becoming the first person to repeat as World Champion. The 22-year-old Prague native earned a flawless 6—0 resord during the Standard portion of the Swiss rounds. Šlemr, along with fellow teammate and quarterfinalist Gary Wise, played a mono-black deck coined "Black Control." He used discard effects early with cards like Ravenous Rats, Duress, and Stupor. However, the majority of his deck was dedicated to board control with Cursed Scrolls, Powder Kegs, and Phyrexian Plaguelords.

1997世界冠军Jakub Šlemr只差两场胜利就成为首位卫冕世界冠军的选手。这位22岁的布拉格本地人在瑞士轮标准赛部分取得了完美的6-0战绩。Šlemr与四强选手兼队友Gary Wise使用了同一套纯黑套牌，称为「大黑控」。他使用如贪吃老鼠、逼从、和精神恍惚等早期的弃牌效应。然而，他的套牌大部分致力于场面控制，使用了诅咒卷轴、炸药桶和非瑞克西亚疫病王。