1997 Pros-Bloom by Mike Long (Casual)

While combo decks have always existed in Magic, Pros-Bloom was the first true combo deck of the modern era. Rather than just being a collection of restricted cards that resulted in enough mana and cards to kill someone on turn 1 (as had existed in Type 1 from time to time), Pros-Bloom used combinations like Infernal Contract/Prosperity + Cadaverous Bloom and Natural Balance + Squandered Resources to trade cards for mana, and mana for cards, until the Pros-Bloom player had drawn their whole library, at which point a lethal Drain Life would finish the job.

Pros-Bloom is one of the most important decks of all time, as it marked the beginning of a new era of deck construction. No longer would Magic be viewed from just the Offensive-Defensive paradigm. From this day forward, “Aggro, Control, and Combo” would always be considered. Before Pros-Bloom, cards like Squandered Resources would be laughed at. From this day forward, every “bad” engine card would be reviewed by many, looking for new and powerful ways to combine cards to win outside of the traditional model of playing creatures and supporting them with spells.