Spoiler Alert!
This week I’d like to talk a little about M11, looking at the future, playing cards in Las Vegas, and Grand Prix: Sendai. I guess, hitting them somewhat reverse, I flew out to Las Vegas this past weekend to try my hand at World of Warcraft CCG and hang out with tons of friends in town for the World Series of Poker. WoW Nationals was an educational experience, and I ended up going 5-5 in what were my first matches. My friends – WoW masters Phil Cape and Dan Clark – let me use a deck from the gauntlet which I very much appreciate, though of course when five other people get deck’s first, the sixth best deck in the gauntlet is not always the best… Outside of a slightly sketchy deck, I also was continually getting wrecked by not knowing things like the existence of zero mana tricks and what keywords do. In addition, I was that guy, as I asked my opponents if their guy was a “shield or a sword,” in much the same way someone might ask “Do I need to pay two skulls for this Black Knight?”
On the whole, it was a very positive experience, as the WoW crowd was awesome and the new WoW makers, Cryptozoic, have a lot of awesome ideas about how to continue to nurture and improve their game. I am going to try playing a little more, so I’ll let you know how that goes, but suffice to say, the weekend was a blast. So let’s see, where was I? Oh yes, Vegas this past weekend, which seems like it was one of the few weekends Brian Kibler was not here, balling out of control. Blame Kibler? Well, turns out he was busy winning Grand Prix: Sendai. Typical.
Here is Grand Prix Champion Brian Kibler winning deck:
Creatures (24)
- 2 Birds of Paradise
- 2 Ranger of Eos
- 4 Noble Hierarch
- 1 Borderland Ranger
- 1 Scute Mob
- 2 Sphinx of Lost Truths
- 4 Sea Gate Oracle
- 4 Vengevine
- 4 Wall of Omens
Planeswalkers (7)
Lands (24)
Spells (5)
Sideboard
As you can see, Kibler has been hard at working tuning the deck. I don’t want to get too deep into discussion, as I am sure Kibler has much to say about it. Just a few minor points, then we move on. Regardless, the changes Kibler made had the deck flowing so nicely that Yuuya Watanabe and Katsuhiro Mori saw Kibler testing and decided to move in, all three going undefeated on Day 1 and Watanabe making Top 8.
The most important changes, in my opinion, are the increased emphasis on Elspeth, a card that really, really shines here. It is not just that Elspeth is one of the best Planeswalkers ever printed, it is also that she increases in value when you have tons of random dorks laying around, at which this deck has few rivals. In addition, the Wall of Omens, Sea Gate Oracles, and Vengevines lead to locking up the ground a lot. Having ways to break through the air are at a premium. Jace is at his best against Control decks here, but those match-ups are so good that you have room to spare in order to improve other match-ups, and Elspeth is no slouch there anyway. Decreasing the emphasis on the Ranger package is a necessary evil in order to preserve the curve.
The next big change is the addition of Sphinx of Lost Truth. Cutting a Scute Mob and a Gideon is like cutting two five-drops, and these have a lot of added value here. First, the additional library manipulation helps make up for the Jace and the Ranger that Kibler cut. Next, the mondo combo with Vengevine sounds cute but is actually devastating, accomplishing things that Kor Skyfisher never could. Discarding one, two, or even three Vengevines and immediately following it up with a Noble Hierarch leads to some pretty sick turns. In addition, Sphinx is yet another “cantrip” creature, helping ensure a steady flow of creatures to keep bringing back Vengevines. Finally, flying is particularly appreciated here, as we discussed regarding Elspeth.
Borderland Ranger and Sea Gate Oracle in place of Bant Charm and Kor Skyfisher are nice conservative ways to help increase the deck’s stability. There is a very important lesson here. When you are working on a deck, it is not always about making it more powerful (more Elspeths and Sphinx) but also making it even more consistent. Kibler ended up 17th at Grand Prix: DC, but rather than getting frustrated with a poor finish (considering his blazing start), he studied his losses and tried minor tweaks, playing the cards that did what he wanted, not the cards he “was supposed to play.”
The other notable change is the re-imagining of the sideboard. During GP: DC, Kibler realized that he really wanted a lot more early options for dealing with fast creatures like Lotus Cobra and Knight of the Reliquary. Meanwhile, Linvala and Pithing Needle had dropped in value, as everyone expects them now. Celestial Purge is a much better way to fight Jund than Mind Control, as it is Siege-Gang Commander and not Malakir Bloodwitch that is the problem, plus it helps buy time against Leeches that would otherwise crash through walls.
On the whole, I am a big fan of the direction Kibler is taking Next Level Bant, and I highly recommend it. He has further increased the stability, improved Jund and Mythic while maintaining a great U/W match-up. On top of that, this format is about Blue and White Planeswalkers and Vengevine. This deck is the best at both. I am not even sure what the right way to beat Next Level Bant is, as the deck is extremely robust and versatile.
One possibility is to make room for three or four Siege-Gang Commanders in Naya (NextLevelGerryTBossSaber?), though not destroying the curve will be quite a feat. Siege-Gang plus Basilisk Collar is cute, but Siege-Gang can actually accomplish a fair bit for the deck even beyond the NLBant match-up (Siege-Gang being one of the absolute strongest cards against the new Bant strategy). Without Lightning Bolts or other burn, the Naya deck is sometimes left wanting a little more reach. In addition, Siege-Gang is a total animal in the mirror. With Blue/White on the decline, the number of Day of Judgments will probably drop, slightly diminishing one of the downsides to Siege-Gang, though remember, you’re a player, you made him for the Day of Judgment… Right? Siege-Gang is a helluva follow-up, that’s for sure.
Another potential home for Siege-Gang is in Mono-R. Mono-R already has a fine NLBant mach-up, and if you boarded in Siege-Gangs (or even had room for them maindeck?), I expect you would be a solid favorite. I also wonder about making some sort of a Mono-R hybrid with Boros and actually Boat Brew. Ranger fetching Bushwhacker takes on whole new meaning when you also have Devastating Summons. Ranger and Siege-Gang can go a long way towards a mid-range grind session. The trick, I suppose, is making tough choices about cards like Steppe Lynx, Student of Warfare, Kargan Dragonlord, and Ajani Vengeant.
It is also a great time to consider just straight up Mono-R (with the Devastating Summons combo). It isn’t as techy, but it is a solid strategy and it won’t break the bank to build. Besides, more and more it seems that people are focusing on fighting Vengevines and U/W, potentially meaning Mono-R has that opening it is looking for. Me? I would NLBant for sure, but that isn’t everyone’s bag. All I am suggesting is that if you don’t, try to make room for Siege-Gang Commander, whatever strategy you play.
Grixis with Siege-Gangs is cute, but alas, I just don’t see the answer to the Vengevine problem yet. Relic of Progenitus? Thought Hemorrhage? Seems like the wrong way. Man, Standard needs a Carbonize SO badly. If I did explore this route, I would at least consider Magma Spray as an additional compliment to the removal package.
If you have your heart set on U/W, I would suggest U/W/r Planeswalkers, but perhaps try Siege-Gang there as well, making the necessary changes to the manabase. Martial Coup is another nice one versus NLBant, though you need to have a lot of cheap answers if you are going to not fall behind where you are just dead to a Negate or Deprive.
For the time being, I think we are going to see NLBant, Jund, U/W/x, and Mythic at the top, with Mono-R, Naya, and Polymorph around tier 2. I don’t think the format is busted at all, and in fact is probably one of the best Standard formats in a while, which is ironic given how miserable it was just a few months ago. The interesting thing to watch will be the introduction of M11. Remember, M11 will have a lot of new cards and, for the first time ever, it won’t immediately replace the previous core set. That’s right, for three months, M10 and M11 will both be legal in Standard.
M11 is still a way off, but the spoilers have finally gotten underway. Tom LaPille of Wizards R&D has recently revealed a number of cards that will be found in M11, as well as some that will certainly not. Let’s take a look, because I think if we read between the lines, there is a lot more they are not saying, that can be conjectured.
To begin with, Baneslayer Angel is back! This one is big. I know a lot of people discussed whether or not Baneslayer would be back, but you have to admit, Baneslayer is a pretty good creature to have as one of the best. Do we really want all the good creatures to be guys like Tarmogoyf, Pyschatog, Disciple of the Vault, and Narcomoeba? Why would we not want awesome iconic feel-good fatties? The interesting thing is that regardless of if Baneslayer was in M11 or not, its price would drop. If they reprint it immediately like this, there will be a lot more Baneslayers on the market, driving the price down (especially with Gideon all the rage). If they did not reprint it, the price would drop on account of no longer being Standard legal.
Some will complain that their Baneslayers are not holding their value, but if you are investing in Baneslayers long term, you should rethink your investment strategy. Timeless cards do well over time. Jace, the Mind Sculptor will do very well until it is reprinted (some day). That is a timeless card that will hold its value in eternal formats and Extended. Gideon Jura? Not so much.
Fireball and Lightning Bolt are back. These two iconic and flavorful burn spells are hardly a surprise, but it is still fun. Lightning Bolt is such a feel-good card. Yeah, it is so simple and only interesting because of its power level (no one “loved” Shock), but it feels good to have just a little bit more power than you should (and know it). Besides, Lightning Bolt is so dripping with flavor that you can’t help but feel it when you play it.
Birds of Paradise are back, again, to the surprise of no one. Wizards of the Coast wants M11 to be as fun and beloved as possible, so it makes sense to continue printing one of the most popular cards in the game’s history. Again, it’s a little “over the curve,” but not by much, and it feels good. I suspect people will remember their love affair with the Birds once Noble Hierarch’s absurdly overpowered self rotates out this fall. Every serious tournament player can use a set of Birds, and there will be more on the market, especially considering they are the promo-card for the “Buy-a-Box” promotion.
Finally, the M10 duals are back, prompting the question of whether or not they will be called M11 duals (or still called M10 duals). These cards are great, and players have been growing more and more appreciative of them as time has elapsed. I have no idea how strong the duals they have planned for Scars of Mirrodin may be, but I do know that with Fetchlands in the format and Tri-lands rotating out, M10 duals will probably be on the rise after the rotation.
A few new cards that are presumably in M11 have been revealed to be contents of the Archenemy product, Wizards of the Coast is releasing. The first, and most interesting to me, is:
Reassembling Skeleton
1B
Creature- Skeleton
Uncommon
1B: Return Reassembling Skeleton from your graveyard to the battlefield tapped.
1/1
This guy actually has a lot between the lines to read. First of all, he seems, flavour wise, to occupy the same space as Drudge Skeletons, a flavorful card that is sadly underpowered and not particularly beloved. This “Nu-Regen” is flavorful and actually works the way that many beginners think regeneration does. Does that make it simple? Not in the slightest.
Think about all the implications of this card for a moment. First of all, the text does not restrict you to doing this during the upkeep. That means you can block with the Skeletons, let them die in combat (maybe even taking something with them), then end-step get them back. This all but eliminates the “enters tapped” drawback, which is mostly just in place to not make people have to worry about surprise blockers jumping out of the yard.
In addition to being able to rebuy during the end step, think about this card with cards like Careful Consideration. If you have any sort of good looting going on, being able to pitch these is like drawing extra cards, as this guy is basically the same in the yard as your hand (actually, it’s a bit better in the yard, as he has flash). Reassembling Skeletons, Bloodghasts, Vengevines… we are starting to talk a lot of graveyard creatures now. Unearth is rotating out this year, but who knows how much more graveyard there is to come…?
This guy is an interesting speed bump that actually lets you be very mana efficient, giving you something very reasonable to do during your opponent’s end step with the mana you held open but did not spend. What counter were you playing in this hypothetical future?
Well, LaPille said that Essence Scatter will not be in M11. Interesting… Does this mean Mana Leak will? I am not too optimistic, but it sure would be nice. Personally, I am still rooting for:
Counter Magic
UU
Instant
Common
Counter target spell with converted mana cost 3 or less.
This is not a spoiler… it’s just a card I would LOVE to see. Talk about iconic, elegant, and strong without being overpowered. Cancel is just not sexy. Counterspell is just not healthy. I think this card is both sexy and healthy. Still, even if we only get Mana Leak, we would be doing alright. Think about how long we have been used to Essence Scatter, Negate, Flashfreeze, and Cancel. Mana Leak would be Christmas. Of course, for all I know, maybe the era of Blue continuing to be the best color, just without counter magic, will continue. If I were a betting man, however, I would speculate that this is not the case.
Blue will still be the best, as it always is. Blue will just get a good counterspell. That’s just my guess…
No, it’s not Force of Will. Stop asking.
Plummet
1G
Instant
Common
Destroy target creature with flying.
Talk about a well designed card. Green is supposed to be good at killing fliers. All this Wind Snare stuff has got to go. Plummet is much better than the previous versions of this card, but that isn’t saying much. Personally, I think it is a well deserved addition to Green’s toolbox. Green needs to be trickier, not just with Giant Growth effects. This card being an instant is so correct. Also, at two mana, this card will see play. Are you telling me you wouldn’t have wanted to Plummet some Sower of Temptations or Mistbind Cliques? What about Meloku or Baneslayer? I just hope Wakefield and Bennie give props to WotC for printing this card. This card is not on the Lightning Bolt power curve, so don’t make it about that. This card is just a nice added dimension that is a healthy way to expand Green’s capabilities. It will be far from the only (or best) new Green card, so don’t worry about that either. Just focus on how good a version it is for the type of effect it accomplishes.
I keep thinking about doing little corny things, like Soaring Seacliffs plus Plummet. I am such a child…
Chandra’s Outrage
2RR
Instant
Common
Deal 4 damage to target creature and 2 damage to its controller.
Okay, so this card isn’t going to totally shake up the tournament scene. Still, we can learn a bit by examining it. To begin with, the fact that it is common (as is Lightning Bolt) makes me suspect that Seismic Strike might not be back (which matters to almost no one, I am sure). Red gaining in this way is nice to hear, because Red was disappointingly weak in M10 Limited. With M11 being a GP and Pro Tour format (!), I am glad to see that they took extra time and care to push for an interesting Limited format.
Sorcerer’s Strongbox
4
Artifact
Uncommon
2,T: Flip a coin. If you win the flip, sacrifice Sorcerer’s Strongbox and Draw 3 cards.
To begin with, this card is obviously pretty far from good for Constructed play. Six mana draw 3 would not excite, and sometimes having to wait and pay more and more mana… not good. Still, when it comes to Limited, it is nice to have a little more card draw available if you want it. This may actually be sweet in the sense that if you always got the cards first time, everyone would pick it much higher, so you would get it less often (if you wanted it). As it is, it does a great job of capturing more of that rich flavor that helped make M10 so insane. It’s like you are trying to break open a box, and sometimes it takes longer than others. When you do, though, you discover it is a box with an Ancestral Recall in it! Yes, just to be clear, you do NOT sacrifice it until you win a flip.
Open the Vaults is NOT going to be in M11. Supposedly it is because of Esper rotating out, but I suspect it may have more to do with Scars of Mirrodin on the horizon. Maybe it was just undesirable to have that powerful a graveyard card for artifacts with what they are doing this fall. Who knows? All I know is that Open the Vaults will not be in M11.
Captivating Vampire
1BB
Creature — Vampire
Rare
Other Vampire creatures you control get +1/+1.
Tap 5 untapped Vampire creatures you control: Gain control of target creature. It becomes a Vampire in addition to its other types.
2/2
The ultra-popular Vampire tribe shows no signs of slowing down, as the kids certainly love these guys. As such, I am happy to see a Vampire Lord at rare instead of mythic, showing that WotC is not trying to force mythics everywhere. The printing of Captivating Vampire leads me to assume that Cemetery Reaper will not be back. I am not sure if Vampire Nocturnus is in or not, but I guess I am leaning towards not, as it seems silly to have two Vampire lords in this set.
Captivating Vampire is dripping with flavor. Imagine you have a Gatekeeper and a Vampire Nighthawk and your opponent plays a Baneslayer Angel. You play a land, your two Bloodghasts return, then you drop the Captivating Vampire and everyone pounces on the Angel, biting its neck and turning it to the darkness. Cool stuff. Much more fun than just Vampire Nocturnus (If the top of the library is a spell, you die immediately; if the top card is a land, I die immediately).
Mold Adder is not in M11, which is actually really awesome news, as LaPille has promised a color hoser on par with Celestial Purge, Flashfreeze, and Deathmark. This means several things. First of all, Celestial Purge, Flashfreeze, and Deathmark are probably all in M11. Next, it means that Green should have a sweet anti-Blue anti-Black card. Most likely, a cheap flexible, and useful tournament staple. In addition, it surely means the end of Great Sable Stag, a card with little purpose now that the enemy it was engineered to fight is gone.
Shivan Dragon isn’t in M11 either, which saddens me a little, since it is one of my favorite Magic cards. However, I am happy overall. Let Shivan Dragon retire. His time has come. He is unbalancing in Limited. No one plays him in Constructed. He isn’t iconic any more, as he is nowhere close to awesome compared to today’s creatures. Finally, Melissa Benson’s art is not available. As such, I am happy to see him leave with his head held high. I strongly suspect there will be a new Baneslayer-esque Dragon. Just as Baneslayer captured the love we had for Serra Angel, I suspect the Baneslayer Dragon to capture our love of the Shivan. If I were making it, I think I might make it a Red-heavy hasty firebreather for five, but who knows?
Planar Cleansing isn’t in M11, which is almost surely because of Day of Judgment being in. Remember, I don’t know anything beyond what they have released… I am just saying that when you apply good clean logic, so much of the future can be revealed. Think about Day of Judgment for a moment. It is the perfect replacement for Wrath of God, as it is much cleaner and elegant. Regeneration as a word should not appear on a Magic card so often. Nor God, for that matter. It would have been awkward to introduce Day of Judgement in M10, as too many people would be upset. However, now that people have Zendikar copies, the transition is not painful. It may have been a little annoying to have to get Days after already having Wraths, but it really is good for the game in the long term, which is probably a much bigger net positive.
Divination is not in M11, which I find particularly interesting. Not many people loved Divination, despite it being a reasonable tournament card, but I wonder what will replace it. If I were hazarding a guess, I would think Compulsive Research. While it is better than Divination, it is also much more loved. In addition, if Jace Beleren were not in M11, it would be nice to have a good three-mana card draw spell to replace it for Constructed. It is also possible to print a nearly functional reprint of Compulsive Research with a new name (and flavor) that doesn’t target the opponent. We’ll see.
Finally Twincast is confirmed out. This one puzzles me. The others point to card that they imply the existence of. What does a lack of Twincast say? Personally, I do not think it says much, though maybe there is a spell that counters OR twincasts. Perhaps there is a Deflection. Perhaps there is a Control Magic for spells. I really don’t have much clue here.
Okay, I am out for the week. I still have a few more hours in Vegas, and I’ve gotta head back over to Efro’s place, where David Williams, Brock, Huey, KK, Nassif, Noah, and a variety of other misers help remind that the “team draft” format is alive and well. Speaking of which… Any thoughts on bringing back the team Pro Tour (as another PT, not as a replacement PT, as Magic is doing “really well”)? For that matter, what about the invitational? We’ve gotta talk about this stuff if we care… let’s get the discussion going. This is how it starts. We have to speak up.
See you next week!
Patrick Chapin
“The Innovator”