Hello everyone, and welcome back to Constructed Criticism! Today I’m going to be talking about Standard with Conflux in preparation for the multiple StarCityGames.com $5000 Standard Opens coming to a big city near you! I will go over some archetypes that have been proven in the pre-Conflux metagame, and discuss some recent additions to each deck.
My three favorite cards from Conflux for Standard (by far) are Path to Exile, Volcanic Fallout, and Banefire. I think these three cards are going to reshape the Standard metagame as we know it, and hopefully be able to put a crack in the heavy armor of the Fae-ntom Menace (horrible pun, I know). As Red Deck Wins was already a tough matchup for the little pixies, now they will have to contend with not one, but two different uncounterable burn spells, making it their all-time nightmare matchup.
I included Path to Exile in the above list of cards because I think it will have enough applications in other decks, making them more popular, but also be able to contend with that insane 4/4 flying Time Walk: Mistbind Clique.
As most of you know, Faeries has been fairly dominant in Premier tournaments since the printing of Bitterblossom. This card has created a lot of controversy, ringing back to the times of Skullclamp and Arcbound Ravager where Wizards had to ban cards in a Standard format. How awkward. But today, something as powerful as “make a 1/1 at the beginning of your upkeep” can be too powerful. That says a lot about the evolution of the game and power levels, if you ask me.
Let me ask you a question: What makes Bitterblossom so good? Is it the inherent card advantage gained by being able to trade life points for opposing creatures in combat? While this aspect of Bitterblossom is great, it is not the reason why Bitterblossom is so busted. The reason is that it has such INCREDIBLE synergy with the rest of the deck, causing an unstoppable maelstrom of powerful spells and creating amazing interaction advantage. Cards like Mistbind Clique would be much worse without an enchantment that spat out free 1/1 flying faeries for it to champion. Spellstutter Sprite would be relegated to the Extended metagame where there are a plethora of one- and two-mana spells to be countered by its ability. Scion of Oona would possibly be the worst three-drop lord out of Lorwyn block. All of these cards interact with Bitterblossom in ways unlike we have seen since Arcbound Ravager and Disciple of the Vault. But the current iteration of Faeries’ may have met its match, and it will have to evolve or die against the flurry of unstoppable burn spells targeting its dome.
Here is my current “faeries killer” Burn deck:
4 Demigod of Revenge
4 Ashenmoor Gouger
4 Boggart Ram-Gang
4 Figure of Destiny
3 Banefire
4 Flame Javelin
4 Volcanic Fallout
4 Incinerate
4 Magma Spray
3 Ghitu Encampment
22 Mountain
Sideboard:
3 Everlasting Torment
4 Pyroclasm
4 Vexing Shusher
3 Manabarbs
1 Banefire
Let me go over some of the choices I’ve made. First, I wanted to include four Volcanic Fallout. While being an instant version of Pyroclasm that domes your opponent for two damage, it is also uncounterable. This is a problem for faeries in many different ways: they are never safe to stick a Scion of Oona, they can’t counter the two damage to their dome, and sweeping 3-5 Bitterblossom tokens all at instant speed sounds pretty nice to me. Also, take into consideration that the second-best deck in the format, previously dubbed “Boat Brew” by Aaron Nicastri, plays tons of drops that die instantly to Fallout. Spectral Procession and Siege-Gang Commander are probably their two best cards against you game 1, and destroying both of them with a single card seems pretty awesome. You can even do it in response to Balefire Liege (which has become popular due to its synergy with Reveillark) or some nonsense, so they think they’re pulling ahead until you just blow them out with Volcanic Fallout. In the aftermath, you untap and finish them with a Liu Kang style Fireball or Demigod. The only creature in your deck that dies to Fallout is Figure of Destiny, but he can easily be taken out of harm’s way before you cast the Fallout by pumping him up to a 4/4 or larger.
Banefire is an obvious inclusion. This addition required upping the land count to 25 so you can feasibly cast Demigod or Banefire for 5+ to finish off any unwary opponent. For reference, the Kithkin decks from Lorwyn-Shadowmoor block played 25-26 lands regularly. The current builds in Standard still play at least 25.
Everything else in the maindeck has been a staple for some time. However, there is controversy between Siege-Gang Commander and Demigod of Revenge in the five-drop slot. In this build, I prefer Demigod as he doesn’t die to your Volcanic Fallout, allowing you to “Wrath” your opponent before you attack for five damage against Fae or Sepctral Procession.
I am not playing Mogg Fanatic because I believe that Volcanic Fallout is much better, and they just interact poorly. Also, Mogg Fanatic is the worst topdeck to draw late game aside from a land, so it gets the cut for now. If you decide to play a list that features Fallout in the sideboard, then I think Mogg Fanatic deserves a place in the maindeck. Stigma Lasher has the same problem here as Fanatic, as he dies to your Fallouts without positive EV versus any deck except Five-Color Control.
The sideboard may have a few odd choices. Traditionally my two favorite decks in Standard were Kithkin and Faeries. I never had a problem with Red Deck Wins when playing Kithkin, except when they would stick Everlasting Torment. It would effectively nullify my “trump” card in Forge[/author]-Tender”]Burrenton [author name="Forge"]Forge[/author]-Tender, making me vulnerable to Pyroclasm effects, and ultimately destroying me. Everlasting Torment shuts down so many cards that hose you: Runed Halo (omg suck), Forge[/author]-Tender”]Burrenton [author name="Forge"]Forge[/author]-Tender, Kitchen Finks, Cruel Ultimatum, and any other random effect that gains life or prevents damage. It is basically a hoser’s hoser, and it really deserves a slot even though it is a reactive card in an aggressive deck. Shutting down Forge-Tenders against any White deck just makes them look silly, and it is definitely worth it.
Vexing Shusher and the fourth Banefire in the board are concessions to control decks sporting large amounts of countermagic. I don’t play four Banefire maindeck because you don’t want to draw too many of them against aggro as they will tend to get stuck in your hand. Most of the time you’ll have to use them to trade one-for-one on some random creature, when it is supposed to be a game-winning card. But having the fourth in the board will let you draw them more often against Faeries and Five-Color Control.
One card I want everyone to remember is Manabarbs. It completely crushes Five-Color Control if it resolves, as all of their spells cost upwards of 3-5 mana to cast, and you generally don’t care about your own life total. With enough instant speed burn spells to chuck at their face, they will usually have to counter one of them, tapping out during their end step. This will usually allow you to resolve the Manabarbs, effectively crippling them for the rest of the game. Unless your opponent is sporting the Jamie Park-esque Rhox War Monk, then you should be fine. Even then you can just kill it with two burn spells or a single Flame Javelin and win the race afterwards.
And lastly, the four Pyroclasm in the board are just additional sweeper effects for Kithkin, BW Tokens, and Boat Brew (as well as any random Elves or Merfolk). They’ll help sway the matchup in your favor after the first game.
This deck is so sick. You have so much burn that control decks will get removal stuck in their hand long after the game is actually over. Your creatures are invulnerable to opposing Volcanic Fallouts, which will probably be the new Firespout for control decks, leaving you open to bash their brains in with large Red men. I do think that a version sporting Blightning and Black cards out of the sideboard is extremely viable, as I am a huge fan of Shambling Remains. Unfortunately, I did not want to run too many goblins, and Auntie’s Hovel is straight terrible without them. Seeing as all goblins worthwhile tend to burn up in a Volcanic Fallout, this seemed awkward. Without Auntie’s Hovel, you don’t really have enough black sources to support Blightning and Shambling remains. Having too many lands that come into play tapped is generally bad for an aggressive deck, and especially* bad when your goal is to hit 5-6 mana on turn 5-6 to cast your insane finishers. A Blightning list would have to look something like this:
3 Siege-Gang Commander
4 Shambling Remains
4 Goblin Outlander
4 Mogg Fanatic
4 Figure of Destiny
3 Banefire
4 Flame Javelin
2 Tarefire
4 Incinerate
4 Blightning
3 Auntie’s Hovel
3 Ghitu Encampment
4 Graven Cairns
3 Reflecting Pool
4 Sulfurous Springs
8 Mountain
Sideboard:
3 Everlasting Torment
4 Volcanic Fallout
4 Vexing Shusher
1 Banefire
3 Thoughtseize
While the two have many similarities, there are a few strong and key differences. For one, your deck cannot support infinite three-drops. You basically have to choose between Volcanic Fallout and Blightning, as Flame Javelin and some three-drop creature are autopicks. Here I chose Shambling Remains as it is great against any control deck, and still a formidable foe against any aggro deck. If they don’t block him every turn, they are getting the equivalent of Flame Javelin to the dome every turn. Seems good. Out of the board you also have access the Thoughtseize, which might be better than the aforementioned Manabarbs, due to the fact that you can rip an important card from their hand before they play it. They can also counter Manabarbs fairly easily, where Thoughtseize can be used as bait before you resolve an important spell. You can even use it on yourself before you cast Demigod #2 to get Demigod #1 out of your hand (a very unlikely situation I know). Two different takes on similar strategies: both are viable and both are really tough to beat.
I refuse to run Bitterblossom in this deck, as it is basically a random card against Faeries since their Blossoms are always better than yours. It also makes you way more vulnerable to opposing Red strategies, as creature defenses rarely matter. It also makes opposing Cloudthreshers be useful. If you watch coverage from the Top 8 of Worlds 2008, you can see Jamie Parke crushing his Ryo Ogura’s Blightning deck with Cloudthreshers. That has to be a sick feeling to watch your Bitterblossom tokens get ‘threshed with nary a Cryptic Command in sight.
One card I was desperate to include was Hellspark Elemental. I think this guy is really good, and can fit very well into the deck. But he is better in a mindless burn-style deck. I haven’t tested with him enough to prove his value, so he’ll sit on the sideline until someone can find room for him.
Another deck that is falling off the radar that I wanted to talk about was Vengeant Kithkin. This is basically your traditional Kithkin deck, but it plays finishers like Ajani Vengeant and Banefire to help against the returning rival of Five-Color Control. Without these cards, it can be very hard to battle with Five-Color Control. With the possible death of Faeries, Five-Color will obviously be a top contender with a lot of EV, and you should mold your deck to be able to beat it. Otherwise, you will lose to it on a regular basis. Here is my Vengeant Kithkin list:
4 Goldmeadow Stalwart
4 Figure of Destiny
2 Forge[/author]-Tender”]Burrenton [author name="Forge"]Forge[/author]-Tender
4 Knight of Meadowgrain
4 Wizened Cenn
4 Spectral Procession
2 Ranger of Eos
4 Ajani Vengeant
3 Cloudgoat Ranger
2 Path to Exile
2 Banefire
2 Rustic Clachan
4 Windbrisk Heights
4 Rugged Prairie
4 Forge[/author]“]Battlefield [author name="Forge"]Forge[/author]
1 Jungle Shrine
1 Mountain
9 Plains
Sideboard:
2 Path to Exile
2 Unmake
2 Burrenton Forge-tender
3 Elspeth, Knight Errant
2 Reveillark
4 Stillmoon Cavalier
Some obvious changes to the normal Kithkin deck include Banefire and Ajani Vengeant as opposed to his twin brother (or alter ego) Ajani Goldmane. This change is an obvious concession to the coming popularity of Five-Color Control. However, if this trend does not pick up, Ajani Goldmane is generally better than Ajani Vengeant for a Kithkin deck. So just keep that in mind for your local metagame. Like I’ve previously stated, Banefire is bananas. I’d put 2-3 in every maindeck that can support Red, and I suggest you do the same.
I just want to answer one question: Yes. Path to Exile is worthy of the hype. That card is absolutely incredible. It can be so diverse for this deck, particularly because you have a lot of late-game power. Having the ability to cast it on your own dorks in response to a removal spell that ramps you into a Cloudgoat Ranger or lethal Banefire is pretty nice. The tempo you give your opponent by removing their Plumeveil, Kitchen Finks, or Sower of Temptation pales in comparison what those creatures do to you if you don’t have Path to Exile. While you do give them a tapped land, you can cast another spell with the mana you didn’t have to spend on Unmake.
The two Forge[/author]-Tender”]Burrenton [author name="Forge"]Forge[/author]-Tenders are there in the maindeck as a solid targets for Ranger of Eos to tutor for against Red Deck Wins or a deck sporting a lot of Pyroclasm effects. I really wanted to fit three into the maindeck, but it was extremely hard finding room. I think I would maindeck a third Path to Exile before a third Forge-Tender, though. I’m only playing 3 Cloudgoat Ranger because he is very mana intensive, and you don’t want to draw 3-4 of him when you’re stuck light on lands, as it will make you want to kill yourself.
The manabase is fine and can easily support your late game spells. I have a singleton Jungle Shrine to act as a pseudo Forge[/author]“]Battlefield [author name="Forge"]Forge[/author] #5, letting you cast Banefire and Ajani Vengeant more easily. The same goes for the singleton Mountain, as you may need to Path to Exile your own creature to cast a lethal Banefire the next turn, assuming you don’t have access to Red mana. This is also true when your opponent casts Path to Exile on your creatures, which they will do. Often. However, Path to Exile is not very good against you because you have such good late-game spells. After sideboarding you have access to three more Planeswalkers, as well as Reveillark. Path to Exile will seem terrible for them when you ramp into a turn 4 Cloudgoat, or a turn 3 Ajani Vengeant because they had to choose between taking 1,000 damage or killing your Figure of Destiny.
Out of the board we get Elspeth and Reveillark versus Five-Color Control, Stillmoon Cavalier versus any form of White or Black aggro, Forge[/author]-Tender”]Burrenton [author name="Forge"]Forge[/author]-Tenders 3-4, and 4 more removal spells for Sower of Temptation and Mistbind Clique, or other fatties your opponents may have. I really wanted to fit a fifth removal spell for these, and Unmake has always been stellar. I wanted more but couldn’t really find room, and I value Path to Exile over Unmake for those situations.
I’ve left out Wispmare, because I think that this deck’s aggressive maindeck doesn’t want to have a reactive card to beat Bitterblossom. Also, Faerie’s cards that give you problems are not Bitterblossom, but Infest and Sower of Temptation. Also, Bitterblossom becomes worse and worse when they start casting Infest, and can become a liability if their Blossom puts them into Banefire range. Having access to more removal for Sowers and Mistbind Cliques will improve your overall matchup enough to push it through the roof. Your matchup versus Fae was already pretty close, but now you have Banefire to crush them, so you should be fine.
These sideboard cards answer all of the deck’s potential problems and most of the cards can come in against a variety of strategies. Building a sideboard that is always useful is somewhat difficult, as predicting any given metagame is generally hard. However, you can build your sideboard so that your cards are multi-functional and have applications in more than just one matchup. For instance, Elspeth is never really bad. I really wish you could find room for her in the maindeck, but Ajani clearly gets the nod (in both his forms). Stillmoon comes in against multiple black or white strategies as a way to fight aggressive monsters and removal.
Overall, I think Conflux is going to be very healthy for the metagame, bringing some new power and new decks to the table. I, for one, am excited about the prospect of a Five-Color Aggro deck that Patrick Chapin has been working on, or even a streamlined Bant Aggro deck powered by Noble Hierarch. I am definitely looking forward to seeing a polished version of each in the near future. However, if your plan is to go aggro on your opponent’s life total, I would strongly suggest one of these decks. They are very powerful choices for the current metagame. Each has solid plans for the top contenders. Just remember though, that as soon as you think Faeries is dead… they’ll come back. Never forget to pack your Cloudthreshers Dr. Greene.
Please come back and join me next week, when I’ll either be discussing upcoming PTQ’s for Extended, or more on Standard post-Conflux! Thanks for reading.
Todd Anderson
strong sad on MTGO
soyweenus on AIM
x2jtande AT southernco DOT com