When I sat down for my Top 8 match at #SCGATL, I got to take a look at my opponent’s decklist, and I was blown away. His deck was better-constructed than any other deck I had seen on the day!
Willie’s deck is a little bit like Ben Rubin’s 64 card-Abzan Blue deck with some of the standout cards from #MTGOGW. Meanwhile, his deck is only 60 cards, and he was still able to fit all sixteen relevant fetchlands into his deck! That allows him to fuel Tasigur, the Golden Fang and Murderous Cut very easily while also playing the full four colors.
Oath of Nissa is doing great work here. Not only does it allow you to cut a land, it also lets you shave some of your clunkier cards. This deck only has one Wingmate Roc, two Den Protectors, and three copies of Gideon, Ally of Zendikar, but it probably feels like you have access to more copies. Additionally, Oath of Nissa fixes your mana for Gideon on occasion and can even find interaction if necessary with Reflector Mage.
Reflector Mage is absolute beating against things like Monastery Mentor and opposing Siege Rhinos, but the card’s also quite good against aggressive decks as well. Stubborn Denial, the other blue card in the maindeck, is an indicator of Abzan Aggro needing to go in a different direction in order to handle the Rally the Ancestors menace. Being able to side in more counterspells for that matchup is a huge boon.
Not only does this deck look smooth and lean, it’s also very, very powerful. Going forward, this is how Abzan Aggro should be built.
Creatures (21)
- 4 Anafenza, the Foremost
- 1 Wingmate Roc
- 4 Siege Rhino
- 2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
- 4 Warden of the First Tree
- 2 Den Protector
- 4 Reflector Mage
Planeswalkers (3)
Lands (25)
Spells (11)
