Aether Revolt Standard is a completely different animal from what we’ve been dealing with. The new cards are pushed in strange ways, and the old cards have all taken on new meaning with the bans. I wouldn’t be surprised if the first couple of weeks of the format involve a great diversity of decks, many of which are built unnecessarily similarly to decks from the previous format.
For instance, a lot of people are replacing Smuggler’s Copters in their decks with Heart of Kiran and calling it a day. While they are both two-cost Vehicles, they have different synergies and require very different crews. Some decks might be okay with that swap, but it would be surprising to think none of the other card choices should be changed as a result.
By the time the Pro Tour rolls around, I expect we’ll be looking at a nearly unrecognizable monster. As we start on the road to figuring out what that metagame looks like, we’re working our way through the cards of Aether Revolt and discussing their implications. Monday, we examined the green cards of Aether Revolt. Today, I’d like to look at the red ones.
Aether Chaser is an enormous upgrade from Thriving Grubs, but that doesn’t necessarily ensure playability. If we just view it as an energy enabler for a red aggro deck, helping fuel Lathnu Hellion, we could try something like:
Creatures (25)
- 4 Falkenrath Gorger
- 1 Pia Nalaar
- 4 Lathnu Hellion
- 4 Bomat Courier
- 4 Inventor's Apprentice
- 4 Aether Chaser
- 4 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
Lands (21)
Spells (14)
Given the amount of energy Lathnu Hellion and Aether Chase use at a time, Aether Hub is not even a great fit. I would guess that if we’re going to be evaluating Aether Chaser as an aggro energy card, we should probably be playing G/R, as Greenbelt Rampager and Voltaic Brawler are just too good to pass up. How much are we even getting for playing Mono-Red?
This build does attempt to get a little extra flavor from the Chaser by using it as an additional source of artifact for Inventor’s Apprentice. The question quickly becomes, however, why not splash black for Unlicensed Disintegration?
Shock is a fine card in its own right, but looks particularly good in a world of one-drops and Saheeli Rai dropping to one loyalty counter. That said, I expect the metagame to shift. Two-drops with a third toughness get a lot more attractive. Maybe Shock will be a victim of its own success?
Kari Zev hits for three, takes three blockers to stop completely, and works great with instant-speed burn and pumps. Depending on how far you want to push it, she also opens up the possibility of some amount of synergy with cards that require you to sacrifice a creature or key off creatures entering or leaving the battlefield.
In general, I think Kari Zev is stronger than your typical red aggro card, and we should probably be looking to use it in a variety of places, not just mono-red aggro.
For instance, we mentioned the possibility of adding black for Unlicensed Disintegration. After all, if we stick to Mono-Red, the only way to get enough one-drops is basically to lean into Inventor’s Apprentice. Once you’re valuing artifacts, why not play Scrapheap Scrounger?
Creatures (20)
- 3 Pia Nalaar
- 4 Bomat Courier
- 4 Scrapheap Scrounger
- 4 Inventor's Apprentice
- 1 Walking Ballista
- 4 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
Lands (22)
Spells (18)
It might be unneeded, given the burn, but it is kind of interesting that Fatal Push (and any cards with the Revolt mechanic) are turned on by Ragavan (Kari Zev’s legendary Monkey creature token) leaving the battlefield at the end of combat.
Yet another part of Kari Zev that can be taken advantage of is her creature type. As an aggressive Human, maybe she can find a home in W/R Humans?
Creatures (27)
- 4 Expedition Envoy
- 4 Thraben Inspector
- 4 Thalia's Lieutenant
- 4 Town Gossipmonger
- 3 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
- 4 Metallic Mimic
- 4 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
Lands (22)
Spells (11)
In addition to Thalia’s Lieutenant, Humans can now run Metallic Mimic if they are so inclined.
While Metallic Mimic has been receiving more attention because of the Animation Module combo, it might also just be a passable tribal lord, particularly if you value the artifact it provides. It might be tempting to add Animation Module here, but it doesn’t actually make a lot of sense. We’re pretty committed to naming “Human” with Metallic Mimic, not “Servo.”
Thalia has increased value in a world of copied Cat Beasts, as does Authority of the Consuls out of the sideboard. Perhaps more interestingly, however, Thalia and Kari Zev side-by-side means a lot of first striking legendary creatures. Maybe it’s nothing, but it might move the needle on how we value combat tricks.
Chandra’s Revolution has a rate better suited for Draft. The ability to lock down a land is fairly novel; it’s just not particularly useful given the total cost of the card.
It’s an interesting mix of effects, but I’m skeptical of paying three with no upside. It’s even a sorcery. Maybe there’s a world where we have enough need to get through Spider tokens or a stand-off created by some kind of Duskwatch Recruiter deck.
Much more of a Draft rate; only getting to use the ability once per turn and without haste makes this unlikely to show up in Constructed.
Enraged Giant and Freejam Regent are not necessarily stacked up in decks side-by-side. However, they are good to compare as natural alternatives to each other if you’re in the market for some red six-drop “affinity” cards.
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Lands (22)
Spells (24)
Enraged Giant and Freejam Regent can be played on turn 3 with an Implement of Combustion and Cogworker’s Puzzleknot. Cogworker’s Puzzleknot isn’t necessarily ideal, but without ways to sacrifice artifacts, it’s still probably better than Servo Schematic, since we do have Spire of Industry to activate it again.
I’m actually more interested in exploring some kind of hardcore Improvise deck using Servo Schematic, Cogworker’s Puzzleknot, and Servo Exhibition. If we cast one of those three on turn 2, we might be able to reliably cast a six-cost improvise creature on turn 3 (after playing a one on turn 1). In fact, if we’re willing to play some zeros, we could even play a seven-cost improviser on turn 3.
Creatures (16)
Lands (23)
Spells (21)
Once we start down this path, it’s kind of interesting to consider cards like Paradoxical Outcome as well as whatever blue improvise cards we may be interested in. Alternatively, if we explore using cards like Implement of Improvement or Terrarion, we might be able to put Fatal Push to great use, particularly when we already have Thraben Inspector and Puzzleknots. We might also end up trying some crazy manabase with Spire of Industry, Aether Hub, Terrarion, and maybe Prophetic Prism or Cultivator’s Caravan.
Back to red, I guess. Frontline Rebel has a Draft-oriented rate and very low Constructed novelty.
Gremlin Infestation is quite a bit away from doing enough of anything for Constructed.
Hungry Flames may be a damage short of Searing Blaze, but it is a damage more than Lunge. It has some similarities to Searing Blood, but it’s easier to cast and the damage is flipped. While the card’s power level isn’t super-high and many decks end up with a glut of three-cost options, it should be on the list for consideration in super-burn-heavy decks that appreciate the extra face damage.
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Lands (24)
Spells (23)
Of course, this isn’t really a Hungry Flames deck so much as a Baral, Chief of Compliance deck. I don’t want to steal blue’s thunder too much, but here’s a Baral deck that actually tries to put him to full use:
Creatures (6)
Lands (24)
Spells (29)
One of the biggest advantages to re-exploring U/R? It’s one of the few strategies untouched by Smuggler’s Copter, Reflector Mage, and Emrakul, the Promised End all getting banned.
Indomitable Creativity is a new combo card that asks some strange things but has massive potential that demands exploration. If you use the card fairly, you might be able to abuse enters-the-battlefield triggers and get enough value to make the card good, maybe targeting opposing creatures occasionally, hoping to downgrade them as part of a package deal.
However, if we want to try to break the card, we could play with no creatures or artifacts besides major bombs. With some work, we can turn the card into Polymorph with multikicker.
Creatures (4)
Planeswalkers (4)
Lands (27)
Spells (24)
One possibility is to use some Eldrazi as well as a card that grants haste. Maybe we can hang out, play a mediocre R/W Tokens game, and then out of nowhere kill people with Indomitable Creativity. One nice feature of this approach is being able to Creativity for one on turn 4 and usually reveal something impressive (even without the when-cast triggers from the Eldrazi).
Other packages to consider include:
- Odric, Lunarch Marshal and a mix of hexproof, haste, and evasion
- Tajuru Warcaller and more Allies, along with Unified Front
- A creatureless infinite combo that gets a Magical Christmas Land combination of artifacts onto the battlefield at once, maybe with some Paradox Engine nonsense
- Gonti’s Aether Heart as part of an energy package
- Spontaneous Artist and Aetherwind Basker, perhaps with Lightning Runner, perhaps with some loop
Lightning Runner is cute, and when combined with Aetherwind Basker it can attack repeatedly (assuming you have two other creatures). Indomitable Creativity up four Lightning Runners and you’re doing it. It might also just be possible to put it to use in an energy aggro deck that has pump spells and can make extra use of the double strike while randomly killing out of nowhere.
Creatures (22)
- 4 Voltaic Brawler
- 4 Bristling Hydra
- 4 Electrostatic Pummeler
- 4 Servant of the Conduit
- 4 Greenbelt Rampager
- 2 Lightning Runner
Lands (22)
- 11 Forest
- 3 Mountain
- 4 Game Trail
- 4 Aether Hub
Spells (16)
There are more pump spells to consider than we can possibly play. Invigorated Rampage adds a lot of damage and provides much-needed trample (and more reliably than Built to Smash).
The option to split up the bonus is kind of interesting, helping alleviate risk, or just for tactical applications, fighting planeswalkers, or whatever. However, it might also just be configured well for first strikers like Kari Zev and Thalia, Heretic Cathar.
Draft rate, of course…
…oh, how far we’ve come.
The more things change…
Pia’s Revolution seems to call for the weird convergence of an Eggs combo deck and a Lava Spike deck. How to make that work?
Creatures (16)
Lands (20)
Spells (24)
I dunno. This is all very strange. I do think it’s sweet that Scrap Trawler is so good at getting Walking Ballista back. I wonder if we’re supposed to be looking to fuse this with the Improvise stuff we were discussing earlier?
Maybe we’re supposed to Uncaged Fury? Even if we don’t have a Ravenous Intruder, we can probably get an awful lot of sacrifices going with all of the Terrarions, Implement of Combustion, Metalspinner’s Puzzleknot, and Walking Ballista.
If we wanted to, we could even look to cards like Defiant Salvager and Yahenni, Undying Partisan for more zero-cost sacrifice outlets. Is there any chance it’s finally time for Marionette Master?
Back to red…
Kari Zev’s Expertise is extremely interesting in Modern, where it can be used to cheat Ancestral Visions, Boom//Bust, Living End, Restore Balance, and so on. In Legacy, it might even be partnered with Hypergenesis to form some new combo deck that isn’t bound by the usual restrictions of cascade-based builds.
In Standard, the card is at least a sideboard card, being a much better Threaten than we normally have access to. There is some tension in that you want to hold Threaten, whereas you want to cast your “mana Ritual” as soon as possible. It’s also tougher to take advantage of the mana if you’re killing your opponent that turn, which Threatens often aspire to.
Nevertheless, we’re paying little for the rRtual, and it’s a pretty high-impact ability. Depending on what way the format goes, it’s possible we could maindeck Kari Zev’s Expertise in a deck with a critical mass of zero-mana sacrifice outlets like Yahenni, Undying Partisan and Defiant Salvager.
We can do a lot better in Constructed.
Quicksmith Rebel could be kind of sweet with Key to the City; however, that’s kind of the same story as twenty other cards in this set. We could also be interested in the Flametongue Kavu aspect of the card. However, since you can respond to its enters-the-battlefield trigger by Shocking the Quicksmith Rebel, I don’t have high hopes for this one. I guess it is a Human and an Artificer, so at least that’s something. If Quicksmith Rebel gets good, I bet it’s after some busted combo involving it gets printed in the next set.
It’s not the worst madness outlet, I guess. However, we’ve got a lot of competition at the three-spot. The big thing is using it to crew a Vehicle so that you can get virtual haste, both in damage and in using the ability.
Manic Vandal with multikicker, Release the Gremlins is a respectable sideboard card that we might even be able to justify maindeck if enough people play Vehicles and we have some cards that are reasonable to target of our own.
You can’t just make 2/2s for every two mana you spend, as you do need targets. However, if you have stuff like Terrarion, you might be able to give yourself a contingency plan. Unlike Indomitable Creativity, you don’t actually need to destroy the artifacts to get paid. This means you could use it with indestructible artifacts or artifacts you planned to sacrifice in response (as long as there’s still at least one legal target at the end).
Could be an option for an Electrostatic Pummeler deck, but it’s kind of tough to justify at the four-spot. I would guess that an R/G build is better, but if we weren’t playing green, we might be interested in a replacement for Bristling Hydra. Scrapper Champion and Lightning Runner both having double strike makes pump spells like Built to Smash and Invigorated Rampage a bit better, I suppose.
I think this path is pretty dubious, but then again, the previous format’s Energy Aggro deck was pretty dubious, too. A new linear deck I am much more excited about revolves around these two new Vehicle enablers:
Siege Modification and Peacewalker Colossus are both super-pushed, so much so that I expect a new style of Vehicle deck to emerge. Sram, Senior Edificer; Veteran Motorist; and Depala, Pilot Exemplar all pay us for Vehicles, not to mention Toolcraft Exemplar and Spire of Industry as general artifact rewards.
Creatures (17)
- 4 Thraben Inspector
- 3 Depala, Pilot Exemplar
- 4 Toolcraft Exemplar
- 3 Veteran Motorist
- 3 Sram, Senior Edificer
Lands (22)
Spells (21)
Maybe the possibility of turn 4 kills with Start Your Engines is something we should be pushing more; however, I fear that if we try too hard, we’ll be much more vulnerable to removal and interaction. The build above is actually very well set up against removal and opponents trying to grind us out. Thraben Inspector; Sram, Senior Edificer; and Depala, Pilot Exemplar all help, and we’ve got an awful lot of threats that can win singlehandedly.
This is one of the archetypes I am most interested in working with and expect it to be a major player in the weeks to come.
There’s a part of me that wants to find a use for the Brawler, comparing it to Frogmite. The thing is, tapping to help pay the cost is a very real difference. Besides, it’s not like the battlefield is quickly flooded with zeros, letting you play this super-duper early or anything. It takes a lot of work to cast this turn 2, and it’s not even more damage than Kari Zev. If you can’t cast it until turn 3, what are you even doing?
It’s a tough spot, being in the same set as Kari Zev’s Expertise, although it does sort of combo with it in one’s imagination. At least it has a niche, since saving a mana on stealing a creature is a big deal. This makes it a lot easier to pull off big turns involving stealing multiple creatures (particularly since it’s castable for free off Kari Zev’s Expertise).
Creatures (18)
- 2 Goblin Dark-Dwellers
- 4 Scrapheap Scrounger
- 4 Yahenni, Undying Partisan
- 4 Kari Zev, Skyship Raider
- 4 Defiant Salvager
Planeswalkers (3)
Lands (23)
Spells (16)
Draft rate, low Constructed novelty.
Draft rate, low Constructed novelty.
Draft rate, low Constructed novelty.
All right! Let’s go out with a bang! Maverick Thopterist has a lot of potential as a token-maker, giving us 4/4 worth of stats across three bodies. It even comes with some flying tokens, which are especially useful in this new post-Smuggler’s Copter world, where fliers are harder to get for some strategies. It’s also just a very mana-efficient threat. Even if you reduce its cost by only a single mana, you’re getting a good deal. There are going to be spots where you get a huge savings, potentially overwhelming battlefields with tokens. As long as you’ve got an answer to Ishkanah, Grafwidow, there’s a massive amount of potential here.
I could imagine Maverick Thopterist in tons of different decks, ranging from Saheeli Rai plus Felidar Guardian to U/R artifact decks (focused on Improvise spells, Metalwork Colossus, and more). I could also imagine it being part of a more dedicated token strategy, not to mention playing an important role in some new Aetherworks Marvel deck…
Creatures (14)
Lands (22)
Spells (24)
See you Friday…