I’m at a bit of an impasse. I love playing Standard, it’s easily my favorite format. It is the easiest to pick up as a new player, because the cards are typically still available as retail packs. It’s also easy to grasp, because you only have about 1500 cards to keep track of. Most importantly, the power level is pretty much exactly where I like it. Aggro decks can be effective, but not so blazingly fast as to warp the format. Combo decks have their place as well, but typically have generic answers instead of needing narrow silver bullets. Control has answers to the format, but not so much as to make any other option impotent. So why am I at an impasse? I have an Extended PTQ this weekend in Boise, Idaho (Land of Potatoes, natch) for Honolulu.
But everything in my body says “Standard!” We’re all going to be living and breathing Standard for the next 3 months, with one small break for Shards of Alara Block Constructed/Booster Draft on the sunny beaches of Hawaii (Not the Land of Potatoes) Pretty much every tournament for the next 3 months is going to be Standard. Here’s a list of each major tournament through the end of June:
Grand Prix: Kobe – Apr-18-09 to Apr-19-09 – Extended
PT: Austin Qualifiers – May-2-09 to Sep-6-09 – Standard
U.S. Regionals – May-16-09 to May-16-09 – Standard
Grand Prix: Barcelona – May-23-09 to May-24-09 – Standard
Grand Prix: Seattle – May-30-09 to May-31-09 – Standard
Pro Tour: Honolulu – Jun-5-09 to Jun-7-09 – Block Constructed, Booster Draft
StarCityGames.com $5000 Open Atlanta – Jun-13-09 to Jun-13-09 – Standard
Grand Prix: Sao Paulo – Jun-13-09 to Jun-14-09 – Standard
StarCityGames.com $5000 Open Boston – Jun-20-09 to Jun-20-09 – Standard
StarCityGames.com $5000 Open Minneapolis – Jun-27-09 to Jun-27-09 – Standard
Various Nationals Championships – Jun-27-09 to Aug-7-09 — Standard
I know that a majority of the Nationals tournaments are in July, and probably half of the Qualifiers as well. Japan Nationals will be held from the 18th to the 20th of July (although those dates are Saturday to Monday. I suspect it’s a typo, and will actually run from the 17th to the 19th. But who knows?) U.S. Nationals runs from the 24th to the 26th of July, the following week.
But hot dang, that’s a whole lot of beautiful Standard. Add in a majority of Friday Night Magic events, and the whole world should be buzzing about Standard for quite a while. If we throw out PT: Honolulu, we see a major Standard event every single week from May 16th until at least the 27th of June. That’s not counting Austin Qualifiers, or further National tournaments in July. This is shaping up to be a very exciting summer.
But what does this mean for us? It means it’s even more important to keep track of tournament reports and deck lists. The metagame is going to change every single week, and we’re going to see the best minds in the game innovating new changes literally every week. With the latest Pro Tour and StarCityGames.com $5000 Standard Open information, we are fortunate to have removed our metagame from under the boot of the cult of Oona. Make no mistake, though, Faeries will be not be insignificant. Many a player will still be sleeving up 75 cards worth of Fae, but it’s no longer the powerhouse of dominance it once was. There will be a metagame. So, let’s take a look at what one option in the metagame right now, and how that can help us this summer.
Faeries will more than likely not be the dominant player, as they are a stagnant force. I don’t expect we’ll see a whole lot of new pieces for the deck. But expect to see them at Regionals still, if you’re planning on going. Standard is an expensive beast, and some players won’t have a better option. Expect upwards of 10-15% of them to be playing Faeries. It has Top 8 appearances in both Kyoto and the most recent $5000 Standard Open. Don’t expect that just having main deck Volcanic Fallout will be enough, either, as four cards just may not be enough to neuter them. Let’s take a look at what various cards Faeries may be running:
1-Drops
Ponder
Thoughtseize
Peppersmoke
Of the three, Thoughtseize is the one most likely to see as a four-of in the main deck. Ponder and Peppersmoke are personal options, and certainly may see play depending on the player, but Thoughtseize gives the Faerie Player their best out to Volcanic Fallout. If Faeries decided to go into White as a third color (very possible) then we may also see Forge[/author]-Tender”]Burrenton [author name="Forge"]Forge[/author]-Tender in the sideboard for another out against Fallout. I have not personally found this to be necessary yet, and not worth the effort of running them in my testing board, but if your local meta seems to be very Fallout heavy, it may be warranted.
2-Drops
Bitterblossom
Spellstutter Sprite
Terror
Remove Soul
Broken Ambitions
Negate
Countersquall
Agony Warp
Scepter of Fugue
That is quite a lot of excellent two-drop options, and probably where you will see the most difference in lists. Terror or Remove Soul? Or both? Expect Bitterblossom and Spellstutter to be a given as four-ofs, but anything else is up for discussion. It is also in the department of two-mana spells that there is potential from Alara Reborn to make changes. However, it will be difficult, as they will have to cost BU. That is a difficult cost to swallow for a second turn spell, and so we’ll have to see some very good options. I doubt we will. Terror seems like a very strong choice right now, as there are not very many good black creatures you will want to remove with precision. Most of them are taken down by sweepers instead. Broodmate Dragon is about the only one I can think of offhand that is troublesome. Doran, the Siege Tower could be an issue, if his resurgence continues on course, and with him it appears Chameleon Colossus may also be in the running. Of course, this is yet another reason to consider the Path to White and it’s complimentary Path to Exile. (I made a funny!) Of course, Terror will still take down the accompanying Dragon Token.
One card I want to speak heavily on is Scepter of Fugue. I think that we will see this card rise in prominence quite a bit over the course of the summer. It is just now being realized how powerful this card can be. For Faeries, putting this down on turn two can mean a difference in card advantage of three or more over the course of a game. Against Red decks, each use is likely to save you an average of 2 life and one turn added to your clock. Against Five-Color Control, the Scepter is absolutely amazing, stripping away cards at a ridiculous rate, and forcing them to gamble early on choosing Lands versus Spells. One little artifact can allow you to counteract each Esper Charm and Mulldrifter they have, as you remove one card while their card draw adds one card (net advantage). It’s average against B/W Tokens, making them live off the top of their deck like anyone. The same goes for the various R/W decks, although it gains strength against Ranger of Eos builds. It’s not good against Bant, in my experience, as you usually want to address their accelerated three-drop on turn 2, and they have the only real answer to it in Bant Charm, but hey, it can’t be good everywhere. It’s best use is just knowing that you are taking away their options, knowing that eventually, they will either have to cast each spell, or you will take it from them. Late game, they don’t have a fist full of options, they have a topdeck. Expect it to crop up in sideboards of not only Faeries, but also B/W Tokens. It’s already made its jump into Five-Color Control sideboards. Expect to play against this card.
3-Drops
Vendilion Clique
Scion of Oona
Jace Beleren
Infest
Loxodon Warhammer
Plumeveil
Esper Charm
Scion as mostly been hated out by Volcanic and Thresher, and seems to be a weaker choice, although as the meta shifts, it may wax and wane in strength. Jace is seeing a good balance between sideboard and maindeck, and is an excellent play for the actual turn 3. The key is to keep him above two, so as to not make Volcanic Fallout a Volcanic Blowout. Loxodon Warhammer is a slow play, but is enormously helpful if the game goes long, allowing you to not die to your own Bitterblossom. Esper Charm is only an option if the deck moves into a third color, obviously, but the tools are there in white for that to be a legitimate option now, as we’ve seen. Plumeveil has seen sparing use, but may pick up in popularity, especially if the aforementioned third color is added.
4-Drops
Cryptic Command
Mistbind Clique
Sower of Temptation
Glen Elendra Archmage
Cryptic Command is an obvious include. If you’re not playing Cryptic Command in Standard, you need to have a very good reason why. I imagine most people know this, but it’s still worth saying. Mistbind Clique is the nuts for Faeries. As for the additional filler, Sower is a tough choice now based on the lack of good fatties to steal. This isn’t Extended, there is no Tarmogoyf to take, and Volcanic Fallout will end your ownership quite quickly anyway. Glen Elendra Archmage is very useful, even coming back after a Fallout, and giving you a lot of practical use against a variety of matchups.
5+ Drops
Mind Shatter
Shriekmaw
Razormane Masticore
Puppeteer Clique
Mind Shatter seem to be less useful than Scepter right now, and more expensive. Shriekmaw is a slower Terror, and probably not necessary either. Razormane Masticore doesn’t solve many problems that the format gives us right now, what with all the critters worth damaging being 4 toughness or greater, although it may prove useful. Puppeteer Clique, on the other hand, seems primed for a comeback. Using it on an opponents Reveillark can be very good, as it removes it from the game afterward, and can return Spellstutter Sprites, Sowers, and Archmages, all of which stick around after the Reveillark is removed from the game. Against Five-Color Control, returning a Broodmate Dragon is the stone-cold nuts, as the token doesn’t get sacrificed. Returning a Mulldrifter is strong as well. But more importantly, by removing it from the game, the Five-Color player can’t return it to their hand with Cruel Ultimatum. Keep in mind that using the Clique in response to a Cruel can be great, taking away the creature they intended to return. But don’t sacrifice the returned creature to the Cruel. For example: They cast Cruel Ultimatum. You respond with Puppeteer Clique, returning the only Creature in their graveyard, Mulldrifter. You draw two cards, then let Cruel Ultimatum resolve. If you sacrifice the Mulldrifter to Cruel Ultimatum, it goes to the owners Graveyard, and since you resolve Cruel Ultimatum in the order it’s written, it’s there when they return a creature card from their graveyard to their hand.
As far as new tech, Alara Reborn is supposedly not going to have any one-drops, on account of being entirely “gold,” and not just hybrid, so the best we can hope for is a two-drop. A new counterspell is an option, but seeing as how Countersquall doesn’t get much play, it would have to be better than that to merit inclusion. Perhaps a UB Remove Soul, maybe with life loss or cantrip attached? It’s possible we could see a new counterspell with cantrip, but I imagine it would be in UW, meaning we would have yet another reason to jump on the Esper boat.
I expect that we’ll see Five-Color Control gain the most from the set, as it will be able to add the very best of whatever is good, regardless of color. It won the most recent Pro Tour, as well as the Indianapolis $5000 Standard Open this past weekend, so I imagine it will continue to see play. Expect Planeswalkers to rise as well in direct response, hoping to attack the Five-Color Control deck from a new angle. However, Celestial Purge means you can’t rely on Ajani Vengeant as easily as before. Celestial Purge should probably see three copies total between main and sideboard for Five-Color Control.
Before I go, let me give you the Extended Domain Zoo deck I’m planning to pilot this weekend. Specifics are still up in the air as to whether or not to default to Naya, as the only reason to play Domain right now is Tribal Flames and Might of Alara.
As to why I’m not playing Faeries instead, the answer is simple. I have 4 Wooded Foothills, 3 Bloodstained Mire, 3 Windswept Heath, 1 Polluted Delta, and 0 Flooded Strand. Nuff said.
Creatures (20)
Lands (18)
Spells (22)
The land base is extremely light, but I haven’t come across problems yet. Everything costs 2 mana or less, and I find that after a year’s worth of practice, I have the fetching down pretty well. I had Godless Shrine originally in place of the third Sacred Foundry, but every time I drew it, I wished it was Sacred Foundry instead. Since I switched, I’ve been hitting more consistently. I’m still thinking of going to a Naya build, though, for the stronger consistency. I’d have to up the mana to support Ranger of Eos, but it seems like it’s definitely worth it. Woolly Thoctar seems very strong as well. I’m pretty torn, I must admit, and I’ve even been toying with a Mono-Red Aggro deck with Hellspark and Blood Moon/Magus of the Moon, stacked with tons of Burn. I guess this will be an interesting week.
Next week, we’ll continue our assessment of upcoming Standard, with some tips on how to stay ahead of the (meta) game, while constantly improving overall. Hopefully, I’ll have some great tales from my Victorious PTQ run, but I imagine there’s a few other players out there with similar dreams. For those of you battling this weekend, best of luck.
This is Jeff Phillips, reminding you: Don’t make the Loser Choice.