The StarCityGames.com $5000 Standard Open is coming to Atlanta on June 13th (as well as a PTQ on the 14th), and I am here to provide you with some of my thoughts about the current format. I’ve been battling on Magic Online for plenty of hours, bashed a few PTQs, read coverage of the recent Grand Prix tournaments, and feel like the format is shaping up to be awesome. Today’s Standard is complex, and continually changes based on the results from the previous week’s tournament results. Your average player does not evolve on this learning curve, but the information you can gather from these events can be invaluable, and push you ahead of the aforementioned curve. Evaluating what information is important and what is not can be difficult, but you must be able to do this to evolve as a player.
First of all, I would just like to say THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who made Top 8 with Faeries at Grand Prix: Seattle. I honestly never wanted to play Faeries in Standard ever again, but you have invigorated my spirit. I finally get to bring back out my Mistbind Cliques that have been rotting in my “box o’ cards” since the printing of Volcanic Fallout. Or do I? With the most recent results, you should expect Faeries to be the best deck in the format, right? That is one way to get yourself crushed at an upcoming event. Rarely is it wrong to play the best deck in the format, but this is one of those times where you should not play Faeries. Now that the headlines are in and 5 Faerie players did extremely well (piloted by some of the game’s notable players), you can expect that most people will NOT be playing Faeries, but decks that give you the most uphill struggles imaginable. You can bet that Volcanic Fallouts, Bloodbraid Elves, Anathemancers, and all sorts of stupid burn decks are going to come in droves to shoot the little pixies out of the air and into the loser’s bracket. Speaking of stupid burn:
Creatures (20)
Lands (16)
Spells (23)
Sideboard
This list is based on Charles Gendron Dupont’s list, but with a few minor changes (mostly removing Pithing Needle from the maindeck). With the results in, we can safely say that people will be too scared to play two decks: Reveillark and Swan-Combo. Faeries has a very* good matchup against these two decks, and this fact should help you tremendously should you decide to battle with burn. These are two of your more difficult matchups, so having fewer of them in the metagame can only be good for you. On the whole, I respect this deck (even though I may call it names and such) because it does one thing very, very well: putting pressure on your opponent. If you take the time to analyze just how much potential damage this deck can do over the first few turns, you’ll quickly find your life total dwindling even through resistance. If you stumble at all, this deck will just put you away. The better Faeries players should be wary of this deck, since it is fairly cheap to build and weaker players will generally want a deck that is easier to play. This is especially true when the “easy” deck has a good much against the “complicated” deck. Moving on…
I think that the best deck in the format is still going to be BW Tokens. After the Grand Prix, I think that BW could be modified to attack Faeries while still having a strong game against the rest of the field. At a given PTQ, you can expect fewer players to actually play Faeries than at a larger event like a $5000 Standard Open or Grand Prix, but players will still have “The Fear,” and tend to play decks that don’t actively lose to the format’s “best deck.” Your average tournament player does not enjoy playing with or against Faeries and will do everything in their power to defeat them. Players prefer to play cards like Putrid Leech, Demigod of Revenge, Wren’s Run Vanquisher, and Reveillark. These cards are immune to Volcanic Fallout, and are generally decent against Faeries. If you build an aggressive deck that is 90% resilient to the Volcanic Blowout, then you’ll probably do well at upcoming tournaments. If you fail to do this, and build a deck that gets consistently destroyed by the spell (I’m looking at you GW Tokens), then you’ll probably be playing side-drafts after Round 3.
The most important thing to grasp from these last few larger tournament is: the best players are always going to figure out what is going to win. That’s what makes them “the best.” It is no fluke that LSV has done consistently well over the last 9 months, and you should do everything in your power to figure out just what gets him to this level. Crisp play and discipline are two key aspects to his success, but you have to look at the big picture. At each constructed tournament he’s played in, he has generally been ahead of the curve in terms of deck choices and card choices. We must look ahead and try to figure out what people will be playing based on the most recent results. If I had to guess what decks I thought I was going to face in the first few rounds of the Atlanta $5000 Open, it would probably be very hard to deduce. However, later in the tournament (if I were doing well) I would expect to be playing against Faeries, evolved Cascade decks, BW Tokens, RDW, and probably some deck that has a good matchup against the Tier 1 strategies.
When coming across decklists from recent tournaments, figuring out what is good and what will become bad is key. For instance, now that many people will be playing Volcanic Fallout, Sower of Temptation and Scion of Oona have become much worse than they were in Seattle. That doesn’t mean they are necessarily bad, but they could probably be replaced by better cards. My solution: Vendilion Clique. This man hasn’t seen play in Standard for a while, but I think it is definitely his time to shine again. He is the perfect answer to Cascade decks, while giving you a solid threat against control strategies, as well as outs to Volcanic Fallouts that have yet to be cast. He is also a fine blocker, jumping in front of such monsters as Wren’s Run Vanquisher and Treetop Village for value. With the decrease in popularity that is sure to come for BW Tokens, Vendilion Clique’s power will increase due to the lack of Spectral Processions running around. If I were playing Faeries tomorrow, I would probably play something like this:
Creatures (11)
Lands (19)
Spells (28)
- 6 Island
- 2 Remove Soul
- 1 Loxodon Warhammer
- 4 Broken Ambitions
- 4 Cryptic Command
- 3 Thoughtseize
- 4 Bitterblossom
- 4 Agony Warp
Sideboard
This list is very similar to Ben Lundquist‘s list from the GP, which I found to be my favorite of the 5. I thought that his card choices would provide stronger results in the format, and modified from there on how I thought the metagame would change. The sideboard has been changing constantly, as I’ve been trying to get a feel for my matchups as a whole as well as what is important for each matchup. I think this iteration is one of the strongest, if not the strongest, for fighting the upcoming metagame. 4 Deathmark is necessary for beating Doran, Elves, or Kithkin strategies. I would not cut any, as it has been MVP in those matchups, and is sometimes randomly good against Jund Aggro decks or Bant. Plumeveil doubles as decent in the mirror, while still being a gut-punch against any deck that attacks for two. Infest is necessary for taking control of the late-game against token decks, but the key is finding out when to use it. Blowing it early and leaving yourself vulnerable to another threat is fairly awful and could instantly lose you the game. Puppeteer Clique and Flashfreeze are great against a variety of decks, but are mostly for fighting decks with Anathemancer.
The lack of Sower of Temptation in the 75 is mostly due to the lack of Scion of Oona. They are like peanut butter and jelly. They’re okay on their own, but they’re delicious when they come together. With this list, I’ve been able to keep pace with 5C Blood due to Agony Warp and Vendilion Clique. This is something that was untrue for previous versions of the deck, since Scion of Oona is usually irrelevant due to the 4-6 instant sweeper effects that the deck played. Vendilion Clique can come down before Bloodbraid Elf, stripping their best card, as well as trading for Sygg (the awful one that somehow became good) or Boggart Ram-Gang. I would recommend that you try Vendilion Clique for yourself, as he has been nothing short of amazing for me. I would also recommend the 2 Remove Souls in the list like Ben Lundquist played at the Grand Prix, as those have been testing very well. Everything else in the list is pretty standard as far as card-choices go.
If you aren’t keen on slinging burn spells or casting Bitterblossom, then you are probably in for a rough time in the coming months (Volcanic Fallout IS a burn spell after all). If you take into consideration that one is crazy good against the other, and the other is crazy good by itself, you really just have to ask yourself one question: Why am I not playing with these cards? Clearly they are the defining spells of the format, and you should sculpt your deck around them, or in a way to beat them. Chapin’s 5C Blood deck seems fairly promising, but the mana is absolutely horrible. On a regular basis I have found myself mulliganing hands containing 3 lands that can’t cast a single spell in my hand. Cryptic Command has always been the culprit, and should probably just be eliminated from the deck entirely to improve your manabase, as well as your overall gameplan. Manuel Bucher played an almost identical list as Chapin and Michael Jacob, but stated in his article last week that he sided out Cryptic Command in almost every match later in the tournament to improve his draws. Sitting back on a counterspell is not something Boggart Ram-Gangs like to do.
As far is BW Tokens is concerned, I think it is poised for a comeback. Sure, there are probably going to be a lot of people playing Volcanic Fallout, but the deck is very good at battling back from sweeper effects. Each card you play is either a 1-card army, or a very resilient beater. Combine these with Anthem effects or Ajani pumps and you’re on your way to a quick victory. There aren’t many good ways to beat BW Tokens. For example, I recently played against a Jund deck playing the following cards (post board): Terminate, Jund Charm, Volcanic Fallout, Infest, Lavalanche, Banefire, Terror, Chameleon Colossus, Garruk, Broodmate Dragon, Cloudthresher and Primal Command. While he didn’t have 4 of each of these cards, you could see where I was fairly dismayed to see all of these played on me in 3 games. The 1st game was fairly one-sided due to a double mulligan and a turn 4 Primal Command on my land. Games 2 and 3 were completely defined by the presence of Thoughtseize and Forge[/author]-Tender”]Burrenton [author name="Forge"]Forge[/author]-Tender, stripping away or nullifying his sweeper effects while applying pressure at the same time. I was able to over-extend because I knew I was safe with Forge-Tenders and Glorious Anthems in play protecting Tideholllow Sculler, as well as the rest of my army.
The thing about BW Tokens is that it attacks from so many different angles that it can be very difficult for control decks to defeat. With Thoughtseize and Tidehollow Sculler (or other disruption) control decks will be constantly on the back foot. For decks unprepared to battle Forge[/author]-Tender”]Burrenton [author name="Forge"]Forge[/author]-Tender, BW can just steamroll you in a few turns while still having protection from Volcanic Fallout or Jund Charm, not to mention a 1/1 (or larger with Anthems) body that can attack and block! Kitchen Finks and Murderous Redcap in conjunction with Ajani Goldmane also give the deck another dimension of attack. With an additional way to remove opposing threats via Murderous Redcap, you also get a resilient 2/2 body that can be un-persisted with 1 Ajani activation. This can give control decks headaches, as they will rarely be able to destroy your entire army with a single card! I’m not sure how to articulate how good the deck is. It just is.
Thanks to Faeries becoming popular again, Zealous Persecution has gained a lot of value in the maindeck. It gets even stronger as some of the matchups where Zealous Persecution is weak decrease in popularity. However, Faeries is not an easy matchup for BW Tokens by any means. There is plenty of room for error when battling against Faeries, and playing around their counterspells and Mistbind Cliques is how you beat them. A timely Zealous Persecution can seal the deal, dealing a large blow to their life total while wiping out their entire offense and defense, but don’t expect it to resolve too often. Mulliganing into a hand with respectable pressure is a must, and you should rarely keep a hand without Tidehollow Sculler, Bitterblossom, or Spectral Procession. If you give Faeries enough time, they will easily take over the game. In this matchup, winning the die-roll is very important, as whoever lands their Bitterblossom first will have a distinct advantage. Your Anthems and Ajanis will likely be able to overpower them eventually, but you know you are in a good position when they begin to use Cryptic Command as a Fog instead of a counterspell.
Remember that your average player will not play perfectly, leaving you openings to blow them out with Path to Exile or Zealous Persecution. Give them these opportunities, and don’t be afraid to bait them into doing what you want them to do. Even saying something as subtle as “come on Path,” when you’re drawing for the turn can make them think you don’t have it, and lead to a subsequent upkeep Mistbind Clique that is vulnerable to removal. Good players may pick up on the bluff, but weaker players just might take the bait. Try to lead your opponent to believe that you need to draw a card that you already have. This may put them into a losing position in a hurry. Small tricks like this can really define good players and great players among the lower levels of tournament play.
As an aside, I think the Doran deck that won the Seattle GP is not as good as it seems. Sometimes it looks like a significantly worse version of a GB-based Doran deck (sporting Putrid Leech), relying on cards that get hammered by sweeper effects. I feel certain that he won on the back of his playskill, as well as having good pairings on both days. The deck puts a beating on Faeries, as well as decks not playing Wrath of God or Volcanic Fallout. However, if the deck faces either of these, tough times lie ahead. Putrid Leech is pretty incredible right now, and I would not recommend leaving him on the sideline over of Knotvine Paladin. I suppose I can’t say too many bad things about the deck, since it did win through a star-studded Top 8. Fortunately each of the stars were playing Faeries, which is a cakewalk for this style of deck. Early pressure and disruption is what gives Faeries a rough time, and Massicard’s deck does exactly that. I have never been the hugest fan of Treefolk Harbinger, as he is a lowly 0/3 when there is no Doran around, but at least he attacks for 1 with a Noble Hierarch in play! On a positive note, he can tutor up Nameless Inversion or a land in a pinch. Massicard’s deck was hugely metagamed to beat a field full of Faeries and Swans, which is exactly what it did. It was an aggressive call for the format, but I would not expect his deck to do well in a more diverse field such as a 5K or a PTQ, but I can definitely respect his decision for Seattle, as it was spot-on.
As for playing a “rogue” deck, I would not suggest it. There are already plenty of decks that have proven their worth, and innovating one of these existing strategies just might be the key to victory (as opposed to an entirely new strategy). Play what you know! Just try to have a bit of fun while you’re at it.
Todd