In this article, I would like to talk about the deck that went undefeated at Worlds 2005. After doing some testing with the new Guildpact cards with one of my partners in crime, Jason Yap, I feel that this deck — the URzatron — has enough potential to be a good deck for upcoming Guildpact-legal Type 2 tournaments.
Before I continue, I will present you the URzatron deck list that went undefeated.
Creatures (8)
Lands (24)
Spells (28)
- 3 Hinder
- 4 Pyroclasm
- 2 Tidings
- 2 Blaze
- 4 Mana Leak
- 2 Confiscate
- 4 Compulsive Research
- 3 Dimir Signet
- 4 Telling Time
Sideboard
I tested this before Guildpact, and I found a few problems in the deck itself. I always found myself lacking Red mana initially, needed to cast the Pyroclasm in my hand against Boros Deck Wins. At the same time, when I tried the sideboard, I felt myself having problems getting the Black mana to cast Cranial Extraction against decks like Enduring Ideal.
With Guildpact out, I did further testing. I finally concluded that this was one of the best builds for the up-and-coming URzatron deck:
Creatures (6)
Lands (24)
Spells (30)
As you can see, with the arrival of the new Steam Vents and Izzet Signets, URzatron has easier access to its Red mana. This would help settle the mana issues that this deck previously has. Besides that, the deck itself can also do away with the Black cards, sticking to two colors (Blue and Red). This will make the deck more focused, and cause problems when it comes to tapping colored mana. I am sure you guys don’t like losing the game due to color screw, right?
Let’s go on to card-by-card review of the deck itself.
Creatures
3 Meloku, the Clouded Mirror
3 Keiga, the Tide Star
I have tested with both these creatures, and I feel that they the best in the format if you are playing Blue. Guildpact brought us new creature to the arsenal, in the form of Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind.
One thing to note after my testing is that Niv-Mizzet, the Firemind is not a replacement to any of the creatures above. There are the few reasons why I feel Niv-Mizzet doesn’t make the team.
It’s a 4/4 creature. Keiga is a 5/5. The new environment is full of 4/4’s (Grave-Shell Scarab, Loxodon Hierarch, and even the new Ghost Council of Orzhova). Worse still, with the Gruul Clan creatures proving to be quite strong, Niv-Mizzet can’t be used to block a creature like the new Rumbling Slum. When compared to this context, Keiga prevails over Niv-Mizzet.
Its double-Blue and double-Red mana commitments also prove to be a problem. Usually, you’ll find yourself with more colorless mana instead of colored mana. This is why both Meloku and Keiga are superior — they only require one Blue mana in their casting cost. The extra colored mana you save can be used for countermagic backup, such as Hinder and Mana Leak.
During testing, I find myself wanting to attack with the dragon to shorten the game span. However, here is the biggest problem: if I choose to attack with Niv-Mizzet, It can’t tap it to draw a card. In other words, it can’t do two things at once. It’s simply like a “win more” card, rather then a consistent finisher like Meloku, the Clouded Mirror of Victory.
Countermagic
There’s not much say about the countermagic used for this deck. Mana Leak and Hinder are the best two and three mana spells in Standard right now. You could play more countermagic, such as Rewind, if you expect many Control decks in your area. As for me, I prefer to put my fourth Hinder in the sideboard.
Removal
When I tested this deck for Guildpact, I found a variety of cards that Guildpact has brought us to improve the URzatron deck. Cards like Electrolyze must be played in a deck that needs lots of card draws. Let me explain my removal choices.
During testing, I found the Pyroclasm to be only good against Boros deck, and any decks that has Birds of Paradise and Hypnotic Specter (B/U/G Aggro). Against any other decks, I found Pyroclasm to be a dead card in my hand. Even against the up-and-coming Zoo decks, Pyroclasm proves to be weak, as cards like Kird Ape, Watchwolf, and Scab-Clan Mauler are unaffected. However, that does not mean we should remove the Pyroclasm directly, as Boros decks are still a force to be reckoned with.
What can I say about this card? The so-called Fire/Ice of the new Standard, it cantrips to dig one card deeper for your Urza Lands. To be frank, it’s a Fire plus an Ice, not a Fire/Ice. This card gets rid of Birds of Paradise, Llanowar Elves, and the much dreaded Hypnotic Specter. It can also be use to assist Pyroclasm, destroying two 3/3 creatures at the cost of two Red mana, one Blue mana and two colorless mana. One thing to note is that when playing this card, do not be afraid to shoot your opponent at the end of his turn to draw a card if you do not have any creatures to aim at. You should be playing it in a similar fashion to Magma Jet.
3 Repeal
The URzatron deck that I posted for the new Standard does not have Confiscate. I replaced them with Repeals. I felt that Repeal was a better card for me, as it deals with Umezawa’s Jitte much earlier than Confiscate. If you have been playing this deck before, you would realize an early Jitte would ruin your chances of winning the first game. Repeal gets the job done, and draws a card in the proces. In my opinion, this card would probably replace the Echoing Truth that we lost when Mirrodin Block faded from view.
2 Blaze
I took quite a long time to put Blaze back in the deck. To me, it was actually either the new card Invoke the Firemind, or Blaze. After testing for so long, I felt that Blaze still took the spot. Here are my reasons:
Invoke the Firemind has too many colored mana in its casting cost, and I find that colored mana is too important to waste.
There are situations when I was against an aggro deck during testing – for example, the Zoo deck. I tapped my two Blue, one Red, and three colorless, just to destroy a Kird Ape or Watchwolf. That is six mana to destroy a 3/3, compared to using only four in casting a Blaze for the same effect!
Against Control decks, you want to use this card to defeat your opponent – using the “deal X damage” clause. Therefore, I realized that if I am always going to use the Blaze part of Invoke the Firemind against Control, why shouldn’t I just use Blaze itself?
Comparing Invoke the Firemind to Tidings is wrong. To get a Tidings effect, Invoke the Firemind cost two Blue, one Red, and four colorless. By the time you tap seven mana, you’re merely getting a Tidings effect except that you are paying two extra mana. Will you have enough mana left for countermagic backup? If I use Tidings instead, at seven mana I have Mana Leak backup to my card-drawing spell.
Don’t get me wrong: I am not saying I hate Invoke the Firemind. I still feel it’s good, as it gives you the choice of drawing cards or dealing damage. You could probably try out two Invoke the Firemind over the two Blazes, tweaking for personal preference.
Card Drawing
3 Compulsive Research
4 Telling Time
2 Tidings
The card drawing spells are pretty standard in this deck. You want a selection of both cheap and expensive variation. The deck itself has plenty of other card drawing options, like Repeal and Electrolyze, in addition to these dedicated spells.
There is one more card drawing spell that you may want to take note, and this card may actually replace Compulsive Research in the deck. Can you guess what card is it?
You may want to stock up on this card now as it is a rare and may go up in price. Why is the card good? If you have not realized yet, this is the only instant card drawing spell in the new Standard, and it’s only three mana to cast. Sure, you take a little pain, but if you play it correctly it’s an instant speed Night’s Whisper on your opponent’s turn. What makes this card good is that it gives you the option to target your opponent for the kill.
Imagine your opponent is playing a Greater Good Gifts: he sacrificed his Yosei, the Morning Star to his Greater Good, and you suddenly cast Cerebral Vortex. That’s a total of eight damage — his normal draw, Greater Good draw, plus two cards drawn from the Cerebral Vortex itself.
After saying so much good about this card, you guys must be wondering why I am not playing it. I think this is a personal preference — I chose Compulsive Research, because the Research digs a card deeper and I felt this is important if you want to get your Tron pieces faster. Besides that, I don’t like taking pain when I am playing against an aggro deck. Nevertheless, I advise you guys to try it out, and share your opinion. I will be waiting for you in the forums.
Sideboard
I’ll try not to give a fixed sideboard, as the release of Guildpact gives many players the chance to come up with new decks. I’ll give you a few guides on what the sideboard should roughly contain, so you can use those cards as a sideboard to suit your metagame. These are the few cards that I feel must not be left out in the sideboard for the URzatron deck.
This card will help you improve your matchup tremendously against decks like Zoo and Boros. As you know, the deck has problem dealing with first turn Kird Ape followed by second turn Watchwolf. This is when the Threads shine, as almost all the creatures in Zoo and Boros are two mana or less.
This card is treated like the Meddling Mage in Standard. I feel this is a must-include in the sideboard, as it deals with the dreaded Umezawa’s Jitte. Here are a few pointers on what to name against various decks.
Boros — Umezawa’s Jitte
Zoo — if you find he plays Jitte, name it. If not, do not side it in.
Eminent Domain — Icy Manipulator
Greater Good Gifts — Greater Good or Sensei’s Divining Top
Heartbeat — Drift of Phantasms
After mentioning the cards I feel to be a must in the sideboard, these are the other cards you can run with, according to your metagame.
Shadow of Doubt — against Gifts
Mimeofacture — against any Control decks. This card is actually quite good, as it is hard to counter. Replicate acts like the Storm ability as long you got lots of mana. It can be used to handle Umezawa’s Jitte, as well as acting as removal for any other legendary cards.
Rewind and Hinder — against Control decks
Another option is playing three Tendo Ice Bridge over three other lands —preferably a Shivan Reef; Oboro, Palace in the Clouds; and an Island — enabling you to play Cranial Extractions in the sideboard. During testing, I found that Cranial Extraction usually wins me games against random decks, and against the Tier 1 and 2 decks. Of course, it still proves to be a strong sideboard card against Control. Cranial Extraction improves your matchup against Combo decks like Enduring Ideal and Heartbeat decks too. If you choose this route, you could then play Ribbons of the Night, like the pre-Guildpact version. In my opinion, the Ribbons of the Night are not necessary, as the new version of the deck has more maindeck removal.
Guides on Playing this Deck
Here are some simple guidelines on how to play the stronger decks in the current environment. I will not give you any playtest results, as the new Standard is coming and none of us know which decks improve or decline.
Boros
An important thing to note: don’t let Glorious Anthem resolve early in the game. A resolved Anthem neutralizes your Pyroclasms. Unless you Repeal the Anthem, your Pyroclasm and Electrolyze are going to be useless most of the time. Try not to be too greedy when using your Pyroclasm. As long as you could get a two-for-one advantage, you should cast it. Most of the time once you clear the board with your Pyroclasm, casting one of your creatures will win you the game soon after.
Zoo
I feel this will be one of the stronger decks to face in the new Standard environment. Tron cannot handle a first turn Kird Ape followed by a second turn Watchwolf or Scab-Clan Mauler. Repeal proves to be very important in this matchup, slowing down the Zoo decks during game 1. After sideboarding, Threads of Disloyalty will help improve your matchup tremendously.
Ghazi Glare
Against this matchup, don’t let their early bombs like Loxodon Hierarch, Kodama of the North Tree, or Yosei, the Morning Star resolve. Keiga is one of the key cards here.
Eminent Domain
This is one of your hardest matchups. Countering any of their early mana acceleration is vital for you to win. One thing to note is that this deck is low on threats. It only has Kokusho, the Evening Star, and Keiga as its finishers. Make sure you tap your permanents properly, as you want to evade their Dream Leash. Do not get into a situation where your Keiga or Meloku get stolen. Another thing: try not to get both your Keiga and Meloku in play together. This is because once they manage to resolve their Keiga, they can steal your Meloku for free — follow the Active Player, Non-Active Player rule.
Greater Good Gifts
During testing, I felt this to be one of my best matchups. Greater Good Gifts has no form of disruption to stop your card drawing spells. You want to counter their early acceleration. Try not to let their Greater Good resolve. As this is a slow deck, you usually build enough mana to Blaze your opponent to death. After sideboard, Pithing Needle stops the deck easily.
Conclusion
When I started trying out this deck, I actually felt like I was playing the Mono-Blue Tron during Mirrodin-Kamigawa Type 2 Standard. You counter early spells, cast your card drawing spells to refill, then cast your creature for the win.
I hope you enjoyed my article, and I hope you start testing this deck for the new Standard.
May you Blaze your opponent for twenty!