Me: Ship me that list!
Dan Jessup: Okay
Creatures (30)
- 4 Elvish Mystic
- 4 Sylvan Caryatid
- 3 Courser of Kruphix
- 4 Satyr Wayfinder
- 4 Soul of Theros
- 4 Sidisi, Brood Tyrant
- 2 Anafenza, the Foremost
- 1 Wingmate Roc
- 4 Siege Rhino
Lands (22)
Spells (8)
Me: Well then.
Despite the high drama and stakes of the past few weeks at the Invitational and the Players’ Championship, it was back to normal business hours for Dan
Jessup, Andrew Jessup, Jim Davis, and myself, as we all showed up to an IQ down in Valley Stream, Long Island. I didn’t perform very well, but Jim wound up
winning the whole thing, which means the trip was a success. I was playing Abzan Aggro, and I probably shouldn’t have. The deck is obviously very powerful,
but I had no idea what people play way out there. I probably should’ve just went with a Whip of Erebos strategy and sucked up the fact that I dislike
getting into super long and grindy games. But I went against my gut and got punished for it, losing to G/B Constellation and Abzan Midrange.
When I saw what Dan was playing, I was mildly interested but skeptical. How does that manabase hold up? Why aren’t you playing Whip? Are you seriously
going with four Soul of Theros?
When I saw the deck in action, I was hooked.
The biggest thing that I noticed was that you aren’t a Whip deck, so trying to include Whip is a disaster waiting to happen. You are a Soul of Theros deck,
first and foremost. Your goal is to have the biggest and best end game possible. Yes, even bigger than Hornet Queen. A bunch of flying, deathtouch minions
aren’t very good looking when you’re facing down first strikers, and the lifelink gives you longevity that competes with Whip each time. The best part?
You’re still an Abzan Midrange deck at heart, so your midrange game isn’t compromised. Combine that with access to the most efficient removal spell in the
format in Murderous Cut, along with two of the best four-drops in Siege Rhino and Sidisi, Brood Tyrant while also having great utility threats and
a Treasure Cruise to boot, and you’re looking at a very powerful machine that takes a little more work to get going, but can beat out almost every high end
plan of every other deck. This deck is very, very high off of the ground, and I was set on exploring how to make it better.
So, in typical Lowry fashion, I took my jab at it for the next day’s Super IQ in Brooklyn:
Creatures (29)
- 3 Elvish Mystic
- 4 Sylvan Caryatid
- 3 Courser of Kruphix
- 4 Satyr Wayfinder
- 4 Soul of Theros
- 4 Sidisi, Brood Tyrant
- 2 Anafenza, the Foremost
- 1 Wingmate Roc
- 4 Siege Rhino
Lands (23)
Spells (8)
Here is my thought process as I prepared for the Super IQ:
The core of the deck is as follows. These are not negotiable for change, and is the reason to play this deck:
3-4 Elvish Mystic
Yes, a lot of cards, but this is what you need to operate. Even though you’re an Elvish Mystic deck, the need to have a bunch of untapped sources on turn 1
actually isn’t as necessary here. You’re using Mystic as more of a way to jump the curve on turn 3 and 4, rather than turn 2, which makes room for four
copies of Sandsteppe Citadel and Opulent Palace, your best lands. Mana Confluence is necessary…because…well…look at the mana costs of the things
you’re casting! The card isn’t great, but you don’t have much of a choice once you decide to play the fourth color. Courser of Kruphix is one of the best
cards in the format, and when you’re playing so few lands, you need some way to catch up, as well as to maximize your Sidisis, Communes, and Wayfinders.
The other role players:
These are the cards that help you midrange when your delve plan isn’t quite working out. Wingmate Roc is one of the best cards against Hornet Queen decks.
This is because the Whip decks don’t have much defense against fliers outside of Hornet Queen itself, and if they need that to defend against fliers, then
I’ll make them have it every single time. The single Wingmate Roc is your plan when you’re trying to make them have it, while also just being a solid
source of beatdown in general. Anafenza is your hedge against Whip decks, as well as a huge creature on her own. She’s also an insanely fast clock with
another creature, and isn’t too hard to cast either. Finally, Treasure Cruise is the bridge between the mid-midgame and the early-lategame for you. It’s
really powerful in almost every scenario, but having more than one in the deck significantly decreases your ability to use your other cards as a pivot
early on. You almost never want to draw two during a game because your Wayfinders and Communes function very similarly, and both of those cards are much
better than Treasure Cruise when carrying out your primary goal (getting Soul of Theros into your graveyard), and about the same when not.
After a strong start, I would eventually fall into the top 16 at the end of Swiss, and Dan would do the same. I immediately knew what I wanted to do to
make the deck even better, and I came up with this:
Creatures (28)
- 1 Elvish Mystic
- 4 Sylvan Caryatid
- 4 Courser of Kruphix
- 4 Satyr Wayfinder
- 4 Soul of Theros
- 4 Sidisi, Brood Tyrant
- 3 Wingmate Roc
- 4 Siege Rhino
Lands (23)
Spells (9)
Elvish Mystic, while really strong, isn’t something I want that much. On the other hand, while one does look weird, I’m definitely set on it. I want a
fifth accelerant, and there really isn’t a better option. Voyaging Satyr isn’t very good in general, and doesn’t give me the ability to land a Courser of
Kruphix on turn 2.
Also, Wingmate Roc is just that damn good. Adding more just made sense because of Soul of Theros. You’re going to beat other Wingmate Rocs anyway, and you
sort of lack straight up power follow ups after a Sidisi or Siege Rhino anyway. Filling that gap seemed more important. Anafenza gets the cut because you
don’t really need it in the Whip matchups, and it isn’t very strong against other fair Siege Rhino decks since you can’t create a snowball effect as
efficiently.
Lastly, the sideboard. You have a ridiculously large, almost overwhelming amount of options available to you, but knowing exactly what you need will vary
from tournament to tournament. If you’re expecting a lot of Whip of Erebos decks, then you’ll want Disdainful Stroke, Treasure Cruise, Pharika, God of
Affliction, Reclamation Sage, Cranial Archive, and maybe Sultai Charm. Soul of Innistrad gives you more virtual Souls of Theros while also just being great
at maintaining the pressure when your graveyard resources develop. Dead Drop, Utter End, and any generic removal spell will be effective against W/U
Heroic, and any generic sweeper will be good against token decks. Monsters decks and Abzan Aggro can be treated similarly, so any hard removal spell or End
Hostilities works out. Planeswalkers that come out quickly, like Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver, and Xenagos, the Reveler, can be big problems, so Hero’s
Downfall is worth a consideration if you’re looking to beat those. Thoughtseize is your best catch all, and Glare of Heresy is your best answer to Elspeth,
Sun’s Champion. Playing Elspeth yourself is also a great option when you’re hedging against non-whip grindy decks, like Mardu or Abzan Midrange. Lastly,
and most importantly, be very mindful of your sequencing and resources. You’re playing a lot of delve cards, and your graveyard is your second most
important commodity, but it is finite. Don’t go too crazy with your Coursers, Sidisi, Communes, and Satyr Wayfinders.
Check yourself before you deck yourself.
One of the bigger hurdles for the deck to go over is opposing Anafenzas. I recommend getting under it as quickly as possible, prioritizing Satyr Wayfinders
over Sylvan Caryatids unless your curve is super powerful. Your Murderous Cuts will probably need to be rationed for her, and probably Raksasha Deathdealer
if you aren’t on a Wayfinder draw. Another major problem is the lack of control over what your hands give you. Outside of Treasure Cruise, you really don’t
have any pure card draw (Commune doesn’t count), so what you get is what you get. Also, you’re kind of an anemic midrange deck when you don’t have access
to Soul of Theros, so you’re always going to be a worse Siege Rhino deck, and you’re always going to be a worse Sidisi, Brood Tyrant deck until you have
access to a Soul of Theros.
I think that a version that utilizes Whip of Erebos exists, but it may just be a worse version of this deck. You don’t need the Whip, and honestly, this
archetype is still in its infancy, so most players are still going to put you on the legendary weapon anyways, so you’re only going to maximize its
effectiveness in game 1. Screw that. Kill them. Attack.
All of that said, I think this deck has what it takes to compete against the other Whip of Erebos decks. Soul of Theros is almost always the largest
creature on the board, and very few things can compete with its ability. If you’re trying to go big, then I think this is as big as it gets.