A year ago, we were looking at a Legacy metagame that, aside from a certain banned card, was in an age of Nacatls and Vials. Now, those cards are just gone in favor of Brainstorms and Snapcaster Mages. Blue decks moved forward, leaving the former stalwarts behind them.

News flash! Wild Nacatl: Still a good card. Tribal enablers? Still good cards.

Why are they failing? Don’t just say things like “Oh, blue now gets to load up on removal.”

When was the last time you saw an actually NEW aggro list? You know, where people changed things and adapted to the metagame more than just some sideboard slots?

People go on and on about finding the right answers for their threats, but what about finding the right threats to blank their answers? Yes, there are a million cards you don’t want to change, but the blue decks have the same issues. The new Canadian Thresh deck is pretty much the same as it was four years ago, but it makes those changes matter.

It’s about time for some updates. The point here is to break free of previous ruts, not provide perfect sixties, so don’t expect these to be flawless. Ever seen a lung fish try to run?

Goblins:

Problem 1: Stoneforge Mystic.

A year ago, Stoneforge Mystic was relegated to weird things like Death and Taxes. Admittedly, it schooled Goblins back then too, fetching up Umezawa’s Jitte, but that was a whole different animal from Batterskull.

Now, you need to kill Mystic on the spot or face down Batterskull.

So, let’s look at both sides of this.

Solution: Tarfire

So, we can’t cut down on Goblins, but we need to kill a 1/2. Warren Weirding has its own issues, such as potentially whiffing. We want something that WILL hit. Turns out this does it while also buying time against a Jitte. This also lets you do something on the draw when Gempalm is too slow.

Solution: Goblin Sledder

So, we need to stop the Batterskull. We aren’t going to win the long game against it, so why not just make it so they die as fast as possible? Now we can swing into it and block it down without them gaining life. Obviously Sledder as a 1/1 is pretty sad, but fixing that can be done.

Problem Two: Green Sun’s Zenith

People always complained about Tarmogoyf with Goblins, but that card was fairly easy to beat. The issue was when the second Goyf happened. Two monstrous blockers means not only is it harder to jam through with double attacks, but they can start Abyssing you in a relevant manner. Goblins can actually just power through while chumping once a turn via Matrons and Ringleaders, but the second puts you into the realm of just treading water until you die.

Green Sun’s Zenith is just a million more bodies. Despite Goyf dropping down in presence, Knight of the Reliquary is pretty much the same thing. With Zenith, you are looking at 10-12 green monsters instead of the old four. The old answer of Warren Weirding? Not so cool in a world of Noble Hierarchs.

So, what do we do?

Solution: Mogg War Marshal

On the attack, War Marshal means two bodies. Two bodies means more unblocked guys despite a Knight or Goyf. Add some Anthems and go to town.

On the defense, War Marshal is the best option at slowing an Abyss Knight. It’s three blocks for two mana. Talk about efficiency. That time can then translate into a stream of Ringleader attackers, returning to point one.

Solution: Frenzied Goblin, Intimidator Initiate, Stingscourger, and Goblin Rimerunner

Notable Mentions: Mad Auntie (if you want to block, sure, but I want to attack), Ib Half-Heart (makes quite the squad), Mogg Assassin (too cute to not mention)

Problem 3: Stifle

As odd as it sounds to someone who hasn’t seen it happen, Stifle is actually GOOD against Goblins. Goblin Matron and Goblin Ringleader turn from Tutors and Lead the Stampedes with legs into… Ravenous Rats. For a deck that lives and dies on board advantage, that is not the plan. It even can just stall a Lackey for long enough to throw a blocker in front of it.

Solution: Just kill them.

You know what can’t be Stifled? Attacking.

Yes, I understand that when you start doing things like, this their removal gets better. Guess what? When all their resources are dedicated to killing your stuff, they can’t Stifle your real cards as well. Spread their answers, make them line up poorly with your threats.

Experimental Goblins

Ari Lax

Test deck on 11-13-2011

Legacy

Creatures (32)

Lands (22)

Spells (6)

4 Aether Vial
2 Tarfire

Notes on the list:

Goblin Piledriver is going out of style in my opinion. You are endgaming via a swarm, not just hitting them through no blockers or removal. There are just more guys to step in the way, while a Chieftain still pushes through.

I want to fit in a Tin-Street Hooligan, but don’t want my mana to be Stifled, as Goblins is already so mana hungry. Very odd tension involved when you try to add Taiga and fetchlands.

I’m not sure if you still want or need the full eight mana-disrupting lands. There’s a big difference between trying to lock someone off four for a Humility or Wrath of God and keeping them off three for Knight of the Reliquary through a Noble Hierarch.

As strange as this sounds, I kinda wanted to cut one of the eight card advantage guys. It’s rough trying to find room for the full aggressive low curve. This cut would have probably been wrong, but it’s worth keeping in mind.

0 Warren Instigators. I have absolutely no desire to get Spell Snared on something extremely relevant (another strike against Piledriver).

Merfolk:

Problem 1: Stoneforge Mystic

See a pattern? Batterskull crash crash, can’t ever fight a 4/4 lifelink crash crash.

Answer: Spell Snare and Dismember

Tempo efficient answers for a two-drop? Check. Get that guy out of there. Spell Snare is pretty solid, as in the world of tempo counterspells, one mana rounds down to zero, especially when it always puts you up one mana.

Problem 2: Grinding

Merfolk vs. control a year ago was almost entirely about control trying to stick some four-cost bomb that bricked a team. Moat, Humility, Wrath of God, you name it. That was the plan. And Fish could fight that with Dazes and Wastelands until some random bears just got there.

Now control can grind. Thanks to Snapcaster Mage they have a lot more stalling power in the early game and can actually just run Fish out of relevant cards. All the sudden there is a real late game instead of the game being decided by the showdown on turn four or five, and all these Dazes and extra Aether Vials are garbage.

Solution: More hard counters, Kira, and Brainstorm.

If they want to grind, grind. As evidenced by a lot of the other blue decks, Daze is losing value as the format turns to lower costed cards. Same with Cursecatcher. I want my cards to stop things cold and be real threats. I’m not sure on where to go with Daze, but on the Cursecatcher end, I’m leaning Skywatcher Adept if I still want a one-drop. As embarrassing as it sounds, this guy can actually kill someone.

Kira is obvious, and people have already started down that path, but if they want to up removal, it just stops them almost cold.

Finally, this is a question we already know the answer to. Dear deck, I’m drawing too many blanks moving into the mid-late game and need a cheap way to draw some gas. What should I play?

Oh, yeah, the best spell in the format. Cool.

Yes, Merfolk wants to tap out to cast guys. Trust me, moving late you will find room to get a fetch in and Brainstorm away all that trash. Everyone else does it.

(Aside Gatherer note: Overtaker is a Merfolk. Cute answer to giant green dorks.)

Experimental Merfolk

Ari Lax

Test deck on 11-13-2011

Legacy

Creatures (20)

Lands (22)

Spells (18)

Notes on the List

Skywatcher Adept is looking a bit more ambitious every time I see it. Maybe Cosi’s Trickster or just fewer Cursecatchers belongs there.

With the shift away from Progenitus and Emrakul, I’ve lost a lot of respect for Phantasmal Image. When he was also a Terror, he was awesome, but now just as a duplicate Lord, I would rather not have the chance of drawing him late on a clean board with no good targets.

I almost want Jaces in here. Almost. I might be dreaming a little too big.

Zoo:

Problem 1:

Umm…

Well…

I got nothing.

There are no new problems for Zoo. I guess people can Stifle your lands? That’s not that relevant. 2/1 blockers that are three-mana removal spells? Maybe a bit obnoxious, but not quite fast enough against one mana 3/3s and 2/3s.

Can someone explain why this deck isn’t crushing?

Little Zoo

Ari Lax

Test deck on 11-13-2011

Legacy

Creatures (20)

Lands (21)

Spells (19)

Notes on the List:

StarCityGames.com decklists have this nifty little mana curve indicator. Notice something? Nothing that costs two, thanks for drawing Spell Snare! The lack of Goyf looks a little awkward until you realize that A) if it matters that much, you can just trade a guy and a Bolt for it and B) Goyf isn’t always big enough in time to get in the way before you start shooting fire at their face.

Two Goblin Guides instead of the usual four, as I don’t want to run them into Snapcaster Mages and actually get two-for-oned.

As an extension of these last two, no basic Mountains. Not enough one-drop red guys to let you fetch it on one, and nothing on two you actually care about getting to two mana for. Now you just want all the duals possible so that you won’t be shut down by a Wasteland.

Reckless Charge technology courtesy of Zoo master Kyle Dembinski. Unsure if it is just too cute, but it is some of the best mana- and card-to-damage conversion in the game when it works. Another option is a single Sulfuric Vortex. People forget about that card, but it is awesome.

Three Fireblasts instead of the old four only because I have some respect for my lands getting Stifled and don’t want to rely on having four lands in play for the double up.

The real problem with this list? You are much better on the play than the draw. Much of the benefit here is tied up in assuming you can convert attacks into Lava Spikes. If they play first, it’s easier for them to put up some roadblocks and fight you at the trading cards for life game.

For those who are more inclined to actually play somewhat “real” Magic, big Zoo is probably reasonable. I might try to frame it more as Maverick with Wild Nacatls, but look at the lists from StarCityGames.com Open DC earlier this year where Zenith Zoo made an appearance. I might lean towards Mystic-Batterskull as a package, but one-mana 3/3 really helps bolster the threat base from Maverick.

A brief word on Maverick: Having played the normal versions, I feel like they need some work. I almost audibled to the Punishing Fire list from Europe for StarCityGames.com Open: Kansas City, but decided against it for a couple reasons. Most notable, I felt threat light against Jace, the Mind Sculptors. My default change would be to move to blue solely for my own Jaces and Brainstorms a la John Petterson’s list in Kansas City, but the above switch to Nacatls would help give you some threats that don’t just get Time Walked by a Jace bounce.

Storm:

Given the subject of updating static decks, I would be remiss not to mention Storm. From Columbus to Indianapolis, over a year, the main deck changed zero cards, and the sideboard was still over half the same. Given the changes to the format, it was time for a change.

Without much intro, here is where I’m at right now.

Ad Nauseam

Ari Lax

Test deck on 11-13-2011

Legacy

Lands (17)

Spells (43)

Sideboard

Notable Changes:

Maindeck Orim’s Chant is there to counter Snapcaster Mage and Spell Snare. While it used to be hard to fight through the walls of countermagic these decks could present with clock backup, Chant bashes right through that, as only four of their counters actually matter. It also helps out against Reanimator, as a ton of games are lost just by them getting a Jin-Gitaxias into play on turn two. Time Walking them lets you get to a critical turn while ignoring the fact they are a bit faster.

The basic Plains is mostly because a lot of these Snare decks do in fact have Wasteland, and you want to be able to Chant, force the fight on it, then maybe wait a turn to try again. If your Scrubland[/author]“][author name="Scrubland"]Scrubland[/author] got Wasted, that was not an option.

That said, Chant is exactly as embarrassing against Daze as you would imagine it to be. Duress at least still took their Force. Chant… not so much. The fact Canadian Thresh has everything against you prompts the slightly odd board plan. The one thing Thresh does not have is a way to beat 16 Goblins. The Chants and Plains switch to the Volcanic and discard spells while the normal dedicated Tendrils kill cards (Grims, IGG, and Ad Naus) turn into Empties. Your plan is just to Duress a relevant piece of disruption and slam some early Goblins.

The meta appears to be shifting back away from Stifle plus Spell Snare a bit, so I might move back to the old main, but just be aware that other options do in fact exist, and they are not always as bad as I said they were a year ago. As times change, so should your deck. Legacy is a format stereotyped as being stagnant and slow to change. Don’t let it stay that way.