With some of the most important Nationals now completed, and Shuhei Red having a big impact in all of them, it’s time to figure out how this will affect the future Standard metagame and to adapt Quick N’ Toast.
With Shuhei Red on top, and the only decks that consistently beat it being the two combo decks, Storm and Swans, we might see a rise in those decks for the New Standard. We’ll move towards a “Rock, Paper Scissors” meta scenario, with Storm beating the Red Decks while Faeries lose to them. Breaking it down, we have:
• Rock: Shuhei Red
• Paper: Combo (Storm or Swans)
• Scissors: Faeries
With those three decks in mind (and Storm and Swans counting as one deck), I’ve adapted the Quick N’ Toast list to the face these new metagame challenges. Here is my current list:
Creatures (9)
Lands (25)
Spells (26)
3 Runed Halo and 1 Condemn
At first I had more Condemns instead of the Runed Halos. While Condemn solves the problem of one Figure of Destiny, Ashenmoor Gouger, or Demigod of Revenge, Runed Halo means you’re safe from the entire set of four. It also really helps you win the combo match-up by naming Seismic Assault or one of the troublesome Storm spells. Both Condemn and Runed Halo are pretty bad against Faeries, but with a turn 2 Runed Halo, at least you don’t have to worry about being Time Walked by Mistbind Clique.
I still run one Condemn to fetch with Mystical Teachings, as it is the cheapest solution to troublesome Black creatures (or creatures with protection from Black).
1 Purity
This is the slot in which Olivier Ruel played Platinum Angel at French Nationals. Both the cards are pretty bad versus Swans, but Purity seems better versus Storm as they have to hit it for six instead of four, and Shuhei Red has only four solutions instead of eight. You should be able to stop their creatures anyway with the help of Runed Halo, so the only real problem you face are the Keldon Megaliths, the burn spells, and Magus of the Scroll (in the late game… you probably don’t want to name Magus of the Scroll with an early Runed Halo). The card is pretty bad versus Faeries, so you should remove it from the deck for another Cloudthresher if Faeries is played a lot in your area.
2 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir and 2 Pact of Negation
As I no longer run Makeshift Mannequin, I am forced to play different spells that help me get through some key spells against Faeries. When he is cast, Teferi shift the focus to their end of turn step, which means they might run out of mana in your turn if they wish to counter him. Pact of Negation should just pull out a win in the counter war. Both of the cards can be fine against the combo decks, with Teferi taking down suspend spells, and Pact of Negation countering one of their key spells (such as Pyromancer’s Swath, Seismic Assault, or Swans of Bryn Argoll). Versus Shuhei Red, Teferi is a pretty bad card, as all their attacking creatures are 4/4. Pact of Negation is a fine card in the late game against Shuhei Red, as it helps to protect Purity, or it enables you to completely tap out without taking the risk of death to instant burn.
Urza’s Factory
Besides being really good in the control mirror for obvious reasons, Urza’s Factory is necessary versus Shuhei Red. Once you setup a Runed Halo on Demigod of Revenge and you’ve got Purity on the table, it might be pretty hard to actually kill your opponent, as he’ll have Demigods on defence. Urza’s Factory solves this problem without hurting the mana too much, and without taking up a slot earmarked for another spell.
Kitchen Finks
As most lists either ran three or four Kitchen Finks, I completely banished them from my decklist. I don’t think they are very good versus Red, as they are only a temporary solution to all the 4/4s they play, and they’ll never block Magus of the Moon or Blood Knight. They are an early threat against both Combo and Faeries, so you can apply pressure. But I’d rather shift more towards a control mentality, and let the marginal early pressure go. They were pretty good when Elves was a deck to beat, and when the Red players ran a more purely aggressive list.
Mulldrifter and Makeshift Mannequin
Mulldrifter is only a good card when it’s combined with other cards like Reveillark or Makeshift Mannequin. As I’ve cut Kitchen Finks from my deck, I definitely don’t have enough good targets for Makeshift Mannequin (you rarely want to reanimate a Wall of Roots). I am positive that without Mulldrifter there is a lack of card advantage, but I think I can solve this problem by running Mystical Teachings.
With the list posted above, I am confident I’ve got a coin flip or better matchup versus Faeries, Shuhei Red, and Swans. The Storm match-up should be in their favor, as you’re not able to put them under any pressure, which leaves them with enough time to set up a big combo turn with the help of charge lands while playing around all the countermagic you might have. Post-board you should get an advantage in all the match-ups, as you’re running all five colors and thus have more (and stronger) sideboard options than most.
Here is my current sideboard:
1 Extiprate
1 Luminesce
2 Crovax, Ascendant Hero
1 Cloudthresher
2 Squall Line
1 Runed Halo
1 Purity
2 Mind Shatter
3 Thoughtseize
1 Guttural Response
Versus Shuhei Red
+1 Luminesce
+1 Runed Halo
+1 Purity
-1 Pact of Negation
-2 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
As the Red deck can’t deal with enchantments, you can rely on Runed Halo. The most important targets are Manabarbs, Demigod of Revenge, Ashenmoor Gouger, and Figure of Destiny. Make sure you always have a solution for Magus of the Moon, so don’t waste your Firespouts or your Slaughter Pact if you have another solution to the threats on the board. If you manage to resolve Purity, it’s more or less all about keeping it alive. Make sure you avoid activating your Painlands if possible, to preserve your life total. And never feel secure; they have lots of threads to make your life difficult. You’ll do fine if you have a backup solution for Demigod of Revenge, Manabarbs, and Magus of the Moon.
Versus Combo: Swans
+1 Extirpate
+1 Runed Halo
+2 Mind Shatter
+3 Thoughtseize
-1 Purity
-4 Firespout
-1 Condemn
-1 Teferi, Mage of Zhalfir
This match-up is much easier to play than the other Combo match-up, as they don’t have many options in how they kill you. Either they attack you with Vendilion Cliques and Swans of Bryn Argoll, or they kill you with their combo. Your first Runed Halo should always name Seismic Assault. Keep in mind that they might run Imp’s Mischief, so take care when you want to Mind Shatter them. Mystical Teachings has a solution to both of their kill plans… either you can fetch Cloudthresher to stop them from attacking you, or Extirpate to disrupt their combo. Make sure you fetch the Extirpate before they have both Seismic Assault and Swans of Bryn Argoll on the table, as they can go off in response to the Mystical Teachings.
Versus Combo: Storm
+1 Runed Halo
+2 Mind Shatter
+3 Thoughtseize
+1 Luminesce
-1 Slaughter Pact
-1 Firespout
-2 Cloudthresher
-1 Condemn
-1 Purity
-1 Rune Snag
This match-up is much more complicated, as they have multiple ways to kill you. They do so with either one of their storm spells (Empty the Warrens, Grapeshot or Ignite Memories) or they resolve a Magus of the Moon and you don’t have a solution for it. As not every Storm player is running Magus of the Moon in the sideboard, I am willing to board out some of the solutions for it. Obviously if you see them in the second game, you should board the solutions back in. If you don’t know their hand you should name Ignite Memories with Runed Halo, as most of the time Grapeshot only kills you with the help of Pyromancer’s Swath. I sideboard out a Rune Snag; it is pretty bad in the late game, as they simply charge all their lands and play around them. I don’t sideboard Extirpate as it is only good if I resolve a Thoughtseize first and I know they have a second copy of the same win condition in hand (I really don’t want to suffer card disadvantage with Extirpate). The Luminesce should help you as it stops both Grapeshot and Ignite Memories. Make sure you don’t let a Guttural Response hit your Mystical Teachings during their combo turn; just fetch it some turns before they go into their combo.
Versus Faeries
+3 Thoughtseize
+2 Squall Line
+2 Crovax, Ascendant Hero
+1 Cloudthresher
+1 Guttural Response
-1 Purity
-4 Firespout
-3 Runed Halo
-1 Condemn
There are two different ways in which the Faerie match-up plays out. Either they have a second turn Bitterblossom or they don’t. If they have a Bitterblossom you are under pressure pretty fast. With the help of Thoughtseize, Guttural Response, Teferi, and Pact of Negation, you should be able to resolve either a Crovax or a Cloudthresher. Both of them should be able to win the raise against the Bitterblossom. If they don’t have a Bitterblossom, make sure you are not greedy, as they have more countermagic than you. If you have a charge land available, you should bide your time and charge the land until you can play around everything they could have.
Versus Reveillark
+3 Thoughtseize
+2 Mind Shatter
+1 Extirpate
(+1 Guttural Response / +1 Cloudthresher)
-1 Purity
-3 Runed Halo
-1 Condemn
-2 Firespout
Aside from Faeries, the most popular deck right now on Magic Online is Reveillark. Some run Cryptic Command and Careful Consideration, and some don’t – you should sideboard Guttural Response accordingly. This match-up is all about whether they resolve a Reveillark. That’s why you should rarely counter an evoked Mulldrifter, unless they’ve missed a land drop or something like that. Make sure they are unable to resolve a Reveillark or a Body Double, and don’t waste your good counters (Cryptic Command and Pact of Negation) in forcing through your spells, as they are not that game changing as your opponent’s threats. I keep in some Firespouts to stop their early pressure, which is their best way to win if they can’t resolve a Reveillark. Keep in mind that they are running Pact of Negation as well, and that they might have Momentary Blink.
Versus Elves / Doran
+1 Runed Halo
+2 Crovax, Ascendant Hero
-2 Cloudthresher
-1 Pact of Negation
Runed Halo handles most of their good threads like Colossus, Doran, and the man lands, but you should never rely on them, as they will sideboard Krosan Grip and Primal Command. You can play around those cards by naming the same threat with a second Halo. If you know there are more Green aggressive decks in your metagame than Shuhei Red, you should run Condemns and Slaughter Pacts instead of Runed Halos.
Versus Merfolk
+2 Crovax, Ascendant Hero
+3 Thoughtseize
+1 Guttural Response
-1 Purity
-2 Cloudthresher
-3 Runed Halo
If you can stop the early aggression of Merfolk, you should be able to pull out a win. With the help of Thoughtseize and Guttural Response it’s much easier to force through a Firespout. If they don’t have any aggression on the board, make sure you don’t run your spells into their countermagic, as you don’t want them to gain card advantage. As long as they play draw go you should do the same, until you can play around all the countermagic they could have.
I hope you enjoyed my article! Feel free to give feedback or ask questions in the forums.
Manu B
Manuel B on Magic Online