I didn’t sell out. I bought in.
Sellout
Noun
1. an act or instance of selling out.
2. an entertainment, as a show or athletic event, for which all the seats are sold.
3. Informal. a person who betrays a cause, organization, or the like; traitor.
4. Informal. a person who compromises his or her personal values, integrity, talent, or the like, for money or personal advancement.
As defined by our good friends at Merriam-Webter, I am a complete and total sellout.
Allow me to expand on this notion and perhaps explain myself. For weeks I’ve been touting how powerful and well-positioned Abzan Reanimator is and how it’s
the only deck I could envision myself piloting for the foreseeable future.
Well…
I guess the future is now.
We went from this:
To this:
I was quite pleased with the results that I had been having with Abzan Reanimator; it won me a GPT and an immense amount of credit at my local game shop.
Earlier last week I had touted that I’d be “100% playing it” at my first Standard PTQ in almost a year. Experience is a powerful virtue, but there might be
one even stronger…
For all intents and purposes, Whip was all I knew in this metagame. I wasn’t well-versed with many other decks, so when a cocky, young upstart named Abzan
Aggro started to put up some results, I felt that it warranted very little consideration. After all, they had cards like Rakshasa Deathdealer and
Fleecemane Lion, while I was jamming Courser of Kruphix and Hornet Queens. I felt like my endgame was vastly superior in almost every way, and the lifegain
afforded by Whip of Erebos would be more than sufficient in offsetting whatever paltry damage they could generate. Their Wingmate Rocs would just get
blocked by Hornet Queen tokens all day. Right?
Well, no…no it’s not quite that simple.
I met up with some friends on Thursday with a newer version of Abzan Reanimator in tow, kindly provided by Gerry Thompson. It might be something he goes
over, so I’d rather not spoil it, but it looked extremely powerful. I was excited to sleeve up what could very well be the next evolution of this deck I
enjoyed playing so much. That night we played for a few hours, and I could tell that his version of Abzan Reanimator was about as good as I expected. There
was a lot of subtle play to it, reach, and the endgame was as good as ever. The improvements made sure it was more robust in the Whip mirror matches, while
shoring up the W/U Heroic matchup.
After things shaped up a bit with the list, we decided to test it against Abzan Aggro. I expected that I’d lose a few, but win far more than my share. As
it turned out, the more matches we played the harder things got. Each match felt like a massive uphill battle, and after board things didn’t really get
much easier. We sat at around 50/50, and when I messaged Gerry with the results, he stated that it was somewhat of a win that his build was able to get it
to that point.
I thought long and hard about what changes I could make or little twists I could put on it while my friends and I drove to Orlando for the PTQ. I was
excited and nervous. I tend to get pretty on edge the day before a tournament; it doesn’t really matter what kind it is, because I take them all seriously
and want to make sure I have the most fun possible while doing as well as I can. Finally, after a few hours of driving, we stopping in Tampa to pick up my
lifemate Brennan DeCandio. The love we share is the envy of my wife and ex-girlfriends alike.
Brennan had messaged me earlier in the week that he was on Abzan Aggro and sent me the list he was preparing. It was different in a few ways from the
traditional builds and was meant to give it a little more longevity in games while providing a pivotal edge in mirror matches, which were sure to be
abundant.
When we finally got to our hotel room, Brennan and I decided to battle before bed. I hoped to replicate the 50/50 matchup of the night prior and, against
his updated list, reaffirm that I was playing the right deck for the tournament.
Brennan beat me over and over again. I lost something like a dozen matches that night between him and my other traveling partner, Paul. These weren’t
regular ass beatings, however. These were the kinds of matches where I felt like I was genuinely climbing uphill every match and even when I stabilized
things weren’t safe. Hornet Queen couldn’t save me, and the pressure from two-drops supplemented by removal made things very difficult. Eventually a
Wingmate Roc would quote “Nevermore” when I asked if I could win a game.
That’s really what the match boiled down to: the Roc consistently told me to know my role and shut my mouth before checking me in to the Smackdown Hotel on
Know Your Role Blvd and Jabroni Drive. This card was singlehandedly what made the matchup suck, and it was growing to be a very big headache for me.
Eventually, after getting your butt kicked over and over again by the same card, you start to wonder why you’re not playing it. It was a card Gerry’s list
regulated to the sideboard, and any paltry amount of games I won were all on the back of Wingmate Roc post-board.
Finally Brennan said those all-important words: “just play this deck.”
I decided to eschew my principles.
I decided to forsake my own advice.
I decided to audible the night before a Magic tournament.
Creatures (21)
- 4 Fleecemane Lion
- 2 Boon Satyr
- 3 Anafenza, the Foremost
- 4 Wingmate Roc
- 4 Rakshasa Deathdealer
- 4 Siege Rhino
Planeswalkers (2)
Lands (26)
Spells (11)
Right off the bat the card that should jump out at you is Boon Satyr. In the last few weeks, it’s a card that has been regulated to G/R Aggro primarily,
but this card was the real deal all day. Ambushing high-toughness creatures is only the beginning for Boon Satyr, who also does a great job of attacking
after being flashed into play at your opponent’s end of turn and triggering on raid for a Wingmate Roc. The bestow is also phenomenal, as in a war of many
Rocs in the sky flashing in a Satyr and bestowing it on your bird can be a huge blowout.
Hero’s Downfall was brought up to a four-of due to how important it is in so many matches. A straight kill spell that also doubles to remove planeswalkers
like Elspeth from the equation is invaluable. The Thoughtseizes in the main were also very good all day, but the culling of Bile Blight to a duo might have
to be changed because of how heavily you lean on it against insect tokens.
The PTQ was a hair under eight rounds with only 128 players. Usually Florida PTQs boast a very high attendance rate, but I’m guessing with the abundance of
PPTQ’s lately combined with the fact the format is about to change had a few people staying home.
I went 5-2 on the day, losing my win-and-in during the final round to G/R Aggro. Usually that match is fantastic, but my opponent game 1 executed the most
optimal draw his deck could produce, and in the second game, I never drew a second black source after scrying and drawing a couple of extra cards with
Abzan Charm. I died to two Stormbreath Dragons with three Hero’s Downfalls in my hand against an opponent with zero cards left in his hand. Sad way to end
things, but I wished him the best of luck in the top 8.
Overall, I lost to G/R and the mirror match, while defeating Abzan Aggro, Abzan Midrange, Jeskai Aggro, W/U Heroic, and Mardu Midrange. This shows the
amount of versatility that this deck features and how good it is against the entirety of the field. My wins felt like they came fairly decisively and were
against very competent pilots, like Steve Mann with Heroic or Manny Orellana with Mardu. Both players were extremely well-versed with their deck, but I was
able to take them on without flinching.
My record was good enough for a 13th place finish, which is one I feel good about, considering I just played my first match with the deck as I sat down for
round one.
Everything about this deck feels efficient and powerful.
The notion that it has very, very few dead draws and has prolific cards at all points of the match should not be lost unto the format. While accused of
being too linear, this deck makes up for a one-track-mind by being relentless and unforgiving of a brief stumble. Usually these strategies don’t appeal to
me, but with the reach that Elspeth provides and how dangerous your cards are all the time, it’s hard to not want to just want to travel this road. I won
games on turn six and I won games on turn sixteen. The best word I can use to describe it is “efficient.”
Terrifying. That’s a good word too.
For the next week I’ll be gearing up for a couple of prereleases in my area and seeing what kinds of additions Fate Reforged will bring to Abzan Aggro.
As for the Abzan Reanimator fans out there, I don’t want you to take it personally.
I didn’t forget about you.
But I’ve moved on, for now at least.
If you have any questions about the deck, please don’t hesitate and I’ll do my best to make sure you understand just how absurd this Abzan Aggro build
really is.
I want more converts.
Just remember:
You won’t be selling out.
You’ll be buying in.