Today I come to you from the beautiful streets of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Am I prepared for battle? I am! Actually, I’m much more than usual! Having to miss out on Grand Prix: Washington DC (with congratulations to Brad Nelson and Owen Turtenwald) gave me a lot more time to test Zendikar Block Constructed than I previously had. With all that extra time, I found that this format is extremely similar to Standard. By that, I mean that I’ve found the decks and archetypes to be very familiar, and the format has a ton of room for innovation.
Since the Pro Tour is this weekend, I figured that covering Block Constructed for those watching at home (and for those without a deck for the Pro Tour) is a good idea. I’m not sure how relevant Zendikar Block Constructed will be past this tournament, but if you are unfamiliar with the format and wanted to know how good it is, this is the article for you. And for the record, I believe the format to be very good indeed.
Let’s start with what I feel is the best aggro deck in the format:
Creatures (25)
- 3 Kor Duelist
- 2 Kor Skyfisher
- 4 Plated Geopede
- 4 Steppe Lynx
- 4 Cunning Sparkmage
- 4 Stoneforge Mystic
- 4 Student of Warfare
Lands (24)
Spells (11)
Boros should be a familiar concept to many players who dabble in Standard, and while this deck doesn’t have the fantastic Ranger of Eos plus Goblin Bushwhacker package, it is every bit as aggressive, and it includes a much more punishing combo. If you don’t know how good Cunning Sparkmage paired with Basilisk Collar is by now, you’d better learn quickly, because it is readily available in this format if a player wants access to it. Boros is the most consistent aggressive deck in Zendikar Block Constructed, and it’s definitely the best option for those looking to attack in the format.
One of the biggest reasons to play Boros over Mono Red, besides its consistency, is access to Kor Firewalker against Red decks. Mono Red and Boros are extremely similar decks, except that one has Kor Firewalker and the other does not. For that reason alone, I could not see a good reason to play Mono Red over Boros, but there will be people who choose that option anyway. Even though I feel that is a mistake, you must still come prepared to beat Mono Red.
And while we’re on the subject of Mono Red:
Creatures (20)
Lands (24)
Spells (16)
Mono Red is a very all-in style of deck. It has major issues with Kor Firewalker, and if it doesn’t draw Goblin Guide, it has extremely difficult time winning the game. That being said, the power level of this Mono Red deck is off the charts when it is given the correct draws. Goblin Guide is still the best turn 1 play in the format, and Goblin Bushwhacker plus the backbreaking Devastating Summons is the best combo in the format. Having to run four of each card isn’t ideal, but the combo is so powerful, and your need to draw each piece is so integral to you winning, that playing four copies of each combo piece is a definite necessary evil.
This is the deck that many are scared of in the format, because it is a very difficult deck to beat in game 1. Its sideboarded games are always difficult, mainly due to the fact that people simply are not okay with losing to a Mono Red deck, and thus they will overcompensate to make sure it does not happen. Much like Mono Red in Standard, if people choose to ignore it, or generally hope not to get paired against it, they will lose to it. And you can be sure that they’ll be upset when they do.
Playing Mono Red is risky, but it can pay off big time with the right pairings. It seems like I say that about Mono Red in every format, don’t I?
Next up is everyone’s favorite Grizzly Bear (Runeclaw Bear?) deck:
Creatures (26)
- 4 Bloodghast
- 4 Gatekeeper of Malakir
- 4 Malakir Bloodwitch
- 4 Vampire Hexmage
- 4 Vampire Nighthawk
- 4 Kalastria Highborn
- 2 Arrogant Bloodlord
Lands (24)
Spells (10)
Vampires is a deck that everyone loves to hate. The deck never really looks that good in action, but it tends to win a lot more matches than people think. The thing that people don’t realize is that all of the cards in this deck are good cards, yet people consistently downplay the effectiveness of the deck. There is nothing inherently wrong with Vampires, but because it isn’t doing big flashy things, like sacrificing all of its lands to make giant monsters, or brainstorming every turn, it is often overlooked. Vampires is a deck that I am heavily considering for this tournament, mostly due to my previous experience with it and how well it is situated in the format.
I don’t care if it looks cool while I’m doing it. Winning is winning!
Now it’s time to take a look at our Blue/White Control deck:
Creatures (8)
Planeswalkers (5)
Lands (26)
Spells (21)
Mr. Boggemes said this week that his decklist would contain 4 Jace, the Mind Sculptor and 71 other cards. I think I know what the other 71 are going to be! UW Control is the control deck to beat in this format, and much like Standard, it is very good at its job. While this version lacks the raw power of the Standard version due to the lack of Mind Spring, it has a more than adequate replacement in Sphinx of Lost Truths.
One of the other big selling points of UW Control is that there is a lack of permanent removal in the format with which to handle either Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Gideon Jura. You won’t find Oblivion Ring or Maelstrom Pulse in this format to handle troublesome planeswalkers, and that is a major bonus for a control mage. The other bonus, of course, is the countermagic and being the only deck with access to it. We all know how powerful countermagic is, and while the countermagic isn’t stellar in this format, it is more than enough to get by.
And finally, let’s talk about a way to hardcast Kozilek and Ulamog, shall we?
Creatures (18)
- 4 Oracle of Mul Daya
- 1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
- 3 Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
- 4 Overgrown Battlement
- 1 Pelakka Wurm
- 1 Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
- 4 Wall of Omens
Planeswalkers (3)
Lands (28)
Spells (11)
Does this deck look good?
Nope!
Is this deck good?
Yes!
This is one of my other front runners for this coming Pro Tour. I was horribly skeptical when I saw the idea of this deck, but once I played a few games with it, I was totally blown away. Casting an Eldrazi by turn 5 or 6 is not difficult for this deck to do at all, and once you cast one, the game is all but over.
This particular version has a good matchup against the aggressive decks, but a worse matchup against UW Control. The interesting thing about these ramp decks is that you can tailor them to beat either the aggressive decks or the control decks, but probably not both in the same configuration. It’s a game time decision on what deck you want to beat, but when you choose a side, you will crush it. If I choose to play this deck, I’m probably going to opt to beat aggressive decks. After all, I hate losing to Mono Red, just like everyone else.
Overall, this format is very similar to Standard, except that there isn’t a Jund deck. And to that I say…
Thank! God!
Next week, I will talk with you guys about my endeavors in San Juan, and hopefully I’ll have a good finish to talk about. I’m very confident about this tournament, so hopefully I can turn my confidence into some victories.
Until next week!
Cedric Phillips