Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of the Magic Show. This week we’re going to be taking a hard look at Standard and Time Spiral Block play. Both of them are front and center this weekend, as the BlueGrassMagic $3,300 Kentucky Open gives us the first major Tenth Edition Standard event with a PTQ following it the next day. Want to know the best kept secret in this new Standard? Let’s go!
Title Music — “Start A War” by The National
[The following is a transcript of the show.]
The Troll Bridge (“Men’s Needs” by The Cribs)
This week’s first segment deals with what is really going to impact us as players in Tenth Edition and those playing in Louisville tomorrow. Quite simply, everyone has to pass the Troll Bridge. This is the bridge where Tarmogoyfs and Troll Ascetics lie in wait for unsuspecting players. These two bullies are so good at what they do they will demolish any deck that doesn’t have maindeck answers for them.
Now it’s not like Troll wasn’t impacting during his last stay in the Standard environment. When Affinity, the sort of insane ex-girlfriend of Standard finally left, Troll quickly found his place amongst the top tiers. This guy was unbelievably annoying before – meaning I personally saw Jushi Blue scoop to a turn 2 resolved Troll – but now he’s even more dangerous.
Though the Red/Green decks lost Kird Ape, they still have Cap’n Tickles, the newly-added Mogg Fanatic, Mr. T, and now Troll Ascetic to drive us all insane.
Just remember, every time you see a Troll Ascetic laid down on the other side of the table, think of how ole Evan told you come prepared with tools to cross the Troll Bridge. This includes Wrath of God, Damnation, and if you’re really desperate, Pithing Needle naming Old Man Ascetic and his sorry old regenerating ass.
Invitational Robbery (“Leyendecker” by Battles)
The Invitational is coming this October, and I’ve mentioned it here a few times. Please vote for yours truly, etc etc. But that’s assuming I get on the ballot in the first place. Having watched the Invitational process for a few years now, you sort of know the caliber of players they’re going to choose for categories. And when it comes to Limited, in this town, we turn to the one and only Richard Hoaen.
But there’s a problem: Rich Hoaen didn’t even get nominated for the Limited Specialist vote.
What. The. Hell? C’mon Wizards, are you really snubbing a guy who does a daily series called “Drafting With Me”? This has to be some sort of weird tragicomedy I’m not in on.
The real irony is that the winner, Kenji Tsumura, learned how to be such a good limited player from Hoaen himself!
The word is that Rich may not be the outgoing and bubbly guy we all want our Magic stars to be. But to deny him the chance at making it based on skill and who we think are “the best in the game,” well, that’s just depressing.
Tenth Meta Update (“Wake Up Call” by Maroon 5)
So there’s a few cards I’ve mentioned over the weeks that are leaving, but I haven’t mentioned a biggie yet: Seething Song being removed from the core set officially neuters Dragonstorm. Dem stones is gone boys, and this deck is officially dead. Anyone who wants to run this will be, at best, two to three turns slower than what it used to be, and in Standard that’s just enough time to fill out the match slip while you wait for your Lotus Blooms to resolve.
Persecute is another I’ve mentioned, but I want to stress how important this card was to so many decks. Fader and Solar Flare in particular leaned on this card heavily, but both of those decks still have tools to win. Fader gets Distress along with Agonizing Memories and its stock Castigate while Solar Flare was always just a pile of good cards. And piles of good cards can win games against unsuspecting decks. Bunch of card draw, Beacon of Unrest is the best Zombify variant ever, and Angel of Despair is still good stuff. Reya may find a place in there, but what would you want to recur?
You need to be ready for Seismic Assault. Here is where my favorite card in Kamigawa block, Pithing Needle, gets center stage again. Such a fantastically designed card that is so elegant and so useful. Get your set now because you will always use them. They stop all sorts of annoyances, including the ever-popular manlands and this meta-hosing beast.
Quirion Dryad is back but really, this thing is nothing compared to Tarmogoyf or Troll Ascetic. With those powerhouses in the format, why bother? I mean, seriously? By all means try to make the Dryad awesome again, but I don’t think it’s going to be in this format. Blue got a solid kick in the nuts with Tenth, and if you think you can run enough Remands, Peeks, and Delays to make the top tables, I wish you the best of luck.
Oh, and one last thing: Can your deck take Crucible of Worlds plus Ghost Quarter? Or Crucible of Worlds in general? Because you need to be prepared for it. If you’re playing Red/Green, for example, Ancient Grudge main is the new hotness. Let’s move on.
Mishra’s Machines (“Binky the Doormat” by REM)
This section takes a look at what could also be called Flores Mishra 2.0 or the Legends of Team SCG or whatever weird deck name we have to conform to this week. At Regionals, Mike Flores took what could on be described as an unconventional deck to the event. It featured such hits as three Bottled Cloister and two Serrated Arrows main. All powered by the ass-kicking Mishra. And while the format for this deck has changed, the tri-color legend’s power has not.
Matter of fact, it only gets better as Tenth Edition brought us the best card we could’ve hoped for in this deck: March of the Machines. When you suddenly think of Signets swinging for two and Bottled Cloisters blocking Troll Ascetics with ease, the entire mindset of the deck changes. Man, what a powerhouse in a deck like this. That, and Future Sight brought us the most insane artifact mana producer in years via Coalition Relic.
So with Future Sight and Tenth fully on the brain, let’s take a look at the decklist, via a friend of the show, Jhonny C: [That’s how it’s spelt, apparently. — Craig, bemused.]
(“That Time” by Regina Spektor)
Creatures (14)
- 4 Bottle Gnomes
- 3 Dimir House Guard
- 2 Bogardan Hellkite
- 4 Mishra, Artificer Prodigy
- 1 Venser, Shaper Savant
Lands (23)
Spells (23)
Now of course this is the most complete list I could give you at press time, but it may change based on your feedback or other deck testing we’ll soon get to. Either way, a few things to note:
First, Bottle Gnomes are in over Epochrasite because otherwise this deck would scoop to Mono-Red, something I suspect will be prevalent in the field at large.
Second, this thing probably needs Mind Stones. But it really, really needs manafixing too. Suggestions are welcome.
Third, this runs no Tendrils of Corruption and no Korlash, making it quite different than Flores’s build. We up the Damnation count here to four, and Take Possession generally ruins the day of any opponent who watches it happen and can do nothing to stop it.
Bogardan Hellkite is a new addition, and do note that our pal Venser can be searched up with Dimir House Guard as necessary.
The sideboard secret tech is Voyager Staff. This little ditty can do all sorts of damage, and saves Mishra from removal heavy decks, not to mention its synergy with the sideboardable Vesuvan Shapeshifter and maindeck Bogardan Hellkite.
This is what I will most likely be running at the Kentucky Open. Remember, $3,300 for Top 8 means a Top 4 split of $825 bucks. Can Mishra take me there? It’s possible, but what about door #2…
Glare Bear (“Raw” by Scanners)
Ah yes, Glare of Subdual. The card that people have what seems like continuous amnesia about. Here’s the thing about Glare: It absolutely wrecks, and I mean wrecks aggro decks. That’s what it does. That’s what it’s designed to do. You think you’re facing an aggro field, then this puppy’s for you.
Better yet, the most ridiculous creature printed in years, Tarmogoyf, rejoins the most annoying creature printed in years, Troll Ascetic, to generally piss your opponent off by tapping down their blockers with wee Saprolings and finishing them off with the big boys.
Oh, and did I mention what I feel is the best kept secret of Standard? But let’s get to that decklist first:
(“Seventy-four, Seventy-five” by Shearwater)
Creatures (31)
- 4 Llanowar Elves
- 4 Birds of Paradise
- 1 Seedborn Muse
- 4 Troll Ascetic
- 4 Wall of Roots
- 3 Loxodon Hierarch
- 4 Selesnya Guildmage
- 3 Giant Solifuge
- 4 Tarmogoyf
Lands (22)
Spells (7)
All right, so there we have it, another Glare build. Again, the archetype has been around forever, but people just keep forgetting how good it is in the right environment.
So the best kept secret in Standard? Loxodon Warhammer and Troll Ascetic. Oh my God I don’t think you could have a more annoying combination. Let’s face it, every single deck you play at the Kentucky Open will pack a card that destroys a creature. But if that card isn’t Wrath of God or Damnation, most likely the Warhammer will be attached to the Troll Bridge and he will take out six points of trampling, shrouded, regenerating damage to your face.
If you don’t have a way to deal with a maindeck Warhammer, you better get one. You don’t have to believe me, but just imagine those two cards on the other side of the board. What are you going to do about it? Block? Hope to get an X/7 to hold him off while he gains six life a turn? God forbid he throw down a Moldervine Cloak on the grumpy old Troll and proceed to stomp you in the dirt.
What am I trying to say? Naturalize is still a good card. Thanks.
While there are other, faster, G/W decks packing the Chromatic Stars and Edge of Autumn, remember that no matter how fat their Tarmogoyf gets, your little 1/1 and the Enchantment they can’t deal with maindeck will always win.
So, that’s a few ideas for the new Standard. What am I planning on playing in the Block Pro Tour Qualifier on Sunday?
Feldman’s Teachings (“The Imploding Voice” by The Smashing Pumpkins)
Well, quite simply, I trust the word of Richard Feldman. Last week Rich debuted a U/B Mystical Teachings deck that basically tried to integrate the work that all of the block constructed players had contributed so far. And one of those he focused on was Gerry Thompson’s incredible build that won his PTQ in Indianapolis. This deck was first named Kowalash after the constructed mastermind Brian Kowal, but apparently Mr. Thompson here was the real innovator. Don’t you just love deck pedigrees?
Anyway, here’s Richard’s latest list:
(“Prison Sex” by Tool)
Creatures (6)
Lands (27)
Spells (27)
What I’ve found in my testing is that the other guy generally has storage lands, and it can sometimes when I don’t have my own. Hell, many games, particularly the mirror, come down to who can stick the most storage lands. Yet in this deck there are none.
So I tweaked my list accordingly: -1 Urborg, -1 River of Tears, -1 Island for three Dreadship Reefs. What I found most interesting in Richard’s article was this snippet:
“[M]axing on Tendrils and Urborgs and such doesn’t make Gerry’s style of U/B an “anti-G/W” or “anti-aggro” build in my book. Tendrils, Urborg, and Tolaria West are insane against almost everyone. They’re merely solid in the mirror, but whenever I see their copy counts trimmed down from four, it’s rarely for cards that are any better in the mirror.”
While I agree on Tolaria West and Tendrils, four Urborgs can be great for Strip Mining but can often clog your hand and make horrible topdecks. Three ensures, particularly with the ample amount of card draw, you’ll see one soon and Dreadship Reefs can determine both the mirror and help quite a bit against the Pickles matchup.
Since these decks are difficult to both build and pilot, I’d love to hear what you think of such tweaks. My Dreadship Reefs and all will be showing up on the PTQ Sunday to see just how fast the slowest deck since Kamigawa block Gifts can actually win a match in fifty minutes.
Lastly, I gotta plug the awesome staff and crew at BlueGrassMagic who are holding the Kentucky Open and PTQ this weekend. Their events are always well ran, with plenty of staff and all of the amenities. One of the coolest features I noticed was using a project to display the pairings on a wall instead of on little printed out sheets. Wow, what a difference finding your table that way makes.
But here is your chance, Magic players. Everyone will be paying close attention to this event, as it will impact what may be played in next week’s Nationals. Head on up to Louisville, kick ass at the Kentucky Open and play in the PTQ the next day. Two great formats in one spot. Just tell em the Magic Show sent ya.
And that’s another show everybody. I’d like to thank you for watching, and wish me luck as I enter the wide open Standard field with a deck and a prayer and a car payment and two children and a wife who likes Dooney and Burke and a car with no air conditioning and…
Well, you get it. So until next time, this is Evan Erwin, tapping the cards so you don’t have to.
Evan “misterorange” Erwin
dubya dubya dubya dot misterorange dot com
eerwin +at+ gmail +dot+ com
Written in the dead of night at the last possible second. Per usual.