First off, I would like to congratulate all of you who finished in the Top 8 at a Nationals Qualifier. Last Saturday, my Facebook newsfeed was overrun with messages from friends who are now going to Nationals. I cannot wait for that tournament so I can see everyone again.
It is still early, so there is not yet an abundance of decklists. I found a set of Top 8 lists from the Nationals Qualifier in Washington. There were numerous archetypes in the Top 8, showing the true diversity of the format. You can successfully play any type of deck in this format. The rule of playing what you know has never been more important. There are viable control, aggro, and combo decks, so there is no excuse to play to your strengths.
The best way to choose a deck for a tournament is to take the recent events and either play the new innovations or create a deck that is good against the new decks. This is why I want to focus on Nationals Qualifiers today even though I was only at the event for about an hour and did not play. I am glad I chose not to play because when I got home on Saturday, I read an email that said: “You are qualified for Nationals, do not play in a Nationals Qualifier.” I got that message just in time.
This deck was played by fellow StarCityGames.com Games columnist, Gavin Verhey. I do not want to go into too much detail, since Gavin and Gerry are on top of that.
Creatures (32)
- 3 Ranger of Eos
- 3 Wild Nacatl
- 4 Noble Hierarch
- 4 Knight of the Reliquary
- 4 Bloodbraid Elf
- 3 Lotus Cobra
- 1 Scute Mob
- 4 Cunning Sparkmage
- 2 Stoneforge Mystic
- 4 Vengevine
Lands (26)
Spells (2)
Sideboard
This is probably the version you need to watch out for in the coming weeks, since it was designed by Gerry Thompson and he is a very influential deckbuilder. I am not a fan of maindecking Cunning Sparkmage, but definitely want four throughout the deck. I would also want an Adventuring Gear to search for, since I think it’s the best equipment in the format. This deck has ten fetchlands and four Knight of the Reliquary to make it awesome.
The biggest innovation to come out of the list is the addition of Lotus Cobra as the second mana accelerant. I actually had a version with two Cobras about a month ago, and I was very satisfied with them since you want to ramp into four-drops. It does not matter if the accelerant costs one or two mana. It is good with Ranger of Eos too. It can make a bunch of extra mana to allow you to cast multiple creatures in one turn to return Vengevine.
I like cutting the fourth Wild Nacatl as well. It is rancid in the early game unless you have perfect mana. The only reason it is still in the deck is because of the synergy with Ranger of Eos. I think this list is taking Naya in the right step, and I would recommend something like this for the Grand Prix.
This was another deck that I found interesting. It was played by Dwayne St. Arnauld in the same National Qualifier.
Creatures (17)
Lands (24)
Spells (19)
Sideboard
I love the addition of Kiln Fiend in these Red, decks since they can run over Wall of Omens. I personally do not consider Hellspark Elemental to be playable anymore for his inability to do such things, and this is a great replacement. For some reason, there are only three Staggershocks in this version even though it deals four damage for three mana and has a great synergy with Kiln Fiend. I remember the days where we would play Char and be damn happy.
The real reason this particular version of the Red deck is great is because of the mostly Black sideboard. You may notice the lack of awful cards such as Unstable Footing, and the inclusion of such hits like Doom Blade and Deathmark. This guy does not mess around when it comes to killing a Kor Firewalker. I would be very nervous playing a Red deck that lacks the ability to kill the best card against my deck.
The Red deck is very well-positioned in this metagame, since it is naturally good against Jund and the control decks do not have many ways to deal with a burn deck’s game 1. There are not many times in my life that I consider playing Red, but this is one of those times.
This may be the new face of the U/W Tap-out style control decks. It was played by Martin Goldman-Kirst.
Creatures (6)
Planeswalkers (6)
Lands (25)
Spells (23)
There are some new innovations in this list, including the switch between All is Dust and Martial Coup. These decks are also moving towards the more controlling versions of U/W, since this version includes two Deprive and two Negate.
This deck being in a Top 8 really speaks to its power, because U/W has a huge target on its head. There is more play to this deck than Planeswalkers, so it’s not surprising that I recognize the name of the pilot.
It’s good to see this deck can still compete, even though I think Control is easy to foil if you want to do so.
Here is your typical Jund deck. Move along, nothing to see here.
Creatures (15)
Planeswalkers (4)
Lands (26)
Spells (15)
Sideboard
Wait just a minute… is that four Sarkhan the Mad in the maindeck? This is pretty wild, but has to show the true power of the card. There is a lot of removal in this particular list. Terminate is pretty cool with Sarkhan on an empty board, because you just kill the guy who attacks him and get an extra activation.
I would personally not play this deck, but it is a great learning experience. Most players have been on the fence about the power level of Sarkhan the Mad, and this should answer the question. This was the only version of Jund to make Top 8 at the Washington National Qualifier. This shows the field was hateful toward Jund, and it crushed anyway.
This version also has six manlands, which is something I would not normally do. They have some good synergy with Sarkhan the Mad though, so it is worth including so many. When building Jund, it is important to remember that all of your card choices should be synergistic. It’s easy to forget that Jund is not just a collection of the best cards in the format.
I tried the version of Jund with Plated Geopede at Friday Night Magic at RIW Hobbies, and was impressed at the beginning. I beat Planeswalkers and UW Control since the deck was so much more aggressive. The speed was unnecessary against the aggressive decks since Jund is a slower deck. The Sedraxis Specters were good against control since I swapped them for Sprouting Thrinax, making the Wall of Omens pretty useless.
Here is the list I am talking about, from the PTQ in Santa Clara, California.
Creatures (22)
- 4 Siege-Gang Commander
- 4 Sprouting Thrinax
- 4 Putrid Leech
- 4 Bloodbraid Elf
- 2 Borderland Ranger
- 4 Plated Geopede
Lands (26)
Spells (12)
I like the Goblin Ruinblasters against the mirror so much more than the Specters. It is an interesting situation, since I don’t have room for both of them, but I want a set of one. Even though I was not entirely satisfied with the deck, I learned many things. This deck crushed the control decks because of the speed. The Terramorphic Expanses made the deck so much better in terms of mulligans. As a rule, I mull almost every seven card hand that does not have all of the colors. I would like to incorporate that card into future Jund decks even if they cannot take advantage of landfall.
I want to share my latest version of Jund since I have learned a lot since I posted the last one.
Creatures (17)
Planeswalkers (5)
Lands (26)
Spells (12)
Sideboard
I put the Lavaclaw Reaches back in to add additional creatures for Sarkhan the Mad. The Nest Invader is also very synergistic with the new planeswalker. I cut two M10 lands for two Terramorphic Expanses, since they give me all colors and thin my deck. It also makes the Grim Discovery in the sideboard better.
As you can see, just looking at these new decks inspired me to change my regular list. I hope you all take away this message. Not only has my deck adapted to the newer archetypes, but I added new cards that I was previously unsure about.
I took some new takes on old archetypes to show how they have changed. These new adaptations will be utilized in the coming weeks. I don’t have access to all of the decks from last weekend yet, but that lesson will help you chose the correct cards for this weekend as more decklists show up online.
Most people will just play what has been winning recently. Knowing what everyone else knows is crucial when it comes to innovating. The largest changes to a format occur after a major tournament or tournament series such as Nationals Qualifiers. Although the emergence of new archetypes is a rare occasion when there are not new sets released, there is always new tech to be had.
Good luck to all of those attending Grand Prix: Washington D.C. I am going to be there for sure, so feel free to say hi. Don’t forget to tell me what you hated about this article in the forums.
Thanks for reading…
Kyle
Lilbgg675 AT aol Dot com