On Tuesday, I watched what will definitely go down as one of the greatest games in NBA history: Game 6 of the Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat. The Spurs came into Miami with a 3-2 series lead. They were up thirteen in the fourth quarter. They were up five points with twenty seconds to go. They were up in overtime. From the point they took the lead at the end of the first half through the very end of the game, it seemed inevitable the Spurs would win and clinch the championship.

But through it all, the Heat hung in there. Barely. I nearly stopped watching a few times when I thought the game was over, but just as soon as I thought the Heat couldn’t possibly come back, they would make an important three-pointer or score a few quick baskets in a row. Just like that, they would be back in the game. Just like that, they would offer a glimmer of hope that their fans would see a Game 7.

Despite big performances from both LeBron James and Tim Duncan, arguably two of the best players of all time, the game was really decided by powerful and clutch performances by some of the role players. A steal here, a blocked shot there, an important rebound, a clutch three-pointer. Those are the oft-overlooked plays that create those kinds of small advantages that eventually turn into a victory. It was ultimately the effort and performance of the role players that led to the Heat winning the game. Ray Allen and Chris Bosh especially had a number of very huge plays at the end of the game and the end of overtime that clinched the game.

Magic isn’t any different. In fact, Magic and sports are extremely similar to each other. The best athletes aren’t simply the ones who are strongest or most athletic. The best athletes are the smartest players; the most prepared players; the players who come up with a plan for how to win the game, execute that plan, and figure out how to change that plan on the fly when things don’t follow the book.

The best teams are the ones with the best strategies and the ones that are able to use each and every player to their full capacity. It certainly doesn’t hurt to have the best players, but it’s not always the team with more good players that wins. It’s the team that’s the most prepared for what the opponent can throw at them and knows how to get the most mileage out of their players to attack it.

In Magic, just like any team sport, it’s the role players that determine whether you finish eighth or 26th in a tournament. Your superstars—the Boros Reckoners, Voice of Resurgences, Olivia Voldarens—are going to put in a solid effort regardless. It’s whether or not you have the surrounding cast to make them good enough to win the game that matters.

Today, I want to talk about that surrounding cast. I want to talk about some of the cards that shouldn’t be there as well as some of the ones that should. I want to talk about the underrated and overrated cards in Standard right now.

The Saturated

To understand what makes a card overrated or underrated, it’s first important to have an idea of what cards you have to fight. These are some of the cards that are neither underrated nor overrated. They are saturated. That is to say that you will see at least one of these cards almost every time you sit down across from an opponent. These are the cards that are defining Standard.

Voice of Resurgence

Voice of Resurgence is the question. Are you fine casting spells only on your turn? Can you beat a two-for-one and a large Elemental Token? Can you attack through this card? Can you remove this? If the answer to any of those questions is "no," then it might be time to go back to the drawing board. Plan to play against this card.

Pillar of Flame

Pillar of Flame is the answer. Need to deal with that Voice of Resurgence? That Arbor Elf? That Champion of the Parish? Take the red pill. Much like it would be a mistake to play a deck that doesn’t favorably interact with Voice of Resurgence, it’s likewise a mistake to play a Voice of Resurgence deck that can’t beat a few Pillars. Have a plan to play around it, like the sacrifice effects Junk Aristocrats provides, or have a plan that doesn’t care about it, like the larger-than-Pillar game plan of a bigger Naya deck with cards like Loxodon Smiter, Thundermaw Hellkite, and Boros Reckoner.

Boros Reckoner

If your plan is to dodge Reckoners all day, then I have to encourage you to check yourself. Naya has come back to the format in a huge way, and most Naya lists are featuring a Reckoner-centric game plan. Most U/W/R lists have gone back to Reckoner, and even The Aristocrats: Act II is back, complete with Minotaur Wizards in tow. Boros Reckoner represents an enormous roadblock to any deck looking to just pound through on the ground. If your deck struggles hard to attack through a Boros Reckoner, then it’s time to get creative. Ghor-Clan Rampager is a great way to get by, but maybe it’s time to dust off those Gruul War Chants, Volcanic Strengths, or Madcap Skills to really push through.

The Underrated

Rest in Peace

There was once a period of time where nearly every deck played this card in the sideboard despite how narrow it was. It was purely for Junk Reanimator, and yet it was still good enough to warrant three slots in the sideboard. As the format developed, Junk Reanimator changed from a graveyard-centric deck with value creatures to a value-centric deck with some graveyard synergy. Rest in Peace became worse since they didn’t have to use their graveyard to win the game anymore. Also, there’s this little card called Acidic Slime that started to see maindeck play. RIP.

We aren’t playing that format anymore.

Junk Reanimator is starting to move back to its roots: Lingering Souls, Craterhoof Behemoth, Sever the Bloodline. The graveyard is starting to play a bigger role now, and Acidic Slime is starting to play a smaller role. Rest in Peace is now a much better card against Junk Reanimator than it was before, and as I think Junk Reanimator is starting to pick up again in popularity, now might be time to start playing this card again.

Besides, there’s also the fact that Rest in Peace beats the entire Junk Aristocrats deck entirely by itself. Maybe that’s worth mentioning. Not sure.

As an avid Junk Aristocrats player, I can say that I have never won a game where my opponent has a Rest in Peace in play. There were a few close times where I thought my power crew of squires and bears was going to chip out the full twenty, but to say it’s an uphill battle would be a bit of an understatement. I’m pretty sure most Limited decks could beat Junk Aristocrats with a live Rest in Peace. Frilled Oculus into Wind Drake is GG.

As an avid Junk Aristocrats player, I hope you all ignore me and don’t play this card.

Domri Rade

This is one of the best cards in Standard right now. Every time I have played a deck with Domri Rade in it, I have felt like Domri was simply the best card in the deck. It just so happens that decks packing somewhere in the ballpark of 30 creatures are kind of "the thing" right now. It also so happens that those decks are playing red and green in them, exactly the two colors of mana required to cast this glorious ‘walker.

Every time I see lists playing less than four copies of Domri, it makes me sad inside. Extra copies are bad? So what you’re saying is that when you play a Domri, -2 to kill their best creature, and then they have to throw away another guy to finish it off, you don’t want another copy in hand to follow up with? Got it.

Boros Reckoner is also seeing a huge amount of play right now, and Domri Rade combos very well with the card. Fighting Boros Reckoner with nearly anything else is almost a surefire way to decimate your opponent’s board presence. Domrinated. Fighting Boros Reckoner with a huge creature can also sometimes throw just enough damage to the face to finish out the game. Domriernated.

Bon Jovi of the Damned

One toughness is all the rage these days: Naya Blitz, Naya Aggro, R/G Aggro, Aristocrats (of both varieties), Junk Reanimator. These are some of the decks that have a lot of one-toughness critters and boast a strong vulnerability to Bonfuego. Even decks like Jund can lose a Huntmaster of the Fells and a planeswalker to a Bonfire. I think decks like Jund and Naya Midrange should be playing four copies of this card. I feel like decks such as G/R and Jund that otherwise don’t appeal to me are reasonable choices to play right now simply because they offer the ability to play Bonfire of the Damned.

Firefist Striker, Lightning Mauler; Lingering Souls; Blood Artist; Stromkirk Noble; Sorin, Lord of Innistrad; and Invisible Stalker are all cards you can expect to see on the other side of the table throughout the course of a tournament. There are plenty of prevalent two-toughness creatures as well, like Voice of Resurgence, Skirsdag High Priest, Burning-Tree Emissary, Geist of Saint Traft, and Huntmaster of the Fells. I’ve felt that throughout Bonfire’s history over the last year, the times when it has been most playable are the times when it’s most reasonable to have an effect on the game even when hard cast.

Arbor Elf, Avacyn’s Pilgrim, Gyre Sage, Borderland Ranger—these are all cards that ensure your creature deck is still fully capable of hard casting it. The average toughness of most creatures you will run up against ensures that it’s going to typically be effective when you do.

Izzet Staticaster, Curse of Death’s Hold, Profit // Loss, Electrickery, Golgari Charm

See above. Of these, I think Izzet Staticaster is the best simply because it’s a reusable effect, which combines well with burn spells, and it’s also a good blocker against cards like Voice of Resurgence. I think the ability to board Staticaster is one of the reasons to even consider playing a deck like U/W/R right now, and I find it downright criminal that some lists aren’t packing a bunch of these guys.

One toughness is the loneliest number.

Thundermaw Hellkite

Lingering Souls has picked up in play again as of late. Time to dust off those Thundermaw Hellkites! In addition to being a trump to Souls, it’s also a huge threat against Junk Reanimator, Jund, and U/W/R. Thundermaw is one of the best creatures in the format against a big percentage of the field. It should be seeing a lot more play than it is. Thundermaw also works well with Domri and Restoration Angel and is excellent at picking off planeswalkers. What’s not to love?

Decks like Jund and U/W/R should really consider moving away from clunky cards like Sire of Insanity and Aetherling and embracing the ‘Maw.

Abrupt Decay

I am hard pressed to come up with a deck in the format right now where I don’t want Abrupt Decay. I think Jund is the only mainstream deck where this is true, and even against Jund you can still hit a Keyrune, Liliana, or flipped Huntmaster. Opponents are going to be doing things like putting Madcap Skills on their Flinthoof Boar and using Ghor-Clan Rampager to bloodrush their Boros Reckoner. Give them the Decay.

In addition to killing a huge percentage of the commonly played creatures, Decay also hits things like the aforementioned Domri Rade, Rest in Peace, Liliana of the Veil, Unflinching Courage, and Detention Sphere. Due to the prevalence of Boros Reckoner, I think black removal is at a premium right now, and none is more versatile than Abrupt Decay.

Thragtusk

Where has Thragtusk gone? There are decks like Jund, Bant, and Junk Reanimator that are still playing Thragtusk, but it’s surprising to me that we aren’t seeing a lot more of our shaggy friend. Standard is being dominated by cards like Voice of Resurgence and Pillar of Flame. Thragtusk basically couldn’t ask for a better environment. Pillar doesn’t kill him, and Voice can’t swing past him.

Even though the aggressive decks are capable of powering through a Thragtusk, either by just biting the bullet and getting two-for-oned or via Ghor-Clan Rampager, they still are typically unprepared to beat a second copy. When you factor in cards like Restoration Angel and Unburial Rites, it is pretty easy to throw out a third, fourth, and even fifth copy. There’s no keeping up with that.

Decks like Jund, Bant, and Junk Reanimator should be playing four copies of Thragtusk maindeck. Based on the current format, there is no reason he should ever be splitting time with cards like Acidic Slime or anything else. I wouldn’t touch another five-drop until I have four copies of Thragtusk sleeved up and a fifth copy in my pocket for good luck. Even then, I would hesitate and probably reach for the sixth copy first.

Decks like Naya and G/R Aggro should also probably be looking to play Thragtusk right now. While Thundermaw is likely a better choice for the maindeck, Thragtusk is still a powerful option to come in for post-board games against the hyperaggressive decks, the only matchups where Thundermaw isn’t good.

The Overrated

Huntmaster of the Fells

At the core, what makes Huntmaster so powerful is how much of a stopgap it is against aggro decks. Gain a few points of life, trade the Wolf, and maybe even kill off something else with the transformation. In an aggressive format like this, it seems like Huntmaster would be a dominant force. While a turn 3 Huntmaster is still fully capable of taking over a game, in general I feel like Huntmaster doesn’t do quite enough. It’s vulnerable to Pillar of Flame, and it doesn’t interact favorably with Boros Reckoner. Reckoner can attack through it with impunity, and Domri’s -2 on a Reckoner conveniently destroys both the Huntmaster and the Wolf.

Ghor-Clan Rampager has also ensured that trying to double block isn’t a very safe strategy anymore. Before Rampager, you could frequently count on Huntmaster to come down and double block a 3/3 with the Wolf. When the dust cleared, the Huntmaster and 3/3 would be dead, but you would still have a 2/2 Wolf and be up two life on your opponent. Now, a pre-combat Pillar of Flame or a Ghor-Clan Rampager puts an end to those shenanigans.

I would definitely still play Huntmaster in a deck like Jund that wants access to as many good four-drops as possible to play after a turn 2 Farseek. However, in Naya or G/R decks, I’d much rather play a set of Ghor-Clan Rampager or even Advent of the Wurm before I touch a single Huntmaster.

Acidic Slime

Quite frankly, Acidic Slime is not good at all right now. The only decks in the format it really does anything against are U/W/R and Junk Reanimator. Junk Reanimator is on a downswing in popularity, and U/W/R is starting to shift toward a more aggressive approach with Geist of Saint Traft anyway. The Geist U/W/R deck doesn’t care nearly as much about getting Slimed as the old versions that relied on Sphinx’s Revelation to win.

A few copies in the sideboard is fine for the couple of matchups where you want it, but I don’t think this card should be in any maindecks right now, especially if it is taking the slot of another five-drop that happens to be really good at the moment. If only there was a green five-drop that was actually good right now. If only.

Unflinching Courage

Unflinching Courage is in no way a bad card. In fact, it is a very good card—in the right situations. Courage is an excellent card in a deck like Bant Hexproof. It’s also a great way for a Loxodon Smiter deck to beat a deck like the aforementioned Hexproof or a red-based aggressive deck.

That’s pretty much it, though. The reason I feel this card is overrated is because I see it in the sideboard of nearly every deck playing green and white mana regardless of the configuration of their creatures. If your plan is to put it on something like a Voice of Resurgence, then you should probably look elsewhere for help. Spending two cards to assemble a 4/4 lifelink creature isn’t actually that good, even against the R/x aggressive decks. If you start to attack, they can often race the lifelink. If you sit back on defense, they can pick it off with a Ghor-Clan Rampager. On something like a Loxodon Smiter, however, it is a different story. A twelve-point swing on each attack is much harder to race, and it ends the game quicker as well.

I also see this card get boarded in way too much. This is the card you want when your opponent doesn’t have any removal or their removal spells look like Pillar of Flame or Searing Spear. This is not the card you want when your opponent’s removal spells look like Dreadbore, Abrupt Decay, Azorius Charm, or Tragic Slip.

Ground Seal

I’m not sure why this card is still being played maindeck. Sure, it replaces itself, so it’s never a truly dead draw, but there are plenty of situations where you don’t have time to cycle a card when your face is being beat in by a bunch of hasty red and green creatures. Junk Reanimator is not nearly as popular of a deck right now as it once was, and even decks like U/W/R, where you could get some value by blanking Snapcaster Mages, have moved away from playing the full four copies of Snapcaster.

I don’t even like this card in the sideboard very much. In a G/W deck, I think it should just be Rest in Peace, and in G/R decks without access to white, Bonfire and Thundermaw Hellkite should be enough to beat Junk Reanimator decks anyway, even without access to Ground Seal.

Clone

I see this in the sideboard of pretty much every single blue deck. Why? A competent Junk Reanimator opponent is going to play around it and leave you with mediocre Clones in your hand as they kill you with Obzedats, Sin Collectors, and Restoration Angels. Even if they have Acidic Slimes post-board for you to copy, generally speaking they are better off in that exchange than you are, since the first person to Slime rarely loses the resulting "Slime off."

If the purpose is simply to be a four-mana Vindicate for a Geist of Saint Traft, then that’s acceptable, but it’s still a fairly narrow use for a sideboard slot. Something like Supreme Verdict offers that same ability but is a much more versatile card.

I don’t think Clone is in any way a bad card; I just don’t feel that the current format is one where it’s needed.

The exception is Prime Speaker Bant, where the card can also copy your own Thragtusks and Angels, offering you something to do with the card when your opponent isn’t playing into it.

Sire of Insanity

Sire has dropped off some in popularity already, but I firmly believe it shouldn’t be seeing any play at all right now. I think for any deck that has access to Sire of Insanity that Rakdos’s Return is simply a better choice. Return can kill planeswalkers like Garruk Relentless; Liliana of the Veil; Sorin, Lord of Innistrad; and Domri Rade—all ones that are seeing a good bit of play. Rakdos’s Return also strips your opponent’s hand without having to worry about commonly played removal spells like Tragic Slip and Selesnya Charm ruining your day.

Decks like U/W/R are also starting to favor cards like Essence Scatter and Warleader’s Helix so that they aren’t cold to a Sire. In return, they are much worse off against Rakdos’s Return.

Maybe Rakdos’s Return isn’t even the card that Jund decks want to replace their Sires with. Anyone think it might be time for Jund to go back to playing Thundermaw Hellkite? Byaaaaaah!

What do you think? What cards do you think are overrated and underrated? Did I make any glaring omissions, or was I completely off base in my assertions? I’m interested to know what cards you think should be in the glaring spotlight of Standard right now.

As always, thanks for reading.

Brian Braun-Duin
@BraunDuinIt on Twitter
BBD on Magic Online