AuthorScott Johns

For this series, I’m going to try something a little different: I’m going to leave the deck strategy in the next article and instead get right to the report. Once I’ve gone through all the rounds, then I’ll post a strategy article specifically for Mirari’s Wake – a suddenly very important deck. My feeling is that for a deck that’s as complicated as this one, if we get the experience under your belt now (at least vicariously), the strategy article for the deck will make that much more sense and we’ll be able to get down to the nitty gritty a lot faster.

For those competing this weekend at U.S. Regionals, at this point you’re either putting on those last polishing touches, reviewing potential opponents’ deck lists, trying to decide which deck of your favorites to go with, or cramming for a deck at the last minute. No matter which applies to you, the time for abstract theory is over and the time for decklists decklists decklists is in full swing! In this article, I’ll be covering as many archetypes as I’m capable of, with a focus on the key choices available while keeping an eye toward the metagame as a whole. No deck exists in a vacuum – and after this article is done, hopefully you’ll know where yours stands.

I tried Ben Seck’s original deck, but found its dependence on Buried Alive to be too big a problem. I tested Zvi’s B/G/r deck and discovered that it was too inconsistent for this hyper-aggresive environment. So eventually, I developed a hybrid deck that has a tremendous amount of power behind it and is capable of stunning feats that no conventional deck can come close to matching. It’s extremely fun to play and scary to face – two things that go a long way in an event like Regionals.

U/G Madness is Tier 1 for a reason. This deck harnesses a lot of raw power and offers the potential for some of the most unfair draws available in competitive Standard. It falls somewhere between the polarizing effects of the other two Tier 1 decks, not as controlling as ‘Tog, not as aggro as R/G. In the same vein, U/G doesn’t have many bad matchups, and also has few amazing matchups. So what are the issues involved in a U/G Deck, and what do the pros argue about?

The man’s fallen off the Pro Tour – but now he’s back with a vengeance, determined to make Regionals his whipping boy as he fights his way back to the gravy train! The former editor of Brainburst, Mindripper, and Magicdigested.com lets someone else do the editing for a change, and gives you a complete rundown on the strengths and weaknesses of all the best decks in Standard – and asks seven questions that every rogue deckbuilder must answer.