Thalia’s Good, But Not “Kill Izzet Epiphany” Good

Wizards of the Coast (WotC), we need to talk!

Last month I expressed my concerns about Alrund’s Epiphany being unhealthy for Standard. You in turn clapped back in your latest Banned & Restricted Announcement, effectively saying, “Just wait for the next set, you clown.” I just assumed those were empty words, biding your time before you did the obvious and banned the card. I never imagined you’d try to resort to the nuclear option of reprinting Thalia, Guardian of Thraben to get out of giving us back our mythic wildcards. 

So yeah, I guess Thalia, Guardian of Thraben is back in Standard. Thalia’s always been great at dealing with spell-based decks, and I don’t think the power creep of recent is going to stop it from being an all-star in Standard (especially with what’s been going on as of late, but we’ll get into all of its applications soon). For now I just want to bask in the light at the end of this dismal Alrund’s Epiphany tunnel. Now we’re finally free to play all of our fun midrange decks and maybe even some Werewolves, and Vampires, and Zombies, oh my! 

So yeah, I guess Thalia, Guardian of Thraben is back in Standard. Thalia’s always been great at dealing with spell-based decks, and I don’t think the power creep of recent is going to stop it from being an all-star in Standard (especially with what’s been going on as of late, but we’ll get into all of its applications soon). For now I just want to bask in the light at the end of this dismal Alrund’s Epiphany tunnel. Now we’re finally free to play all of our fun midrange decks and maybe even some Werewolves, and Vampires, and Zombies, oh my! 

Wait, didn’t I just say that…?

Oh no, you know what this means, right? Thalia didn’t just magically stop Alrund’s Epiphany? Does that mean it’s still going to be a part of the format?! Even with the printing of such a format-defining all-star?

Wow, that joke was not good. I mean, for me it’s a total banger, but the bar’s pretty low in these parts of the internet. Don’t get me wrong, Thalia’s going to be good. Hell, it might end up being great. I just don’t think right now is the time to go selling your Izzet decks and bowing to our new monocolored aggro decks.

Not yet, anyway…

What Will Thalia Do?

Let’s start by breaking down what Thalia will do in Standard. History shows that Thalia works very well in aggressive mono-white strategies, and we really don’t need to look that hard to find a beautiful shell for her that’s already been putting up some success. We’re already seeing Mono-White Aggro❄ decks shift away from the “go-tall” builds we saw at the Magic World Championship XXVII to more go-wide and mana-taxing builds. Just recently I played against a very cool-looking version in the Top 8 of the Mana Traders $15,000 Series. I beat it, of course, because I was playing Izzet Epiphany, but it was still a cool build nonetheless.

This adaptation of Mono-White Aggro❄ tries to exploit the current metagame by going wide with way more one-mana value creatures than other versions play. It’s also playing four copies of Paladin Class and maindeck Reidane, God of the Worthy to put additional taxes on decks trying to optimally interact with it. 

What I like most about Paladin Class is how annoying it is for Izzet Epiphany builds that lean on Lier, Disciple of the Drowned as their anti-creature closer. One of the most common lines with this strategy is to cast Lier when you have access to six mana. This affords the pilot the ability to recast Fading Hope to either stop an attacker or simply protect the Lier from a removal spell. Paladin Class breaks this up by forcing the Izzet player to either cast the Lier later on in the game or cast the Fading Hope as a sorcery. 

Thalia causes this tax regardless of whose turn it is, which will assuredly help tip the scales back in Mono-White’s favor when it comes to the crippling efficiency of these Lier builds of the deck.  Thalia will also slot perfectly into a build like this, as Intrepid Adversary isn’t even all that good in a deck already, wanting to invest additional mana into Paladin Class and Faceless Haven. 

*This list clearly ignores the rest of the Innistrad: Crimson Vow preview season, which will have an impact on final decklists.

Thalia’s not just going to be effective against Izzet strategies either. One of the best starts Mono-Green Aggro❄ and Temur Midrange have against Mono-White is casting Esika’s Chariot on Turn 3. This is especially backbreaking when they’re on the play, making Thalia a perfect protection from these worst case scenarios from even happening. Sure the “Catillac” is going to come down at some point, but it’s the type of card that loses its luster the longer the game goes. 

Making Blizzard Brawl cost an additional mana will also have a very big impact on how Mono-Green decks try to interact with Mono-White. It’s not even like Mono-Green had a good matchup to begin with, and it often leaned on tempo turns that included Blizzard Brawl. An additional mana tax on the removal spell is a ton for a deck that already doesn’t even have a lot to do with its mana on Turn 1. Thalia may very well force Mono-Green Aggro❄ to change how it’s built, and that’s wild to even think about for a spell-hoser! 

So obviously Thalia will see play by being a huge upgrade for Mono-White Aggro❄. We may also see it pop up in some multicolored strategies as the completion of the slowland cycle will assuredly help more three-colored combinations see play. What I’m trying to get at is Thalia’s obviously a safe purchase. It’s going to see a ton of play, because it’s just one of Magic’s best white cards ever printed. 

It’s just not going to do everything you white mages want it to. Sorry, not sorry Cedric!

What Thalia Won’t Do (Probably)

It’s not going to kill Izzet Epiphany.

I know you might not believe me here, as I’ve recently become an Izzet stan, and that’s okay. The topic of Alrund’s Epiphany in Standard has been a heated one, as there have effectively been two camps of players when it comes to if the card should be banned or not. To be fair, that’s a pretty outdated statement, as a lot of us who wanted it to be banned in the past have chosen to pull that argument back for the time being. Still, the reasons behind asking for a ban in the first place may still cause problems in Standard. 

Alrund’s Epiphany causes a bottleneck on what’s playable in Standard.

This isn’t going to change with the inclusion of Thalia. What’s most likely going to happen is Mono-White, an already top deck in Standard, will get improvements to combating Izzet Epiphany and Izzet Dragons. This doesn’t help decks like Mono-Black Control, Rakdos Sacrifice, or Storm the Festival strategies. What we’ll most likely see is Izzet Epiphany and Izzet Dragons start respecting the Mono-White decks more with complete sets of cards like Spikefield Hazard and/or other cheap removal like Frost Bite. 

I’m obviously getting ahead of myself here, as Innistrad: Crimson Vow preview season is just starting. There’s a very strong chance more aggressive elements will be introduced into Standard, making Alrund’s Epiphany die out. Even now we’re starting to see blue-based decks lean more and more on cards like Lier, Disciple of the Drowned as an effective anti-aggro measure. Some currently still incorporate Alrund’s Epiphany, while others just ignore the combo element entirely.

Standard deck for the invi is live, check it out below with some game play in high mythic

Going for #1 Mythic with my SCG Invitational deck! https://t.co/UQVGqLa9XF

— Zach (@A22en) October 27, 2021

Only time will tell, though. We can go back and forth all day about how good Thalia, Guardian of Thraben will be. Even today you may think I’m anit-Thalia when I’m really not. I know the card slaps, I know it’s going to see a ton of play, and I love that because Mono-White rarely gets its time in the sun. I just hope the rest of Innistrad: Crimson Vow is great to help other decks emerge in this format, or we may very well continue with this monocolored aggro versus Izzet metagame.