The first two Grand Prix of Kaladesh Standard are in the books, and the metagame has certainly evolved a great deal since the Pro Tour last weekend. Last week, we talked at length about W/U Flash and how it had the best win percentage at the Pro Tour among major archetypes. The prediction of it being the deck to beat has certainly come to fruition, with both Grand Prix Providence and Grand Prix Kuala Lumpur absolutely overrun with the archetype.
Here’s a breakdown of the day two metagames of the two GPs:
|
Archetype |
Day 2 Providence |
Day 2 Kuala Lumpur |
Averaged Metagame |
|
W/U Flash |
26.8% |
34.7% |
30.8% |
|
Mardu Vehicles |
14.5% |
21.6% |
18.1% |
|
B/G Delirium |
14.5% |
13.5% |
14.0% |
|
B/R Aggro |
12.2% |
8.6% |
10.4% |
|
Jeskai Control |
7.6% |
0.4% |
4.0% |
|
G/R Energy Aggro |
2.9% |
4.1% |
3.5% |
|
Mardu Tokens/Humans |
3.8% |
2.1% |
3.0% |
|
Emerge* |
3.2% |
2.5% |
2.9% |
|
U/R Control |
0.6% |
4.1% |
2.4% |
|
Bant Aggro |
3.2% |
1.2% |
2.2% |
|
Grixis Control |
2.6% |
1.2% |
1.9% |
|
W/B Midrange |
2.0% |
0.4% |
1.2% |
|
Temur Aetherworks |
0.0% |
1.6% |
0.8% |
|
Misc. Blue Control** |
3.5% |
2.5% |
3.0% |
|
Misc.*** |
3.8% |
1.6% |
2.7% |
*Emerge = Grixis, Temur, G/U, W/U, Jeskai, U/B, and Mono-Blue
**Misc. Blue Control = U/R, U/B, U/W, Four-Color, Bant, Esper, Sultai
***Misc. = W/G Humans, Four-Color Aggro, U/R Spirits, Colossus, Five-Color Walkers, Black Eldrazi Aggro, Naya Angels, Mono-Blue Engulf, Mono-Red, R/G Ramp
The two metagames were fairly similar, with the most notable difference being the US popularity of Jeskai, a deck nearly nonexistent in Malaysia. The difference was made up with extra W/U Flash decks and U/R Dynavolt Tower decks.
Also of note, both Aetherworks Marvel and Colossus decks have nearly vanished completely. Here’s a more compact look at the metagame:
|
Archetype |
Averaged Metagame |
|
W/U Flash |
30.8% |
|
Mardu Aggro |
21.0% |
|
B/G Delirium |
14.0% |
|
Blue Control |
11.3% |
|
B/R Aggro |
10.4% |
|
G/R Energy Aggro |
3.5% |
|
Emerge |
2.9% |
|
Bant Aggro |
2.2% |
|
Misc. |
4.7% |
Without question, the deck to beat is W/U Flash, with Mardu Vehicles and B/G Delirium my recommendations to round out a three-deck testing gauntlet. If you’ve got time to test against five decks, I’d add Jeskai Control and B/R Zombies as a specific build of B/R Aggro.
I think the format has some serious evolution to do. This week, it seems like people mostly just adapted to the success and popularity of Blue Control decks. Combo decks plummeted in popularity and W/U Flash surged in popularity, but we haven’t really seen an adjustment for W/U Flash yet. I think most people sort of assumed Jeskai and Grixis were the blue decks to beat, but W/U Flash doesn’t really play like either of them.
What’s more, despite not winning either event, W/U Flash is even more dominant than the above numbers suggest. For instance, take a look at the comparison between the Day 2 metagame of Kuala Lumpur and the Top 64 metagame weighted by finish:
|
Archetype |
Day 2 Kuala Lumpur |
Top 64 Kuala Lumpur |
|
W/U Flash |
34.7% |
51.3% |
|
Mardu Vehicles |
21.6% |
24.1% |
|
B/G Delirium |
13.5% |
10.1% |
|
B/R Aggro |
8.6% |
7.0% |
|
Mardu Tokens/Humans |
2.1% |
1.9% |
|
Jeskai Control |
0.4% |
1.3% |
|
Emerge |
2.5% |
1.3% |
|
Bant Aggro |
1.2% |
1.3% |
|
G/R Energy Aggro |
4.1% |
0.6% |
|
U/R Control |
4.1% |
0.0% |
|
Temur Aetherworks |
1.6% |
0.0% |
|
Grixis Control |
1.2% |
0.0% |
|
W/B Midrange |
0.4% |
0.0% |
|
Misc. Blue Control |
2.5% |
0.6% |
|
Misc. |
1.6% |
1.9% |
Damn!
That’s some pretty scary stuff right there. It’s not just that the Top 8 was six W/U Flash decks and two Mardu Vehicles decks. The Top 64 metagame being effectively over half W/U Flash is outrageous, but it’s also interesting to note the many decks that completely failed to Top 64.
● U/R Dynavolt Tower – Despite being the fifth-most-played deck on Day 2, not a single copy managed to Top 64.
● Aetherworks – Zero copies in the Top 64 of Kuala Lumpur to go along with the zero copies in Day 2 of Providence.
● Blue Control – Despite being 8.2% of Day 2, Blue Control decks made up just 1.3% of the weighted Top 64 metagame. Clearly the format adjusted for them.
● Basically every single archetype underperformed on Day 2 except W/U Flash and various Mardu Vehicles decks. Those two decks, however, made up over 75% of the weighted Top 64 metagame.
Let’s take a look at the various W/U Flash decks to Top 8 the Grand Prix.
Creatures (22)
Planeswalkers (4)
Lands (25)
Spells (9)
Yuuki’s build is very straightforward, without much fancy. While many players chose to play the full four Stasis Snare, Yuuki also has a Declaration in Stone for maindeck removal. His sideboard has a much bigger Angel plan than most. Interestingly, he has traded in Dispels, Ceremonious Rejection, Void Shatters, Summary Dismissals, and most of the Negates to pick up a full playset of Spell Shrivels.
Up next, we have Yuta Takahashi with a build that cuts Rattlechains entirely.
Creatures (20)
Planeswalkers (4)
Lands (25)
Spells (11)
Where Yuuki had two Rattlechains and a fourth Stasis Snare, Yuta has included a second Declaration in Stone and two maindeck Spell Shrivels. His sideboard also includes a more traditional mix of permission with lots of Negates and a couple Ceremonious Rejections.
Up next, we have Mark Lawrence Tubola with a maindeck nearly identical to Yuuki’s, save for a maindeck Void Shatter in place of the fourth Gideon.
Creatures (22)
Planeswalkers (3)
Lands (25)
Spells (10)
Mark’s sideboard, however, has a very different texture. Two Negates, two Ceremonious Rejections, two Summary Dismissals, and a second Void Shatter equals a lot of permission. He was able to make this room by cutting the Angel package, which also gives him space for the fourth Gideon and a Fumigate.
Next, we’ve got Anthony Lee, who piloted a slightly fancy build featuring a tiny black splash for Scrapheap Scrounger in lieu of Rattlechains in order to get extra percentage points against control.
Creatures (22)
- 4 Reflector Mage
- 4 Archangel Avacyn
- 4 Thraben Inspector
- 4 Spell Queller
- 4 Selfless Spirit
- 2 Scrapheap Scrounger
Planeswalkers (4)
Lands (25)
Spells (9)
The Scrapheap Scroungers were supported off four Concealed Courtyards and three Sunken Hollows, which totally works despite being just seven sources, since you don’t actually need black mana until you go to rebuy them.
Scrapheap Scrounger may seem slightly off-plan, but the idea is that it just rips apart control decks relying on red or black removal spells.
Also of note, Anthony played two copies of Skysovereign, Consul Flagship in his sideboard for going large instead of Bruna, the Fading Light and a third Gisela, the Broken Blade. This seems like a move that would be especially useful in the mirror, particularly when you have Scrapheap Scrounger to help ensure you always have a Crew ready. Even though the Scrounger can’t block, you can return it to the battlefield at instant speed to surprise block with your Flagship when your opponent thought you had no creatures.
Next, we have Au Yong Wai Kin’s list, which has a Skywhaler’s Shot instead of the fourth Stasis Snare compared to Yuuki’s maindeck.
Creatures (22)
Planeswalkers (4)
Lands (25)
Spells (9)
His sideboard, however, is very traditional, with a classic mix of permission, planeswalkers, and removal.
Finally, Marcus Oh had the most unusual build of W/U Flash in the Top 8 of GP Kuala Lumpur, with three of the Gideons moved to the sideboard to make room for three copies of Gisela, the Broken Blade maindeck.
Creatures (25)
- 4 Reflector Mage
- 4 Archangel Avacyn
- 4 Thraben Inspector
- 3 Gisela, the Broken Blade
- 2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
- 4 Spell Queller
- 4 Selfless Spirit
Planeswalkers (1)
Lands (25)
Spells (9)
Additionally, he has replaced the two Rattlechains with two copies of Thalia, Heretic Cathar for added strength against flash and haste creatures.
Also, Marcus has interestingly chosen to go with two copies of Blessed Alliance instead of the fourth Stasis Snare or a Declaration in Stone. Personally, I’d prefer the more traditional Stasis Snare / Declaration in Stone package, but I’m intrigued by the Thalia, Heretic Cathars. They wouldn’t have been that great last week; however, the amount of Galvanic Bombardments has fallen dramatically. Making Archangel Avacyn, Torrential Gearhulk, and Ishkanah Grafwidow enter tapped is a big deal.
On the US side, the Top 8 of GP Providence had a very different texture, with just a single copy of W/U Flash breaking through. Here’s Zachary Kiihne’s Top 8 list, which has just a single Negate in place of the Skywhaler’s Shot and is a second Westvale Abbey different from Au Yong Wai Kin’s list (which is basically just the PT list).
Creatures (22)
Planeswalkers (4)
Lands (25)
Spells (9)
At the time of this writing, I don’t have the full Providence top 64 metagame; however, the Top 8 had a very different texture from Kuala Lumpur.
● Four copies of B/G Delirium(!), including the champion, Wang Yichen.
● Two copies of R/W Vehicles (similar to Kuala Lumpur, though theirs were Mardu).
● One copy of B/R Zombies.
● One copy of W/U Flash.
Wow! What a difference! Let’s take a look at what the US B/G Delirium decks were doing that was proving so effective against W/U Flash.
Creatures (13)
- 2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
- 4 Sylvan Advocate
- 3 Tireless Tracker
- 1 Emrakul, the Promised End
- 2 Ishkanah, Grafwidow
- 1 Noxious Gearhulk
Planeswalkers (3)
Lands (24)
Spells (20)
Wang’s list goes slightly old-school, headlined with a return of Sylvan Advocate and Tireless Tracker, two creatures that many players had moved away from last week.
While Sylvan Advocate and Tireless Tracker aren’t at their best against Mardu Vehicles or B/R Aggro, they are pretty respectable against W/U Flash and Blue Control decks.
Additionally, Wang has re-embraced Liliana, the Last Hope and Emrakul, the Promised End, which are both strong against blue decks. On top of that, he’s got maindeck Transgress the Minds as a sort of pre-sideboard.
Wang has gone full Delirium, pushing his deck’s ability to cast Emrakul, the Promised End and trigger Ishkanah, Grafwidow. How did he find all this room? He’s even got two copies of Murder to go alongside his Noxious Gearhulk. Well, the secret is that Wang actually cut the deck’s sacred cow:
Not a single copy of Grim Flayer anywhere in the 75! Additionally, he didn’t use even a single copy of Verdurous Gearhulk. Contrast Wang’s list with that of his finals opponent, last year’s World Champion Seth Manfield:
Creatures (16)
- 2 Pilgrim's Eye
- 2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
- 2 Mindwrack Demon
- 1 Tireless Tracker
- 1 Emrakul, the Promised End
- 3 Ishkanah, Grafwidow
- 4 Grim Flayer
- 1 Noxious Gearhulk
Planeswalkers (4)
Lands (23)
Spells (17)
While conceptually similar, these lists are actually quite divergent. Manfield plays a playset of Grim Flayers, two Mindwrack Demons, and two Pilgrim’s Eyes. Even more different, fellow Top 8 competitor Maxim Belanger’s list featured Distended Mindbender, Verdurous Gearhulk, and Filigree Familiars instead of Pilgrim’s Eyes:
Creatures (17)
- 1 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
- 1 Sylvan Advocate
- 3 Mindwrack Demon
- 1 Tireless Tracker
- 1 Emrakul, the Promised End
- 1 Distended Mindbender
- 2 Ishkanah, Grafwidow
- 4 Grim Flayer
- 1 Verdurous Gearhulk
- 2 Filigree Familiar
Planeswalkers (4)
Lands (24)
Spells (15)
Finally, we’ve got Dave Shiels with a list that is basically halfway between Manfield’s and Belanger’s:
Creatures (14)
- 2 Pilgrim's Eye
- 2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
- 1 Tireless Tracker
- 1 Emrakul, the Promised End
- 1 Distended Mindbender
- 3 Ishkanah, Grafwidow
- 4 Grim Flayer
Planeswalkers (4)
Lands (24)
Spells (18)
Playing less than the full four Grim Flayers would generally be called crazy, but here we are…
Finally, we should take a look at the W/R and Mardu Vehicles decks that were so successful on both sides of the globe. Up first, Pro Tour veteran and Hall of Fame hopeful Osyp Lebedowicz returns to the Pro Tour thanks to this:
Creatures (24)
- 2 Archangel Avacyn
- 4 Thraben Inspector
- 4 Selfless Spirit
- 4 Depala, Pilot Exemplar
- 2 Pia Nalaar
- 4 Toolcraft Exemplar
- 4 Veteran Motorist
Lands (24)
Spells (12)
Osyp’s main twist is replacing Skysovereign, Consul Flagship with Archangel Avacyn. This seems pretty sweet to me, as the Flagship is solid but Archangel Avacyn just seems fantastic right now. It also plays nicely with his transformational sideboard plan, involving adding lots of planeswalkers and removal (leaving him possibly a little short of a crew sometimes).
Ian Bosley also abandoned Skysovereign for an Archangel but also featured two maindeck Gideons, trimming the second Angel and the third Cruiser.
Creatures (23)
- 1 Archangel Avacyn
- 4 Thraben Inspector
- 4 Selfless Spirit
- 4 Depala, Pilot Exemplar
- 2 Pia Nalaar
- 4 Toolcraft Exemplar
- 4 Veteran Motorist
Planeswalkers (2)
Lands (24)
Spells (11)
It’s worth noting Ian also featured the Weaver of Lightning sideboard plan, unlike Osyp, who just used Fragmentize and Stasis Snare.
While the top-performing Vehicle decks in the US were straight W/R, the top builds in Kuala Lumpur were Mardu, splashing black for Scrapheap Scrounger and Unlicensed Disintegration. Teruya Kakumae’s Mardu list supports his black splash on just four Concealed Courtyards, four Aether Hubs, and three Cultivator’s Caravans.
Creatures (23)
- 4 Thraben Inspector
- 2 Depala, Pilot Exemplar
- 1 Pia Nalaar
- 4 Scrapheap Scrounger
- 4 Toolcraft Exemplar
- 4 Inventor's Apprentice
- 4 Veteran Motorist
Lands (22)
Spells (15)
It’s also worth noting the use of Inventor’s Apprentice as a third one-drop, a move shared by fellow Top 8 competitor Fumiya Matsumoto. Matsumoto took a page out of Lee Shi Tian’s playbook, adding a Ceremonious Rejection splash thanks to Spirebluff Canal in addition to the Aether Hubs and Cultivator’s Caravans.
Creatures (23)
- 4 Thraben Inspector
- 3 Depala, Pilot Exemplar
- 4 Scrapheap Scrounger
- 4 Toolcraft Exemplar
- 4 Inventor's Apprentice
- 4 Veteran Motorist
Planeswalkers (2)
Lands (22)
Spells (13)
It’s definitely a great summary of the format, seeing seven W/U Flash decks, four Delirium decks, and four Vehicle decks. However, that still leaves one Top 8 list, Jacky Wang’s B/R Zombies:
Creatures (22)
- 4 Prized Amalgam
- 2 Insolent Neonate
- 4 Voldaren Pariah
- 4 Haunted Dead
- 4 Cryptbreaker
- 4 Scrapheap Scrounger
Lands (23)
Spells (15)
This list is pretty straightforward, emphasizing the madness aspect and staying two-color instead of trying to support Elder Deep-Fiend or anything like that. Some players are tempted to add a little blue to cast Prized Amalgam, but with twenty discard outlets, you’re just never going to cast the Amalgam, even if you could. Playing it from the graveyard costs zero mana, so even though there are only eight graveyard creatures to trigger it, that’s just too much better than casting it as a Trained Armodon.
What would I play at a Super IQ this weekend?
Honestly, W/U Flash.
Sorry, maybe I’m lame, but the deck seems insane, and I’m not convinced that people have figured out how to beat it yet. I think both B/G Delirium and Vehicles are good choices as well, but I think if I were going to play Control, I’d want to really shake things up. More exciting would be bringing Aetherworks Marvel back! It’s a little daunting, trying to power through all these W/U Flash decks, but I wonder if Ishkanah, Grafwidow is the addition Aetherworks Marvel needs to re-emerge?
What about an update to Yuuya’s seventeenth-place deck from the Pro Tour…?
Creatures (16)
- 2 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
- 3 Emrakul, the Promised End
- 3 Ishkanah, Grafwidow
- 4 Spell Queller
- 4 Servant of the Conduit
Planeswalkers (1)
Lands (23)
Spells (20)
The format is strange, weird, and maybe broken. Still, there has been evolution every week, and I’m guessing we’re not done yet. First Vehicles, then Aetherworks, then R/G Energy, then B/R Zombies, then Colossus, then Control, then W/U Flash. What’s next…?