IT IS DONE
This is my standard deck. The exact pile of cards that I have sitting on my desk right now. It is also the exact pile of cards that I aimed to make when I entered standard with the release of KTK. I am proud of this piece of expensive junk, and content with how it is performing. That being said, one can always improve, so feel free to leave suggestions. Just make them logical and justified. Thank you for your time!
Basic Breakdown. It's Abzan. Play good creatures, attack good creatures. The deck attempts to curve into a
Herald of Torment
bestowed on
Siege Rhino
under the best conditions. If not, bash face with the surplus of small guys, most of which that have later game value as well. This is one of the key aspects of the deck: One can cast their two drops on turn 5 and be fairly happy about it. It is also capable of going late with the life stymying of The RHINO, and life gain from Sorin, Solemn Visitor.
So let's take a look at the cards.
Creatures
Anafenza, the Foremost: A face beater, that makes our other face beaters better. Great aggressive card, and even better with Surrak haste.
Fleecemane Lion: Efficient early game threat that turns basically unkillable, unless someone plays two Drown in Sorrows on the same turn or two Bile Blights that targets a non-monstroused lion.
Herald of Torment
: Mostly, and hopefully, you cast this guy bestowed to end the game, and the life loss is never an issue. In tight situations however, he can be cast as an efficient flyer.
Rakshasa Deathdealer
: Similar to The Lion in the fact that it is good both late and early game. It's abilities make it hard to kill, and offer a mana sink late game or when you have nothing else to do.
Siege Rhino
: So, this guy is a thing. A big thing. A game-changing, game ending, face basher, thing. Awesome to curve into, and just cast in general. This guy turn 4 with
Herald of Torment
turn 5, is usually GG. Only downside, loses to Polukranos, World Eater. [but he is rotating :)]
Surrak, the Hunt Caller
: I love this guy for finishing out games. He almost always enters with haste, and if they survive till the next turn, hasty RHINOs and Anafenzas win games.
Warden of the First Tree
: So, thought this guy would be epic, and he is, just less so than the hype made him out to be. Still a solid one drop, and even better if your hand looks, 2x
Warden of the First Tree
, 2x
Siege Rhino
and lands. Gives you something to do if you are light on creatures to cast early game.
Instants, Sorceries, Walkers
First off, the quantities on the interaction spells represent how often I need them. Charm and Command are my go to removal spells, (given that I hate big blockers and I have plenty of dudes to use Dromoka's Command with. Bile Blight is next in line, and the rest are basically ace in the holes that can still kill creatures if I draw them instead of the main removal package.
Abzan Charm: Most of the time removal, with little drawback as my creatures will beat anything smaller in combat. Also good for forcing in final damage, or drawing cards when the opposition has no creatures.
Bile Blight: This card was suggested to me a lot, and after consideration, it has become one of the main removal spells in the deck. Really good against a lot of the creatures in standard right now.
Dromoka's Command: Finally got my hands on some of these. Such a good card. Makes me think of RHINO sometimes when I get to blow someone out with this card. It plays offense and defense well. Allowing me to attack through, or save a blocker. As well, mainboard hate for ascendency combo decks is nice.
Valorous Stance: Kill spell, and protection granter. Good against basically any deck.
Ultimate Price: I realized while losing to R/G dragons that I had no answers to Stormbreath Dragon. Now I do. Although awk vs the mirror, this is a great removal spell that hits many annoying creatures.
Utter End: Sometimes you just need to kill something. Ranging from walkers to
Perilous Vault
to opposing RHINOs, this thing kills 'em.
Sorin, Solemn Visitor: Allows a fairly aggressive deck to go long. Efficiently costed, and makes creatures in a pinch. The fact that the +1 last until "your next turn" puts this guy over the top. He has saved me so many games.
Sideboard
The sideboard basically contains more efficient removal depending on the match up, and fills out my ace in the hole package from the mainboard. There is also specific hate for hyper aggro, tokens, and control, those being the worst matchups one can easily prepare for.
Dragonlord Dromoka: Brought in versus control when our removal is worthless, and doubles as flying evasion, and lifelink.
Crux of Fate: An ace in the hole versus a challenging matchup, R/G/x dragons
Display of Dominance
: Another versatile kill spell, protecting my guys from spot removal or killing a control player's
Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
.
Drown in Sorrow: One of the worst matchups is RDW and tokens given my life paying to cast my cards. This thing fixes that. Normally a 4 for 1 or better.
Erase: I really hate losing to Temur Ascendency and
Jeskai Ascendency
combo.
Valorous Stance: Perfect against Abzan. Kills their RHINOs among other things, and protects our creatures against their removal.
Ultimate Price: The rest of these sit in our board in case we run into an opposing mono build.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>So, I said it was completed, but there is definitely room for improvement. So, leave any comments and ideas for me to look through. And, if you like it, leave an upvote.
Check out what I would build if I had $400 lying around:
Standard ESTABAUSS
SCORE: 1 |
2 COMMENTS |
558 VIEWS
I have started thinking about rotation, and here is what I have cooking so far:
Standard* ESTABAUSS
SCORE: 1 |
11 COMMENTS |
338 VIEWS