The New Standard Contenders
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KrazyCaley
6 May 2010
1345 views
6 May 2010
1345 views
After a few days, we now have a few new deck archetypes to contend with. While I procrastinate on grading the latest Deckbuilders' Challenge, let's have a stroll to meet these fine new chaps, shall we?
Brilliant Emrakul Control
Brilliant Ultimatum meets Emrakul, the Aeons Torn. (A hint if you ever face this deck and an Emrakul comes up on the Ultimatum- put Emrakul in one pile, and ALL THE OTHER CARDS INTO THE OTHER PILE.)
Alex Viksnins gets the credit for this new devilry. His decklist, from the most recent TCG tourament:
4x Brilliant Ultimatum, 3x Day of Judgment, 1x Elspeth, Knight-Errant, 4x Esper Charm, 1x Gideon Jura, 4x Jace, the Mind Sculptor, 2x Liliana Vess, 1x Path to Exile, 4x Ponder, 1x Smother, 4x Spreading Seas, 3x Emrakul, the Aeons Torn, 4x Wall of Omens, 4x Arcane Sanctum, 4x Creeping Tar Pit, 4x Glacial Fortress, 3x Island, 4x Marsh Flats, 3x Plains, 3x Swamp
Sideboard: 2x Celestial Purge, 1x Doom Blade, 1x Duress, 1x Identity Crisis, 4x Kor Firewalker, 2x Kor Sanctifiers, 4x Negate.
This deck does not care HOW it stays alive long enough to get to seven lands, so long as it does. It can use mass removal, spot removal, slow you down with Spreading Seas, distract/interfere with Planeswalkers, or use chop blockers, but it will reliably set up its 2 white, 3 blue, 2 black by around turn 7, if not ON turn 7. And if it gets to resolve Brilliant Ultimatum on you, you will lose.
If the Ultimatum turns up Emrakul, you lose automatically unless you happen to have an Executioner's Capsule lying around or Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker (or something similar) already online.
Otherwise, the Brilliant Ultimatum will turn up the tools to get the deck to its NEXT Ultimatum. It could turn up Ultimatum #2 on its own, or it could bring down a wrath, some controlly planeswalkers, etc. The point is, you better kill this deck before it casts its Ultimatum, or have a counterspell waiting.
Check out that impressive mana base, too. It's great for getting EXACTLY what you need by turn 7- I love the use of Marsh Flats along with Creeping Tar Pit- you are basically guaranteed to get the lands you need.
American Planeswalkers
At least, that's what I call it. It's Red, White, and Blue all up in here. Let's take a look at Lewis Laskin's winner from the Star City Games Atlanta Open-
3x Ajani Vengeant
, 3x Elspeth, Knight-Errant, 3x Gideon Jura, 3x Jace, the Mind Sculptor, 4x Wall of Omens, 2x Day of Judgment, 3x Divination, 2x Martial Coup, 3x Oblivion Ring, 4x Path to Exile, 4x Spreading Seas, 3x Arid Mesa, 4x Celestial Colonnade, 4x [[Glacial Fortress], 4x Island, 1x Mountain, 5x Plains, 3x Scalding Tarn, 2x Tectonic Edge
Sideboard: 1x Celestial Purge, 1x Day of Judgment, 3x Flashfreeze, 1x Kor Firewalker, 2x Meddling Mage, 4x Negate, 3x Wall of Denial
It's obvious to see how this deck can get scary. (Also note the similarity of its control tools to those of our previous deck) It has the tools to deal with just about every trick in the book in Standard, and while I would have liked to see it make greater use of the color red, it's a solid deck that contains perhaps the four best controlly planeswalkers. Ajani can remove creatures and slow down your opponent, Elspeth creates infinite chop-blockers, Jace fateseals, unsummons, and brainstorms, and Gideon keeps all the other planeswalkers from taking damage.
Along with the usual assortment of white wrath and removal, this deck runs a few Wall of Omens and Celestial Colonnades as defensive meat. The sideboard is also well-rounded, and Jund decks in particular are not going to lose a lot in Game 2.
The main problem I see with this deck is that it's a bit slow and could potentially be inconsistent. Path and O-Ring are great, but they are only going to get you so far. With only 2x Day of Judgment, enemies are going to be able to keep creatures down on the board a good portion of the time. When you add to that the fact that Ajani can actually be slightly difficult to cast, this deck could get unlucky on occasion with its draws; more so than other decks. Still, it's an excellent deck with few weaknesses that roundly thrashes most of the metagame.
Grixis Control 2.0
Let's review the Grixis Control staples- Terminate, Lightning Bolt, Blightning, Cruel Ultimatum. Beyond that, it's open to interpretation; I don't have a decklist for you here. The deck is very modular- you can use Countersquall, Soul Manipulation, Negate, etc. for counters. Some people like Spreading Seas, some don't. Some like the extra finishers of Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker or Thraximundar, or both. Lots of people put in Jace, the Mind Sculptor. Some even throw in a collection of creatures.
The point is that ROE has given Grixis Control considerable new tools. Consuming Vapors and Staggershock are hyper-efficient. Deprive gives the deck an aggressively-costed hard counter. And of course the Eldrazi are available for those who are willing to wait a little longer for their finishers. Inquisition of Kozilek is another great card that's a fantastic early-game play for this deck. I would be keeping my eye on the new Grixis Control decks for sure.
Darkness1835 says... #2
LOVE GRIXIS CONTROL! Thanks for turning me on to that Caley. It's reliable and gets the job done. Jund, no more!
May 6, 2010 7:42 p.m.
Wow that Brilliant Control actually worked. I thought of playing a sen triplets version before RoE but i suppose Emrakul makes it playable.
Maybe do a follow up on the death of Jund. To explain I went to a tournament the other day and Jund came dead last. Not due to bad play or poor match ups. It just got rompastomped. RoE cards destroyed Jund.
May 6, 2010 10:31 p.m.
Jund needs to be updated just like any deck, I don't think it's dead though. BBE and Bligthning are just too strong an engine to 'die'.
May 6, 2010 11:55 p.m.
KrazyCaley says... #6
Mythic Conscription is just Mythic. With uh, Conscription. Heh. Mythic is having a little bit of a Renaissance, both in Conscription and non-Conscription form.
Jund isn't dead yet. You can Eldrazi all you want- turn 1 Bolt, turn 2 Leech, turn 3 Blightning, turn 4 BBE into Blightning still wins no matter WHO you're playing against.
May 7, 2010 1 a.m.
You can't turn one bolt, turn two leech.
Secondly turn one Vampire Lacerator , turn two Disfigure , Bloodchief Ascension , turn three double Bloodghast , turn four Vendetta . Gee I win. I won before though. Jund is enough dead.
May 7, 2010 6:11 a.m.
Pretty sure Nicol Bolas doesnt do anything to the first deck, online or not - Socery speed doesnt do much if you dont get a turn. Or am I missing something?
May 7, 2010 9:44 a.m.
guitarhero says... #10
you get two Bloodghast s cuz you ditched em when you got Blightning ed. Then you drop a land. see?
May 7, 2010 11:18 a.m.
guitarhero says... #11
my shiny-boros-2.0 will smash these, just like it smashes U/W control.
I think we will see a resurgence of RDW and Bushwacker if these "control" decks truly become the next big deck.
May 7, 2010 11:21 a.m.
You sac six lands, or whatever it takes to keep Nicol Bolas, Planeswalker online and then gain control of Emrakul. Not until end of turn, until end of Emrakul. They then have to use their non-targetted removal to wipe the board, or waste a turn ultimatuming to get another Emrakul out to kill yours. A well placed thought hemorage wrecks that deck, though.
Having said that, I'm ecstatic to see brilliant ultimatum put to good use.
May 7, 2010 11:25 a.m.
Dark_Confidant says... #13
I laughed at "Jund is enough dead". I can't even find a recent ptq//nat qualifier where Jund didn't sneak into the top ten (mostly in multiples). While other decks are getting tools that Jund isn't, the same was true of Faeries in its hayday. It's going to continue to be a top deck until Alara rotates - period.
Your personal experience of a meta dependent (both in deck construction and player skill level) Jund turnout is not representative of Jund in the competitive world of magic.
That 5k tourney where brilliant esper had its debut? Josh Herr took first with Jund, with 2 other players top 8 with Jund.
May 7, 2010 11:59 a.m.
Green white Vengevine Ranger of Eos deck are gnarly Ranger of Eos Recruitment (http://www.tappedout.net/mtg-decks/ranger-of-eos-recruitment/) (not my deck either its a freinds deck that infuriates me. YOU WASTE ALL YOUR REMOVAL ON THE SMALL EARLY THIGNS AND THEN BAM Baneslayer Angel WITH A Scute Mob GETTING BACK THE Vengevine ...you loose.
May 7, 2010 1:04 p.m.
KrazyCaley says... #15
@Tama - Just things that go in the mana slots, not actual turn 1, tun 2 plays.
@Samhein- Bolas WILL save you so long as you don't have to sacrifice HIM. If you can afford to sacrifice six permanents and have a blocker up for Emrakul, Bolas steals Emrakul as soon as it's your turn. Yes, you will take good old annihilator 6, but afterwards, you will have an Emrakul.
May 7, 2010 3:38 p.m.
I heart polymorph, been playing it a long time and now has a new fatty with emrakul
May 7, 2010 5:47 p.m.
Blue White Control is now the best deck. Hands down. Why? Because it beats Jund. I can see UW Tap out builds and Chapin styled control builds smashing through tourneys all over the world.
May 7, 2010 7:08 p.m.
KrazyCaley says... #18
I remain skeptical of U/W control. I think RWU Planeswalkers will kick the crap out of it, plus the matchup vs. Mythic isn't great. Does beat Jund though, pretty well.
May 7, 2010 11:43 p.m.
Well, Brilliant Control definitely spanked my local FNM tonight. It beat mythic, green overrun, jund, vamps, a slew of things. That stuff is ugly, but even the player admitted the combo is pretty fragile as far as Thought Hemorrhage /Sadistic Sacrament go.
May 8, 2010 1:05 a.m.
KrazyCaley says... #20
It is. Grixis Control just sideboards in a few things and wins. I think it needs more counterspells to be more reliable...
May 8, 2010 2:26 a.m.
Maybe jund will end up looking like this? Jund Deck Wins
May 8, 2010 10:59 p.m.
From what I know l0ki fell in love with the idea. He loves winning 7th turn every game.
May 9, 2010 5:07 a.m.
The sheer number of Jund decks being played severely up the odds of one turning up in the top eight. Jund became a benchmark to beat but every deck has a way around it now.
May 9, 2010 6:17 a.m.
I think the four Negate in the side help stop SadSac antics and also Thought Hem. The latter is very situational too. I like brainstorming with Jace and hiding my things two turns away to stop discard hitting them.
I have changed up my line up as maindecked O-Rings help so much. Planeswalkers are just not my friend, and I expect the UW control match up will not be fun for me. I am considering MDing some counter magicks purely because in my meta at the regional qualifies there will be a few UW control decks.
May 9, 2010 10:01 a.m.
My only problem with these decks are that every single one of them should run the new jace. It's just like baneslayer angel. It will set u back 240 dollars. I honestly hate that wizards starting printing myhtic rares.
May 9, 2010 2:09 p.m.
Try $280. Jace is $70 now. And Gideon is $50.
I agree it's ridiculous.
May 9, 2010 6:27 p.m.
Neat article, Caley
@komar: Yeah. I quit the competitive Magic scene for the same reason. Gideon Jura and the new Jace look like they're tons of fun to play around with; it bums me out that casual players like me will probably never get to cast them.
Lately I've switched to playing in the Pauper Deck Challenge tournaments on MTGO. A top-tier SPDC deck costs about 3 bucks. :P
May 11, 2010 9:18 p.m.
mattlohkamp says... #28
@mwkelley - I know yeaGO! thinks it's scary for legal reasons, but if you're into playing magic without participating in capitalism, there's always LackeyCCG - free way to play a digital game of cards with your buddies, has all the cards, et cetera... better than dropping $150 for a handful of planeswalkers or Baneslayer Angel s, that's for sure.
May 11, 2010 9:59 p.m.
Awesome article. Another necessary read for any tournament hopeful.
Oh sure matt... Why not just make the playtester work two way remotely. :) its interesting lackey exists without legal problems.
May 11, 2010 10:56 p.m.
mattlohkamp says... #30
pretty sure Lackey gets away with it by providing generic card game mechanics, but not dealing at all with any potentially copywritten content. so it can be used illegally, but isn't necessarily illegal. kinda like a torrent site.
and man, a two-way play tester would be cool... got a budget for it? :]
kabrazell says... #1
No love for Mythic conscription? Not that I love it either, but it's definatly a contender for the new standard environment
May 6, 2010 7:25 p.m.