Burkek & KrazyCaley's Standard Analysis - RDW & W/U Humans

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burkek

23 November 2011

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Standard metagame analysis 3

Link to article 1 (Wolf Run and Tempered steel):

http://tappedout.net/mtg-forum/challenges-and-articles/a-take-on-the-meta-for-standard/

Link to article 2 (U/B control and Solar Flare):

http://tappedout.net/mtg-articles/2011/dec/3/burkek-krazycaleys-standard-analysis/

Decks covered in this article:

Red Deck Wins (RDW)

U/W Humans

Side note: The results of SCG St. Louis came out while I was half way through writing this, and guess which two decks took first and second? RDW 1st, U/W humans 2nd.

Red Deck Wins

david caplan's worlds

Modern* vrcl1992

848 VIEWS | IN 1 FOLDER

Red Deck wins is currently a very powerful deck filled with threats. The general idea of this deck is cheap efficient red creatures + cheap efficient burn = cheap efficient win. This is one of the few decks where the general principle behind every card is to deal direct damage to the opponent. The ideal rdw deck is characterized as 36 Lightning Bolts and 24 mountains (well, maybe even 40/20 but w/e). Every single bolt would be targeted at opponent. That is the theory behind RDW.

KrazyCaley says: I am not impressed by the current incarnation of RDW, Starcity Open victories or no. Speaking as a control player, I've seen much more dangerous standard RDW decks than this one. The most recent really successful RDW build was far scarier. I mean here the ALA-ZEN standard RDW. That one with Hellspark Elemental, Hell's Thunder, Elemental Appeal, Ball Lightning, Goblin Guide, and a ton of burn spells.

That said, this RDW build is still very dangerous thanks, in my opinion, to two cards: Shrine of Burning Rage, and Chandra's Phoenix. These are exceptional cards for RDW, and the only things that make this build viable, I would say. Let's get into it.

Individual cards

Shrine of Burning Rage: I cannot stress how good this card is. This card single handedly will win as many games as the rest of the deck combined. A single shrine will win control matchups and will apply a lot of pressure no matter what you are playing against. This card is one of the best cards in the format.

KrazyCaley says: This is the key card of this deck, and what a card it is. This card is not subject to creature removal, and essentially acts like a later spell that says "3: Deal 10 or so damage to target player," which is quite lovely. The beauty of Shrine of Burning Rage is that it only costs 2. Any more than that and it would not be nearly as good. A RDW player going first can casts this on turn 2 without worrying about it being countered. Burkek is right to note that control players fear this card, as they have few ways of stopping it. Unless you brought artifact removal, you have to counter it, and to counter it, you basically have to go first or hope the RDW player doesn't have it in their opening hand. Otherwise you'll have to burn a Volition Reins or something on it and STILL take 6 or 7 from it, which is not a fun play to have to make.

Stromkirk Noble: Comes out on turn 1 and then starts growing. The ideal RDW play is this on turn 1. This ever growing threat must be dealt with quickly or soon it will grow to very large sizes. And also, even being unable to be blocked by humans is very relevant in standard, so overall it is a very powerful inclusion into the strategy.

Destroys human builds unless dealt with. And even if humans do find an answer, they have to burn it on a lowly 1-mana creature. Like the ol' Scute Mob, this is one of those terrifying one-drops you have to answer if you're playing humans. A much less effective creature against other builds, though.

Stormblood Berserker: This card is your ideal turn 2 play. A 3/3 bloodthirster that is only able to be blocked by 2 or more creatures is very powerful. Read this card as I cast a free Lightning Bolt at you every turn. Also, this card's influence can be seen in the fact that there are literally at least 2 types of cards common in RDW builds solely based on activating bloodthirst for this card. (Goblin Fireslinger and Gut Shot )

KrazyCaley says: Goblin Fireslinger is also great on its own merits, of course. I would say that this card is your ideal turn 2 play against something that isn't running creature removal, like humans or Wolf Run or some such. When facing creature removal (and ESPECIALLY when facing creature removal backed by counterspells), you need to play the Shrine ASAP.

Grim Lavamancer: This long time legacy player turns your burn spells into even more burn by exiling them from your graveyard.

KrazyCaley says: A crude way of refueling, but it works. Given how this RDW deck tends to operate, he actually doesn't do that much damage.

Incinerate/ Shock/ Galvanic Blast: Deals damage to opponents face, these are your pseudo Lightning Bolts

KrazyCaley says: This motley crew is not too much to worry about. Incinerate sits in a prime mana curve spot for this deck, and the 2 damage burn spells, well.....they're 2 damage.

Volt Charge: Same as above, but it also proliferates your shrines, creatures, and planeswalkers.

Chandra's Phoenix: This is basically a free shock every turn with a bit cost up front. Even when someone kills this card, it just comes back the next time you play a burn spell.

KrazyCaley says: This card is not as important as Shrine of Burning Rage, but it is certainly a close second. This is usually the only creature that's at all resistant to removal, which is a key consideration for RDW players. It has more weaknesses than Shrine, though- it can be killed to stall the RDW player, and answers like Dissipate or Oblivion Ring will end the threat forever.

Koth of the Hammer: Some RDW decks plays powerful 4 drops such as this. His ability to create an additional 4/4 attacker every turn is quite powerful.

KrazyCaley says: Koth is a great addition against decks whose primary obstacle to RDW will be blockers. Against a control deck, Koth will generally run straight into a counterspell. Watch out if he doesn't, though.

Hero of Oxid Ridge: This is the other powerful 4 drop that some RDW players use. Its biggest purpose is in its ability to stop blockers, such as those made by Timely Reinforcements, from being able to block while providing additional damage.

KrazyCaley says: This deck also often makes use of Goblin Fireslinger to ensure it can activate bloodthirst effects, and also because he's a handy, cheap, reliable damage factory.

Ok so that's basically RDW, now it's time to examine the weaknesses.

This deck's weakness lies in that it's an aggro deck, so any disruption to its tempo can be very painful. The only ways rdw has to win the long game are really Chandra's Phoenix and Shrine of Burning Rage. Focus on dealing with board clears and then those two cards and you should be able to win.

KrazyCaley says: It is as Burkek says. If you complete step A and step B, you win. Step A is answering this deck's creatures, whether with blockers that can handle its attackers, or by destroying them. Step B is making sure Shrine of Burning Rage doesn't kill you, and also Chandra's Phoenix if Step A didn't already take care of that. For blue decks, you need a fast counterspell, and you need to win the opening coin toss. Shrine of Burning Rage is the best argument for Mana Leak I can think of. Blue alone will have a tough time dealing with the creature problem, though. White decks are strongest against this RDW build, as any deck including white that is worth its salt can likely rely on Day of Judgment and Oblivion Ring, which between them deal with every single threat RDW can present. Black has no problem killing creatures, though it will need to deal with Shrine of Burning Rage somehow. Red has artifact removal and can of course keep pace with a fellow red deck, most likely. Green's idea will be to bring out blockers, and likely sideboard in an artifact destroyer like Naturalize to stop the Shrine.

Individual cards:

Ancient Grudge: This card easily deals with shrine of burning rage, not just once but twice.

Slagstorm: There is only one card in rdw that is sometimes not killed by this card, Stromkirk Noble, but it still remains a great board clear and the goto for red decks in Standard.

Doom Blade/general removal: Destroying all the creatures really hurts this deck.

Dissipate/Oblivion Ring: Not many other things in the format so effectively deal with Chandra's Phoenix than this.

KrazyCaley says: This version of RDW in particular hates Oblivion Ring. It can hopefully sneak a shrine past the blue player before Dissipate mana is up (though that Dissipate will later be aimed at a Chandra's Phoenix, most likely) but Oblivion Ring shut the shrine down completely and can also bag Chandra's Phoenix.

Mana Leak/Negate: this is a control players only prayer of beating Shrine of Burning Rage. Always have one of these ready and remember, if they have at least two mana open before their end of turn, so do you.

KrazyCaley says: The tricky part is making sure you play first.

Vulshok Refugee: sometimes appears in RDW sideboards for mirror matches, since it has protection from red.

Phyrexian Crusader: there are very few ways that RDW can deal with this card. The only way they can is to use their precious shrine to hit this card instead of you. This card will do very well vs a rdw deck for any black infect deck.

KrazyCaley says: This is a hilarious card to use if you're a black player that has it available. This card shuts down almost the entire deck, and if they want to burn the shrine on it, hey, huge victory for you. Beware of Chandra's Phoenix, though.

Timely Reinforcements: This card can destroy the tempo of a rdw deck to the point where it is very difficult for them to recover.

Day of Judgment: One of the best board clears in the game, use it if you run white.

I am probably missing a few cards but you should get the general idea how to beat this deck now. Clear the board and hit artifacts until they break.

KrazyCaley says: Black Sun's Zenith is worth a mention. Many creatures in this deck will have a very low toughness.

KrazyCaley says: Keep the creatures off your back and bring an answer for Shrine, and you'll be just fine.

W/U humans

u/w humans from SCG St louis

Modern* burkek

646 VIEWS

This deck is not Illusions or Blade. It is W/U humans. I will cover both of those decks in a different article. This deck uses very fast humans and other humans that have multi-purpose functionality. Throw in a few Moorland Haunts and a few Oblivion Rings and you are ready to go.

KrazyCaley says: This is a beatdown deck. Don't let the presence of blue fool you, there's just a bit of it so they can cast Geist of Saint Traft, activate Moorland Haunt, and make use of Mana Leak. Other than that, this deck is generally straight up white but for the good ol' all weather Dismember. The deck makes use of some of the most tricky, efficient, and frightening cards in the color, and backs them up with just enough interference to make the creatures stick.

Individual threats:

Doomed Traveler: Think about him in this deck. He is a Squadron Hawk, except you get to run 4 of him. He comes back on dying, then Moorland Haunts brings him back again. Combine this with either a sword or a Honor of the Pure, and you have got a pretty powerful card.

Champion of the Parish: The goal of white weenies has been to be able to attack for 2 on turn 2, and then follow it up with more threats, since savannah lion in alpha. This card excels at doing just that, but then it keeps growing with every creature you play.

Mr. Human is the important early game play for this deck, and the best thing you can kill early on.

Gideon's Lawkeeper: He is actually still very good, think of him as removing one opponents creature from play until the start of the opponents next turn for 1 mana every turn. That seems pretty good to me.

KrazyCaley says: De facto removal. This creature, as with Fiend Hunter, is not reliable removal because it can be killed, but the idea of this deck is to protect creatures like these with blue.

Fiend Hunter: 2 for 1, this card has it. I play a creature and remove your creature from the game at the same time. This card is very nice and really helps out this deck.

KrazyCaley says: See above. Also, be very careful what you put under here. Something that does something nice for your opponent when it enters the battlefield is usually a poor choice.

Hero of Bladehold: This card is insane. It has a body just big enough to be difficult to kill and it also generates more bodies every time it attacks, and generates them attacking and battlecried. Also, combine with Honor of the Pure and suddenly the little creatures she is making are a whole lot more relevant.

KrazyCaley says: Reminds me of good old Captain of the Watch, only better. THIS is one of the three cards that will end up making you scoop, along with Geist of Saint Traft and, to a lesser extent, Mirran Crusader.

Leonin Arbiter: This is a great utility card. Think about wolf run, now in order for them to actually be able to play a rampant growth it costs 4 mana. Solemn simulacrum costs 6 mana if they want to get their free land. This card is pretty for utilities and overall screwing over an opponent's strategy.

KrazyCaley says: Fantastic deckbuilding. This is a very clever choice. The deck is not hurt by this limitation, but most opponents will be feverish to spend a kill spell on the Arbiter to resume searching their library, which ends up making your Gideon's Lawkeeper and your Fiend Hunter that much safer.

Leonin Relic-Warder: This is artifact removal in a 2/2 body for 2 mana, it is good.

KrazyCaley says: Hoses RDW for reasons that should now be obvious if you've read the above. Deck doesn't even care if you kill it, your shrine will be reset at zero counters.

Mirran Crusader: This card is another example of a card that is just insane. It is a 2/2 with protection from black removal and green shenanigans with double strike. It is just overall amazingly powerful. For just 3 mana, this card is a steal.

KrazyCaley says: This card brought to you by power creep.

Honor of the Pure: Ok so I mentioned this card above a lot, but let me truly tell you why mathematically this card is so powerful. every creature you attack with does 1 additional damage. This deck plays a lot of creatures. Attacking with 5 creatures for 5 additional damage is really just flat out awesome for 2 mana, and you get to do it every turn.

Oblivion Ring: Removes EVERYTHING relevant

Dismember: Non-black deck's removal of choice

Mana Leak: That's right, an aggro deck with counter magic. This is a well proven strategy that has led to some decks being dominant for extended periods of time. See merfolk in legacy and counter cat in modern.

KrazyCaley says: This is here to protect the deck's other removal, see above. It can also be used as a utility piece to stop something awful from the other side.

Geist of Saint Traft: 3 mana hexproof 6 damage. This is really epic and incredibly cost effective.

KrazyCaley says: Incredibly deadly win condition, especially against a control deck. Almost always the first thing played after a Day of Judgment, for obvious reasons.

Moorland Haunt: This card turns every creature card in your deck into a 2 for 1 at the very least. It seems like you have a never ending supply of creatures while playing this card in a deck like W/U humans.

KrazyCaley says: Thanks, Honor of the Pure!

Day of Judgment: If you are faster than I am I can still restart the board and then gain control.

Timely Reinforcements: This card is summed up as gg, I just beat your RDW deck.

KrazyCaley says: Unless the RDW has a shrine. Which, oh wait, this deck has eight thousand answers for.

Sword of War and Peace: Life gain, extra damage, protection from burn, and equip it to a mirran crusader to make an instant gg. Its very powerful in this deck.

KrazyCaley says: Putting this on Mirran Crusader should not be allowed.

Sword of Feast and Famine: makes any creature good, you know the drill by now right?

KrazyCaley says: Not as powerful here as in Caw Blade, but still a nasty customer.

Angelic Destiny: Angelic Destiny + Geist of Saint Traft= 10 damage a turn, its quite the efficient and powerful combination.

KrazyCaley says: Not mainboarded in most versions of this deck that I see. Mostly sideboarded against decks that can kill off Geist of Saint Traft by blocking it, like Wolf Run, W/G humans, et. al. Cast only on Mr. Geist.

So, that finally finishes summing up the threats of U/W humans. Now on to the much shorter list of cards that you use to beat this deck

Weakness:

It's an aggro deck. Sure, it has a lot more tricks, but it only has creatures and every card in the deck costs 4 or less mana. It is an aggro deck that wishes to overwhelm you with insane creature and board control. How do you beat this? Well, kill the creatures.

KrazyCaley says: This is a much tricker feat to accomplish than with RDW, however.

Slagstorm: kills everything relevant

KrazyCaley says: Unless there's an Honor of the Pure. And also, the two most deadly creatures dodge this by themselves: Mr. Geist and Hero of Bladehold. And Doomed Traveler will replace himself.

Day of Judgment: Kills everything.

KrazyCaley says: This is the board wiper you really want; it'll ease all of your non-Moorland Haunt problems. Watch out for Mana Leak, though.

Black Sun's Zenith: Weakens or kills everything.

KrazyCaley says: Your best bet in black, though Life's Finale is even better if you have the mana.

Ghost Quarter: This can actually be really important for removing Moorland Haunt to stop their unending stream of creatures.

Yet another reason why everyone should run Ghost Quarter.

Hero of Oxid Ridge: RDW needs this to get past any Timely Reinforcements

KrazyCaley says: But completely useless once Honor of the Pure is up and running.

Ancient Grudge: destroys artifacts such as swords if the deck is running them

KrazyCaley says: My advice is not to bother. Better and more efficient to kill the creatures that would wield the weapons rather than to destroy the weapons.

Some form of enchantment removal: this would also be powerful, but I am not quite sure which card to suggest. Depending on the build though this could be quite good.

KrazyCaley says: I would only suggest enchantment removal if you're really worried about Oblivion Ring for whatever reason.

Tempered steel decks, again, just hope to race.

The interaction with Tempered Steel decks is interesting. I notice it tends to come down to whoever can get out and maintain more Honor of the Pures vs. Tempered Steels, and in the case of ties, Tempered Steel usually wins. W/U humans has more tricky ways of messing up the Tempered Steel deck though, so it's a fun matchup.

Well that's it for this surprisingly well timed article, please comment on what you think should be done differently or what deck you would like to see analyzed.