Standard Front Page Feature #2

Features Opinion

zandl

1 June 2016

1666 views

---

#2 - The Power of Tanking

---

I’m bringing you a fresh deck each Wednesday from our homepage that caught my eye as it floated down on a deckcycle. I’ll show you the list, provide you with insights directly from the creator, offer improvements, and display a few runners-up that barely missed the cut. Join me as we celebrate our community’s creativity and get the lowdown on a sweet brew!

When am I most likely to see your deckcycles? I’m always taking peeks at TappedOut throughout the day (and night), so there’s not one specific time each week I’m looking for new lists. It’s the luck of the draw, but deckcycling more often can’t hurt you.

This week’s deck belongs to nightlyfoe, who likes big [creature] butts and cannot lie.

---

The Power of Tanking

Standard nightlyfoe

SCORE: 7 | 507 VIEWS

---

Creatures: 19
4 Managorger Hydra
4 Sidisi's Faithful
4 Sylvan Advocate
4 Yoked Ox
2 Archangel of Tithes
1 Profaner of the Dead
Enchantments: 6
4 Assault Formation
2 Always Watching
Instants: 10
4 Anticipate
4 Shape the Sands
2 Ojutai's Command
Sorceries: 3
3 Declaration in Stone
Lands: 22
4 Canopy Vista
4 Lumbering Falls
4 Plains
4 Prairie Stream
3 Fortified Village
2 Forest
1 Port Town

Sideboard
2 Dispel
2 Glint
2 Natural State
2 Negate
2 Woodland Wanderer
1 Archangel Avacyn  ^Flip
1 Declaration in Stone
1 Dragonlord Dromoka
1 Reclaim
1 Tragic Arrogance

The obvious all-star of this brew is Assault Formation, supercharging the would-be mediocre creatures and turning them into absolute tanks (...ohh). Formation turns Yoked Ox and Sidisi's Faithful into 4/4 creatures that cost just 1 mana. If that’s not enticing enough to think about, it somehow manages to make Sylvan Advocate even better than it already is, letting it bash for 3 damage. On top of all of this, Archangel of Tithes hits like an Ojutai in the air. Most Assault Formation decks understandably focus on Defenders, but without the need to spend each turn to attack, this deck can cruise right into the mid-game turns with an alarming amount of potential damage.

        Strengths

I feel that this deck could work decently well in the current Standard environment as I think most decks are incapable of holding back such massive creatures for long. Enchantment removal in the format is less prominent than it’s been in quite awhile, really, and Archangel of Tithes is a pain for a number of decks. A surprise Ojutai's Command has the potential to really shift a lot of power toughness to the battlefield. Recurring a Sidisi's Faithful to bounce an attacker and block another while gaining 4/drawing is certainly a potent play.

        Weaknesses

The most obvious pitfall for the deck is getting into those inevitable games in which Assault Formation isn’t drawn, leaving the deck stuck in ’hibernation’ mode. Anticipate helps, but the deck rightly needs to be able to function on some level without Formation. Other problems arise in the form of Languish wiping away nearly everything without Always Watching. Additionally, a somewhat low amount of lands can give the deck a lot of grief.

---

        Creator Insights

What led you to play Assault Formation over other strategies in Standard?

"I mostly played Assault Formation before rotation, where I tried an Abzan build that didn’t quite work out. My friend recently suggested that I try the card again, so here it is. Along with that, I love the card and my Magic "teacher" advised me to play a fun deck rather than a copy someone else’s because the deck would be more memorable."

Were there any card choices in the past that didn’t work out well? Why not?

"While I was making my deck, I tried playing Red instead of White in If you think that is tough?, then I switched to White for cards like Always Watching and Yoked Ox. Red actually worked out well with Goldnight Castigator, except I realized it was a very risky card to play with. If I didn’t have Assault Formation or I didn’t finish the game fast enough, it would usually kill me."

If you were to change anything about the deck, what would it be?

"If I would change anything, I would try to find a perfect way to balance out all the mana and look for a good way to search for my Assault Formation."

What advice would you give to anybody looking to build around Assault Formation?

"Have a good way to defend Assault Formation when it is on the field. Have a way to bring it back from the graveyard and/or have backup in case you lose Assault Formation or don’t draw into it. I would also advise having a way to bypass chump blockers, like trample, or remove them entirely."

---

        Potential Improvements

• -4 Managorger Hydra
• There’s no debate on whether or not Managorger can be a game-winner all on its own sometimes. However, it’s a bit dull, slow, and starts frighteningly small when compared to everything else. It doesn’t receive any value whatsoever from Assault Formation, meaning it’s hoarding a spot in the deck that is likely better suited for something else.
• -4 Shape the Sands
• Hear me out. With Assault Formation, I understand this card is essentially +5/+5 for a single Green mana and I know that’s insane. What is equally insane is how dismal this card is without Formation on the board. In my mind, the potential for 5 damage is not worth the chance for this card to be nothing more than a pitiful rescue spell against Roast. But fear not; we’re going to find some good replacements.



• +1 Always Watching
• Gets our important creatures out of Languish range and throws a wrench into the plans of creature-based aggro, like Humans and CoCo. Also helps us "insulate" our Assault Formation against the occasional Dromoka's Command.
• +1 Archangel of Tithes
• The synergy between Always Watching and the Archangel is real, letting you have your cake and wait until the end of your match to eat it, too (because that’s good manners). We also need another creature that can live through Languish on its own. Having played Esper control for some number of months now, I can safely assure you that casting Languish while something would live through it isn’t really a win at all.
• +2 Ojutai's Command
• Gives us some utility to play around with if our plans aren’t going according to... well, plan. Allows us to "flash in" something like Sylvan Advocate or Sidisi's Faithful from the graveyard and beatdown blockers with Formation, all at instant speed.
• +2 Void Grafter
• Grants us a bit more versatility going into the late-game turns where it’s less likely to be responded to. The Grafter and Ojutai's Command together let us keep our mana open and respond in two very different ways according to what’s going on in the game at the time. It also has the benefit of being a 4/4 with flash while Formation’s out, further extending its usefulness.
• +1 Plains, +1 Port Town
• Increasing our land count to 24 will more consistently keep us on track through land-drop 4 and help out Sylvan Advocate going into the late-game. We’re adding only White sources to further support Archangel of Tithes with a Basic to help our Battle lands.

This leaves us with the following list:

Creatures: 18
4 Sidisi's Faithful
4 Sylvan Advocate
4 Yoked Ox
3 Archangel of Tithes
2 Void Grafter
1 Profaner of the Dead
Enchantments: 7
4 Assault Formation
3 Always Watching
Instants: 8
4 Anticipate
4 Ojutai's Command
Sorceries: 3
3 Declaration in Stone
Lands: 24
5 Plains
4 Canopy Vista
4 Lumbering Falls
4 Prairie Stream
3 Fortified Village
2 Forest
2 Port Town

The sideboard needed some work, so here’s a new list with the intended matchups:

Sideboard
3 Negate (Control, slower midrange; decks that aim to grind you out)
2 Dragonlord Dromoka (see above)
2 Void Grafter (see above)
2 Dispel (CoCo; for its namesake and for Dromoka's Command/Ojutai's Command)
2 Naturalize (Goggles, rogue Retreats/Starfield decks, etc.)
2 Profaner of the Dead (Humans, Tokens; anything that floods the board and goes wide)
1 Archangel of Tithes (see above)
1 Declaration in Stone (Tokens, faster midrange; for mid-size, efficient creatures)

---

        Runners-Up

Check ’em out, leave some feedback, and give ’em an upvote already.

deck-large:american-control-modern-rwu
deck-large:alesha-true-of-name
deck-large:chaotic-neutral-1

In response to your requests for other formats and more than one "Front Page Feature" per week, I can tell you I’m actively contemplating my options. Give it a bit of time and I’m sure you’ll be pleased with the eventual outcome.

Do you have anything else to add? What would you do differently? What do you think? Let me know down below.

Keep deckcycling out there! You never know when I could be eyeballing your list!

Happy tapping, players!
zandl

---

= page views
= unique views