For those of you not bound by such earthly restraints as money, I present to you what may very well become the next deck to beat. While losing Elspeth, Sun's Champion and Hero's Downfall is enough to shut down the Abzan Mid/Control deck for good, it’s certainly no secret that Abzan retains a significantly powerful early-game curve through rotation. The difference between pre-rotation Abzan Aggro and post-rotation Abzan Aggro is miniscule (or, mathematically, equal to or less than Fleecemane Lion). What we’re left with as BFZ rotates in is a deck loosely based on +1/+1 counters and firmly positioned to kick some ass.
Curve and consistency are Abzan’s strongest selling points, much like your typical Red Deck Wins but with less burn and bigger butts on the creatures. The ideal curve in your game is Warden of the First Tree into Hangarback Walker into Anafenza, the Foremost, then swing on turn-4 for a counter on the Walker with removal/Warden abilities open (or just a Siege Rhino, which I’ve heard works, too). From there, you’re open to casting Planeswalkers to continue the pressure or build back up quickly should you somehow lose a creature in the process. Unlike your average RDW, though, Abzan starts strong and stays strong. With cards like Rakshasa Deathdealer, Warden of the First Tree, and Gideon, Ally of Zendikar, there’s really no specific turn you need to win by. As time and your land-base progress, these cards simply become better and will easily take over a game uncontested. Throw in the fact that Drana, Liberator of Malakir has some terrific synergies with your Planeswalkers’ tokens and Hangarback Walker and it’s not difficult at all to see how this deck will be a very real threat to the Standard meta.
I assume that many people will have sprung for the Abzan Aggro idea post-rotation, so if you plan to take this puppy (or similarly adorable littermate) out for a spin, know that you need answers for the mirror match. Ground combat is going to be a bust considering each creature’s relative resilience and the potential for a blow-out via combat tricks/removal. What you need to do is get into the air. What better way to do that than with a creature I believe will see a triumphant return to tier-1 status: Wingmate Roc? By adding the 25th land into the mainboard from the side, you can safely increase the height of your mana-curve and assume the position as the control deck of the match. In my mind, that’s exactly where you want to be when ground combat is awful and the game goes long due to that. Wingmate generates 6 flying power and 8 toughness for a scant 5 mana, then nets you significant life to help you stay ahead. Unlike other creatures we could be adding, Wingmate Roc and its buddy require two separate pieces of removal to be eliminated, allowing you more time and flexibility as the game starts to go late. This is where our one-of Nissa comes in, as well. On a clogged board, she’ll have plenty of protection to allow her to tick up and generate obscene amounts of value while threatening to turn your lands into an army.
Another big-time threat we can employ is Tasigur, the Golden Fang. For as little as 1 mana, you get a large creature with the ability to keep your spells in business. Similar to how Wingmate Roc is strong on a stalled board, Tasigur just sits and nets you a card every turn. Looking at all of our spells to choose from, there aren’t any I can even say would be completely dead at some point in the game. Even recurring a copy of a Legendary creature would suit you well, allowing you to take a more reckless approach with the one you already have out.
