Here is my Standard deck that I've been playing for about a month and a half now, and I think it might be the deck that I found my home with.
The deck is insanely competitive... a similar list went 11-3-1 at a SCG Open months back. I'm playing some different cards that he was, so it's not an exact copy, but this is the configuration I've arrived at and it feels pretty well done. I have yet to take it to a bigger event that an FNM, but I'm going to the SCG Open in Chicago soon, so that will hopefully be a better showcase.
Onto the deck! First and foremost, this is a midrange control deck. It's plan is to disrupt your opponent in the early game and keep them off balance until you slam a couple Dragons. At that point, you take over the game by beating in with 1 or 2 Dragons while simultaneously protecting them. Every card in the deck is all about value, especially when you have a dragon in hand or on the field. Let's look over the card choices.
Removal: This is your early game interaction and your late game protection. Use it pretty freely is my suggestion.
Foul-Tongue Invocation
is your best removal spell. A lot of the format is dedicated to curving out. Abzan Aggro, Megamorph variants, Monsters variants... the all want to hit every spot in their curve, and Foul Tongue allows you easily disrupt that. Also, the lifegain can easily be the reason between life or death against something like Mono Red or B/W Wariors. Also, it gets around Hexproof, protection spells, and Indestructible, which isn't very relevant unless you're playing against Fleecemaine Lion, which is a popular card. Or against Heroic.
Draconic Roar is your early game defense. It's a 1 for 1 spell that helps you race. If you're able to get in that extra Searing Blaze effect, and they fetch, you just took an entire turn off your clock, and that's pretty powerful. The incremental damage all adds up, between this, your opponent fetching/using pain lands, and Thunderbreak Regent activations, and even Thoughtseize, the damage just adds up. Important to note that damage can be redirected to a Planeswalker like Elspeth.
BOARD WIPES:
Anger of the Gods is really good in a lot of matchups. Megamorph is pretty popular, and exiling a couple [Deathmist Raptor]]s is always good. Also, Mono Red will get trashed by it, as well as mostly low toughness aggro decks. Even Abzan Aggro can be brought down by this, thought not as much, as they have Siege Rhino and Anafenza, the Foremost.
Crux of Fate is your catchall, 1 sided board wipe. It usually doesn't hit your stuff and always hits your opponent's stuff, so it's just a pretty solid card.
COUNTERSPELLS: This is what allows you to protect your dragons and serve as additional "removal spells" when you need them.
Stubborn Denial is a card some people hate and some people love. Personally, I really like it in this deck because 8/10 Dragons turn on Ferocious. This means you get a 1 mana protection spell, quite like in Heroic. Also, the card is good against people playing on a curve who want to cast Elspeth or Nissa on turn 6 or 5 respectively.
Silumgar's Scorn is a 2 mana Force Spike (overrated honestly, but sometimes good) or a straight Counterspell if you have 1 of 10 dragons in your hand, which you usually do. Card is just great.
DRAGONS: I won't say much about these. They're pretty obvious.
Thunderbreak Regent is mana efficient and can put a clock on your opponent pretty fast. The damage when he's targeted adds up too, especially if you counter the spell.
Icefall Regent
is also fairly strong because it serves as a removal spell and offers it's own form of protection. Also, it's a fairly fast clock. Probably the worst dragon of the bunch, but it gets you out of a lot of situations you might have had trouble with otherwise.
Kolaghan, the Storm's Fury and Dragonlord Kolaghan are your hasty beaters that are there when you want to close a game quickly. I've dealt 21 damage with Storm's Fury and locked someone out of casting creatures for 2 turns with Dragonlord. Enough said.
Dragonlord Silumgar
is your card to destroy other Dragon decks, like Mardu. It allows you to steal their Stormbreath or whatnot while giving yourself protection against
Foul-Tongue Invocation
and Crackling Doom. Sometimes it's even good enough to steal a 2/2 blocker. Sometimes you get an Elspeth. Great card.
Silumgar, the Drifting Death destroys Elspeth and is untargetable. Slower clock, but harder to disrupt. It's pretty solid overall.
DRAW POWER:
Do I really have to explain Dig Through Time? It's particularly good with 8 fetches. That is all. (Also, I've cast it on turn 3 in Standard when they Duressed me twice).
Anticipate
is a good filler/filter card. Fills your grave for Digs and allows you to hit land drops or find important pieces, like a Dragon or removal spell you are missing. Solid overall.
Dragonlord's Prerogative
is your Control hate card. It allows you to draw 4 cards while being uncounterable. Also, against something with a the plan to grind you out, like Abzan Control/Midrange, it's easy to simply draw 4 at the end phase and win the top deck wars by refilling on removal and threats.
VALUE:
Kolaghan's Command is just pure value. It's good against control because it gives you threats and pressures their hand advantage, and it gives you a removal spell when you need it against aggro decks. It has some random applications like destroying Whip of Erebos or Bow of Nylea, but otherwise, the discard a card, Shock, and
Raise Dead
effects are the ones most used.
Sideboard: Tune it to your meta. Just ask in the comments if you'd like a sideboard guide or an explanation of the cards.
Any questions? Feel free to comment! I'll post FNM results as updates as well, and some tips and tricks at a later time. Finally, if you have any suggestions from Origins, feel free to tell me!
