What Does Staple Mean?
General forum
Posted on June 22, 2017, 1:04 a.m. by TrueRock5
First off I am relatively of new to Magic so please don't be too hard on me. I've heard quite a few things on this. My personal thought is that a staple is a popular card in a format that sees a lot of use. Although I have been told by many others that this is incorrect that staples are Cards that can go in every deck in a format like Sol Ring and Sensei's Divining Top and that something like Swords to Plowshares or Wrath of God is only a white staple and therefore is not a "true" staple. I would really like to know what is the true meaning as I have become quite confused.
landofMordor says... #3
The above definition is excellent. Staples are the cards in each color that are widely played regardless of archetype. This especially pertains to EDH, but applies to other formats as well.
It's important to note, however, that a deck full of staples will never win if it is not piloted well. And decks full of jank cards will beat staples if they are played skillfully. So it's probably for the best that you're a little confused by staples, because that way you will learn which cards are good on your own, which will make you a better player! But I hope we cleared up some confusion(:
June 22, 2017 6:37 a.m.
Thanks to both of you for those enlightening comments. I appreciate it greatly. :D
June 22, 2017 10:09 a.m.
To put it simply, Storm Crow is the biggest staple in every format. Hope that helps.
June 22, 2017 10:44 a.m.
Although the definitions above are helpful, I view "staples" a bit differently.
To me they are cards that are virtually auto-additions, if you are playing in certain colours.
At the moment in Standard I see adding Magma Spray and Fatal Push to your deck as almost always necessary, even if only in the Sideboard.
It's not a hard and fast rule, but you sort of need a good reason why NOT to add these cards, as opposed to why you would add them.
GlistenerAgent says... #2
The staples of a format are just the cards that see play in a wide variety of strategies. For example, if you play in a Legacy tournament, you can reasonably expect some number of your opponents to be playing Deathrite Shaman, Force of Will, Swords to Plowshares, Delver of Secrets Flip, etc. because those cards are staples of the format. You would likely not expect to see Pernicious Deed, though some decks do play it. Deed is a part of Legacy, but is not a staple. This heuristic (what you expect to play against in a tournament) is a solid determinant of what is and isn't a staple.
June 22, 2017 1:51 a.m.