Analysis by Kill Spells, how does your favorite creature hold up?
Standard forum
Posted on Sept. 9, 2015, 2:03 a.m. by kengiczar
Using gatherer to analyses how well certain creatures hold up to standard removal (a key part of building a creature based deck that's both threatening and resilient) and sharing your metas current hate. Find inspiration from other players for both dealing with problem creatures and finding creatures that are a problem due to a well timed meta call.
Example:
Simulgar the Drifting Death.
Killed by -
Crux of Fate - Lols
End Hostilities - Less "lols"
Crackling Doom - oh no!
Foul-Tongue Invocation - Why have you betrayed me?!
Example 2:
Herald of the Pantheon
Killed by -
Magma Spray
Magma Jet
Shrapnel Blast
Arc Lightning
Barrage of Boulders
Blastfire Bolt (not really profitable..but whatever.)
Bolt of Keranos
Bring Low
Collateral Damage
Covenant of Blood
Cunning Strike
Douse in Gloom
Draconic Roar
Exquisite Firecraft
Fated Conflagration
Kolaghan's Command
Lightning Javelin
Mardu Charm
Pharika's Cure
Pyrotechnics
Rage of Purphoros
Rending Volley
Roast
Sandblast
Sarkhan's Rage
Searing Blood
Spark Jolt
Starfall
Twin Bolt
Winterflame
Lightning Strike
Anger of the Gods
Crackling Doom
Foul-Tongue Invocation
Crux of Fate
End Hostilities
Bile Blight
Drown in Sorrow
Glare of Heresy
Death Wind
Eye Gouge - Funny spell
Flatten
Lash of the Whip
Silumgar's Command
Throttle
Ulcerate - My favorite way to kill myself.
Now obviously you shouldn't build a deck looking for only creatures that can't be killed except by 1 or 2 spells in the format, but if such a creature exists in your colors coughSilumgar, the Drifting Deathcough you might want to at least consider it. You can greatly improve your resiliancy by picking something that is killed by less of the "most popular" kill/removal spells instead of just playing your favorite creatures. Also occasionally meta shifts will let you know when it's safer to play your favorite cards.
Most played removal where I live:
1. Magma Spray - Every Jeskai deck started jamming this since Hangarback Walker came out instead of Wild Slash.
2. Lightning Strike - Mono 
and Jeskai are both aware that other Jeskai decks are out there. While it's a little overkill for Jace, Vryn's Prodigy it also finishes off enemy Mantis Riders well enough that they'll forgoe the scry from Magma Jet.
3. Valorous Stance - More played than either Hero's Downfall, Stoke the Flames or Abzan Charm. It's so efficient. Because of the other spells on this list an opponents may try to find a creature with 4+ toughness at a CMC 3 price that can still bring the beats such as Brimaz, King of Oreskos. Valorous Stance makes that futile.
4. Stoke the Flames - A lot of burn and Mantis Rider/Jace control in my area. Even the non-token Jeskai decks pack 1-2 in the 75.
5. Abzan Charm - Rediculously good and for some reason I never appreciated it's first mode as much as I should have until I reread it about a week ago.
6. Hero's Downfall - Most abzan lists have at least a couple and then there is always at least 1 control player who brings it.
Looking forward to finding some creature's we've overlooked or hearing about your meta's current popular hate/removal cards. So whether you're designing your own set, just stepping into standard, or trying to solidify your defenses in the Standard format this thread can help you.
JexInfinite says... #3
Killed by:
Crux of Fate
End Hostilities
Elspeth, Sun's Champion
Crackling Doom
Foul-Tongue Invocation
Valorous Stance
Abzan Charm
Stoke the Flames
Hero's Downfall
Not listing the unplayable removal.
September 9, 2015 4:48 a.m. Edited.
I totally forgot about Planeswalkers. Yup. Fricken Elspeth. Soon to be Ob-Nixilis. I suppose since he doesn't have a clause like elspeth does that makes up for Hero's Downfall going away.
September 9, 2015 5:10 a.m.
canterlotguardian says... #5
Killed by: basically everything that kengiczar listed for Silumgar, the Drifting Death, with additions of Abzan Charm, Valorous Stance, Swift Reckoning- essentially, any targeted removal that doesn't specify a particular P/T.
I know, G/R isn't the best at protecting itself from targeted removal. That's why I normally focus on weenie rush and save the big boys, e.g. Dragonlord Atarka, for an absolute late as possible finisher.
September 9, 2015 8:21 a.m.
Hm so you know I think D-Lord Atarka vs a 
deck like the Sidisi, Brood Tyrant versions around Khans/Fate Dragonlord Atarka would be a smashing success. Sure the BUG deck might get out an early Tasigur or perhaps a few zombies along with Elvish Mystic, Satyr Wayfinder or Sidisi but if they've done that then the deck has been ramping relatively unhindered except for 1x Murderous Cut. This means its likely can still drop D-Lord atarka in a timely matter and blow up some Zombies! Seems like a good matchup with no Abzan Charm.
And now I've learned something new today.
September 9, 2015 8:46 a.m.
Tyrant-Thanatos says... #7
I never really put TOO much thought into this, but most of my favorites tend to be pretty resilient to removal. Maybe that's why I love them and I just never realize it.
Spiritmonger, you're gonna need exile or a no-regen clause, with no color restrictions. Path to Exile is probably the biggest playable threat to this guy.
AEtherling on the other hand, dodges even Path. Even cards like Sudden Death don't take him down, not alone anyhow. Take Possession is the only card I can think of off hand that can deal with him by itself, presuming his controller has blue mana open. More complicated solutions can be found in the likes of Sudden Spoiling or Stifle, but even the latter relies on his controller having only one blue mana open.
Edit: None of this is standard. Just realized this was a standard topic. Woops. >.>
September 9, 2015 9:54 a.m.
@ Tyrant-Thanatos No worries. While it's a standard topic I'll say that I definitely recognize why Spiritmonger is good. Very hard to deal with once you resolve it and then get to untap the next turn. The current closest standard counterpart to him is Reaper of the Wilds but for some reason they wanted to switch out the regen for deathtouch ; )
September 9, 2015 10:04 a.m.
Tyrant-Thanatos says... #9
@kengiczar yeah I forgot about Reaper of the Wilds, that even dodges Path to Exile via hexproof. The deathtouch is a weird ability on that one. I don't really foresee a 4/5 benefiting from it unless it's trading with something larger, which generally you'd want a cheaper creature for. If it had first strike or something that deathtouch would be really good.
September 9, 2015 10:18 a.m.
Perhaps they just wanted people to be able to Mortarpod it in EDH. Super newbie budget combos FTW! (I would never put the two of these in the same deck, but it would be hilarious to kill Krenko that way.)
September 9, 2015 10:24 a.m.
canterlotguardian says... #11
kengiczar and Tyrant-Thanatos the fact that a 4/5 can gain deathtouch is actually super relevant. Reaper of the Wilds was designed as a mid-game to late-game threat, evidenced by its 
mana cost. You know what else is a mid-game to late-game threat? Siege Rhino. and Dragonlord Atarka. and (even though the Reaper won't be Standard-legal once BFZ hits, it will be Modern and later legal) every Eldrazi ever. the hexproof will always be relevant, but deathtouch on something that can survive anything but a fatty (at which point it'll need the DT anyways) is nothing to scoff at.
September 9, 2015 10:45 a.m.
Tyrant-Thanatos says... #12
I understand the power of deathtouch as an ability. My point was that I'd rather block that fatty with something like Typhoid Rats, but I'm not a standard player so maybe I'm spoiled. =P Reaper of the Wilds is certainly a good card, I just question the decision to make that activated ability. Would it really have been so bad for it to have regen? Or just outright have deathtouch instead of the activated?
September 9, 2015 11:04 a.m.
canterlotguardian says... #13
True, it probably would have been better to have deathtouch as a passive ability and then have to pay like 
every time a creature died to scry 1. That would have made more sense.
September 9, 2015 11:29 a.m.
@ Tyrant-Thanatos with the new Eldrazi's having fun with the exile zone (e.g. Ulamog's Nullifier)... AEtherling may be in danger now!
September 9, 2015 12:40 p.m.
Silumgar, the Drifting Death is probably the least "killable" creature in Standard right now. Nothing in Red can get it and nothing can target it. Even Elspeth falls short against it.
-Logician says... #2
My favorite creature is Eternal Witness. Go ahead, kill it. :)
September 9, 2015 3:02 a.m.