First rotation advice
Standard forum
Posted on Sept. 10, 2013, 6:21 p.m. by Dalektable
I've been playing magic since around the time of Avacyn Restored, but i didn't start FNM until the RTR block. So what i want to know is in what ways can i prepare? How do i go about the change? Do i keep the decks i have, modify them for new play, start completely from scratch? How do you go about a set rotation?
Usually it involves throwing a lot of money down the drain at new cards to replace those from the last block. Myself and most other players at this point have been trying to make our builds more self-sufficient and less reliant on the older set's cards. Now that most of the Theros spoilers are out, you can check 'em out and decide what's it's worth to build anew, adapt, or replace any of your decks. My personal advice is to look at the Theros cards, pick a few that you like, and see if you can effectively work them into a strong build with an existing deck of yours. And if you're not too crazy about the Theros set, you can always get a bunch from M14 core, and it'll hopefully have the right synergy you need right now before you go about speculating at Born of the Gods and Journey into Nyx later this year.
September 10, 2013 6:31 p.m.
fluffybunnypants says... #4
Play what you're playing until it isn't legal anymore and then change with the new xpac.
Generally speaking, aggro will always be a strong choice early in the expansion and with Domri Rade and the new r/g planeswalker it doesn't look like that'll be changing. However, it looks like maybe they're trying to offset its prevalence my bringing back Thoughtseize and having the new u/b planeswalker available fit really nicely into a lot of the u/b RTR cards. Frankly, it's really a bit too early to tell considering only about half of the cards have been spoiled.
If all else fails, there's a SCG on 9/27-9/28, so if you want to watch on Twitch, you'll probably get a really good idea of what some top tier players think early on from that.
September 10, 2013 6:39 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #5
@arimondry: I don't think your first statement is necessarily true. While Standard players must often acquire new cards, trading is a perfectly viable and effective means of updating a deck. You can often get a long way with only a trade binder.
A lot of people are speculating that red aggro, RG quasi-midrange, and Esper control are going to be the most popular decks come rotation. I certainly see red and RG doing well (RG has Domri Rade and the new walker as well as some value creatures), but Esper is losing the stability of the check lands. It will have to rely on the slower scry lands to get the job done.
September 10, 2013 6:41 p.m.
fluffybunnypants says... #6
I agree with Epochalyptik especially regarding r/g and esper. No check lands is an issue in a deck where you need to hit your land drop for the colors you need to control the game (i.e. two white an one blue open for turn 4 verdict). I think u/b will be the control deck of choice for a while even though it can't generate the card advantage that u/w can and has no wipe (yet?).
September 10, 2013 6:48 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #7
Granted, this is just speculation. I like the idea of Esper control existing because it's been a while since the control decks I knew and loved had a strong presence in Standard. I think Swan Song, Thoughtseize , Supreme Verdict , and some other cards have the potential to make traditional Esper control a thing again, but the lands make it a daunting build to attempt. Esper suffers the most from the loss of the check lands because it needs fast and consistent access to its constituent colors to manage the different costs, especially that of Supreme Verdict . Ratchet Bomb 's reappearance may help Esper along, but we have yet to see whether the deck can truly function as it needs to.
September 10, 2013 6:51 p.m.
I think Esper control is already looking pretty hilarious, just piggybacking off of you two~With Medomai the Ageless, Daxos of Meletis and Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver . And with not only the return of scry, but also the slowing-down of dual lands in the format and including the scry mechanic directly on those duals... Who knows, maybe Esper Control is what we'll need to go against Gruul Aggro with Xenagos, The Reveler !
September 10, 2013 6:55 p.m.
fluffybunnypants says... #9
R/G is looking spectacularly fast based on RTR cards alone. Rakdos Cackler , Foundry Street Denizen , Gore-House Chainwalker , Burning-Tree Emissary , Firefist Striker , Boros Reckoner , Pyrewild Shaman , Legion Loyalist , Experiment One , Ghor-Clan Rampager ... all still legal. Just sayin'.
September 10, 2013 7:02 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #10
I'm excited to see what else develops in the meta. Standard hasn't had a "real" combo deck since the Deceiver Exarch /Splinter Twin days, so it would be nice to see combo come back to the format. RG and Esper are already shaping up to be contenders, and I want to see what comes of the ideas.
September 10, 2013 7:05 p.m.
fluffybunnypants says... #11
Oh come on. You can run a combo deck right now in standard for another few weeks. Trolling With Young Pyro Budget. Voila. It's sort of like storm, but not.
I mean it's not your two card combo, but I think it still qualifies as a "real" combo deck.
September 10, 2013 7:09 p.m.
Epochalyptik says... #12
By "real" I meant tier one. The popular decks of late have mostly been tempo/midrange, aggro, and attrition control (at least, as far as I can tell).
September 10, 2013 7:18 p.m.
As far as building tier one decks: go back to tournament reports of full Return to Ravnica Block constructed. There was one Block pro tour featuring constructed decks using only RTR/GTC/DGM cards -- and since these are the cards that are still in standard, a good place to start is look at those lists, see where M14 / theros cards might fit into them, and start from there.
Epochalyptik says... #2
It really depends. A lot of people do one of two things:
Some try to adapt their current decks for the new Standard. This can involve swapping old cards out for new ones, tuning strategies to account for the differing card pools, and other adjustments.
Some build new decks based on an objective survey of the new Standard. I personally think this is the best option because it is more conducive to a proper assessment of the new card pool. Trying to stick to an old strategy will often lead you to some design pitfalls that are inherent with clinging to old archetypes or strategies.
Red decks are usually among the first to emerge after rotation because they capitalize on the instability of the new meta. Their simplicity (no multicolor balancing acts or tricky strategies) allows them to function well until other archetypes begin to take root, and red decks often survive and adapt even after the meta begins to take shape.
September 10, 2013 6:30 p.m.