Standard brewing
Standard forum
Posted on April 21, 2014, 6:45 p.m. by strongwalker
I recently added to my shockland collection. To get maximum playsets for minimum cost, I ended up completing each color pair which does not contain black.
That was a bad choice :(
Standard is so covered by black right now, which is a nice change for our necromancer friends, but I'm more of a Simic mage. I'm brewing deck after deck (not just Simic, but Bant, Naya, RUG, Izzet, and some mono-colored) and each either falls to black's creature removal or to its hand disruption.
So given that I cannot play black and that I acknowledge that standard isn't really that ready for non-black killers, what can I play? More fundamentally, what are black's weaknesses (especially MBD, although black aggro and Esper control count, too)?
strongwalker says... #3
I do like that list, but I had heard that people were sideboarding Staff of the Death Magus and trumping the burn decks. Never seen that myself though.
April 21, 2014 6:56 p.m.
That's why you play Wear / Tear in the sideboard.
If you want more damage opportunities, though, I've seen people splashing Green into it (R/W/g) for Destructive Revelry and other cute things, as well as Black (R/W/b) for Rakdos Charm (which also completely hoses Dredge).
Realistically, Wear / Tear is your best option, and it already has a ton of targets against MBD.
April 21, 2014 7:29 p.m.
InconspicuousPotato says... #5
With black you also get Rakdos's Return and Toil / Trouble against control.
April 21, 2014 8:51 p.m.
This is true.
Toil is a real card, too. I got the shit burned out of me last FNM by it.
April 21, 2014 8:55 p.m.
Uh, I mean Trouble . The Red side. Whatever.
Toil's good too, but obviously only in conjuction with Trouble.
April 21, 2014 8:55 p.m.
Ultimaodin says... #8
Ah, A fellow simic player. Well, I've beaten mono-black a number of times and first placed FNM with Simic decks and Irindu decks.
Mono black is generally the hardest match up due to turn 1 Thoughtseize. (stupid OP card). How I take on mono-black varies in a bunch of ways. 2 methods I enjoy are:
Card Advantage - drawing lots of cards is the bane mono-black. Bred for the hunt is one of my favourite cards. Another You can go normal versions of card draw but this just my typical play style. If you want a more controlling/mid-range version - new Keranos and Kruphix will work fantastically together.
Protection - SIMIC CHARM!!!! Protection to everything. This includes Kiora. ;)
Split cast creatures featuring black - Nightveil Specter, Deathcult Rogue, Slitherhead etc... The don't die to doomblade or Ultimate Price.
Play mainly non-creature spells - All that removal becomes a waste if you just burn them out. Also, Cyclonic Rift is awesome vs mono black. When their removal becomes useless they discard it to pack rat. When you rift, all those rats die.
Planeswalkers - Unless they splash Black they can only rely on Hero's Downfall, which they have 4 of in a 60 card deck.
Anyway let's talk card that are just generally amazing vs black:
Red-White: Assemble the Legion - Mono black cannot deal with this, at all. Yes I will sac to demon, yes I will chump like a boss. Since you're red white Chain to the rocks will be played along with Anger of the Gods. (also the new O-ring) Anger deals with the rats, chain deals with any other creature, new O-ring (seriously I should learn the name) deals with bigger threats and Assemble just laughs in their face. Also Tajac...
Red Green: Land Destruction - No joke, mono-black needs land as much as control half the time. The ones splashing white for Obzedat and Blood Baron even more so. Also I think Bramble Crush deserves an honorable mention for being able to also remove the Whip. Not that they should ever have 4 mana if you play it right. Also again, Anger of the Gods - just destroys.
Red Blue - Counter Burn all day long. Counter what you don't like, Burn their face when you can. I'd like to point out Dictate of Twin Gods plus Anger of Gods kills everything they have to offer.
Green White - Hex-a-proof - Gladescout is great, new reach dude is great, Unflinching courage is brilliant, Boon Satyr is superb and just yeah, hexproof. Witchstalker is also a beast. Also, Karametra... I know but hear me out. She gifts you more land when you cast a creature (which you have lots of) Play with Immortal Servitude and it's hillarious. Plus Karametra they cannot deal with in anyway. Gods in general are good here. Heliod is great. Oh did I mention Voice of Resurgence. Stopping black playing how black is supposed to be played. Lifebane zombie is a pain but again, Immortal Servitude is great.
Green Blue - we ran over this but Simic Charm is great. Card Advantage is even better.
White Blue - Detention Sphere is the best removal in standard. Supreme Verdict is good. Indestructible creatures... the three gods here basically laugh at mono black. Thassa scrys for more threats, Heliod gives more threats when out, and Ephara gives card advantage. Again Immortal Servitude is superb. since your creatures are going to be small on the curve.
I could spend ages talking about how to kick mono-black in the face but I could be here for ever and I have uni work to do. Just so you know, mono-black doesn't see much play in my meta since everyone learned how to beat it. Monsters turned into Jund for Reaper of the Wilds (you may be familiar with Ash Websters take), green white got more play hence Lifebane mainboard in Craig's (he still kicks himself for the misplay) and Anthony's list. (funny story, apparently Anthony was drunk for half/most of that GP - He's already in the Pro Tour I guess he just didn't care that much).
Black White Midrange is the top deck here along with control. Not sure what will happen to the meta though, I'm pretty certain Black White will remain the big contender. Control is going to take a hit and probably move into Irindu and American control.
April 22, 2014 12:52 a.m.
Oh. That's right. "Irindu" is the term from the T/O community set.
It may behoove you to just use the term "RUG", since everybody everywhere already knows what that is, versus "Irindu", where only some people on this site know it.
April 22, 2014 1:03 a.m.
ChrisHansonBiomancin says... #12
Wow, Ultimaodin covered a lot there and I agree with all of it from a Simic perspective. The one thing I would add in is that Enchantments wreck MBD since Thoughtseize is probably their only answer, given that they're unlikely to side in Duress against a creature-heavy Simic deck. My personal favorite is Primeval Bounty since their spot removal can't keep up with your Beast production and the life gain can help keep you from falling prey to cheap Gray Merchant of Asphodel wins. Also, protection is great, but be careful to not go overboard with counterspells. Simic is at its best as an aggressive deck, and you don't want to get stuck in the trap of trying to be a do-everything deck, because you will end up doing nothing well.
I ran a very successful Simic deck for a while that was winning about 80% of its matchups once I got Courser of Kruphix in there, including a 3-1 record against MBD / Orzhov at GP Phoenix. It's in the description on my profile if you want to check it out.
More recently, I've been playing Bant Flash / Control (barely considered a control deck imo, at least it's the closest I'll ever come lol). At my first FNM with it last week, I went undefeated and took a Top 4 split. Wins included GR, MBD, UW, Esper, and MUD splash White, and MBD was probably the easiest win of them all. You can find that one near the top of the list on my profile.
Not saying you should copy the lists by any means, but that should let you know that it's possible and give you somewhere to start and tweak it to make it your own.
April 22, 2014 2:47 a.m.
Ultimaodin says... #13
Wait, Irindu is only for this site... :O
I thought this was an actual shard title.... damn it.
ChrisHansonBiomancin - Primeval Bounty - one of my favourite cards ever. :3
Also I should have mentioned Spear of Heliod , it stops desecration demon dead.
April 22, 2014 7:20 a.m.
Well, Spear stops Demon "dead" after you take 6 to the face.
April 22, 2014 1:04 p.m.
Ultimaodin says... #15
zandl - You're white, 6 to the face is nothing XD
Often you'll find opponents won't attack willingly into it though.
April 22, 2014 1:31 p.m.
I read that as "You're a white guy. Suck it up."
I was befuddled until I realized what you were saying.
April 22, 2014 2:33 p.m.
ChrisHansonBiomancin says... #18
As a white person, I often pick fights with people who have extra fingers
InconspicuousPotato says... #2
If you want to beat MBD play R/W Burn.
April 21, 2014 6:53 p.m.