Category Archives: Standard

Double Strike!

Temur Battle Rage
Temur Battle Rage is probably the most important Double Strike card in Standard right now…
This week Top Level Podcast brings you “Double Strike” … a double-sized recap of the top decks from Pro Tour Battle for Zendikar!

These and other topics are discussed:

  • In some ways, this Standard is the same as the last Standard… but with battle lands :/
  • Gideon, Ally of Zendikar is probably the best card from Battle for Zendikar (at least excepting the new lands)
  • Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy is probably the best card — and certainly the best creature — in Standard (albeit less ubiquitous than Gideon)
  • The pros and cons of playing four copies of Valorous Stance (not to mention only 24 lands) in your Jeskai deck
  • When to cast Tasigur, the Golden Fang and for how much mana
  • Atarka Red wants more spells for Spell Mastery and discounting Become Immense; but Gruul Landfall exploits cretures like Snapping Gnarlid to avoid Surge of Righteousness (of course both builds Double Strike you to death)
  • Esper Control (aka Orzhov Control splashing blue) has a branding problem… But Patrick takes care of that, no problem.

All this and more — colossally more given this is a two-hour podcast — is jammed into “Double Strike”

… Give “Double Strike” a listen:

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Emeria Shepherd Makes HOW MUCH Mana?

Emeria Shepherd
Wait for it… Wait for it… We’ll get to Emeria Shepherd…

Pro Tour Champion Patrick Chapin and onetime Resident Genius Michael J. Flores return to the world of the Star City Games Open Series for one more pass at Standard before this week’s Pro Tour Battle for Zendikar.

“I love that we live in a day and age when he Top 32’d a major event with three Siege Rhinos and it didn’t even derail the sentence.”
-Patrick Chapin

What a weird Standard this is!

The Top 8 of the Atlanta Open was all G/W Megamorph variants and Jeskai variants. Literally every deck in the Top 8 had either four Den Protectors or four Mantis Riders.

At the same time we have decks that either cut the fourth Siege Rhino… Or can loop lots of Siege Rhinos with cards like Kolaghan’s Command.

Speaking of Siege Rhino, Ali Aintrazi improved his performance week over week, missing Top 8 on breakers (9th place). Patrick in particular likes the move away from Eldrazi; Mike likes moving Siege Rhino to the main, and the top-to-bottom stack of just super premium cards.

Five-color Control by Ali Aintrazi

2 Hangarback Walker
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon

2 Dig Through Time
4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy

4 Abzan Charm
4 Catacomb Sifter
1 Dragonlord Atarka
2 Dragonlord Dromoka
4 Siege Rhino
1 Utter End

1 Nissa, Vastwood Seer

3 Draconic Roar
4 Radiant Flames

4 Bloodstained Mire
1 Canopy Vista
1 Cinder Glade
4 Flooded Strand
1 Forest
1 Island
2 Lumbering Falls
1 Mountain
1 Plains
3 Polluted Delta
1 Prairie Stream
1 Shambling Vent
1 Smoldering Marsh
1 Sunken Hollow
1 Swamp
2 Windswept Heath
1 Wooded Foothills

Sideboard
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
1 Murderous Cut
2 Transgress the Mind
2 Exert Influence
1 Treasure Cruise
1 Kolaghan’s Command
1 Silumgar, the Drifting Death
1 Sultai Charm
2 Fiery Impulse
1 Radiant Purge
2 Surge of Righteousness

Our intrepid hosts go over tons of Top 32 decks — all flavors of G/W, Jeskai, Abzan, and Red Decks — until which point Patrick makes the point that 28/32 were white decks.

And yet…

We haven’t seen the emergence of certain cards yet; like…

Emeria Shepherd.

In typical Top Level Podcast fashion Patrick leaves the podcast with quite the first falling domino. Just imagine playing the card Emeria Shepherd in a format with Sakura-Tribe Elder.

Think about that for a sec.

Depending on the configuration of your deck, this combination can get quite a few lands out of your deck; maybe not all of them, but then again…

Maybe.

All this and more in “Emeria Shepherd Makes HOW MUCH Mana?”

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Arashin Cleric Just Isn’t Good Enough

Arashin Cleric
Arashin Cleric just isn’t good enough.

As a plan… Arashin Cleric isn’t a plan.

In the past, Arashin Cleric could be a bridge… A tool that you could use to get you from the pressure of the first turns to a card like Siege Rhino (which might incidentally get you even more life)… But as a plan? It’s not going to be able to win a game by itself.

What’s the problem with Arashin Cleric these days?

This, dear listeners, is the hot new deck:

Atarka Red, by Brian Demars

4 Atarka’s Command

3 Become Immense

4 Abbot of Keral Keep
2 Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh
4 Dragon Fodder
2 Lightning Berserker
1 Makindi Sliderunner
4 Monastery Swiftspear
3 Temur Battle Rage
4 Titan’s Strength
4 Wild Slash
4 Zurgo Bellstriker

4 Bloodstained Mire
2 Cinder Glade
1 Forest
8 Mountain
2 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills

Sideboard
4 Hangarback Walker
3 Arc Lightning
2 Fiery Impulse
2 Goblin Heelcutter
2 Roast
2 Thunderbreak Regent

The Demars take on Atarka Red is ultimately a combo deck, not a straight beatdown deck. As a beatdown deck it is actually kind of mediocre. But as a deck that uses Bloodstained Mire, Windswept Heath, and Wooded Foothills to fill its graveyard so that it can land a super quick Become Immense (and maybe lethal Temur Battle Rage)?

… Now that is a plan that Demars can get behind!

But because the deck isn’t about playing fair; not largely about trading burn spells for creatures, Arashin Cleric is much less effective than it has been against other Red Decks in other contexts.

That is not to say that Arashin Cleric is somehow bad… You just can’t rely on it 100% to win sideboard games for you… The way Demars actually landed on this deck is that he got beat up in testing, even in the games he had Arashin Cleric sided in!

Patrick and Michael talk about most of the new Battle for Zendikar Standard strategies, but mostly Atarka Red; and largely about how Arashin Cleric isn’t enough.

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Ob Nixilis Reignited in Abzan

Ob Nixilis Reignited
Ob Nixilis Reignited might seem slow, but think about it like this:
Either they have a creature (and you kill it) or they don’t… And you draw an extra card.
And you keep drawing an extra card for the rest of the game.

“Ob Nixilis Reignited in Abzan” starts at a familiar place for Top Level Podcast… One of our hosts expressing his admiration for Siege Rhino!

(for once, it’s Mike)

So this episode of Top Level Podcast is dedicated to building Abzan decks with new tools from Battle for Zendikar.

Drana, Liberator of Malakir
Drana, Liberator of Malakir

Drana, Liberator of Malakir is a standout three drop… That Mike somehow didn’t have in his starting Abzan Aggro deck. There are lots of good three drop creatures, but Drana is the rare card on the order of Anafenza, the Foremost or Brimaz, King of Oreskos at that point on the mana curve.

Some Drana, Liberator of Malakir highlights:

  • Drana is great against removal! Drana is too big on the backside for Wild Slash; generally too small for Abzan Charm or Valorous Stance; and benefits from the absence of Bile Blight and Lightning Strike (plus the general lack of popularity of Ultimate Price).
  • Drana is a super deadly attacker! Because Drana has first strike, damage potential for all your attackers who don’t have first strike will go through the roof on every successful attack.
  • Drana works with both sides of Hangarback Walker! Drana gives Hangarback Walker itself a +1/+1 counter, but can be even better with several small creatures at your beck and call.

Woodland Wanderer
Woodland Wanderer

Patrick convinces Mike to try Woodland Wanderer; previously Mike considered it just some guy.

“The difference between Butcher of the Horde and Woodland Wanderer is like the difference between Prognostic Sphinx and Baneslayer Angel.”
-Patrick Chapin

… Sometimes Prognostic Sphinx is “right” but Baneslayer Angel gives them the business. Woodland Wanderer just gives them the business.

We conclude the episode with Patrick putting together an Abzan Control deck on the fly!

Abzan Midrange by Patrick Chapin

4 Hangarback Walker

2 Languish
2 Ob-Nixilis, Reignited
2 Transgress the Mind
1 Reave Soul
3 Ruinous Path
1 Ultimate Price

4 Abzan Charm
4 Siege Rhino

3 Den Protector
2 Greenwarden of Murasa
3 Nissa, Vastwood Seer

2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar

2 Caves of Koilos
1 Canopy Vista
3 Forest
4 Llanowar Wastes
3 Mortuary Mire
2 Plains
4 Sandsteppe Citadel
4 Shambling Vent
4 Windswept Heath

Sideboard
1 Duress
1 Ob-Nixilis, Reignited
2 Painful Truths
1 Self-Inflicted Wound
1 Transgress the Mind
1 Dromoka’s Command
3 Arashin Cleric
1 Planar Outburst
1 Righteous Surge
1 Tragic Arrogance
1 Gaea’s Revenge
1 Infinite Obliteration

Give “Ob Nixilis in Abzan” a listen now:

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Catacomb Sifter is the Sleeper!

Catacomb Sifter
Why does Patrick think Catacomb Sifter will be the sleeper card of Battle for Zendikar?

  • Rate: Catacomb Sifter compares favorably to Hordeling Outburst (a Standard quality Staple) on multiple dimensions. It is three power and four toughness (an upgrade over three power and three toughness) for three mana, also over multiple bodies. Though two bodies are less abusable with pump effects than three bodies, Catacomb Sifter is at least closely in the conversation… Not to mention better whenever you don’t have buff cards.
  • Synergies: Catacomb Sifter is a natural best friend to Liliana, Heretical Healer, and great to flip over alongside Liliana with Collected Company. It will both contribute to Ramp strategies and even compete with conventional three drops, like Anafenza, the Foremost!
  • Scrying: Scrying is a heck on an ability to get “for free” … Especially when Catacomb Sifter comes ready with an Eldrazi body to get the Scrying engine going. It can combine with other Eldrazi Scions just as easily. And anyway, if there’s one thing you don’t want to do, it’s let your Eldrazi opponent scry to whatever cards he wants, for free.
  • … and more!

While Catacomb Sifter projects to be the set’s big sleeper, the discussion in this podcast touches on lots of different Eldrazi (and Eldrazi Scion) setups and strategies.

How does From Beyond compare with Explosive Vegetation, Hedron Archive, or Frontier Siege at the four?

Everyone knows that Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger is the Big! Bad! of Battle for Zendikar… But what other giant Eldrazi (or other big threats in general) might you want to ramp up to? What about going after little threats with tutor cards instead?

Crumble to Dust is in many ways an improved Sowing Salt (which makes it almost guaranteed to be a tournament quality card)… But what about using it directly as a setup man for Oblivion Sower? (don’t worry, Mike didn’t realize how crazy synergistic that one is, either)

Check out “Catacomb Sifter is the Sleeper!” now:

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Makindi Sliderunner! Snapping Gnarlid! Pilgrim’s Eye!

Makindi Sliderunner
Makindi Sliderunner is one of three exclusive preview cards Top Level Podcast got for Battle for Zendikar.

Quick verdict on Makindi Sliderunner… We like it!

“I’m a fan.”
-Patrick

Makindi Sliderunner will probably see play, and might be legitimately good. It is a probable inclusion not only for R/G Landfall beatdown decks, but just a pretty good card for a Mono-Red beatdown deck to play at the two.

Makindi Sliderunner is usually going to hit for three or more damage per turn. It starts off as a 2/1 creature so “[i]t just can’t get that bad” (per Mike)… and will hit for three or four damage on many turns, depending on if you have a regular land or a fetchland to play pre-combat.

Speaking of fetchlands, unless you have one, Makindi Sliderunner will hit just as hard as a Plated Geopede with one landfall trigger (and hits harder than Plated Geopede when you don’t!)

Compare to our second preview card, Snapping Gnarlid:

Snapping Gnarlid
Snapping Gnarlid

For one thing, Snapping Gnarlid is a great answer to Twin Bolt… Kinda?

If you start on Scythe Leopard and follow up with Makindi Sliderunner, your R/G Landfall deck is going to be quite vulnerable to a Twin Bolt two-for-one on turn two. Playing Snapping Gnarlid on turn two instead is going to (at least) avoid the two-for-one right there.

Our two-person consensus is that — at least based on what we’ve seen so far — R/G Landfall is going to be a real deck!

Patrick and Michael, however, are a bit divided on which of the two preview cards is superior. Their points:

Mike likes the second point of toughness, in general, more than trample. This is particularly relevant on turns where you don’t have and landfall trigger, and when the opponent is trying to defend himself with Goblin tokens or Eldrazi Scions.

However!

Mike recognizes that because red doesn’t generally have as strong of creatures (on the fundamentals) red might appreciate Makindi Sliderunner more than green does Snapping Gnarlid.

For his part, Patrick gives the slight edge to the red version; among other things, it will probably be the more widely played of the two.

Our final exclusive preview: Pilgrim’s Eye!

Pilgrim's Eye
Pilgrim’s Eye

We guess this third preview card is largely just WotC trolling Mike (but that’s okay!)

Mike claims he doesn’t want to play Pilgrim’s Eye.

Unsurprisingly, it takes Patrick about 15 seconds to pull Mike back to the Church of Pilgrim’s Eye.

How?

Thopter Spy Network!

U/W Thopter Spy Network decks have a hard time finding playable artifacts to turn the Thopter Spy Network on to begin with; between Pilgrim’s Eye and Hangarback Walker, U/W has a great start in getting the [artifact] ball rolling.

In addition to our three exclusive preview cards — Makindi Sliderunner, Snapping Gnarlid, and Pilgrim’s Eye — the Top Level Podcast duo discuss more Battle for Zendikar mana bases, the Retreat cycle, and how to procedurally play your Undergrowth Champion.

Check out “Makindi Sliderunner! Snapping Gnarlid! Pilgrim’s Eye!” now:

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Battle Lands Are Completely Broken!

Kiora, Master of the Depths
While Patrick and Michael originally intended to focus on Kiora, Master of Depths this week, a “mail bag”-style rundown uncovered some amazing synergies between fetch lands and battle lands.

The Battle for Zendikar battle lands:

  • Prairie Stream (W/U)
  • Sunken Hollow (U/B)
  • Smoldering Marsh (B/R)
  • Cinder Glade (R/G)
  • Canopy Vista (G/W)

Check out the cool questions and comments that came up from our Top Level Podcast listeners on social media + the mana base interactions that will define the upcoming format in “Battle Lands Are Completely Broken!”

Matthew Corazzelli

Matthew pointed out that Silkwrap, Suspension Field, etc. can help you set up your Eldrazi. These kinds of white exile cards can help you buy time to get to your expensive cards, plus any “exile” fuel for Blight Herder is potentially welcome. Now, if your Silkwrap is destroyed by Dromoka’s Command, the opponent won’t even get his creature back!

Jamie Johnson

Jamie asked us to talk about Scythe Leopard…

Scythe Leopard

“[Scythe Leopard] might be even better than Steppe Lynx.”
-Patrick Chapin

While Scythe Leopard is less explosive than Steppe Lynx at its best, among other things, it can do damage on defense. On average, and over the course of many games, Scythe Leopard might outperform the white model on average.

Scythe Leopard got the ball rolling on fetch land + battle land mana bases…

“We haven’t seen synergies like these since Vivid Lands + Reflecting Pool.”
-Patrick Chapin

Mana bases inspired by this podcast…

Consider this potential (extreme) mana base:

2 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Bloodstained Mire

1 Prairie Stream
1 Sunken Hollow
1 Smoldering Marsh
1 Cinder Glade
1 Canopy Vista

1 Forest
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Swamp

You get:

  • 14 sources of blue
  • 15 sources of white
  • 17 sources of green
  • 17 sources of red
  • 15 sources of black

… Most of which will come into play untapped

or

4 Forest
4 Mounain

4 Cinder Glade

4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills

You get:

  • 20 sources of green
  • 20 sources of red

… Almost all of which will come into play untapped

or

4 Sunken Hollow
4 Prairie Stream

4 Polluted Delta
4 Flooded Strand

3 Swamp
3 Plains
2 Island

2 Caves of Koilos
1 Haven of the Spirit Dragon

You get:

  • 18 sources of blue
  • 17 sources of white
  • 17 sources of black

… Almost all of which will enter the battlefield untapped

Do you know who Abzan Aggro’s new best fried will be?

Flooded Strand!

Flooded Strand can find both Sunken Hollow and Canopy Vista (along with basic Plains), allowing it to find all three colors in Abzan (if by way of blue for black); you never actually have to tap for blue to get the value.

Here’s the key:
“Your Abzan Aggro deck is going to have Crackling Doom in it.”

In addition to Battle Lands Patrick and Michael spend a little time on new land Lumbering Falls…

Lumbering Falls
The alternative was you were going to gain 1 life from your Thornwood Falls?

Chris Beirnes

Chris asks about Nissa’s Renewal… Will this be a tool for Sultai Control to ramp into Ulamog or Ugin?

Patrick speculates on a couple of different kinds of players who will want to cast a Nissa’s Renewal.

Finally…

Ben Reardon

“Titan’s Presence means every deck can have an answer to Hangarback Walker.”

Does it?

All this and more Battle for Zendikar in “Battle Lands Are Completely Broken!”

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Gideon, Ally of Zendikar (is our headliner)

    Shout out to us!

    MichaelJ points out that we have been doing this for “either forty-three or forty-four consecutive weeks” … and points out that Siege Rhino has pretty much been the best card in Standard the entire time.

    Shout out to the World Championships!

    Siege Rhino was facing off against Siege Rhino in the hands of World Champion Seth Manfield and former Player of the Year Owen Turtenwald.

    “Siege Rhino is kind of a messed up Magic card.”
    -Patrick Chapin

    Well… Enough for Siege Rhino for now. How about some sick Battle for Zendikar previews?


    Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
    Gideon, Ally of Zendikar

    Gideon, Ally of Zendikar is not just a powerful four mana Planeswalker… It will be a likely four-of in Battle for Zendikar Standard.

    Gideon, Ally of Zendikar is a self-contained card advantage engine. Creating a 2/2 creature each turn being kinda, sorta, drawing a card each turn (and kinda, sorta, netting 1G while you’re at it). Besides which, the 2/2 in question is an Ally… Which can give you some untold number of free Ally triggers!

    The flashy ability on Gideon, Ally of Zendikar is yet another look at his Planeswalker animation ability. This time Gideon is a 5/5 Human Soldier Ally (so might topdeck some of those Ally triggers himself) that both avoids taking damage and is actually indestructible. Who is going to stop Gideon?

    Now of course there is the [-4] emblem ability. This, we think, is the ability that can push Gideon from mere Staple to four-of. Why? You can always just sacrifice a Gideon, Ally of Zendikar (that starts with four loyalty) to cash in the emblem… There is much less down side to playing multiple copies here; especially given the long-term synergies with making 3/3, rather than 2/2 creatures.

    Mike also speculates on a Gideon, Ally of Zendikar-driven “sit there” strategy that makes 2/2 creature to block or chump while hitting land drops, milking the opponent into playing multiple creatures into an End Hostilities, and then wins quite a bit later with Secure the Wastes or an emblem activation. This strategy is made available largely due to Gideon’s built in card advantage abilities.

    Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
    Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger

    Which Ulamog is better, the original Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre or Battle for Zendikar addition Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger?

    What are the key differences between the two takes on the 10/10?

    We round out our discussion in “Gideon, Ally of Zendikar (is our headliner)” with some thoughts on Battle for Zendikar mana sequencing, plus a discussion of key cards that are rotating out of Standard, including:

    • Banishing Light
    • Master of Waves
    • Bile Blight
    • Stormbreath Dragon
    • Elvish Mystic
    • Fleecemane Lion
    • … And more!

    Listen to “Gideon, Ally of Zendikar (is our headliner)” now:

    Direct Download

    Don’t forget to check out Top Level Podcast on social media:

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Hangarback Walker in Abzan Aggro

Hangarback Walker

“How good can a deck be when the most popular deck is your worst matchup?”
-Patrick Chapin

Hangarback Walker has been a key contributor to many decks since the release of Magic Origins in Standard…

  1. First it showed up in a U/W Control deck (enabling cards like Thopter Spy Network)
  2. At the Pro Tour it hooked up with Ensoul Artifact and Hardened Scales
  3. But today: Hangarback Walker is transforming Abzan Aggro!

Hangarback Walker showed up in multiple builds of Abzan Aggro in the Top 8 of Grand Prix London 2015, including the decks played by winner Fabrizio Anteri and finalist Matteo Moure

Hangarback Abzan by Fabrizio Anteri

4 Hangarback Walker

1 Hero’s Downfall
2 Ultimate Price

4 Abzan Charm
1 Ajani, Mentor of Heroes
4 Anafenza, the Foremost
4 Dromoka’s Command
4 Fleecemane Lion
4 Siege Rhino
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor

4 Den Protector
1 Warden of the First Tree

3 Caves of Koilos
3 Forest
3 Llanowar Wastes
1 Mana Confluence
2 Plains
4 Sandsteppe Citadel
4 Temple of Malady
1 Temple of Silence
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Windswept Heath

sideboard:
2 Self-Inflicted Wound
1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
4 Thoughtseize
1 Ultimate Price
1 Arashin Cleric
2 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
1 Glare of Heresy
1 Surge of Righteousness
2 Tragic Arrogance

Hangarback Abzan by Matteo Moure

4 Hangarback Walker

2 Hero’s Downfall
3 Ultimate Price

2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor

2 Abzan Charm
4 Anafenza, the Foremost
3 Dromoka’s Command
4 Fleecemane Lion
4 Siege Rhino

2 Den Protector
2 Warden of the First Tree

2 Wingmate Roc

3 Caves of Koilos
2 Forest
3 Llanowar Wastes
1 Mana Confluence
2 Plains
4 Sandsteppe Citadel
3 Temple of Malady
3 Temple of Silence
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Windswept Heath

sideboard:
3 Herald of Torment
4 Thoughtseize
1 Ultimate Price
1 Dromoka’s Command
1 Unravel the Aether
2 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
3 Tragic Arrogance

The defining component of the new breed of Abzan Aggro decks isn’t just the inclusion of Hangarback Walker… But also playing twenty-six lands (or as Patrick says, the number they were supposed to be playing all along).

“Hangarback Walker is TWO TIERS better than Rakshasha Deathdealer”
-Chapin

Everyone knows Hangarback Walker is a powerful card. But what makes Hangarback Walker so good in Abzan Aggro specifically?

  • It has a super good rate… Abzan Aggro is all about cards with great rates
  • Hangarback Walker lets Abzan Aggro afford to play a bigger game – like when Faeries draws Bitterblossom
  • Dromoka’s Command allows Abzan Aggro to escape Abzan Charm (so that you can still get the 1/1 Thopter tokens)
  • Tons of +1/+1 counter redundancy – Abzan Charm; Dromoka’s Command; Ajani, Mentor of Heroes, etc.

Michael and Patrick also discuss G/R Dragons, the concept of not playing new cards versus curating old cards, Bant Heroic and what might be great next week.

Check it out in “Hangarback Walker in Abzan Aggro”:

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Sphinx’s Tutelage VERSUS Constellation!

Sphinx's Tutelage
Sphinx’s Tutelage is the definition of “scissors” (as in rock-paper-scissors).
If you can get to the top tables with it, Sphinx’s Tutelage can lock up a tournament for you.

Recently on Twitter our own Patrick Chapin (aka @thepchapin) made a curious claim:

What did he mean by this?

What does that say about decks from the Pro Tour (like U/R Ensoul Artifact or Mono-Red beatdown), and how does it help inform go-forward metagame decisions in Standard?

Decks like Brian Kibler’s G/W Megamorph deck attacks particular opponents at advantageous angles:

G/W Kibler Megamorph by Loren Eakins

2 Ajani, Mentor of Heroes
3 Dromoka’s Command
4 Fleecemane Lion

3 Boon Satyr
2 Courser of Kruphix
4 Deathmist Raptor
4 Den Protector
4 Elvish Mystic
3 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
2 Warden of the First Tree

2 Hidden Dragonslayer
3 Valorous Stance

1 Blossoming Sands
8 Forest
1 Mana Confluence
6 Plains
4 Temple of Plenty
4 Windswept Heath

sideboard:
4 Hangarback Walker
1 Dromoka’s Command
2 Evolutionary Leap
2 Unravel the Æther
2 Arashin Cleric
1 Glare of Heresy
2 Tragic Arrogance
1 Valorous Stance

  • This deck lines up against [the Pro Tour-winning] Mono-Red deck on the fundamentals: Its cards just line up well against the Red Deck’s cards.
  • This deck has great options against the [It! Girl! breakout] U/R Ensoul Artifact deck. Unravel the Aether, for example, doesn’t care how “indestructible” an artifact might be.
  • Even against up-and-coming decks like U/R Sphinx’s Tutelage, Kibler’s deck starts Dromoka’s Command (a source of enchantment hate)
  • Tragic Arrogance is a great catch-all… “You just make them sacrifice their stuff.”

How about that Sphinx’s Tutelage deck?

U/R Sphinx’s Tutelage by Michael Majors

1 Bloodstained Mire
1 Flooded Strand
4 Island
5 Mountain
4 Radiant Fountain
4 Shivan Reef
4 Swiftwater Cliffs
4 Temple of Epiphany

1 Alhammarret’s Archive

4 Anger of the Gods
4 Magmatic Insight
2 Roast
4 Tormenting Voice

1 Dig Through Time
4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
1 Monastery Siege
2 Send to Sleep
4 Sphinx’s Tutelage
4 Treasure Cruise
2 Whelming Wave

sideboard:
3 Annul
1 Disperse
1 Encase in Ice
4 Negate
1 Whelming Wave
4 Fiery Impulse
1 Seismic Rupture

Michael Majors won Grand Prix San Diego with a port of Andrew Cuneo’s U/R Sphinx’s Tutelage deck:

With Abzan Control and G/W Megamorph so successful, U/R Sphinx’s Tutelage was a great choice! The deck can strand the heavy creature removal of Abzan, and easily race its powerful-but-slow threats with Sphinx’s Tutelage itself.

While this deck is full of card drawing — and was designed by Andrew Cuneo — make no mistake: This is a VERY offensive deck. Those card drawing cards aren’t just there for filtering and card advantage… With Sphinx’s Tutelage, they are there to kill you.

The success of U/R Sphinx’s Tutelage — and its finals opponent Abzan Constellation — have put the bullseye on enchantments as a card type. We’ve already talked about how Dromoka’s Command and Unravel the Aether can be effective against the key cards of these decks. But consider…

Back to Nature wipes the floor with Constellation! Remember Back to Nature?

Tragic Arrogance doesn’t care how many enchantments you have… It blows up [almost] all of them. Tragic Arrogance is a card people are already playing, and [Grand Prix Top 4 competitor] Paul Rietzl even ported a Tragic Arrogance into a former End Hostilities slot of his Abzan Control deck.

Abzan Control by Paul Rietzl

1 Bile Blight
3 Hero’s Downfall
2 Languish
2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
4 Thoughtseize
2 Ultimate Price

4 Abzan Charm
1 Dragonlord Dromoka
4 Siege Rhino

4 Courser of Kruphix
2 Den Protector
3 Nissa, Vastwood Seer

2 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion

2 Caves of Koilos
4 Forest
2 Llanowar Wastes
1 Plains
4 Sandsteppe Citadel
4 Temple of Malady
4 Temple of Silence
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Windswept Heath

sideboard:
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
1 Bile Blight
1 Drown in Sorrow
2 Duress
2 Read the Bones
2 Dromoka’s Command
1 Unravel the Æther
2 Arashin Cleric
2 Hallowed Moonlight
1 Tragic Arrogance

(and more)

… all in “Sphinx’s Tutelage VERSUS Constellation”

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