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Brewing with Kaladesh

Welcome back for Brewing with Kaladesh. First off I apologize for missing Brewing with Eldritch Moon, but I was in the process of moving and did not have the time. I’ve brought you thirty decks today, that should show off a vast array of options for the new Standard format without Collected Company. I’ve only provided four sideboard suggestions for each deck as cards that should help to fight problems for it. I’ve definitely missed quite a few decks that I could have brewed up this time, but I only have so much time in the day to work on new decks and I wanted you to have access to these for week one. Now, let’s get to the decks…

[deck title= Big White]
[Creatures]
4 Hedron Crawler
4 Filigree Familiar
2 Pilgrim’s Eye
4 Eldrazi Displacer
2 Gisela, the Broken Blade
2 Archangel Avacyn
3 Thalia’s Lancers
3 Cataclysmic Gearhulk
1 Linvala, the Preserver
1 Bruna, the Fading Light
1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Declaration in Stone
4 Stasis Snare
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Evolving Wilds
3 Westvale Abbey
1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
1 Wastes
16 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Fragmentize
2 Fumigate
3 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
4 Thought-Knot Seer
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Mono Green Stompy]
[Creatures]
4 Loam Dryad
4 Kessig Prowler
4 Duskwatch Recruiter
4 Deathcap Cultivator
4 Sylvan Advocate
4 Foul Emissary
4 Filigree Familiar
4 Verdurous Gearhulk
2 Decimator of the Provinces
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Cryptolith Rites
[/Spells]
[Land]
3 Westvale Abbey
1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
18 Forest
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Appetite for the Unnatural
2 Clip Wings
3 Nissa, Vital Force
4 Vile Redeemer
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Boros Walkers]
[Creatures]
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Galvanic Bombardment
4 Declaration in Stone
4 Oath of Chandra
4 Stasis Snare
4 Oath of Gideon
3 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
4 Nahiri, the Harbinger
4 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 Chandra, Flamecaller
3 Fumigate
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Inspiring Vantage
4 Needle Spires
4 Aether Hub
2 Westvale Abbey
4 Mountain
6 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Blessed Alliance
2 Filigree Familiar
3 Fragmentize
4 Kozilek’s Return
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Selesnya Humans]
[Creatures]
4 Expedition Envoy
4 Thraben Inspector
4 Town Gossipmonger
4 Hanweir Militia Captain
4 Thalia’s Lieutenant
4 Duskwatch Recruiter
4 Hamlet Captain
2 Heron’s Grace Champion
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Gryff’s Boon
4 Declaration in Stone
4 Always Watching
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Canopy Vista
4 Fortified Village
2 Forest
10 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Eerie Interlude
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
3 Stasis Snare
4 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Mono White Humans]
[Creatures]
4 Expedition Envoy
4 Thraben Inspector
4 Thraben Standard Bearer
4 Town Gossipmonger
4 Hanweir Militia Captain
4 Thalia’s Lieutenant
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Gryff’s Boon
4 Declaration in Stone
4 Always Watching
3 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
[/Spells]
[Land]
2 Westvale Abbey
19 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Collective Effort
2 Fragmentize
3 Lantern Scout
4 Stasis Snare
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Azorious Spirits]
[Creatures]
4 Mausoleum Wanderer
4 Selfless Spirit
4 Rattlechains
2 Bygone Bishop
4 Nebelgast Herald
4 Spell Queller
2 Archangel Avacyn
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Blessed Alliance
4 Stasis Snare
4 Scatter to the Winds
2 Insidious Will
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Port Town
4 Prairie Stream
2 Meandering River
2 Westvale Abbey
7 Island
5 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Declaration in Stone
2 Filigree Familiar
3 Fragmentize
4 Fumigate
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Orzhov Control]
[Spells]
4 Grasp of Darkness
3 Transgress the Mind
2 Collective Brutality
4 Oath of Liliana
3 Essence Extraction
2 Ruinous Path
4 Liliana, the Last Hope
4 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 Ob Nixilis Reignited
4 Fumigate
2 Sorin, Grim Nemesis
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Concealed Courtyard
4 Shambling Vent
4 Aether Hub
2 Westvale Abbey
4 Plains
8 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Flaying Tendrils
2 Fragmentize
3 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
4 Stasis Snare
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Rakdos Control]
[Creatures]
4 Goblin Dark-Dwellers
2 Noxious Gearhulk
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Galvanic Bombardment
4 Grasp of Darkness
4 Oath of Chandra
4 Oath of Liliana
3 Ruinous Path
4 Liliana, the Last Hope
3 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Ob Nixilis Reignited
2 Chandra, Flamecaller
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Smoldering Marsh
4 Foreboding Ruins
4 Aether Hub
5 Mountain
7 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Filigree Familiar
2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
3 Kozilek’s Return
4 Transgress the Mind
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Gruul Aggro]
[Creatures]
4 Kessig Prowler
4 Falkenrath Gorger
4 Thriving Grubs
4 Voltaic Brawler
4 Longtusk Cub
4 Lathnu Hellion
4 Reckless Bushwhacker
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Blossoming Defense
4 Harnessed Lightning
4 Incendiary Flow
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Game Trail
4 Cinder Glade
4 Aether Hub
2 Forest
6 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Filigree Familiar
3 Natural State
4 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Selesnya Midrange]
[Creatures]
4 Sylvan Advocate
4 Ulvenwald Captive
1 Deathcap Cultivator
2 Filigree Familiar
3 Tireless Tracker
4 Eldrazi Displacer
4 Verdurous Gearhulk
2 Archangel Avacyn
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Oath of Nissa
4 Declaration in Stone
3 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 Nissa, Vital Force
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Canopy Vista
4 Fortified Village
4 Aether Hub
2 Westvale Abbey
6 Forest
3 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Appetite for the Unnatural
2 Cataclysmic Gearhulk
3 Stasis Snare
4 Take Down
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Izzet Fevered Visions]
[Creatures]
4 Thermo-Alchemist
2 Bedlam Reveler
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Galvanic Bombardment
2 Lightning Axe
4 Take Inventory
4 Incendiary Flow
4 Collective Defiance
4 Fiery Temper
4 Fevered Visions
3 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
2 Metallurgic Summonings
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Wandering Fumarole
4 Highland Lake
4 Spirebluff Canal
3 Island
8 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Nahiri’s Wrath
2 Negate
3 Thing in the Ice
4 Weaver of Lightning
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Temur Emerge]
[Creatures]
4 Filigree Familiar
2 Pilgrim’s Eye
3 Rashmi, Eternities Crafter
4 Elder Deep-Fiend
1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
2 Emrakul, the Promised End
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Traverse the Ulvenwald
4 Vessel of Nascency
4 Grapple with the Past
4 Kozilek’s Return
1 Pulse of Murasa
2 Nissa, Vital Force
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Lumbering Falls
2 Botanical Sanctum
2 Cinder Glade
2 Wandering Fumarole
4 Evolving Wilds
9 Forest
1 Island
1 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Chandra, Flamecaller
2 Galvanic Bombardment
3 Jaddi Offshoot
4 Sylvan Advocate
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Rakdos Vampires]
[Creatures]
4 Falkenrath Gorger
4 Insolent Neonate
4 Indulgent Aristocrat
4 Asylum Visitor
4 Heir of Falkenrath
4 Stromkirk Condemned
4 Furyblade Vampire
4 Incorrigible Youths
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Incendiary Flow
4 Fiery Temper
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Smoldering Marsh
4 Forboding Ruins
4 Aether Hub
3 Swamp
5 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Collective Brutality
2 Galvanic Bombardment
3 Liliana, the Last Hope
4 Transgress the Mind
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Dimir Zombies]
[Creatures]
4 Cryptbreaker
4 Scrapheap Scrounger
4 Relentless Dead
4 Diregraf Colossus
4 Prized Amalgam
4 Haunted Dead
3 Elder Deep-Fiend
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Collective Brutality
2 Liliana, the Last Hope
4 Dark Salvation
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Sunken Hollow
4 Choked Estuary
13 Swamp
2 Island
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Dead Weight
2 Distended Mindbender
3 Negate
4 Ruinous Path
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Azorious Humans]
[Creatures]
4 Expedition Envoy
4 Thraben Inspector
4 Town Gossipmonger
4 Hanweir Militia Captain
4 Thalia’s Lieutenant
4 Reflector Mage
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Gryff’s Boon
4 Declaration in Stone
4 Always Watching
4 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Port Town
4 Prairie Stream
2 Island
11 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Collective Effort
2 Eerie Interlude
3 Fragmentize
4 Stasis Snare
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Boros Humans]
[Creatures]
4 Expedition Envoy
4 Thraben Inspector
4 Town Gossipmonger
4 Hanweir Militia Captain
4 Thalia’s Lieutenant
4 Hanweir Garrison
2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Gryff’s Boon
4 Declaration in Stone
4 Always Watching
4 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Needle Spires
4 Inspiring Vantage
2 Hanweir BAttlements
9 Plains
2 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Collective Effort
2 Fragmentize
3 Reckless Bushwhacker
4 Stasis Snare
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Abzan Rites]
[Creatures]
4 Loam Dryad
4 Zulaport Cutthroat
4 Duskwatch Recruiter
4 Eldrazi Displacer
4 Catacomb Sifter
4 Filigree Familiar
2 Restoration Gearsmith
4 Brood Monitor
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Cryptolith Rite
4 Eldritch Evolution
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Evolving Wilds
2 Canopy Vista
2 Westvale Abbey
3 Blooming Marsh
4 Aether Hub
5 Forest
1 Plains
1 Swamo
1 Wastes
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Blossoming Defense
2 Eerie Interlude
3 Liliana, the Last Hope
4 Transgress the Mind
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Abzan Toolbox]
[Creatures]
4 Duskwatch Recruiter
4 Grim Flayer
1 Zulaport Cutthroat
4 Filigree Familiar
4 Catacomb Sifter
1 Eldrazi Displacer
1 Restoration Gearsmith
1 Gisela, the Broken Blade
1 Arborback Stomper
2 Thalia’s Lancers
1 Noxious Gearhulk
1 Greenwarden of Murasa
1 Linvala, the Preserver
1 Brood Monitor
1 Bruna, the Fading Light
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Liliana, the Last Hope
4 Eldritch Evolution
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Evolving Wilds
4 Hissing Quagmire
4 Blooming Marsh
3 Canopy Vista
4 Aether Hub
3 Forest
1 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Wastes
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Eerie Interlude
2 Distended Mindbender
3 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Transgress the Mind
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Sultai Dredge]
[Creatures]
2 Cryptbreaker
4 Noose Constrictor
4 Scrapheap Scrounger
4 Prized Amalgam
4 Filigree Familiar
4 Haunted Dead
2 Voldaren Pariah
4 Elder Deep-Fiend
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Vessel of Nascency
4 Grapple with the Past
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Evolving Wilds
4 Hissing Quagmire
4 Blooming Marsh
4 Botanical Sanctum
4 Forest
1 Island
3 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Collective Brutality
2 Distended Mindbender
3 Kozilek’s Return
4 Mockery of Nature
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Colorless Eldrazi]
[Creatures]
4 Eldrazi Mimic
4 Hedron Crawler
4 Matter Reshaper
4 Filigree Familiar
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Reality Smasher
2 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
2 Kozilek, the Great Distortion
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Spatial Contortion
4 Hedron Archive
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Sanctum of Ugin
4 Shrine of the Forsaken Gods
4 Westvale Abbey
4 Corrupted Crossroads
4 Aether Hub
2 Ruins of Oran-Rief
1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
1 Sea Gate Wreckage
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Kozilek’s Return
2 Titan’s Presence
3 Transgress the Mind
4 Spell Shrivel
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Eldrazi Evolution]
[Creatures]
4 Deathcap Cultivator
3 Hedron Crawler
4 Duskwatch Recruiter
4 Filigree Familiar
4 Matter Reshaper
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Reality Smasher
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Spatial Contortion
4 Eldritch Evolution
2 Nissa, Vital Force
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Westvale Abbey
4 Aether Hub
1 Sea Gate Wreckage
1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
13 Forest
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Appetite for the Unnatural
2 Blossoming Defense
3 Take Down
4 Warping Wail
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Mono Blue Eldrazi]
[Creatures]
4 Hedron Crawler
4 Matter Reshaper
4 Eldrazi Skyspawner
3 Thought-Knot Seer
3 Reality Smasher
3 Drowner of Hope
2 Elder Deep-Fiend
1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Spatial Contortion
4 Coax from the Blind Eternities
4 hedron Archive
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Aether Hub
4 Shrine of the Forsaken Gods
2 Westvale Abbey
2 Sanctum of Ugin
1 Geier Reach Sanitarium
11 Island
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 A Bunch of Eldrazi
2 Filigree Familiar
3 Summary Dismissal
4 Warping Wail
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Selesnya Tokens]
[Creatures]
2 Oviya Pashiri, Sage Lifecrafter
4 Loam Dryad
4 Hanweir Militia Captain
1 Pious Evangel
3 Angel of Invention
3 Decimator of the Provinces
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Servo Exhibition
4 Declaration in Stone
4 Oath of Gideon
4 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
4 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Fortified Village
4 Canopy Vista
4 Aether Hub
2 Westvale Abbey
4 Forest
5 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Archangel Avacyn
2 Fragmentize
3 Take Down
4 Stasis Snare
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Dimir Eldrazi Aggro]
[Creatures]
4 Salvage Drone
4 Sludge Crawler
4 Reaver Drone
4 Prophet of Distortion
4 Fathom Feeder
4 Dimensional Infiltrator
4 Ruination Guide
4 Wasteland Strangler
4 Mindmelter
2 Ulamog’s Nullifier
[/Creatures]
[Land]
4 Sunken Hollow
4 Choked Estuary
4 Aether Hub
4 Corrupted Crossroads
3 Island
3 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Bearer of Silence
2 Horribly Awry
3 Transgress the Mind
4 Void Shatter
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Izzet Eldrazi]
[Creatures]
4 Prophet of Distortion
4 Bomat Courrier
4 Dimensional Infiltrator
4 Eldrazi Obligator
4 Vile Aggregate
4 Eldrazi Skyspawner
4 Ruination Guide
4 Filigree Familiar
2 Elder Deep-Fiend
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Spatial Contortion
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Aether Hub
4 Corrupted Crossroads
4 Wandering Fumarole
4 Spirebluff Canal
4 Island
2 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Brutal Expulsion
2 Galvanic Bombardment
3 Kozilek’s Return
4 Void Shatter
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Boros Artificer Aggro]
[Creatures]
4 Toolcraft Exemplar
4 inventor’s Apprentice
4 Stone Haven outfitter
4 Weapons Trainer
4 Master Trinketeer
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Inventor’s Goggles
2 Stitcher’s Graft
4 Captain’s Claws
4 Incendiary Flow
4 Declaration in Stone
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Needle Spires
4 Inspiring Vantage
4 Aether Hub
8 Plains
2 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Fragmentize
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
3 Reckless Bushwhacker
4 Stasis Snare
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Dwarves]
[Creatures]
4 Toolcraft Exemplar
4 Veteran Motorist
4 Aerial Responder
4 Fairgrounds Warden
4 Master Trinketeer
3 Depala, Pilot Exemplar
4 Visionary Augmenter
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Servo Exhibition
4 Declaration in Stone
3 Smuggler’s Copter
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Needle Spires
4 Inspiring Vantage
4 Aether Hub
8 Plains
2 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Fragmentize
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
3 Selfless Spirit
4 Stasis Snare
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Azorious Displacer]
[Creatures]
4 Eldrazi Displacer
4 Reflector Mage
4 Spell Queller
4 Filigree Familiar
2 Cataclysmic Gearhulk
2 Archangel Avacyn
1 Cloudblazer
1 Torrential Gearhulk
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Declaration in Stone
4 Revolutionary Rebuff
4 Scatter to the Winds
2 Dovin Baan
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Port Town
4 Prairie Stream
4 Aether Hub
4 Westvale Abbey
4 Island
4 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Ceremonious Rejection
2 Fragmentize
3 Summary Dismissal
4 Stasis Snare
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Jeskai Control]
[Creatures]
1 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Galvanic Bombardment
4 Revolutionary Rebuff
4 Take Inventory
4 Scatter to the Winds
1 Saheeli Rai
1 Insidious Will
3 Glimmer of Genius
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
3 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 Nahiri, the Harbinger
3 Fumigate
1 Jace, Unraveler of Secrets
1 Descend Upon the Sinful
1 Chandra, Flamecaller
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Needle Spires
4 Wandering Fumarole
4 Prairie Stream
2 Spirebluff Canal
4 Evolving Wilds
5 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Authority of the Consuls
2 Fragmentize
3 Kozilek’s Return
4 Summary Dismissal
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Gruul Monsters]
[Creatures]
4 Sylvan Advocate
4 Deathcap Cultivator
2 Ulvenwald Captive
2 Hanweir Garrison
4 Tireless Tracker
4 Verdurous Gearhulk
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Oath of Nissa
4 Incendiary Flow
2 Arlinn Kord
4 Chandra, Torch of Defiance
3 Nissa, Vital Force
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Game Trail
4 Cinder Glade
4 Aethr Hub
2 Hanweir Battlements
6 Forest
3 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Appetite for the Unnatural
2 Blossoming Defense
3 Galvanic Bombardment
4 Take Down
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

That’s all I have for now. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below and I will do my best to answer them.

Thanks for reading,

Josh Milliken

@joshuamilliken on Twitter

Brewing With Shadows over Innistrad

Welcome back for Brewing With Shadows over Innistrad, and a new world order for Standard. With this latest set Standard is now a three block format that currently consists of Dragons of Tarkir, Magic Origins, Battle for Zendikar, Oath of the Gatewatch, and Shadows over Innistrad. This is a super exiting time, because screw [card]Siege Rhino[/card] and free rolling four color decks with the fetchlands, I won’t miss them. I’ve brought fifteen decks for you today, sideboards not included. Instead of having a fleshed out sideboard foe these decks, I have included four sideboard suggestions as cards you should heavily consider when constructing the sideboard for the deck. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s get to the deck lists…

This is one of the obvious decks to build with the new cards, but with a few cards people haven’t been considering such as [card]Scion Summoner[/card] as some additional ramp to make sure you get to your bigger spells. Most lists will run more token makers and less ramp spells, but the mana gets super difficult the more you push it into red.

[deck title= Gruul Tokens]
[Creatures]
4 Deathcap Cultivator
4 Den Protector
4 Leaf Gilder
4 Sylvan Advocate
4 Scion Summoner
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Oath of Chandra
4 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
4 Arlinn Kord
3 Chandra, Flamecaller
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Cinder Glade
4 Game Trail
9 Forest
6 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Boiling Earth
2 Crumble to Dust
3 Fiery Impulse
4 Plummet
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

The format seems to have slowed down a bit, which should give rise to some midrange decks doing well. I would be surprised if this deck isn’t at least a small part of the metagame over the next couple of months.

[deck title= Golgari Eldrazi Rock]
[Creatures]
4 Bearer of Silence
4 Den Protector
4 Wasteland Strangler
3 Liliana, Heretical Healer
3 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
4 Thought-Knot Seer
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Dead Weight
3 Transgress the Mind
2 Grasp of Darkness
2 Ruinous Path
3 Read the Bones
2 Ob Nixilis Reignited
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Hissing Quagmire
4 Llanowar Wastes
4 Evolving Wilds
2 Blighted Fen
1 Sea Gate Wreckage
1 Westvale Abbey
1 Forest
1 Wastes
5 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Duress
2 Flaying Tendrils
3 Reality Smasher
4 Ultimate Price
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This deck really only lost [card]Ugin, the Spirit Dragon[/card], but actually gained a few options. I made a conscious decision to cut [card]Explosive Vegetation[/card] for [card]Hedron Archive[/card] to more easily facilitate Delirium on [card]Traverse the Ulvenwald[/card], if it doesn’t turn out to be good then it should go back in that slot. Expect a ton of this deck until players figure out how to fight it best.

[deck title= Gruul Ramp]
[Creatures]
4 Sylvan Advocate
4 World Breaker
2 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Oath of Nissa
3 Traverse the Ulvenwald
4 Ruin in Their Wake
4 Nissa’s Pilgrimage
3 Kozilek’s Return
3 Hedron Archive
2 Arlinn Kord
3 Chandra, Flamecaller
[/Spells]
[Land]
2 Cinder Glade
2 Shrine of the Forsaken Gods
3 Sanctum of Ugin
4 Evolving Wilds
8 Forest
2 Mountain
4 Wastes
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Crumble to Dust
2 Hangarback Walker
3 Jaddi Offshoot
4 Thought-Knot Seer
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This deck heavily benefits from [card]Ugin, the Spirit Dragon[/card] leaving the format, but does get worse mana and loses [card]Outpost Siege[/card]. I may give it another shot soon if there aren’t too many control decks to fight through.

[deck title= Enchantress]
[Creatures]
4 Hearald of the Pantheon
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Vessel of Nascency
4 Myth Realized
4 Oath of Chandra
4 Silkwrap
4 Stasis Snare
2 Nahiri, the Harbinger
4 Sigil of the Empty Throne
2 Starfield of Nyx
4 Quarantine Field
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Canopy Vista
4 Cinder Glade
4 Battlefield Forge
2 Needle Spire
11 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Chandra, Flamecaller
2 Hallowed Moonlight
3 Radiant Flames
4 Surge of Righteousness
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

I expect quite a bit of red aggro in the coming months, whether it’s Rakdos Aggro, Atarka Red, Mono Red, or even Rakdos Vampires I don’t know, but it has lost a lot of punch with this rotation. This version is just focused on going fast with efficient creatures, and maybe getting a small amount of card advantage back with [card]Asylum Visitor[/card] and [card]Abbot of Keral Keep[/card].

[deck title= Rakdos Aggro]
[Creatures]
4 Falkenrath Gorger
4 Village Messenger
3 Zurgo Bellstriker
4 Asylum Visitor
4 Ravenous Bloodseeker
4 Forerunner of Slaughter
4 Abbot of Keral Keep
3 Reckless Bushwhacker
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Fiery Impulse
2 Avacyn’s Judgment
4 Dragon Fodder
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Forboding Ruins
4 Smoldering Marsh
11 Mountain
2 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Act of Treason
2 Roast
3 Self-Inflicted Wound
4 Smash to Smithereens
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This is likely the default for most aggressive red players, as it doesn’t stumble all over its mana. [card]Village Messenger[/card] will likely only be mediocre, but it’s still probably going to flip and deal three damage if you go first. There is only one discard outlet for [card]Fiery Temper[/card] in this deck, but often times you’re just going to cast it on your opponents turn anyways making the discount mostly irrelevant.

[deck title= Mono Red]
[Creatures]
4 Falkenrath Gorger
4 Village Messenger
3 Zurgo Bellstriker
2 Lightning Berserker
4 Ravenous Bloodseeker
4 Abbot of Keral Keep
3 Reckless Bushwhacker
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Titan’s Strength
3 Fiery Impulse
4 Dragon Fodder
4 Fiery Temper
[/Spells]
[Land]
21 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Act of Treason
2 Boiling Earth
3 Roast
4 Smash to Smithereens
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This seems like it will be a fun fair combo deck, but I have no idea if it will be any good. Turning on Delirium for [card]Traverse the Ulvenwald[/card] will be pretty easy in this deck, so there are a few silver bullet lands. This sideboard could also give you some silver bullet creatures and/or lands to aid in devouring the land.

[deck title= Jund Lands]
[Creatures]
3 Groundskeeper
3 Mina and Denn, Wildborn
3 The Gitrog Monster
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Traverse the Ulvenwald
4 Vessel of Nascency
4 Magmatic Insight
3 Molten Vortex
4 Tormenting Voice
3 Kozilek’s Return
2 Chandra, Flamecaller
[/Spells]
[Land]
2 Cinder Glade
2 Smoldering Marsh
4 Evolving Wilds
2 Drownyard Temple
1 Westvale Abbey
1 Blighted Fen
4 Hissing Quagmire
2 Llanowar Wastes
5 Forest
3 Mountain
1 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Duress
2 Jaddi Offshoot
3 Languish
4 Roast
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This deck hasn’t seen any love in a while, but it doesn’t lost much. With the format slowing down and a repeatable mill thirteen cards effect, it will be a little easier to get there. I expect quite a few players to make use of their [card]Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy[/card]s in this deck since he’s not as easy to flip anymore.

[deck title= Izzet Tutelage]
[Creatures]
4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Magmatic Insight
4 Tormenting Voice
4 Avacyn’s Judgment
4 Oath of Jace
4 Sphinx’s Tutelage
2 Harness the Storm
4 Startled Awake
2 Chandra, Flamecaller
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Wandering Fumarole
4 Shivan Reef
4 Evolving Wilds
2 Drownyard Temple
6 Island
4 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Horribly awry
2 Kozilek’s Return
3 Negate
4 Thing in the Ice
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This deck lost its best one drop and combo kill, and barely gained anything. It will likely see some play, but the removal is now much better in this format making it’s weak creatures and spells seem unexciting. But it did gain [card]Thing in the Ice[/card] and a variety of Madness spells that could be good depending on how the metagame shapes up.

[deck title= Izzet Prowess]
[Creatures]
4 Thing in the Ice
4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
4 Elusive Spellfist
4 Abbot of Keral Keep
4 Stormchaser Mage
1 Jori En, Ruin Diver
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Expedite
3 Slip Through Space
2 Rush of Ice
3 Fiery Impulse
4 Titan’s Strength
2 Avacyn’s Judgment
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Wandering Fumarole
4 Shivan Reef
4 Evolving Wilds
6 Island
5 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Boiling Earth
2 Negate
3 Roast
4 Welcome to the Fold
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This is how I envision Atarka Red now after playing red decks almost exclusively for the past two years. Another card that could be considered in the sideboard is [card]Nissa, Voice of Zendikar[/card], but she will be hard to cast quite frequently. I expect a lot of this deck for a while, most likely misbuilt and warping it’s mana to have [card]Nissa, Voice of Zendikar[/card] in the main.

[deck title= Atarka Red]
[Creatures]
4 Falkenrath Gorger
3 Lightning Berserker
3 Zurgo Bellstriker
4 Abbot of Keral Keep
4 Thopter Engineer
3 Reckless Bushwhacker
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Fiery Impulse
4 Dragon Fodder
4 Atarka’s Command
3 Arlinn Kord
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Cinder Glade
4 Game Trail
2 Forest
13 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Act of Treason
2 Boiling Earth
3 Roast
4 Plummet
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This will be another deck that players will gravitate to, but I’m not sure it’s all that good. If it is, it will be time to break out the [card]Virulent Plague[/card]s to shut this deck down. This deck really only gains [card]Archangel Avacyn[/card], which might not even be all that great in it with [card]Dragonlord Dromoka[/card] being a great option in that slot as well. But with a slower metagame it will be easier to set up the kind of plays this deck wants to do.

[deck title= Selesnya Tokens]
[Creatures]
4 Hangarback Walker
4 Deathcap Cultivator
3 Archangel Avacyn
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Traverse the Ulvenwald
4 Oath of Nissa
4 Dromoka’s Command
4 Oath of Gideon
4 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
4 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 Secure the Wastes
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Fortified Village
4 Canopy Vista
4 Evolving Wilds
1 Westvale Abbey
6 Forest
4 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Declaration in Stone
2 Plummet
3 Silkwrap
4 Surge of Righteousness
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This seems like it could be either really good or terrible depending on what the other decks are trying to do. I hope it’s really good, because I do like to play Jund when I can. It doesn’t have the best options for removal though, and could be gone under by some fast aggro decks.

[deck title= Jund Walkers]
[Creatures]
4 Deathcap Cultivator
4 Den Protector
2 Leaf Gilder
2 Liliana, Heretical Healer
1 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Oath of Nissa
4 Oath of Chandra
3 Read the Bones
1 Kolaghan’s Command
3 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
3 Arlinn Kord
2 Ob Nixilis Reignited
2 Chandra, Flamecaller
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Game Trail
4 Cinder Glade
3 Smoldering Marsh
4 Hissing Quagmire
4 Llanowar Wastes
6 Forest
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Duress
2 Plummet
3 Roast
4 Self-Inflicted Wound
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This is the deck that everyone is talking about as the aggro deck of the format, and it does seem pretty powerful. I expect a lot of variations on this deck as long as Shadows over Innistrad is legal, since the only vampire not from the set in it is [card]Drana, Liberator of Malakir[/card] , and we will assuredly get more good vampires in Eldritch Moon.

[deck title= Rakdos Vampires]
[Creatures]
4 Falkenrath Gorger
4 Indulgent Aristocrat
4 Ravenous Bloodseeker
4 Heir of Falkenrath
4 Asylum Visitor
3 Drana, Liberator of Malakir
3 Olivia, Mobilized for War
4 Incorrigible Youths
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Avacyn’s Judgment
4 Fiery Temper
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Forboding Ruins
4 Smoldering Marsh
4 Evolving Wilds
6 Mountain
4 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Dead Weight
2 Duress
3 Roast
4 Self-Inflicted Wound
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

Esper didn’t lose a heck of a lot that couldn’t be replaced, but the mana it lost is pretty painful. I expect to see a lot of this deck as people try to make the mana work. I will be glad to no longer have to worry about [card]Dig Through Time[/card].

[deck title= Esper Dragons]
[Creatures]
4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
3 Dragonlord Ojutai
2 Dragonlord Silumgar
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Dead Weight
4 Silumgar’s Scorn
3 Anguished Unmaking
4 Foul-Toungue Invocation
4 Scatter to the Winds
2 Ojutai’s Command
2 Planar Outburst
2 Epiphany at the Drownyard
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Prairie Stream
4 Sunken Hollow
2 Port Town
2 Choked Estuary
2 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
4 Shambling Vent
8 Island
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Duress
2 Negate
3 Surge of Righteousness
4 To the Slaughter
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

I saved my favorite for last, and to everyones shock it’s not a red deck. I started with the Golgari Eldrazi Rock deck in my brewing process, and once I saw [card]Declaration in Stone[/card] and [card]Anguished Unmaking[/card] I knew this is where I wanted to be to start the new standard format. This deck should be capable of fighting anything the format can throw at it with proper sideboarding. Some options that are being considered are [card]Virulent Plague[/card], [card]Pick the Brain[/card], [card]Grasp of Darkness[/card] and [card]Ruinous Path[/card]. I have completed a sideboard for this one, as it’s what I will initially be testing.

[deck title= Orzhov Eldrazi Rock]
[Creatures]
4 Hidden Dragonslayer
4 Bearer of Silence
4 Wasteland Strangler
3 Liliana, Heretical Healer
3 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
4 Thought-Knot Seer
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Dead Weight
2 Declaration in Stone
2 Silkwrap
2 Read the Bones
3 Anguished Unmaking
2 Ob Nixilis Reignited
1 Sorin, Grim Nemesis
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Shambling Vent
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Evolving Wilds
2 Westvale Abbey
1 Sea Gate Wreckage
1 Plains
1 Wastes
6 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Anguished Unmaking
1 Declaration in Stone
3 Duress
3 Flaying Tendrils
2 Reality Smasher
1 Sea Gate Wreckage
2 To the Slaughter
2 Transgress the Mind
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

That’s all I have for now. I’ll see you again for Brewing With Eldritch Moon. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below and I will do my best to answer them.

Thanks for reading,

Josh Milliken

@joshuamilliken on Twitter

Brewing With Oath of the Gatewatch

Welcome back for Brewing With Oath of the Gatewatch. After an insane thirty decks last time, we have a much more reasonable ten decks for Standard. These decks only have “Sideboard Suggestions” other than the Atarka Red list, which is where I plan to start when the set is released.

This had been the scariest deck in Standard for a few months due to being able to deal nearly twenty damage in one turn. Now it gets another creature to help with burst damage when you can’t try to combo.
I’m still trying to figure out how to fit [card]Nissa, Voice of Zendikar[/card] somewhere in the deck, but I’m not sure I can manage it.

[deck title= Atarka Red]
[Creatures]
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Zurgo Bellstriker
2 Lightning Berserker
4 Abbot of Keral Keep
4 Reckless Bushwhacker
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Fiery Impulse
4 Titan’s Strength
4 Dragon Fodder
4 Atarka’s Command
3 Temur Battlerage
4 Become Immense
[/Spells]
[Land]
2 Cinder Glade
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Windswept Heath
1 Forest
8 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
2 Firey Impulse
3 Rending Volley
2 Boiling Earth
4 Roast
2 Hordeling Outburst
2 Outpost Siege
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

I call it “Big Red”, but it will play like a control deck most of the time. Every creature is a value creature, making it very difficult for your opponents to really gain an advantage in the game.

[deck title= Big Red]
[Creatures]
4 Hangarback Walker
4 Abbot of Keral Keep
4 Thought-Knot Seer
4 Thunderbreak Regent
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
3 Goblin Dark-Dwellers
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Fiery Impulse
4 Draconic Roar
3 Exquisite Firecraft
2 Outpost Siege
2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
1 Chandra, Flamecaller
[/Spells]
[Land]
2 Blighted Gorge
2 Sea Gate Wreckage
4 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
16 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Rending Volley
2 Roast
3 Kozilek’s Return
4 Scab-Clan Berserker
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This deck got a huge bump from the Eldrazi spells from this set. I expect to see a lot of this as people try to figure out the format. It is a little low on power, but can just grind out the game with incremental card advantage.

[deck title= B/W Eldrazi]
[Creatures]
4 Hangarback Walker
4 Knight of the White Orchard
4 Hidden Dragonslayer
4 Bearer of Silence
2 Eldrazi Displacer
4 Wasteland Strangler
4 Thought-Knot Seer
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Silkwrap
2 Stasis Snare
3 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Shambling Vent
4 Caves of Koilos
2 Sea Gate Wreckage
4 Evolving Wilds
1 Wastes
6 Plains
2 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Duress
2 Surge of Righteousness
3 Transgress the Mind
4 Utter End
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This deck just wants to live the dream of casting the same spells over and over again. This deck will likely be good, but I expect it to end up as four colors for a more diverse array of spells.

[deck title= Jund Midrange]
[Creatures]
4 Hangarback Walker
4 Sylvan Advocate
4 Rattleclaw Mystic
4 Den Protector
2 Thunderbreak Regent
2 Goblin Dark-Dwellers
1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Fiery Impulse
2 Ultimate Price
1 Roast
3 Kolaghan’s Command
2 Painful Truths
1 Ruinous Path
2 Murderous Cut
1 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Hissing Quagmire
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Cinder Glade
2 Smoldering Marsh
3 Forest
3 Mountain
3 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Duress
2 Roast
3 Flaying Tendrils
4 Exquisite Firecraft
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

Abzan got a lot of great cards to replace some of its already really good cards. It will be the most heavily played deck again, especially since it got better ways to deal with the Rally decks. I’ll be glad when [card]Siege Rhino[/card] rotates out of Standard.

[deck title= Abzan Aggro]
[Creatures]
4 Warden of the First Tree
4 Sylvan Advocate
2 Den Protector
4 Anafenza, the Foremost
4 Siege Rhino
1 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
1 Wingmate Roc
1 Linvala, the Preserver
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
1 Silkwrap
4 Dromoka’s Command
4 Abzan Charm
4 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
1 Murderous Cut
[/Spells]
[Land]
3 Shambling Vents
2 Hissing Quagmire
2 Canopy Vista
1 Sunken Hollow
1 Smoldering Marsh
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Windswept Heath
4 Flooded Strand
2 Forest
2 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Duress
2 Surge of Righteousness
3 Transgress the Mind
4 Flaying Tendrils
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This is another deck that got some great new toys. Fortunately most of them are just sideboard cards, but some could end up being huge in the main in the right meta. I expect to see a lot of this deck in the near future, and I may even end up playing it myself.

[deck title= R/G Ramp]
[Creatures]
4 Hangarback Walker
4 Jaddi Offshoot
1 World Breaker
2 Dragonlord Atarka
2 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
2 Kozilek, the Great Distortion
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Ruin in their Wake
2 Sylvan Scrying
4 Nissa’s Pilgrimage
4 Explosive Vegetation
2 Hedron Archive
4 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Sanctum of Ugin
2 Shrine of the Forsaken Gods
1 Sea Gate Wreckage
4 Evolving Wilds
9 Forest
2 Mountain
3 Wastes
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Spatial Contortion
2 Kozilek’s Return
3 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
4 Thought-Knot Seer
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This deck is a lot like the G/W Aggro decks from a few months ago that got hated out of the format. The new toys it got may push it back into being competitive again, but either way it looks like a lot of fun to play.

[deck title= G/W Tokens]
[Creatures]
4 Hangarback Walker
4 Warden of the First Tree
4 Den Protector
4 Knight of the White Orchard
4 Deathmist Raptor
4 Whisperwood Elemental
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Dromoka’s Command
4 Oath of Gideon
3 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar
4 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Canopy Vista
4 Blossoming Sands
2 Foundry of the Consuls
4 Windswept Heath
5 Forest
4 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Arashin Cleric
2 Mastery of the Unseen
3 Surge of Righteousness
4 Valorous Stance
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

Now we have an update of my Enchantress list I was running a while back. The worst card was always [card]Suspension Field[/card], and a very good replacement is [card]Oath of Chandra[/card] which in long games could end up being recurred every turn to kill a creature. This deck is really good as long as Esper and R/G Ramp aren’t seeing a lot of play, as they are terrible matchups.

[deck title= Enchantress]
[Creatures]
4 Herald of the Pantheon
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Myth Realized
4 Oath of Chandra
4 Silkwrap
4 Stasis Snare
2 Outpost Siege
4 Starfield of Nyx
4 Sigil of the Empty Throne
4 Quarantine Field
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 canopy Vista
2 Cinder Glade
2 Needle Spire
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Forest
8 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Celestial Flare
2 Surge of Righteousness
3 Radiant Flames
4 Suppression Bonds
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

With the printing of [card]Monastery Swiftspear[/card]s big brother [card]Stormchaser Mage[/card] a U/R Tempo decks seems like it could be a thing again. I’m very excited about the card myself, but am not sure it is competitive at the moment.

[deck title= U/R Tempo]
[Creatures]
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Zurgo Bellstriker
4 Stormchaser Mage
4 Jeskai Elder
4 Abbot of Keral Keep
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Titan’s Strength
2 Fiery Impulse
4 Wild Slash
4 Dragon Fodder
2 Exquisite Firecraft
4 Treasure Cruise
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Wandering Fumarole
4 Shivan Reef
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Island
6 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Dispel
2 Rending Volley
3 Boiling Earth
4 Roast
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

This is the likely home for [card]Goblin Dark-Dwellers[/card], and being backed by a ton of lifegain will be hard to race. I expect a lot of Abzan players to make the leap to this if only to have an edge in the mirror.

[deck title= Abzan Red]
[Creatures]
4 Sylvan Advocate
4 Den Protector
3 Soulfire Grandmaster
4 Anafenza, the Foremost
4 Siege Rhino
2 Goblin Dark-Dwellers
1 Wingmate Roc
1 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Painful Truths
3 Kolaghan’s Command
2 Crackling Doom
3 Abzan Charm
1 Murderous Cut
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Shambling Vents
2 Hissing Quagmire
2 Canopy Vista
1 Cinder Glade
1 Smoldering Marsh
2 Bloodstained Mire
4 Windswept Heath
2 Wooded Foothills
2 Forest
1 Mountain
2 Plains
3 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Duress
2 Roast
3 Self-Inflicted Wound
4 Flaying Tendrils
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

That’s all I have for now. I’ll see you again for Brewing With Shadows Over Innistrad. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below and I will do my best to answer them.

Thanks for reading,

Josh Milliken

Enchanted – A Shot at Standard Enchantress

It became a necessity to find something else to play after losing eight straight rounds with Atarka Landfall, and another 4 with Atarka Red. I was determined to stop losing to the various Jeskai and Abzan decks that were flooding the format. Suddenly something clicked in my head while watching the coverage of Pro Tour Battle for Zendikar on Friday. [card]Silkwrap[/card] they had said again and again on coverage. They kept talking about [card]Silkwrap[/card], and then I remembered how many cards there were that exiled creatures and permanents and went to work.

After about twenty minutes I had a rough list for the deck and picked up the cards on Magic Online. And then my wife started looking at me like I’m an idiot as I sat at my computer laughing my ass off while playing the deck. She finally looked over in time to see me land a [card]Starfield of Nyx[/card] and swing for lethal. “How much was that?” she asked as I was laughing hysterically “All of the damages.” I relied. This went on for about two hours until I realized Atarka Red was still a deck and that I needed sweepers.

I went to work trying to figure out what I was going to use to help keep the early threats away. I finally decided that [card]Radiant Flames[/card] was exactly the early sweeper I needed and Immediately put some [card]Outpost Siege[/card] in the sideboard to help in the controlling matchups. After a few more matches I realized I wanted to play this at the PPTQ the next day if I didn’t qualify for the Magic Online PTQ that night with it, so we ended up making a round to the local shops and picking everything I didn’t have up for about $80.00.

I played quite a few more matches trying to ensure that I had the right configuration of cards at my disposal while preparing for the Magic Online PPTQ. I felt like I had it right, so I brought up the window to join. I must have gotten distracted by something, because as I watched the timer count down to begin the event I was doing various things. Suddenly the event began, but my match didn’t pop up. I looked all over for my name, thinking I had gotten the bye. Suddenly it hit me that I had somehow not joined the event. Oops. Well I guess I am playing that PPTQ tomorrow after all.

I showed up to the PPTQ with plenty of time to spare, and waited and waited. We eventually had the event start with eight players. That meant single elimination. I was paired against a Dark Jeskai deck. I was able to maintain the board, but he kept getting in with [card]Mantis Rider[/card]s the turn he would cast them and chipping away with a couple points of burn here and there to take me down a game. Game two I was able to land some win conditions and slowly take the game. Game three didn’t go so well as he had a [card]Disdainful Stroke[/card] waiting for my only win condition of [card]Sigil of the Empty Throne[/card] while I drew nothing relevant.

Do I have enough time to make it to states? I think I do! As I ran off to my car. I made it with about five minutes to spare before the tournament was supposed to start. I quickly got registered and my deck list written out, and then waited about a half an hour for the tournament to start. So much for rushing.

Here is the list that I played for the tournament.

[deck title= States Enchantress]
[Creatures]
4 Herald of the Pantheon
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Myth Realized
4 Silkwrap
4 Suspension Field
4 Stasis Snare
3 Elemental Bond
4 Starfield of Nyx
4 Sigil of the Empty Throne
4 Quarantine Field
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Canopy Vista
1 Cinder Glade
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Forest
10 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
2 Celestial Flare
4 Surge of Righteousness
3 Radiant Flames
2 Outpost Siege
2 Suppression Bonds
2 Planar Outburst
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

2060412_orig

Round 1- 4 Color Abzan 2-0

Game 1- I started off quite slow this game being down a card on the play, while he was able to put on a lot of pressure. Some timely draws an a [card]Starfield of Nyx[/card] were able to put my opponent on the defensive and then out of the game after being active for a couple of turns.

Game 2- I was able to just dominate this game with some anemic beats from a [card]Myth Realized[/card] backed by all the removal ever.

Round 2- Esper Dragons 2-0

Game 1- I was able to play super tight getting into a battle over a [card]Dragonlord Ojutai[/card] at the end of his turn allowing me to resolve a [card]Starfield of Nyx[/card] on my turn and take over the game.

Game 2- Was super super long, so just some of the cool plays. I was able to resolve a [card]Starfield of Nyx[/card] as some point with active [card]Outpost Siege[/card]. He countered a [card]Suppression Bonds[/card] earlier in the game which I was able to bring back into play on his [card]Dragonlord Ojutai[/card], which would force him to find a 2nd one if he wants to attack with one. He did play another and I brought the [card]Suspension Bonds[/card] back into play on it. [card]Celestial Flare[/card] was also very good as another way to get his dragons off the board, and I did draw both of them.

Round 3- Mono Green Eldrazi 1-2

Game 1- He drew all of his [card]Nissa’s Pilrimage[/card]s and a [card]Nissa’s Renewal[/card]to ramp while I sat on all of my [card]Silkwrap[/card]s not being able to remove all his gigantic creatures.

Game 2- I ran out an early [card]Herald of the Pantheon[/card] and an early [card]Sigil of the Empty Throne[/card], and just ran him down through him drawing both of his [card]Windstorm[/card].

Game 3- I drew all of my [card]Suspension Field[/card]s while he drew all of his mana dorks this time, I started to put myself in the game when he nailed me with an [card]Ugin, the Spirit Dragon[/card] to essentially end the game on the spot.

Round 4- Mono Green Eldrazi 2-1

Game 1- I had the early aggro game again with a [card]Herald of the Pantheon[/card] into turn four [card]Sigil of the Empty Throne[/card] and turn five [card]Sigil of the Empty Throne[/card] to easily close out game one.

Game 2- I started off pretty great until he cast [card]Ugin, the Spirit Dragon[/card] on turn six or seven to get everything back. I was unable to draw and answer in the few turns I had left to me.

Game 3- I went super aggressive with a [card]Herald of the Pantheon[/card] into [card]Sigil of the Empty Throne[/card], and was able to fade his good draws for long enough to win

Round 5- 4 Color Control 0-2

Game 1- I resolved a [card]Myth Realized[/card] early, but nothing else relevant. He was able to counter every relevant spell I drew and ended the game with an end of turn [card]Secure the Wastes[/card] for something like eight.

Game 2- I was only able to resolved [card]Myth Realized[/card] again this game losing to a flurry of counterspells and a [card]Secure the Wastes[/card].

At this point I was super bummed that I had lost a second match, and very pissed at how few spells I had resolved that match. Fortunately my friends were able to help me calm down and get my head back in the game.

Round 6 Bant Megamorph 2-1

Game 1- I mulliganed to six and flooded super hard while he was able to get an emsemble cast of planeswalkers active.

Game 2- I exiled about ten creatures/planeswalkers while beating down with a [card]Herald of the Pantheon[/card] to end the game.

Game 3- I started super strong with the turn four [card]Sigil of the Empty Throne[/card] plan, and ate three of his creatures in a turn to end the game.

I didn’t think I would make top eight, but was hopeful that I could somehow slide in. But when the standings went up I was in ninth. No prize, no glory, but the deck was great.

Over the course of the tournament I realized just how bad [card]Elemental Bond[/card] was and how often I stalled on mana and changed the deck a bit.

[deck title= Enchantress]
[Creatures]
4 Herald of the Pantheon
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Myth Realized
4 Silkwrap
4 Suspension Field
4 Stasis Snare
2 Outpost Siege
4 Starfield of Nyx
4 Sigil of the Empty Throne
4 Quarantine Field
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Canopy Vista
2 Cinder Glade
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Forest
10 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
3 Celestial Flare
4 Surge of Righteousness
3 Radiant Flames
1 Outpost Siege
2 Suppression Bonds
2 Planar Outburst
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

The deck is super hard to sideboard with, as most of the cards do roughly the same thing. But one thing I have been doing is cutting a [card]Plains[/card] on the draw.

That’s all I have for now. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below and I will do my best to answer them.

Thanks for reading,

Josh Milliken

@joshuamilliken on Twitter

Brewing With Battle for Zendikar

Welcome back for Brewing With Battle for Zendikar. First off let me apologize for the delay in this article, my computer died the day I was going to start and was down for a week. On the plus side it did give me some extra time to make even more decks.

This time I brought thirty decks to check out. I have not built fully formed sideboards, as the amount of testing to figure those out on so many decks would take months. Instead I’m providing four “Sideboard Suggestions” as cards to start with when building a sideboard. Let’s get to this wall of text…

I did get to test this Atarka Red list out this past weekend at a local PPTQ, not making Top 8 because I punted my win and in. I am providing the sideboard I used for the tournament.

[deck title= Atarka Red]
[Creatures]
4 Monastery Swiftspear
2 Lightning Berserker
2 Zurgo Bellstriker
4 Dragon Whisperer
4 Abbot of Keral Keep
2 Flamewake Phoenix
2 Yasova Dragonclaw
2 Shaman of the Great Hunt
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Wild Slash
4 Atarka’s Command
4 Dragon Fodder
4 Hordeling Outburst
1 Become Immense
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Cinder Glade
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Wooded Foothills
9 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
3 Fiery Impulse
3 Roast
3 Barrage of Boulders
3 Retreat to Kazandu
2 Return to the Earth
1 Shaman of the Great Hunt
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Atarka Landfall]
[Creatures]
4 Monastery Swifrspear
4 Scythe Leopard
1 Zurgo Bellstriker
4 Abbot of Keral Keep
4 Makindi Sliderunner
4 Snapping Gnarlid
2 Hooting Mandrils
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Wild Slash
3 Titan’s Strength
4 Atarka’s Command
2 Become Immense
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Cinder Glade
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Forest
4 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Boiling Earth
2 Outpost Siege
3 Return to Valakut
4 Roast
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Mardu Aggro]
[Creatures]
3 Kytheon, Hero of Akros
4 Monastery Swiftspear
3 Zurgo Bellstriker
4 Abbot of Keral Keep
4 Seeker of the Way
4 Soulfire Grand Master
4 Monastery Mentor
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Wild Slash
4 Crackling Doom
4 Kolaghan’s Command
[/Spells]
[Land]
2 Smoldering Marsh
1 Shambling Vent
2 Nomad Outpost
2 Caves of Koilos
4 Battlefield Forge
4 Bloodstained Mire
3 Mountain
3 Plains
1 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Rising Miasma
2 Ruinous Path
3 Self-Inflicted Wound
4 Surge of Righteousness
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Red Deck Wins]
[Creatures]
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Lightning Berserker
2 Zurgo Bellstriker
4 Abbot of Keral Keep
4 Flamewake Phoenix
4 Shaman of the Great Hunt
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Wild Slash
4 Dragon Fodder
4 Hordeling Outburst
4 Exquisite Firecraft
[/Spells]
[Land]
19 Mountain
3 Blighted Gorge
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Barrage of Boulders
2 Fiery Impulse
3 Roast
4 Scab-Clan Berserker
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Abzan Midrange]
[Creatures]
4 Hangarback Walker
4 Rakshasha Deathdealer
4 Den Protector
3 Deathmist Raptor
3 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
3 Anafenza the Foremost
4 Siege Rhino
1 Tasigue, the Golden Fang
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Abzan Charm
4 Ruinous Path
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Sandsteppe Citadel
4 Shambling Vent
2 Canopy Vista
4 Llanowar Wastes
4 Windswept Heath
3 Forest
1 Plains
2 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Arashin Cleric
2 Duress
3 Self-Inflicted Wound
4 Surge of Righteousness
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Mono Green Ramp]
[Creatures]
4 Rattleclaw Mystic
4 Whisperer of the Wilds
3 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
4 Whisperwood Elemental
4 Oblivion Sower
2 Desolation Twin
2 Ulamog, the Ceaseless Hunger
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Hedron Archive
4 From Beyond
2 See the Unwritten
3 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
[/Spells]
[Land]
16 Forest
4 Spawning Bed
4 Foundry of the Consuls
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Gaea’s Revenge
2 Restreat to Kazandu
3 Scour from Existence
4 Undergrowth Champion
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= White Weenie]
[Creatures]
4 Expedition Envoy
4 Kytheon, Hero of Akros
4 Dragon Hunter
4 Mardu Woe-Reaper
4 Bonded Construct
4 Knight of the White Orchid
3 Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit
4 Hidden Dragonslayer
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Stasis Snare
4 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
[/Spells]
[Land]
12 Plains
4 Flooded Strand
4 Windswept Heath
2 Sandstone Bridge
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Blighted Steppe
2 Lantern Scout
3 Surge of Righteousness
4 Vryn Wingmare
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Mono Black Aggro]
[Creatures]
4 Hangarback Walker
4 Bloodsoaked Champion
4 Despoiler of Souls
4 Silumgar Assassin
3 Drana, Liberator of Malakir
3 Liliana, Heretical Healer
4 Mardu Strike Leader
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Ultimate Price
4 Ruinous Path
2 Ob Nixilis Reignited
[/Spells]
[Land]
18 Swamp
4 Blighted Fen
2 Mortuary Mire
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Altar’s Reap
2 Duress
3 Languish
4 Self-Inflicted Wound
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Mono Green Aggro]
[Creatures]
4 Hangarback Walker
4 Servant of the Scale
4 Honored Hierarch
4 Avatar of the Resolute
4 Den Protector
3 Rattleclaw Mystic
4 Deathmist Raptor
4 Undergrowth Champion
3 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Collected Company
[/Spells]
[Land]
22 Forest
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Ainok Shaman
2 Inspiring Call
3 Plummet
4 Retreat to Kazandu
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Jund Devoid]
[Creatures]
4 Hangarback Walker
4 Forerunner of Slaughter
4 Rattleclaw Mystic
4 Catacomb Sifter
4 Smothering Abomination
4 Dust Stalker
2 Brood Butcher
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Ghostfire Blade
4 Ultimate Price
4 From Beyond
[/Spells]
[Land]
2 Cinder Glade
2 Smoldering Marsh
4 Bloodstained Mire
3 Wooded Foothills
4 Llanowar Wastes
4 Swamp
3 Forest
1 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Duress
2 Naturalize
3 Retreat to Kazandu
4 Ruinous Path
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Boros Tokens]
[Creatures]
4 Hangarback Walker
4 Abbot of Keral Keep
4 Monastery Mentor
3 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
2 Shaman of the Great Hunt
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Wild Slash
4 Dragon Fodder
4 Hordeling Outburst
4 Gideron, Ally of Zendikar
4 Secure the Wastes
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Battlefield Forge
4 Wind-Scarred Crag
9 Mountain
6 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Arashin Ceric
2 Boiling Earth
3 Stasis Snare
4 Surge of Righteousness
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Izzet Tutelage]
[Creatures]
4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Magmatic Insight
4 Tormenting Voice
4 Send to Sleep
4 Sphinx’s Tutelage
4 Seismic Rupture
4 Monastery Siege
2 Alhammarret’s Archive
2 Dig Through Time
4 Teasure Cruise
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Swiftwater Cliffs
4 Shivan Reef
2 Blighted Cataract
2 Bloodstained Mire
2 Polluted Delta
2 Spawning Bed
4 Island
4 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Disperse
2 Fiery Impulse
3 Negate
4 Scatter to the Winds
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Rakdos Aggro]
[Creatures]
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Bloodsoaked Champion
2 Zurgo Bellstriker
4 Forerunner of Slaughter
4 Abbot of Keral Keep
4 Flamewake Phoenix
4 Brutal Hordechief
1 Gurmag Angler
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Wild Slash
4 Exquisite Firecraft
3 Kolaghan’s Command
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Smoldering Mire
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Wooded Foothills
8 Mountain
2 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Barrage of Boulders
2 Duress
3 Ruinous Path
4 Virulent Plague
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Bant Superfriends]
[Creatures]
4 Jace, Vyn’s Prodigy
4 Rattleclaw Mystic
3 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Clash of Wills
4 Scatter to the Winds
3 Stasis Snare
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
2 Kiora, Master of the Depths
2 Narset Transcendant
4 Planar Outburst
1 Ugin’s Insight
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
2 Dig Through Time
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Lumbering Falls
2 Canopy Vista
4 Prairie Stream
2 Flooded Strand
4 Windswept Heath
3 Forest
4 Island
3 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Arashin’s Cleric
2 Monastery Siege
3 Negate
4 Silkwrap
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Grixis Dragons]
[Creatures]
3 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
2 Icefall Regent
1 Dragonlord Silumgar
1 Silumgar, the Drifting Death
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Silumgar’s Scorn
4 Draconic Roar
4 Foul-Toungue Invocation
4 Scatter to the Winds
3 Ruinous Path
3 Crux of Fate
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
4 Dig Through Time
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
4 Shivan Reef
4 Sunken Hollow
2 Smoldering Marsh
4 Polluted Delta
5 Island
3 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Duress
2 Fiery Impulse
3 Radiant Flames
4 Thunderbreak Regent
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Jeskai Dragons]
[Creatures]
3 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
4 Soulfire Grandmaster
2 Thunderbreak Regent
3 Dragonlord Ojutai
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Firey Impulse
4 Silumgar’s Scorn
4 Draconic Roar
4 Scatter to the Winds
3 Stasis Snare
2 Ojutai’s Command
4 Dig Through Time
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Mystic Monastery
4 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
4 Shivan Reef
4 Prairie Stream
4 Flooded Strand
4 Island
1 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Fiery Impulse
2 Negate
3 Quarantine Field
4 Radiant Flames
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Temur Megamorph Aggro]
[Creatures]
4 Stratus Dancer
4 Den Protector
4 Rattlecaw Mystic
4 Harbinger of Tides
2 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
4 Undergrowth Champion
4 Deathmist Raptor
4 Savage Knuckleblade
4 Whisperwood Elemental
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Wild Slash
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Frontier Bivouac
4 Cinder Glade
4 Yavimaya Coast
4 Wooded Foothills
3 Forest
3 Island
1 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Jaddi Offshoot
2 Radiant Flames
3 Roast
4 Temur Charm
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Esper Dragons]
[Creatures]
4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
3 Dragonlord Ojutai
1 Dragonlord Silumgar
1 Silumgar, the Drifting Death
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Ultimate Price
4 Silumgar’s Scorn
3 Foul-Tongue Invocation
2 Ruinous Path
4 Scatter to the Winds
1 Stasis Snare
3 Crux of Fate
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
4 Dig Through Time
[/Spells]
[Land]
3 Sunken Hollow
2 Prairie Stream
3 Shambling Vent
4 Flooded Strand
4 Polluted Delta
3 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
4 Island
1 Plains
2 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Duress
2 Languish
3 Negate
4 Surge of Righteousness
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Mardu Dragons]
[Creatures]
4 Hangarback Walker
4 Soulfire Grand Master
4 Thunderbreak Regent
1 Kolaghan, the Storm’s Fury
1 Dragonlord Kolaghan
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Fiery Impulse
4 Draconic Roar
2 Kolaghan’s Command
2 Mardu Charm
3 Crackling Doom
2 Radiant Flames
3 Ruinous Path
1 Crux of Fate
1 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Nomad Outpost
3 Smoldering Marsh
3 Shambling Vent
4 Battlefield Forge
2 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
4 Bloodstained Mire
3 Mountain
2 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Crux of Fate
2 Duress
3 Foul-Tongue Invication
4 Outpost Siege
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Golgari Aggro]
[Creatures]
4 Warden of the First Tree
4 Den Protector
4 Rakshasa Deathdealer
4 Deathmist Raptor
3 Liliana, Heretical Healer
2 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
4 Undergrowth Champion
3 Whisperwood Elemental
2 Tasigue, the Golden Fang
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Ultimate Price
4 Ruinous Path
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Jungle Hollow
4 Llanowar Wastes
4 Sandsteppe Citadel
8 Forest
3 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Ainok Survivalist
2 Duress
3 Feed the Clan
4 Virulent Plague
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Selenya Aggro]
[Creatures]
4 Hangarback Walker
2 Honored Hierarch
4 Warden of the First Tree
4 Servant of the Scale
4 Den Protector
4 Avatar of the Resolute
4 Deathmist Raptor
4 Hidden Dragonslayer
4 Undergrowth Champion
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Dromoka’s Command
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Canopy Vista
4 Windswept Heath
4 Blossoming Sands
9 Forest
1 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Arashin Cleric
2 Inspiring Call
3 Surge of Righteousness
4 Valorous Stance
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Orzhov Warriors]
[Creatures]
4 Dragon Hunter
4 Bloodsoaked Champion
3 Kytheon, Hero of Akros
4 Mardu Woe-Reaper
4 Blood-Chin Rager
4 Chied of the Edge
3 Chief of the Scale
3 Drana, Liberator of Malakir
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Ultimate Price
4 Harsh Sustinance
3 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Shambling Vent
4 Scoured Barrens
4 Caves of Koilos
6 Plains
5 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Arashin Cleric
2 Duress
3 Fleshbag Marauder
4 Ruinous Path
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Izzet Dragons]
[Creatures]
3 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
4 Thunderbreak Regent
2 Icefall Regent
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Clash of Wills
3 Fiery Impulse
4 Silumgar’s Scorn
4 Draconic Roar
4 Scatter to the Winds
2 Radiant Flames
1 Brutal Expulsion
4 Dig Through Time
[/Spells]
[Land]
2 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
4 Swiftwater Cliffs
4 Shivan Reef
2 Blighted Cataract
1 Sunken Hollow
3 Flooded Strand
2 Bloodstained Mire
5 Island
3 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Harbinger of Tides
2 Negate
3 Radiant Flames
4 Stratus Dancer
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Jeskai Aggro]
[Creatures]
4 Hangarback Walker
4 Soulfire Grand Master
4 Seeker of the Way
3 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
4 Mantis Rider
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Fiery Impulse
2 Jeskai Charm
4 Scatter to the Winds
3 Ojutai’s Command
4 Dig Through Time
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Mystic Monastery
4 Prairie Stream
4 Flooded Strand
4 Shivan Reef
2 Battlefield Forge
3 Island
3 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Negate
2 Roast
3 Surge of Righteousness
4 Valorous Stance
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Dimir Dragons]
[Creatures]
3 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
3 Silumgar, the Drifting Death
2 Dragonlord Silumgar
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Clash of Wills
4 Silumgar’s Scorn
3 Ulitmate Price
3 Ruinous Path
2 Foul-Tongue Invocation
4 Scatter to the Winds
3 Crux of Fate
1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
4 Dig Through Time
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Dismal Backwater
4 Sunken Hollow
4 Polluted Delta
2 Flooded Strand
2 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
2 Blighted Cataract
1 Blighted Fen
4 Island
2 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Duress
2 Foul-Tongue Invocation
3 Stratus Dancer
4 Virulent Plague
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Azorius Control]
[Creatures]
3 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
3 Dragonlord Ojutai
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Clash of Wills
4 Silumgar’s Scorn
2 Celestial Flare
4 Scatter to the Winds
2 Stasis Snare
2 Narset Transcendent
2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
3 Ojutai’s Command
3 Planar Outburst
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
4 Dig Through Time
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Prairie Stream
4 Flooded Strand
4 Polluted Delta
3 Tranquil Cove
2 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
4 Island
4 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Arashin Cleric
2 Encase in Ice
3 Stratus Dancer
4 Surge of Righteousness
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Sultai Midrange]
[Creatures]
3 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
4 Rattleclaw Mystic
4 Den Protector
4 Fathom Feeder
4 catacomb Sifter
4 Deathmist Raptor
3 Whisperwood Elemental
2 Tasigue, the Golden Fang
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Ultimate Price
2 Ruinous Path
2 Sultai Charm
2 Dig Through Time
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 opulent Palace
4 Lumbering Falls
4 Llanowar Wastes
2 Sunken Hollow
4 Polluted Delta
3 Forest
1 Island
2 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Duress
2 Feed the Clan
3 Languish
4 Stratus Dancer
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Naya Allies]
[Creatures]
4 Expedition Envoy
4 Cliffside Lookout
4 kor Bladewhirl
4 Beastcaller Savant
4 Veterant Warleader
4 Lantern Scout
2 Grovetender Druids
2 Munda, Ambush Leader
3 tajuru Warcaller
2 Resolute Blademaster
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Ally Encampment
1 Cinder Glade
2 canopy Vista
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Forest
1 Mountain
5 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Boiling Earth
2 Retreat to Emeria
3 Stasis Snare
4 Wild Slash
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Simic Megamorph]
[Creatures]
3 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
4 Harbinger of Tides
4 Rattleclaw Mystic
4 Icefeather Aven
4 Stratus Dancer
4 Den Protector
4 Deathmist Raptor
3 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
4 Whisperwood Elemental
2 Icefall Regent
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Lumbering Falls
4 Thornwood Falls
4 Yavimaya Coast
8 Forest
4 Island
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Encase in Ice
2 Jaddi Offshoot
3 Monastery Siege
4 Reality Shift
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

[deck title= Four Color Rally]
[Creatures]
4 Blisterpod
4 Zulaport Cutthroat
4 Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy
2 Den Protector
4 catacomb Sifter
4 Nantuko Husk
3 Grim Haruspex
2 Deathmist Raptor
3 Liliana, Hertical Healer
3 Sidisi, Brood Tyrant
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Rally the Ancestors
[/Spells]
[Land]
3 Opulent Palace
2 Sandsteppe Citadel
1 Canopy Vista
1 Prairie Stream
1 Sunken Hollow
4 Flooded Strand
2 Windswept Heath
2 Polluted Delta
3 Forest
1 Island
1 Plains
2 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard Suggestions]
1 Anafensa, the Foremost
2 Arashin Cleric
3 Bone Splinters
4 Duress
[/Sideboard Suggestions]
[/deck]

That’s all I have for now. I’ll see you again for Brewing With Oath of the Gatewatch. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below and I will do my best to answer them.

Thanks for reading,

Josh Milliken

@joshuamilliken on Twitter

Brewing with Magic Origins

Welcome back for Brewing with Magic Origins!

This is the last “Core Set” we will be getting. Blocks will now be two sets and rotates twice a year starting with Battle for Zendikar, which will make things a lot more interesting for me as a brewer.

Today I have nine Standard and three Modern decks for you to battle with. For those of you reading one of “Brewing” articles for the first time, I will provide you with four “Sideboard Suggestions” as cards to start with for your sideboard and not a fully formed sideboards since I could not test the decks and get them out in time to make them relevant if I did. Let’s get to some decks…

Goblins

This is one of the decks on every ones mind, and will be a heavily played deck for a while regardless of whether it’s good or not. You may note the absence of [card]Goblin Glory Chaser[/card], that’s to make room for more creatures that get your [card]Goblin Piledriver[/card]s and [card]Goblin Rabblemaster[/card]s though more often. Without an early wrath effect or spot removal nearly every turn this deck can get out of control very quickly, and that will be the biggest draw for it.

[deck title= Goblins]
[Creatures]
4 Foundry Street Denizen
4 Frenzied Goblin
4 Goblin Piledriver
4 Subterranean Scout
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Goblin Heelcutter
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Dragon Fodder
4 Lightning Strike
4 Hordeling Outburst
4 Stoke the Flames
[/Spells]
[Land]
20 Mountain
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Fiery Impulse[/card], [card]Magmatic Chasm[/card], [card]Obelisk of Urd[/card], and [card]Roast[/card].

Elves

Elves is the other deck that everyone has their eye on at the moment, just waiting to see how competitive it is. Many lists I have seen are trying to run a bunch of spot removal, when all the deck wants to do is overwhelm the opposition. I have worked in some removal of sorts with [card]Reclamation Sage[/card], [card]Eyeblight Assassin[/card], and [card]Gilt-Leaf Winnower[/card] as good one ofs to draw or [card]Chord of Calling[/card] for to clear a path. I would be surprised if this deck isn’t heavily played right out of the gates.

[deck title= Golgari Elves]
[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Gnarlroot Trapper
4 Dwynen’s Elite
4 Elvish Visionary
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Eyeblight Assassin
1 Yeva Forcemage
1 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
4 Shaman of the Pack
4 Sylvan Messenger
2 Dwynen, Gilt-Leaf Daen
1 Gilt-Leaf Winnower
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Collected Company
3 Chord of Calling
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Llanowar Wastes
4 Temple of Malady
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
8 Forest
4 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Bow of Nylea[/card], [card]Eyeblight Massacre[/card], [card]Nylea’s Disciple[/card], and [card]Thoughtseize[/card].

Azorius Enchantments

This was one of the more interesting decks that I worked on, and I will likely test this out. If it does start to do well expect [card]Back to Nature[/card] to start popping up in every green decks sideboard. Other problems could be [card]Perilous Vault[/card] and [card]Ugin, the Spirit Dragon[/card]. This deck may even want to splash other colors in the near future to combat specific decks.

[deck title= Azorius Enchantments]
[Spells]
4 Myth Realized
4 Silkwrap
4 Suspension Field
4 Font of Fortunes
2 Font of Vigor
4 Monastery Siege
4 Banishing Light
2 Bident of Thassa
4 Starfield of Nyx
4 Sigil of the Empty Throne
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Temple of Enlightenment
4 Flooded Strand
12 Plains
4 Island
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Celestial Flare[/card], [card]End Hostilities[/card], [card]Font of Vigor[/card], and [card]Negate[/card].

Burn

I’ve been working on Burn for a while now, and I can tell you I’m super excited for [card]Exquisite Firecraft[/card] and even more so for [card]Molten Vortex[/card]. I previously ran green to splash for [card]Atarka’s Command[/card] which did steal games from time to time, but would lose constantly to flood or four toughness guys which is easier to deal with in this build. I don’t expect to see as much of this deck early on since people are looking more at Goblins.

[deck title= Burn]
[Creatures]
2 Zurgo Bellstriker
4 Lightning Berserker
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Molten Vortex
4 Searing Blood
4 Magma Jet
4 Lightning Strike
4 Exquisite Firecraft
4 Stoke the Flames
[/Spells]
[Land]
20 Mountain
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Arc Lightning[/card], [card]Outpost Siege[/card], [card]Roast[/card], and [card]Satyr Firedancer[/card].

White Weenie

White Weenie is a classic, and with [card]Kytheon, Hero of Akros[/card] and [card]Bonded Construct[/card] has endless one drops. This build doesn’t run any creatures that cost more than two, but they all allow a huge amount of utility along with the equipment package to try to push through any kind of late game. I don’t expect a lot of White Weenie, but won’t be surprised to see it doing well.

[deck title= White Weenie]
[Creatures]
3 Kytheon, Hero of Akros
4 Bonded Construct
4 Soldier of the Pantheon
4 Dragon Hunter
4 Mardu Woe-Reaper
4 Relic Seer
3 Anafenza, Kin-Tre Spirit
3 Hidden Dragonslayer
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Gods Willing
3 Swift Reckoning
1 Sigil of Valor
1 Throwing Knife
1 Spear of Heliod
1 Hall of Triumph
1 Godsend
[/Spells]
[Land]
20 Plains
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Cleric of the Forward Order[/card], [card]Hallowed Moonlight[/card], [card]Hushwing Gryff[/card], and [card]Vyrn Wingmare[/card].

Mono Black Devotion

This is definitely a deck again, but fortunately without cards like [card]Pack Rat[/card] and [card]Underworld Connections[/card] providing an endless stream of threats and card advantage it will definitely be a lot less of a chore to play against. This deck is definitely competing with Abzan Aggro for the same spot in the metagame, but while being a slightly worse version of Abzan Aggro. That usually doesn’t stop people, so expect to see some Mono Black Devotion for a while.

[deck title= Mono Black Devotion]
[Creatures]
4 Despoiler of Souls
3 Liliana, Heretical Healer
1 Erebos, God of the Dead
4 Erebos’s Titan
4 Grey Merchant of Asphodel
1 Sidisi, Undead Vizier
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Thoughtseize
3 Bile Blight
4 Sign in Blood
4 Hero’s Downfall
2 Whip of Erebos
2 Murderous Cut
[/Spells]
[Land]
22 Swamp
2 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Drown in Sorrow[/card], [card]Duress[/card], [card]Self-Inflicted Wound[/card], and [card]Stain the Mind[/card].

Mono Blue Devotion

Mono Blue Devotion is sort of back. While not quite at the power level of it’s original iteration, it will still be a fairly good deck that can just power out wins. What it really needs are some better removal spells, but you have to work with what you have access to. One of the bigger issues will be [card]Dromoka’s Command[/card], which will be an absolute blowout almost every time. Some counterspells and [card]Monastery Siege[/card] out of the sideboard can help mitigate some of those weaknesses.

[deck title= Mono Blue Devotion]
[Creatures]
4 Faerie Miscreant
4 Hypnotic Siren
4 Harbinger of Tides
4 Frost Walker
4 Shorecrasher Elemental
4 Thassa, God of the Sea
4 Master of Waves
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Claustrophobia
2 Jace, the Living Guildpact
2 Bident of Thassa
3 Dig Through Time
[/Spells]
[Land]
2 Nykthos, Shrine to nyx
21 Island
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Dissolve[/card], [card]Encase in Ice[/card], [card]Monastery Siege[/card], and [card]Negate[/card].

Izzet Artifacts

This is likely the most fringe deck I’ve worked on in a while. While it is a possibility, it is a couple cards off from being good. Many of the new cards that were added from Magic Origins cost just one mana too much. Some people will play it, but I would be surprised to see it doing well.

[deck title= Izzet Artifacts]
[Creatures]
4 Ornithopter
4 Bonded Construct
4 Runed Servitor
4 Chief of the Foundry
3 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
2 Reclusive Artificer
1 Hangarback Walker
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Springleaf Drum
4 Ghostfire Blade
2 Military Intelligence
4 Shrapnel Blast
4 Ensoul Artifact
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Temple of Epiphany
4 Shivan Reef
4 Darksteel Citadel
4 Mana Confluence
2 Island
2 Mountain
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Foundry of the Consuls[/card], [card]Negate[/card], [card]Phyrexian Revoker[/card], and [card]Tomb of the Spirit Dragon[/card].

Gruul Dragons

This deck gained a few very good cards, but they shouldn’t change it too much. One card that could be either really big or just a dud is [card]Ravaging Blaze[/card], though when it is good it will be amazing. Another interesting gain is [card]Avaricious Dragon[/card], which can bury your opponent under card advantage if it survives. [card]Nissa, Vastwood Seer[/card] isn’t super exciting, but hitting seven lands is fairly reasonable in this deck and a [card]Bordeland Ranger[/card] isn’t the worst in such a mana hungry deck.

[deck title= Gruul Dragons]
[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Rattleclaw Mystic
2 Den Protector
4 Deathmist Raptor
2 Goblin Rabblemaster
2 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
2 Avaricious Dragon
4 Thunderbreak Regent
4 Stormbreath Dragon
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Draconic Roar
2 Exquisite Firecraft
3 Ravaging Blaze
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Temple of Abandon
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
2 Mana Confluence
6 Forest
5 Mountain
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Barrage of Boulders[/card], [card]Gaea’s Revenge[/card], [card]Roast[/card], and [card]Xenagos, the Reveler[/card].

Atarka Burn

I’ve been running Atarka Burn since [card]Atarka’s Command[/card] came out, but haven’t had the chance to really talk about it. With the addition of [card]Molten Vortex[/card] one of the biggest issues I’ve been having gets fixed, as generally I’ve been losing to drawing eight to ten lands per game. By keeping the deck just red and green you don’t get to keep white sideboard cards like [card]Kor Firewalker[/card], but you don’t take nearly as much damage from your own lands. My cut to add the pair of [card]Molten Vortex[/card] was two [card]Flames of the Blood Hand[/card], which is one of the most frequent cards to get cut during sideboarding.

[deck title= Atarka Burn]
[Creatures]
4 Goblin Guide
4 Monastery Swiftspear
1 Grim Lavamancer
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Molten Vortex
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lava Spike
4 Skullcrack
4 Searing Blaze
4 Atarka’s Command
4 Rift Bolt
2 Flames of the Blood Hand
[/Spells]
[Land]
3 Stomping Ground
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Wooded Foothills
8 Mountain
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Destructive Revelry[/card], [card]Dismember[/card], [card]Dragon’s Claw[/card], and [card]Grim Lavamancer[/card].

Goblins

Getting [card]Goblin Piledriver[/card] is a huge win for the Goblins archetype in Modern, as one of the biggest things that was missing was a great two drop. The addition of black for sideboard cards adds a lot of options like [card]Warren Weirding[/card] against the Bogles deck or [card]Dismember[/card] against [card]Splinter Twin[/card] decks. Some of the more powerful goblins cost a little extra mana, so [card]Warren Instigator[/card] is there to drop them in for free like a less effective [card]Goblin Lackey[/card]. While it probably won’t be heavily played, goblins now have some power behind them.

[deck title= Goblins]
[Creatures]
4 Goblin Guide
3 Legion Loyalist
2 Goblin Bushwacker
4 Goblin Piledriver
4 Warren Instigator
4 Mogg War-Marshall
4 Goblin Chieftain
1 Goblin King
2 Goblin Rabblemaster
1 Krenko, Mob Boss
1 Ib Halfheart, Goblin Tactician
1 Siege-Gang Commander
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Goblin Grenade
4 Lightning Bolt
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Auntie’s Hovel
2 Blood Crypt
4 Bloodstained Mire
3 Cavern of Souls
8 Mountain
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Dismember[/card], [card]Earwig Squad[/card], [card]Thoughtseize[/card], and [card]Warren Weirding[/card].

Elves

Elves got a huge gain in Magic Origins, and I would be surprised if there aren’t more great elves in Battle for Zendikar. While it got a few different cards, the biggest is [card]Shaman of the Pack[/card] which can just straight up kill your opponent. The rest don’t really want to be more than one of’s since they’re just silver bullet cards. This probably won’t change the popularity of Elves much in Modern since it is already seeing a fair amount of play, but it does make it slightly better.

[deck title= Elves]
[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Heritage Druid
3 Llanowar Elves
1 Gnarlroot Trapper
4 Nettle Sentinel
4 Elvish Visionary
1 Spellskite
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Reclamation Sage
4 Elvish Archdruid
2 Ezuri, Renegade Leader
2 Shaman of the Pack
1 Sylvan Messenger
1 Fauna Shaman
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Collected Company
4 Chord of Calling
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Gilt-Leaf Palace
3 Cavern of Souls
2 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
1 Pendelhaven
9 Forest
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Beast Within[/card], [card]Dismember[/card], [card]Fracturing Gust[/card], and [card]Phyrexian Revoker[/card].

That’s all I have for now. I’ll see you again for Brewing With Battle for Zendikar. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below and I will do my best to answer them.

Thanks for reading,

Josh Milliken

@joshuamilliken on Twitter

Brewing with Dragons of Tarkir

Welcome back for Brewing with Dragons of Tarkir!

Today, I’ll go over eleven lists that I’ve come up with using some of the new cards from Dragons of Tarkir. These decks won’t have fully formed sideboards, since I don’t have time to test them all or complete knowledge of the metagame (the one exception being the Gruul Burn list, which I have had a chance to test). This was quite an exciting set for me as a brewer, and I’m sure you’ll be able to tell from the diverse array of decks I have for you today. But enough babble, let’s see some decks…

Gruul Burn

First up is Gruul Burn. [card]Atarka’s Command[/card] adds a lot of power to the deck, letting you pump your team while dealing three or even shutting down the life gain from those pesky [card]Siege Rhino[/card]s. Upgrading [card]Firedrinker Satyr[/card] into [card]Lightning Berserker[/card] was also a tremendous gain for this deck, allowing it to be more aggressive with its creatures. This will be the first deck I build when Dragons of Tarkir is legal, and with the results of my testing looking good so far, I don’t see me playing anything else unless the format drastically shifts.

[deck title= Gruul Burn]
[Creatures]
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Lightning Berserker
2 Zurgo Bellstriker
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Wild Slash
4 Magma Jet
4 Lightning Strike
4 Searing Blood
4 Atarka’s Command
4 Stoke the Flames
2 Become Immense
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Temple of Abandon
4 Wooded Foothills
1 Forest
9 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
4 Roast
3 Destructive Revelry
2 Circle of Flame
3 Arc Lightning
3 Outpost Siege
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Mono-Green Aggro

When I saw [card]Avatar of the Resolute[/card] get spoiled, I got super excited to build this deck again. The biggest thing keeping me from playing this is its weakness to cards like [card]Drown in Sorrow[/card] and [card]Bile Blight[/card], which are seeing heavy play currently. But if the format shifts away from those, I may be on Mono-Green Aggro yet again.

[deck title= Mono-Green Aggro]
[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Servant of the Scale
4 Avatar of the Resolute
4 Swordwise Centaur
4 Boon Satyr
4 Reverent Hunter
3 Nylea, God of the Hunt
2 Polukranos, World Eater
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Aspect of Hydra
2 Bow of Nylea
2 Setessan Tactics
[/Spells]
[Land]
2 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
21 Forest
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Hunt the Hunter[/card], [card]Nylea’s Disciple[/card], [card]Ranger’s Guile[/card], and [card]Reclamation Sage[/card].

Mono-Blue Devotion

While not quite as powerful as the old Mono-Blue Devotion decks, this deck will likely begin to pick up in popularity. It gained [card]Shorecrasher Elemental[/card] for the main deck, which should prove quite powerful. The biggest gain is probably [card]Encase in Ice[/card], which does a poor [card]Tidebinder Mage[/card] impersonation, but sometimes a poor impersonation is still good enough.

[deck title= Mono Blue Devotion]
[Creatures]
4 Dakra Mystic
4 Hypnotic Siren
4 Frost Walker
4 Stratus Dancer
4 Omenspeaker
4 Shorecrasher Elemental
4 Thassa, God of the Sea
4 Master of Waves
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Military Intelligence
2 Bident of Thassa
[/Spells]
[Land]
3 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
20 Island
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Disdainful Stroke[/card], [card]Dissolve[/card], [card]Encase in Ice[/card], and [card]Icy Blast[/card].

Mono-Black Aggro

This deck will do well at some point soon, but with so many [card]Drown in Sorrow[/card]s running around, it will have to work hard to do it. [card]Pitiless Horde[/card] seems like a very scary card, much like [card]Phyrexian Negator[/card] was in its heyday.

[deck title= Mono-Black Aggro]
[Creatures]
4 Bloodsoaked Champion
4 Gnarled Scarhide
4 Tormented Hero
4 Pain Seer
4 Silumgar Assassin
4 Herald of Torment
4 Mogis’s Marauder
4 Pitiless Horde
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Bile Blight
2 Hero’s Downfall
[/Spells]
[Land]
2 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
20 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Hero’s Downfall[/card], [card]Self-Inflicted Wound[/card], [card]Thoughtseize[/card], [card]Ultimate Price[/card].

White Weenie

This deck gained a lot with [card]Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit[/card] and [card]Dragon Hunter[/card], making its creatures go up a couple notches in power level. I don’t expect this deck in any kind of numbers, but I wouldn’t discount it from doing quite well.

[deck title= White Weenie]
[Creatures]
4 Dragon Hunter
4 Mardu Woe-Reaper
4 Soldier of the Pantheon
3 Anafenza, Kin-Tree Spirit
4 Phalanx Leader
4 Seeker of the Way
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Gods Willing
3 Launch the Fleet
2 Valorus Stance
3 Spear of Heliod
[/Spells]
[Land]
22 Plains
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Erase[/card], [card]Banishing Light[/card], [card]Hushwing Gryff[/card], and [card]Surge of Righteousness[/card],

Red Deck Wins

We will see a lot of this style of Red Deck Wins in the coming months. Big gains were [card]Dragon Fodder[/card] to make cards like [card]Goblin Rabblemaster[/card] and [card]Collateral Damage[/card] even better and [card]Roast[/card] to take care of those problematic blockers. With such a mass of tokens, it will be no problem most games to cast [card]Outpost Siege[/card] naming Dragons to pretty much win on the spot.

[deck title= Red Deck Wins]
[Creatures]
4 Foundry Street Denizen
2 Lightning Berserker
2 Zurgo Bellstriker
4 Dragon Whisperer
4 Mardu Scout
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Collateral Damage
4 Dragon Fodder
4 Hordeling Outburst
4 Outpost Siege
4 Stoke the Flames
[/Spells]
[Land]
20 Mountain
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Arc Lightning[/card], [card]Eidolon of the Great Revel[/card], [card]Frenzied Goblin[/card], and [card]Roast[/card].

Mono-Red Devotion

This deck just wants to go big as quickly as possible, but has plenty of early game to ensure that it doesn’t get run over by the hyper-aggressive decks. The cards [card]Dragon Whisperer[/card] and [card]Thunderbreak Regent[/card] added quite a bit to the deck’s staying power, allowing it to maintain control of the game against decks packing a lot of removal. I’ll be surprised if this deck doesn’t see a lot of play.

[deck title= Mono-Red Devotion]
[Creatures]
4 Dragon Whisperer
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Prophetic Flamespeaker
4 Fanatic of Mogis
4 Thunderbreak Regent
4 Stormbreath Dragon
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Crater’s Claws
2 Hammer of Purphoros
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
19 Mountain
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Flamewake Phoenix[/card], [card]Harness by Force[/card], [card]Roast[/card], and [card]Torch Fiend[/card].

Esper Control

It seems like most of the cool toys in this set were geared towards making the blue control decks more viable. While that’s not what I typically play, it is quite tempting. Now that [card]Narset Transcendent[/card] has arrived to draw approximately all the cards, I expect to see control mages everywhere rejoicing. The big issue these decks face is not dying before they can gain control of the game, which will likely be a lot harder now that there are endless one-drop creatures.

[deck title= Esper Control]
[Spells]
2 Bile Blight
2 Ultimate Price
2 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
4 Dissolve
3 Hero’s Downfall
3 Narset Transcendent
3 Oujutai’s Command
1 Utter End
2 Crux of Fate
4 End Hostilities
2 Silumgar’s Command
3 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
4 Dig Through Time
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Temple of Deceit
4 Temple of Enlightenment
2 Temple of Silence
3 Flooded Strand
3 Polluted Delta
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
3 Island
3 Plains
2 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Self-Inflicted Wound[/card], [card]Surge of Righteousness[/card], [card]Thoughtseize[/card], [card]Virulent Plague[/card].

Azorius Control

With so many amazing cards for Azorius Control, it’s just a matter of combing the right ones. This deck benefited maybe a little too much from this set and could take a while before the optimal build is locked down, but it will be seeing a lot of play from day one.

[deck title= Azorius Control]
[Creatures]
3 Dragonlord Ojutai
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Anticipate
4 Silumgar’s Scorn
1 Banishing Light
4 Dissolve
3 Narset Transcendent
4 Ojutai’s Command
1 Aetherspouts
4 End Hostilities
3 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
4 Dig Through Time
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Temple of Enlightenment
4 Tranquil Cove
4 Flooded Strand
4 Radiant Fountain
6 Island
3 Plains
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Encase in Ice[/card], [card]Glare of Heresy[/card], [card]Negate[/card], and [card]Surge of Righteousness[/card].

Dimir Control

Dimir Control got exactly what it wanted in Dragons of Tarkir, and we may all suffer because of it. This deck will be a major player this season, forcing out a lot of other decks that just can’t compete. It could even displace Abzan strategies from the top spot, now that it has access to [card]Self-Inflicted Wound[/card] and [card]Ultimate Price[/card] to clean up the board.

[deck title= Dimir Control]
[Creatures]
2 Dragonlord Silumgar
1 Silumgar, the Drifting Death
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Anticipate
1 Bile Blight
4 Silumgar’s Scorn
2 Ultimate Price
3 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
4 Dissolve
4 Hero’s Downfall
1 Perilous Vault
4 Crux of Fate
2 Silumgar’s Command
4 Dig Through Time
1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Temple of Deceit
4 Dismal Backwater
4 Polluted Delta
4 Radiant Fountain
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
5 Island
3 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Encase in Ice[/card], [card]Negate[/card], [card]Self-Inflicted Wound[/card], and [card]Thoughtseize[/card].

Orzhov Warriors

Finally, a critical mass of warriors have been printed to make this deck look very tempting. Now that it has sixteen one-drops, it may be able to race any deck in the format. The biggest issue it will face is [card]Drown in Sorrow[/card] being all over the place, but if it can find a way to deal with that, it should do quite well.

[deck title= Orzhov Warriors]
[Creatures]
4 Bloodsoaked Champion
4 Dragon Hunter
4 Mardu Woe-Reaper
4 Tormented Hero
4 Blood-Chin Rager
4 Chief of the Edge
4 Blood-Chin Fanatic
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Bile Blight
4 Harsh Sustenance
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Temple of Silence
4 Caves of Koilos
3 Mana Confluence
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Plains
6 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Erase[/card], [card]Hero’s Downfall[/card], [card]Self-Inflicted Wound[/card], and [card]Thoughtseize[/card].

All Players on Deck

That’s all I have for now. I’ll see you again for Brewing With Magic Origins. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below and I will do my best to answer them.

Thanks for reading,

Josh Milliken

@joshuamilliken on Twitter

Brewing With Fate Reforged

Welcome back for Brewing With <i>Fate Reforged</i>! Unfortunately, this set didn’t lend itself to a lot of diversity for me, but hopefully you’ll enjoy the lists I did come up with. Also, I must apologize for my lack of content lately—I did not do quite as well as I had hoped at Pro Tour Khans of Tarkir in Honolulu and have not done well at anything larger than a Preliminary Pro Tour Qualifier since then. In my eyes, my performance at the Pro Tour was so poor and I made so many mistakes that I just couldn’t bring myself to write about it. But I did have a very good run last year, making top eight in 17 of the 47 events I played in, winning a PTQ along the way.

As usual I’m only providing some sideboard suggestions, as I don’t have time to tune all these decks and test the matchups. Hopefully I’ve come up with something you’ll like.

Get to the Lists, Josh

This is the first list I thought about creating. I liked the idea of being able to cast [card]Crackling Doom[/card] every turn, and also the ability to sideboard into [card]Thoughtseize[/card]. Burn decks with [card]Soulfire Grand Master[/card] and [card]Monastery Mentor[/card] should be quite strong for much of Standard,

[deck title= Mardu Burn]
[Creatures]
4 Soulfire Grand Master
4 Monastery Mentor
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Wild Slash
4 Magma Jet
4 Lightning Strike
4 Mardu Charm
4 Crackling Doom
3 Read the Bones
4 Stoke the Flames
2 Murderous Cut
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Temple of Triumph
2 Temple of Malice
4 Nomad Outpost
4 Bloodstained Mire
2 Caves of Koilos
3 Battlefield Forge
2 Mountain
2 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Erase[/card], [card]Thoughtseize[/card], [card]Hushwing Gryff[/card], and [card]Utter End[/card].

[card]Wild Slash[/card] gives the red decks something it’s been missing for a while now: a turn-one burn spell that can go to the dome. With the extra burn spell in the mix, it is now easier to burn your opponent out.

[deck title= Red Deck Wins]
[Creatures]
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Frenzied Goblin
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Wild Slash
4 Titan’s Strength
4 Magma Jet
4 Lightning Strike
4 Stoke the Flames
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Bloodstained Mire
12 Mountain
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Arc Lightning[/card], [card]Break Through the Line[/card], [card]Satyr Firedancer[/card], and [card]Searing Blood[/card].

While you probably won’t be buying [card]Treasure Cruise[/card] back much, you may find yourself spamming [card]Jeskai Charm[/card] to overwhelm your opponents. The blue splash over the black splash seems like it might not be as powerful, but it does open up other options that black doesn’t have access to. Beware though, Jeskai was a very popular deck for much of the season, and people love to run those colors.

[deck title= Jeskai Burn]
[Creatures]
4 Monastery Swiftspear
4 Soulfire Grand Master
4 Monastery Mentor
2 Goblin Rabblemaster
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Wild Slash
4 Magma Jet
4 Lightning Strike
4 Jeskai Charm
4 Stoke the Flames
3 Treasure Cruise
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Temple of Epiphany
2 Temple of Triumph
4 Mystic Monastery
4 Flooded Strand
4 Battlefield Forge
2 Island
2 Mountain
1 Plains
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Disdainful Stroke[/card], [card]Erase[/card], [card]Reality Shift[/card], and [card]Satyr Firedancer[/card].

Gruul Aggro is already a fairly known quantity in the format, but I think it gets access to quite a few new potent cards like [card]Yasova Dragonclaw[/card], [card]Flamewake Phoenix[/card], [card]Shaman of the Great Hunt[/card], and [card]Shamanic Revelation[/card]. This version may be what is needed to keep up once all the burn decks flood the format.

[deck title= Gruul Aggro]
[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Rattleclaw Mystic
4 Heir of the Wilds
4 Flamewake Phoenix
2 Yasova Dragonclaw
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Shaman of the Great Hunt
3 Ashcloud Phoenix
4 Stormbreath Dragon
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Lightning Strike
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Temple of Abandon
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Mana Confluence
4 Forest
7 Mountain
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Fated Conflagration[/card], [card]Reclamation Sage[/card], [card]Shamanic Revelation[/card], and [card]Wild Slash[/card].

Boros Burn seems like it will be very good for a while. Being able to run a lot of high-impact, low-investment creatures, means you’ll get quite a few wins from just resolving a creatures and burning your opponent out from there. One cards that this deck gets to make great use of is [card]Collateral Damage[/card], since it pumps out a ton of tokens on the way to victory.

[deck title= Boros Burn]
[Creatures]
4 Soulfire Grand Master
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Monastery Mentor
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Wild Slash
3 Collateral Damage
4 Magma Jet
4 Lightning Strike
4 Searing Blood
4 Stoke the Flames
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Temple of Triumph
4 Battlefield Forge
8 Mountain
5 Plains
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Chained to the Rocks[/card], [card]Chandra, Pyromaster[/card], [card]Erase[/card], and [card]Hushwing Gryff[/card].

This deck gained access to a couple of new toys that may or may not push it into competitive range, the biggest is [card]Brutal Hordechief[/card], which is very reminiscent of [card]Hellrider[/card], which was very good when it was Standard legal. Another key card this deck gained is [card]Mardu Woe-Reaper[/card], which is a great one-drop that fights against the decks that abuse their graveyards. And the final cog is [card]Harsh Sustenance[/card], which acts as removal or a way to kill your opponent through a board stall.

[deck title= Orzhov Warriors]
[Creatures]
4 Bloodsoaked Champion
4 Tormented Hero
4 Mardu Woe-Reaper
4 Mardu Skullhunter
4 Chief of the Edge
3 Chief of the Scale
4 Brutal Hordechief
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Bile Blight
4 Harsh Sustenance
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Temple of Silence
4 Caves of Koilos
2 Mana Confluence
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
5 Plains
7 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Banishing Light[/card], [card]Erase[/card], [card]Merciless Executioner[/card], and [card]Utter End[/card].

Orzhov Tokens may look more like just a creature deck, but it has more permanent ways to generate tokens like [card]Brimaz, King of Oreskos[/card] and [card]Monastery Mentor[/card]. I could easily see a deck like this making life difficult for the multitude of burn decks that show up this season. The only real issues I see are that it doesn’t have enough to do in the early game.

[deck title= Orzhov Tokens]
[Creatures]
4 Bloodsoaked Champion
4 Monastery Mentor
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
4 Brutal Hordechief
2 Wingmate Roc
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Thoughtseize
3 Launch the Fleet
4 Raise the Alarm
4 Harsh Sustenance
3 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
2 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Temple of Silence
4 Caves of Koilos
2 Scoured Barrens
2 Mana Confluence
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
5 Plains
5 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Bile Blight[/card], [card]Brain Maggot[/card], [card]Erase[/card], and [card]Utter End[/card].

That’s all I have for now, I’ll hopefully see you again for Brewing With Dragons of Tarkir. If you have any questions of comments, pleases feel free to leave them below and I will do my best to answer them.

Thanks for reading,

Josh Milliken

@joshuamilliken on Twitter

Brewing with Khans of Tarkir

Welcome back! Today we’re brewing with Khans of Tarkir. For those of you who don’t know, this article is a little later than usual—because I’m prepping for Pro Tour Khans of Tarkir in Honolulu. As I’m finishing up this article, it’s Sunday October 5th, the day after States and the day before I leave for Hawaii. There is a benefit to this delay, though: I’ve had a lot more time to tune the decks and even provide full sideboards. I even made top eight of Ohio States with the Gruul Monsters list in this article on the 4th. Without any further delay, let’s get to some decklists…

Gruul Monsters

This is the leading choice for me for Pro Tour Khans of Tarkir. Not only is it brutally efficient, but I made top eight at States with it yesterday. This deck really only gained from rotation, leaving [card]Stormbreath Dragon[/card] killable by only a few spells. It also gained [card]Nissa, Worldwaker[/card], who simply takes over games by herself, and [card]Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker[/card], who not only kills things but doubles as your fifth and sixth [card]Stormbreath Dragon[/card]s. The sideboard does feel slightly off, but I can’t quite place where.

[deck title= Gruul Monsters]
[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Sylvan Caryatid
2 Rattleclaw Mystic
4 Courser of Kruphix
3 Polukranos, World Eater
4 Stormbreath Dragon
2 Genesis Hydra
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Lightning Strike
4 Xenagos, the Reveler
4 Nissa, Worldwaker
2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Temple of Abandon
2 Mana Confluence
1 Darksteel Citadel
7 Forest
5 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
2 Magma Spray
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Reclamation Sage
2 Harness by Force
3 Fated Conflagration
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
2 Hornet Queen
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Beast Wars

I tried to run this for old time’s sake last weekend and only went 3-2 with it due to some pretty terrible draws on my part. I didn’t run it this week so I could get in testing with other decks. I’m not really sure if the metagame is ready for this deck, as [card]Siege Rhino[/card] seems to be everywhere right now and it is a hell of a card. Adding white gave it a few nice tricks, but I’m not sure if it’s enough.

[deck title= Beast Wars]
[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Sunblade Elf
4 Swordwise Centaur
4 Fleecemane Lion
4 Reverent Hunter
4 Boon Satyr
2 Polukranos, World Eater
3 Nylea, God of the Hunt
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Aspect of Hydra
2 Setessan Tactics
2 Bow of Nylea
[/Spells]
[Land]
13 Forest
4 Windswept Heath
4 Mana Confluence
2 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
2 Ajani’s Presence
1 Back to Nature
1 Setessan Tactics
2 Hall of Triumph
2 Reclamation Sage
2 Banishing Light
1 Ajani Steadfast
4 Nylea’s Disciple
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Mono-Black Aggro

This is another deck that had lots to gain from rotation. Unfortunately, everyone is running every sweeper spell they can find. This is still a great deck that can kill out of nowhere, so I won’t count it out.

[Deck title=Mono-Black Aggro]
[Creatures]
4 Bloodsoaked Champion
4 Gnarled Scarhide
4 Tormented Hero
4 Mardu Skullhunter
4 Pain Seer
4 Herald of Torment
4 Mogis’s Marauder
[/creatures]
[Spells]
4 Thoughtseize
4 Bile Blight
2 Hero’s Downfall
[/spells]
[Land]
14 Swamp
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Polluted Delta
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
1 Hero’s Downfall
2 Grim Horuspex
2 Despise
3 Pharika’s Cure
2 Murderous Cut
3 Phyrexian Revoker
2 Stain the Mind
[/sideboard]
[/deck]

Golgari Rock

Remember, I always brew The Rock, and this time is no different. I’m not convinced this is better than the Abzan decks due to the powerful cards that get added into the mix, but it will be able to more easily cast the ones it has to make up for it.

[deck title= Golgari Rock]
[Creatures]
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Rakshasa Deathdealer
4 Courser of Kruphix
4 Reaper of the Wilds
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Thoughtseize
3 Bile Blight
4 Sign in Blood
4 Hero’s Downfall
2 Silence the Believers
4 Nissa, Worldwaker
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Temple of Malady
4 Llanowar Wastes
4 Jungle Hollow
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Darksteel Citadel
3 Forest
5 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
2 Despise
1 Bile Blight
4 Drown in Sorrow
1 Empty the Pits
2 Whip of Erebos
3 Reclamation Sage
1 Garruk, Apex Predator
1 Silence the Believers
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Mono-Red Aggro

This was one of the first decks I brewed, and I was super excited about it until I saw the staggering amount of lifegain in the format. This deck can still get there, but it will take a lot more work to do it through all that lifegain.

[deck title= Mono-Red Aggro]
[Creatures]
4 Foundry Street Denizen
4 Frenzied Goblin
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Borderland Marauder
4 War-Name Aspirant
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Hammerhand
4 Titan’s Strength
4 Lightning Strike
4 Stoke the Flames
[/Spells]
[Land]
12 Mountain
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Wooded Foothills
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
2 Rouse the Mob
2 Blinding Flare
2 Scouring Sands
4 Searing Blood
2 Hall of Triumph
3 Harness by Force
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Jeskai Counter Burn

This was a fun idea I had when I saw [card]Mindswipe[/card]—you just incidentally kill your opponent while controlling the board. This will definitely be good against a lot of the decks in the format, but I haven’t gotten to find out which ones yet.

[deck title= Jeskai Counter Burn]
[Creatures]
2 Keranos, God of Storms
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Lightning Strike
4 Dissolve
4 Banishing Light
4 Jeskai Charm
3 Anger of the Gods
4 End Hostilities
4 Jace’s Ingenuity
1 Fated Retribution
4 Mindswipe
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Temple of Triumph
4 Temple of Epiphany
4 Temple of Enlightenment
4 Shivan Reef
5 Island
2 Plains
3 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
3 Fated Conflagration
2 Thassa’s Ire
1 Anger of the Gods
4 Nyx Fleece Ram
4 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
1 Pearl Lake Ancient
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Sultai Midrange

This was another deck I brewed early and was fairly excited for. I made quite a few changes to it after my initial testing, but have not yet gotten to try them out. I was easily taking down Mono-Green Devotion in testing though, so that’s something.

[deck title= Sultai Midrange]
[Creatures]
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Courser of Kruphix
1 Clever Impersonator
2 Prognostic Sphinx
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Thoughtseize
3 Bile Blight
4 Hero’s Downfall
4 Sultai Charm
4 Kiora, the Crashing Wave
1 Silence the Believers
3 Nissa, Worldwaker
2 Murderous Cut
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Temple of Mystery
2 Temple of Malady
3 Llanowar Wastes
2 Mana Confluence
4 Polluted Delta
3 Forest
3 Island
2 Swamp
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
2 Despise
3 Drown in Sorrow
4 Dissolve
2 Dissipate
1 Silence the Believers
1 Aetherspouts
2 Sagu Mauler
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Naya Planeswalkers

Naya Planeswalkers is one of the decks that mostly comes from the Theros Block format, but doesn’t gain as much as most of the other decks do. It could be a big deck in the format, but with the Abzan decks being so big right now, it has a lot to contend with.

[deck title= Naya Planeswalkers]
[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Courser of Kruphix
4 Stormbreath Dragon
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Lightning Strike
3 Banishing Light
4 Xenagos the Reveler
3 Nissa, Worldwaker
2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
2 Ajani, Mentor of Heroes
4 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
4 Temple of Abandon
4 Mana Confluence
2 Plains
2 Mountain
3 Forest
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
3 Magma Spray
4 Anger of the Gods
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
1 Banishing Light
3 Destructive Revelry
2 Fated Conflagration
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Izzet Artifact Aggro

This deck looks fun, but feels like it’s missing a couple of cards to be good. It could kick around a few of the midrange decks with its speed and shouldn’t be counted out.

[deck title= Izzet Artifact Aggro]
[Creatures]
4 Ornithopter
4 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Springleaf Drum
4 Ghostfire Blade
4 Ensoul Artifact
4 Lightning Strike
4 Shrapnel Blast
2 Military Intelligence
2 Hour of Need
4 Stoke the Flames
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Shivan Reef
4 Temple of Epiphany
4 Darksteel Citadel
2 Mana Confluence
2 Island
4 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
2 Magma Spray
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Searing Blood
3 Disdainful Strike
2 Icy Blast
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

White Weenie

This deck could be strong if there wasn’t so much lifegain in the format, but suffers from [card]Siege Rhino[/card] being played so heavily. I would expect to see it quite a bit despite that.

[deck title= White Weenie]
[Creatures]
4 Soldier of the Pantheon
4 Favored Hoplite
4 Master of Pearls
4 Cavalry Pegasus
4 Phalanx Leader
4 Cavalry Pegasus
4 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Launch the Fleet
2 Gods Willing
2 Dauntless Onslaught
1 Spear of Heliod
1 Hall of Triumph
[/Spells]
[Land]
22 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
3 Ajani’s Presence
1 Spear of Heliod
3 Banishing Light
1 Ajani Steadfast
3 Deicide
2 God’s Willing
2 Suspension Field
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Sultai Control

This deck is more Dimir Control splashing green for some very powerful spells than it is Sultai, but that allows it to hit double black and double blue consistently for its best cards. I will be surprised if a variation of this deck is not a contender in the format.

[deck title= Sultai Control]
[Creatures]
1 Clever Impersonator
2 Sagu Mauler
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Thoughtseize
3 Bile Blight
2 Drown in Sorrow
4 Hero’s Downfall
4 Dissolve
3 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
4 Sultai Charm
1 Silence the Believers
1 Aetherspouts
2 Murderous Cut
3 Jace’s Ingenuity
1 Garruk, Apex Predator
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Polluted Delta
1 Llanowar Wastes
1 Yavimaya Coast
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Temple of Deceit
2 Temple of Mystery
2 Temple of Malady
2 Mana Confluence
3 Swamp
4 Island
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
2 Despise
2 Pharika’s Cure
3 Negate
1 Bile Blight
2 Drown in Sorrow
1 Silence the Believers
1 Jace, the Living Guildpact
1 Aetherspouts
1 Pearl Lake Ancient
1 Empty the Pits
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Gruul Devotion

This deck is already seeing a lot of play, and I expect that to continue for quite a while. There will be lots of variations on it that are competitive as we’ve already seen with Mono-Green, Golgari, and Gruul versions.

[deck title= Gruul Devotion]
[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Voyaging Satyr
4 Courser of Kruphix
4 Polukranos, World Eater
2 Nylea, God of the Hunt
4 Arbor Colossus
4 Genesis Hydra
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Xenagos, the Reveler
2 Crater’s Claws
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
4 Temple of Abandon
4 Wooded Foothills
9 Forest
3 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
4 Nylea’s Disciple
3 Setessan Tactics
3 Reclamation Sage
2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
2 Nissa, Worldwaker
1 Crater’s Claws
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Big Boros

While this deck lost a lot of the enablers for devotion it still has some very powerful cards to ramp into. Whether this strategy is good enough yet remains to be seem, but I’m not super optimistic about it at the moment.

[deck title= Big Boros]
[Creatures]
4 Prophetic Flamespeaker
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
2 Iroas, God of Victory
4 Stormbreath Dragon
2 Soul of Shandalar
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Chained to the Rocks
4 Magma Jet
4 Tormenting Voice
3 Chandra, Pyromaster
3 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
2 Crater’s Claws
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
4 Temple of Triumph
4 Battlefield Forge
2 Wind-Scarred Crag
10 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
4 Anger of the Gods
4 Banishing Light
2 Fated Conflagration
2 Harness by Force
3 Magma Spray
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Boros Aggro

This deck has two things going for it: being fast and having a lot of built-in card advantage. I will be surprised if I don’t see Boros aggro running around, and smashing face.

[deck title= Boros Aggro]
[Creatures]
4 Soldier of the Pantheon
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Master of Pearls
4 War-Name Aspirant
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Launch the Fleet
4 Magma Jet
2 Desperate Stand
4 Stoke the Flames
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Temple of Triumph
4 Battlefield Forge
4 Mana Confluence
4 Plains
6 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
4 Ride Down
2 Banishing Light
3 Chained to the Rocks
3 Magma Spray
3 Ajani’s Presence
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Orzhov Warriors

This is a pretty aggressive deck with a lot of built in resistance to a majority of the sweepers in the format. While it does resist the sweepers, it may or may not be enough to be a contender in the metagame.

[deck title= Orzhov Warriors]
[Creatures]
4 Bloodsoaked Champion
4 Gnarled Scarhide
4 Tormented Hero
4 Pain Seer
4 Chief of the Edge
4 Chief of the Scale
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Bile Blight
4 Sign in Blood
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Temple of Silence
4 Mana Confluence
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
6 Swamp
3 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
4 Thoughtseize
3 Banishing Light
3 Pharika’s Cure
2 Grim Haruspex
2 Raider’s Spoils
1 Hall of Triumph
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Abzan Midrange

This is so far the most heavily played deck in the format, and I’ve played against it a whopping seven times this weekend. This is the deck to beat.

[deck title= Abzan Midrange]
[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Fleecemane Lion
4 Courser of Kruphix
4 Siege Rhino
4 Wingmate Roc
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Abzan Charm
4 Hero’s Downfall
2 Utter End
3 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Sandsteppe Citadel
2 Temple of Silence
2 Temple of Malady
4 Mana Confluence
4 Windswept Heath
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
3 Forest
2 Plains
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
4 Thoughtseize
2 Whip of Erebos
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
2 Banishing Light
3 Reclamation Sage
1 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Temur Monsters

This has a little more utility than the Gruul Monsters list, but utility doesn’t always win. There’s very little reason to splash the blue, but the few cards that are worth it are very very good. We will see Temur Monsters around.

[deck title= Temur Monsters]
[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Rattleclaw Mystic
4 Savage Knuckleblade
4 Courser of Kruphix
3 Polukranos, World Eater
4 Stormbreath Dragon
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Lightning Strike
2 Temur Ascendancy
4 Temur Charm
4 Xenagos, the Reveler
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Temple of Abandon
2 Shivan Reef
2 Yavimaya Coast
2 Mana Confluence
4 Wooded Foothills
6 Forest
3 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
3 Nissa, Worldwaker
3 Magma Spray
2 Surrak Dragonclaw
2 Chandra. Pyromaster
3 Reclamation Sage
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Mardu Midrange

Another deck that’s quickly gaining popularity, but with little reason. This deck is just a mishmash of good stuff barely held together by its removal. I will be surprised if it continues to be a player.

[deck title= Mardu Midrange]
[Creatures]
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
4 Butcher of the Horde
4 Strombreath Dragon
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Thoughtseize
3 Bile Blight
4 Mardu Charm
4 Hero’s Downfall
2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
3 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Nomad Outpost
4 Temple of Malice
3 Caves of Koilos
3 Battlefield Forge
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Bloodstained Mire
2 Mountain
2 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
4 Anger of the Gods
2 Silence the Believers
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
2 Utter End
3 Pharika’s Cure
2 Despise
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Villainous Sultai

This is just a nice fun little list for those of you who want to ramp into [card]Villainous Wealth[/card], since lots of friends have been talking about wanting to play it. I don’t think it really has a place in the format, which is unfortunate for people who like fun.

[deck title= Villainous Sultai]
[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Courser of Kruphix
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Thoughtseize
4 Sultai Charm
3 Hero’s Downfall
4 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
4 Kiora, the Crashing Wave
2 In Garruk’s Wake
4 Villainous Wealth
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Opulent Palace
4 Temple of Malady
4 Llanowar Wastes
1 Yavimaya Coast
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Polluted Delta
2 Swamp
2 Island
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
4 Drown in Sorrow
1 Hero’s Downfall
2 Garruk, Apex Predator
2 Prognostic Sphinx
3 Nissa, Worldwaker
3 Bile Blight
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

That’s all I have for now. I’ll be back in a few weeks talking about my Pro Tour Khans of Tarkir experience. If you have any questions of comments, pleases feel free to leave them below and I will do my best to answer them.

Thanks for reading,

Josh Milliken

@joshuamilliken on Twitter

Burninating the Field: A PTQ Win

So yeah, I won a PTQ. I get to play on the Pro Tour again…in Hawaii! Sadly, I was a traitor, giving up Zoo for Burn after a couple dismal PTQ performances. The Zoo deck was performing amazingly at the TCGplayer and SCG IQ tournaments I had been playing in, but I was not able to translate that success to a PTQ.

The Deck

 

After PTQ Columbus last week, where I went 2-2-drop, I decided I needed to give Burn a try. Why would you want to give Burn a try you might say? Well, to be honest I felt like it had good matchups against most of the decks that are seeing a lot of play right now and could race the bad matchups well enough. All I had to do to stand a chance was avoid having [card]Leyline of Sanctity[/card] in my opponents’ opening hands. Also, most people don’t test against Burn and don’t expect to see it, so you can typically get in a few extra points of damage because they don’t know what to do.

This list saw a few changes from my testing with it, most notably adding black for [card]Bump in the Night[/card] so I didn’t have to run [card]Shard Volley[/card] anymore. I ran into a lot of issues where I simply couldn’t afford to cast [card]Shard Volley[/card] because I couldn’t afford to lose the land for my next turn, which in turn cost me a lot of games. The final list I decided on has a few funky sideboard cards that I will explain.

[deck title= Burn]
[Creatures]
*1 Grim Lavamancer
*4 Goblin Guide
*4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
*4 Hellspark Elemental
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
*4 Lightning Bolt
*4 Lava Spike
*4 Bump in the Night
*4 Searing Blaze
*4 Skullcrack
*4 Rift Bolt
*4 Flames of the Blood Hand
[/Spells]
[Land]
*4 Blood Crypt
*4 Arid Mesa
*11 Mountain
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
*2 Relic of Progenitus
*4 Smash to Smithereens
*3 Satyr Firedancer
*2 Shrine of Burning Rage
*2 Dismember
*2 Hammer of Purphoros
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

I decided to not splash white or green in an attempt to combat [card]Leyline of Sanctity[/card], but I also chose to not completely ignore it. I knew that if they landed it I would be in trouble regardless, and out of all the options that I could think of at the time, [card]Hammer of Purphoros[/card] seemed like my best option since it provided a stream of threats in a tough situation. If I could go back, I would likely replace it with [card]Koth of the Hammer[/card] since [card]Wear // Tear[/card] doesn’t kill him.

I also initially had [card]Molten Rain[/card] and [card]Searing Blood[/card] in my sideboard, but decided Tron didn’t actually need sideboard cards, and that [card]Satyr Firedancer[/card] and [card]Dismember[/card] would be enough for the aggro decks that weren’t Affinity. Cutting those cards allowed me to also add in [card]Relic of Progenitus[/card] to assist in matchups like Storm, Living End, and Junk.

From the beginning, I knew I wanted some number of [card]Satyr Firedancer[/card] in the sideboard to make my life easier against the aggro decks, and I felt like three was a good number since I only wanted to draw one per game.

satyrfiredancer

The PTQ

Round 1 – U/R Twin 2-0

Game 1: I started off on the play with a [card]Goblin Guide[/card] that immediately revealed a [card]Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker[/card], which told me he was some flavor of combo. His turn was [card]Island[/card] into [card]Sleight of Hand[/card], telling me that he was U/R/x Twin. Unfortunately for my opponent, the [card]Goblin Guide[/card] connected three times, and combined with the burn spells I was able to play, left him dead before he was really able to do anything.

Sideboarding
In
2 [card]Smash to Smithereens[/card]
2 [card]Dismember[/card]

Out
4 [card]Searing Blaze[/card]

Game 2: My opponent opted to be on the play, and while he mulliganed to five, I mulliganed to six. He did nothing for the first couple turns, while I cast a turn two [card]Eidolon of the Great Revel[/card] to put a ton of pressure on his slow hand. He eventually cast his [card]Snapcaster Mage[/card] for no value just to have a creature on the board, and followed it up with a [card]Vendilion Clique[/card]. I jumped the gun and revealed my hand to only to have him target himself—whoops. It didn’t matter, though, as I had plenty of burn to finish him off two turns later after he blocked my [card]Eidolon of the Great Revel[/card].

Round 2 – R/W/U Control 0-2

Game 1: My opponent started on the play, but I was first out of the gate with a [card]Goblin Guide[/card]. Unfortunately, he had a [card]Lightning Helix[/card] to kill it on his second turn. With no creatures left and my opponent not doing anything, I began throwing burn at his face. He was able to sequence his spells in a way to make my burn spells fail miserably, with three [card]Snapcaster Mage[/card]s to get him a second [card]Lightning Helix[/card] and a total of three [card]Sphinx’s Revelation[/card]s, totaling ten cards and seven life (since I was finally able to sneak in a [card]Skullcrack[/card] through his [card]Spellsnare[/card]). In the end, I died to two [card]Snapcaster Mage[/card]s and a [card]Celestial Colonnade[/card] beating me down.

Sideboarding
In
2 [card]Shrine of Burning Rage[/card]
2 [card]Hammer of Purphoros[/card]

Out
4 [card]Searing Blaze[/card]

Game 2: I finally got to be on the play, and my opponent didn’t hit a [card]Leyline of Sanctity[/card], so I felt like I was in a good spot. I opened on a [card]Goblin Guide[/card] and followed it up with a [card]Shrine of Burning Rage[/card]. He only had one mana available on my next turn, so I decided to try to put maximum pressure on with an [card]Eidolon of the Great Revel[/card], but he had a [card]Spellsnare[/card]. On his turn, he cast [card]Wear // Tear[/card] on my [card]Shrine of Burning Rage[/card]. If I hadn’t tapped out it would have won me the game. He went on to [card]Lightning Helix[/card] me three times and beat me down with a pair of [card]Snapcaster Mage[/card]s while I hit six lands to lose the game.

EN MTGHOP Cards V3.indd

Round 3 – Melira Pod 2-0

Game 1: We both mulliganed to six with my opponent on the play. My hand wasn’t really good other than a turn one [card]Goblin Guide[/card], but his wasn’t very good against me. I was able to get in three attacks with [card]Goblin Guide[/card] before he put up his defenses, and I was fortunately able to burn him out the turn before he was able to kill me.

Sideboarding
In
3 [card]Satyr Firedancer[/card]
1 [card]Dismember[/card]

Out
4 [card]Hellspark Elemental[/card]

Game 2: He opted for the play again, and we both got to keep seven cards. My hand was really bad, though, and a turn-two [card]Sin Collector[/card] showed him two [card]Flames of the Blood Hand[/card] and a [card]Skullcrack[/card]. He made the wrong decision of taking the [card]Flames of the Blood Hand[/card], allowing me to keep casting my burn spells on curve. He landed a [card]Gavony Township[/card] the next turn and ran a [card]Kitchen Finks[/card] into my [card]Skullcrack[/card], leaving me to have to race. I drew yet another [card]Flames of the Blood Hand[/card] and he played his [card]Spellskite[/card], leaving me in a tough spot. Fortunately, I was able to take advantage of him tapping out trying to life combo me instead of going for the on-board kill that he didn’t see, allowing me to steal the win.

Round 4 – Scapeshift 2-0

Game 1: My opponent chose to be on the play, and promptly mulliganed to five while I kept a pretty good six. He played a [card]Misty Rainforest[/card] on his turn and passed, giving me very little information. My turn one was [card]Lava Spike[/card], which he likely should have conceded to so he could have a better post-sideboard game. His follow up was a [card]Search for Tomorrow[/card], which gave me far more information than should be given in this matchup—Scapeshift is at such a disadvantage against Burn. A couple burn spells later, I had the game.

Sideboarding
In
2 [card]Shrine of Burning Rage[/card]

Out
2 [card]Searing Blaze[/card]

Game 2: We both kept seven card with him on the play. I knew going into this game that all I needed to worry about were a few [card]Obstinate Baloth[/card]s, which prompted me to keep a hand full of [card]Skullcrack[/card]s and [card]Flames of the Blood Hand[/card]. He ended up stumbling on mana on one of his turns, which made me decide to just start firing them off at the end of his turns. He did not withstand my assault and the game was mine fairly quickly.

Round 5 – Affinity 2-1

Game 1: I got to start on the play while my opponent mulliganed to six. I quickly got to work on his life total with [card]Lava Spike[/card], and he revealed that he was Affinity with a relatively slow hand. I followed up with a [card]Goblin Guide[/card] and another burn spell. He dropped half his hand on the table suddenly. Fortunately, I was able to win the race since he didn’t hit a [card]Cranial Plating[/card] to finish me off.

Sideboarding
In
4 [card]Smash to Smithereens[/card]
3 [card]Satyr Firedancer[/card]

Out
4 [card]Eidolon of the Great Revel[/card]
3 [card]Flames of the Blood Hand[/card]

Game 2: He had a pretty lackluster turn one, but followed it up with two [card]Ensoul Artifact[/card] on turn two. As hard as I tried, I just couldn’t race it even though I was able to kill one of his 5/5s.

Game 3: I kept a pretty insane turn-four kill hand, consisting of two land and five burn spells. He kept a very slow hand that did absolutely nothing. I executed the turn-four win perfectly while he floundered around and did one damage to me with a [card]Memnite[/card]

ensoulartifact

Round 6 – Affinity 2-0

Game 1: I started on the play with neither of us mulliganing. I opened on [card]Goblin Guide[/card], which got in for eight damage this game, while he had a fairly slow draw. I was easily able to race his mechanical men from there with the burn spells that were waiting in my hand, leaving me needing to win only one more game to be able to draw into top eight.

Sideboarding
In
4 [card]Smash to Smithereens[/card]
3 [card]Satyr Firedancer[/card]

Out
4 [card]Eidolon of the Great Revel[/card]
3 [card]Flames of the Blood Hand[/card]

Game 2: I mulliganed to five this game on the draw while my opponent mulliganed to six. I kept an opener of [card]Mountain[/card], [card]Arid Mesa[/card], [card]Satyr Firedancer[/card], [card]Lava Spike[/card], and [card]Skullcrack[/card], and knew that to win this game I was going to need to ride that [card]Satyr Firedancer[/card] as hard as I possibly could. Fortunately, my opponent was unable to kill it, and I was able to sit back and nuke every creature he played. With his threats neutralized, I was able to cruise to victory with just a few more burn spells.

Round 7 – Scapeshift Intentional Draw

After looking at the standings, it was obvious that my opponent and I were going to be able to intentionally draw into top eight, so we did just that.

The Top 8

Top 8 – Junk 2-1

Game 1: My opponent started off on the play because he was the higher seed, and I started off with a mulligan to six. We both knew what the other was playing card for card, which led him to opening on [card]Inquisition of Kozilek[/card]. I top decked a [card]Goblin Guide[/card] and got in once with it the entire game. He followed up with a [card]Dark Confidant[/card], which I decided not to kill. Instead, I followed up with an [card]Eidolon of the Great Revel[/card] to punish him for anything he might play. He played another [card]Dark Confidant[/card] after reveleaing land from the first one. I decided this would just be a waiting game with two [card]Dark Confidant[/card]s on his side of the field. Fortunately for him, he only took three damage total off of the multitude of triggers for his [card]Dark Confidants[/card], but he did take a ton off of my two copies of [card]Eidolon of the Great Revel[/card], allowing me to quickly close the game with a couple burn spells.

Sideboarding
In
2 [card]Relic of Progenitus[/card]
2 [card]Dismember[/card]

Out
4 [card]Hellspark Elemental[/card]

Game 2: My opponent started off on the play against my fairly lackluster hand. He played nothing on his turn one, and I suspended a [card]Rift Bolt[/card] on mine. He also decided to not do anything on his turn two, so I cast a [card]Lava Spike[/card] and [card]Relic of Progenitus[/card], which he immediately destroyed with [card]Abrupt Decay[/card]. His turn three was a [card]Tarmogoyf[/card], which I was unable to deal with. He swung a couple times leaving me to draw a bunch of lands and no way to win.

Game 3: I started on the play while my opponent mulliganed to six. I started on a turn-two [card]Eidolon of the Great Revel[/card] which dealt about ten damage just from its triggers, leaving him dead to just a couple of burn spells.

eidolonofthegreatrevel

Top 4 – R/G Tron 2-0

Game 1: We both mulliganed to six with my opponent on the play. This game wasn’t even a little close, as I had turn-one [card]Goblin Guide[/card], which met a [card]Pyroclasm[/card], into turn-two [card]Eidolon of the Great Revel[/card]. He was unable to do anything in time and just died to a fist full of burn.

Sideboarding
In
4 [card]Smash to Smithereens[/card]

Out
4 [card]Searing Blaze[/card]

Game 2: He played a [card]Chromatic Sphere[/card] on his turn one, and I retaliated with a [card]Goblin Guide[/card]. The next turn I hit him with two burn spells, leaving him at 11 already. On turn three, I cast [card]Hellspark Elemental[/card] and took him to five. He hit tron and cast a [card]Wurmcoil Engine[/card] and an [card]Expedition Map[/card]. I untapped, slammed a land, and got him with two more burn spells.

Finals – Affinity 2-0

Game 1: We both kept our opening hands with him on the play. He opened on a [card]Vault Skirge[/card] and I raced out with a [card]Goblin Guide[/card]. He followed with a [card]Steel Overseer[/card] that I had to dispose of with a [card]Searing Blaze[/card]. Next turn he played a second [card]Steel Overseer[/card]. I removed it and dealt him another three. After that, I was finally able to deal with the [card]Vault Skirge[/card], and he ran out of gas. I quickly finished the game from there.

Sideboarding
In
4 [card]Smash to Smithereens[/card]
3 [card]Satyr Firedancer[/card]

Out
4 [card]Eidolon of the Great Revel[/card]
3 [card]Flames of the Blood Hand[/card]

Game 2: I kept my opener, which included [card]Satyr Firedancer[/card], four lands, and two burn spells, while he mulliganed to five. He exploded out of the gates anyway, playing almost his whole hand on turn one/ I was unable to accomplish anything but a land drop. The next turn, I was able to resolve [card]Satyr Firedancer[/card], but he then cast an [card]Arcbound Ravager[/card] that I would have to deal with. He swung in with a handful of damage, and left mana up to turn an [card]Inkmoth Nexus[/card] into a creature. I had two burn spells up and had no choice but to fire off at the [card]Arcbound Ravager[/card] which he started sacrificing to. Once it got to three counters, I tried to kill it again in response to the fourth activation, which forced him to put three counters on his [card]Inkmoth Nexus[/card]. My opponent then got in two turns in a row with [card]Inkmoth Nexus[/card], leaving me at eight infect. This leads us to the best topdeck of the day:[card]Smash to Smithereens[/card] to kill the [card]Inkmoth Nexus[/card], and thanks to the Firedancer, also the other [card]Inkmoth Nexus[/card] that he was attacking with. Next turn, I drew a [card]Hellspark Elemental[/card], unearthed another, and won the PTQ.

inkmothnexus

Victory

I couldn’t believe it, and everyone in the room was excited for me. Thanks for all the support from the guys working at the PTQ that I talked to most of the night—they were almost as excited as I was.

That’s all I’ve got at the moment, but I’ll see you all very soon with a Brewing with Khans of Tarkir article and hopefully some amazing stories from Hawaii. The brews article will be slightly delayed this time, because the decks will be what I’m working on for Pro Tour Hawii.

Thanks for reading,

Josh Milliken

Edit – Since people are asking, the event was in Morgantown, WV.

Brewing with M15

Welcome back! Today we’re talking about brewing with M15. I’ll cover just some of the possibilities that the cards from Magic 2015 create, and fair warning, this will include four [card]Chord of Calling[/card] builds—sorry, I get excited when I can play with a toolbox deck. We have nine Standard and two Modern lists today, which surely won’t cover everything possible in the format (sorry about that), but it’s a good start! Once again, I can’t predict what the metagame is going to look like to be able to tune the Standard decks and sideboards, so I will suggest four sideboard cards for each build that should cover some of the weaknesses of each deck. I will, however, take a stab at the sideboards for the Modern decks as it is a pretty well defined format.

Standard

[deck title= Jund Walkers]
[Creatures]
4 Sylvan Caryatid
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Thoughtseize
3 Abrupt Decay
1 Dreadbore
2 Mizzium Mortars
3 Anger of the Gods
4 Hero’s Downfall
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
1 Liliana of the Dark Realms
3 Xenagos, the Reveler
2 Liliana Vess
3 Nissa, Worldwaker
2 Vraska the Unseen
1 Garruk, Apex Predator
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Blood Crypt
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Stomping Ground
2 Temple of Abandon
2 Temple of Malice
4 Temple of Malady
3 Forest
2 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

Jund Walkers is a deck that should be able to grind out its opponent with the card advantage provided by its endless parade of planeswalkers. It sports fourteen planeswalkers and zero targetable creatures, making decks that run removal really struggle to do anything since they have so many dead cards. It should give Mono-Black Devotion fits, as they just won’t be able to kill your planeswalkers since they can only run four [card]Hero’s Downfall[/card] to deal with them.

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Destructive Revelry[/card], [card]Duress[/card], [card]Pharika’s Cure[/card], and [card]Slaughter Games[/card].

[deck title= Slivers]
[Creatures]
4 Galerider Sliver
4 Manaweft Sliver
4 Predatory Sliver
4 Leeching Sliver
4 Syphon Sliver
4 Blur Sliver
4 Thorncaster Sliver
3 Sliver Hivelord
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Hive Stirrings
3 Chord of Calling
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Mana Confluence
4 Sliver Hive
2 Blood Crypt
2 Breeding Pool
3 Overgrown Tomb
3 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
3 Mutavault
[/Land]
[/deck]

Slivers may actually be competitive for the first time in many many years now that the tribe has hit a critical mass of playable cards in the same Standard. This angry hive should be able to race most of the other aggro decks since it can easily find whatever sliver it currently needs with [card]Chord of Calling[/card] while also putting pressure on. It has a ton of options for the sideboard that can tailor the hive to fight any threat.

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Belligerent Sliver[/card], [card]Constricting Sliver[/card], [card]Diffusion Sliver[/card], and [card]Sentinel Sliver[/card].

[deck title= Junk Chord]
[Creatures]
1 Brain Maggot
2 Cartel Aristocrat
1 Scavenging Ooze
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Voice of Resurgence
1 Banisher Priest
4 Courser of Kruphix
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Sin Collector
1 Varolz, the Scar-Striped
1 Eidolon of Blossoms
1 Trostani, Selesnya’s Voice
1 Obzedat, Ghost Council
1 Scion of Vitu-Ghazi
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Abrupt Decay
3 Hero’s Downfall
2 Whip of Erebos
2 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
4 Chord of Calling
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Godless Shrine
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Temple Garden
4 Temple of Malady
4 Temple of Plenty
3 Forest
[/Land]
[/deck]

The Junk Chord deck is all about value. It can tutor for a variety of threats to complicate its opponent’s plan. This deck should remind players of the [card]Birthing Pod[/card] decks that currently dominate Modern, but without ways to actually combo. If you can get this deck into the late game, it should be able to just grind its opponent out with cards like [card]Whip of Erebos[/card] and [card]Elspeth, Sun’s Champion[/card].

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Banishing Light[/card], [card]Lifebane Zombie[/card], [card]Sin Collector[/card], and [card]Thoughtseize[/card].

[deck title= White Weenie]
[Creatures]
4 Dryad Militant
4 Judge’s Familiar
4 Soldier of the Pantheon
4 Imposing Sovereign
4 Precinct Captain
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Brave the Elements
2 Launch the Fleet
4 Spirit Bonds
2 Spear of Heliod
3 Ajani Steadfast
[/Spells]
[Land]
18 Plains
4 Mutavault
[/Land]
[/deck]

White Weenie got a couple interesting toys in M15 that may push it over the top. First, [card]Ajani Steadfast[/card] will play a lot like [card]Ajani Goldmane[/card] did when Kithkin was a deck in Standard, pumping all your creatures over your opponents, but with a better plus-one ability. Second, [card]Spirit Bonds[/card] can generate you a fairly sizable spirit army that can also help protect your better threats. And finally, [card]Hushwing Gryff[/card] can help to shut down those pesky comes-into-play abilities your opponents might want to use.

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Banishing Light[/card], [card]Banisher Priest[/card], [card]Hushwing Gryff[/card], and [card]Rootborn Defenses[/card].

[deck title= Big White]
[Creatures]
4 Judge’s Familiar
4 Precinct Captain
4 Boros Reckoner
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
2 Heliod, God of the Sun
3 Avacyn, Guardian Angel
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Celestial Flare
4 Banishing Light
2 Spear of Heliod
4 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
2 Mass Calcify
[/Spells]
[Land]
14 Plains
4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
4 Temple of Enlightenment
2 Temple of Silence
[/Land]
[/deck]

There seem to be a lot of one-sided [card]Wrath of God[/card] effects showing up in Standard, but [card]Mass Calcify[/card] can actually be abused in this Big White build. If the deck curves out with creatures, it can cast [card]Mass Calcify[/card] or an [card]Elspeth, Sun’s Champion[/card], on turn four off of [card]Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx[/card], a card that just keeps getting stronger with every set printed. If the game doesn’t go big, it will play out like a grindy midrange contest, which could allow the deck to generate incremental advantages with [card]Heliod, God of the Sun[/card], and [card]Spear of Heliod[/card].

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Blind Obedience[/card], [card]Hushwing Gryff[/card], [card]Planar Cleansing[/card], and [card]Wall of Essence[/card].

[deck title= G/W Chord]
[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
1 Aegis of the Gods
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Spirit of the Labyrinth
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Voice of Resurgence
1 Wall of Essence
1 Banisher Priest
1 Boros Reckoner
4 Courser of Kruphix
1 Reclamation Sage
1 Yisan, the Waderer Bard
1 Eidolon of Blossoms
1 Trostani, Selesnya’s Voice
1 Archangel of Thune
1 Scion of Vitu-Ghazi
1 Angel of Serenity
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Garruk, Caller of Beasts
4 Chord of Calling
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Temple Garden
4 Temple of Plenty
2 Mana Confluence
10 Forest
3 Plains
[/Land]
[/deck]

This is essentially the Junk Chord deck, but without the hand disruption. It has a lot more options for main deck sideboard cards that it can grab with [card]Chord of Calling[/card] though, which makes up for the lack of black cards. This deck also has a few additional ways to dig for the creatures it wants with [card]Yisan, the Wanderer Bard[/card], and [card]Garruk, Caller of Beasts[/card].

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Banishing Light[/card], [card]Centaur Healer[/card], [card]Mistcutter Hydra[/card], and [card]Ready/Willing[/card].

[deck title= Archangel Combo]
[Creatures]
4 Kiora’s Follower
1 Phyrexian Revoker
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Voice of Resurgence
1 Reclamation Sage
2 Yisan, the Wanderer Bard
1 Eidolon of Blossoms
2 Fathom Mage
2 Horizon Chimera
4 Archangel of Thune
1 Prime Speaker Zegana
2 Prophet of Kruphix
1 Progenitor Mimic
1 Soul of Ravnica
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Detention Sphere
4 Chord of Calling
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Breeding Pool
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Temple Garden
4 Temple of Mystery
4 Temple of Plenty
3 Forest
[/Land]
[/deck]

This is a deck that hasn’t had any success yet, but with [card]Chord of Calling[/card] and [card]Yisan, Wanderer Bard[/card], it may have finally hit a critical mass of good threats. When this deck finds a matchup it doesn’t like, it can sideboard into an aggro deck or a control build, which makes it able to fight against most archetypes. For those that still don’t know the combo, it is [card]Archangel of Thune[/card], [card]Horizon Chimers[/card], and [card]Fathom Mage[/card]. When you draw a card, you gain a life, putting a counter on all your creatures. Repeat until you have enough power on the board to kill your opponent.

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Banishing Light[/card], [card]Mistcutter Hydra[/card], [card]Negate[/card], and [card]Wall of Essence[/card].

[deck title= B/G Rock]
[Creatures]
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Courser of Kruphix
3 Reaper of the Wilds
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Thoughtseize
3 Abrupt Decay
4 Hero’s Downfall
4 Underworld Connections
2 Liliana Vess
4 Nissa, Worldwaker
2 Vraska the Unseen
2 Garruk, Apex Predator
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Temple of Malady
4 Llanowar Wastes
2 Mutavault
5 Forest
5 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

It may be news to some of you, but I love Rock decks and usually try to build them every time a new set comes out. This time is no exception, and I feel very optimistic about this version of B/G Rock. While it only really gained three cards, those three cards are no slouches. These planeswalkers allow you to run fewer actual creatures, but the creatures you do run are all quite good themselves. Of all the lists in this article, this one is second on my list to try out—right behind the last Standard one I’ll cover in just a moment.

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Drown in Sorrow[/card], [card]Duress[/card], [card]Lifebane Zombie[/card], and [card]Mistcutter Hydra[/card].

[deck title= Chain Veil Combo]
[Creatures]
4 Kiora’s Follower
4 Sylvan Caryatid
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Mizzium Mortars
3 Anger of the Gods
2 Chandra, Pyromaster
4 Jace, Architect of Thought
3 Kiora, the Crashing Wave
4 Ral Zarek
3 The Chain Veil
3 Xenagos, the Reveler
3 Nissa, Worldwaker
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Breeding Pool
4 Steam Vents
4 Stomping Ground
4 Temple of Abandon
4 Temple of Mystery
3 Forest
[/Land]
[/deck]

Who doesn’t want to just jam a bunch of planewalkers into a deck and still be playing combo? With [card]Nissa, Worldwaker[/card], or [card]Xenagos, the Reveler[/card], paired with [card]Ral Zarek[/card] and [card]The Chain Veil[/card], you can generate infinite planeswalker activations to essentially win on the spot. This deck also gets to run seven sweepers in the main with the potential of more in the sideboard, making life for aggro decks quite miserable. It should also be able to sideboard into a planeswalker control deck if it wants to fight other control decks.

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Back to Nature[/card], [card]Cyclonic Rift[/card], [card]Dissolve[/card], and [card]Negate[/card].

Modern

[deck title= 8 Rack]
[Creatures]
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Raven’s Crime
4 Shrieking Affliction
4 The Rack
4 Thoughtseize
3 Abrupt Decay
1 Scepter of Fuge
4 Smallpox
4 Waste Not
4 Wrench Mind
2 Dismember
4 Liliana of the Veil
[/Spells]
[Land]
2 Overgrown Tomb
4 Temple of Malady
4 Verdant Catacombs
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
2 Ghost Quarter
1 Forest
7 Swamp
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
1 Darkblast
1 Abrupt Decay
2 Life from the Loam
1 Scepter of Fugue
3 Drown in Sorrow
3 Maelstrom Pulse
4 Leyline of Sanctity
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

The Magic community pretty much tailored [card]Waste Not[/card] for this deck, which was already having minor success even before getting such a powerful card. This deck’s biggest issue was running out of gas while its opponent made topdeck after topdeck, so drawing extra cards and making extra creatures is a great bonus for doing what you were already doing.

[deck title= Affinity]
[Creatures]
4 Memnite
4 Ornithopter
4 Signal Pest
4 Arcbound Ravager
4 Chief Engineer
2 Steel Overseer
4 Vault Skirge
2 Etched Champion
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Mox Opal
4 Springleaf Drum
4 Cranial Plating
4 Thoughtcast
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Darksteel Citadel
4 Blinkmoth Nexus
4 Inkmoth Nexus
3 Glimmervoid
1 Island
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Spell Pierce
2 Thoughtseize
2 Spellskite
2 Torpor Orb
2 Whipflare
2 Blood Moon
1 Etched Champion
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

[card]Chief Engineer[/card] seems like a pretty weak card at first, until you realize that it can make Affinity kill a turn quicker than it already does—with the proper draw. The only downside is that it’s not an artifact itself, but neither was [card]Atog[/card] and Affinity ran that guy for a very long time.

That’s all I have for M15. In a couple months, I’ll be back to brew with Khans of Tarkir. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below.

Thanks for Reading,

Josh Milliken

@joshuamilliken on Twitter

A Modern Primer: How Do I Get Into Modern?

“What is Modern?” you might ask.

Modern is an eternal (non-rotating) format that was introduced in the Spring of 2011, with a card pool that spans from Eighth Edition all the way to the present—basically, all the sets since the “modern” (soon to be replaced) border was introduced. In an effort to keep the format fun, Wizards of the Coast introduced an ever-changing list of cards that are not legal for Modern tournament play. Currently banned cards are:

[Deck title=Current Modern Banned List]
Ancestral Vision
Ancient Den
Blazing Shoal
Bloodbraid Elf
Chrome Mox
Cloudpost
Dark Depths
Deathrite Shaman
Dread Return
Glimpse of Nature
Golgari Grave-Troll
Great Furnace
Green Sun’s Zenith
Hypergenesis
Jace, the Mind Sculptor
Mental Misstep
Ponder
Preordain
Punishing Fire
Rite of Flame
Seat of the Synod
Second Sunrise
Seething Song
Sensei’s Divining Top
Stoneforge Mystic
Skullclamp
Sword of the Meek
Tree of Tales
Umezawa’s Jitte
Vault of Whispers
[/deck]

Isn’t Legacy an eternal format with a banned list too? Yes, it is. So why would one play Modern over Legacy?

Since Wizards announced Modern, the company has been pushing the format at high levels of play, including pro tours, frequent grands prix, and a PTQ season each year. So if you want to play at the highest levels of competition, you will probably need to play some amount of Modern. The support Legacy gets from Wizards is fairly minimal. Plus, Modern is a pretty interesting format with a lot of competitive decks.

The decks listed below are lists that have either been doing well on Magic Online or in physical tournaments. When choosing a representative list, I chose the one with a best finish in a given event. Note that many decks fall into multiple categories, such as the [card]Birthing Pod[/card] decks being both midrange and combo decks. I grouped them how they generally finish the game out.

The Decks

First, let’s cover the aggressive decks in the format.

[deck title= Affinity]
[Creatures]
4 Arcbound Ravager
4 Etched Champion
2 Memnite
4 Ornithopter
4 Signal Pest
3 Steel Overseer
4 Vault Skirge
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Cranial Plating
4 Galvanic Blast
4 Mox Opal
4 Springleaf Drum
3 Thoughtcast
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Blinkmoth Nexus
4 Darksteel Citadel
3 Glimmervoid
4 Inkmoth Nexus
1 Mountain
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Blood Moon
1 Dispatch
2 Spellskite
3 Thoughtseize
1 Torpor Orb
2 Wear // Tear
2 Whipflare
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Affinity is the premier aggro deck in Modern at the moment. When playing in any large Modern event, you should expect to play against it at least once, so be sure to pack sideboard cards so you don’t lose on turn three.

[deck title= Soul Sisters]
[Creatures]
4 Ajani’s Pridemate
4 Martyr of Sands
3 Ranger of Eos
4 Serra Ascendant
4 Soul Warden
4 Soul’s Attendant
4 Squadron Hawk
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Honor of the Pure
3 Path to Exile
4 Spectral Procession
[/Spells]
[Land]
2 Emeria, the Sky Ruin
4 Flagstones of Trokair
16 Plains
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
2 Oblivion Ring
3 Rest in Peace
3 Rule of Law
4 Stony Silence
3 Suppression Field
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Soul Sisters is one of the cheaper decks in Modern. It sees an excessive amount of play on Magic Online because of being a budget build. If you want a budget option for getting into Modern, then this is one of the better ones.

[deck title= Infect]
[Creatures]
4 Blighted Agent
4 Glistener Elf
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Plague Stinger
2 Spellskite
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Apostle’s Blessing
2 Giant Growth
4 Groundswell
4 Might of Old Krosa
4 Mutagenic Growth
2 Rancor
4 Vines of Vastwood
[/Spells]
[Land]
2 Breeding Pool
1 Dryad Arbor
2 Forest
4 Inkmoth Nexus
4 Misty Rainforest
2 Overgrown Tomb
2 Pendelhaven
3 Verdant Catacombs
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
2 Abrupt Decay
3 Dismember
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Nature’s Claim
2 Pithing Needle
1 Spellskite
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Infect just comes from out of nowhere with quick kills and should never be underestimated. You should expect to see Infect with some regularity, as it has been picking up in popularity as of late.

[deck title= Mono-Blue Merfolk]
[Creatures]
2 Coralhelm Commander
3 Cursecatcher
4 Lord of Atlantis
4 Master of the Pearl Trident
3 Master of Waves
4 Merrow Reejerey
2 Phantasmal Image
4 Silvergill Adept
2 Thassa, God of the Sea
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Æther Vial
4 Spreading Seas
4 Vapor Snag
[/Spells]
[Land]
16 Island
4 Mutavault
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
1 Damping Matrix
4 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Merfolk Assassin
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Spell Pierce
2 Spellskite
3 Threads of Disloyalty
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Merfolk, much like its Legacy counterpart, tries to jam as many lord effects onto the battlefield as quickly as possible to create a critical mass of attackers. But the similarities end there, as one of the primary things the Modern version can’t do is counter spells for free and destroy opposing lands at no cost.

[deck title= Hate Bears]
[Creatures]
2 Aven Mindcensor
4 Blade Splicer
4 Flickerwisp
4 Leonin Arbiter
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Mangara of Corondor
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Restoration Angel
3 Scavenging Ooze
3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Aether Vial
4 Path to Exile
[/Spells]
[Land]
1 Eiganjo Castle
1 Forest
2 Gavony Township
4 Ghost Quarter
4 Horizon Canopy
2 Plains
4 Razorverge Thicket
4 Temple Garden
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
1 Choke
3 Creeping Corrosion
1 Dismember
2 Gaddock Teeg
1 Mangara of Corondor
2 Mark of Asylum
1 Qasali Pridemage
2 Stony Silence
1 Sunlance
1 Sword of War and Peace
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

What the Hatebears deck tries to do is generate threats that make its opponents’ game plans difficult to execute. The biggest issue with the deck is drawing the wrong cards at the wrong time.

[deck title= Hexproof]
[Creatures]
4 Gladecover Scout
4 Kor Spiritdancer
4 Slippery Bogle
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Daybreak Coronet
4 Ethereal Armor
4 Hyena Umbra
4 Path to Exile
4 Rancor
4 Spider Umbra
3 Spirit Mantle
[/Spells]
[Land]
1 Dryad Arbor
1 Forest
4 Horizon Canopy
3 Misty Rainforest
4 Razorverge Thicket
4 Temple Garden
3 Verdant Catacombs
1 Wooded Bastion
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
2 Dismember
4 Leyline of Sanctity
2 Nature’s Claim
2 Spirit Link
3 Stony Silence
2 Torpor Orb
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

The Hexproof deck is the bane of any deck that wants to interact with your creatures. Hexproof has a lot of speed, but can be fairly inconsistent, losing to itself quite often due to only having thirteen creatures to suit up.

[deck title= Burn]
[Creatures]
2 Eidolon of the Great Revel
4 Goblin Guide
4 Hellspark Elemental
4 Vexing Devil
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Flames of the Blood Hand
4 Lava Spike
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Rift Bolt
4 Searing Blaze
2 Shard Volley
4 Skullcrack
[/Spells]
[Land]
20 Mountain
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Combust
2 Eidolon of the Great Revel
2 Molten Rain
4 Satyr Firedancer
3 Smash to Smithereens
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Burn is now the most budget of budget decks in Modern. Not only does it not have to run fetch lands, but it has recently gotten several cards that can generate card advantage. Don’t be surprised when you see burn spells flying around the room.

[deck title= B/W Tokens]
[Creatures]
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
4 Dark Confidant
3 Mirran Crusader
4 Tidehollow Sculler
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Doom Blade
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Lingering Souls
4 Path to Exile
1 Sword of Fire and Ice
2 Sword of War and Peace
3 Thoughtseize
3 Zealous Persecution
[/Spells]
[Land]
2 Arid Mesa
2 Ghost Quarter
4 Godless Shrine
4 Isolated Chapel
4 Marsh Flats
4 Plains
1 Swamp
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Vault of the Archangel
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
2 Disenchant
2 Ethersworn Canonist
1 Grafdigger’s Cage
3 Kor Firewalker
1 Rest in Peace
2 Stony Silence
2 Suppression Field
1 Thoughtseize
1 Torpor Orb
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

The popularity of Black/White Tokens is in a constant flux, as it is not amazing or terrible against any of the decks in Modern. The recent Modern Event Deck may give a boost to its popularity, though.

[deck title= Tribal Zoo]
[Creatures]
4 Kird Ape
4 Loam Lion
4 Wild Nacatl
2 Snapcaster Mage
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Geist of Saint Traft
1 Ghor-Clan Rampager
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Mutagenic Growth
4 Path to Exile
2 Lightning Helix
4 Tribal Flames
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Arid Mesa
1 Blood Crypt
1 Forest
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Marsh Flats
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
4 Scalding Tarn
1 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Aven Mindcensor
2 Chained to the Rocks
1 Domri Rade
1 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
1 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Mutagenic Growth
1 Ranger of Eos
2 Stony Silence
2 Swan Song
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Tribal Zoo hasn’t performed much since the unbanning of [card]Wild Nacatl[/card], but a 3/3 for one CMC surely can’t be held down for long.

Now let’s take a look at the combo decks in the format:

[deck title= Melira Pod]
[Creatures]
4 Birds of Paradise
1 Eternal Witness
4 Kitchen Finks
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Melira, Sylvok Outcast
1 Murderous Redcap
3 Noble Hierarch
1 Orzhov Pontiff
1 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Qasali Pridemage
1 Ranger of Eos
1 Reveillark
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Shriekmaw
1 Spellskite
1 Viscera Seer
3 Voice of Resurgence
1 Wall of Roots
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Abrupt Decay
4 Birthing Pod
3 Chord of Calling
[/Spells]
[Land]
3 Forest
3 Gavony Township
1 Godless Shrine
4 Misty Rainforest
2 Overgrown Tomb
3 Razorverge Thicket
1 Swamp
1 Temple Garden
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Woodland Cemetery
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
3 Dismember
1 Eidolon of Rhetoric
1 Entomber Exarch
1 Harmonic Sliver
1 Kataki, War’s Wage
2 Scavenging Ooze
1 Sin Collector
4 Thoughtseize
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Melira Pod is the most popular deck in the format. You likely won’t ever play in a major Modern event without playing against it. This deck sports several ways to combo its opponent and redundant effects to make sure it happens. In the hands of a skilled Melira Pod player, this deck can be a nightmare to play against.

[deck title= Kiki Pod]
[Creatures]
4 Birds of Paradise
1 Deceiver Exarch
1 Eternal Witness
1 Glen Elendra Archmage
2 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
3 Kitchen Finks
1 Linvala, Keeper of Silence
1 Murderous Redcap
3 Noble Hierarch
1 Phantasmal Image
1 Qasali Pridemage
3 Restoration Angel
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Spellskite
2 Voice of Resurgence
3 Wall of Roots
1 Zealous Conscripts
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Birthing Pod
3 Chord of Calling
[/Spells]
[Land]
3 Arid Mesa
1 Breeding Pool
2 Fire-Lit Thicket
1 Forest
1 Gavony Township
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
1 Hallowed Fountain
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
1 Ancient Grudge
1 Avalanche Riders
1 Combust
1 Eidolon of Rhetoric
1 Fiery Justice
1 Harmonic Sliver
1 Kataki, War’s Wage
1 Kitchen Finks
2 Negate
3 Path to Exile
1 Sigarda, Host of Herons
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Slightly less popular than the Melira Pod deck is the Kiki Pod deck. This deck contains even more ways to combo kill its opponent, with more value creatures. I’ve lost my fair share of games to this deck where I simply said, “What just happened?” when I was taken out by a combo win.

[deck title= Splinter Twin]
[Creatures]
4 Deceiver Exarch
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
2 Pestermite
4 Snapcaster Mage
2 Spellskite
2 Vendilion Clique
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Cryptic Command
1 Dispel
1 Electrolyze
1 Flame Slash
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Peek
3 Remand
4 Serum Visions
1 Spell Snare
4 Splinter Twin
[/Spells]
[Land]
1 Desolate Lighthouse
5 Island
3 Misty Rainforest
2 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
3 Sulfur Falls
1 Tectonic Edge
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Anger of the Gods
2 Batterskull
2 Blood Moon
1 Dispel
1 Echoing Truth
1 Engineered Explosives
1 Flame Slash
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Threads of Disloyalty
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Splinter Twin is the second-most popular deck in Modern. It can win as early as turn four undisrupted, but usually sets up for a couple of extra turns to make sure it wins through disruption. You will see some version of Splinter Twin at nearly every Modern tournament.

[deck title= Tarmo Twin]
[Creatures]
2 Deceiver Exarch
4 Pestermite
4 Snapcaster Mage
4 Tarmogoyf
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
2 Cryptic Command
1 Electrolyze
2 Flame Slash
2 Gitaxian Probe
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Remand
4 Serum Visions
2 Spell Snare
4 Splinter Twin
[/Spells]
[Land]
1 Breeding Pool
1 Forest
2 Hinterland Harbor
3 Island
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
2 Steam Vents
1 Stomping Ground
3 Sulfur Falls
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
3 Ancient Grudge
2 Anger of the Gods
1 Batterskull
1 Combust
1 Counterflux
1 Dispel
1 Nature’s Claim
1 Negate
1 Spellskite
2 Threads of Disloyalty
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Tarmo Twin takes the shell of Splinter Twin and adds some threats so it doesn’t have to strictly kill through combo. In the right metagame, it can be even more potent than Splinter Twin, so don’t be surprised if you’re simply getting beaten down.

[deck title= R/W/U Twin]
[Creatures]
3 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
4 Restoration Angel
2 Snapcaster Mage
1 Vendilion Clique
4 Wall of Omens
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
1 Cryptic Command
4 Electrolyze
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Mana Leak
3 Path to Exile
2 Remand
1 Spell Snare
1 Sphinx’s Revelation
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Arid Mesa
1 Cascade Bluffs
4 Celestial Colonnade
1 Desolate Lighthouse
1 Hallowed Fountain
2 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Steam Vents
1 Sulfur Falls
2 Tectonic Edge
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
1 Anger of the Gods
1 Celestial Purge
1 Dispel
1 Izzet Staticaster
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Rest in Peace
1 Shadow of Doubt
1 Spellskite
3 Stony Silence
1 Wear // Tear
2 Wrath of God
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

R/W/U Twin goes for the value avenue of victory, and takes the combo route when its opponent provides an opening. There’s several versions of this deck, and all are very dangerous to play against.

[deck title= U/R Storm]
[Creatures]
4 Goblin Electromancer
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Desperate Ravings
4 Desperate Ritual
3 Faithless Looting
4 Gitaxian Probe
3 Grapeshot
4 Manamorphose
3 Past in Flames
4 Pyretic Ritual
4 Pyromancer Ascension
4 Serum Visions
4 Sleight of Hand
[/Spells]
[Land]
3 Island
2 Misty Rainforest
1 Mountain
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Steam Vents
3 Sulfur Falls
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
2 Anger of the Gods
1 Blood Moon
2 Echoing Truth
2 Empty the Warrens
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Swan Song
2 Vandalblast
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Storm sees a decent amount of play, as it’s relatively cheap to build. It is, however, fairly difficult to play correctly, and does poorly due to this. Storm has seen quite a few cards banned over the course of the Modern format, but is a very resilient deck.

[deck title= Amulet Combo]
[Creatures]
4 Azusa, Lost but Seeking
4 Primeval Titan
3 Simian Spirit Guide
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Amulet of Vigor
2 Hive Mind
2 Pact of Negation
4 Serum Visions
1 Slaughter Pact
4 Summer Bloom
4 Summoner’s Pact
[/Spells]
[Land]
1 Boros Garrison
1 Cavern of Souls
2 City of Brass
1 Forest
4 Gemstone Mine
1 Golgari Rot Farm
3 Gruul Turf
1 Island
1 Kabira Crossroads
1 Khalni Garden
1 Selesnya Sanctuary
4 Simic Growth Chamber
1 Slayers’ Stronghold
1 Sunhome, Fortress of the Legion
1 Tendo Ice Bridge
3 Tolaria West
1 Vesuva
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
1 Acidic Slime
1 Bojuka Bog
3 Firespout
1 Ghost Quarter
3 Leyline of Sanctity
4 Seal of Primordium
1 Slaughter Pact
1 Thragtusk
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

The Amulet Combo deck just wants to play a bunch of extra lands to essentially combo win with a creature. The deck is fairly uninteractive and punishes you hard for any misplay, but it does still take a lot of players by surprise.

[deck title= Ad Nauseum Combo]
[Creatures]
4 Simian Spirit Guide
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Ad Nauseam
4 Angel’s Grace
1 Lightning Storm
4 Lotus Bloom
2 Mystical Teachings
2 Pact of Negation
2 Peer Through Depths
4 Pentad Prism
3 Phyrexian Unlife
4 Serum Visions
1 Slaughter Pact
3 Sleight of Hand
[/Spells]
[Land]
1 Darkslick Shores
2 Gemstone Mine
1 Godless Shrine
1 Halimar Depths
2 Hallowed Fountain
1 Island
3 Marsh Flats
1 Plains
3 Scalding Tarn
1 Seachrome Coast
1 Sunken Ruins
1 Swamp
1 Temple of Deceit
1 Tolaria West
2 Watery Grave
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All
1 Drown in Sorrow
1 Echoing Truth
1 Favor of the Mighty
1 Hurkyl’s Recall
1 Laboratory Maniac
4 Leyline of Sanctity
1 Patrician’s Scorn
1 Rest in Peace
2 Silence
1 Wrath of God
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Ad Nauseum simply wants to draw its whole deck so it can one-shot its opponent. This deck isn’t super popular due to the amount of setup required to win, but does show up to ruin people’s days.

[deck title= Scapeshift]
[Creatures]
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
3 Snapcaster Mage
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Cryptic Command
2 Electrolyze
3 Izzet Charm
4 Remand
2 Repeal
4 Scapeshift
4 Search for Tomorrow
4 Serum Visions
3 Telling Time
[/Spells]
[Land]
1 Breeding Pool
1 Cascade Bluffs
1 Flooded Grove
3 Forest
1 Halimar Depths
3 Island
2 Misty Rainforest
2 Mountain
4 Steam Vents
4 Stomping Ground
2 Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
2 Ancient Grudge
2 Anger of the Gods
1 Batterskull
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Obstinate Baloth
2 Relic of Progenitus
1 Spellskite
2 Swan Song
2 Vendilion Clique
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Scapeshift decks have been working their way up in popularity, but have consistency issues and take too long against the more popular combo decks. Scapeshift can tune its sideboard to beat any deck in the format though, so it’s always a contender.

[deck title= Living End]
[Creatures]
2 Architects of Will
4 Deadshot Minotaur
2 Faerie Macabre
4 Fulminator Mage
1 Jungle Weaver
4 Monstrous Carabid
1 Pale Recluse
1 Shriekmaw
3 Simian Spirit Guide
4 Street Wraith
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Beast Within
4 Demonic Dread
4 Living End
4 Violent Outburst
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
1 Blood Crypt
4 Copperline Gorge
1 Forest
1 Godless Shrine
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Overgrown Tomb
1 Stomping Ground
1 Swamp
4 Verdant Catacombs
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
1 Beast Within
2 Damping Matrix
2 Faerie Macabre
4 Ingot Chewer
2 Ricochet Trap
2 Shriekmaw
2 Sin Collector
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

The Living End deck just wants to fill its graveyard with as many creatures as it can before simultaneously wiping its opponents board and filling its own, often times at instant speed. Living End is one of the slower combo decks in the forma, however, which makes it a less attractive option for many players.

Midrange has a real place in the format, as well:

[deck title= Jund]
[Creatures]
2 Courser of Kruphix
4 Dark Confidant
3 Scavenging Ooze
4 Tarmogoyf
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Abrupt Decay
2 Anger of the Gods
3 Inquisition of Kozilek
4 Lightning Bolt
1 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Slaughter Pact
1 Terminate
3 Thoughtseize
1 Chandra, Pyromaster
3 Liliana of the Veil
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
1 Blood Crypt
1 Forest
2 Grove of the Burnwillows
2 Marsh Flats
1 Misty Rainforest
1 Overgrown Tomb
4 Raging Ravine
1 Stomping Ground
2 Swamp
1 Twilight Mire
4 Verdant Catacombs
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
2 Ancient Grudge
1 Batterskull
2 Engineered Explosives
3 Fulminator Mage
1 Golgari Charm
1 Liliana of the Veil
1 Rakdos Charm
1 Scavenging Ooze
1 Thoughtseize
2 Thrun, the Last Troll
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Jund has taken quite a few hits with bannings since Modern came about, and to its credit, is still hanging in there despite them. Jund continues to be a mass of value cards that together can overcome any deck in the format.

[deck title= GB Obliterator Rock]
[Creatures]
2 Courser of Kruphix
4 Dark Confidant
4 Phyrexian Obliterator
4 Scavenging Ooze
4 Tarmogoyf
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
3 Abrupt Decay
4 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Maelstrom Pulse
2 Slaughter Pact
2 Thoughtseize
1 Victim of Night
4 Liliana of the Veil
[/Spells]
[Land]
1 Forest
2 Marsh Flats
2 Overgrown Tomb
4 Swamp
4 Treetop Village
4 Twilight Mire
2 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Woodland Cemetery
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
3 Creeping Corrosion
2 Deathmark
3 Fulminator Mage
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Nihil Spellbomb
1 Sword of Light and Shadow
2 Thoughtseize
1 Thrun, the Last Troll
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

The G/B Obliterator Rock deck is essentially Jund without the red. This doesn’t necessarily make it better or worse, but it does see less play than Jund. This deck does lack the reach that the red gives Jund, and that can be problematic against some decks in Modern.

[deck title= R/G Tron]
[Creatures]
1 Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
3 Wurmcoil Engine
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Ancient Stirrings
4 Chromatic Sphere
4 Chromatic Star
4 Expedition Map
4 Oblivion Stone
4 Pyroclasm
3 Relic of Progenitus
4 Sylvan Scrying
4 Karn Liberated
[/Spells]
[Land]
1 Eye of Ugin
2 Forest
2 Ghost Quarter
4 Grove of the Burnwillows
4 Urza’s Mine
4 Urza’s Power Plant
4 Urza’s Tower
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
1 Ancient Grudge
2 Combust
1 Dismember
3 Nature’s Claim
1 Spellskite
3 Stone Rain
3 Torpor Orb
1 Wurmcoil Engine
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

R/G Tron is a deck that simply wants to cheat on mana to get huge threats into play before its opponents sets up any kind of defense. This deck is super consistent due to most of the cards either drawing or searching for the specific cards it needs to punish its opponent.

And finally, we have the control decks of Modern:

[deck title= R/W/U Control]
[Creatures]
4 Snapcaster Mage
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Cryptic Command
4 Electrolyze
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Lightning Helix
2 Mana Leak
3 Path to Exile
2 Remand
1 Shadow of Doubt
3 Spell Snare
2 Sphinx’s Revelation
1 Supreme Verdict
1 Wrath of God
1 Ajani Vengeant
[/Spells]
[Land]
3 Arid Mesa
4 Celestial Colonnade
1 Glacial Fortress
2 Hallowed Fountain
3 Island
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Sacred Foundry
3 Scalding Tarn
2 Steam Vents
2 Sulfur Falls
3 Tectonic Edge
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
1 Celestial Purge
2 Counterflux
1 Crucible of Worlds
2 Porphyry Nodes
2 Relic of Progenitus
2 Spellskite
2 Stony Silence
1 Threads of Disloyalty
2 Wear // Tear
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

R/W/U Control is one of the few control decks in Modern, and I always expect to play against it any time I play in a Modern tournament, as it is always overrepresented. While quite a few people play this deck, it does have problems in trying to close the game out due to not having many real threats.

Tempo

[deck title= U/R Delver]
[Creatures]
4 Delver of Secrets
1 Grim Lavamancer
4 Snapcaster Mage
2 Vendilion Clique
4 Young Pyromancer
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Gitaxian Probe
4 Lightning Bolt
2 Pillar of Flame
4 Remand
4 Serum Visions
2 Spell Pierce
2 Spell Snare
3 Vapor Snag
[/Spells]
[Land]
6 Island
4 Misty Rainforest
1 Mountain
2 Mutavault
4 Scalding Tarn
3 Steam Vents
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
2 Blood Moon
1 Grim Lavamancer
1 Hibernation
2 Magma Spray
2 Negate
2 Shatterstorm
1 Spell Pierce
3 Threads of Disloyalty
1 Vendilion Clique
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

U/R Delver hopes to keep its opponent off balance just long enough to close out the game with one of its small threats. Recently on MTGO, U/R Delver has seen a surge in popularity, and I would expect that to carry over into the paper world as well.

[deck title= U/B Faeries]
[Creatures]
3 Mistbind Clique
2 Snapcaster Mage
4 Spellstutter Sprite
3 Vendilion Clique
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Bitterblossom
3 Cryptic Command
3 Go for the Throat
2 Inquisition of Kozilek
3 Mana Leak
2 Spell Snare
2 Sword of Feast and Famine
2 Thoughtseize
2 Tragic Slip
[/Spells]
[Land]
3 Creeping Tar Pit
4 Darkslick Shores
5 Island
4 Mutavault
4 River of Tears
3 Secluded Glen
2 Swamp
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
2 Batterskull
3 Deathmark
1 Engineered Explosives
2 Glen Elendra Archmage
2 Grafdigger’s Cage
1 Inquisition of Kozilek
2 Spell Snare
2 Spellskite
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

U/B Faeries is a recent addition to Modern, and has had minimal success so far. It does, however, see a good amount of play online, and has been picking up traction in paper. I’m never surprised to see it at a tournament, as many people love to play this deck.

The Testing Gauntlet

If you have time to test your deck choice, I would suggest the following decks as your primary testing gauntlet:

Melira Pod
Affinity
Splinter Twin
U/R Delver

And if you have even more time to test, I would suggest these:

Burn
Jund
Scapeshift
R/G Tron
Hexproof

Deck Suggestions

If I were to suggest something for a player new to Modern, I would suggest one of the following decks, as they are all relatively affordable (at least as far as Modern goes) and can be learned fairly quickly.

Affinity
Burn
Hexproof
Splinter Twin

I will still most likely be on my own Zoo list this season, but wouldn’t suggest it unless you have quite a bit of time to learn all of the matchups. If you’re interested in the list, here it is:

[deck title= Medium Zoo]
[Creatures]
4 Kird Ape
3 Grim Lavamancer
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Voice of Resurgence
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
4 Lightning Helix
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Arid Mesa
1 Forest
3 Horizon Canopy
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Mountain
1 Plains
2 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
1 Treetop Village
4 Verdant Catacombs
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
1 Ancient Grudge
2 Combust
3 Eidolon of the Great Revel
2 Scavenging Ooze
3 Torpor Orb
2 Krosan Grip
2 Thrun, the Last Troll
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

As you can see, Modern is a very diverse format. There are even more decks lying under the surface waiting for the time to shine. Whether you’re playing in an upcoming grand prix, preparing for the PTQ season that started on June 7, or even just playing FNM, this information should help you understand what is out there and to decide what deck you want to play. Once you dive into the format, hopefully you will be as excited about Modern as I am!

Thanks for reading,

Josh Milliken

@joshuamilliken on Twitter

It Ain’t Easy Being Green

It’s been a long, hard couple of months after making top eight in back-to-back tournaments with my Mono-Green Beast Wars deck that I discussed here. Since then, I’ve been to two more PTQs and GP Cincinatti, but was unable to recapture the success I previously had with the deck. However, some others had quite a bit of success with different versions of Mono-Green.

Immediately after my first article went up, Stephen Girdner revised the list to his liking and made top eight of a PTQ.

[deck title=Mono-Green Aggro by Stephen Girdner]

[Creatures]
4 Experiment One
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Kalonian Tusker
3 Swordwise Centaur
2 Gyre Sage
4 Boon Satyr
2 Renegade Krasis
3 Nylea, God of the Hunt
4 Polukranos, World Eater
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Aspect of Hydra
2 Bow of Nylea
1 Enlarge
[/Spells]

[Land]
3 Mutavault
20 Forest
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
3 Mistcutter Hydra
3 Pithing Needle
1 Tower Defense
2 Witchstalker
1 Bramblecrush
4 Nylea’s Disciple
1 Enlarge
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Later he revised it further and won a Magic Online Premier Event with it.

[deck title= Mono-Green Aggro by Stephen Girdner (TurboG73)]

[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Experiment One
4 Kalonian Tusker
3 Swordwise Centaur
2 Gyre Sage
4 Boon Satyr
4 Witchstalker
2 Nylea, God of the Hunt
3 Polukranos, World Eater

1 Mistcutter Hydra
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Aspect of Hydra
2 Bow of Nylea
[/Spells]

[Land]
3 Mutavault
20 Forest
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
3 Mistcutter Hydra
3 Ranger’s Guile
1 Pit Fight
2 Tower Defense
1 Renegade Krasis
3 Nylea’s Disciple
2 Bramblecrush
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Mason Lange made the top eight of an SCG Open with a very different version.

[deck title=Mono-Green Aggro by Mason Lange]

[Creatures]
4 Brushstrider
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Experiment One
4 Kalonian Tusker
4 Reverent Hunter
2 Scavenging Ooze
3 Slaughterhorn
4 Boon Satyr
1 Nylea, God of the Hunt
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
2 Mending Touch
1 Ranger’s Guile
[/Spells]

[Land]
19 Forest
4 Mutavault
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
3 Dryad Militant
4 Mistcutter Hydra
4 Nylea’s Disciple
1 Scavenging Ooze
2 Mending Touch
1 Bramblecrush
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Recently, even Raphael Levy has taken up the Mono-Green mantle with this list.

[deck title= Raphael Levy – Mono Green Aggro]

[Creatures]
4 Experiment One
4 Elvish Mystic
3 Spire Tracer
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
3 Burshstrider
4 Kalonian Tusker
3 Scavenging Ooze
3 Reverent Hunter
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Aspect of Hydra
3 Giant Growth
1 Ranger’s Guile
[/Spells]

[Land]
2 Mutavault
16 Forest
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
2 Mutant’s Prey
2 Ranger’s Guile
2 Hunt the Hunter
1 Gyre Sage
2 Plummet
1 Scavenging ooze
1 Skylasher
2 Unravel the Aether
1 Tower Defense
1 Reverent Hunter
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

What comes next for Mono-Green, you ask? Well, I’m not entirely sure, but there are a ton of options including a splash with any other color. I’ll be covering what I would do with the deck with each color combination and a straight Mono-Green update below.

[deck title= Blue Splash]

[Creatures]
4 Experiment One
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Kalonian Tusker
4 Kiora’s Follower
4 Reverent Hunter
4 Boon Satyr
3 Nylea, God of the Hunt
2 Polukranos, World Eater
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Aspect of Hydra
2 Simic Charm
2 Bow of Nylea
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Breeding Pool
2 Temple of Mystery
4 Mana Confluence
3 Mutavault
10 Forest
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
3 Mistcutter Hydra
3 Setessan Tactics
2 Simic Charm
3 Witchstalker
4 Nylea’s Disciple
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

The blue splash offers a couple interesting options for the main including [card]Kiora’s Follower[/card] for ramp/defensive purposes, and [card]Simic Charm[/card] which does absolutely everything you could want a card to do in this deck. The only real issue the blue splash has is that it can’t protect itself from [card]Supreme Verdict[/card], and that is a problem if control decks become more popular.

[deck title= Black Splash]

[Creatures]
4 Experiment One
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Kalonian Tusker
4 Swordwise Centaur
4 Reverent Hunter
4 Boon Satyr
3 Nylea, God of the Hunt
2 Polukranos, World Eater
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Aspect of Hydra
2 Bow of Nylea
2 Putrefy
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Overgrown Tomb
2 Temple of Malady
4 Man Confluence
3 Mutavault
10 Forest
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
3 Mistcutter Hydra
3 Thoughtseize
3 Golgari Charm
2 Putrefy
4 Nylea’s Disciple
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

The black splash doesn’t offer much in the main deck outside of removal like [card]Putrefy[/card], but it does offer the best sideboard options of any of the color splashes. You gain protection from [card]Supreme Verdict[/card] with [card]Thoughtseize[/card] and [card]Golgari Charm[/card], and access to more removal with [card]Putrefy[/card]. I tried some of the various other removal earlier in the season, but [card]Ultimate Price[/card] and [card]Doom Blade[/card] were just too narrow when I needed to hit various threats. I came to the conclusion that [card]Putrefy[/card], which can hit pretty much anything, was the best option available.

[deck title= Wite Splash]

[Creatures]
4 Experiment One
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Kalonian Tusker
4 Voice of Resurgence
4 Reverent Hunter
4 Boon Satyr
3 Nylea, God of the Hunt
2 Polukranos, World Eater
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Aspect of Hydra
2 Bow of Nylea
2 Selesnya Charm
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Temple Garden
2 Temple of Plenty
4 Mana Confluence
3 Mutavault
10 Forest
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
3 Mistcutter Hydra
2 Deicide
3 Banishing Light
3 Ready//Willing
4 Nylea’s Disciple
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

The white splash adds the second best sideboard options, and one of the best main deck cards among any of the versions of Mono-Green. Adding a card like [card]Voice of Resurgence[/card] adds a lot of protection against decks like Mono-Black Devotion, Esper Control, and U/W Control. The sideboard all-stars in this version are [card]Banishing Light[/card], allowing you to deal with nearly anything, [card]Deicide[/card], which lets you deal with those pesky [card]Detention Sphere[/card]s and gods, and [card]Ready // Willing[/card], allowing you to survive board wipes and occasionally get value with the other half.

[deck title= Red Splash]
[Creatures]
4 Experiment One
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Kalonian Tusker
4 Reverent Hunter
4 Boon Satyr
3 Nylea, God of the Hunt
2 Polukranos, World Eater
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Aspect of Hydra
4 Domri Rade
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Stomping Ground
2 Temple of Abandon
4 Mana Confluence
3 Mutavault
10 Forest
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
4 Mistcutter Hydra
3 Setessan Tactics
4 Witchstalker
4 Nylea’s Disciple
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

The red splash adds a lot to the main deck, but nothing relevant to the sideboard. Adding [card]Ghor-Clan Rampager[/card] adds the much-needed effect of allowing you to push through your opponent’s creatures with your efficient monsters. Speaking of which, [card]Domri Rade[/card] gives you a steady stream of gas that can push you through those board stalemates and wrath effects.

[deck title= Mono-Green]
[Creatures]
4 Experiment One
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Kalonian Tusker
4 Swordwise Centaur
4 Reverent Hunter
4 Boon Satyr
3 Nylea, God of the Hunt
2 Polukranos, World Eater
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Aspect of Hydra
2 Setessan Tactics
2 Bow of Nylea
[/Spells]

[Land]
3 Mutavault
20 Forest
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
4 Mistcutter Hydra
2 Ranger’s Guile
2 Plummet
2 Setessan Tactics
2 Witchstalker
3 Nylea’s Disciple
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

And finally, the mono-green version, which has the benefit of a mana base that won’t occasionally slow you down or cost you a bunch of life. This will likely be very relevant for the first few weeks of the format, as players like to push the most aggressive strategies available until those decks get put in check. The only card this version of the deck really gained is the green [card]Wrath of God[/card] in [card]Setessan Tactics[/card]. The biggest issue the mono-green deck faced before was its inability to remove threats from the board, but with [card]Setessan Tactics[/card], you not only get that ability, but you can now have an additional pump spell in the deck to push through those final points of damage.

That’s all I have for now. I’m very excited for the prospects of Mono-Green Aggro in the near future, and hopefully you are as well. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below and I will try my best to give you an answer.

Thanks for reading,

Josh Milliken

@joshuamilliken on Twitter

P.S. – Hail Hydra!

Brewing with Journey Into Nyx

Welcome back for Brewing with Journey into Nyx. I’m going to run you through some possibilities that this great new set has created for us. One thing I can’t do is provide complete sideboards, but I will provide some suggestions to look at when you decide to take one of these decks out for a spin. The other thing to remember is that these decks may require some tuning. As with every new set, the metagame shifts and makes it hard to predict the exact cards you will always want in your main deck.

Updating the Old

There are two decks that get cards that could be very good for them, but don’t really change how the deck looks, so let’s start off with those decks since I’m not going to bother with lists for them.

Mono-Black Devotion gains a few significant weapons with [card]Dictate of Erebos[/card], [card]Extinguish All Hope[/card], and [card]Silence the Believers[/card]. What [card]Dictate of Erebos[/card] means for this deck is not having to worry about dying to [card]Blood Baron of Vizkopa[/card] or hexproof creatures as often, as now you can just kill your own creatures to make them sacrifice theirs. [card]Extinguish All Hope[/card] provides a mid-game wrath effect that may or may not be good enough depending on hope the metagame develops. While [card]Silence the Believers[/card] is a pretty reasonable way to deal with gods and creatures, getting better the longer the game goes.

Mono-Blue Devotion gets a few cards that aren’t necessarily auto-includes, but are very solid none the less. One option is [card]Dakra Mystic[/card], which could replace [card]Judge’s Familiar[/card] to draw some extra cards when you run into a slow board state. The other card is [card]Hypnotic Siren[/card], which could also replace [card]Judge’s Familiar[/card], to allow you to steal your opponents creatures when you get into the late game, or even when you draw a [card]Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx[/card].

Brewing the New

[deck title= Selesnya Enchantress]

[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Voyaging Satyr
4 Voice of Resurgence
4 Eidolon of Countless Battles
4 Courser of Kruphix
4 Eidolon of Blossoms
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Banishing Light
2 Unflinching Courage
3 Ajani, Mentor of Heros
3 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Temple Garden
4 Temple of Plenty
4 Mana Confluence
2 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
4 Plains
6 Forest
[/Land]
[/deck]

Enchantress has really only been a deck in Legacy for the last few years, but with [card]Eidolon of Blossoms[/card], it is now a possible strategy in Standard. Getting [card]Ajani, Mentor of Heros[/card], to get even more card advantage and [card]Banishing Light[/card] to deal with hard-to-answer permanents, this deck can compete with the rest of the field. Running [card]Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx[/card], allows for some very explosive draws since everything in the deck sticks around.

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Arrest[/card], [card]Deicide[/card], [card]Rootborn Defenses[/card], and [card]Sphere of Safety[/card].

[deck title= White Weenie]

[Creatures]
4 Dryad Militant
4 Soldier of the Pantheon
4 Aegis of the Gods
4 Imposing Sovereign
4 Precinct Captain
4 Banisher Priest
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
3 Brave the Elements
3 Launch the Fleet
2 Spear of Heliod
2 Godsend
[/Spells]

[Land]
3 Mutavault
20 Plains
[/Land]
[/deck]

This classic strategy gets some very potent new toys with [card]Aegis of the Gods[/card] to slow the burn decks down and hinder [card]Thoughtseize[/card] until Aegis dies. [card]Launch the Fleet[/card] will be huge, allowing you to get in several extra points of damage while adding to your board presence. In addition, [card]Godsend[/card] is a very unique card that can push you through your opponent’s creatures. Expect mad rushes of white creatures in the immediate future.

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Ajani’s Presence[/card], [card]Banishing Light[/card], [card]Deicide[/card], and [card]Fiendslayer Paladin[/card].

[deck title= Mono-Red Devotion]

[Creatures]
4 Frostburn Weird
4 Prophetic Flamespeaker
4 Boros Reckoner
4 Fanatic of Mogis
4 Stormbreath Dragon
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
1 Blinding Flare
3 Magma Jet
4 Mizzium Mortars
3 Hammer of Purphoros
2 Harness by Force
3 Chandra, Pyromaster
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Temple of Triumph
3 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
13 Mountain
[/Land]
[/deck]

This deck is set up to maximize a mana advantage with [card]Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx[/card], with a plan to abuse [card]Blinding Flare[/card] and [card]Harness by Force[/card] to the max. It is also set up to gain card advantage from [card]Prophetic Flamespeaker[/card] and [card]Chandra, Pyromaster[/card] while adding a lot of devotion to the board. Most of the creatures are reasonable threats by themselves as well. I won’t be surprised when I see this deck doing well in the near future.

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Banishing Light[/card], [card]Chained to the Rocks[/card], [card]Deicide[/card], and [card]Eidolon of the Great Revel[/card].

[deck title= Jund Midrange]

[Creatures]
2 Scavenging Ooze
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Courser of Kruphix
3 Reaper of the Wilds
4 Stormbreath Dragon
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Thoughtseize
2 Abrupt Decay
3 Mizzium Mortars
3 Underworld Connections
4 Hero’s Downfall
1 Whip of Erebos
2 Rakdos’s Return
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Temple of Malice
4 Temple of Malady
4 Mana Confluence
4 Blood Crypt
4 Overgrown Tomb
2 Stomping Ground
2 Forest
[/Land]
[/deck]

Jund is a deck that I just keep coming back to every set, sometimes it’s good in the metagame and sometimes its not. This version should play out a lot like the Mono Black Devotions decks by generating massive amounts of card advantage. The new cards that really help Jund out are actually just some lands, as smoothing the mana out was a huge concern before.

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Duress[/card], [card]Lifebane Zombie[/card], [card]Sire of Insanity[/card], and [card]Vraska the Unseen[/card].

[deck title= Mono-Black Aggro]

[Creatures]
4 Gnarled Scarhide
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Tormented Hero
4 Pain Seer
4 Master of the Feast
4 Herald of Torment
3 Mogis’s Marauder
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Thoughtseize
2 Bile Blight
3 Hero’s Downfall
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Mutavault
20 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

Mono-Black Aggro just keeps getting all the toys, this time getting [card]Gnarled Scarhide[/card] and [card]Master of the Feast[/card]. While adding these cards cuts back on the two-drop slot, they also allow you to play out two creatures on your second turn, more often leaving the three-drops still on curve but more dangerous.

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Dark Betrayal[/card], [card]Duress[/card], [card]Gift of Orzhova[/card], and [card]Lifebane Zombie[/card].

[deck title= Orzhov Humans]

[Creatures]
4 Soldier of the Pantheon
4 Tormented Hero
4 Pain Seer
4 Cartel Aristocrat
3 Imposing Sovereign
3 Athreos, God of Passage
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
3 Mogis’s Marauders
4 Xathrid Necromancer
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Bile Blight
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Temple of Silence
4 Godless Shrine
4 Mana Confluence
3 Mutavault
4 Plains
5 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

Kind of an alternate to Mono-Black Aggro, the Orzhov Humans deck got the super powerful [card]Athreos, God of Passage[/card] to punish the slower decks that can’t afford to pay the ferryman’s toll. It also gets to run lots of very good cards in the sideboard that can turn the tide on any matchup.

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Fiendslayer Paladin[/card], [card]Lifebane Zombie[/card], [card]Sin Collector[/card], and [card]Thoughtseize[/card].

[deck title= Big Boros Devotion]

[Creatures]
4 Precinct Captain
4 Boros Reckoner
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
3 Iroas, God of Victory
4 Stormbreath Dragon
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Chanined to the Rocks
4 Mizzium Mortars
4 Banishing Light
3 Chandra, Pyromaster
3 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Temple of Triumph
4 Mana Confluence
3 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx
5 Plains
4 Mountain
[/Land]
[/deck]

Just go bigger is this deck’s motto. It has removal and creatures at nearly every mana cost, putting a lot of devotion into play each turn as well. The big new cards for this deck are [card]Iroas, God of Victory[/card], and [card]Banishing Light[/card], allowing the deck to just keep pushing through damage.

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Anger of the Gods[/card], [card]Assemble the Legion[/card], [card]Deicide[/card], and [card]Hammer of Purphoros[/card].

[deck title= Selesnya Flash]

[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Experiment One
4 Voice of Resurgence
4 Aegis of the Gods
4 Boon Satyr
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
3 Gods Willing
4 Selesnya Charm
4 Advent of the Wurm
3 Ajani, Mentor of Hope
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Temple Garden
4 Temple of Plenty
4 Mana Confluence
2 Mutavault
6 Forest
3 Plains
[/Land]
[/deck]

This will be the deck to give Mono-Black Devotion and the U/W Control decks fits. Being able to run twelve creatures that you can push into play on their turn while having [card]Voice of Resurgence[/card] to keep them in check on your own can be a huge blowout quite often. I expect quite a few decks like this to be doing well early on while people push towards the old decks that they know.

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Banishing Light[/card], [card]Deicide[/card], [card]Fiendslayer Paladin[/card], and [card]Unflinching Courage[/card].

[deck title= Golgari Rock]

[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
2 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Courser of Kruphix
3 Pharika, God of Affliction
2 Polukranos, World Eater
3 Reaper of the Wilds
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Thoughtseize
2 Abrupt Decay
3 Underworld Connections
4 Hero’s Downfall
1 Whip of Erebos
2 Silence the Believers
1 Dictate of Erebos
2 Vraska the Unseen
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Temple of Malady
2 Mana Confluence
2 Mutavault
5 Forest
6 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

Golgari Rock is another deck that I like to work on to see if it’s viable each new set. Just like the Jund Midrange deck, Golgari Rock games play out a lot like those of Mono-Black Devotion decks that currently have a stranglehold on Standard. It already gets to run [card]Thoughtseize[/card], [card]Underworld Connections[/card], and [card]Hero’s Downfall[/card], so adding [card]Pack Rat[/card] to the sideboard to make it a pseudo mirror against Mono-Black Devotion is a pretty solid choice.

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Devour Flesh[/card], [card]Extinguish All Hope[/card], [card]Lifebane Zombie[/card], and [card]Pack Rat[/card].

That concludes this brewing article. I’ll be back soon with some updates to my Mono-Green “Beast Wars” deck that seems to have taken off. I also hope to be back for some brewing with M15 in a few months as well. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below and I will do my best to answer them.

Thanks for Reading,

Josh Milliken

@joshuamilliken

I’m Dreaming of a Green Winter

Sometimes when you’re brewing, you strike gold with the first draft of your first list, and that’s exactly what happened here. I knew I wanted to brew a mono-green aggro/devotion deck that could easily abuse [card]Aspect of Hydra[/card]. As I feverishly began scribbling cards down that were reasonable in it, it began to feel more and more like the Dungrove Stompy list that I won a PTQ with, which excited me even further.

[deck title= Dungrove Stompy]
[Creatures]
4 Birds of Paradise
4 Llanowar Elves
4 Strangleroot Geist
4 Dungrove Elder
1 Champion of Lambholt
1 Borderland Ranger
2 Thrun, the Last Troll
3 Phyrexian Metamorph
1 Bellowing Tanglewurm
1 Wolfir Silverheart
1 Thragtusk
1 Acidic Slime
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Green Suns Zenith
4 Rancor
2 Garruk Relentless
[/Spells]
[Land]
23 Forest
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
1 Melira Sylvok Outcast
3 Torpor Orb
2 Dismember
2 Beast Within
2 Crushing Vines
2 Fresh Meat
1 Thragtusk
2 Overrun
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

There was nothing that could make it quite as consistent as the Dungrove Stompy list that I played, but I felt like I could make up for that with the redundancy of the two-drop slot of [card]Kalonian Tusker[/card] and [card]Swordwise Centaur[/card] to consistently have bigger starts that my opponents. After finishing my brewing articles from the last couple weeks, I acquired all the cards I needed for this deck and ran it through some testing. Without a sideboard, the deck beat Mono-Black Devotion 2-1, but unfortunately went 0-4 against an unorthodox UW Control deck running [card]Archangel of Thune[/card] in the main. Now I knew where I needed to focus my sideboarding strategy, which led me to this:

[deck title= Beast Wars]
[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Experiment One
4 Swordwise Centaur
4 Kalonian Tusker
4 Boon Satyr
4 Reverent Hunter
2 Polukranos, World Eater
3 Nylea, God of the Hunt
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Aspect of Hydra
2 Bow of Nylea
2 Enlarge
[/Spells]
[Land]
3 Mutavault
20 Forest
[/Land]
[Sideboard]
2 Pithing Needle
3 Mistcutter Hydra
2 Plummet
2 Witchstalker
4 Nylea’s Disciple
2 Primeval Bounty
[/Sideboard]
[/deck]

Unfortunately, that was the extent of my testing with the deck before an event at Empire Game Center, which was to be my real testing for a PTQ in North Canton the following week. We got underway and it was announced that there were 81 players, meaning a total of seven rounds with a cut to top eight.

Round 1: B/R Midrange 2-0

Game 1 – I started off pretty quick while he played a couple swamps. On turn three, he finally played a [card]Lifebane Zombie[/card], and I followed it up with a [card]Bow of Nylea[/card]. I proceeded to keep dropping threat after threat, to which he responded by casting a [card]Dreadbore[/card] and an [card]Anger of the Gods[/card], but it wasn’t enough to stop me.

Game 2 – I started off even faster this time, but my opponent did even less this game. He cast a [card]Hero’s Downfall[/card] on turn three and followed it up with a [card]Desecration Demon[/card] on turn four, which I tapped down with a sacrificed [card]Mutvault[/card]. His next turn he was sitting at seven with the [card]Desecration Demon[/card] staring at my board of a 5/5 [card]Reverent Hunter[/card], a [card]Kalonian Tusker[/card], and a 2/2 [card]Experiment One[/card], and he tapped out for a [card]Whip of Erebos[/card] which allowed me to sacrifice the [card]Experiment One[/card] to tap down his [card]Desecration Demon[/card] and end the game.

Sideboarding: From what I saw, I assumed this was  Mono-Black Devotion with red for cards [card]Dreadbore[/card] and [card]Anger of the Gods[/card], so I sideboarded only partially for Mono-Black Devotion.

In:
2 [card]Witchstalker[/card]
2 [card]Primeval Bounty[/card]

Out:
2 [card]Aspect of Hydra[/card]
2 [card]Enlarge[/card]

Round 2: Bant Control 2-0

Game 1 – I kept a fairly slow hand, but was able to make him one for one me until he ran out of cards and I was left with a couple of fatties to finish him off.

Game 2 – He was able to keep me off balance with a [card]Last Breath[/card] into [card]Kiora, the Crashing Wave[/card] and then [card]Jace, Architect of Thought[/card]. Fortunately, I was able to keep some pressure on and killed his [card]Jace, Architect of Thought[/card] with a [card]Mistcutter Hydra[/card] for one when he decided to use it to draw some cards. Once that happened, I was able to kill [card]Kiora, the Crashing Wave[/card] to free up my big guys and take the match.

Sideboarding: This is my standard plan going in for U/W Control decks, and it seemed to be fine in this matchup as well.

In:
2 [card]Pithing Needle[/card]
3 [card]Mistcutter Hydra[/card]
2 [card]Witchstalker[/card]
2 [card]Primeval Bounty[/card]

Out:
1 [card]Reverent Hunter[/card]
4 [card]Aspect of Hydra[/card]
2 [card]Bow of Nylea[/card]
2 [card]Enlarge[/card]

Round 3: RUG Devotion 2-1

Game 1 – I opened with a very aggressive start, but he had [card]Turn // Burn[/card] and [card]Cyclonic Rift[/card] to slow me down. That didn’t last for long, as I was eventually able to outmaneuver him with bigger guys.

Game 2 – My sideboard plan really took away from my aggressiveness this game and he was able to assemble a planeswalker army to stall me out. He then cast a [card]Progenitor Mimic[/card] copying my [card]Reverent Hunter[/card] to keep making guys that were too big for me to handle.

Game 3 – I absolutely just ran my opponent over this game, opening on [card]Experiment One[/card] into [card]Kalonian Tusker[/card] into [card]Reverent Hunter[/card] for three (since he cast [card]Turn/Burn[/card] on the [card]Experiment One[/card] during combat) and finishing up with a [card]Polukranos, World Eater[/card] to force the victory.

Sideboarding: I sideboarded like this had more blue than it actually did, and realized it during game two, so I desideboarded and went with the original configuration.

In:
3 [card]Mistcutter Hydra[/card]
2 [card]Witchstalker[/card]

Out:
3 [card]Aspect of Hydra[/card]
2 [card]Enlarge[/card]

Round 4: R/W Burn 2-1

Game 1 – I knew this opponent was on a red deck going into the match, but didn’t realize it was the full-on burn deck. I started with a bit of a slow hand and he ran out a [card]Young Pyromancer[/card] and then a [card]Chandra’s Phoenix[/card]. I was sitting on lethal damage for him on the next turn when he burned me down to four, untapped, and cast a [card]Warleader’s Helix[/card] to finish me off.

Game 2 – I kept another slow hand, but this time with a [card]Bow of Nylea[/card] and [card]Nylea’s Disciple[/card] to gain back much of the expected life loss. And in the end, it came down to me having [card]Boon Satyr[/card] to flash in and block his [card]Satyr Firedancer[/card], allowing me to live to kill him on the next turn.

Game 3 – This was another slugfest, with me keeping a slower hand full of lifegain. This time it was simply his deck failing him as he hit three lands in a row to not be able to kill me in time.

Sideboarding: I sideboarded under the assumption that my opponent had some bigger stuff that would be slow enough for me to resolve a [card]Primeval Bounty[/card], in game three I took them back out for two [card]Aspect of Hydra[/card].

In:
4 [card]Nylea’s Disciple[/card]
2 [card]Primeval Bounty[/card]

Out:
4 [card]Aspect of Hydra[/card]
2 [card]Enlarge[/card]

Round 5: R/G Monsters 2-0

Game 1 – I kept a very beefy hand with a lot of [card]Kalonian Tusker[/card]s and [card]Swordwise Centaur[/card]s and was able to run over everything he was throwing in the way.

Game 2 – Now this was a game! He went turn-two double [card]Burning-Tree Emissary[/card] into [card]Sylvan Caryatid[/card], then on turn three played a [card]Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx[/card] to cast a [card]Nessian Wilds Ravager[/card]. I let him choose between a [card]Kalonian Tusker[/card] and [card]Elvish Mystic[/card] to fight, and he chose the [card]Kalonian Tusker[/card]. I ran out a couple more small guys on my turn, to which he followed up with a turn four [card]Sylvan Primordial[/card] blowing up one of my [card]Mutavaults[/card]. I then cast another creature into an 8/8 [card]Reverent Hunter[/card] to stonewall his big guys for a while. I eventually cast a [card]Polukranos, World Eater[/card] and he followed up with his own. He activated monstrosity for seven to try to kill mine, only to have me cast [card]Aspect of Hydra[/card] to kill his instead. From there, I was able to start attacking with my giant [card]Reverent Hunter[/card], having him lose a lot of ground by repeatedly chump blocking it and eventually losing his big guys to it. He was able to cast another [card]Polukranos, World Eater[/card] to kill off two more guys and block and kill my [card]Reverent Hunter[/card], but at that point it was too late for him and he was grasping at straws trying to topdeck anything relevant to no avail.

Sideboarding: I pretended to sideboard, and even shuffled a few cards in and took them back out. There were no cards in my sideboard that I really wanted against this deck, the main was already pretty well setup for this match.

Round 6: Mono Black Devotion 0-0-3

I.D.

Round 7: Mono Black Devotion 0-0-3

I.D.

Top 8 Quarterfinals: Bant Control 1-2

Game 1 – I kept a very aggressive hand, and his only piece of interaction was a [card]Last Breath[/card]. He was unable to find a [card]Supreme Verdict[/card] to keep from dying.

Game 2 – I had an awkward hand with multiple [card]Swordwise Centaur[/card] that he was able to neuter with a [card]Detention Sphere[/card] and a couple [card]Supreme Verdict[/card]s. Once I did find some more creatures, he had already cast [card]Elspeth, Sun’s Champion[/card] to lock me out of the game.

Game 3 – I kept a hand of [card]Forest[/card], [card]Experiment One[/card], [card]Elvish Mystic[/card], [card]Swordwise Centaur[/card], [card]Swordwise Centaur[/card], and [card]Boon Satyr[/card] and opened on the [card]Experiment One[/card]. hoping to hit a [card]Forest[/card] to really get aggressive. Instead, I missed my land drop and played the [card]Elvish Mystic[/card], which promptly took its [card]Last Breath[/card]. I did draw a [card]Forest[/card] on my next turn and cast a [card]Swordwise Centaur[/card] so I could get in for two. He had another [card]Last Breath[/card] for my 2/2 [card]Experiment One[/card]. I then cast another [card]Swordwise Centaur[/card], getting them both [card]Detention Sphere[/card]d. His next turn, he cast a [card]Brimaz, King of Oreskos[/card], which I couldn’t get past. It eventually killed me.

Sideboarding: I sideboarded the same as I did earlier with the other Bant Control deck. I still feel like this was the right way to sideboard against this deck, but I may want something other than [card]Primeval Bounty[/card].

In:
2 [card]Pithing Needle[/card]
3 [card]Mistcutter Hydra[/card]
2 [card]Witchstalker[/card]
2 [card]Primeval Bounty[/card]

Out:
1 [card]Reverent Hunter[/card]
4 [card]Aspect of Hydra[/card]
2 [card]Bow of Nylea[/card]
2 [card]Enlarge[/card]

The rest of the top eight consisted of two Bant Control, three Mono-Black Devotion, one Esper Control, and one Mono-Blue Devotion.

I decided that I needed two better sideboard cards to replace [card]Primeval Bounty[/card] against the U/W/x decks, and since the card I really needed to deal with was [card]Elspeth, Sun’s Champion[/card], I decided on a [card]Bramblecrush[/card] and an additional [card]Pithing Needle[/card]. With those changes, I unleashed the deck upon an unsuspecting PTQ.

Round 1: U/G Biovisionary 2-0

Game 1 – This was a pretty straightforward game of me putting more pressure on than he could handle, but it did take longer because he was able to generate a ton of chump blockers. I was able to clinch it with an [card]Aspect of Hydra[/card] to end the game before his [card]Progenitor Mimic[/card] could spit out any extra [card]Biovisionary[/card]s.

Game 2 – I started with some early pressure again, but walked into an [card]Aetherize[/card], which was unexpected. I was quickly able to recover and end the game before he was able to find any more shenanigans.

Sideboarding: He got real excited talking about how many cards he was boarding in, so I correctly put him on boarding in a bunch of bounce spells and counterspells.

In:
3 [card]Mistcutter Hydra[/card]
2 [card]Witchstalker[/card]

Out:
3 [card]Aspect of Hydra[/card]
2 [card]Enlarge[/card]

Round 2: Mono-Black Devotion 2-0

Game 1 – I opened on my most aggressive start possible with a turn-one [card]Experiment One[/card], a turn-two [card]Krosan Tusker[/card], and a turn-three [card]Boon Satyr[/card]. All he was able to muster up was a [card]Pack Rat[/card] and a couple of removal spells that came far too late to be useful.

Game 2 – I had another opening close to the one from game one, but this time he got stuck on [card]Swamp[/card], [card]Mutavault[/card], and a [card]Pack Rat[/card] for the whole game. He was unable to interact at all.

Sideboarding:

In:
2 [card]Plummet[/card]
2 [card]Witchstalker[/card]

Out:
2 [card]Aspect of Hydra[/card]
2 [card]Enlarge[/card]

Round 3: R/G Monsters 2-0

Game 1 – I opened on [card]Experiment One[/card] and quickly made it a 2/2 to get in some damage, but my opponent was able to hide behind a turn-two [card]Courser of Kruphix[/card] for a couple of turns until I cast [card]Enlarge[/card] to run over his guys. It was another couple of turns and the second [card]Enlarge[/card] that sealed the victory.

Game 2 – He was able to get up a double-[card]Courser of Kruphix[/card] wall very early, but I managed to get another [card]Enlarge[/card] to remove the road blocks. Unfortunately, he was able to hit his big guys, keeping me at bay. I eventually hit [card]Bow of Nylea[/card] plus [card]Nylea, God of the Hunt[/card] to get through for lethal. He tried to deactivate Nylea by activating monstrous on [card]Polukranos, World Eater[/card] in an attempt to kill my [card]Elvish Mystic[/card], only to get the hydra killed by an [card]Aspect of Hydra[/card] pumping the elf.

Sideboarding: I have no relevant cards to sideboard against this matchup.

Round 4: R/G Monsters 2-1

Game 1 – I was able to outmaneuver his slow start, but his army eventually grew large enough to keep me at bay. I finally drew an [card]Aspect of Hydra[/card] to deal the final points of damage.

Game 2 – I kept an awkward hand of two [card]Forest[/card],s two [card]Experiment One[/card]s, two [card]Elvish Mystic[/card]s, and a [card]Nylea, God of the Hunt[/card], figuring that I would draw some big guys to evolve the [card]Experiment One[/card]s. But I drew mostly [card]Forest[/card]s and got blown out by his turn-four [card]Mizzium Mortars[/card]. I was unable to recover.

Game 3 – I had a super aggressive start again with [card]Experiment One[/card] into [card]Kalonian Tusker[/card] into [card]Reverent Hunter[/card]. He played a couple of blockers, but it was over before it began for him.

Sideboarding: I have no relevant cards to sideboard against this matchup.

Round 5: G/W Aggro 2-1

Game 1 – I opened quickly again, but he kept pouring the blockers in the way. In the end it came down to me mowing stuff down with a giant [card]Reverent Hunter[/card] that gained trample from [card]Nylea, God of the Hunt[/card], despite his [card]Ajani, Caller of the Pride[/card], buffing his already-big guys each turn.

Game 2 – This game started in my favor until he slammed down guys way bigger than mine for three turns, I finally got him into a stalemate when he hit a [card]Brave the Elements[/card] to kill me on the spot.

Game 3 – We both mulliganed, and instead of going to five, I kept a one-land hand that was bonkers when I hit a second land. This game was quickly over when I hit my second land off the top to cast a [card]Swordwise Centaur[/card] evolving [card]Experiment One[/card] and he was unable to find a second land. I followed up with two more [card]Swordwise Centaur[/card] to ensure he had no outs, and he hit a second [card]Forest[/card], but was still unable to do anything.

Sideboarding: I have no relevant cards to sideboard against this matchup.

Round 6: Bant Control 2-1

Game 1 – I opened pretty aggressively, but he had all the right cards. I did get him as low as eight life before he clinched the game with an [card]Elspeth, Sun’s Champion[/card] to keep me from ever getting in again.

Game 2 – I opened a little less aggressively, but with an awkward draw for him to play against. I put him of the backfoot and then cast a [card]Pithing Needle[/card], naming the only card that beats me in this situation… [card]Kiora, the Crashing Wave[/card]. After the match, I found out that he did in fact have the [card]Kiora, the Crashing Wave[/card] in hand.

Game 3 – I opened super aggressively and put an early [card]Pithing Needle[/card] on [card]Elspeth, Sun’s Champion[/card] so he would have to deal with it if he ever wanted to use her. Doing this allowed me to resolve a [card]Nylea, God of the Hunt[/card], which he had to [card]Detention Sphere[/card], allowing me to cast a second one. He had to [card]Detention Sphere[/card] the second one as well, keeping him from using any of his card-draw spells. He ended up missing a land drop because of the lack of filtering, and then drew a scry land the next turn, leaving him dead because he couldn’t cast his [card]Elspeth, Sun’s Champion[/card].

Sideboarding:

In:
3 [card]Mistcutter Hydra[/card]
3 [card]Pithing Needle[/card]
2 [card]Witchstalker[/card]
1 [card]Bramblecrush[/card]

Out:
4 [card]Aspect of Hydra[/card]
2 [card]Bow of Nylea[/card]
1 [card]Reverent Hunter[/card]
2 [card]Enlarge[/card]

Round 7: B/W Midrange 0-0-3

I.D.

Round 8: Mono Black Devotion 0-0-3

I.D.

Top 8 Quarterfinals: Mono Black Devotion 1-2

Game 1 – I mulliganed to six, and kept a fairly mediocre hand. I was punished pretty quickly for it as my opponent had turn-one and turn-three [card]Thoughtseize[/card] backed by turn-four and -five [card]Desecration Demon[/card]s
to finish me off.

Game 2 – I kept a fairly fast hand, and was able to outpace him while he tried to get advantage with a [card]Nightveil Specter[/card]. He ended up casting a [card]Desecration Demon[/card], and I locked it down to swing for the win.

Game 3 – I kept a pretty awful hand of four [card]Forest[/card], [card]Plummet[/card], [card]Bow of Nylea[/card], and a [card]Nylea, God of the Hunt[/card], thinking I could attack him from a different angle. Unfortunately, he took my [card]Plummet[/card] with a [card]Thoughtseize[/card] and I drew four more [card]Forest[/card]s and another [card]Nylea, God of the Hunt[/card] as five of my next six draws. He quickly destroyed me with two [card]Desecration Demon[/card]s while I was unable to do anything.

Sideboarding:

In:
2 [card]Plummet[/card]
2 [card]Witchstalker[/card]

Out:
2 [card]Aspect of Hydra[/card]
2 [card]Enlarge[/card]

I was once again very happy with my deck. There were quite a few people in absolute shock that a mono-green deck was doing well, including some of my friends. As far as any further changes to the deck, after a combined record of 11-2-4 across two tournaments, I think I’ve nailed down the optimal build for now.

I would recommend this deck to anyone looking to get into Standard fairly cheaply, as the [card]Mutavault[/card]s are the only cards worth more than $10 currently, and they’re not absolutely necessary if you just want to have fun.

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them for me and I will try to get back to everyone.

Thanks for reading,

Josh Milliken

@joshuamilliken

Modern: Which Zoo for You?

For those who don’t know, I play Zoo exclusively in Legacy, and likely would have been playing it exclusively in Modern too if it wasn’t for one small issue…[card]Wild Nacatl[/card] is banned. Well, not anymore! There were significant changes to the DCI Banned & Restricted list this time around, with [card]Deathrite Shaman[/card] getting booted from the format as we welcome back [card]Bitterblossom[/card] and [card]Wild Nacatl[/card]. This was one of the most exciting B&R list updates for me in a long time, so much so that I wanted to share my thoughts on Modern Zoo’s potential with you.

[deck title= Gruul Zoo]
[Creatures]
4 Experiment One
4 Goblin Guide
4 Kird Ape
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Flinthoof Boar
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Seal of Fire
2 Vines of Vastwood
3 Searing Blaze
1 Dismember
[/Spells]
[Land]
4 Stomping Ground
4 Arid Mesa
2 Scalding Tarn
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Forest
4 Mountain
[/Land]
[/deck]

Gruul Zoo saw quite a bit of play last Modern season, but no one was really able to agree upon the best list for it. I played this version for a while, and even tried black just for sideboard cards like [card]Thoughtseize[/card], [card]Rakdos Charm[/card], and [card]Jund Charm[/card]. With [card]Wild Nacatl[/card] back on the scene, this deck might be the anti-zoo zoo deck.

[deck title= Fast Zoo]
[Creatures]
2 Experiment One
4 Goblin Guide
4 Kird Ape
4 Loam Lion
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Boros Charm
4 Lightning Helix
[/Spells]
[Land]
2 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
4 Arid Mesa
2 Scalding Tarn
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Forest
1 Plains
[/Land]
[/deck]

With 18 one-drops, it’s pretty obvious why this deck is called Fast Zoo. Fast Zoo will simply try to overload the board to the point where your opponent has to make bad decisions just to stay alive. This version can even kill on turn three, which is pretty impressive for any deck in Modern.

[deck title= Medium Zoo]
[Creatures]
3 Grim Lavamancer
4 Kird Ape
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Voice of Resurgence
3 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
4 Lightning Helix
[/Spells]
[Land]
2 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
4 Arid Mesa
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Horizon Canopy
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Treetop Village
1 Forest
1 Mountain
1 Plains
[/Land]
[/deck]

This version of Zoo is kind of in between all aspects of the other Zoo lists: it can be aggressive or controlling, straightforward or tricky. This is usually the style of Zoo list I play, as I like to be able to shift my game plan depending on what I’m playing against.

[deck title= Big Zoo]
[Creatures]
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Wild Nacatl
3 Scavenging ooze
4 Tarmogoyf
4 Knight of the Reliquary
4 Huntmaster of the Fells
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
4 Lightning Helix
2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
[/Spells]
[Land]
2 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
2 Temple Garden
4 Arid Mesa
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Horizon Canopy
1 Kessig Wolf Run
1 Treetop Village
2 Forest
1 Mountain
1 Plains
[/Land]
[/deck]

Big Zoo generally just wants to out-muscle the opposition with big stuff as fast as possible, while still maintaining an aggressive shell. Big Zoo is more able to gain incremental advantages across a longer game with [card]Horizon Canopy[/card] (fetchable with [card]Knight of the Reliquary[/card]) to draw cards, and [card]Kessig Wolf Run[/card], to make your already-big guys run over blockers.

[deck title= Domain Zoo]
[Creatures]
4 Kird Ape
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Dark Confidant
2 Snapcaster Mage
4 Tarmogoyf
3 Geist of Saint Traft
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Lightning Helix
4 Tribal Flames
[/Spells]
[Land]
1 Breeding Pool
1 Blood Crypt
1 Godless Shrine
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Steam Vents
2 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
4 Arid Mesa
2 Marsh Flats
2 Misty Rainforest
4 Scalding Tarn
1 Mountain
1 Plains
[/Land]
[/deck]

Domain Zoo is a very all-in deck focused on casting the most efficient creatures and burn regardless of color or cost. I’ve personally been on the receiving end of [card]Tribal Flames[/card] for five and [card]Snapcaster Mage[/card] flashing it back to deal another five, and I can tell you: it’s pretty scary.

[deck title= Dark Zoo]
[Creatures]
3 Grim Lavamancer
4 Kird Ape
4 Wild Nacatl
4 Dark Confidant
3 Scavenging ooze
4 Tarmogoyf
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
2 Abrupt Decay
4 Lightning Helix
3 Lingering Souls
[/Spells]
[Land]
1 Godless Shrine
1 Overgrown Tomb
2 Sacred Foundry
2 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
4 Arid Mesa
2 Marsh Flats
4 Verdant Catacombs
1 Forest
1 Mountain
1 Plains
1 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

Dark Zoo is likely to be one of the most heavily-played Zoo decks. It gets access to [card]Abrupt Decay[/card] and [card]Dark Confidant[/card] in the main and cards like [card]Thoughtseize[/card] and [card]Rakdos Charm[/card] out of the sideboard, helping it combat some of the harder combo matchups. Its primary weakness, as with many decks in Modern, is that it will be especially susceptible to [card]Blood Moon[/card], which can completely shut it down if you haven’t been getting your basic lands into play.

[deck title= Blue Zoo]
[Creatures]
4 Noble Hierarch
4 Wild Nacatl
3 Scavenging ooze
3 Snapcaster Mage
4 Voice of Resurgence
3 Geist of Saint Traft
2 Knight of the Reliquary
[/Creatures]
[Spells]
4 Lightning Bolt
4 Path to Exile
3 Lightning Helix
2 Bant Charm
2 Elspeth, Knight-Errant
[/Spells]
[Land]
1 Breeding Pool
1 Hallowed Fountain
1 Sacred Foundry
1 Steam Vents
2 Stomping Ground
1 Temple Garden
4 Arid Mesa
2 Marsh Flats
4 Misty Rainforest
2 Scalding Tarn
1 Horizon Canopy
1 Forest
1 Plains
[/Land]
[/deck]

At Pro Tour Philadelphia, the first Modern pro tour, Team Channel Fireball showed up with a Blue Zoo deck that they called Counter Cat. Now, there are several very good cards that they didn’t have access to before like [card]Snapcaster Mage[/card], [card]Geist of Saint Traft[/card], and [card]Voice of Resurgence[/card]. The original version of Blue Zoo had several counterspells in the sideboard to combat combo decks. Combo players were surprised when they found a Zoo deck that could easily disrupt their game plan while putting quite a bit of pressure on them.

As for sideboard cards, here are some of the better ones for Zoo…..

[card]Ancient Grudge[/card]
[card]Back to Nature[/card]
[card]Bojuka Bog[/card]
[card]Choke[/card]
[card]Combust[/card]
[card]Dismember[/card]
[card]Domri Rade[/card]
[card]Elspeth, Knight-Errant[/card]
[card]Ethersworn Canonist[/card]
[card]Gaddock Teeg[/card]
[card]Garruk Relentless[/card]
[card]Grafdigger’s Cage[/card]
[card]Grim Lavamancer[/card]
[card]Kitchen Finks[/card]
[card]Krosan Grip[/card]
[card]Loxodon Smiter[/card]
[card]Obstinate Baloth[/card]
[card]Pillar of Flame[/card]
[card]Qasali Pridemage[/card]
[card]Ranger of Eos[/card]
[card]Rule of Law[/card]
[card]Scavenging Ooze[/card]
[card]Searing Blaze[/card]
[card]Sejiri Steppe[/card]
[card]Spellskite[/card]
[card]Sulfur Elemental[/card]
[card]Thalia, Guardian of Thraben[/card]
[card]Thrun, the Last Troll[/card]
[card]Timely Reinforcements[/card]
[card]Torpor Orb[/card]
[card]Voice of Resurgence[/card]
[card]Volcanic Fallout[/card]

I, for one, am ready to sleeve up some [card]Wild Nacatl[/card]s and battle some Modern. How about you?

As always, if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them for me and I will try to get back to everyone.

Thanks for reading,

Josh Milliken

@joshuamilliken

Brewing with Born of the Gods, Part 2

Welcome back for part two of Brewing with Born of the Gods. You can read part one here. Once again, I can’t provide tuned lists or sideboards, as there’s no way I could test that much, but I can provide some suggestions to consider for each sideboard. I’ve updated a couple of the top-tier decks this time, as well. That way, we’ll have an idea of where those decks are going with the new cards.

[deck title= Naya Midrange]

[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Voice of Resurgence
4 Sylvan Caryatid
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
2 Polukranos, World Eater
2 Trostani, Selesnya’s Voice
3 Ghor-Clan Rampager
3 Stormbreath Dragon
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
2 Selesnya Charm
3 Xenagos, the Reveler
4 Advent of the Wurm
2 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Temple of Abandon
4 Temple of Plenty
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Stomping Ground
4 Temple Garden
4 Forest
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Boros Charm[/card], [card]Chained to the Rocks[/card], [card]Mizzium Mortars[/card], [card]Revoke Existence[/card].

Naya just keeps getting all kinds of fun toys. Unfortunately, they can’t all fit in the same deck due to most of them costing so much mana. One that does fit quite well, though, is [card]Brimaz, King of Oreskos[/card], since he’s an early drop that helps create a lot of board advantage. If Naya doesn’t pick up with this set, it will soon, as it is the number one deck in Theros Block Constructed tournaments right now.

[deck title= Boros Aggro]

[Creatures]
4 Dryad Militant
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Soldier of the Pantheon
4 Daring Skyjek
4 Boros Reckoner
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Boros Charm
4 Lightning Strike
4 Searing Blood
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Temple of Triumph
2 Mutavault
5 Mountain
6 Plains
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Legion’s Initiative[/card], [card]Mizzium Mortars[/card], [card]Revoke Existence[/card], [card]Skullcrack[/card].

Boros Aggro is another deck that greatly benefits from [card]Brimaz, King of Oreskos[/card]. [card]Searing Blood[/card] is also another solid addition that keeps the board clear for your troops to march to victory. While I don’t see this deck getting a lot of play, it will show up and surprise its way to victory.

[deck title= Mono-Black Aggro]

[Creatures]
4 Tormented Hero
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Rakdos Shred-Freak
4 Pack Rat
4 Pain Seer
4 Mogis’s Marauders
4 Xathrid Necromancer
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Thoughtseize
4 Bile Blight
2 Hero’s Downfall
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Mutavault
18 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Duress[/card], [card]Gild[/card], [card]Lifebane Zombie[/card], [card]Pharika’s Cure[/card].

Mono-Black Aggro is a serious consideration now. It has an aggressive element while still being able to run [card]Pack Rat[/card] and [card]Thoughtseize[/card] quite effectively. This deck also gains [card]Pain Seer[/card], to help generate card advantage, and [card]Bile Blight[/card], which is one of the best removal spells we’ve seen in Theros block so far. I suspect this may replace some of the other B/x aggro decks in the format, due to having an easier time with its mana base.

[deck title= Black Devotion]

[Creatures]
4 Pack Rat
4 Nightveil Specter
4 Desecration Demon
3 Mogis, God of Slaughter
4 Grey Merchant of Asphodel
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Thoughtseize
3 Devour Flesh
4 Hero’s Downfall
4 Underworld Connections
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Temple of Malice
4 Blood Crypt
4 Mutavault
14 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Drown in Sorrow[/card], [card]Duress[/card], [card]Pharika’s Cure[/card], [card]Slaughter Games[/card].

The boogeyman of the format, Mono-Black Devotion, gets some new firepower too, which is pretty scary, considering how dominant it has been the last few months. I, for one, hope it didn’t gain enough to keep it at the top of the heap, as I would like to see a more diverse variety of decks in Standard. Notably, it can now splash any color except green with scry lands—and green will be possible in a few months when the next set is released.

[deck title= Bant Control]

[Creatures]
1 Aetherling
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
3 Syncopate
3 Last Breath
4 Detention Sphere
4 Dissolve
4 Sphinx’s Revelation
4 Supreme Verdict
4 Jace, Architect of Thought
3 Kiora, the Crashing Wave
3 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Temple of Enlightenment
4 Temple of Mystery
4 Breeding Pool
4 Hallowed Fountain
2 Temple Garden
3 Mutavault
4 Island
2 Plains
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard suggestions: [card]Gainsay[/card], [card]Glare of Heresy[/card], [card]Selesnya Charm[/card], [card]Voice of Resurgence[/card].

This is more Azorius Control splashing green for [card]Kiora, the Crashing Wave[/card], but she is really quite good in this kind of deck. The sideboard also opens up for cards like [card]Voice of Resurgence[/card] to fight other controls decks, and [card]Selesnya Charm[/card] to exile those beefy monsters and pesky gods. I won’t be surprised when Azorius Control decks ditch black and [card]Dark Betrayal[/card] for green and [card]Kiora, the Crashing Wave[/card].

[deck title= Gruul Monters]

[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Boon Satyr
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
3 Polukranos, World Eater
4 Stormbreath Dragon
3 Xenagos, God of Revels
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
2 Flesh // Blood
2 Mizzium Mortars
4 Domri Rade
3 Xenagos, the Reveler
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Stomping Ground
4 Temple of Abandon
2 Mutavault
7 Forest
6 Mountain
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Chandra, Pyromaster[/card], [card]Mistcutter Hydra[/card], [card]Ruric Thar, the Unbowed[/card], [card]Unravel the Aether[/card].

Go big or go home—that’s the motto of the Gruul Monsters deck. The addition of [card]Xenagos, God of Revels[/card] to this deck makes it that much more potent. Now you too can be swin for fourteen with a hasted [card]Polukranos, World Eater[/card], bloodrushed by a [card]Ghor-Clan Rampager[/card] on turn five. This deck will likely continue to be a recurring monster in the format, as it has been in the past.

[deck title= Archangel Combo]

[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Voice of Resurgence
4 Kiora’s Follower
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
4 Fathom Mage
4 Horizon Chimera
4 Archangel of Thune
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Gods Willing
2 Savage Summoning
4 Commune with the Gods
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Temple of Mystery
4 Temple of Plenty
4 Breeding Pool
4 Hallowed Fountain
4 Temple Garden
3 Forest
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Aetherize[/card], [card]Centaur Healer[/card], [card]Detention Sphere[/card], [card]Unflinching Courage[/card].

Turn 5: untap, draw, kill you…that’s what the Archangel Combo deck wants to do, but now it has more options to be able to play as a normal aggro deck. For those who don’t know the combo, let me break it down for you. When you gain a life, [card]Archangel of Thune[/card] lets you put a +1/+1 counter on all your creatures, then you draw a card from putting a +1/+1 counter on [card]Fathom Mage[/card], then you gain a life from [card]Horizon Chimera[/card] because you drew a card, which starts the whole chain over again until you have lots of cards, life, and giant monsters. While it doesn’t see much play, it does keep getting more toys to make it a pretty appealing option.

[deck title= Grixis Control]

[Creatures]
1 Aetherling
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
3 Quicken
2 Syncopate
3 Far//Away
3 Mizzium Mortars
4 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
4 Dissolve
3 Drown in Sorrow
3 Hero’s Downfall
4 Jace, Architect of Thought
2 Ral Zarek
1 Whelming Wave
3 Opportunity
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Temple of Deceit
4 Temple of Malice
2 Blood Crypt
4 Steam Vents
4 Watery Grave
6 Island
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Bile Blight[/card], [card]Gainsay[/card], [card]Slaughter Games[/card], [card]Thoughtseize[/card].

So far, Grixis Control hasn’t seen much play because most of the things it can do, Azorius or Esper Control can do better. But a deck doesn’t always have to do certain things better than others to be a good deck. I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone playing Grixis over some of the other control options currently available. It gets a fairly unique set of spells to keep the board clear. The cards that really give it a good push are [card]Drown in Sorrow[/card], which can keep the board clear of small creatures, and [card]Whelming Wave[/card], which bounces every creature that sees play except [card]Mutavault[/card].

[deck title= Blue Devotion]

[Creatures]
4 Cloudfin Raptor
4 Judge’s Familiar
4 Frostburn Weird
4 Tidebinder Mage
4 Nightveil Specter
4 Thassa, God of the Sea
4 Master of Waves
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
2 Rapid Hybridization
4 Fated Infatuation
2 Bident of Thassa
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Temple of Deceit
4 Watery Grave
4 Mutavault
12 Island
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Dark Betrayal[/card], [card]Gainsay[/card], [card]Thassa’s Rebuff[/card], [card]Thoughtseize[/card].

The other boogeyman of Standard, Mono-Blue Devotion also got a few new toys. While cards like [card]Thassa’s Rebuff[/card] may or may not end up in the main deck, [card]Fated Infatuation[/card] is destined for abuse with [card]Master of Waves[/card] to make even more tokens at instant speed. Other nice tricks are using [card]Fated Infatuation[/card] to make instant-speed [card]Tidebinder Mage[/card]s or using it as a [card]Rampant Growth[/card] by copying a [card]Mutavault[/card].

[deck title= Orzhov Humans]

[Creatures]
4 Soldier of the Pantheon
4 Tormented Hero
4 Cartel Aristocrat
3 Imposing Sovereign
4 Pack Rat
4 Pain Seer
3 Banisher Priest
4 Xathrid Necromancer
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Bile Blight
3 Spear of Heliod
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Godless Shrine
4 Temple of Silence
4 Mutavault
4 Plains
7 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Hero’s Downfall[/card], [card]Sin Collector[/card], [card]Spirit of the Labyrinth[/card], [card]Thoughtseize[/card].

Finally, we have Orzhov Humans, bringing back currently underused gems like [card]Cartel Aristocrat[/card] and [card]Imposing Sovereign[/card] while allowing some new toys like [card]Pain Seer[/card] and [card]Bile Blight[/card] to really shine. This deck is pretty customizable, with cards like [card]Orzhov Charm[/card] and [card]Brimaz, King of Oreskos[/card] not making the cut in the above list. This is another deck that can use the [card]Pack Rat[/card] and [card]Thoughtseize[/card] two-card whammy we’ve been seeing in Standard for a while now. It also has the ability to just go with a resource denial plan against control decks. Using [card]Sin Collector[/card] and [card]Thoughtseize[/card] to disrupt your opponents’ hands and [card]Spirit of the Labyrinth[/card] to keep them from drawing a bunch of extra cards is pretty powerful.

So Many Brews

That’s all I have for Born of the Gods, but expect more brews once we get Journey into Nyx in May. I always have a ton of fun brewing, and as long as people keep reading, I’ll keep writing. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them for me and I will try to get back to everyone.

Thanks for Reading,

Josh Milliken

@joshuamilliken of Twitter

Brewing with Born of the Gods, Part 1

Welcome to my first brewing article for Brainstorm Brewery. For those who haven’t read my brewing articles in the past, I try provide a glimpse at what I feel is possible in Standard. Since I obviously can’t test all of these decks, though, I don’t build complete 75-card decks. Instead, I provide four cards to heavily consider when building your sideboard. This will be the first of two Born of the Gods brewing articles. Today I will primarily cover aggro decks, and the second part, coming very soon, will cover a wider range of decks.

[deck title= Mono-Green Devotion]

[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Experiment One
4 Swordwise Centaur
4 Kalonian Tusker
4 Boon Satyr
4 Reverent Hunter
2 Polukranos, World Eater
3 Nylea, God of the Hunt
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Aspect of the Hydra
2 Bow of Nylea
2 Enlarge
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Mutavault
19 Forest
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Mistcutter Hydra[/card], [card]Nylea’s Disciple[/card], [card]Unravel the Aether[/card], [card]Witchstalker[/card].

Mono-green holds a special place in my heart, as I qualified for Pro Tour Return to Ravnica with Dungrove Stompy, and this deck feels quite a bit like it. The card that likely pushes this deck over the top is [card]Aspect of the Hydra[/card] to deal an insane amount of damage for just one mana. The only downside to [card]Aspect of the Hyda[/card] is that it doesn’t give the creature trample, but hopefully [card]Nylea, God of the Hunt[/card] and [card]Enlarge[/card] will do that just fine.

[deck title= Selesnya Aggro]

[Creatures]
4 Experiment One
4 Soldier of the Pantheon
4 Fleecemane Lion
4 Voice of Resurgence
4 Boon Satyr
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
3 Trostani, Selesnya’s Voice
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Selesnya Charm
3 Ajani, Caller of the Pride
4 Advent of the Wurm
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Temple Garden
4 Temple of Plenty
2 Selesnya Guildgate
6 Forest
7 Plains
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Fiendslayer Paladin[/card], [card]Revoke Existence[/card], [card]Rootborn Defenses[/card], [card]Unflinching Courage[/card].

Selesnya Aggro is currently a small-time player in the Standard metagame, but now it gets the uber powerful [card]Brimaz, King of Oreskos[/card] to launch cats at your opponents face and [card]Temple of Plenty[/card] to make the mana signifigantly better. It may look like a straightforward aggro deck that just makes dudes and attacks, but it has plenty of tricks up its sleeve for the technical player.

[deck title= Boros Burn]

[Creatures]
4 Satyr Firedancer
4 Young Pyromancer
4 Chandra’s Phoenix
4 Guttersnipe
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Shock
4 Boros Charm
4 Lightning Strike
4 Magma Jet
4 Searing Blood
2 Warleader’s Helix
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Temple of Triumph
4 Mutavault
8 Mountain
2 Plains
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Blind Obedience[/card], [card]Chained to the Rocks[/card], [card]Revoke Existence[/card], [card]Skullcrack[/card].

Burn decks just want to do twenty damage to their opponents as quickly as possible—the problem is having to throw some burn at those pesky creatures your opponent controls that are trying to kill you. The introduction of [card]Satyr Firedancer[/card] means you never have to throw a burn spell at your opponent’s creature as long as Satyr is in play, freeing up your burn to finish your opponent while incidentally killing his creatures. The creature compliment of this deck is unified in getting the most out of your burn spells so you don’t have to worry about your opponent getting ahead very often.

[deck title= Gruul Aggro]

[Creatures]
4 Dryad Militant
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Firefist Striker
4 Fanatic of Xenagos
4 Ghor-Clan Rampager
3 Mistcutter Hydra
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Lightning Strike
4 Domri Rade
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Temple of Abandon
4 Stomping Ground
2 Gruul Guildgate
2 Forest
9 Mountain
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Burning Earth[/card], [card]Mizzium Mortars[/card], [card]Searing Blood[/card], [card]Unravel the Aether[/card].

Quick and painful is how Gruul Aggro likes to kill the opposition. With this version, turn four wins can happen quite often, which will make your opponent think twice about tapping out. [card]Borborygmos[/card] would be proud to lead an army so efficient at crushing the opposition.

[deck title= Minotaurs]

[Creatures]
4 Deathbellow Raider
4 Fellhide Brawler
4 Pack Rat
4 Minotaur Skullcleaver
4 Rageblood Shaman
4 Ragemonger
2 Fellhide Spiritbinder
3 Kragama Warcaller
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Shock
4 Dreadbore
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Temple of Malice
4 Blood Crypt
4 Mutavault
8 Mountain
3 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Fanatic of Mogis[/card], [card]Hammer of Purphoros[/card], [card]Hero’s Downfall[/card], [card]Thoughtseize[/card].

Stampede! Here come the minotaurs to pillage the battlefield. This decks might not quite be there, but it is certainly fun to play lots of hasted pumped minotaurs trying to find out. And to back them up they brought a [card]Pack Rat[/card] army to clean up the corpses.

[deck title= Mono-Red Devotion]

[Creatures]
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Ash Zealot
4 Burning-Tree Emissary
4 Firefist Striker
4 Boros Reckoner
3 Chandra’s Phoenix
4 Fanatic of Mogis
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Lightning Strike
4 Searing Blood
[/Spells]

[Land]
18 Mountain
3 Mutavault
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Act of Treason[/card], [card]Burning Earth[/card], [card]Legion Loyalist[/card], [card]Skullcrack[/card].

Mono-Red Devotion is almost as fast as Gruul Aggro, but a little more consistent. [card]Fanatic of Mogis[/card] sees red, and he’ll set everything on fire to see more of it with the help of his new friend [card]Searing Blood[/card]. With Mono-Red Devotion, it’s all or nothing in an attempt to overwhelm your opponent as quickly as possible.

[deck title= Golgari Aggro]

[Creatures]
4 Dryad Militant
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Tormented Hero
4 Lotleth Troll
4 Pack Rat
4 Pain Seer
4 Dreg Mangler
4 Herald of Torment
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Abrupt Decay
2 Bile Blight
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Golgari Guildgate
4 Mutavault
3 Forest
7 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions:[card]Golgari Charm[/card], [card]Hero’s Downfall[/card], [card]Lifebane Zombie[/card], [card]Mistcutter Hydra[/card].

We have definitely seen a lot of [card]Dark Confidant[/card] imitations over the last few years, and [card]Pain Seer[/card] is the closest one yet. This little guy happens to be backed by some dark new firepower in [card]Bile Blight[/card] and death from above in [card]Herald of Torment[/card], but sadly no scry land as of yet. I look for this deck to get better the less Mono-Black Devotion is around.

[deck title= Reanimator]

[Creatures]
4 Elvish Mystic
4 Satyr Wayfinder
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Voice of Resurgence
3 Blood Baron of Vizkopa
4 Angel of Serenity
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Commune with Nature
4 Grisly Salvage
4 Rescue from the Underworld
2 Obzedat’s Aid
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Temple of Plenty
4 Temple of Silence
4 Godless Shrine
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Temple Garden
3 Forest
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Centaur Healer[/card], [card]Drown in Sorrow[/card], [card]Sin Collector[/card], [card]Thoughtseize[/card].

Has [card]Satyr Wayfinder[/card] given us the missing piece of the puzzle to make Reanimator a reality in Standard again? I’m rooting against it, but with twelve ways to dig deep into your library I wouldn’t count it out just yet. Bringing [card]Blood Baron of Vizkopa[/card] back repeatedly against Mono-Black Devotion could be just what they fear the most.

[deck title= White Weenie]

[Creatures]
4 Dryad Militant
4 Soldier of the Pantheon
4 Daring Skyjek
4 Imposing Sovereign
4 Precinct Captain
4 Spirit of the Labyrinth
4 Banisher Priest
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
4 Fiendslayer Paladin
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
2 Ajani, Caller of the Pride
2 Spear of Heliod
[/Spells]

[Land]
17 Plains
4 Mutavault
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Archetype of Courage[/card], [card]Frontline Medic[/card], [card]Pacifism[/card], [card]Revoke Existence[/card].

[/card]Imposing Sovereign[/card]’s falvor text reads, “Some are born to rule.The rest are born to bow before them.” [card]Brimaz, King of Oreskos[card], is definitely born to rule. That means we had better bow before our new cat overlord. He does a very good [card]Hero of Bladehold[card] impersonation while still getting to block and keep adding more cats to the board, so it’s no wonder he is currently the chase mythic of Born of the Gods.

[deck title= Rakdos Aggro]

[Creatures]
4 Rakdos Cackler
4 Tormented Hero
4 Pain Seer
4 Rakdos Shred-Freak
4 Spike Jester
4 Mogis’s Marauder
4 Xathrid Necromancer
2 Mogis, God of Slaughter
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
4 Bile Blight
4 Lightning Strike
[/Spells]

[Land]
4 Temple of Malice
4 Blood Crypt
4 Mutavault
3 Mountain
7 Swamp
[/Land]
[/deck]

Sideboard Suggestions: [card]Dreadbore[/card], [card]Searing Blood[/card], [card]Skullcrack[/card], [card]Thoughtseize[/card].

This deck needs some reach to stay competitive, and [card]Pain Seer[card] backed by [card]Mogis, God of Slaughter[card], may be just what it’s looking for. Combine that with [card]Bile Blight[card]to fight [card]Pack Rat[card]s and this might just be a winning combination. I can see this deck being quite popular as a way to fight Mono-Black Devotion if it remains a huge force in Standard.

That’s all I have for this time, but I’ll be back soon with more brews. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them for me and I will try to get back to everyone.

Thanks for Reading,

Josh Milliken

@joshuamilliken of Twitter

Josh Milliken – Jund: The Villain is Now the Hero

I knew my fascination with Jund was more than just my unwillingness to move on from Innistrad Standard, but over the course of a month I couldn’t even get a winning record at an FNM with it. And then I realized that I was playing terribly because I was simply burned out on Magic and needed a break. No matter how much I wanted to play, I forced myself to not play Magic. Now I’m back, and with Matt Costa’s recent victory with Jund at SCG Providence, I’m in a good position to discuss where Jund should go from here.

This is where I started for with Jund for this Standard season.

[deck title= Jund Midrange by Josh Milliken]

[Creatures]
*4 Sylvan Caryatid
*3 Scavenging Ooze
*4 Reaper of the Wilds
*4 Stormbreath Dragon
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
*1 Abrupt Decay
*2 Magma Jet
*4 Mizzium Mortars
*3 Hero’s Downfall
*3 Read the Bones
*1 Rakdos Keyrune
*1 Whip of Erebos
*2 Chandra Pyromaster
*1 Vraska the Unseen
*2 Rakdos’s Return
[/Spells]

[Land]
*4 Temple of Abandon
*4 Overgrown Tomb
*4 Blood Crypt
*4 Stomping Ground
*3 Rakdos Guildgate
*2 Golgari Guildgate
*1 Gruul Guildgate
*3 Swamp
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
*4 Thoughtseize
*2 Pharika’s Cure
*1 Dreadbore
*2 Golgari Charm
*2 Anger of the Gods
*1 Whip of Erebos
*1 Vraska the Unseen
*2 Sire of Insanity
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

As you can see, I was very prepared for aggressive decks, but also kept the flexibility to really go after control decks post sideboard. The biggest issues the deck had included a horrible matchup against WBR midrange and matches that took forever against Esper decks.

Fast forward a month and I hear that someone is tearing it up with Jund at SCG Providence. This didn’t surprise me, given how good the deck should be against the Mono-Blue Devotion and Mono-Black Devotion decks that have been dominating the format. I found myself rooting for Matt to take down the tournament, and was not surprised when he swept through a sea of Mono-Blue decks to win.

[deck title= Jund Midrange by Matt Costa]

[Creatures]
*3 Reaper of the Wilds
*3 Scavenging Ooze
*4 Stormbreath Dragon
*4 Sylvan Caryatid
*2 Polukranos, World Eater
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
*4 Abrupt Decay
*4 Hero’s Downfall
*2 Anger of the Gods
*1 Mizzium Mortars
*2 Rakdos’s Return
*3 Read the Bones
*3 Thoughtseize
[/Spells]

[Land]
*3 Forest
*1 Mountain
*5 Swamp
*4 Blood Crypt
*4 Overgrown Tomb
*4 Stomping Ground
*4 Temple of Abandon
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
*2 Mistcutter Hydra
*1 Sire of Insanity
*2 Underworld Connections
*2 Doom Blade
*2 Golgari Charm
*2 Anger of the Gods
*2 Duress
*1 Rakdos’s Return
*1 Thoughtseize
[/Sideboard]
[/Deck]

The biggest issue I see with Matt’s list is that he’s not running enough sweepers in the main – this is a format dominated by decks that are forced to overextend to win. The other problem is [CARD]Thoughtseize[/CARD] in the main deck with so many decks that push through super quick damage.

With the metagame pushing more and more towards Mono-Blue Devotion, Mono-Black Devotion, and a hint of Esper, this is where I ended up:

[deck title= Jund Midrange by Josh Milliken]

[Creatures]
*3 Scavenging Ooze
*4 Sylvan Caryatid
*2 Polukranos, World Eater
*3 Reaper of the Wilds
*4 Stormbreath Dragon
[/Creatures]

[Spells]
*2 Abrupt Decay
*2 Dreadbore
*3 Mizzium Mortars
*3 Read the Bones
*2 Anger of the Gods
*4 Hero’s Downfall
*1 Whip of Erebos
*2 Rakdos’s Return
[/Spells]

[Land]
*4 Blood Crypt
*4 Overgrown Tomb
*4 Stomping Ground
*4 Temple of Abandon
*3 Rakdos Guildgate
*3 Swamp
*2 Forest
*1 Mountain
[/Land]

[Sideboard]
*4 Thoughtseize
*2 Pharika’s Cure
*1 Mizzium Mortars
*2 Golgari Charm
*2 Underworld Connections
*1 Anger of the Gods
*1 Whip of Erebos
*2 Sire of Insanity
[/Sideboard]
[/DECK]

With [CARD]Pack Rat[/CARD] being a very prevalent threat, my primary sweeper of choice is [CARD]Mizzium Mortars[/CARD], which gives me a turn-two answer but also provides a sweeper that kills [CARD]Gray Merchant of Asphodel[/CARD] and [CARD]Frostburn Weird[/CARD]. Also, with instant speed mattering much less on [CARD]Abrupt Decay[/CARD], I moved toward [CARD]Dreadbore[/CARD] to be able to deal with planeswalkers and [CARD]Desecration Demon[/CARD] more easily. Bringing in [CARD]Whip of Erebos[/CARD] allows me to occasionally race aggro decks while also providing additional threats against Esper.

Sideboarding

Here’s how I would sideboard against the top three decks in the format:

Mono-Blue Devotion

In
2 [Card]Golgari Charm[/Card]
1 [Card]Mizzium Mortars[/Card]
1 [Card]Anger of the Gods[/Card]

Out
1 [Card]Abrupt Decay[/Card]
1 [Card]Whip of Erebos[/Card]
2 [Card]Rakdos’s Return[/Card]

Mono-Black Devotion

In
1 [Card]Mizzium Mortars[/Card]
2 [Card]Underworld Connections[/Card]
1 [Card]Whip of Erebos[/Card]
4 [Card]Thoughtseize[/Card]

Out
2 [Card]Anger of the Gods[/Card]
2 [Card]Polukranos, World Eater[/Card]
3 [Card]Read the Bones[/Card]
1 [Card]Rakdos’s Return[/Card]

Esper Control

In
4 [Card]Thoughtseize[/Card]
2 [Card]Golgari Charm[/Card]
2 [Card]Underworld Connections[/Card]
1 [Card]Whip of Erebos[/Card]
2 [Card]Sire of Insanity[/Card]

Out
2 [Card]Abrupt Decay[/Card]
3 [Card]Scavenging Ooze[/Card]
3 [Card]Mizzium Mortars[/Card]
2 [Card]Anger of the Gods[/Card]
1 [Card]Read the Bones[/Card]

It’s great to be back after what feels like an eternity away from Magic, and I hope to see you all out there in the trenches slinging the cards we all love. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to leave them below and I will try to reply.

Thanks for reading,

Josh Milliken

@joshuamilliken on Twitter