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inresponse

Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2005 5:16 pm

Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 162 Location:

--- description ---
Overview of the top four decks (the "gauntlet") to use for States testing, with suggestions for facing them.
--- end description ---

As most of you know, the Magic: the Gathering Champs tournament is coming quickly upon us. This weekend card floppers all over the country for the title of State Champion, using a plethora of new spells from the last set to be released, Ravnica:City of Guilds. Just how will this new set affect your metagame?

Every year people try out all sorts of new unique decks at their state tournaments, using cool new combos and cards from the new set. However, in the past the dominant decks of the old standard season hove held strong. Last year, Ravager and Tooth and Nail ruled the tables, leaving most of the new decks, like samurais, behind. However, this year Wizards has introduced a powerful set in comparison to the Kamigawa block, which may break this new format wide open.

Not only do we have the new cards from Ravnica to play with, but also those from ninth edition that still haven’t had a chance to really be broken in. Hypnotic Specter, Viridian Shaman, and Blackmail are all stars that will probably see at least a little play in this year’s tourneys.

Because of all these factors, a ton of new decks can be expected this year. In order to do well you should have at least a little experience playing against all of them with your deck of choice. That way you can more correctly choose cards for your sideboard and be prepared for whatever you face.

With the new Boros guild coming out, probably the most popular deck will be W/R weenie. White weenie was a strong deck in the last standard season and only gets better with Ravnica, so expect to see a lot of it. Here is an example decklist that will resemble the decks you might face:

Boros Beats

Creatures (20):
4 Lantern Kami
4 Leonin Skyhunter
4 Boros Swiftblade
2 Skyknight Legionnaire
2 Isamaru, Hound of Konda
4 Savannah Lions

Other Spells (19):
4 Char
4 Lightning Helix
4 Shock
4 Umezawa’s Jitte
3 Glorious Anthem

Lands (21)
1 Eiganjo Castle
4 Battlefield Forge
4 Sacred Foundry
8 Plains
4 Mountain

Sideboard (15):
4 Suppression Field
4 Boros Fury Shield
4 Hokori, Dust Drinker
3 Tempest of Light

This deck comes out fast and hits hard. When facing this deck make sure you have plenty of creature control, or are simply faster with your own agro or combo deck.

Another deck from last season’s standard that will be all over at states is Gifts Ungiven. Nothing is lost from the removal of Mirrodin block, and gifts gains the power of the duals from Ravnica. Here is an example list:

3 Color Gifts

Creatures (13):
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
1 Hana Kami
1 Ghost-lit Stalker
1 Meloku the Clouded Mirror
1 Myojin of Night’s Reach
2 Kokusho, the Evening Star
3 Kagemaro, First to suffer

Other Spells (25):
4 Sensei’s Divining Top
4 Kodama’s Reach
4 Gifts Ungiven
3 Putrefy
3 Sickening Shoal
2 Hideous Laughter
1 Exile into Darkness
1 Wear Away
1 Soulless Revival
1 Death Denied
1 Goryo’s Vengeance

Land (22):
4 Overgrown Tomb
4 Yavimaya Coast
2 Tendo Ice Bridge
1 Miren, the Moaning Well
1 Okina, Temple to the Grandfathers
1 Shizo, Death’s Storehouse
1 Island
4 Swamp
4 Forest

Sideboard:
4 Cranial Extraction
4 Last Gasp
4 Naturalize
3 Pithing Needle

This deck plays a few mana accelerators early and then plays Gifts Ungiven, usually getting Hana Kami, Soulless Revival, Death Denied, and Kodama’s Reach. This combo allows them to get any creature they want from their graveyard to their hand for the rest of the game. Make sure you are playing some kind of hand disruption or that you can kill their creatures before they can get you.

Another popular deck will be a combo deck based around Heartbeat of Spring. This powerful mana accelerator allows the deck to win on the 4th or 5th turn in some games.
Here is a build that you might see at your state tournament:

Heartbeat Combo

Creatures(7):
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
3 Drift of Phantasms

Other Spells(30):
2 Blaze
1 Tidings
3 Rampant Growth
4 Early Harvest
4 Heartbeat of Spring
4 Kodama’s Reach
3 Gifts Ungiven
3 Recollect
3 Eye of the Storm

Land (22)
1 Mountain
11 Forest
10 Island

Sideboard
4 Cranial Extraction
3 Naturalize
4 Muddle the Mixture
4 Last Gasp

The goal of this deck is to kill its opponent with Blaze before they can do much of anything. With all the mana acceleration, it does a fairly good job of this, too. However, a little pinpoint hand removal like Distress or Nightmare Void can stop it cold.

On final deck worth mentioning is a totally new archetype that uses the power of Vitu-Ghazi, the City Tree and Sunforger to kill the opponent while sitting behind a wall of removal. The deck resembles counter-post, but plays removal instead of countermagic. An example decklist looks something like this:

Fungus Fire

Creatures (7):
4 Sakura-Tribe Elder
3 Firemane Angel

Other Spells (30):
3 Kodama’s Reach
4 Devouring Light
4 Char
4 Wrath of God
4 Lightning Helix
4 Faith’s Fetters
3 Seed Spark
3 Sunforger
1 Hidsetgu’s Second Rite

Lands (23):
4 Sacred Foundry
4 Temple Garden
2 Brushland
4 Vitu-Ghazi, the City Tree
3 Mountain
3 Plains
3 Forest

Sideboard (15):
4 Shock
1 Seed Spark
4 Naturalize
3 Circle of Protection: Red
3 Wildfire

Capitalizing on the expectedly large presence of agressive decks, Fungus Fire plays a huge amount of removal and kills with either Firemane Angel or Sunforger. It always has blockers and attackers because of the Vitu-Ghazi, and never runs out of answers with Sunforger. This is a tough match up for any deck because it packs so many individual threats.

You will see this decks played at your state tournament, so be ready for them. Make sure you test your decks and know that they are the strongest versions you can find.
Good luck at Champs!

To reach me about anything relating to this article, send e-mails to:
svgtech@gmail.com

The First

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 4:56 pm

Joined: 07 Oct 2005 Posts: 195 Location: Anderlecht, Belgium

There isn't anything new in this article, really. All these decks are well known and everyone knows these decklists by heart. Also, you forgot to mention the Dimir milling decks. I can't imagine none of them showing at States.

inresponse

Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2005 7:06 pm

Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 162 Location:

These decks certainly are not new, otherwise they wouldn't be part of the gauntlet. Also, not everyone knows these decklists. They are here for a comprehensive list of possible decks to test against. There will definitely be other decks at states, Dimir mill included. However, I felt it was important to post only lists that will have a strong presence at states and that perform well against the rest of the metagame. The mill deck, while decent, has no real game against the agro decks of the format and simply doesn't have the removal to deal with the threats the other decks put forth. If you have a decklist for U/B mill that has posted good results in your testing, please share it with me so I can add it to my gauntlet if I find the same results. Otherwise, i do not think there is much reason to include it in a list of decks to test against.

The First

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 5:22 am

Joined: 07 Oct 2005 Posts: 195 Location: Anderlecht, Belgium

I'm not sure that Dimir Mill decks don't stand a chance against aggro decks.

You have good removal with Kagemaro or free removal with Sickening Shoal. You can pack Hideous laughters.

Shadow of Doubt, a mill stample IMO, can give you card advantage AND stop Cranial extraction. But it can also prevent a Farseek or STE to go fetch a land.

Both Twincast and Glimpse cost only 2 mana so the deck itself should be fast and furious.

I'm planning to build a GBU one but I don't have the dual lands to build it yet. 4x Watery Grave is a necessity.

inresponse

Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 5:23 pm

Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 162 Location:

when you have a list for the deck, please pm me. If I find it does well in testing I will add it to my list of archetypes.

Cleston

Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2005 2:09 pm

Joined: 10 Aug 2005 Posts: 110 Location: Brasil

don't you think black discard will get some attention too? i mean, they've got nice stuff from 9th and they've got nice new stuff from ravnica along with blue in house dimir...

- "If I die, your deck will crumble!"
Gandalf (any of them)

inresponse

Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2005 7:18 pm

Joined: 18 Oct 2005 Posts: 162 Location:

so far Black discard hasn't proved itself to be a presence in the Standard metagame. MBC is still strong however, and was indeed present in my metagame for states. Next month I will definitely be writing an article that includes a decklist for MBC, as well as MUC which is shaping up to be the newest topdeck in Standard.

Cleston

Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2005 1:18 pm

Joined: 10 Aug 2005 Posts: 110 Location: Brasil

inresponse wrote:

you may be right.. but as an old skull player i was very fond to open a Hypnotic Specter in a 9th edition booster pack, you know... Cool