From the Magic Online Competitive League 5-0 postings on  we are seeing still another downward trend on the total number of decks published.  Down to 40, a 5% change from last week, and with only 22 of the 40 decks repping Planeswalkers (another downward trend in terms of total meta percentage), this sounds to me like the “correct builds” of these decks are being figured out rather than a shift away from the powerful game-altering Mages.  This is evidenced by the fact that 6 of the top-8 decks at the Star City Games Classic had a main-deck ‘Walker.

Looking at the breakdown of Planeswalkers, there is a DRASTIC dropoff in the number of Vivien Reid being played.  Falling off by 64% from last week, down to only 6 main deck copies across 4 decks and 4 main deck archetypes from last week’s 13 copies main across 7 decks in 6 archetypes.  Is our newly crowned Queen of GRN Standard already losing hold of her empire?  Considering that Teferi, Hero of Dominaria has remained a stalwart of Mythic proportions (yes, MYTHIC…) with a consistent 26 copies across 7 decks and representing 5 separate archetypes in each of the first 3 weeks, I would say that he gives a much wider array of options to suit your deck building styles.  Of the Teferi archetypes, I still assert that the Jeskai Control decks have the best chance at crafting a strategy to win through an unknown field.  The deck might not have blistering starts or a powerful top-end creature package, but the answers seem to line up just right.  I really like YUANJI’s list that leans in a little heavier on the white splash for powerful spot removal effects in Justice Strike and Deafening Clarion and the utility sweeper Cleansing Nova.  Against the grindy midrange decks like Golgari, you definitely want your cards to be giving you 3- and 4-for-1 potential in order to out-value their constant stream of 2-for-1’s.

As good as this Jeskai list is, GOBERN’s Esper Control lists look like a picturesque representation of a control deck in its purest form.  Tons of permission and removal followed up by a singular unanswerable threat (well, a singular CREATURE threat that is…let us not forget about Teferi).  Chromium, the Mutable gives this deck a clock to close out the late games unlike any other deck.  With 7 toughness it’s hard for the red based decks to damage out.  And even if they could, all you have to do is give it hexproof in response.  It has Flash so allows you to play the counter-based control magic that this archetype is known for; flashing it in on the opponent’s end-step means you are able to stay right on plan without missing a beat.  And it can’t be countered, so in the control mirror, it is absolutely unstoppable.

Looking to the Star City Games Classic at Dallas tournament results for a clearer picture on how tournament Magic settles the “which deck is the best” question, you can see that Maxwell Jones’ winning Golgari list shows just how tough it can be to beat out a constant barrage of 2-for-1 effects that present BOTH removal AND threats at the same time.  Ravenous Chupacabra is a real card, especially in a field full of big, dumb, slow creatures.  Gone are the days of curving hasty red 1- through 4-drops (may you rest in peace, Hazoret the Fervent).  And with 3 copies of Vivien Reid main in this dining list, you might understand the title of this article a little better.  Even with a substantial dip in market share of total cards played AND number of decks represented, this 5-mana Swiss Army Knife was able to take down the whole thing, beating out a very tuned Mono-Red Experimental Frenzy list, complete with 2 copies of their own Planeswalker value engine Sarkhan, Fireblood.  While not as versatile and here mostly for flood insurance, Sarkhan can also provide a massive start on the dream scenario of curving him into a kicked Verix Bladewing on turn 4.  But in the end, it was Vivien and her compatriot Vraska, Relic Seeker and their Golgari Swarm that won it all and took 3 of the top-8 spots at this tournament, cementing it as the deck to beat and keeping Vivien Reid in possession of the title “Queen of GRN Standard” for one more week at least.

You can see the acknowledgment of the community that Planeswalkers are the predominant strategy this Standard season by the fact that The Immortal Sun has started popping up in the 5-0 lists.  Golgari is the clear front runner for Tier 1 deck, so it makes sense to attempt to next level the competition by starting with the regular Golgari main deck value engine plan except eschewing the main deck ‘Walkers in favor of shutting off a major component of your competition’s plan with The Immortal Sun.

Considering the unequivocal advantage you get from an unanswered Planeswalker, I’m not so sure I would make the wholesale change to avoid playing them main.  I think it just leaves you too vulnerable and without answer to some of the better Tier 1.5 and Tier 2 decks that you will inevitable run into during the course of an 8- or 15-round tournament. But including a copy or two in the side and bringing them in to combat the mirror does sound like a very solid plan.

Scouring the rest of the 5-0 lists for spice, something stood out in a major way. Nexus of Fate is back, baby! The boogeyman that “ruined” the last standard season, Turbo Fog, has popped back into the 5-0 conversation for the first time this season. In a world full of slow grindy slog-fests, a control deck that takes all the turns seems like a really good place to be. It took a little longer for this deck to figure out the right mix of answers, stall tactics, and progressing its own game plan than I had originally anticipated, but now that it is showing up on the winner’s roll, I fully expect another wave of players to adopt the archetype (and the subsequent “why isn’t this card available in packs?!?!?” outcry).  The question is whether it can remain a viable strategy now that the rest of the meta has a chance to plan for it.

As week 3 presents us with solidified deck lists for the top tier creature based strategies, I expect the control decks to start rising to the top with the correct answers. The insurmountable advantage that an unanswered Teferi brings cannot be denied. However the Golgari decks are allowed to tune to beat a control meta too. As we look ahead to Pro Tour Guilds of Ravnica, there are two weeks of results left before the Pro’s get a chance to introduce the kind of technology the community doesn’t see. Is there room to iterate, or do the tier 1 decks require the amount of synergy currently present? I have a feeling that we are going to see a rogue brew pop up, but the real story is that we aren’t playing enough Doom Whisperer.

Eric Wendorf

Eric has been an avid Magic fan and player since re-discovering the game in 2012. He is a Red mage at heart but likes to confuse himself with the varying decision trees presented by mid-range and control decks from time to time.
Eric plays mostly casually with his 9-year-old daughter, but manages to get out for every prerelease and a few FNM’s and GP’s every year.

Please reach out to me on twitter @edubious

Watch my Twitch stream at twitch.tv/edubious

While I won’t be using this card in today’s deck it did make me think of Maze’s End decks from Standard’s past, and my beginnings at playing with foil cards. Also with us nearing Halloween I’m sure some of you have visited your local hay/corn maze, and heck even going to the grocery store for me feels like I am running a maze.

Yes you heard that right. Maze’s End was when I started foiling out decks.

I attended a Dragon’s Maze pre-release, and although I did get a Ral Zarek out of my kit when the event was over no one wanted their promo Maze’s Ends so I picked up the cards, began to build with it, and after Theros came out it wound up looking like this.

It was at this same time I started getting into formats like Legacy (building Punishing Jund) and EDH, and while my primary focus has shifted to Modern I do have a lot of fond memories of those days where I was winning by playing a land.

Can we do this in Modern? I don’t see why not, and honestly if decks like Tezzerator are played we can do so with this. Might it be a poor choice for even FNM? Sure. Are there a lot of cards that can wreck this deck? Yeah, of course! However on those games that you do win it’s worth it. The goal of running the maze is to survive it, and sometimes you don’t.

Modern Maze’s End

Artifacts (4)
4 Expedition Map

Enchantments (3)
3 Ghostly Prison

Creatures (7)
4 Gatecreeper Vine
3 Wall of Omens

Instants (9)
4 Fog
3 Safe Passage
2 Negate

Planeswalkers (2)
2 Kiora, the Crashing Wave

Sorceries (10)
4 Sylvan Scrying
4 Ancient Stirrings
2 Supreme Verdict

Lands (25)
4 Maze’s End
4 Windswept Heath
2 Azorius Guildgate
2 Selesnya Guildgate
2 Simic Guildgate
1 Boros Guildgate
1 Breeding Pool
1 Dimir Guildgate
1 Forest
1 Golgari Guildgate
1 Gruul Guildgate
1 Izzet Guildgate
1 Orzhov Guildgate
1 Rakdos Guildgate
1 Temple Garden

Sideboard (15)
3 Ensnaring Bridge
2 Stony Silence
2 Crackling Perimeter
2 Naturalize
2 Damping Sphere
2 Swan Song
1 Crucible of Worlds
1 Negate

How the deck works

Obviously the primary win condition is using Maze’s End‘s ability to search for the last guildgate to win the game. It’s a pretty powerful ability when you consider the totality of what it does, however how can we achieve such a feat.

I’ve looked over several decks. Some are Turbo Fog based (like the old Standard decks), some even focus on enchantments. However the primary way to win is by playing Lands. This is where I thought of another deck where lands are very important: Tron.

Cards such as Ancient Stirrings, Expedition Map, and Sylvan Scrying allow you to find any land as opposed to just basics in Tron. Why limit those cards to just Tron decks? Sure these lands, the guildgates, come into play tapped, but you have other ways to stay alive even when being tapped out.

• Gatecreeper Vine, and Wall of Omens are cards that either allow you to search for a land, or simply draw a card (which could be a guildgate). While one has more toughness than the other you only need to block with them, and them living is not vital to winning the game. Don’t be afraid to play these on turn three, and use the land you find to put into play.
• Supreme Verdict will often tap you out, but also wipe their board of creatures. This will leave you vulnerable to their next play, but we don’t have a reliable way to set up Terminus, and can’t afford our spell to be countered.
• Ghostly Prison might seem odd as it does also tap you out early, but it taxes your opponent forcing them to play more threats (and lands) to attack with more than one creature.
• Kiora, the Crashing Wave also taps you out, and is the primary win condition. If you can survive to get the emblem you can win even through one of your guildgates being removed from the game (or Maze’s End itself).

Keep in mind that Safe Passage prevents all damage not just combat damage. Nice Grapeshot you have there!

If you can get up to four lands where one is a Maze’s End without being interrupted you can start using your Maze’s End on their end step to ramp out guildgates.

In the sideboard

Some key cards in the sideboard:

• Crucible of Worlds: This card’s inclusion should be no surprise. With enough land destruction in Modern as it is you will need this to play lands from your graveyard.
• Ensnaring Bridge: Pairing this with your defenders will help you stabilize as you play all of the ramp cards in your hand. There are only a few ways to draw, but not enough to consistently keep cards in your hand so this will be beneficial.
• Naturalize: You will lose to Blood Moon.
• Swan Song: Speaking of the moon you can simply counter it. Coupled with your bridge and fog effects the 2/2 bird is not much of a worry.
• Crackling Perimeter: This is your alternate win condition. Use it wisely, but keep in mind it can take awhile to ping the opponent to zero.

In conclusion

This is a very rough draft, and you’ll want to make the changes necessary to your metagame. I think a lot of us have been waiting for key pieces to be presented to try it in Modern, but the pieces that Tron has used to great success are probably the ones we should have used from the very beginning. Finding specific lands is key to this deck’s strategy, and those cards are the best way to do that.

Thank you all for reading about this strange deck. I know this is on the fringe of the Modern format, but what cards would you use for the deck? How would you change the above? Do you already have a version of the deck built? Please comment below, and follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter.

Next time with Halloween upon us I’ll shamble through another article to celebrate the rising of the dead.

Until then…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils

With no major tournaments to report on this weekend, thanks to a flood in Philadelphia causing Star City Games to completely cancel the Open Weekend, we must rely on the Magic Online Competitive Standard 5-0 decklist dumps in order to navigate our way through this new Standard meta. With only 41 decks in the Thursday, October 11th posting and 42 decklists in the Monday, October 15th results, we are seeing about a 20% drop off from last week and are well on our way to establishing the major players in this early meta. There were 27 decks with Planeswalkers in the main-60 for both the decklist postings, up 5% over the initial results published on Monday October 8th.  But, identifying the most influential of the space-time warping mages can be tricky.

On Thursday, Vraska, Relic Seeker shows up in the most number of individual decks at 9, but there are only 18 total copies of the Stone Cold Queen Gorgon being played where Teferi, Hero of Dominaria on the other hand represents the 2nd most individual decks at 7, but far outpaced the competition with 26 total copies of the card being sleeved up.  Moving into the Monday results, we see something shifting. Vraska, Relic Seeker is still found in the most main decks with 9 lists running her. The total copies are up to 21 now, but she still hasn’t toppled Teferi, Hero of Dominaria for most total copies (still sitting staunch at 26 copies across 7 decks). The big shift is the fact that Vivien Reid has come up to challenge for a spot as top ‘walker in town.  Repping 13 copies main across 7 decks doesn’t sound that overwhelming, however if you account for the ADDITIONAL 14 copies in sideboards across 12 total decks, she represents only 1 fewer copy than Teferi but a much more significant share of the meta (28.57% vs 19.05%).  I am here to declare Vivien Reid as the true Queen of GRN standard (I just won’t look Vraska in the eyes while I’m saying it). Here are what I would consider the best builds of the 9 different archetypes that Vivien brings to the table:

I really like the last of these decks.  Having a straight up Golgari build of the grindy value engine deck means that you can streamline your mana and your threats in order to continue the value grind and beat down plan.

As the 1b option and absolute engine of control builds in this GRN Standard format (and, really, let’s be honest, ALL formats), Teferi, Hero of Dominaria is probably the real MVP here, but he doesn’t give the versatility of archetype options as Vivien, representing only 3.  The best version of a Teferi deck, and probably the BEST deck in Standard right now is the following Jeskai list by Twizzlers33:

Wrapping up week 2, the Standard meta is shaping up to be a midrange, 2-for-1, value engine format. It’s not good enough to just be strong and fast. Your cards have to not only have an immediate impact on the game, but you need to be able to get a second or third use out of them to win the long game.  Guilds of Ravnica Standard will inevitably be known as the attrition format. A test of who can stick the last threat and generate the most value out of each spell cast.

Eric Wendorf

Eric has been an avid Magic fan and player since re-discovering the game in 2012. He is a Red mage at heart but likes to confuse himself with the varying decision trees presented by mid-range and control decks from time to time.
Eric plays mostly casually with his 9-year-old daughter, but manages to get out for every prerelease and a few FNM’s and GP’s every year.

Please reach out to me on twitter @edubious

Watch my Twitch stream at twitch.tv/edubious

Today I’m going to talk about one who devoted his whole life to worshiping dragons: Sarkhan Vol.

Sarkhan was a soldier in the Mardu Horde who grew tired of the bloodshed of war, became a shaman, and afterwords was touched by the spirit of an ancient dragon. He then cleared his foes from the battle (sparking in the process), left his home on Tarkir, and went searching for dragons. Eventually succumbing to the will of Nicol Bolas he wound up being forced into the Elder Dragon’s plot to release the Eldrazi, before returning to Tarkir’s past to save the Spirit Dragon, Ugin from Bolas’ claws of death.

There have been six (yes 6!) Planeswalkers featuring Sarkhan, and honestly some of these I’m not even going to use. If you wish to comment about them you can, but unlike the other two that I have looked it there are some Sarkhans that honestly I feel are too difficult to try to make playable. I’ll still comment on each of them though so they won’t be completely dismissed.

Sarkhan Vol

In my article about the Izzet League I talked about Runaway Steam-Kin. I think we can do something with that here.

Creatures (17)
4 Runaway Steam-Kin
4 Quirion Dryad
4 Winding Constrictor
3 Walking Ballista
2 Scavenging Ooze

Planeswalkers (2)
2 Sarkhan Vol

Enchantments (6)
4 Hardened Scales
2 Song of Freyalise

Spells (11)
4 Lightning Bolt
3 Atarka’s Command
2 Kolaghan’s Command
2 Dreadbore

Lands (24)
4 Blackcleave Cliffs
4 Verdant Catacombs
3 Bloodstained Mire
3 Raging Ravine
2 Overgrown Tomb
2 Forest
2 Swamp
1 Blood Crypt
1 Stomping Ground
1 Treetop Village
1 Wooded Foothills

How the deck works

Miracle Grow decks have a long history in Magic, and this may be a time to take a look at another version, albeit a more aggressive version, of the archetype. The synergy between the cards above can not be questioned, and with the addition of Hardened Scales your creatures can become more powerful than what your opposition has. There is one inherent flaw though in that your spells do have to have red in them in order for the primary creature in the deck (Runaway Steam-Kin) to be useful.

• Your ideal first turn is turn 1 Hardened Scales, and then play a Quirion Dryad or Winding Constrictor. If those survive playing a Runaway Steam-Kin into a Lightning Bolt will send you off to the races.
• Sarkhan Vol is your finisher. Although your creatures do not get counters from his first ability (but the creatures do based on the color of the spell he is) it could be the punch you need. You could also steal a blocker to finish them off.
• Song of Freyalise might seem like an odd inclusion, however being able to use your creatures for any color of mana can help you clear the path, deal some damage to your opponent, and once you get to the third chapter finish them off.

In the sideboard you will want discard spells like Duress, some form of graveyard hate (perhaps the third Scavenging Ooze), and Bow of Nylea would be a sweet one of if you are ever in a matchup where you have a board stall, and need either more counters or deathtouch.

I really wanted to fit Bloodhall Ooze in here, but found no room.

Sarkhan the Mad

Here we come to our first of the Sarkhans that honestly does not feel that great. He has no way to add counters to himself, and unless you have a creature on the board he has no true impact. If you were to build a deck with him I recommend using creatures with the Persist mechanic (like Kitchen Finks) or Undying mechanic (Geralf’s Messenger), or perhaps both. There may not be enough to facilitate a deck, and using his -2 ability first does not leave a lot of room for his 0 ability. He also requires running more than one to keep his abilities going. If you build a deck with him share it in the comments below.

Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker

This one is my favorite of the Sarkhan planeswalkers, and embodies the spirit of Magic: the Gathering. In the beginning this game depicts you as a wizard traveling fantasy realms doing battle with others with your spells while summoning creatures. Since his spark ignited (which every time I hear that being used I always think of the Michael Bay Transformer movies) he has become a powerful adversary seeking the power of dragons, sometimes even turning himself into one.

Creatures (13)
4 Bloodbraid Elf
4 Llanowar Elves
3 Tireless Tracker
2 Wood Elves

Enchantments (4)
4 Blood Moon

Planeswalkers (3)
2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
1 Garruk, Primal Hunter

Spells (15)
4 Stone Rain
4 Farseek
3 Explore
2 Molten Rain
2 Lightning Bolt

Lands (25)
8 Forest
4 Field of Ruin
4 Windswept Heath
4 Wooded Foothills
2 Cinder Glade
2 Stomping Ground
1 Ghost Quarter

How the deck works

While we’re all familiar with the Gruul Ponza Scheme deck (that’s what I call it) this focuses on not only depleting your opponent’s lands but also searching for your own. Forgoing the Utopia Sprawl plan allows for other cards (such as your planeswalkers) to be played. Granted the planeswalker presence is a little light here, but I always envisioned this type of deck to go big through spells over creatures. Garruk, Primal Hunter also adds a steady stream of creatures, while your Field of Ruin plus Ghost Qaurter package complements your land destruction spells in your deck.

In the sideboard I would look at cards that oppose graveyard strategies as usual. I’m not sure how many slots you would want to devote to Scavenging Ooze or Grafdigger’s Cage though. Enchantment and Artifact hate are also slots you will want to use. This could be done with an Engineered Explosives as often times you’ll only need it for 2 against matchups such as the various Affinity decks and Bogles.

Outpost Siege might also be interesting in here.

Sarkhan Unbroken

While this Sarkhan is pretty neat my idea for this one would be similar to the one above, but with more focus on ramp spells to play a lot of dragons.

Creatures (15)
4 Arbor Elf
3 Stormbreath Dragon
3 Sylvan Caryatid
2 Courser of Kruphix
2 Birds of Paradise
1 Dragonlord Atarka

Enchantments (6)
4 Utopia Sprawl
2 Frontier Siege

Planeswalkers (5)
3 Sarkhan Unbroken
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance

Spells (8)
4 Farseek
3 Explore
1 Cyclonic Rift

Lands (25)
4 Copperline Gorge
4 Wooded Foothills
3 Cavern of Souls
3 Misty Rainforest
2 Forest
2 Stomping Ground
2 Mountain
1 Breeding Pool
1 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
1 Island
1 Scalding Tarn
1 Steam Vents

How the deck works

All ramp all the time. This deck wants more mana than you do in order to cast its large dragons. Dragons historically have had large mana costs, and in a deck splashing a third color it’s much needed. You have multiple directions here as you can ramp into Sarkhan Unbroken, or Stormbreath Dragon. Don’t forget that Stormbreath can go monstrous allowing you to deal damage on top of attacking. I know all of these words may have fallen on deaf ears as you are focused on the single Cyclonic Rift in the deck. With so much focus on ramp the deck will lack interaction, and you have to have a card that allows you to catch up. The Overload cost could be easy to obtain here.

Other things to look for are the Cavern of Souls allowing you to cast your dragons without being countered, and for any color. The Haven of the Spirit Dragon helps vs discard effects as well.

I really wanted to fit Thunderbreak Regent in here. I’m not sure where. That may show up later.

Sarkhan, Dragonsoul

This Sarkhan is from the planeswalker decks made for new players for Magic 2019. While there might be room for a cost this large his +1 does negligible damage, his -3  and -9 are similar to abilities seen on the last two versions of Sarkhan. For me this card feels unimaginative. Perhaps you may disagree? If so share your thoughts in the comments below.

Sarkhan, Fireblood

Now we get to perhaps the most powerful of the Sarkhan planeswalkers. Those that cost three mana to cast are some of the most powerful in the game, yet not all of them see equal play. Once I saw this card I imagined an actual “Dragon Stompy” deck for Modern, and although some have tried to create a version of it I think I might be onto something here.

Creatures (14)
4 Thunderbreak Regent
4 Simian Spirit Guide
3 Stormbreath Dragon
2 Pia and Kiran Nalaar
1 Hazoret the Fervent

Artifact (4)
4 Chalice of the Void

Enchantments (4)
4 Blood Moon

Planeswalkers (5)
3 Sarkhan, Fireblood
2 Chandra, Torch of Defiance

Spells (9)
4 Fiery Temper
3 Mizzium Mortars
2 Abrade

Lands (24)
8 Mountain
4 Arid Mesa
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Field of Ruin
2 Darksteel Citadel
2 Ghost Quarter

How the deck works

This mono red prison style deck is meant to lock the opponent out of low cost spells until you can plant a Blood Moon, and then deploy your threats to win. Having a variety of threats in dragons, or cards that can deal damage to the opponent can help win a game once the lock is in place which sometimes can be a problem with these style of decks.

Fiery Temper might seem odd, but with Sarkhan, Fireblood‘s +1 you could discard it, and then pay it’s madness cost. While minor this could come up.

So why does this deck run Darksteel Citadel? Synergy with Pia and Kiran Nalaar of course. Keep in mind the 2 damage that can be done when sacrificing artifacts including the Citadel.

The sideboard MIGHT be a problem. Enchantments are a big problem for mono red, and Ratchet Bomb is awfully slow against them. Graveyard hate, and land destruction may take up most of the slots in your board.

In conclusion

That’s a lot of variety even with 2 of them not really being playable. Each deck plays in it’s own unique way, and tries to focus on the abilities of the Sarkhan in the deck.

What are your thoughts? Have you played with any of these Sarkhans in your decks? Leave a comment, and make sure to follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter.

NEXT WEEK…we’re going to run the Maze!

Until then…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils

One of the glaring standouts from the previous meta that should be able to perform very well at FNM’s, and probably even into the late rounds of GP or SCG Open-level tournaments, is the Green-Red Monsters archetype.  The deck did lose quite a bit of late game reach with Rhonas the Indomitable and Glorybringer rotating out. However, I would expect the addition of Nullhide Ferox and leaning heavier into Vine Mare, to mean that this deck can get big, fast.  The mana is a bit rough because we don’t get Stomping Ground until Ravnica Allegiance gives us the Gruul Clan in January, so I expect the deck will have to rely on enchantment-based color fixing/ramp effects in Gift of Paradise and Song of Freyalise until then.  And just as a teaser to my RAL predictions article, you may have noticed I mentioned the Gruul a second ago…Well, big beefy monsters is what they do, so this might be a good place to be in preparation for Standard in 2019.  This is my initial take on the archetype:

Another good deck from last season that is also missing its shockland in the mana base is White-Black Knights.  History of Benalia is definitely still a real card and should be played if you plan on playing a white-based deck.  I don’t expect the Orzhov deck to remain a Knights deck come next year, due to their inherent nature of being non-aggressive and winning through life-total manipulation.  What I DO fully expect out of White-Black Knights is for the deck to make its mana better by splashing green for access to Temple Garden and Overgrown Tomb as well as the addition of Assassin’s Trophy and Knight of Autumn.  Here is a first take on the deck:

Grixis Dragons was a deck that popped up from time to time in the Magic Online 5-0 lists.  It is a similar to the Grixis Control list that I published in my “winners” article, except there are dragons to close out the game instead of stifling, claustrophobic and insufferable inevitability.  This deck leans on the immense power that a dragon should bring to the table, being ramped out a few turn early thanks to Sarkhan, Fireblood‘s SECOND plus ability.  Some games will be won by Niv-Mizzet and a ton of card draw. Some games will be won thanks to a flashy Nicol Bolas  Some games will be won by ramping out a couple fatties a few turns early.  And some games will be won by simply hard casting a couple regular run-of-the-mill flying, fire-breathing lizards.  The point is: GAMES WILL BE WON!

This next deck falls directly in the “but didn’t you say…” category.  I know, I know.  It’s Mono-Black.  There are a couple things to be said about the recursive nature of Zombies and let us not forget that Guilds of Ravnica brings us one of the best creatures, on rate, ever printed in Doom Whisperer.  A 6/6 flyer WITH trample AND upside in a mana-less ability to manipulate the top of your deck and/or fill your graveyard at instant speed (whatever your goal may be).  Sign. Me. Up.  Sprinkle in the best removal suite available and you’ve got yourself a very powerful synergy based deck.

Preview season is always a fun time to watch the excitement of our great community rally around the new hotness coming out, or a new piece to an old puzzle now unlocked.  I know I’m looking forward to getting out there and seeing where this format ends up.  Are we doomed to watch our opponents play magic solitaire, or will the meta balance itself out to allow one of these Tier 2 options shine on any given weekend?  One thing I do know for sure is I will be slinging spells at my LGS, fondly recalling my first FNM 6 years ago at RtR release weekend.

Eric Wendorf

Eric has been an avid Magic fan and player since re-discovering the game in 2012. He is a Red mage at heart but likes to confuse himself with the varying decision trees presented by mid-range and control decks from time to time.
Eric plays mostly casually with his 9-year-old daughter, but manages to get out for every prerelease and a few FNM’s and GP’s every year.

Please reach out to me on twitter @edubious

Watch my Twitch stream at twitch.tv/edubious

“Peasant” has a particular meaning for sixty-card decks – it’s usually a deck built from common cards, supplemented with a handful of uncommons. In Cube, it’s pretty hard to keep that ratio in place, so when we say “Peasant Cube”, we’re really just referring to a cube composed entirely of cards that are common or uncommon. It’s also referred to as “CUbe” in places. What makes these great to build is that half the cards you want to use are probably already in your binder! So let’s look at one way to go about constructing a peasant cube, starting with white.

The Rules

Usually, a card is considered legal for Peasant Cube if it’s had at least one printing at either common or uncommon rarity. So cards that were originally printed at common or uncommon and have since been upshifted in rarity are legal (like Pelakka Wurm), and cards that have started out as rare or mythic but have been downshifted are also legal (like Undead Gladiator). If you only have a printing with a rare or mythic symbol on it, that’s okay – it’s still allowed.
We’re going to try and stick to a curve for both creatures and non-creatures. We want to categorize cards according to their color identity, so anything with an activated ability or cost in an alternate color belongs out in the gold section (we’re looking at you, Momentary Blink and Lingering Souls).
We’re on a budget here, so for this article we’re not going to consider cards worth anything more than $3 (well, as of the time of writing this article, anyway … if only we could future-proof against spikes in card value)!
Finally, we’re aiming to build a 360-card cube, so we want to stick to the traditional 50 white cards, split between 25 creature and 25 non-creature. Rather than just mindlessly smashing together the top 50 cards, the best way to really tie a cube together is to use 20% of each color to tie the draft archetypes together, smooth out the curve and have a little fun. This means we’ll begin by looking for the twenty best creatures and twenty best non-creatures, and then pick and choose the last five of each ourselves.

What Makes a Good Peasant Cube Card?

So, we want to fill out the white section of a Peasant cube. What on earth makes a good card in this format? We’re pretty much talking about the cream of the common and uncommon crop here, so there are two big hints in how to pick a good one:

• Is it a staple in Vintage, Legacy or 1v1 EDH? Any card that can hang with the best rares and mythics in its environment is a pretty safe bet for a good card.
• Was it a high draft pick in the Limited environment for its release set? Or was it an absolute house at Pre-Release? Chances are that it’s a good Peasant Cube card too.

Now, we can look at something like MTGGoldfish’s current metagame decklists for the tournament / metagame staples – but there are literally about five white cards that make the list. For the high Limited picks, we could go off something like Frank Karsten’s ChannelFireball pick orders – but he only goes back to Theros, so we’d miss out on all these cool old cards that could make the list. So how do we find a decent list of cube-worthy commons and uncommons?

Fortunately for us, CubeTutor has us covered. It started out as a site to manage and test-draft your cube with, and there are now more than 40,000 cubes stored on the site. Even better than that, the site maintains an easily-filtered Top Cards List, giving us the ability to look at which Peasant-legal cards are run in the most cubes. And given that cubes of every size and shape are recorded there, the cards at the top of our list are going to be the ones that are eternal staples or Limited all-stars – exactly what we’re looking for. So, ready? Let’s go!

White Creatures

Staring at the top 20 white common and uncommon creatures on CubeTutor gives us the following:

• Porcelain Legionnaire
• Mother of Runes
• Flickerwisp
• Wall of Omens
• Doomed Traveler
• Fiend Hunter
• Kor Skyfisher
• Accorder Paladin
• Cloudgoat Ranger
• Seeker of the Way
• Elite Vanguard
• Gideon’s Lawkeeper
• Banisher Priest
• Mardu Woe-Reaper
• Serra Angel
• Thraben Inspector
• Steppe Lynx
• Kor Sanctifiers
• Savannah Lions
• Lone Missionary

You might recognise a few of those cards up there – Mother of Runes and Flickerwisp are firmly in the eternal staples list. And Cloudgoat Ranger and Serra Angel are both pretty infamous as Limited finishers. The rest show a strong bent towards a White Weenie archetype. Will the spells back that up?

White Spells

On the non-creature side, CubeTutor hands us the following twenty:

• Oblivion Ring
• Swords to Plowshares
• Path to Exile
• Journey to Nowhere
• Faith’s Fetters
• Disenchant
• Pacifism
• Spectral Procession
• Raise the Alarm
• Banishing Light
• Condemn
• Mana Tithe
• Enlightened Tutor
• Arrest
• Gather the Townsfolk
• Intangible Virtue
• Gods Willing
• Triplicate Spirits
• Cloudshift
• Sunlance

Well, that’s certainly more White Weenie – this time the token variety. Along with a heap of removal. There are a couple of cards in there that are going to blow our budget – let’s take care of them as we round out our fifty white cards.

Sticking to the Budget

Out of the forty cards we’ve highlighted so far, only two are over our $3 threshold – Path to Exile and Enlightened Tutor (Mother of Runes and Wall of Omens just scrape under, as of the time of writing). We’re not exactly going to be able to replace them with something similar but cheaper, so we’ll just pick the next two non-creature cards out of the CubeTutor list that are under $3 a copy. That gives us Midnight Haunting and Temporal Isolation.

Looking at the Curve

Okay, so we now have twenty creatures and twenty spells. Let’s check what our mana curves look like – this not only helps us to ensure we’re not too unbalanced with the casting costs of our selected cards, it also helps us to narrow down what we should be adding in our last ten cards.

If we look at the casting costs of of our creatures, we currently have a curve of 8-5-5-0-2-0 (meaning we have eight creatures with a converted mana cost of 1, five with a CMC of 2, five with a CMC of 3, and so on). We’re supposed to have a curve that evens out around CMC3-4, but we’re definitely not doing that here – we’re loaded with aggressive White Weenie creatures, and have gaping holes at CMC4 and CMC6. When we’re adding our last five creatures, we want to think about finishers that play well here.

The curve for the 20 non-creature spells is 6-7-4-1-0-2. Again, this is loaded with a lot of cheap removal and token production, and have a big gap around the CMC4-5 mark. When we’re adding our last five spells, we want to try and fill this hole.

Looking at the Draft Archetypes We Already Have

When considering what we want to add, we want to think about where we’re already strong. We currently have a pretty ridiculous suite of CMC1 White Weenie beaters, as well as a large number of token producers. Pretty much anything that buffs our small guys up, or helps us produce tokens, is going to make white play small, fast and angry.

Having Fun with the Final Adds

So here’s where we get to have fun and freewheel a bit as cube designers. We know roughly what is strong, we know roughly what sort of CMC we’re looking to fill, and we know roughly what sort of archetypes we’re looking at. So it’s time to work within those limits creatively.

Firstly, let’s add our last five creatures. We’ve worked out that we want cards that play well with tokens or White Weenie. We know we’re trying to fill holes in our mana curve at CMC4 and CMC6. And we know we want to stay under our $3-per-copy budget. So let’s try and add three CMC4 creatures and two CMC6+ finishers. At CMC4, there are two walk-up starts in Celestial Crusader and Goldnight Commander – they are both capable of buffing our smaller guys in effective and unexpected ways (sometimes to game-winning effect). Finally, let’s have some fun with the last of the three – Guardian of the Guildpact is very hard to deal with, and will still get buffed by the other two creatures we’ve just added. For our two CMC6+ finishers, Sentinel of the Eternal Watch was an Origins Limited first-pick, and Subjugator Angel might give us an on-the-spot win (especially if we start blinking it with some of the blink cards we already have). That’s a pretty good mix, and it gives us a more sensible mana curve of 8-5-5-3-2-2.

Now for our last five spells. We want to do something similar here, aiming to fill slots at CMC4-5. So let’s add three CMC4 spells and two CMC5 spells, once again aiming to encourage White Weenie and token strategies. At CMC4, Retreat to Emeria was almost custom-built for us – it lets us choose between the two archetypes we’re encouraging at any given moment.  Field of Souls is another great token producer, and Valor in Akros is basically a second Goldnight Commander effect. At CMC5, we find another Limited all-star in Knightly Valor and a great instant token producer in Take Up Arms. This gives our spells a curve of 6-7-4-4-2-2, which is again quite low, but still okay.

The Final Product

So we’ve now got our fifty cards! The best part about this list is that, while it’s full of strong removal and known Limited finishers, about 75% of the cards here are straight out of the bulk bin. If you haven’t got half of this stashed away in your boxes, your local card store sure will.

Our Peasant Cube’s white section now looks like the following:

White Creatures

CMC1

Doomed Traveler
Elite Vanguard
Gideon’s Lawkeeper
Mardu Woe-Reaper
Mother of Runes
Savannah Lions
Steppe Lynx
Thraben Inspector

CMC2

Accorder Paladin
Kor Skyfisher
Lone Missionary
Seeker of the Way
Wall of Omens

CMC3

Banisher Priest
Fiend Hunter
Flickerwisp
Kor Sanctifiers
Porcelain Legionnaire

CMC4

Celestial Crusader
Goldnight Commander
Guardian of the Guildpact

CMC5

Cloudgoat Ranger
Serra Angel

CMC6+

Sentinel of the Eternal Watch
Subjugator Angel

White Spells

CMC1

Cloudshift
Condemn
Gods Willing
Mana Tithe
Sunlance
Swords to Plowshares

CMC2

Disenchant
Gather the Townsfolk
Intangible Virtue
Journey to Nowhere
Pacifism
Raise the Alarm
Temporal Isolation

CMC3

Arrest
Banishing Light
Midnight Haunting
Oblivion Ring

CMC4

Faith’s Fetters
Field of Souls
Retreat to Emeria
Valor in Akros

CMC5

Knightly Valor
Take Up Arms

CMC6+

Spectral Procession
Triplicate Spirits

So that wraps white up. I hope that’s given you some ideas on how to construct your own white section of a Peasant cube! Is this definitive? Absolutely not. Go right ahead and replace half the bombs in here with your own 20 pet cards! I’ll be back next time to talk blue!

Martin Hughes

Martin first caught the Magic: the Gathering bug at university in Australia in 1995, just as Fourth Edition was released (naturally just missing the era of opening dual lands in booster packs). One degree, career, marriage and two kids later, he is still slinging cards across a kitchen table with friends and is spreading the infection to the next generation via cube, EDH and multiplayer formats.

Gerry Thompson, and The World Championship

Last week notable Magic: the Gathering professional player Gerry Thompson posted on Twitter that he was not going to play in this year’s World Championship event. I would have written an article on this, but I was in the midst of the individual guild reviews, and did not want to ruin the flow of those articles. This news hit the community like a ton of bricks, and no one (except those closest to Gerry) knew it was coming. After reading the article I honestly can’t blame him at all. He goes into a lot of points (of which I won’t cover all) that I agree with, and even though I have no aspirations to have playing Magic be my source of income it is a hobby I have been invested in for a long time. Things like this happening, and the ramifications of such, can impact even people like me so we should all pay attention.

1. I do not know what Wizards pays the players who play at the highest levels beyond just what is posted about prize payouts, but compared to other games that have blown by Magic: the Gathering in viewership as well as popularity it surely does seem that those who choose to go this route are not properly compensated for their time. Many players wanting to win at these types of events have to stream, be a part of a podcast, write on a website like Star City Game or Channel Fireball, or find other ways within Magic to supplement the income they get from just playing. Essentially they have to get a second job. Have you ever taken a look around you, and wonder why many of us (at least here in the United States) feel that it’s “okay” for people to have to have a second job to stay afloat? That one job is simply “not enough”? I’m sure there are reasons why people do it, and that’s fine. I have before in my life (more than once even) but honestly we all could be better without having that as a rule rather than an exception. This game should be no different. Wizards needs to rethink how they pay players who are at the top of this game, and promote their product. If Wizards is going to treat the Pro Tour are a promotional tour (which honestly it is) then they need to compensate those who promote it, especially if those people can be placed in a Hall Of Fame.
2. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the game. However they did not work with GenCon to be a part of that event which would have placed more eyes on the game than being held at another venue. The Silver Showcase was also an absolute disaster. They brought in players who left Magic to play other games (such as Hearthstone), and the finals match did not have a pro Magic player paired against a non-Magic player. This was perhaps the most egregious thing about the event let alone the choice of format. The players chosen should have been promoting the current product, and maybe even do that through Magic Arena. Wizards of the Coast had one chance to put all of the gaming world on their product, and blew it.
3. In this day and age of information gathering data is important to many of us. If decks are registered well in advance, and can even be done electronically, having only 32 to look at by the end of the event is not enough. Let’s say for instance that Mono Green Tron wins an event, but we never know how many total players registered that deck, what their win-loss record is vs certain matchups, and how many of those decks lost as opposed to those that won. Sometimes we get lost on a deck winning than understanding what matches it faced during a weekend. More on this later.
4. I understand highlighting your players is very important. They push the joys of the game, and can in many respects become celebrities in the community. While many point to Star City Games for doing this I think it can even go a bit farther. I would like to see a focus on those players local to the areas that these events hit, as well as on those who always travel to these events. To me in the last five years I can’t recall many new names being given the spotlight. I’m not saying turn away from those that people want to see, but let’s hear about a good player or community representative that only appears when an event is close to where they live. Major League Baseball (for example) is good about this when a team goes on the road. When arriving in the visiting city there will be a focus during the entire broadcast on players the visiting team is about to face. This gives the viewer an inside look on players they may not already know. In the case of Magic if the focus is only on the same group of people we may never get to see anyone new.
5. The road to trying to become a pro is awful. When Gerry said that it’s “first or dead last” system the PPTQ (and even RPTQ) systems are exactly that. Trying to top 8 a GP is equally as difficult, and with the price of entry for these events rising one could suddenly feel like this weekend was wasted when they walk away with nothing (not even a playmat) to show for their time spent. These items should not be add-ons. Doing so makes it appear that you are greedy, and want more money than you are willing to put out for support. This also is worse for those outside of the United States where events are not as plentiful.
6. REMOVE THE CHEATERS!! No one who has cheated the game in a purposeful or malicious way should ever be allowed to play at the highest level, nor be sponsored by Wizards of the Coast to promote their game (even streaming Magic Arena) ever. Period. It’s literally a mixed message.

I will not pretend that I know Gerry, however I can agree with a lot of things he’s mentioned. In my opinion, as I have watched him over the years through his articles as well as podcasts, he has grown to be a positive influence in the community. Many of us should aspire to be this positive in not only our own individual communities, but in life overall.

The World Champion is…who?

While Javier Dominguez did win the tournament that very few knew about he was not prominently displayed on the home page of the Magic website. Why? Imagine if your favorite sports team won their league’s championship, and info about them as well as the game was buried in the main page. Wouldn’t that be frustrating? Wouldn’t you be looking for the news elsewhere instead of clicking on the various links trying to find the answer? I understand the purpose for the re-design of the homepage for Magic, but when was the last time you went there to read an article that was not about a recent tournament?

I used to go there for information, but currently there are enough content creators out there that you can find their articles, videos, and content outside of the Magic homepage. Sure this helps new players get to those creators, but what if we get familiar with where those people are? What purpose does the homepage serve then? Javier should have been the very first thing to appear when going to this page, For a week. Without question. However he wasn’t, and once again Wizards missed an opportunity to do a good thing.

Also I heard Gerry was banned from even entering the event where it was held? I’m sorry, but that’s just damn childish. For a game that’s been around 25 years they have a lot of growing up to do. If you want bad PR then that’s how you do it.

Counterspell? No. Lightning Bolt? No. Better Vindicate? Yes…?

As I mentioned before this marked the 25th anniversary of Magic: the Gathering, and for it we went back to Dominaria. We were able to visit, briefly, the original plane where the story of the game took place. This was their chance to reprint cards from Magic’s history for us to play again, and while I know cards on the Reserved List are out of the question I was hoping for something from the past to spice things up. Sure the set itself was fine, but it was drenched in new cards, new play design philosophy, and with the exception of Serra Angel, Icy Manipulator, and Siege-Gang Commander there wasn’t a whole lot of the game’s past (in the form of reprints) to truly embrace the nostalgia.

I understand that a lot of the players currently playing at an FNM level or above may not have been playing as long as I have, but we have had Lightning Bolt in Standard before. We nearly got Counterspell, but that’s when the idea to reduce the cost if a Wizard was in play happened. We keep being told that printing cards like this make them too powerful for Standard. I also understand that Wizards is in a place where they want to produce the most new cards in each set vs reprints.

However are you going to tell me this card is “balanced”, or “good”, for Standard play?

When new players are told a card like this is “good” or “acceptable” it sets a bad precedent. Having cards like Lightning Bolt in a Core Set honestly is fine. As long as the colors are balanced, and each can do powerful things, cards in the game’s past can be put into Core Sets as they could help deal with things either currently present, or coming up. Having a high percentage of playable cards in a set also helps sell sealed product.

However with all of that said they flip that philosophy on it’s head and give us a better version of Vindicate in Assassin’s Trophy? Sure they do design cards that are the chase cards. The ones that will “sell the set”, but honestly we were going back to RAVNICA. All they really needed to do was show us Shocklands, and we were sold. They either do want to give us powerful cards that will find their way from Standard to eternal formats upon release, don’t want to provide us reprints, or are looking for ways to push a set because sales may not be where they feel they should be. Or perhaps it’s all of that? As a long time player this seems really confusing. The more they do things like this, and not provide reprints, the less they appear to be interested in those who have been long time consumers. That’s a bad look for a company that says they are “still growing”.

Amazon? Walmart? Target? Oh my!

Yes. I understand the concerns. Wizards has eliminated the option for your local game store to order directly from them to get stock when the distributor is out. They are also selling directly to these online retailers when they could promote the local game store instead.

Yep. Got it.

What about the Mythic Edition that’s only available through the Hasbro Toy Store? That also cuts out the local game store.

Yeah, but are you really going to buy that? Let’s take a look at these issues one at a time.

1. Wizards of the Coast recognizes a trend in how consumers are spending their money. They are clearly focused on gaining new players in the 13 year old to 23 year old demographic. As the consumers in that age have changed over the years they have noticed a trend in that demographic: primarily online shopping. They are playing games, watching a program, or even just communicating primarily online than any other method. As longtime retailers have begun to downsize (or even close) as this trend continues Wizards of the Coast notices an opportunity to reach new players. Yes I also understand that stores sell sealed product on sites like TCG Player, however if the new player is not even familiar with the seller (in this case the store) how can they find them? We also have to keep in mind the older buyers (perhaps someone getting a gift for the new player) may not know where to go, or if they do what to buy. I have had family members attempt to go into the stores I visit, and they have no idea if what they purchased for me is the current product, what it’s value is (financially of course, but to me that’s not what counts), and if they are doing things correctly (as far as what they are asking for, saying it’s name right, etc). These consumers are put in a very stressful, and potentially embarrassing situations. You might be laughing, but it’s true. Think about this the next time you buy something for someone, and you are not familiar with the product let alone where to look for it. Buying these things online is a lot easier, and they can direct where it’s shipped to keep it a surprise as well. That’s a win for everyone. Also we need to keep in mind that Wizards has to print to this new demand which will make singles cheaper. I recently asked a store how much a box was, and it was $120. Would you rather buy a box at that price, or for under $100?
2. Many complain that stores should have been given the Mythic Edition to sell. Oh how soon do we forget. Yes it’s $250 through the Hasbro Toy Shop, but if this was sold through your local game store this would have been more than double what Wizards is asking for. Do you all remember the now discontinued From The Vault (FTV) series? This was a series of fifteen cards with a unique foiling process (and sometimes new art) packed with an MSRP of around $35 sold only through your local game stores. These products, depending on how good the cards in it are, often times were sold for a much greater price. Guess who complained about this happening? You guessed it. You did. The same people upset that the Mythic Edition is only available through Wizards of the Coast. Sure just like the FTV this isn’t for everyone, but Magic is at times a FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) type of hobby. New products bring the most demand, and when there is a sense of a barrier it causes people to choose to miss out. Their natural reaction is disdain, and then they are left without. Eventually this feeling passes, but not without the criticism that we have. In order to curb this Wizards of the Coast has kept the selling portion of this product under control. Go take a look at how much a box of this product, the Mythic Edition, is selling for online and then wonder why Wizards made this (correct) decision. Hopefully next time they can allow for orders from around the globe.

What can we do to make things better though? Well, as far as buying products at the local stores instead of Amazon we can introduce this game to others. Perhaps friends or family when we gather at parties, or even on the holidays. Yes those interested in going to stores can find that information for themselves online, but if we can put our phones down for a moment maybe we can teach someone we care about what the game is while gauging their interest for more information about it. There are products for new players out their, but these things don’t seem easy to understand, or may even be confusing to someone new to card games in general. Each of us can be ambassadors to the game which helps grow the game,…and leads to my next point.

Take Down Your Ivory Tower

At it’s center Magic: the Gathering is an intellectual strategy game. I find it a lot similar to games like Chess in that regard where you are only aware of the pieces in front of you, and the goal. The unknown is what plays your opponent will make next. You have to think ahead, and anticipate their moves while advancing your own game plan. However in recent years, especially with the increased connectivity via social media, content creators, and coverage, one thing has superseded that.

Wanting to be right. All the time.

Magic: the Gathering is a complex game full of possibilities to explore. I have heard from some that they equate it to be a puzzle to figure out, and once figured out a new puzzle emerges. This is a good way to think about the game, but sometimes we forget that not everyone can see the same puzzle. Nor should they.

Modern is a great example of this. The card pool is large enough where a player can find a style of deck they want to play, and play it. Yet when trying to engage with the community they can be met by others who dissuade them from making their choices, and depending on the level of conversation be made to feel uncomfortable or excluded.

We are so focused on being accepted by others who are at a level that we wish to achieve, and whom we may have never interacted with in person, that unless we play specific cards or decks we can begin to doubt ourselves as well as our way to think critically and genuinely. We wind up giving up thinking on our own to let someone else do that work for us, and our achievements are no longer unique or our own.

I encountered this level of backlash before Jace, the Mind Sculptor was allowed in Modern. I also encountered this when discussing Punishing Jund in Legacy as it doesn’t play Brainstorm. Sometimes even Jund in Modern as well (yet suddenly everyone’s backed off of hating Jund now that we have Assassin’s Trophy). Now suddenly the same people who would give grief over my choices are picking up these decks, and claiming how good they are as if they have known this for a long time.

What we should do instead is have a conversation when people in the community ask us about decks. Questions such as:

• Why are you choosing this construction?
• What is your favorite color to play?
• What do you like to do when playing a game? Attack with creatures? Do something powerful?
• How much time do you have to play? (Studying some strategies takes a lot longer than others)
• …and others

Having a conversation with someone, instead of pointing our your opinions from your ivory tower, is more conducive in getting the other person to not only converse with you, but to also listen to what you may suggest as well as put together connections they may not recognize or understand. Not everyone in this game should play at the same level as YOU. Ever. Can they? Sure, but they should always find their own path, and be welcomed on that journey. Not feel like they have stepped into a Member’s Only jacket wearing club. This is a big negative that happens in our game from the kitchen table and can sometimes go all the way to larger events or even content (such as podcasts).

In Conclusion

What we truly need to understand is The Gathering part of this game is what makes it Magic. Sure the company can, and will, do what it feels is necessary. However there are still a lot of things that we collectively can (and should) do better. If we all work together, and do so in a positive manner, perhaps the changes we want to make with the game (as well as it’s coverage) will come to fruition.

Thank you all for reading. What are your thoughts on these issues? Do you wish we would get more reprints? Please comment below, and follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter.

This weekend I will be in Columbus playing in the side events during the Star City Game Columbus Open. If you are going make sure to let me know, and we can play some games. I may also swing by 16-Bit Barcade as it is awesome.

Until then…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils

While one may think the Selesnya Conclave as peace loving, nature protecting, “hippies” (for lack of a better word) their history does tie back to some hypocritical and sinister dealings (Editors Note: Sort of. They were almost taken over by Savra so that Szadek could kill Mat’Selesnya, the ancient parun of the Guild by using the Selesnyans’ Quietmen to do so). Fortunately recent years have put into place leadership that protects Ravnica for the benefit of everyone, and the Conclave leads that charge.

The Selesnya Conclave

This white and green guild is filled with anything a fan of fantasy RPGs would want. Elves (the Silhana), Clerics, Archers, Druids, Shamans, Centaur, and more! These different races, and classes, have learned to work together in harmony for the good of all. While the other guilds have boasted new mechanics this guild brings back a fan favorite with Convoke. Sadly we don’t get a Chord of Calling reprint which would have been awesome!

Conclave Tribunal was one of the first cards to be revealed during PAX weekend at the beginning of the month. While you have to use some of your creatures to use this for cheap it can put a hole in the opposing defense allowing your other creatures to get through. This card is quite powerful especially if your forces have Vigilance.

Convoke plus a permanent buff? Venerated Loxodon is a really strong card. Imagine casting this for one white mana, and then using it plus your remaining mana to cast another one, in the same turn. Unless you can answer some of the threats you could be dead the next turn. I’m glad this does not have Trample, or it would be super powerful.

Elf? Check. Draws cards when you play a creature? Check. Has green mana? Check. Beast Whisperer is quite strong in an aggro or a creature heavy mid-range deck. It has three toughness, but keep in mind that Elvish Clancaller exists to keep it out of Lightning Strike range. I would keep an eye on this card as drawing cards by following your plan only helps you achieve victory.

Gate? Heck yes. However while Circuitous Route is not going to find Maze’s End in Standard perhaps we can in Modern. While it would be an FNM deck it is something we could try. Ramp spells are also beneficial for EDH decks, although green sure does have a ton of them already. I could see this in a Standard deck looking to use a lot of the split cards, or perhaps a card I’ll be talking about in a moment, but not as a four of.

Civic Wayfinder, and Borderland Ranger each saw competitive play, and I’m sure District Guide will as well. It’s also an Elf which is beneficial in the new Standard as Elf tribal could be an archetype. This also can get Gates which could use this creature as a blocker in a casual Maze’s End Modern deck too. Unlike this previous card this is definitely a four of in the decks it will be played in as it fixes your mana (even if you use it to get a Gate).

This card is sweet. While it is odd that she produced 1/1 white Soldier tokens (instead of Elves) Emmara, Soul of the Accord showcases how this guild works together, collectively, in it’s pursuits regardless of race or class. Very on theme. Did you know she can be part of an infinite mana combo in Modern too? Here’s what you need.

• Cryptolith Rites
• Intruder Alarm
• Emmara, Soul of the Accord

Infinite mana.

What can you get with that much mana? A giant Walking Ballista? A huge Banefire? What about more creatures at INSTANT speed?

Sure. I miss Sphinx’s Revelation (a lot), but March of the Multitudes is somewhat close. You really only need to cast this on your opponent’s end step to begin to turn the corner. I see this as another Secure the Wastes, but your other creatures will allow you to cast this card. This is also a good card to use when your board is getting wiped away. Do not sleep on this card!

The Selesnya Conclave is full of strategies for those who enjoy go wide aggro, and mid-range decks. If you enjoy getting the maximum value out of your cards then this guild is right up your alley. Make sure you have enough cards to increase the power and toughness of your creatures to avoid problems with Goblin Chainwhirler as it’s a bane to all token decks currently in Standard.

We have reached the end. The five guilds have been revealed, and I have covered them all as much as I can. Are there cards from other sets in Standard that you want to couple with those in the Selesnya colors for Standard? Do you want to try Maze’s End in Modern now too? Make sure to comment below, and to follow me on both Facebook as well as Twitter.

Until next week when I return to weekly Monday articles…

TAP MORE MANA!!!

Scott Campbell

Scott Campbell, better known as MTGPackFoils, has been playing Magic since he was 17 (which was in 1993). He’s known for loving decks such as Azorius Control, Jund, and others (especially in Modern). He is a husband, father, and a former nightclub DJ.

http://www.twitter.com/MTGPackFoils

Honorable Mention – Circuitous Route

As there are so many great cards in the set, I’ll start by cheating and including a virtual number eleven, which we’ll call my Honorable Mention.  This honor goes to Circuitous Route.  This card easily qualifies as one of the best mana ramp and color-fixing cards for budget decks.  Easily slotted into three, four, and five color decks playing budget duals, specifically Gates.  This card compares well with Skyshroud Claim, itself one of the best mana ramp and fixing cards ever printed.  Circuitous Route can even fetch up two gates which contain no green at all!  

Number Ten – Discovery and Dispersal:

In a Ravnica set, it’s practically a requirement that a hybrid card and split card be included on a top-ten list.  In this case, we’re lucky enough to be able to include both in one card, Discovery and Dispersal.  This versatile card allows you to cantrip early in the game, while fixing the top of the top of the library and stocking the graveyard, all for two mana.  Discovery is like format staples Preordain and Ponder, but with incredible upside; and that is just the first half of the card.  Then, Dispersal adds an incredible removal option, hitting each opponent much like Crackling Doom.  It works as permanent removal for opponents who may be empty handed, and works at instant speed!  

Number Nine – Crush Contraband:

Commander is really a format of threats, answers, and resources.  To end up on top at the end, you need to ensure that you preserve your resources with your answers.  This is a roundabout way of saying that two for ones, three for ones, etc. allow you to stay ahead on resources, while dealing with your opponents’ threats.  Crush Contraband splashes into multicolored decks better than Return to Dust, while allowing you to hit two targets at any time, removing the timing restriction of the latter card. 

Number Eight – Citywide Bust:

Citywide Bust, the new Retribution of the Meek, gives low-lying decks a new option for creating an asymmetrical board sweeper.  At only three mana, it’s as aggressively costed as possible, and even has an advantage over Retribution.  Using power boosting buffs, like Cranial Plating, Sword of Vengeance, and Hammer of Nazahn, you can make Citywide Bust vastly superior to Retribution of the Meek.

Number Seven – Bounty Agent:

I’m beginning to wonder if the rest of the list will be all white cards – Editor

Not to worry, we’ll be taking a break from white for a bit after this.  Bounty Agent is a unique bear, which allows you to remove opposing commanders, while also targeting some of the best artifacts and enchantments in the game.  Feel free to target classics like Umezawa’s Jitte and Akroma’s Memorial, as well as new favorites like Helm of the Host and the two full cycles of Legendary Enchantments from Ixalan block.   This little two-drop works like a Mangara of Corondor “light.”  While the colon is in the wrong place for the crazy shenanigans that are possible with Mangara, Bounty Agent does not exile itself. In the right deck it can act as recursive removal.

Number Six – Omnispell Adept:

Cheating mana costs is among the most powerful things you can do in the game of Magic.  Omnispell Adept allows for an incredible rate on casting instants and sorceries (without timing restrictions).  You even get to cast massive spells like Apex of Power from your hand for the mana bonus, while also capitalizing on the trigger from Sunbird’s Invocation.  The possibilities are truly endless.  Pair the adept with the likes of Rings of Brighthearth, Illusionist Bracers, Training Grounds, and Thousand-Year Elixir to really go crazy.

Number Five– Assassin’s Trophy

Like a few of the other cards on our list, it’s difficult to explain how amazing you’re about to find Assassin’s Trophy.  Much has been said about how Assassin’s Trophy will impact Standard, Modern, and even Legacy, as possibly the best removal spell ever printed.  A card with that kind of pedigree will likely leave an impact on Commander as well.  Unlike the recently printed premier removal spell, Fatal Push, Assassin’s Trophy is not hampered by a drawback uniquely unsuited for Commander play.  Assassin’s Trophy is simply the best single target removal in this format, trimming off a mana from Vindicate, while accelerating to instant speed.

Number Four – Mausoleum Secrets

Rather than explain how Mausoleum Secrets is better than cards currently in the format, I want to point out that of the two best tutors ever printed in Magic’s history, neither is strictly better than this card.  Mausoleum Secrets plays like a combination of the best aspects of Demonic Tutor and Vampiric Tutor, adding two drawbacks that are hardly drawbacks in Commander.  Mausoleum Secrets can tutor, at instant speed, Countersquall, Assassin’s Trophy (!), various combo pieces, and my personal favorite options, Notion Thief and Tainted Strike. 

Number Three – Mission Briefing

Mission Briefing will most likely be slotted into decks a somewhat budget version of Snapcaster Mage.  Rather than detailing how similar it is to one of the best two-drop creatures of all time, I’m going to focus on the reasons it is better than Snapcaster.  First, surveil allows you to add to the options of spells to copy.  This allows you to dig for answers, even if you do not have one available.  Second, in a spell-focused deck, Mission Briefing allows you to build towards your critical mass of spells, add counters to Primal Amulet, get copied by Fork, and even be flashbacked by Snapcaster Mage … seriously.  Third, and the coolest advantage that Mission Briefing provides, is hidden in the wording.  Since one of the two cards you can mill over with the surveil ability are available for casting, the spell itself does not target like Snapcaster Mage.  This means that by the time you name the card you intend to flash back, you can retain priority and cast the spell, preventing an opponent from using their Deathrite Shaman, or other targeted graveyard hate to fizzle your spell. 

Number Two – Divine Visitation

Divine Visitation single handedly adds a new win condition to every white based token deck.  Multicolored commanders that include white and create token creatures include Edgar Markov, Ghave, Guru of Spores, and Rhys the Redeemed. These guys are already top-tier commanders.  Changing their text to creating Serra Angels as their tokens is just silly.  Serra Angel is not a playable card in commander, but if you can efficiently create four or more of them per turn, you will win plenty of games.

Number One – Doom Whisperer

If Lilliana signed a contract with five demons, I would be talking about Ugtharod, and how he is almost as game breaking as Razaketh, the Foulblooded.  The craziest part of Doom Whisperer is at only five mana, it will likely be cast from hand more often than reanimated from the graveyard, and without the assistance of Cabal Coffers.  Now, I’m not saying that Doom Whisperer is better than Razaketh, but it does have its advantages.  Doom Whisperer fixes the top of your deck and fills your graveyard. It does not even need a second creature in play to sacrifice for the cost.  That ability, combined with a 6/6 flying, trampling demon, at only five mana, makes it my favorite card of Guilds of Ravnica.

Last Thoughts

I am beyond excited about the new additions to my favorite format.  As always, we never know the precise impact of the new cards we add to our decks until we get to play them, but I have a feeling several cards from Guilds of Ravnica will make a lasting impact on my decks and on our format as a whole.  Let me know below which cards are your favorite from the new set.  I did not even mention popular and exciting cards including Underrealm Lich, Thousand-Year Storm, and Beast Whisperer, so let me hear your worst.

Joshua Sabet

Joshua is a family man and EDH player.  He started playing during fourth edition, and after a long hiatus, returned during Innistrad block.  EDH quickly became his favorite format.