With two PPTQs this weekend in this brand new Standard format, it may not be a bad time to brush up on some Standard reading. First off, the PPTQs will be held here:
- 1/30/16 – Samurai East (Mesa)- Standard
- 1/31/16 – Phoenix Gaming Lounge (Phoenix) – Standard
View the full PPTQ schedule here.
Now, check these articles out:
Going Dark, by Brian Braun-Duin
That’s right – BBD is back, this time at CFB. Check out what he has to say about everyone’s favorite sometimes-blue, sometimes-green, but always red-white-black color combination!
Goblin Double-Decker is exactly the kind of darkness I can get behind. I believe in a thing called love, and he speaks to the rhythm of my heart. I didn’t play Goblin Double Deez in my Jeskai Black deck last weekend because I didn’t think he was a good fit for the kind of strategy I was playing. Jeskai Black thrives off of playing cheap 2-for-1s and efficient removal that snowball into an advantage as the game progresses. Having too many clunky and expensive cards like Goblin Dark-Dwellers in your deck takes away from your ability to even develop the game to a state where Dark-Dwellers can take over the game.
The State of U/R Prowess, by Ross Merriam
Stormchaser Mage is the result when you find a Monastery Swiftspear and give her some Red Bull. Seriously though, this deck looks like a ton of fun to play and I wish I were playing it this weekend.
The primary point of agreement between me and Dalton was that Jace, Vryn’s Prodigy is incredible. I know that sounds trite at this point, but I have taken a surprising amount of criticism for including Jace, even after discussing last week why what many consider a “control card” fits into a seemingly aggressive deck. I will not repeat myself here, except to say that both Dalton’s and my experience confirmed Jace’s necessary place in the deck. It does way too many important things, from sculpting your draws, providing card advantage, and stalling opposing aggression. I even won a game against Abzan with an emblem! U/R Prowess would not be competitive without it.
Just Play Rally The Ancestors!, by Emma Handy
Emma breaks down the now-popular 4-Color Rally archetype and provides a solid sideboard guide for those looking to pick up the deck.
Going into the weekend I was confident I would want to find the best Rally the Ancestors list, and so I began trying out new cards in the archetype early. Reflector Mage was a very welcome addition out of Oath of the Gatewatch but was the only new card that survived playtesting. Reflector Mage’s power and role in the deck actually ties in to why Ayli, Eternal Pilgrim isn’t a good fit for the deck.
Happy reading!