Return to Ravnica is finally upon us, and for Standard players, that can only mean one thing: States! Last year saw Adam Prosak claim his fourth States title. But with Adam Prosak gone doing commentary at SCG: Providence this weekend, who will claim this year’s State Champion title? Furthermore, which deck will the State Champion pilot? Let’s go through the decks we will probably see at this year’s States.
One way to get a sneak peek at the new Standard is to look at the current Block Constructed decklists. The most recent premier Block Constructed event was the Magic World Cup in August. Here’s the breakdown of the Stage 2 teams:
- 12 Jund
- 2 Reanimator
- Monoblack
- Miracles
Given the amazing manabase that Return to Ravnica has given Jund, I doubt Jund will be continue to be a block-only deck. This time around however, you don’t have to fear Bloodbraid Elf into Blightning. On the other hand, you do have to contend with the likes of Huntmaster of the Fells, Thragtusk, and Olivia Voldaren. Jund only proved its strength this past weekend at SCG: Cincinnati, where it put two players into the Top 8. Here’s Lauren Nolen’s decklist:
| Creatures (19) 4 Huntmaster of the Fells 4 Strangleroot Geist 4 Thragtusk 4 Wolfir Avenger 3 Olivia Voldaren Spells (17) 1 Dead Weight 2 Rakdos Keyrune 1 Garruk Relentless 1 Garruk, Primal Hunter 4 Farseek 2 Mizzium Mortars 4 Pillar of Flame 2 Sever the Bloodline Lands (24) 6 Forest 4 Blood Crypt 2 Kessig Wolf Run 4 Overgrown Tomb 4 Rootbound Crag 4 Woodland Cemetery | Sideboard (15) 2 Knight of Infamy 1 Underworld Connections 3 Cremate 2 Golgari Charm 3 Liliana of the Veil 2 Appetite for Brains 1 Mizzium Mortars 1 Rakdos’s Return |
Still looking at the Block Constructed decklists, Reanimator may also be a contender in this new Standard. Return to Ravnica has given the deck Grisly Salvage and the triple Oblivion Ring creature in Angel of Serenity. To no one’s surprise, the manabase also gets a lot better, with the shocklands helping speed up the M13 dual lands, rather impeding them like the Scars of Mirrodin fastlands.
In fact, the last three Magic-League Standard Trials have been dominated by Reanimator. Its strength was only highlighted by its strong finals appearance at SCG: Cincinnati. Here’s the 2nd Place decklist:
| Creatures (13) 4 Angel of Serenity 3 Centaur Healer 4 Thragtusk 2 Griselbrand Spells (24) 1 Golgari Charm 4 Grisly Salvage 2 Dreadbore 4 Faithless Looting 3 Lingering Souls 4 Mulch 2 Rolling Temblor 4 Unburial Rites Lands (23) 4 Blood Crypt 3 Clifftop Retreat 4 Overgrown Tomb 3 Rootbound Crag 3 Sunpetal Grove 4 Temple Garden 2 Woodland Cemetery | Sideboard (15) 1 Centaur Healer 1 Elderscale Wurm 2 Rhox Faithmender 2 Oblivion Ring 1 Golgari Charm 1 Ray of Revelation 1 Vraska the Unseen 2 Bonfire of the Damned 3 Duress 1 Sever the Bloodline |
Of course, can we really talk about Innistrad Block and not talk about Zombies? It didn’t make a splash in Block Constructed, but of the top decks of Scars-Innistrad Standard (Birthing Pod, Delver, and Zombies), it lost the least in rotation. In fact, could Return to Ravnica bring even better tools than Scars of Mirrodin’s Mortarpod, Phyrexian Metamorph, and Birthing Pod? It’s probably a safe bet.
The Golgari Guild is essentially tailor-made for Zombies. Lotleth Troll is finally the ever so desired two drop, and Abrupt Decay is undoubtedly an excellent spell, though it’s slightly worse in Standard than it is in Legacy. Dreg Mangler is also an easy snap inclusion.
Zombies has also received some goodies from the Cult of Rakdos. Dreadbore is pretty similar to Abrupt Decay but it can kill Jace, Architect of Thought or Tamiyo, the Moon Sage. Joe Bernal’s take on Rakdos Zombies turns it much more into a Sligh-style deck and aims to kill the opponent as soon as possible, as noted by the Bump in the Nights.
The best part, however, is that these two strategies aren’t mutually exclusive. You could be like SCG: Cincinnati’s Top 8 competitor Ryan Forsberg and combine the best of both worlds, especially since the mana works out so well (once again, not a surprise).
| Creatures (29) 3 Blood Artist 1 Bloodthrone Vampire 1 Deathrite Shaman 4 Diregraf Ghoul 4 Dreg Mangler 4 Falkenrath Aristocrat 4 Geralf’s Messenger 4 Gravecrawler 4 Lotleth Troll Spells (8) 2 Brimstone Volley 4 Tragic Slip 1 Bonfire of the Damned 1 Dreadbore Basic Lands (23) 3 Swamp 4 Blood Crypt 4 Cavern of Souls 4 Dragonskull Summit 4 Overgrown Tomb 4 Woodland Cemetery | Sideboard (15) 2 Deathrite Shaman 1 Dead Weight 1 Underworld Connections 2 Abrupt Decay 2 Golgari Charm 1 Rakdos Charm 3 Vraska the Unseen 1 Bonfire of the Damned 1 Dreadbore 1 Flames of the Firebrand |
In addition, the Golgari version of Zombies and the Rakdos version of Zombies also made the Top 8 of the event as well, so the best version of Zombies isn’t exactly clear cut yet (as it shouldn’t be).
GW Aggro, after winning an SCG Open, gained a lot of new tools from the Selesnya Guild, so it is definitely on the radar for States. Mana dorks ramping up into the big, efficient creatures like Loxodon Smiter, Thragtusk, and Sublime Archangel, slapping a Rancor onto them and going to town seems like a winning strategy—and it did! Carrying GW Aggro to the Top 8 of SCG: Cincinnati was Dan Kauffman:
| Creatures (29) 4 Arbor Elf 4 Avacyn’s Pilgrim 4 Loxodon Smiter 3 Silverblade Paladin 3 Strangleroot Geist 4 Sublime Archangel 4 Wolfir Silverheart 3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben Spells (7) 4 Rancor 3 Selesnya Charm Lands (24) 8 Forest 7 Plains 1 Gavony Township 4 Sunpetal Grove 4 Temple Garden | Sideboard (15) 4 Elite Inquisitor 2 Thragtusk 2 Triumph of Ferocity 2 Sigarda, Host of Herons 3 Garruk Relentless 2 Revenge of the Hunted |
Maindeck-wise, the only surprise probably is no Thragtusk. I can see the logic in it though—you’d rather have a want a big, efficient creature in the 3-drop slot for next turn’s Sublime Archangel or Silverblade Paladin. Thragtusk may be a little too slow to fit that curve, but he does make an appearance in the sideboard.
Speaking of sideboards, Triumph of Ferocity is such a sweet card in this card. It’s an Underworld Connections that costs neither life or mana. With 25+ creatures in such a deck, you’re basically guaranteed to have at least one creature out to fulfill the requirement. The Elite Inquisitor is also an efficient answer to the elephant in the room (or I guess I should say undead).
Lastly, can we talk about Standard without covering the winner of SCG: Cincinnati?
| Creatures (2) 2 Snapcaster Mage Spells (32) 4 Detention Sphere 4 Azorius Charm 2 Syncopate 4 Think Twice 4 Jace, Architect of Thought 2 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage 3 Entreat the Angels 4 Pillar of Flame 1 Supreme Verdict 4 Terminus Lands (26) 2 Island 4 Plains 4 Clifftop Retreat 1 Desolate Lighthouse 4 Glacial Fortress 4 Hallowed Fountain 4 Steam Vents 3 Sulfur Falls | Sideboard (15) 2 Dissipate 2 Negate 2 Purify the Grave 2 Sundering Growth 3 Geist of Saint Traft 2 Jace, Memory Adept 2 Supreme Verdict |
Despite the oft-repeated mantra that you shouldn’t play a control deck at the beginning of a rotation, Team StarCityGames brought this list to SCG: Cincinnati…and won. This UWr Miracles deck was certainly metagamed for the predicted deck of the format, Zombies, evidenced by splashing red for just Pillar of Flame. Paired with Terminus, it seems pretty difficult for Zombies to overcome this potential powerhouse of a deck.
Also, Jace, Architect of Thought is now $50. Hmm…
Of course though, States is always a proving ground for brewers, so you should definitely expect to see some awesome new decks. Perhaps a BUG Superfriends deck featuring Jace, Tamiyo, Vraska, and Liliana will dominate, or maybe Lingering Souls/Intangible Virture will make a comeback from its banning in Block to become Public Enemy #1. This is a big opportunity to help shape the coming year’s metagame, so don’t miss out!
Hope to see you all at Arizona States 2012! This time, States is being held at the new Desert Sky Games, located at 2531 S Gilbert Rd Ste 106, Gilbert, AZ. Unfortunately, pre-registrations are closed, but if you want to try and get a spot, showing up at 10:45am to see if any of the pre-registered fail to show is the best way to get into States.
Good luck!
Jason
@mtgtwin1 on Twitter