By Jonah Gaynor
It’s that time of the year again. A new Standard format is upon us! So far the format has been a blast to play and seems rather diverse. With Sphinx’s Revelation, Supreme Verdict and friends gone (a single tear is shed), and with the inclusion of power Khans of Tarkir cards like Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker and Wingmate Roc, Standard looks completely different. So, we arrive at the age-old question: what the hell do I play in Standard? Well, let’s dive in. Here are the major players in Standard thus far:
Abzan Midrange
Thus far, Abzan Midrange seems to be the deck to beat in this format. Going into Pro Tour Khans of Tarkir, Abzan Midrange and Jeskai Tempo were considered to be the forerunners for top dog, and the PT results showed just that with Ari Lax taking home the trophy as well as another copy making the top 8 in the hands of Thiago Saporito. The deck is very versatile, being able to clog the board against aggro decks, be bigger against other midrange decks, and out-card advantage control decks. It has aggressively-costed creatures, like Siege Rhino, kill spells like Hero’s Downfall and Bile Blight, and big finishers like Elspeth, Sun’s Champion. They usually pack some Erases in their sideboard as a c-c-c-combo breaker (literally). So how do we beat Abzan Midrange? Well, there are 3 easy ways to beat up on the midrange menace. First, the deck can be rather slow and clunky, so showing up with your Akroan Crusaders and Titan’s Strengths is a good plan. Beware: they pack Drown in Sorrows. Second, haste creatures with flying, a la Stormbreath Dragon and Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker are big problems for Abzan Midrange and can end the game before they have a chance to get their feet set. This strategy is slower that the Boss Sligh strategy but it’s not susceptible to Drown in Sorrow. Lastly, we can fight on a totally different axis. Yup, we’re talking about Jeskai Ascendancy Combo. It fights on an axis that Abzan Midrange cannot. Below is Ari Lax’s winning list from PT Khans of Tarkir:
Abzan Midrange by Ari Lax
Creatures (16)
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Courser of Kruphix
4 Siege Rhino
2 Elvish Mystic
2 Wingmate Roc
Instants and Sorceries (13)
4 Thoughtseize
4 Abzan Charm
3 Hero’s Downfall
2 Utter End
Planeswalkers (7)
3 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
2 Ajani, Mentor of Heroes
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
Lands (24)
4 Temple of Malady
4 Sandsteppe Citadel
4 Windswept Heath
3 Forest
2 Plains
2 Llanowar Wastes
2 Caves of Koilos
1 Temple of Silence
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Mana Confluence
Sideboard (15)
1 Liliana Vess
1 Unravel the Aether
2 Murderous Cut
3 Bile Blight
3 Drown in Sorrow
1 Mass Calcify
1 Duneblast
1 End Hostilities
2 Nissa, Worldwaker
Jeskai Tempo
The other of the most popular decks at Pro Tour Khans of Tarkir, Jeskai Tempo uses aggressively-costed creatures, such as Goblin Rabblemaster and Mantis Rider to get their opponents low enough that their plethora of burn spells can finish them off. Unlike Abzan Midrange, Jeskai Tempo cannot maneuver to a win from any board state. Rather, it dominates the games where it gets out in front. There were 3 copies of this deck in the top 8 of Pro Tour Khans of Tarkir, piloted by Ondrej Strasky, Yuuya Watanabe, and Shaun McLaren, who made a finals appearance. Like most burn decks, Jeskai Tempo runs into problems when its creature strategy is compromised. A wise man once said that the best burn spells ever created are creatures. However, they are also the easiest to hate out. Cards like Courser of Kruphix on the ground and Wingmate Roc in the air give Jeskai Tempo fits. If you’re able to stabilize at a high enough life total that your Jeskai Tempo opponent can’t kill you with the cards in their hand, you’ll probably win that game. This is the deck a lot of the classic “control pros” have turned to in this standard format as well. Expect to face Jeskai Tempo at any Standard event you play at. Here is a sample Jeskai Tempo list, piloted by Matej Zatlkaj:
Jeskai Tempo by Matej Zatlkaj
Creatures (17)
4 Seeker of the Way
4 Mantis Rider
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
2 Ashcloud Phoenix
Instants and Sorceries (16)
4 Jeskai Charm
4 Lightning Strike
3 Magma Jet
3 Stoke the Flames
1 Dig Through Time
1 Gods Willing
Enchantments (1)
1 Banishing Light
Planeswalkers (2)
2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
Lands (24)
4 Temple of Triumph
4 Mystic Monastery
3 Battlefield Forge
3 Flooded Strand
3 Shivan Reef
2 Island
2 Moutain
2 Plains
1 Temple of Epiphany
Sideboard (15)
1 Gods Willing
3 Suspension Field
3 Magma Spray
2 Negate
3 Disdainful Stroke
2 Arc Lightning
1 Keranos, God of Storms
Mardu Midrange
The deck that many pros played at the Pro Tour to fight Jeskai Tempo and Abzan Midrange, Mardu Midrange combines many of the strong black and white cards that Abzan Midrange uses with powerful red cards like Lightning Strike, Goblin Rabblemaster, Butcher of the Horde and friends. It functions like a mix of Jeskai Tempo and Abzan Midrange in that it has the ability to play the tempo game and the ability to be the control deck, something that Jeskai Tempo lacks. This deck showed up a little at the PT but didn’t come to be a Tier 1 deck until Brad Nelson top 8’d GP LA with it just a week after the PT. Brad’s success launched the deck into the spotlight. It’s versatility gives it a MAC feel (midrange-aggro-control, a phrase coined by Nelson). You would normally think that a card like Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker wouldn’t go well with Hordeling Outburst, but in Mardu Midrange it does. So what’s bad about Mardu Midrange? Well, because the deck list could be easily described as an eclectic bunch of Khans of Tarkir cards, Mardu Midrange has the ability to simply draw the wrong half of their deck. So, to put in simple terms, variance is a problem for this deck more so than Abzan Midrange or Jeskai Tempo. Below is Brad Nelson’s Mardu Midrange list from the Grand Prix:
Mardu Midrange by Brad Nelson
Creatures (15)
4 Seeker of the Way
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Butcher of the Horde
3 Wingmate Roc
Instants and Sorceries (13)
4 Lightning Strike
4 Crackling Doom
4 Hordeling Outburst
1 Murderous Cut
Enchantments (3)
3 Chained to the Rocks
Planeswalkers (4)
3 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
1 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
Lands (25)
6 Mountain
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Temple of Triumph
4 Nomad Outpost
3 Battlefield Forge
2 Caves of Koilos
1 Swamp
1 Temple of Silence
Sideboard (15)
2 End Hostilities
2 Read the Bones
2 Banishing Light
2 Glare of Heresy
3 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
2 Magma Spray
2 Anger of the Gods
Boss Sligh
Well, people were pretty sure the decks of this format would push Red Deck Wins strategies out of the format. But Tom Ross doesn’t care. He’s back again with a Boss Sligh list that is lightning fast and a ton of fun to play. Boss Sligh lists can best be described as 20/20/20 decks. That is, it has 20 creatures, 20 spells, and 20 lands. Obviously those numbers aren’t completely correct, but it’s only a few cards off and the philosophy is there. Boss Sligh uses small creatures a la Akroan Crusader, Foundry Street Denizen, and Firedrinker Satyr, heroic trigger cards (or pump spells depending on how you look at it) such as Titan’s Strength, Dragon Mantle and Hammerhand to push through damage as well as burn spells Stoke the Flames and Lightning Strike to finish the opponent. Unfortunately for the red mages out there, this deck is not as strong as Rabble Red was pre-rotation mostly because this deck usually dies after just one Drown in Sorrow or Anger of the Gods, whereas Rabble Red was able to sandbag cards in hand and not overcommit to the board. Boss Sligh, unfortunately, overcommits to the board because of its nature. Boss Sligh will get many free wins, however, when opponents don’t pack hate for it, or don’t pack enough. Here is Tom Ross’s list:
Boss Sligh by Tom Ross
Creatures (20)
4 Akroan Crusader
1 Arena Athlete
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Foundry Street Denizen
3 Frenzied Goblin
4 Monastery Swiftspear
Instants and Sorceries (13)
1 Coordinated Assault
2 Lightning Strike
4 Stoke the Flames
4 Titan’s Strength
2 Hordeling Outburst
Artifacts (1)
1 Hall of Triumph
Enchantments (8)
4 Dragon Mantle
4 Hammerhand
Lands (18)
18 Mountain
Sideboard (15)
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
2 Lightning Strike
2 Magma Spray
4 Searing Blood
3 Peak Eruption
There are many other decks in Standard that are worth their own articles like GR Monsters, Jeskai Ascendancy Combo, Green Devotion, Temur Aggro, UB Control, UW Control, the list goes on. But I think that this is a good starting point for those just getting into this Standard format. If I was playing in an event this weekend, I would be playing Mardu Midrange. Statistics show that it has the best matchup against the big decks in the format. So until I feel that it’s not in as good of a metagame position, you can count on seeing me with Mardu Midrange.
- Jonah Gaynor
Follow me on twitter @jonahgaynor
It’s that time of the year again. A new Standard format is upon us! So far the format has been a blast to play and seems rather diverse. With Sphinx’s Revelation, Supreme Verdict and friends gone (a single tear is shed), and with the inclusion of power Khans of Tarkir cards like Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker and Wingmate Roc, Standard looks completely different. So, we arrive at the age-old question: what the hell do I play in Standard? Well, let’s dive in. Here are the major players in Standard thus far:
Abzan Midrange
Thus far, Abzan Midrange seems to be the deck to beat in this format. Going into Pro Tour Khans of Tarkir, Abzan Midrange and Jeskai Tempo were considered to be the forerunners for top dog, and the PT results showed just that with Ari Lax taking home the trophy as well as another copy making the top 8 in the hands of Thiago Saporito. The deck is very versatile, being able to clog the board against aggro decks, be bigger against other midrange decks, and out-card advantage control decks. It has aggressively-costed creatures, like Siege Rhino, kill spells like Hero’s Downfall and Bile Blight, and big finishers like Elspeth, Sun’s Champion. They usually pack some Erases in their sideboard as a c-c-c-combo breaker (literally). So how do we beat Abzan Midrange? Well, there are 3 easy ways to beat up on the midrange menace. First, the deck can be rather slow and clunky, so showing up with your Akroan Crusaders and Titan’s Strengths is a good plan. Beware: they pack Drown in Sorrows. Second, haste creatures with flying, a la Stormbreath Dragon and Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker are big problems for Abzan Midrange and can end the game before they have a chance to get their feet set. This strategy is slower that the Boss Sligh strategy but it’s not susceptible to Drown in Sorrow. Lastly, we can fight on a totally different axis. Yup, we’re talking about Jeskai Ascendancy Combo. It fights on an axis that Abzan Midrange cannot. Below is Ari Lax’s winning list from PT Khans of Tarkir:
Abzan Midrange by Ari Lax
Creatures (16)
4 Sylvan Caryatid
4 Courser of Kruphix
4 Siege Rhino
2 Elvish Mystic
2 Wingmate Roc
Instants and Sorceries (13)
4 Thoughtseize
4 Abzan Charm
3 Hero’s Downfall
2 Utter End
Planeswalkers (7)
3 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
2 Ajani, Mentor of Heroes
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
Lands (24)
4 Temple of Malady
4 Sandsteppe Citadel
4 Windswept Heath
3 Forest
2 Plains
2 Llanowar Wastes
2 Caves of Koilos
1 Temple of Silence
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
1 Mana Confluence
Sideboard (15)
1 Liliana Vess
1 Unravel the Aether
2 Murderous Cut
3 Bile Blight
3 Drown in Sorrow
1 Mass Calcify
1 Duneblast
1 End Hostilities
2 Nissa, Worldwaker
Jeskai Tempo
The other of the most popular decks at Pro Tour Khans of Tarkir, Jeskai Tempo uses aggressively-costed creatures, such as Goblin Rabblemaster and Mantis Rider to get their opponents low enough that their plethora of burn spells can finish them off. Unlike Abzan Midrange, Jeskai Tempo cannot maneuver to a win from any board state. Rather, it dominates the games where it gets out in front. There were 3 copies of this deck in the top 8 of Pro Tour Khans of Tarkir, piloted by Ondrej Strasky, Yuuya Watanabe, and Shaun McLaren, who made a finals appearance. Like most burn decks, Jeskai Tempo runs into problems when its creature strategy is compromised. A wise man once said that the best burn spells ever created are creatures. However, they are also the easiest to hate out. Cards like Courser of Kruphix on the ground and Wingmate Roc in the air give Jeskai Tempo fits. If you’re able to stabilize at a high enough life total that your Jeskai Tempo opponent can’t kill you with the cards in their hand, you’ll probably win that game. This is the deck a lot of the classic “control pros” have turned to in this standard format as well. Expect to face Jeskai Tempo at any Standard event you play at. Here is a sample Jeskai Tempo list, piloted by Matej Zatlkaj:
Jeskai Tempo by Matej Zatlkaj
Creatures (17)
4 Seeker of the Way
4 Mantis Rider
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
2 Ashcloud Phoenix
Instants and Sorceries (16)
4 Jeskai Charm
4 Lightning Strike
3 Magma Jet
3 Stoke the Flames
1 Dig Through Time
1 Gods Willing
Enchantments (1)
1 Banishing Light
Planeswalkers (2)
2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
Lands (24)
4 Temple of Triumph
4 Mystic Monastery
3 Battlefield Forge
3 Flooded Strand
3 Shivan Reef
2 Island
2 Moutain
2 Plains
1 Temple of Epiphany
Sideboard (15)
1 Gods Willing
3 Suspension Field
3 Magma Spray
2 Negate
3 Disdainful Stroke
2 Arc Lightning
1 Keranos, God of Storms
Mardu Midrange
The deck that many pros played at the Pro Tour to fight Jeskai Tempo and Abzan Midrange, Mardu Midrange combines many of the strong black and white cards that Abzan Midrange uses with powerful red cards like Lightning Strike, Goblin Rabblemaster, Butcher of the Horde and friends. It functions like a mix of Jeskai Tempo and Abzan Midrange in that it has the ability to play the tempo game and the ability to be the control deck, something that Jeskai Tempo lacks. This deck showed up a little at the PT but didn’t come to be a Tier 1 deck until Brad Nelson top 8’d GP LA with it just a week after the PT. Brad’s success launched the deck into the spotlight. It’s versatility gives it a MAC feel (midrange-aggro-control, a phrase coined by Nelson). You would normally think that a card like Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker wouldn’t go well with Hordeling Outburst, but in Mardu Midrange it does. So what’s bad about Mardu Midrange? Well, because the deck list could be easily described as an eclectic bunch of Khans of Tarkir cards, Mardu Midrange has the ability to simply draw the wrong half of their deck. So, to put in simple terms, variance is a problem for this deck more so than Abzan Midrange or Jeskai Tempo. Below is Brad Nelson’s Mardu Midrange list from the Grand Prix:
Mardu Midrange by Brad Nelson
Creatures (15)
4 Seeker of the Way
4 Goblin Rabblemaster
4 Butcher of the Horde
3 Wingmate Roc
Instants and Sorceries (13)
4 Lightning Strike
4 Crackling Doom
4 Hordeling Outburst
1 Murderous Cut
Enchantments (3)
3 Chained to the Rocks
Planeswalkers (4)
3 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
1 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
Lands (25)
6 Mountain
4 Bloodstained Mire
4 Temple of Triumph
4 Nomad Outpost
3 Battlefield Forge
2 Caves of Koilos
1 Swamp
1 Temple of Silence
Sideboard (15)
2 End Hostilities
2 Read the Bones
2 Banishing Light
2 Glare of Heresy
3 Elspeth, Sun’s Champion
2 Magma Spray
2 Anger of the Gods
Boss Sligh
Well, people were pretty sure the decks of this format would push Red Deck Wins strategies out of the format. But Tom Ross doesn’t care. He’s back again with a Boss Sligh list that is lightning fast and a ton of fun to play. Boss Sligh lists can best be described as 20/20/20 decks. That is, it has 20 creatures, 20 spells, and 20 lands. Obviously those numbers aren’t completely correct, but it’s only a few cards off and the philosophy is there. Boss Sligh uses small creatures a la Akroan Crusader, Foundry Street Denizen, and Firedrinker Satyr, heroic trigger cards (or pump spells depending on how you look at it) such as Titan’s Strength, Dragon Mantle and Hammerhand to push through damage as well as burn spells Stoke the Flames and Lightning Strike to finish the opponent. Unfortunately for the red mages out there, this deck is not as strong as Rabble Red was pre-rotation mostly because this deck usually dies after just one Drown in Sorrow or Anger of the Gods, whereas Rabble Red was able to sandbag cards in hand and not overcommit to the board. Boss Sligh, unfortunately, overcommits to the board because of its nature. Boss Sligh will get many free wins, however, when opponents don’t pack hate for it, or don’t pack enough. Here is Tom Ross’s list:
Boss Sligh by Tom Ross
Creatures (20)
4 Akroan Crusader
1 Arena Athlete
4 Firedrinker Satyr
4 Foundry Street Denizen
3 Frenzied Goblin
4 Monastery Swiftspear
Instants and Sorceries (13)
1 Coordinated Assault
2 Lightning Strike
4 Stoke the Flames
4 Titan’s Strength
2 Hordeling Outburst
Artifacts (1)
1 Hall of Triumph
Enchantments (8)
4 Dragon Mantle
4 Hammerhand
Lands (18)
18 Mountain
Sideboard (15)
4 Eidolon of the Great Revel
2 Lightning Strike
2 Magma Spray
4 Searing Blood
3 Peak Eruption
There are many other decks in Standard that are worth their own articles like GR Monsters, Jeskai Ascendancy Combo, Green Devotion, Temur Aggro, UB Control, UW Control, the list goes on. But I think that this is a good starting point for those just getting into this Standard format. If I was playing in an event this weekend, I would be playing Mardu Midrange. Statistics show that it has the best matchup against the big decks in the format. So until I feel that it’s not in as good of a metagame position, you can count on seeing me with Mardu Midrange.
- Jonah Gaynor
Follow me on twitter @jonahgaynor