Overview:
Things have been in flux recently, and M13 is already
making its presence felt. The lack of Bans in standard seemed to light a fire
in the community, spurring innovation in a number of non-Delver decks. While
Delver is still putting up strong numbers, it is no longer the menace that it
was. Who is currently vying for the new title of “Villain of the Format?” Is the
Naya Humans deck finally ready for the limelight? Is the Zombie menace finally
growing horde-like enough to merit serious consideration? Has the sudden shift
away from 3/2 Flying One-Drops put Wolf Run Back onto the map?
Let’s take a look at the mtgpulse chart for the metagame
over the two months or so. This chart represents both Paper and MTGO (so it
will not effectively consider the effect of Magic 2013 quite yet, though it
will give us a snapshot to work from.
UW Delver
As we can see, Delver is still the top of the heap, at
least in popularity. In a six or seven
round tournament, you can safely expect that you will see it once, if not twice
or more. Despite rumors of its death, Delver still has the numbers to put up
finishes, and keep in mind that it hasn’t lost
anything – the metagame has just shifted around it. Ignore it at your own
peril.
The core of Delver’s game plan is Tempo. Their goal is to
use the powerful synergy of Vapor Snag +
Mana Leak + Snapcaster Mage to keep you off the board for
long enough that it can attack and mount healthy pressure. Failing that, they
play for the late game – involving Restoration Angel or Runechanter’s Pike in
an attempt to grind out a win with repeated value. After sideboard, they have
the option to shift to a more controlling role if appropriate, utilizing
Consecrated Sphinx and Day of Judgment to ensure a strong late game.
Zombies
Gaining in popularity over the last week or two, the resilient
Zombie deck comes in a number of flavors. UB with Diregraf Captain, BR with
Falkenrath Noble, and even some Mono-Black lists employing the new Liliana and
Consume Spirit for an explosive finish. Personally, of the multiple types, I’m
much more worried about the BR Version. The addition of an extra sacrifice
outlet for Blood Artist without having to demolish their own board
simultaneously with Killing Wave. The large hasty flyer gives them a strong
opening and their recurring creatures mean that powerful sweepers –
traditionally the salve against swarm strategies such as this – have limited
use against them.
The core of the Zombies plan is an aggressive swarm,
focused on the two one drops Diregraf Ghoul and Gravecrawler. With Geralf’s
Messenger at the three spot, the deck can put out a ton of pressure very
quickly that is remarkably hard to get rid of. Some removal spells can keep the
field clear for long enough to put the opponent into lethal range with a Blood
Artist. Do not underestimate.
Naya Humans
The Naya Humans deck plays all the best threats. With a
pleathora of powerful disruptive early creatures and a startling late game
through Gavony Township, this deck is, in my opinion, the one to look out for.
It has a threat for every situation – often tailor made to take advantage of
specific weaknesses in other matchups. The deck also has the ever important
ability to occasionally just win a game: Bonfire of the Damned turns every draw
into a random chance to sweep the opposing field and swing for lethal.
Their game plan relies on establishing board presence,
and then letting their cards naturally gain advantages. Thalia is entirely
one-sided here, since the deck contains next to no spells. Huntmaster gains you
value by existing, and Restoration Angel plus Thragtusk is exactly as absurd as
it sounds. The addition of Bonfire only makes the plan more frightening. Some
versions run Swords as added insurance against something going wrong. (The
second place list at SCG: St. Louis two weekends ago featured this – though I’m
not sure if I necessarily agree with it.) Once this deck gets ahead of you, it
has the tools to grind you into paste and leave your broken corpse beneath half
a dozen Golem Tokens.
G/R Aggro
While it hasn’t seemed to be the most prominent deck as
of late, any deck that is capable of a Turn 2 Sword of War and Peace, swinging
on turn 3, is worthy of note. G/R Aggro does everything that Naya does, while
trying to work less for the same result. Wolvir Silverheart and Rancors replace
Thalia and Restoration Angel, and the slow grindy advantage from Gavony
Township becomes the wrecking ball of Kessig Wolf Run. The deck thrives off
needing multiple types of removal to stop it – quick efficient spot removal for
mana dorks and sword carriers, but large sweepers for others like Strangleroot
Geist.
Personally, I like G/R much less than the Naya versions,
mostly due to the ability to grind out a long game. Naya also seems like it has
a better disruption package, but that’s more a nod towards my personal
playstyle than any objective valuation. G/R aggro is certainly never a deck I’m
thrilled to see across the table from me.
Wolf Run Ramp
Another strategy that’s only grown stronger – albeit as
their numbers dwindle – is Wolf Run. Kessig is still a powerful card, and
though the titans were not reprinted in M2013, they’re absolutely still legal
until Return to Ravnica rolls around. With Primeval Titan resolving often being
the end of a game, having an efficient answer to the Giant is still important.
It’s grip on the midrange decks seems to have dwindled, but with the addition
of Cavern from AVR and Thragtusk to help fight against the tide of aggro decks,
the deck is still a strong contender.
Its game plan revolves around casting two ramp spells,
and then Primeval Titan (often protected by a Cavern of Souls). Backed up by
red sweepers, it then uses literally any threat in the deck to deal the
finishing blow, backed by a massive power boost from Kessig Wolf Run, or more
life from Glimmerposts.
Mono-Green Aggro
Dungrove Elder is a scary card. Rancor is a scary card.
Putting them in the same 60 card deck, supported by mana ramp and some of the
best Green Creatures ever printed, and it looks like we’re rapidly moving
towards a full on deck. Revenge of the Hunted gives the deck an explosive
potential to wipe the opposing side of the field for minimal mana cost. Couple
that with the consistency of Green Sun’s Zenith (banned in Modern for this very
reason) and Mono-Green looks like a very real threat on the horizon.
Mono Green functions like the vast majority of Mono-Green
decks throughout the year. It plays creatures, turns them sideways, and watches
your health plummet. This version features an all-star cast of creatures that
do exactly that. It’s a deck that simply asks “Can you stop me?” and often
times, the answer is no.
Esper Control
I would be remiss to not consider the one true control
deck in the format. Esper control is an amorphous beast, with many versions
floating around that have had varying levels of success. Elesh Norn still
remains a trump to the entire format, stopping everything including a bonded
Silverheart dead in its tracks, but seven mana has never looked so difficult.
The lists that I think look best are heavy on planeswalkers, using Sorin,
Tamiyo, Liliana 2.0, and Gideon as a team from hell, holding back the tide
while Lingering Souls tokens block and help to screen the way for a board wipe
in the form of Terminus or Day of Judgment.
Once the field has multiple walkers on it, with no appreciable pressure,
the game is all but over.
These planeswalker lists do have weaknesses – they often
don’t run countermagic, and are vulnerable to a quick game if they don’t have a
timely board wipe. In addition, the deck takes ages to actually win a game, and
so running up against time is a serious concern. I wouldn’t play it, but I do
know people who swear by the archetype, and claim a number of good matchups
against the field.
Concluding Words:
Obviously this isn’t an expansive look at the entire
format. There are variations on all of these, and rogue decks like Tokens and
Infect have a more than insignificant presence, but these are the decks that I
would include in my testing gauntlet for this weekend. Your deck needs to be
able to cope with the best that these can offer, or it doesn’t have the chops to
make the Top 8 seats.
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I hope to see you guys at the event. I'll be the blond one, wearing the Judge Blacks. Stop by and say hi if you're in the area. We'd love to have you.
Link to the event if you're interested: All-Stars Collectables Star City Games Super IQ
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I hope to see you guys at the event. I'll be the blond one, wearing the Judge Blacks. Stop by and say hi if you're in the area. We'd love to have you.
Link to the event if you're interested: All-Stars Collectables Star City Games Super IQ
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