The new set is out and it certainly looks like it is going to have a big impact on the standard environment, more than any set since Lorwyn anyway from what i can tell. It's always hard to tell immediately after a set is released, because everyone is excited about the new cards and wants to build decks around them, so are the cards in Alara Reborn really that good, or is this just a knee-jerk reaction to a new set....
Probably a bit of both.
There are undoubtedly some sick cards in Alara Reborn, but how good are they in Standard right now is hard to say. Cascade is an odd mechanic, and after Pat Chapin said it was broken everyone has been looking to find just how to break it. I love bloodbraid elf and bituminous blast, but i just cant find a deck i like with them in. It's very easy to imagine cascading into ridiculous cards, but i just dont know if it is stable enough.
On the other hand, anathemancer and maelstrom pulse, sick. I think these cards are just awesome, especially anathemancer, it is actually the biggest boning 5cc has recieved since i dont know when, and i hate 5cc more than most.
Regionals are under way and after a failed attempt to qualify at Leeds i have at least 3 shots to get to nationals, and possibly 4/5 if i make it to either Birmingham or Leicester. Here is the current version of Jund Ramp i am playing
4 x kitchen finks
3 x broodmate dragon
2 x cloudthresher
2 x chameleon colossus
2 x anathemancer
3 x garruk wildspeaker
4 x fertile ground
4 x rampant growth
4 x volcanic fallout
1 x jund charm
3 x maelstrom pulse
2 x banefire
2 x primal command
1 x loxodon warhammer
23 land (10 basic)
S/B
4 x deathmark
3 x jund charm
2 x makeshift mannequin
2 x cloudthresher
2 x anathemancer
2 x primal command
Im not sure whether it is the lack of blue, or that its 61 cards, but something is annoying me about the deck. I certainly think it is very strong, but i dont know if it can be consistant.
I would really like to have another jund charm in the main, but from the lists i have seen i am playing at least the same amount of removal as them, and more often then not more. I think standard is defined right now by spectral procession and windbrisk heights, along with your second colour of choice - be it black, red or green. For this reason i would quite like to fit in an extra sweeper, maybe i should put one of the banefires or a maelstrom pulse in the sideboard.
I recently took the 4th broodmate dragon out, im not sure if this is a bad decision or not. I think broodmate is probably too slow in aggro matches, and i would probably board 1 out for a sweeper, so its not lost there, and against 5cc or other rock decks anathemancer is really good anyway.
I am pretty sure i can do well with this deck, my only concerns are that it does not react well to mulligans, or thoughtseize. I dont think thoughtseize is much of a problem right now though, its not played too often in b/w and fae is not a difficult matchup for this deck.
A 2nd place at the first Austin ptq shows it can get there, so hopefully this will see me get to nationals.
I would love to hear you comments on the deck, i am very tempted to take a banefire out for another sweeper, but i love banefire so much because with the fertile ground engine i can win out of nowhere and i can see me boarding it in that much, because it is good all round, maybe the deck is best as it is. Also, i have read some comments that jund charm should be played main over volcanic fallout, am i missing something, or should i be playing charm here? even firespout?
If anyone is driving down to Birmingham or Leicester this weekend, please get in touch because i would be well up for going to some nats qualifiers. If not i will see everyone next thursday for some standard action, the Type 2 is always fiercely contested at Leeds and im looking to improve on the 2-2 record last week with my jund ramp, which i think im more than capable of after the tweaks i have made, so i will see everyone then!
Untill then,
Jim
As always, feel free to comment on anything about this article, or anything unrelated to magic whatsoever. If you would like to contribute to the TLM blog, please email any ideas, articles, pictures or anything else to ss07jm@leeds.ac.uk
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