Monday 12 October 2009

Finding decks in a new look Standard

By Jim Marlow

Hey everyone,

Zen is here, the first drafts are in the books, and everyone seems happy. Whether you're cracking fetchlands, priceless treasures, or just drafting a solid deck then zendikar limited seems like a pretty sick format.

This week is the first time Leeds hosts a standard event since zendikar became standard legal, so there has been some excitement about finding the 'new' best decks, and then finding the cards...which is another matter completely.

As it's sealed for this ptq season, i wasn't planning on doing too much work on standard right now, but i have had a few ideas in my noggin rattling around, and finally one made it's way onto paper. Even luckier, i managed to arrange to borrow over £200 worth of cards to make sure i could have the deck built for this weeks standard, sick puppy. Thanks to everyone who is lending me cards this week, its really awesome of you. If anyone needs any cards, i may be able to help, although my collection doesn't really include too many of the chase rares from zen or m10....i haven't been spending a lot of money on magic cards lately (i did just order a set of baneslayers though)

Anway, the results from the philly 5k are now in. Unsuprisingly, or not, a jund deck one, with many more in the top 16 (at least 5 or 6). Interestingly, the uber quick boros landfall deck came in 2nd, with red deck wins (!) coming in 3rd.

There were a few naya decks lower down in the top 16, none broke the top 8....even with baneslayer!

The format at the moment looks like a selection of aggro and midrange decks, none of which are exactly to my liking. I have been trying to find the elusive control deck, which is certainly proving difficult to find in a crypticless format. (there's still cancel though, right!)

Here's the pile i will be playing on Tuesday

4 x baneslayer angel
4 x knight of the reliquary
4 x rhox war monk
4 x wall of reverence

4 x essence scatter
2 x negate
3 x bant charm

4 x path to exile
2 x day of judgement
3 x jace beleren
1 x behemoth sledge

4 x seaside citadel
4 x misty rainforest
3 x glacial fortress
3 x sunpetal grove
2 x gargoyle castle
4 x plains
3 x island
2 x forest

Sideboard

3 x luminarch ascension
2 x day of judgement
4 x celestial purge
3 x meddling mage
2 x oblivion ring
1 x negate

I have no idea how good or bad this deck is, but i know all the cards in it are pretty good, so fingers crossed it will deliver.

Im not really sure why i put meddling mage in the sideboard, i was going to put the blue quest in against mill (which seems to be popular in leeds), but meddling mage seems a bit more useful, as it can shut down a lot of decks that rely on key spells - warp world, mill, time sieve etc.

Its kind of exciting to be venturing into an unknown format, especially given that not only is there some doubt over how good/bad your deck is, you dont really know what anyone else will play....hopefully SOMEONE wont play vampires.

Report coming after Tuesday - if anyone hadn't noticed, the Leeds weekly magic club is now on tuesday, but is still in TJ's club in the woodhouse estate (google it for location)


Untill then,


Jim


As always, feel free to comment on this article, or anything related or unrelated to magic whatsoever. If you would like to contribute to the TLM blog, please email any pictures, ideas or articles to ss07jm@leeds.ac.uk

4 comments:

  1. Some of those decks look so awkward; stupid small format standard! Armillary sphere in a mono white deck? Resounding thunder in a format where lightning bolt exists?

    Beard does not like.

    On the Bant control deck, with the lack of early action you have, isn't DoJ at least a 3 of?

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  2. I'm not playing Jund, can't make me.

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  3. I might, though, if anyone had the manabase to lend me...

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