*Bonus if you can name all the cards in the banner!*
After the Storm: Post-Rotation 1.x
by Ben Ng
**NOTE: The decklists in this article are not optimal.**
With the release of Ravnica, the first set to come after Kamigawa block finishes, the 3 oldest blocks of Extended and the oldest core set will rotate out of the format. That means 6th Edition, Tempest, Saga, and Masques. No more Vampiric Tutors, no more Fanatics, no more Masticores, no more.. well, I guess Masques didn't have that much to offer. But the change is not a small one, and will simultaneously kill and give birth to many decks.
Important Outgoing Cards:
Color Hosers: Red, which has been on the recieving end of the most shafts in Extended, is finally being freed from Chill. Monoblack has been freed from Light of Day, which set an upper limit on how strong the deck could be. Perish is also leaving, which is too bad because before rotation monogreen didn't exist but post-rotation it will be out in force, with at least four decks containing large amounts of green creatures.
Mana Denial: Pretty much everything's going here. The loss of Wasteland, Rishadan Port, Tangle Wire and even Dust Bowl means that decks like Ponza and RDW will have to look for new strategies, while slower decks with more colors become more secure. Red players should exploit the move to multicolor with Blood Moons and Dwarven Blastminers.
Mass Artifact Hate: Extended loses Energy Flux, Shatterstorm, Rack and Ruin, Pulverize, Meltdown, Rebuild and Serenity. The big loser here is blue, who has nothing left to fight Affinity with except Reduce to Dreams. Affinity has been hyped to stronger than it is, so expect a lot of artifact hate and more enchantment hate than you'd normally encounter for the first few months after rotation. You may see some KCI and Belcher as well, though the loss of combo-enablers makes them a lot weaker post-rotation.
Blue Drawing Insanity: Accumulated Knowledge and Brainstorm are both leaving, slowing down blue significantly and making blue decks a lot more prone to discard and manascrew since the remaining draw spells are more expensive and Brainstorm can't hide your best cards. Serum Vision will be popping up a lot.
Search: Vampiric Tutor, Enlightened Tutor, and Intuition are all gone, marking the end of 3rd turn combo decks and Intuition for 3 AKs. Wishes are the best remaining option.
Quick Fat: Exhume, Reanimate, Goblin Welder and Show and Tell are all leaving, meaning an almost guaranteed death of 2nd or 3rd turn Akromas and Titans. Between the loss of Titan and Wastelands and the coming of Ravnica, multicolor decks should start appearing everywhere.
Important Incoming:
Massive Green: Green is gold right now, holding at least 3 of the format's best 5 cards. Eternal Witness, Plow Under, Troll Ascetic and Naturalize, along with a million ways to ramp up mana and use it makes green the new blue. Eternal Witness with Plow Under can throw two lands onto your library by turn 3 and another two by turn 5, so don't entirely remove your discard and counterspells, because those are the only things that will save you from this potential game-wrecker as well as Troll Ascetic. How convenient that green also happens to have Dosan... If you don't pack green, you better have multiple ways to help you fight it, especially the Troll. Heavily green decks have a tendency to run very little draw outside of Witness, so if you can maintain a steady defense its possible to run them out of gas.
The Fall of Blue: Blue loses countless important cards in the rotation, gains enemies in Dosan, AEther Vial and Boseiju and doesn't lose Choke or Boil in the rotation. Because Vial and Boseiju can be played in any deck and blue has few non-counterspell answers to permanents, don't expect many monoblue or even mostly-blue decks around.
Gold Cards: According to our Rumor Mill, Ravnica will have a plethora of gold cards that benefit each other. You may not want to blow your savings on a Goblins, Monogreen or MBC deck just yet.
Engineered Explosives: A cheap counter to tokens and massed weenies, Engineered Explosives can be easily used by plenty of decks because of multilands and land searchers. If you're a speculator these will probably get fairly popular, and if you're not you should get them anyways as they'll be very relevant soon. And try to spread out the CMC of your creatures if you can help it; for example, an Explosives for two can really wreck Fish (see below) and get you out of a Standstill, and an Explosives for one can kill a bunch of Birds and Elves, crippling your opponents' mana development. There are very few decks with expensive or big creatures, so Explosives should be able to take out most threats.
***After each deck name are the significant cards in it that are leaving extended.***
Dead, Dead, Dead:
Enchantress – Auratog, Argothian Enchantress, Rancor and Ancestral Mask.
Reanimator– Reanimate, Exhume, and Show and Tell. Besides Life/Death and Stitch Together, the only reanimation spells left cost four mana or more.
Aluren– Aluren. That’s all that really matters.
Turboland– Horn of Greed, Exploration.
Sneaky-Go– Sneak Attack, Gamble, all the 2-mana lands. Not to mention that the deck was shaky to begin with.
Rector Burst – Academy Rector, Pattern of Rebirth, Pandeburst Combo, and the Parallax Enchantments.
Suiblack – Dauthi, Negator, Reaver, Skirge, Tangle Wire, Wasteland, Hatred, Zombies. The only cards left are the discard spells and the Shade, which can’t run a deck by themselves.
Pretty much dead:
Life – Nomads en-Kor, Shaman en-Kor, Worthy Cause, Task Force. That means switching to free equipment, which will be hit by Affinity hate. Your combo pieces go from 2/2/2 to 2/1/1, which isn't good, especially when the combo occurs at sorcery speed. Orim's Chant and Steelshaper's Gift may give this deck some life, but it will likely just be a shell of its former self since what made the deck special (the amazing redundancy of all of its combo pieces) is gone.
RDW– Fanatic, Wasteland, Port, Tangle Wire, Seal of Fire, Cursed Scroll. More creatures means it's less likely that Slith Firewalker will get through, especially since there's no mana disruption to prevent creatures from being played. While not actually dead, it’s probably best that red players revert to R/G Beats or Goblins for the time being, who suffer much less from the rotation.
Temporary Solution– Parallax Wave, Armageddon, Soltari, Gilded Drake, Enlightened Tutor. That is, all the game breakers. With Parallax Wave gone, white lacks the cheap unconditional spot removal it so desperately needs. Wizards is reprinting the completely inadequate Reciprocate in 9th edition, so the day when White Weenie becomes a threat again in Extended is a long ways off.
Teen Titans – Welder, Exhume, Intuition, Reanimate. Massive reconstruction is needed here, if the deck can even survive without Welder; it would involve a quick Titan or Bosh using Trash for Treasure and Life/Death. The creatures' high CMC would make them resistant to red Affinity hate, but decks with green would roll over this like nothing, so no.
NO Stick – Artifact hate for Affinity and Vials dodging Chant makes life much harder for NO Stick, even though the deck itself only loses a few draw spells (which, admittedly, cuts heavily into the number of Scepter targets). Perhaps it can survive by mixing with Temporary Solution; otherwise both decks will probably be replaced by U/W control as they weren't dominating to begin with and both lack good creature removal.
On the Fence or Teir 2
| GATMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
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Creatures 4 Quirion Dryad 2 Psychatog Card Advantage 4 Serum Visions 4 Sleight of Hand 4 Obsessive Search 3 Fire // Ice 3 Merfolk Looter 3 Thought Courier Counters: 4 Force Spike 3 Disrupting Shoal 3 Circular Logic 2 Stifle | Utility 2 Umezawa's Jitte Mana: 4 Chrome Mox 4 Yavimaya Coast 4 City of Brass 3 Polluted Delta 3 Island 1 Swamp | Sideboard 4 Oxidize 4 Ghastly Demise 3 Engineered Plague 2 Stifle 2 Static Orb |
| Super-risky DracoMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Combo 4 Draco 4 Erratic Explosion Search 4 Night's Whisper 4 Cunning Wish 3 Insidious Dreams 1 Wild Research Control 4 Magma Jet 4 Fire // Ice 4 Duress 4 Addle 3 Terminate | Land 5 Swamp 5 Mountain 4 Polluted Delta 4 Sulfurous Springs 2 City of Brass 1 Island | Sideboard 4 Engineered Explosives 4 Cranial Extraction 4 Echoing Truth 1 Insidious Dreams 1 Urza's Rage 1 Terminate |
| WUG ConfinementMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Combo 4 Solitary Confinement 2 Genesis 1 Eternal Dragon 1 Krosan Tusker Control 4 Condescend 4 Circular Logic 3 Wrath of God Search 4 Howling Mine 4 Living Wish 4 Sterling Grove 3 Compulsion 2 Trade Secrets | Land 6 Island 4 Windswept Heath 4 Yavimaya Coast 4 Adarkar Wastes 3 Forest 3 Plains Win Condition 2 Spirit Cairn | Sideboard 4 Moment's Peace 1 Krosan Tusker 1 Genesis 1 Eternal Dragon 1 Kami of False Hope 1 Meloku, the Clouded Mirror 1 Kami of Ancient Law 1 Meddling Mage 1 Viridian Shaman 1 Ravenous Baloth 1 Mystic Snake 1 Auramancer |
Krosan Tusker + Genesis = sweet.
Survivors or Adapters
| UG Twiddle DesireMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
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Acceleration 4 Fertile Ground 4 Wild Growth 3 Sunscape Familiar 2 Sakura-Tribe Elder Engine 4 Mind's Desire 4 Dream's Grip 3 Early Harvest 2 Future Sight 1 Nostalgic Dreams | Search 4 Deep Analysis 3 Cunning Wish 2 Fact or Fiction Control 2 Memory Lapse Land 10 Forest 6 Island 3 Windswept Heath 2 Flooded Strand 1 Plains | Sideboard 4 Moment's Peace 4 Oxidize 1 Stifle 1 Hibernation 1 Brain Freeze 1 Chain of Vapor 1 Early Harvest 1 Fact or Fiction 1 Mana Short |
| WUG FreezeMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Acceleration 4 Sakura-Tribe Elder 4 Kodama's Reach 4 Heartbeat of Spring 3 Sunscape Familiar Engine 3 Early Harvest 2 Eternal Witness 2 Rude Awakening 1 Nostalgic Dreams Search 3 Cunning Wish 3 Deep Analysis 3 Fact or Fiction 2 Trade Secrets | Control 4 Moment's Peace Land 9 Forest 5 Island 4 Yavimaya Coast 3 Windswept Heath 1 Plains | Sideboard 4 Echoing Truth 4 Oxidize 1 Stifle 1 Hibernation 1 Brain Freeze 1 Chain of Vapor 1 Early Harvest 1 Fact or Fiction 1 Mana Short |
| Macey RockMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
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Creatures 4 Birds of Paradise 3 Llanowar Elves 4 Mesmeric Fiend 4 Troll Ascetic 3 Wild Mongrel 2 Eternal Witness Utility 4 Cabal Therapy 4 Sword of Fire and Ice 3 Call of the Herd 3 Smother 2 Pernicious Deed 2 Genju of the Cedars | Land 11 Forest 7 Swamp 4 Llanowar Wastes | Sideboard 4 Engineered Plague 4 Naturalize 3 Chainer's Edict 2 Duress 2 Cranial Extraction |
| RG GoblinsMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Creatures 4 Goblin Matron 4 Goblin Ringleader 4 Goblin Sledder 4 Goblin Piledriver 4 Skirk Prospector 4 Goblin Warchief 4 Gempalm Incinerator 2 Sparksmith 2 Siege-Gang Commander 1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker 1 Goblin Sharpshooter | Acceleration 4 AEther Vial 2 Chrome Mox Land 11 Mountain 4 Wooded Foothills 4 Karplusan Forest 1 Forest | Sideboard 4 Naturalize 4 Blood Moon 4 Pyrostatic Pillar 3 Goblin King |
Affinity has been hyped a lot in the past few months, so expect to face a lot of hate in the form of recurring Viridian Shamans and Naturalizes via Eternal Witness and Astral Slide, as well as the new Affinity-killer Wizards has promised. There is a very good chance that Affinity will be hated out of the format at least for the first few months of the rotation, and may or may not come back.
| UG MadnessMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
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Discard Outlets 4 Careful Study 4 Aquamoeba 4 Wild Mongrel 1 Thought Courrier 1 Merfolk Looter 1 Gigapede Discard Benefactors 4 Basking Rootwalla 4 Arrogant Wurm 4 Circular Logic 3 Deep Analysis 3 Roar of the Wurm 1 Wonder 1 Genesis | Search 3 Gifts Ungiven Land 8 Island 8 Forest 4 Yavimaya Coast 2 City of Brass | Sideboard 4 Naturalize 3 Stifle 3 Umezawa's Jitte 2 Rushing River 2 Quiet Speculation 1 Roar of the Wurm |
| Typical TogMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Creatures 4 Psychatog Counterspells 4 Force Spike 4 Counterspell 3 Circular Logic 3 Mana Leak Utility 4 Smother 3 Cunning Wish 3 Fact or Fiction 3 Deep Analysis 3 Engineered Plague 2 Upheaval | Land 13 Island 4 Polluted Delta 4 Underground River 3 Swamp | Sideboard 4 Vedalkan Shackles 2 Night of Souls' Betrayal 1 Hideous Laughter 1 Hibernation 1 Ghastly Demise 1 Fact or Fiction 1 Circular Logic 1 Engineered Plague 1 Stifle 1 Brain Freeze 1 Recoil |
The deck is still solid, but with combo disappearing you may want to start searching out the more aggressive R/G instead, as counterspells are less useful against aggro decks. If your field is filled with Plow Unders and slow decks, however, stick with Fish. Engineered Explosives is paticularly painful for this deck, and there's no way to stop it going second. Stifle will see a lot of switching in from the sideboard to combat Explosives, Deeds, Genesis, Circular Logic and Brain Freeze. Some versions of Fish are splashing white and making the deck more wizard-y, adding Meddling Mage, Patron Wizard and Stormscape Apprentice for extreme lockdowns.
| UR FishMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
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Creatures 4 Grim Lavamancer 4 Spiketail Hatchling 4 Voidmage Prodigy 3 Razorfin Hunter 3 Flametongue Kavu Utility 4 AEther Vial 4 Mana Leak 4 Fire // Ice 3 Sword of Fire and Ice 3 Echoing Truth 3 Standstill | Land 10 Island 7 Mountain 4 Shivan Reef | Sideboard 4 Hearth Kami 4 Blood Moon 4 Frostling 3 Stifle |
MAN that deck looks good. Every card in it is super-powerful.
New Arrivals or Returning Favorites:
| Ready, Aim, FireMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Creatures 4 Birds of Paradise 4 Llanowar Elves 4 Phantom Centaur 4 Thornscape Battlemage 4 Flametongue Kavu 3 Ravenous Baloth 2 Shivan Wurm 2 Arc-Slogger | Utility 4 Fires of Yavimaya 4 Magma Jet 2 Umezawa's Jitte 9 Forest 6 Mountain 4 City of Brass 4 Wooded Foothills | Sideboard 4 Naturalize 4 Plow Under 4 Troll Ascetic 3 Dosan, the Falling Leaf |
| R/G MadnessMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Creatures 4 Birds of Paradise 4 Basking Rootwalla 4 Wild Mongrel 4 Grim Lavamancer 4 Call of the Herd 4 Flametongue Kavu Utility 4 Assault/Battery 4 Violent Eruption 4 Magma Jet 2 Elephant Guide | Land 8 Forest 4 Mountain 4 Karplusan Forest 4 Wooded Foothills 2 Barbarian Ring | Sideboard 4 Naturalize 4 Phantom Centaur 4 Blood Moon 3 Choke |
| U/W controlMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
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Creatures 3 Eternal Dragon 2 Exalted Angel 2 Decree of Justice Control 4 Wrath of God 2 Akroma's Vengeance Counterspells 4 Counterspell 4 Force Spike 3 Absorb | Search 4 Serum Visions 3 Cunning Wish 3 Fact or Fiction 2 Renewed Faith Land 8 Island 5 Plains 4 Flooded Strand 4 Adarkar Wastes 3 Temple of the False God | Sideboard 4 Meddling Mage 2 Damping Matrix 2 Circle of Protection: Red 1 Arcane Laboratory 1 Disenchant 1 Fact or Fiction 1 Pulse of the Fields 1 Orim's Chant 1 Stifle 1 Absorb |
| DomainMagic OnlineOCTGN2ApprenticeBuy These Cards | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Land Search 4 Kodama's Reach 4 Rampant Growth 4 Sakura-Tribe Elder 3 Solemn Simulacrum Control 4 Collective Restraint 3 Global Ruin 3 Wrath of God 1 Clearwater Goblet Card Advantage 4 Allied Strategies 3 Bringer of the Black Dawn 1 All Suns' Dawn | Win Conditions 2 Genju of the Realm Land 11 Forest 5 Island 3 Plains 2 Swamp 2 Mountain 1 Boseiju, Who Shelters All | Sideboard 4 Pernicious Deed 4 Evasive Action 1 Akroma's Vengeance 1 Cranial Extraction 1 Wrath of God 1 Global Ruin 1 Cromat 1 Coalition Victory 1 Legacy Weapon |
Try this deck. I just threw that together and it's already ridiculous. Note that if a Tog player lets you leave Clearwater Goblet out long enough, they won't be able to kill you. Also note that with the huge amount of deck-shufflers, Plow Under isn't nearly so devastating as you should be rolling in land anyways.
"Plow Under."
"Okay. Sac Sakura-Tribe Elder to get a land back, shuffle. Untap, play a land, Kodama's Reach to get another land. Shuffle. :smile2:"
It's shaping up to be a pretty interesting post-rotation format. It almost makes me excited to leave my Tradewind Riders and Jackal Pups.
*Thanks to HKKID, morgan_coke and Dr. Tom for providing some of the decklists!*
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