I only play standard. Been playing for over 20 years. I've never had a standard format that I thought was really boring. There have been some imbalanced, or really bad mechanics (miracles), but never boring until now. There is so much overlap between cards all the decks really feel like the same deck.
There's plenty of room for brewspace. The control decks allow you to punish them by being the bigger deck. Aggro decks can be punished by boardwipes.
I actually think this format has been reasonably unexplored. Gideon and Avacyn are obvious the tier 1 threats but once you design decks to handle them, you can have a lot of success.
Just look at this insanity played by Saito to a top 32 finish last weekend at GP Minneapolis:
This format, just like all other formats, rewards you when you answer to the problems it's presenting. The above list does so by evasion, efficient counterspells, efficient threats (flash), and a 3 mana answer to Gideon and Avacyn.
I only play standard. Been playing for over 20 years. I've never had a standard format that I thought was really boring. There have been some imbalanced, or really bad mechanics (miracles), but never boring until now. There is so much overlap between cards all the decks really feel like the same deck.
I, on the other hand have rarely played standard, a long time ago extended was my fav format, now it's legacy, but its hard to find anyone playing a decent deck down here, and after being reluctant to join the EDH crew, I caved in and loved it, Particularly the french variant. Anyways, I think Standard will always be dominated by a handful of decks, and there's not too much we can do about it. I play it for the lulz with a brain deck, and I have a blast, don't think the format is boring per-se, its just stale with CoCo/Tokens being so explosive and with them sharing 1/2 colors some similarities are bound to emerge.
Feels like everything is an aggro midrange deck. Humans, Company, Aristocrats, there's no space for a red aggro deck and control gets punished pretty hard by the previous 3 decks.
You either haven't been playing for 20 years continuously or you are lying that you haven't had a standard that has been boring before this one, in your opinion at least. That's an incredibly long time to never find Standard boring. I find Standard boring at some point during every cycle. Right now I don't think that it's boring at all. There's still a lot that can be done with this Standard. If you think that every deck is similar you aren't trying very hard to be different. Just because somebody else isn't doing it for you doesn't mean there aren't different decks to be brewed.
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I've been playing Standard since INN-RTR, and I'd say that KTK-Origins standard was the most boring, and that was because of Takhir in general. Hated that plane.
Theros on the other hand I found VERY fun, probably first or second before INN-RTR, but RTR-THS was tied or close second imo.
i'd have to agree though that this standard is very much unexplored. I can literally come up with an FNM worthy deck almost every other day. Are the GP or PT competitive? Maybe not, but they work, and there is a ton to explore currently.
Inn-rtr and rtr-theros were the only standards i truly enjoyed. I honestly hate green as a color, and green has been disgustingly dominate in standard since the release of ktk. They have made green the color of efficient creatures, card advantage, ramp, and even answers. Meanwhile, red is stuck in this spot where it has no true identity, black kills things, white exiles things and flys, and blue doesnt get to do any of the things it is supposed to do.
Um what? Don't you remember thragtusk during inn-rtr standard? And mono b devotion during rtr-ths standard? Largely hailed as the worst standard format because of the lack of variety? Sounds like you're complaining to complain..
Delver, mana leak, thragtusk, sphinx's rev, thoughtseize, pack rats, siege rhino - none of the tier 1 threats in SOI are on the level of these former format oppressors (except for maybe CoCo - but it requires a specific deck design) I don't understand the OP at all.
I wouldn't call it boring, but it is a bit simplistic and straight-forward. I only recently came back to MTG after a long hiatus. When I left it was Ravnica/Time Spiral and lots of neat interactions.
RTR-Theros was extremely stale. 4 decks dominated and literally nothing changed for 9 months because born of the gods and journey into nyx were extremely bad sets.
G/W Devotion made me quit standard. 20 cretures on board and 400 life isn't fun. The mirror could go over 2 hours.
Not sure what alternate dimension Maze's End and Mono-black devotion were comparable but it was not this one.
Edit: You didn't even mention jund superfriends that showed up with m15, i feel like youre totally misremembering the format
Man, have you ever played Standard when Darksteel came out?
Lol yeah that was a "fun" time, just like all the fun to be had after New Phyrexia. Ooh what about Tempest/Urza's there's a fun one, so fun they banned like a dozen cards to essentially kill every deck in the format and start over. I got out of standard shortly after OGW came out, after less than 2 years of actually playing it, but I've been playing on and off since right before Onslaught. Got so bored with standard in general in that short time, thought it was my deck, changed deck, played the new one twice and dropped the format. Been focusing on Modern since, got my deck finished just before I dropped standard and it's so much better, even during Eldrazipalooza (luckily my local meta never got hit, and I only ran into it once or twice.)
i was the guy playing mardu burn during rtr-theros was such a great format, firedrinker satyr + eidolon + boros charm all in one format, was great
edit: theres always one deck in standard that is just far better than the rest (well, this actually was not really true during inn-rtr, they really got standard right back then). people always will complain about said deck, because thats what people do. this format is the snoozefest that is gideon + sylvan advocate. yes, all of them have these two cards in it and yes, it is incredibly boring.
I couldn't agree more. Literally just created an account to comment on this thread.
Granted, RTR-THS standard became pretty excruciating (I hope I never have to play against pack rat again). In fact, I think as a format it was probably quite a bit worse than the current one. But everyone knew that standard was bad, and article after article reiterated it. Even R&D has acknowledged that Thoughtseize was a mistake that badly damaged the format.
What's driving me nuts about this format is that the narrative is the opposite. All the coverage of the recent GPs praised the diversity of this amazing standard format, yet look at the top 8. GP Minneapolis had 5 humans decks, 2 tokens, and one BW control (basically Gideon and Avacyn-- cards in most of the humans/company decks-- and like 20 removal spells). And these results weren't aberrant-- mtggoldfish has well over 50% of the metagame as a very similar mix of aggro humans, midrange humans, and BW control. Sure, I'm lumping Bant company in with Bant humans, and the aggro decks have three slightly different versions, but come on. Those are all basically one big deck, with Bant humans being the apotheosis, the final amalgam of aggro humans and Bant company. Hilariously, on both CFB and TCGplayer this week there were articles praising the "innovation" of adding Eldrazi Displacer to this deck. It's like everyone forgot that that exact "innovation" already happened to Bant company the second week of standard, before the PT even.
Admittedly, a few "brews" also came out of the GP weekend, but I find it pretty tough to get excited about a deck with 12 Welkin Terns and 8 of the worst counterspells we've ever had in standard. On the bright side, Modern is genuinely sweet these days, as were the three glorious weeks of TSP block flashback drafts on MTGO.
every standard format is the most boring standard format in someone's mind. it's quite natural. personally I'm not a huge fan of the format because there are some frustrating fun polices. one is secure the wastes + westvale abbey. this interaction can render decks useless. the second one is GW tokens. this deck is almost impossible to attack if your game plan is a reactive one. you have to have a faster goldfish and enough blockers to gum up the ground.
however, from an objective viewpoint this standard is pretty good. there are many good decks and they are all quite equal in powerlevel, so I really can't complain.
I feel that this format is interesting so far. IMO, the last format of KTK block-BFZ block was the most boring in a few years with all the 4 colour goodstuff decks running around.
I like a lot of the decks now because there's some decks I find interesting
I feel the big problem in this standard is how poorly balanced the colors are. White is everywhere, since it has the best removal, the best tribal support and the most efficient creatures (debatable, yes, but it has to be a close second at least in all those categories). On the other hand of the spectrum, we have blue which is basically a splash color only (Jace, Vryn's Prodigy and a handful of counterspells and gold cards) while red's removal is sub-par and misses too often against Human tribal.
I will agree that the power levels of the colors are a bit skewed, however the format as a whole offers a ton of synergy and brews possible as well, and good synergy can beat shear value. Almost any of the decks listed in the Deck Creation forum can beat at least 1 of the Proven/Established Decks with a fair bit of consistency.
This format is medium to me. Somewhat open and fun, but the three obviously best cards are Sylvan Advocate, Gideon, Ally of Zendikar, and Archangel Avacyn... the resulting deck just about builds itself when the 2, 4 and 5 spots on the curve are that obvious.
Aside from Gideon being a bit too strong I think the format's fine.
I don't think the number of tier 1 decks is a good barometer for the health of a format. There's just not enough interaction right now. Whoever curves out better wins.
so i was yesterday on local standard tournament first time after short break of few months...i played 4 rounds and all of my opponensts were playing gideons and 2 of them had nissa also...when i saw other decks i found it rly boring.
I was borrowed b/w control from friend cause i always play something like that...and the only reason why i didnt have 4 gideons is that fiend of mine was playing them in g/w aggro.
meta was something like this...
1x g/w humans
1x g/w tokens
2x mono white aggro
2x jeskai midrange(he also had gideons)
1x mono red eldrazi
1x elfs
1x aristocrats
1x b/w control(i was playing this)
1x some kind of midrange eldrazi(i was not paying attention)
so 7 decks were playing gideons...
So it sounds like you should be playing some planeswalker hate eh? Don't complain about the state of the meta game if you aren't willing to brew up something to beat it.
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I actually think this format has been reasonably unexplored. Gideon and Avacyn are obvious the tier 1 threats but once you design decks to handle them, you can have a lot of success.
Just look at this insanity played by Saito to a top 32 finish last weekend at GP Minneapolis:
4 Dimensional Infiltrator
4 Rattlechains
4 Stratus Dancer
4 Goldnight Castigator
Sorcery (4)
4 Exquisite Firecraft
Instant (12)
4 Fiery Impulse
4 Clash of Wills
4 Spell Shrivel
4 Fevered Visions
Land (24)
9 Mountain
7 Island
4 Wandering Fumarole
4 Shivan Reef
4 Goblin Dark-Dwellers
4 Negate
4 Roast
3 Seismic Rupture
This format, just like all other formats, rewards you when you answer to the problems it's presenting. The above list does so by evasion, efficient counterspells, efficient threats (flash), and a 3 mana answer to Gideon and Avacyn.
This format is only as boring as you make it.
I'm officially proposing we retire the word "insane" from the MtG vocabulary.
"The best way to be different is to be better" - Gene Muir
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I, on the other hand have rarely played standard, a long time ago extended was my fav format, now it's legacy, but its hard to find anyone playing a decent deck down here, and after being reluctant to join the EDH crew, I caved in and loved it, Particularly the french variant. Anyways, I think Standard will always be dominated by a handful of decks, and there's not too much we can do about it. I play it for the lulz with a brain deck, and I have a blast, don't think the format is boring per-se, its just stale with CoCo/Tokens being so explosive and with them sharing 1/2 colors some similarities are bound to emerge.
Cheers!
2013?
Was that INN and RTR?
That was a good standard.
THS was really underwhelming, but I don't think it been always bad since then.
Modern
xWBreakfast at Urza'sxW
UWGBantUWG
GWRNaya ZooRWG
Theros on the other hand I found VERY fun, probably first or second before INN-RTR, but RTR-THS was tied or close second imo.
i'd have to agree though that this standard is very much unexplored. I can literally come up with an FNM worthy deck almost every other day. Are the GP or PT competitive? Maybe not, but they work, and there is a ton to explore currently.
UWRjeskai nahiri UWR
UBRgrixis titi UBR
UBRgrixis delverUBR
UR ur kikimite UR
EDH
RUG Riku of Two Reflections RUG
UBR Marchesa, the Black Rose UBR
UBRGYidris, Maelstrom Wielder UBRG
UBRJeleva, Nephalia's ScourgeUBR
G/W Devotion made me quit standard. 20 cretures on board and 400 life isn't fun. The mirror could go over 2 hours.
Edit: You didn't even mention jund superfriends that showed up with m15, i feel like youre totally misremembering the format
Lol yeah that was a "fun" time, just like all the fun to be had after New Phyrexia. Ooh what about Tempest/Urza's there's a fun one, so fun they banned like a dozen cards to essentially kill every deck in the format and start over. I got out of standard shortly after OGW came out, after less than 2 years of actually playing it, but I've been playing on and off since right before Onslaught. Got so bored with standard in general in that short time, thought it was my deck, changed deck, played the new one twice and dropped the format. Been focusing on Modern since, got my deck finished just before I dropped standard and it's so much better, even during Eldrazipalooza (luckily my local meta never got hit, and I only ran into it once or twice.)
edit: theres always one deck in standard that is just far better than the rest (well, this actually was not really true during inn-rtr, they really got standard right back then). people always will complain about said deck, because thats what people do. this format is the snoozefest that is gideon + sylvan advocate. yes, all of them have these two cards in it and yes, it is incredibly boring.
UWRjeskai nahiri UWR
UBRgrixis titi UBR
UBRgrixis delverUBR
UR ur kikimite UR
EDH
RUG Riku of Two Reflections RUG
UBR Marchesa, the Black Rose UBR
UBRGYidris, Maelstrom Wielder UBRG
UBRJeleva, Nephalia's ScourgeUBR
Granted, RTR-THS standard became pretty excruciating (I hope I never have to play against pack rat again). In fact, I think as a format it was probably quite a bit worse than the current one. But everyone knew that standard was bad, and article after article reiterated it. Even R&D has acknowledged that Thoughtseize was a mistake that badly damaged the format.
What's driving me nuts about this format is that the narrative is the opposite. All the coverage of the recent GPs praised the diversity of this amazing standard format, yet look at the top 8. GP Minneapolis had 5 humans decks, 2 tokens, and one BW control (basically Gideon and Avacyn-- cards in most of the humans/company decks-- and like 20 removal spells). And these results weren't aberrant-- mtggoldfish has well over 50% of the metagame as a very similar mix of aggro humans, midrange humans, and BW control. Sure, I'm lumping Bant company in with Bant humans, and the aggro decks have three slightly different versions, but come on. Those are all basically one big deck, with Bant humans being the apotheosis, the final amalgam of aggro humans and Bant company. Hilariously, on both CFB and TCGplayer this week there were articles praising the "innovation" of adding Eldrazi Displacer to this deck. It's like everyone forgot that that exact "innovation" already happened to Bant company the second week of standard, before the PT even.
Admittedly, a few "brews" also came out of the GP weekend, but I find it pretty tough to get excited about a deck with 12 Welkin Terns and 8 of the worst counterspells we've ever had in standard. On the bright side, Modern is genuinely sweet these days, as were the three glorious weeks of TSP block flashback drafts on MTGO.
however, from an objective viewpoint this standard is pretty good. there are many good decks and they are all quite equal in powerlevel, so I really can't complain.
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I like a lot of the decks now because there's some decks I find interesting
I think the format is MUCH worse than KTK-BFZ.
UR Blue-Red Control
Modern:
UBR Grixis Control
UWR Jeskai Control
WBC Eldrazi & Taxes CBW
UR Keep on Cantripin' (UR Phoenix) RU
WU Surprise! It's not UW Control! (UW Midrange) UW
BG The Rock, Straight BG
U Mono-Blue Fish U
RBW Mardu Pyromancer BWR
RG Rabble! Rabble! (GR Blood Moon Aggro) GR
Legacy
W Death & Taxes W
Aside from Gideon being a bit too strong I think the format's fine.
GW ~ Angels ~ WG
Modern:
RBW ~ Shadowmancer ~ WBR
Legacy:
BUG ~ Shadow Delver ~ GUB
So it sounds like you should be playing some planeswalker hate eh? Don't complain about the state of the meta game if you aren't willing to brew up something to beat it.
Modern
xWBreakfast at Urza'sxW
UWGBantUWG
GWRNaya ZooRWG