Have to say this, that sure looks like fun. Chandra, Sunbirds and Compass... After the match, they are going to be sitting there asking what just ran over me?
the problem that I have been having with Grixis at my LGS is that they are keen to my sideboard plan of trading out Approach for Gearhulk and Nezahal. They bring in their Duress, Negate, and Disallow. While still leaving in an Abrade and multiples of Vraska's Contempt. All while landing a turn 2 Glint-sleeve Siphoner which is nightmare if Baffling end is not available right away.
Questioning whether Glyph Keeper would be useful with its recursion and semi-hexproof.
This is a 5-0 list that has Glyph Keeper and Slash of Talons in the side. I am liking Baffling End more and more. Being playing around with the 4 color list I posted a few days ago, but the straight UW version is just so smooth right now. But is it good enough for Approach not to need to splash a 3rd color? Not sure. For me, what it really just comes down to is, do you want to splash a 3rd color for the instant speed early spot removal and some sideboard cards? And I am not sure how to answer that. UW or Esper/Jeskai (I consider the Bant version a very different deck than those 3) are pretty much the same except the 1/2 mana spot removal. Can UW stand on it on without them? I am leaning towards yes. But still playing with the new cards and waiting to see how the new meta plays out.
Thanks for the suggestion, I do feel like having 2-3 walkers in the sideboard would work well. Still playing with the numbers and cards, hopefully, I will get to playtest with some friends at my LGS this weekend. But the deck just runs very smoothly, surprisingly smooth. But I have not gone up against any control list either so.... I will post a new list in a few days once I bang on it some more.
@Xaltair - I like the direction your deck is going. Thanks for the nice write up also. Approach really seems like a deck that can flourish from a lot of different ideas.
Not sure if you guys have seen this yet. 4 Color Mastermind's Acquisition Approach. It is basically Bant Approach with black to run Mastermind's Acquisition. I started playing testing it a few days ago and it is so much fun. And surprisingly good. Combine the ramp with being able to grab any card from your library and/or sideboard is crazy. I think it needs a little tweaking, it feels like it is about 90% there. I am still trying to get the sideboard right. There are so many silver bullets you can add to it. I have moved one of the Approachs to the side and added Fatal Push main. That seemed to help smooth out the early game.
Yes, it looks jankly as hell. I know. I laughed when I first saw it. But after spending a few hours with it, I will be ordering the paper cards today. I am going to the GP in Memphis is a few weeks and this just may be what I take there.
@Kangha94 - Thanks for the post, really like the list. Been trying it out the last few days with really good success. There have been some games where I drop Nezahal, Primal Tide in game 1 then just beat them down with him. The nice thing about that is they don't see approach, so they have no idea what I am playing in game 2. Also, I have been very impressed with Baffling End. It may be the 2 drop we have been missing. The fact that the creature goes away, even if they remove the enchantment is so nice, we really don't care about the 3/3 it leaves behind.
The only change I have made so far is swapping one of the Cast Outs for a Ixalan's Binding. Being able to make one card go away for the rest of the game is so nice.
It is nice to be back on UW. I really like the 3 color versions, but UW is so much more consistent and Baffling End seems like it is the early interaction the deck needed.
I run 3 Cast outs and 1 Binding main. This combination seems to work well. Gives me the instant speed or cycling of cast out but I still have a silver bullet against threats I don't want to deal with repeatedly. If I have room, I will run 1 bindings in the sideboard also.
Looks like UW is making a comeback over the 3 color list. With results like Athelas, W/U APPROACH by Beau Innis and W/U APPROACH by Maxwell Dresslar in Dallas, seems like Baffling End may just be the card the deck needed to run just UW. I know it makes the mana base some much easier.
Also, a 1 of Slaughter the Strong so far has been really strong, I don't want to run more than one but most of the time I am really happy to draw it. Nice to be able to do a board wipe and keep a counter back on turn 5.
UW Cycling is tough because they have a ton of counters and so much cycling to draw into whatever they need. What has worked best so far for me is don't let them resolve/keep their Abandoned Sarcophagus. Or run Savaging Grounds to wipe the graveyards. Allowing them to flash back everything thing in their yard is to much card advantage to overcome.
Silent Gravestone is a new card that could help also. Seems very solid but have not tested it yet.
Notes about card choices:
Baffling End is amazing. I'm not going below 4 any time soon. Scrounger didn't feel like threat anymore.
Azor is way better than he seems. A lot of decks can't even kill him, and often one activation is game over.
Nezahal is a must one-of in sideboard. If you are not severely behind, you won't lose after casting this.
Arch of Orazca is very good 1-of. Search for Azcanta needs to go out vs Aggro, but Arch still gives free late game value if you and aggro both topdeck.
Gratz on the nice results! And thanks for posting your list, it is very sweet.
Glad to hear about Azor, I have wanted to try him by not quite sure how good he is. I will definitely do some playtesting with him. Same with Nezahal.
I really hate suggesting making changes to a winning list but... I would suggest at least one Ixalan's Binding. It has done so much work for me against almost every deck. Just my 2 cents, your mileage my vary.
2. I feel the kitties are essential here to stabalize life. I basically follow the gameplan for #1 because that is what is available in my sideboard. And I'll apologize for continuing to promote the same card, but I really believe Baffling End helps here too. I think it is the UW version of Fatal Push. Enchantment speed but will take out another tier of creature unless they have Revolt triggered. . .
In almost every list I run 2 Sunscourge Champion and 3 Regal Caracal, I bring in these 5 against any fast deck. The champs come down on turn 3, gain 2 life, then chump block. Comes back on turn 4, gains 4 and chumps again. I have found the cats are not very good by themselves. I really what to play 2 in a row. Or 1-2 Champs then a Cat. Some combination of those really helps most aggro matchups.
Here is a list of the top 32 Standard PTQ decks. STANDARD PTQ. There is a lot of Grixis Midrange (a great matchup for us), a bunch of Rx Aggro decks (comes down to who has the better hand, in my experience) and 1 Esper Approach deck (#13). The list is pretty interesting because it looks like a UB control list that splashes white for Approach. Will have to do some testing.
As far as the ongoing discussion (please let's keep it a discussion instead of turning into 'my deck is better and you are stupid') it really comes down to personal preference. I played just about every version of Approach the last 4-5 months. I have done really well with each and have gotten crushed with all of them also. The Scarab God is one of the strongest cards in standard right now. I feel if you can run him, you should. That is one of the main reasons I am on Esper. But one of the guys at my LGS is on UW and top 4's almost every week. The Jeskai version is a lot of fun to play it feels like it is better against aggro decks. So just play what you want. /rant
For me, in the Esper version, when I started running 26 lands with 3 Fetid Pools and 3 Irrigated Farmland it really helped smooth out the mana base. Best case is to drop one of them on turn 1 tapped and you should be fine the rest of the game. At some point, you will be playing another tapped, but you can usually work around it. And I run 2 Field of Ruin in all my decks. There are too many Enchantment/Lands now, you have to have a way to get rid of them. In a control mirror, if I have a flipped Search and you don't, I feel like I am so far ahead.
As far as Nezahal, Primal Tide, I have not played many games with him yet but the ones I did, he ended them quickly. Not 100% sold on him but will keep testing.
I’ve been experimenting on mtgo with [card]mastermind’s aquisition[\card]
So far it shows a lot of promis.
A little slow, but when it works well it work very well.
Mastermind's Acquisition is going to be very interesting to see how this is used. Being able to have 3-5 silver bullets in your sideboard that you can tutor up as needed does seem very strong. The first thing that comes to mind is having 1 Approach in your sideboard that you can go get after you have been hit with Lost Legacy or a specific card to counter what your opponent has boarded in. Grabbing any card out of your deck or your sideboard for 4 mana does not sound like a bad deal. I think there will be a lot of games where it is just a dead card but also there are going to be times where it just it just wins you games.
What decks do you bring in the scarab god vs?
Also - with bans, do we need cat anymore in SB?
I usually board out approach in Game 2 and just turn the deck into an Esper Control (UB control with the board wipes). This has worked really well for me. Most of the time opponents don't know what to board out, they have not seen any creatures so they will take out most of their removal. Or do they leave some in case we do bring in dudes? It puts them in a bad spot. Against decks that can board in counters, it is hard to bank on winning by casting Approach. Or at least have a very solid plan B.
Cats are our best answer to aggro decks, that and Sun Champs. With the meta getting faster, I think we will still need them.
Announcement Date: January 15, 2018
Standard:
Attune with Aether is banned.
Rogue Refiner is banned.
Rampaging Ferocidon is banned.
Ramunap Ruins is banned.
I Wizard's just did a reset on Standard. It should be really interesting to see what decks float up to the top now. I think The Scarab God is going to be the powerhouse card now. It is already strong but it is going to be more so now. I have been playing Esper Approach mainly so I could run him in my sideboard and will continue to do so. Maybe even try running straight U/B Control some also.
It just depends on how you build the list and personal preference. I usually run 10-12 counters in my Approach list (what can I say, I just like to say 'No'). 3-4 Censor, 3-4 Disallow, and 3-4 Supreme. Sometimes I will swap the Supremes for Essence Scatter. A lot of the Esper list I have seen lean towards Disallow because, after sideboarding, they side out the Approaches and just turn into a U/B control list.
The double blue on turn 3 in either Jeskai or Esper really is not that hard, it helps if you know you are trying to get it and start working towards it on turn 1.
I think Wizards is going to do ban 1-3 cards from Entergy Monday. If that happens it is going to open up the format, not necessarily in our favor. Right now, Temur is keeping Ramp Red in check. As well as all the others aggro decks. Once Temur is cut off at the knees, I feel like, with the new set, the meta is going to become a lot faster. Even if nothing gets banned, there are going to be a lot of tribal decks that are very fast, which is currently the best way to beat energy decks (other than control ). We are going to have to adjust our list to accommodate that. I personally don't like to see cards getting banned. Players have spent a lot of money and time building energy decks just so wizards can come back and say they are too strong. It is not good for the game. Don't get me wrong, Temur Energy is not good for standard, the mechanic should have never been printed, but that is a different conversation.
One card I have been playing testing is Slaughter the Strong and been very happy with it. 3 mana to cut the board down to just 0-2 creatures has been doing a lot of work so far. And because it is a sacrifice not a destroy it hits everything. Not 100% sold on it and really not sure what I would cut from my list to make it fit, but will keep testing. Let me know if you guys find anything with the new set that really stands out and your thoughts on the upcoming banning tomorrow.
Have to say this, that sure looks like fun. Chandra, Sunbirds and Compass... After the match, they are going to be sitting there asking what just ran over me?
Also this is a pretty interesting version of Esper Approach, ESPER APPROACH DECK, BY DANIEL CRAVO
W/U APPROACH by Gerald_of_Riviera
This is a 5-0 list that has Glyph Keeper and Slash of Talons in the side. I am liking Baffling End more and more. Being playing around with the 4 color list I posted a few days ago, but the straight UW version is just so smooth right now. But is it good enough for Approach not to need to splash a 3rd color? Not sure. For me, what it really just comes down to is, do you want to splash a 3rd color for the instant speed early spot removal and some sideboard cards? And I am not sure how to answer that. UW or Esper/Jeskai (I consider the Bant version a very different deck than those 3) are pretty much the same except the 1/2 mana spot removal. Can UW stand on it on without them? I am leaning towards yes. But still playing with the new cards and waiting to see how the new meta plays out.
Anyone else here going to GP Memphis?
Not sure if you guys have seen this yet. 4 Color Mastermind's Acquisition Approach. It is basically Bant Approach with black to run Mastermind's Acquisition. I started playing testing it a few days ago and it is so much fun. And surprisingly good. Combine the ramp with being able to grab any card from your library and/or sideboard is crazy. I think it needs a little tweaking, it feels like it is about 90% there. I am still trying to get the sideboard right. There are so many silver bullets you can add to it. I have moved one of the Approachs to the side and added Fatal Push main. That seemed to help smooth out the early game.
Yes, it looks jankly as hell. I know. I laughed when I first saw it. But after spending a few hours with it, I will be ordering the paper cards today. I am going to the GP in Memphis is a few weeks and this just may be what I take there.
Here is an article on it. Instant Deck Tech: Four-Color Acquisition (Standard)
1 Shefet Monitor
Spell 32
4 Approach of the Second Sun
1 Battle at the Bridge
3 Beneath the Sands
4 Fumigate
4 Gift of Paradise
4 Hour of Promise
2 Ixalan's Binding
4 Mastermind's Acquisition
1 Never // Return
2 Settle the Wreckage
3 Vraska's Contempt
Land 27
1 Arch of Orazca
4 Blooming Marsh
3 Concealed Courtyard
3 Forest
3 Hashep Oasis
2 Ifnir Deadlands
1 Ipnu Rivulet
1 Island
1 Plains
1 Profane Procession
3 Scattered Groves
1 Shefet Dunes
2 Sunpetal Grove
1 Swamp
1 Bontu's Last Reckoning
4 Duress
1 Forsake the Worldly
1 Nezahal, Primal Tide
1 Pull from Tomorrow
4 Regal Caracal
1 Slice in Twain
1 The Scarab God
1 Wildest Dreams
The only change I have made so far is swapping one of the Cast Outs for a Ixalan's Binding. Being able to make one card go away for the rest of the game is so nice.
It is nice to be back on UW. I really like the 3 color versions, but UW is so much more consistent and Baffling End seems like it is the early interaction the deck needed.
Looks like UW is making a comeback over the 3 color list. With results like Athelas, W/U APPROACH by Beau Innis and W/U APPROACH by Maxwell Dresslar in Dallas, seems like Baffling End may just be the card the deck needed to run just UW. I know it makes the mana base some much easier.
Also, a 1 of Slaughter the Strong so far has been really strong, I don't want to run more than one but most of the time I am really happy to draw it. Nice to be able to do a board wipe and keep a counter back on turn 5.
Silent Gravestone is a new card that could help also. Seems very solid but have not tested it yet.
Gratz on the nice results! And thanks for posting your list, it is very sweet.
Glad to hear about Azor, I have wanted to try him by not quite sure how good he is. I will definitely do some playtesting with him. Same with Nezahal.
I really hate suggesting making changes to a winning list but... I would suggest at least one Ixalan's Binding. It has done so much work for me against almost every deck. Just my 2 cents, your mileage my vary.
In almost every list I run 2 Sunscourge Champion and 3 Regal Caracal, I bring in these 5 against any fast deck. The champs come down on turn 3, gain 2 life, then chump block. Comes back on turn 4, gains 4 and chumps again. I have found the cats are not very good by themselves. I really what to play 2 in a row. Or 1-2 Champs then a Cat. Some combination of those really helps most aggro matchups.
As far as the ongoing discussion (please let's keep it a discussion instead of turning into 'my deck is better and you are stupid') it really comes down to personal preference. I played just about every version of Approach the last 4-5 months. I have done really well with each and have gotten crushed with all of them also. The Scarab God is one of the strongest cards in standard right now. I feel if you can run him, you should. That is one of the main reasons I am on Esper. But one of the guys at my LGS is on UW and top 4's almost every week. The Jeskai version is a lot of fun to play it feels like it is better against aggro decks. So just play what you want. /rant
For me, in the Esper version, when I started running 26 lands with 3 Fetid Pools and 3 Irrigated Farmland it really helped smooth out the mana base. Best case is to drop one of them on turn 1 tapped and you should be fine the rest of the game. At some point, you will be playing another tapped, but you can usually work around it. And I run 2 Field of Ruin in all my decks. There are too many Enchantment/Lands now, you have to have a way to get rid of them. In a control mirror, if I have a flipped Search and you don't, I feel like I am so far ahead.
As far as Nezahal, Primal Tide, I have not played many games with him yet but the ones I did, he ended them quickly. Not 100% sold on him but will keep testing.
Mastermind's Acquisition is going to be very interesting to see how this is used. Being able to have 3-5 silver bullets in your sideboard that you can tutor up as needed does seem very strong. The first thing that comes to mind is having 1 Approach in your sideboard that you can go get after you have been hit with Lost Legacy or a specific card to counter what your opponent has boarded in. Grabbing any card out of your deck or your sideboard for 4 mana does not sound like a bad deal. I think there will be a lot of games where it is just a dead card but also there are going to be times where it just it just wins you games.
I usually board out approach in Game 2 and just turn the deck into an Esper Control (UB control with the board wipes). This has worked really well for me. Most of the time opponents don't know what to board out, they have not seen any creatures so they will take out most of their removal. Or do they leave some in case we do bring in dudes? It puts them in a bad spot. Against decks that can board in counters, it is hard to bank on winning by casting Approach. Or at least have a very solid plan B.
Cats are our best answer to aggro decks, that and Sun Champs. With the meta getting faster, I think we will still need them.
Standard:
Attune with Aether is banned.
Rogue Refiner is banned.
Rampaging Ferocidon is banned.
Ramunap Ruins is banned.
I Wizard's just did a reset on Standard. It should be really interesting to see what decks float up to the top now. I think The Scarab God is going to be the powerhouse card now. It is already strong but it is going to be more so now. I have been playing Esper Approach mainly so I could run him in my sideboard and will continue to do so. Maybe even try running straight U/B Control some also.
The double blue on turn 3 in either Jeskai or Esper really is not that hard, it helps if you know you are trying to get it and start working towards it on turn 1.
One card I have been playing testing is Slaughter the Strong and been very happy with it. 3 mana to cut the board down to just 0-2 creatures has been doing a lot of work so far. And because it is a sacrifice not a destroy it hits everything. Not 100% sold on it and really not sure what I would cut from my list to make it fit, but will keep testing. Let me know if you guys find anything with the new set that really stands out and your thoughts on the upcoming banning tomorrow.