My girlfriend and I are just getting back into the game. This weekend we opened / sorted 16 boxes between Return to Ravnica, Gatecrash and Dragon's Maze. Now, I'm looking to build two solid standard decks that lean heavily on RTR block. I am willing to purchase singles from INI and M13 but want to keep it to a minimum since rotation is coming up in 3 months. Appreciate any solid deck recommendations.
Bant hexproof is one of the best decks and really easy to play
Don't do that to him dude.
Play something with G/W in it, for sure, as you get the extremely solid base of Selesnya Charm/Loxodon Smiter/Voice of Resurgence/Advent of the Wurm that isn't rotating. I'd recommend Junk (G/W/B) so you can add good removal like Abrupt Decay and Putrefy.
For the other deck, you might consider something that isn't so good now but will be good after rotation like some flavor of Sphinx's Revelation deck with Aetherling/Supreme Verdict/Azorius Charm.
Jund is leaning most heavily on INN-block right now, so avoid that. Rites is as well.
Among that my playmates have made some easy decks using R/W boros, or G/W/ selesnya.
If you're looking for easy aggro to pilot:
R/W Boros (Assemble the Legion is intense. Probably the easiest aggro deck to pilot from my experience.)
(G/W) Selesnya (populate rocks if you keep pumping out tokens)
Easy control (from my experience):
W/B Azorius (creature based/detain)
R/U Izzet (More of a counter/burn style, 10-12ish creatures)
assuming you're just willing to play in FNMs and casual, i would say the new naya zoo is a good deck that relies on a lot of RTR block cards. the only cards worth mentioning that are at risk due to rotation Sunpetal grove, rootbound cragand rancor and a couple other un/commons. the thing is, you'd have to get voice of resurgence which is stupid expensive right now or just find a budget replacement.
that's the only deck that i can think of that is not currently running high-value cards that are due for rotation.
Thanks for the input everyone. I'm looking to be relatively competitive (was very much a spike last time I played). I'll check out some of the ideas you guys have mentioned.
My girlfriend and I are just getting back into the game. This weekend we opened / sorted 16 boxes between Return to Ravnica, Gatecrash and Dragon's Maze.
16 boxes!
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"Because we cannot prevent draws in paper Magic we allow IDs. If we could prevent draws we would not have IDs in paper Magic. " Scott Larabee.
Thanks for the input everyone. I'm looking to be relatively competitive (was very much a spike last time I played). I'll check out some of the ideas you guys have mentioned.
Thanks again,
Mr_Zero
Definitely look into Junk/Naya Midrange or UW/x Control. These decks are reliable, competitive, and lean heavily on RTR block cards.
Here's one of my favorite lists that will stay pretty solid post-rotation:
Standard
:symr::symw::symu:Control:symr::symw::symu:
:symb::symw::symg:Midrange:symb::symw::symg:
Modern Decks
:symu::symr::symw:Delver:symu::symr::symw:
:symw::symg:Hatebears:symw::symg:
:symu::symr::symw:Breakfast at Urza's a.k.a. mEGGaTron:symu::symr::symw:
trust me, you're gonna want to play hexproof. Its veryy easy to play and highly competitive. Its also a good deck to learn the basic fundamentals of playing competitive magic.
Control may be RTR block heavy, but it is not easy to win with. you might as well invest in a deck that you can win a lot with and profit now, rather than assemble staples for rotation. You can do that through winnings anyway.
trust me, you're gonna want to play hexproof. Its veryy easy to play and highly competitive. Its also a good deck to learn the basic fundamentals of playing competitive magic.
Control may be RTR block heavy, but it is not easy to win with. you might as well invest in a deck that you can win a lot with and profit now, rather than assemble staples for rotation. You can do that through winnings anyway.
You need at least three GoST to play it and I don't believe it worth investing in one of the most expensive standard cards before it rotates (even if it may retain value etc. etc.).
My suggestion would be to play some form of Naya Aggro/Zoo since it's staying largely intact post rotation and is highly competitive. Not having Thundermaw may be a problem but Wolfir Silverheart is a decent substitution.
You need at least three GoST to play it and I don't believe it worth investing in one of the most expensive standard cards before it rotates (even if it may retain value etc. etc.).
My suggestion would be to play some form of Naya Aggro/Zoo since it's staying largely intact post rotation and is highly competitive. Not having Thundermaw may be a problem but Wolfir Silverheart is a decent substitution.
we're talking about a standard card that doesn't rotate for 5 months. Its a modern staple, and slowly becoming a legacy staple. It gets even better with the new legend rule come July.
I honestly don't understand why you'd recommend a midrange deck to someone who wants to learn competitive. Midrange is NOT easy to play. I GUARANTEE you that you WILL profit from playing hexproof. 5 months is a very long time. your $80 investment in a playset of Geist of Saint Traft will seem like nothing compared to the amount of packs/credit you can win with that deck.
That deck is nottttt hard to master. and its nut draw beats 95% of decks in standard. I can't really think of many decks that can beat a turn 2 geist followed by unflinching courage and ethreal armor (which are both RTR block cards if you're worried)
I'd also like to put in a plug for a deck like bant hexproof or something like naya midrange (the value town decks) but alas the latter takes a lot of INN/M13 staples. For just RTR block, invest or borrow a set of geists and go to town. Its got a fairly straightforward decision tree and is fun to play as well.
we're talking about a standard card that doesn't rotate for 5 months. Its a modern staple, and slowly becoming a legacy staple. It gets even better with the new legend rule come July.
It will likely drop along with most standard cards as we near rotation.Regardless of what people think about GoST, Liliana and etc. they will see a dip in price. That's not to say they won't eventually return to their original/increase in price (I sold mine and plan on picking them back up at the opportune time) but there's no point in investing in them now if you're primarily looking to hop back into standard. Regardless, the OP was very clear with his wants. Suggesting Bant Auras is suggesting he inverse.
I honestly don't understand why you'd recommend a midrange deck to someone who wants to learn competitive. Midrange is NOT easy to play. I GUARANTEE you that you WILL profit from playing hexproof. 5 months is a very long time. your $80 investment in a playset of Geist of Saint Traft will seem like nothing compared to the amount of packs/credit you can win with that deck.
You're exaggerating a bit. Bant Auras is a meta call and far from a sure thing. It actually been showing up in paper rather infrequently lately (shows up more on MODO). Furthermore, what I suggested was clearly not Midrange. One of the decks I mentioned has aggro in the name. At the very least, Naya Aggro is more competitive than Bant Auras right now if that's how you want to judge this.
That deck is nottttt hard to master. and its nut draw beats 95% of decks in standard. I can't really think of many decks that can beat a turn 2 geist followed by unflinching courage and ethreal armor (which are both RTR block cards if you're worried)
How often does that nut draw occur? One of the main knocks on Bant Auras is that it's inconsistent (combo reliant and color screw prone). A nut draw that beats 95% of the meta but only assembles itself 5% of the time is useless. Something like Naya Blitz can nut draw so much more frequently.
Lastly, OP never said he was a beginner just re-entering the game. Odds are he knows all about archetypes.
I thought the same thing. At the thought of that, I think i got some drool on my keyboard.
Anyways, for the OP, I'm not too well versed on competitive play, it's a bit out of my price range. But good luck on your deck building and I hope you two have a blast and kick some butt!
I honestly don't understand why you'd recommend a midrange deck to someone who wants to learn competitive. Midrange is NOT easy to play. I GUARANTEE you that you WILL profit from playing hexproof. 5 months is a very long time. your $80 investment in a playset of Geist of Saint Traft will seem like nothing compared to the amount of packs/credit you can win with that deck.
That deck is nottttt hard to master. and its nut draw beats 95% of decks in standard. I can't really think of many decks that can beat a turn 2 geist followed by unflinching courage and ethreal armor (which are both RTR block cards if you're worried)
rotation is in about 3 1/2 months, not 5mos.
this is what i think about GoST with the legendary rule change....banned. Its speculation,but i will honestly think it will end up on the ban list one day.
Mid-range is not hard to play at all. not as simple as aggro, but definitely not hard. Esp when DTG99 recommended Naya mid. all it is is ramp, play big creatures and abuse thrag + resto.
bant auras is semi-competitive. its pretty inconsistent, but works well when it works. i wouldnt call it the one of the best as you said previously. its a tier 1.5 deck at best. Plus playing bant auras will not make you a good player. not even close. if you want to get good, you play mid-range, control or at least something interactive. Hell even R/g aggro is harder to play that bant auras.
Esp when DTG99 recommended Naya mid. all it is is ramp, play big creatures and abuse thrag + resto.
You guys are freaking me out, I had to go back and check to see if I really did say Midrange.
I didn't.:D
I'm talking about the non-Farseek, Saito-esque Naya that's doing work right now. I don't think Midrange is difficult to play, I just didn't suggest it because I would stay far away from Thragtusk right now. Same goes for Resto even though she sees some modern play. They will/are dropping like rocks.
this is what i think about GoST with the legendary rule change....banned. Its speculation,but i will honestly think it will end up on the ban list one day.
Mid-range is not hard to play at all. not as simple as aggro, but definitely not hard. Esp when DTG99 recommended Naya mid. all it is is ramp, play big creatures and abuse thrag + resto.
bant auras is semi-competitive. its pretty inconsistent, but works well when it works. i wouldnt call it the one of the best as you said previously. its a tier 1.5 deck at best. Plus playing bant auras will not make you a good player. not even close. if you want to get good, you play mid-range, control or at least something interactive. Hell even R/g aggro is harder to play that bant auras.
I would also suggest a deck like naya midrange or something HOWEVER, you guys are forgetting the OPs clause. He wants a deck with little INN/M13 staples. Good luck playing Naya midrange without angels and thragtusks and maybe thundermaws. That alone is a heft investment. Bant auras was suggested by kevindudu since its a deck that literally only needs the geists to run.
I would also suggest a deck like naya midrange or something HOWEVER, you guys are forgetting the OPs clause. He wants a deck with little INN/M13 staples. Good luck playing Naya midrange without angels and thragtusks and maybe thundermaws. That alone is a heft investment. Bant auras was suggested by kevindudu since its a deck that literally only needs the geists to run.
which is why i suggested the new naya zoo lists thats running around. some lists has very litte cards from ISD block and m13. mainly un/commons, rootbound crag and sunpetal. some lists include restoration angel and thalia,but they arent a must esp for regular REL.
Im just saying if you want to play a competitive deck that's easy to play, might as well play bant. You're gonna profit anyway. Like if you're gonna waste money on a set of thundermaw hellkite, might as well play geists instead. Turning creatures sideways is easy, and hexproof makes it even easier. At least Geist won't drop as hard as hellkites
LMAO at all the hexproof haters. Sam Black and Brian Kibler both posted this/last week that Bant Hexproof is probably the strongest deck in the format. The amount of "free wins" it can steal off unprepared opponents (of which almost 95% of the meta is unprepared to combat it) is unparalleled.
You may hate the mechanic, you may hate the combo-ish nature of the strategy, the ease of its decision trees or the fact its nigh-impossible to interact with Game 1, but it's being disingenuous to try and call the deck Tier 1.5. It is criminally under-represented on the Open circuit but it has some of the absolute best win percentages out of all existing archetypes.
I would not take Bant Hexproof to a 5k. It is much, much more consistent than detractors claim but it's not so consistent that I'd want to play 10+ rounds with it all day. However, it is most certainly consistent and explosive enough to sweep FNMs, Game Days, Win-A-Boxes and IQs, which is where the majority of low-tier competitive value is these days.
Geist may be banned in Modern, as that format is essentially defined by it's ban list, but he will be played in Legacy and EDH. His price may fluctuate slightly post-rotation but it will settle at it's current value or only go up over time. There is very little risk in investing in a playset now, particularly given how much product you could potentially win between now and rotation by playing them.
"Well, well, if it isn't the most diabolical haters this side of the Mississippi." Alters and Commissions at [URL="noodlesndoodlesalters.tumblr.com/"]Noodles & Doodles Alters[/URL]!
Have a helicopter drop you off out front. Light your cigar with a small Indonesian boy holding a black lotus. Then bust out a craw wurm deck with no sleeves. Raw dog shuffle, loose terribly, flip the table, leave in a hovercraft.
Im just saying if you want to play a competitive deck that's easy to play, might as well play bant. You're gonna profit anyway. Like if you're gonna waste money on a set of thundermaw hellkite, might as well play geists instead. Turning creatures sideways is easy, and hexproof makes it even easier. At least Geist won't drop as hard as hellkites
thats the thing, you're stuck on the idea that you have to buy thundermaw hellkite in order to run naya. you actually dont. there's a new lists of naya zoo that hardly includes expensive ISD and m13 card. the most expensive card in the new list at risk for rotation is thalia, guardian of thraben or sunpetal grove.
bant hexproof is a good deck to take to casual and regular REL event, but it doesnt make you a better player.
LMAO at all the hexproof haters. Sam Black and Brian Kibler both posted this/last week that Bant Hexproof is probably the strongest deck in the format. The amount of "free wins" it can steal off unprepared opponents (of which almost 95% of the meta is unprepared to combat it) is unparalleled.
You may hate the mechanic, you may hate the combo-ish nature of the strategy, the ease of its decision trees or the fact its nigh-impossible to interact with Game 1, but it's being disingenuous to try and call the deck Tier 1.5. It is criminally under-represented on the Open circuit but it has some of the absolute best win percentages out of all existing archetypes.
I would not take Bant Hexproof to a 5k. It is much, much more consistent than detractors claim but it's not so consistent that I'd want to play 10+ rounds with it all day. However, it is most certainly consistent and explosive enough to sweep FNMs, Game Days, Win-A-Boxes and IQs, which is where the majority of low-tier competitive value is these days.
1) i google and didnt find anything aobut them saying its probably the strongest deck in the format. Plus they did "say" PROBABLY.
2) criminally under-representative in the Opens? try again. if you actually watch the streams of the last 2 opens, you will especially hear the commentators say that theres a lot of bant hexproof running around multiple times.i cant remember which match talked about bant hexproof prominently but i'm guessing the jund mirror, aristocrat act 1 vs act 2 or one of the naya blitz feature matches.
Junk reanimator has been posting the best and most consistent results both on MTGO and Paper. Jund is just a good all around deck and R/g fits nicely in 3rd.
i would even say R/g aggro is a harder deck to pilot than Bant hexproof. at least it's interactive and does have a hard time getting over bigger creatures should it reach turn 5.
It's low cost and fairly high performance. The investment can pay itself off in 1 tournament and there aren't too many intricate synergies as much as brute force.
LMAO at all the hexproof haters. Sam Black and Brian Kibler both posted this/last week that Bant Hexproof is probably the strongest deck in the format. The amount of "free wins" it can steal off unprepared opponents (of which almost 95% of the meta is unprepared to combat it) is unparalleled.
You may hate the mechanic, you may hate the combo-ish nature of the strategy, the ease of its decision trees or the fact its nigh-impossible to interact with Game 1, but it's being disingenuous to try and call the deck Tier 1.5. It is criminally under-represented on the Open circuit but it has some of the absolute best win percentages out of all existing archetypes.
I would not take Bant Hexproof to a 5k. It is much, much more consistent than detractors claim but it's not so consistent that I'd want to play 10+ rounds with it all day. However, it is most certainly consistent and explosive enough to sweep FNMs, Game Days, Win-A-Boxes and IQs, which is where the majority of low-tier competitive value is these days.
Geist may be banned in Modern, as that format is essentially defined by it's ban list, but he will be played in Legacy and EDH. His price may fluctuate slightly post-rotation but it will settle at it's current value or only go up over time. There is very little risk in investing in a playset now, particularly given how much product you could potentially win between now and rotation by playing them.
Why so serious? Who cares how people feel about the deck. The whole point of this thread was for the OP to jump back into standard without investing heavily in ISD/M13. Saying "grab a play set of GoST" is the opposite, no matter how you feel about it's long-term potential. Lastly, you cannot prove Bant Auras would generate enough "free wins" to offset the investment in GoST or to make it worth running over any RTR centric deck for that matter. You guys make it sound like if he sleeves up the deck he'll auto win when that's blatantly far from the truth.
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My girlfriend and I are just getting back into the game. This weekend we opened / sorted 16 boxes between Return to Ravnica, Gatecrash and Dragon's Maze. Now, I'm looking to build two solid standard decks that lean heavily on RTR block. I am willing to purchase singles from INI and M13 but want to keep it to a minimum since rotation is coming up in 3 months. Appreciate any solid deck recommendations.
Thanks much,
Mr_Zero
UW
Don't do that to him dude.
Play something with G/W in it, for sure, as you get the extremely solid base of Selesnya Charm/Loxodon Smiter/Voice of Resurgence/Advent of the Wurm that isn't rotating. I'd recommend Junk (G/W/B) so you can add good removal like Abrupt Decay and Putrefy.
For the other deck, you might consider something that isn't so good now but will be good after rotation like some flavor of Sphinx's Revelation deck with Aetherling/Supreme Verdict/Azorius Charm.
Jund is leaning most heavily on INN-block right now, so avoid that. Rites is as well.
---
BRG Prossh, Skyraider of Kher
WUB Sharuum, the Hegemon
UGEdric, Spymaster of Trest
Some basic guild decks that I've had a blast with so far:
G/B Golgari based on the scavenge ability. It loves Self milling and it's favorite bugs are Deadbridge Goliath, Dreg Mangler, Corpsejack Menace, and Fungal Sprouting (for your post scavenging needs.) It's also got two beastly Primordial Hydras (He combos SO WELL with Corpsejack)
I also run a U/R Izzet Delver that basically is a counter/burn, backed up by guttersnipe, tokens, or a flipped delver of secrets from INI holding a Runechanter's Pike
Among that my playmates have made some easy decks using R/W boros, or G/W/ selesnya.
If you're looking for easy aggro to pilot:
R/W Boros (Assemble the Legion is intense. Probably the easiest aggro deck to pilot from my experience.)
(G/W) Selesnya (populate rocks if you keep pumping out tokens)
Easy control (from my experience):
W/B Azorius (creature based/detain)
R/U Izzet (More of a counter/burn style, 10-12ish creatures)
BGGolgari ScavengeGB
RUIzzet DelverUR
Modern
RUB Mishra's SpellbombsBUR
EDH:
UWBDakkon BlackbladeBWU
RUB ThraximundarBUR
that's the only deck that i can think of that is not currently running high-value cards that are due for rotation.
Thanks again,
Mr_Zero
16 boxes!
Definitely look into Junk/Naya Midrange or UW/x Control. These decks are reliable, competitive, and lean heavily on RTR block cards.
Here's one of my favorite lists that will stay pretty solid post-rotation:
RWU Control
Junk Midrange can be composed of all the goodstuff cards in RTR like Loxodon Smiter, Obzedat, Ghost Council, Blood Baron of Vizkopa, Putrefy, Abrupt Decay, Deathrite Shaman, the Guild Charms, and much more. These lists are very versatile and can be tuned to combat any particular deck.
Good Luck!
:symr::symw::symu:Control:symr::symw::symu:
:symb::symw::symg:Midrange:symb::symw::symg:
Modern Decks
:symu::symr::symw:Delver:symu::symr::symw:
:symw::symg:Hatebears:symw::symg:
:symu::symr::symw:Breakfast at Urza's a.k.a. mEGGaTron:symu::symr::symw:
Legacy Decks
:symu:Merfolk:symu:
:symr::symw:Goblins:symr::symw:
:symr::symu::symg:RUG Delver/Tempo Thresh:symr::symu::symg:
:symb::symr::symu::symw::symg:Dredge:symb::symr::symu::symw::symg:
Control may be RTR block heavy, but it is not easy to win with. you might as well invest in a deck that you can win a lot with and profit now, rather than assemble staples for rotation. You can do that through winnings anyway.
UW
You need at least three GoST to play it and I don't believe it worth investing in one of the most expensive standard cards before it rotates (even if it may retain value etc. etc.).
My suggestion would be to play some form of Naya Aggro/Zoo since it's staying largely intact post rotation and is highly competitive. Not having Thundermaw may be a problem but Wolfir Silverheart is a decent substitution.
we're talking about a standard card that doesn't rotate for 5 months. Its a modern staple, and slowly becoming a legacy staple. It gets even better with the new legend rule come July.
I honestly don't understand why you'd recommend a midrange deck to someone who wants to learn competitive. Midrange is NOT easy to play. I GUARANTEE you that you WILL profit from playing hexproof. 5 months is a very long time. your $80 investment in a playset of Geist of Saint Traft will seem like nothing compared to the amount of packs/credit you can win with that deck.
That deck is nottttt hard to master. and its nut draw beats 95% of decks in standard. I can't really think of many decks that can beat a turn 2 geist followed by unflinching courage and ethreal armor (which are both RTR block cards if you're worried)
UW
Not sure what the alternative is for a beginner looking to win packs/credit on a consistent basis.
Wanted Card List: (PM me)
1 Avacyn, Angel of Hope
1 Ravages of War
1 Swords to Plowshares (Judge)
1 Land Tax (Judge)
U
1 Mana Vortex
B
1 Desolation Angel (Foil)
1 Guardian Beast
1 Contamination
R
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
G
1 Food Chain
WUBRG
1 Rohgahh of Kher Keep
X
1 Charcoal Diamond (Foil)
1 Fellwar Stone (Foil)
T
1 Temple Garden (Foil)
3 Mutavault
1 Kor Haven
It will likely drop along with most standard cards as we near rotation.Regardless of what people think about GoST, Liliana and etc. they will see a dip in price. That's not to say they won't eventually return to their original/increase in price (I sold mine and plan on picking them back up at the opportune time) but there's no point in investing in them now if you're primarily looking to hop back into standard. Regardless, the OP was very clear with his wants. Suggesting Bant Auras is suggesting he inverse.
You're exaggerating a bit. Bant Auras is a meta call and far from a sure thing. It actually been showing up in paper rather infrequently lately (shows up more on MODO). Furthermore, what I suggested was clearly not Midrange. One of the decks I mentioned has aggro in the name. At the very least, Naya Aggro is more competitive than Bant Auras right now if that's how you want to judge this.
How often does that nut draw occur? One of the main knocks on Bant Auras is that it's inconsistent (combo reliant and color screw prone). A nut draw that beats 95% of the meta but only assembles itself 5% of the time is useless. Something like Naya Blitz can nut draw so much more frequently.
Lastly, OP never said he was a beginner just re-entering the game. Odds are he knows all about archetypes.
I thought the same thing. At the thought of that, I think i got some drool on my keyboard.
Anyways, for the OP, I'm not too well versed on competitive play, it's a bit out of my price range. But good luck on your deck building and I hope you two have a blast and kick some butt!
BGGolgari ScavengeGB
RUIzzet DelverUR
Modern
RUB Mishra's SpellbombsBUR
EDH:
UWBDakkon BlackbladeBWU
RUB ThraximundarBUR
rotation is in about 3 1/2 months, not 5mos.
this is what i think about GoST with the legendary rule change....banned. Its speculation,but i will honestly think it will end up on the ban list one day.
Mid-range is not hard to play at all. not as simple as aggro, but definitely not hard. Esp when DTG99 recommended Naya mid. all it is is ramp, play big creatures and abuse thrag + resto.
bant auras is semi-competitive. its pretty inconsistent, but works well when it works. i wouldnt call it the one of the best as you said previously. its a tier 1.5 deck at best. Plus playing bant auras will not make you a good player. not even close. if you want to get good, you play mid-range, control or at least something interactive. Hell even R/g aggro is harder to play that bant auras.
You guys are freaking me out, I had to go back and check to see if I really did say Midrange.
I didn't.:D
I'm talking about the non-Farseek, Saito-esque Naya that's doing work right now. I don't think Midrange is difficult to play, I just didn't suggest it because I would stay far away from Thragtusk right now. Same goes for Resto even though she sees some modern play. They will/are dropping like rocks.
I would also suggest a deck like naya midrange or something HOWEVER, you guys are forgetting the OPs clause. He wants a deck with little INN/M13 staples. Good luck playing Naya midrange without angels and thragtusks and maybe thundermaws. That alone is a heft investment. Bant auras was suggested by kevindudu since its a deck that literally only needs the geists to run.
Wanted Card List: (PM me)
1 Avacyn, Angel of Hope
1 Ravages of War
1 Swords to Plowshares (Judge)
1 Land Tax (Judge)
U
1 Mana Vortex
B
1 Desolation Angel (Foil)
1 Guardian Beast
1 Contamination
R
1 Kiki-Jiki, Mirror Breaker
G
1 Food Chain
WUBRG
1 Rohgahh of Kher Keep
X
1 Charcoal Diamond (Foil)
1 Fellwar Stone (Foil)
T
1 Temple Garden (Foil)
3 Mutavault
1 Kor Haven
which is why i suggested the new naya zoo lists thats running around. some lists has very litte cards from ISD block and m13. mainly un/commons, rootbound crag and sunpetal. some lists include restoration angel and thalia,but they arent a must esp for regular REL.
UW
You may hate the mechanic, you may hate the combo-ish nature of the strategy, the ease of its decision trees or the fact its nigh-impossible to interact with Game 1, but it's being disingenuous to try and call the deck Tier 1.5. It is criminally under-represented on the Open circuit but it has some of the absolute best win percentages out of all existing archetypes.
I would not take Bant Hexproof to a 5k. It is much, much more consistent than detractors claim but it's not so consistent that I'd want to play 10+ rounds with it all day. However, it is most certainly consistent and explosive enough to sweep FNMs, Game Days, Win-A-Boxes and IQs, which is where the majority of low-tier competitive value is these days.
Geist may be banned in Modern, as that format is essentially defined by it's ban list, but he will be played in Legacy and EDH. His price may fluctuate slightly post-rotation but it will settle at it's current value or only go up over time. There is very little risk in investing in a playset now, particularly given how much product you could potentially win between now and rotation by playing them.
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"Well, well, if it isn't the most diabolical haters this side of the Mississippi."
Alters and Commissions at [URL="noodlesndoodlesalters.tumblr.com/"]Noodles & Doodles Alters[/URL]!
thats the thing, you're stuck on the idea that you have to buy thundermaw hellkite in order to run naya. you actually dont. there's a new lists of naya zoo that hardly includes expensive ISD and m13 card. the most expensive card in the new list at risk for rotation is thalia, guardian of thraben or sunpetal grove.
bant hexproof is a good deck to take to casual and regular REL event, but it doesnt make you a better player.
1) i google and didnt find anything aobut them saying its probably the strongest deck in the format. Plus they did "say" PROBABLY.
2) criminally under-representative in the Opens? try again. if you actually watch the streams of the last 2 opens, you will especially hear the commentators say that theres a lot of bant hexproof running around multiple times.i cant remember which match talked about bant hexproof prominently but i'm guessing the jund mirror, aristocrat act 1 vs act 2 or one of the naya blitz feature matches.
3) absolute best win percentage? not even close.
http://www.mtgdecks.net/archetypes/analysis/all
Junk reanimator has been posting the best and most consistent results both on MTGO and Paper. Jund is just a good all around deck and R/g fits nicely in 3rd.
i would even say R/g aggro is a harder deck to pilot than Bant hexproof. at least it's interactive and does have a hard time getting over bigger creatures should it reach turn 5.
It's low cost and fairly high performance. The investment can pay itself off in 1 tournament and there aren't too many intricate synergies as much as brute force.
6/9 St. Louis
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=56479
5/18 Dallas (Sun.)
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=56124
5/18 Dallas (Sat.)
http://sales.starcitygames.com//deckdatabase/displaydeck.php?DeckID=56096
Why so serious? Who cares how people feel about the deck. The whole point of this thread was for the OP to jump back into standard without investing heavily in ISD/M13. Saying "grab a play set of GoST" is the opposite, no matter how you feel about it's long-term potential. Lastly, you cannot prove Bant Auras would generate enough "free wins" to offset the investment in GoST or to make it worth running over any RTR centric deck for that matter. You guys make it sound like if he sleeves up the deck he'll auto win when that's blatantly far from the truth.