I think what made it good was the creatures available at common - Abzan has a one-mana Outlast at 0/4 and a two-mana 0/5, which I realized does most of the heavy lifting. Ainok Bond-Kin is an alright card for its costs as well, even the uncommon lords were fine bodies for their cost (I think the weakest ones were Abzan Battle Priest and Tuskguard Captain, First Strike/Flying/Deathtouch ones were the best).
The enablers were VERY important, though. Dragonscale Boon, Armament Corps (insanely efficient at 5), Feat of Resistance and so on, because they allow you to hold up mana/deploy a threat while leaving your Outlast guys on defense. I saw someone at the prerelease who had ALL the Outlast lords and no reliable way to trigger them. You need a mix of both.
I agree with the idea that outlast is a way to break parity and pull ahead later on. You don't Outlast with just one guy on the battlefield (I'd rather play a morph), because that's just begging for you to be blown out. You instead play 0/4, 0/5 walls and morphs to stall, kill anything that can get past, then drop Outlast guys and build them up while hiding behind walls. Hold defense and build up a Sliver army, then take over the game. Knowing when to switch between a control approach and an aggressive one is key. Most of the Abzan players (myself as well) I talked to noted how Disowned Ancestor and Archer's Parapet do some heavy lifting early game, because these are the cards you hide behind while your dudes get bigger.
Also, I feel as if EVERY store should put up a primer on Morph. Morph not using the stack needs to be known by everyone. No, you can't respond to me flipping it face up. And revealing any morph when it changes zones (bounce, exile). Actually, most of the confusion I saw came from Morph.
No, you cannot exile additional cards for your Delve spell as "paying mana" when I hit it with a counter like Temur Charm or Stubborn Denial.
Only time I went Temur out of the 5 seeded packs I had, all other 4 were Abzan.
With the variety of fixing here, I went Temur splashing some of the flashy gold cards - Duneblast, Villainous Wealth and the two Efreets, as well as pretty much everything that said "draw a card". I forced those two as much as possible because the previous flight I saw how insane those two could be. I'll come up with the decklist later, because at the moment I can't remember the manabase I worked with.
Looking back I probably should've played a Banner instead of the Ascendancy, because my big dudes (save Colossodon) enter the battlefield as morph anyway. I didn't play Force Away because I'd rather spend the early turns playing tapped lands/fetching with Embodiment/laying down morph dudes. Most games were won either via Duneblast/a HUGE Villainous Wealth (6 seems to be the sweet spot so you can nab those common morph guys), leaving behind a large dude (Glacial Stalker most of the time, actually) and hitting anything the opponent tried to play afterward with removal.
So, last weekend marked the last set of WMCQs around the world, and the last significant tournaments we'll see the current Standard (RTR-Theros) environment in. Sure, it won't phase out until next week, but with the prereleases in the next couple of days we'll all be looking towards the new format coming in.
Before we move on though, I'd like to ask people here what their overall thoughts were of this Standard environment. Did you enjoy it? Did you like the number/variety of decks that won/could win? And so on. Any cards rotating out that you would love to see again in future Standard formats?
Somehow I use a similar method to yours, except I count activated abilities if the mana needed to use it is a splash color (say, Scaldkin or Crackling Triton would also count as one R).
How about recommended numbers for the taplands? Say you're Mardu (Mainly RW splashing B for some removal), would you play all taplands you have of the appropriate colors (BW, RB, RW)? Say your Sealed deck is an aggressive Mardu deck that wants to curve out as much as possible, how much ETB tapped lands could you play?
Although since yesterday, 4/5 times I seem to either have an End Hostilities or a High Sentinels of Arashin. And whenever I try going Abzan I almost ALWAYS end up with a Duneblast.
Seems like a nuts card in Abzan colors, considering that Abzan has the biggest butts in the set. I can see many people trying for a curve of T1 Disowned Ancestor into a T2 4/4. That's.... pretty crazy.
Worst case scenario you're probably getting a 3/3 for BG (it is Abzan, after all), which seems like decent value.
Okay, I've been fooling around with the initial midrange list I posted, some more thoughts:
- Nissa ain't too hot in an environment without shocklands. Oftentimes I found myself playing her on turn 6 so I can immediately +1 a land and have a 4/4. Seems like if I'm casting her on Turn 6 I'd rather just slam Elspeth and +1 for some protection/tokens. I have not tried Ajani, MoH as another walker in this sort of deck, that's next.
- Sorin works.... only if you curve from an early Brimaz. The two work well, very well actually, but aside from the cat he isn't too hot here. Otherwise in terms of a stabilizing play on T4 I'd rather go with Siege Rhino - the body is big enough + there's an immediate impact. That said I do think Brimaz is worth running as he's an army in a can and is good either on offense or defense. Also, with Wingmate Roc you always want something that can attack to trigger Raid. Sometimes you don't want to run Courser into the red zone, but you don't mind running a 1/1 token into something if it gets you a 3/4 flyer.
- I like Fleecemane Lion beside Caryatid, as he offers something different to the deck. He's still very formidable early game, can function as an early beater/defense, and if you topdeck him he's a 4/4 indestructible hexproof for 7 mana, which is great.
I'd love to fit in the 4th Fleecemane somewhere. The removal package seems like a decent start (10 might be too much, but 3/10 can be used another way), but of course that will change depending on what decks come out. There's still Bile Blight, Murderous Cut and Silence the Believers (in addition to white's situational spot ones) out there for variety. Maybe split some Thoughtseize with Despise, but I like being able to take anything and 2 life shouldn't be too painful if I have Courser + Rhino.
And then there's Reaper of the Wilds which I absolutely love.... but I haven't tested him yet. And Polukranos. This wedge has so many good 4-drops.
Sorin could be an SB card against a deck we want to gain life against/make attacking us unprofitable, I guess. There's also Ajani who costs the same and has a similar effect. Other SB cards include Drown in Sorrow, Anafenza (if GY/Delve shenanigans become popular), Despise, Mistcutter Hydra, Reclamation Sage, Whip of Erebos (bringing back Rhino for that extra value)/Bow of Nylea, and all conditional spot removal (Deicide, Last Breath, Bile Blight etc.) we know.
Aggressive shell, taking advantage of Ainok Bond-Kin and +1/+1 counters. Ajani and Abzan Charm help you get there, and Fleecemane later in the game.. Heir of the Wilds is something I want to try out - I think that in the new Standard, a successful aggressive deck should ALWAYS be able to punch through Sylvan Caryatid/Courser of Kruphix - and this does that. Anafenza, Siege Rhino, Ajani (-2, +1 can with a Lion/Brimaz in play) and Sorin can help trigger Ferocious, hell Bond-Kin + Heir with a counter on it means you don't even need ferocious. Fleecemane, Brimaz, Anafenza and Siege Rhino fill out a pretty mean curve of threats.
I want to fit an Abzan Ascendancy or two somewhere there, hell even Athreos, something to work on. You could even fit a Polukranos or two there, just to help trigger Heir of the Wilds. Card reminds me so much of Wren's Run Vanquisher, at least the closest thing we have to it.
The mana base can be made a little less painful if there's another 1-drop, ideally white or green in place of the new Gravecrawler. I'm not too hot on Sunblade Elf in a format without Shocklands and one that will (most likely) play less basic lands.
Basically the monoblack aggro shell, with Rakshasa Deathdealer, Siege Rhino and Sorin. I don't know if Ruthless Ripper can work in constructed, but he seems worth trying. There's a lot of Bestow going on here because I'm used to playing against Supreme Verdict, but in a format with End Hostilities the angle of attack may need to change. Master of the Feast is another option.
Plain old midrange. Given the colors we are in I think you need to play 4 Hero's Downfall - it is the only card that can answer Stormbreath Dragon as is (no more Doom Blade or Ultimate Price, but if they spoil something similar in place then it can go in the deck). Abzan Charm comes in as a versatile card draw/removal spell. Maybe Murderous Cut can fit here as a 1/2-of? Fetchlands, Thoughtseize and removal spells should help you fill the yard up enough. Otherwise, value creatures and threatening walkers, it's plain old boring midrange. You can even fit Drown in Sorrow maindeck as a hedge against aggressive strategies - Black Aggro and Rabble Red (or some form of RDW) still have the tools come KTK, and most of their creatures are X/2.
Not sure how it would fit with a curve of Soldier of the Pantheon, as to pull that off you'd need Mana Confluence OR Caves of Koilos... There'd be some hands where you draw the wrong mix of lands and it'd just be terrible.
At the moment I'm seeing two things when it comes to an aggressive Abzan shell:
- GW-based (Pantheon, Fleecemane, Brimaz, Rhino, Polukranos, etc. - similar to GW Aggro in this Standard)
- Black-based with a hint of green (Rakshasa Deathdealer, Black 1-drops, Herald of Torment, Polukranos?)
Not sure which one is better but from the looks of it both warrant some testing, at least.
The enablers were VERY important, though. Dragonscale Boon, Armament Corps (insanely efficient at 5), Feat of Resistance and so on, because they allow you to hold up mana/deploy a threat while leaving your Outlast guys on defense. I saw someone at the prerelease who had ALL the Outlast lords and no reliable way to trigger them. You need a mix of both.
I agree with the idea that outlast is a way to break parity and pull ahead later on. You don't Outlast with just one guy on the battlefield (I'd rather play a morph), because that's just begging for you to be blown out. You instead play 0/4, 0/5 walls and morphs to stall, kill anything that can get past, then drop Outlast guys and build them up while hiding behind walls. Hold defense and build up a Sliver army, then take over the game. Knowing when to switch between a control approach and an aggressive one is key. Most of the Abzan players (myself as well) I talked to noted how Disowned Ancestor and Archer's Parapet do some heavy lifting early game, because these are the cards you hide behind while your dudes get bigger.
Also, I feel as if EVERY store should put up a primer on Morph. Morph not using the stack needs to be known by everyone. No, you can't respond to me flipping it face up. And revealing any morph when it changes zones (bounce, exile). Actually, most of the confusion I saw came from Morph.
No, you cannot exile additional cards for your Delve spell as "paying mana" when I hit it with a counter like Temur Charm or Stubborn Denial.
1 Erase
1 Firehoof Cavalry
1 Salt Road Patrol
1 Siegecraft
1 War Behemoth
1 Watcher of the Roost
1 Crippling Chill
1 Disdainful Stroke
2 Embodiment of Spring
1 Force Away
2 Glacial Stalker
1 Jeskai Windscout
1 Mistfire Weaver
1 Taigam's Scheming
1 Weave Fate
1 Wetland Sambar
2 Debilitating Injury
1 Dutiful Return
1 Molting Snakeskin
1 Sidisi's Pet
1 Throttle
1 Unyielding Krumar
1 Bring Low
1 Canyon Lurkers
1 Crater's Claws
1 Dragon Grip
1 Hordeling Outburst
1 Mardu Heart-Piercer (FOIL)
1 Summit Prowler
3 Tormenting Voice
2 Trumpet Blast
1 Valley Dasher
1 Alpine Grizzly
2 Become Immense
2 Dragonscale Boon
1 Highland Game
1 Naturalize
1 Pine Walker
1 Sagu Archer
1 Seek the Horizon
1 Temur Charger
2 Tusked Colossodon
1 Abzan Ascendancy
1 Abzan Guide
1 Duneblast
1 Kin-Tree Invocation (FOIL)
1 Villainous Wealth
1 Snowhorn Rider
1 Temur Ascendancy
1 Temur Charm
1 Master the Way
2 Efreet Weaponmaster
1 Jeskai Charm
1 Butcher of the Horde
3 Abzan Banner
1 Mardu Banner
1 Temur Banner
1 Blossoming Sands
2 Dismal Backwater
1 Frontier Bivouac
1 Nomad Outpost
1 Scoured Barren
1 Swiftwater Cliff
1 Thornwood Falls
2 Tomb of the Spirit Dragon
1 Tranquil Cove
Only time I went Temur out of the 5 seeded packs I had, all other 4 were Abzan.
With the variety of fixing here, I went Temur splashing some of the flashy gold cards - Duneblast, Villainous Wealth and the two Efreets, as well as pretty much everything that said "draw a card". I forced those two as much as possible because the previous flight I saw how insane those two could be. I'll come up with the decklist later, because at the moment I can't remember the manabase I worked with.
How would you build this?
EDIT: Deck:
1 Highland Game
2 Glacial Stalker
1 Mistfire Weaver
1 Sagu Archer
1 Pine Walker
2 Efreet Weaponmaster
1 Snowhorn Rider
1 Tusked Colossodon
1 Mardu Heart-Piercer
1 Crippling Chill
1 Temur Charm
1 Weave Fate
1 Bring Low
1 Crater’s Claws
1 Master the Way
1 Duneblast
1 Villainous Wealth
1 Blossoming Sands
2 Dismal Backwater
1 Frontier Bivouac
1 Nomad Outpost
1 Swiftwater Cliff
1 Thornwood Falls
1 Tranquil Cove
3 Forest
3 Mountain
3 Island
1 Plains
Looking back I probably should've played a Banner instead of the Ascendancy, because my big dudes (save Colossodon) enter the battlefield as morph anyway. I didn't play Force Away because I'd rather spend the early turns playing tapped lands/fetching with Embodiment/laying down morph dudes. Most games were won either via Duneblast/a HUGE Villainous Wealth (6 seems to be the sweet spot so you can nab those common morph guys), leaving behind a large dude (Glacial Stalker most of the time, actually) and hitting anything the opponent tried to play afterward with removal.
Before we move on though, I'd like to ask people here what their overall thoughts were of this Standard environment. Did you enjoy it? Did you like the number/variety of decks that won/could win? And so on. Any cards rotating out that you would love to see again in future Standard formats?
Gathering Magic has a nice summary of the Standard season in statistics here: http://www.gatheringmagic.com/nickvigabool-091814-standard-snapshot-metagame-in-review/
How about recommended numbers for the taplands? Say you're Mardu (Mainly RW splashing B for some removal), would you play all taplands you have of the appropriate colors (BW, RB, RW)? Say your Sealed deck is an aggressive Mardu deck that wants to curve out as much as possible, how much ETB tapped lands could you play?
Although since yesterday, 4/5 times I seem to either have an End Hostilities or a High Sentinels of Arashin. And whenever I try going Abzan I almost ALWAYS end up with a Duneblast.
Variance, I guess.
Seems like a nuts card in Abzan colors, considering that Abzan has the biggest butts in the set. I can see many people trying for a curve of T1 Disowned Ancestor into a T2 4/4. That's.... pretty crazy.
Worst case scenario you're probably getting a 3/3 for BG (it is Abzan, after all), which seems like decent value.
- Nissa ain't too hot in an environment without shocklands. Oftentimes I found myself playing her on turn 6 so I can immediately +1 a land and have a 4/4. Seems like if I'm casting her on Turn 6 I'd rather just slam Elspeth and +1 for some protection/tokens. I have not tried Ajani, MoH as another walker in this sort of deck, that's next.
- Sorin works.... only if you curve from an early Brimaz. The two work well, very well actually, but aside from the cat he isn't too hot here. Otherwise in terms of a stabilizing play on T4 I'd rather go with Siege Rhino - the body is big enough + there's an immediate impact. That said I do think Brimaz is worth running as he's an army in a can and is good either on offense or defense. Also, with Wingmate Roc you always want something that can attack to trigger Raid. Sometimes you don't want to run Courser into the red zone, but you don't mind running a 1/1 token into something if it gets you a 3/4 flyer.
- I like Fleecemane Lion beside Caryatid, as he offers something different to the deck. He's still very formidable early game, can function as an early beater/defense, and if you topdeck him he's a 4/4 indestructible hexproof for 7 mana, which is great.
3 Fleecemane Lion
4 Courser of Kruphix
3 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
4 Siege Rhino
2 Wingmate Roc
4 Thoughtseize
4 Hero's Downfall
3 Abzan Charm
1 Banishing Light
2 Utter End
I'd love to fit in the 4th Fleecemane somewhere. The removal package seems like a decent start (10 might be too much, but 3/10 can be used another way), but of course that will change depending on what decks come out. There's still Bile Blight, Murderous Cut and Silence the Believers (in addition to white's situational spot ones) out there for variety. Maybe split some Thoughtseize with Despise, but I like being able to take anything and 2 life shouldn't be too painful if I have Courser + Rhino.
And then there's Reaper of the Wilds which I absolutely love.... but I haven't tested him yet. And Polukranos. This wedge has so many good 4-drops.
Sorin could be an SB card against a deck we want to gain life against/make attacking us unprofitable, I guess. There's also Ajani who costs the same and has a similar effect. Other SB cards include Drown in Sorrow, Anafenza (if GY/Delve shenanigans become popular), Despise, Mistcutter Hydra, Reclamation Sage, Whip of Erebos (bringing back Rhino for that extra value)/Bow of Nylea, and all conditional spot removal (Deicide, Last Breath, Bile Blight etc.) we know.
They even have a black Yoked Ox with Outlast!
So Falconer is uncommon (which I guess makes sense) as is the Swiftwing.
WARRIOR, DAMMIT.
This is really cute though.
Works with Tormented Hero, new Gravecrawler, War-Name Aspirant (in a Mardu shell), among others.
Hour of Need triggering Ferocious is pretty neat.
And of course.... Bloodsoaked Hero + Tymaret, the Murder King. Come on Aristocrats!
3 Bloodstained Brave
4 Fleecemane Lion
3 Ainok Bond-Kin
3 Heir of the Wilds
2 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
3 Anafenza, the Foremost
4 Siege Rhino
4 Abzan Charm
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
2 Ajani Steadfast
4 Windswept Heath
4 Caves of Koilos
4 Llanowar Wastes
4 Mana Confluence
3 Temple of Silence
2 Forest
2 Plains
1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth
Aggressive shell, taking advantage of Ainok Bond-Kin and +1/+1 counters. Ajani and Abzan Charm help you get there, and Fleecemane later in the game.. Heir of the Wilds is something I want to try out - I think that in the new Standard, a successful aggressive deck should ALWAYS be able to punch through Sylvan Caryatid/Courser of Kruphix - and this does that. Anafenza, Siege Rhino, Ajani (-2, +1 can with a Lion/Brimaz in play) and Sorin can help trigger Ferocious, hell Bond-Kin + Heir with a counter on it means you don't even need ferocious. Fleecemane, Brimaz, Anafenza and Siege Rhino fill out a pretty mean curve of threats.
I want to fit an Abzan Ascendancy or two somewhere there, hell even Athreos, something to work on. You could even fit a Polukranos or two there, just to help trigger Heir of the Wilds. Card reminds me so much of Wren's Run Vanquisher, at least the closest thing we have to it.
The mana base can be made a little less painful if there's another 1-drop, ideally white or green in place of the new Gravecrawler. I'm not too hot on Sunblade Elf in a format without Shocklands and one that will (most likely) play less basic lands.
More black-based:
2 Tormented Hero
4 Gnarled Scarhide
4 Rakshasa Deathdealer
3 Spiteful Returned
3 Herald of Torment
4 Mogis' Marauder
3 Siege Rhino
3 Bile Blight
2 Hero's Downfall
2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
Basically the monoblack aggro shell, with Rakshasa Deathdealer, Siege Rhino and Sorin. I don't know if Ruthless Ripper can work in constructed, but he seems worth trying. There's a lot of Bestow going on here because I'm used to playing against Supreme Verdict, but in a format with End Hostilities the angle of attack may need to change. Master of the Feast is another option.
4 Courser of Kruphix
4 Siege Rhino
2 Wingmate Roc
2 Bile Blight
4 Hero's Downfall
3 Abzan Charm
2 Utter End
3 Nissa, Worldwaker
2 Elspeth, Sun's Champion
25 lands
Plain old midrange. Given the colors we are in I think you need to play 4 Hero's Downfall - it is the only card that can answer Stormbreath Dragon as is (no more Doom Blade or Ultimate Price, but if they spoil something similar in place then it can go in the deck). Abzan Charm comes in as a versatile card draw/removal spell. Maybe Murderous Cut can fit here as a 1/2-of? Fetchlands, Thoughtseize and removal spells should help you fill the yard up enough. Otherwise, value creatures and threatening walkers, it's plain old boring midrange. You can even fit Drown in Sorrow maindeck as a hedge against aggressive strategies - Black Aggro and Rabble Red (or some form of RDW) still have the tools come KTK, and most of their creatures are X/2.
Perhaps it's home is in a more black-based aggro? Instead of Soldier of the Pantheon and Sunblade Elf, you have Gnarled Scarhide, Tormented Hero and the new Gravecrawler (Bloodsoaked Hero). Herald of Torment and Master of the Feast as three-drop options. Bestow all over.
Not sure how it would fit with a curve of Soldier of the Pantheon, as to pull that off you'd need Mana Confluence OR Caves of Koilos... There'd be some hands where you draw the wrong mix of lands and it'd just be terrible.
At the moment I'm seeing two things when it comes to an aggressive Abzan shell:
- GW-based (Pantheon, Fleecemane, Brimaz, Rhino, Polukranos, etc. - similar to GW Aggro in this Standard)
- Black-based with a hint of green (Rakshasa Deathdealer, Black 1-drops, Herald of Torment, Polukranos?)
Not sure which one is better but from the looks of it both warrant some testing, at least.
Good call on the can't be countered clause, actual card has it. And flash.
Also turns all your creature spells uncounterable and gives them trample.
Definitely not in the Emmara/Phenax camp!