Magic the Gathering!

Gatecrash, Standard - Zero to Sixty

Random Untested Decklist - #1 - Rats on Parade

I don’t play a lot of competitive Magic, but when I do, I’m a complete Johnny. I was messing around at my LGS before SCG Seattle watching people scramble to put their deck for the next day together. I just threw out “Hey, should I just start posting random decklists?” One of my friends shouted, “YES!”

So Neil, this is for you.

This list is going to be more tested than anything I throw out here. I’ve been playing this on MTGO and I’ve been having a blast with it. It’s about FNM level (obviously depends on your meta), but tweak it to suit your needs.

Now, presented without comment nor sideboard, I present this deck:

2 Disciple of Bolas
2 Gravecrawler
1 Jarad, Golgari Lich Lord
4 Lotleth Troll
4 Pack Rat
4 Veilborn Ghoul

3 Druid’s Deliverance
3 Garruk Relentless
3 Grisly Salvage
2 Increasing Savagery
2 Mutilate
3 Parallel Lives
3 Sundering Growth

8 Forest
4 Overgrown Tomb
8 Swamp
4 Woodland Cemetery

Name reference: “Bulls on Parade” by Rage Against the Machine

Deck Tech - Four Color Reanimator

A lot of people asked me how I got a 4-color manabase to work without Farseek or other fixing. I mean, our color requirements are a little crazy. We have triple green, quadruple black and triple white spells in our deck, plus red spells that we want to cast early. How on earth was I able to support that?

Honestly, the lands in Standard are so good that I never had any color problems at all. If you take a look at the manabase, there are eighteen green sources, ten red sources, eleven black sources, and ten white sources. Combine that with Mulch, Faithless Looting, and Grisly Salvage, and you will rarely have any issues getting the right colors. One thing to note is to make sure you are planning ahead in what lands you play every turn. If you need to cast Angel of Serenity on turn seven, be sure to play your lands correctly so that you have access to WWW on that turn.

Read more across the jump! It also includes some commentary on when it’s a good idea to concede.

Standard Players! What are you building?

Commentary - Top Ten Best Cards in Standard

davidpdiddle:

As the Standard season comes to a close, I think now would be the best time to, as a community, have a healthy discussion about the top 10 best cards in Standard. I want as many people as possible to repost this and share their thoughts.

Here’s mine:

10. Geralf’s Messenger

Number 10 on this list is this guy. He’s become one of the most efficient and hard-to-answer threats in the format and is probably the greatest contributor to the success of Zombies in the metagame.

9. Gut Shot

In a format defined by one-toughness creatures, this card stands out as the best answer to them. Most Snapcaster decks are packing 3-4 in the main and a multitude of other decks are siding them in off color. Being the most efficient answer to turn one plays earns this card a spot on the top.

8. Birthing Pod

This card is the titular engine behind one of the best archetypes in the format. Naya Pod, Bant Pod, 4-color Pod, BUG Zombie Pod, and Angel Zombie Pod are some of the most successful decks that this card had pushed. A natural companion to the Morbid and Undying mechanics of Innistrad Block, the card has been winning tournaments abusing those synergies.

7. Phantasmal Image

“Anything you can do, I can do [cheaper].” I would argue that the popularity of this card has pushed Frites and Solar Flare mostly out of the format, and it’s made the environment very hostile to the Titans. It takes something very powerful to do all of that.

6. Cavern of Souls

One part mana-fixer, one part Mana Leak-hate, Cavern of Souls does everything a creature deck wants. It makes your threats easier to cast and makes sure that they stick, and the best part is that it can go into almost any flavor of creature deck.

5. Thragtusk

This is a card that came out of the M13 gates running. It is good at any point in the game: if you’re behind, it can help you get back on parity; and if you’re ahead, it helps make sure you stay in that position.

4. Birds of Paradise

In this spot, I would also like to include Avacyn’s Pilgrim, Arbor Elf, and Llanowar Elves. The mana dorks have quietly become one of the most defining pillars of the format, letting you push your mana curve beyond the turn limit. If they aren’t dealt with, they can very quickly run away with the game.

3. Snapcaster Mage

What’s better than casting a removal spell? Casting it again, of course! Snapcaster Mage has been a staple in every format it is legal in since its printing, and Standard is no exception. Arguably the best card in the Delver deck, Snapcaster has catapulted that deck into the stratosphere.

2. Restoration Angel

Just when you think you’ll be able to deal with a creature, Restoration Angel comes in and saves it. Just when you think you’re ahead, Restoration Angel comes in and flickers a value creature. It’s the reason you’re afraid to do anything when a white deck leaves 4-mana up.

1. Bonfire of the Damned

In a format defined by creature mirrors, it should be no surprise that the best card in the format is the card that singlehandedly breaks those mirrors. No card has more blowout stories and no card creates stronger feelings than the best card in the format.

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Reblog/repost with your thoughts! Let’s generate some discussion!