This week, I bring you a premium craft brew from the midrange master himself, Reid Duke. Reid and I have been testing various Green and Black based midrange decks. Of all the variants, this one is my favorite. It doesn't have any ramp elements, but it has good removal, a ton of card advantage and the White splash gives you a lot of versatility. Being Abzan means you have access to life gain and exile effects, an additional creature land and Eldrazi Displacer (which can do all kinds of silly things). While the four Oath of Nissa and three Traverse the Ulvenwald come with a deck-building cost, they mean your mana is always smooth and you can keep way more hands than other decks can. All this leads to a very consistent deck with a lot of play.

Deck Tech

Abzan Midrange ? Shadows over Innistrad Standard | Reid Duke

• Creatures (16)
• 1 Deathcap Cultivator
• 1 Eldrazi Displacer
• 1 The Gitrog Monster
• 1 Woodland Bellower
• 2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
• 2 Nissa, Vastwood Seer
• 4 Sylvan Advocate
• 4 Tireless Tracker

• Planeswalkers (1)
• 1 Sorin, Grim Nemesis

• Spells (18)
• 1 Ultimate Price
• 2 Anguished Unmaking
• 2 Grasp in Darkness
• 1 Duress
• 1 Ruinous Path
• 3 Traverse the Ulvenwald
• 4 Languish
• 4 Oath of Nissa

• Lands (25)
• 1 Plains
• 2 Swamp
• 5 Forest
• 2 Shambling Vent
• 3 Caves of Koilos
• 4 Evolving Wilds
• 4 Hissing Quagmire
• 4 Llanowar Wastes

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Duress
• 2 Transgress the Mind
• 2 Virulent Plague
• 1 Sorin, Grim Nemesis
• 1 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
• 1 Eldrazi Displacer
• 1 Thought-Knot Seer
• 1 Grasp of Darkness
• 2 Ruinous Path
• 1 Sea Gate Wreckage
• 1 Den Protector

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Match 1: W/B Control

Match 2: Naya Planeswalkers

Match 3: R/G Goggles Ramp

Match 4: W/B Midrange

Match 5: G/W Tokens

Closing

This Abzan deck that Reid built is great, but I think for professional events, I will stick with G/W Tokens. My newest version of the deck feels particularly well-tuned and recently it brought me to a 12-3 finish in GP Minneapolis. I even squeezed into the Top 16 at 15th place! The highlight was beating Luis Scott-Vargas in the final round, and I would play it again with no changes. Having Linvala, the Preserver and three sweepers in the sideboard keeps you safe against most aggro decks, and Quarantine Field is an absolute beating against decks like Grixis. In Minneapolis, Linvala kept facing off against Eldrazi Displacer and I cast Quarantine Field five times, three of which it was a 2-for-1! Not only that, but the Quarantine Field targets were frequently Dragonlord Silumgar, Sorin, Grim Nemesis and Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet which are usually problematic to deal with. Every problem I have had with G/W Tokens was solvable, and I feel like the list I have is really something special.

G/W Tokens ? Shadows over Innistrad Standard | Andrew Boswell

• Creatures (15)
• 3 Den Protector
• 4 Archangel Avacyn
• 4 Hangarback Walker
• 4 Sylvan Advocate

• Planeswalkers (8)
• 4 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
• 4 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar

• Spells (11)
• 2 Secure the Wastes
• 4 Dromoka's Command
• 1 Angelic Purge
• 4 Oath of Nissa

• Lands (26)
• 7 Plains
• 8 Forest
• 3 Westvale Abbey
• 4 Canopy Vista
• 4 Fortified Village

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Evolutionary Leap
• 2 Quarantine Field
• 3 Lambholt Pacifist
• 2 Silkwrap
• 2 Angelic Purge
• 2 Tragic Arrogance
• 1 Planar Outburst
• 1 Linvala, the Preserver

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Until next week, GLHF friends. May you smite thy enemies with a Golden Axe!

— Andrew Boswell