Seriously, it never ceases to amaze me how deep Magic is as a self-contained universe of topics to ponder. There are universal laws that govern the structure of the game, but there are legitimately more possible formats (and corresponding ways to contemplate those formats) than there are atoms in the Universe. I mean, we could design our own format where the only legal cards are the first card, alphabetically, in each color in each set. Sprinkle some basic lands on top and you have a new format! Or you could make an artifacts-only format, or enchantments-only, or lands-only, or a Build-Your-Own-Standard, or do as the Japanese did and create Frontier.

We focus so intently on the specific boundaries of the sanctioned formats that we sometimes forget how many amazing ways there are to play this game. Sometimes it takes something as ostensibly disappointing as a ban to remind us that there are brand-new formats hiding in plain sight, just under the oppressive veneer of a few dominating cards. At least, that’s the silver lining I try to personally find in every ban, since I recognize that it is painful for people to lose their investments in Standard or Modern decks. Regardless, we will move forward, and I hope that all of you find ways to enjoy the brand new Standard and Modern formats that we’re getting in a few weeks.

Clearly, since there’s so much to discuss, something does have to wait a week before I can properly tackle it, so we’re going to focus today on Legacy and Standard. Modern can wait a week, but fear not, Modern mavens! I’ll be discussing the impact of both Fatal Push and the banlist update next week.

For now, let’s travel back in time, before the terrifying banlist updates, all the way to Thursday night, where yours truly was spending his last hours at the Venetian Casino in lovely Las Vegas, Nevada . . . 

The esteemed Dan Jordan and I had a plan, and we were prepared to execute. I’d lost a valuable jacket at a New Years’ Eve party, and we needed to recover it from the lost and found at that casino. Unfortunately, I not only did not know the number of the suite it was lost in, but I also didn’t remember the names of any of the ladies who had been staying in that suite! What I did have, though, was my winning attitude and persuasive words. That had to be enough, right?

Who am I kidding? I begged the security guard to look at the records of lost property on “The 37th or 39th floor, I don’t remember”, and told him that “it was a black suit jacket, with a broken button. I really need it back!”

Fortunately, the security guard took pity on me, and after running through several layers of bureaucracy and many lines of database entries of missing property, the jacket was located. Unfortunately, one of the security guards didn’t seem prepared to hand over lost property to a man who wasn’t an occupant of the suite in question, nor knew the names of any of the people who were occupants. Hmm, backed into a corner, I see . . . 

DING! Ruling overturned! And all the while, Dan had been whiling away the hours placing a few well-considered wagers at the blackjack table! We were both feeling lucky, of course, so we strolled over to the Poker Room to play a little Texas Hold ‘Em through the night, so we could both pass out on our flights to Louisville. Play the game, see the world, right?

As it turned out, Dan and I might have both had Gemstone Caverns with luck counters stuck firmly to our foreheads, because neither of us was able to lose all night! We strolled out of the casino as big winners, ready for an early morning meal and a ride directly to the airport. Alongside a duffel bag of laundry, a laptop, and a disorganized backpack of cards, I had my weapon for the weekend all shined up and ready to go. As I’ve written about before, here’s the list I used:

4-Color Delver ? Legacy | Ben Friedman

• Creatures (16)
• 1 Leovold, Emissary of Trest
• 2 Gurmag Angler
• 2 Snapcaster Mage
• 3 True-Name Nemesis
• 4 Deathrite Shaman
• 4 Delver of Secrets

• Spells (25)
• 3 Abrupt Decay
• 4 Brainstorm
• 4 Daze
• 4 Force of Will
• 4 Lightning Bolt
• 2 Thoughtseize
• 4 Ponder

• Lands (19)
• 1 Badlands
• 1 Volcanic Island
• 2 Tropical Island
• 3 Underground Sea
• 4 Polluted Delta
• 4 Scalding Tarn
• 4 Wasteland

• Sideboard (15)
• 3 Surgical Extraction
• 2 Thoughtseize
• 1 Leovold, Emissary of Trest
• 2 Umezawa's Jitte
• 1 Kolaghan's Command
• 1 Painful Truths
• 1 Spell Pierce
• 3 Diabolic Edict
• 1 Pithing Needle

Buy This Deck

Dan, putting his faith in the higher power that carried him to a winning poker session, decided to play Miracles. A fine choice, although not one that I would recommend for your average out-of-practice wizard. Now, to be sure, Dan is no average out-of-practice wizard, but even he had some rust to shake off in his first few rounds, exemplified by when he came up to me, face flushed with embarrassment, and admitted that he lost round three because he snapped a card into his hand without checking for a Miracle. As it turned out, the Entreat the Angels that stared back at him would have been significantly better had he been able to cast it for its miracle cost. “I’m officially retiring from Magic,” he opined. “I’m just too out of practice. It’s like playing basketball after a year off, you can’t even make a damn foul shot anymore. Well, I guess I’ll keep playing since I’m still technically live for a PT invite, but I don’t even think I’ll play in GP Vegas in a few months.”

(Dan ended up going 6-0 to finish Day One still live for Top 8, and he only lost one more match on the weekend in heartbreaking fashion when he kept a one-lander with Top and Ponder and failed to draw a second land. Still so sure you want to retire, Dan?)

Regardless, I won my next round against Omni-Sneak due to a key blunder by my opponent. He had a single mana floating when he resolved Show and Tell, and put in Omniscience. I had a lowly Daze in my hand, with my only possible way to win being my opponent forgetting that he could easily pay for Daze with that extra floating mana. He went for a Cunning Wish, which resolved, and then a Firemind's Foresight. That’s when I went for it, saying, “Yeah, that one gets hit with a Daze.” I don’t know if my confidence in my tone of voice sold it, but my opponent quickly binned his spell, picked up his cards, and said, “Yeah, you got it.” Hey, sometimes you make the dumb punt, and sometimes your opponent makes the dumb punt to you. No shame in it, since I’ve made more silly brain farts than I care to remember, but it did feel weird to have a new lease on my tournament life at 4-1.

Quick wins followed against the mirror match, Cloudpost, Sultai Delver, and finally B/R Reanimator. Good luck was coming my way, and after a gutbusting dinner at New Wave Burritos (‘80s decor and oversized portions of Mexican food? Why would I ever eat anywhere else in Louisville?) I crashed extra early to try to catch up on missed sleep before Day Two.

Speaking of feature match cameras, there were none when I went to war with Oliver Tiu in Round 10. It’s unfortunate that such a great format didn’t get any camera time, but the silver lining was that no one had to watch Oliver beat me silly with a pile of Baleful Strixes, and though my record sustained a dent to fall to 8-2, my pride stayed intact. And that’s what matters, right?

Of course, I thought I was about to make a very quick exit from Top 8 contention the next round when I played against ChimpMoonZee, the Simian Spirit Guide-Blood Moon concoction that can’t beat the card Island but nevertheless always manages to end my tournament. Luckily, I had the Force of Wills and Dazes to keep my Tropical Islands and Underground Seas from turning into useless Mountains (and a key Lightning Bolt in Game 1 to keep Mr. Magus from Mooning me), so I survived to face Brad Nelson in Round 12.

The next three rounds were against Lands again, Death and Taxes, and finally Elves. I wasn’t playing my best at that point, as I usually play worse when I’m coming off a tough loss, but I managed to wriggle out from under the Wasteland lock, then overcame a severe punt to win against Death and Taxes, and finally beat up on poor Akash Naidu when he mulliganned to five and then three(!) in games two and three. And just like that, I snuck into Top 32, with the attendant glory, Pro Points, and small cash award. It wasn’t what I was hoping for at the start of the day, but it capped off my extended vacation nicely. I now sit comfortably at 16 Pro Points on the year, with invites to the next three PTs guaranteeing me at least 25 total points. I need ten more above and beyond that minimum to hit Gold, and I still have two Grand Prix slots open (along with one 1-pointer that I can definitely upgrade). I’m optimistic about locking up Gold heading into Prague, Dublin, and Pittsburgh, and I said as much on the car ride home on Monday morning.

Standard Shakeups

I don’t know exactly what to expect in Standard going forward, and I’m sure the first two weeks of SCG Open data will inform the Pro Tour, but I will say that I personally see shades of PT Oath of the Gatewatch on the horizon. Don’t be surprised if we have another dumb best deck that requires a second ban shortly after the Pro Tour, just like we did at this same time last year. As for me? I’ll be working on the best way to attack with infinite cats, while brainstorming clever deck names. CopyCat? Cat-astrophe? CrazyCatLady.dec? The possibilities are as endless as the number of 1/4 cats that are coming to claw your brains out. Just be ready with your well-timed Shocks to kill Saheeli Rai, or you’ll be eaten quicker than a box of Meow Mix!