There are few things more fun in Magic than having a pile of Planeswalkers on your side of the board. It almost doesn’t matter what their effects are; it just feels powerful to tick counters up and down, generating free effects and creatures, and slowly burying your opponent with help from your allies. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen a great Planeswalker deck in the current Standard format, but Chris Landsdell is looking to change that. Has he found something that can take on the B/G Constrictor variants?

Abzan Walkers ? Aether Revolt Standard | Chris Lansdell

• Planeswalkers (10)
• 1 Ajani Unyielding
• 1 Nissa, Vital Force
• 1 Ob Nixilis Reignited
• 1 Sorin, Grim Nemesis
• 3 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar
• 3 Nissa, Voice of Zendikar

• Instants (8)
• 2 Anguished Unmaking
• 2 Murder
• 4 Fatal Push

• Sorceries (3)
• 3 Fumigate

• Enchantments (14)
• 2 Authority of the Consuls
• 2 Thopter Arrest
• 3 Oath of Gideon
• 3 Oath of Liliana
• 4 Oath of Nissa

• Lands (25)
• 2 Plains
• 4 Forest
• 4 Swamp
• 2 Hissing Quagmire
• 3 Concealed Courtyard
• 3 Evolving Wilds
• 3 Shambling Vent
• 4 Blooming Marsh

• Sideboard (15)
• 2 Appetite for the Unnatural
• 2 Kalitas, Traitor of Ghet
• 2 Natural State
• 2 Yahenni's Expertise
• 3 Liliana, the Last Hope
• 4 Tireless Tracker

Buy This Deck

Enter the Planeswalkers. Chris is playing ten Planeswalkers of varying costs and powers, backed up by ten Oaths. Oath of Nissa is a great cantrip that lets you dig for the appropriate Planeswalkers while fixing your colors and providing the opportunity to get a little greedier with the colors if you’re so inclined. Oath of Liliana is a solid value engine, particularly against a deck like Vehicles. Oath of Gideon is a solid speedbump for aggro decks, while also giving your Planeswalkers some extra loyalty to work with. This is particularly important for Nissa, Vital Force, who can ultimate as soon as she hits the board with help from Gideon, Ally of Zendikar.

As far as the rest of the Planeswalker suite, you’ve got Nissa, Voice of Zendikar and Gideon, Ally of Zendikar to stall out the ground. Once your motley crew of Zombies, Plants, and Allies can protect your first Planeswalker, you can start resolving the likes of Sorin, Grim Nemesis, Ob Nixilis Reignited, and Ajani Unyielding who help ensure your tokens can deal with whatever is left on the board while generating cards and helping you find more Planeswalkers to resolve.

Assuming the format continues to trend towards B/G Constrictor, I’d be looking to play something similar that goes just a little bigger. This could very well be that deck. You have enough early interaction and sweepers to stop them from getting out of hand, and have lots of tools to gum up the ground while you start resolving powerful Planeswalkers to take over the game.