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Main » Articles » An Introduction to New Standard - Pt. 2

An Introduction to New Standard - Pt. 2

Danny West
Posted on January 30, 2020
 Reddit

I remember it as if it were days ago when I talked about new Standard's likely archetypes to come. Let us proceed into the catacombs of Theros Beyond Death Standard archetypes with only my reasoning and this rusty lantern to guide us.

The Toothpaste Can't Go Black Into the Tube

Gray Merchant of Asphodel

The impossible-not-to-investigate Mono-Black Devotion archetype is in one of two places at the moment: Either it's been pushed so gingerly that it's not going to really be that relevant to the format beyond the first few weeks, or we haven't found the right build yet.

I won't harp on how weird it is to me to recreate an environment that emulates the previous Theros seasons that this archetype ran roughshod on. I've done that a few times already. I mean, seriously, is there someone in Wizards of the Coast Development that's like an obsessed cop, trying to right the wrongs of a previous Standard's case to the detriment of themselves and everyone around them? They sit and look at old card files reeking of their own flask alcohol late into the night.

Let it go, man! Underworld Connections was years ago!

Mono-Black Devotion | THB Standard | rapidluis08, Standard League 5-0 on 1/27/20

Readers from part 1 will note that Woe Strider is the bee's knees, and so the step up to the world's least qualified goat keeper gets nothing but an endorsement from me.

Woe Strider
Bolas's Citadel

Several builds exist now because of how much power there is at different mana costs in the deck, how many non-distracting options there are with such linear mana, and what the best ways to maximize the strategy are against the different opponents that are emerging. But frankly, the obvious move to go with a full load of Agonizing Remorse is going to help that basically no matter what the format ends up looking like.

Agonizing Remorse

Sound familiar?!

Truth be told I think the biggest issue with this deck's reunion tour might come after the next rotation. This deck seems like it'll retain just about everything for a while, and of the few things it does lose, most represent very repeated card designs. I mean, seriously, we're probably going to always have "a Gutterbones" style of design in Standard.

Bloodsoaked Champion
Bloodghast
Nether Shadow

If at any point this archetype becomes dominant, I'll be off Standard for a while.

Yay, nostalgia.

That Darned Cat!

I' ve made it no secret that I'm on the Cat Food variety of synergy beatings, but a bunch of my friends are riding the tardy tide of the new Aristocrats decks. I say tardy because they've been an expected yet absent part of most metagames since the day Judith, the Scourge Diva was previewed. Our playgroup basically agrees with the rest of the world that some of the easiest Magic games to navigate are the ones where you can throw your creatures into combat without really caring whether they live or die.

Priest of Forgotten Gods
Cauldron Familiar
Chandra, Acolyte of Flame

Here are a few places to get started on your own customizations. Keep in mind that this is now a format with a hilariously good life gain deck and Food tokens, so bad sacrifice math will screw you if you're not careful.

Rakdos Aristocrats | THB Standard | KidAmn

Rakdos Aristocrats | THB Standard | __forge__, Standard League 4-1 on 1/18/20

Rakdos Aristocrats | THB Standard | robin0900

Tip: Playing full games with decks like this isn't always the best practice. Fill up the table with some interesting game states with life totals and see how much damage you can do. How much could you hit creatures with? How much could you afford to point at a planeswalker? Get a fellow nerd to check your math. The average turn in piloting decks like this are relatively simple, but the late-game, high pressure turns are often very intricate. Even if you're not picking up this deck to pilot it, it's good to be familiar with how fast an experienced opponent can get you dead.

All the advice about the other Cat decks still applies here: know your trigger calculations. It's not something you can learn in the hotel lobby in the morning. If you're prone to that sort of thing but you still want to win the event, play a different deck.

And with this archetype we are now five-for-five on something, and we can now start to tie together something awesome about this format that continues to be a central theme:

Tip: This isn't just a format about deck selection; it's a format where deck optimization matters. You will find many small changes and variations, depending on what kind of challenge the pilot is taking on - MagicFest, Qualifer, FNM, etc. In other words, don't just copy lists - understand them. Then get to work on your signature version.

Speaking of Magic decks, here's another one now!

What.

It seems that no environment is too hostile. Control players will try to play Magic from 2001 no matter what.

Azorius Control | THB Standard | AndyAWKWARD, Standard League 5-0 on 1/27/20

First, I'm going to explain why even your humble narrator, a fellow of Blue and White control predisposition, loathes the notion of playing this deck in this format. Then, I'm going to tell you why I'm wrong.

Shatter the Sky

This card is fascinating, and I think you could write a full article on the complicated implications of its design, but truth be told, I think once players get comfortable with it, it's going to be a liability. It is a card that can be accounted for nearly any time a deck-builder feels like it.

Elspeth, Sun's Nemesis

Escape in small doses is fine, but aside from being a Lingering Souls stuck in traffic and showing off the new set marquee card, like, what's this doing, really?

Omen of the Sea
Dovin's Veto

Situational, tempo-sucking counterspell and the latest in Standard-legal durdles. Great spot to be in in 2020.

Absorb

Oh cool. It's a really narrow Food with a useless ability stapled on.

So this deck sucks, then?

Twist ending! It does not!

Here's how this decklist takes a strategy with dubious positioning up to a flat out winner:

The Birth of Meletis

Every single chapter on this card is in the business of doing something the deck needs done but lacks enough sources of otherwise. It gives you a nearly guaranteed land drop you'd want to "Opt" or "Think Twice" into early with these decks anyway. It gets you a good blocker on turn three, giving Teferi a chance at a long life way too early in the game for reasons. Thassa's Intervention suddenly becomes a playable card because of the mana efficiency...a lot of powerful cards are going to get the credit for this archetype, but under all that is this Saga doing all the heavy lifting.

Dream Trawler

These decks like to kill with some sort of Baneslayer Angel variant. The better it is, the more it can bolster up the deck's weaknesses. Guess what? This one is really good.

Insert it should be mythic because Limited complaint here.

No seriously. It's unbeatable. Try racing it. Like, honestly.

Time Wipe

Not content to roll over and die to the bait of the lower cost Wrath effect, Andy astutely split the mass destruction effects to make sure he was maximizing the build's strengths rather than just rolling over on its perceived weaknesses. That's just good, clean thinking right there.

Why wouldn't you want to get extra uses out of these creatures? They're nuts!

Brazen Borrower
Gadwick, the Wizened

The mana base is curious to me, but I'm also trustworthy of it because of how well the rest of the deck is constructed.

Where Does That Leave Us

With more decks to cover in part 3!

Red aggro, Fires of Invention, Simic...

No matter how many archetypes we look at, though, the biggest lesson of the format remains the same: The card pool is huge, and that means that individual card choices matter far more than usual. For the next several weeks, tournaments will be won and lost on single card decisions. When every slot in the 75 matters is when critical thinkers are the most rewarded. Make sure you're one of them.

(~_^)

The Rascal

The Indestructible Danny West

TAGS articles, standard, metagame, constructed, analysis, decklist, danny west, thb standard, 01302020

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