If you are a big fan of basic mountains, then you were probably pretty happy with the results of Pro Tour Hour of Devastation. In my mind if there is a competitive red deck in the format then it’s the sign of a healthy metagame to come. We have seen a lot of movers and shakers from the Pro Tour and I think we will continue for the near future.

Red Desert Wins

The Mono-Black Cranberries Tribute Band

As I’m writing this, Zombies is facing off in the finals against Constrictor in what looked to be a world where Red decks were king. Clearly that is not the case, and the number of these zombie decks in the top 32 of Grand Prix Minnesota lead you to believe that it is a fantastic choice for this format. The unfortunate thing is a lot of the cards in this deck will only be around until the end of September. There are 17 rares or mythics that will rotate from the deck when Ixalan is released, so I’m going to strongly recommend picking something else if you’re new to Standard. If you already have some of these cards, you probably didn’t sell them after Pro Tour Amonkhet, but if you did, this is probably your last chance. Most of the cards that are rotating are already dropping quickly and you will find buylists change very quickly to accommodate for that.

Winding Constrictor & Friends

There are a variety of ways to build the Winding Constrictor decks, but the one that Corey Baumeister played uses a lot of older cards that I would not recommend investing in. The base of the deck is pretty new, however. Walking Ballista, Winding Constrictor, Rishkar, Peema Renegade, Verdurous Gearhulk, and Fatal Push are most of the deck and will be legal until fall of 2018. The deck has shown to be consistently good against a variety of decks and have the ability to retool itself when necessary. I like it as a midrange alternative if you’re not feeling a hyper aggressive deck.

I got 99 problems but Energy ain’t one

The entire energy mechanic is only in Kaladesh and Aether Revolt so it will always be legal in its entirety until the end of the next rotation. While the strategies may need some new payoff spells, the shell for the deck will continue to be competitive and likely good for months to come. This is another midrange strategy that is probably worse than , but, with Hissing Quagmire rotating, might have better mana than the deck in the near future. If you’re looking to buy into this deck I would recommend it as a pretty good longer term investment.

Rotation Rotation Rotation

Well now is the final time to get rid of anything you really don’t need. If you’re looking to pick up rotating cards that are played in Standard you still have to wait until after Ixalan is released for the best prices. I’d recommend looking around Christmas this year for their historic lows. If you’re a Modern player waiting for some cards like Thought-Knot Seer and Reality Smasher to rotate and get cheaper I don’t have good news for you. It’s unlikely Eternal staples will really get any cheaper after they rotate out of Standard and they’re really not seeing a ton of play right now as it is. Remember, the first Pro Tour of next year (Rivals of Ixalan) is going to be Modern so you will see those cards start to creep up in December.

Final Thoughts

If you like aggro decks, Mardu Vehicles and Ramunap Red are both great decks to get into for Standard. If you like to play with your food before you eat it, maybe Constrictor or Temur Energy is more your style. There are a lot of deck choices now you can make that will save you a lot of money in the next year. Remember Commander 2017 spoilers start today! I will cover Commander picks once the whole spoiler is out, next time!