This Standard format has been wild.

Aside from being one of the best and most open Standard formats in recent memory, it has also been completely full of surprises. Just when it seems like the format is ready to settle, there's a new curveball ready to come out of the woodworks and shake it all up again.

Did anyone have "Fireball you for 80" on their 2024 Standard bingo card, because I sure didn't!

Time Stamps:

03:34 - Match 1

23:35 - Match 2

45:53 - Match 3

Fireball Combo | MKM Standard | Chris Botelho

• Creatures (12)
• 1 Shigeki, Jukai Visionary
• 3 Fallaji Archaeologist
• 4 Aftermath Analyst
• 4 Nissa, Resurgent Animist

• Instants (6)
• 2 Galvanic Iteration
• 4 Memory Deluge

• Sorceries (8)
• 4 Ill-Timed Explosion
• 4 Worldsoul's Rage

• Enchantments (4)
• 4 Virtue of Strength

• Lands (30)
• 6 Forest
• 5 Island
• 4 Mountain
• 1 Riveteers Overlook
• 2 Echoing Deeps
• 4 Brokers Hideout
• 4 Cabaretti Courtyard
• 4 Maestros Theater

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Light Up the Night
• 2 End the Festivities
• 1 Into the Fire
• 3 Lithomantic Barrage
• 3 Abrade
• 2 Malevolent Hermit
• 1 Turn the Earth
• 2 The Filigree Sylex

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As you can see in the video, this deck is extremely powerful.

With a curve involving Aftermath Analyst and Nissa, Resurgent Animist, the deck is able to produce an ungodly amount of mana as early as turn four, all while gaining life and drawing cards along the way. This use of the New Capenna sacrifice lands is kinda genius, turning what would be a drawback into a positive.

The deck has just enough interaction with Ill-Timed Explosion providing a sweeper, as well as Memory Deluge to provide some extra draw and card selection to put it all together. However the big surprise is the oft maligned Virtue of Strength, which looks more like a Commander card than a Standard card. Tripling your mana seems silly, but the adventure side can grab a land or creature in a pinch, and then you can really crank it up by casting it.

There have been a few takes so far on this Aftermath Analyst plus Nissa, Resurgent Animist pairing in Standard, and while I don't think the perfect build has ben found yet, this is one that you need to be either playing or figuring out how to beat because it is the real deal!