Now that the holiday season is winding down, we’re about to be smacked in the face with some big tournaments. Whether you’re preparing for one of the last traditional Pro Tour Qualifiers or Grand Prix Denver, chances are Standard should be on your mind. In my last article, which was less than a month ago, the metagame was defined largely by Abzan and Mardu. Since then, a lot has changed, and your success in these upcoming tournaments will depend on how you adapt. Let’s revisit what I consider the three options for selecting a deck:

Play a “Proven” Deck

This often means playing “the best” deck or the “boogeyman” of the format. This is the low-risk option, especially if you take the time to learn how to play it properly. Even if other players come prepared, you are still guaranteed to be doing something powerful. Let’s look at the two “best decks” of Khans of Tarkir Standard.

Sultai Reanimator ? Khans of Tarkir Standard | Eric English, StarCityGames Standard Open, Seattle 12/13/2014

• Creatures (24)
• 1 Elvish Mystic
• 1 Soul of Innistrad
• 2 Hornet Queen
• 3 Doomwake Giant
• 4 Courser of Kruphix
• 4 Satyr Wayfinder
• 4 Sylvan Caryatid
• 1 Pharika, God of Affliction
• 4 Sidisi, Brood Tyrant

• Spells (13)
• 3 Hero's Downfall
• 4 Murderous Cut
• 3 Thoughtseize
• 3 Whip of Erebos

• Lands (23)
• 1 Island
• 2 Swamp
• 3 Forest
• 1 Evolving Wilds
• 1 Mana Confluence
• 1 Temple of Mystery
• 2 Polluted Delta
• 2 Temple of Malady
• 2 Yavimaya Coast
• 4 Llanowar Wastes
• 4 Opulent Palace

• Sideboard (15)
• 3 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver
• 2 Bile Blight
• 3 Disdainful Stroke
• 2 Drown in Sorrow
• 1 Pharika, God of Affliction
• 2 Reclamation Sage
• 2 Sultai Charm

Buy This Deck

Sultai Reanimator, or “Sidisi Whip,” is definitely the boogeyman of current Standard. Nearly every card in the deck just oozes value, making it a strong option against other midrange decks like Abzan even without silver bullets like Hornet Queen. The inherent life-gain in Whip of Erebos and Courser of Kruphix shove decks like mono-red and Jeskai almost completely out of the format.

Many players are on the lookout for this deck, so if you do choose it, keep in mind what strategies they may use against you. A good example is W/U Heroic. Orry Swift, an accomplished pilot of Heroic, considers Sidisi Whip to be a “bye” for him. Hero's Downfall and Murderous Cut are probably too slow to compete with protection spells like Gods Willing, and Bile Blight does nothing to creatures that reach 4 toughness so quickly. I recommend trying Dead Drop for this matchup—Heroic often has no more than two creatures on the battlefield, and the only true answer to the spell is Stubborn Denial.

Abzan Midrange ? Khans of Tarkir Standard | Sheldon Freerksen, StarCityGames Standard Open, Portland 12/6/2014

• Creatures (12)
• 4 Courser of Kruphix
• 4 Siege Rhino
• 4 Sylvan Caryatid

• Planeswalkers (6)
• 1 Nissa, Worldwaker
• 2 Sorin, Solemn Visitor
• 3 Elspeth, Sun's Champion

• Spells (17)
• 2 Utter End
• 4 Abzan Charm
• 4 Hero's Downfall
• 1 Duneblast
• 2 Read the Bones
• 4 Thoughtseize

• Lands (25)
• 2 Plains
• 3 Forest
• 1 Caves of Koilos
• 3 Llanowar Wastes
• 3 Sandsteppe Citadel
• 4 Temple of Malady
• 4 Temple of Silence
• 4 Windswept Heath
• 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Bile Blight
• 4 Drown in Sorrow
• 1 Duneblast
• 2 End Hostilities
• 2 Nissa, Worldwaker
• 2 Read the Bones
• 1 Ulcerate
• 1 Unravel the Aether
• 1 Utter End

Buy This Deck

Abzan Midrange was my deck of choice for Grand Prix San Antonio, where I finished in seventh place. It’s still a great strategy, as midrange always will be, and I would not fault anyone for playing it moving forward. Abzan plays the game of my-cards-are-probably-better-than-yours. This will win you a lot of games—but be aware of what can beat you. Sidisi Whip is not a great matchup, mainly because of Hornet Queen. Drown in Sorrow and Duneblast can often solve this problem, which I imagine is why Sheldon, winner of SCG Portland, is running four Drown in Sorrow in the sideboard and a Duneblast in the main.

Play “Your” Deck

Many people are not satisfied with traditional or “proven” strategies, and that’s okay. Legacy experts will probably tell you not to play Infect—unless your name is Tom Ross. “The” best deck might not be “your” best deck, and that should always be taken into consideration. Jeff Hoogland recently made Top 8 of SCG Seattle with Temur Midrange. It may not be the best deck, but you’d be hard-pressed to see someone like Brian Kibler playing anything else. Here’s Hoogland’s list—in case it’s your cup of tea:

Temur Midrange ? Khans of Tarkir Standard | Jeff Hoogland, StarCityGames Standard Open, Seattle 12/13/2014

• Creatures (27)
• 2 Courser of Kruphix
• 2 Rattleclaw Mystic
• 4 Elvish Mystic
• 4 Goblin Rabblemaster
• 4 Heir of the Wilds
• 4 Savage Knuckleblade
• 4 Stormbreath Dragon
• 3 Polukranos, World Eater

• Spells (10)
• 3 Stubborn Denial
• 3 Temur Charm
• 4 Crater's Claws

• Lands (23)
• 2 Forest
• 3 Mountain
• 1 Temple of Epiphany
• 2 Shivan Reef
• 3 Mana Confluence
• 4 Frontier Bivouac
• 4 Wooded Foothills
• 4 Yavimaya Coast

• Sideboard (15)
• 3 Anger of the Gods
• 1 Dig Through Time
• 3 Disdainful Stroke
• 2 Force Away
• 3 Reclamation Sage
• 2 Stoke the Flames
• 1 Stubborn Denial

Buy This Deck

Break the Format

Breaking the format can mean a few things. It could mean discovering a new deck and steamrolling the competition because no one is ready for it. (See: Patrick Chapin’s Dragonstorm.) It could also mean revisiting a strategy that matches up well against the current metagame. Right now, that metagame is Sidisi Whip, and there are a couple of excellent choices.

U/B Control ? Khans of Tarkir Standard | Ivan Floch, 2014 World Championship

• Creatures (2)
• 2 Pearl Lake Ancient

• Spells (30)
• 1 Disdainful Stroke
• 1 Murderous Cut
• 3 Jace's Ingenuity
• 4 Bile Blight
• 4 Dig Through Time
• 4 Dissolve
• 4 Hero's Downfall
• 2 Despise
• 3 Thoughtseize
• 4 Perilous Vault

• Lands (28)
• 5 Island
• 5 Swamp
• 1 Bloodstained Mire
• 1 Evolving Wilds
• 1 Flooded Strand
• 2 Radiant Fountain
• 4 Dismal Backwater
• 4 Polluted Delta
• 4 Temple of Deceit
• 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Aetherspouts
• 4 Drown in Sorrow
• 2 Grindclock
• 2 Jorubai Murk Lurker
• 3 Negate
• 2 Pharika's Cure
• 1 Thoughtseize

Buy This Deck

Surprisingly, this deck isn’t really on anyone’s radar right now. Ivan Floch piloted a similar deck to a Top 8 finish at Pro Tour Khans of Tarkir, and to no one’s surprise, he brought it back to the World Championship in France. U/B Control, while generally a difficult deck to pilot, is a great option against midrange, especially against Sidisi Whip since it is often clear which answers to use for which card.

Space Jam Combo ? Khans of Tarkir Standard | Matt Nass

• Creatures (16)
• 4 Akroan Crusader
• 4 Meletis Astronomer
• 4 Nyxborn Rollicker
• 4 Sylvan Caryatid

• Spells (25)
• 3 Gods Willing
• 4 Retraction Helix
• 2 Chosen by Heliod
• 4 Dragon Mantle
• 4 Jeskai Ascendancy
• 4 Karametra's Favor
• 4 Springleaf Drum

• Lands (19)
• 2 Temple of Plenty
• 3 Battlefield Forge
• 3 Mystic Monastery
• 3 Yavimaya Coast
• 4 Frontier Bivouac
• 4 Mana Confluence

• Sideboard (15)
• 3 Erase
• 1 Gods Willing
• 4 Nyx-Fleece Ram
• 4 Swan Song
• 3 Treasure Cruise

Buy This Deck

This is one of the more exciting decks in the format, and I think it’s a good one to leave you with. The addition of Meletis Astronomer into the Jeskai Ascendancy combo shell makes it much more consistent and truly a force to be reckoned with. Midrange can’t do much to answer it since a lot of the “going off” can happen at instant speed out of nowhere. I recommend giving this deck a shot if you want to surprise some people at your local Friday Night Magic, but I also believe it’s a very strong choice for a PTQ or Grand Prix if the metagame continues to revolve around Sidisi Whip.

Good luck at your next event. I’ll be out of the Standard scene for a bit while I test Modern for Grand Prix Omaha and Pro Tour Fate Reforged, but I’ll be keeping a close eye on how things shake up in the coming weeks.