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Hey, everyone!
This is my first article here at GatheringMagic, so let me introduce myself before I get into the nitty gritty. I’m a twenty-three-year-old Masters student who just so happens to enjoy playing Magic. Since I made a good run at the professional level a couple of years ago, I like to stick to competitive decks. I have also been known to include some finance-related topics in my articles since that’s my area of study (risk analysis and the like rather than card speculation). I generally like to play control decks, but since Magic has been changing recently, I have been adapting to more proactive strategies.
If you’re new to Standard, there have been some gradual changes to Magic in the last few years—cards have been becoming increasingly flashy. Remember the good old days when the best deck involved a coherent strategy? Those days were numbered, as we now have a format defined by collections of powerful effects.
I don’t want to say that’s good or bad since I did have a ton of fun with them in the old Ravnica Standard. The common opinion out there is that Standard has taken a lesson from its little brother, the Cube. What’s wrong with Cube? It’s a fun format.
Don’t fret because this Bant deck sums up the changes in Standard by being actually quite fun! The basic idea of this deck is that it can go from control to aggro in a pinch. Many of the lists I see online have a bunch of endgame spells but not enough to fight a horde of Zombies or Humans (or G/W monsters). At the same time, we can’t load up the deck full of anti-aggro cards since we run the risk of facing a control deck. A control deck is continually changing, which is why I enjoy them so much. Just when you think the format is solved, somebody pulls out a vintage gem to shake things up again.
Here’s my current list:
"Standard Bant Midrange"
- Creatures (11)
- 2 Angel of Serenity
- 2 Snapcaster Mage
- 3 Restoration Angel
- 4 Thragtusk
- Planeswalkers (6)
- 2 Tamiyo, the Moon Sage
- 4 Jace, Architect of Thought
- Spells (18)
- 1 Negate
- 2 Azorius Charm
- 2 Dissipate
- 3 Sphinx's Revelation
- 3 Supreme Verdict
- 4 Farseek
- 3 Detention Sphere
- Lands (25)
- 1 Plains
- 4 Island
- 2 Cavern of Souls
- 3 Glacial Fortress
- 3 Sunpetal Grove
- 4 Hallowed Fountain
- 4 Hinterland Harbor
- 4 Temple Garden
- Sideboard (15)
- 1 Ray of Revelation
- 1 Essence Scatter
- 3 Terminus
- 3 Geist of Saint Traft
- 2 Negate
- 2 Centaur Healer
- 2 Rest in Peace
- 1 Selesnya Charm
So far, I’ve played three local events with Bant, and my losses mostly came from failing to find an endgame spell. It’s easy to take the game long, but every deck has access to a slew of powerful effects. The main change to my list is the addition of the third Sphinx's Revelation so I can actually close a game if one copy is countered or if they’re just at the bottom of my deck. I like that you can bluff a Restoration Angel but ultimately cast a Revelation for a few cards instead (keep ’em on their toes).
Snapcaster Mage can rebuy a Revelation in the late game to ensure you won’t lose. This creature is the reason I want access to multiple counters, as it will probably rebuy a Dissipate. I know you can recast a Farseek, but I’m pretty greedy and wait for better uses.
Rather than a traditional walkthrough, I’m going to post some lists of the popular decks you can expect to face. Most of the cards in my deck are included because of specific choices in various strategies.
Let’s get to it!
G/W Aggro
Here’s an example of the stock G/W list in a Daily Event piloted by emar8 on October 29:
"G/W Aggro"
- Creatures (30)
- 3 Arbor Elf
- 3 Restoration Angel
- 3 Thragtusk
- 3 Wolfir Silverheart
- 4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
- 4 Loxodon Smiter
- 4 Silverblade Paladin
- 4 Strangleroot Geist
- 2 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
- Spells (7)
- 3 Selesnya Charm
- 4 Rancor
- Lands (23)
- 5 Plains
- 8 Forest
- 2 Gavony Township
- 4 Sunpetal Grove
- 4 Temple Garden
- Sideboard (15)
- 3 Centaur Healer
- 3 Knight of Glory
- 3 Oblivion Ring
- 2 Purify the Grave
- 1 Ray of Revelation
- 1 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
- 2 Triumph of Ferocity
Many of these threats demand immediate answers because of the possibility of Wolfir Silverheart and Silverblade Paladin coming into play and dealing more damage than anticipated. In the new world of Magic, we must accept the possibility of a G/W aggro deck effectively having plenty of creatures with haste. Be very afraid.
Gavony Township combined with Rancor make even the smallest creatures deadly, which is why I like taking out Restoration Angels. She is not big enough to effectively fight these green creatures, so it’s no more than a chump-block in most cases. I lost a game in which I drew three Angels and they didn’t move me closer to winning a game, but rather acted as stall cards before I wanted to cast Supreme Verdict.
The biggest mistake I have made against this deck is being greedy and attacking with a Beast token from Thragtusk into an empty board. The 2/2 Knight token from Selesnya Charm can turn into a scary monster in less than a turn. Bant is a deck that follows turtle logic (slow and steady wins the race), so there’s no reason to attack before you have board control established.
I think the matchup is much more manageable after sideboard because you have access to so many sweepers.
+3 Terminus
−1 Negate
−1 Dissipate
R/W/U Geist
Another popular aggressive deck is one that brings back memories of Delver: R/W/U Geist.
Here’s an example of the deck from Alex Park. He placed second at the StarCityGgames Open: New Orleans on October 27:
"R/W/U Geist"
- Creatures (14)
- 2 Thundermaw Hellkite
- 4 Restoration Angel
- 4 Snapcaster Mage
- 4 Geist of Saint Traft
- Spells (22)
- 2 Dissipate
- 2 Essence Scatter
- 2 Unsummon
- 3 Searing Spear
- 3 Syncopate
- 4 Azorius Charm
- 4 Pillar of Flame
- 2 Detention Sphere
- Lands (24)
- 1 Island
- 1 Mountain
- 2 Moorland Haunt
- 4 Clifftop Retreat
- 4 Glacial Fortress
- 4 Hallowed Fountain
- 4 Steam Vents
- 4 Sulfur Falls
- Sideboard (15)
- 3 Dungeon Geists
- 2 Dissipate
- 1 Izzet Charm
- 2 Negate
- 2 Purify the Grave
- 1 Searing Spear
- 1 Sundering Growth
- 3 Supreme Verdict
A single hit from some of these threats can be back-breaking due to the copious amount of burn. This style of deck existing is the primary reason I don’t simply play a bunch of Terminus in the main deck. What happens when you tap out on turn six for Terminus only to have it countered by Syncopate or Dissipate? Supreme Verdict sidesteps this issue with Geist since it’s uncounterable. I also like Supreme Verdict because you can flash it back with Snapcaster Mage for 6 mana rather than 8.
R/W/U doesn’t care too much about Jace, Architect of Thought or Tamiyo, the Moon Sage because Geist of Saint Traft kills them in one hit thanks to the delayed trigger of Jace resolving before the Angel token enters the battlefield. R/W/U tempo doesn’t want to see Thragtusk, so Essence Scatter goes up in value for that deck.
After sideboarding, you have more than enough ways to kill a Geist of Saint Traft (legend rule and Supreme Verdict), so Thundermaw Hellkite is the primary concern.
−2 Farseek
The Selesnya Charm is only for killing Thundermaw Hellkite since it’s the most realistic way of losing. Make sure not to walk into a timely Restoration Angel to counter your removal for the powerful Dragon. You can also be tricky and pump your Geist of Saint Traft so it doesn’t die to a Snapcaster Mage block.
Angel of Serenity is marginal in this matchup because you don’t want to exile opposing Snapcaster Mages and because you can’t target Geist. The issue is that the deck has Unsummon waiting for your Angel, so it generates decent value when the creatures come back to the player’s hand. It’s even weaker when the player just plays a Hellkite and taps your Angel.
W/U/r Tempo
Thanks to Todd Anderson, Archer, and Adam Prosak popularizing their unique takes on W/U/r tempo, Cavern of Souls is starting to pop up again. These types of decks like to counter your spells and deal some damage here and there with Snapcaster Mage or Augur of Bolas.
Here’s the deck that’s slightly warping Standard piloted by Archer to a 4–0 finish in a Daily Event on October 29:
"W/U/r Tempo"
- Creatures (8)
- 4 Augur of Bolas
- 4 Restoration Angel
- Spells (26)
- 1 Essence Scatter
- 2 Izzet Charm
- 2 Syncopate
- 3 Dissipate
- 3 Searing Spear
- 3 Sphinx's Revelation
- 3 Think Twice
- 4 Rewind
- 1 Devil's Play
- 4 Pillar of Flame
- Lands (26)
- 1 Mountain
- 3 Island
- 2 Desolate Lighthouse
- 4 Clifftop Retreat
- 4 Glacial Fortress
- 4 Hallowed Fountain
- 4 Steam Vents
- 4 Sulfur Falls
- Sideboard (15)
- 2 Detention Sphere
- 3 Geist of Saint Traft
- 3 Izzet Staticaster
- 3 Negate
- 2 Purify the Grave
- 2 Supreme Verdict
Don’t prepare for this specific deck, as it takes many forms, but the theory is the same.
, it’s possible to stick a Jace before you have Negate mana.
The reason I have Centaur Healer in the sideboard is that Searing Spear is gaining popularity. Restoration Angel is the creature for me, as she has the magic 4 toughness to survive burn or just block another Angel.
+2 Negate
All of the W/U-based control decks are ready to sideboard in at least three copies of Geist of Saint Traft, so beware. For this reason, I still leave in a couple of Supreme Verdicts. The Detention Spheres can only hit Restoration Angels profitably, which isn’t very impressive. Azorius Charm is also extremely weak since it doesn’t target the real threat: Geist.
Zombies
Zombies was heralded as being broken after the rotation, but we haven’t seen anything from the undead menace in a while. The power of Thragtusk has scared them into hiding, as it doesn’t have much brains to eat. For this reason, I was able to stash the Terminus in the sideboard and cut back on Azorius Charm. I still have some sideboard cards for Zombies since they can return at any moment.
−2 Dissipate
−1 Negate
Don’t be afraid to do anything you can to stop early damage because that’s how Zombies gets you. This can often mean it’s correct to turn Snapcaster Mage into Ambush Viper to stop a Diregraf Ghoul or Rakdos Cackler. Selesnya Charm is designed to do the same thing, but it can also kill a big Zombie with a Rancor, too.
The counters are useful, but I don’t want to take out anything else. Make sure you don’t spend too much time durdling around because the deck can generate card advantage after sideboard with Liliana of the Veil or Underworld Connections.
I shave a Supreme Verdict because it doesn’t answer most of the threats, but it can still hit an early swarm or buy you a turn if necessary.
Reanimator
A deck that demands specific hate is reanimator. Grand Prix: Auckland was dominated by this archetype.
Walker MacMurdo took down the tournament with some large friends.
"Standard Reanimator"
- Creatures (14)
- 1 Acidic Slime
- 1 Craterhoof Behemoth
- 3 Centaur Healer
- 4 Angel of Serenity
- 4 Thragtusk
- 1 Griselbrand
- Spells (23)
- 4 Grisly Salvage
- 1 Sever the Bloodline
- 2 Dreadbore
- 3 Lingering Souls
- 4 Faithless Looting
- 4 Mulch
- 4 Unburial Rites
- 1 Oblivion Ring
- Lands (23)
- 1 Slayers' Stronghold
- 2 Rootbound Crag
- 2 Woodland Cemetery
- 3 Clifftop Retreat
- 3 Sunpetal Grove
- 4 Blood Crypt
- 4 Overgrown Tomb
- 4 Temple Garden
- Sideboard (15)
- 1 Abrupt Decay
- 1 Centaur Healer
- 1 Craterhoof Behemoth
- 2 Deathrite Shaman
- 3 Duress
- 1 Mizzium Mortars
- 2 Rolling Temblor
- 1 Sever the Bloodline
- 2 Slaughter Games
- 1 Zealous Conscripts
The key to fighting reanimator is to wait on casting Angel of Serenity because yours will probably become exiled. Tamiyo can win games after going ultimate, but Dreadbore is a staple that must be respected. With the exception of Craterhoof Behemoth, there aren’t any ways to pump Lingering Souls, which makes Jace’s +1 pretty good at stalling.
+2 Negate
−1 Farseek
The idea in this matchup is to counter the opponent’s early digging spells (Mulch and Grisly Salvage) and land a Geist of Saint Traft. Since there are only three copies, I still leave in plenty of big threats to end a game. Even though I take out plenty of removal, Geist still has a good chance of pushing through because the first things reanimator boards out are Lingering Souls (because of Jace) and Centaur Healer (because it’s invalidated by Restoration Angel).
I leave in all of the Sphinx's Revelations because you can play a draw-go style game with countermagic. The instant-speed threats such as Restoration Angel go up in value after board because of this.
Naya Midrange
What about midrange?
I’m glad you asked, as Grand Prix: Auckland gave us a great archetype: Naya.
"Naya Midrange"
- Creatures (19)
- 3 Angel of Serenity
- 4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
- 4 Huntmaster of the Fells
- 4 Restoration Angel
- 4 Thragtusk
- Planeswalkers (3)
- 3 Garruk, Primal Hunter
- Spells (12)
- 2 Selesnya Charm
- 1 Devil's Play
- 2 Bonfire of the Damned
- 4 Farseek
- 3 Oblivion Ring
- Lands (26)
- 3 Mountain
- 4 Forest
- 2 Kessig Wolf Run
- 3 Clifftop Retreat
- 3 Rootbound Crag
- 3 Selesnya Guildgate
- 4 Sunpetal Grove
- 4 Temple Garden
- Sideboard (15)
- 1 Bonfire of the Damned
- 1 Centaur Healer
- 1 Devil's Play
- 1 Garruk, Primal Hunter
- 3 Loxodon Smiter
- 1 Ray of Revelation
- 2 Rest in Peace
- 2 Sigarda, Host of Herons
- 1 Terminus
- 2 Zealous Conscripts
This deck is very effective at ramping out very powerful threats and could be a hit. Farseek meets a new buddy in Avacyn's Pilgrim to help pump out 4-drops a turn earlier. It’s also great fixing to help cast Angel of Serenity.
+2 Negate
+2 Terminus
−1 Farseek
You want to be able to have enough big spells to end the game but also draw enough counters to stop what the opponent is doing. I think a couple of Terminus go a long way toward keeping creatures out of the opponent’s graveyard to return with Angel of Serenity. Restoration Angel and Sphinx's Revelation make sure you have bombs to cast at the end of the opponent’s turn if he plays around countermagic.
Jace isn’t amazing here because tapping out on turn four can lead to Garruk, Primal Hunter walking all over you. The scary thing is that Farseek can mean the same thing because the opponent can ramp to 5 mana on turn three thanks to Avacyn's Pilgrim.
Don’t think this means you’re outclassed at every turn because that’s not the case at all. Naya has extra ramp at the cost of playing real spells. In reality, this deck plays thirty-four mana sources to your twenty-nine, so trading one for one is effective.
Mirror Match
The mirror is the last deck I want to discuss since Bant has been posting very solid results lately. This is another midrange mirror in which going big is the best option. Countermagic is awesome, as you have the option to trade 2 mana for the opponent’s entire turn.
+2 Negate
Boarding out Detention Sphere seems strange, but I want to blank the opponent’s enchantment removal. It’s also easier to stop planeswalkers (Jace and Tamiyo) because Geist kills them in one hit. You also have access to extra Negates. Geist of Saint Traft is the main threat here, and the Sphere doesn’t do much to stop it. Snapcaster Mage can block Geist, making him an all-star.
Once you start playing against the blue midrange mirrors, you will realize there’re a ton of turns with no spells being cast because of the fear of countermagic. Cavern of Souls will shine here since it can be played on the turn you cast the creature with the type named. Many games can end after you resolve a turn-three Geist with a Cavern of Souls naming Spirit or Cleric.
That’s all for me this week. If you like or dislike this method of breaking down a deck, let me know in the comments. Bant is very powerful, but I plan on looking at other decks in the future since Standard is changing rapidly.
Until next week,
Kyle
