It seems that, just a few weeks ago, I was talking about the impact Fate Reforged would have on Standard, and now here we are facing down Dragons of Tarkir. I believe the last time I did a set review, the format was fairly well received, so I am going to stick with that, adjusting a few small things. This week, I will be talking about the position cards may hold within the existing metagame, leaving theory-crafting for next.

The first card I want to talk about, though I am not really in support of it, is Myth Realized. While this card does have the potential to be large just by doing what certain decks would anyway, it seems extremely lackluster next to Mastery of the Unseen. Perhaps there is a deck for this, but I just can’t imagine ever being happy about top-decking this card late, and unless I am casting this on turn one, I feel the size will probably be underwhelming. I only mention the card because there is a great deal of hype, and it would probably be wise to move them as early as possible.

Now that we have one prowess dud out of the way, let’s look at the best prowess card printed thus far . . . without prowess. Ojutai Exemplars was spoiled fairly early in the set, and though I am not sure what deck it fits into best, I believe there will be a great deal of testing within multiple shells. I like a Jeskai shell for it, or perhaps just straight R/W list similar to what we saw earlier this season.

R/W Aggro ? Dragons of Tarkir Standard | Ryan Bushard

• Creatures (18)
• 3 Goblin Rabblemaster
• 3 Ojutai Exemplars
• 3 Stormbreath Dragon
• 4 Seeker of the Way
• 2 Brimaz, King of Oreskos
• 3 Zurgo Bellstriker

• Spells (19)
• 2 Wild Slash
• 3 Lightning Strike
• 4 Stoke the Flames
• 3 Hordeling Outburst
• 3 Outpost Siege
• 4 Chained to the Rocks

• Lands (23)
• 6 Plains
• 9 Mountain
• 4 Battlefield Forge
• 4 Temple of Triumph

• Sideboard (15)
• 1 Glare of Heresy
• 2 Exile
• 2 Ashcloud Phoenix
• 3 Anger of the Gods
• 1 Outpost Siege
• 2 Valorous Stance
• 2 Sarkhan, the Dragonspeaker
• 2 Banishing Light

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I am not as sold on Zurgo Bellstriker in the deck, but the extra haste creature that can avoid Wraths in the late game is at least worth testing. Both cards seem right about on for price right now, so if you feel this is a direction you are looking to go, it may not be a bad idea to acquire your copies now.

Of course, there is always a control deck looming by this point in the format, and this year holds no different. I will be going into more detail next week on where I believe control is headed, but this week, let’s take a look at what U/B control may want moving forward. The cards may finally be here to move into Esper, but the consistent mana U/B provides may win out at first.

U/B Control ? Dragons of Tarkir Standard | Ryan Bushard

• Creatures (1)
• 1 Pearl Lake Ancient

• Planeswalkers (3)
• 1 Ugin, the Spirit Dragon
• 2 Ashiok, Nightmare Weaver

• Spells (26)
• 1 Jace's Ingenuity
• 3 Disdainful Stroke
• 4 Bile Blight
• 4 Dig Through Time
• 4 Dissolve
• 4 Hero's Downfall
• 1 Crux of Fate
• 2 Thoughtseize
• 3 Perilous Vault

• Lands (30)
• 3 Swamp
• 4 Island
• 1 Bloodstained Mire
• 1 Flooded Strand
• 1 Haven of the Spirit Dragon
• 2 Dragonlord's Prerogative
• 2 Opulent Palace
• 3 Radiant Fountain
• 4 Dismal Backwater
• 4 Polluted Delta
• 4 Temple of Deceit
• 1 Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth

• Sideboard (15)
• 3 Drown in Sorrow
• 2 Negate
• 2 Crux of Fate
• 2 Tasigur, the Golden Fang
• 2 Thoughtseize
• 1 Disdainful Stroke
• 3 Icefall Regent

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The three Icefall Regents in the sideboard could also be three Risen Executioners.

On a more serious note, I believe Dragonlord's Prerogative will probably replace some number of copies of Jace's Ingenuity. It is nice to see Opportunity back in Standard, and even without the first two paragraphs of text, this card seems playable.

In the mana base, I shuffled things around a bit to fit a singleton copy of Haven of the Spirit Dragon. I am not sure this will end up in the list, but there is no way this card will not be tested. In the mirror, it can be so impactful that I may even see a second copy hitting the ’board since it is not legendary. I have high hopes for this card in the long term as well, but for now, snag them if you plan on playing some control.

In the ’board is one more card I want to test out: Icefall Regent. It is common game for control to bring some creatures in after ’board, and though Tasigur, the Golden Fang is better in almost every case, he is legendary and therefore usually keeps us from playing a full set. I was always a fan of Dungeon Geist coming in from the ’board, and I feel this card may fill the same role. The metagame currently seems a little resilient to the card, but with the new set mixing things up, I would not be surprised to see this card find a home.

The last deck I want to touch on this week is likely to be repeated next week as well, and it’s Mono-Green Devotion. As long as Whisperwood Elemental and Mastery of the Unseen exist in the format next to Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx, this will be a deck. The version I want to talk about next week is a bit of a different take on the strategy, using cards such as Avatar of the Resolute to gain early pressure the current midrange version lacks.

This week, to wrap it up, I am going to take a look at the current boogeyman of Standard, though in reality, it is more of the flavor of the week.

Mono-Green Devotion ? Dragons of Tarkir Standard | Ryan Bushard

• Creatures (32)
• 1 Soul of Theros
• 1 Temur Sabertooth
• 3 Courser of Kruphix
• 3 Deathmist Raptor
• 4 Elvish Mystic
• 4 Genesis Hydra
• 4 Sylvan Caryatid
• 4 Voyaging Satyr
• 4 Whisperwood Elemental
• 4 Polukranos, World Eater

• Spells (4)
• 4 Mastery of the Unseen

• Lands (24)
• 2 Plains
• 9 Forest
• 1 Blossoming Sands
• 4 Temple of Plenty
• 4 Windswept Heath
• 4 Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx

• Sideboard (15)
• 3 Fleecemane Lion
• 1 Glare of Heresy
• 2 Hunt the Hunter
• 1 Last Breath
• 2 Nissa, Worldwaker
• 3 Dromaka's Command
• 1 Reclamation Sage
• 1 Setessan Tactics
• 1 Valorous Stance

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Truthfully, I have no idea where this shell will end up—there are a number of cards, such as Surrak Dragonclaw, that may find their ways into the deck if it heads in a more aggressive direction. On the other end of the spectrum, there are a few control cards that may turn this shell into a The Rock–style grind match—or perhaps it will land somewhere in the middle, as it did last season. Either way, I am excited to see where this deck can go. The version I am currently working on looks a little different than this list, but it will take some time to tweak. Expect an updated list shortly after release.

Deathmist Raptor has not sold me yet, but given how many board stalls this deck can get itself into, having the option to profitably attack even with a gummed-up stall, it may be worth looking into. I was unsure of what should be cut for this position, but I imagine for now we may just see some of the other cards scaled back in copies until we know exactly what the deck needs to stay tier one.

Well, that wraps up the week. I know it seems that a few pillars may have been skipped, but overall, I just do not see a ton of breakout cards for most of the other decks right now. Abzan, I am sure, will pick up some more sideboard fodder for its rotation through the metagame, but I see nothing that redirects the way you would build the initial shell.

Check back in next week, when we approach some potential new archetypes—G/W/x Heroic and Mono-Green Aggro are just a couple of the shells I will be toying with. Will Warriors finally find a metagame position? Will Nykthos find another home with Mono-Blue on the rise? Only time and a few events will tell, but for this weekend, do your best to enjoy the prerelease and trade into those fetches while the market on Dragons of Tarkir is still inflated.

Ryan Bushard

@CryppleCommand