|
2 years ago ::
Jun 20, 2011 - 7:05AM
#21
|
|
|
unfortunately, midrange will still suck with valakut roaming around. My money is on twin sucking, since they don't have jtms as an alternate wincon/dig engine. I think valakut will return to its position of hegemony. maybe luminarch ascension  might see more play now that there aren't a bunch of 2 drops. Anyways, I think the best valakut tech will be torpor orb  . maybe leyline of sanctity  ? anyways, counterspells, the traditional answer to valakut, will suck with the loss of the best card in their color.
1000th post November 26, 2010. Where Islands gets his decks: Spoiler:
Show
It was revealed to me in a dream. All the cards were in my dream except for three slots which I plugged in as Vault Skirge.
FULL DISCLOSURE: The dream was post AVR so there was a copy of Slayer's Stronghold. I decided to keep it pre AVR in my post here.
EDIT: I just remembered. The Skirges might have been 2x Whipflare and 1x something else, probably War and Peace.
EDIT2: Currently 4-0 in my first four games with this. My opponents have been very angry. I fought off a Wurmcoil from Grixis for six turns before I found my second Dispatch. Jeez, I can do a lot of damage.
EDIT3: Streak broken. Lost to an unexpected Overrun.  Cracking a Shrine for 10 wasn't enough.
How Kedi tests his decks: Spoiler:
Show
also, I've been playtesting this deck in my sleep today
that kinda freaked me out
Sleeping on Halloween: Spoiler:
Show
Halloween is a conspiracy by crossdressers and furries.
 Thanks to Kipz for the sig. Make a contract with me to become a magical girl!
|
|
|
|
2 years ago ::
Jun 20, 2011 - 7:15AM
#22
|
Date Joined:
Apr 20, 2010
|
White Weenie. Capable of packing anti-exarch/twin plus an infinite life combo. Looks like a pretty solid choice right now.
Folds to Pyroclasm, which both Kut and Exarch [can] run.
Oops.
White weenie has brave the elements  and refraction trap  . But I dont think WW is fast enough to beat valakuts main plan. Aggro decks do NOT fold to merely pyroclasm, but the combination of undisruptable main plan AND delaying effects like clasm and walls. This is why clasm is stronger in valakut than Exarchtwin. Inferno titan is also gg.
ontopic: I do agree that first tournaments after the bannings will show a lot of valakuts. Shrine red is propably the best aggro deck. Tempered steel is a viable option but will fall short before valakut goes off or plays clasm/slagstorm. MGE is a bad choice in aggro-filled meta, even though it has a chance against valakut itself due to being faster ramp. Infect trips over its own feet as always. Shaman-vengevine is too slow for valakut. Elves doesnt fare well as long as shrine red is present. UB Tezz, I dont think it has weapons to slow down valakut long enough. White quest remains a viable albeit unconsistent option.
edit: Forgot vampires dammit, a strong contender. Its problem is that it isnt as fast as the other 3 strong aggros (red, steel, elves) so it has to rely on its disruption being effective.
"And the word my father taught me that evening, the word meaning 'the strongest', was mage."
- Tezzeret the seeker, Test of Metal
|
|
|
|
2 years ago ::
Jun 20, 2011 - 7:22AM
#23
|
Date Joined:
Jun 14, 2009
|
I'm gonna look at mono white. I've been advocating white low costs for a while now, although it did run Mystic, that's easily replaced. Use stuff like Kor Hookmaster  , Honor of the Pure  , Hero of Bladehold  , Brave the Elements  . I was running a version with 20 lands up until a few days ago.
|
|
|
|
2 years ago ::
Jun 20, 2011 - 7:35AM
#24
|
|
|
The format will look like it was just prior to Caw/Blade's appearance, with the exception of Twin being in the format. Many serious players who quit will return to the format with crappy decks saying "With Caw/Blade gone it will be my turn to shine" said people will be knocked out in the second round, because that's the way these people roll.
One deck will stand out among the others and will rise to become the next 500 lb gorilla in the room. Everyone will bitch and moan and the format will suck again. UB Controls will return, nearly a similar decklist as before -JTMS. UW Control will be back as well, but it will be the grandparent in the room ("Back in my day..."). Valakut will be on top for a short while, but also will fail to reach former glory because everyone will be gearing to play against it. The color White will vanish from decks for the first few weeks, as SfM was the dominating reason to run it.
I have no problems, I could just use a bit of time.
|
|
|
|
2 years ago ::
Jun 20, 2011 - 7:45AM
#25
|
|
|
Valakut will not last to the aggro game plan. Since Scars is full released aggro has gotten the tools it need's to be ridiculously fast out the gates. With Bloodthrist coming for M12, and U looking like it's going to get some decently fast CA engines. I expect to see another UW aggro deck that will behave like Caw-Blade but be a completely different list. I do not think it will be the top deck, but I think it will crush any chance of Valakut being the top deck.
Vamp's will be ridiculously strong again. It's already one of the strongest deck's, and races just as fast as the Puresteel Octane build's from block constructed. It's a good time to be a standard player. Everything can hit the ground running to see who is the fastest now that the dragon has been slain by the great overlord's of spell slinging.
Yes, I'm actually excited to play standard again. Even if i can't use the SFM into Batterskull anymore. Baneslayer with a Sword is just fitting though.
|
|
|
|
2 years ago ::
Jun 20, 2011 - 8:06AM
#26
|
Date Joined:
Apr 20, 2010
|
As you can see, people are excited about these alternatives that simply weren't an option while Mr. and Mrs Banned were still in the room(Go on, Shoo! We dont want you here!). I know many people will be disappointed in their inability to beat valakut, but such is the nature of the beast. Valakut was not, and will not, ever be as dominating as cawblade. After all it has a chance to lose to its own bad opening hands, something that almost never happened to cawblade.
"And the word my father taught me that evening, the word meaning 'the strongest', was mage."
- Tezzeret the seeker, Test of Metal
|
|
|
|
2 years ago ::
Jun 20, 2011 - 9:18AM
#27
|
Date Joined:
Oct 13, 2009
|
Yes, I'm actually excited to play standard again. Even if i can't use the SFM into Batterskull anymore. Baneslayer with a Sword is just fitting though.
Me too... been a really exciting morning, eventhough it meant that half of my testing has been useless.
MBC is on the rise^^ with three months of chaos, a deck well equiped to deal with most decks is going to be good... now i will just need to find something relevant against KUT.
|
|
|
|
2 years ago ::
Jun 20, 2011 - 9:22AM
#28
|
Date Joined:
Sep 30, 2009
|
The format will look like it was just prior to Caw/Blade's appearance, with the exception of Twin being in the format. Many serious players who quit will return to the format with crappy decks saying "With Caw/Blade gone it will be my turn to shine" said people will be knocked out in the second round, because that's the way these people roll.
One deck will stand out among the others and will rise to become the next 500 lb gorilla in the room. Everyone will bitch and moan and the format will suck again. UB Controls will return, nearly a similar decklist as before -JTMS. UW Control will be back as well, but it will be the grandparent in the room ("Back in my day..."). Valakut will be on top for a short while, but also will fail to reach former glory because everyone will be gearing to play against it. The color White will vanish from decks for the first few weeks, as SfM was the dominating reason to run it.
Lol so you eliminate all of the discussed decks from contention, yet fail to specify your projection of the meta? /trollface
@birthing pod tools - maindecked leonin arbiter, acidic slime, spellskite, despise, act of aggression, and hero of oxid ridge. Obviously, you aren't going to be able to play all of them, but testig will determine which colors give the most reliable options.
As for the metagame itself... Previous posters had the right idea regarding UB control - nearly all instant-speed, including jace's ingenuity, tons of disruption, 2 maindecked memoricide, lots of removal, spellskites, with grave titan and tar pits as finishers.
|
|
|
|
2 years ago ::
Jun 20, 2011 - 11:11AM
#29
|
Date Joined:
Oct 13, 2009
|
But UB control is just a control deck, it can't game defining. But if it does becomes a tier 1 or tier 2 deck then the format should be rather healthy.
So much stuff is in the air.
|
|
|
|
2 years ago ::
Jun 20, 2011 - 11:17AM
#30
|
Date Joined:
Apr 25, 2008
|
Just as a casual reminder MBC Sad Sac/Memo builds walked all over valakut. Run as 4/3 or 3/2 splits you almost couldn't lose to them. This same deck seems just fine against Twin decks. And now it has some ridiculous wincons that don't have to worry about JTMS; Phyrexian obliterator  and Wurmcoil Engine  over G-Tits... simply because they eat Aggro and don't get bounced. Woo-ha. And they're ridiculously relevant against valakut. This *might* just be a summer of darkness.
 Boasts?
Show
2011 States Top 4
Designer of Top 8 States finishing MBC decks in 2011, 2010, and 2009
Standard Forum - Iron Deck Builder Season One Champ
"Against logic there is no armor like ignorance." - Laurence J. Peter "It is the province of knowledge to speak, and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes
|
|
|
Mage-Blade
