Magic: the Gathering - Guilds of Ravnica from Ultra PRO
Up Your Game and Stand with Your Guild. Releases September 28, 2018. On Ravnica, whoever you are - soldier or scientist, merchant or spy - your guild is the core of your identity. It provides structure and greater purpose. Now, the time has come to defend it.
Look to MTG Realm tomorrow (Tuesday August 4th) for Guilds of Ravnica previews of Playmats, Deck Boxes and more from Ultra PRO !
Ultra PRO Guilds of Ravnica Deck Protector Sleeves :
• Azorious Senate
• Selesnya Conclave
• Golgari Swarm
• Izzet League
• Cult of Rakdos
• Boros Legion
• Simic Combine
• Orzhov Syndicate
• House Dimir
• Gruul Clans
With the release of Dominaria and the dreaded Chainwhirler, token decks have completely disappeared from the competitive standard scene. Abzan tokens simply lacks room for answers for Chainwhirler and B/W tokens have to main board pump spells to survive. Because of this they tend to loose the speed race against the Mono Red and R/B decks that have the meta game in a choke hold. However, with M19, token players can rejoice in the gift of the new planeswalker, Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants. A low costing Planeswalker that pumps creatures and makes tokens is just what the deck doctor ordered. With this new introduction we can simplify the deck by making it mono white making it much faster and possibly able to compete in the current meta.
Feel free to check out the Deck list here, before moving on to see my thought process.
Creatures
Being a tokens deck we have little room for a lot of creatures. We do however, have a few slots dedicated to creatures that aid our tokens as well as advance our board state. Our first card is Anointer Priest. For one and a white this 1/3 not only can survive a Chainwhirler coming down, but also gains us one life for ever token that comes into play. If Priest does find its way into the graveyard it can comeback by being embalmed for 3 and white giving it longevity in grindy matches. Next we have Benalish Marshal for three white mana, the Marshal boosts all other creatures by +1/+1. This prevents a sweep from Chainwhirler and/or helps our tokens block and get in for damage. Finally we have Shalai, Voice of Plenty. She gives us, our tokens and our planeswalkers hexproof protecting us from burn spells and keeping our tokens alive by protecting them from board wipes. Which makes our army of tokens quite formidable.
Lets Make Some Tokens
Surprise! We have token producers in this deck! Starting this off we have Legion's Landing. For a white it comes into play with a life linking vampire. and when we attack with three creatures we get Adanto, the First Fort which not only is a land but makes even more vampire tokens. Servo Exhibition is a spell for one and a white that makes two servos, great for chump blockers or going on the beat down. Next for one and two white, History of Benalia makes a 2/2 knight token for two turns and then pumps them on turn three. In the same vain of as Exhibition we have Sram's Expertise which makes three Servos. This also lets us cheat out a spell with 3 cmc or less allowing us to cast a free spell to make more tokens. Finally we have the linch pin of the deck Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants. Four mana is definitely the sweet spot of a planeswalker and makes this deck more viable in the standard meta. Ajani’s plus one gives two targets +1/+1, but what really makes Ajani so good is this his minus seven. Ajani’s ultimate gives you an emblem that gives you three 1/1 cat tokens with lifelink every end step. This is great for blockers and for attacking on the next turn.
Odds and Ends
For removal I prefer Ixalan's Binding over other white options. Being able to prevent other spells of the same name from being cast I feel is a greater upside than cycling or a lower cmc. For the final card slot I have a bit of a conflict. Do we run Anointed Procession to double our tokens? Or do we use Pride of Conquerors to further boost our attack power with our easy access to ascend to +2/+2 for our tokens to go for the kill? Right now I’m in the Procession camp to make more tokens for grindy games. However, I’m not certain and can see an argument for the latter. Finally let’s talk lands. A pretty straight forward land base for white we have fourteen plains and four Shefet Dunes. Because of Shalai and wanting to use her abilities we have some G/W dual lands. Four Sunpetal Grove and two Scattered Groves ties up our lands.
In Conclusion
If you have read any of my articles you know I love to go wide and make a ton of value with tokens. Ajani, Adversary of Tyrants really simplifies the token deck in standard. The big question is will this deck be viable in M19 standard. And honestly I have no idea. This is definitely the first draft of this deck but I could have some potential. At the time of writing this M19 hasn’t been fully spoiled so theres no telling if tokens will get more support, but only time can tell.
Moving away from this deck what article would you all like to see? I’m thinking “what decks get better from M19″ or a “themes of M19″ article next but I’m completely open to any ideas so please let me know!
And as always have a great morning/afternoon/night!
So this week I tried to step out of my comfort zone and make a no W/G/B colored deck so I tried my hand out at U/R wizards. This is a super fun deck where you cast wizards, sling spells and reap the benefits. The best part however is that its a budget deck! $27 in paper it is super accessible and a great deck for or to teach new players with! If you want an upgraded version that can be found here.
Dominaria has been out for a little over a week now and we’ve seen a few decks emerge. One of the more popular decks is W/B Vehicles/Aggro. Taking SCG Standard Classic Baltimore’s first place and composing one fourth of the top sixteen deck lists in the SCG Team Open Baltimore; this deck is definitely on the rise. But what makes this deck so alluring? Lets take a look at it’s components.
Artifact Synergy
I’ve mentioned it before but Dominaria and Kaladesh block complement each other very well. In this deck specifically we see the relationship really blossom. Toolcraft Exemplar is a very powerful one drop in this deck getting several buffs depending on the amount of artifacts you control. Furthering this, Scrapheap Scrounger is a perfect aggro choice being able to regenerate for one, a black and exiling a card. The all stars of this deck though are definitely the vehicles. Heart of Kiran, Aethersphere Harvester, and Skysovereign, Consul Flagship are all viable choices. With these vehicles though, we are going to need to crew them, Knight of Malice is an interesting choice and is nice because of it’s hexproof to white. More often seen in the “Vehicle” version of this deck Servo token generators like Servo Exhibition and Sram's Expertise help crew vehicles and turn on Toolcraft quickly.
Planeswalkers
There is a bit of wiggle room with what vehicles you play but Heart of Kiran is a must play at four. Being able to be piloted with a loyalty counter, sending a 4/4 flying vigilance at your opponents face is never a bad move. Being in white these decks play everyones favorite Chad, Gideon of the Trials. Gideon is a very versatile card. It allows you to prevent damage, becomes a 4/4 and gives you a very powerful emblem that prevents you from losing the game. The other Planeswalker working in tandem with Gideon is the standard newcomer, Karn, Scion of Urza. Karn is an amazing card that can net a bunch of card advantage and in the late game can make a token that gets +1/+1 for every artifact you control which plays into the theme of this deck. With such a strong focus on vehicles these Planeswalkers help put extra damage on the board. They also net so much more advantage, Karn is arguably the best card in the set, bing able to add cards to your hand and let you dig through your deck.
Odds and Ends
Though primarily focused on the artifact synergy, being in white and black there are a ton of cards that aid this deck. Removal is very strong in this deck, Fatal Push is the black removal champion and white has Seal Away/Thopter Arrest/Cast Out/Ixalan’s Binding to exile cards that can’t be dealt with. I know I bring this up all the time but with white comes tokens, History of Benalia and Legion’s Landing are token producing all stars. Finally we have one of the most hyped cards of Dominaria, Lyra Dawnbringer. A 5/5 flying lifelink angel is always nice to take you that extra mile. And since you’re in black and white your sideboard is nothing but answers. Duress for control to attack your opponent’s hand. Fragmentize to destroy other vehicles and other pesky artifacts. Solemnity for energy and constrictor decks and a wide array of bored wipes.
In Conclusion
For this deck the name of the game is synergy. But what this deck is, is a more refined version of the Mardu Vehicles which has been a top deck in the past. Shifting from a creature based deck to a planeswalker based deck it is significantly easier to pilot the vehicles. We also see the new variant of this deck take advantage of more impactful removal as well as the the oh so popular Lyra Dawnbringer. I feel that what is making this deck so popular and successful, is that every card in this deck works so well with every other card. What do you all think? Is this a deck on the rise or is it just a victim of new toy syndrome? And as always have a great morning/afternoon/night!
I know deck tech day is Friday, but I really struggled with how I wanted to build this. I went back and fourth with building a more aggro build or a token build with pump spells. Looking at my article I eventual went with an aggro Mono White Monument deck and I think it could be a cool deck but I would love ant feed back.
With the release of Dominaria, white has received a very strong boost. Because of this a Mono-White Aggro deck also known by its pet name “White Weenies” has been a relatively hot topic. A lot of the more esteemed writers in the community think that Mono-White falls just short of a tier deck. I respectfully disagree, with the right “brewing” I feel that Mono-White could definitely be a contender for Dominaria standards meta. So lets take a critical look at the color white and what could help take this next level.
Going on the Offense
Being an Aggro deck, it will need low drop creatures. I mean it’s an Aggro deck, attacking is the name of the game. Aggro decks work best when the curve is low so the majority of our creatures should be in the one to two drop slots. Great candidates are Sacred Cat which not only has lifelink to gain you life but also embalm to give it more longevity. Dauntless Bodyguard which is a great 2/1 for a white and can protect a creature of your choosing. The two drop slot is really where the deck shines. Adanto Vanguard is a strong choice increasing its power to a 3/1 when attacking and for four life it can become indestructible. Adorned Pouncer is another good choice having double strike and eternalize making it a 4/4 when coming from the graveyard. Bishop's Soldier is a solid choice being a “Bear” with the upside of lifelink. Glory-Bound Initiate is a personal favorite being able to pump itself to a 4/4 and gain life link when exerted. Finally, Knight of Grace is a popular choice being able to dodge black removal. All of these could have a place in the deck and are on curve for early attacks.
Going Wide
We’re in white and one of the best things about white is that you can generate tons of tokens! Kaladesh, Amonkhet, Ixalan, and Dominaria all have token synergy in white and we can definitely take advantage of this because of the wide card pool. Starting off with one drops we would be crazy not to play Legion's Landing it makes a token when it enters the battlefield and when it flips we have access to a land that makes more tokens. Cartouche of Solidarity complements the Landing by giving our creatures +1/+1 and first strike as well as making us a token. Kaladesh helps out by giving us Servo Exhibition and Sram's Expertise which give us a ton of servos to work with.
History of Benalia is one of if not the most hyped cards of Dominaria and rightfully so. Giving us two tokens and a boost it fits well into the deck. Oketra the True could also fit well being able to block other Gods and gives us a way to make more tokens. Finally a new land, Memorial to Glory, also furthers our go wide strategy. With all of these tokens this unlocks a lot of potentially powerful cards.
Rising to the Occasion
We went wide so now lets go tall. Since we went wide we might as well use the ascend mechanic to our advantage. Because of this Skymarcher Aspirant and Snubhorn Sentry fit nicely into the deck. The real pay off for this deck though is Pride of Conquerors which is a +1/+1 pump spell but with ascend it becomes +2/+2 which is amazing. Trial of Solidarity is also a great pump spell giving +2/+1 and combos well with Cartouche of Solidarity coming back to the hand when played. Arguably the best anthem effect comes from Benalish Marshal, a knight that boosts all other creatures +1/+1. Finishing the pump spells we have Shefet Dunes the desert that sacs for another +1/+1. Finally we will need removal to “Rise to the Occasion” I’m personally a fan of Ixalan’s Binding and Seal Away for white removal. And if you’re going up against other “go wide decks” Fumigate and Settle the Wreckage are great choices.
In Conclusion
I think people are writing this deck off too quick. Mono white has a lot of cards it can draw from. This deck has the potential to go wide and then tall to put a ton of damage on the board. Mono White is the type of deck I like to play and I think that it’s going to be my pet deck for the format. Over all theres so much potential for this deck to break into the meta and I’m excited to try and do that. What do you all think about Mono White? Is it the next big thing or is it just a passing trend? Also what are you all thinking about brewing this format? And as always have a great morning/afternoon/evening!
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Since Amonkhet block, Mono-Red has been a very powerful deck and frequently seen at the top tables. Surviving a rotation and having the banning of Ramunap Ruins and Rampaging Ferocidon, Mono-Red seems to be one of those decks that won’t die. Recently however, we’ve seen it fall behind in popularity to decks like Blue Black Midrange and Sultai Constrictor which had taken it’s spot. With the release of Dominaria Mono Red has been given a great new combo peace, Goblin Chainwhirler, that has breathed new life into the deck. This card paired with Soul-Scar Mage puts -1/-1 counters, instead of inflecting damage, on your whole board, making it very difficult to deal with. If you’re having a difficult time dealing with “Chainwhirler Red” here are some sideboard cards that can help you tackle what might be the best deck in this format.
White:
There has been some talk about white weenies in standard with a token sub-theme however, ChainWhirler stops this deck dead in its tracks. Theres no quick answers to stop the initial spread of damage but here are some cards that will stop it from being a recurring threat. These also work well with dealing the indestructible Hazoret the Fervent which can get in the way of the small army of white weenies.
Ixalan's Binding, unfortunately this won’t stop the first spread but it will pin down the Whirler and prevent more copies from wiping your boards.
Seal Away/Thopter Arrest/Cast Out” these will work however it doesn’t prevent other copies from coming down so binding is a superior choice.
Gideon's Intervention, has a similar “can’t cast” effect as Binding but can be played with out the threat being on the board. However sitting at a CMC of four it comes down a little late but it still takes care of threats.
Settle the Wreckage/Fumigate are a good ideas if the red player has a very large board and can help you go for game.
Authority of the Consuls, a great side-in because it deals with the hasty creatures and gains you life which is handy.
Blue:
If you’re playing Blue your probably playing control and don’t live in fear of creatures coming at your face. But just incase your considering playing control this format for the first time or if you just need a reminder of what counters creatures best here are some spells.
Essence Scatter
Disallow
Cancel
Blink of an Eye, this is a new kicker card that is very strong against Hazoret. It bounces a card back and when kicked it draws you a card which is always nice to have in a control deck.
Black:
I don’t think black will have too much of a problem with Whirler because most of the creatures in Black Aggro have more than one toughness but just incase. Here are some cards that might help out.
Lost Legacy, this is a great card to get rid of any problems out of your opponents deck.
Doomfall, gives you the option of having your opponent pick a creature on their side of the field to exile or you can pick a nonland card in there hand to exile.
Vraska's Contempt, if Hazoret or Chandra, Torch of Defiance hits the field this allows you to exile the threat.
Bloodcrazed Paladin, this is more of a personal tech but, let the opponent kill all of your creatures and flash Paladin in and make it a boss monster.
Red:
The mirror match isn’t inherently bad. You can crack your Bomat Courier for card advantage and sac Fanatical Firebrand for damage if they’re at risk for the spray of damage. The upside is that in this deck there are often answers in the main board, but there is a few side deck cards that will help out.
Abrade/Lightning Strike/Shock/Magma Spray, these are great spot removal for a wide array of creatures and in the late game can dome the opponent.
Chandra's Defeat handles other red creatures and can take down other Chandras
Green:
The Mono-Green Monument deck that is going around can be seen as an answer to Mono-Red. Green being Green has stronger creatures and they often have trample which makes the creature vs creature battle in Green’s favor. However removal is not greens friend so here are some cards to push the match up back into your favor.
Blossoming Defense is great for spot protection, adding +2/+2 and making your creature hexproof is a direct counter to Red’s damage based removal.
Prey Upon is really unique in the way it allows you to pick a creature your opponent controls to fight a creature you control. Allowing you to not only take out a monster your stronger than but you can also trample over it and possibly go for game.
Heroic Intervention gives all of your creatures hexproof and indestructible until the end of turn, allowing you to survive a Chainwhirler attack.
So what do you all think? is Mono red back on top? and how do you feel about Chainwhirler? How do you counter these massive red threats? Also what are you guys playing this format? Feel free to let me know and have a good morning/afternoon/night!
Here’s my list for G/W tokens! It’s a typical go wide strategy that makes use of Huatli, Radiant Champion to ult fast and draw a bunch of cards while using those same tokens to make Shanna, Sisay's Legacy power increase. I added Approach of the Second Sun into the sideboard to add a twist to throw the opponent off. Please feel free to let me know what you think!
