The Road to Nationals - The Evolution of UW

Drastic times led to drastic measures at the start of the summer season this year. For months the deck known as Caw-Blade dominated tournament tables globally, a point made ever the more clear by the frequent competitive events broadcast live by StarCityGames. Standard became heavily one-sided, and metagaming came down to little more than minor tweaks to the resilient shell of Caw-Blade.

In order to bring about a more diverse format, Wizards decided to ban the two most powerful cards in the deck: Jace, the Mind Sculptor and Stoneforge Mystic. Whilst Jace held great power as a stand-alone card, it was Stoneforge Mystic that worked as an engine for the deck. With the release of New Phyrexia, Stoneforge Mystic went into overdrive in allowing players to land uncounterable monsters in the form of Batterskull on turn 3, whilst continuing to control with counterspells and eventual domination through Swords and Hawks.

With the departure of Stoneforge Mystic, the deck was declared dead. Players rejoiced and spent their time tinkering with old favourites such as Valakut and UB Control, whilst others moved on to “break” the next big decks, such as Splinter Twin, now that they were no longer oppressed. During this time, UW control of any kind saw minimal play and fell from public interest; it was inferior to the disruptive UB Control, and too incapable of handling combo.

However, all it really needed was time...

Dark Wings, Dark Words

The King has returned, and everyone wants his head. The return of Caw-Blade to Standard came as a shock to many, but it truly was an inevitability. As the name itself states, the deck is reliant on the overwhelming advantage provided by Squadron Hawk and Sword of Feast and Famine. Stoneforge Mystic clearly spoiled players for far too long in allowing such ease in tutoring the Blade, but as long as cheap, effective card advantage such as Preordain and Squadron Hawk exist then drawing into the required equipment isn’t such a difficult task. Just not as brokenly easy, that’s all.

Caw-Blade began its revival as many decks start their life cycles in these modern times, by proving itself time and again in Magic Online’s Daily events. With three National Championship and two StarCityGames Open events in the books following the release of M12, Caw-Blade has made its presence known. The powerful increase in popularity and success in the second week of the format not only shows the strength of the core cards, but also the surprising variety of tools seeing play.

The raw skeleton of the deck takes the form of 4 Squadron Hawk, 2-3 Sword of Feast and Famine and 4 Preordain (with the standard manabase). Beyond this, players have taken the deck in various directions, aiming to dominate differing stages of the game whilst hating out the threats expected in the respective metagame. The initial list type to build momentum on Magic Online takes a relatively blunt, tap-out approach in keeping the curve low and dropping efficient beaters to wield the sword. This form found glory this past weekend at France Nationals, seizing the top prize.

Deck: Caw-Blade

//1st French Nationals - Armel Primot
//Main
4	Celestial Colonnade
4	Glacial Fortress
2	Inkmoth Nexus
2	Island
6	Plains
4	Seachrome Coast
4	Tectonic Edge
4	Hero of Bladehold
4	Mirran Crusader
2	Spellskite
4	Squadron Hawk
1	Sun Titan
1	Deprive
2	Dismember
1	Gideon Jura
1	Into the Roil
4	Mana Leak
1	Oblivion Ring
4	Preordain
3	Spell Pierce
2	Sword of Feast and Famine
//Side
2	Condemn
3	Day of Judgment
3	Leonin Arbiter
1	Linvala, Keeper of Silence
2	Revoke Existence
3	Timely Reinforcements
1	White Sun's Zenith

 Display Deck Statistics

With Jace banished from the format, Hero of Bladehold has been able to gain some much deserved respect as an engine capable of winning the game swiftly and efficiently. Interestingly, despite the online popularity of Blade Splicer, Armel opted to fight with Mirran Crusader as his instrument. The protection offered by Sword of Feast and Famine is undoubtedly one of its most attractive features in a format dominated by Dismember, thus protecting your investment better than Blade Splicer ever could. The deck aims to build a fast clock and force it through with counters and pointed removal. A solid late game plan is present with Gideon and Sun Titan splitting the duty, allowing the deck to take the traditional control route when necessary.

The sideboard presents two particularly interesting new additions. Firstly, White Sun’s Zenith presents a solid traditional win condition in the same vein as Decree of Justice (though clearly not at the same power level). Timely Reinforcements is our second new addition (which I gladly called in a previous post!), providing a powerful answer to aggro whilst leaving bodies to wield the Sword when necessary. However, in order to see the true value of Timely Reinforcements we need only hop over the pond and take a look at the winning list from the StarCityGames Open in Seattle.

Deck: Caw-Blade

//1st SCG Open Seattle - Nicholas Spagnolo
//Main
4	Celestial Colonnade
4	Glacial Fortress
3	Inkmoth Nexus
4	Seachrome Coast
4	Tectonic Edge
4	Island
3	Plains
3	Spellskite
4	Squadron Hawk
2	Gideon Jura
3	Jace Beleren
4	Preordain
3	Timely Reinforcements
4	Dismember
3	Into the Roil
4	Mana Leak
3	Spell Pierce
3	Sword of Feast and Famine
//Side
2	Ratchet Bomb
1	Sun Titan
1	Deprive
2	Flashfreeze
3	Mental Misstep
2	Day of Judgment
2	Revoke Existence

 Display Deck Statistics

It should come as no real surprise that a StarCityGames Open proves to be the stage for both the rebirth and continual evolution of Caw-Blade. Though many players blamed the power of Jace, the Mind Sculptor on his widespread use in Standard, but in truth the card simply enabled players to do what they enjoy most. Caw-Blade was ever dominant at StarCityGames events regardless of its true power at any given time, and thus StarCityGames Standard Open tournaments became a challenge in skill and technology. This level of intellectual challenge is what control players most desire, as it provides a means to prove oneself. In Seattle last Saturday, Nicholas Spagnolo and Edgar Flores proved themselves and their technology by seizing the top two spots with identical maindecks packed to the brim with technology.

Their list gets rid of the creature heavy approach seen most recently in lists, and instead favours the Hawks and solid protection. To make up for the lack of hands to hold the swords, three copies of Spellskite provide a tough beast to answer with Lightning Bolts and Go for the Throat being most prominent. Predicting the increased popularity of Splinter Twin at the event, Nick and Edgar metagamed brilliantly by running this magnificent multitool with legs. Carrying on with this trend, Inkmoth Nexus returns as a powerful control win condition that dodges black’s current spot removal of choice, whilst providing a grand total of 7 man-lands to allow the deck to fight through Tectonic Edge. Two copies of Timely Reinforcements in the main proves to be the final tech choice for the tournament, acting very much as a Spectral Procession with a tacked on Renewed Faith, allowing Caw-Blade a powerful tool to turn the game around with in the mid-game.

Expect Caw-Blade to continue to evolve as various decks gain and lose popularity over the next few weeks. I expect we will likely see lists similar to that piloted by Nick and Edgar during this next weekend at National Championships such as Italy, however I expect the deck to take on different technology at the StarCityGames Open in Pittsburgh. With RUG Twin likely to make a powerful showing following Australia Nationals, one can only wonder what technology could evolve this weekend.

Stick ‘em with the Pointy End

Deck: Puresteel

//10th SCG Open Seattle - Chris Schafer
//Main
2	Celestial Colonnade
4	Glacial Fortress
4	Inkmoth Nexus
4	Seachrome Coast
1	Island
8	Plains
1	Kemba, Kha Regent
4	Puresteel Paladin
4	Squadron Hawk
3	Trinket Mage
4	Preordain
4	Dispatch
2	Mox Opal
1	Accorder's Shield
1	Basilisk Collar
3	Flayer Husk
4	Mortarpod
1	Sword of Body and Mind
2	Sword of Feast and Famine
2	Sword of War and Peace
1	Sylvok Lifestaff
//Side
1	Spellskite
4	Kor Firewalker
3	Dismember
4	Flashfreeze
2	Negate
1	Revoke Existence

 Display Deck Statistics

The combination of Squadron Hawk and Sword of Feast and Famine has recently spawned an alternative deck to the more traditional Caw-Blade form. Puresteel Paladin, the namesake of the deck, enables a wide variety of powerful equipment to be utilized as an engine. The ability to keep playing relevant tools as cantrips is powerful enough, but adding the fact that Puresteel Paladin does away with equip costs the deck becomes a monster. The potential to alpha strike can come out of nowhere, and with the abilities and protection granted by powerful equips like the Swords there is no guaranteed way to defend safely against such an attack. With the loss of Stoneforge Mystic, Trinket Mage acts as a tutor for a few key pieces of equipment in her stead. The most relevant of the tutorable equips are Basilisk Collar and Mortar Pod, both of which have been under the radar since the banning but form a lethal means of slaughter alongside an active Puresteel Paladin. This deck has plenty of potential and a very variable toolbox to work with, and I expect it to gain popularity as experience is gained with the deck.

Life is but a Sojourn

Deck: UW Control

//8th SCG Invitational Brooklyn - Anthony Lebron
//Main
4	Celestial Colonnade
4	Glacial Fortress
2	Halimar Depths
4	Seachrome Coast
1	Sejiri Refuge
4	Tectonic Edge
3	Island
4	Plains
1	Consecrated Sphinx
2	Sun Titan
1	Sunblast Angel
2	Solemn Simulacrum
3	Spellskite
2	Jace Beleren
2	Venser, the Sojourner
2	Day of Judgment
4	Preordain
4	Mana Leak
1	White Sun's Zenith
3	Oblivion Ring
4	Spreading Seas
2	Batterskull
3	Tumble Magnet
//Side
3	Leyline of Sanctity
2	Celestial Purge
2	Flashfreeze
3	Mental Misstep
3	Timely Reinforcements

 Display Deck Statistics

Traditional control decks will always have a home in standard. Even if the format doesn’t support control in the slightest, the players will make every effort to play the most skill intensive decks they can fathom. UW Control has been a dominant figure in Standard for a long time, but has very much been the tap-out control deck whenever possible. The return of Oblivion Ring brings the removal suite of UW Control back up in power, and though lacking a spot removal spell on par with Path to Exile, it is still capable of tackling a metagame focused on creatures. As UW Control has always been fond of utilizing Jace Beleren as a draw engine with Sun Titan, the loss of Jace, the Mind Sculptor has had a greater impact in choosing the central engine of the deck. In this case Venser, the Sojourner has been granted the opportunity to show off his skills, gaining advantage by flickering a variety of powerful cards, from Spreading Seas and Oblivion Ring to Solemn Simulacrum and Sunblast Angel. Though not an instant win as with the Mind Sculptor, Venser’s ultimate is very much worth working towards, and will frequently be underestimated by opponents before their lands whittle away as you cast simple utility spells such as Preordain. Though various builds of UW Control have seen moderate success since M12, it could prove to be a struggle for the deck to compete against the pace of Caw-Blade. There have already been signs of Brian Kibler’s famous Caw-go strategy being successful, so perhaps there is yet hope for UW Control lists aiming for the late game. Time will tell.

In the Middle of Difficulty lies Opportunity

It is impossible to deny the impact that Caw-Blade’s return has had on the metagame. Though not quite the monster it once was, Caw-Blade will be a dominant force across the globe simply due to familiarity. Having played with variants of the deck for months, players are very unlikely to take risks with less familiar strategies when they can stick with a deck that they know. As a result, Caw-Blade has successfully resumed its position as the enemy of the format, seizing the crown from Valakut, which couldn’t even maintain the title when the opportunity arose.

Hating out Caw-Blade whilst not leaving yourself open to the likes of Valakut, Red Deck Wins and Splinter Twin will be a difficult task this Nationals, and it does naturally lead any player familiar with Caw-Blade to wonder why they should bother fighting it. As players become increasingly worried about their mirror matches, the format will open in a way that was prevented by the reliability of Stoneforge Mystic and Jace, the Mind Sculptor. Caw-Blade is far from unbeatable, and when they focus on tearing one another apart then there is a chance to strike.

Next time...
I will be spending the next week working on a personal approach to the format, with a small variety of lists being tested against the primary threats expected at Nationals. My weapon of choice? A weapon that is often underestimated, and despite minor success has been ignored by the majority due to the difficulty involved in its use. Hopefully I will be able to tap some of the untapped potential, and prepare to go rogue at Nationals. Tune in next time for Project T!

The Road to Nationals - The Fringe

Following my last article looking at the state of the metagame following M12, I intend to use this article to focus on the decks gaining slightly less attention right now, but with strong potential to break into the top tier. With the right player and a perfected build, these decks provide the perfect opportunity to break through an unprepared metagame that is unprepared for the strategy. So let’s take a look!

The Fringe Decks

Deck: Pyromancer Ascension

//Pyromancer Ascension
4	Scalding Tarn
4	Halimar Depths
8	Island
8	Mountain
4	Pyromancer Ascension
4	Gitaxian Probe
4	Ponder
4	Preordain
4	Lightning Bolt
4	Burst Lightning
4	Into the Roil
4	Mana Leak
2	Tezzeret's Gambit
2	Call to Mind

 Display Deck Statistics

Another summer, and Pyromancer Ascension jumps back into the spotlight. Despite lacking Time Warp for an overpowering end game, Pyro has been given an incredible push towards the top tier with the reprinting of Ponder. With a sickening access to three powerful one mana tools to dig with, the vital move of finding the Ascension early should be simple. With an early, active Ascension, Pyro plays out its combo with well timed burn spells and copies, backed by multiplying counterspells.


Combo decks all seem to gain during the core set overlap seasons in the summer, but whilst Valakut and Twin aggressively push their combo through early, Pyro has the advantage of playing the long game. Resolving an Ascension is usually easier than successfully landing a Primeval Titan or a Deceiver Exarch, and each and every other vital spell is cheap enough to drive through any defence. Much like with Twin, the ability to bring in alternate win conditions from the sideboard allows Pyro to play a true and traditional control game, working towards a Titan or similar whist the opponent is burning through resources in order to prevent an Ascension landing, let alone becoming active.


An increasingly popular strategy right now is the hybrid deck PyroTwin. Taking the speed of the Twin combo and supporting it with the inevitability of Pyro, many are placing their bets on this deck following in the footsteps of Dark Depths Turbo. For those of you who don’t remember, Gerry T successfully broke the extended format apart during the Spring of 2010 with his fusion of the Vampire Hexmage + Dark Depths combo and the Sword of the Meek + Thopter Foundry combo. I cannot see PyroTwin reaching the dominance of DDT simply due to the colours in use, as DDT relied heavily on its disruptive discard. No number of Gitaxian Probes will remove an answer from the opponents hand, but perhaps careful counterspell choices will allow Pyro to reach the top tier as a part of this powerful hybrid.

Deck: Birthing Pod

//Birthing Pod
4	Copperline Gorge
4	Raging Ravine
4	Misty Rainforest
4	Scalding Tarn
4	Forest
3	Island
2	Mountain
4	Birds of Paradise
3	Fauna Shaman
4	Lotus Cobra
3	Deceiver Exarch
1	Sylvok Replica
1	Tuktuk the Explorer
1	Obstinate Baloth
1	Phyrexian Metamorph
1	Solemn Simulacrum
1	Vengevine
3	Acidic Slime
1	Frost Titan
1	Inferno Titan
3	Birthing Pod
3	Splinter Twin
4	Preordain

 Display Deck Statistics

Birthing Pod is a challenge that has been tackled by deckbuilders with increasing intensity since its release in New Phyrexia. At Pro Tour Nagoya we first caught a glimpse of the potential of the Pod, but with the diverse variety of bullets to build into in Standard we are bound to see a wide range of different decks built with the artifact in mind. While initial lists seemed to follow a straight-forward pattern of creatures ramping up to various Titans and Praetors at the top of the curve, but with the dominance of combo in Standard the tutoring ability of Birthing Pod enables the Splinter Twin combo to be included without affecting the smooth curve of the midrange deck.


The sheer flexibility of Birthing Pod decks is obviously reminiscent of Fauna Shaman’s impact in Naya and Bant decks prior to the last rotation, with singleton bullets now easier than ever to dig into. During the current PTQ season it is perfectly plausible to metagame carefully and maindeck a variety of powerful hate cards. Alas, for Nationals it is far harder to metagame, particularly in the UK due to the lack of good communication between gaming communities. Should the top decks reach a state of relative stability, a reliable but personalized list with proven bullets in the sideboard could succeed against the very narrow decks currently dominant.

Deck: Architect

//Architect
4	Inkmoth Nexus
3	Buried Ruin
16	Island
4	Grand Architect
4	Thrummingbird
3	Spellskite
3	Treasure Mage
2	Solemn Simulacrum
2	Wurmcoil Engine
1	Triskelion
3	Contagion Clasp
1	Contagion Engine
2	Mindslaver
4	Everflowing Chalice
3	Tumble Magnet
3	Preordain
2	Tezzeret's Gambit

 Display Deck Statistics

Architect has been hyped since its release, and despite multiple attempts to break the card it took a long time for it to find its home in this deck. Unfortunately, the deck was easily forgotten as Caw-Blade seized control of the format. There are many powerful interactions in the deck, but the simple ability to ramp into game winning power artifacts like Mindslaver makes the strategy worth considering once more. A variety of tools are worth considering in modern builds, especially potential effective use of Tezzeret, Agent of Bolas. It is M12 though has given us a true gem to work with in Buried Ruin. Replicating Academy Ruins in a less overpowering manner, Buried Ruin allows deadly recycling of the the powerful win conditions, and allows utter control with Mindslaver to dominate the opponents turns for far longer than is necessary to win. Solemn Simulacrum is also a powerful new (old) tool for this kind of deck, working perfectly to keep the tempo in building into the late game.


The weakness of mono-coloured control decks in recent times has been sideboarding, as the colour pie has made splashing for a second colour a necessity to survive. However, Scars of Mirrodin block has brought a powerful array of artifacts to effectively replicate the effects of the solutions once splashed for. Ratchet Bomb provides a powerful sweeper right now, with Tempered Steel and Red Deck Wins being priced low and in large numbers. Batterskull changes the game quite dramatically in providing a non-white deck with access to a powerful Baneslayer Angel effect against aggro, with the insane ability to act as a near unstoppable win condition against control. At the cost of Trinket Mage it is easily conceivable that Torpor Orb will fill out a chunk of the sideboard to ease the combo match-ups whilst Flashfreeze fill the final slots in being the most useful answer to the largest range of threats.

Deck: Eldrazi

//Eldrazi
1	Eye of Ugin
4	Eldrazi Temple
2	Khalni Garden
4	Tectonic Edge
14	Forest
2	Emrakul, the Aeons Torn
1	Kozilek, Butcher of Truth
2	Ulamog, the Infinite Gyre
3	Wurmcoil Engine
2	Terastodon
4	Overgrown Battlement
4	Everflowing Chalice
4	Rampant Growth
3	Explore
4	Summoning Trap
4	Quicksilver Amulet
2	Ancient Stirrings

 Display Deck Statistics

The initial form of the Eldrazi deck ran very similarly to Valakut by abusing Primeval Titan to dig for the vital land, in this case Eldrazi Temple and Eye of Ugin. It feels strange to see a list without Primeval Titan, but Japanese Nationals brought the Eldrazi back into play utilizing the new tool Quicksilver Amulet. This wonderful piece of artifice allows you to drop an Eldrazi at the end of the opponent’s turn, before swinging in for the win with Annihilator making short work of the board. Green unsurprisingly allows for solid acceleration into both the Amulet and a variety of costly monstrosities, with a total of 15 options for acceleration on turn 2. Wurmcoil Engine and Overgrown Battlement provides a solid wall to defend against aggro, whilst Summoning Trap proves to be a potent threat against the current widespread use of Mana Leak.


Eldrazi appear to be well positioned to use raw power against decks that can have their tempo disrupted harshly when forced to change their role in the game. Though Primeval Titan didn’t make a showing in the limelight stealing list from Japan Nationals, it is important to be equally prepared for the Titan as well as the Amulet. Green provides a solid array of sideboard options as has been noted with Valakut, but the intensity of green mana makes Garruk, Primal Hunter a tempting tool to put to use. This seems to be an idea worth testing, as our new Garruk is undoubtedly a powerful weapon seeking a home, and every green deck can do with extra draw.


Anything Missing?

So, &?

It should be pretty clear that a certain colour combination has been missing throughout my most recent articles. Fear not, it has not been ignored, as I will be covering my favourite colour combination in my next article. Stay tuned!

The Road to Nationals - The Top Tier

In this article I intend to discuss my predicted top tier decks for the Standard format with M12 legal as of today. I have provided rough lists for each deck, based on results prior to M12 as well as expected inclusions. I will continue to investigate the format over the next week as I move on to investigate the current fringe decks threatening to break into the top tier. So let’s get started!

The Top Tier

Deck: Valakut

4	Valakut, the Molten Pinnacle
3	Terramorphic Expanse
3	Evolving Wilds
6	Forest
12	Mountain
4	Primeval Titan
4	Overgrown Battlement
4	Solemn Simulacrum
2	Urabrask the Hidden
1	Oracle of Mul Daya
1	Avenger of Zendikar
4	Explore
4	Rampant Growth
3	Green Sun's Zenith
2	Lightning Bolt
2	Dismember
1	Harrow

 Display Deck Statistics

At Pro Tour Paris earlier this year, Valakut was destined to dominate. Or so it seemed, until Sword of Feast and Famine proved to be too much for the Molten Pinnacle to handle. Though Valakut has seen a fair amount of success during the reign of Caw-Blade, it now has the opportunity to jump back into the spotlight. Four key cards have been released since Valakut was last truly considered to be a competitor. New Phyrexia brought us the alternative to Summoning Trap in Green Sun’s Zenith, acting as a far more reliable Primeval Titan 5-8 as necessary, whilst Urabrask the Hidden allows swift one turn kills with Primeval Titan. With these additions boosting the deck’s ability to kill, M12 has brought tools to improve reliability in the form of Rampant Growth and Solemn Simulacrum.

Valakut is undoubtedly at its prime right now, and has a solid assortment of sideboard options available to it. Pyroclasm and Slagstorm are very powerful sweepers at the moment in Standard, with Act of Aggression and Combust providing solid outs to specific threats such as Splinter Twin. As for creatures, green provides a wonderful selection of useful beasts to work with. Thrun is a powerful option with control currently depending heavily on their spot removal, and similarly Gaea’s Revenge is proving to be an efficient win condition now that Sword of Feast and Famine and Baneslayer Angel are a rare sight. Obstinate Baloth rounds up the sideboard options, and will likely be a necessity with the inevitable rise of red aggro this format.

Deck: Splinter Twin

4	Scalding Tarn
2	Misty Rainforest
7	Island
7	Mountain
4	Tectonic Edge
4	Deceiver Exarch
3	Spellskite
1	Wurmcoil Engine
1	Treasure Mage
4	Splinter Twin
1	Mindslaver
4	Preordain
4	Ponder
3	Gitaxian Probe
3	Into the Roil
4	Mana Leak
2	Dispel
2	Mental Misstep

 Display Deck Statistics

The Deceiver Exarch + Splinter Twin combo is so powerful in Standard that it made a strong impact on the format during the reign of Caw-Blade, and even spawned a hybrid deck with Caw-Blade itself in its final weeks. Starting with that in mind, it isn’t difficult to see Splinter Twin as the benchmark by which all Standard decks for the remainder of the season will be judged. With the reprint of Ponder, Splinter Twin gains even greater reliability, threatening Valakut for the position of best combo, if not best deck, in the format!

Splinter Twin amazingly has main deck space to work with when planning for specific metagames. In the build above, I opted to include the flexible and powerful Treasure Mage package introduced by Patrick Chapin at Pro Tour Paris, only to be forgotten in the Stoneforge driven era. Mindslaver is a brutal win condition against combo right now, particularly with the widespread use of Spellskite. Wurmcoil Engine gives the deck the time it desperately needs against aggro, whilst providing a backup beatstick to threaten opponents who are dead set on stopping the your combo.

In terms of a sideboard, the generic options available are very solid in both blue and red. Combust answers opposing Exarchs, Pyroclasm slaughters aggro, Spreading Seas can be used to back up the Tectonic Edges and there’s always Dismember for everything, obviously. The sideboard is very open to tinker with, allowing for added win conditions such as Titans, or even complete transformations into control or unexpected combo’s such as Shape Anew. Transformation into a wildly different combo proved relatively successful for Pyromancer’s Ascension decks last summer when they sided into Polymorph, and with no Mind Sculptor the idea of Shape Anew into Blightsteel Colossus is quite tempting. The card that will definitely see an increased presence in sideboards, and possibly even main decked, is Mental Misstep. Discard and red present plenty of one cost spells that you would definitely want to counter, and so just like Spell Snare before it I certainly expect Mental Misstep to see play this summer, and Splinter Twin looks to be the best home for it (at least intially).

Deck: UB Control

4	Creeping Tar Pit
4	Darkslick Shores
4	Drowned Catacomb
4	Tectonic Edge
5	Island
5	Swamp
1	Consecrated Sphinx
1	Grave Titan
1	Wurmcoil Engine
3	Jace Beleren
1	Liliana Vess
4	Mana Leak
4	Preordain
3	Inquisition of Kozilek
1	Duress
1	Despise
3	Go for the Throat
2	Dismember
2	Into the Roil
4	Spreading Seas
1	Stoic Rebuttal
1	Black Sun's Zenith
1	Jace's Ingenuity

 Display Deck Statistics

After total domination at Worlds last year, UB Control vanished completely at the dawn of Caw-Blade. At GP Singapore the control legend Shouta Yasooka successfully top 8’d with a control list utilizing Torpor Orb to beat Stoneforge Mystic, but the shell of the deck was very traditional. As soon as the bans came into force, UB Control leapt to the top of the Magic Online Daily events, proving the popularity of blue based control above anything else. With a selection of the most powerful win conditions to work with, UB is capable of reliably disrupting combo and controlling the board with efficient removal.

With M12, UB Control faces the threat of increased reliability from combo and pace from red. Without the flexibility of white’s red hate, UB will have to carefully tailor its anti-aggro package. Flashfreeze is an obvious inclusion, hitting almost every key spell in the format. Batterskull and Disfigure present some of the most effective answers to aggro, but the inclusion of alternative kill such as Doom Blade may become increasingly relevant with the rise of Tempered Steel decks. Further discard with Duress backed by Surgical Extraction could prove to be an effective package in combating the inevitable mirror, but diversity in win conditions between the main and side is definitely necessary. Calcite Snapper and Vampire Nighthawk have both seen varied success in the past out of UB Control sideboards, both in holding off aggro and tactically providing the opportunity to transform into a more tempo-oriented deck. Unsurprisingly, control will have to handle several main deck slots and the majority of the sideboard based on the evolution of the format. Either way, expect Flashfreeze and Mental Misstep to become a regular sight.

Deck: Vampires

4	Blackcleave Cliffs
4	Dragonskull Summit
4	Lavaclaw Reaches
4	Marsh Flats
7	Swamp
4	Bloodghast
4	Gatekeeper of Malakir
4	Kalastria Highborn
4	Pulse Tracker
4	Vampire Lacerator
3	Viscera Seer
4	Dismember
3	Go for the Throat
4	Lightning Bolt
3	Staggershock

 Display Deck Statistics

Even prior to the July 1st Ban List update, Vampires were making a name for themselves. Even the mighty Caw-Blade struggled to stand up to the raw aggression of Vampires, with the deck claiming the win at both the Denver and Indianapolis SCG Opens in June. With a powerful set of removal spells and burn to supplement the weenie rush, Vampires utilize Bloodghast and Highborn to continue to build momentum in the face of removal. Though little is gained by the deck in M12, the fall of Caw-Blade has resulted in a sharp drop in the presence of Sword of Feast and Famine, making Vampires a better choice than ever.

Though it has to compete with many other fast decks right now, black provides Vampires with a couple of major advantages in sideboarding. Discard spells like Duress allow Vampires to handle combo and control, and a wide variety of spot removal spells for aggro of all flavours. Act of Aggression and Dark Tutelage are solid options to maintain control of the game as it progresses, and the ability to drop an early Demon of Death’s Gate could yet again allow the deck to race combo decks like Valakut whilst they sit back playing solitaire.

Deck: Red Deck Wins

4	Arid Mesa
4	Scalding Tarn
4	Teetering Peaks
10	Mountain
4	Goblin Guide
4	Grim Lavamancer
4	Furnace Scamp
4	Stormblood Berserker
4	Lightning Bolt
4	Burst Lightning
4	Incinerate
4	Searing Blaze
2	Staggershock
4	Shrine of Burning Rage

 Display Deck Statistics

With M12 it should come as no surprise that Red is firmly back in the top tier. Following the surge of powerful burn spells in Zendikar, the addition of Shrine and Lavamancer helps the deck get there by providing an inevitability. This rough list follows a more traditional RDW route, but be prepared for a wide variety of powerful threats from players tapping Mountains. Koth is still an incredibly powerful Planeswalker (arguably the most powerful since the departure of Jace, the Mind Sculptor) but really requires 23-25 lands to be played, eating into some of the space occupied by burn at present. Chandra’s Phoenix is another powerful beast that would likely be best suited to a more reliable mana base, resulting in a list similar to Katsuhiro Mori’s winning list at Japan Nationals last year.

Red also has a wealth of powerful sideboard cards at the moment. Dismember is a vital tool for answering previously unanswerable threats such as Kor Firewalker. Combust is the perfect answer for Deceiver Exarch in that it cannot be redirected by Spellskite, and Act of Aggression adds a new dimension to the traditional use of Threaten in being able to seize control at instant speed, preventing Primeval Titan wins and more. In hating control decks, red has access to Manic Vandal to disrupt the various Spellskites and Batterskulls, whilst Manabarbs thrives in a format lacking in answers to enchantments aside from Oblivion Ring.

Deck: Tempered Steel

4	Glacial Fortress
4	Inkmoth Nexus
6	Plains
4	Seachrome Coast
4	Memnite
4	Signal Pest
4	Spellskite
4	Steel Overseer
4	Vault Skirge
4	Dispatch
4	Glint Hawk Idol
3	Mox Opal
4	Origin Spellbomb
3	Preordain
4	Tempered Steel

 Display Deck Statistics

Following Pro Tour Nagoya it should come as no real surprise that Tempered Steel aggro would make its way over to Standard at some stage, but the sheer popularity of the deck recently on Magic Online certainly does surprise! The last time a deck made such a dramatic transfer was during the Lorwyn Block PTQ season when Kithkin first started to use Windbrisk Heights to hideaway everything from Thistledown Liege to Mirrorweave. Following dramatic success in Block, Standard saw a sudden surge in popularity for the deck, eventually resulting in the major success of such decks as BW Tokens.

Tempered Steel plays very much like an Affinity deck, being able to drop very cheap creatures that result in a critical mass of damage a couple of turns down the line. Interestingly, Inkmoth Nexus presents a truly terrifying alternate dimension to the deck, in that it can threaten to kill even if you manage to bring your life total under control. It is worth noting here that the ability to include Spellskites in the main prevents the deck from falling victim to combo when they fail to interact. Add to that the fact that Dispatch, in this deck, is scarily superior to Swords to Plowshares, and we have a fearsome deck to be reckoned with.

As with any deck in Standard, Dismember is always a solid sideboard option for any threats to be feared, but white also provides plenty of solution cards such as Celestial Purge and Revoke Existence. Phyrexian Revoker and Hex Parasite provide strong tools to wield against the still Planeswalker dependent control decks, and Etched Champion serves to imitate Paladin en-Vec.

To Be Continued...

I'll follow up shortly with the decks competing to enter the top tier. Any suggestions or recommendations for the article are welcome, and feedback will be much appreciated!

Exceeding Expectations?! Xyz Shōkan!

With the conclusion of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s, yet another era came to a close for the game. With their introduction in Duelist Genesis, Synchro monsters quickly became a force to be reckoned with. The final duels of the 5D’s series led Synchro monsters to their peak; an incredible engine in T.G. Hyper Librarian and a powerful win condition in Shooting Quasar Dragon. Synchro monsters have been the dominant force in the Japanese metagame, and clearly the most popular strategy in the TCG. 

As Yu-Gi-Oh! enters its fourth era, a new type of monster intends to build upon the success seen by Synchro monsters. Tuners were made with a single intent; to be low-level, underwhelming monsters with Synchro assisting abilities that can be splashed into any deck. They act as the “cost” you are required to pay in terms of space when deck building, in order to grant access to such a wealth of utility and power. However, Konami has instead designed a new breed of monster that can be splashed into the Extra deck of any deck playing monsters! 

Xyz monsters are unique in their nature. The material used in summoning remains trapped under the card until either it leaves the field, or the materials are detached by an effect. This is clear evidence of Konami wanting to avoid the speed Synchro tricks we’ve seen most recently from decks using Plant engines. The truly unique aspect, however, is the fact that Xyz have no Levels, and instead have Ranks. This again acts to prevent any connection with Synchro monsters, whilst also granting immunity to many of the threats faced by Synchro monsters. 

          

When introduced, Synchro monsters made an impact with such powerful monsters as Stardust Dragon, Colossal Fighter and Goyo Guardian. Can the introduction of Xyz monsters match up to the expectation set by their predecessors? In this article I intend to give an overview of the Xyz monsters being introduced both in this month’s Starter Deck 2011 and in the August set, Generation Force.

Starter Deck: Dawn of the Xyz

Number 39: Utopia

Following in the footsteps of Stardust Dragon, Utopia clearly shows us how far the game has come from the vanilla wielding heroes of GX and the original series! Utopia’s epic Gundam-esque design is supported by aggressive stats and the ability to play defender for a couple of turns. This card clearly embodies the idea behind Xyz monsters, a solid win condition worth protecting, with a drawback that discourages reckless use of his ability. As a Rank 4, Utopia also has the benefit of being incredibly simple to summon in a wide array of decks, be it through use of Gadgets, Gravekeeper’s Spy, Reborn Tengu or recruiters of all flavours. Utopia will see play, and lots of it.

Grenosaurus

Our first Rank 3 Xyz follows in Utopia’s footsteps by wielding aggressive stats. Grenosaurus’ ability allows you to push for damage with ease, preventing defenders like Dandylion, Treeborn Frog and Reborn Tengu from giving the opponent time to recover. Unlike Utopia however, Grenosaurus is of a Rank that is harder to form, requiring genuine monsters rather than tricks in the majority of decks. However, being able to summon a 2000 atk beatstick when in a pinch is always worth taking into consideration for decks running level 3 monsters that have space in their Xyz deck. Grenosaurus will, however, be swiftly outclassed in Generation Force.

Gachi Gachi Gantetsu

This monster presents us with something quite different to consider. Unlike the win condition that is Utopia and the beatstick that is Grenosaurus, Gantetsu is very much a supporter monster. Gantetsu has sturdy defensive stats, providing a boost more akin to a field spell than a monster. However, the fact Gantetsu protects himself from destruction twice is surprisingly relevant, making him an incredibly resilient defender. It is likely that Gantetsu will be the most played Xyz from the starter deck as he already has a home in Agents, making Venus’ ability to swarm the field with Mystic Shine Balls far more powerful than ever.

Generation Force

Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon

The first TCG exclusive Xyz is quite a monster. With 2600 atk it’ll beat down over most monsters, but Adreus’ ability is the show stealer. Being able to destroy any face up card is just incredible, answering Necrovalley, Gateway of the Six and any threatening monster standing in its way. At Rank 5, Adreus is a little optimistic at the moment, but in October Structure Deck - Gates of the Underworld will pull the Dark World theme back into the spotlight. Summoning Goldd and Silva with ease, Dark World will be a welcome home for Adreus this Winter.

Tiras, Keeper of Genesis

Sharing Adreus’ basic stats, Tiras plays a very different role to its demonic alternate. Whilst Adreus lands and destroys threats there and then, Tiras requires a well timed summoning to punish the opponent. Though Dimensional Prison and Book of Moon are dangerous threats, Tiras can force through many traditional defences and should it battle, any single card on the field can be destroyed. Destroying set cards following a combat situation seems relatively awkward, but remember that Tiras can act as a wall for two turns quite happily, before leaving you with a powerful beatstick. It is also worth remembering that Honest works wonders with Tiras, should a light based deck be able to support it adequately in future.

Steelswarm Roach

The inclusion of this card in Generation Force shows Konami’s determination to drive people away from Synchro’s and towards their latest creation. With 1900 atk, Roach leaves a lot to be desired when compared to Utopia at the same rank, but Roach is all about the effect. Being able to negate the special summon of anything from Hyper Librarian to Chaos Sorcerer, Roach threatens the vast majority of todays top decks. With an ability that demands respect, Roach is already seeing widespread play in Japan, and is played heavily alongside Utopia in the Gadget + Ultimate Offering strategy that is seeing an increase in popularity. Expect people to find means of splashing Xyz into their extra decks just to deal with these Roaches.

Wind-Up Zenmaister

This Rank 4 machine enters play with stats closer to Utopia, with an intriguing ability to work with. The ability to flip-flop your own monsters is a curious effect, and anyone who ran Tsukuyomi will remember how rewarding it can be to rest your effects. Ryko seems to be the prime target right now, but with Gravekeeper’s keeping their levels primarily at 4, Zenmaister could prove to be an attrition engine with Spy, should the peculiar situation arise. Zenmaister, for his effect, appears to be quite underwhelming upon release, but could well become a powerful engine with further additions to the Wind-Up theme. As a machine type though, expect him to be splashed heavily in Gadget Offering decks for ease of OTK via Limiter Removal.

Submersible Carrier Aero Shark

Let’s get the underwhelming Rank 3 out of the way, shall we? Aero Shark has very little going for it, with relatively disappointing stats and a painfully nerfed ability from its anime incarnation, I sincerely doubt Aero Shark will see play.

Number 34: Terror-Byte

Terror-Byte has the honour of being the first Xyz in the TCG to require more than 2 materials to form it. Though this makes it more challenging to summon, the ability to take control of an opponent’s monster three turns in a row is certainly powerful. If Terror-Byte were Rank 4, Gadgets would find a use for this monster, but at Rank 3 it will likely struggle to see play. However, with the TCG exclusive access to Tour Guide from the Underworld it is worth keeping an eye on a card with such a powerful effect.

Leviair the Sea Dragon

Leviair was the most powerful Xyz monster in Generation Force when the set released in Japan, and though Steelswarm Roach poses a strong challenge it is very likely to be the star of the TCG release as well. Tour Guide from the Underworld will be key to this card’s success in the TCG, working independently with a Sangan as well as finding homes in decks such as Dark World in the near future. Summoning the materials is easy enough, but what are the benefits? Likely the best use for the card will be in combination with Genex Ally Birdman, Plaguespreader Zombie and Spore. These Tuners are incredibly powerful, and can see exceptional abuse through Leviair. Infernity may well prove to be the best deck to make full use of this Xyz, though time alone will tell. Levaiel is a very exciting card, and will only get better with time.

Number 17: Leviathan Dragon

And so we end our look at the initial wave of Xyz monsters with the cover card of Generation Force. Leviathan Dragon initially received a lukewarm response from players, essentially being a vanilla 2500 atk monster that can, if it survives the turn, jump to 3000 atk at the cost of being able to attack for game. Time has certainly worked in the favour of this card, as making a powerful beatstick out of the blue is still strong! Leviathan Dragon can beat over a wide variety of powerful, widely played monsters on the first turn, whilst being able to trade with Stardust Dragon and Legendary Six Samurai Shi En. Should Leviathan Dragon survive a turn, very little will be able to stand in its way. 

The initial wave of Xyz monsters were treated very warily upon release in Japan, but time has revealed that they compare very strongly to the initial wave of Synchro monsters. The difference is application, as Synchro’s were obvious powerhouse monsters, Xyz are far more subtle and controlling. Xyz monsters are here to stay, and it will be vital to learn to wield and answer their powerful abilities in the near future.