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!