Introduction
What deck should I play in Standard tournament?
I read this question over and over. But there is no real answer since all the metagames are different and mostly cyclic. Therefore, the best deck for today is not the best deck for tomorrow.
Mono Red
Let’s start with a solid one: Mono Red.
- Shahar Shenhar
- – Mono Red
- MPL Spark Split Week 4
20 《Mountain》
-Land (20)- 4 《Ghitu Lavarunner》
3 《Fanatical Firebrand》
4 《Runaway Steam-Kin》
4 《Viashino Pyromancer》
4 《Goblin Chainwhirler》
-Creature (19)-
-Land (20)- 4 《Ghitu Lavarunner》
3 《Fanatical Firebrand》
4 《Runaway Steam-Kin》
4 《Viashino Pyromancer》
4 《Goblin Chainwhirler》
-Creature (19)-
4 《Shock》
4 《Lightning Strike》
4 《Light Up the Stage》
3 《Wizard’s Lightning》
3 《Experimental Frenzy》
3 《Chandra, Fire Artisan》
-Spell (21)-
4 《Lightning Strike》
4 《Light Up the Stage》
3 《Wizard’s Lightning》
3 《Experimental Frenzy》
3 《Chandra, Fire Artisan》
-Spell (21)-
4 《Lava Coil》
3 《Legion Warboss》
3 《Tibalt, Rakish Instigator》
2 《Dire Fleet Daredevil》
2 《Fight with Fire》
1 《Experimental Frenzy》
-Sideboard (15)-
3 《Legion Warboss》
3 《Tibalt, Rakish Instigator》
2 《Dire Fleet Daredevil》
2 《Fight with Fire》
1 《Experimental Frenzy》
-Sideboard (15)-
This is the deck that Shahar Shenhar picked for MPL Spark Split Week 4.
Despite choosing 3 or 4 《Experimental Frenzy》, there is no place for too much innovation. All the cards are solid.
Red tries to close the game super fast with 《Runaway Steam-Kin》 and 《Light Up the Stage》, but also has a super card advantage engine in the form of 《Experimental Frenzy》 and 《Chandra, Fire Artisan》.
Red gained a spicy Planeswalker, with a very good static ability. Preventing gain life until the useless 1 loyalty Planeswalker leaves the battlefield is super annoying for control. And sometimes creature decks don’t have that window to finish 《Tibalt, Rakish Instigator》 before they try to gain some life.
Esper Midrange / Control
So… if you want to beat Red, just pick up Esper (midrange or control).
- Brian Braun-Duin
- – Esper Midrange
- MPL Spark Split Week 4
1 《Island》
1 《Swamp》
4 《Godless Shrine》
4 《Hallowed Fountain》
4 《Watery Grave》
4 《Drowned Catacomb》
4 《Glacial Fortress》
4 《Isolated Chapel》
-Land (26)- 4 《Hero of Precinct One》
4 《Thief of Sanity》
3 《Elite Guardmage》
2 《Hostage Taker》
-Creature (13)-
1 《Swamp》
4 《Godless Shrine》
4 《Hallowed Fountain》
4 《Watery Grave》
4 《Drowned Catacomb》
4 《Glacial Fortress》
4 《Isolated Chapel》
-Land (26)- 4 《Hero of Precinct One》
4 《Thief of Sanity》
3 《Elite Guardmage》
2 《Hostage Taker》
-Creature (13)-
4 《Thought Erasure》
3 《Tyrant’s Scorn》
2 《Despark》
1 《The Elderspell》
2 《Oath of Kaya》
3 《Teferi, Time Raveler》
4 《Teferi, Hero of Dominaria》
2 《Ugin, the Ineffable》
-Spell (21)-
3 《Tyrant’s Scorn》
2 《Despark》
1 《The Elderspell》
2 《Oath of Kaya》
3 《Teferi, Time Raveler》
4 《Teferi, Hero of Dominaria》
2 《Ugin, the Ineffable》
-Spell (21)-
2 《Deputy of Detention》
2 《Duress》
2 《Dovin’s Veto》
2 《The Elderspell》
2 《Enter the God-Eternals》
2 《Command the Dreadhorde》
2 《Narset, Parter of Veils》
1 《Hostage Taker》
-Sideboard (15)-
2 《Duress》
2 《Dovin’s Veto》
2 《The Elderspell》
2 《Enter the God-Eternals》
2 《Command the Dreadhorde》
2 《Narset, Parter of Veils》
1 《Hostage Taker》
-Sideboard (15)-
- Mike Sigrist
- – Esper Control
- MPL Spark Split Week 2
1 《Island》
1 《Swamp》
4 《Godless Shrine》
4 《Hallowed Fountain》
4 《Watery Grave》
4 《Drowned Catacomb》
4 《Glacial Fortress》
4 《Isolated Chapel》
-Land (26)- -Creature (0)-
1 《Swamp》
4 《Godless Shrine》
4 《Hallowed Fountain》
4 《Watery Grave》
4 《Drowned Catacomb》
4 《Glacial Fortress》
4 《Isolated Chapel》
-Land (26)- -Creature (0)-
4 《Thought Erasure》
2 《Cast Down》
1 《Dovin’s Veto》
1 《Moment of Craving》
3 《Absorb》
3 《Cry of the Carnarium》
2 《Mortify》
3 《Vraska’s Contempt》
2 《Chemister’s Insight》
2 《Kaya’s Wrath》
2 《Search for Azcanta》
2 《Narset, Parter of Veils》
2 《Teferi, Time Raveler》
4 《Teferi, Hero of Dominaria》
1 《Liliana, Dreadhorde General》
-Spell (34)-
2 《Cast Down》
1 《Dovin’s Veto》
1 《Moment of Craving》
3 《Absorb》
3 《Cry of the Carnarium》
2 《Mortify》
3 《Vraska’s Contempt》
2 《Chemister’s Insight》
2 《Kaya’s Wrath》
2 《Search for Azcanta》
2 《Narset, Parter of Veils》
2 《Teferi, Time Raveler》
4 《Teferi, Hero of Dominaria》
1 《Liliana, Dreadhorde General》
-Spell (34)-
2 《Hostage Taker》
2 《Duress》
2 《Moment of Craving》
2 《The Elderspell》
2 《Enter the God-Eternals》
1 《Dovin’s Veto》
1 《Cry of the Carnarium》
1 《The Eldest Reborn》
1 《Narset, Parter of Veils》
1 《Teferi, Time Raveler》
-Sideboard (15)-
2 《Duress》
2 《Moment of Craving》
2 《The Elderspell》
2 《Enter the God-Eternals》
1 《Dovin’s Veto》
1 《Cry of the Carnarium》
1 《The Eldest Reborn》
1 《Narset, Parter of Veils》
1 《Teferi, Time Raveler》
-Sideboard (15)-
Mono Red is that good. Even if you try to build a deck to beat it without losing too much against all other decks, it is not easy at all. But those Esper decks have the ability to deal with Frenzy, in hand or in play, and also with Chandra without taking damage in the way (《Teferi, Hero of Dominaria》 or 《Vraska’s Contempt》/《Despark》). This deck also contains other important aspects against Mono Red like sweepers, creatures to trade, and some gain life sources.
Unfair Decks
Though, when you pick up the “fair” decks, (let’s be honest, Teferi isn’t fair at all but…), you will start struggling against absurd value cards like 《Mass Manipulation》, 《Command the Dreadhorde》, 《Nissa, Who Shakes the World》 + 《Hydroid Krasis》 etc.
- Javier Dominguez
- – 4 Color Dreadhorde
- MPL Spark Split Week 4
4 《Overgrown Tomb》
3 《Breeding Pool》
3 《Temple Garden》
3 《Watery Grave》
1 《Godless Shrine》
4 《Woodland Cemetery》
2 《Hinterland Harbor》
1 《Isolated Chapel》
1 《Sunpetal Grove》
4 《Interplanar Beacon》
-Land (26)- 1 《Llanowar Elves》
4 《Merfolk Branchwalker》
4 《Wildgrowth Walker》
3 《Paradise Druid》
4 《Jadelight Ranger》
1 《Massacre Girl》
-Creature (17)-
3 《Breeding Pool》
3 《Temple Garden》
3 《Watery Grave》
1 《Godless Shrine》
4 《Woodland Cemetery》
2 《Hinterland Harbor》
1 《Isolated Chapel》
1 《Sunpetal Grove》
4 《Interplanar Beacon》
-Land (26)- 1 《Llanowar Elves》
4 《Merfolk Branchwalker》
4 《Wildgrowth Walker》
3 《Paradise Druid》
4 《Jadelight Ranger》
1 《Massacre Girl》
-Creature (17)-
4 《Command the Dreadhorde》
4 《Teferi, Time Raveler》
4 《Tamiyo, Collector of Tales》
2 《Vraska, Golgari Queen》
1 《Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord》
2 《Teferi, Hero of Dominaria》
-Spell (17)-
4 《Teferi, Time Raveler》
4 《Tamiyo, Collector of Tales》
2 《Vraska, Golgari Queen》
1 《Sorin, Vengeful Bloodlord》
2 《Teferi, Hero of Dominaria》
-Spell (17)-
3 《Duress》
3 《The Elderspell》
2 《Thrashing Brontodon》
2 《Assassin’s Trophy》
2 《Cast Down》
1 《Moment of Craving》
1 《Narset, Parter of Veils》
1 《Liliana, Dreadhorde General》
-Sideboard (15)-
3 《The Elderspell》
2 《Thrashing Brontodon》
2 《Assassin’s Trophy》
2 《Cast Down》
1 《Moment of Craving》
1 《Narset, Parter of Veils》
1 《Liliana, Dreadhorde General》
-Sideboard (15)-
- Lee Shi Tian
- – Simic Manipulation
- MPL Spark Split Week 4
9 《Forest》
9 《Island》
4 《Breeding Pool》
4 《Hinterland Harbor》
-Land (26)- 4 《Llanowar Elves》
4 《Hydroid Krasis》
4 《Incubation Druid》
4 《Paradise Druid》
4 《Frilled Mystic》
-Creature (20)-
9 《Island》
4 《Breeding Pool》
4 《Hinterland Harbor》
-Land (26)- 4 《Llanowar Elves》
4 《Hydroid Krasis》
4 《Incubation Druid》
4 《Paradise Druid》
4 《Frilled Mystic》
-Creature (20)-
3 《Entrancing Melody》
4 《Mass Manipulation》
3 《Chemister’s Insight》
4 《Nissa, Who Shakes the World》
-Spell (14)-
4 《Mass Manipulation》
3 《Chemister’s Insight》
4 《Nissa, Who Shakes the World》
-Spell (14)-
4 《Thrashing Brontodon》
4 《Negate》
2 《Ripjaw Raptor》
2 《Carnage Tyrant》
2 《Pelakka Wurm》
1 《Entrancing Melody》
-Sideboard (15)-
4 《Negate》
2 《Ripjaw Raptor》
2 《Carnage Tyrant》
2 《Pelakka Wurm》
1 《Entrancing Melody》
-Sideboard (15)-
Those decks are really good overall, and destroy the fair decks, but they have real problems dealing with Red.
My conclusion to this situation is that you need to read your metagame correctly and try to answer the most played deck. Of course this is not a format like Modern, there is no 90/10 matchups, but you can pick the right deck that beat the most played deck.
Some specific cards can break a game by itself and it happens a lot in this Standard and I’m not talking about big mana spells only. For example, 《The Elderspell》 can destroy an entire deck, so be careful with the decks like Jeskai Planeswalkers, everything seems perfect until you lose all your board for 2 mana and 1 card.
Other Options
To complete the entire map, there are two other decks in the radar, White Weenie (or Azorius Weenie) and Simic Nexus.
- Reid Duke
- – Azorius Aggro
- MPL Spark Split Week 3
12 《Plains》
4 《Hallowed Fountain》
4 《Glacial Fortress》
-Land (20)- 4 《Dauntless Bodyguard》
4 《Skymarcher Aspirant》
4 《Snubhorn Sentry》
3 《Law-Rune Enforcer》
3 《Adanto Vanguard》
4 《Benalish Marshal》
4 《Venerated Loxodon》
-Creature (26)-
4 《Hallowed Fountain》
4 《Glacial Fortress》
-Land (20)- 4 《Dauntless Bodyguard》
4 《Skymarcher Aspirant》
4 《Snubhorn Sentry》
3 《Law-Rune Enforcer》
3 《Adanto Vanguard》
4 《Benalish Marshal》
4 《Venerated Loxodon》
-Creature (26)-
4 《Legion’s Landing》
4 《History of Benalia》
2 《Conclave Tribunal》
2 《Gideon Blackblade》
2 《Teferi, Time Raveler》
-Spell (14)-
4 《History of Benalia》
2 《Conclave Tribunal》
2 《Gideon Blackblade》
2 《Teferi, Time Raveler》
-Spell (14)-
4 《Baffling End》
2 《Deputy of Detention》
2 《Spell Pierce》
2 《Disdainful Stroke》
2 《Dovin’s Veto》
2 《Teferi, Time Raveler》
1 《Island》
-Sideboard (15)-
2 《Deputy of Detention》
2 《Spell Pierce》
2 《Disdainful Stroke》
2 《Dovin’s Veto》
2 《Teferi, Time Raveler》
1 《Island》
-Sideboard (15)-
White Weenie still has an insane curve and powerful cards. Nowadays this deck got good 3 drop Planeswalkers, but the deck didn’t improve too much. It’s still a real contender and when the people don’t expect that velocity, White Weenie will win a tournament.
Simic Nexus is similar. At this moment (first days of June), it is a really good option since there is not so many Esper decks in the field. Despite having access to 3 《Blast Zone》, this deck has hard time to deal with baby Teferi and sometimes you just lose against the 3 mana Planeswalker.
A friend of mine won the qualifications to Mythic Championship III and IV, Vegas and Barcelona, with this list:
- Simic Nexus
- Mythic Championship III and IV Qualifier
- (Winner)
6 《Forest》
5 《Island》
4 《Breeding Pool》
4 《Hinterland Harbor》
4 《Memorial to Genius》
3 《Blast Zone》
-Land (26)- -Creature (0)-
5 《Island》
4 《Breeding Pool》
4 《Hinterland Harbor》
4 《Memorial to Genius》
3 《Blast Zone》
-Land (26)- -Creature (0)-
4 《Opt》
4 《Growth Spiral》
4 《Root Snare》
1 《Blink of an Eye》
1 《Callous Dismissal》
3 《Chemister’s Insight》
4 《Nexus of Fate》
3 《Search for Azcanta》
4 《Wilderness Reclamation》
2 《Narset, Parter of Veils》
3 《Tamiyo, Collector of Tales》
1 《Nissa, Who Shakes the World》
-Spell (34)-
4 《Growth Spiral》
4 《Root Snare》
1 《Blink of an Eye》
1 《Callous Dismissal》
3 《Chemister’s Insight》
4 《Nexus of Fate》
3 《Search for Azcanta》
4 《Wilderness Reclamation》
2 《Narset, Parter of Veils》
3 《Tamiyo, Collector of Tales》
1 《Nissa, Who Shakes the World》
-Spell (34)-
4 《Paradise Druid》
3 《Negate》
2 《Biogenic Ooze》
2 《Bond of Flourishing》
2 《Crushing Canopy》
1 《Murmuring Mystic》
1 《Nissa, Who Shakes the World》
-Sideboard (15)-
3 《Negate》
2 《Biogenic Ooze》
2 《Bond of Flourishing》
2 《Crushing Canopy》
1 《Murmuring Mystic》
1 《Nissa, Who Shakes the World》
-Sideboard (15)-
At the begining of this Standard, I fell in love with the Simic Nexus with 《Tamiyo, Collector of Tales》, and then, with 《Narset, Parter of Veils》. Two powerful Planeswalkers that give consistency to the deck. Needless to say, Tamiyo is just absurd in the deck. Narset has two roles, first, it puts really good pressure against control and 《Hydroid Krasis》 decks with 3 mana. Second, it suits your gameplan perfectly. You can play a 《Wilderness Reclamation》 on turn 4, and then turn 5 《Narset, Parter of Veils》 + 《Nexus of Fate》 which sounds great.
My Choice
As I said before, the metagame is about timing, so my advice is to play a deck that you feel respond to the metagame, and build a sideboard properly.
Here is my choice for the last two weeks:
- Luis Salvatto
- – Sutai Dreadhorde
- MPL Spark Split Week 4
4 《Forest》
4 《Breeding Pool》
4 《Overgrown Tomb》
4 《Watery Grave》
4 《Hinterland Harbor》
4 《Woodland Cemetery》
-Land (24)- 4 《Llanowar Elves》
4 《Hydroid Krasis》
4 《Merfolk Branchwalker》
4 《Wildgrowth Walker》
2 《Paradise Druid》
4 《Jadelight Ranger》
2 《Hostage Taker》
-Creature (24)-
4 《Breeding Pool》
4 《Overgrown Tomb》
4 《Watery Grave》
4 《Hinterland Harbor》
4 《Woodland Cemetery》
-Land (24)- 4 《Llanowar Elves》
4 《Hydroid Krasis》
4 《Merfolk Branchwalker》
4 《Wildgrowth Walker》
2 《Paradise Druid》
4 《Jadelight Ranger》
2 《Hostage Taker》
-Creature (24)-
1 《Cast Down》
3 《Command the Dreadhorde》
4 《Tamiyo, Collector of Tales》
1 《Vraska, Golgari Queen》
3 《Nissa, Who Shakes the World》
-Spell (12)-
3 《Command the Dreadhorde》
4 《Tamiyo, Collector of Tales》
1 《Vraska, Golgari Queen》
3 《Nissa, Who Shakes the World》
-Spell (12)-
4 《Duress》
3 《Thrashing Brontodon》
3 《Cast Down》
2 《The Elderspell》
2 《Finale of Eternity》
1 《Hostage Taker》
-Sideboard (15)-
3 《Thrashing Brontodon》
3 《Cast Down》
2 《The Elderspell》
2 《Finale of Eternity》
1 《Hostage Taker》
-Sideboard (15)-
This is the decklist I registered today. Yesterday I had 4th Tamiyo and 3rd Command maindeck but I was siding them out a lot so I changed a bit. Yesterday I went 4-0 vs monored and today 2-1, so if you want to beat the most played deck give this a try! pic.twitter.com/3FdokZXn7r
— Sebastián Pozzo (@sebastianpozzo) 2019年5月26日
This deck was inspired by Sebastian Pozzo‘s decklist, he made day 2 of the Mythic Championship qualifier on MTG Arena.
This deck has two insane combinations:
I had hard times to deal with Mono Red, but overall it is a good and fun deck.
Conclusion
Those are my thoughts about how to approach this fluctuating metagame, the key is to adapt the metagame changes as soon as possible, but the real thing, try to not lose to Red, because it is the best deck in my opinion.
Thanks for reading!
