Standard is continuing to prove how amazing it is. The dark days of Caw-Blade and Delver dominance are over, and what's left is a melting pot of different decks and strategies. Every major archetype has multiple variations running around, and there's no consensus on which versions are at the top of the food chain. It's a very merry Magical Christmasland indeed! I want to end the year right with another edition of Magic Candy. Let's talk about the Top 8 decks currently in Standard. Yummy!
I've never had a more difficult time collecting my ideas for a Magic Candy. This is the most diverse Standard format I've ever seen. There are dozens of decks fighting over the title of best deck, and the ones that achieve it tend to only hold the title for a week or two. It feels more like a schoolyard game of king of the hill than anything else. What's on top right now? Well, it's none other than Gerry Thompson and his beloved U/W/R Flash.
#1 U/W/R Flash
Creatures (11)
Lands (25)
Spells (24)
There are many reasons why this is the best deck right now, but the biggest is that it has one of the best deckbuilders at the helm. Gerry Thompson is known for picking the best U/W/x deck in the format and sticking with it for the entire season. There will be ups and downs throughout the season, but the formula seems to be working for him since he does in fact have the chips as well as the trophies to store said chips.
Flash's survival hinges on Thragtusk not being the best card in the format. Thragtusk backed up by Cavern of Souls is the two-card combo for which this deck has no good answer. Flash doesn't have the ability to be aggressive enough to ignore an early Thragtusk backed by other proactive spells.
It's a good thing that Thragtusk isn't the best card in Standard anymore. The initial stress that this Beast put on the format created an entire metagame designed to beat it.
What I find amusing is that most Thragtusks decks have become so inbred that they are now good matchups for U/W/R Flash. Most of the new Naya Midrange decks still have Cavern of Souls and Thragtusk but run a much slower shell than they once did, making it easier for Flash to catch a much-needed break in the middle of a game. This time allows Flash to set up the turning point of Sphinx's Revelation and drown their opponent with card advantage.
Junk Reanimator has always been a tough matchup for Flash, but many graveyard enthusiasts have moved away from the traditional versions to become more combo-oriented. Not only does that mean less Thragtusks, but it also makes graveyard hate much more potent.
A lot of decks are voluntarily bowing down to Flash, allowing the deck to spend more resources fighting the hyper aggressive B/R strategies. These strategies would be very difficult to handle if it weren't for the metagame being so well positioned for Flash.
Flash will lose its potency once the format centers on Thragtusk again. It feels like this is slowly happening.
I might get my Planeswalker license revoked for the next deck on the list. It was the breakout deck when the format was brand new but, until recently, had fallen off the face of the planet. I felt bad for all the mages who purchased this deck right out of the gates just to find out how vulnerable it was. Well, it is once again time to play everyone's favorite three-color combination.
#2 Jund
Creatures (17)
Planeswalkers (2)
Lands (25)
Spells (16)
Every best deck in the format has fallen to a big metagame shift. The shift we are feeling right now is one caused by the aggressive Rakdos variants that have been so good as of late. These decks have pushed everyone back into a midrange world, creating decks like Human Reanimator, Naya Midrange, and G/B Aggro—all archetypes for Jund to prey on.
Jund is weakest against Reanimator decks with Angel of Serenity and B/R Zombies, both of which are not as popular as they once were, making Jund a very good choice right now.
I won't say it's a perfect choice, since it's a very inconsistent and underwhelming deck at times. The one thing it has going for it is its invulnerability to hate. It's just a deck filled with good creatures and removal. It only has a tough time when decks are doing "unfair" things. However, in a world of midrange strategies, Jund is king.
#3 R/B Aggro
Creatures (28)
- 4 Ash Zealot
- 4 Falkenrath Aristocrat
- 3 Hellhole Flailer
- 3 Hellrider
- 4 Knight of Infamy
- 4 Rakdos Cackler
- 4 Stromkirk Noble
- 2 Thundermaw Hellkite
Lands (24)
Spells (8)
R/B Aggro is a unique version of the ever-popular B/R Zombies deck we all know extremely well. The story of how this deck came to be is a fairly interesting one.
B/R Zombies was the breakout deck of the format. I remember it vividly. I was playing my amazing "Hoof There It Is" deck at Grand Prix Charleston, thinking it was going to warp the format. It should have too since it had such a good matchup against the field at the time. The only problem was that B/R Zombies showed up simultaneously and won the event. It did the same thing my deck planned to do and had a wonderful matchup against my beautiful creation.
The very next week, Grand Prix San Antonio was filled with this menace and put two pilots in the finals. The format has been trying to kill this monster ever since. We tried going over it then under it, but we finally realized that the most successful strategy is to go straight through it. The deck has a tough time blocking, so the only way to beat it is to get on the board fast and use life gain monsters to stall long enough to win the race. I am talking to you, Mr. Tusk.
B/R Zombies is why people started playing R/B Aggro. The once versatile Geralf's Messenger became a joke in Zombie mirrors, since both decks had access to four Pillar of Flame. Geralf's Messenger is the only reason for a deck like Rakdos to stretch its mana base this far. Basing the deck red not only allows it to have a better chance in the "mirror" but enables it to splash single-colored spells instead of double-colored ones. BBB into 2RR isn't the easiest thing in the world to consistently do.
#4 Human Reanimator
Creatures (17)
- 4 Angel of Glory's Rise
- 1 Goldnight Commander
- 4 Huntmaster of the Fells
- 3 Izzet Staticaster
- 4 Nightshade Peddler
- 1 Zealous Conscripts
Lands (23)
Spells (20)
This is the newest version of Reanimator sweeping Magic Online. It also happens to be my newest love since it's the best Unburial Rites deck at the moment.
The original version of this deck utilized Chronic Flooding as its way to get cards into the graveyard. It was a more powerful version but too all-in to continue down that path. This version is a little bit stronger against graveyard hate since Grisly Salvage allows for the deck to find and cast all of its spells the old-fashioned way.
There are many advantages to playing this deck right now:
- Many decks have a tough time dealing with Izzet Staticaster since they rely on mana creatures to stabilize their greedy mana bases and accelerate them into spells in a timely fashion to beat Thundermaw Hellkite and Sphinx's Revelation.
- There isn't a deck in the metagame that has a good matchup game 1. This puts all the pressure on the opponent to not only have disruption in their sideboard but also to draw it and still not lose to Huntmaster of the Fells and Geist-Honored Monk.
- Other Reanimator decks can't beat deathtouch pingers.
- This deck finds more Angels than control decks can find mass removal spells.
The list goes on, but one thing is for certain. I'm having a blast playing with this deck as well as rarely losing with it. It's very difficult to play correctly at the highest level but is very easy to play on the lower ones. It's a perfect FNM deck since it's fun to play and does some of the coolest things in the format.
#5 B/R Zombies
I covered this deck a decent amount while talking about R/B Aggro, so there's no need to spend much time on it.
Creatures (26)
- 4 Diregraf Ghoul
- 4 Falkenrath Aristocrat
- 4 Geralf's Messenger
- 4 Gravecrawler
- 3 Hellrider
- 4 Knight of Infamy
- 3 Thundermaw Hellkite
Lands (24)
Spells (10)
Although this deck has a target on its back right now, that doesn't mean it's doomed to fail because it follows the oldest rule in the Magic book: threats are better than answers. You don't have to believe it, but one of these types of spells wins the game and the other prolongs it to eventually find its proactive spells.
Falkenrath Aristocrat and Thundermaw Hellkite are "living" proof that if you design cards this good, they will never be bad—especially when the threats are undercosted, overpowered, flying, haste creatures. It doesn't take many turns for these cards to kill an opponent.
B/R Zombies and Mono-Red Aggro feel like worse versions of R/B Aggro, but I could be wrong. I haven't spent any time testing these decks personally, so my only experience is how my matches against these three decks have gone. Ok, so I might be a little biased since I play with many cards with flashback, but I still think there is some truth to this statement.
#6 Naya
Creatures (32)
- 4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
- 3 Borderland Ranger
- 4 Champion of the Parish
- 2 Fiend Hunter
- 3 Huntmaster of the Fells
- 4 Mayor of Avabruck
- 4 Restoration Angel
- 3 Silverblade Paladin
- 2 Zealous Conscripts
- 3 Thalia, Guardian of Thraben
Planeswalkers (2)
Lands (23)
Spells (3)
Creatures (25)
- 3 Angel of Serenity
- 4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
- 3 Borderland Ranger
- 4 Centaur Healer
- 3 Huntmaster of the Fells
- 4 Restoration Angel
- 4 Thragtusk
Planeswalkers (2)
Lands (23)
Spells (10)
Creatures (22)
- 4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
- 4 Huntmaster of the Fells
- 4 Loxodon Smiter
- 4 Restoration Angel
- 4 Thragtusk
- 2 Olivia Voldaren
Planeswalkers (3)
Lands (25)
Spells (10)
There are more flavors of this archetype than in any Baskin Robbins, but they all have one thing in common. They are based on early acceleration that leads to a stream of powerful creatures and efficient removal. The spells might be slightly different, but the general strategy is exactly the same.
The biggest thing holding this strategy back is how much it has to focus on dealing with the "mirror." So many slots are chosen not only be decent in other matchups but shine when fighting other Restoration Angel / Thragtusk strategies. This alone keeps this deck from ever having enough focus to beat a high percentage of the field since the deck with more ways to go over the top of a Thragtusk will win. This is a very self-destructive arms race for every Naya lover out there.
My advice to you: you should all get together and agree to not have any hate for the mirror.
#7 Mono-Red Aggro
Creatures (24)
- 4 Ash Zealot
- 4 Gore-House Chainwalker
- 4 Hellrider
- 4 Rakdos Cackler
- 4 Stromkirk Noble
- 4 Thundermaw Hellkite
Lands (24)
Spells (12)
- 2 Tormod's Crypt
- 4 Volcanic Strength
- 4 Thunderbolt
- 2 Bonfire of the Damned
- 3 Traitorous Blood
Sideboard
I never thought this deck would last this long in the metagame. Mono-Red Aggro rarely has much staying power in Standard environments, let alone one with such a powerful life gain creature. Sure enough, this deck is still thriving because of the oldest rule in the book. The cards in this deck are extremely powerful. The deck is very consistent, and if an opponent stumbles, they are probably dead. If things go south, you just have to find a Dragon and some burn spells to ignore that whole interaction thing your opponent is trying to do.
I would never play a deck like this, but I always respect those who do. It is a great learning tool for people trying to get into Standard and the best way for them to learn how to map out turns. Figuring out how to piece together multiple turns of play is one of the most difficult things for any mage to master, so finding a deck to begin working on this side of the game is important. Just ask Patrick Sullivan what being the Red Mage can do for your game.
#8 Junk Reanimator
Creatures (24)
- 4 Angel of Serenity
- 4 Arbor Elf
- 4 Avacyn's Pilgrim
- 4 Centaur Healer
- 2 Craterhoof Behemoth
- 2 Restoration Angel
- 4 Thragtusk
Lands (24)
Spells (12)
When Kenji Tsumura makes Top 8 of a Grand Prix, we as Magic players listen. There was nothing too special about his take on Reanimator for Grand Prix Nagoya, except that it was the most streamlined of all the versions. This version still exists on Magic Online and is quietly a part of the metagame. It is unassuming yet powerful enough to continue to spike events here and there.
The main reason this deck isn't the best of the bunch is that it doesn't do anything special. The speed at which it resolves its game changing spells isn't faster, and all of its most powerful spells are yesterday's tricks. Everyone knows what to expect and already has a decent understanding of how to combat this matchup. Sometimes a turn 4 Angel of Serenity or a couple Thragtusks is enough, and sometimes it isn't.
I still play this deck from time to time on Magic Online because it does have Unburial Rites and Angel of Serenity in it, but it isn't the most powerful or fun deck to pilot. At the end of the day, this deck is your basic meat and potatoes.
The funny thing is that if you'd played this deck when the format was fresh, you could never have been stopped. We found you too late my beloved Craterhoof!
Now, I know I didn't touch on every deck in the format, but there is one deck many of you are probably curious why I left it off the list. Bant Control has been a powerful deck in this format, but I don't advise playing it unless your name is Reid Duke. That deck is tough to play correctly and has many bad matchups out there.
Wrapping Up The Year
It's that season when everyone looks back on the last year and reflects. There were many things I liked about this last year and a few I wish I did differently. One thing I regret is skipping so many events at the beginning of the year before I moved to Roanoke. Skipping all of those Grand Prix left me a few points short of Gold and resulted in me falling off the train.
I struggled in 2011 and was not in a great place when 2012 started. I decided to take a "break" from Magic, but that is the opposite of what I actually did. Instead of taking a break, I continued to play without passion and created many bad habits that I still struggle with to this day.
My fire for the game was reignited when I moved to Roanoke. I started going to Open Series events and began to meet you guys. Before this, I was writing and making videos but never got to really meet and hang out with the people I was writing for. I finally learned how amazing everyone that loves my content truly is and that gave me a renewed passion for producing content. I love what I do and thank you guys every day for supporting me through all my ups and downs. I now want to do something special for you guys.
My plan is to once again break down the way I play this game and start over. I want to return to my glory days where my game was crisp. The only thing I will be doing differently is bringing you guys along for the journey. Starting in January, you will be seeing me going back to my roots and working on relearning the fundamentals of the game. I will still be doing Versus videos, Above the Curve, Magic Online videos, and articles, but the twist is I will be starting up a daily stream on Twitch.
More news will come in the following weeks, but I want to let you guys know that Trainwreck Tuesday will return in addition to many educational streams that should help all of us get better at this game. I am really excited about this journey and hope to not only help you but be helped by you guys as well. I will never be able to explain how much you mean to me. Thank you for everything and know that I will be 100% focused on paying you guys back in 2013 with the best content I can possibly make. Oh, and winning another trophy!
For those who don't know, my Twitch handle is twitch.tv/FFfreakmtg. You can go to that link and start following me so that when I'm streaming you'll know. I will also tweet about this project @fffreakmtg. I can't wait to see you guys in 2013.
About Brad Nelson
2010 Player of the Year Brad Nelson started his Pro Tour career as FffreaK on Magic Online and quickly catapulted to the top of international Magic success. He won GP DC and was 2nd at PT Amsterdam and now lives in Roanoke, producing top-notch video and article content.